Have I Done a Music Post This Year?
I don’t think I have.
TIME TO REMEDY THAT!
Here are some songs from this year that I’m currently digging:
Star to Fall – Cabin Crew
I’ve actually had this song for years (2007?), but I had a really low quality version. Heard the original version in Safeway a few weeks ago and that prompted me to get a better version of this remix.
These Hungry Eyes (Extended Mix) – Disco Gurls
I love the bass in this, I’m sorry.
A Thousand Miles – Josh Vietti
I love string covers of anything.
TRUCK BED – HARDY
This is the countriest country song that ever countried, I know. But it’s an earworm. Tell me it’s not. Also, it almost gets into some hard rock tones at 2:43, which sounds pretty badass.
Done!
Back
It already feels like I was never even in Moscow.
Now I have to wait a whole year to go back.
BLEH.
A Thought:
The only reason I’m not a doomsday prepper is because I don’t want to survive through a doomsday event.
Viiiiiiiiiiiiiine Throwback
Remember when I said I wasn’t going to post any more SolarBalls stuff?
I LIED, it’s SolarBalls characters as Vines. How can I resist?
It doesn’t help that some of these are my favorite Vines.
Oooooo, I like it!
As many of y’all know, I like logos/emblems/symbols/etc. In the past, I have offered my praise/critique of various Olympics emblems over the years, so let’s look at some of those logos now that the Paris Olympics are fast approaching, shall we?
In fact, let’s start with that one:
Not bad. Nice and simple. The woman depicted in the flame is Marianne, a symbol of the French Republic that represents “humanism, fraternity, generosity, and sharing.”
What about Winter 2026, set to be held in Milan and Cortina?
Eh. A little bland.
Summer 2028, held in Los Angeles?
I like it! And the cool thing is that this isn’t the only emblem they’ve got. Apparently this is one of 32 37 different variations. Each variation features a different design of the “A” by various athletes, actors, artists, singers, etc.
That’s pretty freaking cool. I dig it.
That’s as far ahead as the emblems go so far. Hopefully future ones are cool as well!
Guess what YOU get??
A SURVEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Woo.
01. What is something unique you have experienced, like a once-in-a-lifetime thing that not many other people have been able to experience? Was it a good or a bad experience?
Hmm…performing in an actual NFL halftime show (as part of the Vandal Marching Band) is a pretty unique experience (unless, I guess, you’re a pro NFL cheerleader). It was pretty fun!
02. Does it make you uncomfortable when your house smells unfamiliar, like someone else has been in it (if you’ve had company over or something)?
Bro.
03. Name a singer you like that has a very distinct, unique voice.
You know exactly who I’m going to say for this, right? CHRIS MARTIN
04. What’s the farthest distance you’ve ever walked or run? What’s the farthest you think you’d be capable of walking or running?
Like, in one stretch?
Walking: 50 miles
Running: 37.2 miles (60K)
I feel like I could legit walk all day, so whatever that amount of time would get me to, distance-wise. I like to think I’d be able to run a 100K, but I’m not sure. That’s a hell of a lot further than a 60K.
05. Do you find wind turbines ugly or do you think they “take away” from the landscapes surrounding them?
I think they’re cool.
06. Do you laugh when you are scared or sad?
Not usually, no.
07. Do you think it’s shameful to be uninformed about current events?
I think there’s so much easily-accessible information out there that it’s easy to get overwhelmed by it all. I think it’s perfectly fine to block some/all of it out if you need to.
08. Have you recently been eating something more than usual? If so, what?
Uhhhhhhhhhhh cheese?
09. Have you ever wanted to be that “mysterious” girl/boy/person that everyone else in school knew nothing about but were always ~intrigued~ by?
Eh. I was kind of “mysterious” in junior high (read: I was broody and quiet and read classic lit in the bathroom during lunch) but I didn’t really care how others saw me.
10. When you do read something good, do you feel the need to share it with others? How about when you watch or discover new movies or music?
That’s what my blog is for! And my poor mom and Nate get my in-person raving too, haha.
