Water in your shaking hands.

Memester

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 01:58:31 GMT

How well DO you know your significant other?

1. They are watching TV...What are they watching?
The Simpsons, CSI, or Law and Order: SVU.

2. You're out to eat...What kind of dressing do they get on their salad?
A vinaigrette, maybe -- although Jen's pretty adventurous with dressings and likes to change it up.

3. What's one food this person doesn't like?
Chocolate milk

4. You go out to the bar. He/she orders.....
Grasshopper

5. Where did he/she go to high school?
Argyle Secondary School

6. What is their favorite food?
Korean

7. If this person were to collect anything, it would be....
Does collect yarn.

8. What is their favorite type of sandwich?
Like a good cucumber and cream cheese sandwich.

9. This person's bedtime?
Between 10 and 11 p.m.

10. Favorite cereal?
Multi-grain cherios

11. This person wouldn't be caught dead wearing...
Cowboy boots

12. Favorite sports team?
Seattle Mariners, back in tha day, or whoever A-Rod plays for.

13. Who will he/she vote for?
She votes NDP.

14. What is their sign?
Virgo. Chinese year of the dog.

15. What is something you do that he/she wishes you didn't?
Manically eat junk food, pick my fingernails.

16. How many states has this person lived in?
One -- California. Two provinces -- B.C. and Saskatchewan.

17. What is his/her heritage?
Korean.

18. You bake them a cake for their birthday...What kind is it?
Something with rasberries...Jen's not super into cake like I am.

19.Did he/she play sports in high school?
Mountain biking, and yearbook (hehe!). And she was the manager of the basketball team, which meant she made warm-up mix tapes.

20. This person could spend an entire afternoon doing what?
Knitting or reading a book. Although Jen is usually too much on the go to spend an entire afternoon doing just one thing.

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 01:44:38 GMT

Under the good points:
Expectations met: The National (playing on the small rather than main stage); Beirut; Flight of the Conchords (don't let anybody tell you they aren't hilarious live); Fleet Foxes
Friends
Bands that I now get: Battles, Destroyer
New discoveries: Cave Singers, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, Moondoggies, J. Tillman, Morning Benders, Sera Cahoone
Telling stories about the horrendous Mars Volta performance

Under the band points:
The Mars Volta
Rowdy festival go-ers

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 21:31:36 GMT

Under the good points:
• New songs from the Constantines, as good as any.
• Last day of classes
• Sweating a bit
• Baked goods
• Babysitting
• The library open again
• Vodka

Under the bad points:
• Library lockouts
• Time off, coming soon
• Private law of pretty much any kind

Train seats

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:05:22 GMT

Train seats, originally uploaded by busysignals.

Best clam impression

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 18:24:25 GMT

Best clam impression, originally uploaded by busysignals.

Some new photos on flickr...

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 06:26:12 GMT

I'm fairly excited about: here.

Sorry I'm never around. Maybe soon I'll chat a bit.

Polaris Prize tonight

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:14:06 GMT

I think the Junior Boys have to be the favourite to win, but the Besnard Lakes really are the dark horse.

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 17:04:07 GMT

The shortlist for the 2007 Polaris Music Prize was revealed today. Miracle Fortress is a nice surprise, although the rest of the choices (save The Besnard Lakes, perhaps) are fairly obvious. It's disappointing, too, that Chad VanGaalen is the only nominee who resides west of Ontario. I was hoping for Woodpigeon's Songbook album to come in as a dark horse. I'm a bit surprised, although not terribly upset, that Apostle of Hustle didn't show up on the list. I've also been thinking the Handsome Furs would have a good shot, but not this time.

The list is long on indie rock/pop (with an electronic pop act thrown in) and white guys. Maybe that's to be expected. In any case, a darn fine schwack of records.

--By the way, I didn't realize that Toronto is represented by only one artist, Feist, who lives in Paris anyway.

