ahhhh.....there's nothing quite as satisfying as throwing a good mix-tape together. or i guess in our day and age a mix-cd. whatever. i think the term mix-tape has more artistic integrity. anyhow, it's such fun....deciding what kind of mix you want.....choosing appropriate songs.....listening and listening over and over and rearranging tracks to flow together, maintain coherence and thematic lines, carry moods, set up the listener......yes. so very satisfying....

on the sad side, i've put an avril lavigne song on my latest mix.
i feel like i'm secretly hiding a drug addiction or something by listening to her. i should KNOW BETTER. but it's such an easy indulgence......haha........

kill me now.

i think i miss Toronto.

i need some direction....

it seems people get sad about being single around feb 14th.
frankly, this baffles me.

it isn't the big, contrived, extravagent things in relationships that should be important. it's the little things. how come no one ever gets jealous when they see someone remembering to call their bf/gf? when they give them a ride somewhere way outta the way? when they talk wee hours into the night because it's nice to have someone listening and actually caring? to bitch to? to be totally honest with and have no fear of judgment?

as much as i love being single, this is the stuff i feel i'm missing out on. not.....cuddling sessions and giving giant stuffed animals......expensive dinners out, yadda yadda.....

all that crap....it's fleeting. you don't remember the time someone gives you a toy or whatever.

you remember when they were the only person who you needed. those moments happen everyday. not on valentines day. in fact, sometimes it seems like people get swept up by this commercial crap, and turn this day into the day most people forget the little things.

THATS what makes me sad.
being romantic isn't topping yourself over and over again.
it's being trustworthy....dependable.....consistant....
the virtues society seems to be losing by the day.

why does western's reading week have to be a week after every other schools? it's ridiculous.....is it so hard to take the same week off as every other student in the province?

whatever....i don't have enough classes per week anyways to mert complaining. but still....it bugs the piss out of me.

in other news, i've gone to all my classes in the last 2 weeks or so. we'll see how long this lasts....

Breaking Baseball News.

it was bound to happen.

yikes. i've been downloading albums at a speedy clip lately.
some standouts:

Idlewild - The Remote Part:
although i never got around to getting their first album (100 broken windows) i have heard most of it before and i must say this new album is a bit of a departure from their previous sound. Although they had a raw, punkish sound last album, the scottish boys also were much more in touch with their folk sensibilities on that album. The Remote Part sounds much more polished, with an almost prototypical pop-punk sound on songs like "(i am) what i am not" and "out of routine".
all in all however, it's a catchy album with some good riffs. Not groundbreaking but superbly done, and certainly a step forward towards more mainstream success for these guys.

Koufax - Social Life:
Unlike their labelmates at Vagrant, koufax don't perscribe to the mall-punk cliche at all, instead producing a NY garagey sound mated with ben folds-type pop. The piano really keeps it going on this album, and it's a cool, fun change of pace from new-wave wanna be bands like the datsuns. garage is the new grunge? whoop-de-doo.....but anyhow, this album is amazing. the lyrics are a bit bland, but the sogns are thrown together with an organic appeal, especially considering these guys are still young and growing. excellent album.

Zwan - Mary Star Of The Sea:
well, surprise surprise, it sounds like the second coming of SmaPum circa siamese dream. which certainly isn't a bad thing. Billy's dropped the rock-god get up (externally at least, we all know the ego isn't going anywhere) and is trying to get back to his indie roots. And he succeds to a certain extent. The songs are great, particularly the first single "honestly" and "endless summer", which swells with the catchy riffs and solos that personified classic pumpkins. it would fit right alongside "today" and "cherub rock". The best part of the album is probably the very last song however, "come with me". Corgan goes totally lo-fi and produces a song that sounds like michael stipe is his muse. there's a harmonica dammit! It's a songwriters song, which is something that can't be said of almost everything since Adore. very impressive. If this album had been full of songs that were all as good as the closer, it wouldn't be as....well.....bland. So nothing new here, but if you dig the sound, it's certainly listenable, with songs that'll be stuck in your head all day.

Massive Attack - 100th Window:
this album lacks the edge, and drama and epic mood of their earlier work. It's an excellent album, but i found myself using it as background music for reading and surfing the net. It just doesn't capture the listener like their older stuff.

The Ataris - So Long Astoria:
you KNOW you're an mp3 pirate when you're reviewing albums not slated to be released for another few weeks.....but anyhow. The Ataris have left any pretensions of being a credible punk band at the door, and have flung themselves full fury into the emo-pop-punk scene which they were being drawn into with their last album anyways. But it's still a wicked album, typical ataris catchiness, energy and wierd but appropriate voice overs, mixed with slower emo sing-alongs. If u dug their earlier stuff, or similar bands like rufio, you'll enjoy this.

Other Stuff:
The Early November - For All This (6/10)
The Lyndsey Diaries - The Tops Of Trees Are On Fire (4/10)
The Used - The Used (6/10)
System Of A Down - Steal This Album (7/10)
Further Seems Forever - How To Start A Fire (8/10)
Nas - Gods Song (8/10)
Missy Elliot - Under Construction (9/10)
Bjork - Greatest Hits (9/10)

well...it took me months and months of procrastination, but i finally got around to watching punch drunk love. i have to say it's pretty much what i expected - and it's amazing.

i imagine people who didn't like magnolia probably would find this movie a bit...uh.....pointless. but then again, if you didn't like magnolia.....well....you suck.

the components of our lives are either incredibly monotonous, or incredibly depressing. it seems the peaks don't seem to fare more than a glimpse in our memories....or at least, we don't reserve much more than a glimpse of them in our minds. we tend to dwell on the darker side of things.

which is exactly the problem with people today it seems. it's become an epidemic of sorts in our society. rampant cynicism. now...i know i very well could be the last person in the world to rant about being jaded.....but i mean.....it's not like i don't know it's a cyclical state of mind. sure...i could go out there and make a concious effort to be optimistic and happy and cheerful all the time. And you know what? I would probably make the world a better place by proxy.

i've written two paragraphs...and i could go on for another 20 pages. ranting on and on about the ultimate futility it seems we deal with every day when we wake up. the pointlessness.....the meaningless existence. and i don't deny it. it's the easiest way to face the world. to look deeper and see the beauty in life takes effort. it takes strength. and we aren't all up to that challenge. but it makes the time go by easier. so once in a while.....just.....decide to have a day where you literally stop and smell the roses. you never know what's around the corner....

what happend in the skies over the southern united states this morning is absolutely tragic. may God be with the family and friends of the space shuttle columbia.