For some reason I thought that once I got into Westminster, if I got in, everything would be easy. I didn't think about all the paperwork that goes into travelling and studying in a foreign country, nor did I think about all the bureaucratic hoops I would have to jump through (because there are always hoops) to even get to point where I could go abroad. I just thought once I got in everything else would fall in place. As I sit here with a half written email to the head of the business department, I'm realizing how wrong I was.
The process for applying for a visa makes no sense. The UK Border Agency's website is convoluted but I'm semi-loathe to put off applying for a visa until December because that feels like I'm cutting it too close. On the other hand IAS seems to be of no help because they're information on applying and acquiring a visa to the UK isn't up to date (though the UK's new system is really f-ing confusing and the changes have to do with continental Europeans living and working in the UK illegally and trying to root those people out). So either I apply for a visa over Thanksgiving break or try and suss out how to do it all by my lonesome. Issue 1.
After talking to Dr. Long and IAS it seems that two of the course I'm trying to get approval for work best as general electives under the business department. Thing is I've never taken a business class and wouldn't know the chair of the business department if he smacked me on the butt (though that would be well creepy.) So I'm sat here trying to write an email to this person I don't know to set up some time to get these two courses approved. I hate writing emails like this. I never know where the line between formal enough and not formal enough is and therefore I get hopelessly stuck trying to come up with a formal version of what I'd really like to say (please see me tomorrow so I can get these courses approved thank you.) I hate doing this with professors I do know, so writing one of these is like ten times worse because it's to someone I don't know the person I'm writing to and he doesn't know me. It always helps if the person knows me because then my inability to write is made up for by my nice personality and the like. Issue 2.
It's almost fucking November. When the hell did that happen? It doesn't feel like it was all that long ago that I was working on my demos and fretting over my lack of a Zune. Obviously it's been quite a long while since September, but really, what happened to October? Where did that month go and how can I get it back? I'm not ready for the end of the semester. The end of the semester means that London is really happening and I'm not ready for that either. I need more time to bask in the glow of my acceptance. Also I'm not ready for finals or any of that other crap. So please, can I have October back now? Issue 3.
That's it. I need more time to process everything and get everything done (finished the email, but yeah...still a valid point.) And of course it's raining, but at least I have wellies. And now I'm going to go hide under a rock until the semester is done. And listen to happy music.
27.10.09
26.10.09
Incomplete Sentences and Bullet Points
Because I just can't be arsed to write a proper entry. I used up all my motivation yesterday with that review, so today you get bullet points. :raspberry:
- Before I dropped my Zune in the toilet, I had no videos. Then I a) discovered Mika and b) discovered that 80GB is a lot. Now I have almost all of Mika's videos, plus 1 video each from the following artists: La Roux, the Asteroids Galaxy Tour, Kaiser Chiefs, Patrick Wolf, Franz Ferdinand, OK Go, and The Cribs. That's right I went from zero to fifteen! I'm so proud of myself.
- Weird thing that I do that you wouldn't know I was doing if I didn't tell you: On the stairs to Pollard, the ones I walk down I do in tempo with whatever song I'm listening to. Today it was "Love Today" and I walked the sixteenth note. I was super impressed with myself, but you'd never know I was doing that if I didn't tell you. Yes, I am that big of a geek.
- I realized during skills on Tuesday that as excited as I am about getting into Westminster now by January I'm going to be freaking the fuck out. Like literally. I can imagine, right now, when I get to the dorm I'm staying in I'm going to be a nervous, crying wreck. It's going to be amazing.
- The best part of Dollhouse is when Eliza Dushku isn't on screen. However Firefly is by far Joss Whedon's best show. And my ex is an idiot when it comes to practical obvious crap. [That last bit was in no way related to Joss Whedon, more just saying something else that's fairly obvious.]
- When the ex found out I was studying in London his first reaction was "I hate you." His second reaction was to state "You're going to stalk David Tennant." I told him that no, there are other people I would rather stalk :cough:Mika:cough: and something I thought of later: There's no guarantee that David Tennant even spends all of his time in London. He is Scottish ya know.
- Two of my classes for next semester might get transferred in as business electives. This is the only time I plan on taking any kind of business related class ever. I just find that really amusing. More amusing was Dr. Long's description of them: "They sound good." Yes Dr. Long, they are good.
- Watching the certain music videos without sound are still entertaining, especially if the alternative is John Doe. 0_0
25.10.09
La Roux Is Definitely Into The Boy Who Knew Too Much
There is something to be said for good sugar pop (as a fellow radio colleague called it). As I've said in the past, writing a good hit-worthy pop song is not easy task, something that far too many people don't seem to appreciate. However so much of sugar pop is disregarded as fluff while more "artistic" bands and artists are lauded over while the writers of pop songs are ignored and pop stars left for rehab (or worse.) Every once in while though, sugar pop should be, or at least deserves to be, reviewed and treated the same way its more respected musical categories are treated.
When Life in Cartoon was released in 2007, I had no idea it had been released. I had never heard "Grace Kelly" (or for that matter "Relax (Take It Easy)") and was quick to hop on the bandwagon of slagging off Mika for the pleasure of making fun of someone who was in competition with my favourite band, Kaiser Chiefs. So when I stumbled upon the fact that Mika had released a new album and single I saw an opportune moment to take up the mockery once again on my radio show (since that's what I do and most of the original mockery had occurred well before I had a radio show.) I stuck "We Are Golden" towards the end my show and didn't really bother to give it a listen. [It should be noted that in the previous weeks and months I had given my self unto the wonderful joy that is brought about when listening to Barry Manilow, Queen, and the Scissor Sisters* so my state of mind was in a good place to accept what I'm going to describe next. It's amazing what listening to the Scissor Sisters repeatedly will do to one's point of view.] In the course of broadcasting my show and subsequently having actually listen to "We Are Golden" I found out something about Mika: He knows how to write a really infectious pop song. A trained musician (with some of that training having happened at the Royal College of Music) Mika knows how to effortlessly incorporate the musical trickery of the Western European tradition into the format of your standard pop song. But what's slightly more impressive (at least in my mind) is his further incorporation of his falsetto range, which he manages to do without falling into the Darkness trap of using it just for shits and giggles or as some odd way of showing off (something can't be said for his first album, which does sometimes fall into that trap more than once.) The best sugar pop sound effortless and simple while being actually much more complex on the page. The Boy Who Knew Too Much, the majority of which was written by Mika, does just that while also showing the kind of musical growth you would expect of an artist who is so clearly influenced by glam rock and elector/glam pop**.
Recommended Tracks: The whole damn thing except for maybe "I See You." But even that's tentative, so just the whole damn thing.
The self-titled debut album from British techno pop group La Roux starts off promisingly enough. The first half of the album sounds like a throwback to the early 80's when drum machines and synthesizers ruled the airwaves*** but with enough gloss to show that it was written and recording in the 00's. Although a clear line could be made between between La Roux and many of the early new wave band what makes La Roux distinctive, at least for the first half of the album, is Elly Jackson's vocals. While in many of the songs Ms. Jackson tends to let herself settle into her breathy upper range, the moments when she goes back into the lower part of her range (which in my opinion is the stronger part) a needed grittiness is added to the songs. Unfortunately after "I'm Not You're Toy" the album lapses into a repetitive cycle of broken hearts and thin textured techno beats. With time and more maturity La Roux could quite possibly be an excellent band. La Roux defintely shows that the band has that potential and it's a good album. It's just not brilliant.
