And if you build a model home, just burn it to the ground.

My theory of the days of the week: Monday through Friday is actual so-called "week". Saturday and Sunday are a separate entity known as "The Weekend". Therefor it is only right to reflect back on the week, on the weekend. (Because that obviously need clarification/justification).

1.) Vanity Fair + Howard Schatz = Pure Brilliance.
2.) Major steps in international relations: US and Russia agree to a nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Once again common sense prevails in the White House.
3.) The last minute of Community is some of the funniest shit on television right now.
4.) March madness concert-palooza is officially done as of last night. Said the Whale and In-Flight Safety brought quality music last night, ending my month in a most wonderful way. (And to be completely fan girl - I SAW GRAHAM WRIGHT. HE WALKED BY ME. OH SWEET JEEBUS.) But i'll write more all about it later.
5.) I've had almost one hundred posts on this blog. So I feel like it is time to move on to bigger and brighter things. I'll leave this all up for right now, but as of today tumblr is officially my new blogging home. Same name, same game, just prettier and easier for me to use. You can keep reading my ramblings at polkadotscottonsocks.tumblr.com

Au revior Blogspot, Salut Tumblr!

I know it's cold in the stadium, Don't get excited

I AM SO BEYOND EXCITED.

tonight, the lovley said the whale and graham wright and in flight safety are playing a show. and i am going to see them play that show. and i am going to scream and jump when they play that show. and it is going to be epic. because they are epic. i can’t think of any better way to end the march madness concertpalooza.

we're making small talk with the sky again

Ann Coulter was on campus last night with the intent of speaking on political correctness, media bias, and free speech. But she cancelled the event.

I was going to rant and rage about her, but today is your lucky day, and instead I'm going to let Vanity Fair speak for me. Their article on what happened, and the controversy around her being at the University, is accurate, well written, and honest. Enjoy.

and when you're dancing and laughing and finally living

Isn't wonderful when you're reminded why one of your favourite bands IS one of your favourite bands?

My obsessive reading of the A.V. Club often pays off, but this article, in particular, introduced me to Rubber Ring by The Smiths. I can't believe I hadn't heard it until now. LURVE IT.

How would you know it, You're the same when you're living (F x's 3 Series #6)

Friday Friday Friday Friday Friday.

1. There are many reasons why I love Graham Wright's tweets, but today, my reasoning is two fold. a. he posted a link to Jezebel, and b. it had to do the time old debate of cake vs. pie. 

2. One of Ottawa's few independent music stores closed this week. Shame on you ticketmaster, HMV, and all the other corporate bastards who decide to locate themselves conveniently down the street from true gems of a store. End Hits, thank you for being awesome and providing me with tickets to almost every show I've seen in the past two years. 

3. For my Intro to Women's Studies class last year we had to write a paper dissecting the portrayal of women in a music video of our choice. (I tore Beyonce's Diva to shreds.) The A.V. Club wrote an awesome article in the same vein. 

4. Kevin Drew is just so darn quotable!

5. I saw a homeless man throw up on a bus this week. Then he passed out. Can someone please come up with a real solution to the growing problem of homelessness?

Push peace, achieving emotion (F x's 3 Series #5)

For today's Fab Five I'm going to do something a little different, since consistency so isn't my thing, and take an idea from spinner.ca, since creativity, also, isn't my thing (today).

Laugh: Paula Deen was on Craig Ferguson this week. While his show always makes me laugh, this particular episode was full of hilarious moments. Like how they never actually made food. Or how Paula Deen's southern accent really does not lend itself to speaking French. Watch it here.

Rage: A big story hitting news stands lately is about how a girl in Mississippi is suing her school district to hold prom. Why might you ask, would someone have to do that? Well, it is because her school district is full of prehistoric douchebags who, evidently, are unaware of the full definition of equality. You see this girl would like to bring her girlfriend to the prom. And wear a tux. And basically enjoy a lovely night of high school fantasy. Instead, its all turned to Nightmare before Prom land where, sure she can bring her GF to prom, but the school has cancelled prom, and in order to get the obvious equality of treatment that she deserves, she has to involve an impartial third party to remind the school of that. What is wrong with people?! This is not a question of sexuality and gender role bending, but of HUMAN RIGHTS. She is a PERSON who has a significant other who wants to celebrate a night, in public, with that significant other. We don't have the balls to question that when its a man and a woman, so what is so monumental about woman and woman, or man and man? But what really got my blood boiling are the comments at the end of the article I read.  I'll warn you though, you might throw up a little from sheer disgust of how "backwards" some of the comments are.


