“Like when you wake up behind the bar, Trying to remember where you are, Having crushed all the pretty things”
-Rise Up with Fists, Jenny Lewis

It’s my first day being 24 years old. So far, I slept in, got to work late, and discovered that there were free cookies in the office kitchen and nothing in my inbox. Basically, so far so good. I received birthday wishes from around the world and various time zones: from Mexico, 2 from Japan (both Eve), Niagara Falls, the Rocky Mountains, the 'gina, Australia, and a bunch from Montreal, Thorold, Ottawa, and Toronto. And 2 birthday greetings from cats. Although I’m known to party it up for other people’s special occasions, the fact that most of these greetings did not come from Toronto shows that I have no one left here to party with…although Dirk did express interest in boozing for my birthday, but I had to decline since I was taken out to a restaurant near the homestead called Boho by my aunt. And it was a Wedensday, and when there’s only two of you drinking on a Wednesday it’s barely a party (prove me wrong!)...and I wanted to get home in time to watch the last 15 minutes of "Lost," even though I had no idea what was going on, having missed the previous 45 minutes.

And because, like most crazy people, I’m partially obsessed with the upcoming movie, Snakes on a Plane. Not because it looks good, but because it is what it is: snake, on a plane. Snakes on a plane with Samuel L. Jackson. And Samuel L. Jackson looks angry. And I found these links this morning which made me laugh:

The IMDb Daily Poll: We assume you're already excited about the upcoming Snakes on a Plane, so we'll ask: what should the name of the sequel be?

If you’re reading this after March 30th, you’ll have to imagine but some options include:
Snakes on a Train
Snakes on a Crane
Snakes on John Wayne
More Snakes on a Plane
Snakes on Two Planes
The Snakes, the Plane, and the Wardrobe
Planes on a Snake

I voted for Snakes on John Wayne. If there’s anything John Wayne’s corpse loves, it’s snakes.

And a Snakes on a Plane-themed “How to Improve Any Film in Four Easy Steps”

P.S> I got not one, not two, but THREE birthday emails that specified "birthday" be read in obnoxious drunken be BOP man voice. Nat, Mairin, and Shane, ye know me well.

“You can't change things, we're all stuck in our ways”

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me!

You know, they say the sign that it’s going to be a good year is when you see a picture of Bono in the newspaper on your birthday. Lucky for me, I did! I then passed him onto someone else for good luck- I cut him out in a heart shape and put him on Caro’s desk. Just because it’s my birthday doesn’t mean I can’t be generous.

And I love all the random birthday emails from companies that have my email have sent me. Like Princess Cruises, Edge 102 (which was actually a Jack Astor’s dinner coupon), Zip.ca, Blockbuster, and La Senza. And it’s not even 10am.

Another year older, another set of lists.

Things That I Probably Will Never Grow Out Of:

Endless "Simpsons" references.
An affinity for icing.
The Obnoxious Drunken Man Voice of the “Be BOP” variety.
Being a jerk.
Obsessions in the form of lists, celebrity crushes, or Bono.
Using British slang to confuse and destroy my enemies.
Vengeance.
Old fashioned freak-outs.
The collecting and hoarding of DVDs, CDs, books.
Labyrinth and that Chad Kroeger dog in Ottawa.


If I Don’t Like it Now, I Probably Never Will:

Julia Roberts.
Poor spelling and grammar.
Lima beans.
France.
People and children (yes, they are separate things).
Chocolate and coffee.
Ottawa.
Tommy Lee Jones’ Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
Toe socks.
TV show “Friends.”

Here is a list of cool people also born today:
John McLaughlin (which is weird because I was thinking about him yesterday as I was remembering SNL sketches featuring Phil Hartman from the days of yore)
Perry Farrell
Eric Idle- and I do love Monty Python
Elle McPherson
Amy Sedaris
Xena
Ooooh Bobby Kimball from Toto!
The dude who plays the harmonica in Blues Traveller
The grandfather of the horse Seasbiscuit, Man o’ War although he’s been dead since 1947.

Remember, it’s also MC Hammer’s birthday, so if you see either one of us today, wish us a happy birthday.

And in honour of the joyous occasion, I present, a video entitled "Hammerman" from the short-lived cartoon show that is helping me reclaim my youth:


Happy birthday to me! (and MC Hammer and Xena).

“Its the final countdown, The final countdown, The final countdown (the final countdown)”
-The Final Countdown, Europe (God bless Europe and their masterful lyrics…but I bet that synthesizer riff is stuck in your head…or visions of Gob performing magic)

So it’s my last day being 23. How do I feel? Kinda old. But then I think that there is still part of a Spongebob Squarepants cake in the fridge and things start looking up. And I’m still the 2nd youngest person at work and the 2nd youngest person in my household. AND I just discovered that Jason bateman is in the movie Mr. magorium's Wonder Emporium which is filming in T.O., which means that there is one more person to stalk who outweighs both Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti. He's filming with Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman. "Hey Jason Bateman, I loved you on 'The Hogan Family'..."

I still haven’t uploaded any footage from the Coldplay concert. My bad. I got sucked into watching "Law & Order" last night instead and it’s not looking promising for tonight either because I just found out that one of my co-workers was in the Short Circuit 2 and I’m going to watch it tonight. We all have mad acting skillz as extras here at work with me and my time in The Skulls, and another friend who is can not only be seen in the film Loser, but also in the accompanying "Teenage Dirtbag" music video by Wheatus. Next time Loser is on TBS, look for a guy playing a student in the classroom scenes. just look for a guy who looks liek he would be called Tony. You'll find him... I don’t know about you, but I consider those 3 of the best movies of all time.

“But still it's farewell, And maybe we'll come back”

Why am I going to Japan? I’ve never had any interest in the country, per se, and am much more loyal to the British Isles and the Commonwealth (and Greece because of their delicious food). Why is it then once I decide to leave and face uncertain employment for the summer, I find new, lucrative job opportunities and things going on in Toronto that I’m going to miss? It’s not regret that I’m feeling, it’s more of WTF bewilderment and the realization that I may be legitimately crazy. Although, crazy people don’t wonder if they’re crazy, so perhaps that rules that thought out. What I need is a job in Japan. I’m glad that I’m not going back to school like some of my friends, because I couldn’t handle more essays and class work, so it is a relief that I won’t be here for the film courses I wanted to take at Ryerson that start in the Fall. Oh well. I’m still excited about Japan and the idea of a trip to Osaka and Universal Studios with Eve and Rusty.

