Alright, so, it’s August 18th, and I’m sitting at my desk at work. I had some work from 8:30 to about 10:30…and then nothing. That’s pretty much par for the course, but I guess it’s better than doing nothing for the WHOLE day, yeah? Anyway, I recently saw this post by my good friend Matteo, and I figured I would take him up on his invitation, and write my own grade for the summer. Tomorrow is Friday, but there is still a week left after that before my summer is essentially over. All my friends are working, however, or are otherwise busy with other commitments, so yeah, summer is done. Going places to do things is not fun when you go by yourself, obviously. But, regardless, let’s grade the summer…why not?
Social = 7/10
Socializing is…well, pretty self-explanatory. It’s just the time you spend hanging out with people, doing nothing else BUT hanging out. I am not including all the time spent doing stuff for exec with other people, because that’s work, not hanging out. Still, however, I did do a lot of social things with my friends, both in Scarborough and with my friends downtown. I formed stronger friendships with old friends, forged new ones with new people, it’s a lot of fun. I got to see every movie I wanted to see this summer, all in theatres, and most of them at midnight (Captain America, Harry Potter, Thor), so, yeah, the social aspect was pretty fun. I also started using Twitter, which has also grown on me. 7/10 strikes me as a good score, especially considering during the last few weeks, the social aspect of my summer took a nose dive into a pool full of rusty nails.
Productivity = 9/10
This aspect, for me, is basically just…what did you do this summer that actually made a difference in your personal life? As in, how will what you did this summer better your position in whatever it is that you’re doing later on in the year/in life? Well, after getting a job that was paying less than half of minimum wage, I got a far better paying job at a bank…but, the reason I’m not putting a perfect 10 would be because I literally do nothing at this job. I started in June, and since perhaps the second week of July, I have done nothing nor have I learned anything. I made a lot of money, for me, which will help me when I’m living downtown next year, so in that regard, productivity was high. I still have a few more paychecks coming my way, which is nice, but still, no learning/no actual doing stuff on the job = less productivity.
Events = 6.5/10
Let’s see. I went to four Jays games (all of which the Jays won, against the White Sox, Mariners, Orioles and Rangers, in that order…the last game of which I saw Roberto Alomar’s jersey get retired at the stadium, with him there), one Argos game (in which the starting QB got knocked out of the game in the first quarter in a loss to the Blue Bombers), trolled the crap out of my friends while watching the VanLoser CanSucks get slapped up in Game 7 by the Boston Bruins…though, that’s it. I went to a party earlier in the summer, which was fun, and then nothing happened for the rest of the summer, outside of those sporting events. I’m not saying they weren’t fun, because each event in-and-of itself was super fun, and I would do them over again in an instant. It was just that…well, nothing really happened outside of that. I didn’t go anywhere, I didn’t leave the city, I rarely ventured outside of Scarborough and the downtown core (although, going to see Rebecca’s game in Etobz was super fun). Indeed, this week even brought DOWN the score, with my pet rabbit passing away followed a family member passing away, followed by a few other intensely stressful and upsetting things. The score I gave it seems reasonable given how I felt things panned out, so, yeah. Woo!
Rest and Relaxation = 2/10
Easily the least restful and relaxing summer ever. A job, funerals, VUSAC meetings, judiciary meetings, Orientation Exec meetings (which last past 12am most nights), and Ramadan, which (when fasting) saps me of all energy (thanks to not eating or drinking all day). Follow up that with Mature and Transfer Students Orientation and Commuter Orientation which, while fun, definitely were exhausting and required a ridiculous amount of preparation for, especially the specific grunt work duties that I had myself. I don’t regret doing any of those things (well, except for the funeral), but not regretting it doesn’t equate to having a restful and relaxed summer. Perhaps the most restful thing I did was play through Borderlands, but that really just ended up being 2-3 hrs a week; every other day, the routine was wake up early, go to work, finish at 5pm, go back to Vic, have a ton of meetings, do some work, get home at 10-11pm, go straight to sleep, and then rinse and repeat until Friday. Even some weekends I had to get up early, for whatever reason….bleh. At the end of the day, it was not restful or relaxing in the slightest. With O-Week itself coming up, which I LOVE but is also a lot of work, the rest/relaxation will only get less and less, and then the school year starts. Huzzah!
