As I put off planning for a substitute for Thursday, I'm thinking of a few things that randomly ran through my mind today...

While listening to my newly purchased used CD copy of "He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper", I came across a quote from it that I'm sure Will Smith would never say now. It's a live cut, from Union Square in '86. He was just 17 at the time, I think. He tries to get the crowd to cheer, by saying things like "All the ugly people be quiet", and "All the girls that don't like guys be quiet"... then, at the end of the commands is, "All the homeboys that got AIDS be quiet." Man... you couldn't say that and get away with a squeaky clean rep anymore. It's kind of odd how I don't ever recall anyone taking issue with it.

You know how our bodies are like a tube, right? You know, there's an opening starting at our mouth that goes to our stomach and intestines and... well... you know. I wonder, if all muscles were relaxed, and enough pressure was put behind it, could a steady stream of air get forced through a human body? Something to think about...

I suppose I'm just thinking of random things as today was a busy day for me at school and after school. I had to go back into town quickly to go to Dr. Mitton's office, to get my prescriptions. I got me some (I assume rancid) mouthwash, and painkillers. You see, I am having all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled on Thursday morning. I've never been "put under" before, and I'm interested (ie, nervous) in how it'll seem and how I'll feel after it's over. This whole being put to sleep thing is an odd concept to me. I also hope I don't frig up any of the oral care after I get home. I don't want any complications. I just hope there isn't much swelling or pain, and no bruising. I don't ask for much. There's all kinds of things I'm curious about when it comes to this procedure. I'll spare you my queries, though. I guess I'd better go write up my sub plan for Thursday. Blah. Getting ready for someone else to teach your classes is a pain in the arse. I wonder if I can somehow be put to sleep while the plans are getting made... now THAT I could go for.

If I have never talked to you personally about music before, you may not really know the wonder of the "mash-up". It's a relatively new thing on this side of the Atlantic, but mash-ups have been quite popular in Europe for a few years now. There are more and more DJs who do it now, but the best one I've found is Mark Vidler. He's got a nice site, called "Go Home Productions".

Basically, he takes a two or more songs, and layers certain tracks of the songs over one another. Sometimes, the results are so-so, but Vidler's tunes come out great more often than not. The two best ones I've heard so far, I think, are "Rapture Riders" and "Karma in the Life". In the former, he plays the tune for Blondie's "Rapture" over the lyrics from The Doors' "Riders on the Storm". In the latter, John Lennon sings "A Day in the Life" over top of the music from Radiohead's "Karma Police". It's like there was no original of any of the songs. These tunes sound good enough to be mistaken for something original and classic.

Vidler put up five new mixes last week, and a few of them are quite good again. The two best ones, I think, are "Triple Rhythm Stick" - Beastie Boys vs. Ian Dury & The Blockheads, and "Kaw Liga X" - Liberty X vs. The Residents.

I say download all you can from the site before some tunes get "retired" or archived away. Have fun listening to the mixes, and scouring the web for more mash-up artists.

If you surf the web long enough, you'll see some ads for different personals sites or sites where friends meet or whatever. Some of them are pretty cagey, in that their pictures use info from your own location to alter the ads. They place locations under the "hottt" (the extra t's are for extra hotness) pics to make you think some dirty nympho lives down the dirt road from you. A friend sent me a link the other day for some video... it was just a humourous one, nothing kinky, but the site had one of these ads. This one had added humour value, as you'll see in their place names. First, it's Charlottetown. Some horny palm humper might think the gal was actually in town! Think of it! A hottie, right there... in town! Then he'd get to the next two, Port Borden and Montague Bridge, and realize it's all just a horny fantasy.

"If you love something, let it go. If it comes back TO you, you own it. If it doesn't, you don't own it. And if it STILL doesn't, you're an a-hole" - Bubbles

I moved into my first house over a year ago, and my old stuff occupies the same niche it did in my parent's place: sitting in a container in a dark space. I haven't pulled my old toys out or looked at them in years. I really enjoyed them when I got them all, but what good are they to me in my basement? I can't really see me ever displaying them / decorating with them (like my older brother does). I know there's people that would really like to have and enjoy some of my old toys, so... I think it'd be a fair trade to exchange them for what they're worth monetarily (anywhere from a few bucks to potentially triple-digit bucks). Yeah, it's kind of sad... but... maybe it's time for me to love them by letting them go.

What do you think? Is holding on to such things just being a packrat? Or is it warm and squishy sentimentality? Should everyone "clean house" and purge the stuff they don't regularly use? Would you ever sell things cherished from your childhood?

I flip-flop a bit on this. It's in my genes to be a sentimental packrat. But it's also in them to de-clutter and unload things that aren't used.

What's your stance on letting go of things?

Well, as I'd mentioned before, here are some pics of my signed sports stuff.
It's for all the smart hockey fans out there!

