Death Cab For Cutie Show

On Saturday Bonnie and I went to see Death Cab For Cutie at the Civic Centre. It was a great show. My sister said that she felt that Death Cab was the best concert she's ever seen; after seeing them for myself, I think I can include them in my top five (Dylan and The Hip were still better shows IMO). They are such a good band, not only with great songwriting but also as musicians, and because they play so well together. Anyhoo, we enjoyed it. We'll go see them when they come back (Ben Gibbard, lead singer, said that we'll see them "soon"). As a tribute, here is a list of my top five all-time favourite Death Cab songs. Use this list as a starting point if you're unfamiliar; if you're a Death Cab fan, use this as a starting point for debate (Christeen, I'm looking at you).

1. Movie Script Ending
2. Expo '86
3. Soul Meets Body
4. Why You'd Want To Live Here
5. Transatlanticism


For more "info", check out the band's Wikipedia page

830! How an article made my week

I saw this article on Slate yesterday: 830! How a carpenter got the highest Scrabble score ever. It truly makes my week, even my month. It would've been enough if it were an ironic look at the world of competitive Scrabble; however, as far as I can tell, the author is truly emotional about this record: "In the community of competitive Scrabble, of which I am a tile-carrying member, the [record-breaking] game has been heralded as the anagrammatic equivalent of Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962 or Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series." The best part? The record is diminished because the players involved weren't "true" Scrabble players; the scores were a fluke: "If 830—or any record—happens as a result of boneheaded play, tactical ignorance, or the pursuit of a good time, should it count? Or should records be reserved for those who have earned the right to set them, and who set them in expert fashion?" Oh, it is a great article. Bonnie thinks Slate is off its rocker, but I think its at the top of its game. In a world where we're one step away from nuclear war, Scrabble is still the most exciting thing to talk about. I love it!

"Maybe, maybe not. Maybe go f*** yourself"

Bonnie, Poonam and I went to see The Departed on Tuesday: brilliant, brilliant movie. I'm inclined to agree with Peter Travers about this movie: "Each new [Scorcese] film absorbs the others, creating a body of work that can stand with the greatest. Scorsese tops the list of American directors because, even when he fails, he strives passionately to make movies that matter. The Departed, a defiantly uncompromised vision of a society rotting from the inside, is one of his best." I loved every minute of it. It was intense, suspenseful, emotional, brilliant. I hope this time he gets his Oscar. Of course, he didn't make Flags of Our Fathers, so who knows. Another great point - the music. Rolling Stones, Lennon, Van Morrison singing Rolling Stones; all the songs (and the score) were perfect.
In light of this new favourite movie, I'm releasing my top five favourite movies of 2006:

1. The Departed
2. Thank You For Smoking
3. Nacho Libre
4. Little Miss Sunshine
5. V For Vendetta

Two movies that have yet to come out but could very possibly be on this list are Stranger Than Fiction and Borat. This list will undoubtedly be revised in a couple of weeks. Oh, and I'm looking forward to seeing The Prestige as well. Finally, another great part of The Departed involves Leonardo DiCaprio drinking cranberry juice. You'll have to see the movie to find out what it is because it's too risque for this publication. Or you can ask Bonnie.

Snubbed by the Pres

Last night Bonnie and I went to a U of S Alumni reception featuring... President Peter MacKinnon. He gave the usual rah rah go research speech, culminating with a statement something like "I love Synchotron". We thought it was all very standard. He is a very good speaker, though, and as such we were impressed. Until, that is, he showed his true disdain for the Humanities by snubbing two English graduates. After the speech, I politely stopped President MacKinnon to ask about maintaining the balance between the sciences and humanities. He began another stock response and I thought he was happy to have a real dialogue about his university. In no way were Bonnie and I critical of his speech or his vision of the U of S. However, he is a busy man and soon enough his attention was diverted by a former MP from Saskatoon. Bonnie and I thought that we would politely wait for him to finish his greetings with the other (more VIP-like) alumnus; we waited while he spoke with four other people, with his back turned the whole time. Then, we left. While the role about the humanities within science-based institutions will always be a hot topic, I felt that Bonnie and I were two concerned Alumni with a genuine concern. I suppose that we'll get the President's attention 20 years and $20,000 from now.

World Container can't hold them

Well, another Tragically Hip album is out! World Container is not so much a departure as a progression for the perennially great band. I don't have to sing their praises too much; just get this one. My favourite songs so far are the title track and "In View". You can listen on iTunes - if you don't already have the album, of course. I think this album will make an appearance on my top albums list of 2006 - coming soon!

Yay Amie!!

Congrats to Amie Shirkie, M.A!