Diggidy diggidy DONE! Sunday, Nov 30 2008

My weekend in a nutshell:
Wilsonianism: Ideals and Impossibility

It wasn’t an easy topic I chose… I don’t really know why I chose it, but it was kind of fun proving that:

Woodrow Wilson

Satan

——————————————————————————————

Unfortunately, I learned in my last conference from my TA that my prof’s favourite President is Woodrow Wilson. Ah well, it’s out of my hands now. Time to enjoy what’s left of dimanche. Oh and………

XXI DAYS UNTIL I AM HOME!
sash

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Banksy! Thursday, Nov 20 2008

flowerchucker

Today I received a very special trifecta of gifts in the mail. Firstly, my mom sent me a copy of Love You Forever. It was a really sweet gesture of her. Indeed, if I had to select my favourite child author it would certainly be Robert Munsch. Everything from The Paper Bag Princess to Mortimer to Thomas’ Snowsuit, it’s alllllll goood! Secondly, my mom’s students, in a characteristic act of generosity, sent me a black and red scarf in the mail. It is just beginning to get chilly in Montreal and my neck is oh so thankful. If you are reading this mom, please pass my appreciation along. Thirdly, my friend Sierra who is studying at a castle in England sent me a very very cool book of art by an artist called Banksy. He is a very talented, edgy and stylish graffiti artist who takes it to the streets of London! The picture above is just one of his many awesome works of urban art. For the benefit of anyone interested I will upload an extensive gallery of digital Bansky scans that I found on Demonoid. Enjoy!

flowerchucker

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A new quest Wednesday, Nov 19 2008

ipod headphones

As I sit here enjoying my strawberry yogurt and feeling the bacterial cultures replenishing in my battered intestines I came upon a realization. My musical repertoire has ceased to grow! Since grade 12 I’ve pretty much been listening to the same small, yet rocking, little group of bands and artists. Indeed, if one were to look back upon the history of music which I listen to there would be clear and sweeping phases. I had my early, pre-teen Our Lady Peace phase, then I discovered the Red Hot Chili Peppers, a phase that exists to this day, then I had my Mars Volta phase, my Pearl Jam phase, my NIN phase, and most recently my Sufjan Stevens phase. I’m jonesin’ for a new phase, a new artist to memorize verbatim, read up on wikipedia, draw a picture of, and basically devote my undying fanhood to. So, I have decided to leave it to the experts and listen to every single album, start to finish, on the Time Magazine Top 100 Albums of All Time. I think it will be fun! Here is the list. Wish me luck, cause I am a picky johansen when it comes to my tunes. Those crossed out are albums that I have listened to already at some point in my eighteen years.

The List:
2000s:
The Essential Hank Williams Collection: Turn Back the Years – Hank Williams
The College Dropout – Kanye West
Portrait of a Legend: 1951-1964 – Same Cooke
Elvis: 30 No. 1 Hits – Elvis Presley
The Anthology, 1947-1972 – Muddy Waters
Kid A – Radiohead
Stankonia – Outkast
Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea – PJ Harvey
The Marshall Mathers LP – Eminem

1990s:
Sunrise – Elvis Presley
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road – Lucinda Williams
Ok Computer – Radiohead
Time Out of Mind – Bob Dylan
Endtroducing… – DJ Shadow
(What’s the Story) Morning Glory – Oasis
Live Through This – Hole
My Life – Mary J. Blige
Ready to Die – The Notorious B.I.G
Slanted and Enchanted – Pavement
The Chronic – Dr. Dre
Achtung Baby – U2
Nevermind – Nirvana
Out of Time – R.E.M
Phil Spector, Back to Mono(1958-1969) – Various Artists
Ropin’ the Wind – Garth Brooks
Star Time – James Brown
The Low End Theory – A Tribe Called Quest

1980s: (This is gonna be painful)
Like a Prayer – Madonna
Paul’s Boutique – Beastie Boys
The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back – Public Enemy
Straight Outta Compton – N.W.A
Document – R.E.M
Paid in Full – Eric B and Rakim
Sign O’ The Times – Prince
The Joshua Tree – U2
Graceland – Paul Simon
Master of Puppets – Metallica
Raising Hell – Run-DMC
Legend – Bob Marley and the Wailers
Purple Rain – Prince
Stop Making Sense – Talking Heads
The Great Twenty-Eight – Chuck Berry
Thriller – Michael Jackson
Back in Black – AC/DC

