The world is absolutely filled with musical "genius's". Everyone who has any sort of opinion about music whatsoever will defend that opinion no matter what. There are some people who will listen to absolutely everything and anything, and I commend them for that, although if it weren't for Oink, I wouldn't think it possible. But, people continue to confirm that nearly everyone is narrow-minded and unwilling to expand their horizons.

I really enjoy what I personally listen to (Collection), but I know for sure that it's not perfect. Some people would say what the hell is that crap, because a lot of the weird stuff people don't give a chance, and other people would scoff at it because they have 20 times the amount of music and more variation etc, etc.

Being at University, I was really hoping that I would run into people that share the same musical tastes as me, as in high school, I only knew two people that were even remotely close. For the most part, apart from one or two people, that hasn't happened. It's the same old, people listening to the same stuff they have been for ages.

That in itself isn't a bad thing, I don't mind if people listen to what they do. It kind of irks me when other people on the floor play bad music really loudly, but not a whole lot. What really gets me, is that when people consider Brand New, My Chemical Romance, Muse, Alexisonfire to be the be all and end all of music. I'll admit it, I have a Brand New cd, two Alexisonfire cd's and I used to own a MCR one, but I have more than just those. I was thinking about writing specific examples from a conversation my roommate had earlier with another guy, but passed the opportunity up and so I don't have any empirical data about it. It just amazes me that people can listen to the same bands over and over again.

I really do wonder though, if the "indie" label has gotten to me and I simply dismiss bands sometimes because of the name. This is definitely true to a point, but I...hope that it's not true. I've actually spent time listening to others people's music for similarities to what I listen to and if I really consider bad musically. I've come to the conclusion that very little music is actually bad, but it's a rare album indeed that can completely grip me. Ships by Danielson and For Hero: For Fool by Subtle are two examples. Completely unique, and that's the only way I can enjoy them so much.

Take in point the band Brand New. I bought Deja Entendu several years ago, and i actually credit this cd for getting me into more diverse music, but it really isn't anything fantastic. It's good, it's solid, but it's not amazing musically. Their new cd has come out, and I like it, but definitely not purchase worthy. It's just one of those cd's that I will always skip when it comes on on my media player.

Oh well, i've ranted enough about topic, completely insignificant though it is. On to other topics shall we?

Why do people think it's stupid to have a large vocabulary, or occasionally using big words! Funny, witty...boisterous people always make me feel dumb. They have the type of personality where they can do anything, and say anything, and it will be funny. If I tried some of the things they did, it would simply come off as awkward and stilted. For example, I used the word commandeer the other day. Commandeer! What's wrong with that! But oh no, someone had to point it out and say what a big word it was. I guess I could have said, "Oh look! There's a guy taking something that doesn't belong to him and he's going to go and ride around in it!". Or I suppose I could have just kept my mouth shut, since I don't do enough of that already.

Side Note: I just went to get a Sprite from the vending machine downstairs, and I decided to come back the long way outside. I was passing under a window and heard piano and harmonica music. Didn't hear a voice, so I can't be sure if it was Bob Dylan, but I think it was. Regardless, that person is awesome.

And why can't people understand that I just like to be by myself for a while? There was a kegger tonight at a house down the street. Now generally, I don't like going to places with large amounts of drunk people, especially if I don't know any other sober people there. So I managed to worm my way out of going. Had a shower (two fucktards came in and started yelling at me, while I was in the shower), and watched some TV episodes. I had a fine time, but I basically had to lie and said I did work so people would think I had a "legitimate" reason for staying.

I think i'm done complaining. I blog so little, so I mostly use it as a place to vent.

I absolutely love fog, and I don't know why. I think it's the mysteriousness of it, and you can feel so...enveloped in it. If anyone ever reads this, tell me i'm not crazy for loving low altitude clouds.

Some musical suggestions! I'm not going to say for the week since i'm so rarely here.
Feels - Animal Collective
This album is one of my all time favourites. As a bounce in it's step, but also slows down and can get very intimate in some of the songs as well. Grass for the fast, Flesh Canoe for the intimate stuff.

