The Organ Grinder's Monkey

King Stitt R.I.P.

2012-02-01T12:50:00.001-08:00

Theo Angelopoulos R.I.P.

2012-01-24T15:10:00.002-08:00

Etta James R.I.P.

2012-01-20T12:08:00.001-08:00

Václav Havel R.I.P.

2011-12-18T11:48:00.000-08:00

Cesária Évora R.I.P.

2011-12-17T10:28:00.002-08:00

Sócrates R.I.P.

2011-12-05T10:12:00.003-08:00

Patrick Leigh Fermor R.I.P.

2011-09-22T13:34:00.001-07:00

Jack Layton R.I.P.

2011-08-23T09:24:00.002-07:00

Elwy Yost R.I.P.

2011-07-22T11:12:00.003-07:00

Gunnar Fischer R.I.P.

2011-06-16T19:28:00.000-07:00

Gil Scott-Heron R.I.P.

2011-05-30T11:15:00.002-07:00

Lloyd Knibb R.I.P.

2011-05-13T12:30:00.002-07:00

Paul the Octopus R.I.P.

2010-10-28T10:17:00.001-07:00

Gregory Isaacs R.I.P.

2010-10-28T09:42:00.003-07:00

Laurent Fignon R.I.P.

2010-08-31T12:38:00.001-07:00

Sugar Minott R.I.P.

2010-07-15T10:31:00.002-07:00

José Saramago R.I.P.

2010-06-18T09:30:00.002-07:00

Winter Olympics Day 12-Irish House

2010-02-26T11:04:00.006-08:00

Winter Olympics Day 12-The Flame

2010-02-26T10:57:00.003-08:00

Winter Olympics Day 8-Saxony House

2010-02-26T10:49:00.005-08:00

Winter Olympics Day 7-Curling

2010-02-26T10:45:00.009-08:00

Winter Olympics Day 6-Short Track Speed Skating

2010-02-26T10:37:00.011-08:00

Winter Olympics Day 4-German Fan Fest

2010-02-16T00:59:00.007-08:00

Winter Olympics Day 3-Maison du Québec

2010-02-16T00:55:00.005-08:00

Winter Olympics Day 2-Luge

2010-02-14T13:43:00.011-08:00

Howard Zinn R.I.P.

2010-01-28T11:02:00.002-08:00

J. D. Salinger R.I.P.

2010-01-28T11:01:00.001-08:00

Ha!

2010-01-07T13:25:00.002-08:00

A friend sent me this a little while ago...

I have no idea where it came from originally, but it amuses me.

Lhasa de Sela R.I.P.

2010-01-06T22:53:00.001-08:00

Willie Mitchell R.I.P.

2010-01-06T22:51:00.002-08:00

Pizza of the Day!

2010-01-06T22:47:00.002-08:00

Tomato
Mozzarella
Tofu
Zucchini
Artichoke
Green Olive
Pesto
Parmesan

Tetrisized!

2009-10-31T13:07:00.001-07:00

We All Hate Portland!

2009-10-15T21:28:00.005-07:00

I went to Seattle last weekend. I saw the Pogues and the Seahawks. I like both of those things. Something in Seattle I dislike?

The Seattle Sounders. Thankfully the fine folks at Qwest field put the Sounders logo on the beer cups alongside the Seahawks logo so I was reminded throughout the game how much I dislike the Sounders. Upon leaving the stadium I saw a gentleman in a Sounders jersey and thanks to the constant reminders from my multiple beer cups I felt the urge to let him know what I thought of his team. In a friendly way, of course. And while we didn't necessarily see eye to eye on the matter we were able to agree on one thing...

We all hate the Portland Timbers! They suck.

Mercedes Sosa R.I.P.

2009-10-04T11:56:00.001-07:00

Pizza of the Day!

2009-09-30T23:19:00.003-07:00

I call this pizza the Green-Preserve-Pizza. Besides the usual cheese and tomato sauce and tofu, this pizza has green olives, capers, and a pickled jalapeño pepper. See...those three items are both green and preserved. There's a reason one of us is writing this blog while the rest of you are just reading it.

