argh v2.0

things are still crazy,

life is far too stressful.

but i have something in the works.

something new and exciting and very promising.

the only hitch...

patience.

(do i have enough to see this through?)

argh

i work for a multinational, so i'll keep it short...
tonight was a rediculous night.
tonight was the worst night.
i am trying to see a positive in this.
but it is more difficult than you'd think...

quel surprise!

so, big shock, i had the day off work today and i went shopping...
i needed a black belt. SUCCESS!
i bought the new GQ... Duh! is it not the last tuesday of the month??
i bought a rad warhol-esque marilyn t-shirt. seXXXy...

then... the shocker...

a pair of buffalo jeans. in a size... 36" waist!!!
that hasn't happened since i was 16! 8 years in the making!

hell yea i'm bragging. wouldn't you?

In West Philadelphia, Born and Raised...

So over the weekend, I took a little vacation.

A much deserved and long overdue vacation.

So at 5:30am Friday, I woke up and got ready to head off to Philadelphia PA. The city of brotherly love, home of Benjamin Franklin, and birthplace of a certain "Fresh Prince".

Now, despite the worldly view I pretend to possess, I have never left Canada in my entire life. And have only left Ontario to go to Montreal, on business trips with my mother because she cannot parlez francais. So needless to say, I was excited.

A question I got asked a lot leading up to this last-minute trip (I decided Tuesday that I would go Friday) was, "Why Philly?". The answer was art. This was the last weekend for the Philadelphia Museum of Art's exhibition of works by Frida Kahlo. My friend Karen is a huge fan, and I was pretty excited thanks to all of the art history classes I've taken, as well as the works that I have studied in conjunction with some of the courses I took for English Literature.
So by 7:00AM, Karen and I were caffeinated, and hit the road with a freshly baked raisin challa from the cafe (THANKS DANIELLE!).

Word to the wise, don't blindly trust Mapquest. They will get you lost about 4 times. making an 8.5hour trip border on 10/11hours. They will recommend that you get off the interstate in some Podunk town and then head in the opposite direction of your destination rather than drive 2 exits further and be on the correct highway. Just saying...

Since this was my first trip stateside, I tried to collect license plates. I got 1/3 of the states, 17 in total (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland, Rhode Island, California, Delaware, North Dakota, North Carolina, Florida, and more that I can't remember now). That passed some of the time.

But the art was the main focus, and it was amazing. Degas, Mondrian, Rodin, Pollock, Johns, Liechtenstein, Warhol, Van Gough, Cezanne, Picasso, and more. It was really moving and a little overwhelming. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is apparently the third largest museum in the United States. The place was HUGE! Giant galleries, whole reproductions of medieval temples, Buddhist shrines, Shinto tea houses, and colonial parlours, photography, watercolours, sketches, oils, everything. EVERYTHING!

In short, it was a concentrated trip filled with fun. Much better than a week long vacation where everything is meh. I think, if I can swing it, this will be the summer of the little day trips...

home

i just got off a nine hour shift at the hotel.
a shift that began 6 hours after I got home from Philadelphia.
stories and pictures to follow.

sam sparro

The fish swam
Out of the ocean
And grew legs
And they started walking
And the apes climbed down
From the trees
And grew tall
And they started talking

And the stars
Fell out of the sky
And my tears
Rolled into the ocean
Now I'm looking
For a reason why
You even set my world
Into motion

'Cause if you're not
Really here
Then the stars
Don't even matter
Now I'm filled
To the top with fear
But it's all
Just a bunch of matter
'Cause if you're not
Really here
Then i don't want
To be either
I wanna be next to you
Black and gold
Black and gold
Black and gold

I looked up
Into the grey sky
And see a thousand eyes
Staring back
And all around
These golden beacons
I see nothing but black

I feel a way of something
Beyond them
I don't see
What I can feel
If vision
Is the only validation
Then most of my life
Isn't real

'Cause if you're not
Really here
Then the stars
Don't even matter
Now I'm filled
To the top with fear
But it's all
Just a bunch of matter
'Cause if you're not
Really here
Then I don't want
To be either
I wanna be next to you
Black and gold
Black and gold
Black and gold

yes, we are a flood town...

Peterborough, land of the notorious floods of 2006 & 2007 is still above water, for the most part, but people are getting leery. Massive melts are threatening some downtown areas.
This is the back half of the patio at the hotel... good thing the patio doesn't open until May 1st!
Somehow, I think these kis were having more fun than I was. But thats Okay, because I was dry and clean. Thats always what matters the most for me. Clean and Dry!!
Did you see that bridge? it goes right into the water... Safety first people!
This is part of the price we pay for global warming. Conserve energy, waste less, and donate your time and money to environmentally sound and green projects and causes. Also, I guess its the price we pay for having a river and lake in the middle of the downtown core...

I get around...

