I'm an accidental environmentalist. I teach science, and somehow I got the reputation for being really into eco-issues (I think it's because I let Al Gore teach my class when I can). Last year some students wanted to start an eco-club, and this year I have a pretty committed bunch. A coworker of mine calls them my posse, and jokes that I am their leader, and if anyone messes me, they would have to answer to my posse.
As a result of my little club, I've now got the reputation as the staff environmentalist. People confess to me their environmental sins. I absolve them. They also come to me with absurd ideas, to which I smile and nod.
I try to be a good example. I had to make sure that I got a good reusable mug for my morning coffee. I used to drop by my principal's office for my morning environmental complaint/idea/initiative, with my paper coffee cup in my hand and then point out that I was well aware of my hypocrisy.
This I've been very busy planning Earth Week activities, finishing off our application for an award as an environmentally-conscious school, and teaching my classes that I forgot all about the Earth Day T-shirts that I got in San Fran for my favourite colleauges to wear. Luckily one of the lucky recipients reminded me of the shirt, 'cuz I totally forgot about it. Unfortch, one of the bunch is on mat leave, but four of us were wearing the shirt below:
By the end of the day the fact that four of us were wearing the same shirt was a hot topic. "Where did you guys get those shirts?" "Are you like friends or something?" "Oh, look it's another teacher in one of those shirts." "Why does Earth only have one tooth?"
Anyway, my Earth Day shirt and I are going out to a birthday party after I take some time to clean up my own environment. My apartment is a mess!!
ps My super also handed out new recycling buckets to everyone today. I don't know if it was a coincidence that it was Earth Day, but it made me super happy.
Friday Met up with Becca T for frappucinos and to lend her Neko Case CDs so she could "study" for the concert. Going for frappucinos with Becca T is one of my favourite things to do. We are both addicted to said beverages, and we grade them. These ones were A+s, which is always great.
Since it was a lovely evening, we ended up walking and drinking, and decided to go rent the movie "Twilight". It was all right. I just finished the book not too long ago. I read it so I could understand my students better since they are all in love with the series. Most of the kids hate the movie with a passion, but I liked the movie better because it was shorter (the book dragged on for me), and Robert Pattinson is pretty cute in an intense way.
Then, I stayed up far too late having a hilarious phone conversation with a new friend. I think this will officially the most bizarre circumstances under which I've gained a new friend, but I love it when truth is stranger than fiction.
Saturday Woke up early to go visit my work spouse (who's on mat leave) with another work pal. Her baby's grown a lot since I saw her in March and is all smiley and cute.
I wandered over the Eaton Centre, but wasn't in a shopping mood so I went home. At home, I read a review about a new HBO movie with Drew Barrymore in it called "Grey Gardens". It's based on a documentary in the 1970s about some eccentric relatives of Jackie O who became destitute and lived in a crumbling mansion in the Hamptons. Anyway, I watched a bit of the 1970s documentary on Youtube and read up on the story, and it's just the kind of weird thing I like. I look forward to seeing the HBO movie once it's out on DVD. Oh, and it turns out that a song I like (Grey Gardens by Rufus Wainwright) was based on the documentary. I guess I just like coming across a good story about eccentrics every now and then.
Saturday evening was the Neko Case concert that I'd been looking forward to forever. Becca T and I went for sushi before the show, and later we found out that the dude sitting next to us was Neko's guitarist. The concert was in a church, hence we had great seats and the acoustics were amazing. The opening band, Crooked Fingers, were pretty good. Neko was amazing, of course. Her voice is so amazing live and she sang so many great songs. Her band was excellent. My favourite songs were "Your Favourite" (ironic) and "I Wish I Was the Moon".
Sunday I had intentions to go looking at bikes today, and maybe go buy some new spring clothes, but I wasn't feeling it. So, instead I kind of lazed around home, avoided doing anything too productive, and went for a walk.
Oh wait, I did one productive thing. I contacted the artist of that print in my previous post. Turns out her studio's near my school, so I'll be getting it this week! Yay!
This coming week at work is unfortunately super and includes Parent-Teacher Interviews. However, when that's done, it means that I'm in my last quarter of the school year, and well on my way to summer!
Argh. These past few nights I've had homework. Homework. Eeeew. I should be doing some now, but I've decided that tonight's order of tasks will be blogging, TV (yay Thursdays!), and then homework. Or maybe just go to be early and make sure I'm early for work. But that strategy doesn't work, I know for a fact.
Yah, so I thought I have a bunch of stuff to say, but I guess I don't.
I came across this painting by a local artist named Melinda Josie in an article. I really like it.
I think I like it 'cuz: a) We've all felt the way that poor cat looks; b) But the toy reminds me that there's always comfort when you need it; c) I like red coats; d) I like leggings too; e) I like her Mary Jane shoes; and f) The cat reminds me a bit the ever fantastic Rilo, who was posing for my pal Mathew again the other night. I can never get good pictures of her.
Actually, now I'm seeing that I could buy a silkscreen print of it. I'm going to email the artist post-haste I think. There was this other painting a saw in Starbucks (of all places) the other day that I really liked. It looked totally abstract, but when you looked at it closely, you could see that beneath the paint, there was a collage of a crowd at a concert. Really perfect for me, but sadly out of my price range.
Anyway, happy weekend everyone! I plan to catch up on sleep, visit with friends, see Neko Case (for the first time ever, I'm so excited), and maybe finally go buy myself a bike. Oh, and then maybe bike rides!
1) I hate when I can't sleep and I have school tomorrow.
2) I need to use gmail more 'cuz it's got quotes and stuff that seem to know how your day is going. Today's quote was:
“The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs.” Charles de Gaulle
Ironic. Although I'm sure he meant dogs AND cats but the cats were lost in translation. Because Rilo is completely lovable.
3) Actually maybe I need to use gmail less, 'cuz their ads at the side that scan your email are super creepy. Please don't use my problems to generate ad revenue.
4) Also why do I need a metaphorical brick to hit me in the head to make me wake up?
5) Four days of school 'til I get to see Neko Case next weekend!! And tomorrow I get to do paperwork for a project instead of teach. The good thing about this is that I get to call a supply in, and I called my friend CT (cute teacher). Anyway, if he doesn't love me already, my well-behaved classes and the fact that I show CBC documentaries in class will definitely seal the deal.
6) Also, I am in love with the song "Cross My Heart" by Mariana's Trench. I heard it on the radio this weekend and it turned out it was already on my iPod 'cuz it was an iTunes single of the week. After listening to it an embarrassing number of times in a row today, I've decided I know what I want for my 30th birthday: a big party where all of my friends do a choreographed dance to this song. You have 10 months and 1 day to get this together, people.
Today I saw this with some kids. It was a nice day to be outside. Sunny, no snow, less cold.
Go renewable energy!
I love the new Metric album.
It's a four-day weekend soon. I'll spend some time in Ratford. I'm looking forward to it.
Today I had dinner at my old fave Thai place that I haven't eaten at in FOREVER. Not as good as it used to be, but they still load their salad with cilantro. I love cilantro.
I came across this old (note Christmas tree in background) of Rilo that was taken by her godfather. But it was so cute I must post it.
I'm excited for new TV tomorrow night: 2 new episodes of the Office, new show with Amy Poehler, and new 30 Rock.
So, all I have to get through before evening of TV hilarity and long weekend is one more school day. Bring it.
I probably should be in bed, but I had a whim to makeover my blog. I wasn't digging the old layout anymore. Anyway, this'll do for now. It's a little springy.
Which today's weather is not. Everyone is horrified when it snows in April, but I'm pretty sure it always happens, and you can't have spring 'til you've had the inevitable April snowfall. At least in these parts.
My own father prank called me tonight. Apparently he was watching the Jays' home-opener and fans were throwing stuff on the field. So, he picked up the phone (which he never does; I'm surprised he even knows how to use it), and called me. "Stop throwing things on the field." Click. The sad thing is, I totally got my dad's sense of humour in the genetic lottery, so I prank-called him back.
