Unchained Melody – AL GREEN
Finally on my summer vacation, and I still feel as though I should be working on an assignment inside of writing this entry.
It’s hard to fathom that I’m on break from school for the next 4 months! Sleeping..partying..dancing..pizza..all the time!…I need a job.
April almost felt like the longest month I’ve endured since last summer maybe.
The beginning of the 1st half of the year consisted of partying and getting that out of the way. Then consisted of working on all my final projects… then more partying in celebration that all the projects were done.
Now I find myself trying to be useful, sleeping all day or going out all day and night, having a lot of reunions, and trying to understand that I’m not traveling to L.A this summer :\ Some more Montreal trips will need to happen to semi-compensate for this loss of a trip.
Parts w/ Virginia, Alex, Michael, Brian, Andrew, Shane, & Chika:
Basically got sick.. on a streetcar.. but had way too much fun to even care. Never dull at Parts!
Cut Copy w/ Bianca:
I’ve actually anticipated this show for years. Luckily I can say it was phenomenal! Even with it being at The Sound Academy/my least favourite venue.
Milagro + Clinton’s w/ Bianca, Justin, Virginia, Alex, Yohanna, & Joey:
I’ve been to Milagro in the past w/ Michael & Andrew. I had to take these guys there to eat their heavenly Mexican food… /I was craving that way to hard not to bring them and have them crave that stuff too. We wanted to hit up a place to go dancing, so I knew about something going on at Clinton’s. Never been there before then, but it turned out really good. The DJ had a great range of songs that we were able to pop off to 
London Taphouse + Sneaky Dees w/ Nate, Linzie, & Sally mostly:
Linzie won a contest to get her and her friends in for free + free appetizers @ the London Taphouse. Some dancing happened there too… but when the DJ starts playing some Justin Bieber, that’s when you leave. We ended up going to Sneaks after for about an hour. Never been there before, but it had a good vibe from what I took from it.
Other highlights:
+ Adrian’s birthday feat. lots of drinks, lots of food, candy bar, and good company
+ Michelle’s birthday & reunion @ Mr. Green Jeans
+ Thrifting in this one store Virginia & I have never been to at Kensington Market before. Got a maxi skirt, and 2 jackets
+ That one bite of birthday cake ice cream + cookie dough from Marble Slab
Things to look forward to this month:
+ Mikaela & Laura’s birthday jams
+ The Chariot w/ Virginia
So far those are the only things set in stone. This month (and summer in general) I plan on hanging out everyday with at least one friend I haven’t hung out with in a while, or being productive at home.
Summer Goals (from the top of my head):
+ Meet lots & lots of people and form those friendships
+ Go to Montreal at least twice
+ Bike at least once every week
+ Get. a. freakin. job.
+ Finally finish decorating my room
+ Paint, draw, make beautiful creations
+ Cook more
+ Hang with the fam more
+ Practise playing drums way more than I was ever able to this year.
These aren’t hard so I have no reason not to follow through.
Something On Your Mind – KAREN DALTON
Wow. Times have been hectic lately. I’ve had so much work to complete in the last couple of weeks. School is about to break for the summer in less than 2 weeks, and things have been piling onto another. Despite all the work, I can’t even fathom that I’ll be on break for the next four months. I’m finally trying to find a job again, but I’m very serious about getting one this time around. I’m keen on traveling out of this country this year, and if that’s what I want to do I’ll have to earn myself some money.
Speaking of traveling, I’m not so sure about LA anymore. As much as I want to go, things have come up where I’m not sure if I’ll financially be able to go. If I do manage to make enough in time, maybe I’ll be able to go during the winter. Regardless if I’m going this year or not, I’m making it a goal to go at least by 2012 (…not cause of that end-of-the-world conspiracy theory).
In regards to what happened in March: It was amazing.
Montreal:
Endless drinks, great food, and hilarious times basically sum up the trip. It was such a spontaneous plan going up there, and it turned out so great.
Bianca, Justin, Christine, Alex, Jordan, Faiven, and Mikaela and I = the GOIN’ HAM FAM. Hung out with the goonz, dougie, hot KOL-look-alike waiter, poutine, TONY VANOE, breakfast coupons, UNITY Gay club+Candy Bar+Soca Bar+Club Musique+Bluedog Motel, free cheese tasting, so…much dancing..laughing… so great. Hands down one of the best trips I’ve been on.
