Working with a bunch of 20-somethings, I look forward to hearing new and interesting music, the kind that my friends and I listened to at the same time in our lives. Not the same music, but new music. I was fortunate enough to work in a place with an eclectic bunch that listened to all sorts of music and I got to listen to a lot of it. The sad reality now, however, is that most young adults (ie. the 20-somethings) listen to stuff like the Beatles, "old school" rap and crappy 80's music because it's so ironic. I like 80's music as much as the next guy, but the stuff that was sub-par and overplayed then is not suddenly more enjoyable to listen to now. Hall and Oates are not so awesome that need to played non-stop, I don't care how much you like "Maneater."
(Which is a good song, but I digress)
It seems rare that a new band comes along that doesn't sound like every other band that also just came around. I try listening to a lot of the new music my younger friends and co-workers rave about and most of it is sadly unimpressive. Most people that know me, know that I tend to be pretty negative about popular movies, this is not the case with music. I like music and sometimes even enjoy "pop." However, I think with everything else that is being changed due to society's media over-saturation, music is becoming too genre-ed.
Musical genres have always been exacting; I can think of at least five sub-genres of reggae, I remember joking with my friend about all the sub-genres of punk music. However, with the internet bands have become able to focus on a particular group of listeners. And for some bands, it's really not about the money, they just want to create music, and in most cases, they want someone to hear it and tell them what they think.
This creates an annoying hodge-podge of music that few have the time to wade through. Your best bet is to hope that someone you know is going to play something new that you like. Or you just stumble across something yourself.
The band, OK-Go, first caught my attention with their video for "Here it Goes Again." You may remember it as that video where the guys were on the treadmills. But even after the novelty of the video wore off, the music was still good. Now they have released a new album, with new songs and new videos to go with the songs. Their new video is pretty cool, especially if you're some sort of band geek, I'm not, but I know people who are."This Too Shall Pass" is a very cool song. And, once again, they have made a very cool video to go along with it.
I was watching the video and I thought, "this is a cool video."
Then I thought, "these guys must have listened to a lot of the Kinks."
Which is cool because I like the Kinks, but more so, I like bands that are influenced by good music rather than stuff like Hall and Oates. But what interested me even more was their explanation as to why their videos that are on YouTube can't be embedded elsewhere. So now, not only have I found a band I like, I can like them without wrestling with the fact that I am supporting a douchebag. (ie. Mel Gibson, Russell Crowe etc.) Not only do I like them, but they seem smart as well, and that's just cool.
Friday 22 January 2010
Thursday 31 December 2009
Zales The Jewelry Experts, Customer Care, not so much..
Zales Customer Care,
I am assuming that by sending this e-mail to your department, perhaps
it will be forwarded to the appropriate personnel. However based on
recent experiences I shall remain doubtful.
I recently purchased item number 17906918, which was your The Shared
Heart® 1/10 CT. T.W. Diamond Pendant in 14K White Gold as an
anniversary gift for my wife. What I received in the mail was The
Shared Heart® 1/10 CT. T.W. Diamond Tilted Pendant in Sterling Silver.
Needless to say, my wife was very disappointed. When we called to ask
what could be done about this mistake, the preponderance of rectifying
this error was put upon us; we were told that we could not return the
necklace to any of the stores in the area for an appropriate credit,
that our money would not be credited to our account until the necklace
is received via mail, and that there would be no discount in the
purchase of the appropriate necklace that will arrive long after our
anniversary.
This makes me believe that your company feels that the customer is the
least important aspect of your business, that the customer that can
only afford one of your less expensive items is beneath contempt and
not worth being treated with any sort of respect. Would I have gotten
better customer care had a bought a higher-end piece? I suspect had I
spent $2000 as opposed to $200, people would have been doing their
best to make this situation right and I would have been compensated in
some small way for an error by your company.
Is this how you establish a loyal customer base? I would hope at some
point to be able to buy my wife nicer jewelry. Based on this
experience I do not think that I will buying that jewelry from your
company. Not only that, but I feel so upset by this I feel I will go
out of my way to recommend to my friends and colleagues to absolutely
avoid your company in their own purchases.
