I was in the middle of writing up the music post below and generally feeling good about the Leafs beating the Red Wings so convincingly tonight when the fire trucks came blazing into the neighbourhood and parked right outside my place!? And it wasn't even a sexy dream? At one point, I escaped the concerned fireman and ran back into my place - totally not a scenario I would've envisioned? I thought briefly about the prospect of losing my place, but not too hard, believing still in my invincibility ("it can't really happen to me!"). I had to look around and pack up things I wouldn't be able to replace just in case I had to evacuate? The fire came from next door, and the burning smell permeated my whole place. I can still smell a bit of it now, just a couple of hours after they had it under control and went on their merry way. My things are still packed, sitting by the door. I think/hope that was the end of it, because it would suck majorly otherwise?
As I looked for things I wanted to save, it occurred to me that I could basically pack everything that was irreplaceable in a small suitcase. Other than the cat, the usual pictures/paper document essentials and electronic stuff (I have way too many plug in devices?), there were little else that I was particularly attached to. It's strange, because if I were to lose, say, my coat, I would probably feel the loss for days and days. When pressed though, I'm not attached to my material things. I probably didn't have much time to think how I'd hate to lose my nice dresses though; if I had thought about it hard enough I may have cared more? I wonder what people save these days, considering how we've become so much more electronically dependent. What I found myself particularly attached to were the electronic memories - USBs, external hard drive, my laptop, cameras, cell phone, and their various wiring attachments. Thank goodness my blog is not something I have to think of saving in case of fire! I'd seriously cry if I lost things I've written? I can't wait 'til the day there'd be a centralized chip for everything, so I don't have to pack that many little things. I have to remember to gather all my electronics in one place and make an emergency box tomorrow? That was a close shave! For now, I am thankful I can still sleep in my bed.
54 minutes ago
14 comments:
Oh, poor thing, I don't know what is worse: that you had a fire next door, or that you have so few things you *need* to evacuate?! I'd be dead-- and that's never minding the fact that I have no idea where my "essential" papers or documents might be, and I lose the things I've written all the time.
It might be good to keep the kitty carrier in readiness, just in case.
Well, why don't you put on the headphones, take a breath, and try:
http://www.shejay.net/tracks.php?type=M
and find yourself some pickings? Not all the links work, apparently, but many do, and the bios are hilarious (have a sip of sherry for everyone that's "classically trained" and you won't have a sober thought in your head in no time!). I'm trying out Jenn--I think she's something you'd like because she's very *minimal*. I'm trying to envision graduate student Berliner girls in ribbed sweaters trying to get modestly freaky? Amusing . . .
Oh wait, Jenn was one of the links that didn't work--I had to google her before. That's:
http://soundcloud.com/jenn/082009-1/download
Not saying it's gonna change your life! But since I brought it up, I thought I'd find it for you . . .
If you want something that *will* change your life, you can go after the song I was hearing in my dreams when I woke up today-- Garbage's "Drive You Home". From the gloriously ambiguous and manifold "beautiful garbage" album, it's the highlight of their oeuvre. And it won't 'give itself up' on just one listen . . .
It all comes down to the things that can't be replaced, I feel the same way. In my case it would be film negatives, back-up drives that hold my photographs, designs, etc. and my computer. Oh, and the box where I keep letters, postcards and such that I have gotten.
I think it's good though in a way that we're so electronically minded these days. Photos for example, we might have all those saved on hard drives we can easily take with us, compared to the family photo albums of yesterday that aren't as easy to take with you (if you have many, that is).
Anyway, I'm glad to hear you're okay. *hug*
Jason: Thanks for the link. Will do! Also, I own that Garbage album so there's no need for convincing? I prefer Cup of Coffee though?
You have a long way to go before achieving the same level of ZENNINESS I have reached in my sleep then!
Griz: Thanks. I have so few photographs - a couple of albums at most that I still keep. Then again, I'm not the photographer? I don't have much. Now this is making me sad, for like, at least 10 seconds. Boo!
*Really?* I thought the last time Garbage came up, they were terra incognita for you (you googled and found a moribund video for "You Look so fine") so I'm startled that you actually own Beautiful Garbage? Ah, but is this an old acquisition, and are you comfortably familiar with it?
We might have to do competing essays or something, since it's a rare thing we're both immersed in?
Anyway, though Cup of Coffee is formidable, I'm always miffed it gets more attention than Drive You Home, which is classically perfect beyond almost the allowed potentialities of popular music.
Oh, no, I just didn't know of many Garbage videos? I think I saw like, two or three, may be, before You look so fine? Except for some favoured tracks, I haven't listened much to the whole of Beautiful Garbage in a while though? I don't tend revisit older stuff I own that often?
OOoh, you can write on Garbage and submit it to CKBT! I don't know what I'd write about Garbage? Pretty pop sung by a pretty voice??
