Dear Madonna,
Did you watch the Oscars? My girlfriend, Shelley, and I watched the Academy Awards red carpet coverage from a suite overlooking Niagara Falls. We even made it to the hotel's spa for pedis in the afternoon. Luxury!
While at the spa I picked up a copy of Men's Health and looked through it - for the articles only, of course - and discovered an interesting factoid about Cava. Apparently a Spanish scientific study has determined that drinking the Spanish bubbly on a regular basis reduces inflamation. "Like red wine, Cava has a significant amount of polyphenols, which have a strong anti-inflamatory effect on the body", thus reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, Alzheimers, and arthritis.
I'm stocking up on Segura Viudas....and drinking to, and for, my health!
Sante,
Julie
Friday, February 29, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
How well do you know…THE DEAR JOHNS?
Dear Madonna,
My friend Dianne was visiting from Halifax last week and we went on a tour of Queen Street West West starting with The Gladstone Hotel, where the Dear Johns will be performing their reunion gig during JulieFest.
We marvelled at the transformation from what the place was back in the Bronco's days. According to Adam, who took us around on a room inspection tour to some of the individually designed artist suites, some shenanigans still take place in the washroooms despite the hermitically sealed windows, although you no longer have to worry about being accidentally locked in a stall.
Just for fun I thought you might like to try your hand at a quiz (excerpted without permission from Cosmopolitan Magazine issue # 1214)
Test your knowledge of this country/rockabilly/blues/swing combo known to haunt the Queen/Dufferin area of Toronto in the mid-1990’s.
1) The Dear Johns consists of:
A- Breandan McGrath (bass)
B- Claude Barnes (drums)
C- Shawn Crockard (guitar)
D- Scott Crockard (harmonica)
E- All of the above
2) The Dear Johns guitarist Shawn Crockard courted and married Julie Epplett’s:
A- cat
B- good friend Dianne
C- dancing shoes
D- cha cha cha oochie mama!
3) The Dear Johns have been known to play:
A- country tunes by everyone from Hank Williams to Lyle Lovett
B- blues rants by folks like Son House and Stevie Ray Vaughan
C- swing numbers inspired by The Texas Playboys and Brian Setzer Orchestra
D- Rockabilly rave ups greased by Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins
E- R’n’R by The Clash, Pretenders, Talking Heads, John Hiatt
F- All of the above
4) It’s been said the Barnes/McGrath rhythm section of The Dear Johns:
A- lays it down thick and hot like fresh asphalt on the 401
B- is responsible for continental drift
C- can only barely tolerate the Crockard brothers
D- really ARE Crockard brothers but working under aliases
5) One of Scott Crockard’s favourite pastimes as a youngster was:
A- driving his younger brother Shawn crazy
B- driving his younger brother Shawn crazy
C- sitting on his younger brother Shawn’s head and farting
D- driving his younger brother Shawn crazy
6) The last time The Dear Johns played the Gladstone Hotel:
A- they made everyone in the place dance like crazy
B- someone tried to get wise with Donna the barmaid, but to no avail
C- the joint was called “Broncos”
D- There was a buffalo head on the wall
E- All of the above
How'd you do?
Julie
My friend Dianne was visiting from Halifax last week and we went on a tour of Queen Street West West starting with The Gladstone Hotel, where the Dear Johns will be performing their reunion gig during JulieFest.
We marvelled at the transformation from what the place was back in the Bronco's days. According to Adam, who took us around on a room inspection tour to some of the individually designed artist suites, some shenanigans still take place in the washroooms despite the hermitically sealed windows, although you no longer have to worry about being accidentally locked in a stall.
Just for fun I thought you might like to try your hand at a quiz (excerpted without permission from Cosmopolitan Magazine issue # 1214)
Test your knowledge of this country/rockabilly/blues/swing combo known to haunt the Queen/Dufferin area of Toronto in the mid-1990’s.
1) The Dear Johns consists of:
A- Breandan McGrath (bass)
B- Claude Barnes (drums)
C- Shawn Crockard (guitar)
D- Scott Crockard (harmonica)
E- All of the above
2) The Dear Johns guitarist Shawn Crockard courted and married Julie Epplett’s:
A- cat
B- good friend Dianne
C- dancing shoes
D- cha cha cha oochie mama!