1970s:
London Calling – The Clash
One Nation Under a Groove – Parliament/Funkadelic
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols – The Sex Pistols
Rumours – Fleetwood Mac
Hotel California – The Eagles
Ramones – The Ramones
Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder
Born to Run – Bruce Sprinstein
Horses – Patti Smith
Red Headed Stranger – Willie Nelson
Call Me – Al Green
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust – David Bowie
Exile on Main Street – The Rolling Stones
Talking Book – Stevie Wonder
The Harder They Come – Jimmy Cliff and Various Artists
Blue – Joni Mitchell
Coat of Many Colours – Dolly Parton
Hunky Dory – David Bowie
Led Zeppelin IV (a.k.a Zoso) – Led Zeppelin
Paranoid – Black Sabbath
Sticky Fingers – The Rolling Stones
Tapestry – Carole King
What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye
Who’s Next – The Who
After the Gold Rush – Neil Young
Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon and Garfunkel
John Lennon – Plastic Ono Band
Moondance – Van Morrison

1960s:
Abbey Road – The Beatles
Bitches Brew – Miles Davis
Stand! – Sly & the Family Stone
The Band – The Band
Astral Weeks – Van Morrison
At Folsom Prison – Johnny Cash
Lady Soul – Aretha Franklin
The Beatles(“The White Album”) – The Beatles
Are You Experienced – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You – Aretha Franklin
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles
The Velvet Underground and Nico – The Velvet Underground
Blonde on Blonde – Bob Dylan
Pet Sounds – The Beach Boys
Revolver – The Beatles
Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan
Otis Blue – Otis Reding
Rubber Soul – The Beatles
A Love Supreme – John Coltrane
Live at the Apollo(1963) – James Brown
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music – Ray Charles
King of the Delta Blues Singers – Robert Johnson

1950s:
Kind of Blue – Miles Davis
Here’s Little Richard – Little Richard
Songs for Swingin’ Lovers – Frank Sinatra
In the Wee Small Hours – Frank Sinatra

Needless to say, I have lots of work to do. Oh and I almost forgot, in musical news, I am seeing Sam Roberts this Friday night at la nationale! This will be my 3rd time seeing Sam Roberts perform, each time better than the last. The first time I saw him was on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Canada Day. The second time was at Pemberton Festival last summer. Unless something has gone horribly wrong, I imagine he won’t disappoint. Anyways, I gotta get going on these albums. I figure I will go from the 50s on, to get the chronology of it.

Tah tah,
sash

*Update: Once I have listened to an album, I cross it off the list.

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A Return to Normalcy Sunday, Nov 16 2008

<3 chair

In the words of Slug from Atmosphere, “When life gives you lemons, paint that shit gold.” Life gave me lemons recently, but due to the efforts and care of many selfless individuals all is going swimmingly now. I have been going to a really stellar clinic and receiving excellent care for my infected wound. It hardly resembles the bulbous mass of pain it once was! Indeed with the reduction in pain comes a return to normalcy. I can get groceries, do my homework, sleep through the night and visit with friends. Indeed, my life is now a sharp contrast to the inability and dependability that marked my recent hospitalization. Thanks again to everyone who came and helped me, namely Dad, Milan, Salma, Lydia and all the great folks at Gardner Hall who never huffed and puffed at my requests for help. I can only wait until the universe gives me an opportunity to pay the kindness and concern I received forward.

Pictured to the left is a chair that I acquired from the McLennan Library on campus who had no need for this old wooden relic. Indeed, it was quite plain prior to its artsy rebirth. Myself, Alex from 4th floor, Erynn and a host of others have made artistic contributions to the chair, rendering it a far superior specimen. I had been waiting for an opportunity to use the paints that Julianne Brown gave me for my birthday, and I am quite pleased that they eventually served such a groovy purpose. I know deep in my heart that she would be proud to take a seat on Jørgen, Throne of Deep Pontification.

Tomorrow I finally get to return to school! I can hardly contain my relief and excitement at being able to finally get back on track. I am fairly well doomed for Philosophy, having missed every lecture thus far on Taylor’s Metaphysics. The same goes for German Literature and Wallenstein’s Death, however I know that Professor Piper will exercise mercy and help me along the way. French and US History, while daunting, will prove less of a trying task in the catch up department. Furthermore, two large papers hang over my head and despite being extended till the end of the term due to my medical problems I still quiver at the thought of process and product. However, I know it’ll get done some way or another.

In super exciting news, John Frusciante, guitar player for RHCP, has recently made some exciting new announcements. First and foremost, John will be writing in a new blog. I have always found his outlook on life and perspective on music to be very intriguing and can hardly wait to see what this long-time idol of mine has to share with the world. Furthermore, John has recently announced the release of his new album, “The Empyrean”(cover art pictured below). It contains ten tracks and if it follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, Curtains, it should rock my world and tickle my soul. I can hardly count the days until January 20th for this album that “should be played as loud as possible… in dark living rooms late at night”. Alright, well, that’s all folks.

