a neon light that split the night

For the past two and a half days, I have been sick. No, not merely mild sniffle with an achy throat sick, but full blown I-can't-stand-for-too-long-because-I-don't-have-the-energy sick. Not fun sick. As a result, I have watched more TV than I thought humanly possible over the past few days. Things I have realized:

-Friends plays at least once an hour. While this isn't great, as Friends was never a great show, it provides consistent entertainment: you know what you're getting in an episode of Friends. You'll get Ross being geeky, Phoebe being odd, Chandler being sarcastic, Rachel whining, Joey being dumb, and Monica being a neurotic headcase. And while their bit gets old after a while, at least every episode is DIFFERENT, from varying eras in the show's bloated run (which can be measured by the bloat on Matthew Perry's face).

-MTV can always be counted on for cheesy entertainment. I have watched so so much of Next and True Love (which I actually rather enjoy now), and even have started Newport Beach, which is the new Laguna Beach. I have to say, the main character is every bit as whiny as Lauren was, but she also has some serious daddy issues, which makes watching her attempts to win the boy she so desperately covets (the unfortunately named Clay) both pathetic and hilarious. Also, there needs to be more episodes made of My Super Sweet 16 so they don't have to show the same one all fucking week. Just saying.

-I have refallen in love with The O.C. This is not a new revelation, as MuchMusic has been airing the first season for 2 weeks now. However, rewatching just makes you realize how good it was before Seth became the focus of the show (and therefore the most annoying part), how awesome Anna really was, and even, gasp, how likeable Marissa was. Unfortunately, the latter fell to pieces after the T.J. episode, a mere 7 episodes in, so that has not withstood the test of time. Also unfortunate? Their clothes haven't withstood either. The colours seem pretty garish, but that might be Much's characteristic oversaturation or perhaps the cast members it is most noticeable on (Julie Cooper and Summer, most noteably) were intended to be garishly coloured from the start. Or perhaps that is just the warm sunny glow of California transcending the screen. Regardless, I enjoy that it plays every afternoon and evening (at 4pm and 7pm), so you can watch it serialized like Saved by the Bell from back in the day. And if you miss an episode, the 4pm one is a replay of the 7pm one from the night before! Awesome!

-The Rogers digital cable channels do very little for me. In fact, it gives me more shit to sift through, and all the shit is the same shit I've skipped over back in the 10s. I don't care if I can watch the same show on 5 different channels at the same time. I like time shifting, and I like specialty channels, but don't just become lazy fucks and give me the same shit repeated - it means more work for me, and I should be the only lazy fuck in this relationship, TV.

- I finally watched the first episode of Flight of the Conchords, and I have to say, I kind of loved it. So thank you to everyone who has been recommending it to me.

But really, having sick days just reminds me of how awesome tv was back in the good ole' days. Remember Sally Jesse Raphael? And the Price is Right when Bob Barker was still on? And when Jeopardy wasn't shown in the middle of the day because that is just sick?

I've just learned there's a film adaptation of Atonement coming out, which delights me greatly. I'll admit to very much liking both James McAvoy and Keira Knightley, and even that chick from Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (who was terrible at an American accent but danced with both old leatherface Swayze and young hearthrob Diego Luna well). The fact that film adaptations generally do disservices to the books they emulate deters my heart naught, because I've come to the conclusion that anything starring that McAvoy boy is good in my eyes (and his track record is good), but also that the trailer is GREAT. No voiceovers, no plot giveaway, and a bit of naked Keira Knightley. It looks like it will be simply stunning, and I can't wait until December to see it. But you can watch the trailer here, if you'd like to see for yourself.

That's enough from me. I have blue Jello waiting for me upstairs, and with that, I have all.

Amanda

listen up

For the sake of my dear friend Meghan, I'll talk about what I've been listening to lately.

I'm loving Cookies by the 1990s. I believe the founders of this band are the other half of the band that produced Franz Ferdinand, and while Franz certainly has a great sound, it's a little too distinct and I think they've pigeonholed themselves. That is not 1990s issue - this is an all around fabulous rollicking summer album that I'm sure I'll be listening to for a long time.

I've also been talking up Kate Nash's Made of Bricks to anyone who will listen. She's reinvigorated my love for Regina Spektor, which comes not a moment too soon, as I'm going to her show in October. She sounds like Lily Allen and Spektor's hot love baby (and maybe the Pipettes were in on the love making), and sweet jesus, it's good. "Birds" was not at all indicative of the rest of this album, so if you've written her off as a folksy singer songwritery type, try the rest of the album. Also, would that NOT be a really hot... er... five-some?

