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Wednesday, July 25th, 2007
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10:39 am - awesome music geek t-shirt
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While I was waiting for the streetcar this morning, a guy biked by me wearing a t-shirt that had NO written on it in the style of the YES logo from their classic mid-70s albums.
I was amused.
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(comment on this)
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| Wednesday, April 25th, 2007
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12:03 pm - It's A Bird, It's A Plane...
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| Sunday, April 1st, 2007
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5:54 pm - baaaaaa!
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| Friday, March 23rd, 2007
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1:18 pm - me-me-me-meme
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Hey, how y'all doin'? Yeah, I'm still alive. Just busy with stuff.
I don't usually do these things, but for some reason, I felt like it today:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next three sentences in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.
6. Tag five other people to do the same.
"In the past few days, in the interests of television entertainment, I'd induced him to wear the same loud, electric blue Hawaiian shirt every day. I'd repeatedly shot (and badly bruised) him during a ferocious game of indoor paintball; fed him beer and liquor from sunup to late night; then, when he was vulnerable, remorselessly interrogated him about Vegas culinary history. I'd watched him lose terrible sums at blackjack - all this while being regularly force-fed gargantuan, two-time-a-day tasting menus as the cameras rolled and I jotted down his every comment."
Too lazy to pick five of you to tag, so just do it if you feel like doing it.
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Sunday, March 4th, 2007
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4:11 pm - What I've been up to
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Yeah, I'm still here.
Those of you who read ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) lilactime's LJ already know about this, but for those who don't: We've recently launched TasteTO.com, a website/group-blog dedicated to covering food and drink in Toronto - restaurant reviews, shop profiles, events previews/reviews, editorial features, news about local food & drink issues and more. We've got a roster of really talented writers including a couple of chefs, a nutritionist and several experienced food bloggers. Please pop by to check it out.
Otherwise, I've been busy with this and that. You know how it is. I post to my blog Beer Beats & Bites fairly regularly, so you should read that. Although if you don't care about beer, you might find it boring.
See you again in a few months!
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(comment on this)
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| Sunday, November 12th, 2006
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3:37 pm - RSS readers
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Anyone here use any RSS reader software that they would recommend? I used Sage for a while, but since I needed to remember to open it, I often forgot to do so and eventually gave it up. I'd rather use something I can have open automatically when I boot up & push new posts to me so I notice them. I tried Sharp Reader at one point, but I was never completely happy the look & feel. Any really good ones out there?
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Monday, September 4th, 2006
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5:28 pm - purging
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As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I've started selling a bunch of CDs on eBay. I'm posting about a dozen a week, and unless I pick up the pace at some point, I'll probably be at it for a couple of years - I have a LOT of CDs and records and other stuff that I plan to get rid of.
Here is where you can keep track of what I've got up for bids. New stuff has been going up every Sunday.
Otherwise, life goes on. Work is busy, and I'm going to New York City for a course during the last week of September. It's been 5 years since I've been there, so I'm looking forward to it, especially since I'll be able to do a bit of beer hunting in the evenings.
And that's your monthly post from me.
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(comment on this)
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| Sunday, August 6th, 2006
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4:40 pm - movie hate & eBay love
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Don't you hate it when you read about a movie and it looks like something you might enjoy, but then you check the IMDB and find out that Eric Stoltz is in it?
On a happier note, I've started selling some stuff (mainly CDs/records) on eBay. First, I'm going through a big box of stuff that I specifically set aside for selling while packing for the move a few months back. Once all that's gone, I'm be doing some serious pruning of my CD and record collection - IDM/electronic music fans, you can expect to some some pretty rare shit to be listed eventually.
I've got a dozen things up there now, and will probably tackle it in similar sized chunks on a weekly basis so I don't get too overloaded with sales to keep track of. If you're interested in keeping an eye on what I've got listed, search for seller gregclow.
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, July 25th, 2006
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4:20 pm - Bloggin'
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As most readers of this journal have undoubtedly noticed, I don't post to it very often. This is mainly because my life isn't very exciting (at least, I don't think it is), and unlike many of the people on my friends list, I don't have the knack for writing interesting posts about uninteresting things.
However, while I don't have much to say about the daily stuff that most people use their LJ for, I still enjoy writing, and have been trying to do more of it lately. It's just that my LJ doesn't feel like the right forum for most of the things I'm interested in writing about.
So - I've started a blog. It's called Beer, Beats & Bites, and from the name, you can probably guess what I'll be writing about there.
I've also been doing occassional beer articles for the food & drink website Gremolata. Three have been posted so far - you can read them here, here & here.
While I'll still be using this account to read friend's journals and communities, the posts here will continue to be few & far between. (I've also got accounts at MySpace and Vox, although whether or not I'll actually do something useful with either of them remains to be seen.) But the blog should hopefully be a bit more active.
