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Magic and appreciation…

It’s funny how ones week can go from craptastic to spectacular in the blink of an eye. My week started out with me stressing about how to pay rent at the end of the month and is ending with me grinning ear to ear.  I know, I know it’s only Saturday morning, the week isn’t quite over yet.  There is still another day of awesomeness ahead. Yet, I feel I need to be vocal right now.

I wrote off Monday and rebooted my week with Tuesday.  A night of live music and debauchery was exactly the magic ingredient to restart, recover, redo. It was also a night that reminded me, I have some pretty damn amazing people in my life, people who have inspired me to start performing again, people who inspire me to be a better person, people who inspire me that true love is having people in your life who love you back with the same amount of passion and vigor, people who push you for the good, not to put you over the edge.  I went through a period of stage fright, but the gentle prodding of someone dear to my heart convinced me to get over that fear and get back on the stage.  Because of him I did an open mic and am now not only doing features for my poetry, but producing and co-producing shows. It doesn’t stop there, since meeting him, there has been a snow ball that has turned into an avalanche of being introduced to amazing people.  People who are inspiring me, people who are pushing me to go higher up that mountain, people I’m producing shows with.  I don’t need to name names, he knows who he is.

Then along came The Beautiful and The Damned.  As I said earlier, getting over my stage fright has me featuring again, Thursday night I was a feature at The Beautiful and The Damned.  I was honoured to share the stage with Helen Posno and Kat Leonard, it was a magical night.  The people I have met since becoming part of this amazing reading series blow me away on a daily basis and are inspiring me as a writer and performer.  Though I didn’t meet Kat at the series, she too is one of those people.  So much so we are producing a show with the equally wonderful Arlene Paculan.

Oh… but it doesn’t stop there.  A beautiful girl named Ellie Anderson, not only wrote a song for me, but made a video.  How does anyone top that?  Note to anyone out there who is wanting to woo me, you’ve got a long way to go to beat Ellie!  She raised the bar pretty damned high!

The week, it ain’t over yet. Last night was a girlfriend date with Cate at the Alumni Theatre. Seeing Cosi reminded me how much I love the insanity and chaos of my life. Sunday I will be heading to the Local to listen to a band I am considering for another show I’m creating.  I will also be in good company that night.

This girl, she’s pretty damned lucky and has to remember to count her stars each and every day because I’m only up to 2000.

Wonder Women IV

Wonder Women IV

Take a mid-week break from the grind and help us celebrate with four amazing, talented and beautiful women who will be performing songs and words from their hearts and souls. They will be showcasing stories and experiences through music and spoken word, along with raising awareness for charities that aid women and children trying to rebuild their lives from the aftermath of domestic abuse.

You will be serenaded by the beautiful and incredibly hilarious Second City Veteran Kat & The MP3, shocked and titillated by slam poet and sizzling sensation Cathy Petch, to be brought back to a reality with the dark and ironic poetry of Lizzie Violet, then carried off into a beautifully lyrical wonderland by jazz/pop singer-songwriter Arlene Paculan.

Wonder Women was created by Mississauga native and singer-songwriter, Arlene Paculan, who had an idea to showcase female singer-songwriters of different genres, put them in front of different audiences so their fan base grows, as well as raise funds and awareness for associations that are female driven.  Arlene is currently planning her 5th Wonder Women which will be held at the Amphitheatre at the Celebration Square in Mississauga.

Admission for Wonder Women is $10 at the door with part of its proceeds going towards a charity that assists women who have been victims of domestic abuse. Along with the night of live music and words, enjoy some delicious food and drinks from the Central Bar & Restaurant. Doors open at 7 pm and the first performer will take the stage at 7:30 pm. Be prepared for a night of amazing vocals, melodies, words and food!

Curious about who’s who? Check the ladies out!

