| 90s music notes |
[31 Oct 2009|11:56pm] |
The three best-selling albums (in terms of global sales figures) ever released by female recording artists were all produced in the mid-1990s: Shania Twain's Come on Over, Alanis Morrisette's Jagged Little Pill, and Celine Dion's Falling Into You. In a curious coincidence, all three of these record-setting musicians are Canadian (though they share a common nationality and gender, the stylistic approach of their albums is definitely dissimilar). And though I don't own any of these recordings, my definite favourite of the pack is Jagged Little Pill, largely for sentimental reasons: its ubiquity on Lubbock radio circa 1996 definitely evokes memories of my time as a university student.
***
Three albums of the 1990s strike me as particularly resonant and enduring: U2's Achtung Baby & Zooropa and Radiohead's OK Computer. These recordings were considered "turning points" in the two bands' careers and represent artistic breaks with previous efforts, but the music still seems remarkably ground-breaking to me. All three albums also touch on themes of uncertainty and alientation; in the case of Zooropa and OK Computer, these feelings are explicitly linked with technological advances.
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| autumn |
[25 Oct 2009|07:08pm] |
I took this photo of Cridge Park from my balcony 2 days ago as heavy winds removed loose leaves from tree branches. Today's high temperature was 9 degrees (48 Fahrenheit) and a slow but steady rain fell during the late afternoon hours.
Autumn is definitely here...
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| uncool |
[23 Oct 2009|04:51pm] |
What makes something *uncool*?
The adjective is certainly very subjective, but there is widespread agreement (amongst a big chunk of the North American public) that certain facets of popular culture are definitely uncool. These include:
• Certain variety shows popular in the 1970s, such as Hee-Haw and The Lawrence Welk Show
• Dance crazes spawned by one-hit wonders (“La Macarena”, “Electric Slide”, etc)
• The live entertainment offered in Branson, Missouri
There are two common threads in the examples I cited above: a lack of irony (on the part of the entertainers) and a tendency to shy away from melancholy. For example, The Lawrence Welk Show’s rendition of “Georgy Girl”, a hit song for the Seekers in 1967, features a smiling cast of singers whose lyrics are reduced to the simple “Hey there, Georgy Girl” which is repeated like a mantra. Thus, the sad and challenging elements of the original lyrics are stripped away; the original version contained the line “Hey there, Georgy Girl, swinging down the street so fancy free / Nobody you’d meet could ever see the loneliness there inside you.” The dance crazes are pure escapism (by design), and the Branson shows' ingratiating sincerity precludes any hint of irony (while any 'melancholy' presented by the Osmonds or The Andy Williams Revue is too steeped in sentimentalism to be sincere).
I don't mean to imply the inverse as I definitely think that popular culture can be happy, ecstatic, and irony-free while maintaining its 'coolness', especially if done in an artful way ('artful' is obviously subjective too). Buddy Holly's song "Oh Boy" and Christopher Isherwood's novel "A Single Man" are certainly cool in my mind. :)
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| helping Mum |
[20 Oct 2009|08:59pm] |
My mother has asked me for a special type of assistance that I seem well-suited to provide (given my penchant for moving): real estate advice.
In the coming months, she plans to sell the house where she and my grandmother reside. It was originally constructed in the mid-1930; a subsequent owner expanded it, and it was purchased by my grandparents in 1966 (one year before my mother began high school). My grandmother would like to sell the home and relocate to a different house and neighbourhood within San Antonio.
So I've been sending listings to my mother via email and answering questions related to the process of buying and selling homes. I haven't lived in San Antonio since 1994, and the city has changed substantially in the intervening years. But I hope that she and my grandmother are able to find an 'older' house (built between 1920 and 1969) constructed on a lot with mature shade trees. And I'd be very happy if they are able to purchase a home located within a short walking distance of food and retail establishments. :)
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| family visit |
[14 Oct 2009|05:13pm] |
John and I were fortunate to host my father and stepmother over the Thanksgiving long weekend. After a 2-day stay in Vancouver, they joined us in Victoria for a relaxing weekend of sightseeing, dining, shopping, and *Uno* card games. Dad and Marion enjoyed both cities and were impressed by both the urban and scenic qualities of our former and current locales.
