Every single one of these songs named Holiday is ace.
Madonna - Holiday (first Madonna song I've ever heard - it was the beginning of a wonderful relationship)
Green Day - Holiday
Vampire Weekend - Holiday
Fran Healy - Holiday (off of his new solo album, coming soon - I heard him perform this at the Fran Healy w/ Andy Dunlop show earlier this year)
Bonus:
Go Gos - Vacation
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
impossible soul
Yes, it has occurred to me that I have not posted anything in more than a week. It's not for lack of trying, but nothing is coming out very inspired. Yup, while you may not know it, there is quality control on this blog. What you see is already the filtered stuff, that's passed muster with me. Who knew, right? And what exactly is a muster anyways?
So I've been feeling rather apathetic and helpless lately. Not really wanting to engage in people, except for a few Twits here and there with a random thought thrown out there into cyberspace. But those don't count. Especially since I don't really have any real followers except for a couple of very special folks (you know who you are - bless you!!!). Well, my Twits are like the equivalence of trees falling in a forest when nobody's around - they don't count for nothing.
I guess my mood is partially born of my growing disdain for my present job. I switched positions a few years back, and I've been fairly complaint-free. Don't get me wrong - I haven't been jumping out of bed every morning and humming a tune on my way to work, but once I get there, I've been doing okay. Taking care of business and just carrying on. Until recently, that is. Lately work has really been defeating me. I don't like a lot of what's going on behind closed doors with our management. I also don't like the avalanche of work that has swallowed up any breathing room I have. It's really taken a toll on me. I haven't slept well and have this persistent queasy feeling in my stomach, so it really is time to seriously buckle down and look for something new. I don't know how realistic I am being. I don't know what is out there right now that would make sense for me to jump ship.
And then there is my personal life. I've been having a few health issues. My knees have been really bothering me lately. I don't know why they are acting up more so than usual. And then my dentist just told me I have some bite issue and I might need jaw surgery, to which I said, "No way, Jose." I didn't really say Jose per se since that's not his name. And even if it were, I would have said Dr. Jose, cuz I am polite like that. And then aside from the physical mess that I am in, I am also emotionally kinda vulnerable. Yeah, every once in a while, I look around and assess what have I done with my few decades on earth. And whenever I do this, it is inevitable I come to the conclusion I haven't done much. My accomplishments amount to no more than a massive music collection and the ability to pay my many monthly bills without relying on either the government or my mother. I know, those are no small feats to many people. But I kinda want something I am more proud of. Like how white people are proud of their adopted Asian babies, something like that. But I don't know how to get that, since I am not about to go to China and buy a baby and raise her to become a Harvard-educated doctor. I mean, that would just be way too much trouble. I am the kind of person who doesn't eat crab because the shell is just too much work. So how does a person like me accomplish anything grand that I can be proud of when I am lying in my death bed? Beats me. I welcome suggestions. I am even willing to change, but again, how do you convince the me who doesn't eat any fruits that require peeling to change into a motivated, compassionate human being? It's a conundrum alright.
Anyways, all of that is to explain why I haven't posted anything in over a week. But it hasn't been all joyless lately. As I write this, I am listening to a preview of Sufjan Stevens' Age Of Adz, his electronic opus. I ate a falafel sandwich for lunch from Sunrise Deli on Irving Street. I am still chuckling (and cringing) at the season premiere of Amazing Race, in which one of the female contestant, in trying to sling a watermelon to knock down a knight's armor (yup...), had said watermelon ricochet back at her and smack her right in the face. (The fact that nothing but the watermelon was broken and that she got back up and continued the challenge is...amazing.) Yeah, pep talk to myself always involves me telling myself that life is about little pleasures, of which I have plenty, not about grand gestures. So just stand up straight - it's a long ride. It's not so impossible.
So I've been feeling rather apathetic and helpless lately. Not really wanting to engage in people, except for a few Twits here and there with a random thought thrown out there into cyberspace. But those don't count. Especially since I don't really have any real followers except for a couple of very special folks (you know who you are - bless you!!!). Well, my Twits are like the equivalence of trees falling in a forest when nobody's around - they don't count for nothing.
I guess my mood is partially born of my growing disdain for my present job. I switched positions a few years back, and I've been fairly complaint-free. Don't get me wrong - I haven't been jumping out of bed every morning and humming a tune on my way to work, but once I get there, I've been doing okay. Taking care of business and just carrying on. Until recently, that is. Lately work has really been defeating me. I don't like a lot of what's going on behind closed doors with our management. I also don't like the avalanche of work that has swallowed up any breathing room I have. It's really taken a toll on me. I haven't slept well and have this persistent queasy feeling in my stomach, so it really is time to seriously buckle down and look for something new. I don't know how realistic I am being. I don't know what is out there right now that would make sense for me to jump ship.
And then there is my personal life. I've been having a few health issues. My knees have been really bothering me lately. I don't know why they are acting up more so than usual. And then my dentist just told me I have some bite issue and I might need jaw surgery, to which I said, "No way, Jose." I didn't really say Jose per se since that's not his name. And even if it were, I would have said Dr. Jose, cuz I am polite like that. And then aside from the physical mess that I am in, I am also emotionally kinda vulnerable. Yeah, every once in a while, I look around and assess what have I done with my few decades on earth. And whenever I do this, it is inevitable I come to the conclusion I haven't done much. My accomplishments amount to no more than a massive music collection and the ability to pay my many monthly bills without relying on either the government or my mother. I know, those are no small feats to many people. But I kinda want something I am more proud of. Like how white people are proud of their adopted Asian babies, something like that. But I don't know how to get that, since I am not about to go to China and buy a baby and raise her to become a Harvard-educated doctor. I mean, that would just be way too much trouble. I am the kind of person who doesn't eat crab because the shell is just too much work. So how does a person like me accomplish anything grand that I can be proud of when I am lying in my death bed? Beats me. I welcome suggestions. I am even willing to change, but again, how do you convince the me who doesn't eat any fruits that require peeling to change into a motivated, compassionate human being? It's a conundrum alright.