Arlene Paculan
www.arlenepaculan.com

Cathy Petch
http://www.cathypetch.com/

Kat Leonard
http://katleonard.com/home.cfm

Lizzie Violet
www.lizzieviolet.wordpress.com

You have a chance to win prizes throughout the night!
*Books
*CDs
*And much, much more!

If you’re interested in donating prizes, please message Arlene Paculan or  Lizzie Violet at email arlenepaculan@yahoo.ca or lizzieviolet13@gmail.com

We are also accepting money donations for the charity as well.  Click HERE to donate 😀

Thank you for your support and see you on the 25th!

My Own Personal Zombie

{contains a Walking Dead spoiler}

A good majority of the time television is there to entertain.  To temporarily take you away from the stresses of your life, to help give your mind a break.  Occasionally it does just the opposite, stirs up the gray matter, forcing you to face your inner demons and personal zombies.

I’m a lover of all types of horror, I work in the industry, so by the Gods I’d better.  My passion is Zombies. One of my releases for several weeks a year, is to delve into the world of The Walking Dead.  Each episode this season has left me astounded, amazed and proud that a show such as The Walking Dead is making a huge difference in the industry.  The writing is powerful, clever and poignant.  Last nights episode took it up yet another notch, but went further than that.  The ending, Dale’s death hit home.

The last few weeks have been hard, incredibly hard.  My dad is ill and because of this has me worried and stressed.  When I first found out about his illness it hit me like a mac truck.  The thought of losing a parent scares the hell out of me.  That along with the struggles of being a freelance artist, having to take a contract job that is making me very unhappy and ending in a month, struggling to find something else temporarily, trying to figure out how I’m going to pay rent and my bills at the end of the month, knowing if I had a roommate it would ease burden, but on top of it all, trying to to decide what to do about my own ‘personal zombie’.  A combination of all of this had sunk me back into depression.  I NEVER ask for help, rather crawl into my corner and fight through situations like this on my own.  This time I reached out, I asked for help.  Those I reached out to declined, those who should have been there for me, weren’t. I had a final awakening. So what does all this have to do with the ending of  last nights episode of The Walking Dead? Dale.

Dale’s own struggle mirrors my own.  Dale is the fixer, the nurturer.  He tried so hard to keep the peace, keep everyone together and to hold onto a way of life that no longer existed. Dale is the one who talked Andrea out of dying at the CDC, Dale is the one who tried to convince everyone that killing someone to save the group made them the same types of animals.  Dale is the one who continually tried to get others to understand his side of things, when all they could see is their own answers.  ‘Their way or the highway.‘ Yet Dale still tried to get through to them. That is me in nutshell.  I’ve been doing just that, trying to make something work that isn’t working. Holding on, hoping things will change, hoping for a miracle that just isn’t going to appear.  Dale’s death made me realize all of this. Dale’s death made me realize that in the end you just can’t make others see your way if they don’t want to even make the effort to open their eyes.

I NEVER cover my eyes in horror movies, ever!  Last night, the very second the Zombie started attacking Dale, I covered my face.  When everyone tried to come to his rescue, realizing they were too late, having to finish what the Zombie started, it hit me. Life is too fucking short to keep trying to make something work, when only one side of the equation is willing to open up to possibility, to let the wall down, to open the door.  Dale no longer has to bang his head on that proverbial wall and it’s time I stopped as well.

As hard, as painful and as heartbreaking as it is, in life you sometimes have to put the Zombie down. Be brave, move on.

TT – Valentines Edition

Ok ladies and germs… I am working my luscious ass off today prepping material for Tuesday… so! I think you should get your luscious asses out to hear me read!

https://www.facebook.com/events/263940413679235/  Click on this link for the facebook invite or… the details are also below.
Graffiti’s Bar & Grill
170 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON M5T1L8

Tuesday, February 14, 2012
7:30pm until 11:30pm

This weeks Edition has a spoken word & poetry slot in honour of that pesky St Valentine that we all know & love. The performers are…

8pm – MJ Cyr
http://www.mjcyr.com/

9pm – The Burning Heart Revue
Featuring:
Lizzie Violet – http://lipstikindie.wordpress.com/
Monica Kuebler – http://www.deathofcool.org/

10pm – Meghan Tocks
http://www.meghanstock.com/

Cover is PWYC ($5 sugg)

Hosting The Beautiful and The Damned on February 9, 2012 @ Zelda’s on Yonge Street.

