A Record a Week: As Many as I can do before Christmas, finishing with a Christmas record.

1. Beck - Venom Confection


SIDE 1.
GHOST MUSIC(E-Pro remix by Homelife)

SIDE 2.
VENOM CONFECTION(E-Pro remix by Green, Music and Gold)

It amazes me that as a Beck fan, the only record I own is this remix single of E-Pro. This musician has had such a major effect on my musical tastes over the years, I would think that I would've managed to get my hands on at least a couple of his rare LP releases. Alas, that's not the case. His music has spread wide across many genres throughout his career. Tastes of folk, hip-hop, rock, punk, indie and many others. Known mostly for his 90's hit singles 'Loser', 'Where It's At' and 'Devil's Haircut', he has also had albums entirely composed of acoustic, dance-funk and many collaborations. His more unheralded work includes co-writing Charlotte Gainsbourg's 'IRM', composing the songs played by the band Sex Bob-omb in the movie 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' or his home-recorded collaboration project 'Record Club', found entirely on his website. He gets together with various other musicians and covers an album by other artists.

His Scientology doesn't appear to have crept into his lyrics, though former band members have said it caused a rift between band members. I couldn't care less about his personal life as long as he doesn't hurt anybody or cause any problems within his family. His music, has always kept me interested. It hasn't been so different as to turn me off and certainly has always re-invented itself just enough to always keep me wondering what will come next.


2. The Bee Gees - Spirits Have Flown


SIDE 1.
TRAGEDY
TOO MUCH HEAVEN
LOVE YOU INSIDE OUT
REACHING OUT
SPIRITS (HAVING FLOWN)

SIDE 2.
SEARCH, FIND
STOP (THINK AGAIN)
LIVING TOGETHER
I'M SATISFIED
UNTIL

Ahhh the disco era; when the male register mysteriously jumped an octave and a half. Whether it is a coincidence that tight-crotched bell-bottoms and falsetto three-part harmonies aligned so well, we'll never know. It just seems unnatural to me that men should sing that way, but perhaps I would do it too if I could reach those notes on a constant basis. Disco doesn't always go well with me but I can tolerate the Bee Gees. Also, they composed 'To Love Somebody', which is a song my dad and family love to play and I have since joined in on.


3. Beethoven's 3rd Symphony("Eroica") - Opus 55(performed by Rochester Orchestra)

SIDE 1.
FIRST MOVEMENT
SECOND MOVEMENT

SIDE 2.
THIRD MOVEMENT
FOURTH MOVEMENT

My only real exposure to classical music were the piano lessons I took about 20 years ago. I can tell what of it I like, but I can't really tell whether a particular orchestra is performing a piece better or more true than another. 'Oh they are playing this piece far too Allegro.' Is that a thing someone would say? I am not sure, but I suppose it could be.

This symphony is a beautiful piece that must have been written prior to Beethoven encountering the difficulties he faced later in his life, as it has a grand feeling to it and doesn't seem strung with anger or sadness.


4. Beethoven's 5th - Opus 67/Mozart's Symphony No. 39(performed by Vienna Symphonic Orchestra)

SIDE 1. - BEETHOVEN
FIRST MOVEMENT
SECOND MOVEMENT
THIRD MOVEMENT
FOURTH MOVEMENT

SIDE 2. - MOZART
FIRST MOVEMENT
SECOND MOVEMENT
THIRD MOVEMENT
FOURTH MOVEMENT

Beethoven's most familiar piece(and arguably most familiar by any composer) is the 5th (dun dun dun DUN...dun dun dun DUN). However, in listening to the full piece, it does play on that memorable piece for too long for my liking (paving the way for some of today's annoyingly catchy radio tunes?)

The 5th was apparently a slow-moving project; several other pieces to be released prior and the 6th symphony to be debuted simultaneously. The feel of the whole piece is fairly dark, perhaps reflecting his increasing deafness and oncoming illness at the time.

On the contrast, Mozart had accepted a very low paying job prior to writing his 39th and it does not come through in the piece at all. The piece is quite happy and shows no stains of sadness. However, there are obviously no recordings of Mozart himself playing, so maybe it came out in performance.


5. Bing Crosby - White Christmas


SIDE 1.
SILENT NIGHT
ADESTES FIDELES(Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful)
WHITE CHRISTMAS
GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN
FAITH OF OUR FATHERS
I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS(If Only In My Dreams)

SIDE 2.
JINGLE BELLS
SANTA CLAUSE IS COMIN' TO TOWN
SILVER BELLS
IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS
CHRISTMAS IN KILLARNEY
MELE KALIKIMAKA

Born in Tacoma, Washington, Bing Crosby's (perhaps) most famous song about Christmas in Hawaii.

This album was the christmas soundtrack to my childhood. Perhaps not every kid associates Mele Kalikimaka and Christmas in Killarney with the season as much as, say, Jingle Bells or Silent Night (although he sang those too). His suave singing style made it easy for his career to be so successful and for him to be influential to crooners in years following his career.

This record will always take me back to opening presents in front of our fireplace as a kid, always eating the orange and apple in my stocking prior to the candy that accompanied it.

A Record a Week: Jeff Beck Group - Rough and Ready

SIDE 1.
GOT THE FEELING
SITUATION
SHORT BUSINESS
MAX'S TUNE


SIDE 2.
I'VE BEEN USED
NEW WAYS/TRAIN TRAIN
JODY

When a band takes the name of a member that isn't the lead singer, you know that the playing is going to be good. This album does not disappoint.

Jeff Beck's Blues-infused rock has been an inspiration to rock guitarists for more than 30 years. He has played with the Yardbirds, Jeff Beck Group and on his own, as well as performing on numerous other albums.

On this album, the solo-laden songs are paired with vocals by Bobby Tench. Beck contributes more than he had on the previous album and his ability is beginning to outweigh the band's as a whole. Perhaps it is that and his tendency to re-record tracks until he felt he had played them to perfection that took his career towards a mostly-instrumental one.

30 plus years and he has now proven himself through rock, jazz, metal, progressive rock and any other style he has attempted, including helping pioneer some of those styles along the way.

I am not a huge fan of the songs as a whole, but the guitar playing is undeniably great.

The Curious Case of the Paint-Stealing Noodle

The other night I was cooking Spaghetti the other night and for some reason, it triggered this childhood/teenage memory.

When I was a child, like many kids, I started learning some cooking techniques from my mother. My first attempts (apparently, I don't remember) were at a very young age and a very early hour. My dad tells me he came down in the morning to a four or five-year-old me perched upon a wobbly stool, leaning over a stove with all the burners going. This was my first attempt at breakfast.

Fast forward a while to when I was in half-day kindergarten and spent the morning or afternoon watching my then favourite show - Wok with Yan. I watched attentively, pen in hand; trying my best to write down the recipes that appealed to me. For my following birthday, I asked for a Wok. The first time I tried to cook a family dinner was a fish patties recipe from the show, and I think everyone was pretty skeptical of the outcome (myself included).

When I was a little older and had observed many meals being made and helped wherever my mother thought I could, my confidence in food grew. I made it my mission to try new things and was constantly adding bizarre ingredients to the grocery list to see what I could make of them. Many (with parental supervision) failures and a few successes later, I was getting comfortable in the kitchen. However, as I was always trying things I thought were exotic and exciting, I skipped over learning the basics (true to my personality).

One time my sister was hanging out with me (too old for babysitting, too young to leave alone) and she was making pasta. I asked her "how can you tell that the pasta is done and not overcooked?" She said "Well, it's really cool. When spaghetti is cooked enough to eat, it will stick to the wall." So we took out a piece and threw it at the wall. It adhered itself to the kitchen wall and I looked on in amazement. We then high-fived and proceeded to eat the pasta (that's how I imagine it went, anyways). For years that was how I would test spaghetti to see if it was done, even though I knew tasting it was equally effective.

Many years later, we were back home for the last thanksgiving that would take place at the house, as my mother was preparing to sell it. We were in the kitchen and she asked "you guys have any idea what happened here?" as she pointed to an s-shaped void in the paint. It would seem that in my excitement of learning the new trick and my sister's excitement of teaching me something that I thought was so cool, neither one of us actually removed the noodle. It somehow went unnoticed long enough to take the paint off with it when it did come down. Luckily my mom had other patches to repair, so she had already sourced out a matching paint to make repairs, but I still felt pretty ridiculous about the whole thing.

*I know I missed the record and recipe this past weekend, as we had company and I will miss it this coming weekend as we are away, but I will get back at it soon for sure.

