Some things I forgot to mention

Re: the election
My previously stated reasons for voting democrat failed to mention perhaps the most important one. This is a less definable overall need for change in the USA. Obama has been branding himself as the candidate of HOPE - and for all the vagueness of the assertion, I think it identifies a real need. This is a little difficult to guage, living outside of the country (there is definitely a desire for change in the USA from this side of the border).
But I do think that there is certainly a place for HOPE and a place for dreams - and it seems like at this particular point in time, a healthy dose of optimism is necessary. I think people are waiting to see if America can change for the better - and I think we have a candidate who is calling for such change. Whether he can deliver on any of his claims remains to be seen, but this doesn't take away the need to believe that we CAN change.
Anyway - enough about that. Remember to vote.

Re: a movie we watched
Don't Come Knocking is a pretty cool movie. It is sort of a bit of a western... about a washed up cowboy actor who finds out that he has a son. It is the kind of movie that I really like - character driven, with not a whole lot of action, and a somewhat stylized treatment of characters and photography.
And the soundtrack is kinda cool.
And Sarah Polly is in it.

Lunchtime

Today at lunch I mailed my absentee ballot. As mentioned before, it is my first time voting. I am generally not eligible to vote where I live, and this is the first time I applied early enough for my ballot to come to me.

I am pretty ignorant when it comes to politics, so voting for somebody to lead 300+ million people is sort of scary. Here are some things that I do know:

Denying the human rights of enemies and suspected enemies of the USA is extremely worrisome. It is unAmerican, and violates rights protected in the constitution. Rights which we believe to be unalienable and god-given should surely be granted to all people (of all nations) even if there is a chance that it compromises national security. Otherwise we could, for example, have rounded up Japanese americans and held them in camps during WWII, on the grounds that they might be a threat. (Oh yeah, we did that too... but that doesn't make it OK.)

Healthcare in our country is ridiculous. Having seen the system in Canada, I can assure you that it is better - even with the higher taxes. When people make decisions about whether or not they will see a doctor based on whether or not they can afford to, then something is wrong.

A hands off approach to the economy seems a bit dodgy. I don't know much about economics, but I don't trust humans enough to do the right thing without regulation. If left to our own devices, greed would have us borrowing irresponsibly, lending irresponsibly, and the freedom of the market would lead us all into a big economic crisis. Hypothetically, of course.



Anyway - like I said, I'm not an expert, so I feel a little unqualified to be chosing a leader. That being said, I still think you should vote for Obama.



Also at lunch, I bought the new Mt Eerie CD (featuring Julie Doiron - hooray), to which I will now listen.

Weekend

Friday:
Leah and I headed to the rehearsal studio for a good 3-4 hour practice.
Saturday:
We went over to the Kelly's for brunch. It was fun.
That evening, Jen came over for dinner and then we headed to a party at the Bowser-Huang residence. There were 4 floors of party, with the most popular being the giant projected rock-band floor. That game is ridiculous.
Sunday:
We did loads of laundry in the morning.
After church we went to David and Jen's for dinner. Their lizard is steadily growing.

Obama Mix 2

I posted this Obama mix a while back...
If you want more Obama themed tunes, check out the Yes We Can Mixtape [Sendspace]

Week Update

I spent last week on vacation - but stayed in T.O.

Highlights:

My parents visited from Thursday to Sunday.
We ate a couple of Thanksgiving meals to kick off the week.
We went to Hamilton for an afternoon.


Today I am back at work - and I left my headphones at home... =(

Party for Change

If you've got the bandwidth, check out this Probama dj-mix.

I tend to be pretty politically ignorant. This is perhaps partly due to the fact that I've never lived anywhere where I could legally vote (I have legally paid taxes a lot though!)

To be honest, it probably has more to do with ignorance and laziness. I did make the effort to register to vote from abroad this time around.

Anyway - what prompted this (unusual for me) post about politics was a message on my church bulletin board linking to a YouTube clip (which, to be honest, I didn't bother watching) about how Obama supports letting babies die. I responded with a link to an Obama interview where he talks about this exact bill...

So - I figured I'd link to that interview here too...

Moonlight Shadow

For the last week I have been taking transit to work. The back tire on my bike needs a new tube, and I haven't had a chance to replace it. Also, the weather has gotten colder, so my motivation to get the thing fixed is waning.

As I was rushing out of the house this morning, I stopped to grab a book from the bookshelf. I didn't have anything in mind, and ended up with Banana Yoshimoto's Kitchen. This book is on my list of titles that I have read, and will read, over and over again.

I started with the short novella in the back, Moonlight Shadow, and I finished it at lunchtime. This story makes me want to make films. Actually, not films in general - it makes me want to remake this story in film. Yoshimoto translates feeling into hues and images, and translates those into written words. I can only imagine that reading her stories in the original Kanji is even more magical.

busy weekend

On Friday, Kate and Tim came over for dinner. Afterwards, we went to see Laura sing in the semi-finals of a bizarro Gospel Idol type TV show. The mash-up of church and contest show was completely ridiculous (not in a good way), but is was cool to see Laura do her thing (very well).

