the skin of my teeth

2009-08-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

2009-06-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

An Interruption: Road Tripping

2009-06-15T17:40:00.001-07:00

Loaded up Fez Thursday night and hauled ass to Minneapolis. It was so great to get out of town after a month of working 6 days a week, hardly seeing B etc. The drive down was fairly uneventful. Easy really. Thanks to Hotwire.com, we stayed in the swanky Radisson on 7th ave. 8 hours of driving saw us collapse into a kingsize bed, absorb a flat screen TV, after, of course, rummaging through downtown Minneapolis for food, which appeared before us as tuna burgers and strong rye and cokes.

Day one involved us hitting the Zoo:

Some goofy character. Amazing character.

I finally meet a cow. You can see the delight on my face. I like cows.

What from a distance appeared to be horrifying camel humping (sorry) was merely just a camel helping a brother out. The one standing was trying to scrape off his disgusting camel dreads, just in time for summer.

Aquarium heaven. We even touched sharks and stingrays.

After the Zoo, which was filled with screaming kids and beasts of all kinds, we took a break by going to Valleyfair, which is coincidentally filled with screaming kids and beasts of another kind: Middle Americans. The sights beheld were almost too much to handle at times. Unfortunately, we kept the camera in the car, so this portion of the trip went undocumented. It did involve B dragging me onto a ride called the Monster, which she rode as a child in Portage. I didn't like it.

Isis at the Triple Rock. It's been years since I've seen them play, and they hit the spot. Incredibly smooth, crushingly heavy, beautiful and tight. The only thing that detracted from their set was practically everyone else in the venue. I guess opening for Tool attracts morons because people were actually moshing during Isis' set, and I was surrounded by beer-swilling dreadlocked cavemen who yelled "Fuckin' sweet!" after every song. Not that getting excited about live music is bad, but I thinking jumping around and body checking everyone around during an Isis set means you are missing the point, to say the least. This is one of the only photos I took. It was taken from a poor show-watching spot, and the band played in near darkness, making flashless photography impossible.

Opening up for Isis was the amazing Keelhaul. I've been a fan of this band since high school and it was a treat to finally see them. The new material was bonkers and the oldies were simply fierce. As a testament to the buffoonery in the audience, friends of mine overheard people saying that Keelhaul was "boring." I'm not sure how any fan of Isis could think Keelhaul's riff-frenzied rock could possibly be boring. Sigh.

Night Voyage

2009-06-02T08:20:00.001-07:00

Narcisse

2009-05-19T08:25:00.001-07:00

B and I headed north to check out the snake pits at Narcisse. Thanks to a lack of signage, we missed the turnoff and spent the better part of an hour on isolated dirt roads carved in the middle of wetlands.

The road looked like it was in the middle of a small lake, about to be swallowed up. Pretty bleak. The gloomy overcast and rain didn't help either. Or maybe it did.

During one of our many passes down this forgotten stretch, B spotted this bundle of joy on the side of the road. Neither of us could figure out what kind of creature this was. The head, and all of its limbs were missing. I also have no idea what was in the white burlap sack next to it. B said the limbs and head. I am glad we didn't look.

One of the many collapsed barns of Manitoba:

The snakes weren't feeling too amorous today. Likely because of the lack of steady sunlight. We still got to see a few messy clusters of mating snakes. There's always next spring I guess.

Glee!

2009-05-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

This summer is going to rule.

Spence

2009-04-23T05:44:00.000-07:00

Water

2009-04-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

Went for a stroll a few weeks ago to mess around with the new camera.

Photography tips are encouraged. As are Photoshop/Lightroom tips.

Making It.

2009-04-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

Forget radio play, record sales and Euro tours. The day I get asked to play on a children's television show like this is the pinnacle of my career. Look at all those awesome kids rocking out to the Melvins! Where did they find them all? Adorable indie kids mailorder?

2009-04-09T06:12:00.000-07:00

stalling

2009-04-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry (Brett and Andrea) for the lack of posts. I was going good for a while there. Just getting the hang of the new camera and some new software, so hopefully I'll get something up here this week.

Wants.

2009-03-05T11:09:00.000-08:00

Need a get rich quick scheme

Hollowman 3: Europe

2009-02-27T09:09:00.000-08:00

So against my better judgment I am going to show pictures of from the beginning, middle and end of the trip. This is so all of you out there who never had the pleasure to meet 'Fat Curran' can do so, and so the ridiculous weight loss I underwent can be fully appreciated by the masses of blogdom.

