Jul 2006
blog | Aug 2006 | Jun 2006
End of Month Blog Clearance!
31-Jul-2006
I've been a bit pre-occupied through these dog days of summer so the posts have been few and far between, but here's a quick recap of July events as we get ready to head into the season's home stretch, and the first anniversary of [the act of just being here]!

01. Tai Chi and Rufus are getting along great! "The Little One" as I like to refer to him has made himself right at home here. He's not a suck for my attention like Rufus, but he definitely wants Rufus's attention! I can't get him to sit still for a picture for long, so as soon as there's a good one, I'll post it.

02. I haven't bought the computer yet... but for good reason! Last week it cost me $500 for my regularly scheduled wallet-gouging auto service. New brake pads and labour have taken their toll. I'm ordering it this week, though, for sure.

03. Quick, Before It Melts has been added to the blog list of I Guess I'm Floating and I'm getting quite a few of hits thanks to their link. Nathaniel and Conner over at IGIF have really welcomed me to the music/mp3 blogosphere, and I've been enjoying getting the new blog up and running (another reason why my attentions have been turned from here). There's been a few downloads from QBIM so I hope that will get me some regular visitors--I already have had a return visit or two from someone in Israel.

04. Mom loves here new car. Now I want one.

05. My car-exploding friend got moved in to her new house this weekend, and will soon be on the search for a new vehicle. The insurance company still hasn't towed the old car out of the church parking lot, which gave the parishioners lots to talk about this weekend.

06. Rufus Is A Doofus, my children's story, is on its way to a publishing company for consideration. I feel like a mother releasing a child into the wild to make its way on its own. Okay, maybe not like a mother...

07. It's effin' hot here today!

08. I saw Spamalot, the Monty Python musical on Friday. I'm not a Python fan, but I found it enjoyable. There was a great new number about Broadway musicals and Jewish people that bordered on the mildly offensive, but I laughed at it

That's it for now. Hope your July has been great, and that August is even better (and cooler!) I promise to post more frequently, really I will!
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Now that's what you call a "Hot Rod"
28-Jul-2006
Yesterday my friend and former co-worker closed the deal on the purchase of a new condo. She's moving into it this weekend. So imagine her surprise, when not more than two hours after getting the keys to her new home, her car decides to spontaneously combust in the parking lot at her (summer job) work.

car 1

Firefighters say it was an electrical short somewhere behind the dashboard that started the fire. No one was injured, no damage was done to he building she was parked in front of (which just happens to be a church!) and besides a pair of Birkenstocks and a few odds and ends, nothing of great value was lost in the fire.

car 2

A new house and now a new car... I think someone, somewhere is trying to tell her that this is going to be a new chapter in her life. But does the message have to come so dramatically?

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Scissor Sisters: Holy Crap Moment No.1
27-Jul-2006
I posted this on my other blog, Quick, Before It Melts, this morning and thought I definitely wanted to share it with you here, too.

Holy Crap Moment (noun): The instant you realize that what you are experiencing is of a caliber greater than conventional language could possibly explain. These instances most frequently occur at unexpected intervals and cause the person experiencing the moment to proclaim, "Holy Crap! That's fucking awesome!" and may be followed by a momentary depression in which the person realizes that they'd never be able to create or accomplish such a feat themselves.

It's the Scissor Sisters, it's new and it's damn fine. You'll feel like dancing, guaranteed. Best Bit: at 1:04 when the first funky synth laser fires a triple shot straight to your hips, instantly causing you to strike a Saturday Night Fever pose. You think I'm kidding? Go ahead, try and resist, I dare you.