“Will things ever be the same again”

In other news, I almost got attacked by a crow this morning. I like crows so I’m not sure what the confusion was all about. Tomorrow I will bring my fake crow, Pipin (previously of my The Birds themed Halloween costume who now perches atop my cubical wall at the office) with me when I walk down the street to show that I am an ally of the crow. My chicken Gregory Peck would be rolling in her grave, if she weren’t in fact, still alive and pecking, unlike Jean-Luc Brossard, may he rest in peace.

Top 5 Songs I Have in My Head, Other than The Final Countdown:

Raw Sugar- Metric
Out of Line- The Bravery
Mushaboom- Feist
Here Comes Your Man- The Pixies
Don’t Think Twice (It’s Alright)- Bob Dylan

“With so many light years to go, And things to be found”

"Good morning starshine, the earth says hello"
-Good Morning Starshine, Hair the musical

It was a relatively understated and highly enjoyable weekend thanks to Dan, Lauren, and Rusty, a Japanese dinner, beer, and a documentary on beavers, those majestic kings of the North.

With my impending day of birth around the corner, my mom came into the city to take Rusty and I out for my birthday dinner. Although we were originally going to go to the Sultan’s Tent for Moroccan cuisine, we decided that a Japanese dinner at Benihana at the Royal York was much more fun- and it’s not like I’m going to get that once I’m in Japan… I had never been before, but it was like going to dinner and a show because the chef cooks right in front of you on a steel hibachi grill that seats 7 people around its edge. Knives were flipping in the air, zucchini was being chopped, and onion volcanoes were spewing steam. Highly entertaining and delicious food.

From there, Rusty and I met up with Dan and Lauren and headed over to the Green Room for pitchers and talk of "Arrested Development" and the National Playlist, two of my favourite subjects. We moved over to the Dance Cave and suffered a casualty in line in the form of Dan who gave up waiting to get in after about 45 minutes and went home. Dan doesn’t dance so I’m surprised he made it that long. The three of us continued waiting and got in 10 minutes later, only to be disappointed and complain about the poor choice of music. We’re talking techno. As Lauren appropriately put it, “Is this the same place that plays “London Calling?” Because we’re troopers, we stuck it out for over and hour but only because a few promising songs by Weezer, The Ramones, and Bloc Party had crept into the playlist. Even though we waited in line, the place was nowhere near as packed as usual and it was filled with young people. Maybe we’re all just getting old. I blame March Break, reading Week, and whatever else lets the kids out of school. Damn kids.

The only thing of note on Sunday was that I watched an informative documentary on beavers and their mad dam building skillz after having been thoroughly depressed by "Grey’s Anatomy" (even though it was a rerun). Now I’m just craving beavertails and a good swim.

And I still haven’t uploaded any Coldplay footage, so here’s another Oasis video:


"You twinkle above us, We twinkle below"

“Happiness, More or less, It's just a change in me, Something in my liberty”
-Lucky Man, The Verve

I just wanted to say that I trump Lauren and her stalking of Will Arnett (of "Arrested Development" fame): I’m stalking Clive Owen. And as an added bonus, Paul Giamatti. They are filming the movie Shoot ‘Em Up across from my office. Monica Bellucci is in it and my male co-workers have been going to check her out. Although, given the choices, I still think I would rather stalk Will Arnett since I have a mad crush on him. I love the funny ones. That and I would rather stalk a Canadian Arrested Development star than anyone associated with the movie Derailed and King Arthur. Sure, Paul Giamatti is in a bunch of crap like Big Fat Liar and Big Momma’s House, but he’s also in Cradle Will Rock and The Truman Show. Anyone associated with John Cusack and/or Christof is okay in my books.

“I watch you look at me ,Watch my fever growing, I know just where I am”

Phil also pointed out to me today that there is a poster with a naked woman on it in my corner of the office, which I have never noticed. It is from a French film after all. And for more fun, I'm having my birthday dinner (on a day that is not my birthday) at The Sultan's Tent, a cool Moroccan place with belly dancers on Saturday.

And it seems that now my mom and aunt will be spending a weekend in Tokyo in June after their trip to Thailand (which they’re not taking me on) so now I am acting as a travel agent once again in planning things to do. So far this week alone I have looked for hotels in Tokyo for them, hot springs and other things in Japan for Rusty, and cheap flights from Australia to Japan for Shane. Maybe I missed my calling. Then again…no.

“I hope you understand”

I’ve decided that I need to practice my off-key and out of tune vocals before I get to Japan, that karaoke land of the East. So here goes a new version of a list I previously made (since I update and change and add to lists quite frequently).

The Top 5 Karaoke Songs I am Going to perform in Japan, With or Without Music and a Karaoke Bar:

You’re So Vain- Carly Simon
These Boots are Made for Walking- Nancy Sinatra
One Way or Another- Blondie
Gold Dust Woman- Stevie Nicks
New York, New York- Frank Sinatra (or alternatively, My Way)

…predictable, I know. For extra conventionalism, I’ll add one Mr. Roboto by Styx.

It’s time for me to prepare for the void in my work day which is The National Playlist. Less work gets done between 11:30 and 12pm than it does at any other time of day. I also listen to it on my old school portable CD player because although the CD player no longer functions, the radio function is damn good, despite the laughs that I get from co-workers as I prop it up in the window for good reception while mt iPod lays unused and forgotton for the moment.

“How many times do I have to learn, All the love I have is in my mind?”

“Give me strength, reserve control, Give me heart and give me soul”
-Politik, Coldplay

Coldplay, Coldplay, Coldplay. A band after my own heart. I have the feeling that they’re climbing the ranks of my musical love and are vast approaching the upper echelons of my musical taste, firmly seated behind U2 and The Clash.

Their show last night at the ACC was great. They were actually filming the concert for an upcoming live DVD which was a special treat. I only recorded some clips of songs since I’ll be able to buy the DVD when it comes out, but I will upload them and stick them on my blog at some point this weekend. Richard Ashcroft was the opener and he was damn good too- he especially gets props for playing songs from The Verve from which he was a part of.