Cry: I had neighbours once who taught their kids that crying was not ok. They weren't allowed to cry when they were hurt, or when they were mad, or just because. Crying to them was reserved for monumental occasions, and even then, only a few tears were acceptable. I can't decide if this was a really brilliant parenting strategy, or just really fucked up. Only time will tell. I think it's measured in how many psych session each of the kids go through.

*This whole idea came from the Laugh, Rage, Cry series Tegan and Sara did with Spinner.ca, which you can find here.

is the door shut tight, it's a morning song

If I can't spend the rest of my life living on a perpetually warm beach with a never ending supply of hemp and berry smoothies, I would like to go see a never ending amount of live shows. From National Arts Centre's concert halls, to college's shitty student lounges, all I want to do is listen and see people play music. This is essentially what I'm doing with the month of March.

Last night, I went to a shitty college student lounge, to see Aidan Knight and We Are The City, live, and for free. What is not to love about that combo? Well, my friend and I were a. late to leave downtown, b. misjudged the amount of time to get there, and c. had no idea where this lounge actually was, having never been on that campus before. It was an adventure. So adventurous in fact, that we missed Aidan's set. It was only a baby concert too. Just two hours long. We were there for 25 minutes.

However, in those 25 minutes, We Are The City impressed me beyond belief. They have got some sort of magic musical touch where indie meets headbanging is so o.k. you want to style your hair just like theirs and pick a best friend to harmonize with forever. They were charming, funny, and all got in on the stage banter. (Stage banter makes or breaks a show for me. For reals.) They are creative and have flair. Nothing about those 25 minutes was boring.

Here's a video I found of them from another blog, Calgary Is Awesome , and it give a pretty good idea of what the show last night was like. Listen and love people.


Shot at the Dark - We Are The City from Shot at The Dark on Vimeo.


ps. they have a youtube channel, and it is glorious.

Oh the devil will find work for idle hands to do

Dear Ridiculously Silly Americans Who Don't Like Obama's Health Care Plan,

I am addressing this letter to you all because I am concerned for your well being. As is his holiness, the Obamanitor. I think I can speak for both of us when I say, we just want you to be healthy! We want health care to be your friend, but with benefits. You should be able to get care any where, any time, with very little direct from your pocket cost.

Though I will admit that I have a few other motives, possibly different from your fearful leader's. I need you all healthy, so that you stay alive, so I can continue to use you all examples of what not to do. Just look at your crazy tea-baggers, prime example of how you need to keep crazy conservative rebels suppressed. The world can learn from you! Don't deprive us of our favourite population of laughing stocks!

Maybe I can appeal to the capitalist pig-dogs in you though? This proposed Health Care Plan will actually save you money, and then make you richer in the long run! By adopting this plan large companies, responsible for much of the previous successes in your economy, won't have to pay employees so much for safety risks or cover their sadly overpriced health insurance. By saving on those costs, they can develop the company by make it BIGGER and BETTER. I know how those words are music to your tune-deaf ears.

So, my dear neighbours to the south, please vote yes for this bill. Remind the world of your political inconsistencies, shock us all in to foolishly believing you're the most successful democracy once again, and preserve your health. If not for the sake of the children, then at least for my sick sense of humour.

Much cynicism,
M

you can rely on me honey

well holey-moley, me oh my, you're the apple of my eye (F x's 3 Series #4)

It's a Friday.

1.) Senator Ashburn. All I have to say about this one - FAIL. 

2.) OK Go has an amazing new video. And when I say amazing, I mean, AH-MAZ-ING.

3.) Louise Rennison's teen novel Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging has been turned in to a movie. Yes, I am a little behind in noticing this, but I watched it this passed weekend, and it's fabulously hilarious. Read the series. Watch the movie. Do it. Every teen girl/person should do so. 

4.) Rousseau. The hippy in me is so very happy reading his discourses. (I should note that I absolutely loathe political philosophy readings, so it is indeed a great day for america when I willingly read this stuff)

5.) Washington, DC made gay marriage legal! HURRAY !!! what a lovely step in the right direction!

I'm all out of luck, but what else could I be?

I wish someone had said these things to me at my graduation. Then again, I don't really remember much of what was said that night. I know that I made it up to receive my diploma without tripping, but otherwise I'm pretty sure I just sat there thinking "Please speak faster, I just want to get the fuck out of here."

This video might be corny (ok, it is) but the things said are true, and important to remember (especially the sunscreen part, ooooh baby do I ever burn) whether you're graduating from high school, or halfway through uni more confused than when you started. Not that I would know anything about that.

