I didn't time it, but I think it took me all of six minutes to find and begin downloading each of the tracks from Thom "Radiohead" Yorke's new album The Eraser, which was leaked to the 'net earlier this week. I've listened twice through already. Crackin'.

♬ Thom Yorke ~ The Eraser

♬ Thom Yorke ~ Harrowdown Hill

The computer and I are home from opening night of the school play, The Wizard of Oz, and I'm feeling a bit muddled and pensive so I thought I'd take a moment and put this down for posterity. First off, the show was very well received by all the student's families, so for that I am happy and proud to have given them the opportunity to be proud of their kids. earlier today I was feeling a little... I don't know what words can best describe it... I was feeling a bit bad about the show because it is so technically involved and I hoped that the emphasis would be on the kids and not on the actual presentation of it. I'm a theatre person by nature, so when I decide to do a school play, it's not a song and dance show with a couple lights and a mic hanging from the ceiling: there's a full sound system installed in the gym with lighting rigs and fog machine effects that need three of four bodies to run it (remember folks, this isn't a high school I work at, it's a grade school, Kindergarten to grade 8, with just over 200 kids in it, small by all accounts). This time out, there was no set to big, except for a giant white screen on which I projected drawings a student did of all the Oz locations, and they are beautiful drawings (I posted one earlier). So suffice to say it is a spectacle we're putting on right now (two more shows tomorrow), but it's not "The Mr. Di Gioia Show", at least I hope people don't think that way. For me, it's about the kids, and I do all of the technical stuff so that the kids have a moment to shine. I went into tonight's show feeling a bit apprehensive about what people will think of it, and what they'll think of me...and then the show started, and I realized that it's not about me at all--it is about the kids, and about potential and growth. In the last two weeks I have watched a number of these kids blossom and grow more than they have ever before. I've seen kids that you would never before imagine stepping onto a stage and memorizing an entire script perform with the confidence of a seasoned professional. I've watched leadership bloom before my eyes in kids who took on more responsibility than anyone has probably ever given them before. I'm proud to be their teacher tonight, not their director... because in the end, it's less about what I told them to do, and more about what they learned to do all on their own.
I would love to share with you photos of the show, but professional responsibility dictates that all those involved remain nameless and faceless, though in the interest of gloating and being a proud papa for this production (which I swear will be my last at this school, and the last in a school for a while), I'm creating a new photo gallery page here celebrating the success of Oz. The poster is supposed to represent the giant 24' x 14' screen we made to project the drawings onto, which is blank at the start of the show. I've included a couple of shots I took of the screen after it was installed and added it below so you might get an idea of the scale of the whole thing.

This is the screen looking at it from the front.

This is a shot of the side of the screen.

Ok, I'll stop tooting my own horn now.

Chances are there will be little activity from me here over the next week or so, so while I had a few thoughts floating I thought I'd make a post. I spent the better part of today outside in the yard, cutting the grass and working on some of my gardening. My yard is pretty big, and there are quite a few flower beds and containers that need to be tended to. I went out to Jordan to my friend Rob's greenhouses yesterday and brought home a whole whack of stuff that needs to be planted soon. The task is huge, but for some reason, it doesn't bother me. When I thought about school and work over this last month, I'd get so stressed and worried that I would actually shut down and not deal with it. Out in the garden today, I realized that I have so many things on the go right now, so many commitments and "things" that need my attention, and that is something new for me. Take for example the case of the missed assignment: why did it happen? It happened because I haven't been able to focus any attention to the course to realize what the course requirements were. I usually have a schedule made up, and some kind of game plan, and I would most definitely avoid anything that could cause a disruption or overburden my time. What's happening to that guy, the one who used to set aside a whole day for laundry? Today I cut the grass, plated a flower bed and four flower pots, did two loads of laundry, changed the bedding,made lunch and ate, finished the program and the slide show for The Wizard of Oz, watched an episode of Six Feet Under Season 3, and posted to this blog. Busy Jim, indeed. But you know what I also realized today is that Busy Jim is happy to be busy. He's happy to feel like his day was worth something, and best of all, it was a day of worth for me personally, because everything I did today was really about me. I didn't do anything for anyone else, or do something because I felt guilt about it. It was all for me. I wonder if I could get used to this?

