The Movies

In every movie...Well most anyway, there is always a catastrophe. The main character suddenly has everything happen to him/her at once. We as the audience feel bad, but at the same time, we have watched as this character has built up this mess through the entire movie. That's how the last two days have felt.
bad days just don't make sense to me. I feel abandoned. Like the former alpha male now merely a drone. Something is missing here.
in the movies, the hero character will fell down, but then miracously get back up and go on to win the day. Tolkien called that the u-catastrophe. When everything is dark, some light manages to get through. I believe it exists, but I don't think it is the case here today.
this isn't a movie. If it was, the writers would be bigger hacks than M Night Shymalan. The only real thing that a movie has ever given me is a line. Its a code really. A phrase to live by.
The dude abides.
The dude abides.

Writer's Bloc Party

Nothing does a body good, like another body. Even up in this silly northern town, or at least that's what I'm told. Prince Albert Saskatchewan is not a place, nor is it a state of mind. It is in fact, a metal disease. I mean, who besides the mentally disabled would wear a snowmobile suit everywhere. While applying for a job or trying to pick up someone at the bar. Prince Albert, that's who. The people here don't have names, they have problems. Its like how tigers identify each other through their striped patterns, prince Albert indentifies each other by the different neon stripes on the snowmobile suits.
this is really unfair. I don't have anything against the people of Prince Albert. Just the ones who wear snowmobile suits.
still it would be nice to have another body to share my disappointment with. Someone to talk to when I'm hiding from this town. Its lonely when your life is a low ceiling and a guitar. Its to the point where I cant even make anything out of it.
I wish apathy would drown me like it used to. I don't know when I started caring again, but I remember why I stopped.
this is far to negative. I intended this entry to be full of hope. Nothing does a body good like another body. Its a hopeful statement, like I'm waiting for a cure. Or maybe I should just start drinking my milk.

Sucking Freezies in the Rain

I know what time it is. I realize that its already January 17th. But I also realize that I haven't let everyone know my top 5 albums of 2004. I mean, this is possibly the biggest event of the entire year for a music geek and I totally missed it. Well.. Missed putting on the internet anyway.
let me start by saying that 2004 was not the very best year for new releases. I was thinking about this list in September and I became so frustrated I couldn't speak for 3 days. Some of the best albums this year were post-September which is quite different from 2003, where I had my list made by that time.
this list this year may not be as accurate as I would like. Being that I'm living up north right now I have very little access to the radio indie scene, and seeing as I've been here since September, I still haven't heard some of the stuff by artists of say pitchfork's top CD list. Still I think my list is agreeable and will leave a pleasant taste in your mouth. So without further ado

Jon Discovery's Top 5 Albums Of 2004!
1. Arcade Fire - Funeral (ok so its number 1 everywhere, but for good reason. I wouldn't be surprised if I achieves sgt or ok computer type status in the years to come)
2. Stars - Set Yourself On Fire (I don't know what to say about this band except, why do I keep missing all their shows. So many missed opportunities. Luckily this CD is awesome)
3. Wilco - A Ghost is Born (I know it's no YHF, but it works. I'm not normally one for long drawn-out jam songs, but this album made me a believer)
4. Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing In The Hands (wow. Compared to his first album oh me oh my, this is just so different. He took his unique voice and turned it into something so beautiful and real. By far the best 60's folk album released since Donovan)
5. The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free (Mike Skinner, may be somewhat irritating, but he made it happen in this hip-hopera.)

Hon Mention:
Ben Kweller - On My Way
Tilly and the Wall - Wild Like Children
Mountain Goats - We Shall All Be Healed
TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood thirsty Babes
Julie Doiron - Goodnight Nobody
Tangiers - Never Bring You Pleasure
Heavy Blinkers - The Night And I Are Still So Young



well thar she blows folks. That's my nickel. I have to go buy and extending chord now.