Sunday Brunch - Scones

Well, I didn't even get a chance to take a picture of these before they got eaten, but here's the recipe anyways:

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup Flour
3 tbsp Sugar
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/3 cup Margarine
1 Egg Replacer
4-5 tbsp Soy Milk

Preheat oven to 400F.

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Chunk in margarine until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add in egg replacer and 4 tbsp of soy milk, then mix until combined. If the flour does not all get mixed in, add splashes of soy milk until it all mixes in well. Knead a few times and then roll out until about 1 1/2 cm thick (depending on how big you want the scones to get). Cut out circles or other large cookie-cutter shapes. Lay out on lightly oiled pan and lightly brush the tops with oil or margarine, then bake for 10-12 minutes - the tops will be very lightly browned.
Serve out of the oven or warmed.

A Record a Week: The Beatles - 1962-1966

SIDE 1.
LOVE ME DO
PLEASE PLEASE ME
FROM ME TO YOU
SHE LOVES YOU
I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND
ALL MY LOVING
CAN'T BUY ME LOVE

SIDE 2.
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT
AND I LOVE HER
EIGHT DAYS A WEEK
I FEEL FINE
TICKET TO RIDE
YESTERDAY

SIDE 3.
HELP!
YOU'VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY
WE CAN WORK IT OUT
DAY TRIPPER
DRIVE MY CAR
NORWEGIAN WOOD

SIDE 4.
NOWHERE MAN
MICHELLE
IN MY LIFE
GIRL
PAPERBACK WRITER
ELEANOR RIGBY
YELLOW SUBMARINE

Have you ever been to a bar where the speakers are at opposite ends of the bar? If you find yourself in that situation, you are going to hope they play the early Beatles songs in mono, not stereo. For some reason, when they decided to remix things from mono to stereo, they panned everything left or right. So if you are sitting near one speaker and the other is far away, you are only going to hear drums and vocals, or guitar and bass (or some incomplete combination of instruments). When stereo came out, this technique was utilized to simulate live performances and how the band members stood on the stage. It wasn't until later that engineers realized that if they're sorting out pans, they shouldn't dial it all the way left or right, leaving at least a bit of the sound to the other side.

Anyhow, this album is a collection of sounds from the first half of the Beatles career. Spanning their fanatical simple rock through various types of ballads and into the early stages of their experimental music. As you listen through the album, you hear both the recording and creative writing processes evolve. Perhaps one enhanced the other. The invention of multi-tracking could have allowed the band to include things they had wanted to include on earlier songs, or perhaps the ability to do so expanded the way which they went about writing them.

I enjoy many of these songs in different ways, but the ending of side 2 onwards is where it really grabs my attention. Songs like 'Ticket to Ride', 'You've got to Hide Your Love Away'(Milton family sing-along), 'Day Tripper', 'Paperback Writer' and 'Eleanor Rigby' rank high amongst my all-time favourite Beatles tracks (Rigby is tops, in my books).

Well, looking forward, I think that marks the end of my Beatles vinyl collection. Next week, onto something new!

Sunday Brunch - Maple Granola Bars

INGREDIENTS:
1 2/3 cups Instant Oatmeal
1/3 Ground Oatmeal or Oat Flour
1 cup Demerara Sugar (or add 2 tbsp melted vegan margarine + 2 tbsp maple syrup)
1/4 cup White or Cane Sugar
dash of Salt
2.5 cups Various ingredients in 1/2 cup qtys (Nuts, Coconut, Dried Fruit, Choc. Chips)
1 tsp Vanilla
1/4 cup Melted Margarine or Veg. Oil
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1 tbsp Water

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then mix together. Lightly grease a large rectangle pan and spread out mixture in pan, making sure it is an even height throughout. Bake until it is golden brown on the edges. Remove from oven and cut into bars, wait until they are cool and remove from pan.

A Record a Week: The Beatles - Ballads

I am very glad of two things: that my wife sleeps in on Saturday morning and that she doesn't read this blog; because she hates The Beatles and there sure have been a lot of them on here recently.



SIDE 1.
YESTERDAY
NORWEGIAN WOOD
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET
FOR NO ONE
MICHELLE
NOWHERE MAN
YOU'VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
ALL MY LOVING
HEY JUDE

SIDE 2.
SOMETHING
THE FOOL ON THE HILL
TILL THERE WAS YOU
THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD
HERE COMES THE SUN
BLACKBIRD
AND I LOVE HER
SHE'S LEAVING HOME
HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE
LET IT BE

This album really has a taste of everything Beatles from start to finish. The songs written in the later years have a distinct feel of what each member's work would sound like, while the earlier songs contain a more blended feel.

To me, some of the ballads come across a bit dull for a band that can get fairly intricate. However, songs like Let it Be, Hey Jude and Yesterday have become iconic and with good reason. Blackbird and Across the Universe created two of my favourite cover versions of all time, by Sarah McLachlan and Rufus Wainwright, respectively. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away is a song that my family has been playing for years; so much that the original version sounds almost foreign to me.

Although I enjoy some collection records, they can never quite have the flow that an original album can. They don't always vary in style and the song order is not necessarily chosen by the band members themselves.

Sunday Brunch - Tropical Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup Sugar (1/2 brown 1/2 white)
3/4 cup Margarine, melted
1 or 2 Very Ripe Bananas
1/4 Large Papaya (approx. 1 small)
2 Kiwis
1/2 cup Flaked Coconut
2 Egg Replacers
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 375. Mix together flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Mash banana in a separate bowl and blend together kiwi and papaya until mostly smooth. Add together all fruits with margarine, sugar, egg replacer and vanilla. Add that entire mixture to the dry ingredient bowl and combine until just mixed. Add in Coconut. Scoop mixture into lined or lightly oiled muffin tins, up about halfway of the cup. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until fork comes out clean!

*optional - I didn't have any, but top with, or add in a 1/2 cup of crushed macadamia nuts for a real tropical feel.

A Record a Week: The Beatles - Abbey Road

SIDE 1.
COME TOGETHER
SOMETHING
MAXWELL'S SILVER HAMMER
OH! DARLING
OCTOPUS'S GARDEN
I WANT YOU (She's So Heavy)

SIDE 2.
HERE COMES THE SUN
BECAUSE
YOU NEVER GIVE ME YOUR MONEY
SUN KING
MEAN MR. MUSTARD
POLYTHENE PAM
SHE CAME IN THROUGH THE BATHROOM WINDOW
GOLDEN SLUMBERS
CARRY THAT WEIGHT
THE END

Released before, but recorded after most of their final album 'Let it Be'; Abbey Road was the last fully recorded studio album by The Beatles. The cover art has been reproduced with various characters for various purposes (other album covers, tv shows, etc.)

After a contentious while, the band agreed to get together to record an album without distractions. The first side is a collection of individual songs that truly encompasses a taste of everything previous and some of what music would be moving forward. It contains songs composed by each of the four members, each with a distinct maturity to them. Even 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer', though in Paul's typical style, is not as simplistic as some of his earlier pieces. The side ends out with 'I Want You', which is their longest song (other than barely-song 'Revolution 9') and probably one of their darkest also. The guitar riff that is repeated throughout the song is very much in the style of rock music in the 70's.

The second side starts off with what is arguably Harrison's best and probably most famous song, 'Here Comes the Sun'. Following that is 'Because', which is a complete Beatles effort. Lennon composed, Harrison played the organ and the three front men sang 3 part harmonies. The rest of the songs are really a mash of ideas blended together into one long song, culminating with aptly named, 'The End'. This song marked the end of the album; and had the albums been released chronologically, would've been the end of their entire catalogue.

This album contains some spectacular songs, but the short segment of Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight are among my favourite of their work. 'You Never Give me Your Money' evokes a funny memory I have from childhood. If you've ever been to a Milton family event, you'll know that for years when we were jamming on the guitar, we stuck to playing songs that only had the chords G, C and D (and maybe an F/A/Am if we were feeling adventurous). I'll admit that this tactic maximizes the amount of players you have on any given song, since those are really easy chords to play along with. However, limiting yourself can prove defeating when you are trying to branch out with songs containing other chords. This one time my dad was trying to play 'You Never Give Me Your Money', which contains a few weird chord changes from Am7 to Dm9 and so on. But he refused to give up and there was a string of attempts at different chords that might be the one. This provided a loop of 'I never give you my number, I only gave you my situation and in the middle of investigat....investi...investi...' and when he couldn't find the chord mid-verse, he would revert to the beginning to try a running start: 'You never give me your money...'. Now I will forever think of that when I hear this song.

