Everyone loves music. I don't think a lot of people would say that they dislike it as a whole, maybe the occasional grumpy old guy. But I hate listening to or reading about people who call out and spit on one type of music, claiming it "sucks" or whatever.
I'm just going to come right out and say that you CANNOT DISLIKE AN ENTIRE MUSICAL GENRE. "But country is terrible, it's all about losing your wife and your truck," some idiot probably just said. No, it's not. Country is a vast genre that actually takes aspects of all kinds of other music. There are different types of country music. You do not dislike them all. Maybe you dislike the country music that's "all about losing your wife and your truck."
The same goes with pop music, and this is going to send me onto another rant (thanks to you indie music people.) Answer this question: How can you only like indie music? Isn't it true that every band is looking to be signed so they can become popular? You cannot tell me that if your favourite unsigned band were to be signed and started getting played on the radio that you would boycott their songs.
And although I will admit that some (okay, a lot) of the music that's on the radio today is pretty much made from the same formula and the same clubs beats, but there are exceptions. I don't think its fair to assume that just because a song is popular, that it's "bad," or "stupid," or "fake," or whatever.
This goes for taking the artist into account when choosing what to listen to. Just because you maybe didn't like someone's songs before, or because you read about something stupid they did in the National Enquirer, don't assume that their songs will be terrible or refuse to listen to them. Other people worked hard to make this music too, so give it a chance.
So when it comes down to it, just like the songs you like and dislike the songs you dislike, but at least give the song a chance. Don't judge a song by its "song information." I'm sick of listening to people bashing an entire genre of music because one time they heard one crappy dubstep song and the whole genre must be just like that one. There's music out there that can hardly be placed in one genre. Honestly, there are no rules when you're making music. You don't have to stray away from hip hop if you're a rock artist, and you can add a little bit of rock to your country ( I'm terrified of the day that dubstep and country meet up, but you never know.)
To add to this I would just like to say that people on the internet can be the worst musical critics. While you're hiding behind a computer you can be as cynical as you like and no one can stop you. I would know, because I love shoving my opinion down people's throats on the internet (only in blog form, I try not to get into youtube comment arguments and stuff because I don't like being called bad names.) People will chirp any song they want with no reason. So don't go listening to what people have to say on the internet (except for me. Listen to what I tell you, all the time, definitely) just listen to the song for yourself and maybe you'll find something that you didn't even know you loved.
Monday, 16 July 2012
Saturday, 14 July 2012
This Is Serious: Re-freaking-cycle.
Tonight we were on a mission. In Northern Ontario wildlife is everywhere, especially if you know where to look. Driving on the backroads near the dump, we came across a family of bears (we were in the car, of course.) This was adorable, especially because one cub was running around carrying a plastic container. Total YouTube cutie stuff, you know what I mean?
As it turns out though, the cub was not running merrily with a new toy. No, the plastic container was stuck right on it's head. We rolled the windows down, only to hear the desperate wails of the terrified little guy. To make it all even more heartbreaking, the bear ran blindly right into the side of our car. That sickening thump made everything worse. And there was nothing we could do.
So here's the thing, that little bear wouldn't have been in this predicament if some idiot had recycled his plastic container instead of throwing it in the dump or (even worse) on the road somewhere. Keeping a little blue bin outside your door is not a big deal. It's not going to kill you but as I've seen tonight, it may (more than likely will) kill innocent animals.
I keep telling myself "Winnie the Pooh got his head stuck in the hunny pot all the time." But this time Tigger won't be there to help the little guy and the Mommy bear won't let Christopher Robin anywhere near him. (Children's books often give the best life lessons, but in this case they didn't teach the unfortunate truth about real life bear's lack of knowledge about man-made items)
So "Shaaaame" (Mitch Pritchett, Modern Family.) Maybe think about it a little bit before you toss "just this one container, no big deal," into the garbage, because you may have just killed an animal.
This is a classic human fault. Who cares what happens to this piece of crap as long as it's out of your house ASAP? Recycling isn't all about cutting down on garbage or stopping global warming, etc. It can effect the world much sooner than you think it will.
And that's all I have to say about that. For now.
As it turns out though, the cub was not running merrily with a new toy. No, the plastic container was stuck right on it's head. We rolled the windows down, only to hear the desperate wails of the terrified little guy. To make it all even more heartbreaking, the bear ran blindly right into the side of our car. That sickening thump made everything worse. And there was nothing we could do.