“Wounds that heal and cracks that fix, Tell me your own politik”

Coldplay was on for about an hour and 30, again since I’ve very spoiled by U2 concert-going, it seemed a tad short. It was pretty much the same show that I saw in Paris back in Aught 5. As a big fan of their last CD, X&Y, I enjoyed “White Shadows,” “Square One,” “Fix You” and “Speed of Sound,” and one of my favourites, “Trouble.” Also an awesome Johnny Cash “Ring of Fire” cover which rivaled The Who cover “My Generation” Oasis ended their show with on Monday night. Coldplay definitely puts on a good show, although I still feel that U2’s live show eclipses them, all Bono biases aside. I went to the show with my parents (yes, they’re in their 50’s and are cool) who are Coldplay fans, but they still said the various U2 shows they have seen are better. Coldplay are great performers, but I’m not at the “I’m shelling out $191 to see them…twice” point yet.

“Give me one 'cause one is best”

And women who think Chris Martin is hot (not me as he does not fit the “not too meaty, not too firm” Sarsgaard-esque bill) were in a for a treat last night as he proclaimed he was too sweaty to continue so he changed into another shirt that was exactly the same as the one he was wearing on stage. Flashbulbs went off and I’ve sure there are Chris Martin topless pictures everywhere. I must say that the man likes to jump up and down and really gets into the music, as does the entire band, which serves as a nice contrast to the lacklustre performance the Arctic Monkeys gave Monday.

“Give me peace of mind and trust, Don't forget the rest us”

And because I have nothing more intelligent to say about the show, I would also like to state that as yesterday was my faux birthday, or my very merry un-birthday, as dictated by my birthday day off at work (March 29= too close to deadlines for me to have it off), I had requested a cake from my parents. A cake with pigs or dinosaurs. What I got was a Spongebob Squarepants cake, which was also to my liking. I took its picture, so I will post it here if you don’t believe me. The woman at the bakery started laughing when my mom placed the order to have the cake say, “Happy 24th Birthday Rachel” on it, as she had been thinking I was some demanding 7 year old who wanted a pig cake. At least I can say I’m young at heart. Or just immature.

Here’s the review of the Coldplay concert from the Toronto Sun to which I agree with.

I didn’t take too many pictures last night since I took a bunch at the Paris concert because I was much closer to the stage, so let’s relive the memories.

And in honour of the art of linkage, I've added Lauren's blog to my link section where I only list cool people's blogs. It's not like I'm friends with chumps and Lauren always leaves me interesting comments (since none of you other chumps do...and I mean that with love). That and I encourage people I know to start up their own blogs just so I can add them to my page and or create interesting blog names for them.

“In confusion, confidence”

“Need a little time to wake up, Need a little time to rest your mind, You know you should so I guess you might as well”
-Morning Glory, Oasis

Attention single ladies: if you want to meet men, go to an Arctic Monkeys/Oasis concert. The audience is 90% men.

Carrie-Anne, Dan and I saw the Arctic Monkeys and Oasis last night at the ACC and I was surprised…surprised by how much I really liked Oasis. Dan and I hadn’t been to a concert in ages (what was the last one? No Doubt in 2000?) and Carrie had only ever seen one show- Area 51 with Moby and David Bowie. We got to the ACC after a dinner at Spring Rolls and had excellent floor seats, 15 rows back from the stage. It was then that I looked around and realized that Carrie and I were the only girls in our row and we were surrounded by beer swigging men. You could see the odd girl who was obviously dragged along to the show with her boyfriend. I’m sure it was more of a mixed crowd elsewhere, but on the floor, it was all 20-something men.

The Arctic Monkeys kicked off the show. I was excited to see them and figured that I would like them a lot more than Oasis. I was really, really disappointed in their show and they way they performed. Not to say that they were bad but it was seriously lacking. I think a lack of stage presence did them in. They seemed to be in a hurry to play their song and get off stage because they whipped through them so quickly. As well, I think they are over-hyped for what they really are. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a little band that should be playing in a high school gym. I thought they were like their CD- some good songs, but mostly mediocre songs. I was the only one of us who was a fan going into the concert, and not so much leaving. Seeing them live tarnished them for me. Dan and Carrie on the other hand, weren’t that familiar with them and they did like them more than I did- especially the latter half of their set. "When the Sun Goes Down" was their best live song, "Dancing Shoes" was also good, as was "Perhaps Vampire…". "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" was not so good. Here’s a video of their best, "When the Sun Goes Down" so you can judge for yourself:



Oasis meanwhile, really blew me away. They were excellent. They had stage presence and a good set. I wasn’t expecting them to be that good. And I don’t throw this out frequently, but they were in the upper echelon of concerts I have seen (and I see a lot of concerts). The brothers Gallagher were both excellent, and although no beer bottle throwing or fighting took place on stage, the closest we did get to that was Liam angrily pointing at his brother Noel and mouthing some angered words that we couldn’t hear while making angry hand gestures. He also had a thing for leaving the stage and standing perfectly still and staring out at the audience for a few solid minutes when he wasn’t required to sing.

“Need a little time to wake up, wake up”

They played a lot of hits that took be back to my grade 7 days when Oasis was the coolest band around with their (What’s the Story) Morning Glory CD. Dan and I had a lot of memories for that since we sat next to each other in grade 7. And their new songs were good as well. The only complaints that we had (aside from the guy in front of us barfing all over the coat of the woman in front of him…) was that it was relatively short at 90 minutes. Of course, I’m just spoiled by the many U2 concerts I have seen where they last over 2 hours. And as we were leaving we starting thinking about what they didn’t play that we had thought were obvious: "All Around the World," "D’You Know What I Mean," "Where Did it All Go Wrong," "Stop Crying Your Heart Out," and "Don’t Go Away." They did play a song that Dan and I had completely forgotten about: "Don’t Look back in Anger," which I easily have not heard in 8 years but was able to sing every word last night. They also played one of my favourites, "The Masterplan," which I now present to you in video form:



Other than that, it seems that people from Thorold love Oasis. We saw 4 people we went to high school with. And they travel in packs so you know there were more of them around. They were actually trying to sneak other people from Thorold onto the floor. Then again, the three of us are all from Thorold and we were still hanging out together (but we also all live in the city…well Dan and Carrie are cousins so they live together anyway and I will soon crash with them the first week of May). I also found a really cool but mangled Hard-Fi poster on the ground which I kept because it wasn’t mangled past the point of salvage. I wish I was going to see them April 5th, but I have to rein it in somewhere…and I just saw them for $10 less than what their tickets are now at the end of January.