Recommended Tracks: "Tigerlily," "Bulletproof," "I'm Not You're Toy," "Armour Love."
Album Grades: The Boy Who Knew Too Much: B+; La Roux: C+
On a minor side note, I just checked how many listens Mika has according to Zune. It's 930, which means that, as I predicted, Mika will be the next artist to get a Silver listener badge thingy. Also, Zune has the "Blame It On the Girls" video. I really need to get a life and soon.
*I'm not trying to assert that these three are in any way related. They're all just very dramatic and bombastic. I would never equate Queen to Barry Manilow, I'm not thick.
**I don't think glam pop is an actual pop music sub-category, but it's the best descriptor I could come up with for most of the music heard on The Boy Who Knew Too Much. However if its, go me!
***Ultravox is what I'm thinking of. And yes, they didn't rule the American airwaves, but La Roux isn't from the US, so that's okay.
When Life in Cartoon was released in 2007, I had no idea it had been released. I had never heard "Grace Kelly" (or for that matter "Relax (Take It Easy)") and was quick to hop on the bandwagon of slagging off Mika for the pleasure of making fun of someone who was in competition with my favourite band, Kaiser Chiefs. So when I stumbled upon the fact that Mika had released a new album and single I saw an opportune moment to take up the mockery once again on my radio show (since that's what I do and most of the original mockery had occurred well before I had a radio show.) I stuck "We Are Golden" towards the end my show and didn't really bother to give it a listen. [It should be noted that in the previous weeks and months I had given my self unto the wonderful joy that is brought about when listening to Barry Manilow, Queen, and the Scissor Sisters* so my state of mind was in a good place to accept what I'm going to describe next. It's amazing what listening to the Scissor Sisters repeatedly will do to one's point of view.] In the course of broadcasting my show and subsequently having actually listen to "We Are Golden" I found out something about Mika: He knows how to write a really infectious pop song. A trained musician (with some of that training having happened at the Royal College of Music) Mika knows how to effortlessly incorporate the musical trickery of the Western European tradition into the format of your standard pop song. But what's slightly more impressive (at least in my mind) is his further incorporation of his falsetto range, which he manages to do without falling into the Darkness trap of using it just for shits and giggles or as some odd way of showing off (something can't be said for his first album, which does sometimes fall into that trap more than once.) The best sugar pop sound effortless and simple while being actually much more complex on the page. The Boy Who Knew Too Much, the majority of which was written by Mika, does just that while also showing the kind of musical growth you would expect of an artist who is so clearly influenced by glam rock and elector/glam pop**.
Recommended Tracks: The whole damn thing except for maybe "I See You." But even that's tentative, so just the whole damn thing.
The self-titled debut album from British techno pop group La Roux starts off promisingly enough. The first half of the album sounds like a throwback to the early 80's when drum machines and synthesizers ruled the airwaves*** but with enough gloss to show that it was written and recording in the 00's. Although a clear line could be made between between La Roux and many of the early new wave band what makes La Roux distinctive, at least for the first half of the album, is Elly Jackson's vocals. While in many of the songs Ms. Jackson tends to let herself settle into her breathy upper range, the moments when she goes back into the lower part of her range (which in my opinion is the stronger part) a needed grittiness is added to the songs. Unfortunately after "I'm Not You're Toy" the album lapses into a repetitive cycle of broken hearts and thin textured techno beats. With time and more maturity La Roux could quite possibly be an excellent band. La Roux defintely shows that the band has that potential and it's a good album. It's just not brilliant.
Recommended Tracks: "Tigerlily," "Bulletproof," "I'm Not You're Toy," "Armour Love."
Album Grades: The Boy Who Knew Too Much: B+; La Roux: C+
On a minor side note, I just checked how many listens Mika has according to Zune. It's 930, which means that, as I predicted, Mika will be the next artist to get a Silver listener badge thingy. Also, Zune has the "Blame It On the Girls" video. I really need to get a life and soon.
*I'm not trying to assert that these three are in any way related. They're all just very dramatic and bombastic. I would never equate Queen to Barry Manilow, I'm not thick.
**I don't think glam pop is an actual pop music sub-category, but it's the best descriptor I could come up with for most of the music heard on The Boy Who Knew Too Much. However if its, go me!
***Ultravox is what I'm thinking of. And yes, they didn't rule the American airwaves, but La Roux isn't from the US, so that's okay.
19.10.09
Best Reaction Ever
So this a bit redundant, but I got into Westminster. I've done everything to convey this news save going to the top of a very tall hill and yelling it at the top of my lungs (which, as those people who went to the first sci-fi club meeting of the year can attest to, is very loud.) As well as people "liking" my statuses and commenting and/or replying to those statuses, I had some people tell me in person congratulations. One such example was in theory and of course when someone says "congratulations" to someone else, if other people don't know why the first person is saying that, they like to know. So I said why the person was giving me congrats and then my theory professor went "huh?" So I said it again and he asked where and told him London and then he asked what I'm going to be studying. Now as I've said in the past, my theory professor doesn't hold pop music in the highest esteem, but has been making an effort not to completely slag the genre off as a whole. This has been done to varying degrees of sucess, so I was somewhat intrigued to see what his reaction would be to my answer, which was radio production and pop music. He looked at his papers with a frown on his face from confusion, repeated what I said and then said "Okay." We moved on and it was suggested that I write the department post cards. Now, I have a lot of respect for my theory professor, despite our differing views on the legitimacy of pop music. Everyone is allowed an opinion and a strong argument can be made, as has probably been made throughout pop's history, that pop music isn't really legit. But in my heart of hearts, I know he thinks that I'm wasting my time next semester. I don't think I am, but I can see where he's coming from. I just found it amusing to see the way he reacted. As nice as it was to have many people congratulating me, it was more amusing to see Dr. Long try and be diplomatic.
One last thing that has nothing to do with getting into Westminster. This is more a general statement, but I feel I need to say it. Sometimes I write things in this blog about situations in my real life. Sometimes when I do that, I don't always take into account that people in my real life can, quite possibly, see and read what I've written. It rarely happens, which is why I don't worry about it often. However this doesn't mean that I don't make mistakes. I am human and therefore make mistakes and misjudgements. This is just kind of my caveat to all of you out there in the ether: I'm not perfect and I sometimes write about things that I shouldn't. Anyway, just wanted to say that.
The only down side to finding out today, is that I can't really do anything to celebrate until Wednesday because of this analysis paper for history. Other than that though, my entire week is made. Entire month actually. My life is made. :does best impression of Bernard Black smiling:
One last thing that has nothing to do with getting into Westminster. This is more a general statement, but I feel I need to say it. Sometimes I write things in this blog about situations in my real life. Sometimes when I do that, I don't always take into account that people in my real life can, quite possibly, see and read what I've written. It rarely happens, which is why I don't worry about it often. However this doesn't mean that I don't make mistakes. I am human and therefore make mistakes and misjudgements. This is just kind of my caveat to all of you out there in the ether: I'm not perfect and I sometimes write about things that I shouldn't. Anyway, just wanted to say that.