The Kaiser Chiefs' latest, Yours Truly, Angry Mob, has also given me some happies lately. "Ruby" is simply a fantastic single, although the rest of the album sounds dissimilar. It's a decent album, a maturing sound for these guys, and it works in their favour. "The Angry Mob" and "Love's Not a Competition [But I'm Winning]" are good tracks.

Jakalope's "Feel It" is an incredibly hot song in a Sia sorta way, but it has to be listened to loudly. The rest of the album is eh - too Evanescencey for me

I'm still giving The New Pornographers' Challengers a listen, but I'm not super impressed as it stands. This could change upon a few more listens, but I don't feel they're doing much new. This is an album I need to sit down to listen to though, so we'll see; setting does much to influence perception.

Rooney's Calling the World is crap. I thought I'd include it simply because I feel so goddamn disappointed and I need to fucking rant about it. Rooney was by no means stellar, but it certainly ended up representing a very specific place in musical and teen culture history (remember how huge they got over the OC?), and it was great for what it was - breezy California pop with interesting characters lyrically. I will admit I may feel slightly warmer towards Rooney than most, but I think they were a fun band and I still love Rooney. That said, Calling the World is utter shit. I heard they had recorded this album 3 times before "nailing" it, and it shows. "When Did Your Heart Go Missing?" makes me SO ANGRY. Seriously. Look at this bit of the chorus:
When did your heart go missing?
I treat you like a princess
But your life is just one big mess
When did your heart go missing?
WHAT THE FUCK? THIS from the guys who once so brazenly spouted,
Hey digital
You're nothing but a bitch on strings
You'll be back milking cows before you cash the check
Well I'll just wait around till you fade away like the rest
and sang about fucking girls around callously. What happened, Robert? Why why why? You're Jason Schwartzman's BROTHER, man. You have Sophia Coppola as a cousin. It's surprising and disappointing that you could produce this big of a turd. I am sad. Also, your voice hasn't aged well. The sophomore curse makes me so sad.

Anyway, that's all I have to say for now.

Oh wait! I finished Stevie's present. I used the same pattern as the blue pithy hat and somehow got a completely different looking product. But trust me when I say it's awesome. Pictures to come. I'm getting much faster at this.

amanda

more words than I have ever heard

This is officially labeled "My Summer of Reading". And all it took was to finish my degree! Ha!

But seriously.

Saturday by Ian McEwan
The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Clumsy by Jeffrey Brown
Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

and I am halfway through both Beloved by Tony Morrison and god is not Great by Christopher Hitchens.

Okay, so I've finished 9 books in 15 weeks. Which doesn't actually seem all that impressive saying it aloud. But it is considering how much I've read comparatively the past 3 years. I used to read myself to bed every night, and all I could manage recently were magazines and the odd graphic novel. Finishing 9 books is probably more than I finished throughout my entire post-secondary academic career (including my Jasper Fforde phase). Thank you, English degree, for majorly trying to kill my love of reading.

But also, I have been reading awesome books. Which helps. Except Beloved. Man, I don't like admitting, but I hate that book. But I need to finish it, I need to defeat it. It doesn't help that it was given to me long ago by someone I don't like very much. But that also motivates me because I want to stick it to him and his awful book too.

And god is not Great is amazing. Just amazing. It's so inspiring to see a cohesively organized argument against religion. I'm tired of feeling like I am judged as being a less moral person because I don't believe in a bearded man up in the clouds. Because I can't accept mythology as fact. It seems as fucked to me as the Greek gods do to modern readers; entertaining, but factual? Less likely. And modern religions aren't even entertaining. I just hope I don't become a tortured Stephan Daedalus in the future for it.

Did I just liken my future plight to one of the Big Names? Why yes, yes I did. And that's why he's a Big Name.

I need to be doing something where I'm required to think for a living. Fuck you, manual labour.

But am I doomed to a cycle of love/hate? I really hope not.

amanda

open your eyes

So this is my most recent knitting project. This is that hat I wrestled with for a while (a pattern titled "Mary Jane's Pithy Hat" found here for the brave).

But I am generally pleased with how it turned out. I learned the purse stitch, and the knitting was a little tedious, but not boring.



My beginning of the summer project was a pair of red short shorts.

Yeah, they're that awesome. They also show off a lot more ass than I was expecting, so I'll eventually get around to knitting a band on the leg entrances.

A fun knit that taught me increasing and decreasing methods! Yay!

Also, for my mom's birthday, I made her a hella awesome flower arrangement. And yes, I took pictures. Suck it, naysayers.



On my days off, this is where I hang


My backyard. With Wicket.


so yeah. this is what my life looks like right now.
amanda