Bummer on the apartment. I saw one downtown yesterday that I think i would have taken after a little while to think about it. Turns out that some lady came in right away took a look at the place and grabbed it on the spot. Learning lessons all over the place about getting housing lately. Unfortunately there's nothing interesting left in the paper. I hate calling up the ones with no address listed but I suppose that I'm going to have to search a little harder if I'm to find anything.
Distortion tonight. Kind of want to get a little smashed.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
No wonder I'm so bored
Not doing much but videogaming these days. I think I'm going to hit a valley soon that's going to lead to interesting places. The next few months should lead to a lot of interesting places, hopefully. I'm finally at an exciting new crossroads in my life and I think, and hope, that everything is going to change.
I stopped writing pretty much everything lately. Work has really made me appreciate my own time more though and I've started really enjoying a lot of my old hobbies. News, Music, Reading, Writing; I didn't have the time to really focus on anything but it' slowly coming back. Now all I need to do is mix a little more socializing back in to my life and i'll be on my way. I'm going to make a real effort to get downtown more, even if it's just for a coffee and a read.
And in completely unrelated news I finally beat Dead Rising, something's that been on my to-do list for forever. What a great game.
I stopped writing pretty much everything lately. Work has really made me appreciate my own time more though and I've started really enjoying a lot of my old hobbies. News, Music, Reading, Writing; I didn't have the time to really focus on anything but it' slowly coming back. Now all I need to do is mix a little more socializing back in to my life and i'll be on my way. I'm going to make a real effort to get downtown more, even if it's just for a coffee and a read.
And in completely unrelated news I finally beat Dead Rising, something's that been on my to-do list for forever. What a great game.
Monday, July 16, 2007
House Sitting
Ahh. The pleasures of unrestricted use of someone elses house.
I'm house sitting for some extremely cool people my sister knows. They both work up at the university and I've spent less then 12 hours here and I already love it. The decoration is amazing, the house is lined with books and posters of places and things and both of them have great taste. When I was looking through their DVDs earlier I found SEVEN seasons of The West Wing, a show that I've been in LOVE with these days. I made dinner and moved my clothing and computer out, pretty much all I need at any given place, and am kicking back with a case of Beck's and so much peace and quiet. I think I'll actually get a lot of reading done and maybe that French education I've been procrastination for so many months.
I'm still not quite settled in but I'm getting there. It's a tad lonely at times but I'll fix that once I get out and about a little. I needed something like this to inject a little purpose into my life again.
Mom took me and Amanda out to see Sicko this evening too. It was OK. I'm sure I'll find fault with it eventually but I do love my socialized health-care so even if he's got more spin then a ballerina on speed I'm sympathetic.
Time to go and fix some more things up. I really do love this place.
I'm house sitting for some extremely cool people my sister knows. They both work up at the university and I've spent less then 12 hours here and I already love it. The decoration is amazing, the house is lined with books and posters of places and things and both of them have great taste. When I was looking through their DVDs earlier I found SEVEN seasons of The West Wing, a show that I've been in LOVE with these days. I made dinner and moved my clothing and computer out, pretty much all I need at any given place, and am kicking back with a case of Beck's and so much peace and quiet. I think I'll actually get a lot of reading done and maybe that French education I've been procrastination for so many months.
I'm still not quite settled in but I'm getting there. It's a tad lonely at times but I'll fix that once I get out and about a little. I needed something like this to inject a little purpose into my life again.
Mom took me and Amanda out to see Sicko this evening too. It was OK. I'm sure I'll find fault with it eventually but I do love my socialized health-care so even if he's got more spin then a ballerina on speed I'm sympathetic.
Time to go and fix some more things up. I really do love this place.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
I got a Hep B vaccination. What did you do today?
This weekend I learned the impact that Strawberry Wine can have on a person. It is a wonderful start that leaves you playing on swing sets without a shirt at 4 in the morning. And because I don't learn my lesson I proceeded to go out to Distortion with Rob on wednesday and ended up singing with him. I remember it going well but my memory is patchy at best for the entirety of my performance. Two dudes drunkenly belting the lyrics to sad Tom Waits songs (Dirt in the Ground) is a great spectacle. Next time I'll know them better and not have to cue-card it.
And that leaves my particular void of activity tonight. Nearly broke and bored. What else can a guy do but pour up some scotch and watch some Samurai's go at it. I watched The French Connection and Sanjuro so far, the first which was interesting but kind of boring and the second which was wicked awesome. SANJURO!!! He's a bum samurai (or RONIN if you're partial) who goes around helping idiots and being a spectacular badass while at it. The ending message was a little blunt but the final fight was on par with the shootout in Good/Bad/Ugly. So wicked.
So I've got some time left before I can realistically go to bed so I might watch some of the Zatoichi, the blind samurai movies. You know, at this rate I'm going to be an expert on Samurai film before I even know it. That wouldn't be all bad.
This weekend I learned the impact that Strawberry Wine can have on a person. It is a wonderful start that leaves you playing on swing sets without a shirt at 4 in the morning. And because I don't learn my lesson I proceeded to go out to Distortion with Rob on wednesday and ended up singing with him. I remember it going well but my memory is patchy at best for the entirety of my performance. Two dudes drunkenly belting the lyrics to sad Tom Waits songs (Dirt in the Ground) is a great spectacle. Next time I'll know them better and not have to cue-card it.