So here's the thing, that little bear wouldn't have been in this predicament if some idiot had recycled his plastic container instead of throwing it in the dump or (even worse) on the road somewhere. Keeping a little blue bin outside your door is not a big deal. It's not going to kill you but as I've seen tonight, it may (more than likely will) kill innocent animals.
I keep telling myself "Winnie the Pooh got his head stuck in the hunny pot all the time." But this time Tigger won't be there to help the little guy and the Mommy bear won't let Christopher Robin anywhere near him. (Children's books often give the best life lessons, but in this case they didn't teach the unfortunate truth about real life bear's lack of knowledge about man-made items)
So "Shaaaame" (Mitch Pritchett, Modern Family.) Maybe think about it a little bit before you toss "just this one container, no big deal," into the garbage, because you may have just killed an animal.
This is a classic human fault. Who cares what happens to this piece of crap as long as it's out of your house ASAP? Recycling isn't all about cutting down on garbage or stopping global warming, etc. It can effect the world much sooner than you think it will.
And that's all I have to say about that. For now.
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
Marilyn Monroe Didn't Even Say That Stuff
Okay, so if you're an internet using person (which I assume you are because you're reading this), you've seen all the ... I don't even know what to call them ... posters? all over the place. You know them, they're quotes posted on a nice little background. Some of them are funny, some of them are inspiring and all of them are stupid (according to me.) "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I think those things are totally neat!" you're probably saying to your computer screen right now. On some level I agree with you, they're nice the first time you see them. But once they get shared a billion times on Facebook and Tumblr and copied to statuses and tweeted and instagramed (myspaced? Google+ed?,) this is when they get terrible and annoying.
But I can ignore the little poster things, some of them are pretty hilarious. But I can't help but think, "okay, who actually said this?" So, being the professional Googler that I am, I like to Google these sayings. And guess what? Apparently about a thousand different people are credited with saying some of this stuff. Wait, what? Yeah, imagine that. The internet, the world's largest "grapevine," has reposted and skewed these things so many times that no one even knows who said half of them anymore. I believe you people are familiar with the game Telephone?
Let's take the beloved Marilyn Monroe for example. According to girl's tweets and statuses everywhere, she has said some totally awesome stuff. And some of it may have actually come out of her mouth, but upon further investigation, most of it did not. Sorry to squish your beliefs ladies. (Side note: MM wasn't even a size 16, apparently. Of course, this info could also be fake.)
I know we'll never live in a world where we only quote things that we actually heard come out of someone's mouth, but think about how nice it would be, for the sake of the actual speaker. Am I right?
Maybe I'm just a little grumpy because I spend tons of time thinking up my own interesting (maybe) stuff to put on the internet while other people just spend their time sharing fake quotes that they claim are "totally the story of my life," or whatever (This is exactly the reason I'm writing this, don't let anything else I say fool you), or maybe I'm just worried about plagiarism and the rights of the author but either way, I've had enough of this unoriginal crap that is spewed all over the place without a thought for who said it, where they said it, what the context was, and if they were really talking about what you think they were talking about. (And that, my friends, was a run-on sentence.)
So, to sum this all up, let's all try to be a little more original, okay? Or at least appreciate the stuff the little people (me) have to say on the internet, because they're (I'm) trying their (my) best to entertain you with their (my) brilliant minds. And for the love of goodness, please stop quoting "Marilyn Monroe" and just appreciate her for being super hot or something.
But I can ignore the little poster things, some of them are pretty hilarious. But I can't help but think, "okay, who actually said this?" So, being the professional Googler that I am, I like to Google these sayings. And guess what? Apparently about a thousand different people are credited with saying some of this stuff. Wait, what? Yeah, imagine that. The internet, the world's largest "grapevine," has reposted and skewed these things so many times that no one even knows who said half of them anymore. I believe you people are familiar with the game Telephone?
Let's take the beloved Marilyn Monroe for example. According to girl's tweets and statuses everywhere, she has said some totally awesome stuff. And some of it may have actually come out of her mouth, but upon further investigation, most of it did not. Sorry to squish your beliefs ladies. (Side note: MM wasn't even a size 16, apparently. Of course, this info could also be fake.)
I know we'll never live in a world where we only quote things that we actually heard come out of someone's mouth, but think about how nice it would be, for the sake of the actual speaker. Am I right?
Maybe I'm just a little grumpy because I spend tons of time thinking up my own interesting (maybe) stuff to put on the internet while other people just spend their time sharing fake quotes that they claim are "totally the story of my life," or whatever (This is exactly the reason I'm writing this, don't let anything else I say fool you), or maybe I'm just worried about plagiarism and the rights of the author but either way, I've had enough of this unoriginal crap that is spewed all over the place without a thought for who said it, where they said it, what the context was, and if they were really talking about what you think they were talking about. (And that, my friends, was a run-on sentence.)
