On A Lighter Note

So last night (very early this morning) was a bit of a downer and since I'm bored and trying to find ways to kill time, here some pictures that I find humorous and/or light hearted. Enjoy!


(Acquired from a DW LJ community, but for the life of me, I can't remember which one, sadly. The quote is from Monty Python's Holy Grail)


(As with the above, same nameless community. Also if you don't get the quote, you're totally lame and need to see The Princess Bride now)


(Discworld characters depicted as mice. Clockwise from the top left; Rincewind, Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Sam Vimes, Havelock Vetinari, aand Great A'tuin. The bottom two are Igor and C.M.O.T Dibbler. Drawn by Tanken over at DeviantArt)


(As above, same artist and all that. Clockwise from top left; Moist von Lipwig, Mr. Pump, the Librarian, the Bursar, Archchancellor Ridcully, and Miss Dearheart)

That's it. Somebody remind me to never not take my meds because the after affects are a bitch.

Late Night Philosopher

People can be incredibly cruel. I wouldn't know this from first had experience mind you, but I see it all the time. Or more accurately I hear about it all the time. People doing things that are cruel and selfish, acts that hurt the people around them more than they could ever guess. People hurt people constantly, emotionally and physically. And the beauty in all of it, is that I rarely deal with it first hand. Sure people annoy me and do things that can hurt, but nothing as cruel as what happened tonight. I've never been lied to my face or excluded when I wanted to be included. As much as I'm currently living the anti-social life, it isn't as if I'm completely alone. I interact, much like I did in 10th grade with the people around me to the extent that I want to, and really that's all that matters to me. Nonetheless, people are still incredibly cruel, but only to the people they care about most. Maybe that's why I never get myself involved too deeply in other people. A sly way of protecting myself from love's cruelty.
They only reason I'm writing this is because I was listening to Keane's cover of "Under Pressure" and the last verse got to me again. But for me, tonight was good. I watched a movie with acquaintances and wasn't alone. As much as I enjoy being alone, I don't like spending all my time alone, so tonight was good, in a bitter-sweet way. Because, you see, people are cruel.
On a happier note, I've figured out the people I get along best with are either music geeks or ADHD/ADD. Just shows that the socially awkward always get along best with the socially awkward.

This Is My Saturday

I'm a horrible person. Mostly because I'm addicted to sales and cheap prices. I'm slowly becoming a Sudman (my mom's mom's side of the family.) Pretty soon I'll be getting excited over cheap gas prices and saving ten cents on groceries. Mostly I'm a horrible person because I love shopping even though I know I don't need most of the things I buy. Except of course for the import Kinks: The Ultimate Collection which I totally needed if only for the fact that it has both "Victoria" and all my other favourites. And Old Navy was having a sale, two shirts for 15 bucks! That's definitely a steal. Oh I'm so sad.
So that's it. More "Gilmore Girls" to be watched.

Despite Better Judgement...

• I like Kate Nash's album. I've given it a spin and well...the accent is a little annoying, but well worth the lyrics. The praise is mostly justified.
• I'm staying up past 10pm. I'm so completely wiped it's not even funny. The fact that I'm making coherent sentences is a miracle.
• I'm getting a second job in the music department. Which means I'm adding more things to my already busy schedule. Yay me.

First Day Back

Yes, I'm updating for the third day in a row. I know, the world has ended.
So today was the first day of classes for the semester and things have already gotten exciting. My theory prof. (aka head of the music department) can be identified by the loud thumping of his cowboy boots which I find highly amusing. Nonetheless I think that Prof. Long will definitely be different from Prof. Naylor, but not for the worst. Except for the fact that he's kind of a know-it-all. Which might prove annoying. On the other hand my history prof. is the second biggest geek I've met on this campus and I'm already mucho excited about the class. Finally, my math teacher should be good and the class seems like it will be fairly easy. So, all in all, a good day.
I need to stop being like my dad. I was offered another student job in the music department and I've been acting like it's some burden to be appreciated by my teachers. I definitely need to find a happy median between self deprecation and gloating. Ah well, I'll figure it out. I'm cool like that yo.
Brit Award noms were announced today. I'm amazingly unexcited about the whole endeveour despite the fact that KC are nominated for three awards. I only want them to win one though, because Muse is better live and "Valerie" (Mark Ronson version) is a much better song than "Ruby." So basically I want them to win for best band. Let's all cross our fingers and watch it not happen.
So that's it. I've got reading and math to do, so I'll be off. (To definitely not do either of those things.)

Back

Well I'm back. It's not the living hell I imagined it to be, but the semester is young and Allison is hoping to transfer, so it might just become a living hell. I got my books without too much fuss which was really nice because I wasn't really in the mood for drama. It's too soon for drama.
So classes start tomorrow and I can feel the jitters racing through my veins as we speak. Actually that might be the caffeine, but same diff. I also feel the need to sing coursing through my veins, but much like the jitters, there's nothing I can do about it. At least not without annoying the shit out of my roommates first day back, which would bad.
I some how managed to bring back more movies than I went home with, but if things go the way I think they're going to this semester it won't really matter. I'll just have a bunch of films sitting on my shelf gathering dust. On other shelf related news I somehow managed to fit all of my textbooks along with all the books I brought back with me. Granted three of them were library books and will be returned tomorrow. Nonetheless I'm still impressed.
So now that I've filled up a page, ta-ra.

Over the Hill and Through the Woods...

In accordance with the principal that Nore must take twice as long to do any given task because she must putter around doing jack shit for at least half of the day, I come bearing articles from the past few days. Most are rather hilarious and, as always, most have to do with music. One has to do with poodles.
A long while ago, while watching the tube, I heard "Conquest" for the first time. Sometime before then I had actually heard the song during a break between sets at the Muse concert, but I didn't really get that they were the same song. You see the one used in the eBay commercial was recorded by Patti Page who pioneered multi-track recording in popular music. The version I had heard at the Muse concert was a deftly done cover by the White Stripes. Well, it seems that Mr. White had a "conversation" with Ms. Page, which I think is quite cool. Anyway, I just thought this brought a nice conclusion to what I had written about sometime ago in my seminar blog, but since I don't write in that anymore, I figured I'd post the article here.
Cheese. We all know it's my favourite noun and certainly one of my favourite foods, but what place does it hold in the music world? Well, as I pointed out many years ago, Alex James, former Blur bassist, his a cheese maker. Recently he gave some to British rapper Dizzee Rascal. That's really all you have to know. Actually reading the article is pointless because trying to decipher what Dizzee is saying is quite hard and who cares really. The point is cheese.
My sister is obsessed with "Flight of the Conchords" kind of like I'm obsessed with that Yorkshire band. So, when I saw an article where the actor who plays the Conchords manager dispenses advice to two people I really dislike and one poor soul who needs to find her way, I couldn't resist. It's really funny and kind of almost not really true and good advice. So go on, read Murray's advice.
Well now that we're done with NME, let's watch some poodles be absolutely awesome.
Aaaah, poodles. Speaking of poodles, the Cribs are thinking of adding a fourth member to their trio. To be perfectly honest, I can't see it and of the suggestions put forth by Fake DIY, I can only hope it's either Kate Nash or Robochrist (whoever the hell that is.) Anyway, just something to think on.
So I head back to school tomorrow which I'm dreading. I don't want to deal with certain people and...well that's it really. Otherwise I'm not really dreading it. I don't have my books which makes me quite annoyed since I ordered them on Monday, but I'll figure all that out tomorrow. In other Nore news, I've taken to flicking off my calender when I feel like. It's semi-cathartic since it means I get to flick off the Gallagher brothers whenever I like. Also, I've watched so much NMTB that I don't think I can watch anymore. :rolls eyes: Yeah right. More Buzzcocks!

Lyric Post v.4.2

This is what happens when I procrastinate but have nothing to do whilst procrastinating. A whole shit load of random ass lyrics. Have fun.