I have bought items from your company in the past, but based on how I
was treated by your customer service representative on the phone, I do
not think that I will continue to do so.
Quite frankly I am completely surprised that in the current economic
climate your company would treat the average customer so shabbily.
Sincerely,
Robert Hausknecht
I am assuming that by sending this e-mail to your department, perhaps
it will be forwarded to the appropriate personnel. However based on
recent experiences I shall remain doubtful.
I recently purchased item number 17906918, which was your The Shared
Heart® 1/10 CT. T.W. Diamond Pendant in 14K White Gold as an
anniversary gift for my wife. What I received in the mail was The
Shared Heart® 1/10 CT. T.W. Diamond Tilted Pendant in Sterling Silver.
Needless to say, my wife was very disappointed. When we called to ask
what could be done about this mistake, the preponderance of rectifying
this error was put upon us; we were told that we could not return the
necklace to any of the stores in the area for an appropriate credit,
that our money would not be credited to our account until the necklace
is received via mail, and that there would be no discount in the
purchase of the appropriate necklace that will arrive long after our
anniversary.
This makes me believe that your company feels that the customer is the
least important aspect of your business, that the customer that can
only afford one of your less expensive items is beneath contempt and
not worth being treated with any sort of respect. Would I have gotten
better customer care had a bought a higher-end piece? I suspect had I
spent $2000 as opposed to $200, people would have been doing their
best to make this situation right and I would have been compensated in
some small way for an error by your company.
Is this how you establish a loyal customer base? I would hope at some
point to be able to buy my wife nicer jewelry. Based on this
experience I do not think that I will buying that jewelry from your
company. Not only that, but I feel so upset by this I feel I will go
out of my way to recommend to my friends and colleagues to absolutely
avoid your company in their own purchases.
I have bought items from your company in the past, but based on how I
was treated by your customer service representative on the phone, I do
not think that I will continue to do so.
Quite frankly I am completely surprised that in the current economic
climate your company would treat the average customer so shabbily.
Sincerely,
Robert Hausknecht
Wednesday 30 September 2009
"Reality"
One of the biggest problems with the way that the media portrays “reality” is that, essentially, every reporter, every journalist, is a writer at heart. As Mark Bowden discusses in his article, The Angriest Man on Television, the reporter risks having his or her story ruined by too many facts. Someone like David Simon is able to take the stories that he saw as a reporter for the Sun and tell them in a way that fits neatly into the narrative he has created. A reporter in the real world has to keep going back to the story, to keep investigating and suffer the likelihood that his story is not going to be neat and tidy. There is the very real possibility that this will lead to lazy reporting. It’s easier to report the story that reflects the “reality” created by media than to do the diligence required for a story that doesn’t fit into the narrative created by media.
As shown in the report, Prime Suspects: The Influence of Local Television News on the Viewing Public, the crime stories most often reported on are violent crimes. Of those, the ethnicity of the suspect is most likely to be mentioned when that person is African-American. Through a preponderance of these kinds of stories the media creates a “reality” where African-Americans generally commit violent crimes. The media afraid to break away from the pack reinforces this circular logic. Afraid to tell the story that doesn’t fit neatly into the narrative media has created for themselves, the same types of stories are told over and over until it becomes accepted as “reality.” Add to this the fact that minority reporters predominantly report on the majority of minority stories, in this case, crime stories, and a further level of reinforcement of the false reality is created.
Where does this leave the viewing public? Where are they to turn to in order to gain an accurate view of crime? The local media is going to go with the stories that sell, “If it bleeds, it leads.” The reporter is going to be tempted to report on the stories that fit into the easy mold, the white reporter is going to be hesitant to report on the minority issues that they are unfamiliar with. Hard work is hard. It’s easier to report on the same things that everyone else reports on, it’s easier to report on crime in the minority community than it is to report on issues that affect that community.
When we see someone like David Simon creating a fictional show that has more credibility than reality, we have to question that reality.