3) The Dear Johns have been known to play:
A- country tunes by everyone from Hank Williams to Lyle Lovett
B- blues rants by folks like Son House and Stevie Ray Vaughan
C- swing numbers inspired by The Texas Playboys and Brian Setzer Orchestra
D- Rockabilly rave ups greased by Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins
E- R’n’R by The Clash, Pretenders, Talking Heads, John Hiatt
F- All of the above
4) It’s been said the Barnes/McGrath rhythm section of The Dear Johns:
A- lays it down thick and hot like fresh asphalt on the 401
B- is responsible for continental drift
C- can only barely tolerate the Crockard brothers
D- really ARE Crockard brothers but working under aliases
5) One of Scott Crockard’s favourite pastimes as a youngster was:
A- driving his younger brother Shawn crazy
B- driving his younger brother Shawn crazy
C- sitting on his younger brother Shawn’s head and farting
D- driving his younger brother Shawn crazy
6) The last time The Dear Johns played the Gladstone Hotel:
A- they made everyone in the place dance like crazy
B- someone tried to get wise with Donna the barmaid, but to no avail
C- the joint was called “Broncos”
D- There was a buffalo head on the wall
E- All of the above
How'd you do?
Julie
Friday, February 15, 2008
CavaGirl is Coming! CavaGirl is Coming!
Dear Madonna,
I think I told you that my friend, Cava Karen, is coming from England for JulieFest. Well I just got confirmation of her flight details today.
She and I met when I was living in Kuwait. We were both Hot Box Dancers in an amateur production of Guys and Dolls (you know, "Take back your mink, take back your pearls, what makes you think that I'm one of those girls?" - except that "pearls" was pronounced "poils", and girls, "goils").
Anyway, that was years ago now and we have a mutual friend, Slash who was also in the production. Bless his tone-deaf little heart, he had the only non-singing role. Slash loves Karaoke (naturally) and Karen has been urging me to urge him to come to JulieFest as well, but when I saw him last month in Houston he didn't seem that keen. Perhaps if you wrote to him, Madonna?
I went by the Gladstone Hotel last Sunday to drop off some JulieFest postcards with Adam, who's been helping me with the guestroom reservations. He was very impressed and gave them a place of honour at the front desk.
Gotta go. It's a work day and we have a long weekend ahead. Dianne is coming from Nova Scotia for a visit and I'm entertaining some of the "goils" on Sunday night.
By-the-way, the CavaGirl moniker might be a bit confusing. It started when Karen and I were in Barcelona for my 40th birthday. Not quite sure how or why but it was born somewhere amongst the Cava Bars of that city and my looking like you with your blonde Ray of Light curls was part of the story somehow.
TTFN
Julie
I think I told you that my friend, Cava Karen, is coming from England for JulieFest. Well I just got confirmation of her flight details today.
She and I met when I was living in Kuwait. We were both Hot Box Dancers in an amateur production of Guys and Dolls (you know, "Take back your mink, take back your pearls, what makes you think that I'm one of those girls?" - except that "pearls" was pronounced "poils", and girls, "goils").
Anyway, that was years ago now and we have a mutual friend, Slash who was also in the production. Bless his tone-deaf little heart, he had the only non-singing role. Slash loves Karaoke (naturally) and Karen has been urging me to urge him to come to JulieFest as well, but when I saw him last month in Houston he didn't seem that keen. Perhaps if you wrote to him, Madonna?
I went by the Gladstone Hotel last Sunday to drop off some JulieFest postcards with Adam, who's been helping me with the guestroom reservations. He was very impressed and gave them a place of honour at the front desk.
Gotta go. It's a work day and we have a long weekend ahead. Dianne is coming from Nova Scotia for a visit and I'm entertaining some of the "goils" on Sunday night.
By-the-way, the CavaGirl moniker might be a bit confusing. It started when Karen and I were in Barcelona for my 40th birthday. Not quite sure how or why but it was born somewhere amongst the Cava Bars of that city and my looking like you with your blonde Ray of Light curls was part of the story somehow.
TTFN
Julie
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Madonna Day
Dear Madonna,
I picked up your Immaculate Collection CD yesterday at HMV (using the gift card Nick and Laura gave me for Christmas). I'll be sure to play a couple of songs off of it at the Toronto Swing Dance Society's dance tomorrow night.