“Tomorrow never knows what it doesn't know too soon”

Now we are all very excited for the Coldplay shows this week. I’m going tomorrow, they’re going Thursday. I have 2 more Oasis videos to post and I’ll add some Coldplay videos to the collection tomorrow night. I still have another Stars video from their show, so one day I will just make a music post of all my concert videos.

Here's teh review from the Toronto Sun which gave the show 4 out of 5 stars.

“Another sunny afternoon, Walking to the sound of my favorite tune”

Top 5 Playlist of the Day:

Morning Glory- Oasis
Dancing Shoes- Arctic Monkeys
The Fallen- Franz Ferdinand
A Rush of Blood to the Head- Coldplay
Soul Meets Body- Death Cab for Cutie

“What's the story morning glory?”

“Get on your dancing shoes, There's one thing on your mind”
-Dancing Shoes, Arctic Monekys

I realized that this past weekend was the absolute last free weekend I had until the weekend prior to leaving for Japan. It’s just happened that I have plans and places to go or people who are coming to see me for the next 6 weekends. I haven’t had an entirely free weekend since the beginning February where there was nowhere specific for me to go. It was since to not have to do anything for once.

“And so I exchange a glance, Looking pretending to dance”

Kicked off Friday night by catching V for Vendetta with Dan at the IMAX. I haven’t been to the IMAX in a long time, and never to see a non-IMAX movie like the one on Niagara Falls which I have seen about 12 times due to school field trips and many visiting relatives. I completely forgot that IMAX screenings come with a seizure-inducing laser show as they demonstrate the technology. At one point I turned to Dan and said, “Is it just me or is it filling up with smoke in here?” Sure enough, some dry ice was used in the laser show. Weird. Anyway, the movie was decent. I’d give it a B grade on the scale of things. It was pretty much all of 1984 (one of my favourite books of all-time) mixed in with Guy Fawkes Day. If you’re not of British ancestry and don’t know The Simpsons reference of “I wish everyday could be Guy Fawkes Day”, then Guy Fawkes is a dude who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament some 400 years ago.
I really liked Stephen Rea and thought that he was the star of the film, but then again, I do have a bias for the Irish. V is an entertaining movie and I love the posters that they have for it since it looks like Russian Revolution-type block prints. I usually don’t care for Natalie Portman as an actress (“You ruin Garden State!” is what I often yell a the TV) There is one terrible scene that doesn’t fit in with the rest of the film stylistically and is ripped straight out of the Matrix (which I hate) but I guess from a screenplay written by the men responsible for the Matrix, we’re lucky there was only one scene in there. But yeah, read "1984" and you basically get the idea of the film. And I can see a sea of Guy Fawkes masks next Halloween just like those pesky Scream masks for the days of yore.

Saturday was productive in the shopping vein, while on Sunday, Sofia and I discovered that there was a marathon of "Project Runway" on. So from 10am to 8pm, we sat and watched them all, save for a few breaks in between for food, laundry, and phone calls.

“The lights are flashing, Down in here tonight”

Tonight should be much more interesting- Dan, Carrie-Anne and I are going to see Oasis and the Arctic Monkeys at the ACC. Why we’re going, I’m not really sure since I could really care less for Oasis. I just hope that some sort of fight breaks out on stage and the brothers Gallagher start smashing beer bottles on each other’s heads. One can dream. I’m kind of excited to see the Arctic Monkeys although I feel that their show could go either way since most of their songs sound the same, and I only really like about half of their album. Time will tell. I'm more excited for the Coldplay show on Wednesday.

I’ve also had several good ideas for names for my Japan travel blog (thanks mostly to Shane), but still haven’t decided because I’m lazy. But I will get my travel blog up and running eventually. Or this could just be another one of my empty promises.

“The only reason that you came, So what ya scared for?”

“I met my love by the gas works wall, Dreamed a dream by the old canal”
-Dirty Old Town, The Pogues (my favourite drunken Irish song)

First off, a Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all. I’m in the festive spirit since I’m wearing my beloved green U2 Popmart t-shirt today. My perpetual travel photo calendar is also pleasantly Irish pub-themed today. So let us commence with the wearing o’ the green, the luck of the Irish and the traditional Lucky Charms and green beer for breakfast…

“Clouds a drifting across the moon”

Yesterday was a looooong day. I spent a solid 13 hours with my co-workers. Luckily they’re fine folk so it was rather enjoyable, especially when there’s alcohol and nonsense to be had. After a typical morning, we had a catered lunch provided by the Pickle Barrell (of the half-yards of beer fame, which were sadly not provided with lunch…we’d have to wait a whole 5 hours for our booze). That followed by a meeting and a session with the dreaded “motivational speaker” who may or may not live in a van down by the river (and there’s my “’Twas 1995” reference for the day). Now the man who does these occasional sessions with us is a nice guy in the rambling anecdote about his Uncle Stuart kind of way. But bless him, he has no idea what our company actually does and likes to make us participate in inane presentations for bonding and “self-discovery” when we are already a very tight-knit group and pretty confident in our selves.

Naturally, when you place me in a group to do something which I have no interest and/or see the reason for, I am likely to mock and become ridiculous, if I even pay attention (Martin Landau’s class and the History of the Slave Trade class serve as prime examples from my university career where Shane and I made up quizzes, played hangman and read magazines in the former class, while in the latter Mairin and I took notes entirely in pictogram form and still managed to ace that class). Obviously, when partnered with my friends in the legal department (whom I basically hung out with all day, despite my ignorance of the law…sorry Kate. You teach can me Ms. Law-woman), we made a mockery of the day. Here is a list of things you can do the next time you have a motivational speaker:

1. Call everything lame.
2. Call people chumps and gimps (although not specifically your co-workers, just in general).
3. Add Bono to any list you make since almost everyone I work with enjoys U2
4. When asked to name a film/TV show/book with a storyline that reflects your time at the company, choose one of the following:

Armageddon- no matter what, Bruce Willis will always be dead to us
Deep Impact- the classy man’s Armageddon!
"Cheers"- work is like a good ensemble comedy full of drunks who go on to live in spin-offs like "Frasier"
The Wizard of Oz- a surreal place full of little people and witches
Blood and Donuts- Canadian film reference! Like a cop drama, just what work is all about: blood AND donuts.

