A big ol' waste of time

I recently finished reading a book titled "Fidelity" by Michael Redhill. It's actually the first book I've read outside of school in about three years or so.
It wasn't a novel, just an assortment of short stories that are all loosely or directly related to sex or relationships. I picked the thing up at Chapters for $5, intending to read it on the Dominican trip, but I ended up reading my dad's Steve Earle biography instead (and I'm still working on it).



And fuck me was this book ever horrible.

Every story had a good intro and midsection, and everything was very well written, but there were no conclusions. No climaxes, no surprises at the end, no resolutions, just an abrupt stop in the flow.

Judging from the guy's picture in the book jacket, he's a yutz of the highest order. A real prick with an intellectual ego who think's he's the shiznit and ought to be held in higher regard than the common folk. The kind of guy who would talk of yuppy bullshit in front of people who aren't "in the know" just to hold that over them. The kind of guy who, if you asked him what _____ was, he'd say "Well if you don't know then I obviously can't tell you!"
I could tell all of this from his little picture don't ya know.

And he used some brutally irritating phrases in his writing. The one that's stuck in my brain is "the satellite dishes drank up the sky's signals". Who the fuck sits down, writes that kind of tripe, and thinks to themselves "Wow, I'll publish that!"

A real loser, that's who.

Someday I'll write a book, and some fuckin kid will write about it bitching about how bad my writing was. And on that day I'll think to myself it's better that he thinks for himself rather than not think at all.

That really grinds my gears

For the past week or so at work we've been doing our stoplight installation thang under some serious high tension power lines. There's three separate tower lines running above this intersection we're doing, two of them being 550 000 volts, and the last one 220 000 volts. I don't claim to know what the hell that means in usable elctricity, but it's fair to say that voltage like that would skullfuck anyone who touched the wires directly.

But what I've learned as of late is that electricity can jump a helluva long way.
And it really pisses me off.

Just touching one of our pickup trucks (which sits on the raod about 5o feet below the lines themselves) gives you a nice little jolt of power through the old blood and bones. Not to mention the shocks you get when standing 25 foot steel poles. We did that part of the job today, and as I was standing near a pole, maybe 2 feet away - not even touching it - it felt as though someone was firing little rocks at my arms at high velocity.

It's all probably boring as hell to most people, but it's been turning my stomach and pissing me off somethin fierce. So I got to thinking of a few other things that are really grinding my gears these days.

1. Men wearing capris. I'm not talking long shorts or pants that are hiked up too high. I'm talking summer-fun capris. Fuck off you stupid metrosexual or emo or whatever bastards you wanna be labelled as.

2. Cats. My brother has moved out, but he didn't take his fucking 4 cats with him. And seeing as my parents are away this week, I'm stuck with the little fuckers. I'm allergic to cats, especially the type that constantly wants to be near me.

3. Blogger. I'd write on here far more often if this damn program allowed me to put up pictures. Something's seriously fucked, so I tried to set up a flickr account. But I can't get in cuz they claim my password is wrong and doesn't jive with my Yahoo account. So that's another pain in the ass. Maybe I'll just resort to Photobucket or something.

4. Being at home. The dryer is euchred and sqeaks like a mofo. There is zero counter space in the kitchen. I have to wake up at 6 a.m. everyday. The shower curtain billows inwards and cramps my showering style. All in all, I can't fuckin wait to get home to London, if only to hear Mather yell "beverages!" every time he comes home.

5. Shoes. I'm currently in the market for a pair of white shoes for school (that's right, they're not gonna be black for once) but seeing as I'm picky as hell, it's getting rather frustrating trying to find a pair that I really like. There's just so much shit out there these days.

6. Censorship. I like the new Panic! At The Disco single, but it's totally fucking ruined on the radio. Can't say whore and can't say goddamned, but you can say shhhh and ___damned. I wish those goddamn whores would just let the song play as it should.

7. Bands who think they're cool cuz they title their songs with ridiculously long phrases. Panic! At The Disco and Fall Out Boy stand out in this category, but it's not the bands I dislike, just the titles.

8. Kelly Clarkson posters. For the life of me I cannot find one anywhere. Hilary Duff just won't do!

9. The John-Man. I hate him more now than I did when I wrote my "Dear John" letter. So you can imagine how much I want to be done work, can't ya?