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(8 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, May 12th, 2006
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1:15 pm - happy (belated) birthday, bro!
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Hey, uglinessman! Sorry I didn't wish you Happy Birthday yesterday. I didn't forget that your birthday is May 11th - I forgot that yesterday was May 11th. D'oh!
And as I'm posting this, I see that today is philalex's birthday. So HB to you, too.
This is for both of you:
Happy Birthday
by Weird Al Yankovic
Happy birthday
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday
Happy birthday to you
Well, it's time to celebrate your birthday, it happens every year
We'll eat a lot of broccoli and drink a lot of beer
You should be good and happy that there's something you can eat
A million npeople every day are starving in the street
Your daddy's in the gutter with the wretched and the poor
Your mama's in the kitchen with a can of Cycle Four
There's garbage in the water
There's poison in the sky
I guess it won't be long before we're all gonna die
Happy birthday
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday
Happy birthday to you
Well, what's the matter little friend, you think this party is the pits
Enjoy it while you can, we'll soon be blown to bits
The monkeys in the pentagon are gonna cook our goose
Their finger's on the button, all they need it an excuse
It doesn't take a military genius to see
We'll all be crispy critters after World War III
There's nowhere you can run to, nowhere you can hide
When they drop the big one, we all get fried
(Come on boys and girls, sing along, ok?)
Happy birthday
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday
Happy birthday to you
wow! (background screaming, sound effect)
Well there's a punk in the alley and he's looking for a fight
There's an Arab on the corner buying everything in sight
There's a mother in the ghetto with another mouth to feed
Seems that everywhere you look today there's misery and greed
I guess you know the Earth is gonna crash into the sun
But that's no reason why we shouldn't have a little fun
So if you think it's scary, if it's more than you can take
Just blow out the candles and have a piece of cake
Happy birthday
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday
Happy birthday to you
wow!
Happy birthday
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday
Happy birthday to you
(Happy Birthday!)
And a pinch to grow an inch!
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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1:09 pm - The Cheese Shop Diaries
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Poking around the Globe & Mail website today, I found an interesting feature in the Small Business section.
A guy named Michael Simpson is opening a cheese & fine foods shop in the Leslieville neighbourhood, and he's got a blog on the Globe site where he posts about the ongoing trials and tribulations of preparing for the mid-June opening. There is also a seperate article with the back story on how he decided to open the shop, and stuff he did in advance of getting the storefront and starting the renos.
Always nice to see a new cheese shop opening (even if it's across town from my place...), and the look into the work involved is very interesting.
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, April 12th, 2006
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10:16 am - the end
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A couple of you might care about this announcement that I posted to my Feedback Monitor website and mailing list last night:
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After a great deal of thought and soul-searching, I've decided to scrap my plans to relaunch Feedback Monitor as a podcast and blog.
Several different factors have contributed to this decision - some of them the same ones that led me to shut down my radio show last fall - but it all boils down to the simple fact that my heart is no longer in it. I was hoping that the several month break I took from broadcasting, DJing and writing would help me recharge my batteries and bring back the enthusiasm that I had lost in the last couple of years, but that just wasn't the case.
On the contrary - as I finally started to work on my first podcast over the past week, I found myself lacking any real desire to devote the time and energy that would be necessary to get this new project launched and keep it going on a regular basis. I still love the music that I've been playing and promoting for many years, but it's become obvious that it's time for me to "retire" and simply enjoy the music as a fan and listener. I may still write a review now and then for my pals at Grooves and Brainwashed, but it probably won't be a frequent occurrence.
For any artists and labels who have sent me promotional material in the past few months since my radio show went off the air, please let me know what you would like me to do with the releases. While I solicited them with the best of intentions, I feel guilty that they will not receive the coverage that I promised, and will understand if you would like them returned or passed along to someone else who will be able to give them some well-deserved exposure.
I'm not disappearing completely. This website will remain online for the foreseeable future, and I will still be maintaining the live listings & new release sections. And for those who share my interest in beer, you can look for my writing on that topic to start appearing at the food & drink website Gremolata very soon.
Thanks to everyone for listening and reading over the years. It's been a blast, and your support has always been appreciated.
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So there you go.
In other news - lilactime and I moved a couple of weeks ago, and it was absolute hell, but we're settling in to the new place OK.
I'm sure there are many other things I could be posting about, but I should probably do some work now.
current mood:  relieved
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(7 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, February 24th, 2006
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12:33 pm - Song Of The Day (or Week, or Month, or Year...)