And that leaves my particular void of activity tonight. Nearly broke and bored. What else can a guy do but pour up some scotch and watch some Samurai's go at it. I watched The French Connection and Sanjuro so far, the first which was interesting but kind of boring and the second which was wicked awesome. SANJURO!!! He's a bum samurai (or RONIN if you're partial) who goes around helping idiots and being a spectacular badass while at it. The ending message was a little blunt but the final fight was on par with the shootout in Good/Bad/Ugly. So wicked.
So I've got some time left before I can realistically go to bed so I might watch some of the Zatoichi, the blind samurai movies. You know, at this rate I'm going to be an expert on Samurai film before I even know it. That wouldn't be all bad.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
I like Canada. I like Canadian culture, I like Canadians I like what Canadians do. I look for Canadian artists because music from my country means more to me then big names from outside. The sound is different. The feel is different. There's just something unique about things from Canada.
Broken Social Scene are Canadian. Feist is Canadian. Godspeed You! Black Emperor are Canadian. Boards of Canada, however, are not Canadian. They're Scottish. Nothing against the Scots or anything, but I don't live in Scotland so I usually don't care about Scottish music. But, as previously mentioned, I like Canada and even name-dropping the country is usually enough to spark my interest. Boards of Canada, despite their country of origin, manage to capture something that most people who grew up in Canada the 70s & 80s can relate to: Canadian independent film.
Take yourself back to the 80s if you were lucky enough to be a child/teenager during that time. Once you're there check out some of these videos: http://www.hww.ca/media.asp?mcid=1 . Feeling all nostalgic? Good. Now pop on Boards of Canada's Music Has the Right to Children. If you're like me then you'll feel a warm sense of familiarity. I suppose it helps if you've got a healthy respect for Brian Eno as well as a lot of these songs feel like extensions of some of Eno's work in the 70s. The creepily haunting melodies that BoC conjure up are hypnotizing to say the least; ambient is the more mundane label put on them though it's hard to label a group ambient when you're apt to pay so much attention to the sound. BoC, unfortunately, like to keep a low profile; they've only released four major albums since 1994. Their particular style of putting a modern spin on vintage sounds is something I haven't head since but is echoed in the more peaceful works of Aphex Twin, Stereolab and Four Tet.
Music Has The Right To Children is a masterwork of electronic music on par with Kraftwerk and Eno and Aphex Twin. BoC's recent albums are a well received extension of the beautiful sound but for any dedicated fan of the band it's a long dry wait for more.
Broken Social Scene are Canadian. Feist is Canadian. Godspeed You! Black Emperor are Canadian. Boards of Canada, however, are not Canadian. They're Scottish. Nothing against the Scots or anything, but I don't live in Scotland so I usually don't care about Scottish music. But, as previously mentioned, I like Canada and even name-dropping the country is usually enough to spark my interest. Boards of Canada, despite their country of origin, manage to capture something that most people who grew up in Canada the 70s & 80s can relate to: Canadian independent film.
Take yourself back to the 80s if you were lucky enough to be a child/teenager during that time. Once you're there check out some of these videos: http://www.hww.ca/media.asp?mcid=1 . Feeling all nostalgic? Good. Now pop on Boards of Canada's Music Has the Right to Children. If you're like me then you'll feel a warm sense of familiarity. I suppose it helps if you've got a healthy respect for Brian Eno as well as a lot of these songs feel like extensions of some of Eno's work in the 70s. The creepily haunting melodies that BoC conjure up are hypnotizing to say the least; ambient is the more mundane label put on them though it's hard to label a group ambient when you're apt to pay so much attention to the sound. BoC, unfortunately, like to keep a low profile; they've only released four major albums since 1994. Their particular style of putting a modern spin on vintage sounds is something I haven't head since but is echoed in the more peaceful works of Aphex Twin, Stereolab and Four Tet.
Music Has The Right To Children is a masterwork of electronic music on par with Kraftwerk and Eno and Aphex Twin. BoC's recent albums are a well received extension of the beautiful sound but for any dedicated fan of the band it's a long dry wait for more.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Damn those rhythm games
I just spent the last few days beating Osu Tatakae Ouendan 2 and I finally did it. So much friggin frustration! Not only that around the same time I unlocked the 'hidden mode' that just makes everything that much harder. Don't think I'll be wasting my time with that one though.
As for the game itself it definitely has something for fans of the series. The songs aren't the best but the hard and very hard difficulties are challenging even if you've mastered either Elite Beat Agents or OTO 1. Maybe if I could understand it I'd check out the wireless mode.
As for the game itself it definitely has something for fans of the series. The songs aren't the best but the hard and very hard difficulties are challenging even if you've mastered either Elite Beat Agents or OTO 1. Maybe if I could understand it I'd check out the wireless mode.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Filmday
In keeping with this weekends theme of staying in I had all the time in the world today to indulge my movie addiction. Todays fare was a big one:
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Thriller
Master of the Flying Guilliotine
8 1/2
Kill Bill is an old favourite of mine and I enjoyed it all the more after not seeing it for a while and thru my recent binge of watching films that Tarantino borrowed from. I always get a little teary eyed at the end when Beatrix and B.B. get reunited. It was also fitting that I catch up on that as the next two movies were sources of inspiration for the Kill Bills.
