Summer is almost over

With the Labour Day long weekend pretty much over, summer is for all intents and purposes over as well. This summer really flew by but this weekend seemed to be the official sendoff. But what a sendoff it was. It was one of the nicest and funnest weekends I've had in a while. Tina came down from Calgary on Friday so she and her friends met up with me at McNally's to check out Wonderland. Saturday consisted of going for a run, walking around the park and checking out the Dragon Boat races and hosting karaoke at The Pump. Tina came out towards the end of the night so we belted out a stirring rendition of "I Touch Myself."

Saturday was insanely busy at The Pump with all the people in from Winnipeg. I've never had so many women throw themselves at me as I did on Saturday. I felt like Mick Jagger for a few hours. It boggles my mind how so many women flock themselves at any guy with any perceived level of power or celebrity. Whether it be a DJ or singer in a cover band or a karaoke host or a hockey player, the whole groupie mentality is definitely still alive and well.

Last night was a really great night. After watching the Riders beat the Bombers at my parents, I headed out to Mcnally's to check out some of Cherrybomb's set. Stacey and Kevy were nice enough to get me up sing a couple tunes before I headed over to meet up with Tina, Chris, Kent, Kash, Billy, Carina, etc at the Drink. The Drink had the parking lot open with an outside stage. They had a good lineup which included JJ Voss, the Poverty Plainsmen and Method to Madness. Afterwards a few of us head over to Billy's house and chatted up a storm and had a couple beers. Overall, a fantastic weekend with some of my best friends in the world. All good things must come to an end, but this has been a pretty great summer and I have my friends to largely thank for that.

And on a side note, I have to give a big congrats to Mark and Tessa who are now officially engaged. Even though we don't hang out as often as we once did, I still consider Mark my best friend and I am really happy he has found a great girl in Tessa.

Aug 21, 2007

So I've had time to let the dust settle from the big break up and I must say that I have definitely made a good decision. The more I think about it, April and I just weren't meant for a long term relationship. April is an awesome girl...but for someone else, not me. And for the most part we have done a good job at being civil around each other and I think we can even be friends.

I really feel like I have a new lease on life. I have such an incredible support system with all my friends and parents. I've even had a quasi-date with an old school friend I used to have a big crush on so life has definitely been good. But the one thing I have definitely realized is that I would rather be 45 years old and single doing what I want to do than being someone because I feel I have to. I think I got in the comfort zone where I knew it wasn't really working but I still had that hope that it might change some day. But the fact is, if something isn't working, it is just not working. Having a three or so weeks to step back and think about things, it really makes me realize how upset and down I became. When your home life is miserable it really affects your outlook on the rest of your life. While Quill is definitely not my dream job, I have noticed that my attitude at work has increased exponentially. And now I have this extra hop in my step that has been lacking for a few months. The JJ we all know and love is definitely back. :)

I am not sure what to think about Facebook. There are lots of positive things about it, but it seems like everyone has jumped ship from Myspace onto Facebook, which is very sad because I am a huge fan of the concept of Myspace. I have discovered tons of great bands through Myspace. Instead of getting friend requests from cool bands who found me through my musical tastes, I get virtual food thown at me on Facebook. But that being said, I have regained contact with quite a few other people on Facebook that I probably would not have otherwise.

Musicwise, I highly recommend the new White Stripes album. Jack White is a musical genious pure and simple and I am kicking myself in the ass for not going to their show in Saskatoon. The new Tegan and Sara is also very cool. It is a lot more 80s New Wave-ish than their earlier albums and features some Moog work from Matt Sharp of The Rentals and Weezer fame.

I couldn't go to the Regina Folk Festival for the entire weekend this year because I ahd to work at the Pump, but I was able to go on Sunday to check out Blue Rodeo and Amy Millan. Amy Millan was great, but I was blown away by Blue Rodeo. For some reason I have never seen this band before but I figured I had to see these guys at least once in my life. I was ultra-excited that they played my favourite song of theirs, "Side of the Road." A great night to celebrate the waning days of summer.

