Oivay!

You will have likely noticed that I have not blogged in nearly a month. This is because school has taken over my life, namely the lab reports. If I am not writing a lab report, I am cramming for an exam or reading a multitude of research papers. My Reading Week (February 19-23) will be spent READING!!! I have five midterms and six lab reports in the five weeks following Reading Week. They are, of course, not evenly spaced throughout those five weeks; rather, they are lumped, clumped, grouped, what have you. But it's not like I am really entitled to complain. I knew this was coming, and I have time. I just don't WANT to prepare. I don't WANT to hole up in the library for the entirety of my "freedom." I want to sleep and watch movies and DVDs and sports and plain ol' do NOTHING!!!

Since ALL of my time has been devoted to school, there is little else to report. Lost started up again after its extended hiatus. What's the deal with that anyway? Primetime TV shows have gathered such massive followings that they can afford not making new episodes for months without risking the loss of their viewers. And with the advent on TV on DVD, all that additional revenue means they can afford it even more. It makes sense, but it's dumb. Just show your show.

I got my first mobile phone. Well, it's actually not my first. I had one in the tenth grade for a few months, but no one else had one soI basically never used it. It's pretty useful, I suppose. I have only had it for a week, and a lot of my friends don't have my number yet, so I suppose I haven't exactly hit peak usage. But I pretty much love text messaging.

I have been thinking about extending my degree by at least another semester, taking a few courses that I wanted to take, but didn't get the chance to since I switched programs mid-degree and have been bogged down with requirements. This extension would also serve to help me prepare for.... applying to med school. Eeep. When I was young, I wanted to be a doctor. Then I wanted to be a lawyer. Then I wanted to be a researcher. And now I have come full circle and kind of want to be a doctor again. I think I could do it. And I know it would interest me beyond imagination. But.... I still don't know. Is it truly what I really want? It is my goal to figure that out over Reading Week, which also means I will have to work out my degree.... and scrap my application for graduation.... and register for some summer classes..... and somehow find some money to faciliate this extension. So much to think about. It's making me emo.

And speaking of emo... I know I generally wouldn't talk about this on a blog, but it's really bugging me. What the heck is up with males? Why are boys dumb? Do they know they are emitting mixed signals? Do they know that such mixed signals are ripping my figurative heart in two, nay, millions??? GAH! So, I am pretty much feeling foolish and heartbroken at the moment. Stupid boys.

Movies I've seen recently: Children of Men and Notes on a Scandal - see them both!
Movies I want to see: Apocalypto, The Departed, Babel, Flushed Away, Smokin' Aces, Stranger than Fiction
Music I've recently aquired - Children of Men Soundtrack (very eclectic; everyone's bound to like something on it; includes a beautiful rendition of "Ruby Tuesday"), MSTRKRFT, Hot Chip, Emily Loizeau, Snow Patrol, Justin Timberlake.
Music that I want to acquire: Thirteen Senses, Bloc Party

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - JULY 21, 2007!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's it, essentially. I will blog one more time in the near future to explain what I would be like were I a hockey player, but thereafter, I should be expected to be MIA.

Out of Tune[s]

There once was a time when I was heavily interested in music. One summer I spent in excess of $350 towards building my collection. And while music remains very important to me, I have recently lost touch with it. I no longer scan band websites for gossip, upcoming releases. I no longer take suggestions for bands that I should check out. I just listen to what I have, and only some of it at that. The only time I listen to the radio is when my alarm goes off in the morning, but it's tuned to CJSR and the program at 6:00 am is the BBC World Service news. Off the top of my head, I cannot remember the last album I bought.

I miss music.

I was raised on rock and roll. The Good Stuff. Then, when I moved to B.C. at the tender age of 7, my teenage cousins introduced me to pop, dance, R&B, and the like. And yes, I went through the Boy Band Phase. Then I started to explore a little, and added some indie rock and electronica to my repertoire. Lately I have been getting into genre moods. I have passed through a rap mood - a little Kanye here, Hova there; a Mötley mood - trüe to the red, white, and Crüe; a Coldplay mood - one of my favourites. But none of these binges are satisfying my longing for music. I enjoy them, but listening to them is like being hungry and merely looking at a feast set before you.

I don't really know why I have grown away from music. Maybe I just stopped listening. Maybe I became slightly disgruntled by the fact that I was close to being one of those people that look for little-known and sometimes weird music for the sake of looking for little-known and sometimes weird music.... to be cool and, er, hip. You know the type of which I speak. Why not stick to what you like for at least a while? It seems almost traitorous just moving on for the sake of being hip. [Sarcastic interlude]I mean, heaven forbid I should like the music that millions of other people may like! How embarrassing! [/interlude]

I need to reconnect. I have been trying to think of some potential music purchases. Maybe....the new RHCP? The Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack (it stuck out in my mind as quite nice as I watched the movie, which is usually a sign that I should acquire it. There are many a'soundtracks to which I have become attached)? Gnarls Barkley? I'm a little torn on whether or not I should get the newest of Keane and Snow Patrol. I like their older stuff, but the new stuff sounds different. Basement Jaxx just released a new album - quite tantalizing. k-os is coming out with something new soon. I'm a little curious about this new Bob Dylan stuff, too.

I am also torn on the issue of purchasing. While I like buying CDs for the sake of having a tangible collection (to maybe even pass on to my descendants one day when the CD is completely obsolete), I am also quite drawn to the efficiency and reduced prices of buying albums on iTunes. Oh, what a pickle.

So, I don't really know what I wanted to accomplish with this post. Maybe you, my dearest readers, can provide some insight on how to go about getting back to music. Maybe you can suggest an artist for me to check out, an album for me to consider, a song that might change my life. Maybe you can help me sort through the pros and cons of iTunes purchases. Maybe you can read this post and not leave a comment, now knowing that blog comments are what make my world go round.