I just finished a book that takes place in a small Iowa town. Sometimes I wish that I could just pack up Rilo and all of my stuff and leave the city and move to a small town. I like the city, but sometimes it's a drag. I'm paradoxical in a lot of ways, and one of the ways is that I love the city, but I often yearn for small places.
iTunes just picked the song "Celebration Guns" by Stars for me to listen to. Good choice computer program. Good night. Sleep light. Stranger.
- had a pretty lazy weekend overall, with the exception of a very busy Saturday road-tripping to the Buffalo area with my pal Mathew
- Becca T was supposed to come but ended up not being able to as she had left her passport and birth certificate at her parents' place in Ottawa
- was very well-behaved well shopping. I did get a new pair of Chucks at the Converse outlet store (beige with red and blue stripes on the bottom), a new watch, a green canvas purse for spring/summer, and a cool pair of colourful ballet flats. Oh, and a pile of junk food that's not available in Canada.
- met up with Jason at the mall for a bit, had dinner, and he got to go to Target with us as we flipped out over various products that we don't have here and the general lower cost of food. I hope he doesn't think Canadians are too weird.
- I'm still obsessively listening to Kensington Heights/Too Slow for Love by the Constantines. I downloaded the new Metric album, but I haven't touched it yet.
- I finished reading the book "Twilight" today. I'm sure I would have liked it more if I was still a teenager. Now I'm reading a book about a small town library cat. It's pretty fluffy, but I'm kind of enjoying it. I think that Rilo would make a good small town library cat. She's pretty friendly. And cute too.
- Anyway, it's a four day week. Thank goodness. I forgot to mark this weekend.
Wow, another busy week has flown by and it's a new month. Sometime the simple flow of time just blows my mind. It didn't used to go this fast, and I'd really like someone to slow it down.
I think if I could have any superpower, it would be to stop time at will. I would use my power entirely for good though. Actually, I think I would mostly use it as a snooze button. Oh, and I think time would be stopped for an eternity on Sundays, to give me long weekends. I'd probably fuck up the entire space-time continuum of the universe if I was had this power, so it's best that I don't.
Superpower rambling aside, I had a good week.
The Constantines/Weakerthans show was amazing, of course. First off, the Constantines did a great job of rocking my socks off. The Constantines are one of those bands where I like some songs here and there, but not really their albums in full. However, their set was amazing, despite not playing "Young Lions", which is a fave of mine since I often sing the opening line to Rilo when I come home. ("Oh, young lion, this is your kingdom.") Their version of "Nighttime/Anytime" was fucking awesome though.
Their awesome lead me to buy the new super-sized version of their latest albums on iTunes. For the low price of $5.99 you get the Kensington Heights album + Too Slow For Love, which contains all kinds of really great alternate versions. I've been listening to it constantly the last couple of days. Great stuff.
The Weakerthans were fantastic, as usual. I've lost count of how many times I've seen them. It's hard to describe. Well actually, it's easy to describe. When I see them, I'm pretty much at my happiest, and I can just feel this special smile on my face. It's corny as hell, but that's the way it is. Anyway, it was great as always to see my favourite band with my favourite friend, that being Becca T. She is my absolute favourite person to go to a concert with.
One thing that I may have to do is to start accepting applications for a new concert-going pal. Becca T is most likely going to be working in Nice, France next year (pending a visa), and I don't know who's going to be my new concert pal. My friend Mathew is pretty good for concerts, but he does not like the Weakerthans (surprising I'm still friends with him, huh), and sometimes makes poor concert-going decisions (i.e. not going to Stars with me). Anyway, Becca T and I have two more concerts lined up for the spring, and I'm sure we'll go to lots more before she leaves.
Work has tired me out for the rest of the week. I survived a trip to the Science Centre today. I didn't plan it, I was volun-forced to go. I was apprehensive about it since a) they made us take public transit; and b) I didn't know a lot of the kids. However, the kids from my school are always excellent on field trips and it was a very smooth day.
This weekend I'm going on a shopping trip to the States with Becca T and Mathew. It's gonna be fun. I kind of want new Chucks.
I had a very pleasant Monday. I like pleasant Mondays. Weather was sunny (but cold), classes were well-behaved, I set some intentional well-controlled fires for educational purposes (daresay I'm become a pyro?), and a project I'm working on is going well. So yay!
Here's some Monday randomness:
1) I love pre-ordering stuff on iTunes, getting bonus tracks, and being able to download it the night before its official release date so it can accompany me on the subway to work the next day. Tonight's early delivery was the new Great Lake Swimmers' album "Lost Channels". If you like melodic mellow folk, look no further.
2) Oh! My favourite banjo player, Old Man Luedecke won a Juno for Best Roots Album. It wasn't televised on the show, but the fact he got something made me smile.
3) Sometimes Rilo will be sitting on the back of my rocking chair, and I'll sit on it, and she'll get all disturbed and displaced. I feel bad, but I often don't notice her or forget that the chair moves.
4) I want long hair with bangs like Feist has. Unfortch, my hair doesn't do long very well (it's too fine), but maybe I can do the bangs. I'll have to talk to my boyfriend (that's what I call my cute hairdresser) about this matter.
5) One of my fave parts of spa day (the Friday of March Break), that I forgot to blog about, was hanging out with my fabulous pal Eric after the spa, and going to his place and trying on some of his crazy shoes that he's picked up from fashion shoots and Halloween costumes over the years. Below are my faves. I can walk like 5 steps in them. They also make me prolly around 6 feet. Oh, and the cool socks are my own.
[Aside: The song "She Comes to Me in Dreams" on this new album is totally awesome. I'm on my first listen and it just grabbed me. End aside.]
6) I am really excited about the Weakerthans concert tomorrow night. Last time I saw them was in Austin, TX last year for SXSW. Today I was watching some of their stuff on YouTube, and I came across some performances from that show. This is a particularly good video, and I've gotta be in that crowd somewhere since I was really close to the front. I can't see me, or AlieMalie for that matter. Oh well. But I do remember them playing this song.
7) I mentioned to my period 2 class that Arial is my favourite font, and now all the papers I'm getting are in Arial.
8) Hah, there is a song on this album that is just castle bells and it played at exactly midnight. How fitting.
9) As little kid, I was *terrified* to be awake at midnight, since I'd heard it called "the witching hour". I would sometimes be laying awake at night (I've never been good at falling asleep right away), and I'd be praying to fall asleep before having to witness whatever horrors midnight had in store.
10) Oh, I picked a line from the Weakerthans' song "The Reasons" as my post title, 'cuz that song makes me think of my dear pal Becca T. She doesn't exactly tell me to fuck off (she rarely swears), but she will tell me its polite equivalent when needed. I think she's saving the f-word for when I really truly need to be told to fuck off. Trust me, hearing that girl swear would get anyone's attention.
Every year I complain about the Juno (Cdn music award) nominations, the fact that they are based on sales, and how the show is so overhyped, yet every year I end up watching them. Why? Well, I think masochistic tendencies are partly to blame, and that despite all their flaws, well at least the Junos do celebrate Canadian music, something which I've been really into for all of my life. And where else would I get to see Hawksley Workman present an award?
So far, the Junos are their usual selves. I think the funniest part is that The Stills, a band who has been around for seven years, won "New Band of the Year" award. Seriously, what the fuck? Also, I have already suffered through the definite low point of the show. Nickelback opened with their song "Something in Your Mouth". Yup, I'm pretty sure they've got the "Most Misogynistic Song" category nailed down this year. Good for them.
However, thankfully, there is a lot of good Canadiana out there. I saw the movie "One Week" that stars Joshua Jackson this weekend. It's totally great. It's got a great soundtrack (Great Lake Swimmers, Stars, Patrick Watson and more), fun cameos (Gord Downie, Joel Plaskett), Tim Horton's references, and lots of beautiful Canadian scenery. Highly recommended.