A Record a Week: The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

SIDE 1.
SGT. PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS
LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS
GETTING BETTER
FIXING A HOLE
SHE'S LEAVING HOME
BEING FOR THE BENEFIT OF MR. KITE!

SIDE 2.
WITHIN YOU WITHOUT YOU
WHEN I'M SIXTY-FOUR
LOVELY RITA
GOOD MORNING GOOD MORNING
SGT. PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND (REPRISE)
A DAY IN THE LIFE

Well, what more can be said about this album. Seen by many as the pinnacle of their career, this album has been dissected more times than a high school science class pig.

This album is surely one of my favourite Beatles albums and probably top 10 in overall albums as well. It has a terrific flow and good mix of styles and instrumentation, which is harder to do than one might think. Take Revolver for instance; it had experimental songs and happy-go-lucky songs up back-to-back in high contrast. Not that I have any problem with that, but it certainly doesn't have the same continuity. Blending many different musical styles was not nearly as popular then as it is now, making an album like this very progressive for its time. On this album they have orchestral backgrounds, rock, jazz, pop and Indian music. Whether it's the harp-ridden 'She's Leaving Home', or the bouncy 'When I'm Sixty-Four', or the carnival-like 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!', the sounds are never quite the same. At the same time, using similar background sounds or effects allowed them to tie one song to the next, despite the differences.

The two sides of the Beatles fence come in to full play here. Those who enjoy their earlier music get a taste of hearing it infused with different styles and effects. Those who enjoy their more experimental music must admit that the groundwork for those songs was laid out by the fame gained by their earlier work. Experimental music was not by any means the norm at the time and the reception to an album like this would probably not have been what it turned out to be. Some reviews did find the album to be sub-par and that the efforts to branch out were forced or phony. I don't see it that way myself. Regardless of whether you like it or not, there is no denying the influence it had on music in the years following.

This album is also viewed as one of the earliest concept albums, in that its original intention was to portray a fictitious band (Sgt. Peppers) performing an album as written by them, not the Beatles. This idea only really held true for a few of the songs, but the natural flow that the song order took created the framework for concept albums. On the flip side, it is sort of an anti-concept album, as its broad covering of styles and themes do not fit the traditional sense of a concept album, which can usually be listened to almost as one whole song, as well as the individual songs that make up the whole album.

The songs are engraved from a childhood full of listening to this album, but 'A Day in the Life' stands out as one of my all-time favourite songs.

Recipe - Spicy Squash, Sweet Potato + Apple Soup

Ingredients:
1 large Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 large Sweet Potato/Yam, peeled and cubed
2-3 Apples, peeled, cored and quartered (I use McIntosh or Empire)
1 tsp Kosher or Sea Salt
3/4-1 tbsp Fresh Ginger, peeled grated
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Cayenne
1 tbsp Vegan Margarine or Oil
Water or Vegetable Broth
Soy Milk (optional)

Heat marg/oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat and add cubed squash and potatoes. If you are using water, you can also add some finely chopped onions for flavouring. When they get soft and lightly browned, add the ginger, salt, cinnamon and cayenne; stir and cook over medium heat for five minutes. Add enough water or broth to cover the potatoes and squash; bring to a boil. Simmer on medium-low, covered, until everything softens up, stirring occasionally. Add apple and cook until soft, then reduce heat to minimum. Using a hand blender, blend until smooth (works better if not too hot). If you do not have a hand blender, spoon out 2 cups at a time into a regular blender until the mixture is mostly blended. Add a small pour of soy milk if you want it to be creamy.

VARIATIONS:
-If you want a bit more tartness, use Granny Smith Apples
-For a milder flavour, use pear instead of apple. Try Red Bartlett.
-For a curried soup, replace 1/2 tsp cayenne with 3/4 tsp curry powder and use coconut milk instead of soy milk.
-Top with a tsp of 'Sour Supreme' or other sour cream substitute.

Murphy's Law Pt. 2 - Lights On, Nobody's Home.

I will state that in this entry, it is very clear to me that the thing that set the dominoes in motion was entirely my fault, but in no way was deserving of the string of events that followed.

In 2005, I lived in a townhouse with 2 guys (Ben + Adam) and for a while, a friend of ours, Matt, was staying with us as his old lease had run out and he was heading back to the UK in a month or so.

On one of the summer weekends it was real hot and we decided to take a drive up to the cottage for a guys weekend. We were all biked a lot around the city, so we decided we would bring up our bikes to explore the area, bike through trails and into the bustling metropolis of Port Sydney (one variety store, a beach, a rapids, a gas station and a grocery store). So up we went (surprisingly) without a hitch. The van behaved itself and the stereo even performed admirably as well.

We arrived some time not long after dinner on the Friday night and got right into the water. Before we got a chance to get in, Adam asked me 'Can you roll up the windows in the van? I'm not comfortable leaving my bike in there unlocked.' This was reasonable, so I ran over to the van and rolled up the windows. Now, they were power windows, so I had to turn the key over to roll up the windows. I did that, then closed the door and instinctively hit the power lock on the way out. When I turned around I saw the lights and it dawned on me.

Being so far from cities with garages, I thought CAA might not come, but I gave them a call anyways. The call went something like this:

'CAA How can I help you?'
'I locked my keys in the car with the lights on.'
'Where are you located?'
'Port Sydney'
'Well, our guys in Huntsville and Bracebridge are on a tows right now, but I will send the Huntsville guy when he's done'
'Any idea how long because I don't think my battery will last long.'
'We will give you a call when he is 1/2 hour away'
'Okay, thanks.'

In the meantime, we tried everything. We pulled hard enough on the doors that if they had opened, I would have been left with a way worse problem to deal with. We tried to run a coat hanger down the window to unlock the door. We connected two coat hangers together and had two of us working the contraption while one shined a flashlight and the 4th was on the other side of the van hollering directions. Nothing worked.

We ditched the idea and headed for the water, keeping the cell phone nearby in case they called. I kept from drinking, even though I really wanted to, because I thought it would be better if I wasn't hammered when the guy showed up. Finally, about 2 hours later, I went back in to call CAA back to see what was going on.

'Hi, I called a couple hours ago and I'm just wondering what's going on, my battery is starting to fade.'
'Hmm let me see....Oh yes, we told the Bracebridge guy to go home because Huntsville is closer, but the Huntsville job ended up taking a really long time. I am so sorry this happened, we will make sure he is there very soon and we won't charge you one of your 4 calls for the year.'

About then I was feeling pretty good about the situation. Then, after another half hour or so, the guy finally showed up. We were all swimming at the time, but I headed up by myself when I saw the headlights. I went over and told him what happened and he went through the usual askings about if I was the vehicle owner and what year is it, etc. I guess he took a while asking those questions or something, because the other guys came to check what was going on. The guy already had his wedge in the window and was taking out his sneaky break-in tools when he saw my friends. He then changed his tone and grabbed the wedge from the window.

'I can't let you into this vehicle.'
'WHAT? Why?'
'You've been drinking and we are liable if we let you in and you go driving and crash the car.'
'I don't even have a beer in my hand. In fact, I avoided drinking so I could get this situation dealt with and it's been hours trying to get it sorted out.'

He already had everything packed up and was throwing it back in the truck at this point.

'If you won't let me in, how about we go stand all the way over there and you can open it up, take the keys OUT of the ignition, throw them on the seat and lock the doors again? That way at least my battery doesn't die and I can deal with the rest in the morning.'
'Nope.'

He then proceeded to get in his truck, stare at me, lock his window and drive away. The lights were very dim and didn't take long to fade completely out. I called CAA back to complain, but they said there was nothing they could do and to call again in the morning. We proceeded to go swimming and get drunk.

In the morning I called back and they told me that this time it was indeed going to cost one of my four free calls for the year. The guy showed up (the other guy, luckily) and was very nice and laughed at the situation, saying he would have let me in. It took 40 minutes of battery charging to get it back in decent enough shape to start on its own.

We went on to enjoy the rest of the weekend at the cottage and around Port Sydney.

On our way home, we turned onto the highway and passed some very pretty girls with a broken down vehicle on the side of the road. One of us said 'If it weren't for the stupid weekend, I would so suggest stopping' and we all laughed. We made it about another kilometre or so before the van broke down. It wouldn't restart no matter what we tried. So again we called CAA. After a long while, the same guy who did help us came and said 'sorry, I took so long, I stopped to help these hot girls a little up the road.'