A Trip to the Record Shop!

2009-09-30T23:17:00.002-07:00

Merchandise table at the Rickshaw.

A Trip to the Record Shop!

2009-09-27T16:52:00.002-07:00

Шахматы!

2009-09-21T21:27:00.006-07:00

Карпов против Каспарова

Матч-реванш.

22-24 сентября

Валенсия, Испания.

The Weird Book Room

2009-09-16T23:28:00.006-07:00

I recently received an invitation from Abebooks to check out their Weird Book Room. It's a pretty fantastic collection of literary oddities, some of my favourites being:

-The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories
-Old Tractors and the Men Who Love Them
-Cheese Problems Solved
-The Thermodynamics of Pizza
-Nuclear War: What's in It for You?

And on and on they go. It's worth checking out.

Pizza of the Day!

2009-09-16T23:21:00.003-07:00

Данас је пица моцарела је и швајцарски сир, маслине, тофуа, тиквице, парадајз, песто и гљива.

A Trip to the Record Shop!

2009-09-08T21:59:00.006-07:00

Three different days, three different records, two different record stores and one merchandise table. In reverse chronological order...

Eddy!

2009-09-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

Leaning...

2009-09-01T23:04:00.003-07:00

From Trackosaurus Rex.

Four Minutes Well Spent...

2009-09-01T23:01:00.001-07:00

Just think...in the time you were watching that, those guys ran a mile. And what did you do? Nothing. You just sat there. Now get outside and do something.

Molotov Baseball!

2009-08-28T18:38:00.001-07:00

I hope this gentleman procreates one day.

We need to keep that shit in the gene pool.

Pizza of the Day!

2009-08-06T21:55:00.002-07:00

Oggi è la pizza di formaggio, pomodoro, peperoncino, tofu, olive, funghi e pesto.

Sir Bobby Robson, R.I.P.

2009-07-31T12:46:00.002-07:00

Guinness Floats!

2009-07-28T23:42:00.005-07:00

At the last Whitecaps game I attended, Sparky and J-Mac and I were talking about Guinness Floats. Lately, at the Whitecap's matches, they have been serving Guinness in waxed paper cups that make me think I am drinking a milkshake. Or a float. And because I'm drinking Guinness, it makes me wonder what a Guinness Float would taste like. So, I decided to find out.

I really thought it might be good. I thought the sweetness of the icecream would balance out with the bitterness of the stout in a flavourful way. I thought wrong. It wasn't very good. Oh well, now I know.

My new balcony furniture...

2009-07-28T00:06:00.002-07:00

A Business Proposal...

2009-07-07T23:24:00.000-07:00

RAHMAN KASSIM
BSC(HONS)ACCA
MALAYSIA.
Email: rahmankassim56@gmail.com

Dear,
I am RAHMAN KASSIM (BSC(HONS)(ACCA)MALAYSIA.I would respectfully request that you keep the contents of this mail confidential and respect the integrity of the information you come by as a result of this mail contacted you independently of our investigation and no one is informed of this communication.I would like to intimate you certain facts that I believe would be of interest to you. I know you would be wondering why writing you with a request such as this but I only urge you to read on. I decided to contact you through email due to the urgency,any way I need your co-operation in receiving US$10.5Million that has been in a dormant account with my bank since 1997 under inheritance claim. 30% of the total sums will be accrued to you upon the confirm,confirmation of the funds in your nominated account. Although it may seems small but you have to understand and accept this since 40% of the total sum will go to charity, as my entitlement here is also 30%. I need your co-operation here because the account holder an Iraqi Chieftain and businessman died at the war I find out this during the course of our internal audit, I have tried to reach any of the next trustees, but to no avail and since I am not in position to make the claim, I can establish you before the bank as the heir to the bequest.It is very important that the claim is made, as the bank will turn the funds over to the treasury anytime from now if it remains unclaimed. I will provide you with detailed information on the modalities of this operation.once I have your interest but I must say that trust flourishes business.Therefore let your conscience towards this proposal be nurtured.
GM.Mr Rahman Kassim

Pizza of the Day!