So here it is. Perhaps the most hideous photo of me taken in the whole trip. I can almost hear the resounding laughter of all of you staring at this frying-pan mug right now. This is taken at the very beginning of our trip (end or March?) in England. My Aunt and Uncle were living there at the time so we stayed with them for a week or so before hitting the continent. They took us out to a pub for dinner and what do I decide to order for dessert? Pink ice cream. Real nice, me. Now, not only will my 200 lbs. be immortalized in this god-awful photo, but the fact that I am eating a dessert intended for toddlers will now live on forever. Perfect. As I recall, after placing my order, the waitress and everyone at the table burst out laughing. Rightly so I guess.

This was taken around Easter in Cinque Terra, Italy. Cinque Terra is a string of 5 old villages along the Northern Italian coast. Absolutely stunning. I'll post some more pictures of this place later on. Running between all of the villages is a really long hiking trail. It runs atop cliff overlooking the ocean, through narrow paths and hand-made staircases and amidst Mediterranean plantlife and people's gardens. We hiked the whole dang thing with some people we met at our hostel. Fantastic. At this point, Bree and I had already met with my Dad in Spain who had given us the camping stove, so our diet of fresh fruit and soup or rice was starting to sink in. Aside from a smile that looks like I am smelling my own fart, this photo is pretty good. Slimming down. Bree is as wonderful as ever.

Swimsuit alert! This is in Ischia, a few weeks after the above photo was taken. Maybe even after our tour of Greece. Yeah, after Greece. Anyhoo, here I am with my shirt off. A bit of pastry pudge remains around the hip area, but the chest and stomach are really disappearing here. Look at how little chest hair I have! I guess I should look at this whenever I think about shaving off my sweater-vest.

After spending a few weeks in the south of Italy, we had to stop back in the Cinque Terra. So this would have been May, perhaps. Anyway, the months of traipsing around, eating less (and better) have done me some good. Yes, I am rocking a wife beater, Oakley's and a necklace. Be kind. Actually don't. I deserve what's coming.

And here we are in Ireland, I can't remember the name of the town as we were there for a matter of hours. Anyway, this is right at the end of our trip. Note my incredible cheekbones, Roman jawline. After four months of galavanting, I now look like the shining mountain of man that you all know and love today. Thanks Europe.

Young Widows.

2009-02-17T10:37:00.001-08:00

Huge Riffs.

And check out those custom Emperor cabs, complete with lights. I also really like the light attached to Patterson's mic stand, totally obscuring his face but putting that gorgeous Tele in the spotlight.

(Thanks to Andrea for the tips.)

Europe 2003: Spain

2009-02-12T10:05:00.000-08:00

So I figured I would start with Spain. Why? I'm not sure. It wasn't the first country we visited, so I guess these posts won't be chronological. I think Spain was the first country where Bree and I really began to settle into our trip and start to really enjoy ourselves.

For those who don't know, the year after we graduated high school, we backpacked through Europe for 4 months. We went to all of these: England, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Sicily, Greece, Ireland. We were 19.

So, at this point in the trip, we had convinced/realized that yes, traveling was fun and no, we didn't waste a whole bunch of time and money coming on this trip. Plus, we had already met up with my dad in Madrid (long-ish story) who had hooked us up with a small camping stove, allowing us to cook shitty and cheap meals in hotel rooms and public parks like the vagabonds we were.

Coming back to Spain. We absolutely adore this country. It is one of the places we will surely visit again. Looking back, the time we spent here was just wonderful. Nothing overly sketchy happened (look for the posts from Italy and France for those stories), the sights were terrific and the people were very nice. As I said before, Bree and I really got our traveling legs in Spain.

For those looking for rare photos of "fat Curran," here are the last remains. An amazing park in Seville.

Bree in Seville.

We were in Europe when the States invaded Iraq, so there was protest everywhere, especially Spain, who had joined in the Bush-Blair axis. This happened right outside our hotel in Granada. The guy that ran our hotel was a total character. He spoke broken English and in turn we had to speak it back to him. "Clanga! Clanga! Clanga! My bags!" was our instruction to buzz the front desk when we wanted to pick up our luggage at the end of the day. Just one example.