Talking & seeing Broken Social Scene @ New. Music. Live. on live TV:
Note: Me practically mid-stroke for being caught off-gaurd speaking live on tv
Went to see Broken Social Scene perform for free for like.. the 10th time now.. at Much Music haha.
I went with Justin and it was just an overall very weird, but fun experience!
Oh yeah, and our boy NELLY was there too ….. we had no idea he would be.
Other highlights:
+ The Chariot @ The Annex
+ Brendan and I pulling a surprise visit at Virginias (Mc.Donalds, accents, Ferris Buller, talks talks and talks, Jack Daniels, Irish dancing)
+ Sally’s birthday at 244
+ Blue Mountain/ PUNGYO FESTIVAL w/ Sally & Linzie. Super fun and super Canadian.
+ Carried out a shoot for Nathaniel/ Labels & Liqour
+ Milagro w/ Michael & Andrew. AMAZING Mexican food.
March was basically a party every weekend. April is here now, and that means Spring is coming… thank you.. thank you so much.
Some things to look forward to this month include:
+ GETTING SHIT DONE, AND DONE WELL, AND OUT OF SCHOOL … :’)
+ London Taphouse celebration with GBC crew
+ All the other parties following the end of school
+ Actual warm weather.. and more sunny days
+ Pizza celebrations
+ BIKE RIDING. BIKE.RIDING.
Although this first half of the month is dedicated to working so much, it’s going by fast and will bring me to the second half.. which will be unreal.
PIZZA CELEBRATIONSSSSSSSSS
Guilt of Uncomplicated Thoughts – BRIAN MCBRIDE
Have you ever listened to a song, and you can’t do anything else but listen? You try and do something else, but find yourself still and listening anyway?
I’ve been sitting around while listening to music, and it has brought me into deep thought.
+ I’m too young to not feel fully alive.
+ I find myself only truly free and radiating with joy in the Spring and Summer time.
+ I’m only hoping what I’ve gotten myself into gets resolved with what I really want.
+ I don’t know if it’s because I’m over-thinking, or that I’m actually being used for shallow reasons. Probably a bit of both.
Time can only really tell me if and when these will change. Although these may sound a tad unhappy, I’m honestly looking forward to the future.
I really do wonder what the future will bring. I find that the change and events that happen in just under a year are overwhelming. To try to even fathom what the next 5 years will bring is too much, but exciting.
This year I’m sure that a big positive change, different from the previous years, will happen.
Positively positive on the positive.
Food Is Still Hot – KAREN O AND THE KIDS
January set the beginning of the year to a great start.
I mainly got to see a nice portion of my family and friends that I haven’t hung with in a while.
Frat House Masquerade party:
It was Celine’s 19th party at this frat house downtown. It was fun to see lots of friends I haven’t spoke to/seen in months, but it wasn’t like the movies. This frat house party was just such a weird vibe, very chill.. kinda eerie? Glad I was there regardless.
Parts & Labour:
THIS is the spot. Such a great place just to drink and dance. Great atmosphere, music, and bearded bartenders ! Went there twice this past month and will for sure be going there more often.
JW Shoot:
Took some shots for my friend’s upcoming clothing line. The model was late so we ended up shooting in unexpected low-lighting, but it turned out nicely. Fun times!
And that’s that, really. I could elaborate on every hang out I had.. but no point in doing so!
February on the other hand, will have lots to be said. Last week while at Bianca’s house, we spontaneously came up with the idea to all go to Montreal together to celebrate Christine’s birthday. We’ll be heading up there in approximately 2 weeks. Another spontaneous plan made, was to go to Blue Mountain during reading week. Linzie suggested the idea to Sally and I, and once she got the go, she instantly booked it. We’ll be heading there in about 3 weeks.
This year is going to be filled with traveling and I’m beyond excited!
Things to look forward to:
+ Poutine & Second City reunion next Wednesday
+ Montreal w/ Bianca, Justin, Christine, Alex + Laura & Mikaela & Chris
+ Intercession/Reading Week
+ Hang times w/ Joei & Claudia
+ Shore Shack rehearsal/hang time w/ Gillian & Daniel
+ Bacon Brownies baking and more “epic meals” w/ Devin & Nate
+ The Chariot w/ Virginia in early March
+ CUT COPY IN APRIL. Finally made it over here!