Ships - Danielson.
Daniel Smith sort of has a very yelpy voice, something that would be tough to get into for casual musical fans, but the album is so well crafted, uplifting and good that even if you don't like his voice you can't help but dance along. Fantastic. I might be suffering from overplaying it though.

For Hero:For Fool - Subtle
Part experimental, part indie, part hip hop, part electronic, this album has almost everything. Sometimes it may be a bit jerky from one style to the next, but it is absolute genius every way you look at it.

The World Is Flat

I had my first university class today, Anthropology 102, which is Cultural Anthropology. It's one of my electives so I chose to do it, but I have no real designs on following through with the class, it just looked relatively interesting. We've already been assigned some reading, and I managed to score the textbook for 50 dollars cheaper than a new copy would have been. Right near the opening of the textbook however, there were a few maps, and it posed a few questions that I have never given any thought to.

Whenever anyone hears the term Anthropology, they almost exclusively think of humans, apes and fossils. It had never occured to me at least, that anthropology could also be about our perceptions of humankind and how that can change the way we relate to one another. For example, one of the maps they displayed showed the globe flipped upside down with South America on the top and North America at the bottom. When you think about it, the directions explorers have given to us are completely arbitrary, and often the term "on top" and so on gives the impression of being superior. Intentially or not, it doesn't really matter. I just sort of found that point interesting, because that fact alone could change human history. Of course it could easily have not changed anything, but it's fun imagining those scenarios.

Chris and/or Angelo stole the name tags off of everyone's door and put them on their own so it's completely covered. Tiff's reaction tomorrow should be pretty funny. Man, my floor rocks.

Creativity Colin? Why yes, I do believe I will.

I am, for the most part, an incredibly uncreative person. And in the off chance that I do come up with a brilliant idea I don't have the technical skills to carry through. For example I once had a brilliant idea for a video game that I could have created using an RPG program for the computer. The premise is that the main character has, for all he knows, been living in a rural medieval land and having to farm for a living.
It's the basic RPG setup with towns and the main character has a decent life, not perfect because that is far too stereotypical. Life is good for our hero until unexplicably, certain people throughout the world start dying for no reason. Medicine is advanced enough that they can tell that they can't see anything wrong and aren't just prescribing leeches and so on. So our hero starts to investigate and gradually starts to discover holes in the world. He goes on to discover that the mythic mountain in the centre of the land is in fact a futuristic tower. This tower is poverty stricken and cramped and the lucky few get their memories erased and are transported to the hero's home world place, which they consider "paradise". The people are dying because there is such a population problem in the tower that the top scientists are setting off the death signals in people ( because they were people that had been transported down earlier) so that a new wave of people could inhabitat the area. Our hero obviously brings this plan to an end.

So I did, and still do love the idea but after starting to actually create this game I realized it would take a massive, massive massive amount of time to make anything near playable, not to mention I was incapable of making sound and images myself. It really is a shame that ripping images and sounds are looked down upon.

The point of this was I think I have finally thought of a creative idea that I can actually go through with and create. I've been watching all of Wes Anderson's movies lately, and I absolutely love the style. I thought of a movie idea that sort of fits his type of movies, but I also like the idea myself. So the premise for my idea is a girl is born with psychic powers, and she is a media and scientific darling for 15 years. But one day, she wakes up to discover that her powers are gone. So the movie is essentially about her having to deal with this. Character development you see? Anyways, if I ever actually finish the screenplay, which I doubt, i'll post it here. Or somewhere on the internet at least.

Oh, Sister

I know it's incredibly hard to believe, but I, Colin Schut, has asked a girl out. We've already gone on an unofficial date, and we went to prom together but I finally worked up the courage to really ask her. My only reservations have been about the timing. For one, she is incredibly busy for the month of july. She interns at Sick Kids in Toronto, which is absolutely amazing as she's going to university for some difficult sounding Biology course. So there goes weekdays, and most weekends she's busy doing something as well. Then she's at camp for all of August, so phoomf! That month is gone. Then it's university for both of us, and while we're only twenty minutes away I have no idea how'd I'd get down there and/or if she'd have time. Me in my lowly arts course and her in her high and mighty science program. So I don't even know if it's worth pursuing, but I have to give it a shot.