The only down side to finding out today, is that I can't really do anything to celebrate until Wednesday because of this analysis paper for history. Other than that though, my entire week is made. Entire month actually. My life is made. :does best impression of Bernard Black smiling:
Because I Have To Remain Calm Elsewhere
I GOT INTO WESTMINSTER!!!!!!!!!!!! BOOYA BITCHES!!!! I GOT IN!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 0_0
I got the email this morning. I am happy. And now, back to writing about Vivaldi's Gloria which is not fun.
I got the email this morning. I am happy. And now, back to writing about Vivaldi's Gloria which is not fun.
17.10.09
Switzerland
I don't think I'll ever completely understand human nature. I do my best (as do philosophers and psychologists) but certain things just baffle me. For instance, why would you re-re-start dating someone who cheated on you repeatedly? Why be with someone who you seem incapable of being nice to? I'll never understand some things that people do.
In the positively brilliant play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? the main characters George and Martha make everyone around them uncomfortable with their constant arguing and bickering. Reading the play was uncomfortable and profoundly moving, but imagine being around a couple, a very young couple, who are similar to that. They constantly bicker and you can just imagine what they'll be like in 20 years time, old and married. They'll still be bickering, the husband giving into the wife in a desperate bid to make her happy, but she'll never be happy. I know that attraction is uncontrollable and has absolutely nothing to do with logic (for the most part, and if it's real attraction) but why would you do that to yourself? Put yourself on the path to becoming a real life George and Martha? It's agonizing to watch the two of them go because in the back of my mind I'm seeing an old married couple who have done clinical psychological damage to their children. Maybe I'm just jealous (always a possibility), but what do you do? Ignore the awkwardness and hope that it goes away? Try to placate everyone by being Switzerland? I don't know. All I know is that it's frustrating at times. And confusing in general.
I made the big leap and read the entirety of the Wikipedia entry on Mika. He's a trained musician and has dyslexia. My respect has grown 100 fold and just proves my entire pro-pop music point: Really good pop music takes a knowledge of music beyond the power chords. :sticks out tongue in the general direction of Dr. Long:
And now, back to Bones.
In the positively brilliant play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? the main characters George and Martha make everyone around them uncomfortable with their constant arguing and bickering. Reading the play was uncomfortable and profoundly moving, but imagine being around a couple, a very young couple, who are similar to that. They constantly bicker and you can just imagine what they'll be like in 20 years time, old and married. They'll still be bickering, the husband giving into the wife in a desperate bid to make her happy, but she'll never be happy. I know that attraction is uncontrollable and has absolutely nothing to do with logic (for the most part, and if it's real attraction) but why would you do that to yourself? Put yourself on the path to becoming a real life George and Martha? It's agonizing to watch the two of them go because in the back of my mind I'm seeing an old married couple who have done clinical psychological damage to their children. Maybe I'm just jealous (always a possibility), but what do you do? Ignore the awkwardness and hope that it goes away? Try to placate everyone by being Switzerland? I don't know. All I know is that it's frustrating at times. And confusing in general.
I made the big leap and read the entirety of the Wikipedia entry on Mika. He's a trained musician and has dyslexia. My respect has grown 100 fold and just proves my entire pro-pop music point: Really good pop music takes a knowledge of music beyond the power chords. :sticks out tongue in the general direction of Dr. Long:
And now, back to Bones.
15.10.09
Mika, Ranting, and Rain
In case you're wondering, Mika has taken over my head space. The Kaiser Chiefs are making a valiant effort by forcing me to wake up with their songs stuck in my head, but overall Mika has taken the place of top obsession for the moment. I suspect there will be a point where his infectious pop music will start to annoy and then t'Chiefs will ride in on a big horse and take back over, but for now it's all about Mika. Mika, Mika, Mika. Anyway, that's not the only reason I'm updating (yes, there's more than one reason.)
Westminster applications for next semester were due today and I'm dead nervous that a) my application didn't get there on time and b) I won't get in. I sent it over two weeks ago (approximately) but the mail people said 6 to 10 days and...I just want this to happen so badly and despite my college acceptance experience, I'm not entirely sure I'll get accepted into Westminster, which is way more important to me than getting into college was. Now that it's out my hands and...gaaaaah. I can't even verbalize/write how important getting in is and how scary/nervous-making this whole process is for me. It's like waiting for college acceptance letters times twenty-hundred five thousand million billion. I've jokingly told Stephanie that if I don't get in, she won't want to be my roommate next semester, but it's not a joke. If I don't get in, as far as I'm concerned my future is dead. Technically that might not be true, but that's how it feels. And of course it's raining and bitterly cold and I don't have a coat and left my umbrella at home. And yes, I know this pales in comparison to many peoples worries/fears, but dammit I get to be selfish sometimes.
Then of course we have fall break. I swear to god if my mum asks me if a) she's a good person or b) a good teacher ever again I'm going to throw cutlery at her face. I'm so tired of her insecurities. I'm tired of my dad cutting everything I do down to nothing even when it's actually really quite impressive. Amazingly enough my sister is the only person I can stand being around, but really that's only under certain circumstances. Back to my mum. She manages to direct every fucking conversation to special education and her experience with special education. I'm all for special education, but most of the theories and principles behind special education I think are bull shit. Studies are crap. Generalities mean diddly squat in real life. And my life has nothing to do with teach sp-ed. Nothing whatsoever. I'm just so tired of my family. I would have preferred to have spent fall break doing almost everything I did, but at school. It just pisses me off that I can't go home without coming back with a guilt complex and feeling like I didn't really have a break at. :listens to Mika:
At least I have my Zune back. It's been so nice having my music with me at all times. I don't have to converse with people randomly and I can listen to things that make me happy, which will be excellent tomorrow night which is when I'll really need it. Can I go to London now? Pretty please? I've been such a good girl lately. :sigh:
One of Stephanie's friends wrote the following on our whiteboard: "Isn't the weather great?" He was being serious (he wants to live in Germany when he graduates) and I've been wanting to see him in person so I can tell him, yes I can deal with this weather, but only if I have an umbrella and Wellingtons. I have neither and I know as soon as I acquire them, it will stop raining. But yes, this weather is great Houston.
Westminster applications for next semester were due today and I'm dead nervous that a) my application didn't get there on time and b) I won't get in. I sent it over two weeks ago (approximately) but the mail people said 6 to 10 days and...I just want this to happen so badly and despite my college acceptance experience, I'm not entirely sure I'll get accepted into Westminster, which is way more important to me than getting into college was. Now that it's out my hands and...gaaaaah. I can't even verbalize/write how important getting in is and how scary/nervous-making this whole process is for me. It's like waiting for college acceptance letters times twenty-hundred five thousand million billion. I've jokingly told Stephanie that if I don't get in, she won't want to be my roommate next semester, but it's not a joke. If I don't get in, as far as I'm concerned my future is dead. Technically that might not be true, but that's how it feels. And of course it's raining and bitterly cold and I don't have a coat and left my umbrella at home. And yes, I know this pales in comparison to many peoples worries/fears, but dammit I get to be selfish sometimes.