The Alhambra, Grenada. The last Muslim stronghold in the West. This is where the Christians finally defeated the Muslims and drove them out of Europe. One of the most amazing and beautiful sights we saw on the whole trip. Every wall was carved with incredible, intricate Islamic texts and designs. Every room was all vaulted ceilings and open spaces with adjoining gardens, pools and windows that overlook the city. And some cats. Amazing. I remember still recovering from an insane sunburn from Cadiz and being in the sun for seconds was still painful on the backs of my tender, Canadian legs.

Gardens.

Crooked, but gives you an idea. Sort of. Just go there.

Barcelona.

La Pedrera. This is the largest civil building Antoni Gaudi designed. Pretty amazing. We went inside and it was pretty wild to say the least. If you aren't familiar with Gaudi's work, get on it.

Chimney atop La Pedrera

La Sagrada Familia. Gaudi's masterpiece. This massive cathedral is still under construction. Gaudi was killed in 1926 while crossing the street and construction has been periodic since then.

I could have sworn we had some street shots of Barcelona, but I have no idea where they are. I personally shot about 30 rolls of film and they are pretty unorganized, so cool it blog world.

I haven't decided what leg of the trip I'll re-visit next. So I guess you'll just have to check back here. I promise to do this on a more regular basis.

Scanner + Europe = This: Part 0.5

2009-02-12T09:15:00.001-08:00

Just got the scanner up and running. These photos are from Isis' Oceanic European Tour, somewhere in the neighbourhood of 2003. Caught them live in Koln, Germany and Geneva, Switzerland. The first two shots are during Knut's set in Geneva in which Isis came on stage and played that Song off of 'Challenger' with that huge, chuggy riff. Sorry but the name escapes me at the moment. Anyway, the heaviest thing I have witnessed to date.

***Thanks to SMc for telling me about this.

It's funny, I don't remember many there being that many people at the show. I was right up front, so I guess I never noticed. (No, you can't see me in this video. I already looked.)

Now that I have this scanning business figured out, keep an eye out for some old photos from the conquest of the Old Country.

2008 Favourites

2008-12-12T10:32:00.000-08:00

Well, I suppose it's that time again. List time. I'm not really sure why i feel so compelled to compile a list of my favourite things of the past year, but here we are. You know what? Fuck it. I love lists and so do you. I know it. You, like me, are helplessly curious about what your fellow humans are into and up to. I love making lists. The one list that I don't like making is the list of all the things you're supposed to "do" during the holidays. Maybe it's just flashes of the battered, cranky, spiteful old man I may become, or maybe I'm just tired, but the holidays seem to be the opposite of what they are "supposed" to be. Anyways, here's some lists. I guess it's my attempt at order and organization during an otherwise chaotic and stressful time.

Records:

Young Widows - Old Wounds
Perhaps not as immediately hard-hitting and rusty hook-filled as 'Settle Down City,' Young Widows take stretch their noise rock influences into more abstract and obtuse directions. Repeated listens reveal the inventive song structures and razor-sharp riffs that will lodge themselves in your gray matter like shattered glass. Add to the fact that parts of this record were recorded live and then spliced into the studio recorded material and you have a rock record that goes to great lengths to stand out from the masses.

KENmode - Mennonite
KENmode continue to impress me with every release. Written and recorded in a matter of weeks, 'Mennonite' showcases KM's preternatural songwriting abilities. Devastatingly heavy riffs have always been KM's specialty, but the attention placed on shimmering, melodic guitar parts are the perfect juxtaposition, making those moments even heavier - if that's possible. Without a doubt, Canada's heaviest band.

No Age - Nouns
I gave in to the hype on this one. And you know what? I'm glad I did. This record is noisy, lo-fi, grainy, yet it's filled with life, colour and personality. A perfect summer record.

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum
BMSR come from a parallel universe, one that is all technicolor, where people drink codeine for breakfast and spend the rest of the morning lying out in the summer sun watching the clouds. Armed with an arsenal of busted-up synths, rickety drum machines and rusty vocoders, BMSR have created a record that is at once futuristic, poppy and organic. 'Sun Lips' is easily contender for song of the year. Too bad the band is on hiatus.

