Canadian Chip Review

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LeighAnne came over for “craft day”, which was really just her painting Tillie on shirts for us for Bruce Springsteen, while I watched ha. But I provided the work space and the chips.

I bought the Utz “Crab Chips” from the Christmas Tree Shop, knowing that they weren’t going to taste like crab, but like crab seasoning. I wanted to try them all week but I refrained. Lei had them before at home. I didn’t think they tasted like anything.

The other chips I bought at a grocery store in Canada next to Ikea when I went with friends last week. The Sweet Chili Thai I opened right away, as I’m on a mission to find a brand that compares to the wonderful ones from Marks and Spencer in England. They are pretty good, but not quite M&S. They are ruffle chips, which I don’t care for, I feel like they are always sorta stale.

There were sooo many President’s Choice chips I could have bought but I restricted myself to just 4 this time. The other 3 were:

Tandoori Barbeque. The back of the bag says it has the wonderful flavors of Indian Spices. No, no it doesn’t. They are tasty but they are in no way Indian spiced. They taste like sour cream and onion with a slight hint of BBQ. They were more like the All Dressed chips we had last year. Sorta disappointing, cuz real Indian spices would probably be tasty.

General Tao Chicken. I’ve never had real General Tao before, so I can’t compare the tastes, but again, it was good. A hint of spice. Lei said it tasted just like the General.

Spicy Piri Piri. I think I ate at a Piri Piri place with Pierre in London. It might be Pakistani? (*edit* it’s Portugese) It’s tasty spicy sauce on chicken. These tasted yummy as well, the spiciest of the bunch but not unbarable (to me, who loves spice).

Overall, these were not supposed to really be “gross” flavors like the Japanese ones, but just unusual. They were all tasty, and will continue to be eaten, unlike the Japanese ones 🙂

Posted in: Personal \ Tagged:

dream

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dream: i was going to the albright knox art gallery with Jason M to see a special exhibit. it cost me $39 to get in and cost him $72 because he had to pay for parking, and that was very high, considering th museum used to be free. we got to the exhibit and i had to sit down because i was just so overwhelmed. i wanted to cry, but kept saying, don’t cry stupid, it’s just art. but then leighanne was there, and she was crying too so i felt it was ok to cry. Jason gave us tissues. the art wasn’t anything super amazing. it was no sistine chapel, it was more modern type of art, some lichtenstein-esque pieces, some installations, like a gnome fairy house thing with green fur for grass. there were little worry dolls that looked like u2. there was lots and lots of stuff. on the way out we were looking at the gifts, and leighanne wanted a calendar, so she asked for one, and the price ended up being $79, for a freaking calendar, but she bought it anyway so she wouldn’t look stupid saying she didn’t want it. the guy behind the counter tried to sell it to me too but i was like no way. whatever i did buy tho was still expensive, and the guy just took my whole wallet to go through for the money, as if i didn’t know how to count money.

in real life…it’s 80 degrees out…on march 20th. w.t.f. this has been the weirdest winter ever. at my house, i maybe got 8 inches total. there were 4 separate snow falls that could have used a snow blower, but i only used it twice, because every time the weather forcast would say it was going to be 40 degrees a few days later, so i just let the snow sit there until it melted. i don’t think my yard ever froze through, and i already planted some peas. we are in for it this summer i think. my AC better get fixed since the guy never came to fix it last JULY! i’m sitting outside on my deck on my laptop, which i can barely see cuz it’s so sunny haha

Posted in: Dreams \ Tagged:

dream

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dreamed i was going away for an over night tour at a college i wanted to. i packed a bag, apparently i took my cat and my mom took me to the campus. everything went fine, i stayed in a condo dorm, found the academic building i needed to be at, all good. then i guess i had to go back the next night but this time i was totally unprepared. i forgot to pack any clothes and was just wearing my casino uniform. i realized i forgot once i got to the campus so i was like, blah i’m gonna have to sleep in this. then i couldn’t remember the 4 digit code to open the dorm door. i couldn’t remember what building i had to be at. i had no books or anything i needed. so i tried to find someone who’d take me home. then it turned into being on 90210 or a similar type show. i was in art class and we had to hang our latest painting at the front of the class for everyone to look at. apparently i had painted this swirly blue background with a picture of supermodel giselle glued on top. for some reason leonardo dicaprio was there looking at our art, and he kept looking at mine. he just loved it, and loved that giselle was on it, cuz they used to date (did they in real life? no idea). he was asking our teacher who painted it, and a bunch of people raised their hands, but i was like NO i did. then the director of table games at work was there, turned around and asked me what kind of feelings i was trying to portray. since even in real life, i don’t feel anything when i “do art”, and am not trying to portray any feeling, i froze up and didn’t know what to say. so i made up some crap about how i don’t like to project feelings onto what i do, because it’s up to the viewer to decide what it makes them feel. he accepted that answer as a good one. then we had to go somewhere else for a while, and when we got back my teacher handed me an envelope of money, because she had sold my painting, i guess to leo, but there had been other “bidders”, like it was an auction. then there was some other stuff about these people in high school, and one of them hit his head on the diving board and drowned.

