More Good Music to Check Out

There has been a plethora of great albums out so far this year, and there's a few more coming out in the very near future. This Tuesday the new Pearl Jam album comes out and it's supposed to be their best disc in a decade. Red Hot Chili Peppers also have a double album coming out in a couple weeks time. Anyways, here are some great albums that are JJ-approved. Do yourself a favour and check them out.

The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth.
The Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics.
Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions.
Sam Roberts - Chemical City.
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - Rabbit Furcoat.
Goldfrapp - Supernature.

My guilty pleasure

As most of my friends know, I have some pretty diverse interests. I love music, literature, and running. When it comes to music and movies I have what some people may call elitist or snobbish tastes. I take the time to try to discover great music and movies that aren't forced down our collective throats via commercial media outlets. However, I have one guilty pleasure doesn't really mesh with my other interests. I like wrestling. There, I said it. I love the pro rasslin'. I am probably one of the few people on the planet that would enjoy going to a theatre production one night, a punk rock show the next and then a wrestling card the next. A friend of mine is a wrestler in the local High Impact Wrestling promotion so April and I met up with Mr. Real to support our friend Mike "Big Daddy Kash" Roberts for his match this past Friday at the German Club. It's been many years since I've checked out a live wrestling show but I had a blast. It's worth going just for the people watching experience. Let's just say that a regular wrestling crowd isn't full of society's elite. Stained t-shirts and sweat pants? Check. Bad facial hair? Check. Fat chicks with fem-mullets? Check. Half the crowd looked like extras from Trailer Park Boys or Fubar. Very classy indeed, but it was a good time. I was really impressed with the talent of most of the wrestlers. Obviously at this level you have to expect a few miscues here and there but overall the whole roster put on a good show. The faces really played up the crowd and the heels knew how to push the audience's buttons. I really had no idea what to expect from the show but I was pleasantly surprised and I would totally go again. It's nice every once and a while to just turn your brain off for a couple hours and just enjoy a good ol' rasslin' match.

Wooha!!!!

Life is going pretty sweet for me right now. After going through hell working on my thesis for far too long I got word that the U of R has finally implemented an optional course-based MA where a student can either take 6 courses plus their thesis work or else just take 10 courses. I've put a lot of time and work over the last year and a half but it has been such an excrutiating process. When I got wind of the course-based option I got really excited because it meant I could take one course this Sping and Summer and then take 3 in the Fall and finally be done my MA by the end of December. And now I just got word that my letter of acceptance is in the mail so I will begin my course May 2-June13 or so. It is gonn be soooooo nice to get back into the classroom atmosphere and actually feel like a student again instead of feeling so lonely and desolate working on a thesis that no one on the planet besides my advisor could really talk to me about. I really feel like a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders. After a year or so of false hopes I finally see a light at the end of the tunnel to finishing my MA. This summer is gonna kick ass. I never found IT with my thesis but I sure found IT after I disgarded it. Life is good. Winnipeg was great, the Oilers are 2-1 in their series with the Red Wings (Sweep my ass!), the Folk Festival is coming up in a couple months, Sarah and Dave may come down for my b-day weekend next month... alright, time to go for a run and enjoy the weahter. Over and out.

Death Cab For Cutie and Franz Ferdinand

A couple hours ago I rolled back into town after spending the weekend in Winnipeg. Our trip was a bit rushed since we left on Saturday and came back today on a Monday, but it was definitely worht it. It was nice seeing Sarah and Dave and Emmy again although I wish I coud've seen a bit more of Sarah and Emmy. Saturday was a gala gong show of a night with me, April, Dave and Stacey. It probably is a good thing that Dave and I aren't in the same city because I think my liver would be incinerated. Seeing Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab For Cutie at the Burton Cummings Theatre was amazing. We probably had the worst seats you could get at the show but we still had a really good view of the bands. The sound was stellar and both bands put on a great show. It's probably a good thing that Death Cab played their hour set first because their mellow, melodic, atmospheric songs probably would have lost their power after Franz Ferdinand's fun, frenetic set. I just realize I kind of went crazy with the alliteration. Oh well. Death Cab is a band you go to sit back and just listen and enjoy while Franz Ferdinand wanted the crowd to have a fun time and dance their asses off. Apparently in a lot of other cities, Death Cab closed out the show. I think that would sort of be like Green Day opening up for Radiohead. Both are great bands but seeing a low-key show after an energetic fast paced set would be a little anti-climactic. My only complaint about Franz Ferdinand's set was that they never played "Jacqueline" or "Tell Her Tonight" from their first album, but I guess you can't always get what you want. Anyways, the trip was too short but it was really nice to get out the city for a couple days. Now it's back to reality for a little while.

