a night of music:


There are songs that have the ability to get you through a long night: whatever the situation, whatever the mood, whatever the time, you know what you need to hear in those moments.
It's a select number of songs, however, that can do this for a person. It is a very subjective exercise. A question that i have is: are there any songs that can universally have a 'soothing' effect on people?
here are some of the highlights that were brought into the atmosphere of last night.
these are just a few of the artists that have really "been there" for the three of us:

chet baker. ani difranco.
the beatles. wilco.
marvin gaye. ween.
sigur ros. the cardigans.
billie holiday. radiohead.
propaghandi. greg mcpherson.
cat power. hayden.



they are the beautiful songs that are paralleled only by a good thought or a kiss on the mouth...

Portage Avenue:

a close companion of mine, as of tonight.
My evening ended a little too early, and instead of walking along the beautiful streets of Wolseley, i wandered towards the busyness of Portage, longing for some kind of life.
i finished up a smoke on the corner of Home St. and Portage Ave...
and somehow found solace.

How could you not love a place like this?

how early is too early?

picture this...

it's thursday afternoon.
there is nothing special at all going on at the Gord Downie.
Bonnie and I are sitting on opposite ends of the couch, reading our respective books.

we're talking a bit, about things like male and female same-sex friendships, and which one is generally more recognized in our society. next we're talking about peeling wrappers off of books.
completely useless conversations really.

then Bonnie looks at me and says:
is it to early for wine?

we look at the clock, it's 1:07 pm...

what is the general consensus on this one?

today i miss...

...christina jane campbell.

living in the great city of Victoria, she often goes by one of her many psuedonyms ' Julie, Ada, or Jane.'
she carries a little black book around with her to record all the facinating ideas she comes across throughout her day.
i miss her articulance and her ability to tell a good story.
she does a damn good call-girl voice as well.
it's just one of her many talents.

here she is, in all her beauty and glory.

green.

i long to see the color green. on the ground outside i mean.
it hit me today, on the 24th of January, an ugly Tuesday, that i'm tired of seeing white every morning when i wake up.
and i know that there is only more to come.
not only that, but walking in a slushy brown substance each day is not exactly inspiring.

i know that winter lasts longer in Winnipeg than it does in, say, BC.
but it's not exactly that i crave summer.
no, certainly not.
instead i wait for something like autumn to come.
particularly so i can see a view like this:

The view from Assiniboine park in September.

philosophy: a religion?

Here is an attempt at discussing something i know hardly anything about:

In a Philosophy lecture today brought eloquently forward by a fellow student of mine, i had to ask a question.
well, a few.

In discussing matters of language, representation, and truth -
i wonder how and in what manner these things actually hit the ground...

What i mean is, when thinking about language as such a complex system of words, objects, and social practice...are those people that talk of such things with a deep understanding of these concepts and an even deeper interest in it, does this affect the way they use everyday language?
Where is the application of such knowledge?
Is this a conscious process?

Is Philosophy a belief system all on its own?
Its own religion perhaps?
Does it sufficiently explain the matters of the universe that are in question and that the commonplace man is wanting/needing an explaination for?

If we use our beliefs to determine what is true, but we cannot know the 'essense' of language outside of context and culture, how can such a thing be conceptualized and brought into life?

much music.

music that could save the world ///












get your hands on these albums if you possibly can:

Spoon - Gimme Fiction
Sigur Ros - ( )
Fiest - Let it Die
Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
Radiohead - Kid A
Cat Power - Moon Pix

Highlights from each album:

Spoon - I turn my Camera On
Sigur Ros - Untitled
Fiest - Lonely Lonely
Sufjan Stevens - In the Devil's Territory
Radiohead - Morning Bell
Cat Power - Metal Heart

a conversation on a Thursday afternoon at the Gord Downie called "rent schment"

"Hmm...should i pay rent this month, or should I buy an ipod?
Rent? ipod? Rent? ipod?"
asks Kristina.

"Rent Schment," replies Bonnie, my trustworthy roommate who i can generally count on for good advice.

"We could live on the street, as long as we have good tunes."

famous people are just more interesting

Admittedly, I'm sort of one of those people who follows the stars.
and by that i mean celebrities.
In the words of Penny Lane:

"Famous people are just more interesting."

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the people we call famous.

Stars














Belle Orchestre













Pedro the Lion



















Radiohead



















Arcade Fire



















Beck

















Sigur Ros

questions without answers.

the coffee shop downtown was completely full yesterday.

and the decor was terrible. there were purple drapes hanging from the windows, and jesters and geishas painted on the walls. not in a beautiful sort of fashion either. i can picture in my head what it could have looked like if done well. but it wasn't. it was a poor display for my eyes.

the minute i started to write the sun had just hit the buildings. I could see the name Louis Riel in front of me, letters shining. we had just bought music, three albums each, and it was snowing outside. the brown sugar packets in front of me were from Vancouver, and part of me wished i was there, just for a moment.

I was up late the other night. six a.m. i think. the whole next day was spent wasted. well, that's not entirely true. any day that has in it a moment of good conversation can never be said to be wasted.

in a moment of clarity, i tried, in that coffee shop, to figure out the distiction between good conversation, and chemistry.

these concepts, when tied together in my mind, are problematic in so many ways. my only response is that i often feel like people are making intellectual gain from my struggles. as if i present a problem that i can't figure out, or ask a question that i find to be worth asking, but instead of finding an answer for myself, they find an answer.

that answer is sometimes shared, sometimes not.

i wish that i could find within myself answers, instead of filling pages with more questions.

wishful thinking.

what is there to do when your heart sinks
and your fingers are too cold from the air outside to even pick up the phone?









i take no advice, and listen to Wilco.
music somehow soothes me.
and i use the light of the computer screen to illuminate the smoke that is sinking into my hair and probably killing me.


"Fill up your mind with all it can know
Don't forget that your body can let it all go
Fill up your mind with all it can know
'Cause what would love be without wishful thinking?"


i hope for something better.
it is the only productive thing that can be done.
and perhaps with a clear head this can be viewed as beneficial.