She Is More Than That...(Bif Naked 2016, to start)

When the announcement posted on my Facebook Wall, I literally jumped of the couch. Our town and county mayors announcing Bif Naked (and some other people - just kidding) would be playing this year’s free admission Party In The Park, Labour Day long weekend, 2016. And then I proceeded to gleefully jump around the house making loud “Yes. Yes. Yes.” and “Oh my god. Oh my god.” I then went to work and subjected my co-workers with copious amounts of Bif Naked history, without any shame and included a full declaration of girl-crush. I also booked off time to make it to her performance, weeks in advance.

Have I lost my mind? That is really not the right question. Will I lose my mind? That is what I’m trying to prevent when Miss Beth Torbert and her band, Bif Naked come to town. Then I read comments re: my raving post on a local community page. It went something like (exactly) this,

-   “wish the town would live in 2016, not 2003.”

-   “I didn’t even know that she did anything anymore.”

And even as far as,

-   “I heard she was a mega-bitch in person.” That one both made me laugh and want to throat-punch the person, personally. Simply because, everybody is a ‘bitch’ sometimes.

And all these comments were to be expected from certain folks, previous history dictates. I also couldn’t resist to urge to reply a knock’em-all’down reply back, as follows,

-   “Pretty sure this Bif Naked: Forever (Acoustic and Other Delights) was released 2012 and her new book, just hit bestseller across North America. (So who's living in what year again?) This woman rocks anything she gets her hands on, including breast cancer and stuff. And she's sexy as hell through it all. Living super woman.

BIF NAKED ~I Bificus [FULL ALBUM]

I’m not a fanatical fan by any means of the word, or psychological profile, really. I just really love and appreciate this woman for her accomplishments, her talents (which are so many), and her ability to share so openly about such personal moments, whether just waking up in her kitchen in Paris, or waking up in her hospital bed, after chemotherapy. Beth Torbert (Bif Naked) is just that way.

In short form, her resume reads experience and success in song writing, singing, poetry, Animal Rights activist, acting, philanthropy, motivational speaking, non-fictional writing, blogging, (take a breath), and more.  

Moral of this post: Just because you think that a musician is no longer performing, or (at the extreme) falsely dead, maybe a person should use their wonderful Facebook and Google apps and they will probably find out that they themselves stopped ‘rockin’, not the artist.

©Dominique Clark 2016

When You Have The Change...(RUFKM, I Thought It Was Done With!!!)

(Caution: Language pertaining to the woman's anatomy and functions will be described in the following article. This is important and should be shared with anybody you feel has not been upgraded on their education of what to expect in Peri-menopausal and Menopausal)

      I'm not an expert on health by any means but what I've been experiencing for the past few years (stopped counting after 5 or so), is no less than an incessant inconvenience of all sorts. I've had body pains, night-sweats (just pure pleasure that is, not!), and some other debilitating symptoms. I had inquired with several doctors within my town regarding these ailments and was told,

     "No, you are not menopausal. Get more exercise." And that was the extent of it.

     January, 2016 comes around and everything is pretty much going the same, minus all the symptoms listed previously. Then February, and no period. Then March, and no period. As I etched into the end of April, I was getting ready to pop the champagne and begin life without the baggage of feminine hygiene products, ever. I also wasn't feeling the best, physically, either. There was sharp pain in the upper back by the spine that was causing some much grief. Not enough to send me to the doctor as I was managing and the discomfort seemed to be easing, as 4- 5 days went by.     

     On April 30, as I prepared for evening sky-watching through YouTube, a sudden urge to urinate sent me to the bathroom where I discovered that Mother Nature was not finished with me yet. This first frustrated me. Quite a lot more than just a bit. I grumbled as I went to bed and was still grumbling when the alarm went off. Almost talked myself into thinking it was the wrong day and would have gone back to bed. I blame my period for that, because I just spent two months of pure bliss. No cramps, no bloating, no back-pains from hell and especially, NO PADS.