Then of course we have fall break. I swear to god if my mum asks me if a) she's a good person or b) a good teacher ever again I'm going to throw cutlery at her face. I'm so tired of her insecurities. I'm tired of my dad cutting everything I do down to nothing even when it's actually really quite impressive. Amazingly enough my sister is the only person I can stand being around, but really that's only under certain circumstances. Back to my mum. She manages to direct every fucking conversation to special education and her experience with special education. I'm all for special education, but most of the theories and principles behind special education I think are bull shit. Studies are crap. Generalities mean diddly squat in real life. And my life has nothing to do with teach sp-ed. Nothing whatsoever. I'm just so tired of my family. I would have preferred to have spent fall break doing almost everything I did, but at school. It just pisses me off that I can't go home without coming back with a guilt complex and feeling like I didn't really have a break at. :listens to Mika:
At least I have my Zune back. It's been so nice having my music with me at all times. I don't have to converse with people randomly and I can listen to things that make me happy, which will be excellent tomorrow night which is when I'll really need it. Can I go to London now? Pretty please? I've been such a good girl lately. :sigh:
One of Stephanie's friends wrote the following on our whiteboard: "Isn't the weather great?" He was being serious (he wants to live in Germany when he graduates) and I've been wanting to see him in person so I can tell him, yes I can deal with this weather, but only if I have an umbrella and Wellingtons. I have neither and I know as soon as I acquire them, it will stop raining. But yes, this weather is great Houston.
12.10.09
Non-Topical Points of Interest
I'm home for fall break and here are some of the thoughts/interesting factoids I've garnered since the last time I updated.
- Glasgow is located in the Clyde Valley in Scotland (Thanks British calendar) [Immediately suspected that Glasgow was involved because of these faces, which I had seen before.]
- I'm either listening to Mika or a strange combination of playlists and new music, but I have my Zune back!
- You need elbows to put glasses on
- Mika is just like Micah, except British
- The biggest difference between Queen and Mika (in my opinion) is the use of guitars. Basically, Mika doesn't have Brian May
- I earned a Bronze Artist Power Listener badge for Mika after 3 days (which means I listened to Mika 200 times). I'm working on getting the album equivalent (which means listening to The Boy Who Knew Too Much 200 times). (I know I have an illness, no I don't care.)
- I am finally in possession of a white tie which means that either my Old Gregg costume is complete or I need to buck up and get some white gloves.
- I've mailed my application to Westminster (did this awhile ago, but I don't seem to have mentioned it yet) and hopefully it will arrive before Thursday. When I hear about acceptance is up for grabs.
4.10.09
LolliPOP
I think I've reached a point where my interests are so outside of what other people I know are interested in, that I no longer care what people will think. I blame Mika for this discovery. [I can't stop watching "We Are Golden." It's bad.] I was bound to hit this point, where the hipsters and trend-setters would no longer matter because I'm so immersed in a completely seperate culture. It's very liberating actually. Doesn't mean I'm going to start dressing or acting like a crazy person (I'm still very much a wallflower), but at least I'm starting to accept things that I wouldn't have when I first delved into pop culture almost five years ago. You can't accept the very serious without having a healthy dose of the not-serious-at-all. And that's all I have to say about.
This upcoming week is mid-terms and I have two tests (Tuesday and Friday) plus the regular radio show on Wednesday, so I won't be updating as furiously as I have been (most likely.) Just wanted to let y'all know. Evil mid-terms.
This upcoming week is mid-terms and I have two tests (Tuesday and Friday) plus the regular radio show on Wednesday, so I won't be updating as furiously as I have been (most likely.) Just wanted to let y'all know. Evil mid-terms.
3.10.09
Music Videos
After last night's self-induced melodrama, I've decided to reward everyone with music videos. Since I've currently got Eddie Izzard's voice in my head, I won't say much more, save for some commentary next to some of the videos. Enjoy!
- Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) - Beyonce
- Uprising - Muse
- The Universal - Blur (See that reference to A Clockwork Orange? It's intentional)
- Mirrorball - Elbow (This was performed and recorded at Abbey Road studios and the band is backed by a live orchestra and chorus. Which is why this video is here.)
- Like It Too Much - Kaiser Chiefs (Well if Elbow can get a live video, why not my favourite band?)
- Antmusic - Adam and the Ants
- Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The werewolf is played by Richard Ayoade[whose last name I spelled correctly without looking]. Except you can't tell, but that's alright, you know he's under there somewhere)
- Can't Stop Feeling - Franz Ferdinand
- Just - Mark Ronson
- Good Days Bad Days - Kaiser Chiefs (A real video. Not live.)
- Young Love - Mystery Jets
- Grounds for Divorce - Elbow (The actual real video. But if you look for the song on YouTube you can find the Abbey Road studio version as well.)
- Can't Say What I Mean - Kaiser Chiefs (This is me dragging all of you head long into my sick obsession. Just in case you weren't there already)
- We Are Golden - Mika (This is exactly what I expected this video to be like. And sadly I find Mika semi-attractive. :hangs head in shame:)
- Never Forget You - Noisettes
- Not the Only Person - The Rumble Strips
- Bulletproof - La Roux (She looks like she's scowling the entire time, and the video quality isn't that good so...good song!)
- Vienna - Ultravox (Ooooooooh Viennaaaaaaaaaaa!!!)
- Zero - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2.10.09
It's Friday Again (So It's Probably Best to Ignore Me)
I hate him. I hate him for being my first. I hate him for moving on so quickly. I hate him for breathing. I hate him for laughing and acting like a normal person. I hate him for being nice to me when I'm so cold towards him. I hate him for making me care. I hate him for making me cry. I hate him for being so completely oblivious to how much he continues to hurt me by just existing. I hate him for making me feel so completely shitty. I hate him. I think I'll always hate him. I wish I had never said yes to watching that stupid movie with him. I hate myself for allowing him to do this to me. But most of all, I hate him for not noticing. I wish I could leave this school, go some place new. Somewhere far from him and everything that reminds me of him. From the tangled web and tension filled situations, where I'm the only one who feels any tension. I want to start over. I want him to understand all of this and to feel all this pain. I want him to feel all this hurt and anger. I hate him completely. And I'm sorry to all the people who have to even know about all of this. If I had known that this would be how things would turn out, I would never have said yes to anything.
I still hate him. I promise not to do this again though. You have all read it enough times to know how I feel. I just wish I had some rum right now. Or more chocolate.
I do try to act like a normal person though. Sometimes though, it's just too hard to keep the mask on. Tonight just happened to be one of those nights. Still, I'm sorry. It's not fair to the rest of you.
I still hate him. I promise not to do this again though. You have all read it enough times to know how I feel. I just wish I had some rum right now. Or more chocolate.
I do try to act like a normal person though. Sometimes though, it's just too hard to keep the mask on. Tonight just happened to be one of those nights. Still, I'm sorry. It's not fair to the rest of you.
1.10.09
It's a Small World After All
The world, both in real life and on the internet, is a very small place. While I'm not often reminded of that fact, except when I'm on Facebook, it's always interesting when I am. Anyway, I just wanted to say that. The world is small. Go check out my latest radio show blog and watch "Vienna" because it's so much fun.
27.9.09
Necklaces
I don't know why I feel the need to write about what I'm going to write about at this particular moment but for some reason I feel the need to address something. It's two necklaces I own. I think I've written, or at least mentioned, both of these necklaces, but now that I have a cord for my camera and some free time, I'm going to write about them. Again, I don't know why I feel the need to do this, but I do. So here we go.