As shown in the report, Prime Suspects: The Influence of Local Television News on the Viewing Public, the crime stories most often reported on are violent crimes. Of those, the ethnicity of the suspect is most likely to be mentioned when that person is African-American. Through a preponderance of these kinds of stories the media creates a “reality” where African-Americans generally commit violent crimes. The media afraid to break away from the pack reinforces this circular logic. Afraid to tell the story that doesn’t fit neatly into the narrative media has created for themselves, the same types of stories are told over and over until it becomes accepted as “reality.” Add to this the fact that minority reporters predominantly report on the majority of minority stories, in this case, crime stories, and a further level of reinforcement of the false reality is created.
Where does this leave the viewing public? Where are they to turn to in order to gain an accurate view of crime? The local media is going to go with the stories that sell, “If it bleeds, it leads.” The reporter is going to be tempted to report on the stories that fit into the easy mold, the white reporter is going to be hesitant to report on the minority issues that they are unfamiliar with. Hard work is hard. It’s easier to report on the same things that everyone else reports on, it’s easier to report on crime in the minority community than it is to report on issues that affect that community.
When we see someone like David Simon creating a fictional show that has more credibility than reality, we have to question that reality.
Tuesday 22 September 2009
Head Colds and Breathing Masks
It's a strange feeling when you are told that you are sleeping wrong. I mean, it's sleeping, how can you not do it right?
When I finally got on my wife's insurance plan and had my first doctor's appointment in I don't know how long, he asked me how I was sleeping.
"The regular way," I said, "eyes closed, lying down.. you know."
He sent me to a sleep clinic where they hooked me up to a bunch of machines and told me to sleep normally. Then they proceeded to wake me up every few minutes to ask me how I was sleeping. The diagnosed me with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is where your throat will close while you are sleeping and you will almost wake up, but not quite. You never go into the restful REM sleep so you always feel tired.
After I got my CPAP machine I started sleeping the right way. The machine consists of a mask that fits over your face. This is attached by a hose to a unit that pumps air into the mask. It creates an air pressure that keeps your throat open. It took some getting used to, but now I can't imagine life without it.
I am now suffering through my second head cold since I got the machine. It's not because of the machine, it's just your regular head cold. However nothing is quite as gross as having a runny nose while you have a mask strapped to your face that covers your nose and mouth. You wake up in the middle of the night to feel snot running across your face. Yuck. Then I as I was lying there, after going to the bathroom to blow my nose and wash my face, I realized that the machine was doing it's job. That is to create air pressure to keep my throat open. Usually, when I'm breathing through my nose, it's hardly noticeable. However, with my nose severely clogged, I was sleeping with my mouth open. With the air blasting straight down to my throat making it feel dry and making me feel a little bit crummier.
I did finally fall asleep. But I'll be glad when this cold goes away.
When I finally got on my wife's insurance plan and had my first doctor's appointment in I don't know how long, he asked me how I was sleeping.
"The regular way," I said, "eyes closed, lying down.. you know."
He sent me to a sleep clinic where they hooked me up to a bunch of machines and told me to sleep normally. Then they proceeded to wake me up every few minutes to ask me how I was sleeping. The diagnosed me with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is where your throat will close while you are sleeping and you will almost wake up, but not quite. You never go into the restful REM sleep so you always feel tired.
After I got my CPAP machine I started sleeping the right way. The machine consists of a mask that fits over your face. This is attached by a hose to a unit that pumps air into the mask. It creates an air pressure that keeps your throat open. It took some getting used to, but now I can't imagine life without it.
I am now suffering through my second head cold since I got the machine. It's not because of the machine, it's just your regular head cold. However nothing is quite as gross as having a runny nose while you have a mask strapped to your face that covers your nose and mouth. You wake up in the middle of the night to feel snot running across your face. Yuck. Then I as I was lying there, after going to the bathroom to blow my nose and wash my face, I realized that the machine was doing it's job. That is to create air pressure to keep my throat open. Usually, when I'm breathing through my nose, it's hardly noticeable. However, with my nose severely clogged, I was sleeping with my mouth open. With the air blasting straight down to my throat making it feel dry and making me feel a little bit crummier.
