2022-10-28

La mer ne m'englouttira pas

C'est pas l'homme qui prend la mer, c'est la mer qui prend l'homme

It's not man who takes to the sea, it's the sea who takes man

Dès que le vent soufflera, je repartira Dès que les vents tourneront, nous nous en allerons

As soon as the wind blows, I'll return home; As soon as the winds turn, we shall take our leave

-Renaud

---

Une chanson différente pour la chanson de la journée aujourd'hui. Je me suis réveillé avec ce tube des années 80s pogné dans ma tête, et je n'hésite pas de la partager avec vous. J'ai découvert Renaud à mon dernier emploi, où j'avais la chance d'écouter des playlists Spotify à la journée longue. Il en avait une de ces playlists qui était nommée quelque chose comme "French singer-songwriters", ce qui laisse la place à beaucoup de chanteurs.

A different song for the Song of the Day today. I woke up with this 80s hit stuck in my head, and I do not hesitate to share it with you. I discovered Renaud at my last job, where I was able to listen to Spotify playlists all day long. One of these playlists was named something like "French singer-songwriters", which encompasses quite a few singers.

J'ai essayé de traduire mes deux lignes favorites de la chanson en haut.

I tried to translate my two favourite lines up above.

Et voici la chanson en question:

Here is the song in question:



2022-10-24

Constant improvement with the Y

I signed up for a YMCA membership last week. One of the best financial and physical decisions I've made this decade! It's money I'm investing into myself, my body, my mind. I get to play badminton, do yoga, and use the weight machines - and these are only the things I've done so far in the last two weeks. I get access to all the YCMA centres in Canada (I know because when I was in Halifax 11 years ago, I was still able to use the family membership!), and that feels like a safety net somehow.

Importantly, I get access to swimming pools, which although they're filled with chlorine (I'd much prefer salt because it's way healthier for the skin), allows me to ease back into spending time submerged underwater. I used to swim a lot as a kid, and I barely swam at all into adulthood. I really miss it.

I like to wander a lot in Toronto, and so the Y gives me a place to get my bearings if I don't feel like being at home. Now, building community post-Covid is important, and it's not going to be easy, but I might be able to make new friends with all these new activities that the Y offers me.

I ain't gay (I identify as genderqueer and I'm pretty straight), but I think you can guess what today's song of the day is gonna be. Here it is in all its glory:



2022-10-23

Illuminating lights shine brightly in the dark

I was a knife

in the gunfight

and I fought so madly

you were a wolf in the daylight

and you almost had me


Can a slave preach freedom?

Can a captive take hold of what they believe in?

-LIGHTS

---

Another one of those days where I wake up with a song in my head. I'm not surprised it's a LIGHTS song again. Last month, she came came out with a new album, PEP, and as is customary, I'm lagging behind because this song is from her previous album, Skin & Earth. I've only listened to one song from PEP, and I couldn't tell you what it was - only that I left a comment on the fresh YouTube video to remind myself that, well, I was there. I'll listen to all of it eventually.

I have some thoughts on this Song of the Day, though. Can you imagine being a knife in a gunfight? The only times where I've had the chance to feel like that is in my Counter-Strike games. So I guess I'm taking it pretty literally, this song, which by the way is called Almost Had Me.

Another interpretation that I take as my own (because, honestly, I don't know THAT much about LIGHTS, even though I've seen her twice in concert) is that the odds are stacked against you in society. Uh, more specifically, let's say you're fighting demons like pharmaceutical drugs (thankfully not my case anymore), well, you're a knife, because drugs are guns to your homeostasis. And the wolves that run the show use this leverage to keep power, control, and money.

What I love about LIGHTS is that her lyrics are always powerful. Doesn't matter what album, there are nuggets of wisdom hidden everywhere and always backed up by catchy electronica, or, if you're into acoustic, gentle guitar melodies that (usually) calm the soul.

Okay I'm getting kinda creative with just a short burst of the lyrics that I cited above, here's the Song of the Day:


2022-10-18

Freewrite the Sanity

Given up I have on keeping the titles homogeneous, yes, yes it does not matter if the freewrites are all disorganized, chaotic, because they're free in many senses of the word.

Watch watch I did, Drunk on Too Much Life, and alas I have broken one important rule about my freewrites: going back and editing something major but it's okay, it's just a link to the Toronto Public Library's answer to Netflix. You need to be a library member to watch it though.