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Ever wonder what it would sound like if The Jesus & Mary Chain collaborated with Saint Etienne, and were produced by Phil Spector? Well, download this track and find out:
Johnny Boy - "You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve"
Johnny Boy are Lolly Hayes and 'Davo'. "You Are The Generation..." was their second single and was released in the UK in the summer of 2004. Their debut album was supposed to be out later that year, but they ended up splitting with Vertigo Records before it was released, and the record remains in limbo. [EDIT: It appears that the album was actually released in Sweden in December...]
But even if they never release another note, this one 3 minute tune makes them one of the best pop bands in history. I heard it for the first time this morning, and I've already listened to it about a dozen times over. It gave me goosebumps and made me grin like an idiot. It's already up there with JAMC's "Just Like Honey" and The House of Love's "Christine" and My Bloody Valentine's "Soon" as one of my favourite wall-of-sound guitar-pop songs ever.
Listen to it! NOW!
(And apologies for the couple of little glitches in the MP3. I ganked it from a Windows Media stream on the band's website.)
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(11 comments | comment on this)
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| Monday, February 6th, 2006
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3:55 pm - Looney Toons
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OK, I know that lots of shit is getting blown up and people are getting killed and it's not supposed to be funny. But this whole Mohammed cartoon thing is leading to some of the most unintentionally hilarious headlines I've ever seen, such as:
US condemns cartoon violence
And:
Two shot dead in cartoon protest
And then there's the news footage I saw of young Muslims protesting in London and chanting "What do we want?? JIHAD!! When do we want it?? NOW!!"
I mean, come ON...
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(9 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, January 24th, 2006
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4:07 pm - immature election humour
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I heard an interview with Jack Layton on CBC Radio this morning, and he said that he's very happy about his enlarged caucus.
Apparently, Olivia is even happier.
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Saturday, December 31st, 2005
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3:57 pm - end of year cleaning
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I'm going to be pruning my friends list this weekend. Please, no drama or offense if I remove you, it's nothing personal, I just need to cut down on the number of journals I'm tracking (both communities & people).
Also, everyone should consider themselves free to remove me from their friends if they'd like. It'll be a drama-free removal. And considering how rarely I post, it's not like you'll be missing much anyway...
EDIT: Forgot to mention that I pretty much never make friends-only posts, so even if you're not on my friends list, you'll still be able to read my few-and-far-between posts if you'd like.
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(13 comments | comment on this)
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| Saturday, December 10th, 2005
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12:43 am - podcasts
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Since I'm planning on starting up a podcast in the new year, I figured it might be helpful to actually check out the "competition".
So I downloaded Juice (formerly iPodder before Apple threatened to sue their asses) and subscribed to a few podcasts. I've checked out Apparat, Brainwashed, CBC Radio 3 and Grooves.
Any others I should be investigating?
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(5 comments | comment on this)
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| Monday, November 28th, 2005
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9:59 am
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'Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, star of Da Ali G Show, has responded to threats of a Kazakhstan government lawsuit over his sketch character Borat, a racist Kazakh. Speaking as Borat, Cohen quipped: "I'd like to state I have no connection to Mr. Cohen and fully support my government's position to sue this Jew."'
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(6 comments | comment on this)
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| Monday, October 17th, 2005
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10:55 pm
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(Those of you who listen to my radio show, Feedback Monitor, may be interested in this announcement that I just posted to the F.M. website and mailing list...)
After almost 10 years on the air at CIUT 89.5 FM, I've decided to hang up my headphones and bring the Feedback Monitor radio show to an end. The final edition will be airing on Tuesday, October 25th.
I considered doing a retrospective show of some sort, but decided against it. Partially because the show has always been about featuring the newest releases in electronic and experimental music, and I wanted to keep that theme right to the end - and partially because I didn't feel like digging through 10 years worth of CDs and records to find 2 hours worth of music that represented the decade.
So, it'll just be a normal installment of the program, with lots of new music and an interview with Neil Wiernik and Greg Smith from Vague Terrain, a new online digital arts quarterly and associated live music series. (Joining me the week before - on Tuesday, October 18th - will be Mike Matheson aka Beef Terminal, who will be presenting some tracks from his new album, Anger Do Not Enter.)
It's important to note that the end of the radio show doesn't mean the end of Feedback Monitor. The website will remain online with the live listings and new releases sections being kept current, and I'll be working on bringng the playlists and reviews sections up-to-date as well.
And in early 2006, if all goes as planned, I'll be launching a blog and podcast that will cover the same sounds that I've been featuring on the show and website over the years.
Thanks to everyone who has tuned in since the show first hit the airwaves back in February, 1996. It's been a great ride, and I'll always have (mostly) fond memories of the time I spent on the air at CIUT. But the time is right to move on. Hopefully, you'll all stick around to see where things go from here.
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(6 comments | comment on this)
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| Sunday, September 4th, 2005
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9:56 am - Oh My Allah! They Killed Akbar! You Infidels!
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