Thriller: A Cruel Picture is the movie that Elle Driver's character was somewhat based off of. I've got to say that I haven't watched many other films that are so out front with evil acts. Madeline, the girl with the eye patch, is raped as a child, is a mute her entire life, gets kidnapped by a pimp and forcibly addicted to heroin to keep her compliant. The first half of the movie is Madeline's life getting worse and worse and worse including a lot of hardcore sex scenes. I hear the english version doesn't include these scenes and that they got it banned in Sweden. They are a little gratuitious at times but the first time you see her get climbed on and fucked you really get a sense of desparation and pity for the poor girl and disgust for the people who caused it to happen. It makes the whole revenge section all the more enjoyable. Madeline finds out that her parents were sent several letters in her name and were so dejected they commited suicide. One-Eye learns to fight, shoot and drive all while attempting to handle her heroin addiction. The final revenge section where she seeks out all her "clients" and the man who kidnapped her in the first place is pretty satisfying and there are a lot of cheap but fun scenes including Madeline going around in a black trenchcoat and eyepatch with a sawed off shotgun and some very Matrix looking slow motion scenes whenever she shoots. I'm glad I watched it but I don't think I'd rewatch anytime soon.
Next up was Master of the Flying Guillotine. Man was this funny. In typical Shaw Brothers fashion every punch and kick and throw is associated with a special effect noise. The music that plays when the Master is on screen is great, and appears in some of the kung-fu scenes in Kill Bill Vol. 1. The Flying Guillotine itself is awesome. It's a beekeeper hat on a chain that lands on your head and sticks out little blades that lop the targets head off. The One Armed Boxer killed the Masters diciples and Master is out for revenge. Not much else plot-wise but the kung-fu is hilarious, especially that of the Yoga Master who can extend his arms an extra few feet andd has the most rediculious prop arms I've ever seen. Just a tonne of fun little scenes and style in this.
And finally I finally managed to catch 8 1/2. I got a Citizen Kane vibe when I finished watching it. I understood most of it but it seemed like I was missing something. I checked out a plot synapsis and it made the movie a little more clear to think about but I still haven't really let it digest much yet. Don't get me wrong, it was really good but thinking movies have to sit with me a little while before I can make anything out of them.
Alright. That's enough film for tonight. Job hunting tomorrow time to get a little more agressive about it.
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Thriller
Master of the Flying Guilliotine
8 1/2
Kill Bill is an old favourite of mine and I enjoyed it all the more after not seeing it for a while and thru my recent binge of watching films that Tarantino borrowed from. I always get a little teary eyed at the end when Beatrix and B.B. get reunited. It was also fitting that I catch up on that as the next two movies were sources of inspiration for the Kill Bills.
Thriller: A Cruel Picture is the movie that Elle Driver's character was somewhat based off of. I've got to say that I haven't watched many other films that are so out front with evil acts. Madeline, the girl with the eye patch, is raped as a child, is a mute her entire life, gets kidnapped by a pimp and forcibly addicted to heroin to keep her compliant. The first half of the movie is Madeline's life getting worse and worse and worse including a lot of hardcore sex scenes. I hear the english version doesn't include these scenes and that they got it banned in Sweden. They are a little gratuitious at times but the first time you see her get climbed on and fucked you really get a sense of desparation and pity for the poor girl and disgust for the people who caused it to happen. It makes the whole revenge section all the more enjoyable. Madeline finds out that her parents were sent several letters in her name and were so dejected they commited suicide. One-Eye learns to fight, shoot and drive all while attempting to handle her heroin addiction. The final revenge section where she seeks out all her "clients" and the man who kidnapped her in the first place is pretty satisfying and there are a lot of cheap but fun scenes including Madeline going around in a black trenchcoat and eyepatch with a sawed off shotgun and some very Matrix looking slow motion scenes whenever she shoots. I'm glad I watched it but I don't think I'd rewatch anytime soon.
Next up was Master of the Flying Guillotine. Man was this funny. In typical Shaw Brothers fashion every punch and kick and throw is associated with a special effect noise. The music that plays when the Master is on screen is great, and appears in some of the kung-fu scenes in Kill Bill Vol. 1. The Flying Guillotine itself is awesome. It's a beekeeper hat on a chain that lands on your head and sticks out little blades that lop the targets head off. The One Armed Boxer killed the Masters diciples and Master is out for revenge. Not much else plot-wise but the kung-fu is hilarious, especially that of the Yoga Master who can extend his arms an extra few feet andd has the most rediculious prop arms I've ever seen. Just a tonne of fun little scenes and style in this.
And finally I finally managed to catch 8 1/2. I got a Citizen Kane vibe when I finished watching it. I understood most of it but it seemed like I was missing something. I checked out a plot synapsis and it made the movie a little more clear to think about but I still haven't really let it digest much yet. Don't get me wrong, it was really good but thinking movies have to sit with me a little while before I can make anything out of them.
Alright. That's enough film for tonight. Job hunting tomorrow time to get a little more agressive about it.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Movie Addiction
Death Proof has changed my life.