Goodbye Stranger, Supertramp

It was an early morning yesterday
I was up before the dawn
And I really have enjoyed my stay
But I must be moving on

Like a king without a castle
Like a queen without a throne
I'm an early morning lover
And I must be moving on

Now I believe in what you say
Is the undisputed truth
But I have to have things my own way
To keep me in my youth

Like a ship without an anchor
Like a slave without a chain
Just the thought of those sweet ladies
Sends a shiver through my veins

And I will go on shining
Shining like brand new
I'll never look behind me
My troubles will be few

(Goodbye stranger it's been nice)
(Hope you find your paradise)
(Tried to see your point of view)
(Hope your dreams will all come true)
(Goodbye Mary, Goodbye Jane)
(Will we ever meet again)
(Feel no sorrow, feel no shame)
(Come tomorrow, feel no pain)

Sweet devotion, (Goodbye Mary)
it's not for me (Goodbye Jane)
Just give me motion, (Will we ever)
and set me free (meet again)

Like an ocean, (Feel no sorrow)
far away (feel no shame)
It's the life i've chosen (Come tomorrow)
every day (feel no pain)

So Goodbye Mary, (Goodbye Mary)
Goodbye Jane (Goodbye Jane)
Will we ever (Will we ever)
meet again (meet again)

Now some they do and some they don't
And some you just can't tell
And some they will and some they won't
With some it's just as well

You can laugh at my behavior
That'll never bother me
Say the devil is my savior
But I don't pay no heed

And I will go on shining
Shining like brand new
I'll never look behind me
My troubles will be few

(Goodbye stranger it's been nice)
(Hope you find your paradise)
(Tried to see your point of view)
(Hope your dreams will all come true)
(Goodbye Mary, Goodbye Jane)
(Will we ever meet again)
(Feel no sorrow, feel no shame)
(Come tomorrow, feel no pain)

Sweet devotion, (Goodbye Mary)
it's not for me (Goodbye Jane)
Just give me motion, (Will we ever)
And set me free (meet again)
Like an ocean, (Feel no sorrow)
Far away (feel no shame)
It's the life I've chosen, (Come tomorrow)
Every day (feel no pain)

Now I'm leaving, (Goodbye Mary)
Got to go, (Goodbye Jane)
Hit the road (Will we ever)
I'll say it once again, (meet again)
oh yes I'm leaving (Feel no sorrow)
Got to go, (feel no shame)
Got to go. (come tomorrow)
I'm sorry I must dash (feel no pain)
But Goodbye Mary, (Goodbye Mary)
Goodbye Jane (Goodbye Jane)
Will we ever (Will we ever)
Meet again (meet again)

Oh I'm leavin'
I've got to go

All My Friends, LCD Soundsystem

That's how it starts.
We go back to your house.
We check the charts,
And start to figure it out.

And if it's crowded, all the better,
because we know we're gonna be up late.
But if you're worried about the weather
then you picked the wrong place to stay.
That's how it starts.

And so it starts.
You switch the engine on.
We set controls for the heart of the sun,
one of the ways we show our age.

And if the sun comes up, if the sun comes up, if the sun comes up
and I still don't wanna stagger home.
Then it's the memory of our betters
that are keeping us on our feet.

You spent the first five years trying to get with the plan,
and the next five years trying to be with your friends again.

You're talking 45 turns just as fast as you can,
yeah, I know it gets tired, but it's better when we pretend.

It comes apart,
the way it does in bad films.
Except in parts,
when the moral kicks in.

Though when we're running out of the drugs
and the conversation's winding away.
I wouldn't trade one stupid decision
for another five years of lies.

You drop the first ten years just as fast as you can,
and the next ten people who are trying to be polite.
When you're blowing eighty-five days in the middle of France,
Yeah, I know it gets tired only where are your friends tonight?

And to tell the truth.
Oh, this could be the last time.
So here we go,
like a sail's force into the night

And if I made a fool, if I made a fool, if I made a fool
on the road, there's always this.
And if I'm sewn into submission,
I can still come home to this.

And with a face like a dad and a laughable stand,
you can sleep on the plane or review what you said.
When you're drunk and the kids leave impossible tasks
you think over and over, "hey, I'm finally dead."

Oh, if the trip and the plan come apart in your hand,
you look contorted on yourself your ridiculous prop.
You forgot what you meant when you read what you said,
and you always knew you were tired, but then,
where are your friends tonight?

Where are your friends tonight?
Where are your friends tonight?

If I could see all my friends tonight,
If I could see all my friends tonight,
If I could see all my friends tonight,
If I could see all my friends tonight

Victoria, The Kinks

Long ago life was clean
Sex was bad and obscene
And the rich were so mean
Stately homes for the Lords
Croquet lawns, village greens
Victoria was my queen
Victoria, Victoria, Victoria, 'toria

I was born, lucky me
In a land that I love
Though I am poor, I am free
When I grow I shall fight
For this land I shall die
Let her sun never set
Victoria, Victoria, Victoria, 'toria
Victoria, Victoria, Victoria, toria

Land of hope and gloria
Land of my Victoria
Land of hope and gloria
Land of my Victoria
Victoria, 'toria
Victoria, Victoria, Victoria, 'toria

Canada to India
Australia to Cornwall
Singapore to Hong Kong
From the West to the East
From the rich to the poor
Victoria loved them all
Victoria, Victoria, Victoria, 'toria
Victoria, Victoria, Victoria

If This Is It, Huey Lewis and the News

I've been phoning at night and morning
I heard you say "tell him I'm not home"
Now you're confessing, But I'm still guessing
I've been your fool for so so long
Girl don't lie, just to save my feelings
Girl don't cry, and tell me nothing's wrong
Girl don't try to make up phony reasons
I'd rather leave than never believe

If this is it
Please let me know
If this ain't love you'd better let me go
If this is it
I want to know the row
If this ain't love baby, just say so

You've been thinking
And I've been drinking
We both know that it's just not right
Now you're pretending
That it's not ending
You'll say anything to avoid a fight
Girl don't lie, and tell me that you need me
Girl don't cry, and tell me nothing's wrong
I'll be alright, one way or another
So let me go, or make we want to stay

If this is it
Please let me know
If this ain't love you'd better let me go
If this is it
I want to know the row
If this ain't love baby, just say so

P.S. (If you got through all those lyrics) I got my driver's license yesterday. Yay me!

Dribble

Unbeknownst to me, the weather has skipped ahead a few months and it is now spring. We just completely skipped over winter. Sure there were some day of winter, real honest to god winter, but now it's spring. Unless of course you talking about my feet, in which case it's still winter. Brrrr.
As a sort of present to himself, my Dad got a recumbent stationary bike at the beginning of this year. This is nice for both myself and Dad because we both like biking over any other form of exercise. Granted I only have four more days to enjoy the family bike before I go back to school and start using their recumbents. Hopefully the TVs at school will be entertaining as Monty Python or this whole exercise thing will be completely fucked and left for dead. We'll see.
So I'm finally taking my driver's test tomorrow and I cooked a pork roast this afternoon. I feel truly accomplished. Also I got my NME wall calender for 2008 and currently have Oasis staring me in the face. Well not directly at my face, but they're there, which is none to pleasing. I've decided to just completely ignore the month of June though (Pete Doherty), though I'm quite pleased with May (Arctic Monkeys.) Otherwise it's a good calender.
I would just like all of you to know that this entry took me a whole day to write. Just shows how busy(lazy) I am.

Blaaaaaaah

You can tell I'm bored when I update this thing multiple days in a row. Either that or...no just bored.
So I've actually got some exciting news, which means that not only am I bored, but have news to write about. Huzzah!
So that exciting news. Remember way back when, when I was going on and on about a band called OK Go? Well, I finally get to see them this February and unlike with the Cribs and the White Rabbits who refuse to have shows at times convenient for moi, OK Go will be playing on a Saturday at the 9:30 club. If I weren't so bored, grumpy and sleepy at the moment I would incredibly excited. I'll probably be really excited during the week of Jan. 28 (show is Feb. 2). As I hinted at before this is the first time I'll be getting to see OK Go so it's really quite exciting and, to quote the site, is "a benefit for Al “Carnival Time” Johnson and Sweet Home New Orleans." Good times, good times.
The Redskins are currently losing to the Seattle Seahawks. I'm not surprised, but I also don't care. So I'll be off now.

The Year That Was

I know it's the fourth day of 2008 and that really I should looking ahead to what might happen this year, but I've got these articles from last year about last year, so I really think I should post them. Only a couple have to do with music and the other two are about movies, though really it's more about certain entries, but I digress. There's one about beards too.
In order to combine both the articles I saved and my own opinions, I'm going to do this by category. Simple enough since there are only two categories to be looked at, but let's start with movies, the non-obvious choice.

Movies
I've never been a big fan of movies and most of the time I see them well after their initial release and sometimes many, many, many years after they debuted on the big screen. This year was no exception in my movie going patterns, except for the fact that I saw more movies while they were in theaters. Most of them weren't that good though, so I don't really remember them that well. Saw a couple through UMW's film club (Cheap Seats) though I think they were all within the same year of release. My basic criteria though is that the movie must make me feel something beyond slightly entertained for most of the film's duration. Which means that despite the number of movies I've seen throughout my life only a few could ever be considered "favourites." Somehow though I saw two movies that were released in 2007 that hit the mark. So without further ado, here are my top two movies for the 2007:

1. Once (I know, such a shock.)
2. Juno (Sophs really wanted to see this and I was willing to give it a chance. I almost cried.)

Now, for the other lists. The AV Club did an extensive look at the films released in 2007 and the Master List of best movies made me quite happy. Even though I only saw one of the movies on the list, I had heard about almost all of the movies and wasn't that surprised by the outcome. Except for the one I saw. :rolls eyes: What can I say, I have low expectations for the things I really like.
The other list I would like to highlight was written by Nathan Rabin who is my favourite critic over at AV Club and who also knows how to make a girl happy. You see, he placed Once at number one on his list. Meanwhile Noel Murray placed Once at number five and gave best performance to Glen Hansard. At this point I would just like to point out that all of the critics placed Once in their top 10. This is why I like the AV Club.

Music
When I listen to music I tend to forget what year it was released. I know vaguely when things were released, but sometimes, because of the difference between British and American release dates, I forget which year an album was released. 2006 or 2007? I was listening to it in 2006, does that mean that's when it was released? Not always, but again, it's hard to tell. The thing to keep in mind though, is that I know when Kaiser Chiefs released Yours Truly, Angry Mob, how much more can you expect from me? So onto my top 10 for 2007. (I'm doing it unnumbered so that I don't have to pick a number 1. Basically, I'm just going to be listing the albums I bought this year.)