Lots has been said of the whole Michael Vick/dog fighting story. I won't add a whole lot to it, but as a dog lover, this guy should be locked away for ten years and gang raped for every day of his sentence. I cannot even fathom being cruel to a dog. When my dog Teddy died, it was like losing a member of the family. Vick is sick bastard who deserves to rot in hell.

After a brief stint DJing at the Drink, I am now back at the Pump. I thought I might enjoy the Drink but I really missed the staff at the Pump. The whole crew at the Pump are almost like a family so it is definitely nice to be back.

WTF???????

A couple days ago my friend Troy sent me a link for this "Chocolate Rain" video that apparently is tearing up the internet. The singer is Tay Zonday who reminds me of a cross between Michael Jackson (circa Jackson 5 era), Tracy Chapman and James Earl Jones. I had the (mis)fortune of watching this video from start to finish. My buddy Kent lasted maybe two minutes. I can only liken watching this video to watching the grisly aftermatch of a 3 car pileup. You shouldn't watch, but for some sick reason you feel compelled to. Anyways, here it is for your viewing...umm...pleasure? I dunno.

Hit Me Baby 3 Less Times

This is why Britney Spears still sells millions of albums. Okay, maybe not millions of albums. But she at least keeps wig makers in business... and therapists... and drug dealers... and tabloid writers and papparazzi. It is pretty sad when Kevin Federline can make a convincing case that he is more talented than his ex wife.

Today has been one of the hardest days of my life. I made one of the toughest deciscions I've ever had to make. This morning I decided to break up with April. Right now I am supposed to be on holidays with her and her family in Waskesiu, but I decided to end our relationship of over two years. Out of love and respect to April, I will not go into any details, but it's no secret to any of our friends that we have had our ups and downs the last few months. I have been really unhappy lately and I finally had to do something about it. I still love April to death and think she is a wonderful and amazing person, but we just have not been clicking for the last few months. Sometimes no matter how much you love someone it just doesn't work. I want all my friends to know that I don't hate April or have any ill will towards her at all. And I want all my friends to still treat her with the same respect as before.

So now I have a week's paid holidays to sit at home and reflect on things and decide what I will do next. The standard thing for most guys to do when getting out of a relationship is to get rip-roaring drunk and hop back on that proverbial horse but I want to try and avoid that if possible. I plan on going for runs and walks around Wascana Park, doing some writing and practicing guitar. Maybe by the end of this week I may know a whopping 8 chords or something.

I've talked to a few of my friends so far and they have all been really great. My parents took me out for sushi for supper and some ice cream afterwards and made me feel as good as I possibly can in this situation. They have really noticed how unhappy I have been in recent months and were starting to get really worried. But today we had a few really great conversations and they made me feel truly loved and have been really supportive. I honestly don't know what I would have done without them. The next little while will be different to say the least but I know I am extremely lucky to have the greatest friends in the world as a support system. Mark, Chris, Zubazz, Kent, Tina, Jai Mo, Stacy, Kevy, Dan, Loco, Kash, Billy, the whole Pump crew etc etc etc are the best friends a guy could ever ask for.

So now I have to begin a new stage in my life and start from scratch. I have no idea what the future will hold for me or where I'll wind up but I'm gonna try to clear my head, decompress and hopefully become a better person out of the whole situation.

All I know is that I feel so conflicted right now. Part of is so incredibly sad and I just want to ball my eyes out, (which I've done a few times) and another part of me is relieved. This was a hard decision but I think it is something I had to do and I think it is for the best in the long term. All I know is that I have been unhappy and I have to get myself back to a happy place again.

June 26, 2006

I really am getting bad at this whole blogging thing. It's been about a month since my last post, so I suppose I should do some updating. So what's new with me you ask. Well, let me tell you.

I went to see Willie Nelson at the Brandt Centre last week with April and my parents and his show was very hit and miss. He was obviously bored to tears singing his clssic tunes like "Always on My Mind," "Crazy" and "Mamas Don't Let You Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys." I am sure the crowd would have lynched him if he never played these songs, but he just sleep-walked through these tunes. It wasn't until the end of the show when he played a handful of new and unrecorded songs with his sons that he sounded energized and looked like he was actually having fun. It must be painful at isi stage of his career where he is forced to play the same songs he has been singing for 40 years and still sound interested. But if he only played the new songs from his new album which was produced by Ryan Adams, he would probably be playing to crowds 1/10th the size.