From almost the minute I left the theater after watching Grindhouse I told myself "I'm going to watch Vanishing Point." It was a pretty innocent goal, watch the movie that Death Proof takes the most after and enjoy it all the more.
But I couldn't stop. The car fascination hasn't gone away. It was sparked by something as innocent as a "watch this cool Top Gear video" and expanded into a love of cars and what they symbolize. Freedom, grit, "badass", guts. Call it what you will. I'm hooked on it and film has been the way that I've embraced it.
I was on the crosstown arterial the other night and had the urge to just floor it. I barely topped 150kph but it made me feel energetic and alive. It was a taste of guts. I've been missing a lot of things these past several months. Things I dream about but that always elude me. I feel like I've run dry of inspiration and that nothing drives me anymore. I felt that driving force last night. Even tonight I went for a walk and it hit me that I need action to keep me normal. I like attitude and speed and noise and taking control of what's given to you. I think this has been my roadblock all these months. Doing things that I think are really just what people expect.
Anyway, I've been awakening my inner drive for adventure with movies these days. Here's the list I've made:
Death Race 2000
The Cannonball Run
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
Blues Brothers
Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
8 1/2
North By Northwest
The Big Sleep
Gone in 60 Seconds
Thunder Road
The Italian Job
Brazil
City of God
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Modern Times
The Night of the Hunter
Touch of Evil
The Shining
Rear Window
Pan's Labyrinth
Oldboy
Annie Hall
The Driver
The French Connection
Ronin
The Gumball Rally
Lady Snowblood
Thriller - A Cruel Picture
Master of the Flying Guillotine
I FUCKING LOVE IT!
Watched Thunder Road and Lady Snowblood tonight. Thunder Road was alright but nothing to write home about but Lady Snowblood was INTENSE! So many scenes that redefined badass, one of the most hardboiled main characters ever and so much style you almost choke on it. I won't call it one of my favorite movies yet but I just might have to rewatch Samurai Spy and think about it.
Philosophic musings? Check. Recent media influence? Check.
It feels good to write again.
From almost the minute I left the theater after watching Grindhouse I told myself "I'm going to watch Vanishing Point." It was a pretty innocent goal, watch the movie that Death Proof takes the most after and enjoy it all the more.
But I couldn't stop. The car fascination hasn't gone away. It was sparked by something as innocent as a "watch this cool Top Gear video" and expanded into a love of cars and what they symbolize. Freedom, grit, "badass", guts. Call it what you will. I'm hooked on it and film has been the way that I've embraced it.
I was on the crosstown arterial the other night and had the urge to just floor it. I barely topped 150kph but it made me feel energetic and alive. It was a taste of guts. I've been missing a lot of things these past several months. Things I dream about but that always elude me. I feel like I've run dry of inspiration and that nothing drives me anymore. I felt that driving force last night. Even tonight I went for a walk and it hit me that I need action to keep me normal. I like attitude and speed and noise and taking control of what's given to you. I think this has been my roadblock all these months. Doing things that I think are really just what people expect.
Anyway, I've been awakening my inner drive for adventure with movies these days. Here's the list I've made:
Death Race 2000
The Cannonball Run
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
Blues Brothers
Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
8 1/2
North By Northwest
The Big Sleep
Gone in 60 Seconds
Thunder Road
The Italian Job
Brazil
City of God
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Modern Times
The Night of the Hunter
Touch of Evil
The Shining
Rear Window
Pan's Labyrinth
Oldboy
Annie Hall
The Driver
The French Connection
Ronin
The Gumball Rally
Lady Snowblood
Thriller - A Cruel Picture
Master of the Flying Guillotine
I FUCKING LOVE IT!
Watched Thunder Road and Lady Snowblood tonight. Thunder Road was alright but nothing to write home about but Lady Snowblood was INTENSE! So many scenes that redefined badass, one of the most hardboiled main characters ever and so much style you almost choke on it. I won't call it one of my favorite movies yet but I just might have to rewatch Samurai Spy and think about it.
Philosophic musings? Check. Recent media influence? Check.
It feels good to write again.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Oh the things that I do (and don't do) when drinking.
Weird time last night. Had a lot of fun, drank with Christina and other Distortion regulars but felt something was holding me back. I'm in a bit of an apathy rut, I think. There's been too much lounging and relaxing and not enough acting and doing the things that I need to. I didn't even leave the house today. Thought about calling some folk up to get a coffee but I was just too tired.
I keep learning new things about me lately. Some good, some bad. Maybe I'm thinking of it in taoist terms a little too much but it feels like there's a split between 'am' and 'want to be' that's causing a lot of dissonance.
Tomorrow's another day. Get a job. Read a book. Flirt with a pretty girl. Figure it out.
Weird time last night. Had a lot of fun, drank with Christina and other Distortion regulars but felt something was holding me back. I'm in a bit of an apathy rut, I think. There's been too much lounging and relaxing and not enough acting and doing the things that I need to. I didn't even leave the house today. Thought about calling some folk up to get a coffee but I was just too tired.
I keep learning new things about me lately. Some good, some bad. Maybe I'm thinking of it in taoist terms a little too much but it feels like there's a split between 'am' and 'want to be' that's causing a lot of dissonance.