The necklace on the left was given to me by Loghman for my 18th birthday. This necklace got lost, I thought permantly, on the desk in my room at home. You see that desk was like a black hole until my Mum cleaned out of pure frustration with how messy it was. Anyway, I hadn't seen the necklace in quite a long time and now that I have found that I haven't lost it, I've started wearing it again. Back when Loghman gave it to me I wasn't particularly found of it because the chain was so long. But now that I have it back in my life, I wear it almost every day. I've been wondering why that it is, and I've come to following conclusion as to why I wear it so often: it reminds of someone who cared about me and liked me knowing full well that I was crazy. Back when Loghman gave me the necklace I was even crazier than I am now, and so wearing it reminds me that there has been someone in my life who cared about me selflessly (which in Greek translates to agape [thanks literature and religion!]). Given the events of last year, I need a reminder of that however I can get it.
Th necklace on the right I bought for myself about a month after the ex broke up with me and was gotten as a reminder that you create your own luck. At the time it was a sentiment that I grasped onto like a life boat because not only had the ex dumped, and had very quickly gotten back on the horse as it were, but my social and academic life seemed to be going down the drain. Wearing a necklace every day that reminded me, in essence, that I created my own fate, was helpful and reassuring during a time when I needed to be reassured of something.
Of the two necklaces, I value the one on the left more than the one on the right because of the sentimental value it holds. I just felt I should let the world know that about me.
The necklace on the left was given to me by Loghman for my 18th birthday. This necklace got lost, I thought permantly, on the desk in my room at home. You see that desk was like a black hole until my Mum cleaned out of pure frustration with how messy it was. Anyway, I hadn't seen the necklace in quite a long time and now that I have found that I haven't lost it, I've started wearing it again. Back when Loghman gave it to me I wasn't particularly found of it because the chain was so long. But now that I have it back in my life, I wear it almost every day. I've been wondering why that it is, and I've come to following conclusion as to why I wear it so often: it reminds of someone who cared about me and liked me knowing full well that I was crazy. Back when Loghman gave me the necklace I was even crazier than I am now, and so wearing it reminds me that there has been someone in my life who cared about me selflessly (which in Greek translates to agape [thanks literature and religion!]). Given the events of last year, I need a reminder of that however I can get it.
Th necklace on the right I bought for myself about a month after the ex broke up with me and was gotten as a reminder that you create your own luck. At the time it was a sentiment that I grasped onto like a life boat because not only had the ex dumped, and had very quickly gotten back on the horse as it were, but my social and academic life seemed to be going down the drain. Wearing a necklace every day that reminded me, in essence, that I created my own fate, was helpful and reassuring during a time when I needed to be reassured of something.
Of the two necklaces, I value the one on the left more than the one on the right because of the sentimental value it holds. I just felt I should let the world know that about me.
26.9.09
Dumb Making
Oh dear readers, I have done a very stupid thing. In an effort to confirm something that I thought I had seen, I went to the Kaiser Chiefs' Summer 2009 picture gallery. Which was when I saw this* and died. Just died really. Further explanation could be given, but that's not the point of this entry. The point is that you, my dear readers, need to remind me not to do stupid things like look at overly attractive men. Work on that telepathy and psychic abilities people! Otherwise this blog will be entirely gibberish and insane ramblings...or at least more insane and gibberish-y. And now, I'm going to try and scrub my brain clean of that image. Maybe...**
*Normally, or at least a few years ago, I would have posted the picture. But now that I'm slightly less insane than I was a few years ago (and I like trolling through my more recent posts), I decided against doing that. Because really a daily (or every other day-ly) dose of dumb-making isn't necessary. I can do that by just going to school.
**This doesn't have anything to do with brain scrubbing, but this week was the last week of Mock the Week and during the final round one of the unlikely situations was "Lines You Wouldn't Hear in a History Documentary." Guest panelist Milton Jones said the following thing and I just had to share it: "1547, Nostradamus predicts the rock group the Kaiser Chiefs. He also predicts a riot." Now back to the mind scrubbing.
*Normally, or at least a few years ago, I would have posted the picture. But now that I'm slightly less insane than I was a few years ago (and I like trolling through my more recent posts), I decided against doing that. Because really a daily (or every other day-ly) dose of dumb-making isn't necessary. I can do that by just going to school.
**This doesn't have anything to do with brain scrubbing, but this week was the last week of Mock the Week and during the final round one of the unlikely situations was "Lines You Wouldn't Hear in a History Documentary." Guest panelist Milton Jones said the following thing and I just had to share it: "1547, Nostradamus predicts the rock group the Kaiser Chiefs. He also predicts a riot." Now back to the mind scrubbing.
25.9.09
Uncomfortable Realities
So the long tortuous week is finally over. I survived with most of my sanity and integrity intact and didn't have to "choke a bitch" (I may have lost my ability to spell though.) However instead of writing about this past week (which by the way, will never happen), I'm going to write about my school newspaper's sex column. I promise to make it PG-13, but the hints might be TMI, so you have been warned.
When I started college I was absolutely sure I was going to be a journalist. In that vein I started avidly reading the school newspaper, waiting for the day I would be in the by-line. It never happened and I turned to radio as my preferred venue to brain wash the masses. However I continued to read the newspaper, enjoying the typos and grammatical errors to the fullest extent that one can enjoy such things. There were (and still are) two featured columns that I particularly like and even if I don't read any of the articles, I always read those two columns. Susannigans delved into the life and opinions of one the cooler people on campus (at least in my opinion) while Sexclamations was like reading a weekly brochure on a foreign country (even when I was in a relationship.) I read Dan Savage's weekly sex advice column, but Sexclamations provide a female perspective without somehow being associated with Dr. Ruth. It was real and founded in the college life. However at the beginning of the school year, the regular writer left Sexclamations leaving a hole in my weekly reading habits. Today, while flipping through this week's issue of The Bullet I found out who had replaced the old writer: My ex and his horny friend.
There's an odd trend that I've noticed about sex. Most perspectives on sex, at least in the media, are written from women well past their prime or men. What I liked about Sexclamations is the woman who wrote the column was neither of those things. Now that it is being written by "two (possibly) over-sexed idiots" I'll only have the advice of a gay man to tell me how sexual relationships work (not that Dan Savage isn't more than adequate or capable, but even gay men have testosterone.) While I will concede that my ex and his horny friend's opinions are valid (in that they are their opinions), what made Sexclamations great was that it was the from the view point of a horny woman something you don't hear about very often in the world of college (horny guys on the other hand are a dime a dozen.) Of course some might argue that I'm biased against the new writers because I'm currently not on good terms with my ex (and never really liked his horny friend) to which I say, yes. I am biased against both of them. But even if the column had been taken over by two guys I didn't know, I would still be disappointed. I just happen to be predisposed to disliking the two who have taken over writing Sexclamations.
And now that I have nowhere else to go, I'll leave you to mull over the opinion I have set forth. See, this is why I'm not a journalist.