11. Are there any unusual things that you hope to do at least some time during your lifetime?
I don’t think I have anything specific in mind, but I’m all down for unusual stuff!
12. What foods do you like that have an aftertaste that you despise?
I can’t think of any.
13. Have you heard of Lofter? Have you ever used it?
Haven’t heard of it.
14. What is your method of discovering new music?
YouTube. Frantically Shazaam-ing good-sounding songs in grocery stores/malls/from passing cars.
16. What music were you listening to for the majority of yesterday?
Just my driving playlist called “Vehicular Earslaughter.”
17. Has your house or anyone you know’s house ever been infested by a bug of any sort?
We had flies in the house with the guys. My dad’s basement had ants and moths.
18. When there is something that irritates you that you want to rant about on the internet, do you do it or do you hold your tongue? Why?
Once again, that’s what my blog is for.
19. According to your Last.fm account (assuming you have one), what was your most-played artist this past week?
Never had a Last.fm account.
20. Do you or anyone you know have seasonal affective disorder (or do you think you have it)? What is your favorite season of the year, anyway?I’m sad all the time. Fight me.
I used to like summer, but now summer is hell. So…whatever those few weeks are in fall where it’s cold but not too cold.
A Follow-Up that Nobody Asked For
So remember back at the beginning of the year when I was suspecting that ibuprofen was destroying my insides?
I’m pretty sure I was right.
Reflecting back on the symptoms I had – super bad upper gastrointestinal discomfort (especially when running, which was conveniently right after I took ibuprofen), lots of gastro pain in general, puking, puke that looked like coffee grounds, and very dark stool (TMI, sorry) – I’m pretty sure I had some sort of gastrointestinal bleeding going on. My guess is the source of the bleeding was higher rather than lower based on the pain and that it might have even been an ulcer.
The fact that the pain and other symptoms stopped a month or so after I stopped taking ibuprofen and switched to Tylenol is another hint.
Now I guess I have to worry about too much Tylenol, though, haha.
Or just be in pain all the time.
Either/or.
Dear Summer: You Suck
I had to get up at 3:30 this morning so that I could get my run in before it got obnoxiously hot.
I wasn’t sure if I would be able to jam a marathon in there, but I did it anyway because I have issues. The Washington Trust sign said it was 81 degrees as I was finishing up my last mile.
Gross.
Anyway, my mom and I went to Spokane and I got this awesome keyboard that I hope to set up in my office because I already have a badass keyboard at home:
The tippy-tappin’ is snappy.
END!
Disaster!
Apparently Roku Live TV has a DISASTER CHANNEL and half the time it’s showing episodes from my “Mayday” YouTube channel that I love so much (the one about the airline disasters).
Anyway, today I caught the end of an episode about a 1985 accident involving a British Airways plane. There was a fire on it before it even took off and the big question surrounding the whole thing was that while the fire was major, it was not major enough to cause as many casualties as there were. So why were there so many casualties?
The documentary went into a very interesting discussion about human psychology, human factors, and the effect of panic when trying to exit a plane in an emergency. Helen Muir, basically the expert on airplane and airplane passenger human factors and psychology, talked about how they tried to reenact everyone getting off the plane to try and determine why so many died. This reenactment resulted in some major changes to plane cabins (track lighting to find exits in the dark/smoke, wider entryways to help prevent bottlenecking at exits) to make them safer.
I highly recommend watching this.
Want to see what I looked like in grade school?
Of course you don’t!
But this is my blog so I’m going to post the nonsense that I want. And if you still decide to read this drivel, that’s on you, bro.
Anyway.
Sometime back in the Stone Age, my grandma cross-stitched this little picture-holder thingy that was designed to house one of each of my school pictures from first grade all the way up to 12th grade.
Here it is:
Comments:
- I was the Mullet Queen up through third grade. You’re not a 90s kid if you’re not a Mullet Queen (or Mullet King) at some point, I guess.
- I LOVED that shirt I was wearing in my 4th grade pic.