Anyways, all of that is to explain why I haven't posted anything in over a week. But it hasn't been all joyless lately. As I write this, I am listening to a preview of Sufjan Stevens' Age Of Adz, his electronic opus. I ate a falafel sandwich for lunch from Sunrise Deli on Irving Street. I am still chuckling (and cringing) at the season premiere of Amazing Race, in which one of the female contestant, in trying to sling a watermelon to knock down a knight's armor (yup...), had said watermelon ricochet back at her and smack her right in the face. (The fact that nothing but the watermelon was broken and that she got back up and continued the challenge is...amazing.) Yeah, pep talk to myself always involves me telling myself that life is about little pleasures, of which I have plenty, not about grand gestures. So just stand up straight - it's a long ride. It's not so impossible.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
please make it stop
Please make it stop. All the following:
- Lady Gaga (another freaking album already??? Can I get a break?)
- Jersey Shore, Kardashians, and Real Housewives
- Afghan war (and its prequel the Iraq war - is that one over? I don't even know anymore)
- Earthquakes and other natural disasters (it's not even 2012 yet).
- My work projects piling on and on.
- The pain in my knee and my heart.
- People arguing over gay marriage and Don't Ask Don't Tell (it's not about anybody else but the gay people who are denied their rights - let it be)
- Meg Whitman vs Jerry Brown for Governor ads (political ads are the worst ads ever - they should hire the peeps who do those VW commercials and make something progressive and artistic; I would give my vote if someone does that kind of political ad. Win my vote with art or, if not art, at least creative/clever advertising, not mud-slinging.)
- The New York Jets (the football team I really hate now - what a bunch of asses)
- That damn magazine Life Extension that keeps coming to my mailbox for the last five-plus years. What the hell is it? I don't really know. I think it's a vitamin catalog disguised as a magazine, a rather thick magazine. I just tear off the address label and recycle the whole thing as soon as I get it. Life Extension? No thanks.
- Lady Gaga (another freaking album already??? Can I get a break?)
- Jersey Shore, Kardashians, and Real Housewives
- Afghan war (and its prequel the Iraq war - is that one over? I don't even know anymore)
- Earthquakes and other natural disasters (it's not even 2012 yet).
- My work projects piling on and on.
- The pain in my knee and my heart.
- People arguing over gay marriage and Don't Ask Don't Tell (it's not about anybody else but the gay people who are denied their rights - let it be)
- Meg Whitman vs Jerry Brown for Governor ads (political ads are the worst ads ever - they should hire the peeps who do those VW commercials and make something progressive and artistic; I would give my vote if someone does that kind of political ad. Win my vote with art or, if not art, at least creative/clever advertising, not mud-slinging.)
- The New York Jets (the football team I really hate now - what a bunch of asses)
- That damn magazine Life Extension that keeps coming to my mailbox for the last five-plus years. What the hell is it? I don't really know. I think it's a vitamin catalog disguised as a magazine, a rather thick magazine. I just tear off the address label and recycle the whole thing as soon as I get it. Life Extension? No thanks.
i used to wait
Weather: Drizzly
State: Stressed
Music: Chromeo's Business Casual (very 80's cool)
Last Movie: Remember Me (I like it!!! I think it's my favorite RobPat movie appearance since Harry Potter.)
Reading: Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro (I really want to know what the sci-fi element is to this story)
Last Pleasure: The Patriots winning their season opener, with Welker catching 2 TDs. Call it a comeback.
Last Worry: Work!
Looking Forward To: New telly season (I need to figure out what new shows to add to my Tivo)
Not Really Looking Forward To: Working Sunday, gotta prepare for Monday meeting; getting my shit together to put together updated resume to look for new job
Gas Price: $3.26/gallon for the Honda
Clothes: Old Navy hoodie (don't worry - it doesn't say Old Navy across the chest; I don't believe in wearing logos)
Today's Headline: Afghans Vote For Parliament Amid Threats, Attack
Current Desktop Wallpaper: Pavel Fuksa, downloaded from here
Last Website Visited: Spinner.com
Last Meal: Instant noodle
Last Purchase: Half dozen cupcakes from That Takes The Cake
Item Off My Wishlist: A lap cushion for the Asus notebook
Latest Evidence It's A Beautiful World: Arcade Fire's interactive video for We Used
To Wait and Broken Bells' October
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
everybody's got to feel something
Top ten songs:
10. Thank You For Your Love - Antony & The Johnsons
9. Ready To Start - Arcade Fire
8. You Were A Kindness - The National
7. Fuck You - Ceelo Green
6. By Some Miracle - Philip Selway
5. Enchanted Ghost - Sufjan Stevens
4. Confide In Me - Hurts
3. Down By The Water - The Drums
2. Teenage Dream - Katy Perry
1. I Walked - Sufjan Stevens
10. Thank You For Your Love - Antony & The Johnsons
9. Ready To Start - Arcade Fire
8. You Were A Kindness - The National
7. Fuck You - Ceelo Green
6. By Some Miracle - Philip Selway
5. Enchanted Ghost - Sufjan Stevens
4. Confide In Me - Hurts
3. Down By The Water - The Drums
2. Teenage Dream - Katy Perry
1. I Walked - Sufjan Stevens
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)