Findlay's Music Whore Survey

LONG Music Survey To Music Whores
Your 1-5 fav band/s or artist/s:	Matthew Good, Foo Fighters, Steve Earle, Joel Plaskett, Stereophonics
1-5 band/s or artist/s you hate:	Kim Mitchell, REM, Our Lady Peace, Guns N' Roses, Simple Plan
Your fav song:	Matthew Good - Weapon
A song you hate:	Puddle of Mudd - She Hates Me
The music styles you listen to?:	Almost anything, but mostly rock-based stuff
Music styles you hate?:	Rap, Techno, commercialized crap like boy bands and slutty girls
Ever been to gigs? What artists did you see?:	Tons... too many to name
Your fav album:	Lowest of the Low - Shakespeare My Butt
The first album you bought?:	Live - The Distance to Here
The last album you bought?:	Rise Against - The Sufferer & The Witness
Do you download songs/albums? Or prefer to buy the albums?:	I d/l songs to find bands I like, then buy their stuff
How many CD's do you buy a month/year?:	say... 2 a month? so about 25 every year
Current song you're obsessied with?:	William Shatner - Common People
An album you have at home and you are asmahed of/regreted you bought?:	Limp Bizkit - Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavoured Water
A band you love and you are (not) ashamed to admit?:	Kelly Clarkson
Your fav vid clip? (you don't have to like the song!):	White Stripes - Hardest Button to Button
Your fav combination of vid clip and song? (you like both clip and song).:	Matt Good - Weapon
The song that makes you cry?:	Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven
The songs that makes you wanna party/bounce/dance?:	Alicia Keyes and Stevie Wonder - Karmastition Remix
The song with the most beautiful lyrics?:	Danielle French - Worthy
The song with the nicest title?:	MG's "The Fine Art of Falling Apart"
Best cover song?:	Steve Earle covering "Dead Flowers" by the Stones
The hottest/sexiest singer alive (or dead)?:	Dido
A gig you loved (even if you just heard/saw on TV)?:	Green Day in the summer of 05
Music for me is....:	A mood changer
When was the first time I relised I'm a music addict?:	when I spent over $100 in one trip to Sam's when it shut down
People who don't care for music are...:	missing out, probably cuz they're too ignorant to get past Much Music's countdown
Do you buy band's merchandise?:	all the time
Do you trade band's merchandise/bootlegs etc?:	no
This survey was (you can say):	difficult to find the answers for
Take this survey Find more surveys You've been totally Bzoink*d

The next president?

Skin deep

So some big news in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case has come out today...
John Mark Karr has confessed to being with her when she died, but apparently he was in love with her and her death was an accident.

Gee, now America can finally rest easy.

I only mention this because I was wondering if anyone would give a flying fuck if this girl wasn't the next Cleopatra or whatever.



I'd wager that you never would've heard her name before.

Watching... ROACHES CLIMB THE WALL!!!!

Top 5 Albums:

5. Death Cab For Cutie - Plans

With their breakout album Death Cab has set the bar high. Their previous records are solid as well, but this one put them in the limelight. So great things are going to be expected next time around.
For this album there's not much to dislike. It's got solid lyrics and a variety of sounds coming from different songs, so it's hard to get bored. It's almost enough to make me want to pick up my guitar and learn to play the thing. Not quite though, I am extraordinarily lazy.



4. Steve Earle & The Dukes - Shut Up And Die Like An Aviator

This is the record that really got me into Steve Earle. I picked it up on a whim, and gave it a listen. And even though it's a live album, it's fucking solid through and through.
Granted, I've become partial to Earle's older stuff because of this record, but I'm really starting to appreciate his other songs as well.
Once you hear his cover of the Stones' "Dead Flowers", or his live performance of "The Devil's Right Hand", you just might want to pick up some of his other stuff too. At least that's the way it went for me - now he's in my Top 5 favourite bands ever.


3. Billy Talent - Billy Talent II

After all the hype of the first record, I didn't expect such greatness from the boys this time around. But they came back with a record that surpassed the old one with conviction.
This is the kind of record that wakes you up and gets ya moving.
"Red Flag" is a standout, but "Pins & Needles" is also great. It's good to hear less screamo stuff and more indepth lyrics on this record compared to the first.
Political undertones also add to the overall power of the songs, which is something I like to see.



2. Matthew Good - In A Coma

Granted this is a best-of compilation, but how can it be left off the list? Afterall, it is Matt Good. And anyone who knows me would tell you he's number one in my books.
The big hits potion is completed with a few new songs which happen to be pretty dynamite in their own right. He also included the Lo-fi B-sides and Loser anthems, which can be hard recordings to find these days.
And the acoustic portion is perfect for just relaxing and appreciating the lyrics. The nearly unrecognizable version of "Hello Time Bomb" is amazing, and the DVD is just an added bonus for the true fans out there. Especially the Hunting Rabbits video that's hidden in there.
All told, this is pretty much the definition of "mint".


1. William Shatner - Has Been

Dear Bill Shatner, you are a fucking genius.

I first heard his cover of "Common People" on Edge 102, laughed my ass off, and said to myself "I gotta check this out". So I downloaded a few songs and loved em.
After getting the full album, I really came to appreciate it. He doesn't sing, but his passion and spoken word additions to the songs are phenomenal.
In one song he details the suicide of his wife; in another he explains that he's only a mortal; and in another he ridicules the people who think of him as a has-been, hence the title of the record.
If you haven't heard his stuff, check it out. This record turned a washed up bum into a legend for me.


Top 5 Songs:

5. Coping - Futuristic
This track is on an album that took me years to find. I heard this song on Going Coastal or something like that on TV, and I knew the general tune of it, but no words. The band is small time, so I was only able to pick up the album when I went out to Halifax last year. Noticeably mint track.