I am still in love with the new Joel Plaskett record. It gets better with every listen. I can't wait to see him play in May.
Anyway, it's a typical Sunday night where I'm moping at home wondering why weekends go so fast. This coming week is going to be really busy, but I do have a great concert on Tuesday. It's Constantines/Weakerthans!!! I do believe it was my 22nd birthday when I saw these bands last play together. It was a great show. I know Tuesday will be another great show. Ahhh, how I love the rock.
It's one of the occasions where I want to post something witty, or insightful, or creative or something.
But I got nothing.
And, I have time to write, since I forgot my book ("The White Tiger" by Aravind Adiga) at work and don't want to start another.
But, I am enjoying spending some time listening to the new Joel Plaskett *triple* album and it's very good. And it's the kind of album that is so intricate and melodic, that one really should spend some time listening to it.
Also, The Office and 30 Rock were both very funny tonight.
It's almost the freakin' weekend too.
And, I smelled spring in the air.
So really, at least all is well even though I have bloggers' block.
Yesterday, I said to myself "hey, my blogoversary is coming up soon, I think." So I did a bit of research and was surprised that it was indeed the following day, i.e. today. I was glad that I didn't miss it.
So, my blog is 4 years old now. If it was a child, it'd be able to go to junior kindergarten next school year. Scary that I've been doing this so long. That inspired me to pick my fave song line about time from the Weakerthans' awesome song "Left & Leaving" to title this post.
If this blog believed in horoscopes, it would also be an Aries. It doesn't, but it agrees with its writer and thinks they're fun to read. Here's what the Toronto Star's horoscope says is in store for this blog next year:
"If today is your birthday: There will be plenty of surprises in the coming year. Most of these will be welcome and all will turn out to be positive in the end. But the greatest surprise will be how easily you bring a successful conclusion to a certain long and arduous ordeal. Happy birthday to Keri Russell, 33, and Perez Hilton, 31."
So yeah, looks like a good year for this blog. Maybe I'll finally decide on a proper name for it. Maybe I'll give it another makeover. Maybe the content will get very exciting with some fun exploits in store for the blog's writer. One can only hope.
How funny that this blog shares a birthday with one of my guilty pleasure bloggers (Perez Hilton). Hmmm, that reminds me, I haven't gotten my daily dose of celebrity smut yet.
I also noticed that the "thought for the day" part of today's horoscope says that a sharp angle between the Sun and Pluto is going to bring some sharp criticism of leaders. But, hey - Pluto's a dwarf planet now you astrologers... so should we care about its angle with the Sun? If we do, we'd better start taking into account the movements of the asteroid Ceres, and that other celestial body, whose name is escaping me, that would be a planet if Pluto was a planet. Yah, what about that? So, don't worry leaders, no one's going to criticize you... as long as you keep up on your astronomical semantics.
But yeah, four years of this blog. To celebrate my blog, and for a bit of they-made-me-return-to-work retail therapy, I bought a new outfit for work and really cute (but pricey) shoes. Just doing by bit for the economy, I say. And for my mental health. And to celebrate four fabulous frivolous fantastic years of blogging.
1) Through & Through & Through - Joel Plaskett: I <3 JP, but I was a little meh when I first heard this song. Maybe I was in a bad mood that day or something 'cuz I love it now. Best moment: bleeping "outta my fucking mind" with horns. Love.
2) Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs: I'm still trying to find out if this album's any good (no reviews are anywhere, I tells ya). However, this song is so great, and so fun, and so good to have when you are stuck on a treadmill.
3) Kids (MGMT) - Ben Lee: This is a very well done cover of the ubiquitous MGMT song by my buddy Ben. It's very melancholy and stark sounding, but being a child of the 90s, I like melancholy.
4) I'm an Animal - Neko Case: Okay, first of all, I have neglected blogging about how much I adore Neko Case's new album "Middle Cyclone". I *know* it'll be in my top ten for the year, and it could very well be my fave album of the year. Anyway, this song is my current personal anthem.
5) The Walls are Coming Down - Fanfarlo: This was a find from my Saturday morning online Toronto Star reading from a couple weeks ago. It's pretty.
6) Train Song - Feist & Ben Gibbard: My first fave track from the "Dark Was the Night" compilation. Even more fun to listen to when you are actually on a train.
7) Hey, Snow White - The New Pornographers: Second fave track from the above complitation. Random Christielli trivia: Snow White was my favourite fairytale princess as a kid. Even if this song had a lesser princess in the title, it'd still be great.
8) My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson: C'mon, none of us are perfect. Even me. I like this song.
9) From Here - Jenny Owen Youngs: This song, which I've apparently neglected, came up on shuffle today, and it caught my attention.
Here I am at the midway point of my March Break. Why do these weeks off go so much faster than work weeks? Grr!
Anyway, today's my last day chilling in St. Ratford. I've had some good downtime here. I've gone for a couple walks around the river, which is really more like a giant mud puddle these days 'cuz they drained it. However, the ducks and Canada geese seem to be digging it, so who I am to be critical?
I had many good visits these past few days. Saturday night was drinks with some girls from the legendary Group of 9 (pals from high school). There were only 4 of us who were able to make it, but we represented. And, even if it was an early night, it felt like old days as my friend Teresa gave me a ride home and we spent time chatting in her car in my driveway. I love driveway chats.
Monday night was food at a downtown pub with my friend Wendy. Then on Tuesday afternoon, I met up for sushi with my friend Jolene, and we wandered around downtown browsing in the stores and enjoying the sunny warm-ish weather. I love downtown shopping in Stratford. I was very good about not buying silly stuff until we hit a really fun bookstore where I got a book, a sudoku book for my dad (I'm a good daughter), and a origami kit. So now I can make quality origami cats and crippled looking pigs. I'm sure I'll expand my repertoire. I also came across a plaque with a quote by Katherine Hepburn that I rather like: "If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun." I bought it, 'cuz I'd seen it before in a closed gift shop in Saint John NB, and have been looking for it ever since.
I visited my aunt last night and watched "Dancing with the Stars" with her. I'm a good niece too.
Today I braved country roads to visit another high school pal who lives on a farm, has 2 kids, and is pregnant with her third. (My news for her: I got a cat.) Anyway, her four year old son seemed to enjoy me, and I taught him about crabs and octupusses (octupi?), so I guess I'm not as hopeless with non-teenage children as I thought.
I'm blogging from a coffee pub in Stratford that has free wifi. There was a time (late high school, early university), where several of my friends and I practically lived here, and this place was Stratford's social hub for my peers. I'd run into long-lost friends from elementary school, high school, various parties, and old crappy part-time jobs here. Now I notice that this place is filled with two types of people: a) Older people reading the free newspapers. b) Younger people using the free wifi.
Most people are sitting alone though. I dunno where people socialize anymore. Maybe Facebook has rendered it unnecessary to come across pals in small-town coffee shops? Or, I've heard that the Shopper's Drugmart that's open 'til midnight is the new hotspot in town.
There's also a new stop sign in town. (It might have been here for awhile actually.) I almost ran it, and exclaimed "who the fuck put that there?" as I slammed the brakes. In high school, when there was no stop sign there, my friend Teresa ran off the road and up a hill at that same spot in the road because she was driving far too fast. I wasn't actually there, but the story's become part of the Group of 9 mythology, so it's like I was.
Anyway, I guess nothing ever stays static, even my sleepy little hometown. And with that rambling, I'm out.
I'm officially on Day 1 of March Break! Woot! I'm in Stratford until late Wednesday night, and I'm enjoying just chilling and catching up with friends. Today's agenda includes me blogging at a coffee shop with wifi (who knew Stratford had one?), running a couple of errands, going to the gym, and meeting up for coffee with a friend in the evening.
Anyway, I've been meaning to do Scott's music meme forever. However, let's face facts: this thing is more of a exam, and the only way it was ever going to get done is for me to have a week away from work. Luckily, it's March Break, so here we go...