By now everyone is talking about the Chris Benoit double homicide/suicide incident. When I first heard about his death I was really saddened because I grew up a huge wrestling fan. I especially loved the whole Stamped wrestling group with the Hart family and the British Bulldogs. But after finding out the details of Benoit's death, I became sick to my stomach. I cannot fathom ever hitting a woman, let alone tying up her arms and legs and strangling a woman. This is another case of a wonderful professional being an amateur human being.

I recently bought the John Lennon tribute album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. The money goes to a great cause and there are some great covers of Lennon tunes. In particular, Green Day do an unbelievable job of "Working Class Hero," while R.E.M., U2, Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Postal Service, and The Flaming Lips also contribute some killer versions. The biggest surprise was Christina Aguilera's version of "Mother." SHe has always had a great voice, but for the first time in her career she actually shows restraint. She simply sings the song with a stripped down arrangement and doesn't try to shatter glass or make dogs go apeshit.

At work I just finished training for a new Customer Service position which is a nice change of pace. I at least get a variety of different calls as oopesed to sounding like a broken record for 8 hours. And a raise is always nice. That being said, I am continually looking around for a job that relates more to my education. My job at Quill is pretty relaxed and stress free, but if I am still there in a year's time please shoot me.

The past two weekends have been two of the best I've had in recent memory and they've been tow of the more low-key ones I've had. Two weekends ago revolved mostly around sitting at Chris and Kent's place with April, Jai Mo and Bazooka Jay having a few beers and singing and playing some tunes on the guitar. It was very cool to just relax and talk about music like the geeks that we are. This past weekend April and I went to Weyburn for a wedding. We hooked up with Chris and Kent on Friday, went to the wedding at a farm outside of Weyburn in scorching heat on Saturday and hung around Weyburn on Sunday with Troy and Autumn on Sunday. It's not even an hour away, but it was so nice just to get out of Regina for a weekend.

And that's all I have to say about that.

random stuff

I've really been slacking lately in updating my blog, so here are a few random things and thoughts in JJ's world.

Irons will always win when pitted against plastic cups. I turned the iron on yesterday, not realizing it was sitting right next to a plastic cup. It turns out that plastic melts pretty easy. And it makes a very distinct smell that probably isn't all that healthy when ingested in one's lungs. April and I are now short one cup.

May 22 was my birthday. I am now 31. April and I saw Feist on my birthday and she put on an incredible show. She played most of her new album and omitted her biggest song, "Inside and Out," but no one seemed to care because she put on a brilliant show. After the show we went to McNallys for karaoke. Someone bought me a Prairie Fire shooter and I just about dies. I had the worst heartburn ever known to man for an hour and my tongue would not stop sweating. Good times.

Last night, my good friends Rude Dude and Shades got officially engaged as Rude Dude proposed to Shades onstage. They are great, wonderful people and I wish nothing but the best for them.

On my way home from work today I was the first person to pull up to the Wolf studio and walk up to Amanda Sonic to win the new Linkin Park CD. I can now say I've been in movies, television, radio, and have sung with a band, DJ'd and hosted karaoke. Yes, I am truly the king of all media.

Backtracking a bit, Feist's new album is amazing. Buy it now. Or at least download it. "I Feel it All" and "Sealion" are my current two faves.

The Arcade Fire's Neon Bible gets better with every listen. I don't think there's been a better song this year than "Intervention." Pure brilliance.

Facebook is quite the site. About a week ago, a guy I went to highschool with many moons ago, Eric, added me as a friend, and I bumped into him at the Cathedral Village Arts Festival and had a great conversation with him. Now my best friend from highschool, Cory, contacted me, is now in town for a few days so I am about to meet him at O'Hanlons and play 6 or 7 years of catch up.

On July 10, I snagged 7 11th row floor tickets for INXS. It should be a helluva show. With INXS, the Folk Festival, Taste of Regina, a few weddings, etc it's already shaping up to be a hectic and fun-filled summer.

Cheers until next time.