So Tuesday Night was a concert night in Peterborough. Dragonette, a killer Toronoto outfit doing electro-pop-esque stuff with two killer opening acts on the bill as well. Sweet Things and Fritz Helder and The Phantoms. I rocked the LOUD "Bill Cosby on Acid" sweatshirt as this was a Neon is the New Black event to boot. The Opening act's Drummer, Tyler, was the little brother of one of my Fav. Brew-Pub waitresses. Not only that, he's the same Tyler from "Popular Mechanics for Kids"!!
This is Sweet Things, more rock with harmonies, and no real electro elements, but easily proved themselves a great act to see and hear. I wish I hadn't drank all my money away so I could have bought their CD.
Fritz Helder and the Phantoms have a song where the basically rap and mock the audience for not being original. They gave me props from the stage for my sweater, which pretty much made my night. That and Pastel Supernova (The Girl in the Seafoam Socks) is rediculously sensual and agressive. My kind of woman.
Then around 1am, on came Dragonette. They were amazed that on a Tuesday night we sold out a 500 capacity club in a "small town". I couldn't get over how short Martine is in person. She is a teeny tiny elf of a woman. But her vocals were spot on to the album, which made me super impressed. I hate it when a band live, sounds nothing like they do on the album. All in all, a great show and a good way to end a pretty crappy week. If you've read this blog for a while, you know how much I commune with live music. This was a great show, and check out the bands. They're all on my iTunes, and will remain there for a looong time.

Sunny Days Off...

Yesterday I was off work. And the sun still shone bright and warm, and the jacket was left at home as I wandered a few blocks from my apartment to see what exactly this day had decided to highlight with its golden rays.
The things I see everyday on my way to work, while out with friends, or when running errands seem to be lit for their debut. Things look better with a bit of sun, with a touch of radiant warmth.
After a trip to the cafe, to the bank, to the gym and the grocery store, the evening was spent with the waning rays warming my toes as I enjoyed a new book (In Defence of Food, Michael Pollan) and a great CD by a UK band, The Kooks. It was a pretty damn good day. So raise a glass to many more!

neon bible

So... today involved a little bit of shopping.
I already let you all know how much i love BRIGHT NEON COLOURS!

So, I went to one of my favourite stores in all of Peterborough, just around the corner from my apt... "Flavour Fashions"

It was there I bought a new T-shirt from Obey, and a pair of Mercury sunglasses. God bless the Employee of the Month bonus I got!

And So I decided, that if I'm taking pics of New clothes, I should show you two of my Fav BRIGHT shirts. A Leche T from last summer, and one of my 4 pieces of Teenage Millionaire Apparel. I have a Black T, A bright Blue Hoodie, and this beast...

A final T i thought I'd share is from a collective out of Montreal labelled "Garbage". They are all one of a kind, and this one has some awesome purple metallic silk screening. I don't wear it so much because the black faded really bad, But it's still a favourite...

And in closing... I went to a thrift store while I was off work, and I found, the most perfect vintage 80's sweatshirt. The perfect Neon sample. The best part is the price. It was only $1.00!!! It's in Excellent condition, not faded, not stained or torn, as if someone bought it, or was given it and was too fearful that they couldn't pull it off. It is a little small, but I could not pass it up. It is the crown jewel in my Neon collection.

Jealous? You know you are!

Mellancamp

So, I survived another birthday. My 23rd was the birth of "Classy on the Inside" and as far as events. it was one of the best birthday's I've ever had.

(23rd Birthday!)

It was such an outpouring of love and support from such a vast array and group of friends. It was also the catalyst for chang ein my life. I realized, that as much as I've been alone, and done everything on my own for the last 4 years, I still had people willing to help me, and to listen, to critique and to comfort. It also didn't hurt that we got our party on that night in such a manner that there was no class left on the outside at all.

It started a shift from the talk, and idea or change to the action of change. Which has made this last year so much harder, and so much more fulfilling than I could have hoped for. Thanks to anyone reading for that. I'm a better man for all of you.

(24th Birthday!!)

So this year, for my birthday, I took a little trip to Ottawa. I was in the city for EXACTLY 24hrs and 17min. And I had a complete blast. These people are friends in the greatest sense of the word. Generous and caring, kind and beautiful. Honest. Trustworthy. So how else should we celebrate than in a private box at a Tom Cochrane & John Mellancamp concert! Classic rock at its best, the kind of show where you wait for one song in particular, but for all the time in and around that song, you are reminded of so many other songs that have been a soundtrack to precious moments of your life. If you've read this blog for a while, you will know how much live music means to me. Everything around me fell away. The stress, the stiffness from the bus ride up, the music sort of wrapped around me and time became as fluid as the notes in the air. I would swear to God that we were only at ScotiaBank Place for 10min.
(Life is a Highway)
(Jack & Diane)
Upon my arrival home Sunday evening, a group of 12 of us went to Matsu on Park for a Sushi Birthday Dinner. I love the food here, the quality and care is on par with any of the best sushi restaurants in a bigger metropolitan city. It's hidden from view, off of any main street here in Peterborough, so most students are unaware that they have more than one sushi option. It was such a good dinner, filled with laughing, and reminicing. I've known all of these people since i was in ninth grade, and we still get along like thieves. We've come along way from dinner's at chain restaurants, and to a degree I'm going to take some credit. I've pushed their palates for almost a decade, so I think the Swiss Chalet celebration is on its way out.

(Me & Mr. Matsu)

I hope that this theme will continue throughout my twenties, I am in my mid-twenties now, the first birthday to sufficiently freak me out. Looking back though, I don't see much of a change, and the change I do see, is easily for the better.

Mazel Tov!