1) What's a piece of music, any genre, any year, and form, (i.e 45, album, MP3, etc), that you often return to. Something that continually resonates throughout your life, and seems to gain greater impact as you grow older. How often do you find yourself seeking this piece? There are really several go-to albums that I have. Of the many, I’ll list three: a) Left & Leaving – The Weakerthans b) The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner – Ben Folds Five c) The Beekeeper – Tori Amos (or anything by Tori Amos)
2) Is there a specific story that relates to this? a) This is the first album I got by my now-and-probably-for-always favourite band. I discovered them in a magazine article and liked their name. I downloaded a few of their songs on Napster (ahhh remember the days?) and enjoyed them. I had a nasty case of strep throat for my 21st bday, and dragged myself out of my sickbed to buy this album to cheer myself up. Anyway, I always come back to this album if I’ve feeling down, or a bit alienated. b) I listened to this album a lot when my Nana was dying of cancer. The song “Magic” helped me cope, and even though it got me through really tough times, I am fond of this album because it reminds of how lucky I was to have such a special relationship with my Nana, even though I was only 19 when she died. c) Anything by Tori helps me deal with crap and makes me feel powerful. This is my fave album by her.
3) Was there a piece of music, despite the fact that you may have "outgrown" it now that at one time changed your life? How about something you feel you'll never outgrow? I’ve outgrown Our Lady Peace a long time ago, but they were one of the bands that started me on the path of being really passionate about Canadian music, so kudos to them.
I’m pretty sure I’ll never outgrow artists whom I’ve consistently loved for 10+ years. That list includes Ben Folds, Sloan, almost the Weakerthans, Tori Amos, and Hawksley Workman (almost 10 years). There’s a lot of stuff from the 90s I still like, but I LOVE the artists I’ve listed above and I’m pretty sure that won’t change.
4) Could a piece of music that you found in common with a stranger bond you for life? Is there a story behind that? Everyone’s a stranger at first, right? I have lots of friends with whom our friendships are based on a common love of music. They’ve progressed past that, but music is a great way to break the ice, and something we can always come back to. 5) Is there a favorite artist that you had that you gave up on only to have him or her redeem themselves? Not completely. However, I became pretty meh about REM after some of the albums they released in the late 90s, early 00s, but they brought it last year with Accelerate.
6) Has music ever got you through some really tough times? How? Definitely. As I said before, the song “Magic” by Ben Folds Five really helped me get through my Nana’s fight with cancer. It perfectly articulated my feelings. 7) Can music change the world or is that naive wishful thinking? I think music can perhaps encourage or inspire change, but not actually make the change itself.
8) Is Rock and Roll dead? Hell no. I saw Sloan rock out on Wednesday, and as long as those guys, and many others, are still around, rock ‘n roll is alive and well. 9) What's the song you wish played at you wedding? How about your funeral? Wedding – maybe “The Luckiest” by Ben Folds, or “Anyone Else But You” by the Moldy Peaches, or “Nowhere with You” by the Joel Plaskett Emergency or “Safe and Sound” by Hawksley Workman. Oh yeah, and I guess someone else would have to agree with me too, but… Funeral – Happy Phantom by Tori Amos. Read the lyrics and you’ll understand why.
10) What's the greatest live show you ever saw? In what year? Why? How old were you then? Did you attend with friends? Were you a skeptic going in? Did you enter a huge fan? How about the most disappointing show? Why? This is too hard to answer for me ‘cuz I’ve been to A LOT of concerts (def over 100) in my life. However, one of the most influential was Hawksley Workman at the Rivoli in 2001. A friend of mine had introduced Becca T and I to Hawksley, but we only knew a few of his songs. However, we’d read his was doing a show at the Rivoli and we decided to go. I even skipped my evening stats class to go. Anyhow, it was an AMAZING show and it turned us into huge Hawksley fans and the concert fanatics that we are today.
Most disappointing… hmmm… not sure. I probably erased it from my memory ‘cuz a disappointing concert would be really traumatic for me.
11) Have your feelings about recorded or live music changed over the years? I’m definitely more passionate about live music than I used be in the past. Also, I’m kind of getting over having to own the CD. I like being able to download albums instead of buying the physical CD and not having to invest in a new CD tower. Although I'll still buy the CD for my absolute faves.
12) Do you listen to radio? How do you listen to music? I never listen to the radio with the exception of when I’m in Stratford and borrow my ‘rents car (the radio is the only part of the stereo that works). Other than that it’s my iPod constantly. Oh, but I do like streaming new things on the internet and I like CBC Radio 3’s podcast.
13) Has the amount of time you listen to music changed over the years? To what extent? I think I kept listening to more and more once I branched out into indie music in university, but I’ve leveled off over the years, since my time is finite.
14) In these tough economic stressful times do you gravitate towards a different kind of music, i.e happy, nostalgic, the blues, then you did say, 4 years ago? Not really, no. I’m lucky enough to be personally safe in these times.
15) You're stuck on a desert isle, you've got a mix Cd with 10 songs you're stuck with until your dying day, (or at least until you're rescued) what are those 10 songs and why?
Am I to assume this is *not* my dream desert island scenario (ie a barrel of rum and Johnny Depp a la Pirates of the Caribbean)? ‘cuz that would need a different list entirely, but I’m going to assume a run of the mill desert island with no rum, no Johnny Depp, and no monkey butlers either.
1) Deeper than Beauty – Sloan
2) Reconstruction Site – The Weakerthans
3) Your Ex-Lover is Dead – Stars
4) Magic – Ben Folds Five
5) Your Beauty Must Be Rubbing Off – Hawksley Workman
6) A Sorta Fairytale – Tori Amos
7) MFEO – Jack’s Mannequin (shut up Scott… you knew this post wouldn’t be made without a JM reference… I have to be happy on my desert island!)
1) Last night's Sloan show. Best version of "Money City Maniacs" that I've heard live.
2) Pizza.
3) My classes being very well-behaved and quiet when I was tired 'cuz I went to a concert then stayed up far too late the night before.
4) People who use Simpsons references like Smarch, "I'll trade you this delicious doorstop for...", the old classic "Boo-urns", and the like.
5) New episodes of the Office and 30 Rock on Thursday nights. Fave line of the night: "Professor Bananas is dead!"
6) I have a friend who texts me lines from the above shows while watching it. Fun. Also, if someone ever steals my phone and reads my messages, they'll think I'm weird.
7) People who lend me books.
8) The fact that someone who lives across the way from me still seems to have their Christmas tree up. I dunno why I think this is awesome, I just do.
9) The fact that I'm taking some very much needed downtime for a few days in St. Ratford during my March Break. It'll be a great opportunity to slow down, catch up with family and friends, and relax. It's no SXSW like last year's March Break, but it's not working.
10) The fact that I only have 1 day of work until March Break.
I was totally going to write a good blog post tonight, but my pal Mathew phoned me to give me some really good news about more people joining us for an upcoming Sloan concert (Wednesday!) and somehow our Sloan-related conversation morphed into a heated debate about religion, relationships, evolution, and pretty much every controversial/highly debatable subject under the sun. It was hilariously freaking random and long. Anyway, there goes me going to bed early tonight. And writing a good blog post. But I have a good idea for something, we'll just have to see how long it takes for it to materialize.
I wimped out of Boot Camp today because I had a stress headache that made it feel like there was a lightning bolt behind my left eye. But, I did go to the gym after I slept off said headache and had a really good workout accompanied by Los Campensinos!
I have to get up early to set up for a lab tomorrow. Thank God for caffeine. I love it.
Oh yah, and I'll leave you with some older Sloan 'cuz I fucking love Sloan.
Haven't felt like blogging in a bit, but I should post for posterity's sake.
Randomness:
- My work spouse gave birth to a baby girl. She called me during labour *after* she'd gotten an epidural. She was laughing during her contractions and was thankful for modern medicine. I can't wait to meet her baby!