I did finally fall asleep. But I'll be glad when this cold goes away.
Thursday 17 September 2009
Honey Pie
Ahhh… food. When it’s at it’s worst it can be horrible, when it’s merely half-assed it can sometimes be pretty good, and when it’s delicious it can be a transcendental experience. Honey Pie on KK in Bayview falls into the last category.
Housed in the former home of the craptastic Annona Café, Scott Johnson and partners’ newest creation may have been their best one yet.
Thursday night found the place packed. My dinner companion, this evening played by my lovely wife, got there just as it really started to fill up. We got a table for two next to the window, but the people behind us had to wait.
The menu has a few appetizers, a few dinners and an expansive selection of sandwiches. There is also a huge selection of beers and a very tempting dessert display case; more on that later.
We started with the Pork Stacked Fries appetizer; delicious French fries, covered in a bar-b-qued pulled pork, cheese gravy, jalapeno slices, and bacon. What sounded like it would be merely a mess, turned out to work amazingly well together. The jalapenos tasted fresh and had a good bite, the cheese gravy was much more substantial than any cheese sauce could ever hope to be. Overall, the flavors balanced in an amazing dance of beautiful gastronomic excess, the sweetness of the bar-b-que sauce was countered by the pepper’s sharpness, and fries just taste better smothered in cheese.
My wife had a salad with a Citrus Basil dressing. The small taste I had reminded me of fruity vinaigrette, but significantly more substantial.
Dinner arrived. My wife got the Chicken Pot Pie. It was served in a bowl with a golden brown crust easily covering it. The insides consisted of a creamy gravy with a good amount of dark meat chicken and loads of vegetables.
I got the burger special; two pork and beef patties, with pepper jack cheese, a spicy chipolte aioli, and bacon. The special board specified that the burger had tons of bacon, upon seeing the burger, the statement was almost not hyperbole, there was a lot of bacon. This was of course accompanied by another pile of delicious french fries, plain, but I’m not complaining. I could make a meal of those deep-fried tubers.
Dessert seemed to be necessary to complete the experience. I chose the White Russian Cream Pie, my wife got a piece of Turtle cake. I’m not sure what I expected, but I got exactly what was advertised. A piece of home-made cream pie that tasted just like a White Russian. It was good, but not great. It had a bit too much of a strong alcohol flavor, but it was well made and I might be nit-picking. My wife’s cake was delicious and moist. She enjoyed it very much. By the time she offered me a bite, it was too late. I was filled to the top.
Prices were reasonable. Our dinner ran us a little more than $40. Soda refills were happily given, although the waitress seemed to be pretty busy. The place is small so extra servers might end up running each other over, but everything was well worth the wait.
The menu has a good amount of vegetarian and vegan offerings including the option of
”vegan-a-fying” many of the meat dishes.
The food is not healthy, but it is absolutely delicious. Home-cooked comfort food at it’s finest. Put it on your list of places to stop in at. You won’t be disappointed.
Housed in the former home of the craptastic Annona Café, Scott Johnson and partners’ newest creation may have been their best one yet.
Thursday night found the place packed. My dinner companion, this evening played by my lovely wife, got there just as it really started to fill up. We got a table for two next to the window, but the people behind us had to wait.
The menu has a few appetizers, a few dinners and an expansive selection of sandwiches. There is also a huge selection of beers and a very tempting dessert display case; more on that later.
We started with the Pork Stacked Fries appetizer; delicious French fries, covered in a bar-b-qued pulled pork, cheese gravy, jalapeno slices, and bacon. What sounded like it would be merely a mess, turned out to work amazingly well together. The jalapenos tasted fresh and had a good bite, the cheese gravy was much more substantial than any cheese sauce could ever hope to be. Overall, the flavors balanced in an amazing dance of beautiful gastronomic excess, the sweetness of the bar-b-que sauce was countered by the pepper’s sharpness, and fries just taste better smothered in cheese.