Regular readers of [taojbh] (is there such a thing?) may remember me saying in an earlier that I'm enrolled in an online class right now. Midnight on Friday the 26th is the end of the course's first module, which means it's a quarter of the way over. I thought to myself, hey this is going really well so far, even though I have been super busy and not able to post anything in the class discussions as regularly as I would have hoped, and I fell behind a bit on my group case study. I caught up, though, and even made up for it by adding a whole bunch of other posts. So it was no sweat off my back to log in tonight and get a look at what was coming up for the next module--you know, thinking ahead.
It didn't turn out quite as I planned. See, when I logged in tonight (at about 9:25 PM) I realized that, yes, I had contributed quite a bit to the online discussion portion of the course, and the group case studies, and even submitted my project proposal on time, I had neglected to complete the 10% assignment that goes with each module. Understand, it's not like I forgot to submit the assignment, I FORGOT I HAD TO DO THE ASSIGNMENT ALTOGETHER.
No need to panic, no need to panic... I can do this...
and I did. By my clock it's 11:50 PM on Friday night, and about ten minutes ago, I submitted my five page critical analysis of School Based Teams and their effectiveness (all you educators out there know the score!). It had to be three to four pages only, but when I get on a roll, the bullshit and vocabulary just comes spewing out all over the keyboard. I even used the word coalesced in it; pretty impressive, huh? I always thought of that word as a descriptor for bodily fluids and such, but hey, if it works in an academic paper, then go for it!
So of course now, I can't go to sleep because I'm wound up tighter than the Tin Man in a scrap yard (there's a little OZ reference for all you keep track of my extra-curriculars). Time to blast some tunes! Thought you might like some down home Canadiana from A.C. Newman, chief New Pornographer, whose latest project is the soundtrack for Douglas Coupland's Souvenir of Canada movie, based on his books of the same name, which opens in theatres today.

♬ A.C. Newman Secretarial [The Slow Wonder]

♬ The New Pornographers The Bleeding Heart Show [Twin Cinema]

There's a certain tension that's created when you're lying in bed at night and hear the sound of a car door opening and closing nearby; that tension makes an evolutionary leap to anxiety when the sound of the car's engine starts, and then relief as the tires squeal (just a little) as it heads out into the night. Last night I never got any relief.
"Asha? It's me. Byron just left here." Pause. "Well, he didn't say where he was going but I bet it was that chick's place. He spent half the night whining and complaining about how she's been treating him. What a loser, he is! Anyone else would have been out of there way before she started that bull.." Pause. "I know!" Pause. "Oh my god, you're so right!" Pause. "No, I'm standing outside in the driveway, why?" Pause. Laughter. "There's no one around, besides, who cares. They don't know who Byron is anyways, and anyways I don't know any of the neighbours, so anyways... Isn't that just so freakin' typical of him, though? To go all mental on me and then peel out of here in the middle of the night on some freakin' mission?" Longer Pause. "Yeah, I know. So listen, we seriously have to get together later, 'kay? You should see the stuff he brought home from the stor.." Pause. "I know! Awesome! 'Kay, so call me if he ends up coming there, or calling you, or whatever, 'kay? Call me." Pause. "Yeah, later."
I heard the sounds of footsteps on light gravel, as the mystery woman headed back into her home. When the slight swoosh of the screen door closing stopped echoing in my ears, I peaked my eyes over the covers of my bedding and stole a glance at the clock beside my bed: 2:16 AM. She probably wouldn't be up, but I'd dial her number anyway.
"Hi, it's, uh, me. Are you asleep?" Pause. "Sorry. I wasn't going to call you, but I didn't think I'd remember it if i waited until morning. I have one for you." Pause. "Yeah sure, go ahead. I'll be right here." I hung up. A few seconds later, she called back, and the conversation starts again. "Okay, you ready? Are you typing it or writing it by hand?" Pause. "Alright, so it starts like this..."
I recount to her the details of the conversation I just overheard, and as many of the nuances of the exchange as I could decipher through the walls on my home, while she writes it all down in a steno notebook I've seen her carry in her purse. It's my first time, and I'm a little nervous that I might have missed something, or did something wrong.
"Great," she says as I finish, "that's a really good one. I'm glad you called."
So am I.

