Saturday 29 November 2008

things and stuff

first, i finished the blind assassin by margaret atwood yesterday. it's become one of my favorite books ever. it's just incredibly well written and it's such an amazing story. the book centers around iris chase and her sister, laura, and their lives, as told through iris as an old woman. the novel contains a story within a story, called the blind assassin, which is a sort of science fiction love story, as tragically entertaining as irs' depiction of her life. i will only tell you that, because you kind of have to ignorantly dive into the book head first to fully enjoy it, i think. anyway, it's everything i love in a book mixed into one big novel. and though it took me a while to get through it (usually i finish a good book in a few days, but this one took me more than 3 months, due to school), it was completely worth the time once i finished it. i definitely recommend it. 

secondly, i watched the boy in the striped pajamas this afternoon. it is so sad..no matter how many books or movies i read or see on WWII, the tragedy never fails to move me, or to make me think about how privileged i am not to have ever been persecuted for, well, anything. the story gives an interesting (and awfully sad) view of auschwitz from the perspective of an eight-year-old boy and his family. his father is a nazi commander general who lives with his wife, the little boy, and his daughter, in berlin. they move to the countryside, which displeases bruno (the little boy), and he soon finds that he can see a concentration camp and its prisoners from his window. apparently, he doesn't know what goes on at the camp (he thinks the prisoners are farmers, and the camp is a farm). in this way, the story is extremely tragic (the story itself as well as the events are very very tragic indeed), showing the ignorance of the commander's family. the awful secret of what the nazis were doing to the jews in the camp was kept from the family, and the commander (as well as the daughter's and bruno's tutor) teaches them  that what he is doing is for the best of the country, leading everyone to a better world. it really shows the awfulness of the holocaust, but not in a usual way. i've never seen or read anything quite like this movie. it is definitely worth watching, and i'd love to read the book now, though it seems like the movie stayed pretty true to the book. also! if you are itching to read a really good book on the holocaust, read night by elie wiesel. it isn't too graphic (that i remember? i haven't read it in a few years) and gives a horrifying, well written look into elie's life at auschwitz, when he was about 15. this man (and his book) is such an inspiration to me, he's unbelievably wonderful. (not to mention the cutest old jew you ever did see! [and this is coming from a girl who is in love with every jew she sees!])

and onto a much more shallow, happier subject: i also cut my hair this week. it's insanely short, and of course i have no pictures yet. but i am really enjoying it, it's nice not to have to wash my hair at all ever again (i kid i kid, i have washed it every single day. i am that much of a clean freak). anyway, i think (hope?) it looks good. 

also, i'm sure everyone knows now that i have been diagnosed with acquired pediatric hypothyroidism?? yeah. it's such a relief to know that i'm not a hypochondriac. but i haven't gotten any medz yet, so i'm dying until i get those. haha. i'm so tired. (but now i feel guilty for complaining about that because i just saw a holocaust movie and everyone was way more tired/starved than i could even ever think about being. arrrrrg.)



so, as a conclusion to this weird post filled with weird things, i really hope that, in maybe 40 years, when the holocaust will be an extremely old topic, when none of its survivors will be living, when everyone will turn their attention to more important things, someone will be there to urge people to remember the stories, remember the tragedy, and face what was so so incredibly awful and heart-wrenching. when elie's manuscript that he had written, un di velt hot geshivgn (and the world remained silent), was rejected by publishers, they said it was too morbid, and that no one would want to hear the stories. as stupid as that sounds (to me), it could happen again. in time, people forget, and they don't want to hear morbid details and, well, the plain truth. i hope that people years from now will listen to the stories of persecuted jews long ago, and apply it to the present.  it is important to hear these stories, and make sure it never happens again (ahem, darfur), even though there are plenty of evil people in this world, and there will continue to be plenty of evil people. 