Two Years

Today I revisited my trip to New Zealand. I wrote an e-mail to a friend who is headed over there in the coming weeks to pass on my knowledge of the country on. I realize now that I left for that trip almost 2 years ago. Maybe that's not a big thing to most people, but for me, its the only really worth while thing I've done since....Well, ever. I need to get out and go again. There's school now and more school after that. All I want to do is see things and meet people and smoke and drink and be merry.
maybe I have had good times since then. In fact, I know I have. Maybe its just too cold in this country. I need to devote my life to working from march to august, saving up as much of it as possible, then spending it all from September to February in a warmer, more fun place. When I think of people like English Tim, it makes me feel good. He was 32 been traveling since his mid 20's and is still traveling. Maybe I could just move to Vancouver. At least their winters are tolerable.
I cant stand being stagnant. My routine is killing me. School, work, watch TV, sleep, school watch lots of TV, sleep, school. Its come to that point already. Winter.
every end of January I seem to get more irritable than usual. They call it cabin fever, but I think I preferred being at my cabin. There I was alone. Here its a fever that I cant escape I cant find a happy place here. I need new guitar strings. Maybe I'll start painting. Where can I buy an easel?
by February's end, I'll be good again, but I'll also need to get out....I think I'll go to Edmonton then. Yes, visit Kim and Mat Busby. Dig it....Yes..Dig it indeed.

Hiroshima

The stars project that this month will be hard for me to find a place, find a rountine. I'm in a rut of random swerving. To get right to the point, I have no ambition. Life, such as it is teaches lessons to late. Just watching TV, could have fixed the problem that's now unfixable. Time to move out and start again.
really the whole thing will come two and this hangover of a month will soo be over. We're almost halfway there.
where did all the interesting things go. I used to look forward to the blog because there was something I had to shout from the mountain. Ambition still escapes me

Becoming a Lion

Taking the bull by the horns and never speaking in cliches again. Rogers video must die. Well not store 514 in Saskatoon, but certainly this PA store. I just cannot work there no more. For all you scholars, I realize that's a double negative, but I think it illustrates my point.
while searching out the lastest news on the tsunami this afternoon, I came across something interesting. The country of Myanmar, formerly Burma was hit by the tsunami, but very little is known about the effects on the country. Apparently the government refuses to share hats going on with outsiders. Or Something like that. I thought I liked their style and did some research on this crazy place. Definitely interesting. Afterwards I decided to research other crazy countries as tourist destinations. Places like north Korea and whatnot. Its a good time, I recommend checking it out... Not necessarily the actual country but the tourism site.
anyway, I found a lump on my tinsel yesterday. Well... Not yesterday, a while back, but yesterday it felt bigger. Its a relatively hard lump (compared to the flesh of my tonsil) and I'm told that's a goos thing. Apparently the bad lumps are squishier. Either way I should get it checked out. It doesn't seem to be effecting my tonsil in anyway. No sore throat or anything. All my life I've had abnormally large tonsils. Everything I have a check up all the doctor says is "hmmm those are abnormally large tonsils, but healthy abnormally large tonsils. " I just hope I'm ok. I'm quite a hypocondriac a lot of the time. I don't want them to do a biopsy on my tonsil lump I don't want my tonsils out either. I certainly don't want kemo and have all my hair fall out. Though if I did, I would try to keep my moustache like in FUBAR. Stupid fucking lump. Is it weird that I can feel my tonsils with my tounge? I do it all the time to check if they're swollen. Its a real bitch having abnormally large tonsils.
moving on, what's the deal with Rogers video? I move into PA so I can get more hours there and they give me less. Instead of my one 7 hour shift a week I now have one 4 hours shift a week. Fuck those guys. I'm gonna get a new job. I really hate looking for a job and no one wants to hire someone in school. On the plus side I hear the music store in the mall is hiring. I could do that. I mean I finished my training to become the assistant manager of TFM less that a year ago. Then they shut us down.
does anyone realize how much in pains me not to be working in a music store anymore? To settle for less? Some dumb fuck corporation where all the low level employees hail the great Rogers god and never question a single policy. A place where customer service doesn't matter. Loyalty to the company does. A place where if you make a little money as legally possible, but if you work hard enough, then you make a dollar more and and get to pretend you have more power than those whose income is still the legal minimum.
I have a dream that all Joe jobs were created equally. Fast food workers don't quarrel over superiority. Someone who can close the store is no different than someone who runs the till. They just have a set of keys. A place where if there is time to lean, then there is time to lean. We'll clean when the place of business is closed.
that's all I have to say about that.