If you've ever had a broken-down vehicle with rear-wheel drive on the highway, you'll know that they won't tow it with a regular truck because they would have to turn around and hook it up on the back, which is too dangerous at highway speeds. So he had to call for a flatbed truck. The nearest one was in Barrie, about 2 hours away. We passed the time by trying to throw rocks at trees to see who could hit them, making a video documentary on burritos and we even considered walking back to our fellow highway break-downs. In the end though, I got really mad and kicked the van. Miraculously, it started. It was spewing black smoke at first, so we were hesitant to drive it, but we held a vote and decided it was worth the risk. At least we'd get closer to Barrie where the flatbed was.

In the end, the van survived another brush with vehicular doom and we made it safely back to Toronto.

Sunday Brunch: Tropical Citrus Fruit Salad w/ Coconut

I've been making some fairly un-healthy things these past few weeks, so I thought I'd take a break from that and make something that involves some fresh fruit.



Ingredients:
1 Pink Grapefruit (peeled and skinned, then chunks)
1 Orange (same)
2 each Golden and Green Kiwis (peeled and cubed)
1 Pomegranate
1 Banana (cut into small discs)
2 tbsp Shredded Coconut
Dash Maple Syrup

To keep your hands and work area clean, put pomegranate in a large bowl and cover with water and cut into/seed it under water. The skins will float to the top and the seeds will sink. Put all ingredients into a large bowl together, juicing the remainder of the grapefruit and orange out of the skins once fruit removed. Add a dash of maple syrup to the mixture, top with coconut and stir together. Cover and let sit, refrigerated for up to an hour to let juices mix. Add a dash of lemon juice if you are making farther in advance, to prevent browning.

A Record a Week: The Beatles - White Album

SIDE 1.
BACK IN THE U.S.S.R.
DEAR PRUDENCE
GLASS ONION
OB-LA-DI, OB-LA-DA
WILD HONEY PIE
THE CONTINUING STORY OF BUNGALOW BILL
WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS
HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN

SIDE 2.
MARTHA MY DEAR
I'M SO TIRED
BLACKBIRD
PIGGIES
ROCKY RACCOON
DON'T PASS ME BY
WHY DON'T WE DO IT IN THE ROAD?
I WILL
JULIA

SIDE 3.
BIRTHDAY
YER BLUES
MOTHER NATURE'S SON
EVERYBODY'S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE EXCEPT ME AND MY MONKEY
SEXY SADIE
HELTER SKELTER
LONG, LONG, LONG

SIDE 4.
REVOLUTION 1
HONEY PIE
SAVOY TRUFFLE
CRY BABY CRY
REVOLUTION 9
GOOD NIGHT

Released in 1968, this album came out two years and two albums past Revolver, which drew a line in the sand amongst Beatles fans. That album marked a distinct departure from happy pop songs into experimental and psychedelic music. Not that they abandoned their acoustic guitars or love-song lyrics, but it was clear that they weren't going to be constantly churning out 'Love me Do' or 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' anymore.

The album was the first double album featuring all original music that the band had done. The label and producers had thought it might be better to filter it down to one album of all the best songs. However, the band felt they should release the entire things to clear out all of the songs they had been working on. The result is an album that stretches across a myriad of styles.

I personally find both sides of the band to have their own type of appeal. Though experimental music has gone in a thousand directions since the advent of samplers, keyboards and other electronics, it is hard to argue that songs like 'Tomorrow Never Knows', 'Eleanor Rigby' and 'Revolution 9' were the first of their kind. Even as a fan of those types of songs, you cannot deny the appeal of the straight-forward rock that made up much of their earlier catalog and is sprinkled throughout the later albums. It was those songs that helped create the foundation of rock'n'roll for years to come.

*edit - If you want to check out a creative use of samples off this album, search for the 'Grey Album' by Jay-Z and Danger Mouse, which uses a base of White Album tracks/loops and lyrics from Jay-Z's Black Album.

Sunday Brunch: Midway Donuts and Beingets

I made a decision that I was going to replicate the donuts that you get at baseball games and at the midway. I searched the internet and found this. I had to swap out some ingredients and make a few adjustments but it is basically the same.

Since I got out the deep fryer, I also tried out making Beingets, a German puff pastry.

Midway Donuts:
1 packet Active Dry Yeast or 2 1/4 tsp from a jar
3 tbsp warm water (I found I needed the extra tbsp to dissolve the yeast)
3 1/4 cups Flour, plus additional for sprinkling and rolling out dough
1 cup Soy Milk - Room Temperature
3 tbsp vegan margarine - Room Temperature
1 Egg Substitute
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
Frying Oil

1 Cup Sugar
Cinnamon (to taste...about 1 1/2 tsp)

Combine yeast and warm water in a large bowl, set aside for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients to the yeast/water mixture and stir together until just mixed(should be a sticky dough). Set dough aside, covered, and let rise for at least an hour. Pat out dough to 1/2 inch and cut out circles. I like the suggestion of the shot glass from the website, but I might try using cookie cut-outs for shapes next time. Use your pinky finger to poke a hole in the centre. Set aside donuts in fridge to let rise (I wouldn't let the prepared donuts sit for longer than a few hours). Preheat deep fryer to 360F, if you do not have a deep fryer, you can use 2 inches of oil in a deep pot and heat to same temp (hot, but not smoking).

Drop in donuts and cook until golden, flipping once for even cooking. Drain onto paper towel and coat with cinnamon-sugar (or whatever topping you like!)

Beingets:
1/2 packet Dry Yeast
3/4 cup Warm Water
1/4 cup Sugar (brown would probably not work. White or cane would be best)
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Egg Replacer
1/2 cup Evaporated Soy Milk
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tbsp Shortening
Frying Oil
Icing Sugar to Dust

Combine water and yeast in a large bowl and set aside for 10 minutes. While you wait, make your evaporated soy milk by combining 1/2 cup Soy Milk + 2 tbsp Powdered Soy Milk or 1/2 cup Water + 4 tbsp Powdered Soy Milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Should be thicker than soy milk by a decent amount, but not too thick.

Add 2 cups of the flour, sugar, salt, egg replacer and soy milk to the yeast/water mixture, stir together. Add shortening and remaining flour and combine until just mixed. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, but up to 24. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick and cut into 2-3" strips, then into squares and diamonds of similar width.

Heat deep fryer to 360F and put in beingets a few at a time. They should rise to the top of the oil and puff up. Flip once to cook evenly. Drain on a paper towel and top with icing sugar. Enjoy!

A Record a Week: Beach Boys - 20 Greatest Hits

SIDE 1.
SURFIN' U.S.A.
CALIFORNIA GIRLS
FUN, FUN, FUN
I GET AROUND
HELP ME RHONDA
BE TRUE TO YOUR SCHOOL
BARBARA ANN
SHUT DOWN
WENDY
LITTLE HONDA

SIDE 2.
LITTLE DEUCE COUP
SURFER GIRL
DO YOU WANNA DANCE
DANCE, DANCE, DANCE
WHEN I GROW UP
409
IN MY ROOM
DON'T WORRY BABY
SURFIN' SAFARI
CATCH A WAVE

You know, I've never really stopped to think about it, but as much as the Beach Boys are considered the ultimate in surf rock, they don't really look like surfers at all.

They were undoubtedly the kings of surf music, though. This album, as it is titled, contains all of your favourite Beach Boys tunes (Beach Boy tunes? Which is it?). I have to be honest, I think an instrumental version of this album would sound like two or three of the songs on repeat. I can't tell the musical difference between most of the tracks, other than the lyrics. They do invoke that signature 'wave' dance move.

If only we could all live on the beach and have fun, bleached-teeth-filled parties all the time. Alas, it is a nice break to throw on surfer music and go to Carolina in your mind. Wait, I think I'm confusing artists here.

Sunday Brunch: Tex-Mex Breks

I used to make a breakfast that was called a 'lumberjack' breakfast, which was similar to this, but with an egg mixed in and one cracked over top. I have omitted the egg and added a few touches.

Ingredients:
1 Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed (small cubes)
3-4 Potatoes, peeled and cubed (larger cubes than the sweet potato)
1/4 cup Red Onion, chopped
1 cup Canned or Frozen Sweet Corn
1/2 tsp Chili Powder 1/2-3/4 cup Salsa
+
1 or more of the following:
1/2 cup Sweet Pepper, chopped (any colour)
1/2 cup Mushroom, chopped
1/2 cup 'Ground Round'
1/2 cup Broccoli, chopped
(Increase potatoes if using more extras)

In a small pot, blanch potatoes for about 4-5 minutes. Start with the sweet potato, as thy take longer, and add regular potato a bit later. When done, fry onions and potatoes in a small pan over medium-high. As onions become translucent, add chili powder/veggies stir in, cook for 5 minutes. Add corn and salsa, cook until salsa reduces.