- Another really good teacher at my school was promoted to a position elsewhere, which made Friday very melancholy. All the good people are leaving and I hate change.
- Rilo is looking at me right now like "why do you have to play your music so loud while I'm trying to sleep?"
- I'm a little off track on my book a week resolution, but I did read "The Flying Troutmans" by Mirian Toews this week and enjoyed it.
- I'm kicking ass at giving up three things for Lent this year. Okay, so it's been 5 days, but 5 out of 40 is more than 10% so that's something.
- It's been pretty sunny and cold these days. I'll talk the cold if it means sunshine.
- A friend of mine introduced me to a really great singer/songwriter named Craig Cardiff.
- I need someone at school to start a marking boot camp. I've been lugging the same sets of assignments from school to home and then back for three weeks now.
- I had a cool moment on a school bus this week. I helped a colleague supervise some students on a trip to a Black History Month celebration. On the way home, he played the bongos, while a kid rapped, and the bus driver kind of danced in his seat while driving. The rest of the bus chanted "Go Driver! Go Driver!" It was pretty hilarious.
I was sick sick sick last night, but I think I managed to literally boil it out of me.
I was feeling a little off for a couple days, but being typical me, I refused to let that throw off any my social plans, until last night when I was chilling out with my going-to-pop-out-a-baby-at-any-moment work spouse.
First of all, you know things are off if we order Swiss Chalet, and all I ask for is soup. As we watched "Big Daddy" on TV, and ate and WS complained of baby cramps, I thought that I must be having sympathy cramps or something, 'cuz my stomach was not happy. After the movie was over, I apologized that I had to go home 'cuz I did not feel well.
After an endless subway-ride home, I drew a hot bath as fast as I could (of course throwing in a Lush bath bomb to ease my pain). I could feel my teeth chattering, and I looked in the mirror and saw that my lips were blue. I keep my bath water hot by leaving the hot water running most of the time and dreaded leaving the water to the cold air of my apartment.
After I was extremely prune-ish and came to accept the fact that I could not sleep in the bathtub, I changed into my warmest pjs, put my warmest hoodie over that (with the hood up), and piled every blanket I owned onto my bed. I passed out before I even turned off my lights. I woke up sweating at about 2:30 am, removed some of the blankets and my hoodie, and then went back to sleep.
I woke up this morning feeling 100% and thankfully did not have to cancel today's social plans. Thank goodness 'cuz you know I hate doing that.
And that is how I boiled out some nasty bug that was making me ill.
Anyway, here are some random NYC pictures from last weekend.
The Will Ferrell show was just as funny as it sounds. I loved it. I laughed so hard that I almost cried. That show was the highlight of the trip for me. Other things that we did included eating lots of good food, lots of shopping, wandering around Greenwich village, walking around Central Park, nerding out at the American Museum of Natural History, and enjoying the view of the city from Top of the Rock. I also like the bottom of the Rock 'cuz it makes me think of 30 Rock. And I loved being amongst the rich at the Waldorf even though I'm not so rich.
Speaking of the rich, it's almost Oscar time! Hmmm, if I win this year's Oscar pool, I'll be perhaps $100 richer.
NYC was awesome! I think I had my best birthday ever! I'll do a post-trip post complete with pictures and more details and stuff later.
The only downside to our trip is that our return flight was canceled, so we ended up getting in pretty late, so that had thrown me off. I love Air Canada. And the best was that they were all rude and condescending about it.
Tonight I went to my first show of 2009: Ben Folds. It was all sorts of awesome!
So tomorrow is the first day of Lent. I like to give up stuff for Lent to test my willpower. Last year it was celebrity gossip blogs. This year I am giving up:
a) solid chocolate (hot chocolate still allowed) b) candy (don't want to start eating gallons of Skittles in place of chocolate) c) baked treats from coffee shops
I'm going hardcore this year. I'm actually looking forward to this challenge. I'm crazy. I blame one of my traveling buddies for this.
Anyway, trip photos and recaps to come in the future. Work is kicking my ass these days. Boo-urns to that!
Edit: After checking my calendar, it turns out Lent starts next Wednesday here too. LOL I guess yesterday was too early to eat that last pack of M&Ms.
I know that Grand Street is in Brooklyn, and I don't know if I'll be going over to Brooklyn this weekend, but I really like the Matt & Kim song "Daylight". In fact, I really like their whole album "Grand". It's super fun and New York City-ish.
Which is appropriate because I'll be in NYC in less than 24 hours for my second annual long weekend in NYC, which happily corresponds with my birthday! :)
This has been a fun and busy week so far. I survived Boot Camp at school. It was really fun doing power yoga with students. They are less co-ordinated than I am, so I didn't feel so self-conscious.
On Wednesday, I went to a very exciting Raptors' game with my work spouse, whose last day of work before her maternity leave is tomorrow. I'm going to miss her, but I know I'll be visiting her lots to catch her up on gossip and such. Not that I'm a gossip...
Tonight I've been tidying my apartment and getting all ready for NYC. One of my friends from home is joining me and two work pals on our fabulous trip, so she's crashing here tonight. I hope Rilo's not bothering her.
My bags are pretty much packed. I hate packing. Determining what clothing I will need is so tough. While packing, I asked myself if I *really* need three pairs of jeans for what is essentially a three day trip, and the answer is yes, of course I do.
Now all I have to do is to get through tomorrow. It's a PD day, and I'm sure what they have planned is all sorts of boring, and they're not even serving us lunch! I guess that's the economy for you.
I'll leave you with an awesome picture of Rilo yawning (taken by Becca T), which is what I'll be doing lots of tomorrow during the PD, and until I land in NYC.
On Friday night, I thought that I had organized a sushi-night with my pals Becca T and Mathew. I had picked the date, the time and the place.
When we met up at our selected meeting place, Becca told me that a couple of our friends were having dinner at a restaurant close to the sushi place and that she told them that we'd drop by and say hi.
We got to the restaurant (a cute Mexican place that I'd heard was good) and we looked around for them and then went to the second floor. Immediately I saw my friend David and though "oh, he's having dinner with them too, how nice." Then I saw my friend Jamie and thought "I didn't know that he was hanging out with that group these days." Then I saw my friend Flora and thought "what the fuck?" Then I looked around the table and saw all kinds of people that I knew.
"Wait, I know all of these people. This must be for me!" I exclaimed and then slapped my own face like a total dork. I won the prize for slowest surprise party realization ever. And there is actual photographic evidence of me slapping my face and people laughing at my slowness. Awesome.
Anyway, I was so touched that my friends planned this party and so many people came out. It's so fun spending the evening eating good food and laughing and being silly with all kinds of good friends.
And I got a bunch of cool stuff too!
From Becca T, I got the Harajuku Lovers perfume (Music) that I'd been coveting. I really like Gwen Stefani things for some reason.
Also from Becca T, a fun sparkly box with a ring in it that says "Lance". I purchased said ring for her as a joke (back in university when N Sync was around). I'm pretty sure she'll be getting it back at some point in her life.
From my pals Jon & Ali (the decoys), I got a journal and a mini-book on the elements. Being the science nerd that I am, I got really excited about that book. I'm going to bring it to school and read it to the kids.
My friend Flora got me bird cards, bird earring and a box with birds on it 'cuz I like birds.
I got a gift certificate from Indigo from my friend David 'cuz he's impressed with my resolution to read 52 books this year and wants to help the cause. (Note: I slowed down this week in my reading but I'm determined to finish book #7 before I leave for NYC.)
My friend/colleague/travel buddy Fea and her husband got me a super cute lululemon hoodie (!) and a lush bath bomb.
And la piece de resistance of bday presents, of which I've heard about the making of it since January is from my pal Mathew...
He managed to make me a replica of the Simpsons' sailboat picture above their couch using his mad photoshop skillz. How awesome is that? I guess I'm going to have run into my apt and towards the couch and perform some sort of couch gag every time I come home now.