2009-06-20T14:35:00.003-07:00

Thursday's pizza was full of tofu, cherry tomatoes, artichokes, black olive tapenade, garlic, plus mozzarella, Parmesan, and Piave Mezzano cheeses.

Paddling to the Sea or Jogging the Memory

2009-06-10T22:51:00.003-07:00

I was listening to Eleanor Wachtel interview Michael Ignatieff on Writers and Company yesterday, when he mentioned a children's book, called Paddle to the Sea (by Holling C. Holling), about a boy who carves a toy Indian in a canoe that makes its way from Lake Nipigon, through the Great Lakes, over Niagara Falls and all the way out the St. Lawrence Seaway. Immediately I had this image in my head of a small wooden canoe going over the Falls. I did a bit of research and found this:

I have no idea when I actually saw this, though I suspect it was in elementary school at some time or other. You can watch the film in its entirety, thanks to the NFB's fantastic website, here.

David Carradine R.I.P.

2009-06-04T09:34:00.002-07:00

On Supporting A Sports Team...

2009-06-03T22:31:00.001-07:00

"It is foolish and childish, on the face of it, to affiliate ourselves with anything so insignificant and patently contrived and commercially exploitive as a professional sports team, and the amused superiority and icy scorn that the non-fan directs at the sports nut (I know this look — I know it by heart) is understandable and almost unanswerable. Almost. What is left out of this calculation, it seems to me, is the business of caring — caring deeply and passionately, really caring — which is a capacity or an emotion that has almost gone out of our lives. And so it seems possible that we have come to a time when it no longer matters so much what the caring is about, how frail or foolish is the object of that concern, as long as the feeling itself can be saved. Naivete — the infantile and ignoble joy that sends a grown man or woman to dancing and shouting with joy in the middle of the night over the haphazardous flight of a distant ball — seems a small price to pay for such a gift."

~Roger Angell

Charge!

2009-05-26T22:53:00.003-07:00

I have been reading Rowland Bowen's Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development Throughout the World and I recently came across a rather curious rule. Firstly, you must know that in cricket, one of the ways to be given out is to be caught (IE/ You hit the ball, a fielder catches it). So, the rule: If a player was in danger of being out caught he could charge down his opponent trying to catch the ball. A 1744 version of the laws upheld this right, though the bat and arms were not allowed to be used. (In 1624 a player, Jasper Vinall, was accidentally killed by another player, Edward Tye, with his bat, while Vinall was attempting to take a catch) This right was taken away in 1787, however as the game had spread around the world, local variants of the game still allowed it later than that. And so it was that an 1846 series between Canada and the USA was suspended because a Canadian batsman charged down an opponent...he believed it was within his rights to do so. As an aside, Canada first played the USA in an 1844 match which is widely believed to be the first international sporting contest. A further aside...in 1867 Cricket was declared Canada's national sport by John A. MacDonald. I'm not suggesting that the charging down rule be reintroduced, as entertaining as it could potentially be, I just found it interesting. That's all. You can go now.

Pizza of the Day!

2009-05-21T21:55:00.002-07:00

Artichokes, green olives, mozzarella, pesto, red pepper, tofu and zucchini are on this here pizza. And in case you failed to notice, I listed the ingredients alphabetically. You failed to notice. Didn't you?

Happy Birthday!

2009-05-19T18:55:00.001-07:00

120 years old and still looking great.

Concrete...

2009-05-19T00:26:00.003-07:00

A Trip to the Record Shop!

2009-05-18T19:48:00.003-07:00

And this one from the 99¢ bin...

Pizza of the Day!

2009-05-17T15:41:00.004-07:00

Actually the pizza of two days ago. Smoked tofu, cherry tomatoes, green olives, green peppers, mozzarella and Parmesan.