Friday 28 November 2008

november 26, 2008




little joy, my new favorite group of people, played at the lounge on elm st. (4 blocks away from my house!) on wednesday night, with their friends the dead trees (and another band, the cocky americans). the concert was practically perfect in every way: despite my extreme lack of love for the american peeps (weird voice, their songs all sound the same [and the songs weren't good to begin with]), despite the trees' and little joy's lack of soundcheck time (therefore sound problems for the first part of their sets), and despite the insanely loud music between bands (therefore preventing anyone to talk), it was wonderful.

so. let's skip right to the dead trees' set, shall we? i hadn't seen these guys since over a year ago, when i saw them open for albert hammond jr. at the cambridge room*. that set, in june 2007, was amazing. i had no idea what they would be like now, since i admit i hadn't listened much to their new record or ep that had come out in that time. but i knew it would probably be good, knowing them. and boy, was it good! it was wonderful, although they didn't sound anything like how they sounded a year ago. i really really liked their set, and they were just as fun and happy and crazy as ever, even though my brother didn't think so (dunno why). afterwards, lead singer guy (i'm ashamed i don't know his name by now arrrg) even said he remembered us! haha. i don't see how since he was a lil out of it last time. anyway, i was greatly pleased with how they sounded, and they definitely got me excited to see little joy after that.

even though little joy only played about 12 songs (correct me if i'm wrong, i didn't get the setlist), the short set was absolutely amazing. they were happy, excited, ADORABLE, and at what seemed was their best. i don't know how they could have gotten any better. (a little side note: fab said "what's your name", talking to me, "lydia? what a pretty name". heehee why don't you just kill me, fabrizio! [no one ever says my name is pretty and for fab to say it? ahhhh]) the dead trees played with them as a backing band (matt romano was on drums, i was so so so so so excited! and i said hey to him like 183787 times hahah), which made the music so much more epic. nathan and i sang so loudly and were just in heaven. absolute heaven. binki/rodrigo/fab all had wonderful voices and even though i couldn't really hear binki (she couldn't either), she was charming, as they all were. here are some pictures of the set: (yes, i did steal them off of mac's flickr! sorry, mac, haha)















(we would have definitely gotten better pictures if sofía had been there, but alas, she was not)

after the set had ended, we waited (and waited and waited) to meet binki and fab and rodrigo, and finally, we got their attention (after many die-hard strokes fans wouldn't leave any of them alone). they are all incredibly nice and huggable and approachable. i felt completely at ease, and totally not like the adoring crazy fan-who-is-in-love-with-members-of-the-band that i am. all in all, they were talented, beautiful, nice, and fun, which made for an outstanding concert.

*now pontiac garage, what kinda name is that? i despise the hob people. they seem to think they're better than everyone else, just by having ugly art and weirdly named venues. though i'm grateful that the hob music hall is an alternative to nokia for bigger bands (i really really despise arenas and gigantic venues like nokia), and that the kills and bands like them can play the teeny tiny "pontiac garage".

Monday 24 November 2008

a post to past the time

so i'm not sure why i'm posting this, but i've been surfing the blogosphere all day, and i guess that influences me to post.

so. first, i want to say something to everyone who plans on ringing our doorbell: we won't hear you. no one is ever on that floor and on the off chance that someone is on that floor, it would most likely be either 1. my mom, who would be sewing or cooking, therefore not hearing the ring, 2. myself, who would be watching house/heroes, therefore way too lazy/not in the mood to get up and open the door, or 3. nathan, who would be in the kitchen, probably watching some weird video or listening to something, therefore not hearing the ring. so call the house phone or my phone or whomever you might want to call, and have us open the BACK door, where hippies come in (a joke only a certain few would get).
(that's an old doorbell from venice)

secondly, it is thanksgiving break. woohoo. well it technically starts tomorrow, seeing as that is when my school week would normally start, but whatevz (when do i ever say that heehee!). and so far it's been uneventful, boring. for example: i have a doctor's appointment at 3:30 which consists of me getting toooons of blood tests done, blah blah blah, really boring and worthless (just give me vitamins and iron supplements and acquired pediatric hypothyroid medicine and be done with it!). also i have, o n my desk, three things: a dr. pepper can (empty, how sad), a wrapper from a kashi cereal bar (my breakfast), and a water bottle (empty as well). OH and bethany's ipod, which i still haven't uploaded songs onto. aarrrrrrg. therefore, this shows that i am SO BORED. i also have like 821973 blogs up in 821973 tabs. and a GIGANTIC run in my hoes which i am wearing right now! aaaarrg. also, facebook is being boring to me, and i WANT TO DO SOMETHING TODAY BESIDES SIT/DO OTHER BORING THINGS.
(bored cat)
sorry. enough complaining. it's entertaining.