When I started college I was absolutely sure I was going to be a journalist. In that vein I started avidly reading the school newspaper, waiting for the day I would be in the by-line. It never happened and I turned to radio as my preferred venue to brain wash the masses. However I continued to read the newspaper, enjoying the typos and grammatical errors to the fullest extent that one can enjoy such things. There were (and still are) two featured columns that I particularly like and even if I don't read any of the articles, I always read those two columns. Susannigans delved into the life and opinions of one the cooler people on campus (at least in my opinion) while Sexclamations was like reading a weekly brochure on a foreign country (even when I was in a relationship.) I read Dan Savage's weekly sex advice column, but Sexclamations provide a female perspective without somehow being associated with Dr. Ruth. It was real and founded in the college life. However at the beginning of the school year, the regular writer left Sexclamations leaving a hole in my weekly reading habits. Today, while flipping through this week's issue of The Bullet I found out who had replaced the old writer: My ex and his horny friend.
There's an odd trend that I've noticed about sex. Most perspectives on sex, at least in the media, are written from women well past their prime or men. What I liked about Sexclamations is the woman who wrote the column was neither of those things. Now that it is being written by "two (possibly) over-sexed idiots" I'll only have the advice of a gay man to tell me how sexual relationships work (not that Dan Savage isn't more than adequate or capable, but even gay men have testosterone.) While I will concede that my ex and his horny friend's opinions are valid (in that they are their opinions), what made Sexclamations great was that it was the from the view point of a horny woman something you don't hear about very often in the world of college (horny guys on the other hand are a dime a dozen.) Of course some might argue that I'm biased against the new writers because I'm currently not on good terms with my ex (and never really liked his horny friend) to which I say, yes. I am biased against both of them. But even if the column had been taken over by two guys I didn't know, I would still be disappointed. I just happen to be predisposed to disliking the two who have taken over writing Sexclamations.
And now that I have nowhere else to go, I'll leave you to mull over the opinion I have set forth. See, this is why I'm not a journalist.
24.9.09
Nore's [Fill in the Blank] Radio Show
Every week I do a brief (hahaha) run down of my radio show over at wmwc.umwblogs.org so that people who happen to know about that blog can catch up on what I did during my show. I've recently added links to videos on YouTube to make sure I can still do basic html while typing (I can). Because I haven't written in this blog in a while, I'm going to copy this week's entry to this blog, so you too can enjoy my show without having to actually listen to me nattering away and forgetting which song is next (because my Zune still hasn't shipped). Have fun!
This week's show was made in the face of much opposition. This week's show was created out my sweat and tears as the last thread of my sanity went down the proverbial drain. This week's show happened in spite of the fact that no one did a thing to speak of. This week's show was created because I care about all of you. This week I'll give you both the talking points and videos. Don't expect that kind of respect next week. So now for the dets.
Playlist [There were two minor revisions from the original playlist, but no worries, I wrote everything down this week]
Well that's it for this week. Next week is up in the air, though there will defininatly be music, I can promise you that. Until then, don't panic.
*As with last week I'm featuring Elbow backed by a full orchestra. The first link is to the official video, the second to the Abbey Road session. What can I say, I'm a sucker for orchestration.
**This is me, dragging you into my sad obsession. I apologize.
***Whenever I hear this song, I think of the big dance scene from A Knight's Tale. So in choosing a video link, guess what I went with. The big dance scene from A Knight's Tale.
This week's show was made in the face of much opposition. This week's show was created out my sweat and tears as the last thread of my sanity went down the proverbial drain. This week's show happened in spite of the fact that no one did a thing to speak of. This week's show was created because I care about all of you. This week I'll give you both the talking points and videos. Don't expect that kind of respect next week. So now for the dets.
Playlist [There were two minor revisions from the original playlist, but no worries, I wrote everything down this week]
- Morning Light - Ida Maria
- Ignore the Ignorant - The Cribs
- Bad Reputation - Joan Jett
- Rudie Can't Fail - The Clash
- Right Where They Left - The White Rabbits
- Can't Stop Feeling - Franz Ferdinand
- Just - Mark Ronson
- When The Cows Come Home - Blur
- French Navy - Camera Obscura
- London - The Rumble Strips
- Mouthwash - Kate Nash
- Waiting - Cake
- Good Days Bad Days - Kaiser Chiefs
- F*** You - Lily Allen [This is the explicit version, so be warned]
- Seattle - The BPA
- Young Love - Mystery Jets
- Burial - Miike Snow
- Fire - Kasabian
- Grounds for Divorce - Elbow*
- Wait For Me - The Pigeon Detectives
- Low Rising - The Swell Season
- On the other side - The Strokes
- Blue Skies - Noah and the Whale
- Can't Say What I Mean - Kaiser Chiefs**
- Golden Years - David Bowie***
- We Are Golden - Mika
- Ulysses - Franz Ferdinand
- Zooey Deschanel and Ben Gibbard tie the knot
- Many bands and artists, including Thom Yorke, sell their souls to the Twilight franchise
- OK Go, go on tour in the UK this January
- Canada awards its version of the Mercury Prize to punk rock sextet F-ed Up
- Ted Leo signs to Matador Records and everyone hopes he's not actually a black widow in human form
- I expounded on the illegal download policy situation in the UK. Here's the end result (4 paragraphs in). Further updates will be given if I don't get to tired of reporting on it.
- Mum - Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know
- Rufus Wainwright - Milwaukee at Last!!! [Deluxe Edition]
- Baseman Jaxx - Scars
- Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk
Well that's it for this week. Next week is up in the air, though there will defininatly be music, I can promise you that. Until then, don't panic.
*As with last week I'm featuring Elbow backed by a full orchestra. The first link is to the official video, the second to the Abbey Road session. What can I say, I'm a sucker for orchestration.
**This is me, dragging you into my sad obsession. I apologize.
***Whenever I hear this song, I think of the big dance scene from A Knight's Tale. So in choosing a video link, guess what I went with. The big dance scene from A Knight's Tale.
21.9.09
The Feeling is Gone, Only You and I
Dear Blog Readers,
I'm not going to be updating for at least another week. My life is incredibly stressful and thinking about it makes me sad. Also, I have no social life outside of school work, so unless you really want to hear me moan about how stressful school is (which I'm sure you don't), I'm not going to be updating until next week probably. Also, normally I would say I'll be updating this weekend, but this weekend is Family Weekend here at school, so let's all imagine how stressful that will be. Imagined it? Yeah that's why I won't be updating until next week. :sigh: Just remember: This means nothing to meeeeeeeee!!! Oooooooh Viennaaaaaaaaa!
Sincerely,
Nore
Tuesday Night Edit: As I told my roommate, I'm coming very close to reaching my stress threshold, which means pretty soon I'll be cranky as all get out and won't have any kind of patience for anything that disrupts my pre-ordained schedule/daily patterns. Also, my Zune hasn't been shipped (even though the billing information was received last Friday), so I have nothing to help alleviate the stress when I'm not in my room. Sadly, over eating has lost it's charm (feeling nauseous doesn't help anymore) which means I might have to choke a bitch pretty soon.
I'm not going to be updating for at least another week. My life is incredibly stressful and thinking about it makes me sad. Also, I have no social life outside of school work, so unless you really want to hear me moan about how stressful school is (which I'm sure you don't), I'm not going to be updating until next week probably. Also, normally I would say I'll be updating this weekend, but this weekend is Family Weekend here at school, so let's all imagine how stressful that will be. Imagined it? Yeah that's why I won't be updating until next week. :sigh: Just remember: This means nothing to meeeeeeeee!!! Oooooooh Viennaaaaaaaaa!