Their visit to our region was truncated by an unexpected family emergency and they departed for San Antonio early this morning; their original itinerary included a trip to Seattle tonight (via the Victoria Clipper) and a return flight on Saturday. But John and I were grateful for the chance to be hosts and tour guides.
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| Bookshelf: Fall Reading |
[07 Oct 2009|08:02pm] |
I'm looking forward to reading several books over the next few months; four are highlighted here.
The Wayfinders is British Columbia anthropologist Wade Davis' new book based on the lectures that will be delivered next month as part of the annual Massey Lectures series on CBC Radio. This work explores the implications of the 'extinction' of indigenous languages and cultures in various parts of the developing world.
Evan Fallenberg won a Stonewall Book Award for Light Fell, a novel about a man who forsakes his family and community when he falls in love with a rabbi. This book, which is set in Tel Aviv, will be the first book of modern Israeli fiction to appear on my reading list (Fallenberg, who was born in the United States, writes in English).
Tove Jansson, a member of Finland's Swedish-speaking minority, is best known for the Moomintroll comics and books, which have achieved iconic status in her native land. But she also wrote full-length novels such as The Summer Book, which I recently purchased at a local bookstore; it features a narrative about a girl and her grandmother and their interactions over a single summer on a small island in the Gulf of Finland.
I haven't read a 'travel memoir' since Bill Bryson's (excellent) Notes From a Small Island, but I plan to return to this genre via Daniel Mecalfe's Out of Steppe: The Lost Peoples of Central Asia. Metcalfe, a first-time writer from England, writes of his time spent among the lesser-known tribal groups in Central Asia.
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| 3 years! |
[02 Oct 2009|08:35pm] |
Today is an anniversary: I began working for my current employer on October 2, 2006. This 3-year milestone is roughly concurrent with my time as a resident of Victoria.
And I continue to appreciate 3 'quality of life' factors that enhance the appeal of my job (all have been alluded to in prior posts):
* The 35-hour working week
* The ability to take 6 weeks of time off on an annual basis (in addition to the 10 paid statutory holidays)
* The office location, which is just a short walk away :)
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| If you're ever in Victoria... |
[29 Sep 2009|08:48pm] |
Given my fondness for playing 'tour guide' (and my penchant for inexpensive outings), I've decided to compile a list of recommended activities *in Victoria* that cost $5 or less.
* Visit the Legacy Gallery and Community Arts Council of Greater Victoria. Both venues are free of charge; the Legacy focuses on works by established artists (a Ted Harrison retrospective is currently on exhibit there) while the Community Arts Council's small (but worthwhile) space spotlights local and lesser-known artists.
* Walk the Breakwater. It takes 10 minutes to walk to the tip of the breakwater from the entry point on Dallas Road, but the views of the Olympic Peninsula, Juan de Fuca Strait, and Ogden Point Pier are spectacular. Newly-installed benches enabled John to spend an hour watching floatplanes arrive and depart on a recent afternoon.
* Walk the Inner Harbour from Songhees Point to Fisherman's Wharf. This pleasant route showcases the skyline before terminating in Fisherman's Wharf, a 'floating village' in James Bay. From Fisherman's Wharf, return to Songhees Point via a Victoria Harbour Ferry ($4).
* Browse the aisles of the 'Big 3' independent bookstores. Munro Books, one of my favourite booksellers in Canada, is located just two blocks west of Russell Books, the province's largest used bookstore. From Douglas Street (located 'between' these two retailers), take a double-decker BC Transit Bus ($2.25) to Bolen Books, the biggest independent bookstore in BC (ask for a transfer on the bus which allows for free return fare).
* Take a self-guided tour of the grounds at Government House. The property, which encompasses 36 acres, is open to the public and includes 14 acres of formal gardens and 22 acres dedicated to a native Garry Oak ecosystem.
