I started making this one with the goal of included upbeat riffy songs from 2019. It's raining today, so listening to Sheer Mag was a funny juxtaposition with the wet grey outside. Maybe that's why we turn morose near the end. Either way, these ones all make me throw up a thumbs up like my boy Drago on the over for one reason or another.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Monday, August 26, 2019
There Will Be No Pulling Out of Rug Beneath Your Feet
While in a strange Twitter hole, I saw someone who used to be in a band I like recommend Slaughter Beach, Dog's new record Safe and Also No Fear.
It's great thoughtful indie rock in which the world of the songs seems super lived-in. Afterwords, I found out that this is a project by one of the members of Modern Baseball, which surprised me, as this, in my opinion, absolutely pisses on everything that band did.
While listening, the delivery of the songs, especially the vocals, reminded me so much of something, but I couldn't place it. Putting the record on while I worked through OSAP forms today (FUN!), I realized that what I was searching for was Sean Bonette's Skateboarding's Greatest Hits, which I've touched on here a couple of times in the past. Knowing that now, of course I liked this record, as that EP is one of my favourite little oddities, and if we're being serious, one of my favourite things ever.
Hey! We talkin' about skateboarding?
I've been diving into Epicly Later'd again lately. The series is unbelievable, but like most things skating, it seems to be doomed to only ever be consumed by skaters. I like that, because it means we get to have something only for us, but I guess I also wish others could see it and then gush about how amazing these people and this crazy subculture are. Recent highlights have been the Girl/Anti Hero tour episode, in which a pre-out Brian Anderson's excessive drinking around his teammates, to the point that he throws up blood, is put in a new light today (also, I could watch Tony Trujillo footage forever), but the big one for me was the series on Josh Kalis, a skater who I never looked into before, but have a new appreciation for now.
Go swimming or something.
It's great thoughtful indie rock in which the world of the songs seems super lived-in. Afterwords, I found out that this is a project by one of the members of Modern Baseball, which surprised me, as this, in my opinion, absolutely pisses on everything that band did.
While listening, the delivery of the songs, especially the vocals, reminded me so much of something, but I couldn't place it. Putting the record on while I worked through OSAP forms today (FUN!), I realized that what I was searching for was Sean Bonette's Skateboarding's Greatest Hits, which I've touched on here a couple of times in the past. Knowing that now, of course I liked this record, as that EP is one of my favourite little oddities, and if we're being serious, one of my favourite things ever.
Hey! We talkin' about skateboarding?
I've been diving into Epicly Later'd again lately. The series is unbelievable, but like most things skating, it seems to be doomed to only ever be consumed by skaters. I like that, because it means we get to have something only for us, but I guess I also wish others could see it and then gush about how amazing these people and this crazy subculture are. Recent highlights have been the Girl/Anti Hero tour episode, in which a pre-out Brian Anderson's excessive drinking around his teammates, to the point that he throws up blood, is put in a new light today (also, I could watch Tony Trujillo footage forever), but the big one for me was the series on Josh Kalis, a skater who I never looked into before, but have a new appreciation for now.
Go swimming or something.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
God Only Knows Where I'd Be Without You
I meant to write a post, and even had blogger open on my computer, yesterday but forgot to!
:o :o :o
Rebecca and I's summer is getting to a difficult point, where we've both had more time off than we could have imagined and are starting to feel restless and like we should be doing more important things. Being lazy and relaxing starts to feel like a waste of time and we both become convinced that any time in our apartment could be better spent *consults comprehensive mental rolodex* seeing new parts of Montreal and experiencing new things. Since it's now late-August, we'll both turn around in a couple of days and realize that our first two months here were a giant missed opportunity.
I'm aware that the previous paragraph sounds incredibly entitled and that was the point. We're both fortunate to be doing what we're doing now and I think both of us should appreciate the fact we don't have schedules to adhere to. We complain about being overworked all year, and then when we have time off in a beautiful city during a beautiful time of year, we complain about not doing anything. Millennials are we.
