Paging Dr. Free Time

I am currently sitting by my unconscious father in the hospital as he sleeps off the anaesthetic used for a medical exam. In order to entertain myself during the long waiting hours I have dug into my latest batch of downloaded music and would like to share my impressions so far, as a way to pass the time and feel slightly more music knowledgeable than I am.

Round 1: The Flaming Lips ***

So far, The Flaming Lips have delighted me with their album “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots”, with the title song entertaining me the most (both 1^st and 2^nd part). It’s a bit sugary, but it doesn’t feel sickening at all yet. Definitely an addition to my library, whether it will be contained to this album only I’ll decide later.

Round 2: Weezer *****

Listening to Weezer’s Green Album not only feels me with giddiness at their Beatles reference, but makes me rue the lack of Green album in my so-far Weezerless life. I deem Island in the Sun impossible to listen to without moving your body along with the rhythm, the song fills me with a happiness I hadn’t felt with a new song in quite a while. Weezer, you live on in my library. Discography at once.

Round 3: The Electric Six ****

Their album Fire remotely reminds me of Tenacious D mixed with Gorillaz, if you are going to sample this so-far great group I recommend the songs High Voltage and Gay Bar, which show some of the most fun guitar playing I’ve heard in a while. Electric Six gain passage easily into my library with risk of either becoming an obsession or becoming a forgotten band in my scrolling.

Round 4: Donavon Frankenreiter ***

A very Jack-Johnsonny sound with a hint of Stevie Wonder’s voice receives assured passage into the library on account of perfect listening for early mornings, rainy days and beach houses. The songs “It Don’t Matter” and “Day Dreamer” exemplifies how laid back this album is.

Round 5: Great Big Sea ***

Fun fact about me: I am a sucked for Irish music. Though this band is in fact Canadian, they’ve got a perfectly shamrockian kind of rock. “In The Company of Fools” from Fortune’s Favour was a great beginning to listen.

Round 6: The Violent Femmes N/A

Got on to a bad start listening to “Gimme the Car”, a song whose vocal’s didn’t thrill me. “Blister in the Sun” saved the band with a killer bass, though the vocals are still not my favorite sound. This band gains entrance into the library on the insistence of a friend so I may marinate in these vocals until I find them acceptable.

Ah, my father is now showing signs of life, finally woke up from the anaesthesia for a second. Doctor said he’s all healthy. Aaaaaand, he’s back to sleeping.

TEH

Let me introduce you to Marten.

This charming young lad is the main character in my favorite webcomic, Questionable Content, which you should do yourself a favor and read from the start:

http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1

Marten is a skinny pale teenager who seems completely unhappy with his life. (For fuck's sake, his whole apartment is painted dark blue!)

I've been reading this comic for 5 years now, through every angsty storyline.

The reason I find this relevant at all to share with whoever my inexistent readers are is because I went on a Nostalgia binge. Full package. "I'll Follow You Into The Dark" by Death Cab For Cutie, went through all my facebook pictures, went through all my exes facebook pictures, and started reading Questionable Content from comic #1.

The reason this had such a big effect on me is because of my friend Marten up there, you see...

This is what Marten is looking like now a days. Better drawn, more solid, bigger jaw, happier eyes, a hint of a smile, and yet he happens to be wearing the same Tshirt he wore 1695 pages ago.

http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1695

Seeing the reflection of the Tshirt made me feel reflected myself. As I read through the old issues while listening to nostalgia fuel, I felt as if I was back in freshman year, with all my hopes for the future and preoccupation with the present.

I went to the bathroom for a glass of water and saw what I had become, my reflection exposing to me how, I too, am now drawn differently. My old preoccupations have disappeared, my future is already here, and I am happier than I was back in my old room.

This week I chose my classes for NYUAD, went job-hunting, and watched the heart-retching finale to the Toy Story series, each enough to send me into the realization that my childhood is over by themselves, and I've concluded my younger self would approve of this reflection.

Here's to hoping my future self doesn't disappoint me, and still enjoys reading about Marten.