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dream

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dream: central terminal had gotten some investor, people who were some kind of mad scientists who wanted part of the building to work on their inventions. a meeting, or press conference was called to introduce them and talk about what they were going to do to fix the building. for some reason, my most hated player douchebag dan was the MC for the night, and a band had been hired to play and everything. it was more like a party to celebrate having an investor than a meeting. because time in dreams makes no sense, suddenly the building was fixed, and everyone was looking around at what these people had done. it didn’t really look like the terminal, and was not set up like it, but it still was. it had been redone all very modern, with stores, and the metro rail running through it. everyone was amazed at how good it looked (even tho in real life people would be pissed it had been changed so much). i was trying to take pictures on my phone but people kept bumping into me and they were all blurry. then suddenly this party was celebrating on a boat, going around the terminal (i guess in dreamland the building was on the water front, or a river). again i was trying to get photos from the boat, but they were all blurry too. i started to make my way off the boat when one of the investors told me they were pulling out of the project. i was like, what?!?! you can’t do that, you’ve already spent 9 million $ on restoration, why on earth would you pull out. he gave me all sorts of excuses about “that’s the way business works” and i’m like, no, this actually doesn’t make any business sense. who would throw around 9 million and then give up? it was almost finished being restored. so i got off the boat and went back to the building to tell the people in charge (none of the real life board members were in charge, or even in the dream). already new businesses had popped up around the building, a high end jewelry shop was one of them. i was betting many of the old houses had been picked up to get flipped. i went back into the “concourse” (it looked more like a super modern mall) and just collapsed, crying on the floor, so absolutely sad that these people were pulling out of the project.

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dream

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dream: i was taking some kind of music class with eric, but the extent of the class was just listening to music and finding out tour dates making it my favourite class ever. found out the dreaming was going on tour and playing the first show of the tour in buffalo. i wanted to go because i had just found out that robin finck was playing with them now, since trent wasn’t doing anything with nin. but then suddenly trent and robin went on tour with this insane 2 man show. so i got tickets to that, and it was in this not quite abandoned and run down theatre, but it was very dusty and outdated. and very white and beige colored. there were only a handful of people there, and everyone was seated in the last row. trent and robin came on stage, and it wasn’t really a concert but more like performance art with instruments. trent was playing drums….not a full drum set, or playing like a real drummer plays, but like…a few stand up bongos and other drums, and robin was playing piano. the only real song they played was robin began to play
“the frail” on piano, which turned into something else weird, but i was sitting there grinning thinking about how much i love these 2 guys. then suddenly there was a baby grand right in front of me, and i was like rad, i’ve got a front row seat for something. so robin was seated at this other piano now, and trent came and did a somersault over the top of it right in front of me haha. then there was a bit of stage to the right of me, that trent went and sat on a dusty old arm chair. suddenly an old lady was sitting there with him with a baby, and trent started talking about how a lot of the audience had babies and how he had babies too. then the lady left, and trent was curled up in the chair reciting a monologue, like the inner dialog in his head, or what he would be writing into a diary. at this point even though i didn’t want to be rude i was trying to take some pictures with my phone, which had suddenly turned big like ipad/tablet sized, which was really awkward to 1. hide from view and 2. hold and manipulate to take some photos. oh, before this part, there had been some guy who had gone up on stage to say good bye to them, like a personal friend. so now after this monologue another person had gone to wish them well and say goodbye. so i turned to the 2 girls sitting next to me and said that i wanted my own personal goodbye and hugs from them, which led to them saying how they are very approachable and probably would do so. i talked about first meeting trent in belgium and getting a hug from him. apparently this show was happening in new orleans, and the girls were talking about how trent used to be scarier and more unapproachable, and how he didn’t know his way around town despite living there for 3 years. he didn’t know the names of streets, even his own street, to which i almost said he lived at 2nd and coliseum hahahahahaha.