:MP3 Scissor Sisters ~ "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'"

UPDATE: The Link is working now! See what one little missing peice of punctuation can do?? Enjoy!
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One door closes, another opens
27-Jul-2006
I quit my gym yesterday. I had to. With the change in job location, it just wasn't feasible anymore. The gym was located near my old school (well close enough) so I could easily go there after work and then head home. Now going to the gym would be like driving from my new work location, back to my old work location (further yet even) to go to the gym, then drive that distance back home. Pointless, right? Even more pointless given the fact that a brand new YMCA facility has been built practically in my backyard. It's so much closer, and definitely cheaper than the private gym. So I made the switch yesterday, and got my membership to the Y. I'm looking forward to getting into a more regular routine now, and the Y seems like a nice place. Sure, it's not a luxury private health club, but my wallet isn't exactly bursting at the seams either. This reduction in gym fees will help offset the cost of the new laptop (which I haven't bought yet by the way--hey, it's a big decision, and I'm always second-guessing huge purchases).
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Blog 2: Quick, Before It Melts
24-Jul-2006
After quite a bit of hard work learning to decipher codes as stealing from other established blogs (ssshhh don't tell anyone) I've got myself a second blog up and running over on Blogger. Quick, Before It Melts is going to be primarily a music/mp3 blog, while I'll reserve [the act of just being here] as my own personal blog. I'll probably still post some music etc. on here when it's really good and I think you might like it (whoever you are) but the new blog gives me a chance to explore that side of me a bit further. So tell all your hipster friends, tell the whole bunch there's a new blog in town and you'll have to be Quick, Before It Melts (oh shut your groaning!).


Here's what the header for the new blog looks like. I designed it myself. You like?
qbim-header small

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they say the devil's water it ain't so sweet
22-Jul-2006
It's been almost a whole week since I blogged last but I've been noticing a whole lot of traffic to the site this week. SiteMeter allows me to see who's visiting the page, when, and where they're from, but it also tells me how the ended up here... whether from a referral link or from doing a Google search. So it seems the increased traffic is coming from people Googling the lyrics of the new Killers song, which I've mentioned below and now have used as the title for this post. I find it odd and yet strangely fascinating that someone from Mexico and someone from Hong Kong would almost simultaneously be searching Google with the exact same criteria.. I guess it's a small world after all.
So if you ended up here looking for the Killers tune, I hope you find it enjoyable, but I suggest that you check out "You And I Are A Gang Of Losers" from what will definitely be one of the best Canadian albums of the year--The Dears "Gang Of Losers"

♬ The Dears ~ "You And I Are A Gang Of Losers"
dears

In other news...


a) Mom picked up her new car today. It looks good, drives well, and she seems happy.
b) My online course is now officially over--I'm just waiting for final marks and comments. I predict I'm getting an A- at best.
c) The cats are getting along famously. Tai Chi is the most well adjusted animal I've ever met, and Rufus, while beginning to act as mother hen to the kitten is also extremely jealous and gets sucky every once in awhile. Right now he's curled up into a little ball under my desk, sitting on top of the modem. It must be warm there.
d) In about 10 minutes or so I'm going online and buying a new MacBook laptop which will come with a rebated (but not free) 60GB iPod. My only dilemma here is whether I go for a white or black iPod. I'm getting the white laptop (which is the same as the black, except $200 cheaper) so I'm leaning towards white, but I'm not sure yet... this is a big improvement on my indecisive nature. I've been struggling with buying this computer since the end of June and have almost done it five or six times already. Enough! Just go for it, I say.
That's all for now. Peace out.

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Pimping Mom's ride
17-Jul-2006
A year ago today I ended up in the hospital because of a viral infection that at first appeared to be a heart attack. A week later I was home, a little shaken, but health intact. It was that episode that started me off on the road that has turned into this blog. Life's too short not to blog, right?

Life is also too short not to indulge yourself every once in awhile. Today my sister and I took Mom to buy herself a brand spanking new 2007 Honda Fit.

honda_fit

Not a bad ride for a 69 year old woman, eh? I think she had a hard time getting her head around the fact that it's the first new car she's ever owned. My Dad always felt confident enough buying used cars because he was a mechanic and did all the maintenance on the vehicles. Before he died though, he made me promise him that when it was time for my mom to get a new car, I made sure she bought a new one, and that I did the same; no more taking risks with used cars (he didn't trust anyone else but himself to pick the right car). So I kept my word: both I and my sister before me bought new cars when we needed them, and now so has mom. And yes, they're all Hondas (Dad would be so proud).