- I also loved that one from my 7th grade pic. It had these big bell-bottom sleeves on it.
- That shirt from the 12th grade pic was great, too. I still have it, but it’s pretty shredded up now.
- I look really stupid in my 8th grade pic, but that’s my favorite background out of all of them.
- I actually look really stupid in all of these, but 8th through 12th grade are the worst.
- WHY DID I HAVE SO MUCH HAIR IN 5th GRADE? WHO LET IT DO THAT???
- My hair in 11th grade is…obeying the laws of physics? How?
Ew.
SERV IT
I am sad and worthless, so have a survey. Who freaking cares.
1 – Are you one of those people who can watch TV shows and movies over and over again without getting bored?
Absolutely. I actually prefer that to watching new things. Do you know how many times I’ve watched Riverdale? Or even all the SolarBalls videos at this point? I have everything memorized.
2 – If you drink coffee, do you like it plain or would you rather have something like a latte or something flavoured?
I don’t drink coffee.
3 – How did you used to dress ten years ago? Do you dress in a similar way now?
How did I dress when I was 26? The same way I dress now. Ostentatious colors (but in a matchy-matchy way), big earrings, weird and loud.
4 – When you’re grocery shopping, do you buy known brands or are you happy to go with the generic store version?
Depends on what it is. Spaghetti? Safeway brand. Parmesan cheese for said spaghetti? Kraft.
5 – Do you have a close relationship with any of your cousins?
Nope.
6 – Who was the last person to sleep over at your house? Does this person stay over often or was it more of a one-off?
Nate’s brother, I think? He stays very infrequently.
7 – Does bad weather put you off going out if you’ve got plans to do so? Have you ever cancelled plans due to the weather?
What qualifies as “bad weather”? If it’s too cold for me to run without dying, yeah, I’ll stay in and treadmill. If it’s obnoxiously rainy I’ll probably stay in, too. I tend to ignore smoke, which is probably a bad thing.
8 – When you’re on vacation, do you prefer doing the typical tourist things, or would you rather explore somewhere off the beaten track?
Half and half.
9 – Did your family travel a lot when you were younger?
Not a whole lot. We went to St. Louis and California to visit family, but we didn’t do too much beyond that (especially when I was a kid; when I was a teen we did a bit more).
10 – When was the last time you went shopping for clothes? Did you get anything decent or find any bargains?
Do running shoes count? If so, like a week ago. Got the last pair of Kinvara 13s on Amazon.
11 – Is it true that accessories can make or break an outfit?
Yup.
12 – What is your worst memory from high school? What about the best?
Worst: 10th grade. Like, all of it. Screw 10th grade.
Best: Going to State in drama in 12th grade was pretty cool.
13 – Is there any trait in a potential partner that would be a total deal breaker for you?
Not liking cats. Being a dick to others.
14 – Do you insist people use coasters if they’re putting drinks down in your house?
Nah.
15 – Have you ever been arrested? Were you guilty of whatever it is you were arrested for?
Nope.
16 – Name five items on the shelf nearest to you:
Uh…books, a Gatorade, my earring box, a box of masks, index cards.
17 – After meals, do you wash dishes up right away, or do you leave them in the sink and do a whole days worth at once?
I leave them for later, haha.
18 – What websites do you find yourself spending the most time on?
Mostly YouTube and Twitter.
19 – Do you still download music and TV shows?
Yup.
20 – Does your phone have a good battery life? How long does it last before you need to charge it again?
I’m slowly murdering it by taking it out in extreme temperatures. It can go a day or so before needing to be charged.
21 – When was the last time you hit snooze?
This morning.
22 – Did you ever play The Sims? Which expansion pack was your favourite, if you had any?
The Sims is the best. I can’t remember the names of any of the expansion packs from The Sims 2, but I remember liking quite a few of those.
23 – Are there any popular film series or TV shows that you just don’t get the appeal of?
I watched Breaking Bad with Nate and was expecting more based on all the rave reviews. It wasn’t bad or anything, it just didn’t live up to the hype for me.