Anyway, the rest of my weekend was fun (shopping, sushi, chilling, and a baby shower), but the party was def the highlight. I love my friends so much.
My week will start off really hard because I have managed to be talked into doing the fitness boot camp that my friend (who teaches phys ed) is organizing. She is hardcore, and I'm terrified, but I'm going to do it.
I also have a Raptors' game this week with my work spouse (for whom the baby shower was for), and then on Friday I'm off to NYC for my birthday weekend! Yay!!!
Listening to: the album "Extraordinary Machine" by Fiona Apple
Reading: Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. Finally. This was last year's birthday gift from my pal Mathew, and I gotta get it read before this year's birthday. I started it, but then got diverted by a book about the dwarf planet Pluto, of all things. That book was awesome by the way.
Just watched: The episode of Simpsons where Marge paints Mr. Burns' portrait because I wanted to hear the line "and yes, even a rhombus!"
Last night: Becca T and I saw "The Wrestler". It was good.
I'm baking: banana-blueberry muffins. From scratch.
Rilo is: sleeping on the couch.
I'm not watching: the Superbowl. Quelle surprise.
I'm waiting for: the special one-hour episode of "The Office" to start.
I'm looking forward to: going to see the play "Medea" with my work spouse on Tuesday. Then, Thursday is the postponed date of our second annual semester one smashdown. It had to be pushed back to this week so that all five founding members could attend. Lastly, I'm looking forward to NYC in less than two weeks!
I don't want to think about: going to work tomorrow morning. It's the start of a new semester. Going to be exhausting. Oh well, one cannot have March Break without a new semester, so that's how my glass is half-full.
1) I was marking exams in a Starbucks the other day and eavesdropping on conversations as I marked. Beside me were a couple who seemed like they were on a first date. They were older, maybe forty-ish. Anyway, the dude totally talked about his cats the whole time. As a cat-person, I found the stories cute (his cat eats elastics just like Rilo), but the quantity of stories was astounding. At one point, the conversation seemed to drift from cats to other topics, and I thought, oh good this date can be saved, and I went back to paying attention to my marking, but shortly thereafter it was back to more cat stories. The woman didn't seem to mind, I don't think, so perhaps they will live happily ever after with the cats.
2) Last night I was chatting with a pal on the phone, and in reference to something I said "I usually just drag Becca T with me." She replied "that's random" in a strangely uncomfortable tone. I asked why she said that. "You just said that you drank back a glass of whiskey..." was her response. I killed myself laughing. Did she think I was at home alone, on a school night, chugging back glasses of whiskey? If I hadn't corrected her, I think there would have been an intervention scheduled for me shortly. However, upon further reflection, there are a lot of good songs about drinking whiskey, so maybe I should take it up to become more rock 'n roll. ;)
3) Before an exam, one of my students came up to me and says out of the blue "Miss, Chuck Norris broke the Periodic Table of the Elements. He only needs one element: the element of surprise." I laughed so hard; I think the kid was surprised at how funny I found it.
4) Here's another amusing school anecdote from a couple weeks ago. I was walking to the subway with a fellow teacher, and a kid joins us and chatted away. He says to me "Miss, you know what I heard about you? I heard that you're into grindcore metal." Not sure how that secret got out, but yeah, you know me. Huge metal fan. Actually, I do know how it got out. A kid in one of my classes was playing music he likes for me on his iPod, and I didn't say anything bad about it. I guess I'd better be sure to insult kids' tastes in music from now on so it doesn't get around that I like that stuff.
I should be marking. But, updating the neglected blog with random crap is a better option right now.
1) I came across the new Neko Case single "People Got A Lotta Nerve" this weekend. It's all sorts of awesome. You can download it here: http://www.anti.com/media/download/708
I also like the cover art for the single.
I also like that there are two Neko tour dates in April. Can't decide on whether I want to see her on a Friday night or a Saturday night. Decisions, decisions. (Edit: after consultation with my probable-Neko buddy, I went with the Saturday night option.)
2) I got front row tickets to see The Joel Plaskett Emergency at Massey Hall in May. I'm very psyched about that. Also, they are releasing a triple (!) album in March.
3) Right now two of my new year's resolutions are going well. One involves me doing a little bit of scheming, and the second one is reading 52 books in 2009. I'm on book #5. Book #4 was amazing; I read it in less than 24 hours.
That book was "The Bookseller of Kabul" by Asne Seierstad (as you can no doubt see from my side-bar). It's about a family that a journalist lives with in post-Taliban Afghanistan. One of the passages that really stood out to me was a description of a math problem from a Taliban-era textbook:
"Litte Omar has a Kalashnikov with three magazines. There are twenty bullets in each magazine. He uses two thirds of the bullets and kills sixty infidels. How many infidels does he kill with each bullet?"
Not only was I obviously appalled by the context and content of the problem, but I never thought that you could kill more than one person with a single bullet. (Of course I did the math; I got 1.5 infidels/bullet as my answer.)
One thing I love about reading is that you can go on so many different journeys with every book that you read. I had read Khaled Hosseini's "One Thousand Splendid Suns" late last year, and it also takes place in Afghanistan. In books about Afghanistan, I am always struck by the lack of control (before, during, and after the Taliban) that women have over their own lives. Just the thought of a fifteen year-old girl being forced to become the second-wife of a fifty-year old man makes me incredibly thankful that I was lucky enough to be born in 20th-century North America.
The book I'm currently reading (The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant)takes place in 15th century Florence. The teenaged main character is married off to a forty-five year old man who is having an affair with her older brother. Again, I'm so thankful for the setting of my life.
4) This post was actually started hours ago, and then I was interrupted by visitors, and had to entertain said people and serve them hot beverages. So, no marking got done tonight and I'm prolly gonna get in trouble by the kids for it tomorrow but oh well, they're not the bosses of me. ;)
I have been so lazy during this spontaneous long weekend. A lot of this weekend seemed to be me engaged in a nap-off with Rilo. Even though I napped a lot, she won. She's a fierce competitor.
Of course, some things did happen while I was awake.
Becca T and I saw the Benjamin Button movie. We both enjoyed it.
I listened to a lot of Weakerthans. Properly too. Full albums in their intended order and not shuffled. I realized that "Reconstruction Site" is one of my favourite albums ever to listen to all the way through.
I'm working away through book #3 for the year so I'm right on track regarding that resolution.
I discovered that Rilo is petrified of iPhones. My friend Mathew was over to drop off some leftover risotto that he made (don't I have the best friends ever?), and as we were chatting, his phone was buzzing which spooked her. Then he slid it over near her and she was airbourne. It was really funny.
I got a bunch of housework done. There was one load of laundry that I was too lazy to put away, and I caught Rilo napping in it this afternoon. How nice would it be to nap in a clean basket of laundry?
Anyway, this lazy spontaneous long weekend should give me enough energy to get through the last regular week of the semester. After that it's exams, and then a new semester with new classes. Another fresh start. :)
My school is closed today because of a large power outage in that part of the city.
Best. News. Ever.
(Well, maybe not ever, but you know.)
Once I calm down from being so hyper and excited, I think I'm going back to bed. Then, I'll figure out what to do with my spontaneous long weekend. Oh, and shucks, all of my work for the weekend is stuck in the building. So, no work for me for three days. :D
It's the little things in life that make me happiest. I forgot that last year, and kept searching for some big thing, I'm not sure what exactly, to make me happy and I lost myself a little bit.
However, I'm back to remember how all the little tiny things in life end up adding up to happiness. Things like:
- new band recommendations from a friend; - bubble baths; - good workouts at the gym; - somehow spontaneously discovering that I, who used to have the motto "any pot is no-stick if you no-cook in it", like to cook - taking time to read books; - random conversations with Becca T; - keeping New Year's resolutions; - being silly; - successful scheming (the good kind of scheming); - conversations about 30 Rock; - planning trips; - the possibility of spending my birthday evening with Will Ferrell as GWB (ticket confirmation pending); - maybe winning an online Scrabble game;
Also, I'm on track with a book a week resolution for 2009. I should be finished my second book tonight. Notice that I have added a list of what I've read on my sidebar. Book #3 was just lent to me by a coworker and I look forward to starting it.