May 18

Today is May 18. I am sure that numerous historical events of great significance has occurred on this day. However, none compares to the following two events. Today is the 2 year anniversary of April and I dating. Also, today is Tina's birthday. So everyone should celebrate dammit! Two years. Wow. Where does the time go? Happy anniversary sweetie. And Tina, make sure to have a drink or ten on my behalf since we can't share a combo birthday extravaganza.

The Dave Experience

Last weekend my cuz/bro Dave and his girlfriend swung thorugh town on the way back on a 2 week western Canadian road trip. As always, even though we only get to see each other maybe 2 times a year, Dave and I are indeed brothers from different mothers. We had a great night at McNallys with my parents and April and I got to sing two tunes with Dan Silljer and his band. There is no feeling better than singing in front of a fun and energetic crowd. None. At any rate, here are a few pics from last Sat.

Paris puts the ass in class

Fergie

It was recently brought to my attention that in my earlier blog where I listed ten celebrities who should be shot, that I forgot to mention Fergie. Upon further reflection, I would definitely have to add her to the list by way of honourable mention. The thing that made me remember this was watching the new Peaches video "My Dumps." Before I continue, I will backtrack and state that "My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas has to be the worst song ever known to man (and woman). Black Eyed Peas had some cool "turn your brain off" songs, but "My Humps" is the biggest piece of shit packed into 3 minutes or so that I have ever heard. Well, Alanis Morisette made a Tori Amos-esque version of that song with her tongue firmly in cheek and made a cheeky video to accompany it. Well Peaches took what Alanis started and blew Fergie out of the water. "My Dumps" literally takes the piss (and shit) out Fergie. It has to be seen to be believed. Just maybe watch it before you eat. And on a side note, it's pretty cool to see that both satirists hail from Canada.

slanted and enchanted

Wow have I ever been slacking in the blog department lately. The main reason is probably because I really haven't had that much to write about. My weekly schedule consists of waking up, going for a run/workout, going to work at Quill, DJing at The Pump on weekends, and then repeat. However, it looks like I'll be back to primarily one night a week at The Pump, so I'll have a more regular schedule now.
This past Saturday was such a treat because I had my first Saturday night off in ages so April, myself and the rest of the RnR Dysfunctional family went to the Drink and caught BILF in action. It was hands down one of the funnest nights I've had in a long time. It was cool seeing Chris, Kent, Gretzky, Samie, etc during a normal time of night as opposed to strictly before or after I work at The Pump. I love my job at The Pump but I definitely need a night off here and there.
I'm not sure what's wrong with me, but I've been getting sick a lot more often than normal. During my nine years at Safeway I probably called in sick 7 or 8 times. But ever since I started Quill, I keep getting this nasty flu/cold bug that just knocks me on my ass. I was too sick to go to work yesterday and I tried going in today, but I only lasted an hour and a half or so. I went to the doctor today and I get some blood work done tomorrow, so hopefully I figure out what's wrong. It seems like more people than normal are getting sick lately. Everyone I trained with at Quill has been sick at least once since I've been there. I've heard that call centres are havens for germs and sickness, and so far I've been proven right. I'm sure no one likes being sick, but I absolutely cannot stand it. Especially right now since I don't qualify for sick time for another couple weeks. At Safeway it was easy to go to work while being sick because scanning items does not require that much concentration.
The one bright side of being sick is that I've been able to catch up on some movies. I finally watched One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, which is based on Ken Kesey's novel. This is Jack Nicholson at his best. Brilliant flick. I also watched Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for the first time in a while. It was pretty trippy watching it while I was hopped up on cough medicine.
I've also watched a bit of hockey, although to be honest I've pretty much lost all interest after the Oilers traded Ryan Smyth and threw their hands up in the air and gave up for the rest of the season.
A couple weeks ago Tina and Gianni were down so I got to see them for a bit Friday at their hotel and when they came out to The Pump. A lot has definitely changed since Tina left over a year ago, but she'll always be one of my best friends.
On Saturday, my brother from a different mother, my cuz Dave is strolling through town during a big Western road trip so it will be really nice to see him and his girlfriend Laura. Whenever Dave and I get together, crazy shenanigans usually occur so we will see what happens this time around. Vive les beefcakes!
Also, today marks the day when April and I started dating 1 year and 11 months ago, which means I should probably plan something next month for our 2 year anniversary!!! 2 years already. Holy shit does time fly. But it's been an amazing 2 years and I wouldn't change a thing.
Cheers.