• Version --- Mark Ronson (featuring various artists including Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, and Maximo Park)
• Yours Truly, Angry Mob --- Kaiser Chiefs
• Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever --- The Cribs
• Back to Black --- Amy Winehouse
• Fort Nightly --- The White Rabbits
• Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga --- Spoon
• Costello Music --- The Fratellis
• Alright, Still --- Lily Allen
• Favourite Worst Nightmare --- Arctic Monkeys
• Under the Blacklight --- Rilo Kiley

Understandably, most of my picks weren't on anyone else's lists. Drowned in Sound only featured two of my picks (the Cribs and Arctic Monkeys) on their top 50 and neither even made it into the top 25. Meanwhile over at Fake DIY only two made it into their top 20 (same two) while a vast majority of their other picks were either not released in the States in 2007 or are generally not to my taste. I guess you could say I'm just too mainstream. Or lazy, I can't decide.
Else where in the music world, the AV Club decided to ignore the "Best of" format and instead published a list of The Least Essential Albums of 2007. Included on the list are various sub-categories including "Least Essential Souvenir From A Benefit-Concert Sequel That No One Seemed All That Jazzed About To Begin With," "Least Essential Album By An Actor," "Least Essential Musical Necrophilia," and of course "Least Essential Album Of 2007." A much more fun list for me because I could say "I don't own any of these, thank God."

Beards
With the departure of Michael Tapper from We Are Scientists, Fake DIY's Beard of the Year contest seemed almost pointless. I mean, who cares if other people have beards? It doesn't matter if it's not Tapper. (Yes, that rhymed, but it wasn't intentional.) Unfortunately the contest wasn't called off and someone else won. Who is that someone else? Someone from Les Savy Fav. I've heard of them but I've never really listened to their music to be perfectly honest. So, there you have it: Someone other than Tapper won this year and I no longer give a shit.
Well that's it. Let's hope 2008 is almost, if not better, than 2007.

Tee Hee

[Ghoulish-Cruella de Ville/Maleficent laughter] Mwhahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got my copy of Once today. For some reason this not only makes me extremely giddy but also slightly evil. Mostly giddy though. :big ole smile:
Well now that I've got nothing else to say, here's a little quiz thing I did early today. Needless to say end of 2007 shit will be coming later. Hopefully quite soon though. Anyway, QUIZ!

You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.

Not as easy as you might think.

1. Where is your cell phone?
table

2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend?
nonexistant

3. Your hair?
up

4. Work?
kinda

5. Your father?
ass

6. Your favorite thing?
music

7. Your dream last night?
dunno

8. Your favorite drink?
coke

9. Your dream car?
Mini

11. Your pet?
sleeping

12. Your fear?
boredom

13. Where did you hang out last night?
home

14. What you’re not good at doing?
music

15. Eyebrow rings on the opposite sex?
ugh

16. One of your wish list items?
London

17. Where you grew up?
DC

18. The last thing you did?
Ate

19. What are you wearing?
green

20. What aren’t you wearing?
red

21. The goffywebsite.com??
umm

22. Your computer?
adored

23. Bam margera?
confused

24. your mood?
bored

25. Missing?
activity

26.What are you thinking about right now?
realists

27. Your work?
none

28. Your summer?
boring

29. Your relationship status:
Single

30. Your favorite color?
green

31. When was the last time you laughed?
yesterday

32. School?
College

33. Music?
british

North American Scum

I've decided something. After listening to Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem, I've decided that if Fake DIY says I should listen to something, I should do as they say. My reasoning is that Sound of Silver is in fact brilliant and Fake DIY and I seem to be on the same wave length when it comes to music so I should do as they say. I'm sure I've made this comment before, but as my New Year's resolution I'm actually going to follow through on listening to new music suggested by Fake DIY. Besides they're getting a US branch which will make my life slightly easier (US releases and all that jazz).
On a related side note, James Murphy aka LCD Soundsystem, somehow makes seven minutes not seem like seven minutes. Usually I can tell when a track is longer than four minutes, but not so with LCD Soundsystem. I actually thought a track that was around three minutes was actually much longer than it was and a track that was only seven minutes much shorter than it is. In my opinion, that is brilliance.
I may or may not do my top X lists for 2007. I'll probably post some of my favourites (including Fake DIY's top 20 list) with comments, but there's a good chance I won't post my own because, well you all know how lazy I am. Besides you can all guess my number one (it starts with a "y" and ends with a "b") and then everything else is just fairly random and trying to remember whether it was actually released in 2007. All of that will be in another entry though, so no worries.
Now onto something completely different.
I finally got a chance to watch Amy Winehouse's first time on NMTB and not only was the episode quite delightful, but it was really amusing to see Amy not drunk. Well not amusing, more like amazing. I don't know...I guess you have to watch the episode yourself. So go forth and search my friends!

First it should be mentioned that this is partially Sophie's fault. She did show me that damned video. Which made me add the song. Which eventually led to my current situation. So really it's entirely Sophie's fault. :nods:
Another thing should be pointed out as well. Two of the members of McFly have been on NMTB and Simon Amstell (current host) was semi-featured in the damned video. :crickets: Oh fuck it, I really like that stupid McFly song and I don't care who knows it. :raspberry:
This, what I'm about to "quote" is the best characterization of the Doctor (tenth Doctor) I've ever read. And I've read a lot of DW fan fiction in my time as an avid DW fan, so that's saying something. In any event it's from a fic by goldy_dollar on LiveJournal:

Blimey, they were turning into one of those annoying couples always joined at the hip. Maybe they should get permanently attached and get on with it. YES! Brilliant! Because then if she got pulled into a parallel world again, he’d have no choice but to go with her. The only question was, Where to get attached? As best as memory served—and he did have an extraordinarily good one—these operations could be very painful.

He thought about it. Feet were out—that would make running nearly impossible. Hips, while initially a good thought, would make it difficult to maneuver out of tight spots. Definitely not hands, he needed his free for too many things.

OH! An elbow! That didn’t sound so bad.

At this point I feel one last thing should be pointed out. You see I'm currently in desperate need of a love life, or even just a life, so I'm being a bit mushy. I blame Starter for 10 which, while being absolutely brilliant, has fuelled this mushy-ness. Hopefully this mushy-ness will end soon and I can get back to being a bitter old woman.
Ta for now.

Christmas Week Update

I can't believe it's only Thursday. It feels like it should be Friday, if only so I could imagine that my grandparents would be leaving tomorrow. Alas I have another two days of them. Oh well.
So I finally got to watch this year's Doctor Who Christmas special and I found it to be incredibly depressing. Sure the Doctor saves the Earth and Mr. Cooper gets to start his life over, but honestly given the huge number of people who died in the process, including Kylie Minogue's character, it just doesn't cut it. The episode, entitled "Voyage of the Damned," should have just been called "A Great Bloody Number of Deaths" or, as I told my sister, "Death." The main plot point is death with the underlying theme of universal right to marriage (cyborg = gay.) Truly depressing I tell you, truly depressing.
In happier Who news, here's a link to the season 4 trailer. It hints at stupid romance shit with Donna, but I don't believe it for a minute and will cry if that is the case. Overall though it looks brilliant.
As long as I've been reading Filter (going on three years now) they've done a Top Ten records for every day of December, as decided by an artist of the magazine's choice. So, for the 26th day of December they brought in Joe Jackson, forefather of New Wave and generally creepy looking guy. Of all the twenty bazillion Top X record lists I've read in the past month, Mr. Jackson's was the only one to feature YTAM. Granted, I wasn't expecting t'Chiefs to be in many of the lists given the lack lustre reviews the album received, but it's still rather cool to see that someone other than myself appreciated YTAM. Even if the dude is incredibly creepy looking.
Ever not know the lyrics to a song? Or think you know the lyrics to a song and then find out your wrong? I have. For instance, I continue that the first line of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" goes like so: "Joan was quizzical/Studied metaphysical science in the home." The real lyrics go like so: "Joan was quizzical/Studied pataphysical science in the home." Now mine is more realistic because metaphysical sciences actually exist as compared to pataphysical, but the point is, I made up the lyrics to make sense to me. This, according to the nifty people at the mental_floss blog, is called a mondegreen. Interesting, no?
I didn't get Once for Christmas. I'm going to get a copy anyway, because I can't go back to school without it. How else will I torture Allison? I did, however, receive Jeeves and Wooster from Sophie, which will be fun. Mwhahahahahahaha.
To finish off the post, I've pictures. Lots of them. That I want to show off. Have fun. (Sorry for all of them being rather big, but it's worth it)


Maximo Park's Limited Edition Beer: For the True Indie Enthusiast


A Cool Castle in Scotland (from this list)


Leeds Castle, which is in Leeds, Kent, not Leeds, West Yorkshire :frowns deeply:


Look, it's real pilot fish! Oh to be Whovian
And...