Expo '70 - Black Ohms
Drone. Thanks to Sunno))), drone is becoming a four-letter word. It seems everyone is stacking their amps together, playing one chord, letting it ring out for hours and releasing it that afternoon. Expo '70 have created one of the most engaging and enjoyable drone records I've heard in a while. Largely guitar based (though there are some moogs lurking beneath the surface here), 'Black Ohms' is a dark, dynamic and beautiful record. All-encompassing tones give way to fragile melodies that shift and heave like a ship lost on some dark sea while the storm clouds move in. Repeated listens are a must.

Sylvie - Fences and Trees are our Only Shade
Post-hardcore guitar jangle meets sophisticated pop sensibilities and punk rock? That's what I thought. Crafting indie rock that is at once original and catchy is no easy task, and Regina's Sylvie hit every mark with their sophomore release: jagged guitar lines, big hooks, impressive vocal harmonies and originality.

Harvey Milk - Life...The Best Game in Town
Southern sludge lords return, with legend Joe Preston in tow, and do not disappoint. The guitar tones on this record are so crystal clear yet so unbelievably heavy and crushing that I am blown away with every listen. Harvey Milk change it up a bit on this record two, with songs ranging from the arty-doom-metal stomp of the title track, to full on metal riffage to the poppy melodicism of "Motown" - one of the discs standout tracks in my opinion.

Fucked Up - Chemistry of Common Life
Again, this record has been beaten to death with publicity and reviews already, so I'll keep it short. What I love about this band is that they are concerned with writing songs, not with being 'punk' or 'staying true to their roots' or other such trappings of hardcore.

Fleet Foxes - s/t
Gorgeous. Timeless. This record is simply wonderful. Again, Fleet Foxes have a good deal of hype surrounding them, and for good reason. Fleet Foxes write songs that sound as though they have always been. At once bringing to mind folk, gospel, country, Americana and bedroom indie rock, I can't stop listening to this album. The vocal harmonies within are deep enough to swim in. Jump in.

send+receive 10.25.08

2008-10-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

mysterious gear

angel

oren ambarchi

breathing exercises

2008-08-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

the pictures are from a walk B and i went on.

my city job is finished and i couldn't be happier. instead, i can sleep in, stay up late(r), focus on my new job with the uniter and music.

the new job is going pretty well. more work than i expected. but it feels good to be working on something that i enjoy, and something i actually went to school for.

music is going good too. i am finally getting some satisfaction in some departments, which is a welcomed change.

also, there is a chance i will be doing a fairly large profile interview for stylus magazine. i won't say with who yet. but will keep this blog posted. i guess.

anyone know anybody who can fix my cabinet?

currently awesome: chavez - better days will haunt you; tom waits; helms alee - night terror; integrity; naomi klein; my guitars; pissed jeans; breathing exercises.

that is all.

summer pt. 2

2008-08-12T14:38:00.000-07:00

i have 7 more days of work.

it has been a pretty quick summer. quick, disappointing, frustrating, exciting. fun should be in there too i suppose.

i am more excited about the fall: wedding, NYC, new job, teaching, and some musical/recording endeavors that i am pleased with.

damn it rained a lot today.

currently: 'slaw rebchuck' C+A demo track; jesus lizard - liar; pissed jeans - hope for men; 'the shock doctrine'; wilco - kicking television; integrity; vox ac-30;

summer pt. 1

2008-06-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

i'll keep this one short i guess.

below is a link to my article/interview with jose gonzalez which is in the current issue of the uniter. considering the considerable degree of anxiety i had during the actual interview, i am pretty happy with the end result. aside from the fact that my name is spelled incorrectly in the article. not sure what happened there. anyway read it if you feel like it:

http://uniter.ca/view.php?aid=40476

currently enjoying: metalocalpyse, nachtmystium - assassins, no age, black moth super rainbow, 'collapse', harvey milk, and the prospect of getting a jam space and (gasp!) a band practice.

2008-04-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

Evening of Ice - textual companion pt.1

2008-03-31T08:21:00.000-07:00

my fiancee (beyonce), sister, and two female friends braved the impending slush storm and headed to the albert to see one of my favourite bands, minus the bear. being my obsessive compulsive self, i insisted that we arrive at the very minute the doors open, 8pm, to avoid watching the band from pinball machines.