odds and sods

Well, it's definitely been awhile since I last posted. So let's see what's new in the crazy world of JJ. First, my new job at Quill is going pretty good. I've been training with a good group of people who are almost as wacky as I am so it's been pretty decent so far. Today was our first time on the phone taking orders from customers so we were all in varying degrees of nervousness. By varying, I mean anywhere from mildly nervous (those people with prior call centre experience) to pretty much shitting our pants (the rest of us). But my first day went by releatively unscathed. I only had two bitchy customers so it defintitely could've been worse. I also had a customer who sounded he was drunk and gave me codes for almost a dozen coupons that he had kicking around that were expired. Good times.

I am still currently the main DJ upstairs at The Pump on Fridays and Saturdays but I am hoping that either Jarrod, the former DJ, comes back or they find someone else for upstairs. It is lots of fun, but I would like to just work my Saturday night shifts, hosting karaoke downstairs and filling in upstairs when needed.

I love the fact that Spring is just around the corner. I just got back from a run and it was great except for that asshole who seemed to speed up on Broad Street when he saw me and a puddled. As I type this I am still a little soaked from the nice brown water that rained upon me. Thanks asshole. I wish a lifetime in a small enclosed room with Celine Dion blaring from the speakers and endless reruns of Full House during your time in hell.

My old mp3 player died on me so I picked up an ipod mini. I tried avoiding getting an ipod because I thought they were too trendy, but now that I have one I have to say that it is hands down the best invention ever. Today on my run I listened to The Watchmen, Butch Walker, Sarah Harmer, Johnny Cash, Jack Kerouac, Tom Waits, Madonna, and Green Day to name a few. Best. Invention. Ever.

A bunch of us saw The Black Halos at The Distrikt on Monday and they put on a helluva show. Just pure, straight ahead, kick-in-you-teeth, balls to the wall, punk/glam rock. And of course since it's Regina, there might have been 40 people in attendance.

And things with my lovely April are going fantabulous.

Emo Hilter? Nah... A Flock of Zieg Hails!

There is this new trend on the internet where people refer to Hitler as the first ever Emo kid. Actually, with this kind of haircut, it more resembles "A Flock of Zieg Hails." This picture is courtesy of Zubazz.


*As a side note, I do not endorse the burning of millions of Jews, nor do I endorse the genre of music known as Emo.

April's B-Day Bash @ The Pump Pics... a bit belated I know.

Happy April Day!

Today happens to be Valentine's Day. That's nice and all, but the important thing for everyone to know is that today is also April's birthday. So forget about wasting your hard-earned money on overpriced flowers and chocolates and going out to expensive restaurants because you feel obligated to put on a grand show on Valentine's Day. Instead, just wish April a Happy Birthday next time you see her. April and I aren't going to a fancy restaurant to celebrate her birthday or Valentine's day tonight. Once she gets home from work, we decided that we are going to Chuck E. Cheese to have some pizza and play some games and we're gonna have a great time. Now that's romance! Forget Valentine's Day.

Ten Celebrities Who Should Be Shot

I certainly don't condone violence and death, but the death of Anna Nicole Smith got me wondering what other celebrities are about due for a premature death, at least a death from the spotlight anyways. I'm just talking about celebrities who have made the world we live in a shittier place because of their existence. I'm not saying the following celebrities should necessarily die per se, but if I did have a choice in the matter I would allow the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith or Frank Black to continue living as opposed to the following ten people. Without further ado, here is my Top Ten List of Celebrities Who Should Be Shot...

1. Paris Hilton. I believe she is the first person on the planet who is famous simply for being famous. And now we have to endure her horrible singing, horrible acting (and that's just her sex tape), and more unneeded reality television.

