The best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.

HOLY SHIT!!!!!!

Getting drunk in your old workplace which has now been converted to a pub is pretty insane. Especially when it’s a heritage building so they have kept a significant portion of the inside the same… Amazing! We were sitting in the nativity area haha. I wish I had a camera… I want to go there and get drunk all the time! I am hoping we will make it a monthly thing. Woo my first facebook event was a success haha. I am still tipsy this morning.. how does that happen? I am much nicer to everyone at work hahahaha.

Oh yea and they played a couple songs from our OPEN ROAD compilation… Brown Eyed Girl! Tear, that song gets me. Open Road was the best cd by far in our collection. But I do have an appreciation for Frank Sinatra thanks to the Christmas Store, hugely, and even ‘Viva Las Vegas’ and ‘The Gambler’ and other songs like that!

Updating this sign every night was my second favourite part of the the job. The first being PERSONALIZING ORNAMENTS. I have this weird thing for penmanship. Decorating trees as your job was pretty sweet too!!!!!!

Grr I hate how wordpress compresses your photos now. Pre-drinking for Sarah’s bachelorette party!

at prism, after my one and only experience at a strip joint. I look funny in this picture.

And Julie… let’s not even go there. SIGHS. Too bad Sarah and Birkley made her a lesbian and she cut her hair… I hope she is alive in France!

At this moment in time I am realizing how weird it is I do not speak with my office mate. I mean, he is a middle aged dude, what do we have to talk about, but I feel like talking to him right now but I also feel I can’t! Strange.

IT IS ONLY 9 AM????? This is going to be a sloooowwww day. I have finally run out of work to do. Haha.

My hero

Too alarming now to talk about
take your pictures down and shake it out
truth or consequence say it aloud
use that evidence race it around

There goes my hero
watch him as he goes
There goes my hero
he’s ordinary

Don’t the best of them bleed it out
While the rest of them peter out
Kudos my hero leaving all the best
You know my hero the one thats on

I kind of hate listening to the radio all day at work, when there is a lot on my mind… every song seems to be about every thing.

I don’t care what anyone says..

I will always love the song ‘Brian Wilson’ by the Barenaked Ladies.

Drove downtown in the rain nine-thirty on a tuesday night,
Just to check out the late-night record shop.
Call it impulsive, call it compulsive, call it insane,
But when I’m surrounded I just cant stop.

Its a matter of instinct, its a matter of conditioning,
Its a matter of fact.
You can call me pavlov’s dog.
Ring a bell and I’ll salivate. how’d you like that?
Dr. lendy tell me you’re not just a pedagogue,
Cause right now i’m

Lying in bed just like brian wilson did
Well I’m lying in bed just like brian wilson did.

So I’m lying here, just starting at the ceiling tiles.
And I’m thinking about what to think about.
Just listening and relistening to smiley smile,
And I’m wondering if this is some kind of create drought
Because I am

Lying in bed just like brian wilson did
Well I’m lying in bed just like brian wilson did.

And if you want to find me Ill be out in the sandbox,
Wondering where the hell all the love has gone.
Playing my guitar and building castles in the sun,
And singing fun, fun, fun.

Lying in bed just like brian wilson did
Well I’m lying in bed just like brian wilson did.

I had a dream that I was three hundred pounds
And though I was very heavy,
I floated til I couldn’t see the ground
I floated til I couldn’t see the ground
Somebody help me, I couldn’t see the ground
Somebody help me, I couldn’t see the ground
Somebody help me because i’m
Lying in bed just like brian wilson did
Well I’m lying in bed just like brian wilson did.

Drove downtown in the rain nine-thirty on a tuesday night.
Just to check out the late-night record shop.
Call it impulsive, call it compulsive, call it insane;
But when Im surrounded I just cant stop.

Hey look… I still suck.

I am SO mad at myself for not going out tonight! Oh hey, someone offers me their friendship? Better not call them when I am supposed to. This is why I have no friends. I am still the same dumb old Amber. I have just been in this very homey phase… I guess even though I have been lonely I like loneliness in a way and I have just been enjoying that.

Excited for things to not be boring soon!

No yoga either! I am SO sore. Kill me please! In my mind, it is Keith who drags us down but I am even lazier when he is not here! I will never be bitching about him wanting to stay home again. Haha.

FINALLY listening to Emily Haines. Very good. Much better than Metric I think.

There’s a pattern in the system
There’s a bullet in the gun
That’s why I tried to save you
But it can’t be done

Also I can’t get enough of this stuff. It’s like Asian ketchup to me. I have found it is even good as soup broth haha.

And I don’t really get this. This has been happening for four days and my readership is up, but I wonder why?