Okay okay, it's okay, it was a good movie and the craziest part is that I recognize so many of the intimate places where they film. How they managed to film inside a mental health ward I have no idea but I recognize the very same halls I once wandered, and the outside walls on Shaw St, and I recognize the Humber River and I recognize the bridges and I recognize the subway stops and I recognize the convenience stores it just doesn't end. I recognize the people.

I recognize the people, the people who populate my past and the present and are hopefully in my future again because these people, from the famous authors to the infamous speakers to the stoic unknowners in the public transit shots I must have seen at least one of them before.

Is it forced, is it me, is it a part me that writes these words that come out without fear, it's a part of me which is me et j'essaie, j'essaie d'accommoder mon coté français, je le force aussi, peut-être, parfois, pourquoi mes voix sont si timides?

Pourquoi sont-elles timides? Je ne comprends pas; le language peut être tellement beau et mon art, présentement, est de l'écrire; peut-être c'est parce-que j'écris si rarement en français ici que mes voix - les voix - mes voix - les voix - restent en anglais parce-que franchement, je penses plus souvent en anglais ces temps-ci.

I was about to start writing in Spanish but then I remembered that I don't actually know much Spanish. I can't believe I'm actually trying to learn Japanese when Spanish would be so much easier, but, my choice is made. I just need to get more serious about it. Learning a new language is great for the brain, and that's what I'm writing about here; back to the movie: it's about mental health, and obviously not just mental health because we're not Descartes, the mental and the physical and the emotional and the social health are all intertwined now so it's a new era or whatever.

Speaking of new eras, I just 'fixed' my parental's internet. It seems the Wi-Fi adapter on their tablet is broken. So I told them to plug in an ethernet cable and they have internet again; they barely use their tablet in mobile form so it doesn't really matter much. They'll just have a speedier connection now.

Back to me, no, back to the internet: I miss communicating with people online. There's a pseudo-community here, the internet lingo evolves, little gadgets or applets are everywhere, it's a great time waster.

Back to back hopeful the music never stops; I will go play my djembe now because I need to get better and because I feel good when I play but I feel guilty for not playing enough but also because I shouldn't be lonely when I play but sometimes I feel really lonely and the sound is better than total silence.


2022-10-16

Positively charged up

My eyes and the mouse pointer zeroed in on the blank title space.

I thought, no, let me write first.

Let the CBD flow through me and heal me.

But it's not just CBD... it's not an isolate.

I didn't buy this to purely get the studied effects, the things we as as a species studied about a plant and then packaged into a study.

It's about a relationship with the plant. The rastas have it right, and for so long I've drifted away from that.

Funny names we give. Entourage effect. Yeah, I've got an entourage, and I'm glad plants are part of it instead of, say... oh, the easy answer, a car.

 ---

I played a lot of badminton today. And I'm quick on the road bike; it feels great to ride around in the fall weather.

Here's a perfect reggae Song of the Day for this relaxing Sunday:



2022-10-15

Divine metal

I'll get right to the point: today's Song of the Day is by Iron Maiden.

It doesn't get more metal than Iron Maiden.

Every so often, if you find yourself near Lake Ontario during the summer, you might witness legions of metalheads wearing Iron Maiden t-shirts make a pilgrimage to Ontario Place for what (literally) sounds like a hell of a good time.

The masters of metal are still touring - in fact they were in town 4 days ago, at the biggest venue downtown (Scotiabank Arena).

I'm ashamed to say I've never actually been to a Maiden concert, but these days, ticket prices are just not at all in my budget. Still, I relish the metal concerts I have been to, as they are all amazing memories.

Without further ado, here's For The Greater Good Of God:


There are SO many good Iron Maiden songs, but I picked this one because I recently discovered it (even though it came out in 2006). It's one of their more recent songs, but I like it because it starts off nice and slow, with what I would call philosophical lyrical inquisition:

Are you a man of peaceOr a man of holy war?Too many sides to youDon't know which anymoreSo many full of lifeBut also filled with painDon't know just how manyWill live to breathe again
 
The song quickly picks up classic heavy metal guitar riffs and fast percussion.
 
I couldn't actually tell you what the song's about - maybe something to do with the Crusades? - but I feel like it's a decent representation of the Iron Maiden sound.

2022-10-13

Le champagne

I sometimes wake up with a song in my head. Sometimes, it's even multiple, and one of them "wins" out.

Today's Song of the Day is the one that "won". It's a song you can hear on classic rock radio stations, and be careful, because the chorus can stay stuck with you for a while.