Hey don't act embarrassed, you're not fooling anyone. (F x's 3 Series #3)

Though it is technically Saturday right now, I have decided that this will be counted as a post on a Friday, simply because I have not gone to bed yet. So there Father Time.

Anywho... Fast Friday Fab...

1. MARCH. Only a few days away, and I know it's going to be an excellent month. 4 concerts, week of best friend/sibling visit, the almost end of the semester, so many good times to come!
2. CRAIG FERGUSON (& STEPHEN FRY) They did a Late Late Show together. No audience, no nothing, just them, shootin' the breeze. And you know, making late night television history. (I'll save my glowing review of this for another evening).
3. WELLIES. I invested in a pair of very green, very waterproof wellies. How do you like them apples, Mother Nature ?!
4. GRAHAM WRIGHT. A couple of days ago he posted a solo demo track on his tumblr account. I really really really really really really love it. He's one of the members of Tokyo Police Club, and if what hes working on is indicator of what they as a group are working on, I see much more brilliance in their future. Also, it was just announced this week that he's opening for Said the Whale and In Flight Safety during their Ontario shows. I can't contain my excitement. ( !!!!!!!!!!!!! )
5. CANADIAN WOMEN'S HOCKEY TEAM. To quote Rick Mercer's tweet "The IOC or any media saying shit about womens hockey team is absurd. Let it go."

Hoping for the last ship to arrive, I'm blessed with a kingdom, half mine

the pin-striped men of morning are coming for to dance (F x's 3 Series #2)

Fab Five Fridays... presented to you on Saturday morning...

1.) THE OLYMPICS. 'nuff said.
2.) World Sick. The one song released from the new BSS album - Forgiveness Rock Record. It comes out on May 4th. Very excited. Pitchfork can give you the deets.
3.) This is an amazingly well written review on Vampire Weekend's album Contra. (I find these wonderful things by following much cooler people than myself on Twitter.)
4.) Alexander McQueen. He was a brilliant designer who created truly amazing fashion. Not just clothes, fashion. Take a moment to appreciate his brilliance.
5.) Ginger Ale. I've had the flu this week, and so ginger ale has been catapulted in to the world of fab.

so come out of your cave walking on your hands (F x's 3 Series #1)

Welcome to Fab Five Fridays. I get so bored so quickly with this blog that I'm always trying to come up with new and exciting things to do with it. Well as new and exciting you can make something like this. (I may have sort of gotten this idea from Lainey Gossip) Here's how we're going to play this one though. On Fridays (or around Fridays) I'll post five things that are awesome this week. Or that are interesting. Or just anything really. Here goes.

1. Bill Waterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, and a genius in my books, did an interview. Sort of. The man is something of a recluse, and when this random columnist from Ohio sent him an e-mail, he actually responded. It's quite fab. Also, Calvin and Hobbes is one of the very few things I can draw well, I like Bill all the more for that. Not to mention the comic is smart, funny, and insightful. Ok, I own three books of Calvin and Hobbes comics.


2. Lainey Gossip, recently introduced to me by a fellow pop culture fan, has opened my eyes to the douche-ness that is John Mayer. Not that I had any sort of idea what he was like before I read this, but now I'm just plain horrified. Who lets things like that come out of their mouth?!

3. I have been singing this song at the top of my lungs lately. Mumford and Sons are some kind of awesome. If you read the wikipedia page for them it says there is a London folk scene. Did not know that. I want to go to there.

4. I don't know about you, but I get some fairly interesting e-mails from my mother. And interesting phone calls. And interesting mail. This site embraces that. It's hilarious.

5. Fox News is not a new source. It is bullshit conservative propaganda that treats fact checking as optional, and see opinions as truth.  Jon Stewart was recently on the O'Reilly Factor and talked about just that. He is definitely in my top 5 of comedians on TV (after Tina Fey, Craig Ferguson, and Stephen Colbert, but before Jenna Elfman). This is part one of his interview.

Now wasn't that fun?

I know my call despite my faults, and despite my growing fears (T&S Series #12)

For the past month and a half I've been going through a weird phase in musical taste. I'm all about the more country/traditional folk feel and electronica/remixes. Two genres I usually avoid now have appeal. I wish I knew what brought about the change.

So the last mix was on remixes, this one is a nod in the folk direction.

I've been watching the clock too long, and without a doubt, my time is running out.

Pa pa party er'y day

Ladies and gentleman, batten down the hatches, take cover, prepare yourselves... POP CULTURE COMETH.

This evening, beginning at 8pm, as you may or may not know, the Grammy's will begin. Thanks to modern technology, I will be watching it via live stream, aaaaaaaaand ...