Ahh the magic and mystique of the internet.

ps: Who the fuck is Charles Cromer and why is he on my website?

general admission.

i think i am getting too old for general admission shows. although, there is something about being crammed up against other sweaty bodies, moving with the pulse of the crowd. but when you’re short, it it especially difficult. any way, next time i hope there are seats.

i prefer matt good as an acoustic artist, but it is also pretty awesome to be shouting along to everything is automatic… it’s like i am 15 again.

star star

star star teach me how to shine
shine
teach me so i know
what’s going on in your mind

i LOVE finding new music!!! i go on huge obsessive binges of music…right now obsessed with the frames/glen hansard

you’re the hooves that lead me through the forest.

baroque pop: a genre of music from the 60s that i enjoy but didn’t realize it had a specific name, was a specific genre. i did learn this upon discovering a new band [again: i love you npr! i have found it impossible up until now to effectively find new music.] i always loved the harmonies of crosby, stills, nash and young, simon and garfunkel, the beach boys, the zombies, etc. there is a band called fleet foxes from seattle who channel a lot of that… yay new music to listen to.

fleet foxes

also: i kind of like this song, by an acoustic band called the bowerbirds.

there is also a fairly amazing concert featuring glen hansard and marketa irglova with music from the movie once

it is pretty magical, maybe the music just speaks to me, sometimes nothing beats the straightforward simplicity of the timeless tale of a boy and a girl. they must be planning another cd together because there were quite a few great songs they played that are not released. they make me feel like a lovesick teenager. SIGH.

if you want me
satisfy me

and for some reason the postal service and death cab for cutie in general piss me off, but here is an acoustic show with their lead singer… i am such an absolute sucker for acoustic shows.

our sicophantic replacements are here at last.

bss studio session:

“i say this all the time, but what we say is no different than someone saying it to you on a subway or at a cafe. when people are on stages, people start to perceive that somebody makes a comment, and it means so much more because you’re standing five feet higher than them and you have a microphone.”

if only all musicians bought into that… i mean, uhh, i don’t know anyone like that….

[insert casual whistle here]

i love you npr

it’s like cbc… but not shitty.

i have been listening to a lot of interesting music from their website, which is actually a pretty good way to discover new music.

but i came across a BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE PRESENTS: KEVIN DREW concert! a full two hours of stuff off his album as well as broken social scene albums. [YESSSSSSSS THEY COVER A PAVEMENT SONG AT THE END! amazing.] so awesome. my work day is now more enjoyable. kind of makes up for me having missed the show, but i really want to catch them this summer as they must be touring to promote their new bss presents album.* aww you know you’re a fan when you can guess all the songs by their meandering intros…

oh everyone can write this song, but they can’t write you and me….

here is some merchandise i ordered recently:

couldn’t find a larger picture… that’s right a bss SCARF

i love this

first art purchased for the new place! must frame old art first.

and i didn’t buy these but i should have! i <3 bss socks!

*interesting, just as i was going home to download it. from the bss site:

A message from Brendan Canning… – 2008-06-04
It has come to my attention that an unmastered version of my album has been leaked through the internet. With the retail release being six weeks away, I’ve decided to correct the situation by releasing the album digitally myself, because I can. So this is for all you early birds who just couldn’t wait for July 22nd. But you know, it won’t be like going to your favourite record shop and getting a copy in your hot little hands, or sitting in your basement downloading it to your iTouch phone while playing Grand Theft Auto, it merely corrects the situation that is…a messed up version of my record floating around on the internet, and this is not how I wanted my record to drop. Believe me, this is not a minor situation. We’re talking recall here folks…With all of this in mind, please note: ‘Something for all of us…’ will be available at all fine retail and digital outlets in North America July 22nd with some additional artwork inside and slightly later for the rest of the world.

sweet sweet technology. at first i thought it was free, which would be even cooler, but this is pretty cool too.

oh, think twice…

“i’m gon’ make you a mix tape. do you like phil collins?”

“i have two ears and a heart, don’t i?”

i always wanted to hate 30 rock, but it can be funny. which compared to most things out there these days is pretty high praise.

clear is the new black.

buck 65 was awesome. it wasn’t quite as mind-blowing as last time.. the acoustics of alix goolden hall did him a bit of a disservice as you couldn’t hear some of what he was saying. he didn’t quite ‘weave a tapestry’ this time like i often say about him… there were less stories and anecdotes joining together his songs, but it was still great. he is so odd, charismatic, spastic, compelling. keith actually enjoyed it and liked him as i knew would be the case. his mannerisms, words, and whole persona are just so interesting. imagine being revered, and being able to be as strange as you want, and people applauding you for it.

my highlight was him playing ‘hot lunch’, one of my favourite songs of his.