The Stupidest Pool I've Ever Seen (taken by the drummer of Keane, Richard Hughes)

Just Something Silly

I'm procrastinating on cleaning up my bathroom, so here's something I did yesterday.

	I received 56 credits on The Sci Fi Sounds Quiz How much of a Sci-Fi geek are you?
Guess the Sci-Fi Movie Sounds hereCanon powershot

The sad thing is that I wish I had scored higher. Anyway, just something silly. (Sorry if it looks like crap, but I'm not sure how to fix it.)

Because Avoidance is So Much Better

A
- Available: yes
- Age: 19
- Annoyance: my life at the moment
- Animal: Dog
- Actor: Michael Sheen

B
- Beer: not that I drink, but Red Stripe
- Birthday/Birthplace: May 10, Capitol Hill (Washington DC)
- Best Friends: n/a, don't want to discuss really
- Body Part on opposite sex: Eyes
- Best feeling in the world: hearing really good music for the first time
- Blind or Deaf: Blind
- Best weather: Mid 60's (F)
- Been in Love: not really
- Been bitched out?: not really
- Been on stage?: yup
- Believe in yourself?: sometimes
- Believe in life on other planets: not entirely sure (god I'm being neutral today)
- Believe in miracles: Sometimes
- Believe in Magic: no
- Believe in God: believe in a higher power
- Believe in Satan: only when I'm damning people
- Believe in Santa: no
- Believe in Ghosts/spirits: nein
- Believe in Evolution: Yes

C
- Car: don't have one, but want a mini cooper and I don't what you say, it's what I want
- Candy: Reese's or Lindt chocolate
- Colour: :rolls eyes: green
- Cried in school: sadly
- Chocolate/Vanilla: CHOCOLATE, now please
- Chinese/Mexican: both muchos gracias
- Cake or pie: cake
- Country to visit: England, Scotland, Wales, or Ireland, preferably all
- Crushes at the moment: no

D
- Day or Night: Night
- Dream vehicle: mini cooper, like I said before
- Danced: a couple months ago to Patrick Wolf and Spoon
- Dance in the rain?: no
- Do the splits?: use to be able to

E
- Eggs: in my cake please
- Eyes: my eyes? hazel green. dream eyes? blue
- Everyone has a: pair of glasses
- Ever failed a class? I've failed quarters, but not whole classes
F
- First crush: umm...preschool
- Full name: no, you don't get to know that
- First thoughts waking up: uuuuhhhhh
- Food: Pizza and lots of

G
- Greatest Fear: never going back to London
- Giver or taker: Take
- Goals: Live in London, see Franz Ferdinand live
- Gum: sure, why not
- Get along with your parents?: I'm not talking about that
- Good luck charm: Kaiser Chiefs

In guys/girls
Eye colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Ginger/dirty blonde/brown
Height: 5'9" or taller
Clothing Style: normal
Characteristics: musical (or good taste in music) and wicked intelligent

H
- Hair Colour: dark brown with silver strands (damn my father)
- Height: 5'10"
- Happy: when I'm not at home
- Holiday: Christmas
- How do you want to die: happy
- Health freak?: No
- Hate: hate is a very strong word...

I
- Ice Cream: Stone Cold creamery chocolate devotion
- Instrument: clarinet/voice

J
- Jewelry: none at the moment, usually a ring
- Job: student aide to the band director at UMW

K
- Kids: :sigh: probably
- Kickboxing or karate: Karate
- Keep a journal?: oh god yes

L
- Longest Car Ride: anything in a yellow bus
- Love: music, music, my friends, music, the UK
- Letter: dunno
- Laughed so hard you cried: not in a very, very long time
- Love at first sight: :sigh: a girl can wish

M
- Milk flavor: chocolate
- Movie: Once
- Mooned anyone?: no
- Marriage: yes
- Motion sickness? sometimes, if I'm reading
- McD’s or BK: McD's all the way, if I can't have Sonic

N
- Number of Siblings: 1 older fucked up sister
- Number of Piercings: two
- Number: 42

O
- Overused Phrases: bugger
- One wish: To live in London or Glasgow
- One phobia: heights

P
- Place you’d like to live: London, Leeds, Glasgow, Cardiff
- Perfect Pizza: lots of cheese, lots of pepperoni, lots of cheese
- Pepsi/Coke: Diet Coke or Dr. Pepper

Q
- Quail: umm...point?
- Questionnaires: something to keep my mind occupied

R
- Reason to cry: too many
- Reality T.V.: America's Next Top Model, Top Chef
- Radio Station: none thank you
- Roll your tongue in a circle? sort of yeah

S
- Song: anything by KC or Brazil as covered by Arcade Fire
- Shoe size: 10
- Salad Dressing: fat free ranch
- Sushi: no thanks
- Skipped school: only since entering college
- Slept outside: no
- Seen a dead body?: no
- Smoked?: never, not in a million years
- Skinny dipped? never, not in a million years
- Shower daily? no
- Sing well?: People tend to think that
- In the shower? not any more
- Swear?: :rolls eyes:
- Stuffed Animals?: no
- Single/Group dates: prefer single
- Strawberries/Blueberries: strawberries, though I don't really like either
- Scientists need to invent: teleportation
- Time for bed: when I'm sleepy
- Thunderstorms: wake me up
- TV: the boob tube keeps my mind occupied, tanks
- Touch your tongue to your nose:? yuppers
- Unpredictable: life

V
- Vegetable you hate: most
- Vegetable you love: salad, carrots...corn
- Vacation spot: London (how many times do I have to say that before you lot get the point?)

W
- Weakness: chocolate, Kaiser Chiefs
- When you grow up: music critic/radio dj
- Which one of your friends acts the most like you: not a one
- Who makes you laugh the most: Jasmine
- Worst feeling: right now
- Wanted to be a model?: god no
- Where do we go when we die: I don't think about it to be honest
- Worst weather: cold, drippy, not quite rain, but if you stay in it long enough it will get you wet rain

X
-X-Rays: creepy, my bones or Kaiser Chiefs video

Y
-Year it is now: 2007
-Yellow: mellow (quite rightly)

Z
- Zoo animal: god they all smell...frog
- Zodiac sign: Taurus

LAST PERSON WHO…
1. Slept in a bed beside you? me, myself, and I
2. Last person to see you cry? Allison, unfortunately
3. Went to the movies with you? technically Mike
4. You went to the mall with? Allison, Meg, and Mike
5. You went to dinner with? Sophie
6. You talked to on the phone? not sure to be honest
7. Made you laugh? either Alex, Jasmine or Chelsea

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Shit, has it really been a week since I last updated. Oh...well not that much has happened. I hung out with my friends on Monday and Wednesday, saw Vagtsy on Wednesday which was uber-spiffy. I re-re-realized why I really, really dislike my father which was just a lovely experience, per usual. Amazingly enough I've spent most of my time doing absolutely nothing and ogling in amazement at how quickly the time passes and yet how slowly it goes at the same time. I'm hoping that the rest of my time at home goes by in the same manner. It's not that I don't like being at home, I just don't like being with the people who happen to be in my home. Truth of the matter is, if it weren't for the fact that I really, really dislike one of my room mates I would be happier at school than I am at home. Which is incredibly sad. Oh well.
So this has been an interesting week in music news. First Britney Spears' little sister gets pregnant at the ripe old age of 16, then it's announced that Lily Allen is preggers as well. And while I'm happy for Ms. Allen, I wonder, why no announcement on your website? I mean if Jamie Lynn Spears can fucking announce her pregnancy through OK! Magazine it only seems right that Lily could say something that isn't through her PR people. Seems only fair. In any event, congratz to Lily.
It seems Amy Winehouse was arrested recently as part of the criminal investigation involving her husband, Mr. I Wish I Was Pete Doherty. But the arrest isn't what I care about. It's the absolutely perfect way that the AV Club reported the arrest. You see, the sad thing with Ms. Winehouse is that she's incredibly talented and were it not for that fact that she attracts trouble like I attract nut-cases, that is what she would be known for. Sadly, she's not known for her amazing voice and song writing talents, in fact she's mainly known for her antics and it's all very sad in my view and, it seems, the AV Club. :sigh:
:sigh: I would write about the AV Club's best movie lists, but it would be redundant. I'll write about them later. Ta.

Quote-alicious

On my LiveJournal profile page I have a section called "Quote-alicious" that has many, many zany quotes that I rather like. The quotes come from a mirade of places and most of the them are rather humurous. Since I have nothing else to do today, I'm going to post them here. Have fun!