Hello readers of Christielli's blog, my name is Wes. I just wanted to say a quick thank you to Christielli for letting me post my entry on her blog. I couldn't stand the idea of not being able to post my top ten albums for 2008 because if there are two things that I love, they are music and making lists. My blog and I were together for three years before we had to end it in early 2008 because of time restraints. I hope to be back in some form another in the near future. Anyways, thanks again Christielli. Enjoy.
10. We Are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mastery. Let's start off the list with a band who I loved the debut album from. With Love And Squalor was a great album from 2005 that I listened to excessively after discovering it in a small CD store in Edmonton when I was in town for Matthew Good acoustic show. I could not wait for them to release a new album, so when Brain Thrust Mastery finally came out, all was right with the world. As you could probably guess, this album is a disappointment being that its number ten on my list. Its got some great songs, but as an album, it in no way compares to their previous effort. The hooky little guitar parts and lyrics are just not there. If you are interested in them, I suggest checking out their previous effort, its much better than the current state of their music.
9. Sam Roberts - Love At The End Of The World. Continuing on with the disappointment train, we have Sam Roberts latest album. Chemical City was my top album of 2006, so I had very high expectations for his latest album. There are some great songs on this album, but overall, it lacks the punch that Chemical City had. It kind of feels like Sam Roberts has run out of ideas, as most of the album's content doesn't grab me like his previous work does. The subject matter just feels unoriginal and uncreative. The songs themselves are well constructed, Sam Roberts is king of the pre-chorus and tags, but the information injected into these sections are boring and dated. If it wasn't for the tear-jerking "Words & Fire", this album wouldn't have even made my list and I would be talking about Axl's cornrows and bloated ego.
8. Foxboro Hot Tubs - Stop Drop And Roll!!! Ok, I'm a big Green Day fan ever since I was very young, but that's not why this album made the list. Its a different sound than we are use to hearing from Green Day, but its a sound that I love and is so under-utilized. Sounding like they are straight out of the 1950's, greasy hair and all, its an upbeat tempo that is extremely infectious. It may be just a filler album to tied us over to the new Green Day album comes out, but I think it was very underestimated.
7. Hey Rosetta! - Into Your Lungs. Ok, this one is all Christielli's fault. She told me about it and she takes full responsibility for any of your feelings toward this choice. Its a pretty good album sonically, it hits all the right notes. Its the kind of album that gets me excited about the Canadian music scene. Its not all Avril's and Theory Of A Nickel Fault's, there are some great bands out there that do not get near the recognition they deserve. Its really such a shame that these smaller bands get looked over in favour of the "watered-down" bands that appeal to the dumb masses. Believe me, I could write a book on the state of the music industry, so I will end it here by simply stating that we need more music like Hey Rosetta!
6. Fleet Foxes - Self-titled. Harmonies, oh sweet harmonies. That's what Fleet Foxes are chalk full of. Folky music born out of the north western United States, its America's answer to the Great Lake Swimmers. Its the kind of album you want to listen to on a cold winter's afternoon by the fire. Soothing in its sound, and un-intrusive in its nature. You can't help but sit back and relax, and enjoy the music.
5. Bloc Party - Intimacy. After the pitiful Weekend In The City, Bloc Party are back to their Silent Alarm selves, or at least closer to it. Intimacy is a mix of what we expect from Bloc Party, raging, infectious beats layered with simple, but catchy lyrics. Intimacy is a refreshing sound that has been lacking from the pop world as of late. As good as they are when they are loud, when the music drops out, you can't help but feel all tingly inside. Like big, fat snowflakes drifting to the ground, you can't help but be drawn into their world, their sound. It's an enchanting world filled with all the colours of the rainbow and big fluffy snowflakes that fall so slowly, you are convinced they are suspended in time and never completing their journey to the Earth. Then the beat kicks in and are quickly pulled back into reality, forever changed by your experience.
4. The National - Boxer. Alright you got me, this album came out in 2007, but I didn't purchase it until 2008, and it is way too awesome to leave off my list over such a small technicality. With a very distinctive lead voice and soft textures, The National soars and dives through the musical spectrum. It is epic in its vision, humble in its delivery. It is raw in its production, but polished in its composition. Its simplicity draws you in, but its complexity keeps you intrigued. At times it feels like Modest Mouse meets Death Cab, and other times it defies a column or a box. But in the end, its just brilliant.
3. The Jolts - Haute Voltage. Local Vancouver band who I have first hand knowledge of their studio antics manged to come out with a great album this year. I am a long time punk fan who is seriously disillusioned by the state of punk these days. The good punk albums are far and in between. Actually one of my favorite all time bands, a band from Australia called The Living End, released a new album this year, but unfortunately they did not secure a North American release this time and I was unable to obtain an import copy before the end of the year, otherwise, this album would have definitely been in my top ten, and probably in my top five. But back to The Jolts, its great to hear a punk band that believes in punk and not this "mall-punk" that everyone else is into these days. I don't care what you say, Avril and Sum 41 are not punk just because they put on a tie and a studded wristband. You won't find punk playing on the radio or on stage at your nearest hockey arena or in your local store. The only place where you are going to see it is at some dive bar in the "bad" part of town, because that's where true punk chooses to live, behind the bright lights and shadows of those who are in it for the money and fame.
2. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer. I've got a super soft spot for Wolf Parade after I saw them rock the daylights out of a cafe in Saskatoon. Their first album, Apologies To The Queen Mary, was an underground success and they finally backed it up this year with one of the best albums I heard all year. Their unmistakable charm shines through this album as they found a way to top their previous work. I think Wolf Parade is a lot like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, in that you either love or hate them, you either get it or you don't, there is no in between. At Mount Zoomer is definitely more accessible than Apologies To The Queen Mary, but at the same time they still find ways to push the envelope and force the listener into new territory.
1. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs. There is never any question whether or not a Death Cab album is going to be near the top of my list. Transatlanticism and Plans are two albums that made the top of my lists in their respective years, and it seems that Narrow Stairs is no exception. After the super polished Plans, Death Cab definitely took a step back and traveled along a different path when making Narrow Stairs. The rawness of the album shines through the perfectly structured songs and shows a side of Death Cab that has been hidden for some time and from the majority of their new fans. With a four minute and thirty-three second intro to their first single, it is very evident that they are taking the less commercial route. But as the albums spins on, other stand-outs are heard and you begin to wonder "how does something so simple sound so new?" Its truly a talent that Death Cab have mastered, making the very simple sound very unique. One of the major highlights of 2008, other than seeing Radiohead, was finally seeing Death Cab in concert. It was an awesome show that backed up all of their albums and just left me wanting to see them over and over again. Here's hoping that the next album and tour are as good as the past.
Why? Because, I am going to be bringing in my 29th bday at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC!
Anyway, I am very excited for the trip. This year we are flying instead of driving (thank you random seat sale), and, due to some random 24-hr Expedia sale, our accommodations are upgrading. Our hotel last year was really really nice, but not as famous. In fact, I remember walking by the Waldorf last year and thinking how insane it would be to stay there. Who knew?
Argh. I've been befallen by first-day-back insomnia. I was all over going to bed at a decent time so that I can get to work at a decent time this year, but I'm wondering if that will happen. Good thing none of my resolutions involve less caffeine, so I should survive.
Highlights of my weekend were making a tasty and healthy veggie chili, going to see the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" (excellent), and spending the afternoon marking with a pal at a coffee shop. It makes the job much less unpleasant.
After any length of time off I get very confused about very basic things about going back to work. At what time do I need to wake up? What do I wear to work? At what time do I leave the house? How am I able to keep a room of teenagers engaged for 75 minutes? Hopefully I'll figure all those out tomorrow morning...
