Masta Killa - Street Corner

[Looking on various street corners, I'm sure you've seen it yourself, standing on the corner is an alleged brother, dressed in blue, or green, red and black, and spouting the news that the revolution is coming, and you'd better get ready, sort of like the end of the world is coming.
Unfortunately the world is just going to drag on and on.]

...It's me and you, son
Forever in the struggle
No doubt we hustle
Survival is the motto...

Masta Killa [with GZA & Inspectah Deck] - Street Corner

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Sometimes (not too often) I wake up with a headache. Usually it will fade away sometime between showering and 9.30ish.
Sometimes it doesn't.

In other news, Mabel still has her stitches in her. This is good.
We have a visitor at our house. The Lady Catherine de Burgh is spending a few days with us. Petrie doesn't quite know what to think, and neither does the Lady, but I suspect they will be friends soon enough.

Update

So Leah took Mabel back to the vet. The deal is that she can somehow get at her stitches with her back paws - she is some kind of kitty-contortionist. Anyway - they are going to patch her up, and keep her there for a week. All we have to do is pay for it. But at least she will be OK.

In other news - I just got a message that the bike shop is done fixing my wheel. They ended the message by suggesting that I get a new wheel, since this one isn't going to last much longer.

Wouldn't it make more sense to tell me that before they spent the time and parts to fix the old one?? Hopefully it will last me the rest of the biking season...

Shoegaze

I have recently been listening to these Slowdive songs a fair bit.

Weekender

Oh man

The weekend was fun - Zellyn and Bevin came up to visit. It was great to see them, and we basically just walked around Toronto, and ate at JFL a few times.
Good times.

In other news, Mabel managed to fully de-stitch herself on Friday night. I took her in to the vet on Saturday, and she had to have more surgery. They cut out the old wound, and re-stitched her - this time with internal stitches. They also put a cone on her head, and put her on a course of antibiotics.

Turns out that something is up with that cat, 'cause yesterday her newly fixed wound started opening. Leah is taking her in to the vet today - so we will see what happens.

Last night we went to bed at around 11. Zellyn and Bevin had to get a cab to the airport at around 3am. I was also sleeping with Mabel right beside me, and trying to make sure that she wasn't messing with her wound all night, so I was getting a pretty crappy sleep.

Also, at 5 or so, the sketchy bar a few doors down caught on fire. It wasn't bad, 'cause the fire dept. was on the scene putting out fires, climbing through upstairs windows, and generally making a lot of noise...

If we're lucky, maybe they will be closed for a good month or two.

Petrie owns Kittenwar

Jen put this picture of Petrie, which she took when he was little, on the Kittenwar website.

While we may never know how a Petrie 'The Kitten' Hunter VS Scotia 'The Ferret' Hubble cage-match would turn out, at least we know that young Petrie can hold his own in an internet kitten battle royale.

Good work Jen.

I do not like the term 'Grups'

Some interesting, although perhaps slightly uncomfortable, thoughts about why you and your friends can't just get a job...

With unsettling frequency, I find that my generation can only identify and embrace success if it stems from self-expression, to such an extent that people are numbing and abusing themselves through drink and drugs to suppress frustration and a crushing sense of failure over having a 9-5 job. Unheralded, productive labor – a paycheck – is a drag because it's not fun and it's not "me." Individual recognition is such an enormous part of our models for success and accomplishment that we derive no sense of satisfaction from our jobs. We are in conflict because work is ordinary, and we are supposed to be extraordinary. Mom said so.


So we were told that we are special, and we aren't.
Although I still suspect that we really were meant to be...

More than one way to Skinner Cat.

Since there seemed to be a general amount of response to the cat related post below... here's a follow-up:

Here's how I see it.
Cat does undesirable action while you're watching - cat gets punished in some fashion.
Cat does undesirable action while you're not watching - nothing happens.

Since there is only enough space in a small cat-head for a peanut sized cat-brain, I can't think of a way to make them realize that the activity itself is bad, not just the doing it WHEN YOU'RE WATCHING.



Unless you use robots.

Oh yeah, and +100 dylan points if you got the Skinner reference.
Um, or Trent points, if you like - but dylan points are cooler (and his blog is more interesting)...

Red

This morning at work I learned this cool trick where you get red ink on your shirt.

Super Mario...

You've probably seen this already. Someone just sent it to me - and it rocked my 8-bit world.

Bits and pieces...

Today we took Mabel and Petrie to have their respective bits lopped off. We have been planning on doing it for weeks, but I'm telling them its because they didn't stay off of the kitchen table.

Speaking of bits being lopped off, I took my back bike wheel off during lunch, and somehow the whole valve had been sheared right off of the tube... which would explain why my tire went flat yesterday. How the heck does that happen?? The only thing I can think of is that I tore it off whilst locking the bike up (without noticing?!?..?)

Either that or it was ripped off when I got some wicked air ramping over that BMW in Forest Hill on my way to work yesterday...


Oh yeah, one of the spokes is broken too. So maybe I will get to buy a new tube AND a new wheel.

Here go the weekend update...

Added a 3rd coat of paint to the orange/rust bathroom.
Pushed the cat off of the kitchen table.
Watched Rebel Without a Cause.
Pushed the cat off of the kitchen table.
Bought new jeans.
Pushed the cat off of the kitchen table.
Went grocery shopping.
Pushed the cat off of the kitchen table.
Went to work at church.
Pushed the cat off of the kitchen table.

Hooked up...

Today I have a few links for you to checkout / ignore at your leisure...

