There's something coercive about the way some people smile...Wide open as if to say, "Come on in and browse a while."

Lowest of the Low, The Horseshoe Tavern

This band holds a healthy dose of nostalgia for me. I've seen them a bunch of times over the years, with new friends, old friends, best friends and random acquaintance types. It was a little bit disjoint that I found myself checking them out alone last Tuesday. Although there have been a couple of false starts, this time was to be their last show in Toronto and I tend to believe them this go around.

Generally everyone looks to have been youthful in their aging, but the backup guitarist seems to be mostly shunned from the band and looks like he's been to the bottom of every bottle between Buffalo and Brandon Manitoba. Thats a lot of drinking in case you were keeping tabs.

Concert going has changed a lot in the last few years. Not that I have seen a lot of shows in this time frame, but I now expect to gaze past a sea of small LCD screens while watching any band these days. I was reminiscing over an encore where they played "Subversives" (which I think is a pretty striking love song by any right) and was disappointed that there were only two instances of the video recording from the night on Youtube and both were of pretty poor quality.

There's nothing conclusive in this whole world
'Cause flags can change and martyrs die and there're many towns left to burn
But somewhere between there and here, for one night, hold me near
And sing my shallow tears
And we'll drink but not to forget
But to remember instead
All our happy years

R.I.P. Lowest of the Low.

Whatever, it twas a good show and it brought back a lot of memories for me. Jay, Corina, Janette and Sey - would have been great if you were there :(

One yearning satisfied

I'm starting to eek out a life. Starting with the purchase of the best bed that my money could buy. Yes.. it is the bowling ball bed. I love this bed, as anyone who has spent more than 5 minutes with me of late has heard at least twice.

I just took a second look at this picture and find it both humorous and horrifying that my passport now serves as a coaster. I also find it distressing that it is supporting my sixth cup on the day.

Anywho. My bed rocks. That is all.

How Inconveinent

There are few better places in the world to catch up on the backlog of TV and movies that is created by 8 months of abstinence than Garth's couch. Weeds, Heroes, Southpark, 24.. you name it, its there in all in all of its scintillating, mind numbing glory.

I watched An Inconvenient Truth. It made me angry. For my part, I find that my thoughts are shifting from nebulous nothingness back to science where they belong (don't even get me started on Dawkins). This isn't a blind subservience, I am just in a position where I want to reevaluate everything around me. I am surrounded by inconvenient truths and am trying to find the strength to face them. Logic is the one thing that can lend its power to me, but its so easy to slip. I like it but am scared. Its fresh and daunting after spending five years of my life with my head in the sand. Whether the science of this movie is good or bad, or it was a complete partisan piece of shit, or Al gore is an alien sent to colonize earth in the name of Lothar is completely inconsequential to me. The world is warming up. Carbon dioxide emissions, at the very least, are a contributing factor. Although there may be a natural, cyclical process at play here, the evidence that I can find makes a pretty strong case for the fact that humans are accelerating the process.

I am also using this downtime to catch up on my Harpers subscription. [EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a kick ass publication.] In the "Harper's Index" from April, 2007:

"Percentage of GOP House and Senate members in an April 2006 poll who believe humans are causing climate change: 23"

"Percentage who believed this in January 2007: 16"

What? Are they privy to some sort of scientific data that I've missed somewhere?

Those who want to protect the status quo should be summarily rounded up, given a lollipop and some building blocks and be tucked away in a room somewhere to play "big man" house with all of their friends. Starting with this guy.

I feel like everything I hear around me these days is being spoken directly to me. Its a bit unnerving sometimes, but it gives me a lot to think about. Winston Churchill was quoted in the movie:

"The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close. In its place we are entering a period of consequence."

Mr. Churchill, I hope that it will be fair to apply this to me in the coming months. However, I have trouble applying this statement on the large scale and for the today. I think that most people of consequence are choosing to put their head back in the sand. Please let me not be one of them.