In the vein on my post last week about Zoë and Austin, check out Alan Gentry's post about a guy named Montana, as overheard on public transit. This is one of the best posts I've read in a blog in a while.
As for Zoë and Austin, I haven't forgotten about them; I hope to have something here about them soon.

This morning on Stereogum, there was a post recapping Entertainment Weekly's list of 25 Top Music Web Sites. I did some investigating and came across Pandora, which is #3 on the EW list (iTunes and eMusic were 1 and 2 respectively). I hadn't heard of Pandora so decided to check it out, and I'm glad I did. Here's the deal in a nutshell: Sign up for a Pandora account, and you can customize your own streaming radio station by telling Pandora what song or artists you like, and instantly songs are played that match your favourites. If a song comes up that you don't like you can flag it and have it removed from the playlist and the song selections in the future will reflect your taste. I like the idea of this because I'm not relying on making an iTunes playlist with songs I already like--I'm getting a chance to hear new stuff that I may like. You can even go online and buy the song from iTunes or the whole album from Amazon. Signing up for an account lets you create a whole whack of custom stations. You can even share your stations with others. Best of all, once a station is created, you can access it from any computer with an internet connection, so you can listen at home, at work, or anywhere you want.
OK that's my sales pitch, go check it out for yourself.

I can't believe it's been a week since I posted here last, but truth be known, I really don't have anything spectacular to post about. Work has been the dominant force in my life this last little while, and work is slowly coming to a head on this year's musical production (we're doing The Wizard Of Oz--or did I tell you that already?). I've been engrossed with it, scared by it, thrilled by it, and wishing it was over already. It's on May 30, & 31st.
Hmmmm... since this is really a stop-gap post, why don't I make it worth your while, and give you a sample of what Oz is going to look like? Click on the pic below to see what one of my student's has done to create Munchkinland for us--he's drawing all the scenes and then we are using a projector and a large back-drop/screen to create the locations of the play.

Nice work, isn't it?

I'm walking around in Chapters this afternoon and I overhear a conversation between two people, a man and a woman. To put it mildly, one of them seems a tad mentally "off" and the other seems to be hanging on by a tiny thread. I hear them before I see them, because they are speaking very loudly; louder than anyone else in the store. They're standing in the children's book section and the part of the conversation that I catch goes like this:
SHE: I like Zoë.
HE: I'm fond of Austin myself.
SHE: Yes, I like Austin too, that's nice.
HE: So is Zoë.
SHE: You like it too?
HE: Yeah.
SHE: Oh, okay.
HE: So, yeah, Austin is nice and so is Zoë.
SHE: Is that it?
HE: I dunno.
SHE: You like Zoë and Austin then?
HE: I think that's good, don't you?
SHE: That's it then, we've got it now? It's settled?
HE: Yes.
SHE: Oh good! Oh I'm so--
They hug.
HE: Great.
SHE: Oh look how happy I am now. Are you sure that's good for you?
HE: I'm solid.
SHE: Okay, so am I. Oh good it's done. I'm so happy and I love you and it's Zoë and Austin.
Did they just choose the name of their children in public and let everyone around them know? Were they talking about dogs or cats, or their genitals? If this conversation is so important to have that it must take place in the middle of a big-box bookstore, does it have to happen at a volume that allows, nay INVITES, others around to hear? Why am I privy to this private moment? Who are Zoë and Austin going to be? They are having what is clearly a joyous moment right here in public, surrounded by people who don't care, or are ignoring them, or listening to their conversation and trying to pretend to ignore them... and it's infectious. Because as they start walking away, I can't help but smile and think that this would make a great blog posting, even though I don't know exactly what it is all supposed to mean. So I decide to dial my home number and start dictating this posting into my voicemail as I wander through the stacks looking at books I'm not interested in buying, trying not to draw attention to myself (unlike these two), so that I can go home later and type it into the blog. Who's the weird one now? Am I not having a private moment myself in New Age & Astrology--in public--as I dictate this? Will Zoë and Austin ever know that their naming had a impact on an eavesdropping stranger?
There's a story in here somewhere, I can smell it.