UPDATE: I have been informed that there were also artichokes and pesto.

Maths

2009-05-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

So just how tall is Imhotep?

Pizza of the Day!

2009-05-13T22:57:00.003-07:00

This evening's pizza had mozzarella, Parmesan, tomato, red pepper, tofu, zucchini, mushrooms, green olives, garlic and pesto.

PSA: What One Can Expect from A Ninja

2009-05-08T15:26:00.002-07:00

Dystopian Literature

2009-04-30T00:23:00.004-07:00

I have always liked reading dystopian literature. Perhaps that is because it agrees with my generally pessimistic view of civilisation and where it is headed. Anyhow, having reread Brave New World earlier this year, and having just finished rereading Zamyatin's We, I have decided to complete what has always been for me the triumvirate of dystopian literature and reread 1984.

Does anyone have any other suggestions of good dystopian literature of which I may be unaware?

Mahabharat (Kahani Teen Minute Mein) - Episode 142

2009-04-28T22:39:00.000-07:00

2:50 for the best decapitation in a movie, ever.

A Trip to the Record Shop Record Store Day Edition

2009-04-22T23:14:00.005-07:00

Last Saturday was Record Store Day. To celebrate, I went record shopping. Original, I know. This is what I picked up:

After buying it, the dude at Audiopile told me to help myself to a record from the bargain bin. I chose this:

Sadly, there are some big scratches on it, though some of the songs play through just fine.

J. G. Ballard R.I.P.

2009-04-20T22:13:00.002-07:00

Man Bites Snake!

2009-04-15T12:57:00.003-07:00

This may be the best news item ever. Or at least the best news item today. A Kenyan man was attacked and pulled up a tree by a python. The man bit the snake.

A Trip to the Record Shop!

2009-04-13T17:26:00.002-07:00

This was purchased at an actual record shop, not a merchandise table. Notice the spelling of Reggae.

The Ball is Round!

2009-04-13T13:46:00.003-07:00

Today, I finally finished reading David Goldblatt's excellent book The Ball is Round: A Global History of Football. At 907 pages, no small feat. Though not my favourite football book, that honour is shared amongst Eduardo Galeano's Soccer in Sun and Shadow and Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch, this book is, as I said, excellent. Massive in scope, it is exactly what the title says, a history of the game on a world scale. But more than covering the spread and development of football, it gives the social and historical context in which football was and is played. The strongest chapters are the later ones, I'm guessing because there are more records available. These chapters detail the corruption and commercialization endemic in the world game. However, he ends with this:

Living with profound risk and uncertainty is now the destiny of humanity. We are lucky then that the game we have chosen as our collective metaphor, the avatar of our social dilemmas, should so closely parallel our predicament. To place the world under the sign of play is to expose ourselves to the caprice of the ball. We must be bold enough to think that we have the guile, the heart and the wit to bring it under control.

An over-intellectualisation perhaps, something I may have been guilty of once or twice, but apt nonetheless. All in all, an excellent, thoroughly researched work, and a worthwhile read.*

*When the hell did I become a book reviewer?

Stalin vs. Martians

2009-04-03T17:42:00.002-07:00

That is the trailer for an upcoming video game called, obviously, Stalin vs. Martians. I really have no idea why Josef Stalin is dancing or what the dancing has to do with what seems to be a pretty straight forward strategy video game pitting Martian invaders against the Red Army, but I do know this: Josef Stalin is coming to your house.* Soon. You've been warned.

*I'd recommend serving a nice poppy seed cake with tea.

My Little Pony Redux!

2009-04-01T23:22:00.003-07:00

Because some things are just too awesome to not post, here is a blog entry about the next generation of My Little Ponies.

Today's Weather...

2009-04-01T08:41:00.001-07:00

It's snowing. On April 1st. This is a joke, right?

A Trip to the Record Shop!

2009-03-30T23:16:00.002-07:00

Actually, this was another trip to the merch table. I also got a t-shirt and a button. And they threw in a tote bag for free.