Are people freakin' retarded???!!!!!

Maybe I'm completely offbase here, but I'm not a huge fan of drunken friends calling 8 times between 3:30 am and 4am on a Monday morning while they are partying, calling me a "pussy" because I'm not out hot tubbing with them. If I would've decided to party with them, I think I probably would've hooked up with them about 6 hours or so earlier. I live with 4 other people and some people (like my girlfriend) actually have to work Mondays. It's 9am right now and on a night where I just wanted to veg out and get a good night's sleep, I am lucky if I even had 3 quality hours of sleep. What great friends I have. No matter how plastered I have gotten in my life, I still have always maintained a common courtesy for others. This hibernation thing is looking more and more appealing right now.

meh

Today was one of those days where I should've just hid under the blankets and cut myself off from the world. My wrist is sprained, I had to get April's car from an impound lot that was eerily reminiscent of the movie Deliverance thanks to me getting her car stuck in a parking lot paved with mud, my parents were excited to come out to The Pump to check out BILF in action but by the time we got there it was insanely lined up, so my parents were all dressed up and nowhere to go... April, Nadine and I decided to wait in line for an hour to get into The Pump. Is any bar worth waiting in line for? But I figured if we're gonna cab it home I may as well wait it out. And Motley Crue were rumoured to make an appearance after their concert but that never materialized. I sang a song with BILF in front of a crazy, packed crowd and I wasn't even into it. Usually that is the biggest rush in the world but not even that could get me out of my funk today. blah. Oh well, I guess life can't be a frickin' cherry on a sundae all the time. I just feel like hibernating for a while right now. La dee frickin' da.

Music you should check out

A few days ago I bought the new album from Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, Ballad of the Broken Seas. I'm a fan of Mark Lanegan's solo work as well as his grunge era days with Screaming Trees. Isobel Campbell used to be a member of Belle and Sebastian. Their styles are quite different, but the results of their collaboration are very impressive. Lanegan has a very gruff, whisky-tinged voice which adds a unique dimension to Campbell's soft, fair voice and songs. They alternate singing lead, but the best songs are the ones where they trade lines and harmonize with each other. I would recommend downloading "(Do You Wanna) Come Walk With Me," "Black Mountain," and "Honey Child What Can I Do?" to see if this album is your cup of tea or not. I read some really good reviews about this album so I downloaded 6 or 7 of the songs. I was really impressed so I went out to HMV and bought the whole album. Definitely money well spent. It's a good album to listen to on a rainy afternoon or at a coffee shop and it would fit comfortably in a David Lynch film.

SP SP SP SP

Oops. I just realized that I spelled "champagne" wrong a couple posts ago. Good thing I'm an English major. Yeah. Alright.

a few pics

Tina e-mailed me a few pics from this past week that she took while was down so here they are. Lots of extreme close-ups.

The Juno Awards

I finished watching the Juno Awards and I am really grateful that it was only 2 hours long instead of the usual 3 hours that most awards shows tend to be. I think it's safe to say that Pamela Anderson hosting any kind of awards show is a bad idea since it requires this novel concept called READING. I don't think there is anyone on the planet with worse comedic timing than her. I almost felt bad for her because she was bombing so bad with the crowd. I was expecting a hook to yank her off the stage at any second. It was like watching a car wreckage... you really shouldn't watch but you just can't help from staring. At least Buck 65 was there to do some semblance of damage control. And I've heard of people driving SUVs before but I have never heard of a SAV... maybe it's some new hybrid vehicle that isn't available in Canada yet. Who knows. Canada has a wealth of music talent, but they weren't at the Junos this year. Aside from Broken Social Scene, the list of nominees, winners and performers was pretty underwhelming. Nickelback, Michael Buble, Diana Krall (I respect her talent but how is it possible to get nominated for a frickin' Christmas album???), Rex Goudie... it was truly a pathetic event. At least last year had Gord Downie freaking out at his mic stand. I was hoping to see Feist, Stars, Arcade Fire, or even Neil Young perform but we get left with Michael Buble and Hedley. Oh well...time well wasted.