So, to sum this all up, let's all try to be a little more original, okay? Or at least appreciate the stuff the little people (me) have to say on the internet, because they're (I'm) trying their (my) best to entertain you with their (my) brilliant minds. And for the love of goodness, please stop quoting "Marilyn Monroe" and just appreciate her for being super hot or something.
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
A Quick Five Ways To Stay Cool This Summer
In case you haven't checked your Facebook yet, the first thing you should know is, it's freaking hot out today. Here are my five ideas for keeping cool on a day like today when you don't have access to A/C.
1. Aim about seven fans at yourself from different angles. This classic manoeuvre was developed in 1962 by some dudes who had broken bones and couldn't go swimming because of their casts, or something, probably.
2. Sit in the big freezer in your basement for a bit. Just move the frozen body parts out of the way and you have a nice, cool (however terribly wasteful) place to hang out. Also, you found some frozen chicken fingers that you can have for dinner tonight!
3. Move to Nunavut. This wouldn't be a waste of your time at all, and you'll never have to deal with the blistering heat again.
4. Find some radioactive waste and hopefully grow gills so you can live underwater. If you happen to get laserbeam eyes instead of gills, use them to break into a giant freezer at DQ and enjoy your day in the cold, eating frozen treats.
5. GET A/C!
1. Aim about seven fans at yourself from different angles. This classic manoeuvre was developed in 1962 by some dudes who had broken bones and couldn't go swimming because of their casts, or something, probably.
2. Sit in the big freezer in your basement for a bit. Just move the frozen body parts out of the way and you have a nice, cool (however terribly wasteful) place to hang out. Also, you found some frozen chicken fingers that you can have for dinner tonight!
3. Move to Nunavut. This wouldn't be a waste of your time at all, and you'll never have to deal with the blistering heat again.
4. Find some radioactive waste and hopefully grow gills so you can live underwater. If you happen to get laserbeam eyes instead of gills, use them to break into a giant freezer at DQ and enjoy your day in the cold, eating frozen treats.
5. GET A/C!
Thursday, 14 June 2012
Cosmetics are the Biggest Waste EVER.
I have no idea who reads this and who doesn't, but the important thing to know before we start off this rant is that I wear zero makeup. Nothing. The only exception to this is grade 8 grad and prom. Oh, and a few unfortunate acne days where coverup was necessary for me to function. Wait! Stop right there. That's the perfect sentence to sum up the problem with cosmetics. They're necessary for some people to function. But why?
Makeup (and other junk in the makeup family) is the most wasteful product there is (this is my opinion so it's obviously right.) At least plastic bags carry stuff and can be used again (Side note - Toronto is attempting to ban plastic bags. What are they going to put in the little garbage cans in the bathroom then?) Same with bottles. They can be recycled, and at least they had a purpose to begin with. These are the products people are concerned about, but no one ever mentions makeup and how it's totally pointless. Hold it, ladies who want to argue with me, I haven't explained myself yet.
Makeup is virtually pointless. Okay, so you have bags under your eyes or maybe you emerged from the more unfortunate end of the gene pool but so what? Eventually, the people who you love (I'm talking about men, dummies) are going to see you without makeup, and they're going to have to deal with what you really look like. So why lie to them with makeup in the first place? (That's right, I said LIE.) I place makeup in the same category as the pushup bra. The LIE category.
"But if I don't wear makeup he's going to go for that hot looking chick who is wearing makeup." This is true. Maybe someday women will give up on makeup and this won't be an issue. But until then, yes, you may lose some conquests to that girl with the glittery eyelashes. But don't worry, because their relationship will be built on LIES and will end in a messy breakup, broken dishes and running mascara. (Did I just point out ANOTHER bonus of no makeup?)
Okay, but here's where we start with the real issues. Resources, duh! Think about the stuff that goes into making makeup, and don't even get me started on the packaging. Ugh, it's so frustrating how much stuff is wasted. And then think about all the stuff that you buy but you never use. And it's expensive (I assume, as I've never bought my own.)
This brings us to money. Did you know that the amount of money spent on cosmetics in one year (that would be about 7 billion dollars, I did the research for you) could be used to fund education for more than a billion African children? Now you feel like a total jerk, don't you? But let's bring it back and talk about something a little closer to home. How about those people who are on welfare, or with crappy jobs who complain that they don't have a lot of money. Well, excuse me, lady, but I don't give a flying fingernail file about your problem if you're wearing a ton of makeup (I'll make this same annoyed statement if I ever choose to write about lottery tickets.) Obviously you have enough money to pay for your glitter. (This is being too hypocritical, maybe, but leave me alone, I'm proving a point.)