we get to the albert, and maybe 15 people are already there. a sign tells us the opening band doesn't start until 10pm. perfect. after a few short conversations with people i haven't seen in a while ("what are you doing these days? playing anytime soon?") my attention is immediately drawn - i think drawn is the wrong word here, stolen? hi-jacked? - to 3 or 4 younger males who are getting louder as the evening progresses. i have seen these guys before. not them specifically, but their kind. they wear their hair just like they did in high school, gelled like a ski-jump; they wear outdoor vests inside the albert; don backward (of course) white hats (i think maybe a golf company?). i watch them all buy minus the bear shirts and immediately put them on over the shirts they are wearing. i watch them 'talk' to the woman working the merch table and cannot help but feel embarrassed for her. i see someone throw a shirt back at her, hitting her in the shoulder. wrong size i guess. i want to apologize to her. tell her these are not representatives of our city. who are these people anyway? what are they doing here, at this show? is minus the bear featured regularly on sports centre, in between motor-cross highlights and lacrosse? these people are drinking molson canadian (shall i continue?) and playing the vlts (i guess i will.). laughing. i think to myself: "have these guys ever been to a concert before?" their loud laughter, incessant whoops and "oowwwwww!"'s, toothy, shit-eating grins, acting like they are the kings of the albert, like this is their night, "let's fuckin' do this boys! yeeaahh!" i am annoyed. i try to focus elsewhere. i tell myself that i am here to watch bands play, and i will not let these fools ruin the evening for me.

Evening of Ice - textual companion pt.2

2008-03-31T08:01:00.000-07:00

the show begins.
we are all right upfront when the Bear takes the stage. we are thrilled to watch the show from this close. standing 3 people to my right, is of course, the vlt guys. molson canadian, white-hat, vests. the whole gaggle. great. as the show begins. they start (and do not ever stop) yelling at the band, and some points even trying to talk to them in between songs. here is a compilation of some of the things they yelled:

-whoooooo! (high pitched, like when a hockey team is getting 'psyched up' before a game)
-yeeaaaaahhhhh! (and other such derivations. you get the point though. it was like they were watching sports. moving on.)
-you play that les paul guitar! (to the singer, who dryly replied, "why the fuck not?")
-minus the bear!! (directed to the band, perhaps letting them know who they were, and that these guys knew who they were. this was the 2nd most commonly yelled phrase.)
-thunder bay! (most popular phrase. also common was, "play thunder bay! come to thunder bay! screamed directly to the band. this answered all of my questions. of course these guys were not from this city, they had driven to winnipeg just for the show.)

this was a permanent feature of the show. alcohol, mixed with an almost adolescent sense of independence, and a complete disregard for the roomful of people watching the show, and the band themselves, ensured that my frustration would reach perilous new highs. at one point, these guys would raise their molsons to the ceiling, yelling something during a song. singing? were they singing? maybe. i would be shocked. beer gets sprayed on me and the girl standing next to me. she tells them to fuck off. i watch the show. and wait. i am here to see the show.

the show ends.
i am talking to a friend who i haven't seen in a long time. catching up. in my periphery, i can see one of the thunder bay guys dancing to the rap being pushed out of the albert's speakers like it was his audition for an r.kelly video. my conversation continues until i see him come up to my group of friends, comprised of 4 females. he his dancing, and obviously trying to talk to them. i stop my conversation, and walk directly in front of him, my back to him, all hair gel, white teeth, and a dance move that looked like that thing vanilla ice used to do (you know, where he would grab one ankle, and put his other arm behind his head and kind of thrust against the air.) i loudly say, "so, should we leave?" to which my friends say, like a choir, a barbershop quartet, "yes!" i now turn to face the thunder bay dancer. we are face to face. his is still dancing. trying to dance with me, to get a reaction. "yeah. we are going to go now, ok thunder bay?" (note, i really emphasized the thunder bay part, letting him know that to me, that was both his name and an insult.) i felt strong. confident. like this is my city, i am the sheriff, and i strongly suggest you move along now. he made a series of noises like: "unnhh" or "unngghh" and continued to dance, following me across the room. i turned to him again, and with a look of sheer, stone-cold disgust said: "is this your first time out it public?" to which he responded, "with you!" i turned on my heel and walked away. my friends burst out laughing at him. nothing else needed to be said or done. victory was mine. ours.

Evening of Ice - M.T.B at the Albert

2008-03-31T07:56:00.000-07:00

deadlines

2008-03-06T07:10:00.000-08:00

i have literally been sitting at my computer for three days. aside from going to classes and eating (i don't like food on my keyboard). my forearms ache. my ass hurts. there is no food in the fridge, and little money in my wallet. plus it is minus 30 today and i have to drive my car. perfection.