24 – As a child, did you receive pocket money or an allowance? How much did you get? Was it dependent on you doing chores of some kind?
I got $20 for the mall every Saturday. Probably other monies, too. I was pretty spoiled, haha.
25 – Do you think your parents did a good job of raising you? Would you do anything differently with your own kids?
My parents are amazing. And I’m not having kids, so that doesn’t matter!
26 – If something is bothering you, do you have to fix it right away?
Depends on what it is. Is it an obnoxious sensory thing? Then yes. Is it crippling feelings of inadequacy and a sadness that you can’t shake no matter what you try? Can’t really fix that right away, unfortunately.
27 – Are there any household jobs you enjoy doing? If so, what’s the reason that you enjoy those things?
I don’t mind doing the dishes; it’s something where you can see obvious progress. Same thing with deep cleaning the kitchen/bathroom.
28 – Do you still live in the area you grew up in? Would you like to live somewhere else one day? Where would you go?
Ha. I don’t even live in the country I grew up in. I’d like to live in the Leibniz museum in Hanover.
29 – Do you smoke, drink or do drugs? How old were you the first time you tried those things? Do you want to quit?
No, no, and no.
30 – What’s one thing that really grosses you out?
Completely contrary to my answer to question 27 above, I HATE touching used dishes. That absolutely disgusts me. Even if they’re mine. Gross gross gross.
Want some TikToks?
Sure you do.
This is Pepper when I try to kiss her and she’s not in the mood, haha.
BRO I SAW THIS ONE WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT AND I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR IT EVER SINCE
Added later:
Several Things Today
1. Happy birthday, Leibniz!
2. Today is the first official day of my having tenure. And also the first day of my being an associate professor. So that’s awesome.
3. As of today (halfway through the year), I’m at 3,218.42 walking/running miles. This is 132.44 miles more than I had last year at this time. Can I beat last year’s mileage total? I guess we’ll see.
4. I’m in Moscow!
End.
IT’S ANOTHER WATERCOLOR SORRY
I guess that’s my new thing now.
It’s stressful and relaxing at the same time, haha. Not sure if I’m getting any better, but I’m enjoying it.
The Great 2024 Calgary Water Main Break Saga: An Update
So the water’s still off, but it sounds like they’re at the stage where they’ve repaired everything they can see and are going to start flushing the pipes and then test the water quality. If the water quality is good, they can start running the water properly. So we’ll see how that goes!
Here are some fun pictures from around the Parkdale and Montgomery neighborhoods:
Keep conserving, Calgary!
And go spend some money at the businesses in Bowness; they’re losing a lot of business due to the road closures.
A big section of the bike/walking paths are blocked off due to the flushing/testing.
Signs on the fence around the flushing/testing.
A shot through the fence of the part of the pathway that got washed away by the initial break.
Party time!
Fifth Place!
Not bad, Calgary. Not bad.
Last year Calgary was ranked 7th, and this is the 11th year that it’s been in the top 10. Apparently cities are assessed across five categories: stability, healthcare, education, culture and environment, and infrastructure. Calgary did well in education, healthcare (really??), and stability.
Woo!
June List 2024
Bwa bwa bwa, who cares.
- Me with my fantasy baseball team: “I love all my players and will never trade them because I’m loyal and I believe that they’ll play to their potentials!”
Also me with my fantasy team: “EOVALDI YOU BAG OF FARTS” - The warm weather has been super mild so far this year. Not too hot, a good amount of rain, and almost zero smoke. Can it always be like this? [edit from late July: IT WAS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE]
- It’s not summer until you can see my Garmin tan from space.
- So remember that blog post I made about that AI-generated song “I Glued My Balls to my Butthole Again”? Well, the video I’d linked to the song got deleted, so now there’s no video on that post and I’m stuck with the tag “i glued my balls to my butthole again” without any context. That’s actually pretty hilarious.
END!
Solved!