Drive you home is a bit too sugary and not enough poetry for me?
And yes, the actual title is "Drive You Home"-- funny how that works, eh? But she does invert the titular formula at song's end. Still, it's truthfully revealing that I turn it into a "me" thing!
Oh but you're wrong-- go back to it and you'll see "Drive Me Home" is not at all a happy song: it's the last gasp of dying hope; the hope may in fact be justified (hence the tormenting ambiguity!) but it certainly *feels* unjustified . . . the self-recrimination, the pleading that masks its pleadingness because to plead openly is part of the final abolition of hope . . . Compared to this, "Cup of Coffee" is entirely too melodramatic, an Elizabeth Wurtzel-style roll in the muck of manic-depressive self-proclaimed unworthiness. Whereas, if you will, "Drive Me Home" is the event horizon of "Cup of Coffee"-- the heartbreaking, dazzling last-chance sunflare of love and imploring BEFORE the devastation breaks.
Go back and listen to the album. You *should* go back and experience things more. You're not so young that you should only worship novelty, on your month-by-month schedule! Besides, I find Beautiful Garbage a curiously healthy record, despite its seeming, on a song-by-song basis, submission to Shirley Manson's talented but admittedly tantrumic personality.
What the devil is CKBT? And I'm sure you'll have lots to say if you play it again.
Sugary does not equal 'happy', but I'm perfectly fine with someone else finding it more relatable!
lol how dare you say I'm not that young to want novelty all the time! It's a personality trait! I say so! Also, my monthly lists INCLUDE older music, even if most of them are new to me?
I don't feel all that compelled to re-experience what I already did? It's the same with movies - I seldom rewatch, even films I love (except for a handful of them, most of which are Bergman's or Miyazaki's). I value my first organic experience with each piece of work, and if I see a potential for catching something REALLY AWESOME the second time around, I may consider coming around to it again. I just feel that there are so many things I've yet to experience and I obviously give priority to obvious discovery?
Having said that, I will listen to some Beautiful Garbage again, just because I feel like it now. :D
Oh, and CKBT = Music for cool kids tab right below the banner!
Well if you're going back to BG I hope you'll have something to say about it--it's the kind of thing that should be right up your alley, after all?
I amend "healthy" to "fortifying"--it's a *fortifying* record, that captures much better what I'm getting at.
How come every time you love a club tune it's not all that 'clubby'? Your Tiesto/Emilyperson tune is nice; I kinda like the savage imagery, her voice is okay in an electropop kind of way, but the whole thing sounds a bit like some b-side for Madonna's Confessions album or something . . .
I *am* going to break and tell you the artist you should be listening to soon. *Please* be a good girl though and don't abuse this privilege?
That Jenn 'tech house' mix I was telling you about is annoying me batty. All those stupid vocal samples!-- and they're *endless*!! urgh!!
My memory of BG is that it seemed they were trying to do something else with the band sound and didn't quite reach their goal. I'll see what I think of it after I listen to it, but I don't usually budge from initial assessment (the only one I remember turning around on was Rihanna's Umbrella, a single I at first found annoying with all the ELLA ELLA EH EH EH, but came around to loving its optimistic "when the sun shines we'll shine together" - go figure!)
How much more club-y can you get than that Knock you out tune? Now I'm wondering what kind of club you were a patron of?
Wait, you do know who Emily Haines is right?
I haven't heard the Confession album. Knock you out is very, very conventional - there's nothing 'new' about its structure or content. It's just insanely catchy? And yes, sad.
I haven't had time to go over that remix page yet. I will! Soon!
You should just tell me it already - who knows, I may already know of this person? Then what are you gonna DO? EH?
Life is given to us for re-assesments. Give it a whirl.
Clubs? --what kind of disgusting person do you take me for?
Yes, I googled her when you started raving about that song. Her bio does not impress.
Haven't heard it either--unless you count watching her London concert from that tour on broadcast tv. And one of the non-Hung Up songs seems to play when I'm at the grocery store.
I wouldn't rush if I were you.
I've thought about this A LOT. Obviously I'll have to make you suck up and go back to it *big time*-- much more so than Beautiful Garbage, in fact. Probably you 'know' something very superficial, which is worse (because you inflate superficial familiarity into intimate knowledge, eh?) --your threat is not idle, but you will only grow by submitting to my regimen-- when I finally *drop* it on you . . .
Thanks. I did give life a re-assessment AND I listened to all three listenable Garbage albums in a row. Will comment on it as soon as I have the time to do so!
Emily Haines is what drives Metric, and once you've seen her live, you'd never utter such words regarding her ever again. You'd be worshiping at her buttocks altar. She's got a great one!
Just drop it already. You never know how it'll fall with me. You give me TOO LITTLE credit. You obviously don't know how AWESOME I am at good taste.
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