Info I require…

I am re-posting in my blog in hopes of reaching out.  All info is welcome including book titles, names of people in the Toronto area etc.

~~

I am doing research for my novel and I need to talk to some people who might know the following….

Time period for all these things. Early 1900’s:
Gaelic Xmas song, in Gaelic.
The history of Cabbagetown/Riverdale – types of businesses, people and buildings
The Spiritualism movement – the history of it in Toronto, as well as famous people attached to it, stories of seances. (a historian may have this type of info)

Though I could spend hours on the intranetsss looking for this stuff, or go to the reference library. I actually want to talk to someone, pick their brains.

The Spiritualism Movement of the 19th century

I’ve always been someone seeking out knowledge on the paranormal.  I come by it honestly, my father is a strong believer and has amazing ghost stories.  I too have a few.  I’ve started back into my novel.  Oddly not horror, though I do need to add a bit of me into the story.  I’ve created a character who is a strong believer in the spiritual movement that took place in the beginning of the 19th century.  Though I LOVE doing research and doing it on the internet, I need your help.  I need your favourite websites, books and any info you might have on the subject.  Normally I post requests like this on Facebook, but have lost interest in that platform as of late.

If you can help me out, post here or email me at lizzieviolet13@gmail.com.

xo

Invoking the 5 rule…

I’m invoking the 5 rule.  What is the 5 rule you ask.  Well my ghouls and boils… let me tell ya.

Two years ago at Word on the Street, I was working the booth for a publishing house I was working for at the time.  A young girl came up to the booth.  She had $10 to spend and decided she wanted one of our books.  Before letting her finish the purchase, her mother said to her, “Honey, you know what you have to do first.”  The girl said, “Ok Mommy” and while looking at the book named off 5 reasons why she should have the book.  She was able to do it quickly and confidently.  Her mother told her that because she followed the 5 rule, she could buy it.  Curious, I asked the mother what the five rule was, the daughter interceded.  She told me point blank, “If you want something you have to say 5 really good reasons in under a minute.  If you can’t you don’t want it or need it bad enough.”  As I said at the beginning of this post… I’m invoking the 5 rule and adding a twist to it.

I’m at a standstill in my life and rather than be thrown into another depression, I am realizing I need to not only make some major decisions about where my life is going, in order to do it and do it positively, I need to purge.  I need to purge, material things, unnecessary distractions and people.  Anything that is holding me back needs to go.  I have too much unnecessary ‘stuff’ in my life.  I seem to have a difficult time purging, so am using the 5 rule to do it.  If I can’t name 5 reasons, in under 1 minute as why to keep something.  It goes.  The process slows things down, but at least this… built in guilt… won’t win out when I attempt it.  But isn’t using this rule for people a little harsh you ask.  When it comes to people, I will at least show some fairness.

How the people purge works, if I can’t come up with 5 reasons that they should still be in my life, and if following the rules, they would be purged, unless they can give me 5 good reasons they should stay.  I tend to hold onto people, no matter how negative they are for me, in hopes of fixing things, that things will change.  People don’t change.  They don’t know how.  We are the only creatures that keep repeating the same mistakes, hoping for different results.  I’m that creature.  I’m ‘Miss Fix It’ as my father so lovingly calls me.  I have always unselfishly put others before me, with little or no reciprocation.  Even Mother Theresa knew when enough was enough so, that part of me is getting purged as well.  I am no longer fixing people or situations, the only thing I’m fixing is me.

As hard as this next little while will be.  It has to be done.  Material things, I will sell or donate to charities.  The rest, well, the rest will have to work itself out and it will.