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Japanese (and Chicago) potato chip taste test

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Well the Clam Chowder Doritos from Japan that LeighAnne had gotten for me for xmas finally passed through customs and arrived, plus I had found Hot Dog potato chips at 7-11 in Chicago, so we had 2 last kinds to try tonight.

Clam Chowder Doritos…”gourmet” as you can see on the bag ha. Jeremy picked this one first, and the bag was extremely difficult to open. We could only assume because they were not fit for human consumption, and opening it would cause the end of the world. Jeremy pictured those maps you see with giant targets on them, I pictured armageddon exploding from the bag once I got it open. The smell was exactly like that hahaha. Wretched. Worst of the bunch by far. I almost couldn’t eat it because of the smell. Having never tried clam chowder, I can’t compare the tastes, but Lei said it was exactly what she expected from clam chowder doritos. Everyone found them to be awful, on my first chip I didn’t think it was so bad after you get past the smell. Vaguely fishy, mostly salty, with some sort of underlying dorito taste. They all vehemently disagreed. With my 2nd chip, I disagreed with myself too. So not good.

Hot Dog potato chips – I found these at 7-11 in Chicago when I was there for the Sabres/Blackhawks game. I thought these had the potential to be pretty awful too. Even though I like hot dogs, I don’t find it to be a flavor that would translate to any other food. In the end, they weren’t bad. They lacked a hot dog flavor, and went more with the condiments you put on them – ketchup, mustard and relish. Lei said she could eat those, and James agreed until he had more than 5 of them, then that was enough.

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Lacuna Coil – Dark Adrenaline review

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I am not going to do a “full” review of this album, because I just don’t have a lot to say about it. This band has changed a lot from when I started listening to them 9 years ago (that long?!?). I was attracted to them because they brought some metal heaviness to melody and had a mysterious “goth” sound with amazing female vocals. Those things that made me like them have been completely lost over the last 3 albums, to now, Dark Adrenaline which has absolutely none of those qualities. They’ve become just a generic, droning guitar heavy, metal band. I’ve been through the album 3 times, and I can’t think of a single song that I want to listen to again. There is nothing catchy, nothing risky, nothing interesting. Their cover of REM’s “Losing My Religion” is unrecognizable to the original beyond the lyrics – not that it’s bad, it’s just sooo different – but not particularly intriguing. I wouldn’t say the album is awful, I’m sure metal fans will like it, it’s just not what I want out of this band.

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Julien-k – We’re Here With You review

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Julien-k’s new album “We’re Here With You” was released this week and arrived in my mailbox on Monday. At first listen, I liked their first one “Death To Analog” better, but after 10 or so listens, it has grown on me.

1. We’re Here With You – A good intro song to the album, it’s pretty representative of what you are going to get with the rest. There is a similarity to most of the songs, maybe the programmed drums, and a specific guitar tone that goes through it all. It’s catchy and upbeat, and has the ability to get stuck in your head. 3.5/5

2. Surrounded by Cowards – This is the most “pop” song of the whole album, I think it would have the most general appeal to someone unfamiliar with the band (or with Orgy). I don’t really dig the vocal pauses in the chorus, but I guess it’s trendy. The lyrics are quite relatable. One of my favs. 4/5

3. Cruel Daze of Summer – Another strong song, good melody, easy to sing along. But another song with oh oh ohs…that makes 3 of 3. It has a very long intro before the vocals start (over a minute), and even after a week of listening I keep thinking it’s an instrumental (and that said, they could probably do a very cool instrumental record). I like this one quite a bit though. 4/5

4. Breakfast in Berlin – Upon first listen when the video was released a few weeks ago I was underwhelmed. It seemed very different from “Death To Analog” and I didn’t like the direction. But like the whole album, it has grown on me. It’s not a fav, but it’s ok. Another song with ah ah ahs….4 of 4 now. It’s like a U2 record lol! 3/5

5. Palm Springs Reset – For a ballad (recall, I tend to dislike ballads by anyone), it’s not bad. It’s very nice lyrically, the vocals are pretty. The better of the 3 ballads on the album. 3.8/5