A Trip to the Record Shop!

2009-03-26T23:15:00.003-07:00

Actually, it was a trip to the merchandise table at last night's Bonnie 'Prince' Billy show at the Vogue, but this is an ongoing series, people, it just wouldn't do to go changing the name now.

Your crappy week has nothing on this...

2009-03-25T13:17:00.002-07:00

You think you're having a shitty week?

Well, this guy, may have had what is the worst week ever in the history of really crappy weeks. So what if it was over fifty years ago. Quit your whining!

Are You Ready?

2009-03-18T22:59:00.005-07:00

It was officially announced today that the 2008 USL Champion Vancouver Whitecaps will be the 17th team in Major League Soccer (I've always hated that name) starting in 2011. Truthfully, I have mixed feelings about this. I'm definitely excited to see the team playing in the highest level of soccer available to them, and excited to see what will happen club-wise, supporter-wise etc. But on the other hand, I think in the move from Swangard stadium to BC Place we're going to lose something. I really like the atmosphere at Swangard; the cool air on those spring nights, the mountain view from the south side, the proximity to the field, even the drizzle on the rainy long weekends. There's something special there that I fear won't translate to the mammoth stadium that is BC Place, even transformed to be soccer specific with the roof open. I hope I'm wrong of course, that what we lose in quaintness we make up for in atmosphere, that we have 15 000 chanting and singing supporters at every game. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I also assume that ticket prices and beer prices will go up. I give two resounding thumbs down to that. But my feelings aside, the train has left the station, we're going to MLSville and I'm glad to be on the train. So let me make this official: this is the beginning of the "Bring Thierry Henry to Vancouver" campaign. You read it here first! Come on Whitecaps!

A Trip to the Record Shop!

2009-03-15T17:19:00.001-07:00

Happy Pi Day!

2009-03-14T19:23:00.003-07:00

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9588970695 3653494060 3402166544 3755890045 6328822505 4525564056 4482465151 8754711962 1844396582 5337543885 6909411303 1509526179 3780029741 2076651479 3942590298 9695946995 5657612186 5619673378 6236256125 2163208628 6922210327 4889218654 3648022967 8070576561 5144632046 9279068212 0738837781 4233562823 6089632080 6822246801 2248261177 1858963814 0918390367 3672220888 3215137556 0037279839 4004152970 0287830766 7094447456 0134556417 2543709069 7939612257 1429894671 5435784687 8861444581 2314593571 9849225284 7160504922 1242470141 2147805734 5510500801 9086996033 0276347870 8108175450 1193071412 2339086639 3833952942 5786905076 4310063835 1983438934 1596131854 3475464955 6978103829 3097164651 4384070070 7360411237 3599843452 2516105070 2705623526 6012764848 3084076118 3013052793 2054274628 6540360367 4532865105 7065874882 2569815793 6789766974 2205750596 8344086973 5020141020 6723585020 0724522563 2651341055 9240190274 2162484391 4035998953 5394590944 0704691209 1409387001 2645600162 3742880210 9276457931 0657922955 2498872758 4610126483 6999892256 9596881592 0560010165 5256375678

Football Shirts!

2009-03-12T19:05:00.002-07:00

I'm a big fan of football shirts. I own a number of them. The ones I own are mostly tasteful deals, red body, white sleeves, or white and blue, that kind of thing. The polar opposite of tasteful jerseys can be found here:

The Football Shirt Hall of Shame.

These are some of the ugliest shirts to ever grace the fields of the beautiful game. And for the record (someone is keeping records, aren't they?) I do not own the Arsenal jersey pictured above. Also, for the record, if I did own it, I would most definitely wear it.

Just what the Doctor ordered...

2009-03-07T13:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Donna.

World Book Day!

2009-03-05T21:09:00.005-08:00

Today is World Book Day. Actually, let me clarify that. Today is World Book Day if you're in Ireland and the United Kingdom. If you're anywhere else in the world, then World Book Day is on 23 April. Actually, 23 April is World Book and Copyright Day. It's also Canada Book Day. Get all that? Me neither, really. No matter though. Just turn off your computer and go read a book.