HEALTH

2008-03-03T05:08:00.000-08:00

me vs. the uwsa

2008-02-21T12:07:00.000-08:00

so the uniter printed my letter criticizing the uwsa's recent protest of Canadian Blood Services' donor questionnaire and recent blood drive at the u of w.

you can read it here if you like: http://www.uniter.ca/view.php?aid=40223

2008-02-20T15:25:00.000-08:00

**car ride home from saskatoon. fog.

i will never see this place again.

a brief update:
we moved. new camera. i hate my (all) car(s). deadlines creeping. wasting time.

check out:
there will be blood. what is the what. nasum. jesse sykes & the sweet hereafter. portal.

i should be making millions

2008-02-08T11:37:00.001-08:00

this is taken from apple.com's movie trailer section. it is the description of a movie that is coming out called "shrooms." i am not lying.

When five American college students arrive in Ireland to go on camping trip with their old college buddy Jake, they are in high spirits. Jake has promised them the ‘trip’ of a lifetime’ because he claims Ireland has the best magic mushrooms in the world. It sounded like it would be great fun. Now that they are tripping things don’t seem so funny. BLUTO, one of the gang is missing. TARA thinks he’s dead because she feels she has seen his death before but nobody believes her they think she is just out of it. They’re out of it too. That was the whole point of coming here, but there is something out there, something watching them, something that will kill them if they don’t get out of the forest and get help.

doesn't this description make you want to go and see ANY other movie than this one? this is so full of tired cliches i am astounded. does anyone even do shrooms anymore? how many times is hollywood going to make the "bunch of good-looking youths travel abroad for 'good times,' but inevitably something goes horribly wrong," movie?

and how about proper sentences?: "it sounded like it would be great fun." i suppose technically that works, but come on, surely whoever came up with this nugget has been to school at least one time. how much are they paying you? did you write this synopsis while you were on mushrooms? how about, "they're out of it too"? pure gold if you ask me.

character names: BLUTO? do i need to say anything else here? no. i don't.

"ok guys, we need this script done by the end of the quarter. show me what you got."
"well, it's about a bunch of teens..."
"sex scenes...check,"
"...who go to ireland to have fun,"
"sexy teens abroad? never been done. yes!"
"...who then take drugs, start freaking out, and one of them goes missing."
"love it guys, love it. do you think you can throw in a monster lurking in the woods, and, oh i dunno, telepathy?"
"um."
"great guys. two copies on my desk by noon. i'll call the director."

i should be making millions, and not these people.

my favourite things of 2007

2007-12-31T08:06:00.000-08:00

music:

wilco - sky blue sky
battles - mirrored
minus the bear - planet of ice
band of horses - cease to begin
coalesce - salt and passage 7"
beirut - the flying club cup
deathspell omega - fas
hide your daughters - the teen girls guide to social success
oxbow - the narcotic story
locust - new erections
black dice - load blown
the minidisc recording of band practices

live:

quinzmas with quinzy and the house of doc in winnipeg
riddle of steel in st. paul
minus the bear in fargo
the locust in winnipeg
crys cole & tim hecker at send + receive

nice one.

2007-12-13T20:47:00.001-08:00

courtesy of the new york post, dec. 13, 2007.

2007-11-08T15:18:00.000-08:00

one nation under god...

2007-11-02T05:37:00.000-07:00

though i know it is far from a fair representation, this is one of the reasons why america and christianity scare me. though i am surprised that the court ruled against the church, instead of favouring the first amendment, which is how people usually get away with spreading and inciting hate. is this a step of some kind? i sure hope so.

Road trip of Ice

2007-10-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

this weekend i will be driving to minneapolis to see (for the 3rd time) Minus the Bear. The trip will also include an all night driving session, me losing my mind because of said driving session, caffeine intake, life-changing burritos, and record shopping.

hopefully i will have some pics to put up.

update: procrastination, dogs, and my car.