After sneaking away to eat candy int eh last portion of the day, it was time for our cocktail party at La Maquette, a very nice restaurant on King street if you’re ever in need for a fancy, romantic dinner. With the free booze, things get silly. Luckily, pictures were taken and I will add them to this post once they hit our intranet at work. It’s always fun to see who can’t hold their liquor and then watch them as they can’t look at you in the eye the next day because they vaguely remember telling you details of their sordid past. One thing I will miss about my job here is the people I work with.
I only have one picture for now, and thankfull ythe beer bottles are out of sight. I present to you, the 2 youngest staff members (I'm older by 4.5 months):


“Smelled the spring on the smoky wind”

I’m still working on finding someone to go to Thailand with. It actually looks like I might be able to participate in the 18 day tour my mom and aunt are taking in June, providing the cost of the land tour is to my liking. If not, maybe I’ll go in August, even though the rainy season is in full swing until October.

“Dirty old town, Dirty old town”

“And I have no compass, And I have no map, And I have no reasons, No reasons to get back”
-Zooropa, U2

It’s March 15th…beware the Ides of March!

I booked myself a room in a ryokan in Tokyo for a night. A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn. The one I’m staying at is more along the hostel lines but it just happens to be a futon on tatami mats on the floor with a private bathtub. If you’re interested, here is the poorly translated English website (okay, at least they tried): http://www.toukaisou.com/
Why did I book it? Because there’s a Denny’s, a 7-11, and several donut shops around the corner. It’s also close to this zoo, some museums, and a temple I want to go to. I’m basically only there for a day and a half by the time I meet up with Eve and Aline (and possibly another night too depending on train schedules).

“And I have no religion, And I don't know what's what, And I don't know the limit, The limit of what we've got”

In other interesting news: a random man on the street told me I had very nice calves. Since I was wearing a skirt, I assumed he was referring to my legs and not the cows I was walking behind me…no I didn’t have any cows with me, so I thanked the man and took it as a good sign that the crazies were re-emerging on Church street for the coming of spring or the vernal equinox, depending on what you prefer. I just like saying vernal equinox. Especially in the “Obnoxious Man Voice.” Also “Tuborg” I fun to say so I’ll add it to the list of “Bail Out!”, “Be Bop!”, “ColossimoPANTS!”, and the usual repertoire of “make Out with Me!”, “Play Out of Control,” and the responding, “Take off your pants!”

“She's gonna dream up The world she wants to live in, She's gonna dream out loud”

I’m also entertaining new titles for a travel blog about my adventures in Japan. I decided that co-workers, family, and other random professionals would lose some respect for me by reading this blog, so I’ll need another one. The only requirement is that it not have the word “experience” in the title. So far the contenders are:

Fukushima, Mon Amour- named after a movie I hate called Hiroshima Mon Amour (kiss my ass Barbara Gabriel!)
Postcards from Japan- which speaks to my love of mail and also reference that horrible movie Postcards from the Edge…which in itself is another good blog title which can be recycled upon subsequent trips.
I Heart Japan- which could backfire if I do not heart Japan at all

And since I already have one U2-themed title (my blog name comes from one of my fave U2 songs, “If You Wear That Velvet Dress):
The Unforgettable Fire
Faraway, So Close

And that’s all I could come up with. I’m really good at coming up with blog names for other people. Example: for the Mexican= “No Habla Espanol” and for Mairin= “The Regina Monologues”. I amuse even myself sometimes.

And this random company keeps sending me these email birthday cards today…and today is not my birthday.

“Don't worry baby, it's gonna be alright, Uncertainty can be a guiding light”

“Been given 24 hours, To tie up loose ends, To make amends”
-24, Jem

I am feeling rather pleased with myself today (more so than usual, even). Proving I am not a slave to money, I turned down working until May 26th and instead opted to work until may 5th. Of course, by the time you factor in the cost of changing my plane ticket to a later date, a transit pass for the month, food and other nonsense, and also finding a place to stay since I’ve already sublet my room for May 1st (which means Dan has been nice enough to let me crash on his couch for a week), and what ever else I waste my money on, I wouldn’t even break even. In fact, I think I’d be in the hole. So by bagging off work 3 weeks prematurely, I actually save money.

And since I hadn’t planned on working April 1-May 5th, the extra cash looks like a trip to Thailand for me. Screw saving it. Screw paying back my student loans in December. I’m going to Bangkok! I admit, that’s a little early for that statement, but I blame it on my favourite website, skyauction.com because there you can bid on a one week stay at an all inclusive beach resort and have it cost you only $40. I’m not a fan of the beach, but I’m cheap (not in that way, but in the cheap drunk and thrifty way) and impulsive.

“Run and run and run, Be careful they say”

My worries over ending up alone in Tokyo, crying in a corner, having to eat my shoes because I’m starving because I couldn’t get anywhere with my vast amounts of luggage seem to be more of me exaggerating than anything. At Narita airport where I’m flying into, there is a luggage delivery place that will send my bags on to Fukushima for me so I don’t have to lug them around. So now that that seems to be taken care of, I just need to worry about finding a decent hostel (and I think I found one) and then there’s the whole “I hate strangers and don’t like talking to them” thing. I’ll either starve because I refuse to go into a restaurant to talk to someone or since my hunger and spite for children will probably get the best of me, steal candy from a baby.

“Now I can see What matters to me"

And I feel like complaining: Why aren’t there any good films in theatres? The last new movie I saw was The New World January 30th. The last good movie I saw was Capote and that was back at the end of January. I’ve resorted to seeing movies twice. I actually suggested that Dan and I go see Failure to Launch. I’m getting desperate. I think Dan and I will go to the movies this weekend and see either V for Vendetta which I don’t really care for at all, except to see Stephen Rea, or Thank You for Smoking which opens in limited release. But I’ve seen it already when it was here at the film festival- I sat across from Aaron Eckhart and William H. (“Hey, Bill Macy!”) Macy…off-topic but it was Bill Macy’s birthday yesterday and I sang the “Hey, Bill Macy” song. Again, cool people are born in March.