Of course, you can apply everything I've said to home renovations and decorations, clothing and gardens and this blog too. It's about looking good and feeling good, right? I'm just saying, it's not that important, and if we all stopped bothering with it, then it wouldn't matter. People would be beautiful just the way they are and blah blah blah. And we would have billions of extra dollars kicking around and WAY less monkeys running around with shiny red lips and pink nails. Right? Right. I know this hasn't convinced any of you, but I had to get it out of my brain.
Alene
Makeup (and other junk in the makeup family) is the most wasteful product there is (this is my opinion so it's obviously right.) At least plastic bags carry stuff and can be used again (Side note - Toronto is attempting to ban plastic bags. What are they going to put in the little garbage cans in the bathroom then?) Same with bottles. They can be recycled, and at least they had a purpose to begin with. These are the products people are concerned about, but no one ever mentions makeup and how it's totally pointless. Hold it, ladies who want to argue with me, I haven't explained myself yet.
Makeup is virtually pointless. Okay, so you have bags under your eyes or maybe you emerged from the more unfortunate end of the gene pool but so what? Eventually, the people who you love (I'm talking about men, dummies) are going to see you without makeup, and they're going to have to deal with what you really look like. So why lie to them with makeup in the first place? (That's right, I said LIE.) I place makeup in the same category as the pushup bra. The LIE category.
"But if I don't wear makeup he's going to go for that hot looking chick who is wearing makeup." This is true. Maybe someday women will give up on makeup and this won't be an issue. But until then, yes, you may lose some conquests to that girl with the glittery eyelashes. But don't worry, because their relationship will be built on LIES and will end in a messy breakup, broken dishes and running mascara. (Did I just point out ANOTHER bonus of no makeup?)
Okay, but here's where we start with the real issues. Resources, duh! Think about the stuff that goes into making makeup, and don't even get me started on the packaging. Ugh, it's so frustrating how much stuff is wasted. And then think about all the stuff that you buy but you never use. And it's expensive (I assume, as I've never bought my own.)
This brings us to money. Did you know that the amount of money spent on cosmetics in one year (that would be about 7 billion dollars, I did the research for you) could be used to fund education for more than a billion African children? Now you feel like a total jerk, don't you? But let's bring it back and talk about something a little closer to home. How about those people who are on welfare, or with crappy jobs who complain that they don't have a lot of money. Well, excuse me, lady, but I don't give a flying fingernail file about your problem if you're wearing a ton of makeup (I'll make this same annoyed statement if I ever choose to write about lottery tickets.) Obviously you have enough money to pay for your glitter. (This is being too hypocritical, maybe, but leave me alone, I'm proving a point.)
Of course, you can apply everything I've said to home renovations and decorations, clothing and gardens and this blog too. It's about looking good and feeling good, right? I'm just saying, it's not that important, and if we all stopped bothering with it, then it wouldn't matter. People would be beautiful just the way they are and blah blah blah. And we would have billions of extra dollars kicking around and WAY less monkeys running around with shiny red lips and pink nails. Right? Right. I know this hasn't convinced any of you, but I had to get it out of my brain.
Alene
Tuesday, 12 June 2012
25 Things I Would Rather Talk About Than Who Slept With Who Last Weekend
This is for my peers who (this shouldn't come as a surprise) are totally obsessed with gossiping about hookups. I, for one, do not care at all, and here's a substantialish list of things I would rather talk about than who got drunk and did something (someone) stupid.
1. Some funny things your cat did last night.
2. A new recipe that you tried out that you think perhaps I may like to try as well.
3. Your favourite flower. (mine is a daisy and I can talk about them for a good ten minutes)
4. The hilarity of 30 Rock.
5. The probability of aliens taking over the world.
6. The probability that aliens have ALREADY taken over the world.
7. Various cheese types, because there's a lot of delicious possibilities.
8. The number of times you had to stop and tie your dumb shoe yesterday. (For me, it was eight)
9. Some wildlife you recently saw/came in contact with.
10. Your favourite summer colours. Tis the season.
11. Words that actually sound super funny if you really think about it. Like "ear." Keep saying it. I know, weird, right?
12. Action movies.
13. Your dog's favourite chew toy.
14. Mythology.
15. The fact that you're wearing uncomfortable underwear.
16. Weird fruits.
17. The economy.
18. Bath salts.
19. The most comfortable shoes ever in the whole wide world. (It's a constant mission in my life to locate these and make them mine.)