I have become smitten with the purring voice of sexy vixen Russian kitten Angelina Moysov and her band, Persephone's Bees. The 'Bees come from San Francisco, but Angelina is from Russia originally, coming to the Staes in 1993. I've been listening to "City Of Love" non-stop for the last day now, and I can't get the song out of my mind. It's spare groove leaves tonnes of room for Moysov to wrap her sultry vocals around spiralling organ lines. You can just picture her making "come over here" gestures with her finger as she leads you down back alleys where hobos all play bass, and the daily special is a can of woop-ass funk. I guess you could say I've bee stung (or maybe I'd better not).

♬ Persephone's Bees "City Of Love" and "Way To Your Heart" (Buy it from Persephone's Bees)

...and I can't sleep. I haven't been able to get much sleep in the past three weeks. May rolls around and suddenly, all the things I said I'd plan for in September start happening and I realize that I didn't plan for them after all. Life should have some kind of warning signal, like a a back-up beeper on a truck or van, that let's you know when impending stress is near. It's not like I didn't expect to be this busy, or have this much stuff to do--it's no different than last year. So how is it that one day I can wake up and BOOM! You have to put on the school play in two weeks! BOOM BOOM! Plan the graduation ceremony! BOOM BOOM BOOM! Uh, report cards? For the last two days, I have not stopped running or doing something from the second I walked into work until leaving. And the truth is, I have no one to blame but me. So, don't feel sorry for me that I can't sleep from the stress and anxiety (that's what Tylenol is for anyway), just feel sorry for the folks at work who have to deal with my crabbiness and foul mood all day (don't say a word Katy, I can read your mind). They're the ones that really need some kind of warning...

♬ Radiohead "4 Minute Warning" (Live In Copenhagen May 6, 2006)

P.S. I was looking at this page on another computer today, and I noticed that the sidebar and menu were pushed below the main blog posting windows, rather than being right beside them. Is anyone else experiencing this difficulty? I'd like to know so that I can make adjustments to the style sheet--or is it just a recent thing?

Thanks to Steregum for bringing this to my attention, and welcome to my first YouTube embedded broadcast everyone. If you've not experienced the "joys" of MySpace this won't be as funny to you as it i to me (an others).