     But no, overnight, my jeans are sausage-tight, no joke. And my skin feels like it's going to breakout any minute. I'm too old for this shit!!! And I don't want to, nah! I spent almost every other hour of the following day (today) hoping that it was just a 'blip' in the schedule and would be done by the end of the day. That didn't happen, either. 

     I know that my BFF just went pure hell as she seemed to have all the symptoms  x 10 and even referred to feeling like a pig being bled-out, for days on end. I wanted to ask her about my current circumstance, but considering how awful her experience was, I couldn't. So I did the next best thing: Googled it! (And it worked. Imagine that.)

     First off, I'm not nuts and you ladies out there, are not going nuts either. We are stuck in the 'Perimenopausal Stage' (Premenopause). And this can last for what seems like a second lifetime. And it is common for 'Aunt Flow' to come in and out of her cycle until full Menopause takes over. And yes, it might get more painful, complete unpredictable and seem like the bleeding is heavier than in previous cycles. This not what I had in mind when I said I wanted to feel like a teenager again.

     

     Second, big, huge Thank You to the people at Canadian Women's Health Network, who put together one heck of a website that is going to help me figure all this crap out. Third, doctors need to start giving women more information on what's going on with their own bodies. We don't all have a gynecologist available, a big sister who's been through it or a mother who's comfortable enough to share her experience. Even if the doctor is male and is uncomfortable himself discussing female events, the least he could do is guide us towards the right source for our own information quest, as I've done here.

     There is lots of information out there from professional individuals and women's clinics and other fantastic sites. I would hope that this site and the information on both phases of Menopause are helpful to somebody who, like me, has to find out somethings on their own.

©Dominique Clark 2016

#Menopause #WomensHealth #Perimenopause #Health #Postmenopause #CanadianWomensHealth 

Have You Heard?!?!?!.... (Canada Rocks, Pops & Hip-Hops)

     Despite the exceptional access to more information than ever previously imagined, the world still perceive Canada as being sparsely populated, under-educated and uncultured. Yet, we continuously export some of the 'World's Best', such as chefs, musicians, artists, engineers, researchers and so on. This also is true in the realm of music.

     Whether at the beginning, such as song-writing and sheet music, to the final production of a vinyl record or stage production. Canada is producing some of the world's best future producers, photographers, engineers and musicians.

      Our first example shall be, Sir Bryan Adams. This man has represented Canada as a musician, photographer, humanitarian and animal rights. As some contemplated Sir. Adams's retirement, he has just gotten his second wind to Rock 'n' Roll again, with the release of his new album, Get Up (log in to listen, for free.)

     Moving on to  Sass Jordan. An accomplished singer, songwriter and actress, this gorgeous 'should-have-been-a-model' blonde may have been of English birth, she is most definitively 'Canadian Made'. She is currently rocking out with her band, S.U.N. (She was even made an honorary colonel in the Canadian Forces based in Cold Lake, Alberta, in 2012.)

     And of course, there's multi-talented, guitar virtuoso and always handsome, Ian Fletcher Thornley. He's weaved in and out of the charts since his debut with Big Wreck , then his solo era (which I personally thought was fantastic) and a period of near obscurity as he dabbled with this, that and other things. Including making a family and becoming a dad. The last 5 years has seen the return of Big Wreck in 2012 (They are performing across North America this year, too, so don't miss a show. , his solo revival and another album release, Secrets, in October, 2015. (Blown Wide Open redo. Not necessary, but still done right.)

     Still wearing the bejeweled crown of 'Queen of Punk', Vancouver's imported (born in India), beautiful, powerful, and contagious joy that is Bif Naked (Beth Torbert). If ever there was an example of a living warrior princess, its Bif Naked. She represents the strength, willpower, softness and determination that is woman, Canadian and human - thank you to Kickasscanadians.ca for the article link.  She sings, designs, draws, writes (some are songs, poems and a book or two) and is spokesperson for Cancer Survivors, Animal Rights and Humanitarian projects.  