First, we have a couple of pucks and two cards. In the bottom box is Patrick Roy's rookie card, with a puck that he signed. On top is a shadow box with a puck Jose Theodore signed, next to his rookie card. I wish Theo would play consistently these days.

Next, is an 8x10 of Maurice "Rocket" Richard, which was signed at a card show. A true Canadian icon / national hero. I wish he was still alive these days.

Finally, is something I worked on compiling for a short while. I got the idea one day that it would be cool to have an autographed card from every player on Montreal's most recent Cup-winning team (92-93). It was a little tough to find a few. There are two cards I couldn't get, too. I wanted to have every player's card to show them in a Habs uniform. I couldn't find that for Gary Leeman or Rob Ramage. They were both with them for a short while. I don't even know if there are cards of either of them in Habs jerseys. I settled for autographed rookie cards for both of them. If I ever see autographed cards of them in Habs uniforms, though, I'll switch them. It could be tough to get anyone to get Ramage autographs, though, as I think he may still be in jail for vehicular manslaughter. Who knows. Anyway, I still think it's cool. I wish they'd win another cup one of these days.

Woohoo! I got the ol' digi cam working on my computer. I finally got the software I needed for it. I've noticed the quality is pretty sucky. It's fuzzy, and rather fish-eye. Oh well, I guess it's good enough for my purposes (maybe selling some things on eBay, taking unimportant pics). Here, then, are some music-related pics from my office. I'll show some sports-related stuff later. No, nothing is for sale here. Yes, the walls are ugly. The room's on the updating block. Someday.



Above are some signed pics and magazines (The Jeff Healey Band, Big Sugar, I Mother Earth, Wide Mouth Mason, Emm Gryner). In the middle, and in the enlarged pic, is my frame containing the original handwritten lyrics to the WMM song, "Falling Down". Also included is the disc, and signed album art.



Above is my copy of "He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper", by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince. I met Jazzy almost a couple of years ago, after a show in town. Really, for me, it was kind of a dream come true. He's one of my musical idols / early influences. Next to it is some unhung stuff on my floor. A signed WMM poster, a tour poster signed by the original Matt Good Band, Edwin, and Todd Kearns, a framed Beatles LP, and a signed 8x10 from Randy and Lahey of The Trailer Park Boys. Also, you can see some concert-used (some signed) drum sticks, destined for display in a wide shadow box.

No Stairway to Heaven.

I just read two of 100 interesting facts. One is sad, and one is stupid.
This sad one reads,

"28. The British buy the most compact discs in the world - an average of 3.2 per year, compared to 2.8 in the US and 2.1 in France."

Still... only 3.2? I can't imagine having so little music. It's incomprehensible. It's inhumane. It's Inconceivable (yes, I thinkthe word means what I think it means)! I know I buy or receive more than the average person by a long shot (probably about one a week since I got my first CD player)... but only 3-4 discs a year? Wow. That's boring.

The stupid one reads,

"100. Musical instrument shops must pay an annual royalty to cover shoppers who perform a recognisable riff before they buy, thereby making a "public performance"".

Doesn't that seem a bit much? I think artists should get all they have coming to them, but this is ridiculous.

I like looking at album covers. I have a couple of them framed in this room, actually:

This side of this one is displayed, and autographed. Meeting him was really a life-long dream of sorts.


This is #2. It's a new frame, and I think I'll rotate what's in it every now and then. Well, not rotate, but change.



So, here, have a look at some more covers. These are discs I got in the last week.









Not shown are some copies of some discs by Stephen Fearing, Jill Barber, and Rose Cousins. All good gifts from a very generous gal whose name rhymes with Polleen. Also not shown is an honest-to-goodness real CD by Matt Andersen. It's his first disc, and I couldn't find a pic of it on the internet. It's called "One Size Never Fits", and it's very good.

At our Christmas staff party in mid-December, one of my co-workers brought a niftily-presented snackie tray. It had different kinds of cheese on it, and one mound was encrusted with almonds (it was supposed to look like a pine cone). With them, and some grapes, were a couple of sprigs from a pine tree, long needles, green cones, and all. We all joked that it would be funny if one of us pretended to choke on a needle or something. While we didn't do that, I got the idea that since this person deals with health and safety in our workplace, I'd make up a joke letter for them. I got a legit logo, legit contact info, legit name, legit terms... oh, it was all legit. Well, except for the lying part of it. I got our secretary to sign it, and I faxed it upstairs from downstairs. Our secretary delivered it, and it worked marvellously. It was read with shock as the colour went from their face. "Oh my God... did you see this? Oh my God..."
We'd say ( the staff knew it was coming), "Oh... no, what is it?"
It was only a minute or two of shock, but it was great... and a good chuckle was had by all, including the one that was had. Mwah ha ha ha haaaa...