2007-10-18T19:41:00.000-07:00

the digital camera remains broken. the rain makes me want to sleep.

in other news, b has left for saskatoon for emergency dog back surgery. (that has to be a song title someday...). anyways, her dog's back legs are paralyzed, and the only clinic available is in saskatoon, apparently. "back-dogs" as the vet called them, are normally flown out as cargo. that is, b's family took their paralyzed, terrified dog home and tried to ship her cargo to sakatoon. No one would do it because they hadn;t booked in enough time. b got the call at 6 this morning that her mom had to drive the dog to saskatoon, and b went along to help. this surgery will cost at least three thousand dollars. it's an interesting, sad, and cruel thing when life has a price tag attached to it. ultimately they did the right thing, i think.

oh. and some spineless, useless coward crashed his stupid fucking car into my dumb parked car, denting the driver side and scuffing the paint. it's not that i baby my car by any stretch of the imagination. what pisses me off is the display of disrespect and irresponsibility on the part of the guilty party. i mean, i have backed into parked cars by accident, and i drive away after seeing their is no damage. but this person clearly hit me while driving, and clearly hit me hard enough to cause damage. leave a fucking note you louse. it's not going to kill you. that's why you pay for car insurance. you screwed up. take responsibility for your actions. it's good practice.

also, i've started writing for the uniter, the u of w newspaper. check it out, and look for more in the future. you can read it online.

the band has awoken, and is becoming more active. a new song is being learned, and vocals will be added this week too. exciting stuff. one small step forward.

things break.

2007-10-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

today i fell off my bike while riding to school. i banged up my hip and elbow pretty good. b was riding behind me and had no time to stop to avoid running me over. she fell off too. i wasn't even going that fast, the road was just slippery. the next thing i knew my bike was in the middle of westminister and i was laying on the pavement. i would take a picture of some of the wounds (for basically no one to see) but my digital camera is broken. terrific.

cut out the middle man

2007-10-02T09:16:00.000-07:00

i think this is amazing. not because it is a new idea. independent bands and artists have been doing this for years. i think it is amazing to have a band who was signed to a major record label decide not to renew their contract, and opt to release their newest album themselves. this is what radiohead have decided to do for there latest album, "In Rainbows". you can pre-order a download of the new record off of their website. the cost? whatever you want to pay. there is no fixed price. not only have radiohead cut out a record company from receiving any profits from their record sales, the band is brave enough to trust their fans to decide how much they should pay. whether someone pays 50 cents or 10 dollars, the band is making all of that money - probably more than they would make off individual record sales through a major. i paid 3 pounds for my download (roughly 7 canadian dollars).

get off your computer

2007-10-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

alright. i admit, i have a facebook account. who cares. some people are really into it, some people think it's shitty/"hipper" to not have one. personally, i like keeping in touch with friends, and facebook is a fun - albeit digital - way of doing this. i like being able to share photos with friends, especially those who don't live in the same city as me. facebook, or the computer in general, should never replace or overshadow real human to human contact. if you really want to know how someone is doing/has been, go ask them, pick up the phone, write an email at least. these are practices that people who possess social skills use all the time. what makes facebook so annoying is that people who you never really knew or were friends with can find you online, add you as their "friend" and (if you accept) can look at all of your photos etc. the problem? this can be completely unwanted, even inappropriate. further, it is a disturbingly anti-social and passive tactic to communicate with someone. there is something personal (obviously) about striking up a conversation with someone in person. even an email requires that you ASK them for their address. i guess what i am trying to get as is consent. by giving someone my phone number or email address, i am communicating to them, though not explicitly, that i wish to communicate with them on a more personal or intimate level. facebook allows people to completely circumvent this social exchange. it even allows people who i haven't spoken to since junior high, people who i was not even friends with to ask me "what's up?" what's up?!?! what isn't up? what are you actually trying to ask me? the last thing i want is people like this being able to look at my "profile" or photos which i wish to share with my actual friends. this happened: i refused a friend request (twice actually) of someone like i have described above. the person proceeded to send me a message saying that their feelings were hurt, they thought we were friends. what is going on here? just because you can contact through a digitial network of people while sitting in your parent's basement in your underwear doesn't mean that we are friends. furthermore, when i reject your pitiful attempt at communication, get over it, and get over yourself. it's fucking facebook.

playlist actions...

2007-09-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

The Trip of Steel.