     Representing Canada is the best ways, is Monster Truck, from Hamilton, Ontario. These beautiful beasts are rocking every country that will let them in! They participate in the national pastime every chance they get! Monster Truck even went as far as sponsoring a whole team! Can you tell that I'm very much a fan? 

     Also contributing the continued life of Rock 'n' Roll, Metal Rock and the reputation of being LOUD, The Wild, from Kelowna, B.C., Canada. They are touring somewhere near you this summer. And currently enjoying some earned success with this gem, What About You?. It's playing for the last few weeks on my local station. And I dare you to not appreciate after one listen.

      Let's not forget the ever-expanding world of Hip-Hop/Rap. It's not my area of knowledge, by any stretch of the imagination, but 'I likes what I likes', and so I learn and listen. And boy, am I learning. Such as there is a whole organization dedicated to the support, promotion and future of Hip-Hop and everything it can involve from lyrics, beats, soundtracks, videos, wardrobe and so much more. Not all things Rap in Canada involve Drake and some are quite connected to their own heroes of the American Music Scene, having collaborated or currently doing so. I'm speaking of SDK - Stompdown Killa. And if you check their facebook page for this weekend, I bet you can find a show with some of our country's best up-and-coming talent.

     Some of that talent includes Merkules and Prada West, both working out of B.C. Canada. They are both actively touring Canada every other week, so check their FB pages and their Twitter accounts to catch a live show before they get too big. (Not even close to being a joke. Seriously.) And if you can't catch a show, at least support by liking, downloading and especially sharing their videos with others who would appreciate some fresh lyrics and crazy twisted flows. Check out 'One Of Those Days' - 2013, 'Leave It Alone' - 2015,
'No Chances' and also 'Balaclava Boys' - 2013. 

     Hope there's something here for everybody (except Country and such. I don't do Country.) Rock on!!!

#CanadaRocks #RockNRoll #HipHopNation #SDK #Merkules #Pradawestmusic #SassJordan #MonsterTruck #SirBryanAdams #BigWreck #IanFletcherThornley #BifNaked

The Summer Of NetFlix....(I Sure Do Miss Ragnar Lodbrock.)

(Be forewarned… this blog post is a link bomb!)

It’s been over three (3) months since the faithful phone call to end one of my longest relationships. It was painful, brutally abrupt and left me feeling kind of disconnected, for about a minute. There were reasons behind the ending of our union: 1) No real communication, 2) Only one of us paid, all the time, 3) Moments were almost always about reruns, non-relevant issues and other people’s dramas. And other small irreconcilable differences.

I had an urge for some Space 1999. Yes, it’s a thing. And damn if I wasn’t successful in finding the complete series, for free, on #YouTube. (Sorry that sounds like a spam comment insert, but it’s the truth.  INSERT LINK HERE). I binged on the commercial-free marvel of SCI-FI for two weeks. Most of January and February of 2016 were spent in this manner. Time well spent learning, exploring and almost vomiting in my mouth, all thanks to YouTube.

Then came the awakening of an under-used Netflix account. If anybody was being neglected it would have to be my friends at Netflix . Being one of their original Canadian customers since so long ago, I starting browsing their homepage of (kind of) boundless entertainment offered in T.V. shows and movies.

A big Must Watch is Swelter! My love-lust for Jean Claude Van Damme has been reignited and yes, that man is still relevant and certainly, not ‘faking’ it. The cast is well-rounded, and the story holds up, for me anyway. Danielle Favilli is just fantastic as the psycho half-brother.

Then I spent two days with Jai Courtney smokin’ hot, talented, versatile actor from Down-Under. I binge-watched Spartacus prior to GDTDH, and was already tickled by that man’s physical condition. I had previous watched the first season of this series back in the day. Unfortunately, after the death of their previous leading male actor, Andy Whitfield, I was lacking interest and lost track of the show. (That’s another blog that shall be written someday, in the near future.)