I find that there's always an ebb and flow to having time off. At first it's very exciting and you relish it. Then you start to worry about organizing your tasks and fitting them. Then you shut down and default to watching TV. Then things start to come into focus and you can appreciate that everything is okay. At least, that's how it seems to work for me.
The other day, I was having a coffee and reading on our back patio in the morning. It felt nice and I couldn't imagine wanting to do anything else in that moment. I try not to be a hippy, but being present is extremely important and is the key to enjoying things like that. If you can appreciate a small moment in time, it can open up your perspective on many other things.
The end of the summer is a nice time. There's still bright sun every day and we can leave the windows open in the apartment. For whatever reason, I absolutely love the part of the summer where at night you end up still having your shorts on, but put a hoodie over your t-shirt and that's a very sensible outfit. It's only like two weeks at the end of August. Maybe that's my "fall weather".
The reality is that in three months, when we're covered in snow and it takes like 10 friggin' minutes to put on boots and a coat to take the dog out to pee at night and I've just submitted an essay I hate, we'll both think back on our summer without responsibility and how much we miss it. I should try to access that feeling now, rather than putting myself down for doing what I want to. I'll probably never stop beating myself up over small things, but I can try to remember that doing that is pretty selfish and masturbatory and I would be better served to know that I'm doing fine and am not the piece of shit I believe myself to be when I let my mind run around in circles.
:o :o :o
Rebecca and I's summer is getting to a difficult point, where we've both had more time off than we could have imagined and are starting to feel restless and like we should be doing more important things. Being lazy and relaxing starts to feel like a waste of time and we both become convinced that any time in our apartment could be better spent *consults comprehensive mental rolodex* seeing new parts of Montreal and experiencing new things. Since it's now late-August, we'll both turn around in a couple of days and realize that our first two months here were a giant missed opportunity.
I'm aware that the previous paragraph sounds incredibly entitled and that was the point. We're both fortunate to be doing what we're doing now and I think both of us should appreciate the fact we don't have schedules to adhere to. We complain about being overworked all year, and then when we have time off in a beautiful city during a beautiful time of year, we complain about not doing anything. Millennials are we.
I find that there's always an ebb and flow to having time off. At first it's very exciting and you relish it. Then you start to worry about organizing your tasks and fitting them. Then you shut down and default to watching TV. Then things start to come into focus and you can appreciate that everything is okay. At least, that's how it seems to work for me.
The other day, I was having a coffee and reading on our back patio in the morning. It felt nice and I couldn't imagine wanting to do anything else in that moment. I try not to be a hippy, but being present is extremely important and is the key to enjoying things like that. If you can appreciate a small moment in time, it can open up your perspective on many other things.
The end of the summer is a nice time. There's still bright sun every day and we can leave the windows open in the apartment. For whatever reason, I absolutely love the part of the summer where at night you end up still having your shorts on, but put a hoodie over your t-shirt and that's a very sensible outfit. It's only like two weeks at the end of August. Maybe that's my "fall weather".
The reality is that in three months, when we're covered in snow and it takes like 10 friggin' minutes to put on boots and a coat to take the dog out to pee at night and I've just submitted an essay I hate, we'll both think back on our summer without responsibility and how much we miss it. I should try to access that feeling now, rather than putting myself down for doing what I want to. I'll probably never stop beating myself up over small things, but I can try to remember that doing that is pretty selfish and masturbatory and I would be better served to know that I'm doing fine and am not the piece of shit I believe myself to be when I let my mind run around in circles.
Sunday, August 11, 2019
Slow Down, Feels Like You're Rushing Away
This finally comes out this week and brother, I am JONESIN' for it.
Bonus extra cut for you on a warm Sunday night in Montreal.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
How I'm Never Gonna Fight That
At first, I thought this post would be just an embed of a skate video I watched yesterday, so I have to lead with that right?
Unbelievable stuff. While the direction is slick and amazing, don't let it distract you from how crazy the skating is. The super quick vertical pole jam into 50-50? The fast nose manual/nollie out in the tiny hole. Additionally, it's amazing to see a completely different style of skating from the Asian members of Addidas' team. Everything is precise and their ollies are go vertical and then horizontal in a way I could watch all day. Can't way to see more.