Randomness!

2009-02-27T19:53:00.002-08:00

There's this meme going around the facebooks and the internets that goes a little like this:

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

Here's mine:

I like this. I imagine it sounds a little like the Chameleons with a little New Model Army thrown in. Anyhow, Ochmacanthus is now seeking members. Apply in the comments section with your instrument and influences.

Shrovetide!

2009-02-24T19:07:00.002-08:00

Today is Shrove Tuesday. I have no idea what a shrove* is, so I'm just going to say it's Pancake Tuesday. I will be having pancakes for dinner. But back to Shrove Tuesday, it is the time in England for the traditional Shrovetide football matches. For those of you who don't know, which is, I'm assuming, most of you, considering the readership here, the Shrovetide football games are massive games between towns or villages that involve, potentially, hundreds of players. These games date back to the 12th century. The ball will, typically, begin at a centre point and players will attempt to move the ball to their own goal, which could be kilometres away, kicking or hitting it, though more likely passing it man to man, like a rugby scrum. Anything goes, so long as it doesn't lead to manslaughter or murder. The game resembles more a mob or riot than a modern football match, but these games are one of the precursors to what we now know as football. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to eat my pancakes. Down wi' it!

*I actually do know, I'm just not telling you.

A Trip to the Record Shop!

2009-02-23T20:47:00.002-08:00

Inbox Zero

2009-02-10T23:22:00.002-08:00

After coming across this and seeing a friend's near empty inbox, I decided to attempt to attain Inbox Zero. With that in mind I cleaned up one of my e-mail addresses from about 2500 e-mails down to fifteen. Tomorrow when I go into work there are a few things I need to do because of those fifteen e-mails and then I'll have the number down even lower. I didn't just delete everything, I sorted and kept what is actually relevant or important information in appropriate folders and the rest went into the trash. Bye-bye. I've got a couple more e-mail addresses with their respective over-flowing inboxes, but I'm slowly liberating them from the weight of electronic clutter. Who knows, maybe after I get that done and learn how to keep it that way, I may be able to translate that into real life.

A Trip to the Record Shop!

2009-02-09T13:46:00.002-08:00

Pizza of the Day!

2009-02-09T10:21:00.002-08:00

Today's pizza is...hey, wait a minute...that's not pizza. True, it's actually socca, which is a chickpea flour type flatbread from Nice (nice). There are other variants throughout southern France and Italy, such as farinata or cecina. The main ingredients are chickpea flour, water and olive oil, though the one I made has tomatoes, rosemary, and Parmesan, as per a recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's wonderful World Vegetarian cookbook.

Shaving Time

2009-02-06T18:15:00.004-08:00

As shown by the above photo, taken just moments ago, I have not been shaving of late. One might even say, I've been growing a beard. It's been two month since I last dragged a sharp metal blade over my face. I went to hot yoga this afternoon. It was hot in there. Really hot. Do you see where I'm going with this? It's time to shave.

Lux Interior R.I.P.

2009-02-05T20:47:00.002-08:00

A Trip to the Record Shop!

2009-02-05T11:08:00.004-08:00

When this came out on CD, I thought the cover would look best as a proper record. Now I have it.

Some online quiz results

2009-02-05T10:48:00.002-08:00

45%

$4325.00

47%

Saving Ink!

2009-02-04T18:23:00.004-08:00

Spranq, a Dutch company, has designed the Ecofont. Depending on your software and your printer you could use up to 20% less ink. Their idea was to reduce each letter as much as possible while still rendering them legible. The font looks like this:

It isn't the greatest looking font, but at a regular size is quite usable. And you can download it for free.

Just Say No!

2009-02-04T18:21:00.002-08:00

Apparently this video was taken after the kid was at the dentist.

I don't think kids should be doing drugs.