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The U.S. vs John Lennon
16-Jul-2006
I've been getting into quite a few documentaries lately, and this morning I came across an article for this new film at You Ain't No Picasso:

usvjl
Sounds very interesting and very relevant. See the trailer for the film here.

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Happy Birthday, Rufus!
15-Jul-2006

My beloved Rufus turns One Year Old today! Happy Birthday, buddy!
rufus

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The Killers ~ "When You Were Young"
13-Jul-2006
The geeks at Stereogum trashed it, but Brandon Flowers and The Killers have made good on the promise that their next album, Sam's Town, will be throwing a few Bruce Springsteen poses. "When You Were Young" sounds like it could have been on Born To Run (if Born To Run had been released about 10 years later than originally). Guilty pleasure No. 1 so far: the break mid song where Flowers croons "They say the devil's water it ain't so sweet/you don't have to drink right now..." I can imagine burning down the highway with the top down at this on the 'Pod. Come, taste the water.

killers
♬ The Killers ~ "When You Were Young"

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Introducing...
12-Jul-2006

tai chi
...Tai Chi!

OK, OK, so it's not Kumiko (I was pronouncing it "Coo-me-co", Katy), and in the end, as much as i liked "Eko", Tai Chi was the best fit for this little guy because, like many practitioners of the the ancient internal martial art of Tai Chi, my little Tai Chi has a well balance mental and physical state, and instantly made himself comfortable on my lap as we drove home after picking him up. This cat has zero stress, and is making himself quite at home in his new surroundings. He is the quintessential Tai Chi master!
Rufus on the other, may need to go on some medications to help him cope, and I have a strong feeling before too long, he and I are going to need couples counselling. The breeder had all kinds of animals at his place so TAi Chi feels right at home among others--Rufus got a bit freaked out when their was a rabbit on the lawn this morning... on the other side of the glass! But of course the whole point of another cat was to keep him company, and I think given some time to adjust, Rufus will come around (I hope!). I'll keep you posted, and post some better pictures when I learn how to keep my hand steady and make a cat do what I say.