I also noticed that my last post of substance was before my grandpa's death. I wasn't sad when I heard that he'd died, and I wasn't sad at the funeral at all, but when we visited him in the hospital the day before, I really cried. Seeing a man you love and have admired for your entire life just wasted away, a shell of what he was and barely being able to talk was just heartbreaking. I guess it's been a couple of months now, but it's still hard to believe.

Last thing I need to update the nonexistant readers on is the rugby season. We really did a lot better than I was expecting, and went all of the way to OFSAA. Unfortunately I missed: One preseason game to funeral, two preseason games to a broken nose, half the final season game and all of the playoffs due to a sever fracture in my hand. All injuries were rugby related and REALLY pissed me off as if i'd been able to play we probably could have beaten the number one seed and possibly won Ontario. So I was a bit bummed about that not to mention I am still in a cast for two more weeks, meaning it will have been more than 6 weeks in total. I'm going to have forgotten how my wrist works by then.

So this weekend is the annual Strawberry Festival here in town and while it is indeed fun, it is quite overrated. They close Main Street for all sorts of vendors, and when you're a kid this is amazing because, well, Main Street's closed! Now though, the vendors are boring and the things they do in the park aren't nearly as exciting. Not to mention the small midway is prohibitively expensive for people on a budget. Or at least people who really should be on a budget. It's fun, I suppose. More insight to come later.

By the way, Oh, Sister is originally a Bob Dylan song, but the version I've been listening to is by Andrew Bird. It is absolutely beautiful.

Samuel Beam

Love is a dress that you made
long to hide your knees
love to say this to your face,
"I'll love you only"
for your days and excitement,
what will you keep for to wear?
someday drawing you different,
may I be weaved in your hair?

Love and some verses you hear
say what you can't say
love to say this in your ear,
"I'll love you that way"
from your changing contentments,
what will you choose for to share?
someday drawing you different,
may I be weaved in your hair?
-------------------------------

I wish to be Samuel Beam, or at the very least have his talent.

A year later.

I've noticed how after I watch movies, especially really good ones, I always want to act like the character, or at least I tend to think like that for a little while. Really, this can't be very good when you just watched a Woody Allen movie. Annie Hall was a complete impulse buy as it was on sale at HMV, and even though Woody Allen is reasonably famous, I had no idea what he was like or what he did. What a fantastic movie. I'm a sucker for relationship movies, and it was just perfect, and it was also really funny which was something I was not ready for. For example, Allen's girlfriend is a terrible driver, she zooms in to a parking spot and slams on the brakes. He opens the car door, gets out and just mentions in his nonchalant way, "I think we can walk to the curb from here." Taken by itself it might get a chuckle, but his delivery is perfect, and it just fit. I haven't laughed like that at a movie or tv since I first started watching Arrested Development.

I also find it kind of funny how i'm coming back to blogger. I wasn't even sure if I could remember my password, but being that it's the same everywhere (I mean, no it's not!) it wasn't difficult. I've done this constantly, make a commitment to work on a blog, forget it, try again on another one and eventually keep looping. Going to stick with this one! Maybe not regular posting, but when I do post, it will be here.

I'd forgotten about all the things i'd said in my old posts. I was contemplating deleting them to start fresh, but i'd rather have the reminders of what I was like. I'm never going to forget who I was, but just these insights into little parts of our life that we forget, that's what needs to be rememebered. An easier way to learn from our mistakes? Maybe i'm just being naive, or lazy.

