Marching On

Despite the overnight snowstorm and the ice pellets bouncing off my retinas on the walk to work this morning, March already feels like it will be a better month than February. I've never really thought of myself as the type of person overly affected by the weather, but I don't know what else to pin my month-long grumpiness on. For the good of world peace, let's just be thankful that father time has marched into a new month. Hello, happy and more well-adjusted Matty, it's nice to have you back with us.

I can't say yet what the recent weather means for skating on the canal. It's been a pretty great season so far. We used to skate once week at the local arena when I was in Catholic school as a boy, so you can imagine my surprise when I discovered on the canal one morning a love for something I thought I hated. It's also nice to see how many folks from the Ottawa-Gatineau area come out for a skate. It's packed on the weekend, so if you're not already in the loop, here's a tip: go early and stick the middle section.

After a marathon five-week session of Parliament, there's a two-week recess now before two more weeks of discourse, followed by another two-week recess. I let loose last night with some colleagues from the Hill at a Zaphod's club show.

Norway's 120 Days opened for Edmonton's Shout Out Out Out Out, whom I had been told put on a very fun show. It's hard to describe exactly what they were doing, but if forced to, I guess I would call it electronic pop. Yet it was served up with a squeaky-clean, go-Oilers-go, Prairie-wholesomeness that my feet found infectious on the dancefloor. The lead singer was a full-tilt performer whose kicks seemed to get higher and higher as the set progressed, while the pair of drummers pulled the whole thing together nicely, even if the band was forced to take an impromptu break in the middle of the set so one drummer could find his glasses.

120 Days were a bit moodier than the Shout Outs (as one friend calls them), and perhaps a bit better at what they are doing musically. But what the Shout Outs singer had in kicks, the 120 Days' singer had in hair. His bangs came straight down his face and just as he approached the mic, he would roll his head around until they were out of his face and he could mumble-sing a few lines before going back to the various instruments he plugged and strummed away at over the course of the 35-minute set. He also had a habit of winding the mic cable around his neck or holding it in his teeth when he wasn't using it for vocals.

I just checked out their myspace site (http://www.myspace.com/120days) and they're on a North American tour right now, so they might be coming to your town soon. They came all the way from Norway, the least you could do is go to their show.

Of course, no club show at Zaphod's is complete without a pre-show meal at Ahora's (307 Dalhousie). Relatively fast, relatively cheap and altogether delicious, I was turned on to Ahora's by a friend and it's been love ever since. The food and drinks are authentic Mexican and the serve-yourself salsa bar features a range of flavours to liven up an already lively and generous plate of food (combine the Ahora and the verde and you will be in salsa seventh heaven).

Meanwhile, for weekend brunch, I'm loving Stoneface Dolly's (479 Bronson). It's at the end of my street, so you can't get much more convenient than if it was your own kitchen. I love the home-made bread and freshly-squeezed juices to complement a healthy and fantastic brunch. Who needs to order bacon when the food is this good? We were lucky to be seated right away when we went a few weekends ago, but I've heard a line-up is quick to develop after a certain point in the morning.

I think I'll try it again this Sunday, so long as I get out of bed in time. Saturday night is the appropriately-titled Jizz queer dance party at the SAW Gallery on Nicholas Street. I'll let you know how that goes.