* Take a walking tour of Old Town and Chinatown. Maps for self-guided tours are posted at http://www.victoria.ca/visitors/wlkngt.shtml ; however, if you're in town, I'll be more than happy to give you my own 'narrated' tour. :)
* Enjoy an espresso-based beverage at an independent coffee shop. I recommend Discovery Coffee, Union Pacific Coffee, and Habit Coffee + Culture in the downtown area. My other local favourites include Moka House (Cook Street Village), Caffe Fantastico (Quadra Village & Dockside Green), and Black Stilt Coffee Lounge (located near Bolen Books).
* Explore a local park. Beacon Hill Park, located just south of downtown, is highly recommended, as are Mount Tolmie Park and Mount Douglas Park (both in the nearby suburb of Saanich) as they offer spectacular panoramic views from their respective summits.
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| Phoenix note & a quote... |
[26 Sep 2009|10:37pm] |
I've never wanted to visit Phoenix (though I've changed planes at the city's airport on more than one occasion). The city's notorious heat has always created a mental disincentive for visiting, and its very low population density strongly suggests that it lacks the sort of highly walkable urban spaces I'm usually drawn to.
A guote from Ignacio San Martin, an architecture professor at the University of Arizona, hints at the ennui present in the Valley of the Sun:
If you go out to the streets of Phoenix and are able to see anybody walking- which you likely won't- they are going to tell you that they love living in Phoenix because they have a beautiful house and three cars. In reality, though, once the conversation goes a little bit further, they are going to say that they spend most of their time at home watching TV, because there is absolutely nothing to do.
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| Lubbock purchases: 1996-1997 |
[20 Sep 2009|09:15pm] |
I purchased Jim Grimsley's novel Dream Boy at a Lubbock bookseller in 1996 and read the entire book in a single evening/night. K.P.R., an advocate of Dorothy Allison's work, was an avowed fan of "coming of age" works of fiction that featured gay protagonists and Southern American settings; I lent him my copy of Grimsley's novel, which fit his tastes perfectly, and he finished it quickly as well.
I'm not in touch with K.P.R. currently, but if we re-established contact I'd pass along a recommendation for Truman Capote's Other Voices, Other Rooms (though he's probably already read it).
*****
I made several pilgrimages to the two locations of Ralph's Records, Lubbock's largest retailer of used records and compact discs, in search of the music of Danny Wilson, a Scottish trio that scored an international hit with the song "Mary's Prayer" in 1988. My search was ultimately unsuccessful: at the time I had no way of knowing that Danny Wilson was a band (rather than a proper name), so I searched fruitlessly in the "W" rack (rather than the "D" rack).
Coincidentally, I first browsed the World Wide Web in March 1996, and at the time I had no way of knowing that this medium would eventually bring me "Mary's Prayer" (I purchased it on iTunes).
*****
R.E. asked me to join her for a drink in a rural corner of Lubbock County in early 1997. However, the bar she preferred was in a 'dry' area of the county, so alcohol could only be served at private, members-only establishments. Thus, before I could order a drink, I was required to purchase a "temporary membership" at the bar for a nominal cost (approximately $5). In a sense, this fee was really no different than a cover charge would have been at a bar within city limits; the only substantive difference was the fact that my new membership entitled me to legally return to this watering hole at any time within the following year.
But the remote location and stunted conversation I had with R.E.'s friends ensured that I never returned. :)
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| Cities & the Environment |
[19 Sep 2009|03:43pm] |
I'm currently reading Resilient Cities: Responding to Peak Oil and Climate Change, a well-researched work by a trio of Australian and American authors that, among other things, connects dense, urban development patterns to environmental sustainability.
In one of the most shocking statistics, the residents of the New York metro area consume 326 gallons of gasoline per person per year, but in metro Atlanta the number rises to 782. Citizens residing in the Vancouver and Toronto regions consume an average of 165 gallons per capita, though one can probably assume those living in the urban core use much less (the figure for New York City proper, which excludes all suburban areas, drops to just 80 gallons per capita).