Quote-alicious!!
"FUTILTIY A-KAKAKAKA" How Art Rock Are You? Quiz in the NME Yearbook
"Trees falling on me, oh coal in 3 million years!" Paraphrasing of a line from Peter Cook in "Beyond the Fringe"
"A bit of harmless mind alteration" - Wallace in "Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit
"It smells like freshly-baked cookies... but these cookies... are EEEVIL!" -Mezzo Forte, crack anime, english dub (thanks dichigo/mar)
"Buggrit. Millenium hand and shrimp" - Foul Ole Ron from the Discworld
"Roses are red/Violets are blue/I like corn flakes/Can you swim?" - Prof. Trethewey during class
"Nuts to your mice" - Ford Prefect
"An hour of regret in a long and fruitless life full of bad decisions, why did I leave that man he clearly loved me, why didn't I take that job it would have set me up for life..." - Mark Lamarr on Never Mind the Buzzcocks; season 16, episode 7
"He'll squeeze my face again my brains will come out my nose and I'll die" - Fran from Black Books
"Well quite frankly you're doomed, you and all the shy people" - Bernard from Black Books
"Sparkles, flowers, and rape hurrah!" - Me, talking to Jasmine on the phone
"Oh, where am I? I feel faint..." - Wooster in The Ties that Bind
"Dire Strait's Mark Knophler had a dinosaur named after him, the dinosaur responded 'Jesus, haven't you got anything more current?' Another dinosaur asked 'Who’s Jesus?' and Jesus responded 'There are no dinosaurs!'" - Simon Amstell on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, season 20, episode 1
"Jesus was a Communist" - Tom K (in response to the above quote)
"Festering like a pit bull" - Tom R
"Take drugs/Don't sleep/Have contempt for those you meet" - "I'm Alright Me", the Cribs
"I question your criteria for calling it kabady, 'cuz why then is football not called the referee's a wanker?" - Jack Dee on "The Big Fat Anniversary Quiz"
"I'm 40 and I take naps!" - Ted Forth from Sally Forth, 12/14/07

When I Get Home

The first thing, after probably sleeping, will to be sing without inhibition to whatever the hell I want. First damn thing.

In Loo of Actual Work

So it seems that the year is finally ending. Best of lists are being posted, Christmas cheer has reached its nauseating peak and CD releases have all but ended until 2008. Exams are coming to an end as well and the packing up of dorm rooms for a month at home has begun. Yes my dear readers, the end is nigh and what better to honour it than by posting a list of the hottest indie rockers. Well that's how Stereogum decided to celebrate the end and having looked at said list, I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed. It should be noted that I didn't know most of the people on this list, just their bands, so my evaluation probably isn't the fairest. Also, Feist won out over Jenny Lewis which just doesn't make sense. And of the guys I know on the list, none of them seem particularly attractive, except Mark Ronson. Who is incredibly attractive. But then again I've always had an unusual taste in men.
Oh right, here's a link to the AV Clubs posting of Stereogum's list. Completely forgot about that in my critique of the damn thing. Sorry.
So Allison hasn't been keeping regular sleeping hours which means that I've basically been "working" in the dark for the past few days. Yesterday was probably the worst because she didn't get to bed until 7am and so slept until 4 in the afternoon. Eventually I just gave up on trying to be quite and not have any light around 3, but that means that I spent most of the day in the dark. Granted I have perfected the art of watching things on YouTube whilst having a rather sluggish internet connection, so that's certainly a plus.
Well that's it really. I've become obsessed with a new game called Mad Virus but I can't get past level 5 which is rather sad. I've got my music theory exam tomorrow which means I have to get a blue book which means venturing outside. Yup. That's it. Ta for now loves.

For some reason I started watching another British comedy yesterday. Now my internal monologue sounds like an Irishman and my speech has the odd Irish inflection. Damn you Roy!!
In other news, people in the music department keep flinging scholarships at me. Not that it's a bad thing or anything, but I just don't get why they think I'm a good candidate. I do horribly in auditions and don't work that hard at the clarinet. I haven't practised in over a week and I usually only practice once or twice a week at the most. Besides, scholarships usually entail getting good grades, and it's a bloody miracle that I'm doing well this semester, honest to God. I am truly befuddled. But don't tell anyone because they'd think I'm crazy.
I've taken to tapping out the rhythms of the songs I'm listening to in loo of actually singing them, since I can't really do that any more. Allison has created a cave for herself to live in during finals by placing a pink bed sheet over the side of her bed. I look over and see nothing but pink, which is bizarre in and of itself, but then if Allison's bed is completely covered it looks like I have a really tall bed. It's very strange.
I've got to write this self evaluation for my seminar and I've no clue what to say. I talked a lot in class and did most of the reading, but my "commitment" to the class wasn't spectacular, at least in terms of the presentations. I put almost no effort into the last one and the one before that only got a marginal amount of effort. I just writing these kind of things because I never know what to say and really I'm my harshest critic and so my tendency is to say horrible things about myself. I dunno.
I should probably watch some NMTB just to get the Irish out of my head. At least then I'll have a Brit in there instead.

Things I Would Like To Say/Do To Allison That I Can't Because I Still Have a Week Left

• Fuck you, you stupid bitch
• No, I will not singing softer, go fuck yourself
• You may have more exams, but at least I'll pass all of mine
• How about you go to the library you dumb fuck
• Why can't you be more like Cecilia?
• :Takes away super long internet cable: :raspberry:
• :Pointedly sings things in her direction:
• What's that? I can't hear you over your crap taste in music, whore
• [After hiding the remote control] Oh, yeah. You don't get to watch or use the TV any more. New rule.
• I can't see you, therefore you don't exist :begins singing at top of lungs:
• It's a shame I can't move out. Then I wouldn't have to deal with your bitchy whining, twat
• Your taste in everything sucks and you have no culture. Having seen The Holy Grail means nothing
• :Shoves q-tips in her ears:
• :Blasts the Cribs at 5 o'clock in the morning:
• I hope Charlie gives you syphilis and you die*
• :Takes over all the room in front of the bunk beds:
• You're about as thick as two short planks and as useful as a chocolate teapot
• :Kills with mind:
• [After killing with mind]Eejit

*A paraphrase of the following quote: "I hope they catch AIDS and die" (said by Oasis lead guitarist Noel Gallagher about Damon Albarn and Alex James of the band Blur)

Random Statements While I Wait For Things To Load

You know whose a good friend? Clark. You know why? Because he introduced me to Red vs. Blue, possibly the most hilarious thing I've ever seen, besides NMTB and Black Books. I was laughing my ass off last night and it's a damn shame the school's internet isn't faster because we could have watched more than we did if the internet was faster. But yeah, Red vs. Blue. Look for it on YouTube or on their site. It's pure brilliance.
I'm done with MacGamut for the semester. I finished yesterday which makes me happy since it's not due until Wednesday. Of course I haven't really studied at all for my history exam tomorrow, but I'll do that later. Anyway, I'm done with MacGamut!! Yay-ness!!!
I haven't listened to Back to Black in awhile and now that I'm listening to it, I think Amy Winehouse should win all the Grammy's she's nominated for. She should win awards she's not nominated for, except of course of best soundtrack because we all know Once has to win that one. Anyway, brilliant album, should definitely win multiple awards.
That's it.

I'm Really Tired

Is it so unreasonable to want to go to bed before midnight? Is it really that unreasonable to expect the people around you to make certain "sacrifices" like listening to music with headphones when you're trying to go to sleep? I only ask out of curiosity.
On a completely different note, raise you're hand if you knew that Gloria Gaynor did a version of "How High the Moon." I didn't. It's fun and I almost want to change my interpretation to fit her's, just to prove a point to Prof. Gately. But I won't. It's more fun to be a slacker.
So the Grammy nominations were announced recently (either today or last night, I'm not sure) but Amy Winehouse was nominated in all the categories including country, rap, and soundtracks. No, that's a lie. She was just nominated for best album, best record, best song, best new artist, best pop vocal album, and best female pop vocal performance. Meanwhile Lily Allen was nominated for best alternative album which confuses me and Kanye West was nominated for a shit load of awards as well. I'm just interested to see how Ms. Winehouse does in her home country when award season comes along. Furthermore, if Once doesn't win for best "COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK ALBUM FOR A MOTION PICTURE, TELEVISION, OR OTHER VISUAL MEDIA" I'm going to go crazy. I like Across the Universe but Once is the best thing to ever happen to the world and should not lose this award. It should also win for best movie, best actor, best actress, and best song. Once should win all awards. Except the ones Kaiser Chiefs are nominated for, because they should win those. [goes a little bit more crazy than she already was]
So I missed my radio show on Wednesday because of my voice final. I was mess before the performance, a mess during the performance, and a mess after the performance which is why I skipped the radio. Things would have gone horribly wrong and I didn't really need that, so instead I relaxed in my room and watched Black Books. Yesterday was rather crappy and not just because of the weather. I spent numerous hours in Pollard aimlessly trying to find things to do while I waited for band to happen. I then used what little brain wattage I had left to input data into the music library database which was both a painful and exceedingly boring task. From there, after what was left of my brain exited my ears into a puddle, I did absolutely jack shit for the rest of the day. Then around 10:30 I decided I wanted to sleep. I slept for about a hour and then proceeded to stay up for the next two hours because the world hates me. Since then I've done jack shit. I'm in a very bad mood if you can't tell and have yet to decide what I'm going to do about it besides get myself some chocolate and go to the last class I have today. Hopefully Buzzcocks will be involved. Also I've completely forgotten how to spell. Hurrah for me.
I mean is it really so much to ask for someone to turn off their music at 1 in the morning? Honestly?