If desired, add salsa over top when served.

A Record a Week: Bay City Rollers - s/t

SIDE 1.
GIVE A LITTLE LOVE
BYE BYE BABY
SHANG-A-LANG
MARLINA
LET'S GO(A HUGGIN' AND A KISSIN' IN THE MOONLIGHT)
BE MY BABY

SIDE 2.
SUMMER LOVE SENSATION
REMEMBER(SHA LA LA LA)
SATURDAY NIGHT
MY TEENAGE HEART
KEEP ON DANGING

Oh, 1970's did you realize at the time how cheesy some things would become? Granted, there was some epic rock to come out of the 70's and granted, the next generation will certainly ask us what was cool about Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert and many other currently famous musical acts (not that I will have an answer for those particular ones).

Bay City Rollers hit the scene with their plaid shirts and their 'cool hair' and their disco/dance infused pop in the early 1970's. This album includes a few of the Rollers bigger hits. They are a band that finds its songs alive again in commercials and romantic comedies, as well as easy listening/classic rock radio stations.

Although they didn't explore as many musical avenues or rock as hard as the Beatles (not that the Beatles were hard rock either), they were billed as the best thing in music since. Many fans teenage girls swarmed to their concerts and fawned in Beatlemania fashion. I can't see the appeal of music that doesn't have some drive or at least the odd hard rockin' part to it, but it has still found its popularity over the years. I suppose they use their romantic lyrics to woo the hearts of young ladies or some crap. Other than Be My Baby (which may be more of familiarity than a fondness), the only part of this album I can get behind is the chant-like vocal line in 'Saturday Night'.

Why One Should Keep Aware of One's Surroundings

The airline industry is a competitive one and as such, they are always trying to attract you by adding features to make your flight more comfortable; offering cheaper fares; and offering more attractive in-flight features.

Thus, when I was flying down to Boston last year, I found myself in an airplane equipped with a personal screen on the back of the seat in front of me. This was something new to me. It used to be that when the airplane was like this:


The cabin tvs used to be set up like this:


But now was more like this:


The old way was very limiting. You had no choice over which movie was playing, and sometimes you would be seated at a very awkward viewing angle. The movie would only turn on at cruising altitude and turned off again as the plane began to descend.

With Boston being a relatively short flight, I decided to make use of this new feature as soon as I got settled in the seat. The new Star Trek film was the best of the choices and I hadn't seen it before, so I put it on. I was able to watch right from the airplane moving through takeoff with only a short interlude for the standard safety speech.

After it restarted, I got into the movie. I got REALLY into the movie. So much that I barely paid any attention to the short announcement that we would beginning our descent. Add to that the fact that the pilot was either very smooth or the cabin pressure adjustment was flawless and you get me right back into the movie. In the OLD way, the movie would have stopped at that point and you would be resigned to and turning off your personal electronic devices and watching the ground get closer out the window. I was fully engaged in the movie instead. If you've ever seen the movie, it was the point at which Kirk, Sulu and Olsen make a jump onto a platform and Olsen falls to his death. Looks something like this:


Anyways, the moment that they hit the platform was the PRECISE moment the plane wheels touched the ground. The shock immediately caused me to yell out "AAAAAAGH!" and all of the people nearby turned around and gave me a quizzical look.

Naturally, due to the personal viewing experience, the likelyhood of anybody else experiencing the same coincidence was pretty slim...which would explain them being so confused. So, I just took off my headphones, nodded my head, said 'hey' and made my way off the plane.

Title Tracks

A quick note about an issue I have with albums that have a title track. Well... some of them anyways.

Generally, I prefer albums with titles to self-titled ones, because they can give you a sense of what the artist was thinking when they wrote it, or an overall feel for the tone of the album. If they have cryptic lyrics, knowing this can be a real help in figuring out what the individual songs are about.

Not all titled albums have title tracks. Some are a summary of the story told within, and some are just titles ('Five Days in July' was recorded over five days in July, 'Odelay' is an English pronunciation of Spanish word Orale). On top of that, some of the title tracks therein are fantastic.

My real problem lies when the songs are not good ones. Sometimes the title track gets buried as the 13th or 14th song on the album and/or is just a piece of garbage. I was listening to this album by Los Campesinos called Romance is Boring when I thought of this. The title track came on and I thought 'this SONG is boring' and boy, is it ever. And then I was thinking, 'why would you make this the title song?' The rest of the album, while not the best thing in the world, is certainly not terrible. I understand that as a band or singer, you might have lyrics written that embody everything about the album itself, or maybe you are the type that writes your lyrics to the song. Either way, wouldn't you at some point stop and say 'hey, this is the namesake of our album, shouldn't it be a little better than this?' Add your important lyrics to a catchier or better musical composition, or swap them out with another, better song with similar phrasing.

I'm not asking for it to be the best song on the album, just that it be decent and definitely not the worst song. Also, it doesn't have to be the first song on the album, but maybe don't bury it at the end with the other last-written afterthoughts that are there to qualify it as an LP instead of an EP (not true in every LP case, might I add!)

Anyhow, that's where I stand on that issue and I'd love to hear if you have a favourite or hated title track.

Sunday Brunch: Vegan Cinnamon Buns

Oh man, this was a somewhat elaborate experiment, but it sure turned out well. Many more experiments to come!



Ingredients:
(Bun)
1 cup Warm Soy Milk
2 Egg Replacer (I uses Ener-G)
1/3 cup Melted Vegan Margarine
4 1/2 cups Flour (preferably bread flour)
1 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Dry Sweetener
2 1/2 tsp

(Filling)
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/3 cup Vegan Margarine (room temp)

(Topping)
1/2 package Tofutti (or other) Vegan Cream Cheese (room temperature)
1/4 cup Vegan Margarine
1 1/2 cup Icing Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
pinch Salt

Put bun ingredients in that order into the bread machine, put on dough cycle. When finished, let rise and turn out on floured counter. Cover and leave for 15 minutes. Roll out into a large rectangle (dough as thin as you can get it...about 1/8")

Spread the 1/3 margarine (filling) over the dough and sprinkle heavy amounts of the cinnamon mixture over the dough. Cut into 12 even strips and roll each strip up. Let rise, covered, for 20 minutes or so.

Heat oven to 400 and cook for 10-15 minutes. While cooking, mix together tofutti, marg., vanilla and salt in a mixer. Add icing sugar while mixing and whip until mixed. Top over cooked buns!

A Record a Week: Anthony Bailes - Récital pour Luth

This is not the cover I have, but it is the only image I could find after searching around.



SIDE 1.
LA VILLANELLA
BALLETTO
RICERCAR X
PADOANA ALLA FRANCESE II
O MIA CIECA E DURA SORTE
CHE FARALA CHE DIRALA
BALLETTO
PIECE W/O TITLE
WANTON(PLAYFELLOW NO.2)
COUNTESS OF PEMBROKE'S PARADISE
HEIGH HO HOLIDAY

SIDE 2.
WHIP MY TOUDIE
HENCH ME MALIE GRAY & I LONG FOR THE WEDDING
GALLUA TOM
TOCATTA III
CORRENTE XII
GAGLIARDA XII
PRELUDE
BOURREE I AND II
PAVANNE EN FORME DE COMPLAINTE
MAL SIMMES BAL ANLOIS
CARILLON DE VILLAGE

To say this album is before my time is an understatement. Though it was released in my birth year, it is composed of songs from the 16th and 17th century.

The lute is an instrument I don't understand too much. It seems as though it doesn't need to have such a wide neck, they could probably just make it a little longer and all the notes would still be there. Maybe there are some half notes in there or something. The instrument does make for a relaxing listen, though. Another album Bailes performs on has been called 'The Most Relaxing Album in the World'.

If you've ever gone for a massage, songs from this album might be found on the relaxation CD that is playing in the room when you lie down. Bailes doesn't miss a beat as he replays these folk songs from centuries before he was born.

While the song title 'Whip my Toudie' might make you think of something more raucous and 'Heigh Ho Holiday' sounds more like a song that might be on an album with Camptown races; the album flows smoothly from start to finish.

I wouldn't throw this on at a keg party or anything, but it is quite relaxing and is perfect for background music.

Sunday Brunch: Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Cookies are fine to eat for breakfast if you put oats and bananas in them, right? Right?



Ingredients:
2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Oats
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp Oil
1/2 cup Soy Milk
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Egg Replacer
1 ripe Banana
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 cup Vegan Chocolate Chips
1/2-1 cup Dried Cranberries

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mash banana with fork and mix in oil, soy milk, egg replacer and vanilla. Mix in wet ingredients with the dry; add the craisins and chocolate chips at the same time to mix in well.