Two hilar t-shirts

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 20:15:31 GMT

First, the Elitism Venn Diagram shirt, as well as the I Listen to Bands shirt.

In Jena, Louisiana

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:38:55 GMT

In Jena, Louisiana, last summer, a black student was told he could sit under a schoolyard tree traditionally reserved for whites. The next morning, three nooses were hanging from the tree.

Racial tension grew in the community, and in December a white student was allegedly attacked by a group of black students. According to the BCC, the white student "was treated at the local hospital and released, and that same evening felt able to put in an appearance at a school function."

Soon, six black students, known as the Jena Six, were charged with conspiracy to commit second degree murder and attempted second degree murder.

Read more from the BCC.

And one addendum -- this week, the charges against one defendant were reduced.

And more from the trial.

Gnarls Barkley meets the theremin

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 19:32:26 GMT

I'm posting this especially for Allison G. cause she digs the theremin.

Wishlist

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 06:29:51 GMT

Unfortunately, it seems there are plenty of people with plenty of Facebook friends who would like to see a woman's right to choose "abolished."

Although the CBC Wishlist contest seems frivolous and fluffy, it's still scary that so many people are supporting such a wish. And it's probably not a good idea to let the anti-choicers win. Click here and support "I wish for Canada to remain pro choice."

UPDATE: As of Thursday June 21 at 11:00 Mountain Time, the pro-choice wish is ahead by about 100 votes.

G Dub

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 17:12:24 GMT

G Dub, originally uploaded by busysignals.

One, two lights.

Sat, 19 May 2007 18:47:37 GMT

Two lights, originally uploaded by busysignals.

The best article I've read in a long while.

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 19:43:26 GMT

Can one of the United States' great classical musicians cut through the fog of a D.C. rush hour?

Would you stop to listen?

Please circulate

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 16:08:56 GMT

An e-mail from a friend who works for DNTO:

The big Juno weekend is two weeks away.

And as you know, we at DNTO like to celebrate the Junos with a big musical extravaganza. So in two weeks, we'll be in Saskatoon. And we'll broadcast live from the Delta Bessborough. With performances from Montreal's Patrick Watson, singer-songwriter Leela Gilday and fusion duo Digging Roots.

And here's the best part: Tickets to the show are FREE!

The show starts at 10 am, on Saturday March 31. If you're in the Saskatoon area and want to come be part of the action, here's what you do: Email us at dntojunos at winnipeg.cbc.ca and tell us how many tickets you want.... That's it. Like magic, you're in!

Please circulate

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 16:08:45 GMT

An e-mail from a friend who works for DNTO: The big Juno weekend is two weeks away.

And as you know, we at DNTO like to celebrate the Junos with a big musical extravaganza.
So in two weeks, we'll be in Saskatoon. And we'll broadcast live from the Delta Bessborough.
With performances from Montreal's Patrick Watson, singer-songwriter Leela Gilday and fusion duo Digging Roots.

And here's the best part: Tickets to the show are FREE!

The show starts at 10 am, on Saturday March 31.

If you're in the Saskatoon area and want to come be part of the action, here's what you do: Email us at dntojunos at winnipeg.cbc.ca and tell us how many tickets you want.... That's it. Like magic, you're in!

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 02:55:06 GMT

Maybe you've heard about Conservapedia, a site that contends Wikipedia has a strong liberal bias.

There's a great Toronto Star article about it, and here is another response: A (Conservative) People's History of New York City.

Now in cyborg form/Now with new gap-toothed smile.

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 23:43:09 GMT

Lots of big life events lately.

On Tuesday I had minor surgery to implant titanium rods into my upper jaw to (finally and permanently) replace two teeth I never had the ability to grow.

Until the final crowns are attached to the implants a few months from now, I have two big gaps in my smile. Those gaps are filled in by a retainer-style, removable prothesis, which unfortunately makes me talk with a lisp.