Regina Folk Festival 2006

I just read in the paper last night that this upcoming Folk Festival will feature Steve Earle, Feist and Ani Difranco. I just about shit my pants when I heard because Steve Earle is hands down one of the best songwriters ever and Feist is one of my fave new artists. Plus Ani Difranco is a pretty damn cool singer/songwriter/independent record label owner. Last year had a great lineup with Sarah Harmer and Sarah Slean, but this year will be kickass. August can't come soon enough.

Break out the champaigne...

Wow, time really flies. It has now been a year since I started my blog and what an adventure it's been. There have been tears, laughter, paper mishaps, whip cream incidents, strippers, live shows, road trips, the single life, the almost-married life, shorn scalps, ass slapping, friends coming and going, and everything in between. I started this blog at first for mere shits and giggles but it has now become a nice way to document my life and perhaps amuse a handful of readers. So I raise a toast to a wonderful year and many more to come. Cheers.

The Return of the Princess

Last night Tina came into town so a bunch of us went to McNally's for a fun night of karaoke. The whole rowdy gang was there... me, April, Tina, Gianni, Mark, Zubazz, Shelene, Rude Dude, Shades, Craig, Mr. Real, Jai Mo, Ryan, Dan Silljer, Kevy and Stacey. It was an eventful night to say the least... It was a night full of shameless mugging for the camera, interpetive dance, and paper mishaps... and some things that will just remain unsaid. Without further ado, here are some pics.

Spring is finally here

A few days ago, Spring officially arrived. Yesterday and today, it finally felt like Spring. I've gone for my first two runs of the year in just shorts and a t-shirt so I finally get to show off my pasty arms and legs. I can't believe how white I've gotten. April used to glow in the dark but now she is more tanned than I am. That is just wrong. I like Spring way more than summer because even though we just had a mild winter, it still affects everyone's mood. Spring feels like a renewal or a rebirth. I'm not a huge fan of 30 plus degree weather so I am a big fan of the milder 15-20 degree weather that comes with Spring.

Today I am also pretty excited because Tina is coming in from Calgary for a few days so tonight a few of us will be doing the karaoke thing at McNally's and tomorrow we might check out the acoustic jam at McNally's as well. I'm also counting down the days until April and I go to Winnipeg to see Franz Ferdinand with Death Cab For Cutie. I've been getting more and more into Death Cab lately so it should be an amazing show in a nice, intimate venue. I've also been introduced to a new singer-songwriter by my dad of all people. His name is Xavier Rudd and he sounds like a cross between Paul Simon, Dave Matthews, Ben Harper, and Neil Young. You can check out his stuff at myspace.com/xavierrudd. I guess he is pretty much a one man band when performing live. He is coming to Saskatoon next month so I guess my dad and I are gonna make a road trip to see him. Should be interesting.

Schoolwise I've been getting quite a bit done, but I'm my own worst critic when it comes to rereading my thesis proposal and my first chapter. I keep editing and re-editing. Maybe I'm just making this too seriously or something, but I want my final work to be unique and I want to be happy and proud of the final result. I just wanna get this damn thing done so April and I can hop on that plane and do the overseas thing for a year or two and get on with our lives. While I'm glad to be done with Safeway, I'm getting tired of the whole starving student life pretty quickly. Okay, enough procrastinating. Back to Kerouac....IT...IT...IT...must find IT.......

Ashley MacIsaac for PM?

So I was reading today that Ashley MacIsaac, Cape Breton's eccentric fiddler extraordinaire wants to put his name in to be the next Liberal top dog. Should he go on to become this country's next Prime Minister, I believe he would be the first to have openly admitted giving the golden shower to young men. And to have gone on Late Night With Conan O'Brien sans undergarments.