I digress…and there’s also Ask the Dust which opens in limited on Friday so we might go see that. I read the book (I give it a “meh”) but Colin Farrell is in it, and although I have given him a “meh” lately, he looks clean and well-groomed in the trailer which means Irish Hotness as opposed to Drunken Disease-bag (Yes, I know, although he appears clean, he is and will always be the latter).

“And I can't believe, How I've been wasting my time”

And I’m off on a rambling tangent again. The second of the day. The first was arguing the superiority of The Simpsons over South Park, just like it was 1997 and people cared. I also feel obligated to mention that several production we fund here at work including Where the Truth Lies and C.R.A.Z.Y. won Genie Awards last night. And I haven’t seen any of the films. I’m so bad at supporting the Canadian film industry.

“Head spinning round No time to sit down"

Since I’ve been working on my list of my Top 100 All-Time Favourite Song list (the second, updated edition since my Dad deleted all my old lists off of the family computer when I went away to school…years of hard work, gone…or as my Dad says, “What do you want with all this crap? You’re wasting your time making lists”). So, I hereby bring this list of the day for your listening pleasure, thus flushing any musical credibility I had down the drain:

Top 5 Songs Found on My iPod that I am Embarrassed to Admit Having (for Non- Entertainment Purposes- ie. "Baby Got Back", Joey Lawrence, etc.) Because I like Them:

867-5309 (Jenny)- Tommy Two-Tone
Beds are Burning- Midnight Oil
Slave 4 U- Britney Spears
It’s My Life- Bon Jovi (Dan can attest to the fact that it was played non-stop the month we were in Italy with school and therefore is attached to fond memories)

And I’ll never live it down:
I Just Want to Live- Good Charlotte ... it's danceable...that's all I got.

And now I’ll cleanse my palette with some Gorillaz and the world will be righted again.

“All that I said, I meant it, I meant it”

“I am a D.J., I am what I play Can't turn around no, can't turn around”
-DJ, David Bowie

I’m one step and 56 days closer to Japan. I took Friday off to take care of a few visa requirement things like getting a doctor’s note to say that I’m not bringing foreign disease into the country and I won’t drop dead once I’m there, visa photos and all that jazz. I also took the opportunity to milk my medical benefits before they disappear when my job ends by getting new glasses and visiting the orthodontist. See, I did have a fun weekend. I actually like going to the dentist and the optometrist.

“I'm home, lost my job, and incurably ill You think this is easy, realism”

My plans have altered slightly, as it now seems that I will be spending my first night on Japanese soil, alone crying in a hostel, thanks to Eve. Okay, not really. Previously Eve and her mom were meeting me at the airport because they were arriving from Thailand on the same day. Now their plans have changed, leaving me a Stranger in a Strange Land (U2 reference if you care to sing along). Now I have to figure out what I’m going to do and how I’m going to do it. I’ll be lugging all my worldly possessions (read: U2 CDs and my DVDs) around with me. I’m also toying with just staying the entire weekend. I’ll spend this afternoon looking up hotels and hostels. Although Tokyo might not be that fun to wander around alone, so who wants to join me? Just meet me in Tokyo on May 10th (Bono’s birthday).

“Time flies when you're having fun”

And because Eve is going to Thailand with her mom and my mom and aunt are going without me, I need someone to go with. Who wants to meet me there? If the movies like Brokedown Palace and The Beach have taught us anything, it’s that Thailand is a great place to visit where nothing but good times can be had. I also want to get to Cambodia while I’m on that side of the globe, but flight are a bi t more money. Of course, I should concentrate on finding a job first, but it’s not like me to make logical plans anyway. Finding a travel partner is more on the forefront of my thoughts.

“I think she's dancing, what do I know?”

And since this post if heavy on the U2-isms, it should be stated that U2’s Japan/Australia leg of their tour had been postponed, meaning that if they reschedule it, I might go see them in Japan. Screw seeing Coldplay in Osaka.

It’s also 15 degrees outside today which make me happy.

“Fast food, living nostalgia”

And because I usually make empty promises, here’s a video of Stars performing “One More Night” at The Docks March 1st:


I’m far from the stage- the Ottawa show of April ’04 was much better for so many reasons- but it’s all about the music, man.

“I am a D.J., and I've got believers”

Top 5 Playlist of the Day:

DJ- David Bowie
Denial Twist- The White Stripes
Shine a Light- Wolf Parade
Changes Are No Good- The Stills
Stuck In the Middle With You- Steeler’s Wheel

“Break his heart, break her heart”

“Get outta my dreams, Get in to my car”
-Get Out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car, Billy Ocean (aka one of the worst songs ever written)

I got bit by a miniature collie this morning. I was waiting for the streetcar and the thing bit me on the leg. I hit it with a copy of Dose. It’s man said, “Watch what you’re doing with that paper!” I replied, “Watch what your dog is doing with it’s teeth or I’ll boot it across the street.” It was an empty threat because as we know, I’m athletically challenged and could never kick a dog far. Then there’s the whole moral issue of kicking a dog... The dog’s name was Ray. I love animals named after people, hence my own cat Tony, named after Tony Danza, and fish Jean-Luc Brossard, may he rest in peace.

“Smooth operator, Touch my bumper”

And I totally forgot I rent to the ROM (or the Royal Ontario Museum if you're acronym challenged) on Friday afternoon until I had a horrible dream about this disgusting gremlin thing I saw there called an Aye Aye:

It has fingers that will gouge out your eyes and it’s teeth will gnaw though bone. Stay away from Madagascar (the island and the movie). But this gremlin is endangered so it’ll be dead soon.

“I said open the door, Get in the back”

“Insanity laughs under pressure we're cracking, Can't we give ourselves one more chance?”
-Under Pressure, Queen & David Bowie

Just try not to be in a good mood when you hear “Under Pressure.” I can’t. And I can’t wait to give a very poor rendition of it at a Japanese karaoke bar in the near future. The song definitely earns a place on my all-time top 50 song list. It was intro’d to the CBC National Playlist today. Couple that with the sunshine and everything’s coming up Milhouse.... Unless of course the rumours are true and the next Rock Star show will be to find a new lead singer for Queen. Somehow that seems more of a sacrilege than finding a new singer for INXS. (But I do love INXS and JD anyway, but he’s no Michael Hutchence although he tries very, very hard). But anyway, "Under Pressure" encompasses so many good memories for me. If they ever do a montage at the Oscars for me, I would want this song. Or "Out of Control."

