FLOATING IN THE FLOOD: Comparative Chordate Anatomy
FLOATING IN THE FLOOD: a guffaw and a-ha walk down memory lane.
We had a flood in our basement that caused the rapid evacuation of accumulated random life bits. As I sort and purge the flotsam, some items I will share. This could be considered evidence that I’m a packkat (Get it? Pack…Kat? Packkat? Not packet.)
Comparative Chordate Anatomy: This is a mid-term exam I endured during my final year of university earning a degree in Science. You know how they say that every 7 years all your cells are completely new and you’re a totally different person? I think it’s especially true in the brain sector! I know I passed this course and part of that process included answering 3 out of these 5 questions in less than an hour and 15 minutes. Right now I can’t even decipher what these questions are asking! A sure sign that this is indeed my exam paper, however, is that I was using a purple pen. I’m comforted to consider that not all things change so radically. And I can still tell you whether a fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) is female or male and if it’s female whether or not it’s a virgin. Not as popular a party trick as you’d think. I could also look at a cross-section of a cell and tell you what organ tissue it came from. That trick’s even less popular so I haven’t preserved the skill. I can still touch my tongue to my nose, though. I cultured that dexterity during—oh, I shant retell the procuring of that knack online lest my regenerated-amalgamation-of-cells self 7 years hence shuns me!
Please enjoy this mid-term exam, especially if you can answer 3 out of 5!
As always,
Kat Leonard, BSc.
www.KatLeonard.com
Leuty Station Earworms!
Heather Hill is touring her new album, Leuty Station, this summer– with the happy-vibe spreading Lily C!
Heather Hill launched Leuty Station May 2012. Warning: it causes ear worms, that entertaining condition whereby a catchy tune boogies in your head throughout the day even when no tangible music is playing.
Heather Hill’s voice is like liquid love, with robust rumbling lows, ethereal highs and a plethora of delicious tones in between. She’s one of those singers who can convey a story and/or emotion with the sound of her vocalizations without lyrics– and then she’s got good lyrics too! The amazing thing about Heather’s lyrical stories is that they are very specific and often very literal with a truth that can give you shivers.
The vocal and instrumental play weaving together throughout this album is inspired and fun. I’ll leave the instrumental critique to someone more instrumentally adept, but to this laylady—(Hmm, this literary play on layman doesn’t have the eloquent sound I thought it might)—I hear topnotch beats and grooves that generate many a Leuty Station earworm. Prior to the Leuty Station CD launch, Heather did a marvelous series devoting a blog to each individual song on the CD. You can hear the song, read the lyrics and learn a little something about the origin and process of the song. It really is worth the read and listen. It starts here: Leuty Station pre-release song 1
Never Grow Old has an infectious beat with thunderous affecting crashes. I love the story behind this song and often smile with the thought of it. “To age and never grow old”
Wading Through Normal is extra-special to me because it’s a co-write with another gal I admire, Meghan Morrison. I interviewed the two lovelies on their collaboration, and you can explore that here. Wading Through Normal sings for the unsung hero in Moms everywhere. “She’s remarkable in the every day, notable in the always there.”
Last Train is one of those true stories that gives me goose bumps when I consider it. It’s a true story and the resultant song is haunting and encouraging in equal measure. It reminds me how important it is to keep your mind and body as fit as possible. “If ever there’s a time to win a race it’s now.”
The refrain of Leuty Station really speaks to me lyrically and sonically. It takes me beyond myself, the way the refrain in Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey does. It feels like the melody of my life, an anthem of hope weighted in possibility that makes me feel equally light and powerful. It makes me feel truthful about myself. “I like it that way, I like it that way. Alone in the rain and the waves with my thoughts and hopes on this stormy day.” If ever I could do a Heather Hill cover song, Leuty Station is it.
For a truly transcending musical experience, you must hear Heather Hill live. Generous, witty and wise in music and deed, she is an all-around luminous musician, woman and friend.
For information on Heather’s upcoming tour and how you can lure her to your very own city, visit www.HeatherHill.ca if you haven’t been there by now.
I look forward to sharing the lineup with Heather, Meghan Morrison, Lily C, and many other wonderful artists at the upcoming Wonder Women V event August 8, 2012 at 7:30 at the Celebration Square Amphitheatre in Mississauga. Hope to see you there!
Sing a blissful tune, everybuddy!
Love
www.KatLeonard.com
Captivated And Reaching For Sunlight
Music normally captivates me in three ways:
1) The sound: the melody and ambience of simple tones or intricate chords dancing together in a magical arrangement
2) The lyrics: the words, specific or all-encompassing, that articulate, commiserate and motivate
3) The voice: The unquantifiable features of a singer’s tone and expression that speak to me irrationally and profoundly
Lily C captivates me in all three categories on Reaching For Sunlight. This is Lily C’s debut English album and it is described as, “a collection of songs that reflect her journey to stay hopeful despite challenging circumstances.”
Reaching For Sunlight is joyful and beguiling pop music woven from sonic layers that lull and enliven. It has rousing pep, addictive rhythms and penetrating depth.
The lyrics are enlightening, empowering and everlasting. It may not be fair to extract lyrics from their song bed, but many of these are so powerful on their own that I had to list some of my favourites.
“…in my hurricane of grief can you show me how to breathe…”
“…just when you think that you’re gonna die, that’s when you realize you’re made to fly…”
“…I’m reaching for sunlight like city flowers do…”
Lily’s voice is like hard candy: sweet and solid. It’s like whiskey licorice.
