Saturday, November 29, 2008

T'is the season, dudes

I had to work this weekend, so I'm a grumposaurus. Aside from having to work, I find the nature of my work makes me kinda grouchy as well. I got a job writing news headlines for a website, and while it's journalism-related I'm not doing much of my own writing. But that's not the point I want to make. The point is the news is depressing. Well, duh.

Bad news is news. I've been feeling down all week, and aside from the usual things like winter and me throwing myself a pity party, I realized a lot of my down-in-the-dumps feelings were also because of what's been going on in the world. Shit hit the global fan and splattered everyone. From the Mumbai massacre and the Nigerian election-related clashes to the economy and the Canadian government on the verge of collapsing to shopping-related deaths in the States and the David Frost verdict, it's a wonder I've gotten out of bed. The thing is, there's not much I or one individual can do about it other watch/listen to the news and discuss with our friends about how fucked up the world is.

I'm a huge believer in the whole "when it rains, it pours" phenomenon. Past life lessons has taught me that either nothing happens or it all happens at once. I shudder to think about what'll happen next week. Thank God I get three days off, so preferably it'll all happen Wednesday onwards.

Oh yeah, The Acorn, a phenomenal band from Ottawa, should just change their name to Babetown. I was lucky enough to score a ticket to their sold out show on Thursday. The Rural Alberta Advantage and Obijou opened for them. I left the show thinking that all was all right with the world. Apparently not though. :(

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet...

Here is a list of people I would love to have as boyfriends. In no particular order:

-David Sedaris
-Ira Glass
-Chuck Klosterman
-Roald Dahl
-David Suzuki
-Oscar Wilde
-Jens Lekman
-Sook Yin Lee

That is all.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I'd like a ticket to Stylesville, please


At the risk of sounding horrifically materialistic and shallow, I got some sweet duds over the weekend, and I'm more than excited to show them off. House of Spy was having a fantastic sample sale, and I managed to score some key items as well as have the change room to myself! It's a communal change room and because it was pissing cats and dogs that day, it wasn't busy when I roll in soaking wet.

Anyway, all this ties in with my goal to change my wardrobe and develop a more "grown up" look. So far Operation Sophisticated Look has been a bust. I guess the not-getting-paid-until-recently thing was a big hindrance. I'd like to believe these purchases are send offs on the Grown-Up train en route to Stylishville, population: me.

I've been rocking the This American Life podcast lately. Ira Glass is a god, and it is THE best pieces of radio work I have heard in a very long time. Without fail, every single time I listen to that podcast, I want to cry. But in a good way. It's storytelling stripped down to its bare bones. No fancy sound effects, no screeching voices, only the one voice, maybe an occasional interviewee and stories that move, haunt, delight, entertain, amuse and frustrate you. I can't get enough of it.

Oh, and I don't care what any of you have to say about this next statement, so I'm just gonna say it. Vice's Do's and Don'ts are awesome. I've been reading for years and they're always consistent little arses. The writing is bitchy, mean, sometimes sexist, often downright rude, but dammit, do I ever enjoy reading them. Some say sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. I say, so be it. I'll be laughing all the way down.

Here's something else I've been reading obsessively (besides David Sedaris of course): Norman Yeung's blog. He's a local dude, artist, writer, actor, all-around talented man. I first read about him in Ricepaper and love his graffiti and artwork. Now that I've found his blog, all I do is read it compulsively and try not to weep with joy over how funny and utterly random he is. Check it, yo.