My wife had a salad with a Citrus Basil dressing. The small taste I had reminded me of fruity vinaigrette, but significantly more substantial.
Dinner arrived. My wife got the Chicken Pot Pie. It was served in a bowl with a golden brown crust easily covering it. The insides consisted of a creamy gravy with a good amount of dark meat chicken and loads of vegetables.
I got the burger special; two pork and beef patties, with pepper jack cheese, a spicy chipolte aioli, and bacon. The special board specified that the burger had tons of bacon, upon seeing the burger, the statement was almost not hyperbole, there was a lot of bacon. This was of course accompanied by another pile of delicious french fries, plain, but I’m not complaining. I could make a meal of those deep-fried tubers.
Dessert seemed to be necessary to complete the experience. I chose the White Russian Cream Pie, my wife got a piece of Turtle cake. I’m not sure what I expected, but I got exactly what was advertised. A piece of home-made cream pie that tasted just like a White Russian. It was good, but not great. It had a bit too much of a strong alcohol flavor, but it was well made and I might be nit-picking. My wife’s cake was delicious and moist. She enjoyed it very much. By the time she offered me a bite, it was too late. I was filled to the top.
Prices were reasonable. Our dinner ran us a little more than $40. Soda refills were happily given, although the waitress seemed to be pretty busy. The place is small so extra servers might end up running each other over, but everything was well worth the wait.
The menu has a good amount of vegetarian and vegan offerings including the option of
”vegan-a-fying” many of the meat dishes.
The food is not healthy, but it is absolutely delicious. Home-cooked comfort food at it’s finest. Put it on your list of places to stop in at. You won’t be disappointed.
Sunday 2 August 2009
Faith
I have a friend who seems to have made it his goal to become the patron saint of atheism. Well, I suppose atheism doesn’t really have saints, but he is very vocal about his beliefs, or belief in non-belief.
I digress.
I don’t know that I agree with his stand, although I’m not sure I always disagree either. He’s a smart guy and generally provides food for thought.
Although, recently, a Wisconsin man, a father, was convicted of killing his daughter. He killed her by denying her treatment for her undiagnosed diabetes until it killed her. He and his wife and their friends attempted to heal her by praying for her and said that by taking her to a doctor would essentially be placing the doctor before god.
But what this comes down to isn’t about belief. People quite often use belief in rational ways. My father has been having some health problems and my mom is helping him. I know it’s a lot for my mom to deal with and I’m pretty sure she uses her faith in god to help her to cope with things when they get to be a lot to deal with. That’s a good way to use faith to help you in day-to-day life.
The problem with the man that thought prayer would heal his daughter isn’t about faith.
It’s about egotism.
This man felt that his god would stop everything he’s doing to heal his daughter. This guy didn’t believe that possibly by creating a person that could go to medical school and learning how to heal people and become a doctor that god was helping to heal this man’s daughter. He felt that god needed to come down and personally heal his daughter.
I believe in god. But it’s people like this that make me believe that religion is seriously flawed. I realize that a lot of people would strongly disagree with me, and that’s okay. We all have to have our own beliefs. But when people use faith to say that this way or that way is the way that god acts, then they’re putting themselves before god.
I digress.
I don’t know that I agree with his stand, although I’m not sure I always disagree either. He’s a smart guy and generally provides food for thought.
Although, recently, a Wisconsin man, a father, was convicted of killing his daughter. He killed her by denying her treatment for her undiagnosed diabetes until it killed her. He and his wife and their friends attempted to heal her by praying for her and said that by taking her to a doctor would essentially be placing the doctor before god.
But what this comes down to isn’t about belief. People quite often use belief in rational ways. My father has been having some health problems and my mom is helping him. I know it’s a lot for my mom to deal with and I’m pretty sure she uses her faith in god to help her to cope with things when they get to be a lot to deal with. That’s a good way to use faith to help you in day-to-day life.
The problem with the man that thought prayer would heal his daughter isn’t about faith.