I look good, always, but especially today
Professionally fresh on display like hey
Take a picture, its not a dream I’m flat out gorgeous
Maybe its because I eat a lot of oranges
I don’t know I can’t help it, I’m not even trying
Really, I’m hot you think I’m lying
Look at my ass and pants, give it more than a passing glance
Stare at it a while
Compare it to a peach, each cheek if you can bear it
Breath me in deeply, I’m like an airy breeze
Whispering, blowing through the branches of the cherry trees
I’m a treat, a nice little surprise for your eyes
Look too long though and it could be your demise
It ain’t a disguise, I’m flyer than an eagle
Sky’s the limit besides the fact that I’m barely legal
Its too easy, I’m sorry I can’t help asking it
And bad news I’m getting better looking with every passing minute
I’m pretty, pretty, but I take it all in stride
Thing is I’m even more beautiful on the inside
I’m nice, I’m so nice, with the winning smile I’m stylish
In fashion, make a wish with my eye lashes
I’m magical, actually casual traditional
Mystical, in top physical condition
Well oiled machine, perfectly peachy keen
Its freaky really equally squeaky clean frequently

I look good and you look, but not as good as me
I’m so dope
I look good and you look, but not as good as me
I’m so dope

keith just forwarded me this story though. i am really surprised and disheartened. the crowd was very respectful, of the venue and everything else… too bad it had to happen in victoria.

Popular hip-hop artist Buck 65 had $5,000 worth of equipment, and hours of band footage, stolen during a performance at the Royal Conservatory of Music last night, police say.

“They were there performing the concert so it was probably taken during the performance,” said Victoria police Const. Alvin Deo.

It is likely the thief was someone in attendance at the concert who swiped the gear from the soundstage, said Deo.

However, the neighbourhood near Pandora and Quadra Avenues is also known for a high concentration of drug addicts and street people, some of whom specialize in break and enters, said Deo. The music hall is half a block from a newly opened drop-in street shelter.

Buck 65 also lost 40 hours of footage recorded during his recent Canadian tour. The Nova Scotia artist is appealing for the return of the footage because he was planning to turn it into a DVD.

Anyone with information is asked to call Victoria police at 995-7654 or Buck 65’s management company Blasko at 250-995-2426.

source: times colonist

i feel like i owe it to someone.

crosby, stills, and nash are coming too! the tickets will be outrageously expensive and usually these acts do not nearly live up to their former glory [infact they tend to be kind of depressing] but wow. i am tempted to purchase some tickets as they go on sale tomorrow.

for years and years and years, deja vu was my album i would take to a desert island. one of the few things i will always keep on vinyl despite my distinct lack of record player.

FUCKING SWEETNESS.

as if may wasn’t already the greatest month ever due to my birthday and the beginnings of summer. AND finding out stephen malkmus, the closest i will get to my dear pavement, will be in town on the 9th. NOW I FIND OUT BUCK 65 WILL BE HERE ON THE 8TH! at perhaps my favourite venue in the city, definitely my most frequented, alex goulden hall [a reading by anthony bourdain there has to be the highlight of that place so far.]

buck 65, while not my all-time favourite musician per se, has to be the best performer i have ever seen. the show i saw a few summers ago was a tightly woven tapestry of stories, music, jokes… it just blew me away. i wasn’t expecting to enjoy it nearly as much as i did. i can’t wait to enjoy his masterful story-telling once again. and i even get to sit down this time!

ps: the pot runs out tonight. holy shit. what am i going to do with myself now?

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!!

STEPHEN MALKMUS AND THE JICKS ARE COMING OMG.

i know it’s not pavement, but it’s like… the nearest i can get.

AHHHH!

right before my birthday too.

music or sex?

listening to sean lennon which i haven’t listened to in at least five years but probably much more, it strikes me how much more i must have listened to music in the past. after not having heard this in so long, i can still sing along to almost all the words. when i think of my favourite music of the past few years, i can’t sing along to 90% of it. i guess that is the cost of having a life and not spending all of my time alone in my bedroom! but what kind of music fan am i?

hrm…. no offense to sex but i am pretty sure i would still go with music. music is just…. otherworldly.

when the right dragon comes around.

a few weeks ago i came across an album which has quickly become one of my favourites. this is particularly exciting to me as i rarely come across music i really like [unfortunately.] true i was already familiar with and a fan of sufjan stevens, but i finally heard his first album and it definitely stands out from the rest. distinctly more ‘lo-fi’, not all of the tracks are winners but many of them blow me away. a little less fanfare than his more recent stuff, a little simpler, sadder, more acoustic. a winning combination for me.

i think my morbid dreams as of late are partially related to me listening to ‘kill’ over and over again.

i want to kill him
i want to cut his face
and when it’s over
i know i’ll feel okay