When mixed, scoop small amounts onto a greased pan and flatten to 1/2 inch or so (will rise in oven); cook 10-12 minutes until lightly golden on top.

A Record A Week: Bach: The Goldberg Variations (Glenn Gould)

Okay, so I definitely could have filed this under G I suppose, but it says BACH in big letters, so it's under B.



SIDE 1. - Variations 1 Through 16

Aria
Variation 1 a 1 Clav.
Variation 2 a 1 Clav.
Variation 3 a 1 Clav. Canone All'Unisuono
Variation 4 a 1 Clav.
Variation 5 a 1 Ovvero 2 Clav.
Variation 6 a 1 Clav. Canone Alla Seconda
Variation 7 a 1 Ovvero 2 Clav.
Variation 8 a 2 Clav.
Variation 9 a 1 Clav. Canone alla Terza
Variation 10 a 1 Clav. Fughetta
Variation 11 a 2 Clav.
Variation 12 Canone Alla Quarta
Variation 13 a 2 Clav.
Variation 14 a 2 Clav.
Variation 15 a 1 Clav. Canone alla Quinta. Andante
Variation 16 Ouverture a 1 Clav.

SIDE 2. - Variations Nos. 17 Through 30
Variation 17 a 2 Clav.
Variation 18 Canone Alla Sesta a 1 Clav.
Variation 19 a 1 Clav.
Variation 20 a 2 Clav.
Variation 21 Canone Alla Settima
Variation 22 Alla Breve a 1 Clav.
Variation 23 a 2 Clav.
Variation 24 Canone All'Ottava a 1 Clav.
Variation 25 a 2 Clav.
Variation 26 a 2 Clav.
Variation 27 Canone Alla Nona
Variation 28 a 2 Clav.
Variation 29 a 1 Ovvero 2 Clav.
Variation 30 a 1 Clav. Quodlibet
Aria da Capo

Glenn Gould was as much of a musical prodigy as you can get. He hummed instead of crying as a baby and was playing music before he could read words. Throughout his life, he wrote, composed, arranged and conducted music, as well as being a radio announcer later on.

He did some of his own composition, but when it came to performing classical pieces, Bach was his main squeeze. He dabbled in other composers as well, but they were never with the same amount of focus. His playing on this record shows his intimate knowledge of classical music. He didn't just play it, he felt it and understood it completely. When classical piano is played well, it feels as if the fingers of the player are moving automatically and freely across the keyboard.

I am always on the hunt for classical music that I can tolerate listening to and this record gives me hope. At times it does sort of sound like the soundtrack to the parts of a black and white film where the person is skipping along; before they run into the villain and the minor chords kick in. Overall I enjoyed this record and am proud to have Glenn Gould in the musical heritage of Canada.

Murphy's Law Part 1. - Ohio Bus Trip

You know those moments in life where you say "I can't believe this is happening right now!"? Well, if you know me, then you are well aware that when they happen to me, the more common reaction is "hahaha, of course this happened!"

Now, I'm not saying that I am unlucky or accident prone (although I am a bit, perhaps), but I certainly have had my fair share of occurances that make me say "really?" Some are caused by blatant wrong choices, some by minor missteps and others are just fate. They tend to occur when I am either on my way somewhere important, or when I have left myself very little time for errors.

When I was about 19, I was about halfway through college and on a weekend near the end of one semester, I decided to go down to Cleveland for Clevelandfest. Now, I was between cars and although both of my parents loved me very much, they had no desire to loan me their car to drive to Cleveland. So I decided to take a ride on the Greyhound. Luckily, I was able to convince my good friend Ben to come along for the trip. We got up super early in the morning, loaded up with coffee and caught the 6:30am bus (the 6am bus met up with the same connection bus, so we opted for the extra sleep (mistake #1)). Off we headed towards Buffalo (connection city from Toronto) and all appeared well. When we got to about St. Catherines the highway was closed and as a result, we headed off on a detour. Now, you trust your bus driver to know the way around so you don't really question it when you end up on curvy residential roads and start feeling like you are getting a bit far from the highway and start feeling that maybe soon the road will get narrower and become a dirt path and you'll end up on the news but not in a good way. Then the bus did a 3-point turn on one of the residential streets and I knew something was wrong. Turns out the bus driver was unaware of the detour and either the signage was not good or he didn't know how to follow it properly. EVENTUALLY we made it back on the highway and got to the border. We crossed the border with only a slight hiccup (one of us only had no photo ID) and rolled into the Greyhound station. As we were pulling in, we saw a bus leaving the station and I said, "Wouldn't it be funny if that was our bus?"

It wasn't.

There were no more Buffalo-Cleveland buses for a few hours and they couldn't (or wouldn't) call the one that had left less than 10 minutes earlier to hold up while we took a cab to meet it. We loaded up on quarters and watched some 10" black and white tv-in-the-chair in the station. Luckily there was a Fresh Prince marathon on to keep us occupied for at least a little bit. If you've ever been to the Greyhound station in Buffalo, you'll know there is nothing to do within walking distance. Finally, the other bus came and picked us up (by which time the festival had started...we were supposed to get there 3 hours early). The bus driver had a serious case of pump-the-pedal style of driving, causing us to feel like we were in a wave pool for the remainder of the 3.5 hour trip. In addition to this, the movie was Ernest goes to camp, which I would normally force myself to get immersed in to pass time, but a malfunction in the system caused it to repeatedly play for 15 minutes, get fuzzy, kick back in and then restart.

We arrived at the festival minutes after one of the bands we most wanted to see had finished, around 5pm, 6 hours after it had started. The normally 5 or so hour trip had taken us almost 12 hours. In good news, the rest of the evening was great and I saw what became one of my favourite live bands for the first time.

We stayed over at a B&B that my mom had reserved for us. It was a nice alternative to a hotel, especially after our long excursion the previous day. While we were eating breakfast, though, one of us picked up a newspaper on the coffee table to check it out and noticed a small pile of white powder. I said immediately "OH MAN IT'S COCAINE!" to which Ben replied "it's probably just sugar from somebody's coffee". So, naturally, I dipped my finger in it and gave a taste. It definitely wasn't sweet, salty or soapy; and my tongue did go numb, but we decided to give the B&B the benefit of the doubt and go with it being laundry soap.

We departed for the second day of the festival on foot. We couldn't remember the exact roads we took to get home the night before and weren't familiar with the area, since we were left with no time to explore. We looked at all the options and trusted our instincts as far as what direction to head off in. As the map shows, we went the right direction, but took the wrong roads (mistake #2).



As we headed through what one might describe as the "rougher part of town", some guys on a porch yelled out "Hey, give me a smoke" (we weren't smoking), to which we replied "we don't have any". They decided that we had answered the question improperly and thus, should be subjected to a beat-down. They came up between us and kicked Ben and clocked me in the face. I moved back after that and sort of scurried away. Ben tried fighting back, which they didn't like, so they hit him more. We got away with only a few bruises, I had a big bump on my face, but I am fairly sure Ben's torso got the worst of it. They didn't steal anything (and we had all of our stuff to catch the bus home after the show), so it's safe to say they were just assholes.

We made it to the show and enjoyed the second day, met lots of people and I think we may have got in free (because the promoter felt bad for us). A couple of the dudes we met were nice enough to drive us to the Greyhound station. We caught the bus home and things were generally incident-free. The border people were so interested in our story of being jumped that they didn't even care about the lack of photo ID.

Coming soon, in no particular order: Rear-ended on the way to my mom's funeral; blown tire on the way to the corn roast; how my van got ants; the year my sister cursed my car; when CAA wouldn't let me into the van; and more!

****UPDATE****

Ironically, during the course of writing this post on occurances and accidents, I got my finger caught in a wire machine at work.



Which created:


Anyhow, that plus being away for the weekend meant no Record a Week or Sunday Brunch this week, but I should be able to get back to them this weekend.

Sunday Brunch: Spiced Blueberry-Banana Bread

I adapted this recipe from How it all Vegan's banana bread.

Ingredients:
3 very ripe large bananas (4 smaller)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
1/3 cup oil (it calls for 1/2 cup, but try upping the quantity of bananas to work with less oil)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 375F.

Mix flour, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, mash bananas with oil and sugar until smooth. Pour wet mixture into dry and add the chocolate chips and blueberries. Mix all together until just mixed and pour into a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes (or until you can put a fork in and it comes out clean)

A Record A Week: Always Outnumbered - When Potential Outweighs Ability

I threw this record on while I was playing Mario Galaxy, because I knew I'd be away this weekend and probably not have time other than that.



