Friday, August 26, 2005

How soon they forget

In regards to my last post. Someone addressed the zen-esque beauty of the randomness provided by ipod shuffles. Don't get me wrong, I live randomness. I also believe that as soundtracks to our lives go, randomness works. But if you're reading a story (or looking at a movie) random words or images, although sometimes poignant at that moment, do not often tell a story. I feel that albums, with the a-sides and b-sides philosophy, were stories and songs the chapters in them.
On to the word of the day. Repine. To feel or express discontent or dejection: to long for something.
The Ottawa Senators will repine for the days in the following season without Marian Hossa. My quasi-namesake was one of the only scary factors during the last played NHL season playoffs. As a Leaf fan, watching Hossa with the puck was slightly disturbing, knowing that at anymoment he could skate through the entire defence and score. But apparently he 'dissappeared' in the playoffs according to some. Big mistake. Not that Heatley isn't good. Just that he comes with his own bag of demons, and quite frankly, has, hold on a sec while I count it up here, divide by 7, carry the 4....exactly zero playoff experience in the NHL. And Hasek's bones should have calcified by now, making his dexterity limited. It's going to be an interesting season. I look forward to people throwing ice at me at the bars whilest I wear my Leaf jersey and celebrate stuff.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Long lost arts, and it's only been 10 years

In the long line of CD making, ipod list organizing, the mix tape has gone over many transformations. We are all DJ’s, and fill our auditory sense with our choices. No commercials, no breaks, just tunes. Since the cassette deck, people have had their own personal studios accessible to them. Of course, today there are computer-enhanced products that allow us to create our song lists. Not to steal too much from Nick Hornby, but those consist mostly of tracks of our favour. There is no cohesiveness, in a library of thousands of songs any two that happen to merge on a level beyond being favourites, or by the same artist, is simply a coincidence. Mix CD’s had their day in the sun, but somehow with the flash and burn technology, creating a song list required having the songs on computer or transferring them from cd/tape/vinyl onto computer for burning purposes. Somehow that takes too many middlemen for me. Keeping it simple is finding a song, pressing play and record. Hopefully it’s not too disjointed.
Which brings us to the artist de jour. When asked when he started making mix tapes, The artist formally known as DJ responded that he started at a very young age by copying songs off the radio. He would then label each tape “Greatest Hits Vol.” Apparently he got up to volume 4 before he ran out of tapes. So he has experience. And with that he brings us the latest in his collection of mix tapes. The ever so difficult ‘gift’ tape. Something that isn’t for his own listening, but something to give to another, requiring slightly more effort than the mp3 generation style of putting-songs-I-like on a tape. Something that has to make sense. Or something that passes as familiar. Constant search for reflection in the universe. This song is me.
Put'em up. Let loose. Dance, twirl. Chillax. Whatever works for you.

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Random Thoughts

While waiting for the phone to ring.

Watched the Jays play again. I've really watched a lot of baseball recently. Which is good, being single and all. Baseball has a way of making the evening pass by really slowly. Real slow.

Anyways, for future me, the reason I haven't posted a blog in a while is because I was filming that television show. Which I can't tell you about because of a signed confidentiality agreement. Needless to say, you know what happened.

Back to baseball. The Jays aren't going to go into the playoffs this year. It's time for that August swoon into September dissapointment. Going into last weekends series in Detroit, Jays were 4 games out of a wildcard chasing the A's, yankees and Indians. It's now tuesday, they got swept by Detroit and lost the first game of a series against the yanks last night. They didn't score, but a blown call at second base on a stolen base (Zaun, a great catcher, is indicative of how reputation seals your fate with the umps, threw the ball to Hudson, who should finally win a gold glove this year) led to a 5 run inning, making a 2-0 lead into a 7-0 one. Anyways, one of the best, if not the best defensive teams in baseball, the Jays are without Cy Halladay and Not-so-Cy Lilly, and just don't have the arms to make it. Although they do play alot against the yanks, so they could do the whole world a favour and beat them. Expletive the yankees.

It's been a trend, since 95 up until the last few years when they really sucked, that the Jays would keep around .500, their fans hoping and waiting for that one big winning streak to propell them into the playoffs, and instead getting a losing one. It's 4 games now by my count, losing wise, and it looks like that's the fate. Not to be pessemistic, but perhaps an arm in the rotation could help for next year, and get one of the current arms into long relief.

And maybe a bat. That would be nice.

Football starts soon, I need to read up and catch up on the news. I've got a stack of research materials to plow through, and now that I have some time off school until the fall term, I should be able to plow through it. I have a week now. Just a bit by bit should do it. One position a day. Knowing myself, I'm not going to do anything until much later.

Saw a pirated version of the Family guy movie last night. Few blatent laugh out loud moments. Good times. Even said "lol" but not as one word, as letters.

Maybe Jays can win tonite. fuck the yankees.