In a similar vain, I recently ordered David Owens new book Green Metropolis, a new book-length manifesto (by a staff writer at The New Yorker) that argues for sustainable, dense urbanization as a bulwark against global warming.
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| Goldstream |
[15 Sep 2009|06:13pm] |
Goldstream Provincial Park provided an ideal setting for a Sunday Afternoon hike. The park, located just 16 kilometres from downtown Victoria, is notable for its waterfalls (including Niagara Falls, which shares a name with its much more famous cousin in Ontario and New York), 600-year-old Douglas Fir trees, and a large salmon run. Though we missed the salmon run (it occurs annually in December), we stumbled upon a less-noted feature: the E&N railway bridge, which is suspended high above a canyon and is accessible to the public via a steep climb up the Gold Mine Trail.
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| Brunch |
[12 Sep 2009|10:07am] |
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I've never been a big fan of the "Sunday Brunch", the combination breakfast/lunch meal that is quite popular in North America. Part of this is due to habit: eating three 'separate' meals during the remainder of the week encourages the pattern's continuation on Sundays. I personally prefer two smaller meals to one combined one, and I've never been a fan of cooked eggs or omelettes; having a separate, smaller breakfast allows me to choose egg substitutions (such as yoghurt and granola) that would not be 'hearty' enough in a brunch context. And my childhood Sundays almost never included brunch, so I entered adulthood without any attachment to the tradition.
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| Canada Line |
[08 Sep 2009|06:19pm] |
John and I joined our friends Barry and Ben for our inaugural ride on the new Canada Line rapid transit extension in Vancouver. We were all impressed with the new line, which is automated (like the other two SkyTrain lines) but uses different rolling stock: the cars are significantly wider and, befitting a line serving the airport, offer ample ‘storage space’ for luggage. Trains arrive at each station on the main part of the line every three minutes, and the two terminating branches of the system (downtown Richmond and Vancouver International Airport) are served at six-minute intervals.
Note: An entire set of Canada Line photos can be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerryfaust/sets/72157622297607742/
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| Brief commentary on US health care debate (in bullet point format) :) |
[04 Sep 2009|09:15pm] |
* A single-payer (i.e. government) health care system is the best way to ensure universal, quality coverage for all American citizens and residents.
* Comparing Barack Obama or any other advocate of health care reform to Adolph Hitler or the Nazi Party is itself demagoguery and an insult to the victims and survivors of the atrocities they were responsible for.
* Progressive taxation (i.e. increased income taxes on the wealthiest Americans) and a reduction in funding for the U.S. Department of Defense (the largest source of discretionary spending in the federal budget) could both contribute to paying for a national health care system.
* For-profit insurance companies (such as United Health Care) should be restricted to the coverage of 'ancillary' services such as massage therapy, prescription eyeglasses, and counselling.
* Federal job training and placement services (including paid tuition for those eligible and capable of completing training as nurses or doctors) should be extended to non-executive employees of for-profit health care companies whose jobs are eliminated in the shift to public health care.
* Direct assistance, including the mandatory adjustment of credit scores, should be provided to individuals and families who have filed personal bankruptcy in the past 5 years as a result of medical bills.
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| Apartment blocks - landscaping |
[01 Sep 2009|05:16pm] |
I’ve previously commented on the abundance of four-storey wood-frame apartment blocks in Victoria and the potential for some of them to be replaced with six-storey structures (per a change in provincial building code). But I’ve subsequently started to notice the meticulous landscaping at some of these properties; well-maintained flower beds seem to be a common feature.
The properties featured in these photographs are located in the 1000 block of Southgate Street.
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| New buildings in Victoria (Part 3 of a series) |
[27 Aug 2009|07:00pm] |
SoMA
The SoMA (Space of Modern Architecture) building was recently completed on Broughton Street in downtown Victoria. It occupies a site that was once nothing more than a small parking lot, so it is definitely an example of ‘infill’ architecture. I’m fond of the modern design and the truly mixed-use nature of the project: condos, offices, and one retail store are all accommodated here.