This Is Modern Literature,

For Children

Live a Life Less Ordinary

Short and sweet is the way to go I suppose.

I have finally graduated High School and am now caught in the 3 month limbo before I fly into the Middle East for college and into whatever the hell my life is going to turn into.

When I awoke today, suddenly, nothing happened.

The second week of IB Exams will start tomorrow with English Paper 2. To be honest I don't have the slightest interest in cramming for any test at this point. After the helplessness felt during the Math HL Papers we so arduously studied for, any last-minute attempts at cramming seem to have been rendered as hopeless endeavors.

It has not all been stress.

I have discovered a new show, Community, which I recommend to anyone who has a sweet-tooth for constant movie references and lamp-shading.

I am caught up on Bleach, Naruto, Mahou Sensei Negima, Hajime No Ippo, House, Lost, Community, and How I Met Your Mother. My desktop and email accounts have been thoroughly cleaned and there is currently no notable drama in my life. In the words of Colin Hay:

"I'm Waiting for My Real Life to Begin."

Though it barely qualifies,
This is Modern Literature
For Children

Long Dark Teatime of the Soul

"In the end, it was the Sunday afternoons he couldn't cope with, and that terrible listlessness that starts to set in about 2:55, when you know you’ve taken all the baths that you can usefully take that day, that however hard you stare at any given paragraph in the newspaper you will never actually read it, or use the revolutionary new pruning technique it describes, and that as you stare at the clock the hands will move relentlessly on to four o’clock, and you will enter the long dark teatime of the soul."
- Life, The Universe and Everything

The majority of my weekend has been spent reading Bleach whilst listening to John Butler. The 2 Theater IB Papers I am to write tonight are nowhere near started, and yet I am leaving in an hour or so to have Muffins and watch How I Met Your Mother.

Procrastination thy name is Sunday.

In spirit of this principle here be youtube nonsense:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VDvgL58h_Y&playnext_from=TL&videos=6Vlsl3uoU74

I don't know what's supposed to be motivating me to work, but it sure as hell needs to kick in in the next 5 hours unless I want an all-nighter.

This is Modern Literature
For Children

What is this "Blogging" you speak of?

There are few expressions as curious as the glazed-over look of confusion that conquers my friends as I try to explain why I "tweet" or "blog". The use of air quotes on the previous two words only seems to befuddle them further.

Explaining the concept of blogging usually leads to a blogger's most dreaded question:

"Why would anyone want to know what you're doing???"

Observed responses to this question range from freezing in place like a deer in headlights to disappearing behind a puff of ninja smoke. Me? I believe I use these tools to put myself on the public eye. As egocentric as it sounds, there is a reason.

Sure, I could pick up a phone and call my friends, I could use facebook inboxes or updates, but none of these would give me the benefits of blogging.

Through blogging I don't have to worry about my writing being superfluous, I will not be taking away your time on the phone, or "clogging up your newsfeed". By blogging I give everyone a ticket that says "this is everything I have to say right now, read it when and if you have the time".

Through blogging I also save my own time, by giving one huge update to anyone who knows my blog, rather than participating in a facebook inbox with one group, an email chain with another and MSN with any stray individuals.

Through blogging I can find an identity, I can see what I enjoy writing about and what my style is.

I don't blog because I believe I'm important. Hell, I probably don't even have anything interesting to say. But just in case I do, and just in case you want to listen in, I will.

This is not a waste of time, it is a public journal for all to read.
This is not yours to judge, its mine for me to introspect.
This is not just a game for my entertainment

This is Modern Literature
For Children

PRESS START TO BEGIN

Greetings, blogosphere.

I have been called to join your ranks by the influences of my fellow soon-to-be ex-classmates and an underlying egotism for seeing my thoughts on a screen. Through this blog I will try to educate, entertain, and confuse whoever unfortunately crosses my path. Whether I will accomplish this vague goal or not is up to speculation.

This will be a window for verborrhea, trivia, faux-philosophy and my attempts at humorous eloquent soliloquyquation.

This will be a place where words like "soliloquyquation" will be used.

This is Modern Literature
For Children