20. A step by step lesson on how to make balloon animals.
21. End of the world theories/Government conspiracies.
22. How freaking cool beavers are. They are!!
23. A fun childhood vacation memory.
24. The weather.
25. Me. Mememememememememememememememe. Me. Obviously.
1. Some funny things your cat did last night.
2. A new recipe that you tried out that you think perhaps I may like to try as well.
3. Your favourite flower. (mine is a daisy and I can talk about them for a good ten minutes)
4. The hilarity of 30 Rock.
5. The probability of aliens taking over the world.
6. The probability that aliens have ALREADY taken over the world.
7. Various cheese types, because there's a lot of delicious possibilities.
8. The number of times you had to stop and tie your dumb shoe yesterday. (For me, it was eight)
9. Some wildlife you recently saw/came in contact with.
10. Your favourite summer colours. Tis the season.
11. Words that actually sound super funny if you really think about it. Like "ear." Keep saying it. I know, weird, right?
12. Action movies.
13. Your dog's favourite chew toy.
14. Mythology.
15. The fact that you're wearing uncomfortable underwear.
16. Weird fruits.
17. The economy.
18. Bath salts.
19. The most comfortable shoes ever in the whole wide world. (It's a constant mission in my life to locate these and make them mine.)
20. A step by step lesson on how to make balloon animals.
21. End of the world theories/Government conspiracies.
22. How freaking cool beavers are. They are!!
23. A fun childhood vacation memory.
24. The weather.
25. Me. Mememememememememememememememe. Me. Obviously.
Monday, 4 June 2012
Everybody Wants To Be A Cat - Reasons I Should Get A Cat
My brothers and I are in the process of convincing our mother that we need a new cat, as our current feline is getting a bit old and a lot grouchy. So, here are the 10 best reasons I can think of for getting a cat.
1. The possibilities of hilarious shenanigans are endless. Oh look, the cat is eating the aloe vera plant. Cute! The cat just puked up aloe vera plant! And that's probably just the beginning of the craziness that a young, hip cat would bring to the house!
2. For some reason, once you've experienced cat hair in all of your food, there's just something a little off about food without cat hair. It just adds a special something, you know?
3. The ciiiiiiiircle of liiiiiiiife! Reenacting the classic Lion King moment just isn't the same if you're using a dog or a stuffed animal or someone's kid.
4. Naps with cats. That furry little body is the best for cuddling. Experience a real cat nap.
5. Cat's powerful claws provide many important services such as vermin extermination and furniture remodelling.
6. Cats very rarely sniff butts like stuuuupid dogs.
7. Remember all your unused flashlights?! Cats provide hours of flashlight fun. Just point at the floor and be entertained. (Batteries not included.)
8. You're not not gonna make your cat dance on tables and play the drums to entertain your guests. Have all the BEST parties!
9. If you're like me, you HATE all the effort it takes to unroll the toilet paper every time. Cats are the ultimate time and energy savers. They'll unravel the toilet paper for you at the low low price of a scratch between the ears and a fresh fish.
10. Cats are basically little tigers, and that's pretty cool.
And feel free to mention any other reasons you can think of. Mother needs convincing!
1. The possibilities of hilarious shenanigans are endless. Oh look, the cat is eating the aloe vera plant. Cute! The cat just puked up aloe vera plant! And that's probably just the beginning of the craziness that a young, hip cat would bring to the house!
2. For some reason, once you've experienced cat hair in all of your food, there's just something a little off about food without cat hair. It just adds a special something, you know?
3. The ciiiiiiiircle of liiiiiiiife! Reenacting the classic Lion King moment just isn't the same if you're using a dog or a stuffed animal or someone's kid.
4. Naps with cats. That furry little body is the best for cuddling. Experience a real cat nap.
5. Cat's powerful claws provide many important services such as vermin extermination and furniture remodelling.
6. Cats very rarely sniff butts like stuuuupid dogs.
7. Remember all your unused flashlights?! Cats provide hours of flashlight fun. Just point at the floor and be entertained. (Batteries not included.)
8. You're not not gonna make your cat dance on tables and play the drums to entertain your guests. Have all the BEST parties!
9. If you're like me, you HATE all the effort it takes to unroll the toilet paper every time. Cats are the ultimate time and energy savers. They'll unravel the toilet paper for you at the low low price of a scratch between the ears and a fresh fish.
10. Cats are basically little tigers, and that's pretty cool.
And feel free to mention any other reasons you can think of. Mother needs convincing!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)