First of all, Zellyn somehow found this view of a place we used to go camping in South Africa. It is amazing. We had to drive for hours along dirt roads to get there, and is is pretty much 'the wilderness'. Those stretches of beaches have about 3 people on them at any given time...

Secondly, Reeve posted a song on his site that is 'kind of stupid, kind of funny'. I have to agree. Some of the lines are hilarious, especially later in the song, and it is definitely the best gangsta take on buying groceries that I have ever heard.

And lastly, if you haven't seen them before, this guys kinetic sculptures are definitely worth checking out (unless you're not into amazing giant bug-like wind-powered walking 'beach beasts'.)

[edit]
Here's one more link for y'all. I didn't like this Sally Shapiro song so much at first (scroll down a bit to find it)... but it is growing on me.
[/edit]

Reeve Hunter blows up on MySpace

Well, not quite. But this guy from my church took a listen, put one of Reeve's songs on his page, his buddy heard it, told his friends... and who knows what could happen...
Reeve Hunter could become a household name amongst people's friends.

Myspace is so weird.

ps. Reeve - Whatsup?! I guess your band fell apart by now... (I listened to the rough mixes - pretty sweet) Hope that your impending move plans are going well. Peace. T.

Weekend Review

Another busy weekend...

On Friday - I had to work a little later than usual. Afterwards, I went to VV and SA, and bought some pants...

That evening, Leah and I went to see The Godfather. I have seen it before, so it wasn't quite as shocking, but still a CRAZY movie. I haven't figured out exactly what I think of it, since it is SO good, yet pretty much as dark as it gets...

On Saturday we cruised around the city on bikes. We had to do a bunch of things, like exchange Leah's helmet for one that fits her undersized head, and buy paint.

Sunday - I went to Kensington for groceries while Leah stayed home and picked some church songs to play at church... and then we went to church... and then we went home...

Pre-weekend Update

It's Friday.

Since Monday was a holiday, and for various other reasons, I don't get off at lunch today, which is a bit of a drag. Also, it got cold last night... the real-deal summer days are definitely over... =(

This week we:

Did not go to see Sonic Youth on Tuesday. I didn't really feel like it, and tickets were around $30... Instead we went and had what turned out to be a rather disappointing meal at Juice for Life (or ...Wife, as we often refer to it).

Last night I went to the Victory Cafe, since Kate is back in town, and some folks were getting together there for a welcome-back-Kate-hanging-out session. It was fun indeed.

Weekend Longue

On Friday I left work before noon and booted it down to U of T. I met Sue there, picked up the key for the storage closet at church, and then rolled down there to grab a bunch of sound gear, with Rachel's help. I loaded the gear into a milk crate, strapped it to my bike, and rode on home...

On Saturday, we headed out to Kitchener with a car FULL of people and guitars. We arrived at Nidus in time to set up for the FT worship session. Nidus was all about the hippy vibe, with outdoor pavilions as stages. Leah and the gang played a great (short) set, followed by Mike and the other gang. It was a little weird, since some people didn't seem aware that the point was to worship God, not sit and listen to some songs. Needless to say, there were plenty of FTers in the back getting their praise on.
Bradley was WAY more confident on guitar (this was his 2nd church appearance), and despite the ghetto setup, his shoegaze sensibilities were sounding pretty sweet... Also, Colin did a great job as guest drummer. Needless to say, Andrew and Leah were solid as usual...

We stuck around long enough to see the Aradhna set (always amazing), and catch the practicum part of Cyril and David's freestyle prayer tutorial. If you missed it, you may never again get a chance to hear David freestyle, or Jen McN..!

Other highlights included the full out tea tent set up and run by resident community-mongers Sarah and Chris Hale...


Sunday - we had pancakes in the park. Church was good. Leah, Andrew and Luke held down the music end of things, and David preached a great sermon on Psalm 130. Afterwards we booked it home for dinner, and then headed down to Lee's Palace.

Starflyer 59 was pretty darn sweet. I have never seen them live, and it was fun. Despite a slightly disappointing prerecorded bassist, it was a great show. I discovered during the last song that they sound about 1000 times better without earplugs... their sound somehow requires maximum volume, and the natural reverb that earplugs seem to cut. Anyway - it was way too loud, and I am way too old, to endure an entire set with no earplugs, but it was great anyway...

I also picked up Talking Voice vs Singing Voice, which I never bought before 'cause I never knew if it was actually good (which it is), and a new 4 song EP called I Win.

Monday - we went to Trinity Bellwoods for a picnic with the team. It was fun.

And that is it. It was a good weekend, although I do need to learn to RELAX more during my days away from work...

Muzak

Of course we didn't go to see Danielson last night. We were too busy on the phone, trying to organize this weekend. Besides, we also had to buy groceries. (No time for fun.)

And I don't know who we will see tomorrow, since we are not yet sure of who we will be riding with (or when they will be returning)... we will probably get to see everyone BUT Starflyer.

But I will try my hardest to make it to Lee's Palace on Sunday night for their TO show. Otherwise I would be a serious loser. They NEVER come to Toronto, and it's something like $8.50 to get in. You don't want to be a serious loser, do you?

Not Afraid of You

After yesterdays long postings on various blogs, I will follow up by simply pointing you to some freshly available YLT... Blaze it out.

Also, Danielson will be playing at Lee's Palace on Thursday night. Since we will only be at Nidus on Saturday (we get in that day for no money, since Leah & Friends will be rocking some church music), this gives me a chance to maybe catch the high-pitched dude anyway...
And yeah, Saturday should be pretty sweet... Miranda Stone, Aradhna, Drew freaking Brown...
and SF59.