Tomorrow's another day. Get a job. Read a book. Flirt with a pretty girl. Figure it out.
Monday, April 23, 2007
I unlocked a Pandora's Box of intense proportions. Sundays need not be the boring post-drunk recuperation day. Now they can be part of the problem! Open mike with Blair Harvey at the road. No cover and a beer a song. Seriously! I go down, lay out some Robert Johnson cover and get drunk out of it.
Maggie played a few songs after some cajoling. *swooooooon* That girl is something else.
I did feel a little tired and anti-social when I got there but I (re)met Marthe Barnard who I have apparently met before had a great old time just talking about stuff.
I've been reading a lot about Zen lately and I am learning a lot from it about myself and being a lot more receptive. I've lived several years now with a real heavy focus on being able to live in the right way but I haven't thought at all about harmonizing it to my own life. It might be why I've always felt so dischordant. It might be time to stop simply going through the motions and start becoming the things that I want to be.
Yeah, so the downside of reading lots about Zen and philosophy is that I start talking like a 16 year old again. Time and place for everything I guess. Goal 1 should be understanding why I find things interesting and how I can articulate these reasons to myself and others. That'll be a subject for another day. Now I've got to find what Robert Johnson song would be best for the Rose & Thistle.
Maggie played a few songs after some cajoling. *swooooooon* That girl is something else.
I did feel a little tired and anti-social when I got there but I (re)met Marthe Barnard who I have apparently met before had a great old time just talking about stuff.
I've been reading a lot about Zen lately and I am learning a lot from it about myself and being a lot more receptive. I've lived several years now with a real heavy focus on being able to live in the right way but I haven't thought at all about harmonizing it to my own life. It might be why I've always felt so dischordant. It might be time to stop simply going through the motions and start becoming the things that I want to be.
Yeah, so the downside of reading lots about Zen and philosophy is that I start talking like a 16 year old again. Time and place for everything I guess. Goal 1 should be understanding why I find things interesting and how I can articulate these reasons to myself and others. That'll be a subject for another day. Now I've got to find what Robert Johnson song would be best for the Rose & Thistle.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Inner Peace and a Job
I spent a fun evening with Cheryl and Sushi and MST3K. (There was ice cream too :shhh:)
It's just been a great week in general. During the end of exams I set down some goals for myself regarding what I wanted to do now that I don't have to be stuck in school anymore. I'm going to catch up on reading books that I've been interested in for my own development. I'm also going to spend more one on one time with some of my less seen buds and drink slower. That last point is a little important. After the apocalypse that was St. Patrick's Day I figured that it's in everyones interest for me to pay more attention to how fast and how much I drink. Last night worked out pretty well (for me at least). I was in just the right mood to have two consecutive eargasms at Bros and Storm before I went to bed. Just magical. I mentally wrote a movie scene that would fit perfectly with Storm but at the end the only appropriate crescendo I could come up with was it god and satan had a tearful brothers reunion and all of mankind transcends to a higher astral plain. I'm not sure that the world is ready for such a movie.
Tomorrow: meditation, relaxation and resume updating. Basically the focus of my life right now: inner peace and employment.
It's just been a great week in general. During the end of exams I set down some goals for myself regarding what I wanted to do now that I don't have to be stuck in school anymore. I'm going to catch up on reading books that I've been interested in for my own development. I'm also going to spend more one on one time with some of my less seen buds and drink slower. That last point is a little important. After the apocalypse that was St. Patrick's Day I figured that it's in everyones interest for me to pay more attention to how fast and how much I drink. Last night worked out pretty well (for me at least). I was in just the right mood to have two consecutive eargasms at Bros and Storm before I went to bed. Just magical. I mentally wrote a movie scene that would fit perfectly with Storm but at the end the only appropriate crescendo I could come up with was it god and satan had a tearful brothers reunion and all of mankind transcends to a higher astral plain. I'm not sure that the world is ready for such a movie.
Tomorrow: meditation, relaxation and resume updating. Basically the focus of my life right now: inner peace and employment.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Now I'm a B.A.
And with 1:40 today I am officially done with my Political Science B.A. I kind of hoped it would be more cathartic but I'm just so low on energy now that everything's greyed out. A break would be nice too but it's basically straight from here to a job (and my own place. fuck yeah)
I woke up this morning to an e-mail from my Internship supervisor saying that he gave me a 90 for the course. A 90! I haven't gotten a 90 in a course for forever! Not only that Dunn gave me an 85 on a Theorist Precis I did for Public Administration. Unfortunatly, MUN has a sick sense of humour. Dunn had given us all the questions that he was going to ask on the exam and all the theorists that we should know. I could have written on about ten or twelve of the ones that were on our original list but what does he give us? Five guys I've never heard of before. There's little more frustrating then memorizing the contribution of ten people who all had a page or two in the book and being asked to write on five footnotes in the heritage of the field. Fuck.
Now that I have the time: Vonnegut, Kerouac, Persig and Bukowsi. I've got some living to catch up on.