And proving that all the cool people are born in March, today is PETER SARSGAARD's 35th birthday! And everytime I say his name I think of Andy Samberg introducing him on SNL in a pirate sketch as Peterrrrrr Sarrrrrrsgaarrrrrd.

Not only will Jerk Gyllenhaal ruin your movie, he’ll also ruin your pictures:



I guess Moviephone asked celebs to take their own candid shots at the Oscars. Ang Lee’s are by far the most interesting.

“Why can't we give love that one more chance?”

Songs of the Day to Listen to Instead of Working:

Under Pressure- David Bowie
Money- Pink Floyd
Girls on Film- Duran Duran
Love Potion No.9- The Clovers
Mystify- INXS

“And love dares you, to change our way of caring about ourselves”

"You know it's hard out here for a pimp (you ain't knowin), When he tryin to get this money for the rent"
-It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp, Djay f/ Shug (yeah I don't know who/what that is either)

Sigh. The Oscars are over for another year. Although I’m sad I have to wait an entire year to see the little gold men again, at least the end of Oscars ushers in better movies since February was a total cop out- I didn’t go to the cinema AT ALL in February! It’s unheard of for me who managed 6 films in January on top of Eve, Mairin, and Natalie all coming to visit.

As for the show itself which I heckled through in my usual style with Sofia, Sharifa and Sharifa’s friend (debated going to the Fox theatre to watch the show on the big screen but decided that I need people to pay attention to my witty comments) I thought it was decent, if not a tad predictable. I came out on top in my Oscar pool which was, alas, not for money but for pride, respect, and bragging rights, the only 2 wins I missed were doc short and song.

Jon Stewart was good. Loved the opening. Lost me through the show as I became weary of him, only to catch a glimpse of Peter Sarsgaard which piqued my interests again after shouting, “PETER SARSGAARD!” which prompted Sharifa’s friend to say that I was “the weirdest person he’s ever met.” It makes me think he lives a bland life in New York City. And of course, Sofia and I kept busy whistling at Eric Bana. The dude is hot.

I was VERY glad for Reese Witherspoon, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Rachel Weisz winning awards, and Paul Haggis too. I shook my fist at “Academy Award Nominee” Jerk Gyllenhaal several times, mocked the large number of men with mustaches, Ben Stiller was amusing, liked George Clooney’s acceptance speech although I still have a strong distaste for him heightened by the fact that Out of Sight was on Much More Music at least 3 times this weekend, and as usual, enjoyed my favourite part: the In Memoriam reel. Bonus points for my favourite obligatory Oscar shot: Mickey Rooney, proving that he’s still alive. I only see him once a year at the Oscars and you know if they don’t get him on camera, it means he’s dead.
I’m glad Brokeback Mountain lost best picture, since everyday I love it less and less, but I didn’t think Crash was that good, and would have preferred the “no chance in Hell” winners to be Capote or Munich.

I heart you:

Just Jared has more pictures of my boyfriends Eric Bana (including dress rehearsal pictures which I often like better anyway) and Peter Sarsgaard... although I can't figure out if Maggie Gyllenhaal's dress has pockets or what.

Ugliest dress- Charlize Theron:

Best Dress- Reese Witherspoon, Uma Thurman (although her face resembled Skeletor):

Death warmed over- David Strathairn:

My award would go to Felicity Huffman for NOT looking like a man as usual and actually looking quite pretty. And there’s lots more photos here at Yahoo’s Oscar site.

The best quote had to be:

"It's a funny thing about winning an Academy Award. This will always be synonymous with your name from here on end. It will be, Oscar winner George Clooney, sexiest man alive 1997, `Batman,' died today in a freak accident ..." by George Clooney

I love montages as much as the next Sergei Eisenstein but even I thought there were a tad too many, but props for the cowboy montage. And if you were unlucky enough to see the pre-Oscars red carpet countdown, there was an unfortunate montage of apes in cinema. Soon they will run out of things to montage, and like Jon Stewart said, there will have to be a montage to commemorate montages. And as tradition dictates, I taped the ceremony to add it to my collection.

And you have to love the post-Oscar parties where people like Pam Anderson, Mischa Barton, Sienna Miller, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Jennifer Love Hewitt show up. It’s as close to an Oscar as they’ll ever get.

And it was a fitting weekend since I managed to watch Memoris of a Geisha and The Constant Gardener for the second time, as well as Cinderella Man, Chopper, and The Machinist, as well as go out for beer and nachos with Rusty and Sofia.

"That's the way the game goes, gotta keep it strictly pimpin"

"Everybody Wang Chung tonight"
-Everybody Have Fun Tonight, Wang Chung

Just in case you wanted to email him:

Joyce and I saw Zanta the other day which prompted me to find pictures to show Sofia.

P.S. I'm pulling for "Wang Chung" to be the next Carbon Dating Service cover. I've already designed the t-shirts to read "Carbon Dating Service loves Wang" or "The World Needs More Wang." Too bad I didn't think of this in December when wang was the word of the month.

"Everybody have fun tonight"

“Fight off the lethargy, Don't go quietly, Combat baby, Said you would never give up easy”
-Combat Baby, Metric


Went to see Stars in concert last night. The show was alright. I preferred them when I saw them last April at Barrymore’s Ottawa. Dirk concurred. It’s by no means Stars fault and is not against hteir musical talent, but has more to do with the venue (The Docks) being much larger so we were further away from the stage. Plus in Ottawa I was more drunk and had just written my last university exam ever (Visual Art & Culture) and Natalie and I had been drinking in the bathroom. It was also spring and from what I recall, good times had been had throughout April so it was a nice high note for the month. Even (Antoine) Montag didn’t dampen our spirits. But the Stars virgins (Alanna and Sofia) were impressed by the show, so alls well that ends well. I managed to capture some video and will upload it sometime in the near future.