I would like to see how many books I read this year. It'd be cool if I could read 52. I think I'm going to keep a brief record of what I read on my blog this year. Not long reviews or anything, just a list with a word or two. In fact, I may restructure my blog to contain less rambling, and more short little posts about what albums I discover, what books I read, and what concerts I go to. Of course, there will still be rambling in between those things because, well, I like to ramble.
I love the Freewill Astrology section in Now Magazine. As I've said before, I don't believe in astrology, but I'm not opposed to read it if it has good news for me. In this week's horoscope, there are three quotes for 2009 that are supposed to guide me (and other Aquarians, I suppose). I really like them, so I'll post them.
1) “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be.” (psychologist Abraham Maslow... ha-ha... any good educator knows this dude and his hierarchy.)
2) “Dance in the body you have.” (choreographer Anges DeMille)
3) “When Reb Zusye went to heaven, God didn’t ask him why, in his life on earth, Zusye wasn’t Moses, but why he wasn’t even Zusye.” (historian Gerald Sorin)
I like all three of these quotes, and I'm going to keep them in mind as I stumble through, no, scratch that... I'm going to keep them in mind as I *dance* through 2009.
Listening to: Proof of Love by Old Man Luedecke (just got this album today... it might need a spot on last post's list 'cuz it's banjo-tastic!)
Happy 2009! I love this year so far. This is going to be a year of being a better, happier me and so far it’s rocking. I’ve eaten healthy today, exercised, cleaned, had friends over for waffles, napped with Rilo, chatted with my mom on the phone, had a bubble bath, and now I’m going to curl up in bed with a good book.
Here is my list of my 10 favourite albums of 2008. I wanted to post this ASAP, because I have had a request for a guest blogger to post his list here too. Hopefully it’ll happen because it will be my first incidence of guest-blogging. 10) Jenny Lewis – Acid Tongue I could not leave this album off of my list because Jenny Lewis has been a huge presence in my 2008 musical universe. I really got into Rilo Kiley this year; I listened to them A LOT, went to a show, and even named my cat after them. This album is a great listen, and I love the stripped-down rootsy sound of Jenny’s solo stuff. Her voice is so perfect and beautiful. Fave song: Acid Tongue (great to listen to when you’re just feeling tired of it all) 9) Serena Ryder – Is It O.K. Serena has an amazingly rich soulful voice, and her songs, mainly about heartbreak, are extremely emotional. I am pretty sure that I saw her years ago at some festival, but she really impressed me when I saw her open for Sarah Harmer in Charlottetown. Anyone who exhibits a commanding stage presence with just their voice and a guitar gets huge points in my book. I picked up an EP after that show, and this full-length album expands on the strength of those songs. Fave song: Little Bit of Red (I love the visceral anger in this song.) 8) Leona Naess – Thirteens I’ll admit that I found out about this album on one of my fave celeb gossip blogs, Pink Is The New Blog. Becca T and I loved Leona’s song Charm Attack back in our university days, and I was curious to find out how her new stuff sounded. This album is absolutely charming, and many of the songs apply to my life this year. Also, each week you can download an unreleased track from the album from this site, and so far all of the tracks are just as good as those on this album. Fave song: Ghosts in the Attic
7) Hayden - In Field & Town I personally believe that Hayden gets better with every album. Like my dear Hawksley, his musicianship is consummate. I love the quiet, understated quality of most of his work. This album is one of my favourites to listen to on the subway on my way to work. Twinkling pianos, xylophones, and strumming guitars make the start of any day better. And Hayden’s poignant, and often heart-breaking lyrics, make me feel better about whatever silliness is stressing me out. Fave song: Lonely Security Guard
6) REM – Accelerate Admittedly, this album has a very special place in my heart because I first saw most of it performed when I saw REM at SXSW. And, then I got to hear the songs again when REM pulled off a great show here in Toronto in June. However, the album is a super-fun listen with punchy, short, politically-motivated songs which were a perfect accompaniment to the early months of 2008 when everyone was crossing their fingers that the Dems in the US would be able to end the reign of the past 8 years. Fave song: Living Well is the Best Revenge
5) Stars – Sad Robots EP Yes, this is only an EP, but Stars can do more in a mere six tracks then most bands can do in twice that. This EP is a great little follow-up to last year’s album, and it has the Amy/Torq duets that never fail to touch me and make my ears happy. I love listening to to “A Thread Cut with A Carving Knife” and singing along with the line “we raised a glass and shouted fuck the war!” because impassioned swearing is always fun. Fave song: 14 Forever
4) Hey Rosetta! – Into Your Lungs Hey Rosetta! are my favourite new band discovery of 2008. They came onto my radar when they joined Hawksley on stage for a song during a March show. Hawksley produced this album, and it’s one of my faves to blast in my apartment while I attempt to sing along. The lead singer has a fabulous voice, and high energy instrumentation augments the lyrics and melody. Fave song: Red Heart 3) Hawksley Workman – Between the Beautifuls My beloved Hawksley put out two albums this year, first the more eclectic “Between the Beautifuls”, and secondly the rockier “Los Manilcious”. There is a bit of overlap between the two albums, but the former is my favourite by far. Hawksley is by far one of the most talented musicians in my catalogue; he writes, produces, and can play pretty much every instrument. His style ranges from straight-forward rock, beautiful ballads, twangy country, and even soulful gospel. Fave songs: Piano Blink (los manilicious mix), but lately I’ve really been into the sweeping Pomegranate Daffodil 2) Jack’s Mannequin – The Glass Passenger I love this band, even though they are probably the only band that I love that my students listen to as well. Of course, I’m sure they can’t appreciate them on as many levels as I do (I must credit Prof. Frink with that line). This is definitely my most-listened-to album of the year, and that’s because it has all of the aspects of music that I love: heart-felt lyrics, stories, kick-ass musicianship (Andrew McMahon is piano god #3 in my universe, the first two being Ben and Tori), and fits any of my moods. I’d been dying for a new Jack’s album ever since I discovered them, and they didn’t disappoint me. The song “The Resolution” was my anthem of 2008, and the rest of the album lives up to its standard. I know that I’ll be listening to this album for years. Fave songs: The Resolution, of course, and the epic Caves. 1) Kathleen Edwards – Asking for Flowers When I was on the train home for the holidays, I sat beside a girl who was in my grade 12 English class. We didn’t know each other then, but have recognized each other a couple of times on the train and catch up. We chatted about music, and I mentioned how much I love Kathleen’s music, because it reminds me of the trashy aspect of Stratford. As a result of this conversation, I listened to this album a lot over the holidays, and determined that it is my top album of the year. The music is gorgeous, and Kathleen’s unique voice is amazing as she tells stories in her songs. In “Alicia Ross”, she sings from the point of view of a girl who was murdered in Toronto a few years ago. In “Asking for Flowers” she tells the story of an unappreciated woman who works the night shift. “Oil Man’s War” is about a couple leaving the US and heading north to Canada to escape the Iraq War. And of course, there is the cleverly fun “I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory”, she compares hockey player Marty McSorley to The Great One, and even a non-hockey person like me gets it. Fave song: The Cheapest Key (I just checked out the video for the first song right now and it's pretty fun and ummm, applicable to me even though I do NOT drink bourbon in class... but I am known to wear my Chucks to school.)
Honourable Mentions:
Two Hours Traffic – Little Jabs: I believe this album came out in 2007, but I discovered it in 2008 and it was definitely the soundtrack of my summer. Soundtracks for the movies “American Teen” and “Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist”: Both of these soundtracks are like really awesome mixes that a way cool friend made for you. Matthew Good – Live from Massey Hall: This two-disk set is a great retrospective of one of my favourite artist’s career, and is extra special to me because I was at that show.
Also, in random musical excitement for 2009, Neko Case is coming out with a new album on March 3rd (her album "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood" was my fave album of 2006) and I already have two concerts lined up: Ben Folds and The Weakerthans!