I woke up this morning to an e-mail from my Internship supervisor saying that he gave me a 90 for the course. A 90! I haven't gotten a 90 in a course for forever! Not only that Dunn gave me an 85 on a Theorist Precis I did for Public Administration. Unfortunatly, MUN has a sick sense of humour. Dunn had given us all the questions that he was going to ask on the exam and all the theorists that we should know. I could have written on about ten or twelve of the ones that were on our original list but what does he give us? Five guys I've never heard of before. There's little more frustrating then memorizing the contribution of ten people who all had a page or two in the book and being asked to write on five footnotes in the heritage of the field. Fuck.
Now that I have the time: Vonnegut, Kerouac, Persig and Bukowsi. I've got some living to catch up on.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
More nights need to be as fun as that. I had (in no particular order) Stella, Pumphouse's Blueberry Beer, Tequila, India (of course) and a kaleidoscope of jello shooters. There was a band too. They had a horn section. It's an established fact that horns make any act sound better, as does being drunk, so the combination of the two was excellent.
I've got a tonne of pictures too.
And now a day of study madness. I wasted Friday straight up recording a song and yesterday evening was out as well. Likewise this morning with all the hangover and restless sleep.
I've got a tonne of pictures too.
And now a day of study madness. I wasted Friday straight up recording a song and yesterday evening was out as well. Likewise this morning with all the hangover and restless sleep.
Monday, April 09, 2007
On the road
By the 16th I have to: write one essay and two exams. Then I will graduate.
I never thought it would be this hard to just sit down and study. Seriously, I must have spent four hours today just clicking back and forth between Drudge Report, Achewood and Facebook. It shouldn't be this hard! I guess I'm anxious is all. Soon it'll be all over with and I'll have that nice shiny piece of paper and I can go about making all my life dreams come true.
I've only been done that big Decision Making paper since last Friday and I'm already feeling a hundred times better, happier.
World, we gonna do some serious shit next week.
I never thought it would be this hard to just sit down and study. Seriously, I must have spent four hours today just clicking back and forth between Drudge Report, Achewood and Facebook. It shouldn't be this hard! I guess I'm anxious is all. Soon it'll be all over with and I'll have that nice shiny piece of paper and I can go about making all my life dreams come true.
I've only been done that big Decision Making paper since last Friday and I'm already feeling a hundred times better, happier.
World, we gonna do some serious shit next week.
Idlers & Vanishing Point
There were fun times on friday. Mags had the great idea to watch some old Bruce Lee. The night obviously led to impromptu wrestling before we went out. The Idlers were great as well. So many happy people and happy music.
Too bad the headliner, BA Johnson, wasn't any good.
I'd heard such good things about him too. I think he was trying to pull off this quirky-lo-fi-humour thing but just came off annoying and stupid.
We took off.
And I finally got to see Vanishing Point and The Great Escape on Saturday. Anyone who's seen Grindhouse (however few of you) will know what I'm talking about. Honestly it really confused and bothered me on first watch but I rewatched some scenes on Sunday morning and it made a lot more sense. There's a lot of the movie that doesn't make any sense if you only catch parts of it. At the beginning he's driving towards a roadblock and turns back before taking off into the desert. He stops there for a minute before heading back towards the roadblock. When you take into account how shitty the driver's life turned out the ending makes more sense, though it still feels really sudden and confusing.
Still, THE CAR CHASES! JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESUSS! They might be making a sequel with the new incarnation of the Dodge Challenger. I think that the old Challenger name probably hit a high-water mark in the 70s. Trying to remake a cult classic with an inferior model is going to be a hard sell, but if they can pull off a good highway chase that's all I'll need.
Too bad the headliner, BA Johnson, wasn't any good.
I'd heard such good things about him too. I think he was trying to pull off this quirky-lo-fi-humour thing but just came off annoying and stupid.
We took off.
And I finally got to see Vanishing Point and The Great Escape on Saturday. Anyone who's seen Grindhouse (however few of you) will know what I'm talking about. Honestly it really confused and bothered me on first watch but I rewatched some scenes on Sunday morning and it made a lot more sense. There's a lot of the movie that doesn't make any sense if you only catch parts of it. At the beginning he's driving towards a roadblock and turns back before taking off into the desert. He stops there for a minute before heading back towards the roadblock. When you take into account how shitty the driver's life turned out the ending makes more sense, though it still feels really sudden and confusing.
Still, THE CAR CHASES! JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESUSS! They might be making a sequel with the new incarnation of the Dodge Challenger. I think that the old Challenger name probably hit a high-water mark in the 70s. Trying to remake a cult classic with an inferior model is going to be a hard sell, but if they can pull off a good highway chase that's all I'll need.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Pebbles
Every word I write here is one less that I should be putting into my essays! Three days ago this would have scared me but being near on delirious with the flu for the past few days has left me with an altered view of the world.
Birds are shining, trees are chirping and that telltale lust of Spring hangs in the air like a giant evil kabuki mask from a bad Saturday morning cartoon. Speaking of which, my childhood heroes got sent through the corporate wash, dressed up in fancy new duds and still managed to hold onto some of the magic. I am of course, talking about TMNT, the newest installment in that great adolescent franchise, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Tutles. Pros include badass fight scenes, Raphael being the man, Patrick Stewart as the villain and some reasonably trans-generational jokes courtesy of Mikey. Cons are the ridiculously poorly defined plot, Master Splinter's 'Sonny Chiba meets a twixer of sake' voice acting and how little attention they paid to all the great monsters they designed. Someone must have been crying into their beer at the premier when the huge beast they spent 3 months designing got shunted to a 3 second jump cut.