SIDE 1.
LONGER THE STRETCH
CAN IT'S RING PERIL
FADES TO GREY
JUST SAY THE WORDS
OUR LAST BOW

SIDE 2.
KATHRINE THE GRATEFUL
BURN YOURSELF ALIVE
NEVER LET GO
WITHOUT CONCERN
A BEGINNING AND AN END

Well, if this doesn't take me back, I'm not sure what would.

Always Outnumbered hailed from Burlington, Ontario, where I attended high school with a few of the members. In fact, you could say this band had its roots in my garage and basement. Prior to forming the Punk/Rock/Emo/Pop sound and hitching on drummer Ian Blackwood, the members were in a punk band called the Urinal Mints. The direction they were taking was above my talent level and they chose to regroup and form Always Outnumbered. I even remember a couple of these songs being in the works while I was still playing with them, though they took on a distinctly different feel.

The record has a distinct Burlington feel to it. If you take any specific time period, the bands from Burlington (or anywhere really), all have a similar sound. When I first started going to shows, ska was a big thing, then it was skate punk, which slowly started progressing to 'emo' (not in the traditional sense), then on to hardcore and whatever it is now. This record marks a transition from skate punk. With influences like Hot Water Music and Jimmy Eat World, as well as locals Grade, Jersey and Outspan.

Listening to this record left me feeling a little nostalgic a little old, and happy to have moved on from Burlington to a more expansive musical area. It was nice to have Burlington music scene as a starting place, but moreso experiencing everything I did after leaving.

A Record a Week: The Best of Mark-Almond

SIDE 1:
THE CITY
TRAMP AND THE YOUNG GIRL
ONE WAY SUNDAY

SIDE 2:
THE GHETTO
SONG FOR YOU
FRIENDS
SOLITUDE

Musicians Jon Mark and Johnny Almond are the main forces behind Mark-Almond (aka Mark Almond or the Mark Almond Band). The pair began playing music together in the late 60s and gained most of their popularity through the early 70s.

When I first turned this record on, it sounded very reminiscent of The Moody Blues. The first song "The City" is an 11 minute jazz-rock anthem. The album flows through styles of space rock, lounge jazz, fusion and avant-garde.

I really enjoyed this album as a whole. I didn't love all of it, but "The City"really got me interested and although my interest dropped a bit in the second song, "One Way Sunday" got me back. After a slow-ish start on the second side, things branch off into the artsy jazz realm. There was one song that had a terrific group vocal part, but I couldn't discern whether it was "Song For You" or "Solitude". It sounds like a mash-up of jazz-rock, The Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, the out-there sounds you hear coming from the Rex at 1:30 in the morning and some version of Jazz you would hear on your local EZ rock station. I know that covers a lot of different areas, but for the time period they were playing, it kind of makes sense.

Why Men Don't Know How Bald We Are

Some men go bald. Some do not. I, myself am heading that way and have been for some time. I wasn't always okay with it, but I have certainly come to terms with it. First you get the tell-tale widow's peak, or you notice the sun on the top of your head a bit more on hot days, or when you are frustrated, you run your fingers through your hair and it is much easier than it was earlier in your life. Notice any of these signs and you are probably going bald, too.

I noticed it happening to me while my hair was long and have been progressively cutting my hair shorter until I finally gave in fully re-embraced the buzz cut.

However, it wasn't until I was looking at pictures that I noticed the full extent of the baldness.



I was looking in the mirror, which of course isn't magical and only reflects that which is directly in front of it. Well, the angle doesn't quite get all the way back to that spot I circled in the picture above.


(My widow's peak is higher on one side than the other for whatever reason. Baldness doesn't care about symmetry.)

Then I got to thinking "how long has it been like this?" So I did some asking around and the general answer was "I thought you knew" and besides, nobody wants to really be like "hey you're getting real bald there dude" anyway, so even if they thought I didn't know, they probably wouldn't have told me.

How many countless others has this happened to? Is there an epidemic of people who have a higher percentage of baldness than they think? It can lead to some nasty situations.



Notice the woman's hesitation, because she sees this:



And then 8-10 months later:



When really:



I don't really know what the solution is, to be honest. Perhaps we can all stop those who have the spot at the back and say "excuse me, but were you aware that you have a bald spot appearing on a part of your head you might not be able to see in a regular mirror?"; or maybe those of us who notice that we are starting to go a little thin can put mirrors on the wall opposite the mirrors we look in to keep tabs on things back there.

Recipe: Bean Salad with Fennel and Quinoa

Ingredients:
1 Can of Black Beans, Rinsed and Drained (or cooked dry beans)
1 Can of Kidney Beans (or other bean of choice), Rinsed and Drained
2 Cobs of Corn
1/3 Cup Fennel, Chopped or Sliced
1/4 Cup Red Onion, Chopped or Sliced
1 1/2 Cups Quinoa, Cooked and Cooled
1/2 Large Red Pepper (or whole small one), Chopped

Dressing:
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
About 3 tbsp Wine Vinegar (add to your own taste)
1 tsp Lemon Juice
2 Cloves Garlic
Dash of Pepper
Dash of Sugar/Honey
Dried Chilies (optional)

Grill the corn over medium heat on the BBQ, turning occasionally to prevent burning. When it has a nice light brown roasting, it's done. Cook Quinoa according to directions (1 1/4 cup water : 1 cup quinoa), set both aside in the fridge to cool.

Prepare beans and vegetables, combine in a bowl. When quinoa and Corn are cool, cut the kernels off the cobs and combine everything with dressing in the bowl and stir before serving!

I would've added tomatoes, myself, but our son hates them, so it made much more sense to forgo them.

Sunday Brunch: Creamy Strawberry/Rapsberry Oatmeal w/ Chocolate Coconut Topping

I'll admit, this might be a bit rich for breakfast or brunch, but you can skip the topping if you'd not into the morning sweet.



Oatmeal Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1/2 Cup Soy Milk
1/2 Cup Water (about 3 tbsp less than 1/2 cup, the berry juice will make up for the rest)
4-5 Chopped Strawberries
7 or 8 Raspberries

Topping Ingredients:
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
4 tbsp Chopped Walnuts
3-4 tbsp Vegan Chocolate Chunks or Chips

Combine oats, soy milk and water in a pot and bring to a low boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and add the berries, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate in a double boiler (or use a small pot filled with an inch of water boiling over medium heat and a bowl that sits well on the top of the pot). In a pan, dry roast the chopped nuts and coconut until the coconut is a light brown. Remove from heat and stir into the melted chocolate.

Put the oatmeal in a bowl and top with chocolate mixture!

If you are omitting the topping, but still want a taste of coconut, leave out 3 tbsp of soy milk and replace with coconut milk instead.

A Record a Week: Mose Allison - Back Country Suite/Local Color

Wow, I'm starting writing this at 10:45 and it's a double record, so I am going to have to listen and write at the same time to get this under my self-imposed Saturday Deadline!

This album is a re-release of his Debut Album "Back Country Suite" and his second effort, "Local Color".



SIDE 1. (Originally released on the album Back Country Suite)
NEW GROUND
TRAIN
WARM NIGHT
BLUE BLUES
SATURDAY
SCAMPER
JANUARY
SPRING SONG
HIGHWAY 49

SIDE 2. (Originally released on the album Back Country Suite)
BLUEBERRY HILL
YOU WON'T LET ME GO
I THOUGH ABOUT YOU
ONE ROOM COUNTRY SHACK
IN SHALAH

SIDE 3. (Originally released on the album Local Color)
PARCHMAN FARM
CARNIVAL
CREPUSCULAR AIR
MOJO WOMAN
TOWN

SIDE 4. (Originally released on the album Local Color)
TROUBLE IN MIND
LOST MIND
I'LL NEVER BE FREE
DON'T EVER SAY GOODBYE
AIN'T YOU A MESS

An incredible piano player, Mose Allison's Jazz styles range from the smooth piano lounge to the snap-your-fingers jazz dance club. It's easy to see how he influenced and is covered by the Clash, The Who, The Stones, Hendrix, Elvis Costello, and the Yardbirds; Van Morrison even did an entire Album's worth. The Pixies song "Allison" is a tribute to him. The songs on these albums, a mixture of his own work and variations on others', are a foundation for his 40+ albums and have a sound that wove through Jazz and Rock for years to follow.

In this reissue, Pete Townshend and Ira Gitler fill the gatefold with tales of his life and his influence on them.

Years before Elvis brought was a white man doing black music, a teenage Mose Allison was playing jazz with an also teenage B.B. King in Memphis.