Overall Total: 7 + 9 + 6.5 + 2 = 24.5/40 = 61.25% (C-)
You know, that’s actually incredibly accurate to my overall feeling of how the summer went. If I was a little more generous and made the 7 an 8, the 9 a 10 and the 6.5 a 7, at max the summer would be 27/40, or 67.5%...a C/C+. Even that is fairly accurate, though I feel the 24.5 is more accurate, really. I made money which will help me out in the longer run of the next year, I hung out with my best friends, I went to some really fun sporting events…but, the negative, I worked a LOT both at my job and with extracurriculars, (the latter of which I still love) learned little to nothing while doing the former, and some pretty annoying and ridiculous things happened towards the end of the summer.
I’m hoping next summer will be better. I’m applying for Co-Chair of Orientation Week, possibly with Carrie if she is down, and that’s something I LOVE doing (I love doing Orientation Week/Co-Chair, not Carrie...get your minds out of the gutter), PLUS you get paid for it. Yes, please. I also am going to go to the Star Wars convention next year as well…that’s going to be awesome, and so I’m excited for it. Woo! Still, that’s a year away…but, who knows, maybe the year will be fun. All I know is that in the first few weeks of September, I’m moving into a new house (after the crazy-but-fun Orientation Week) with my friends (including one of my BEST friends), throwing a party, and then going to see the Patriots play in person. It’ll definitely atone for the subpar summer…at least, I hope it will =P
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
big bad voodoo daddy
You know, I tend to stay away from posts concerning music, if only because I deride other posts that concern music so much. I do it a lot, really, and so I just figure 'why bother doing it myself?' I mean, I HAVE made posts concerning music in the past, but it's only been once or twice. Recently, though, I was just trawling through a bunch of other music stuff, and I found a band that I have absolutely fallen in love with. They've easily jumped straight to near the top of bands that I enjoy listening to: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. For a little background, though, I heard about them in a weird way; Commuter Orientation for Victoria College was this past weekend, and one of the people who set up tech had played a certain song on his computer speakers: 'Hey Pachuco' from The Mask soundtrack (played by the Royal Crown Revue). You know, that wacky Jim Carrey movie from the 90s. It's one of my childhood movies, and it's silly, but I love this song.
There it is, in all it's glory. Anyway, that is an example of swing music. I've long been a fan of instrumental music, but man, swing is really fun. I would love to learn how to dance to this kind of music; it just looks like everyone, including the musicians, are having a blast. In the comments section, I was directed to 'King of Swing' by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. I checked them out, and I honestly was taken completely from the first moment I listened. I can't really explain why I enjoy this so much, as there is minimal lyrics, and a LOT of instrumental music. It's mostly piano, trumpet, percussion, saxophones (alto, tenor, baritone), guitar and a singer. I think this specific band has about 6-7 members, and they all sound amazing.
That's the King of Swing, probably my favourite one of the ones I've listened to. They have a bunch of other ones as well:
Mr. Pinstripe Suit, another super good one. Mambo music is another genre I'm a fan of, not a HUGE fan, but still, it's fun to listen to. BBVD did a sort of mix of swing and mambo...called, creatively, 'Mambo Swing' =P
I forget if I've ever mentioned this, but, Disney music is one of my favourite things ever. Just, in general. It's amazing, the musicians who write it are really talented and creative, probably more so than any modern artist, and more often than not, the music for any Disney movie can make or break it. I mean, everyone knows the songs from Aladdin, or from Beauty and the Beast, or The Lion King, or any of a dozen others. 'Be Our Guest' even won an Oscar, THAT's how much people liked/appreciated it. The reason I bring this up is because BBVD did a cover of a Disney song: 'I Wanna Be Like You'...it is fantastic.
What I find really awesome is that all of these arrangements can actually be found online, if you're so inclined. If there was anything that made me want to get back into playing my instrument a little more, it was definitely this. Their website can be found here: http://www.bbvd.com and I definitely encourage people to just look at it and listen to a few of their songs. I am often accused of not liking any modern artists, and it's true, I enjoy the older bands more than the newer ones, but man, these guys are amazing. They're playing in Toronto, on April 18th 2012, in Markham. Honestly, come what may, I am going to that show no matter what. Perhaps by that faraway date, some of you will be convinced to go with me =P
There it is, in all it's glory. Anyway, that is an example of swing music. I've long been a fan of instrumental music, but man, swing is really fun. I would love to learn how to dance to this kind of music; it just looks like everyone, including the musicians, are having a blast. In the comments section, I was directed to 'King of Swing' by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. I checked them out, and I honestly was taken completely from the first moment I listened. I can't really explain why I enjoy this so much, as there is minimal lyrics, and a LOT of instrumental music. It's mostly piano, trumpet, percussion, saxophones (alto, tenor, baritone), guitar and a singer. I think this specific band has about 6-7 members, and they all sound amazing.