Violins and Tambourine

What really is there to talk about on a day like today. As much as I would like to be up on major new events around the world, I'm just too tired. A lot of money has gone to the victims of the tsunami. Billions of dollars thus far. Its nice to see the world caring. That said, lets move on.
so here I am back at SIAST back in the computer lab listening to music playing on the computer. Who knows someday I might learn something.
where has my ability to articulate and organize my thoughts gone? I make that statement so often and have been making it for so long, I don't believe I ever was articulate. Maybe I have a rare gem here and there, but really I would probably need to be on this keyboard all day to get something decent out of myself. I've grown tired and I cant seem to break out of that. November I was a slave to television, what is it now? What am I a slave to now? Embarrassment I think. I'm so determined for no one to ever hear my music that I cant play if there is another person in the house. Maybe that should be my new years resolution that was never made. To sing and play no matter who will hear. I still have this insecure high-school demeanor as part of my personality. Why why why!? Its been 3.5 years since I graduated, I grew in many many ways, but there are some part of that teenage angst that refuses to leave. why cant I suck it up for a few minutes. I still ignore my parents when they try to talk to me....No real reason for that. why cant I just play and sing loudly and not worry what people think about it? Perhaps its all part of the Leo pride. When I play with a band I feel fine doing what I do. I but by myself I have no support. I'm dependent on everyone else. Ironically I don't like working with other musicians. I;m the alpha male and if that is ever threatened..... The only thing is I don't have anything to protect. Its complicated but I'm sure the answers will come to me. I'm tired, wake me up when winter is over.

Adrift Again

So I hear its the new year. That's good. My resolution is to become a better blogger. At least That's one of the many. The main part of the resolution is to finally organize myself musically and finish what I've started and then start something new again. However being that I'm blogging this entry should be about my blogging. That said, lets get it on.
so this is the new year. The day we decide to garbage everything and start again from scratch. That would be cool. I with every new year everyone had to drastically change something. As if when the clock struck midnight on the new year everyone's clocks go forwards 2.5 hours. It would be like a fun version of daylight savings time that lasts a whole year and has no point. Change for the sake of changed. Or what if when the bell tolls, straight people cannot be married. Only gay people. Or what if dogs were called cats for a year. That would be fucked up. All syndicated television would be so much funny in this new context. It would be like a whole new story. New years eve everyone in the world is given a new agenda. Nothing, more like a game. You can play all year every year. You don thave to play bu then you would be really out of the loop. I think I'll use that concept for my first science fiction novel...Yeah. Maybe I'll be a writer. Too bad I can spell or use grammar or put together ideas or anything like that.
on a more serious note, I feel I should say something about the earthquake/tsunami. What a frightening loss of life. To me it really feels like a sign of the impending apocalypse. Could be global warming, could be an omnipresent angry being. Who knows. Point is, with all the hurricanes this year and now this big wave and the whole sars thing, something isn't sitting right in the waters of the world. Personally I think its the atlantians. Yeah they're still down there somewhere fucking with the water current so they can watch their new high definition televisions. Wow..Where are my ideas coming from today.
so anyway, I don't really believe any of what I say...Other than the hundreds of thousands of people being taken from the world. So on an actual serious note, donate what you can to the red cross to help all those in need. The relief effort has been amazing from all over the world thus far. To quote Matthew Good's Blog "Imagine what could be accomplished if the last 7 days turned into 365 days and covered the globe. "