Salut,
sash

empyrean cover

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Fun and Games Wednesday, Nov 12 2008

big daddy

With my recent removal from active society it is no surprise my gaming interest has swelled of late. For those of you looking for up-to-date, interesting news on Gaming and indeed everything cool on the internet, I recommend digg.com. It has become my new favourite bookmark and is a Mecca to which all web users must make at least one pilgrimage. This is a big week for PC gamers with the PC port of GTA:IV being released on PC! I know I am excited to hit the streets of Liberty City as Niko Bellic. I still gotta wait three days till I can snag that gem. The coming release of WOTLK will prove a daunting test of my will, but I have been thus far successful in burying my head in the sand on everything pertaining its new and juicy content… I must remain strong! My time in the hospital allotted me the time to pursue the FPS lover’s rite of passge of the year, Bioshock! The verdict? Woo to the hoo.

The Breakdown:

Pros:
-Great combat, innovative and interesting. Did not disappoint.
-Big Daddies scared the crap out of me.
-Cool storyline! Writers FTW.
-Plasmid and Gene customization system made for an interesting RPG experience without feeling tedious.
-The crossbow rocked, even more so than the HL2 crossbow.
-Free(<3 t3h interwubs)

Cons:
-Lame brain ending. Why spend so much time building a chilling atmosphere and all these intriguing characters just to sell out to some lame nuclear holocaust? Iunno, maybe Bioshock 2 will rectify things.
-The Little Sister escort portion was painful, mostly cause they finally let you become a Big Daddy and you are forced to wait for her to walk at tortoise speed talking about flying angels and Adam. Total buzz kill.
-Hacking was just a joke, I played enough Pipe Dream on my old windows 3.1 system.
-Not enough Portals.
-Not enough Gordon Freeman.

Overall though, despite the Cons, this was one of my favourite FPS experiences I have ever had. My hat goes off to Bioshock! And really, can I complain about something in which I invested only my time and no cashola? Nein. I remember back in the summer of grade 10 reading an exclusive on this game while in Oregon vacationing with my family and thinking “sweet, I hope my Geforce 3 can run it!”. The one fact that distinctly stuck out was that there was three programmers assigned only to the water dynamics and physics, which I thought was in fact quite evident when I waded through the flooded tubes and foyers of Rapture. All in all, for anyone with a mid-level PC and some time to kill I recommend at least giving Bioshock a torrent, I don’t regret it.

This week I have also been getting my Nintendo on with Super Mario Galaxy which my brother and father got for me as a feel better present after my hospitilization. I gotta say, years of battling orcs, shooting zombies and other such intense gaming scenarios made me lose sight of this genre of gaming entirely. It has a certain charm to it, and I am glad to have this light-hearted game in my portfolio. Indeed, prior to SMG all I had for Wii was WiiSports, Twilight Princess and the all-powerful, ultimate, wicked sick Super Smash Bros: Brawl. I always like to broaden my horizons. The game itself is fun and challenging, allbeit sometimes a little disorienting with the camera angles. The addition of a cooperative role for the 2nd player helps eliminate the threat of boredom or backseat gaming from your compadrés. I never cease to be amazed by Nintendo’s ability to milk their handful of stock characters generation after generation and still provide a fun gaming experience. It just goes to show, if it ain’t broke don’t patch it.

Now only one question remains…
… where’s Starcraft 2?! I’ve been saving up Vespene Gas for years now!

My life for Aiur!
sash

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On The Mend Monday, Nov 10 2008

in bed

For those of you who may not have known, I spent the last week in the Royal Victoria Hospital. About midnight on last Saturday I started to have some pretty serious stomach and abdominal pain, but I assumed it was a passing flu that I might overcome. The pain persisted, crescendoing on Tuesday when I finally decided to make the two-hundred meter trek from my residence to the McGill hospital. Once I had signed in at triage I had to wait an uncomfortable eight and a half hours to be admitted, upon which an x-ray and CT scan determined that I indeed had appendicitus. Surgery was performed and a week of worry and boredom began. Worry, because I was missing so much school, a process I have never enjoyed. And boredom because despite the fact that this hospital was smack dab in the center of the McGill campus, which is all wirelessly active, I was unable to get any internet access. This led to a recovery process marked by Arrested Development, Entourage, Friends and whatever else was on the external hard-drive my friends brought me. Also, I read the pdf’s of a bunch of old Batman and the graphic novel of The Dark Knight which was awesome.

I was released yesterday at around four o’clock much to my pleasure and now find life on the outside world pretty stressful and fast paced. I have tons of reading to get done and find the distractions of the internet, with which I was so deprived, calling me to procrastinate. Anyways, I got to read Wallenstein’s Death and get going on all my things. Thanks to everyone who called, wrote or visited me in the hospital.
01100111 01101111 01101111 01100100 01100010 01111001 01100101,
sash

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