While listening to I Am A Bee, I swore I was soaring on the breeze with butterflies until someone walked in the room and I realized it was just me bouncing in my office chair.
Come Back To My Love affects me most intensely. My heart is struck in all three categories– sound, lyric and voice. The lilting piano notes lure me in off the top, and Lily’s supple and raw vocalizing clinches the enchantment. Every time. I could listen to her vocalization after the bridge on repeat forever. It’s like she’s singing in my ear, whispering, speaking directly to me while I lay on a couch crumpled in defeat. She’s the wee Fairy of Trust lulling me to the belief that everything will be ok; her metaphoric arms first cradling and comforting me before picking me up, dusting me off, and guiding me to stand again on my own with more strength than I had before. If I were to do a cover of a Lily C song, it would be this one!
Listening to Lily C’s music is like starting your day off with a good breakfast: being nourished with your favourite cereal fortified with familiarity and optimism and sweet wee Lily bits that beam up at you through the milk, coaxing you to have a glorious day no matter what comes your way. I think Reaching For Sunlight is a masterwork and I recommend you check it out! www.lilyc.com. Lily also has a pretty inspiring blog: Take A Deep Breath.
I look up to Lily and look forward to more music from her.
I also look forward to sharing the lineup with her at the upcoming Wonder Women V event August 8, 2012 at 7:30 at Celebration Square in Mississauga. But more about that later…
…until then, may the music always play!
Love Kat
www.KatLeonard.com
40 Things I’ve Learned
40 Things I’ve Learned, in no particular order but the one they came to me in, by Kat Leonard:
1. You won’t end up with the friends you started with.
2. Keep friends in whose company you like yourself.
3. I’m lucky. Part of being lucky is realizing that you are.
4. Love feels even better going out than coming in.
5. My gut serves me best but my mind provides a worthy and engaging opponent.
6. Self-Doubt will keep you humble if it doesn’t paralyze you.
7. You can’t blame someone for not reacting the way you would.
8. No one can make you feel any particular way without your permission.
9. Maintain high hopes and low expectations. Also, early is on time and on time is late!
10. If you know enough to say sorry while you’re doing it, DON’T DO IT! Duh!
11. All that glitters can be worn at once.
12. The heart is a muscle: work it hard, permit it recovery, and enjoy it getting stronger.
13. There’s a right time for being right.
14. Camping sucks.
15. Oftentimes, freedom is a state of mind and captivity self-inflicted.
16. Don’t sit too long.
17. Stop eating when you’re full.
18. Be stingy with your time. It’s the most expensive thing you can waste.
19. If it’s feasible and it doesn’t hurt anyone, it can’t be bad merely because it’s unconventional.
20. Relentless hope and joy can be found in the facial expression of a Smurf.
21. All things are equal at the end of the world.
22. Carry sunscreen, dental floss and earplugs.
23. Never pass up an opportunity to drink water, go to the bathroom or brush your teeth.
24. If the day doesn’t feel right at first, take a nap and start over again.
25. People remember both a buoyant smile and a droning whine long after it’s left the room, so execute the one you’d like to be remembered for most.
26. The truth is equally the most exhilarating and effortless way to go.
27. Live each chapter of your life to its fullest. Don’t jump ahead and don’t try to back-edit.
28. Courage is being unnerved and moving forward anyway.
29. The answer is not at the bottom of a bag of chips. But there seem to be quite a few good clues there.
30. The second you think you’re unhappy, you are.
31. Accept compliments promptly and gracefully.
32. Listen to music. Read books! Read books that are more than a thousand pages long! Immerse yourself in another world.
33. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.
34. If you laugh well, your lines will be in the right place.
35. That which you create is real.
36. When the urge to dance hits, succumb to it regardless of where you are. The likelihood of harm coming your way is highly unlikely. Mmm… maybe not in a customs lineup.
37. Participate all you can now, because you’re only going to get more tired as the years pass.
38. We regret the things we don’t do more profoundly than the things we do.
39. If you have to question or analyze it, they don’t love you the way you imagine they do.
40. Kiss. Hug. Keep your socks dry.
Love feels better when you give it away!
It’s true, isn’t it?
This past week we held Wonder Women IV and there was so much love and spirit pinging off the walls of The Central Bar & Grill I felt bombarded by joy!
Wonder Women is a series of live events started by the uber-talented and ever-generous Wonder Woman Arlene Paculan. She created it to help promote local talent and also raise awareness and funds for local charities. For WWIV we joined with Red Door Family Shelter and Beverly Webb from Red Door attended the event to share the love and spread the word.
A highlight for me was when the beautiful Arlene Paculan covered my greatest hit Jockstrap and made it sweetly and sinfully soulful.
Here’s a link to the video: Arlene does Jockstrap!
Blurbs and pictures from WWIV can be found in the blogs of the following Wonder Women:
“Four, hot talented women join forces for Red Door at Wonder Women IV”
-Life With More Cowbell
“Wonder Women IV“-Lizzie Violet
“Wonder Women Awesomeness“-Lizzie Violet
“The Wonderful Women at Wonder Women IV“-Ellie Anderson
Wishing you the joy of love coming in and going out in equal measure!
Love KAT 🙂
KAT LEONARD (Kat & The MP3) 