Currently I think the lisp is slightly worse than the smile gaps. The retainer deal is uncomfortable and frustrating, so I leave it out, mostly.

Also, I have a twisted desire to tell people the gory details of the procedure, probably because I want to prove I'm not a sissy.

(Oh, and thanks for the congratulatory messages!)

Knows What You Need

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:28:54 GMT

type your name + "needs" into google. gives you a pretty good insight into the interweb.

Silas needs to pee, identifies an upright architectural feature, and takes a leak.

Silas needs your help

Silas needs all the changes made on Paul since Silas left the cluster.

Silas needs no flashbacks to explain his connection with the Bishop; he’s a fanatic who’s been tricked into being a tool of the Teacher.

Silas needs a diaper change.

Silas needs a lot of attention and care, so please come visit him today.

Silas needs to be in school.

Silas needs [to] work on his quick trigger and turnovers, but he is fearless and a true scorer that can get his own shot.

SILAS needs email cadres to send letters to the university administration, student government, local leaders, and international figures.

Silas needs the talent on the floor; he will make the pieces fit.

Silas needs better shot selection.

Silas needs to get rid of the facial hair.

Silas needs to go for it.

Silas needs no introduction.

Apologies, Apostrophes.

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 00:58:49 GMT

You might have heard me nattering on the radio recently about Jim Guthrie tunes getting played on TV. There's the Capital One commercial ("Hands in my Pocket") and public service announcements for the ALS Society of Canada. Also, a little while ago I started hearing Guthrie's voice in a Tim Hortons ad, singing "always fresh at Tim Hortons" near the end of the spot.

Also, Beirut's "Postcards from Italy" has turned up in a commercial for Ivory soap.

I'm not posting this to encourage any sort of debate on whether on not artists should be associated with corporations. I think it is pretty clearly a good thing (money for artist), and I'm posting about it because it makes me excited when I hear good singers on the telly.

On another topic, "Tim Hortons" really pisses me off because the store doesn't use an apostrophe in its name and logo. Really, why not the possessive "Tim Horton's"?

Could be trouble.

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 22:38:53 GMT

Apparently, folks from Wolf Parade, Islands, and Les Savy Fav have formed a "supergroup" (I dislike that term just as much as you do) called Internet, which will perform at an upcoming McSweeney's event. But wait, word has reached these parts that Final Fantasy's Owen Pallett and Steve Kado of Barcelona Pavilion and The Blankket also have a group (well, a duo) called Internet. They act out RPG fantasies while screaming.

I wonder if either group pronounces its name "inner-net."

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 22:31:47 GMT

Today marks the start of Sexual Health Awareness Week/Month. Get tested for greeblies. Chlamydia, HIV, and syphillis are no joke.

Hemeheme.

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 19:24:04 GMT

1. Grab the nearest book
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.

Which sovereign should govern? The worm tells a different story still. Though it is a technology for searching, the worm functions differently from searching in the ordinary case.

It's good to take buses sometimes even if you don't know where they're headed.

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 04:29:15 GMT

For the last couple of months of 2006, I got into the awful habit of listening to albums to evaluate their suitability for inclusion on a "best of 2006" list for "work." It's not much fun, and it made me dislike sounds and voices I would otherwise quite enjoy. And frick, I'm sure my list didn't turn out any better because of it.

So in addition to already bringing sickness, health, new vulnerability, frigid temperatures, biblical storms and sunny skies, 2007 has also brought me a renewed interest in music, which doesn't need to have anything to do with "work" after all.

I hosted the Afternoon Buzz on CFCR this afternoon and it was a blast, mainly because I was salivating to play this song by The Broken West called "Down in the Valley." I really wish I could host that show regularly without taking what seems to amount to an entire afternoon off from "work."

Oh, and I just listened to the new Julie Doiron, cool. And, whoa, the Great Lake Swimmers are still awesome, no one told me. And CBC Radio 3 -- lately, it's neat.