Let’s go to the Ex…

O.K. if you are like me… who was born in Ontario… the Ex means the “END” of summer, usually running the last two weeks of the summer before school starts, over labour day weekend!  I must admit I’ve only been to the ‘Toronto Ex’ two different years, when I lived there.. hmmm what was I talking about? Oh, Yes! another difference between Manitoba and Ontario… Winnipeg has their “Ex” as the ‘start’ to the summer… This past Thursday night I decided to go check it out with a friend.  They hadn’t been in years, a band that they enjoy were playing at 8pm… so off we went! The following are some of the photos that I took, as I experienced my first Winnipeg “Ex”…

We arrived close at dinner time.. so that was the FIRST big decision… what to eat??  After a look around… we both decided on ‘Smokey’s Tender Beef’…

(I didn’t get a photo of the bun filled with beef..) If you know me… you know that roast beef dinner isn’t really my thing (I’ll eat it to be polite, well usually, but I don’t care for it…) But apparently roast beef sandwiches from “smokey’s” ARE my thing! It was pretty yummy for ‘fair grounds’ grub!

…this was something I split.. hot-potato ‘fries’ but they were like chips.. but they were all one BIG long peel and then deep fried goodness!!! (soooo good…and probably a good thing to just have once a year!) Let’s not forget dessert!! (after some walking around…. we ended up in front of a fudge booth… with SO many choices..but actually BOTH decided on the same kinds and split a 1/2…) Yummy Mint Fudge!!!

Then came the walking around… and at all travelling fairs… we all know the endless game booths with games that are rigged so that winning is impossible.. and in the moment.. (YES, I’m SURE you have been there too!) You decide that you HAVE to have one of those cheesy-carnival stuffies… and make it YOUR ambition to have it happen!

(the well trained carnie will spot this and keep you buying balls, and ‘trading the tiny, ugly stuffy’ to eventually after a bazillion dollars you get the most ‘beautiful’ stuffy that had you STOPPED at this silly darn booth in the first place! (ok… so maybe that little ramble was from experience, or just keen observation while visiting the Winnipeg Ex…just sayin’)

dYes, I’m the proud owned of a ‘Monkey-in-a-banana’ I think now my life is complete!

So, I learnt two things walking away from the booth…

1. I don’t have good aim, and next time at the Carnie-games… I need to NOT do games that require me to pitch baseballs into small holes…

2. Ask the person that you are with… if THEY want to throw your balls, rather than watch you and take photos–because they might be a really good aim! (although then I wouldn’t have had the satisfaction of ‘winning’ my Monkey-in-a-banana for the bargain price that I had to ‘pay’ to have the privilege to try to win it!)

“monkey-in-a-banana” then went on to enjoy various sites at the Ex… and even sat in a fighter jet… I did too of course!! 🙂 

Then there was some more ‘walkin’ around… and seeing what we could see… the Winnipeg Ex is a really good place to check out the latest fashions.. and see what the people are wearing!  (although I’m not going to try any of the fashion that I saw exhibited that night~!)

How much fun would have this been? –the kind that makes you want to scream and hope you don’t have to pee… sadly this was not ME inside this sling-shot-ball-to-the-sun… but was fun watching people do it all the same! Part of the original reason that I ended up at the Ex.. was because Mark wanted to see “My Darkest Days”… and it was a fun concert, and it was really funny seeing them try to keep their banter with the crowd “PG” and appropriate, and in the end… there were a few ‘f-bombs’ that were dropped~!  But I did get some fun shots of the band…

 There was quite a crowd.. that enjoyed the performance… live music is always a good thing!

People watching as always been a fun activity and at a concert… it’s a perfect opportunity to scan the crowds and see what you might see!

And I took a few snaps…

Exhibit A: Very-free-spirited dude, not ashamed to move the way the music lead him...who may or may not have had a few 'adult' beverages~

Exhibit B:There's always a few in the crowd that want to be hoisted onto someone's shoulders and view the concert from way up there! Much to the peoples dismay behind them!