As many of you probably know from reading my blog, I’m not a movie person. But of the few movies I do like, most of them are space movies. More specifically, space disaster movies.*
I like space. I like disasters (both real-life and fictional). But I think the main draw for this particular genre is the fact that many of them have astounding soundtracks where there is at least one song that results in an unavoidable and severe emotional reaction (usually crying).
Examples (I’ve posted a lot of these before but I DON’T CARE):
Interstellar – No Time for Caution (Hans Zimmer)
The buildup to 2:36 is wonderful and the payoff is so good. I’m pretty sure I damaged my hearing by cranking this up too loud the first few times I listened to it.
Gravity – Shenzou (Steven Price)
I’m posting the clip of the movie where this song is heard because it syncs so beautifully with the amazing imagery in that scene. That breakup of the craft at 1:30. That shot of all the pieces entering the atmosphere at 2:46. The smoke and alarms at 3:00. I re-watched this scene for this blog post for the first time in like three years and I’m freaking sobbing over it, haha.
Armageddon – Launch (Trevor Rabin)
Did Michael Bay fit as many explosions into this movie as was physically possible for its run time? Yes. But the soundtrack is still great.
Mission to Mars – Toward the Unknown (Ennio Morricone)
This movie was…strange. But this even stranger song really fit the scene it was part of and is this weird combination of futuristic and retro (in my opinion).
And the big hitters:
Sunshine – Adagio in D Minor AND Capa’s Last Transmission Home (John Murphy)
Didn’t know this movie existed until I heard Adagio in some YouTube vid, looked up the song, and found this movie. The whole soundtrack is wonderful.
Apollo 13 – The Launch (James Horner)
I know, I know, I know. Every single year I post about this song. But this is honestly one of my favorite pieces of music to ever exist. That heartbeat of silence at the crescendo of music just after 6:17 gives me literal goosebumps every single time.
*Actually, I can’t think of a single movie set in space that does not involve a disaster…but then again, my knowledge about movies is almost nonexistent. Can anyone think of any?
‘Twas Brillig
(Blog post is 100% unrelated to Jabberwocky, sorry)
A core memory of mine is watching the Schoolhouse Rock multiplication songs back when we lived in Troy (first grade through third grade, I think). We had a VHS tape of them.
If you click on the title of that vid, it should take you to a playlist of all of them.
I still sing that “3, 6, 9…12, 15, 18…21, 24, 27…30” whenever I’m multiplying by three, haha.
Eight and Zero are ones I remember very well, too.
We had another Schoolhouse Rock VHS, but I can’t remember what it was.
Sad!
Everyone up here (even Flames fans) were hoping the Oilers were going to do it after their awesome comeback against the Panthers, but they unfortunately weren’t able to do it in the 7th game.
It’s pretty sad that the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup was 1993. Yes, there are a lot more US teams, but come on.
Maybe next year.
Some Achievement Hunter Nostalgia
Anyone who ever watched Achievement Hunter is aware that Ray basically won every game he ever played. Here are two videos compiling some of his more dominant moments/wins. Because I miss these guys.
Him demolishing Gavin in the 2012 London Olympics (8:28) was great.
Edit: here’s another compilation:
That like three minute segment starting at 18:58 where they’re chasing him around in GTA is hysterical, hahaha.
These guys got me through 2012 and 2013.
DRUM
It was like 200 degrees in Calgary today, so my mom, Nate and I decided to do the smart thing and go to the one town that was even hotter: Drumheller!
We saw some hoodoos, which are pillars/spires of rock formed when softer, more eroded rock is topped with some sort of harder, less eroded rock.
You could really see the different layers of rock!
We were going to go to the Royal Tyrrell Museum (dinos) too, but we figured it would be really crowded during the summer season.
Woo!
Edit: Nenshi has won the election for the leader of the Alberta NDP! He won it with 86% of the votes, which is like the highest in the history of party leadership voting in Canada. Because Nenshi is awesome.
Exciting Sporting Event is Exciting
So I don’t follow hockey or now much about hockey at all and I live in Flames Country, but…
GO OILERS!
Eigenblogger 