6. Colorcast – I hate this song. I’m still listening to it in this initial listening period, but after this, it’ll get fast forwarded. The verses are channeling Depeche Mode (newer DM), and then you get to the chorus which is channeling Ke$ha, and there is nothing good about reminding people about her. The auto tuned vocal pauses are just so horrific, they make me cringe. Ugh. 1/5

7. Close Continuance – The low range vocals remind me of Michael Hutchence, which is always nice. After 2 slower songs, we’re back to a more upbeat track. The guitar makes me think of Earl Slick (Bowie) on a bootleg of the Reality tour I have. Not much else to say, it’s a decent track. 3/5

8. Nights of Future Past – My favourite on the record. I like my electro to have some heaviness to it, and this track is delightfully dark. The verses have a bit of a DM vibe to them again, and they build up to the chorus very nicely. Love. 5/5

9. Flashpoint Riot – My 2nd fav. It initially has a NIN’s “Survivalism” vibe to the guitar, but beyond that it is it’s own beast. It’s gritty and heavier, my kind of music. More guitar, less prominent drum programming. I think it’d be a fun song live. 4/5

10. I’ll Try Not To Destroy You – The album closes on a ballad, which I think is always risky. Do ballads make people want to come back for more? I dunno. People always think bands best songs are ballads, and I just think that’s a bunch of crap. It definitely has lyrics that seem personal (it appears to be a love song). I find it sort of boring though, but that’s me and my dislike of ballads. They’re all boring haha. It’s not a bad song, just not my thing. 2.5/5

I still have trouble reconciling Ryan the guitarist from Orgy (as I originally knew him) and Ryan the vocalist. I just keep being amazed that this voice comes from that person haha. Even after seeing them live with CombiChrist in 09, and seeing that he really is doing the singing (lol), it’s just…I need to rebrand my vision of him from guitarist to frontman. I find it amusing.

Overall it’s a good listen, and I enjoy it, but I feel like there is something lacking from the first one. I don’t dance but I like music that makes me wish I could, and this sorta doesn’t. I feel like it lacks a groove that makes you bounce around in your seat while driving. It has the dance club programmed drums, but I feel like there is no appropriate bass line to go with it and get you moving. And then there is the over abundance of ah ah ahs/oh oh ohs, and the horrible ke$ha vocal pauses. I like my dance music to be a bit heavier (think kmfdm), and this album is definitely more straight club, but that’s just my personal taste.

The lyrics have grown from the first album and seem more personal and relatable. It has nice vocals and melodies, and I find the songs getting stuck in my head. I recommend it to anyone familiar with the band, or who likes electronic music with some depth (other than 20 minute long straight programmed drum club songs).

I respect that the band wanted to do what they liked, and screw labels and charts. That’s always a good thing. I’m just glad for new music from them, glad it’s doing well on itunes, and hope to see them on the road soon!

…

My big pet peeve of recently purchased albums, not just this one, is the length. This one is 10 songs, and 49 minutes. Historically album length was dependent on the medium, with vinyl holding about 25 minutes per side, cds holding 79 minutes, and now digital albums are limitless. But everything recently released by bands I follow have been under 50 minutes (some WAY under), and it is aggravating haha. Sometimes it’s been years between albums, and all fans get is 45 minutes of new music? I don’t expect a double album from everyone, I don’t even expect 79 minutes, but I think an hour is do-able. Maybe it’s a money thing, most of these bands don’t have label support, so maybe the cost of studio time is the limiting factor…The new Lacuna Coil record I also got this week is 45 minutes. The Dreaming’s “Puppet” is about 40 min. Econoline Crush’s “Ignite” is 39 minutes!! I just don’t get it.

Posted in: Music \ Tagged: , ,

dreams

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dreams:

i was giving a tour of the terminal the members of the People’s Temple (jim jones cult). and i was an amazing tour guide. it involved taking a boat to another part of the building, and then getting off directly onto a subway platform where a few were almost hit by a train. there was also a part about bringing someone to stand by a window to look into the concourse, and the whole side of the building tilting in as if it was going to collapse.

there was a lost missile that flew over head slowly, and i watched it crash into a swimming pool. it still exploded i guess, and it sent up a plume of water, and then mushroom cloud. i grabbed my phone to take photos of it, but after it was done, i went to look at the photos to send to WIVB on twitter and none of the photos were there. i was like wtf, where’d my photos go to. what is wrong with this phone? because i totally know that i’m awake and that this really happened.

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