LIVE BLOGGING! WHOOP WHOOP!

check back in at eight to see all the nasty things I'll have typed about the red carpet.

I mean... all of the "constructive criticism" and "professional advice" I'll want to pass on to those charming celebs.

...

6:58 Colbie Callat accepts her first Grammy to an audience of ten. She's just saying those are tears of happiness.

7:39 "Sorry I grabbed your chest hair" ... who the fuck is this man hosting on the carpet? Stephen something? From now on lets refer to him by his true identity... CLOSET CASE.

7:42 Quentin Tarantino & Snoop Dogg pose on the red carpet. What is this madness?

7:45 Heidi Klum & Seal. Heidi is wearing a sparkly wetsuit. Yes that is funnier on more than one level.

7:48 Dear Jennifer Hudson, Thos are boobs. Those are bangs. Thanks for pointing them out.

7:57 Akon. I hear you're played on the radio. You're a big fan of Gaga. You raise money via song for your own charity. Song is called Africa. Kind of nice. I'll stop judging now.

PANIC. CANNOT FIND LIVE STREAM. STUPID GRAMMY DOT COME FOR MISLEADING US.

Not to worry. It has been found. Commercials and all.

~ 8:30 Taylor Swift accepts some country something. "I can't thank my label enough for letting me write all of my own songs" HA. B: "somewhere there is a canadian indie musician crying"

It's all just a barrel of laughs over here.

8:34 Beyonce is employing her talents in hair-ography. It's like she and Glee are just nodding back and forth, so much love between them. Your move Glee, your move.

8:42 Pink - this could end badly. Reconsider. NOW. You are not wearing enough clothing to go all Cirque du FREAK on us... Ok so you pulled it off. That was actually kind of really amazing.

8:48 Dear Grammys, you had the opportunity to pick a group that deserved "best new artist" and what do you do?! you pick a COUNTRY BAND?! i realize the rest of them weren't exactly "new" but you could have at least given it to someone good... (Zac Brown band... congrats, im sure you're nice people with some musical integrity. I just really like MGMT)

9:11 "Am I cool now?" Yes, Stephen, you most definitely are. B & I's reaction to his winning best comedy album - screaming YES! with a fist pump. Also hes now up for best acceptance speech of the evening: thanking Jesus that sincerely deserves much recognition.

9:23 Jamie Foxx performs and I would like to direct your attention to Rihanna's face - less than impressed with apathetic half-asses claps. Preach it sista.

9:41 Showing clips of Bon Jovi performing when he was younger may not be the build up he's looking for...
And if you aren't follow Jian Ghomeshi on twitter already, you should be. The man is on FIYAH tonight!

~ 10:10  Mos Def & Placido Domingo introduce together and it is A-DOR-A-BLE! So cute how they genuinely like being on stage toghether, and then take a moment to actually introduce themselves. Their handshake also up for best moment of the night.

10:34 From my update trend so far you can probably guess the commercial cycle. Thanks for the reminder why I don't have cable CBS.

10:36 Someone who isn't famous is on stage! Woah! Quick - stick T. Swift on to boost ratings again! Oh wait - he mentioned someone famous (Neil Young). Reason to listen/watch again.

10:48 Beyonce SHUT DOWN best female vocal. If this were a wrestling match (and I seriously think we would all be much more entertained if it were) she would have gone all Million Dollar Baby on us. Question though - the more grammys she accepts the more or less sincere her speeches become?

11:42 Tucked in bed, and thoroughly bored with the Grammy's. Try harder next year eh.

...

Now that we've all had time to breath, lets recap the big events of the night.

Biggest Slap in the Face: Kings of Leon won record of the year, proving there is indeed a Grammy man out there with a sense of justice. Or irony.

Most Enthusiastic: Beyonce. No lie. Every time the cameras moved to her she looked genuinely pleased with everything. EVERYTHING.

Most Apathetic: Rihanna. She was just not impressed. The hand claps said it all.


Best Dressed: Solange Knowles son. He came as Beyonce and Jay-Z's accessory, obviously rounding out the perfect couple outfit with his sheer adorableness.

deep in the cell of my heart I will feel glad to go

I know I promised a super dorky post on political philosophy. I would go so far as to say that even thinking about doing so counts as super dorky. This isn't exactly what I was originally going to write about, (in my head it was a lot more brilliant) but it is indeed a post on political philosophy. Brace yourself.

Socrates is famously known for saying "All that I know is that I know nothing" The opening line to K'Naan's "Take a Minute" is "Any man who knows a thing, knows he knows not a damn damn thing at all."

At the beginning of Watchmen we see "who will watch the watchmen" spray painted on a wall. Plato, in the Republic, asks "who will guard the guardians?"