That's the King of Swing, probably my favourite one of the ones I've listened to. They have a bunch of other ones as well:
Mr. Pinstripe Suit, another super good one. Mambo music is another genre I'm a fan of, not a HUGE fan, but still, it's fun to listen to. BBVD did a sort of mix of swing and mambo...called, creatively, 'Mambo Swing' =P
I forget if I've ever mentioned this, but, Disney music is one of my favourite things ever. Just, in general. It's amazing, the musicians who write it are really talented and creative, probably more so than any modern artist, and more often than not, the music for any Disney movie can make or break it. I mean, everyone knows the songs from Aladdin, or from Beauty and the Beast, or The Lion King, or any of a dozen others. 'Be Our Guest' even won an Oscar, THAT's how much people liked/appreciated it. The reason I bring this up is because BBVD did a cover of a Disney song: 'I Wanna Be Like You'...it is fantastic.
What I find really awesome is that all of these arrangements can actually be found online, if you're so inclined. If there was anything that made me want to get back into playing my instrument a little more, it was definitely this. Their website can be found here: http://www.bbvd.com and I definitely encourage people to just look at it and listen to a few of their songs. I am often accused of not liking any modern artists, and it's true, I enjoy the older bands more than the newer ones, but man, these guys are amazing. They're playing in Toronto, on April 18th 2012, in Markham. Honestly, come what may, I am going to that show no matter what. Perhaps by that faraway date, some of you will be convinced to go with me =P
Thursday, August 11, 2011
hogwarts
Haven't we all, at one point or another in our lives, wanted to go to Hogwarts? I think that, beyond most other things, is why Harry Potter is as popular with people (mostly kids) as it is. Of course, when I say 'we all', I mean my age group, as the Harry Potter series was created in the mid 90s, for exactly my age group. Indeed, people who are now between 20-22 are the people who were Harry's age when the book came out, and so therein lies another reason why it was so popular: people could empathize with him. They felt like they could relate. I mean, okay, not EVERYone has their parents killed by a magically-armed psychopath, but sure, I guess the whole '11 year old boy with a true heart of gold who is routinely picked on by bullies is suddenly chosen for something much larger and grander' aspect of the story is what really appeals to everyone.
To go back to Hogwarts, though, I truly believe that while Harry/Ron/Hermione as characters are the ones that HOOK the reader (because, indeed, you [as the reader] meet them before Hogwarts even comes around the next bend of the train tracks), the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the real part that intrigues everyone. I mean, it’s like any other super popular and enduring franchise, you know? Yes, the characters are what draws you in, but it’s the WORLD that keeps you there. Star Wars: Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Darth Vader. They’re all awesome, and no one would ever deny that, but it’s the universe and everything that goes on that makes you so interested. It’s the reason Boba Fett is such an enduring character despite the fact that he has all of 15 seconds of dialogue; it’s the reason that even the smallest planet or species has a backstory. Star Trek is the same way, and so is Lord of the Rings. But, I’m getting off track again. Hogwarts.
To me, one of the reasons it was so popular was because it was solely based in the United Kingdom. Until the 4th book came out, everyone read the books and perhaps vaguely wondered to themselves if there were these magical schools in other parts of the world as well. I mean, the UK couldn’t be the ONLY place in the world where there were witches and wizards, yeah? Then, as I mentioned, the 4th book was released…and we were introduced to Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, the French and Russian schools, respectively. We didn’t learn much about those places, other than that they were different from Hogwarts. That seemed to suggest that there WERE other places, and of course, to my friends and I, the biggest question was “what about North America?” I STILL wonder about that. I mean, where would it be? Is there one for ALL of North America? Is there one in Canada and then one in the States? Or one on the Atlantic coast and then one over by the Pacific? Who knows?