Sincerely,
Nore
Tuesday Night Edit: As I told my roommate, I'm coming very close to reaching my stress threshold, which means pretty soon I'll be cranky as all get out and won't have any kind of patience for anything that disrupts my pre-ordained schedule/daily patterns. Also, my Zune hasn't been shipped (even though the billing information was received last Friday), so I have nothing to help alleviate the stress when I'm not in my room. Sadly, over eating has lost it's charm (feeling nauseous doesn't help anymore) which means I might have to choke a bitch pretty soon.
14.9.09
BBC Press Release for Never Mind the Buzzcocks
BBC Two's irreverent pop quiz, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, returns to our screens this autumn with a brand new line-up.
Joining the panel this year as team captain, alongside the ever repressible Phill Jupitus, is Mighty Boosh star Noel Fielding.
Following Simon Amstell's departure after three successful years, the new series will be presented by a string of guest hosts including Alex James*, Dermot O'Leary, Jack Whitehall**, Rhod Gilbert, David Walliams***, Frank Skinner, James Corden and Mark Watson.
As ever, celebrity guests from the world of music and entertainment will join team captains Phil and Noel as the guest host each week navigates them through a number of musically based quiz rounds.
With the show's reputation for the unpredictable, guests are always primed for the occasional embarrassment and harmless ribbing as their knowledge of music is put to the test.
Noel Fielding said of joining the show: "I am so excited about Buzzcocks. I am leaping across the Camden rooftops dressed as a small white kitten."****
Never Mind The Buzzcocks will return to BBC Two from Tuesday 29 September.
*Yes, Alex James is the same Alex James I've been mocking mercilessly for the past four years. I'm ecstatic.
**He was a guest this past week on Mock the Week and if I had known he was younger than me I would have been slightly more impressed (and I was impressed to begin with.)
***He annoys me for the most part, so you can look him up yourself.
****I can actually imagine him doing that, which either says something about me or about him, I haven't decided which yet.
Joining the panel this year as team captain, alongside the ever repressible Phill Jupitus, is Mighty Boosh star Noel Fielding.
Following Simon Amstell's departure after three successful years, the new series will be presented by a string of guest hosts including Alex James*, Dermot O'Leary, Jack Whitehall**, Rhod Gilbert, David Walliams***, Frank Skinner, James Corden and Mark Watson.
As ever, celebrity guests from the world of music and entertainment will join team captains Phil and Noel as the guest host each week navigates them through a number of musically based quiz rounds.
With the show's reputation for the unpredictable, guests are always primed for the occasional embarrassment and harmless ribbing as their knowledge of music is put to the test.
Noel Fielding said of joining the show: "I am so excited about Buzzcocks. I am leaping across the Camden rooftops dressed as a small white kitten."****
Never Mind The Buzzcocks will return to BBC Two from Tuesday 29 September.
*Yes, Alex James is the same Alex James I've been mocking mercilessly for the past four years. I'm ecstatic.
**He was a guest this past week on Mock the Week and if I had known he was younger than me I would have been slightly more impressed (and I was impressed to begin with.)
***He annoys me for the most part, so you can look him up yourself.
****I can actually imagine him doing that, which either says something about me or about him, I haven't decided which yet.
13.9.09
A Weekend in Brief
So my plans for this weekend didn't exactly go to plan. For instance yesterday I spent three hours a birthday party I had no idea was happening. So let's star there.
Yesterday morning I woke up with a definite plan in my mind: Go see A Mid-Summer Night's Dream and do fuck-all else. And then I checked my email and saw that a friend of mine had sent me a message over facebook. So I started checking the message when I saw that the header was "Hunter's B-day?" I stopped reading the message and concentrated on doing things other than reading the message. The weird/crazy thing is that when I was setting up my schedule at the beginning of school I was convinced something was happening on the 12th. I was right, just not about what was happening. Anyway, I put off reading the message until I had finished checking everything else on the internet and then finally read it. I had, hesitantly, been invited to the ex's 21'st b-day party by a mutual friend. I then preceded to freak and call home to get advice on what to do. My sister said to not go, but Mum said to go and stay at least a half hour. I ended going and staying three hours. The mutual friend was glad I came and I got to spend some quality time "learning" how to play Risk and talking to another friend of mine. I barely made I contact with the ex and didn't say goodbye or happy birthday. I got cake as well, so a fairly good time was had by all. I didn't do anything rude (like neighing under my breath) and didn't do bodily harm to the VIP. So, in short, it was an unplanned success.
Today didn't go to plan either really. I didn't see A Mid-Summer Night's Dream mainly because I'm lazy, but also because it would have been hot and I would have been eaten alive by the bugs. Mostly though I was just lazy and ended up spending the majority of the day rewatching episodes of Ashes to Ashes. I also started finding the disparate pieces for my Halloween costume, wherein I will dress up as Old Gregg to either complete failure or semi-success. I've also decided that if Old Gregg doesn't work out, I'll be the Moon. I've also started working on my study abroad application once again. I'm turning in the application request for an official transcript tomorrow, but the big thing I'm worried about is the personal essay. How do I explain my reasons for wanting to join the study abroad program without sounding crazy (or really pathetic)? I might be posting a dry run through up here, but we shall see. I've got a month to finish everything and have it shipped to Westminster, so you can see why I'm a little worried at the moment. Still I have one radio show edited and ready to send off and I'm going to go talk to my advisor and the IAS people tomorrow, so at least I'm making some good head way with this. :sigh:
So there's my weekend. Not a complete dud and definitely less depressing than last weekend. Let's hope the trend continues.
Yesterday morning I woke up with a definite plan in my mind: Go see A Mid-Summer Night's Dream and do fuck-all else. And then I checked my email and saw that a friend of mine had sent me a message over facebook. So I started checking the message when I saw that the header was "Hunter's B-day?" I stopped reading the message and concentrated on doing things other than reading the message. The weird/crazy thing is that when I was setting up my schedule at the beginning of school I was convinced something was happening on the 12th. I was right, just not about what was happening. Anyway, I put off reading the message until I had finished checking everything else on the internet and then finally read it. I had, hesitantly, been invited to the ex's 21'st b-day party by a mutual friend. I then preceded to freak and call home to get advice on what to do. My sister said to not go, but Mum said to go and stay at least a half hour. I ended going and staying three hours. The mutual friend was glad I came and I got to spend some quality time "learning" how to play Risk and talking to another friend of mine. I barely made I contact with the ex and didn't say goodbye or happy birthday. I got cake as well, so a fairly good time was had by all. I didn't do anything rude (like neighing under my breath) and didn't do bodily harm to the VIP. So, in short, it was an unplanned success.
Today didn't go to plan either really. I didn't see A Mid-Summer Night's Dream mainly because I'm lazy, but also because it would have been hot and I would have been eaten alive by the bugs. Mostly though I was just lazy and ended up spending the majority of the day rewatching episodes of Ashes to Ashes. I also started finding the disparate pieces for my Halloween costume, wherein I will dress up as Old Gregg to either complete failure or semi-success. I've also decided that if Old Gregg doesn't work out, I'll be the Moon. I've also started working on my study abroad application once again. I'm turning in the application request for an official transcript tomorrow, but the big thing I'm worried about is the personal essay. How do I explain my reasons for wanting to join the study abroad program without sounding crazy (or really pathetic)? I might be posting a dry run through up here, but we shall see. I've got a month to finish everything and have it shipped to Westminster, so you can see why I'm a little worried at the moment. Still I have one radio show edited and ready to send off and I'm going to go talk to my advisor and the IAS people tomorrow, so at least I'm making some good head way with this. :sigh:
So there's my weekend. Not a complete dud and definitely less depressing than last weekend. Let's hope the trend continues.