I'm thinking about getting a personal trainer at my gym to meet with me and give me some help. The Game is going perfectly lousy, and quite frankly, I've just about given up on it. I am not losing the weight like I once did, and I am finding that my workouts are leaving me sore, tired, and uninspired. The other day I picked up all the little leaflets on each of the trainers so I could look through them and decide who might be best. Their pictures are on each one, but I can't be bothered to scan each one, so here's a run-down of what's available:
1. Mike K: Mike is a chiropractor, has worked for three years as a personal trainer, and specializes in diagnosis and treatment of lower back and shoulder pain.
2. Karen M: Degree in Kinesiology from Western, certified with the National Strength and Conditioning Association, certified Pilates instructor, Spinning instructor, Level 2 rowing coach.
3. Louise B: certified Personal Trainer, trained herself and 17 others to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in 2003,
4. Kami D: certified instructor, enjoys cardio/weight training, bubbly personality
5. Rick U: Natural Bodybuilding, certified personal trainer, personal philosophy is "without setting a goal or having a dream, it is difficult to reach your full potential."
So who will it be? Mike has potential because of the back and shoulder problem treatment (of which I seem to be suffering from) but I'm not too fond of chiropractors and their trade so I don't know; Karen just sounds like a well-rounded person and I have seen her around the club, and she's very pleasant, but she does tend to work with more elite athletes; Louise I know nothing about, really, and I don't think I've ever seen her there; Kami I know from the club, she's always around when I'm there, she's a nice person to talk to, but I don't know if her skill/ability level is what I need; Rick sounds like he's a "kick-in-the-ass" kind of guy, which may be exactly what I need, but I also think he primarily deals with elite athletes... so I'm still no closer to making a decision, but at least I've decided to take this route. I wish the personal training fee was included in my membership fee, seeing as how I pay enough for it every month, but it may be worth it for a few sessions if it helps me out.

Good-bye beauty queens and dysfunctional, disfigured astronauts; gone are the ubiquitous Smiths references and pastiche storytelling-narratives; welcome back Lego-blocked cover art, and technology-led tales of urban geeks. There's a new Douglas Coupland book released next week. Rejoice and be glad. JPod was mentioned this morning in the National Post as a "novel about a group of software developers" but one look at teh cover art and preposed subject matter would make any Couplandite think immediately of his third (and much loved by me) novel Microserfs. Here's a selection of quotes from Publishers Weekly that Amazon.ca has on it's site:

"Young Ethan Jarlewski works long hours as a video-game developer in Vancouver, surfing the Internet for gore sites and having random conversations with co-workers on JPod, the cubicle hive where he works, where everyone's last name begins with J...Ethan must help his mom bury a biker she's electrocuted in the family basement which houses her marijuana farm...feed the 20 illegal Chinese immigrants his brother has temporarily stored in Ethan's apartment..."

[Link here for Douglas Coupland's site. Click on the jacket pcture to go buy the book from Amazon.ca.]

Driving into work this morning I couldn't be sussed to even turn the iPod on. In the last few days it's felt like every song on it has overstayed it's welcome, and I've heard upteenth thousands of times already. Is this a result of our ever-changing, fast-paced society? Could it possibly be that I've reached musical saturation at the age of 33 and no longer care to listen to or experience new music again? If I ever hear "Bigmouth Strikes Again" will it be too soon? I figured at the very least, I can probably make a blog posting out of this when I get home. And so tonight, I sat down at the computer after checking into my online course, and decided to blog about this iPod fatigue. And you you know what? I couldn't even be bothered to do that much. Instead, I updated the links in my blog roll and add a few new mp3 blog links that I got from FLUXBLOG. Somehow, I ended up at a site called Puddlegum, where I found an mp3 by The Boy Least Likely To called "Be Gentle With Me." From there I ended up at some other blogs and found "Love Connection" by Parenthetical Girls. Suddenly, my iPod didn't seem so bad anymore. In truth, I've been finding a whole lot more "new" music by regularly checking and downloading from a whole slew of mp3 blogs (I've included as many as I can in the links in the sidebar). There's been quite a bit or merde (pardon my French), but half the fun has been sifting through all the downloads to find the golden nuggets, just like when I found Bishop Allen--who release their next track today, May 1st (see the April 19th post for my previous comments). I ended up buying the band's album Charm School from iTunes last week--I think you should really check them out. This is what I was put into the world to do, to recommend music to unsuspecting associates and acquaintances and dazzle them with my refined and dignified tastes. Besides, most of these songs are free--so it's not like you're stealing them, right? Right.
LiSTEN2DiS: The Boy Least Likely To "Be Gentle With Me"; Parenthetical Girls "Love Connection"