“I want to be wrong but, No one here wants to fight me like you do”

“That’s Our Dirk!” has been approved by Dirk and filming will be underway shortly, on the condition that Mairin edits together a Forsey video which features an appearance by the “Colossimo Pants.” If you don’t know, you don’t want to. Besides, I’m sure they’ll appear in an episode of “Dirk!” eventually and I want you to be surprised.

“How I miss your ranting”

I would like to declare that on the day I was birthed, the number one song on the charts was “I Love Rock n’ Roll” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. At least I got a decent song and perhaps this is why I’ve always had an affinity for the tune and have been appalled by Britney Spears’ remake of it. Had I been born in 1994 my song would have been “The Sign” by Ace of Base. And 1993 had the delightful hit “Informer” by Snow. There’s something I haven’t thought of in years.

“Get back in town I wanna paint it black”

I still haven’t seen anyone with a mustache, and trust me, I’ve been looking. Dirk did spot a guy who looked like this Norwegian he was supposed to meet at the concert last night and asked the dude’s woman if his name was Bjorn or what not. Turns out his name was Dave. I don’t know if you can trust Norsemen, so who knows. I did happen to see 2 frying pans laying in the middle of my street this morning. Then I came upon a solid block of ice lying in the middle of the sidewalk. Like cinder block size of perfectly square, carved ice, the kind that would fit into an igloo or ice castle of some sort. And the Dufferin St. Prophet dude was wearing a cape this morning made out of an IKEA table cloth that matches some placemats I own and our shower curtain. At least he has good taste. He also had a Canadian flag mouth mask (kind of like the Peter Sarsgaard SARS guard), a plaid skirt, and some sort of neck adornment.

Naked Guy also made an appearance this morning. He was vacuuming. He wasn’t naked today though. He had shorts on. I was getting a little worried about him because we hadn’t seen him since the day he was crawling around on his hands and knees on the floor. I also used the Squirrel Name Generator and discovered that my Squirrel is Deputy Crazy Whiskers, which I deem fitting.

These are the days indeed.

“Said it all before”

I’m Eating Popcorn and Listening To:

Jump- Madonna
Combat Baby- Metric
Perfect Situation- Weezer
Satellite of Love- U2 & Lou Reed (live)
What’s Goin’ On- Marvin Gaye

“Ever since you have been gone it's all caffeine-free”

"It's gonna take time, A whole lot of precious time, It's gonna take patience and time"
-Got My Mind Set On You, George Harrison

MAAAARRRRRCH! It’s my favourite month. Why? Because today I saw a man wearing a full length fur coat. Like the groundhog not seeing his shadow, men in full length fur coats can only bring good things. It’s also my birth month, month of many concerts, the ides of March, St. Patrick's Day, the first day of spring, the Oscars, and for the next 3 weeks I’m only working 4 days!

"I know if I put my mind to it, I know that I really can do it "

I often get asked the question, “Just what do you do all day?” So today, I answer it, based on your average day when I’m not busy at work (busy days equal more work, less play):

9:04am- Stroll into work, turn on computer
9:05- Get extra large mug of tea. Give Phil and Malcolm a “What’s up?”
9:07- Check work email. Check intranet “attendance” to see who’s away today. Check regular email.
9:15- Talk to Malcolm and Phil, re: “You know what I watched last night…”
9:45- Check work email. Check regular email.
10:03- Update Zip.ca rental preferences. Read IMDb news, take IMDb poll o’ the day, read Hollywood Rag gossip blog.
10:34- Break time! More tea & snacks.
10:56- File something.
11:01- Check my stocks (of the Hollywood Stock Exchange variety).
11:15- Take the daily Pop Secret Indie Film quiz to maintain my stronghold over the competition. Check youtube.com for bizarre videos.
11:19- Send mail to Montreal office.
11:31- Discuss hatred for Kirsten Dunst with Isaac and her apparent drunkenness at the Toronto Film Festival Elizabethtown premiere (If I were in a horrible movie, I’d be drinking too).
11:52- Send Caro the Bono email of the Day.
11:55- Caro comes over to talk about the Bono email of the Day.
12:08- Phone the off-site file storage facility. Make a spreadsheet. Colour it.
12:21- Check email.
12:23- “Hey Phil, who do you hate more, Tom Cruise or Nicolas Cage?”
12:45- Lunch. Read book. Update blog. Read gossip blogs. Play games online. Check email. Play online trivia to challenge co-workers.
2:00- Ask Melissa if she’s watched Napoleon Dynamite yet. (Something I do on a daily basis since lending her the DVD in December).
2:01- Debate artists of the Symbolist Movement circa 1895 versus Pop Artists of the 1960s with Jonathan.
2:13- Draw Mairin a picture.
12:24- Check email.
2:25- Ask Mariane what movies she’s seen lately. Bemoan the lack of good movies in theatres while filing papers.
2:35- Debate the historical inaccuracies in Troy with Phil.
2:58- Break time! Check email. Listen to Malcolm's mathematical theory for his Nicolas Cage as the Worst Actor of All-time standpoint using complex graphs and equations.
3:14- Put Beat/VHS tapes in a box and send them to the National Archives.
3:38- Check email.
3:40- Chat online with Mairin. Brainstorm future episodes of “That’s Our Dirk!”
4:00- Create another spreadsheet.
4:21- Enter contests to win ludicrous things like wooden clogs handmade in Holland.
4:32- Look out the window to see if the Naked Guy in the condo across the street is stirring.
4:33- Fill up other people’s inboxes.
4:41- Check email.
4:44- Hang out with the legal department. Discuss Top Gun.
4:52- Read the Weird News section in Yahoo.
4:58- Concede to the philosophy of “Another Day, Another Dollar”
4:59- Check email.
5:01- Get the Hell out of here.


I’ve also started signing off email using random phrases (especially when Mairin is concerned) by using things like “Where’s the beef,” “9 out of 10 dentists recommend,” etc. Try it. It's amusing to end things with "Soylent Green is people."

"But it's gonna take money "

Top 5 Tracks of the Day:

Going, Going, Gone- Stars
Calendar Girl- Stars
What I’m Trying to Say- Stars
Don’t Be Afraid to Sing- Stars
He Lied About Death- Stars

…Can you tell that I’m excited for the concert tonight? Word on the street is Dirk, Alanna, and Sofia are pumped too.

"I got my mind set on you"