(Quick note: EXCLUSIVE Trailer: ‘Be Here Now (The Andy Whitfield Story)’ Goes Inside the ‘Spartacus’ Actor’s Battle With Cancer. Released April 8, 2016)

Continuing with the Action theme, I was able to view recently uploaded Terminator Genisys  and spoiler, he still doesn’t die in this one, either. But the plot twist did catch me by surprise, so I give it a ‘Thumbs Up”. And oh yeah, Jai Courtney is also in this one. Mr. Courtney also stars alongside Bruce Willis in A Good Day to Die Hard 2013. Be your own critic and watch some of these.

Which brings me to the darker side of exploring unseen films. These films are usually independent, scantly censored and either nonsensical, psychologically twisted, or both. And the next mentioned piece cinematic art is all of those and features a mega-superstar Canadian, Ryan Reynolds. The movie that I’m speaking of is – The Voices 2014. The versatility of this extremely gorgeous man is not in question. Ryan Reynolds proves his range of emotion and extreme control, within the role of Jerry. There will be no spoilers for this one. I was creeped out, in awe and almost sorry that the movie ended, really. (Think of it as ‘Taxi Driver’ meets ‘The Truman Show’ with a drop of ‘Hannibal’ for dessert.) Definitively, recommend this at least once. (FYI to anybody inside Netflix, Two Guys, A Girl and A Pizza Place would be a real treat for us, your customers. Trust me on this.) Also note-worthy is that both Ryan Reynolds and Jai Courtney are in the now international blockbuster Deadpool.

Needless to say after experiencing such intensity with The Voices 2014, I was in the mood for short spurts of comedic relief, with a story line if possible. And I’m still pretty much in the midst of an almost perfect summer viewing blitz.

Here’s a short list of some suggested time well-spent and the laughter alone will make your heart, lungs and other organs, get a workout. So don’t say I didn’t warn you.

1.      Grace and Frankie – Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. These ladies are as ‘relevant’ as they were when they enacted “9 to 5”. I was so upset to come to the end of the first season. And it’s at the top of my must-watch list during the summer when season two is uploaded to Netflix. Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up!

2.      The Ranch – Sam Elliott (enough said)…. Joking aside the cast is loaded and pretty solid storyline in the first season. This one took me by surprise as I’m not a country girl by any means and I’ve become immune to Ashton Kutcher. Yet, I absolutely love, love, love Same Elliott. And he is in this, so watch it. Really.

3.      Spartacus – Andy Whitfield’s last know contribution to the entertainment world prior to his untimely passing. He is still sadly missed. The series continued on, thanks to Netflix and gave several more seasons of spectacular, historically correct moments in Roman society and some of the bloodiest scenes I’ve ever enjoyed. Oh and did I mentioned the copious amounts of bare-breasted women, the unadulterated orgies and the epic gladiator matches. Obviously, I will never say enough about something I enjoy so much. I yelled “Spartacus!!!” every chance I got for at least three weeks. I order you to watch this show during those rainy days.

4.      Marco Polo – Not particularly standing out for anything but still holding its own as historically accurate, for the most part and the scenes are breathe-taking.

5.      Flaked – Will Arnett and some other underrated, yet very talented actors who portray eccentric people living in Venice, California, of all places. Will Arnett is dark, yet lovable, endearing, yet untrustworthy and that’s just the first episode. And yes I admit, he can almost be very seductive.

And that just the beginning of my adventures in the world of Netflix (Canadian link). And did I mention the crap-load of savings from not paying for cable. (I sure do miss watching Vikings on History Channel.) I just have to make sure that all this new control over my quality of entertainment is going to lead to a more controlled intake of this said entertainment. NOT!!!

If you don’t have an account yet, get one. Start by going here Netflix.ca, or check with your actual Internet provider.

(One last thing: who’s on board to petition Netflix to give us back the reviews and ratings options? I’ve got some feedback that’s dying to get out. Anybody else feeling the same way, too?)

©Dominique Clark 2016