The band name "Alice is chains" can be seen as a vague reference to Rousseau's well known line "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains."

Just three examples of how political philosophy has permeated culture today (though that last one might be a stretch...) My question is HOW? It's like these old boring men haunt our day to day to measure our choices and actions to see how we compare to their theories. Does pop culture even recognize that they've sucked these lines in and made them so generic that to find their true meaning you have to read these unbelievably dense "discourses"? Do they even have meaning any more?

I guess since these political philosophers are still around today, in some form or another, they must have done something right. Maybe even said something worth thinking about.

Maybe.

It's happening now, and it's always been like this

The New York Times Magazine Fashion and Style blog makes me so very happy.

Right now they're doing a really neat series - "The Nifty 50" where they showcase fifty very nifty people indeed. From musicians to coffee connoisseurs, they just do a brief write up of who they are and what makes them awesome. Some of these names you've heard before, others maybe not at all, but its all good, because by the end you definitely want to know more.

Some of my favourites have been on Annie Baker, Gabourey Sidibe, James Freeman, and Girl Talk.

They have been pretty heavy handed with the American model/actor interviews, but that is easily forgiven when they are so well written. I mean, there isn't a word or format choice I would want to see changed, which is crazy because I am the most critical person I know.

They have more to say than just how cool fifty people are though, check them out here for posts on latest lines from classic designers, or whats happening in the interior design world. It may sound like a housewife's wet dream, but in all reality, this shit is awesome and relevant and a part of everyday culture that isn't always looked at in such a critical and interesting way.

this night's a skill we hone it.

Hey Mama Rock Me. (T&S Series #11)

WOAH! Another mix!

Ok, so maybe not that surprising. At all. Though some of the tracks might be... This is just a mix of eight of the most played songs on my iTunes right now. A nice little melange of old and new favourites.

even knowledge that's sound can get watered down, truth can get sucked out the car window

One of today's posts on The New York Times Style and Design Blog was on the so-called "new face" of Starbucks.  It talked about, and described, three locations of the newly renovated Starbucks, and how they are trying to fit more in to the community they're located in, upon finding that their mass cookie cutter approach was no longer garnering it success.

Before I go any further I should say that I am not a fan of Starbucks. I enjoy one of their drinks (their seasonal peppermint mocha, thank you for asking), but it is rare for me to indulge. I think they are the Wal-Mart of coffee, and no matter how expensive they are, or strange their cup sizes, it cannot hide that it is one of the greatest examples of capitalist manipulation of coffee producers. I much prefer my local coffee shop, or at least a Bridgehead.

So back to the article. I appreciate their effort to assimilate in to a community, it is important in older sections of cities to maintain the "heritage look", and I really don't like the silver box look seen in many cities. However, no matter how much it changes it's appearance, or how hard it tries to get consumers to buy in to the lifestyle they promote, that will never change their business practices and the bottom line of the company. As the article mentions, it does kind of feel like "corporate trickery" and I think that it can definitely mislead less critically minded individuals.

It's entertaining to me that Starbucks feels it needs to do this in the first place. If people don't like it as the green mermaid giant that it is, and passing off as a local coffee shop is one of the few ways it can sell itself, that sends me a striking statement. I know that people I talk to, at home and at school, are recognizing more and more the need to support local business, and try to do so as much as possible. I personally make an effort to do so. It may just be the people I know, but if this becomes more of a socio-economic movement, I'm happy to predict that Starbucks is going to be shit out of luck. They are going to have to do a hell of a lot more than just give their stores face lifts to get back the customers they're losing. I suggest they start with fair trade coffee and work from there. Or close altogether. Both work.

desire is hunger is the fire i breathe.

I was going to post about a couple of things this week, but every time I sat down to actually write, I got bored, and that is most definitely a sign that those posts shouldn't be published.

Instead I'm going to make a list. Easy, succinct, and while they are somewhat overdone, they remain mildly amusing (I said mildly!)

1.) Been listening to a lot of Patti Smith lately. May just be a phase.
2.) Sore throat. Tea is not acting as the cure it usually is. On to clementines. GO GO VITAMIN C!
3.) I am motivated this semester! By which I mean I have done nothing to contribute to my education this week but buy textbooks and scan online newspaper headlines. Strong start, I know.
4.) Just realized my New Year's resolution is more of a goal than anything. Should jump on that.
5.) I make a pretty mean vegetarian chili.
6.) This is actually pretty boring. Thanks for suffering through and reading it. For some strange reason I feel obligated to post on here now that I know people actually read this. If anything that should encourage more interesting content. Alas, no.