I’ve been raised with certain distrust towards country music. Even today I really just don’t get it. It tends to have simple whiny melodies, dumb lyrics and to not even mention the fashion. So when I listened to one of the albums Chris got me for xmass, The Tigers have Spoken by Neko Case, I was appalled that it was country.
I try to be open minded and I have a rule that I must listen to an album until I irrevocably and definitively decide that I don’t like it and would rather listen to CFRA (an outrageously bad radio station in Ottawa) than to listen to it. So I have been listening to ‘The Tigers have Spoken” over the last week and despite its handicap for being a country music album, it is quite good. It took me a few listens to get over the lyrics. Only in country music would you talk about how you want your jerk ex-boyfriend to come back with a straight face. She has about three songs on this topic and tries out different strategies such as telling him how his new girlfriend is evil, getting a dress maker to make her a very pretty dress and even putting a spell on the guy. It completely eludes her that even if he comes back, she is still stuck with a third rate bum who is liable to ditch her as soon as the spell wears off. Once you get over rolling your eyes at the lyrics it is quite an enjoyable album though.
One in Five
One in five pregnancies end in miscarriages and unfortunately I got to experience this first hand. Chris and I were quite upset but we’re slowly coming to terms with this. A number of my friends have had bad pregnancies only to go on and have beautiful healthy kids later on.
It will take a few months to recover, but we shall try again when the time is right. Even though this whole thing didn’t end right, I really appreciated all the congratulations and well-wishing notes we got from all of you. It is great to know that our friends are excited for us and that some even think we’ll be cool parents. I quite hope that we will indeed. When we get around to it, if nothing else, this weekend’s events will make it so much more precious.
Good for the Many vs. Good for the Few
I glanced over the article on slashdot talking about a the campaign to uncancel Star Trek: Enterprise. My initial response was a ‘eh whatever’. It is an enjoyable show and all, but if that’s the best cause you have to rally and donate money to than that is sad. It reminds me of the “Save the 300 m stretch of beach from the baby seal invasion” protest we witnessed while in San Diego last summer. The article referenced above has an interesting twist though. The major donation was received from commercial space flight industry with explanation that the show provides role models for future scientist and engineers. This is something I feel more sympathy for.
What I don’t understand about Enterprise cancellation is the following; the last season was awful. The script stunk, characters were undeveloped, concepts boring and the only thing remotely interesting was how much beer one would have to drink per show given that one took a sip for every suggestive camera angle and two sips per each shower scene. Yet the show did not get cancelled then. This season they actually got their act together, every episode was watchable and not a single shower scene occurred. But it got cancelled. I guess that just goes to show the stupidity of the common man. In any case I don’t think they’ll get the money to uncancel the show. At least it is in good company with all the other cancelled shows I enjoyed such as Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me, and I bet you in a few months Numb3rs and the House. At least it will stop me from watching too much TV.
A Musical Outing
Mr Berry and I will be attending the Tegan and Sara concert on February 18th at The Capital Music Hall. You and guests are cordially invited to join us.
Spiral Development
Last year I’ve made a point of getting to know music of a wider range of musicians. Though I’ve got a number of good CDs, the three musicians/bands that readily stick out are Emm Gryner, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and the Magnetic Fields.
This week I decided to do a bit of repetition and rather than buying artists whose albums I don’t have yet I got the new albums by Emm Gryner and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
The Nick Cave album and the short Laibach spree I did last November keep the ever telling percentage of Mute records I own to 25% (Chris is my reference librarian). Go Mute. Maybe I should buy their stock. Or stock up on more of their CDs seeing how much I like them.
I’ve given a quick listen to both (all three since Nick Cave’s release is a double feature) albums and so far they’re pretty cool. Nick Cave’s web page has a few videos you can download and if you’re up to it I strongly recommend the Breathless video, the song has been pleasantly stuck in my head for a week now. Emm Gryner’s web page (or at least her record company which surprisingly isn’t Mute) supposedly has some samples as well but I haven’t fund them in the Flash yet (I shall contact my reference librarian as soon as he is done with his morning cross word puzzle).
So now all I have left to do (apart from raiding Mute’s catalogue) is get some more Magnetic Fields stuff. Maybe the House of Tomorrow or the Vacation one or even Get Lost… so many decisions…
Demolition derby
Apparently the 7th floor of the Hall building (main Concordia building downtown) is being completely renovated. This means that they are demolishing the IEEE student office and moving it to some other place. I am taking a few minutes to reflect on the good and the bad times past.