2007-09-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

here are some pics of the (already) legendary road trip to minneapolis st. paul to see one of my favourite bands, Riddle of Steel.

this thing saved us. thank you burrito loco.

this bar puts the albert to fucking shame.

this band puts many others to shame. electric 12 string.

how convenient.

pre-trip of steel

2007-09-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

just a quick one before i head out onto the great plains to see the sunrise, drink coffee, and go the the twin cities to do the following (in order of occurence, not awesomeness) : 1) buy records and clothing 2) drink pabst blue ribbon 3) get destroyed by the amazing Riddle of Steel, while drinking PBR. 4) drink more PBR.

smc is co-pilot on this voyage.
pics to follow.

pics

2007-08-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

the warriors strike again. the mystery continues...

today was my last day with the city.

the great MCAT scandal pt. 2

2007-08-29T15:37:00.000-07:00

lucifer's run-around continues. b has spent hours on the phone (most long distance) with either thomson prometric, who have informed us that these cpu crashes have plauged the mcat tests across canada since the new system replaced the writted test this past year (did everyone forget about the paper tests as back ups?), and have also said that the aamc is COMPLETELY in charge of putting b back in a test slot. apparently thomson could run mcat tests everyday there are so many people who want to write it, but aamc will not schedule the dates. we have also been informed that the aamc has to decide whether b passed or failed the test before giving her a make-up. yes, a computer crash could potentially count as a failed exam. do you see what i am writing?!?! that is jaw-dropping.

the aamc meanwhile continues to deny that they have anything to do with what happened or with allowing b to write the test again. all the september dates across the country are full, which means she may lose an entire fucking year. oh. they DID say that she could register again for the test, which would mean paying another 250$, which would be refunded later. perfect bureaucratic horse shit.

oh. a newspaper has been contacted.

we are both stressed and angered about this beyond belief. each day reveals astonishing revelations regarding the cold, impersonal and sub-human tendencies of these two companies. all we want is someone to make it right.

school starts tuesday.

the great MCAT swindle - pt 1

2007-08-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

my fiancee has been studying for the mcat for nearly 5 months. the amount of time, effort and stress that has been put on her as a result is huge. not to mention the sacrifices both she and i have made in order for her to do this, including considerable financial sacrifices. after all this preparation, on august 25th, she went in for the exam.

40 minutes into the exam, every computer in the room crashed. the test was stopped for 30 mins. while the testers got everything going again. when her computer came back on, she had only 5 mins. to finish her section, while most of the others exams went back to normal. 6 other people had the similar problem as her. the problem could not be corrected, and as a result, she (and the others) were told that they could not write the mcat today, and would be contacted about possible re-write days. that was all. no contact information, nothing to prove what had happened. i am sure you can imagine our mental states immediately following this, so i will not describe them here.
i wrote a very strong worded email to the aamc, so far we have received roughly 3 sentences in response. i hope that is merely an automated message, or i will lose it with these people over the telephone this week.

the kicker is this: it is very possible that the upcoming test dates in winnipeg are full, and that even though the aamc fucked up beyond belief, they may not make room for her. if this happens, she will not be able to apply to med school this year, and this single computer fuck up will cost her not only hundreds and thousands of dollars, but an entire year of her life.

current questions: how does the organization responsible for testing future doctors allow such a crash to occur, with absolutely no back up plan in place? have these people never seen or used computers in their lives?

look for upcoming segments in this story as it unfolds. it is going to hit the fan. hard.

song complete!

2007-08-24T05:45:00.000-07:00

our first song has finally been completed. well, it's complete in the sense that it has all the parts it needs, and we are all currentely happy (read: very excited) about it. all it needs is vocals, melody etc. which should prove to be interesting.

next up, doing this all over again.

2007-08-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

Planet of Ice

2007-08-15T19:54:00.001-07:00

MTB's new album arrived in the mail yesterday. I honestly have been waiting to hear this album since I heard they were recording. I caught them live in Fargo in the spring, and the new songs were great. I think that Minus the Bear are one of the best bands out there - "indie", "alternative" or otherwise. They have developed a sound of their own, and I truly admire that. My favourite bands (any type) are those that expand upon the conventions of the music they play. In the Bear's case, the standard rock and pop elements are present (verse, chorus, bridge etc), yet they expand and confound these basic elements. The result is a fresh, exciting and inspiring album. And it rocks real hard. The instrumentation is technical, intricate and subtle. Just listen to it. I'm sure you won't lose too much metal cred.

Also. Great band practice this week! First song is nearly finished, except for vocals, and an ending.

2007-08-13T09:48:00.001-07:00

day one.

2007-08-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

so here goes. i put up this thing mainly with the intention of documenting the progress of my new band, which at this point remains unnamed. i am sure other equally boring subjects will find their way on here as well. look for pictures too. have fun.