875 Superior
The 875 Superior townhouses, which were built in a traditional ‘brownstone’ architectural style, are situated across the street from Beacon Hill Park.
The Cherry Bank
An old hotel was demolished to make way for The Cherry Bank, a mid-rise condo development on a quiet side street known as Rupert Terrace. Perhaps the most unusual aspect of the project is the fact that a large percentage of the units comprise two storeys, so certain floors have very few ‘front doors’. I’m fond of the building’s proportions and the way it ‘fits’ so well onto its site.
The Falls
The highly-anticipated Falls condo project, which is located about one block north of my home, recently received its occupancy permit. The Falls incorporates a number of environmentally-friendly design features (such as geothermal heating and air-conditioning) and is notable for its north tower: at 18 storeys, it is the tallest condo building ever built downtown (the nearby James Bay neighbourhood is home to Orchard House, which exceeds 20 storeys and is the tallest condo tower in the city). HSBC Bank opened for business this week and occupies the north tower’s retail space; I’m hoping that a coffee shop or boutique grocer will move into the ground floor of the south tower.
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| Peter, Paul, and Mary |
[24 Aug 2009|08:54pm] |
The recent celebration of Pete Seeger's 90th birthday sparked a renewal of my interest in Peter, Paul, and Mary, a group that recorded several of his compositions. I grew up listening to the trio's music: my mother was a big fan, and a well-worn cassette copy of "Ten Years Together: The Best of Peter, Paul, and Mary" accompanied us on several vehicle trips. My favourite song from that compilation, "The Hammer Song", was original cut by the Weavers (Seeger's quartet) in 1949, and Peter, Paul, and Mary's soaringly harmonic version has never lost its appeal for me. And I continue to enjoy some of the group's other hits, such as the melancholy-but-hopeful "Day is Done". And it goes without saying that I have nothing but praise for the trio's tireless campaigning for peace, civil rights, and social justice.
But I continue to agree with my mother's low opinion of one song in the group's catalogue: the semi-psychedelic "I Dig Rock N Roll Music", which actually (amazingly?) became a Top 10 hit on the American pop charts after its release as a single.
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| First hint of fall |
[21 Aug 2009|10:45pm] |
Tonight's Victoria forecast calls for a low temperature of 9 C (48 F), and similarly cool conditions are expected tomorrow night. This seems to be the first hint of the coming fall season, which officially arrives one month from tomorrow in the northern hemisphere.
I anticipate that this autumn will be a quiet one: my father and stepmother will be here for a brief visit in October, but we don't plan to take any major trips ourselves. The major work involving our relocation is behind us, so the coming months will be a time of reading, rest, and reconnecting with friends.
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| Michael Jackson's death - media response |
[17 Aug 2009|04:04pm] |
In retrospect, the amount of attention that Michael Jackson’s death received in the American media seems surprisingly high. I certainly expect the death of a celebrity to generate some coverage: Walter Cronkite’s passing certainly made headlines on both sides of the border and elicited a tribute from Lloyd Robertson, the veteran CTV news anchor. But news coverage of Michael Jackson’s death and funeral seemed inescapable for days in most of the mainstream American media; the sole mainstream exception was notably (and laudably) the New York Times, which offered several reports but did not seem overly focused on Jackson’s demise.
Critics such as Chris Hedges and Noam Chomsky have long contended that the American media’s focus on celebrities is a tool to distract the populace from more pressing issues. While I don’t necessarily agree that a Machiavellian-type conspiracy exists (a la the plotlines of Ray Bradbury’s Farenheight 451), I do think that entertainment-related events deserve less headline coverage from news organizations than foreign policy stories (such as the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan) or domestic issues, especially those that relate to the recession’s impact on the lower and middle classes in the US.
Put another way, I would have preferred to see coverage of Michael Jackson’s death dominating Rolling Stone, Entertainment Tonight, and the “Arts” sections of major newspapers rather than nightly newscasts, the homepages of news sites (such as msnbc.com), and the front pages of American newspapers. :)
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