Happy belated St. Paddy's Day!

This past Friday was St. Patrick's Day, a day where every liver on the planet takes a collective gasp, clinches it's teeth, and braces for 2am to finally come. This St. Paddy's Day was relatively low key for me. On the Friday, April and I relaxed at home, listened to some Pogues and Spirit of the West and I had a couple cans of Guinness. However, Saturday I went on a pub crawl with April and her sister Autumn (who just turned 19). This was not so low key. We hit Bart's, The Distrikt, The Pump and....uhhh...errrr...JD's. Fortunately, Autumn's first time at JD's didn't exactly astound her so we cabbed it back to The Pump and did some karaoke downstairs while Zubazz was hosting. 5pm til 2am is definitely a long time to drink consecutively but I survived it relatively intact.

It's been a while

Yeah, I know... I've been slacking with this whole blog thing. So I suppose I should update this for all my loyal fanbase out there. A couple of weekends ago it was Brandy's birthday, so a few of us went out to McNally's to see BILF in action. It's been awhile since I've seen Brandy and Trevor so it was nice touching base with them again. It's weird going from being roommates with someone and seeing them everyday to hardly seeing them at all anymore, but I guess that's how life goes. People get caught up with their daily routines of work, school and relationships that it becomes easier and easier to lose touch with people. Oh well. That being said, it was a fun weekend and here are some pics from the weekend of Mar. 11.

a whole lotta blah

The past two weeks I've been adjusting to life post-Safeway, and I'm quite enjoying it. Now I'm wallowing in a sea of Jack Kerouac and Tom Waits lyrics. It's nice to be able to focus on school without having to stress out about paying rent and bills and not feeling like a puppet on Safeway's strings. It was definitely very weird and somewhat surreal walking out of the store for the final time in my uniform. Of course for my last shift they had to give me a closing office shift, but it was kind of nice training someone else to take my spot. I poked my head in the store a couple times since my last day and all I see are all these new, young faces. Safeway is definitely phasing out the experienced workers who actually know what they are doing in favor of highschool kids who make nothing and could give two shits about their job. Safeway got their bodies. There's that old adage that if you pay with peanuts then you get monkeys. Well, Safeway can have fun with their monkees now. Okay, enough venting about Safeway... Serenity now! It has been so nice these last couple weekends to actually feel like a normal citizen and enjoy a normal Sunday activity like Sunday brunch. I can't remember the last time I've been able to partake in the brunch experience. It may be a simple pleasure that lots of people take for granted, but I've been pretty hyped about it so far.

Things have been going fairly well in my other aspects of life. Although April and I had a pretty big fight last night, but we survived it relatively unscathed and I do believe it has made us stronger. Fighting can actually do some good sometimes. I think last night about a year's worth of minor and major pet peeves finally came to the surface and and we had quite the verbal bruhaha, but after the smoke all settled we both realized that we still do really love each other and that although our relationship may not be perfect, it is still pretty damn amazing most of the time and that it would be foolish to throw it away over a few odds and ends that easliy fixable. I have to thank Mark and Mr. Real for helping me with some good advice last night and helping me realize that I do have an amazing girlfriend that loves me to death. I wasn't in a very good frame of mind yesterday before the blowout and I was dwelling on all the negative aspects of our relationship and I was allowing my frustrations to override my better judgement. I think the fight had a cathartic effect on April and I. It's like a big weight has been lifted and April doesn't seem as stressed as she was and I feel a lot more relieved and happy with our whole situation. I have a renewed zest for making this IT with April. I really do feel like the luckiest guy in the world again. It is an amazing feeling that I hope everyone can experience at some point.

Tom Waits "Hold On"

Sweet! I now know how to put videos on my blog. Well, here's a video by Tom Waits if you click on the link. Enjoy.
Hold On by Tom Waits

Metric - "Monster Hospital"

I'm just experimenting with adding media to my blog. Here's Metric's video for "Monster Hospital", courtesy of PCPlanets.com. I hope it works.

Monster Hospital by Metric