Someday you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova in the sky
Someday you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova
A champagne supernova in the sky

If you're not familiar, Oasis is also the band behind "Wonderwall" - a house party staple, at least back in the day.

Jeez I feel old writing about music like this.

2022-10-11

Slowed down CRANK it down

My energy levels have slowed, and they are hard to track.

I like to get up early in the morning.

I want to be still healthier.

I constantly improve; sometimes I forget to remind myself that I constantly improve.

One of my pressing goals is harm reduction; self-care-remediation; mindful consumption.

I need to ameliorate my financial security. This is also a pressing goal, but not as pressing.

I didn't spend enough time in nature today. Sunlight at the source is kinda far.

I am eating blueberries with balsamic vinegar.

I haven't seen a dentist in a while; my eyes are fine, because I got them checked today.

The TTC actually has a rather peaceful effect on me.

I want to play video games with people who like to play video games with me.

I miss my time with T. We had some fun playing Portal & Magicka together, and it was fun to discover games we both liked.

I met new people this week, and it was nice and easy-going and impromptu and fulfilling.

Related to the last point, Humber River was absolutely beautiful on Thanksgiving Day.

Related to my last two points, here is a picture of my main Thanksgiving meal (no turkey this year; they were all way too big):

My first official Korean BBQ experience; right in Koreatown. Delicious, somewhat pricey for my budget, and I was able to (mostly) stay inside my dietary limitations. Best part was the socializing, of course. Oh and kimchi is awesome.


2022-10-07

Imperial Freewrite

 scream becomes a yawn

ill shut up and carry on

scream becomes a yawn

ill shut up and carry on

screams become yawns

shut and carry on

scream becomes a yawn

i'll shut up and carry on

scream becomes aaywan

Lonelone lone lone

don't have much to add

i thought i had more; baby whateve er you do

I must not fall. I must sleep. The bastion of sanity is on the precipice.

What is a sleepy song?

Sigur Ros.

Sigur Ros. I can't even find the accents.

Takk.

Something about takk.

Here it is, my Song of the Day in the midst of a chaotic freewrite:

Sleep is not for the weak.

2022-10-06

If your fire slips

Song of the Day:


I am beyond thrilled to share (an admittedly old) Lights song, from her 3rd album, Little Machines. It's called From All Sides.

There I was, walking back from the expensive-but-worth-it grocery store about 20 minutes away from home, and this song started playing. I should have expected it; I had decided to do a linear playthrough of the whole album, which is always an experience unto itself. It instantly put me in what I can only describe as a majestic, lonesome mood. The cool western introduction; if I closed my eyes, I could picture the cacti strewn about, the tumbleweed rolling across the landscape, and the sand & rocks stoically grounded below my feet.

I wasn't able to bring a turkey home - they were just too damn big - but I was able to bring home a precious feeling of lost love.

Constantly killing meWith you invading in my mindYou got it covered I can't get a thought in edgewiseOh with your fast lips, and not a catalystSeems like the memories are coming at me from all sidesYou're all I see, surrounding meFrom all I sides, you're all I see, surrounding me

Memories assailing me; all I see is Dust.

2022-10-04

A lens of a day

I got my eyes checked today. It's pretty dumb that I have to pay almost 100 bucks; I can't function very well without glasses/contact lenses, and I pay for OHIP ("free healthcare") through my taxes, so why are eyes (and teeth; but I won't get into that) not important enough to be covered? The hell.

Now, I have to deal with the racket that is the eyeglass industry. Artificially raised prices controlled by a couple major players (Luxottica, Essilor are the big ones last I checked), poor quality lenses that degrade quickly, and a requirement that a prescription be valid (because of course they expire) to even buy my frames. For MY eyes.

Annoying? Yes. A first-world problem? Not exactly; I reckon there's lots of exploitation in poorer countries if there's money to be made off eyesight.

2022-10-01

Amused to life

Song of the day:


This song has stuck with me for a long time. I was a teenager when I discovered my uncle's awesome rock CD collection, and this entire album mystified me.

I was into Pink Floyd (still am), so naturally I wanted to see what other tunes David Gilmour had put out, so I imported the "giant-eye-on-a-TV" (the album cover art) into iTunes and tried to make sense of the lyrics.

I think he has a pretty damn solid "argument" with this particular song.

the little ones sit by the TV screen

We're pretty much all little ones in front of Netflix etc. now, aren't we?