Still, better then Turtles 3 (why the hell they even referenced that I'll never know) and even #2 now that I think of it. I think I'd watch it again just to see the Raph v. Leo fight.
Birds are shining, trees are chirping and that telltale lust of Spring hangs in the air like a giant evil kabuki mask from a bad Saturday morning cartoon. Speaking of which, my childhood heroes got sent through the corporate wash, dressed up in fancy new duds and still managed to hold onto some of the magic. I am of course, talking about TMNT, the newest installment in that great adolescent franchise, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Tutles. Pros include badass fight scenes, Raphael being the man, Patrick Stewart as the villain and some reasonably trans-generational jokes courtesy of Mikey. Cons are the ridiculously poorly defined plot, Master Splinter's 'Sonny Chiba meets a twixer of sake' voice acting and how little attention they paid to all the great monsters they designed. Someone must have been crying into their beer at the premier when the huge beast they spent 3 months designing got shunted to a 3 second jump cut.
Still, better then Turtles 3 (why the hell they even referenced that I'll never know) and even #2 now that I think of it. I think I'd watch it again just to see the Raph v. Leo fight.
Friday, March 02, 2007
CSS - Cansei de Ser Sexy
This last week I've been listening to so much Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen and I think that CSS is to blame. Every now and then a group comes along that makes for the perfect segue into a new sound. CSS do that for me with their blend of dance pop and experimental rock. It's just so much fun without coming off as cheap and goofy as you think it should.
I hope this doesn't get me into Peaches. I don't think I could handle the shame.
And as if I was compensating for the dance/electronic phase, I'm back into Glenn Branca lately and his contemporaries, specifically Rhys Chetham. I'm going to give Sonic Youth another shot too. If I can't get into them at this point then I don't think there's any hope for me ever liking them.
I hope this doesn't get me into Peaches. I don't think I could handle the shame.
And as if I was compensating for the dance/electronic phase, I'm back into Glenn Branca lately and his contemporaries, specifically Rhys Chetham. I'm going to give Sonic Youth another shot too. If I can't get into them at this point then I don't think there's any hope for me ever liking them.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
I get some NEW FUCKING GLASSES THIS WEEK!
What could be more exiting then getting a new face!!
I started playing Trauma Surgeon to fulfill my need to flip between a dozen different things while studying/working but my patient keeps exploding. Every time I think I get everything under control and start fixing things another part of him blows open! Being a doctor sucks.
News
In a few days (Feb 2) the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is going to come out with their paper that pretty much says "the better part of 600 scientists from around the world think that global warming is real" so all those big bad politicians won't be able to say there's not enough proof to act on it and get around to making our cars and machines run on the love of children and a smug sense of self-superiority or whatever the current green fuel is.
They're called "Hobbits." Apparently fossils discovered in Indonesia are distinct enough to be considered a new species of human "Homo floresiensis."
Sweden opens a Second Life embassy
The International Criminal Court gets its first case!!! They should give Dyilo a prize! (and then can his ass for building an army of 10 year olds.)
Music
I figure I'd be doing all you lovers of waily females with acoustic guitars a disservice if I didn't throw some attention over towards Marissa Nadler (Link from Gorilla Vs Bear). It's pretty much Vashti Bunyan scaled down a bit with nods towards Leonard Cohen.
Panda Bear (of Animal Collective) has a new one out. It's pretty good, if you were into Animal Collective.
There's a new Arcade Fire single too. "Black Mirror".
And I'll finish off with a reminder that Of Montreal's Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer? is probably one of the best things they've ever done. DAMN!!!
What could be more exiting then getting a new face!!
I started playing Trauma Surgeon to fulfill my need to flip between a dozen different things while studying/working but my patient keeps exploding. Every time I think I get everything under control and start fixing things another part of him blows open! Being a doctor sucks.
News
In a few days (Feb 2) the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is going to come out with their paper that pretty much says "the better part of 600 scientists from around the world think that global warming is real" so all those big bad politicians won't be able to say there's not enough proof to act on it and get around to making our cars and machines run on the love of children and a smug sense of self-superiority or whatever the current green fuel is.
They're called "Hobbits." Apparently fossils discovered in Indonesia are distinct enough to be considered a new species of human "Homo floresiensis."
Sweden opens a Second Life embassy
The International Criminal Court gets its first case!!! They should give Dyilo a prize! (and then can his ass for building an army of 10 year olds.)
Music
I figure I'd be doing all you lovers of waily females with acoustic guitars a disservice if I didn't throw some attention over towards Marissa Nadler (Link from Gorilla Vs Bear). It's pretty much Vashti Bunyan scaled down a bit with nods towards Leonard Cohen.
Panda Bear (of Animal Collective) has a new one out. It's pretty good, if you were into Animal Collective.
There's a new Arcade Fire single too. "Black Mirror".
And I'll finish off with a reminder that Of Montreal's Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer? is probably one of the best things they've ever done. DAMN!!!