Yes, the books for Harry Potter were definitely enthralling to a lot of people, myself included. They’re not superbly written, but the plot is definitely interesting, and the overarching series of events was enough to keep me interested, no matter how many pages J.K. Rowling hurled at me. Then…they made the movies. Honestly, the movies just aren’t good. I just don’t think they’re very good at all. The acting by the main three actors is terribly wooden, and when that is the performance of your main three people, then there’s a problem. I will admit, the movies (over the course of the years) have featured a who’s who of British actors (I regret that Liam Neeson couldn’t have found his way in there somewhere, but then again, he’s Irish), and they have largely been fantastic…but, still, the three main ones were godawful. You could have honestly replaced them with cardboard cutouts in ANY of the movies, including the last one (more on that in a bit), and there would have been literally no difference in their performances.
The last movie, which is not my favourite, got a ton of hype…because it was the last movie. It was, at best, an average movie. The special effects were pretty cool, and the actors (supporting cast) were great. Ralph Fiennes kind of hammed it up a bit, but, oh well. Still, though, it’s ridiculous just how much hype – and subsequently, money – this last movie made. Right now, on the all-time list, HP7.2 sits at #3 in terms of money grossed. It’s not as impressive when you take into account for inflation, in which case Gone With The Wind obliterates every other movie ever made, with Star Wars right behind it, but still. I think, however, the MOST annoying thing about HP7.2 was when everyone was lamenting that their childhood was over. I honestly just wanted to punch those morons in the face. I don’t know if they realize this, but, Harry Potter was over when the last BOOK came out, several years ago. Not just this past summer. Despite my dislike for the movies, the books are far superior, and therefore, the more important part. I will never understand the people were CRYING for god’s sake during the last movie; keep your eye-water inside, I don’t need people ruining a movie that I paid in excess of 15$ to go see (thanks, 3D, for making the movie unnecessarily more expensive).
My one consolation is that, despite my enjoyment of Harry Potter, it’ll never even touch Star Wars, in terms of being a lasting phenomenon in pop culture. I mean, it doesn’t matter to me personally, as in, I don’t profit or anything like that off of one or the other doing better, but it’s just nice to see something like Star Wars (which is just so much BETTER than HP) still be so far ahead. Sure, HP fanboys, bring on the ‘lol HP is the highest grossing franchise ever’ argument….despite the fact that it needed eight movies over ten years to do. Even if I removed the prequel trilogy from Star Wars, attendance for the SW series absolutely demolished HP, and this was without the terribad 3D crap. Yes, I admit, the PT tarnished the legacy of SW, but even with that small blight on record, all six films still kicked the crap out of HP. Actually, no, nothing could redeem ‘Attack of the Clones’ from being one of the worst movies I’ve seen in recent memory, not even the greatness of the rest of the movies. All of this last paragraph (and indeed, most of my blog posts) is subjective, but, whatever, I don’t give a ****. Harry Potter, as a universe, is great…but it ranks below Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings and a number of others. Hell, had Firefly not gotten the axe by the idiots over at Fox (which also aired the episodes in the wrong order, and even left out three episodes completely), I guarantee more of the world would know about it, and it would be even MORE wildly popular than it is now. Perhaps not as popular as HP (because, let’s be real here, HP is more relatable than cowboys in space), but, still, pretty darn popular.
All I’m grateful for now, is that all the Facebook statuses about how HP is over have all died down. Sure, there’s the occasional person who posts about Pottermore (dumb), or about how HP7.2 is a masterpiece (have you SEEN any other movie in your life? Probably not, if you’re saying something as stupid as that), but for the most part it’s nice. Here’s hoping it doesn’t spring up again!
To go back to Hogwarts, though, I truly believe that while Harry/Ron/Hermione as characters are the ones that HOOK the reader (because, indeed, you [as the reader] meet them before Hogwarts even comes around the next bend of the train tracks), the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the real part that intrigues everyone. I mean, it’s like any other super popular and enduring franchise, you know? Yes, the characters are what draws you in, but it’s the WORLD that keeps you there. Star Wars: Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Darth Vader. They’re all awesome, and no one would ever deny that, but it’s the universe and everything that goes on that makes you so interested. It’s the reason Boba Fett is such an enduring character despite the fact that he has all of 15 seconds of dialogue; it’s the reason that even the smallest planet or species has a backstory. Star Trek is the same way, and so is Lord of the Rings. But, I’m getting off track again. Hogwarts.