Perfect Situation

So take me to winter, as if it was discontent I'd see/I'll live with the madmen there and pull my hair/'cause lunacy is everything I need/It's not just that I'm selfish and scared/it's not just that I'm so unprepared/It's just you'd think I'd grow out of this, wouldn't you? --- "Bye, Bye Baby" OK Go
Long days make me tense. Long days with no breaks make me tense. Exams and end of the semester things make me tense. When I get tense, I'm more likely to lash out, to separate myself from the pack. It's a self-defence me mechanism that saves the people from the worst of my anger and frustration. The thing is, most people wouldn't understand that. They would think that I'm being a bitch and a snob. Which is an understandable reaction if you don't know me.
Don't get me wrong... --- "Don't Get Me Wrong" The Pretenders
I had a shitty day. I had two projects due and the music lab was having issues with its printer and there are only five computers to being with so you can probably see where this is going. I have my voice final on Wednesday and am currently working on transposing one of my pieces down a minor third and I still need to memorize the other one. I didn't get to go to my room until 4ish this afternoon and wasn't exactly in the mood to socialize, but I was willing to give up my down for normal human interaction. And then we somehow get to the of how much better the north is. Now I'm not exactly what you would call a patriot and quite frankly it's common knowledge that I want to leave this country as soon as I can. But this still my "hometown" and I think bashing a part of this country is wrong. The reason I think this is because the whole country sucks. Bashing one particular section is idiotic and bashing it for something that ended over a hundred years ago even more idiotic. Just because a place isn't exactly like where you're from doesn't make it a worse place, it just makes it a different place. Mind you, a coherent argument like that would have meant nothing earlier. But that little argument wouldn't have stopped me from the socializing. But then I remembered I had my radio show and so I went to get the key. Key wasn't there and then I realized I had forgotten my cds. So, after looking at the time and estimating how much I needed and how long certain activities would take, I decided to have carry out dinner. It didn't having anything to do with the flare up. Well maybe a little. But mostly I just wanted my show to start on time. Not that it did.
Tell me there's a logic out there... --- "Perfect Situation" Weezer
So, after my take-away dinner, after my multiple walks to and from the police station, after my show, I come back to the room and Allison is in grump mode. Completely ignores me. I assume she's made, but since I had already decided to block her out, and Cecilia's in the room, I don't say anything. But, after she leaves and I've been brooding for awhile, I realize I'm in a very similar situation to one I've been in before with Allison. I have to apologize before things escalate into a fight of who can remain silent and stand the tension longer. Thing is, I don't think I should have to apologize. I didn't do anything wrong and it really pisses me off that I'm the one having to apologize. Not that I necessarily think Allison has to apologize, there just shouldn't have to be any apologies. But that's not how things work sadly and so I'm just going to have to grin and bear it.
But I'm too full to swallow my pride... --- "Can't Stand Losing You" The Police

The Cribs

The first time I heard the Cribs I didn't know what to expect. I only knew anything about them because the band I was going to see, Kaiser Chiefs (fake shock), had been singing their praises for more than a few weeks. I assumed they'd be similar in style to Kaiser Chiefs and I wasn't exactly wrong. Then again, I wasn't exactly right. Actually, I was pretty much wrong. They weren't at all the same. They just happen to be from the same area of Yorkshire, England.
The Cribs, as compared to say, Kaiser Chiefs, are incredibly cynical. This can be better heard in their second and third albums, but it's not entirely absent from the first one. Much of that cynicism may come from the fact that they only built up an underground fan base in their home country, while less-talented bands won Brit awards. While many of their songs deal with the usual rock and roll topics (love, loss, and booze) more of their songs deal with the indie/hipster world and it's repercussions. Musically, they're rather unique in this day and age and trying to equate them to bands from previous decades would be rather confusing (because they combine a lot of different influences) and possibly very difficult.
Maybe the best way to describe the band is to look at their albums. The band which formed early in the 00's released their first self-titled album in 2003 with no definitive hit, though probably the best known track is "Another Number" (or that may just be my personal favourite and I assume everyone else knows it.) The Cribs can be more experimental, particularly in instrumentation and song structure, than their later albums, but the bands distinctive style can still be heard in the thin harmonies, both vocally and within the instruments, as well as in the switching between vocalists (the twins, Ryan and Garry.) While at times the songs seem to drag, despite the short run times, that may be because of the bands early propensity for long-ish guitar solos and complete abandonment of the melody (case in point, "Learning How to Fight" changes melody mid-way through). (The longest song is 5 minutes is probably the most experimental of the bunch.)
The next album, The New Fellas released in 2005, is more tightly composed with fewer melodic changes and slightly more cynical lyrics, indicating the direction the band was heading in. Lyrically the band almost completely abandons the usually lyrical topics of love, loss and booze in favour of commentary on the indie scene how very hypocritical it can be. The four tracks on The New Fellas is typical of this line of thought, highlighting the overall cynicism of the band as well as the combination of this cynicism with break-up songs ("I'm Alright Me" in particular.) The New Fellas also emphasizes the percussive side of the bands sound, something that would carry into their third album. The switching of the vocals between the twins is also continued in this album, though the difference in the two isn't always as noticeable as it will be in they're third album. Overall The New Fellas is more indicative of what was to come than anything else.
The latest album Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever, released in 2007, is the most coherent of the albums both in terms of style as well as in ability to understand the singers. (Just listen to "Mirror Kisses" from their second album and tell me you can understand every word coming out of Gary's mouth.) The album, produced by Franz Ferdinand lead singer Alex Kapranos, is the most warmly received out of all the albums and is probably the one best known both in the UK and the States. Compositionally Men's Needs... is the tightest of the three, though much of this may have come from Kapranos' production, which also lends a cleaner tone as compared to the first two albums (less fuzz and the like.) Lyrically the band has gone back to the more typical topics found in rock songs with a stronger emphasis on the loss part. While the lyrics remain cynical overall the venom found in the second has been toned down drastically with only a few tracks hinting at the bands dissatisfaction with the indie music scene. (An example of this is "Our Bovine Public" which explains exactly what the band thinks of much of the music scene.) The twins' vocal styles have (finally) become distinguishable with Gary tending to sing the higher parts in songs while Ryan sings the lower parts in songs (eg: Ryan sings vocals for the chorus in "Men's Needs" while Gary sings the chorus.) Much of the noticeable stylistic differences (cleaner sound, more cohesive song structure) between Men's Needs... and the band's earlier albums may come from the producer but ultimately the album is very much a Cribs album.
Must listen to tracks: "Another Number," "Hey Scenesters!", "Martell," "Mirror Kisses," "Things Aren't Gonna Change," "Our Bovine Public," "Men's Needs," "Moving Pictures," "I'm A Realist"

Kick My Brains Around the Floor

Running on adrenaline isn't much fun. But what's worse is the crash after the adrenaline runs out. In light of that, and the fact that the last verse of "Under Pressure" is getting to me, here's the last verse of "Under Pressure."

'Cause love's such an old fashioned word
And love dares you to care for
The people on the edge of the night
And loves dares you to change our way of
Caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last dance
This is ourselves
Under pressure
Under pressure
Pressure

Update at 7:30

I should be doing reading for my paper right now, but reading about the Black Death is slightly depressing and overall not that interesting. Really all I want to do is nothing, but I don't have time. On the other hand I might go crazy if I don't take a break, so here's my break. Writing a journal entry.
There's absolutely no hope for me. I'm horribly flighty at the moment, completely and utterly distractable. But I shall try, yes I shall.
So, Rose is coming back. And by Rose I mean Billie Piper is coming back. To Doctor Who Fangirls and 10/Rose shippers all over the world rejoiced. I just hope it's not awful. If it's awful then I don't know what will happen. World wide Doctor Who fan insurrection. Russell T. Davies will be forced to resign. Something awful. So let's hope it's not awful.
There's a site called "The List Universe." You should check it out. I know I have.
A long time ago I said that if We Are Scientists' lead singer and Kaiser Chiefs lead singer joined forces, they could take over the world. Although the pictorial evidence is the best for either (especially the latter), it's still proof of a kind. Even if the picture is shite. So here it is. Usually I would just post the picture, but it's really not flattering for a certain person and I also have standards for what gets posted on the blog. Sort of. Anyway, it should also be noted that all the members of KC have gotten their hair cut. It's shameful what I do when I'm bored and weak. Absolutely shameful.
House tonight. Paper due tomorrow. I'm off.

Place Keeper

Right. Long day. Very tired. Have funny joke. Going to bed after finished with this. Show went well. So tired. Now, joke:

An American, an Englishman and a Scot are at a bar. Each of them orders a beer. As the bartender sets their drinks in front of them, three flies buzz in and each of them land in a beer.

The American pushes his drink toward the bartender and says, “There’s a fly in my drink. Pour me another.”

The Englishman picks the fly out, shrugs and takes a drink.

A sudden noise makes them glance over at the Scot, who is holding the fly over his drink and pinching it, saying “Spit it out, ye wee thievin’ bastard!”

Yes, terrible stereotypes, but still funny, especially the last two. Now, bed.

The Days Get Longer as They Get Shorter

1. What is your favorite experience in your life so far?
Every concert I've been to since July 22, 2005. Every single one.

2. What motivates you to keep going every day?
My music. I know that at the end of the day I can stick in my ear buds and rock out to whomever I like. That and my two hours of radio time.