It’s about egotism.
This man felt that his god would stop everything he’s doing to heal his daughter. This guy didn’t believe that possibly by creating a person that could go to medical school and learning how to heal people and become a doctor that god was helping to heal this man’s daughter. He felt that god needed to come down and personally heal his daughter.
I believe in god. But it’s people like this that make me believe that religion is seriously flawed. I realize that a lot of people would strongly disagree with me, and that’s okay. We all have to have our own beliefs. But when people use faith to say that this way or that way is the way that god acts, then they’re putting themselves before god.
Thursday 11 June 2009
The Summer of Books and Movies
And so, here we are, a month into the summer dubbed “The Summer of Books and Movies” and the books continue to beat the crap out of the movies.
The movies have not been bad, not by any means. Indeed, these are the films that the critics of last year heaped mighty piles of praise upon; movies like “Doubt” and “The Wrestler.” Both looked to be outstanding films and I will not sit here and cast dispersions upon them, no sir, not me. These were good films, but, sadly, not great films.
Ever since “The Dark Knight” I feel as if I hold films to a higher standard. “The Dark Knight” was just a comic book movie. That’s how it was apparently judged by those who decide which movies are deserving of praise, which movies deserve to win awards and be forever dubbed the best of the year. Here was a movie that was better than what it was. Sadly, people felt that a movie like “Slumdog Millionaire” was much better. Isn’t that what it means when a film wins best picture? That it’s the best movie made that year?
But the movies that have been heaped with praise do not necessarily deserve the praise they get. Rather, they seem to be the best out of what’s offered.
“Doubt” was good, but not great. Surprising with such a cast. The cinematography was beautiful as well. However, the story was too ambiguous and vague. What should have been a great movie was merely pretty good.
“The Wrestler” was good as well. Not great. Good performances do not make up for a meandering story that never gets resolved. Sure, it’s a character study, but a character study for a character that you can’t empathize with makes for a movie that’s disappointing to watch.
When you want a movie to be great, when it’s only good, that’s just as much of a disappointment.
Thank goodness for books. My current goal is to read all the books by Chuck Palahniuk. I may even read “Fight Club”, because, based on his other books, the book has to be better than the movie. His stories are complex even when they don’t appear to be so, his characters are diverse and layered, and his storytelling style goes down like warm honey.
And unlike Netflix, the library doesn’t charge.
The movies have not been bad, not by any means. Indeed, these are the films that the critics of last year heaped mighty piles of praise upon; movies like “Doubt” and “The Wrestler.” Both looked to be outstanding films and I will not sit here and cast dispersions upon them, no sir, not me. These were good films, but, sadly, not great films.
Ever since “The Dark Knight” I feel as if I hold films to a higher standard. “The Dark Knight” was just a comic book movie. That’s how it was apparently judged by those who decide which movies are deserving of praise, which movies deserve to win awards and be forever dubbed the best of the year. Here was a movie that was better than what it was. Sadly, people felt that a movie like “Slumdog Millionaire” was much better. Isn’t that what it means when a film wins best picture? That it’s the best movie made that year?
But the movies that have been heaped with praise do not necessarily deserve the praise they get. Rather, they seem to be the best out of what’s offered.
“Doubt” was good, but not great. Surprising with such a cast. The cinematography was beautiful as well. However, the story was too ambiguous and vague. What should have been a great movie was merely pretty good.
“The Wrestler” was good as well. Not great. Good performances do not make up for a meandering story that never gets resolved. Sure, it’s a character study, but a character study for a character that you can’t empathize with makes for a movie that’s disappointing to watch.
When you want a movie to be great, when it’s only good, that’s just as much of a disappointment.
Thank goodness for books. My current goal is to read all the books by Chuck Palahniuk. I may even read “Fight Club”, because, based on his other books, the book has to be better than the movie. His stories are complex even when they don’t appear to be so, his characters are diverse and layered, and his storytelling style goes down like warm honey.
And unlike Netflix, the library doesn’t charge.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