Rebecca and I have been on a trip to Ontario since last Tuesday. We originally planned this trip when we moved and thought that seeing our friends and family would be a needed break from our solitary existence in Montreal. It ended up sneaking up on me and it kind of felt like we were jetting off right as I was starting to get settled in our new home. Part of my head felt like we had more things to do and that staying in Montreal would make us more comfortable in the city. I think that was mostly me being anxious about the trip though and I now recognize that coming home was a good idea. It's not like we had anything concrete to be done. Going on a week-ish long trip where we relax, have fun, don't worry about doing anything and see our friends was good. Crazy, right?
The trip has felt strange, though not in a bad way. It's taken me back to places I used to live and seeing them again has brought a bunch of different feelings in me. Rebecca and I being back in downtown Guelph, which is where we spent the first two years of our relationship and where we fell in love, made us remember why "Guelph" continues to stick in our minds and why living there will always be something we dream on. Coming back to Kitchener-Waterloo always reminds me exactly why I left; growing dissatisfied with the city, having to drive to get to anything worthwhile, and greater professional and academic opportunities existing elsewhere; but also exactly why leaving was so hard; a beautiful group of friends who live together and welcomed me into their scene and city. Sitting with people who I am so close with and just talking for hours in the house I used to live in and being surrounded by like-minded punks is something that I crave at all times. I don't realize how important it is to me and what I'm missing so much until I'm doing it.
In the middle of this trip, it feels like I'm attaining some level of clarity, so I offer the following demandments for myself, shouted into the void to keep me motivated:
1. Put a little more elbow grease into making things, whether they be short stories, blog posts, songs, or zines.
2. Challenge your body and remember that you need that.
3. Get a job Bobo.
4. Eat things that you like.
5. Think a big scheme, no matter what it is.
Unbelievable stuff. While the direction is slick and amazing, don't let it distract you from how crazy the skating is. The super quick vertical pole jam into 50-50? The fast nose manual/nollie out in the tiny hole. Additionally, it's amazing to see a completely different style of skating from the Asian members of Addidas' team. Everything is precise and their ollies are go vertical and then horizontal in a way I could watch all day. Can't way to see more.
Rebecca and I have been on a trip to Ontario since last Tuesday. We originally planned this trip when we moved and thought that seeing our friends and family would be a needed break from our solitary existence in Montreal. It ended up sneaking up on me and it kind of felt like we were jetting off right as I was starting to get settled in our new home. Part of my head felt like we had more things to do and that staying in Montreal would make us more comfortable in the city. I think that was mostly me being anxious about the trip though and I now recognize that coming home was a good idea. It's not like we had anything concrete to be done. Going on a week-ish long trip where we relax, have fun, don't worry about doing anything and see our friends was good. Crazy, right?
The trip has felt strange, though not in a bad way. It's taken me back to places I used to live and seeing them again has brought a bunch of different feelings in me. Rebecca and I being back in downtown Guelph, which is where we spent the first two years of our relationship and where we fell in love, made us remember why "Guelph" continues to stick in our minds and why living there will always be something we dream on. Coming back to Kitchener-Waterloo always reminds me exactly why I left; growing dissatisfied with the city, having to drive to get to anything worthwhile, and greater professional and academic opportunities existing elsewhere; but also exactly why leaving was so hard; a beautiful group of friends who live together and welcomed me into their scene and city. Sitting with people who I am so close with and just talking for hours in the house I used to live in and being surrounded by like-minded punks is something that I crave at all times. I don't realize how important it is to me and what I'm missing so much until I'm doing it.
In the middle of this trip, it feels like I'm attaining some level of clarity, so I offer the following demandments for myself, shouted into the void to keep me motivated:
1. Put a little more elbow grease into making things, whether they be short stories, blog posts, songs, or zines.
2. Challenge your body and remember that you need that.
3. Get a job Bobo.
4. Eat things that you like.
5. Think a big scheme, no matter what it is.
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