3. Where do you want to go in life? What do you want to accomplish?
Something in music. The exact goal has changed slightly, but music is the overall is the general direction. Even if that means just being a teacher. As for what I want to accomplish? Live in London and be happy.

4. Is there anything that you regret? Do you try to change it?
I regret a lot of things but I've yet to regret something to the point that I would want to change it.

5. What is your most cherished gift you have received? Why do you cherish it so much?
Most of the things that I truly cherish weren't gifts and most of the gifts I've received I don't cherish. So there you have it.

Damn Him

Somedays I get bored. Most days I get bored actually. Usually I can fill the boredom with fanfiction or other such nonsense, but not today. For some god awful reason I looked at old photos of Kaiser Chiefs. You see earlier this week (aka Monday) I read an article about rock show photographers and my immediate thought was "Peter Hill." So, as I sat here with Singing in the Rain on in the background, I googled the good man. And that, of course, led to looking at year and half old pictures of Kaiser Chiefs. I'm a weak person really, incredibly weak. And tired. In any event, here's a photo that caught my attention for various reasons, that should be obvious to anyone who knows me at all. Or has been reading this blog before April of this past year. Also, ironically, I now have two copies of the same picture. Now, picture.



I feel I should mention that the first copy of this picture is saved as "demonrick" and the second copy is saved as "damnhimdamnhimtohell" which is my favourite phrase in describing the above person. Anyway, toodles.

I Feel Accomplished

Things I Did Today

• Showered (always a big deal on the days they clean the loos)
• Did laundry (sheets included)
• Washed dishes and silverware
• Packed (well before the noon hour, thank you)
• Called Dell about installing memory
• Finished my theory final project (or at least finished it in the sense that all the notes are there)
• Installed Insipration (damn you hard drive wiping)
• Made bed (there's always the possibility of not and leaving it for after break
• Oggled a young(ish) R

Things Left To Do

• Swiffer around desk
• Take out trash (all four bags)
• Double check everything

A Ladder

Lexi insists on meeting a tall man. I feel sorry for shortarsed men. Women are unbelievably shallow on this issue. I've never heard a man insist his wife must have big tits, but I've heard countless women complain about men's height. What do you want, you whining harridans? A ladder in a hat? Jesus. --- Charlie Brooker
I read this on The Last Bus Home and I thought, "Yeah, that's totally true." I'm not sure who Lexi is or what show Mr. Brooker is talking about, but it's true. I can live with a couple of inches shorter, but given my height that's not really saying much. But I will say this; I don't just want "a ladder in a hat." I would like a ladder with a stereo attached and a hat. So :raspberry:

Disney Princess Meme

Cinderella:
One of your parents is dead
You are expected to do a lot of chores
You love to dress up
You love animals
You are waiting patiently for your Prince Charming
Your mom is really strict
You have sisters who seem kind of jealous of you
You’re afraid to speak your mind sometimes
You have left your shoes at a friend’s house before
You have blonde hair
TOTAL: 2

Belle:
You’ve kissed someone your friends didn’t like
You’ve been lost in the forest
You love to read
You are not shy at all, and not afraid to speak your mind
One of your family members is a bit weird
You have done volunteer work
You have a wild imagination
You love to take care of people in need
You've rejected at least one person when they’ve asked you out
TOTAL: 4

Jasmine:
You are very clever
You’ve been with someone way different from you
You’re unique and different from everyone else
You’d never marry someone just because they were rich
You have set a lot of goals for yourself
You don’t have a lot of friends
You’re independent
You are wealthy
Your parents try to control your life
TOTAL: 4

Ariel:
Your parents expect a lot from you
You really try to follow the rules, but it’s hard for you
You’re a bit of a trouble maker
You’re the youngest in your family or in the last 2
You have a lot of sisters (3 or more)
You collect something
You have/had long, hair
You have/had a pet fish
You’re extremely curious
You believe everything people tell you/you’re a bit gullible
TOTAL: 5

Snow White:
You know that you’re beautiful
Sometimes it seems like your mom is jealous of you
You’ve almost been killed
You have at least seven good friends
You’ve had food poisoning
You have/had short hair
You get along with almost everyone
All of your friends are different
You love to have a good time
You’re happier when you’re out of the house than in
TOTAL: 1

Mulan:
You can be a tomboy sometimes.
People wish you could be a bit more girly
You’ve pretended to be someone you’re not
You’ve had a physical fight with someone
You have/had considered running away from home
Your parents try to plan your life out
A lot of your friends are boys
You sometimes find yourself in bad situations
You love your family so much that you’d do anything to protect them
TOTAL: 2

Aurora:
You live/have lived with someone other than your parents
You almost died at a very young age
You are gentle, loving, and/or thoughtful
You have a decent singing voice
You like to sleep in late on the weekends
You spend most of your time outside
You’re adopted
Pink is one of your favorite colors
TOTAL: 3

Pocahontas:
You love to walk around big cities
You are more spiritual than religious
You’ve been in an interracial relationship
One of your family members is dead
Your parents are very protective of you
Someone you know has been in war
You love nature
You have/had black hair
You would love to move somewhere exotic and beautiful
You’re very adventurous
TOTAL: 1

The Result: I am Ariel

Girly Ranting in a Very Unsophisticated Manner

So here I am, about to go to bed, when I decide to check the seminar blog page (where everyone's latest entries are shown) and what pops up but "Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag." Of course I immediately think of Girls Aloud because that's the most recent version I've heard, but I remember the Wheatus original well enough. Better than Girls Aloud but far less entertaining because it's not Girls Aloud. In any event, I scroll to the bottom to see who wrote the entry. None other than Libertines fan! So I read, because he rarely posts and because of other things that need not be named. So, not only is he from NY, but he lived in England. I'm dead on the inside because...of things that need not be named. I also feel like a complete loser because I've never lived in England and...god I'm pathetic. Anyway...damn his Libertine tendencies!! Damn you Pete Doherty. You ruin everything...:(

Radio Show

So I've had my radio show for a little over two months now and I thought you guys might like to know what kind of music I play during my hour of play time. If you know me at all you can probably guess, but for those of you who don't (all 415 viewers) here's a sample:

Monday

• Tiger Army - Forever Fades Away
• Franz Ferdinand - The Fallen
• Handsome Furs - In the Radio's Hot Sun
• Arcade Fire - Brazil
• Kings of Leon - Camaro
• Arctic Monkeys - Old Yellow Bricks
• The Aliens - Glover
• White Rabbits - Tourist Trap
• Lily Allen - Don't Get Me Wrong
• Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight
• Figurines - Hey Girl
• The Pipettes - Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me
• The Honorary Title - Thin Layer
• Amy Winehouse - Valerie

Wednesday

• The Honorary Title - Untouched & Intact and Stuck at Sea
• Kaiser Chiefs - Retirement
• Eastern Conference Champions - The Box
• Ben Folds - Annie Waits
• Dirty Pretty Things - Bang Bang Your Dead
• Hot Hot Heat - Happiness Ltd.
• Tiger Army - Ghosts of Memories
• Maximo Park - Girls Who Play Guitar
• The Aliens - Happy Song
• Blur - The Debt Collector
• Gossip - Careless Whispers
• Rilo Kiley
• Handsome Furs - Hearts of Iron
• The Frames - Pavement Tune

Well that's it me hearties. If you're interested in hearing a real show tune on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6pm to WMWC Radio. Hope you tune in and enjoy.

Aural Experiment

Last night, very bored but very tired, I listened to "Magical Mystery Tour" by the Beatles. Usually when I listen to music I use my headphones because a) they're better for the ears and b) I like being able to hear what people are saying to me (even if it is just slightly louder noise.) Last night though I used my earbuds as a means of blocking out the other noises in the room. Without fully realizing it, I was conducting a kind of aural experiment.
Back in the day people recorded music in mono, meaning with one channel. As recording techniques improved and advanced people began recording in stereo (two channels.) The Beatles for instance, originally recorded in mono. It was only later with the advent of CDs and all that were those mono recordings redone in stereo. Musicians, particularly the very clever ones, have used stereo recording to mess with listeners minds, but effect is usually lost on run of the mill headphones (aka the not so fancy, non-sound dampening kind) and most stereos.
Anyway, back to last night. As I listened to "Magical Mystery Tour" I noticed the sensation of having all the sound in the opening two tracks coming from the back of my head. Essentially both channels had equal levels of sound coming from them. Beginning with "Blue Jay Way" though I started noticing how individual parts weren't coming from the back of my head (mono) but from either the left or right side (stereo.) This effect was particularly noticeable with "Strawberry Fields Forever" when the beginning of the track was almost entirely in my right ear while the left lay dormant.
So my charge to you, dear readers, is this: Conduct your own "aural experiment." Listen to an older recording (most newer recordings don't take full advantage of the stereo effect) and notice were the different parts are coming from. Is the track mono or stereo in effect? Think on the difference between those two. And then think about how damn trippy "I Am the Walrus" is when you're listening to it with earbuds. Very damn trippy.