4. The Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup
On my Motown binge I got hooked on this track. It's not uncommon to hear me belting this one out around the house.

3. Steve Earle feat. Lucinda Williams - You're Still Standin' There
The first version of this song that I heard was a cover by Lucy Kaplanksy, but it doesn't hold a candle to Earle and Williams. I'm mystified that anyone could write such amazing lyrics that actually rhyme. It's almost like he didn't even try. And that's why it's so good.

2. Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone
291 loves Kelly Clarkson. This is our house song, and we yell it at the top of our lungs whenever we drink.
Plus Kelly is hot. So please, no criticism.

1. William Shatner - Common People
Rarely do you see an old man (who cannot sing to save his life) release such a dynamite song. I'd never heard the original, so to me this one is the original. This turned Shatner into a personal hero of mine. Give it a listen and you'll instantly understand why.


Top 5 Movies:


5. The Beach

Back in first year a friend of mine told me to watch this movie, but I wasn't a huge fan of Leo and didn't pay it much mind. But after watching Catch Me If You Can, I gained a new respect for him. So I checked this movie out and I guess I watched it while I was in the right frame of mind (after all it's kinda fucked up) and now I suppose it represents something I aspire to do someday - leave the "normal" world and fly solo to see what else is out there.




4. Wedding Crashers

It's no Old School, but it comes pretty close. Vince Vaughn is amazing, as usual, and Owen Wilson does a good job to support that.
Two smokeshow sisters make this a movie that any guy would appreciate (not to mention all of the other hot chicks the guys get).
One disappointment - Will Ferrell. His scene with the meatloaf was too much, and he had to try way too hard to make it funny.
But I laughed my ass off, and that's why this one's on the list.



3. The 40 Year Old Virgin

I like the fact that none of the actors were well known before this movie. Carell is perfect for the roll, and he makes you feel his pain and awkwardness all through the story.
I didn't have high expectations, so maybe that's why I liked it so much.
Thankfully the cheesy ending didn't ruin the hilarity of this one.






2. The Life Aquatic

Now this is one strange film - it's full of awkward silences, and it uses an unusual form of humour that you don't find in many other places. After you get used to the narration and quirky music, the crew sets out on their voyage to find their mystery shark. Murray shines in this one, especially in the hostage and fight scenes. Add Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, and a bull-dyke... and that equals entertainment!
Mind you, this isn't a film for everyone. It takes a special mind to truly appreciate it.



1. I, Robot

I saw this movie at my cousin's place back in the winter, and I liked it instantly. I didn't give two shits about it when it was in theatres, but like most of my "favourites" in life, I seem to find them long after their prime. This movie has all sorts of cool shit - action, realistic robots who can do ridiculous things, high tech cars and gadgets, and a hot chick to boot.
Wicked entertainment that makes you appreciate how easily we can lose our freedoms if we're not careful.

...

Wealth

When you are remembered, even if just among a handful of family or friends or acquaintances, let it be for your decency. Know that all of us have faults, and that while we have had it drilled into us that we must endeavor to overcome them, that they are an intrinsic part of who and what we are. To despise such a real and natural part of ourselves only produces prisons of denial, and thus cities, nations, and continents of inmates.

We might be strangers you and I, but at what point does that deter our shared emotional realities from being exchanged? We all feel the same things, and yet the thought of honestly and openly conveying our emotions is seen as personal treason.

I remember it like it was yesterday. She leaned into the mini-van in which the band was waiting to return to the hotel. She grabbed my hand, looked me in the eyes, and thanked me for saving her life.

She was a complete stranger.

I had no idea how to react. I sat there in stunned silence as she quietly cried and smiled at me, my one hand firmly held between her two. It seemed as though hours passed between us, her standing silently on the curb, me awkwardly sitting in the seat nearest the door, my feet swung onto the running board, my bag in my lap.

And then, just as suddenly as it had happened, she dropped my hand, stepped back, security closed the door, and the van sped away.

I never saw that woman again, but on that night I became the wealthiest man in the world. And were I to have never written another note, sang another syllable, penned another story, or known another day, I would no doubt still perish from this earth contented.

Wealth is not measured by the size of houses, the speed of cars, the price of handbags, the trendy eateries and lounges frequented by celebrities, or the purity of the drugs that those who consider themselves fashionable funnel up their noses. That sort of wealth can be attained by simply being born the son or daughter of financially wealthy parents, climbing dirty ladders, or marrying someone.

Our acts determine our true wealth.

When someone says that they love you, and you know that they mean it to their very core, that there is no doubt in any cell in your entire body that they are unconditionally sincere – then you are wealthy. There is no question that, for a time, financial wealth can secure the placebo of love, but it cannot create it. It cannot manufacture true love, just as it cannot ensure or secure happiness. To give ourselves to others openly and honestly, and to conduct ourselves with integrity and concern for the feelings of others, even if complete strangers, represents the sum total of our riches.

As I sit here looking out the window, lost in the haze of summer twilight, memories, and the talons of despair, I see a city filled only with poor people.

And I wonder how that happened.

Aug 4, 06 - MG