11.9.09
The Week in Brief
I got mentioned in my school's newspaper today. The online edition doesn't show it, but in the hard edition (which takes drugs) there's a neat little column that recommends some shows to listen to. And guess who get's her own category? That's right, Nore! I was in the Washroom (which is like the Student Union on most campuses) and I just about flipped out when I saw it. "Brit-pop: Nore [Last Name]- Wednesday, 8-9 p.m." So what if the show is actually from 8pm to 10pm? I am my own category. I'm thrilled. I'm keeping the article forever. It's the capstone to what started out as a pretty shit week. So let's start from the beginning.
Monday
I woke up tired. I woke discouraged and slightly depressed. My Zune sat in it's little package waiting to be sent off to Laredo, Texas and it dawned on me, completely, that I would have no portable music, and with my schedule, no music most of the time. It was gloomy and I had nothing to perk me up. Ultimately Monday wasn't that interesting. My religion lit. class seems to drag on and on, but at least the reading material is interesting. Mu Phi had it's first meeting and I wrote a resume for Jean-Baptiste Lully. I went to bed tired.
Tuesday
I woke up tired again. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the worst because I have a class at 8:15am and I am the least morning person alive (though, actually that's not true, but I digress.) Tuesday was another gloomy day and to add to the despondancy, the one artist who I hadn't heard of won the Mercury Prize. Band killed my soul and I started dealing with music withdrawal symptoms (namely going insane.) I made a fairly successful playlist for my radio show and went to bed with hope that Wednesday would prove to be a better day.
Wednesday
It wasn't. I told a class of wannabe elementary school teachers not to treat learning disabled students like idiots and got a $5 Starbucks gift certificate for the effort. I sweated like a crazy person and my nerves stayed with me the rest of the day. I polished off the talking bits of my radio show and realized how very dependant I am on listening to music in between classes. And then the program I use to record my radio show from the internets didn't record the whole thing. Which is fine in a way because I wasn't even sure I wanted to use the show for Westminster (which is the reason I record the show) but now I don't even have the option really. I went to bed tired and hopefully about the next because I had an appointment to socialize.
Thursday
The day didn't start sunny or end sunny. But it was a good nonetheless because I hung out with some friends and had good food (Thai is lovely.) Classes weren't stressful, band set-up wasn't stressful, the brass section sat in the correct seats, and I tried in vain to defend Henry Purcell's one try at opera. I worked my lab hours and then went off to socialize. It was fun, though I now have blisters on the balls of my feet. I totally freaked my roommate out (who's insane by the by), but that was okay. I had had a good day.
Friday
Basking in the glow of the previous day, I didn't really have many expectations for today. I caught a glimpse of my ex during psych and spent the rest of the class trying to act like I hadn't while taking notes on the brain and neurons. And then I found out about the WMWC article and the rest of my day was made. Not much else happened really. The DW club (which is what it will always be) didn't have a meeting meaning I didn't have to see my ex, which in my opinion is always a good thing. I had frozen pizza for dinner and everything is good. Very zen. I also spent way too much time fretting over when my Zune will get to Laredo, I want it back so desperately! But it's not scheduled to arrive until the 15th, which probably means it won't be delivered back to the house until the 20th, maybe the 25th. Still, hope springs eternal that I will have my portable music back by the end of the month. We shall see.
Alright, I'm going to go to bed now. The massive amounts of diet coke I drank tonight coupled with the sugar I have digested is making me jittery and sleepy. I'm going to see an outdoor production of A Midsummer Night's Dream tomorrow and may or may not do quickie reviews of the new Arctic Monkeys and Cribs' albums. I'll just say one is good and one is trying to hard (it's up to you to guess which is which.) Now, I will worry about breakfast for tomorrow and sleep. Until then.
Monday
I woke up tired. I woke discouraged and slightly depressed. My Zune sat in it's little package waiting to be sent off to Laredo, Texas and it dawned on me, completely, that I would have no portable music, and with my schedule, no music most of the time. It was gloomy and I had nothing to perk me up. Ultimately Monday wasn't that interesting. My religion lit. class seems to drag on and on, but at least the reading material is interesting. Mu Phi had it's first meeting and I wrote a resume for Jean-Baptiste Lully. I went to bed tired.
Tuesday
I woke up tired again. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the worst because I have a class at 8:15am and I am the least morning person alive (though, actually that's not true, but I digress.) Tuesday was another gloomy day and to add to the despondancy, the one artist who I hadn't heard of won the Mercury Prize. Band killed my soul and I started dealing with music withdrawal symptoms (namely going insane.) I made a fairly successful playlist for my radio show and went to bed with hope that Wednesday would prove to be a better day.
Wednesday
It wasn't. I told a class of wannabe elementary school teachers not to treat learning disabled students like idiots and got a $5 Starbucks gift certificate for the effort. I sweated like a crazy person and my nerves stayed with me the rest of the day. I polished off the talking bits of my radio show and realized how very dependant I am on listening to music in between classes. And then the program I use to record my radio show from the internets didn't record the whole thing. Which is fine in a way because I wasn't even sure I wanted to use the show for Westminster (which is the reason I record the show) but now I don't even have the option really. I went to bed tired and hopefully about the next because I had an appointment to socialize.
Thursday
The day didn't start sunny or end sunny. But it was a good nonetheless because I hung out with some friends and had good food (Thai is lovely.) Classes weren't stressful, band set-up wasn't stressful, the brass section sat in the correct seats, and I tried in vain to defend Henry Purcell's one try at opera. I worked my lab hours and then went off to socialize. It was fun, though I now have blisters on the balls of my feet. I totally freaked my roommate out (who's insane by the by), but that was okay. I had had a good day.
Friday
Basking in the glow of the previous day, I didn't really have many expectations for today. I caught a glimpse of my ex during psych and spent the rest of the class trying to act like I hadn't while taking notes on the brain and neurons. And then I found out about the WMWC article and the rest of my day was made. Not much else happened really. The DW club (which is what it will always be) didn't have a meeting meaning I didn't have to see my ex, which in my opinion is always a good thing. I had frozen pizza for dinner and everything is good. Very zen. I also spent way too much time fretting over when my Zune will get to Laredo, I want it back so desperately! But it's not scheduled to arrive until the 15th, which probably means it won't be delivered back to the house until the 20th, maybe the 25th. Still, hope springs eternal that I will have my portable music back by the end of the month. We shall see.
Alright, I'm going to go to bed now. The massive amounts of diet coke I drank tonight coupled with the sugar I have digested is making me jittery and sleepy. I'm going to see an outdoor production of A Midsummer Night's Dream tomorrow and may or may not do quickie reviews of the new Arctic Monkeys and Cribs' albums. I'll just say one is good and one is trying to hard (it's up to you to guess which is which.) Now, I will worry about breakfast for tomorrow and sleep. Until then.
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