General Update News Thing

I'm feeling better for the moment. I had a long talk with mums and that helped air out some issues and generally made me feel better. This however is not a guarantee that I'll be feeling this way tomorrow or even later this evening. But at least I'm feeling better now.
So about a week ago Prof. Naylor asked if I would like to be his assistant. Currently his assistant is Colin, but Colin's a senior and so a new assistant needs to be trained and broken in before he leaves. That person is me. It's a very nifty paid position which can go on resumes and give me money for CD purchases. According to Colin it's not a very hard job which is good since I have a fairly heavy course load next semester. All in all I'm excited.
My head hurts from too much crying. Either that or the various perfumes in and around the hall have finally hit my head and I'm getting a migraine. Or maybe a combination of both. Wouldn't that be fun.
House tonight. I'm excited. That's it really. Lindsey is conducting a piece for our winter concert and made sure I got the solo by telling me to get the first part. I feel slightly used but then again this is more solos than I ever got in high school band. Now I'm done.

[Insert Witty Title]

[Edit: Here is a link to mimi-na's site at Deviant Art in case you want to see the rest of her work]
If you want to know how I'm feeling just know this: It's not as bad as 9th grade, a little better than 10th grade, not quite 7th grade, and a along the same lines as 6th grade. I love how I can describe my mental state by what grade I was in at school. It's a wonderful ability.
There is an absolutely fabulous artist on DeviantArt called mimi-na. I've featured some of her work before, most notably her pieces concerning Doctor Who. I was going to do this yesterday but then my emotions got the better of me and so I'm doing this today. Because I like her art work so much, I'm going to post everything I have by mimi-na, giving her full credit of course. It's all Doctor Who and all very wonderful.

Doctor's Girls

(l-r Susan Foreman, Vicki, Dodo Chaplet, Polly, Victoria Waterfield, Zoe Harriot, Liz Shaw, Jo Grant, Sarah Jane Smith, Leela, Romana I, Romana II, Nyssa of Traken, Tegan Jovanka, Peri Brown, Mel Bush, Ace, Dr. Grace Holloway, Doctor, Rose, K-9)


Doctor's Boys

(l-r Adric, Dr. Harry Sullivan, Drunk Doctor, the Brigadier, Jamie McCrimmon, Jack Harkness, Vislor Turlough, Ben Jackson, Ian Chesterton, Steven Taylor, K-9, Mickey Smith)

The Monsters

(l-r Cyberman, Slitheen, Axon, Zygon, Vervoid, Ice Warrior, Movellan, Scaroth, Sontaran, Clockwork Alien, Tetrap, Krillitane, Quark, Dalek, K-9 [not a monster])

The Doctor(s)

(l-r William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant)

A Summary of Season 3 (yes, spoilers if you're that lame)

Now Something

A long time ago I listened to the Beatles. At the same time I realized that the first four or so albums included covers. That was my first experience with the idea of covers. Since then I've always been somewhat intrigued with the idea of covers, comparing the originals to the covers for or worse. Most of my experience though has been comparing Beatles covers and their originals and being highly disappointed. Eventually though I realized that the Beatles had done covers and that other bands did covers of non-Beatles songs. Some of my favourite songs are covers and in a few decades I'm sure somebody will be covering songs by favourite bands (though in the case of Kaiser Chiefs that's already occurred. Twice.)
A long time ago Radio Caroline ruled the rock scene in the UK. It was an illegal offshore station, but anyone who wanted to listen to rock listened to it. The official BBC radio didn't have a rock station but then in 1967 the BBC decided that it was tired of being really out of the loop (and losing all that profit) and so it launched Radio 1. Since then BBC radio has expanded to 6 channels playing a variety of classical and contemporary music as well as the news. Radio 1 though celebrated it's 40th anniversary a little over a month ago by releasing an a two disc album of covers. Because of the stations status it could ask just about anyone to participate and just about anyone whose anyone in the British rock/pop scene did. Quite literally.
Ever wonder what "Under Pressure" would sound like if Keane covered it? It sounds about the same honestly though it does make one re-realize what an amazing singer Freddy Mercury was. The "Town Called Malice" cover by McFly is amazingly faithful almost to the point of being bland, but at least all the words come through. The View's cover of the Libertines is awful and should be avoided at all costs. On the other hand listening to Girls Aloud cover "Teenage Dirty Bag" is both extremely pleasurable and extremely hilarious at the same time. The Klaxons covered "No Diggity" and I have to admit, I'm really, really impressed. "Cupid" as performed by Johnny Nash is well covered by Ms. Winehouse though that's really not so surprising. Neither is the fact that Natasha Bedingfield covering "Ray of Light" is quite good. Franz Ferdinand do a lovely version of "Sound and Vision" originally performed by David Bowie though I'll admit I've never heard the original. Finally the beginning and end of the first disc are my two favourites, tied for first place: Kaiser Chiefs performing "Flowers in the Rain" by the Move and "Don't Get Me Wrong" by the Pretenders, performed by Lily Allen. The former sounds like something t'Chiefs could have written themselves while the latter shows that Lily really can sing if there were any questions.
I love covers. That's why I bought Mark Ronson's "Version" and paid import for Radio 1's cover album. Simply put I think covers are the bee's knees.

The Precursor to Something

1. What is something you collect? Why?
I collect music because it's pretty. I also use to collect pictures of certain people but that ended awhile ago.

2. If you could make one ice cream flavor, what would the ingrediants be and what would be the name?
It would be the most chocolatey flavour of ice cream ever invented. It would have dark chocolate, white chocolate, and milk chocolate in spades plus brownie chunks and chocolate chips. It would beat your death by chocolate any day of the week and would be called the Ultimate Chocolate Fest.

3. What can't you go a day without?
Music. Music, music, music, caffeine, music. Music, music, music, people, music, music, NMTB reference, music, music, music, music. Music.

4. What position do you sleep in? *back, right side, left side, stomch...ETC*
The side, depends on which way the bed is facing, but usually on the right side.

5. What is your typical morning routine before work/school?
Wake-up, think about what to do next, get dressed, turn on the computer and check stuff, remember to take meds, take meds, stare at computer, get stuff together, put on shoes, leave.

Classic

I got iTunes a few weeks ago because OK Go did an acoustic cover of "Don't Bring Me Down" by ELO and I needed to have that. Yesterday, during my fit of boredom, I searched Kaiser Chiefs and it seems that they released some bizarre single for no apparent reason. In any event I took a quick glance at one of the user reviews and it said it wasn't the Kaiser Chiefs they knew. I, of course, bought the track because it's Kaiser Chiefs. Listened to it and thought, "gosh that person who reviewed it mustn't listen to Kaiser Chiefs b-sides ever." You see "Telling Me to Go" (the track in question) is a classic example of the group going "hey we need a b-side, let's do something crazy." As such, if you like their b-sides or want to hear something different from them, purchase "Telling Me to Go" from iTunes. It's a classic >_0

Stream of Consciousness

You know what are two really hard words to spell and differ? Conscience and conscious. They basically sound the same and the spelling of both makes no sense to me. In any event, I'm sorry for what will come. Hopefully it will make some semblance of sense. I really do.
So I'm having a very hard spelling today. For some reason all the big words I know aren't coming out right. I'm also having a marginally harder time typing, or at least I was earlier in the day. I've just been having issues with my mental facilities. And yet I try and try to use them nonetheless. It's sad.
So I registered for classes yesterday and things went really well for me. I got into the classes I wanted and had the realization that I'm going to be seeing the head of the music department everyday. Which scares me a little, but then again I have no choice about it, so I'll deal if I don't like him. I also have a teacher who doesn't exist for English and a Brit for math. I'm going to be so uber busy this upcoming semester it's not even funny. I'm taking four real classes plus voice and clarinet and band and chorus. 17 credits in all. Hopefully things will go better this upcoming semester than this semester when I had that many credits, but we shall see.
Allison is playing one of the Oompa Loompa songs from Willy Wonka and it's freaking me out. Oompa Loompa's scare me a little, I'll admit. Now it's over, thank god.
I've been trying to entertain myself to no avail. I've read a whole bunch of Doc. Who fan fiction and started watching the episode of NMTB with Amy Winehouse, but didn't finish it because of a hall meeting. It seems our HR wont' be our HR after winter break, which is sad-making but her logic is sound so we'll survive. In any event, the entertaining of Nore has been relatively unsuccessful. I'm still terribly bored.
I'm looking up Death Cab for Cutie to make sure I'm as cool as I think I am. And I am.
Never Mind the Buzzcocks returns Nov. 15. I'm uber excited. Now I have to figure out who Joel Pott is. [finds out] OMG this is going to be the best episode ever. Or it better damn well be given the line-up (Joel Pott, Jessica Hynes, Kimberly Stewart and Lethal Bizzle). So excited.
The room is mine! Let the singing and reading of fanfic begin!

They Tried to Make Me Go to Rehab....

Once upon a time there was a man named Pete. Pete had a serious addiction to a drug called heroine. Despite many, many, many, many, many, many attempts to sober up, Pete always seemed fall back into old habits. Recently, Pete was released from a rehab clinic with a thumbs up from everyone there. About a week later, Pete was caught on film shooting up again. Now, because Pete really does want to kick the habit, he's goint back to rehab. Everyone but your cold hearted narrator was surprised.