After the concert we headed into another building… and saw some sights… there was a massive colon we walked through…no jokes here—it’s the truth… and well to prove that we did… Mark stood by the sign and then entrance, of the ‘pink’ colon pointing to some haemorrhoids… (the whole building was to promote ‘healthy lifestyles’ and to educated people about dangers and warning signs for colon cancer, so a good thing–but humorous at the same time!)

When we emerged from the building it was getting dark, so we walked around the mid-way… once more.. and I took a few photos!  (I just hand held, and played with shutter speeds…and made due without a tripod! I’m pretty happy with the results!)

After taking a few shots of the GIANT Ferris wheel…. I wanted to go on it… so I got some tickets and then waited in line… Mark either was just as ‘thrilled/excited’ as I was to go on the Ferris wheel and I know he really LOVES his photo being taken! 😉
And the view from the top….

I feel for the two ‘teenagers’ that were in the same ‘bucket’ as us… they probably said what weird “OLD” people… taking photos… and self-portraits of themselves! (but hey… you gotta do it, it’s a way to preserve the memories… I really am NOT shy to take a photo…at all, and have a bunch that now when I look through them I am what was I thinking!!)

Thanks, Winnipeg Ex.. it was a great night, good times were had by all!

P.S. I’m still trying to sort out if I compressed my photos into small enough files–to help with the loading process?..let me know how it loads.. Because I do like to do ‘picture’ heavy posts!

ARGH! WORDPRESS–need to work on my how-to-format-posts!!

Thanks, S

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>U2…

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…I must admit, I’ve been looking forward to going to this concert the DAY after I bought tickets!  

I was insanely jealous when U2 was in Toronto and I was living in Pangnirtung and friends on Facebook where posting that they got to go to the show, and I was not going!  I guess good things come to those that wait!  I asked Anne if she wanted to catch this concert with me.. and she agreed… I said, “want to get a seat? or chance the floor?” She said, “floor is good!”  So that’s what we did… I think my ticket was about $72 and change… and it was so worth it!  

I found this diagram/picture of the stage set up… I didn’t get any really great shots of that!  Anne and I arrived down at the stadium about 5:30pm (concert started at 7pm)… there was a HUGE line for the Gate 4 where we were suppose to enter… (people had been waiting since 6am, some had slept there over night!)… We ended up on the other side of the stadium waiting in the cue… (I thought at that moment we’d be at the back of the field!)… Then they opened up Gate 3, for field access…and we were probably in the first 50 or so that go in from that side… we went quickly up to the centre of the stage, in the 3rd row at the front of the ramp that circled the stage!  I couldn’t believe it… Then the waiting/pushing started!  Some of the people around us had indeed camped out, had numbers on their hands for the line that they waited in outside!  Anne and I were just plain lucky!  

we were probably just in front of where the GA was in this photo… (but this wasn’t the Winnipeg venue)

Shortly after 7pm “the Fray” opened up for U2…  

The LED screen above the main stage…

 At first I wasn’t 100% sure if I had heard of “the Fray” then I found myself singing along.. and I realized that I had known them from Greys… (HERE is the video from Greys!) 

I’m thinking I definitely need to check out their album a bit closer… 

We had about an hour of stage set up for U2.. the coolest thing was to see the lightening guys… get into their rigs… (they lowered from the legs of the ‘claw’ they got in and were then taken HIGH above the stage to sit just under the claw…) I think they had some of the ‘best’ seats in the house!!! 

Testing out the equipment…

Before U2 came out.. the started showing random facts on the big screen… one of the people didn’t spell Winnipeg right!  (Bono came out and apologized and said we know you aren’t WINE-PEG!!) But there were a few ‘boos’ in the crowd… and also at one point they referred to the MB State (not sure where that is!)

I’m not sure where these stats came from.. but thought that the ‘blogs posts today’ was kind of interesting..

Anne and I posed for a photo…. (it was hard to get the WHOLE stage in because of where we were standing!)

The Snow birds came and flew over the stage before U2 came out… they circled the stadium a few times… it was really really cool!!!

I love this photo.. because it shows how many people were around!

The anticipation… smoke started.. and some music…. where are they going to come from? (the bridges moved during the concert.. and connected the main stage to the ramp outside of it)..