About the Karaoke Kick-off Party...when I told my friend Dianne my idea she said her husband Shawn (the lead singer for The Dear Johns) would rather hit his head with a hammer. I feel exactly the same way about watching "Dancing with the Stars".
Anyway, I'm guessing, you probably won't want to join us at Noah's Ark on the Thursday night either, but it would be really cool if you could come to the Dovercourt on Saturday. I'm making it a tribute day to *you* and all the dance workshops have been inspired by your songs.
Vogue - body movement ("Let your body go with the flow...")
In the Groove - partnering skills ("...gonna dance with someone else")
Express Yourself - styling for both Leaders and Followers
Like a Virgin - beginner West Coast Swing ("...for the very first time")
Oh, and I'd better check with Shawn, but they may be okay with you singing a couple of songs with the Dear Johns on Sunday night at the Gladstone, as long as we give them the song titles in advance so they can practice. Just let me know.
One more thing, Larry Hough posted the demos of me dancing with Mike - from my 'Six Pillars' instructional DVD - on YouTube. Check them out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWn0zEJAG6c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRhBJLDLzEw
Ciao ciao,
Julie
I picked up your Immaculate Collection CD yesterday at HMV (using the gift card Nick and Laura gave me for Christmas). I'll be sure to play a couple of songs off of it at the Toronto Swing Dance Society's dance tomorrow night.
About the Karaoke Kick-off Party...when I told my friend Dianne my idea she said her husband Shawn (the lead singer for The Dear Johns) would rather hit his head with a hammer. I feel exactly the same way about watching "Dancing with the Stars".
Anyway, I'm guessing, you probably won't want to join us at Noah's Ark on the Thursday night either, but it would be really cool if you could come to the Dovercourt on Saturday. I'm making it a tribute day to *you* and all the dance workshops have been inspired by your songs.
Vogue - body movement ("Let your body go with the flow...")
In the Groove - partnering skills ("...gonna dance with someone else")
Express Yourself - styling for both Leaders and Followers
Like a Virgin - beginner West Coast Swing ("...for the very first time")
Oh, and I'd better check with Shawn, but they may be okay with you singing a couple of songs with the Dear Johns on Sunday night at the Gladstone, as long as we give them the song titles in advance so they can practice. Just let me know.
One more thing, Larry Hough posted the demos of me dancing with Mike - from my 'Six Pillars' instructional DVD - on YouTube. Check them out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWn0zEJAG6c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRhBJLDLzEw
Ciao ciao,
Julie
Friday, February 1, 2008
Karaoke Kick-off Party
Dear Madonna,
We were out dancing at Noah's Ark last night with Mona and Jack and came up with a brilliant plan....We're going to start off 'JulieFest' with Karaoke night at the Ark on the Thursday before the long weekend: Thursday, May 15th.
The place is aptly described in Mona's article in DanceTime as "Utterly without pretension...like walking into a stranger's rec room", and the vocal skills of the singers are a bit...um...uneven. The floor, however, is in good condition and dancers are both welcomed and appreciated. Mona thinks the singers will rise to the occasion of preparing for my birthday party with any West Coast Swing requests we may have.
Now we'll have to see if Mike can get here on the Thursday night to take part in the Kick-off festivities, and if the Dear Johns aren't too offended by the whole Karoake scene may-be we'll get them up at the mic. You, too, of course, Madonna....we'd *love* it if you could sing for us!
Noah's Ark is located at 2777 Danforth at Dawes Road.
Hope you can make it!
Julie
We were out dancing at Noah's Ark last night with Mona and Jack and came up with a brilliant plan....We're going to start off 'JulieFest' with Karaoke night at the Ark on the Thursday before the long weekend: Thursday, May 15th.
The place is aptly described in Mona's article in DanceTime as "Utterly without pretension...like walking into a stranger's rec room", and the vocal skills of the singers are a bit...um...uneven. The floor, however, is in good condition and dancers are both welcomed and appreciated. Mona thinks the singers will rise to the occasion of preparing for my birthday party with any West Coast Swing requests we may have.
Now we'll have to see if Mike can get here on the Thursday night to take part in the Kick-off festivities, and if the Dear Johns aren't too offended by the whole Karoake scene may-be we'll get them up at the mic. You, too, of course, Madonna....we'd *love* it if you could sing for us!
Noah's Ark is located at 2777 Danforth at Dawes Road.
Hope you can make it!
Julie
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