A Trip to the Record Shop!

2009-01-27T12:18:00.003-08:00

I've since bought two more records:

V/A-Vancouver Complication purchased at Neptoon Records.

Fleet Foxes-Fleet Foxes purchased at Audiopile.

The Vinyl Resurgence/Revolution.

2009-01-27T11:16:00.006-08:00

See what I did in the title there? I made a pun. Kind of. Records...they revolve. Wow, tough crowd. Anyhow...

Two weeks ago I purchased a new turntable, the first I've had since I moved out to Vancouver. When I left Ontario I had boxes and milk crates filled with records that I left behind. I was never quite sure what to do with them all, but last fall, 13 years on, I decided to actually buy a record player and ship the records out here. I went back to Guelph in December for Christmas. While there I boxed up all the records for shipping and as soon as the weather warms up a bit they'll be on there way.

The record player, a Rega P-1, came in last week. The kind folks at Hifi Centre lent me a CD player while I waited for the turntable to arrive so that I could at least play music through my new amplifier and speakers (Rotel and Bowers & Wilkins respectively). (That will, of course, work in their favour because, damn, that CD player sounded A WHOLE LOT better than my current bookshelf unit.) So, having a brand new turntable and only 4 records to play on it, there was only one thing to do...go record shopping!

That's me buying my first record in about 14 years. It's Prince Buster's Fabulous Greatest Hits. Sadly, when I got it home there was a nice big scratch from centre to edge on both sides, rendering it unplayable. (It was still in shrink wrap, so there was no way to check it. The record store, Highlife, is ordering me a new copy.) Luckily I bought another record as well, John Coltrane's A Love Supreme, on 180 gram vinyl.

It's psychological, I know, but there is something much more satisfying to me about shopping for records than CD's. I, like many people, am tired of CD's. There isn't much exciting about them beyond the music. And we all know that we don't need to buy the CD to get the music. With records though, I actually feel like I'm getting something for my money. Beyond the fact of better sound quality, listening to vinyl is a much more visceral experience. Partially it comes from having a better stereo than I've ever had, but the act of listening to records, actually playing and listening to records, as opposed to having background music on, has me more excited about music than I have been in a long time.

Fire!

2009-01-27T11:05:00.004-08:00

Exactly 25 years ago today, Michael Jackson's hair caught on fire while filming a Pepsi commercial.

Remember that? Yeah, well, you're getting old.

NFB Screening Room

2009-01-22T11:13:00.002-08:00

The National Film Board has launched an online screening room where you can view full length NFB films. And it's all free. There are feature length documentaries, shorts, animation, and more titles will be added each week. And they have The Sweater.

Sure Buddy!

2009-01-16T19:10:00.000-08:00

The Best Albums of 2008

2009-01-16T15:25:00.003-08:00

I know that January is more than half over. What of it? I play by my own rules, man!

Anyhow, here we go again, still playing fast and loose with release dates.

Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes
I think this album was on everyone's list. I was sitting in a coffee shop one day and they played a fantastic song that I didn't know. A few weeks later a friend told me that this band Fleet Foxes was coming to Vancouver and that it would be a great show. I hadn't heard them so I started listening to their myspace page and there was that awesome song I'd heard in the coffeeshop (White Winter Hymnal). Nice. I couldn't get tickets to the show, sadly. But the album is excellent.

Made in Dakar by Orchestra Baobab
This Senegalese band's afro-cuban-pop-whatever just makes me feel happy. Listening to the album makes the world feel like a better, warmer, happier and funkier place than it really is.

Glasvegas by Glasvegas
Another friend recommended band, these guys remind me of Jesus and Mary Chain. Not a bad live show either. (I talked to the lead singer...woohoo!)

Creation Rebel by DJ Spooky
Normally I don't go for the remixes, but this one really works. DJ Spooky knows what works apparently.

An England Story: The Culture of the MC in the UK 1984-2008 by Various Artists
A Soul Jazz release, this chronicles the blah blah blah, you read the title of the album already. It really shows the influence of Jamaican music on British music, dancehall in particular.