U2… does the walk to the stage… firsts glimpses on the big screen!

….The Edge… the first of many ‘walks’ on the ramp in front of me!

Bono looked at ME!!! (and i got a photo…)

Adam Clayton and The Edge…

Coming over the bridge… (I wasn’t the only one taking cell phone photos!) 

Bono singing in front of me…

Bono–I think one of the only people that can pull off sunglasses at night… but how does he see!?

The screen at one point in the concert separated.. and made this ‘honey-comb’ over the main stage… it was pretty awesome…. and looked way cool.. with the flashing lights…

The show went on with U2 playing ‘under’ the honey-comb… 

One last shot of Bono… (hmmm perhaps I was a bit star struck?) Although one of my co-workers was out for dinner and saw Bono (face to face) as she was leaving the same restaurant he was arriving at!

Larry Mullen Jr… takes his bongo on a walk around the ramp!

It was the 50th anniversary of Amnesty International.. and there was a really neat tribute to the work that Amnesty does in the world!

This was the end of the show… They did return to do an encore after a little video clip, animation thing!

All in all.. I had a blast thanks for coming with me Anne!  I danced and sang.. and loved it!! (ear plugs and all!)

*All the above photos were taken with my iPhone 3Gs or my first point and shoot digital camera it has 5.1 mega pixels of greatness!!! 

>Christmas Concerts…and Haliburton Life..

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Today was Samuel’s Christmas Concert… This was one of those ‘first’ things.. and I was lucky to be here for it!! Because you know Kindergarten Christmas Concerts are really important!! All three of the kindergarten classes joined, and sang to the proud parents, grandparents and other family members! 

Their songs were: Away in a Manger, S-A-N-T-A is His Name Oh! (think of the song B-I-N-G-O with the dog), We Wish you a Merry Christmas…and then Jingle Bells as they left the stage!

I wasn’t sure if he actually saw me, or his mum, or dad, or grandparents… but he did SING to all the songs!  Samuel you sure have grown up a lot since the summer!!!

Samuel, I was so excited to be there today!! Great job singing…you made your Aunt Sarah smile with pride!!

I have been enjoying being at my mum’s house…. with a view like this… who wouldn’t be happy!?

Icicles dripping off the roof…. makes me want to go out and break one off and chew on it…

I totally am not on the prairies anymore… I’m soaking up this time here… because I’m afraid it might go too fast!!!

>It was a Good, Good Night!!!

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In the March, I heard that the Black Eyed Peas were coming… so I talked to my office mate.. and wondered if she’d like to come, and if she knew anyone else who’d like to go?!(she knew of one other person…so I got 3 tickets)…I ordered the tickets at noon on the Saturday they first became available–and we got FLOOR tickets… now fast forward to August 18, 2010… I hadn’t realized that my cousin would be here… so sadly she couldn’t come to the concert… but we all went out for a drink before hand! 

Apparently my co-worker knows the owner of the bar.. and well he gave us two shots for free!! (yummy!)

And then we went off to the MTS Centre… just in time for the ‘peas to come online… we purposely didn’t go to see “T-Pain” I think the reason is self-explanatory… (i really don’t know who that is and at the time drinks sounded better!?!)

The floor was awesome… I was using my ‘old’ digital point and shoot camera.. that I got for Christmas of ’05…and it used 3 sets of batteries during the 2 hour concert… (I was so missing my ‘big’ camera..) But I still got some good shots!! 🙂

When the ‘peas came out onto the T part of the stage.. we were pretty darn close…. I could almost reach out and touch them… (I think through the night we moved in a bit closer too!)

…at one point we were all asking ourselves, “Where is the love?!…where is that love?!”

This was taken at some point in the concert!!! 🙂 (we both look HAWT because it was HOT! 😉

At one point in the concert each ‘pea.. did their own thing… and Taboo.. flew over us… on his motorcycle.. (how cool is that!?)

Fergie… struting her stuff!

Last moment of the concert… it was a ‘good, good night!’

Thanks for coming with me Andrea and Ashley… it was so much FUN!!! 🙂