Afterwards, we were able to stop by the rehearsal studio and play music for about an hour.

On Saturday, we went to pick up a rental car, and then drove with David and Jen out to the Niagara region for Karl and Nicole's wedding. They were married in the back yard of a BIG house, with vineyards in the background. The ceremony was great, if a bit cold, and the reception (in a huge heated tent) was super fun. Justin DJ'd for hours, and I think the party went a bit longer than the parents expected...

We got home around 3am, and didn't feel up to going out to Nuit Blanche.

On Sunday, we had to get up around 9 to take the car back. Afterwards, we went to Mars for breakfast. Anne and Joel picked Leah (and her amp) up for church... They also came over for dinner afterwards.

zzz

Last night I slept for almost 10 hours

weekend

On Friday night Jen came over for dinner, and then we went to the Royal to watch the new Patti Smith documentary. It was filmed over ten or so years, with the intent of working as a portrait. If you like musician documentaries, or Patti Smith, then you should probably check it out...

Saturday - we went out for breakfast with the Cumby's. Afterwards, we went to L&M, and bought an amp for Leah. She ended up choosing a newly reissued Traynor tube amp, which sounds really good. We are going to start practicing each Thursday night.

We also went to look at an apartment. It is really nice, and a good price for the size (still expensive), but we decided that it is out of the picture since it is available a month before we need it.

On Sunday Leah went to play at an Anglican church. I made my own pilgrimage to the Common, for a coffee and shortbread. That evening, church was kinda crazy. It was extra decorated by resident art-school kids. The music was great. And Cyril has been preaching really kick-ass sermons recently (listen at freedomize.com, if you want). The service ended with a crazy worship set, glowsticks, and a live-music freestyle benediction.

Afterwards we went out for dinner with a big church posse.

I slept badly and got a flat tire on my way in to work, so the week should be getting better from here on.

Signage

Check out this super-rad parking garage signage

wknd

On Friday we stayed home and watched a movie
On Saturday we went to the Common, and then grocery shopping. That night we went over to Joel and Anne's
On Sunday we went to Billy's for breakfast, with David and Jen. We went to HMV and Criminal before church, and bought some CDs

Leah and I had some CDs made of some old songs. We will sell them for money and get rich some time in the near future.

Weekend

It was a crazy weekend.

Leah had a couple of wedding shower/bachelorette events to attend, and we had a couple of birthday/leaving for germany parties which we were supposed to go to (we went to one, and skipped the other).

Also - it was David's last Sunday as the pastor of FT, so we had a party after church last night too.

Leah signed up for a couple of classes at UofT - which she started today.

Midweek weekend update

It's Wednesday, and I'm back to work after a couple of sick days off. I'm still not 100%, but I'm on the mend.

The weekend:
Friday, I met Leah after work at Andrew and Esther's wedding rehearsal. Leah had to be there, and I sat around trying not to cough too much. Afterwards we went to Hosu for dinner.

Saturday - we went to the vet. Mabel seems to be doing better. She got another shot, and is on hypoallergenic (= more expensive) food. She is no longer rocking a cone on her head, so she is much happier.

Later we went to the wedding, and then the reception. It was great.

Afterwards we watched Talladega Nights, which is actually hilarious.

On Sunday, we went to church. Afterwards, some people came over to help us eat Leah's birthday cake!

On Monday and Tuesday I mostly lay around on the couch. I also visited the doctor (for free). She was an old grandmother from somewhere vaguely eastern european. I also consumed my own body weight in Ricola.

Today I am back at work. This American Life is replaying the episode with the post-traumatic stress guy from Iraq. It is definitely worth a listen.

Weekend

In no particular order.

The show on Saturday was fun! It was good to see the band fresh back from their tour - and fun to watch Leah play the bass. There were a bunch of people there, and everyone had a great time.

We went over to David and Jen's new place. Jen has done a great job of turning it into their new home. We watched Walk the Line on their giant screen tv.

We also hung out with Katherine and Michael - we went to Alternative Grounds, but it was closed...

The weather was great. I hope that the fall and the winter are delayed as long as possible.

Wednesday

I have a weekly meeting at 7.30 on Wednesday morning.
I am tired.

I heard from Leah. The band is not playing in Sydney anymore, and are heading back today. The drive to Cape Breton was too far too make it worth their while. It sounds like all of their shows in the maritime provinces were lots of fun.

They are planning on driving straight back without stopping (3 drivers on rotation...) so they should be back tomorrow.

Hooray.

Last One

The band should be home sometime tomorrow.
Check out their CD release show this Saturday at the Rivoli, if you know what's good for you.

TSV Tour Update

Monday

I pretty much hit you up with the weekend already.

Last night the cat managed to get cat-poop on a) herself b) the cone that is on her head to stop her from killing herself. I was very excited to have to clean it all up.

When I woke up this morning there was puke all over a) the kitchen b) the living room c) the cone that is on her head to stop her from killing herself. I was very excited to have to clean it all up.

Last night I watched a strange movie called the Princess and the Warrior. It was made by the Run Lola Run people, but with less electronic music. It featured the most artfully directed tracheotomy scene ever.