+ LA w/ Fam & Virginia
..and plenty more to look forward to.
All Of My Trains – ROBERT FRANCIS
A year ago when I posted a journal entry on 2009, I mentioned that it was hands down the best year yet.
Now, I’m happy to say that 2010 has been my favourite year to date.
Me and Filipe’s traditional NYE confetti popper pic.. but we had no poppers this year
2010 brought me plenty of new experiences. The transition from High School to College, accepting the reality of loosing touch with friends, learned to not judge people I haven’t met yet, and to live in revelry of the events I wouldn’t have imagined happening a year ago. There were so many different experiences, but the main thing about 2010 was that it was filled with surprises. I was shocked to find relationships and events I thought I could only imagine or not even consider happening, happening! 2010 definitely fulfilled my expectations along with keeping me surprised with other expectations.
Our traditional NYE corny portrait.
My goal for 2010 was to travel more, have more adventurous nights, and to be more confident and courageous. From traveling to Montreal+NYC+London,ON, to underage bar-hopping in another province with a makeshift fake ID I made. I’m proud that I’ve successfully fulfilled those goals!
The past year has given me more of a reason to stay positive and appreciate life and all it has to offer. Some of the highlights from 2010 include:
+ Week long trip in Montreal w/ lots of friends
+ Broken Social Scene @ Sonic Boom, the Toronto Islands, and the Sound Academy
+ Hang times (Road House) with Virginia, Richard, and Jake @ Virginia’s.
+ All the bike rides w/ Chris & Bianca on the islands, my neighbourhood, and around downtown
+ Moving into the our new two-floored apartment
+ Coming to George Brown
+ 2 day London,ON visit w/ Virginia & the hang times w/ Adam, Anthony, Emily there.
+ Same visit to London,ON; the Robert Francis+Jason Mraz show and all the events surrounding it w/ Virginia, Richard, Robert, Ben, and Ro-Doug
+ Halloween @ RUINS w/ Michael & Virginia, and the Poutini’s after-work party that followed
+ The few days spent with Adam, Anthony, and Sarah during the holidays
+ Meeting a ton of great people, forming new relationships, and making some of the old relationships stronger.
The year has brought me plenty of big events, but this year I really feel like it’s going to be even bigger. I have this gut feeling that something this year is going to have some kind of positive life-changing event. haha Well, I know for a fact that this year is going to bring lots of positive change. Even more than the previous year. I got great vibes for it, and I’m excited for whatever will happen!
Here are some general things I look forward to in 2011:
+ Stronger relationships with the ones I already have made
+ California trip with the fam + Virginia. LOS ANGELES: Show me your canyons, great company, and good times
+ Working
+ Christopher’s return towards the end of June
+ My birthday. It’s going to be insane
+ More spontaneous and adventurous nights
+ Meeting more people from different places
+ Hoping to finally see Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, and Kings Of Leon… C’mon guyssss
+ More traveling, driving and cruising
+ Successfully getting through my first year of College
I’m beyond thankful for the previous year and everything it’s had to offer. 2010 was one of the most memorable years to date. It has brought me the most freedom I’ver ever had, but 2011 is going to be different: more freedom, even greater, and even better. No doubt about it.
Suicide Dream 1 – HOW TO DRESS WELL
December = Stress to relief + freedom + hang times with family & friends + incredibly fun times
This month ended off my first semester in college. I’d like to say that I did a fairly good job with this past semester, and only hope to do better during the next semester. I’m currently on a 3 week holiday break and feeling more free than ever. It’s been a great feeling to be able to be care/stress-free from academic work. I CAN LIVE.. MORE. What a feeling :’) I’ve been able to all individually hang out with some close friends like Virginia, Alex, Christine, and Michael.
