Monday, December 31, 2007

Here I Go Again

I have this habit of starting things and then abandoning them. I have a desk full of drawings I will never finish. I've been trying to write the "Great (Canadian?) Novel" for about 6 years now. This will be, I think, my 3rd blog. I know it's a bad idea to start something with the belief that you'll fail, but I can almost guarantee that I will abandon this blog at some point. I'm not saying "Turn back! Don't even bother with me!" I'm just saying in about a year you'll have to change your links.

So lets get down to business.

I turn 22 on January 1st. As the quarter-century mark grows ever nearer I find myself feeling very... useless. I've never been to college, I rent a shitty condo, and I don't own a vehicle. It's not like I want to jump off of a bridge, there's just a voice in my head saying "Do someshit before you die, dude! For serious." My inner monologue has horrible grammar.

Speaking of grammar, this list of Common Errors In English Usage is pretty darn useful, even for just bloggin'.

I received Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on DVD for Christmas. Oh. My. Crap. I have never had such an emotional response to a film. It is my new favourite. I loved it from beginning to end. From the the happy, tingly, newly-in-love vibe at the beginning, to the total despair and confusion Joel feels when he discovers what Clementine has done, to the slightly sappy ending. It's like the perfect bizarre analogy for any relationship.
Who hasn't wanted to forget about someone forever? Who hasn't impulsively said something horrible about someone they love? It's just the way it goes. "You only hurt the ones you love", as 'they' all too often say. I know I love my fiancee, but why do I say such awful things to her sometimes? My parents love each other, but if my mom doesn't occasionally entertain thoughts of killing my step dad, I'd be very surprised. My step grandparents are separated after 40 years of marriage. It's almost as if the very nature of Love is to fall in and out of it.
Boy did I go off track there. Anyways, Eternal Sunshine is good, even though I wept like a baby all the way through it. Watch it, enjoy it, think about it.

I bought 3 new albums yesterday. Yes, I payed for music. Anyways. I picked up Situation by Canada's (or at least my) favourite white rapper, Buck 65. I'm taking a little while getting used to it after his last album, Secret House Against The World, as it is slightly different and I fear change, but I foresee this being a CD I listen to until I'm sick of it. I strongly urge you to check out tracks 2 ("1957") and 15 ("Outskirts"), and the entire album, if you have the time.
I give it a 4 out of 5.

(P.S. Don't be scared off by the fact that I called Buck a 'rapper'. It's more like poetry-with-music than the inane gangsta garbage that is usually called rap.)

I also bought Neon Bible by The Arcade Fire (yes, I call them "The" because I like the way it sounds.) This is another one that's going to take a few more listens before I like it. Their last album, Funeral, is one of my favourite albums of all time, and this latest effort seems to be lacking something. Check out Tracks 10 ("No Cars Go") and 11 ("My Body Is A Cage").
I give Neon Bible a 3.5 out of 5.

Finally, I also bought We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse. It's decent. Not my favourite album of all time, but there's not a track on it I don't like, so I don't hate it. A pretty solid follow-up to Good News For People Who Love Bad News, which I listened to about a half a million times after I moved out of my parent's house (all of my other CDs were packed). I recommend tracks 2 ("Dashboard") , 5 ("Parting of the Sensory") and 12 ("Spitting Venom").
I give We Were Dead 3 out of 5.

That's all for tonight. This entry has taken me about 2 hours because I keep getting distracted, and I've been told I need to get up early tomorrow to go for breaky at Smitty's. Hooray for bacon.