What is it with death? And especially peoples reactions to it. We found out that my grandpa has cancer a couple months ago. At first they figured he had a few months, then the news got a bit better and they figured a year or two. But he's been feeling terrible, and we just found out yesterday that he has four to six weeks left. How do you prepare yourself to die? I'm sure the answer unfolds at least a bit as you get older, and even my dad said my grandpa won't be sad for himself, just the fact that he's leaving my grandma. She has very poor vision and there is absolutely no way she can continue to live at the condo, by herself at least, so what can she do? 4-6 weeks is not enough time to sell it, and certainly not enough time to find a spot at a retirement home. I love my grandparents, but I don't see them that often. Maybe i'm weird, because I don't...grieve...I. I don't even know how to say it. Like, it's more the shock that I can't see them anymore. My life doesn't significantly change just, that person is no longer in it. Are we supposed to always long for someone when their gone, or is it worse to be able to adapt immediately and...not forget the person but give them no thought? I don't know, death is a tricky subject, guess i'll find out when I die, huh?

Rugby's going fine...i'm pessimistic this year. Holy crap! I didn'teven post about last year! WELL. Silver medalists at OFSAA, I started the entire year and had some of the best times of my life. This year, not so much. No commitment, skill level much lower and just...i'm not feeling it. I can't wait to play, but not expecting as much.

Last thing before I go, I was accepted to both Waterloo and Laurier. I think i'm going to Waterloo. We'll see. And i've completely run out of steam. Goodnight.

Drunk out of my mind....on coke.

And by Coke I mean Pepsi, because Pepsi rules like that.

So here I am, at a friends house for his birthday party, and I'm sitting at the computer. We're not really doing that much, just playing some Xbox and watching some movies, but i'm getting bored of doing both. We watched Anchorman and Riddick. Former is borderline funny, the latter is one of the stupidest movies i've ever seen. We've drinken a lot of pop, eaten a ton of pizza, and I'm sitting here at 3:30 AM thinking about how I have to go to work in 10 hours. It's not a really fun prospect.

And I thought it would be a good idea to write a blog now, but it's really not. I'm also out of stuff to say and do, so I'm going to go to bed. Good night.

Awww......

Well, I had a really fun day today, even if nothing "eventful" actually happened.

First of all, CHRISTMAS!

Obviously christmas is over, and I haven't even been on blogger in quite a long time. So to begin, obviously, with what I got. It was weird, this was the first time I wasn't really excited for Christmas. Last year I knew it wasn't a huge deal, but I was still excited and had some trouble getting to sleep. But this year, I didn't really care as much and even went to bed after my parents. I just had to promise not to look in the living room when I went by. I was woken up at 7 30 by my sister, I told her before that and she was dead. I probably should of made it later though, just so I wouldn't be so tired. Anyways, got up, went downstairs, opened gifts (I'll take you through it in a bit) and then I played it and listened to the CD and did nothing all day.

The next day was the obligatory Grandparent Christmas day. Our family skips church (for once a year) sleeps in, eats late and heads out at 1 or 2. I always get nervous around my cousins since they're 21-27 and you can just feel the intellect vibes coming off them. I just wish I could talk around other people and not feel "worthless, I guess. My oldest cousin had brought a "friend" with him, she lives in Arizona or somewhere near there and is a vegan. A vegan! I'm pretty sure it's mostly because of allergies and not because of cruelty to pigs and turkeys, but i'm not sure. So they talked, I watched football. They ate, I ate. They talked some more, I watched football. And then gifts. A CD I was expecting, A CD I was not expecting and already owned ( my mom was there when I bought it too) and then a best buy gift certificate. So not a bad day, just nothing special either.

Aahh, shopping, usually boring unless you're there to spend all of your christmas money and generally window shop. Bought some stuff, so here is a list of everything:
CD's:
Tyrannosaurus Hives / Veni Vidi Vicious = The Hives (Absolutely amazing stuff)
How to dismantle and Atomic Bomb / War = U2 (They've really grown on me, I used to hate them)
NC17 = Treble Charger (I like their older stuff WAY better, so I decided to give it a shot)
And Pinkerton = Weezer. (Not as good as the blue album, still good, but in a different sense.)

I also got Baten Kaitos and Mario Tennis for gamecube. Pretty good games, and my first new games in a long while.