2. Scott Stapp. Creed have thankfully broken up, but Scott Stapp's pretentious crucified Jesus poses still linger.

3. Chad Kroeger. To this day, I am still baffled how a band as bland and cliched as Nickleback can sell millions upon millions of albums. A 5 year old can write better lyrics than this guy. And now we've had to suffer from all the Nickelback sound-alike bands like Theory of a Dead Man, Default and Hinder.

4. Celine Dion. She doesn't sell as many records anymore and she keeps her act in Las Vegas now, but her whole shtick of having 79 siblings and marrying her husband/father and having a kid from a turkey baster was and is a bit much. Insert broken French accent here.

5. Britney Spears. She is finally getting what she deserves. It's pretty sad when K-Fed was the most talented person in their marriage. I can't believe that she covered "I Love Rock n Roll" because she "loves Pat Benatar" and that she had no clue who Yoko Ono was. But I guess The Beatles were just some obscure garage band from the UK. If you are a singer, you should at least know some basics about the industry you are in.

6. Tom Cruise. At one point Tom Cruise was a decent actor who was in some decent movies. Then he became brainwashed by Scientology and loses his shit on Oprah's couch. I'm not a huge proponent of organized religion, but it's pretty sad when this relgion/cult is based on a science fiction novel.

7. Jennifer Lopez. This is a case where she should just stick to acting. That way, I only have to see her in action if I go out and rent a movie. I'm a huge Kevin Smith fan and I avoided watching Jersey Girl for the longest time because she was in it. Thankfully, she dies about ten minutes in.

8. Bill O'Reilly. Any right wing media commentator should be shot. Anyone who voted for Geoerge W. Bush should be shot. It was absolutely hilarious how Stephen Colbert totally owned O'Reilly both on The Colbert Report and The O'Reilly Factor.

9. George W. Bush. The world would be a much better place if this man was not "voted" to be the American president. There would be no senseless war in Iraq and Stephen Harper would have a different ass to pucker up to.

10. Michael Bolton. He is pretty much out of the public eye, but much of my childhood was scarred by the tormented sounds of "Love is a Wonderful Thing," "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay," and "Soul Provider." He even had a song with Kenny G. That in itself should warant instant death. I remember this skit on In Living Colour where Michael Bolton's head exploded from screaming/singing too intensely. If only life could imitate art.

RIP Anna Nicole Smith

I just heard that Playboy model/ Trimspa spokesperson/ actress(?) Anna Nicole died. Now 70 year old billionaires seeking love in the arms of women with fake blonde hair and fake breasts will have to look elsewhere. Ouch. Too soon? Oy.

Yay, I have a job

Today I went for a job interview for Staples Call Centre/QUILL. And of course, I got the job. Duh. Like there was any doubt. ;)
I start 5 weeks of training on Monday so I'll be back into the swing of things right away and have a more permananent role in the workforce again. While it may not relate directly to my schooling, it'll be nice to work a guaranteed 40 hours a week and have a steady income. I've never known what it's like to actually know in advance exactly what my shifts will be for the following weeks. I got so used to being a puppet on strings, awaiting the next call-in or shift change during my nine years at Safeway. It will also be nice to be quasi-coworkers of Zubazz, Chris, Kent, Ruda and a few others for a while.
I also stumbled upon the upstairs DJ job at The Pump on Fridays and Saturdays so needless to say I'll be a busy boy for a while. I thought it was kind of funny that I was hosting karaoke at a country bar, but me DJing at a country bar? It must be a sign of the upcoming apocalypse or something. According to Blender magazine, I'm an "aging hipster" so I guess it would make sense for me to play songs from Shania and Alabama to Britney Spears and Fergie. But it is lots of fun.

Keg-a-Roke 4

Two weekends ago was the fourth annual Keg-a-Roke extravaganza, celebrating Zubazz's 30th year on this planet we call Earth. There were 4 kegs of beer, some karaoke, some people sitting in huge Rubbermaid tupperware containers in Zubazz's basement, and many punished livers. These pictures were taken after I got back to Zubazz's place after working at The Pump Saturday night so by 4am everyone was definitely getting in the classic "I love you, man" stage. So here are the pics. And yes, my liver is still giving me a lecture about that weekend as I type this sentence. Yes, liver... Some day I WILL learn. Some day.