To me, one of the reasons it was so popular was because it was solely based in the United Kingdom. Until the 4th book came out, everyone read the books and perhaps vaguely wondered to themselves if there were these magical schools in other parts of the world as well. I mean, the UK couldn’t be the ONLY place in the world where there were witches and wizards, yeah? Then, as I mentioned, the 4th book was released…and we were introduced to Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, the French and Russian schools, respectively. We didn’t learn much about those places, other than that they were different from Hogwarts. That seemed to suggest that there WERE other places, and of course, to my friends and I, the biggest question was “what about North America?” I STILL wonder about that. I mean, where would it be? Is there one for ALL of North America? Is there one in Canada and then one in the States? Or one on the Atlantic coast and then one over by the Pacific? Who knows?
Yes, the books for Harry Potter were definitely enthralling to a lot of people, myself included. They’re not superbly written, but the plot is definitely interesting, and the overarching series of events was enough to keep me interested, no matter how many pages J.K. Rowling hurled at me. Then…they made the movies. Honestly, the movies just aren’t good. I just don’t think they’re very good at all. The acting by the main three actors is terribly wooden, and when that is the performance of your main three people, then there’s a problem. I will admit, the movies (over the course of the years) have featured a who’s who of British actors (I regret that Liam Neeson couldn’t have found his way in there somewhere, but then again, he’s Irish), and they have largely been fantastic…but, still, the three main ones were godawful. You could have honestly replaced them with cardboard cutouts in ANY of the movies, including the last one (more on that in a bit), and there would have been literally no difference in their performances.
The last movie, which is not my favourite, got a ton of hype…because it was the last movie. It was, at best, an average movie. The special effects were pretty cool, and the actors (supporting cast) were great. Ralph Fiennes kind of hammed it up a bit, but, oh well. Still, though, it’s ridiculous just how much hype – and subsequently, money – this last movie made. Right now, on the all-time list, HP7.2 sits at #3 in terms of money grossed. It’s not as impressive when you take into account for inflation, in which case Gone With The Wind obliterates every other movie ever made, with Star Wars right behind it, but still. I think, however, the MOST annoying thing about HP7.2 was when everyone was lamenting that their childhood was over. I honestly just wanted to punch those morons in the face. I don’t know if they realize this, but, Harry Potter was over when the last BOOK came out, several years ago. Not just this past summer. Despite my dislike for the movies, the books are far superior, and therefore, the more important part. I will never understand the people were CRYING for god’s sake during the last movie; keep your eye-water inside, I don’t need people ruining a movie that I paid in excess of 15$ to go see (thanks, 3D, for making the movie unnecessarily more expensive).
My one consolation is that, despite my enjoyment of Harry Potter, it’ll never even touch Star Wars, in terms of being a lasting phenomenon in pop culture. I mean, it doesn’t matter to me personally, as in, I don’t profit or anything like that off of one or the other doing better, but it’s just nice to see something like Star Wars (which is just so much BETTER than HP) still be so far ahead. Sure, HP fanboys, bring on the ‘lol HP is the highest grossing franchise ever’ argument….despite the fact that it needed eight movies over ten years to do. Even if I removed the prequel trilogy from Star Wars, attendance for the SW series absolutely demolished HP, and this was without the terribad 3D crap. Yes, I admit, the PT tarnished the legacy of SW, but even with that small blight on record, all six films still kicked the crap out of HP. Actually, no, nothing could redeem ‘Attack of the Clones’ from being one of the worst movies I’ve seen in recent memory, not even the greatness of the rest of the movies. All of this last paragraph (and indeed, most of my blog posts) is subjective, but, whatever, I don’t give a ****. Harry Potter, as a universe, is great…but it ranks below Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings and a number of others. Hell, had Firefly not gotten the axe by the idiots over at Fox (which also aired the episodes in the wrong order, and even left out three episodes completely), I guarantee more of the world would know about it, and it would be even MORE wildly popular than it is now. Perhaps not as popular as HP (because, let’s be real here, HP is more relatable than cowboys in space), but, still, pretty darn popular.
All I’m grateful for now, is that all the Facebook statuses about how HP is over have all died down. Sure, there’s the occasional person who posts about Pottermore (dumb), or about how HP7.2 is a masterpiece (have you SEEN any other movie in your life? Probably not, if you’re saying something as stupid as that), but for the most part it’s nice. Here’s hoping it doesn’t spring up again!
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