Ok, I've been typing this on and off for a while, it's two thirty and i'm only up for the sake of being up since it's new year's, but I just have to type one more thing.

I'm doing this gift exchange as I mentioned, and i've been going to the mailbox a lot to check for my stuff. Well today, I see this large brown envelope and start getting all excitied. Since I knew it was just paper from the envelope, I had no clue. Anyways, I get back inside and look at the return address. That's funny, there's no one from the site from Missassauga....then it hit me. I opened it up and inside was a card from Nicole. I couldn't believe it. Now I HAVE to send something back, I just need to think of something really creative. So wish me luck.

That's it for now, i'm going to bed.

A Title I can't Think Of

Whoa, it's been a while since my last post. I've been meaning to write here after some things have happened, but I don't even remember half of the things I wanted to post. Kind of sucks, but oh well.

First thing first; however, tomorrow, I am working an eight and a half hour shift! In produce, we usually get 5.5 hr or 6 hr shifts, just because it's easier to split up and no one wants to work more then that. But since Paul is going on a vacation, and no day timer is going to take Sunday, Mike is working 10 hours and i'm working the 8.5. It's going to suck so much, but i'll live, and with a crap load of money to boot. I'm working 36 from last wednsday to next Tuesday, and possibly a couple more, that is absolutely insane for me.

I also have to go Christmas shopping, probably on Monday or Tuesday, because I haven't even started. On the message boards I frequent (A video game one, call me a nerd, I don't care, it's awesome) we're doing this gift exchange thing. I have to buy a gaming related gift for a guy that lives in Manitoba, and make a completely random gift for this guy in Texas. It should be pretty cool, and hopefully I get something from random people, since I always get cheated out in situations like this. The mail is going to screw up, the other person will forget, my mom will drop it somewhere. It's like when I go to buy something i've been waiting for for a long time, and then they just sold out five minutes ago. I'm probably exaggerating, but sometimes it certainly feels like it's just me.

Gah! Everytime I listen to Matthew Good I get all moody and poetic, and feel like everything I say has to be meaningful. Why does everything he touch have to be gold? There is NOT a better musician out there, for me at least.

And yep, I got a webcam for my Dad's family christmas, and Nicole was all like, let me see let me see! It was pretty cool, but she's disappeared the last couple of days....hmmm....
I think that's all I have to say. So...later.

I am working SO freaking much.

Aren't friends annoying?

So I had another same old same old day today. PA day was good, slept in late.

Don't you just hate how friends can act? My friend asked me for something to do, and I replied how little I actually do online. He then asked me what I was doing at that very moment, so I listed which tabs I had open. (A forum, flash site, music site and blogger) He then asked me for the name of my blog. I was a little hesitant, but gave it to him, as well as my Xanga one. The "idiot" then finds my livejournal one since I still have the same user name that I use everywhere. Xanga was, all right, nothing important, he can look to his heart's content. No biggie. It's mostly me talking about lyrics and trying to sound all philo(i?)sophical, political and smart, and me starting my new job. But my livejournal one is personally a bit embarrasing, i'm not even trying to act smart, it's just me making short posts and then me posting about "loneliness". Geez, I can still even remember the feeling, luckily I don't get it anymore. After that it was quiet, he mention liking reading biographies for some reason and the it was quiet again. Then, "Ha ha, Colin's got a girlfriend!", referring to my post two posts ago. Notice my hesitation at the beginning? That was the reason, I just knew he was going to bring it up somehow. I hope Nicole never reads this. Dun dun DUN! (Suspense music)

Christmas! I need to finish my christmas list...now and have it for my mom tomorrow. She'll be shopping all day and I have one family christmas in a week, so she needs to get everything done. So far i'm thinking:webcam, one gamecube game and a bunch of cd's. The problem is, I don't know what cd's I want. Oh! I just had a freaking brilliant idea! I am going to ask for the Discworld books that my dad doesn't have. I am a genius!

My back's hot from this heater, but my feet are cold. I'm in a no win situation. I think i'm going to go play some Madden. Hopefully it's not freezing downstairs.

Colin