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I can't sleep
12-Jul-2006
I went to my friend Kelly's house for dinner tonight and had a couple Smirnoff Twist coolers, followed by a whooping cup of java post-meal and now I'm wired beyond all belief and can't sleep. I truly don't know what to do with myself, because I can't focus on any one thing too long--can't read, get bored; can't watch TV, nothing on. I've been looking up more cat names, so I've added a few more to the list:
Kumiko (still a fave)
Genji (like benji, only with a G)
Kinsey (as in Alfred)
Dijie (sounds like DEE GEE)
Omar
Suni
Ping Pong (I thought it as a joke, but now I don't know...)
Eko (I kinda like this one myself, Lost reference or not)
Tai Chi
Sufjan (SUF-Yan, as in Sufjan Stevens)
Juji (sounds like Jew-GEE)
Feel free to chime in with any comments, all you freakin' voyeurs who just log on and read the site and never say anything! Sorry, the cafine rush I'm on is just a bit intense. To get the full effect you should try reading this post as fast as you possibly can--I typed it in about 6 minutes flat.
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Name that kitten!
11-Jul-2006
If all goes well, tomorrow evening I'll be bringing home a new little kitten--a brother for Rufus. He's a lilac point Siamaese kitten I found online from a cattery in Milton, ON. I haven't seen him yet, but I'm sure I'll be falling head over heels for him (which is more than I can say about Rufus's reaction to the new addition!). So I guess now I have to think of a name for the new little one. Since I've been thinking of getting another cat to keep Rufus company for awhile, I've already started considering names. If it was going to be a female, I would name her Martha, after Martha Wainwright (Rufus Wainwright's sister). As for male names, I'm torn. Part of me says I should choose a traditional oriental name for this one; while part of me says that I should stick with the trend I've started with Rufus--how does George Michael sound for a cat name? This site lists some non-traditional cat names; under Japanese (I know, I know, Japan is not the same as Siam!) they listed Kumiko as a possibility; it means "companion child" which is kind of what this kitten is supposed to be, right? I don't know, I'm torn... anyone want to weigh in with a suggestion or comment? Feel free to use the Comments link below (really, feel very free!).
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A History of Tootie Cronenberg
07-Jul-2006
factsoflife-174-1c
This is the 150th post to [the act of just being here], and I thought a lot about how to mark this milestone in the last few days. One idea was to pull a 150-item list of random nothings out of my ass as I did circa post 100th--but who cares about my opinions on peanut butter (chunky not smooth) or set design on The Facts Of Life (Edna's Edibles over Over Our Heads)? Then, I was going to post something about the mouse that I caught in my basement, and somehow pair that with having watched David Cronenberg's A History of Violence, which would inevitably tie into watching Waiting... last night and wishing someone would go all Cronenberg on Ryan Reynolds.
dead mouse
ryan_reynolds_2
But that would be really stretching it. Really, by July 7th, having officially been out of work for a week (unofficially I have been in a school every day this week, save for Monday's holiday) I really haven't done too much or experienced anything overtly earth-shattering to write about. There was a run of posts a while back where I was posting music for download, so I guess I could make a list of songs that I think everyone should hear, which would look something like this:
[taojbh] SUPER SUMMER MELtdOWN MiX!
01 "The Same Fire" ~ Bishop Allen
02 "Long Distance Call" ~ Phoenix
03 "Portions For Foxes" ~ Rilo Kiley
04 "Skip To The End" ~ The Futureheads
05 "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken" ~ Camera Obscura
06 "Some Kind Of Chill" ~ Arizona
07 "Country Girl" ~ Primal Scream
08 "Awoo" ~ The Hidden Cameras
09 "Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby" ~ Islands
10 "Take Me Out (Hot Chip Remix)" ~ Franz Ferdinand
But does anyone really download this music? And am I not breaking some kind of international copyright laws? So then, while pondering my criminal activities,
rufus
I got side-tracked because it seemed like Rufus was having an asthma attack, and I was kind of freaked out by it. I have to book a vet appointment for him and have that looked at before I go out and get another kitten to bring into the house. BY this point, I was so fed up of thinking that I decided to go out and fix up the garden a bit more, and try and do some of the housework I famously postpone because I'm too busy staring at a computer screen wondering what to write about on my blog, which reminds me of the kids in class sitting there staring at the ceiling saying, "I don't know what to write about, Mr. D," which I know is just plain laziness. The other dilemma of course is what will I name this post once it's done--it's the 150th post, it needs a snappy name, it needs to stand out from the rest. So on a lark, I Googled the words "Tootie Cronenberg" to see if anything would come up that might inspire a name for this post. Google returns nothing on that search, at which point I decided that, "A History of Tootie Cronenberg" is just as good as any name for a blog post. I can add some odd photo choices that at first glance appear to be unconnected, and I should add some links and a few downloads. That should be good enough for a 150th post. What do you think?
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Final Fantasy gives good fiddle.
03-Jul-2006
I've raved about Final Fantasy on here before, and you can still link to the video for "This Is The Dream of Win and Regine" from here (I think), but when I saw this live performance video, I knew I had to post it (this is actually my second attempt at getting the video on the blog--I hope RapidWeaver doesn't quit on me again).
Here's the short story: Final Fantasy is one guy, Owen Pallett, and his violin. He also plays with Arcade Fire, and is a great producer/remixer in his own right. But when I say it's a one-man band, I mean it's a one man band. This link will take you to a clip of him playing my favourite Bloc Party song, "This Modern Love" live all by himself. Notice the use of effects pedals and other technology to allow him to actually accompany his own violin playing with even more violin playing. I had read that Final Fantasy shows were mesmerizing, and I never could understand how one man and a violin could be that interesting--now I know. You'll be enchanted, I gaurantee it. Then, if you want, you can get/listen to the original Bloc Party version of the song here for comparison. (If anyone's interested in the mp3 of Final Fantasy's version, let me know.)
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