In the Future by Black Mountain
The opening of this album is enough to merit a spot on the list. It says to me: Rock and roll is alive and well.

The Stage Names by Okkervil River
My brother recommended this in the comments section of last year's list, so obviously it came out in '07. Or he can see into the future...you didn't think of that possibility, did you?

Man Descending by Justin Rutledge
Simple folky sounding singer-songwriter stuff, but it's good at that. Greenwich Time and Alberta Breeze are my favourites of the bunch.

Soft Airplane by Chad VanGaalen
When I first heard the song Willow Tree I fell in love with it at once. What's not to like about a banjo driven death dirge? I bought the CD at the concert and he was right there so I got him to sign it. Instead he drew a picture on it. Thanks, Chad, you ruined my album cover. *

Some honourable mentions:
Mr. Love & Justice by Billy Bragg
Cardinology by Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
Chances by Jill Barber
Kensington by The Constantines
Proof of Love by Old Man Luedecke
Mountain Meadows by Elliott Brood

Some eagerly anticipated in 2009:
New Great Lake Swimmers Album...New Great Lake Swimmers Album...New Great Lake Swimmers Album...New Great Lake Swimmers Album...

That's all folks.

*He didn't really ruin the cover; I actually quite like it.

The Organ Grinder's Monkey

King Stitt R.I.P.

Theo Angelopoulos R.I.P.

Etta James R.I.P.

Václav Havel R.I.P.

Cesária Évora R.I.P.

Sócrates R.I.P.

Patrick Leigh Fermor R.I.P.

Jack Layton R.I.P.

Elwy Yost R.I.P.

Gunnar Fischer R.I.P.

Gil Scott-Heron R.I.P.

Lloyd Knibb R.I.P.

Paul the Octopus R.I.P.

Gregory Isaacs R.I.P.

Laurent Fignon R.I.P.

Sugar Minott R.I.P.

José Saramago R.I.P.

Winter Olympics Day 12-Irish House

Winter Olympics Day 12-The Flame

Winter Olympics Day 8-Saxony House

Winter Olympics Day 7-Curling

Winter Olympics Day 6-Short Track Speed Skating

Winter Olympics Day 4-German Fan Fest

Winter Olympics Day 3-Maison du Québec

Winter Olympics Day 2-Luge

Howard Zinn R.I.P.

J. D. Salinger R.I.P.

Ha!

Lhasa de Sela R.I.P.

Willie Mitchell R.I.P.

Pizza of the Day!

Tetrisized!

We All Hate Portland!

Mercedes Sosa R.I.P.

Pizza of the Day!

A Trip to the Record Shop!

A Trip to the Record Shop!

Шахматы!

The Weird Book Room

Pizza of the Day!

A Trip to the Record Shop!

Eddy!

Leaning...

Four Minutes Well Spent...

Molotov Baseball!

Pizza of the Day!

Sir Bobby Robson, R.I.P.

Guinness Floats!

My new balcony furniture...

A Business Proposal...

Pizza of the Day!

Paddling to the Sea or Jogging the Memory

David Carradine R.I.P.

On Supporting A Sports Team...

Charge!

Pizza of the Day!

Happy Birthday!

Concrete...

A Trip to the Record Shop!

Pizza of the Day!

Maths

Pizza of the Day!

PSA: What One Can Expect from A Ninja

Dystopian Literature

Mahabharat (Kahani Teen Minute Mein) - Episode 142

A Trip to the Record Shop ***Record Store Day Edition***

J. G. Ballard R.I.P.

Man Bites Snake!

A Trip to the Record Shop!

The Ball is Round!

Stalin vs. Martians

My Little Pony Redux!

Today's Weather...

A Trip to the Record Shop!

A Trip to the Record Shop!

Your crappy week has nothing on this...

Are You Ready?

A Trip to the Record Shop!

Happy Pi Day!

A Trip to the Record Shop Record Store Day Edition