Saturday, January 27, 2007
The View - Hats Off to the Buskers - Review - Stylus Magazine
The View - Hats Off to the Buskers - Review - Stylus Magazine
This is such a great idea. There really needs to be one for American Indie Rock as well, though it could probably some of the more generic items.
I particularly like " 19. Band’s production is based around the challenging tactic of “turning volume on all instruments to 10. And that's it.”" and "21. Band releases most radio-friendly single in January sales lull to fool gullible public into thinking band are more popular than they are."
This is such a great idea. There really needs to be one for American Indie Rock as well, though it could probably some of the more generic items.
I particularly like " 19. Band’s production is based around the challenging tactic of “turning volume on all instruments to 10. And that's it.”" and "21. Band releases most radio-friendly single in January sales lull to fool gullible public into thinking band are more popular than they are."
Friday, January 26, 2007
NME.COM - News - Fall Out Boy speak out about leak
NME.COM - News - Fall Out Boy speak out about leak
Do I even have to comment on how stuck up and full of shit this is?
The DEMO version of Radiohead's Hail to the Thief leaked MONTHS before that came out and I'm pretty sure that Radiohead are slightly bigger then a group of mascara wearing, inarticulate, shrink-wrapped emo bitching. Hell I remember hearing TV on the Radio's Cookie Mountain probably 6 months before it was released and even longer for Red Hot Chili Peppers' By The Way.
I suppose it's good that I think Fall Out Boy have absolutely no redeeming credentials or else this might just make me think less of them.
"This could be the worst leak in the history in music.- Pete Wentz
"This could potentially be one of the biggest leaks there is. If you think that every year computers, iPod, internet music grows exponentially and we're probably one of the biggest bands in rock music on the internet."
Do I even have to comment on how stuck up and full of shit this is?
The DEMO version of Radiohead's Hail to the Thief leaked MONTHS before that came out and I'm pretty sure that Radiohead are slightly bigger then a group of mascara wearing, inarticulate, shrink-wrapped emo bitching. Hell I remember hearing TV on the Radio's Cookie Mountain probably 6 months before it was released and even longer for Red Hot Chili Peppers' By The Way.
I suppose it's good that I think Fall Out Boy have absolutely no redeeming credentials or else this might just make me think less of them.
Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha Leeks
IT'S HERE!!!Tomorrow is going to be a great day! I'll get up a review as soon as I can.
Andrew Bird makes everything shiny.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Ford has its largest loss in 103 years
globeandmail.com: Ford has its largest loss in 103 years
Poor Ford. They've spent decades making gas guzzling muscle cars, SUV's and huge trucks. The times have not been good to them it seems. Everyone is trying to save their own personal rain-forest or at least not go into debt trying to pay the gas bill. It looks like they dug themselves in a little deep -- 3.7 billion deep -- trying to restructure trying to meet the challenges of a world that's going to spontaneously combust any day now.
I'm starting to expect a real watershed in terms of what car companies sink and which swim in the next decade. We'll probably have a world full of cars with a max speed of 100mph that run on fairy dust and love. I'll miss you BMW and Porsche.
Poor Ford. They've spent decades making gas guzzling muscle cars, SUV's and huge trucks. The times have not been good to them it seems. Everyone is trying to save their own personal rain-forest or at least not go into debt trying to pay the gas bill. It looks like they dug themselves in a little deep -- 3.7 billion deep -- trying to restructure trying to meet the challenges of a world that's going to spontaneously combust any day now.
I'm starting to expect a real watershed in terms of what car companies sink and which swim in the next decade. We'll probably have a world full of cars with a max speed of 100mph that run on fairy dust and love. I'll miss you BMW and Porsche.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Rodrigo y Gabriela 2006-12-18 (Letterman)
Rodrigo Y Gabriela, you are fantastic.
When was the last time you felt your pulse race after just a few phrases? These two make me feel alive. I want to grab my guitar and bang away on it until either it breaks or I do.
I came across them via AOL's spinner site. I was actually looking up the name of a certain Rogue Wave song but this caught my eye on the sidebar. They were kind of shuffled in after TV On The Radio and The Hold Steady but company matters so I let YouTube be my guide and nearly had a heart attack after stumbling across Tamacun. The rhythm just hits you like a punch in the chest and only gets more electric as the song continues. Apparently these two used to be in a Mexican metal band together before moving to Ireland to pursue more spanish classical influences. They were discovered by Damien Rice while working as buskers and have raced to the top of the Irish charts.
I need to find out more. This is just incredible.
Rodrigo Y Gabriela, you are fantastic.
When was the last time you felt your pulse race after just a few phrases? These two make me feel alive. I want to grab my guitar and bang away on it until either it breaks or I do.
I came across them via AOL's spinner site. I was actually looking up the name of a certain Rogue Wave song but this caught my eye on the sidebar. They were kind of shuffled in after TV On The Radio and The Hold Steady but company matters so I let YouTube be my guide and nearly had a heart attack after stumbling across Tamacun. The rhythm just hits you like a punch in the chest and only gets more electric as the song continues. Apparently these two used to be in a Mexican metal band together before moving to Ireland to pursue more spanish classical influences. They were discovered by Damien Rice while working as buskers and have raced to the top of the Irish charts.
I need to find out more. This is just incredible.
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