Note to self

Yesterday was Divyesh's birthday.

(Sorry, Divyesh, I was out all day.)

Spring break

I'm going home for a week -- actually the 21st until the 31st -- for Spring break. Who wants to hang out?

The Iceman Cometh

(link to the video for Facebook)

A couple summers ago when I was at Cornell for a couple of weeks, one of my roommates was a very quiet Swede. About a week and a half in, during a soccer game, someone said "So you're really quiet. What's with that?"

He just shrugged and said "I am Swedish."

What Wang Watches

The Daily Show, in Berkeley:



(link for those of you reading this on Facebook)

Over the years I've been known to get excited any time I see Vancouver on TV or the movies, in places like: Smallville; Hockey Night in Canada; X-Men 3; and most notably Juno, which gets extra points for including lots of scenes in Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam. This is the very first time I remember getting really excited about seeing Berkeley on TV.

Bonus! In conversation with Dickolas (Random quotes from my past, provided with some context)

me:

[walking by the Army recruiting booth outside the basketball game] So this is the Army's recruiting effort: a Hummer painted with Army logos, a single inflatable free-throw game, and a covered tent? That's like something Pepsi would use... and it's not as good as what Pepsi would have.

Allan:

Well, it's an inferior product.

Vampire Weekend, on SNL:



(link for those of you reading on Facebook)

I'm sure there's all kinds of Vampire Weekend backlash ("more like Vampire Asshole"¹) but hey, I only just found out who they are -- I think I've heard "A-Punk" on the radio but didn't know who it was -- and I love this shit so far. It really appeals to my inner XTC fan, as well as my inner part-that-wants-to-like-the-Police. My first instinct, actually, was that it sounds a bit like what I remember of the bits of Paul Simon's Graceland-era concerts they show on PBS pledge drives. It made me want to check out Graceland-era Paul Simon, but I clicked on one link on YouTube and didn't have the patience to get through the whole thing. I'll keep trying.

Aw heck, more Vampire Weekend on SNL:



(link for you excellent Facebookers out there)

Hawksley Workman's new single:

(link for everyone, because embedding is disabled)

Note to self: buy Hawksley Workman's new album over Spring Break.

Hawksley Workman's old single, featuring an Oscar-winning actress:



(Knock knock. Who's there? link²)

A sporting massacre:



(You know what, Facebookers, that "View Original Post" link at the top isn't there for my health.)

I fully expect the Americans to say I'm an idiot, but the Canadians will appreciate.

Current Music: Vampire Weekend - Mansard Roof

1. also, Vampire Weaksauce
2. Link who?

Duh (duh) Duh (duh)

On Saturday I found myself lamenting -- as I have done before -- how none of my American friends have ever heard of The Odds, or of "Heterosexual Man". It's a damn shame, but maybe it's fitting. I'll always think of Vancouver and my teenage years when I hear this song. To me, it's always going to be a purely Canadian thing, even though I can't think of anything particularly Canadian about the lyrics or the music, and I don't mind keeping it that way.

But then again, maybe not. It's a damn good tune. The video featuring the Kids in the Hall -- another purely Canadian despite not being particularly Canadian-y thing -- isn't bad either.



Current Music: The Odds - Heterosexual Man