The first side of the record sounds like something you would hear on Itunes when you double-click a song. The songs start and play for about a minute before fading out, sounding more like a snippet than a complete works. The songs focus on the instrumentation (mainly his piano, but including solos on other instruments), with vocals used sparingly. The sparse use of vocals really pulls you into focus after you lose yourself in the groove of the instrumental tracks. Once you flip the record over, the other three sides have a more traditional length to them and a more complete feel as well. He even plays trumpet on the opening track of the final side.

I love the sounds on old records and I wish sometimes that things had never gone digital. The effect of the old microphones and the recording on to tape has such a warm, comfortable feel to it. Drums were recorded with two microphones and sound better than many of today's ten plus microphone setups.

This record is a terrific example of why I started this project in the first place. I have a whole host of records that I've never listened to and I just knew that I would be exposed to a bunch of new areas of music that I hadn't been previously. This record is a real gem and here's to hoping that I uncover more treasures along the way.

(writing finished at 11:51, record played until 11:59)

Recipe: Pizza Sauce with Sweet Potato

Ingredients:
1 can of Whole Tomatoes (drained, or be prepared to add tomato paste to thicken if you'd rather)
2 tsp Fresh or 1 tbsp Dried Basil (Oregano would also work, or both)
1 tbsp (or one second pour) of Balsamic
1 tbsp (or one second pour again) of Olive Oil
2 cloves Minced Garlic
Chili Pepper Flakes (depending how spicy you like it - 1/2 tsp at the least, I used about 1/2 tbsp)
1 Yam or Sweet Potato, peeled and chopped

Stew the tomatoes in a pot over medium heat until they break up a bit. Add the garlic, basil and balsamic and simmer until tomatoes break up quite a bit. In a separate pot, boil up yam/sweet potato until well cooked and drain. Add olive oil and chili pepper flakes to tomato blend and simmer for about 5 minutes. Use a hand blender to puree the tomato mixture, then add the yam and mash it in, stirring to get a smooth mixture.

It makes enough for a few pizzas. It has a nice mixture of sweet and spicy, which is a change of pace from regular tomato sauce.

For toppings, I use veggie ground, caramelized onions, artichoke hearts, spinach, roasted red pepper and broccoli as my most frequent toppings, but it is always fun to experiment with different things.

I usually use a home-made crust, but you can grab them pre-made at the grocery store for pretty cheap, and it cuts down on prep time.

An Ode to London

Dear London,

There are many things to like about you. Your plentiful forests; your bounty of wildlife (that runs right over the roads and through residential areas); your local farms that provide a summer full of wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables; your downtown festivals that have a great assortment of foods, music and crafts; your off leash dog parks; and your ultra cheap real estate (although there are ultra high property taxes to match).

Then there are the things that I would consider 'middle ground'; the things that I don't love, but I can tolerate. They may even be things that I was 100% against, but have learned to put up with, or at least let roll off. Your lack of vegan food options (though this is steadily increasing, to the point I would even consider sliding it into the first paragraph); your lack of entertainment/music scene (big bands at the JLC, not as much in the way of smaller bands, or getting interest in them...venues closing, etc.); and your 100 trains that cross roads and often make me arrive late to my destination (more on these trains in the next section).

There are two things about you, though, London that really get my blood boiling.

One is your matter-of-fact racism. I try to let roll off sometimes because London is ultra-white and I could spend a loooot of time stressing out and being upset over it, but many times I end up having to say something.

Plenty of instances I have had interactions with a customer who will use a mock accent or sliding in a racial slur while commenting on things being made in China or India or anywhere else not in Canada or USA.

Once in a while we have what is called a 'lunch and learn' where a company will send in their salesman to come in and teach us about new products or certification standards or whatever, and they'll buy us lunch since we are using our lunch hour to be there. On one particular occasion, this one salesman came in and gave his report on new products (not being able to answer a single one of my questions along the way, saying things like 'I should look into that') and then right near the end he was talking about his products being made here in Canada, while competitors were made in China. Then he proceeded to pull the sides of his eyes out and talk in broken English with a Chinese accent, saying something about making poor quality products. Now, behaviour like this is intolerable at any time, but it was even worse, as he was representing an entire company as he was doing it. I was so appalled that I wrote a note to the company he was representing. I never heard back from them, and I still see the salesman come around so I guess it didn't make a difference. It's also worth noting that he is pretty useless and I have always ended up having to call the company for support because he can't answer my questions.

Actually, I've definitely heard sexist and homophobic comments as well, so the whole category could just be filed under bigotry. I suppose when it comes down to it, these lovely qualities are often found together.

The one issue that I face every day and invariably drives me right up the wall and gets my blood boiling is driving.

Driving in the city of London makes no sense. There was no foresight to the planning of the roads in the city and no attempt has been made to rectify any of the several issues. In addition to (or possibly as a result of) this, nobody knows how to drive.

The main issue is the lack of roads that lead anywhere. Here is a rough road map of the town of London:


The city was built on the river, presumably as an access point/industrial location. As you can see, there are only four roads that span the city from top to bottom. Every other street stops at the river (nice and pretty - note the colour) or some random park or building or something else they did not plan around. As a result, the four roads are always all busy and because they are so frequently travelled, they need to be repaired come spring every year. Then you have additional delays caused by half of the road being torn up from the first day the frost clears until the snow starts staying on the ground.

Also, it is as if the road planners decided that they didn't want the east-west roads to be left out or feel inferior, so they would only make a handful of roads that span the city that direction as well. There is certainly not many things that keep a road from spanning the city that way (other than the one change of direction of the river that is seemingly impossible to bridge), so I can't see any other reason why they wouldn't provide more routes that way.

In most other cities I've been in, when you hit some traffic, you can dodge down a side street in the direction you are heading and keep up a left-right-left or right-left-right pattern up until you get to another major street or your destination. When you do that here, you get run through a series of subdivisions filled with crescents and courts (except downtown where you can mostly go in a straight line for at least a couple blocks). Therefore you are left either turning around and going back to where you came from, or getting spit out at a completely different road than you would figure to end up on.

Then there are the trains. There are numerous trains for cargo and passengers that travel in and out of London. While I applaud this method of transportation, I do not like how every trip you take can be interrupted by a train. They cross most roads at one point or another and seem to always come when you are just a minute or two behind already, completely blowing up your chance of making it on time. Then you leave fifteen minutes earlier the next time and end up with all green lights and no trains.


Also, there are the ill-positioned lane reductions. This is partly on the designers of the road and partly on the drivers. Every city has roads with lane reductions. They happen when areas become less populated, leave town, or they can be as a result of construction. The permanent ones usually create a tiny amount of traffic as people merge in, while the construction ones always cause more as people are flying along a road normally 4 lanes wide and remember last minute that they've reduced the lanes before their turn when they thought it was after. That is to be expected. There is one here in London where a road reduces a lane about 20 metres after a set of lights (only to open up again about a kilometre up the road for some reason). This one irks me to no end. Everybody in London knows that this happens. Yet, when you try to be a good driver and park 16th in line in the lane that stays, a whole pile of cars drive up beside you and pretend as if they didn't know the lane ended after the light. I can buy one or two cars in there that simply forget or want to gun it ahead of the busier line, but there is consistently a large amount of cars there. How can they fix this oversight? Get rid of the right turn lane, paint some arrows on the right lane for the last 15 metres or so and stick a sign in the ground that says this lane must turn right.


Now that I've mentioned the drivers, I will move over to my concerns about them. There are all the regular problems of idiot drivers like speeding 50km/h over the limit and dodging into your lane with no signal or darting into a space that leaves one inch or so in front of them before the next car and another inch or so between the back of their car and yours. But in addition to these commonly faced issues, London has its own specialties.

Whenever you are at an intersection, the drivers treat the yellow as part of the green and the first five seconds of the red as a yellow. I think this started at one intersection where the east-west street gets a full green with left turns going west and then a full green with lefts going east before the green light going north and south. This 3-step lighting can be a bit of a nuisance if you arrive just as the light is changing, as you have to wait an extra set of lights before you can go again. Perhaps some people saw the practice happening at this intersection and decided it was perfectly fine, and that they would apply it at every intersection they encounter.


Sometimes, though, one of these 'where I have to be is more important than the law of traffic' drivers gets behind a responsible driver in the left turn lane and this happens:


That situation kind of makes me laugh, and I am very happy when I see another driver doing the responsible thing and not going way after they should.

All in all, these issues are certainly not applicable to every resident you have, London, but I thought you might like to know so you can keep an eye on them. And thank you for all of the good things that you provide.

Sincerely,
J. Tobias Milton