Wednesday, November 30, 2005

- why the goofy smile, buttercup? -

From the latest Life in Hell:

I am sad for so many reasons.
I am sad that my life has not worked out as I had planned.
I am sad that I have achieved less than I had hoped.
I am sad that I have never felt truly loved.
I am sad that life has no meaning.
I am sad that nothing will ever change.
I am sad that I will always be sad.

Thursday, November 24, 2005

- it's edumacational -

Geek-out Thursday:

• Watched Rivers and Tides. I vaguely remember seeing the trailer a few years ago and thinking to myself "I's gots to see that!" Well, I finally got around to it and it did not disappoint. Slow and maddening at times, but absolutely fascinating. I wish they had spent more time explaining the processes behind creating those incredible pieces of art though (especially the clay wall).
  
• Then went to the Picasso exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery (David joined me despite being traumatized by the Nick/Jessica breakup). It was actually pretty bland, but I did learn what "protean" means.
  
• Then went to the Vancouver Perl Mongers meeting for presentations on Selenium and Higher-Order Perl. It was so weird to be surrounded by tech geeks again -- all talking about mod_perl, del.icio.us and RSS feeds while juggling and yoyo-ing (I shit you not). The Selenium talk was pretty interesting though -- infinitely better than the in-house app at you-know-where.
  

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

- say hello to my little friend -

To celebrate being unemployed and homeless, I bought myself a new toy. It's so purdy and shiny. (And also small, dark and compact.)

And I watched 16 (yes, sixteen) episodes of Desperate Housewives yesterday. I refuse to take part in the ever-so-popular "the plumber or the gardener?" discussion, however. That's like trying to decide who the prettiest member of Duran Duran is.

Current music: Martha Wainwright - Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole

Thursday, November 17, 2005

- don't call it a comeback -

Back in Seattle. Homeland Security can bite me.

Current music: Pet Shop Boys - Always on My Mind

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

- enter the wu-tang -

Did you know that "MET-Rx" is pronounced "metrix," not "met-ar-ex"? Oops. It's not nearly as embarrassing as mispronouncing "RZA" and "GZA" though.

Current music: I Mother Earth - Summertime in the Void

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

- geek in the pink -

Last night's Jason Mraz show was amazing. Not Katie-Holmes'-life-force-amazing, but like, really fucking amazing. Easily my favorite concert since the Cut Chemist show waaaay back in December of 2002.

Some random notes about the concert (with not one, not two, but *three* chances to win a fabulous prize! Matt: here is your shot at redemption):

• Jason Mraz is an amazing vocalist. Fer realz. I hate to keep using the word "amazing" but I can't think of a better word. Incredible range. Absolutely flawless.
  
• The set list was excellent: perfect mix of old and new, perfect balance of fast and slow, perfect amount of witty banter and just the right amount of improv/jamming sessions in between songs. My only complaint is that he didn't play my favorite song of his. Q1: What is my favorite JM song?
  
• He also skipped out on Eisenbud's favorite song. Q2: What is his favorite JM song?
  
• Tristan Prettyman (or "TP" as JM calls her) was just aiight. A lot of people were screaming requests for Toxic, but she did a rather bland rendition of my favorite Oasis song instead. Q3: What is my favorite Oasis song?
  
• JM incorporated another (much more popular) Oasis song into the chorus of Curbside Prophet with much greater success.
  
• TP and JM make such an adorable couple. It almost makes me want to vomit.
  
• James Blunt was a no show ("we left him in Seattle," said TP). I didn't really care because it meant more JM time.
  
• Commodore is not a bad place for a concert -- definitely better than the Paramount would have been. One of the unexpected benefits of going to a show in Vancouver was that the majority of the crowd was Asian, which meant that I wasn't the shortest person there, which meant that I actually had a decent view of the stage for once.
  

Monday, November 14, 2005

- television without borders -

One Canadian channel that *is* worth watching? Showcase. It's the channel that introduced me to Oz (before it became too cartoonish) and the original Queer as Folk (which is far superior to the glossy American "remake").

Most importantly, it's the channel that introduced me to Wong Kar-wai, when it aired the uncut, uncensored version of Happy Together. I still remember watching that movie in complete awe, with my jaw dropped all the way to the floor. Good times.

On Showcase yesterday alone: Da Ali G Show, Little Britain and Six Feet Under. All about a season or two behind (and episodes I had already seen), but still beats other crap on TV. Oh, how I miss Netflix.

Current music: Tristan Prettyman feat. Jason Mraz - Shy That Way

Friday, November 11, 2005

- flair for the dramatic -

So, David was on his daily run. He was adjusting his iPod when he tripped over something, causing the iPod to fly out of his hand and land in the middle of a busy street. It had somehow survived the spectacular flight/crash, but then promptly got run over by a car before David had a chance to retrieve it. True story.

For anyone else, this would've been a surreal incident. For David, it's just Tuesday.

Current music: The Tragically Hip - At the Hundredth Meridian

Monday, November 7, 2005

- i want my motherfuckin' mtv (and espn too) -

Canada could have been a paradise. It was supposed to have French culture, British government, and American know-how, but instead ended up with American culture, French government, and British know-how.

- Nick Auf der Maur