During the holidays I’ve especially had the chance to have some serious hang time with my cousins and Adam’s boyfriend, Anthony. Those couple of days spent together were filled with inside jokes (“SO THIS IS LOVEEEEE”, “OK GIRLLSSS”, ponchos), lots of food, movies, shopping, and endless talks. The time when I get to see a large majority of my family is after Christmas, so my immediate family and I tend to do nothing significant on Christmas day. Although, this Christmas was something special in comparison to previous years. My Dad and I had a 5 minute dance off to French-Folk music, play-fought, and spent an hour just listening to CCR and just great music in general. Even something as simple as that on Christmas just made me appreciate my relationship with my Dad. It’s great to still maintain such a strong and playful relationship with him even with my age. Most people my age tend to drift away from their parents. Christmas will now always remind me of Bad Moon Rising.
The holidays have also brought some Christmas-themed parties and get-togethers. During the break, the girls and I organized a Kris Kringle event for us at the Delta Hotel. It was just a pretty hilarious time. JIP @ Prom 2010 Thank You, end-of-the-world prophecies, 241 Pizza, the Nativity scene, and Macbook pics+vids. Another celebration, was Linzie’s Ugly Christmas Sweater party. I’ve always wanted to go to those and ended up having again, another hilarious time. I think by the end of the night I acted like best friends with everyone there haha. Too many things to really mention! Some things were Dyllin’s pouch filled with crap from around the house, JR beers, the homemade ‘DIP’, and stamps… this summary doesn’t seem too appealing.. but ..whatever.
Some more highlights:
+ Kyle’s birthday/All Of The Lights:
Got hives, but super memorable night. Police interrupted the party while Bianca was cooking eggs for the whole house & me drinking tea, pizza, broken glass table & stolen door glass panel (WHO DOES THAT?).
+ Broken Social Scene @ The Sound Academy:
Was one of the first 10 people in line… unintentionally. It was freezing cold, but worth it because Brian (ended up just going with him) and I got a really great view by the barricade. If you’re not near the stage, you’re basically screwed in that venue. They played “Guilty Cubicles” and that pretty much made it for me.
+ Facetime for Mac
+ Ebay win (Won a vintage Southwestern Navajo cardigan)
+ Buying a poncho
With all that being said, December concludes 2010. Tonight is NYE where I’ll be celebrating @ amBianca’s.
Things to look forward to:
+ NYE @ Bianca’s
+ AYCE SUSHI..must happen asap
+ Celine’s 19th
Basically, I have no idea what to be really excited for for January, but I’m stoked on 2011.
2011 is going to be amazing. Simple.
Bandwitch – BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
November :
+ Hectic, yet satisfying
+ Started snowing
+ Lots of work
+ Got together with friends I’ve missed
+ Bought the K.C Accidental cds. Listening makes this season feel better
+ Filippino get-togethers
+ Finally watched Almost Famous, and The Runaways.
+ Emarosa, Bring Me The Horizon, August Burns Red
+ The Chariot (Note Virginia & I)
And I’m sure lots of great things happened, but it’s just all a blur thanks to the last 2 work-filled weeks. Having a good amount of sleep has been difficult lately, but it’s alright: Break in 2 weeks! The duration of this break is going to be a bit more than 3 weeks… exactly what I need.
The coming of Winter always puts me in an interesting mood. I’ve been feeling nostalgic and missing all the hours wasted in the Summer time. I’ve been flooded with memories from about this time a year ago. I’ve also been thinking how the following year will go. I have great vibes for it, and can’t be more excited.
Another interesting thing I’ve found with myself lately, is that I’ve been wishing I had a strong passion for doing something. I wish I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life so I could just go right to trying to achieve it. Being a Graphic Designer is something I enjoy, but I wouldn’t consider it something I’m passionate with. The closest thing to a passion I could think of, would be music. It’d be ideal to combine those two interests and maybe produce music graphics (promotional materials, album covers, merchandise, etc). I’m not even really sure if that would still be something I’ll be passionate with.. It’ll come. Whatever I end up doing, it’s going to be something I love. That’s for certain.
Things to look forward to:
+ Kyle’s birthday party tonight
+ AYCE SUSHI..must happen asap
+ Broken Social Scene w/ Virginia, Daniel, and Stephen
+ Free pizza in two weeks
+ Christmas break for 3 weeks
+ Kris Kringle get-together with the girls
+ Christmas family get-together. Too excited for this
December’s going to to be gooooood.