hair cut?
yeah, i know everybody and their mom has gotten/wishes to don aggyness deyn hair, BUT i am part of that everybody and their mom. plus, i kind of sport a mullet right now, haha:
MULLET-FUL
(taken on saturday. and yeah, i edited it, just because i LOVE green [i kid])
so, haircut time! i am obviously trying to look as much like a boy as i possibly can, hah. i already have the clothes! anyway, here are some boyish pictures of me and my hair and my no-makeup-ed-face today:
(hehe, fat face)
see, my hair is SO LONG. AGH.


so can you tell i'm bored? i want to watch juno for the 8th time. and i most definitely do NOT want to go to the doctor.

watch these (i love love this band):



okay, that's all for now. i have to go. bye bye!

Saturday 22 November 2008

november 14, 2008

so, last friday, of montreal came and played in dallas. the show was amazing, but what was really amazing was what they did after the show. the band, their peeps, and 10 or 15 kids, gathered around with two acoustic guitars and sang about 7 old of montreal songs. it was great fun, despite the cold (which almost none of us were dressed for). i was fortunate enough to be part of it, though i was probably singing harmonies like an idiot and dancing and clapping and, well, just being extremely happy. at the end of the actual show, kevin had said "thanks for letting us be ourselves!" which is definitely what we all were during those 45 minutes outside the venue. here are the only videos i could find of the show...i didn't have a camera, sadly. the videos don't capture the real magic of the songs, or the environment (too bad we didn't have vincent moon to document the whole thing haha), but it's something!







Friday 21 November 2008

it's beginning to feel a lot like christmas?

IT IS SO COLD TODAY. apparently, it's 47 degrees outside right now. CRAZY. I LOVE IT.

i love christmas. mainly for the cold and the time of from school (yay! but it also means that from january 6th to april 17, i won't get a break), but still. it's awesome.

anyway. the cold weather/commencement of holiday propaganda (ahem, ads. people are trying desperately to stretch their dollar and yet they are still buying gigantic blow-up santas to put in their front yard. i have to admit, though, the santas are so amusing.) is obviously making me think of christmas (even though it's a month away and i still have 3 weeks left of school). i absolutely DETEST the cheesy cheese lame gross ew ew bad bad christmas music everyone plays. not surprising, eh? i'm so critical, music-wise. 

anyhow, i love love love love love listening to music from the 40s around christmas time. for some reason, anytime i hear glenn miller, it makes me want hot chocolate and a blanket. dunno why. but now i really want to listen to 40s music. 

of course, there's always sufjan stevens' songs for christmas to listen to...speaking of sufjan, he hasn't done anything in a long while.


Saturday 15 November 2008

weeell

i suppose this has become more of a journal-type thing more than an actual blog (not entirely my fault, seeing as i can now say i've told tons o' peeps about this). but i guess that's for the better. not having any readers (except you, sofía) does have its perks! for example:

-i can embarrass myself immensely in posts and not feel like a total loser! because sof already makes fun of me/abuses me/recognizes that i am a loser. therefore, NO SHAME.

-i don't have to worry about pleasing any readers, or making vlogs, or posting any remotely interesting posts! ever! therefore, NO PRESSURE. 

-i can freely live in blissful ignorance of my boringness due to my (slightly) boring life, for i wouldn't have any readers to bring me back to reality! therefore, NO CHANGE (oh the sarcasm).

i can't think of any more perks but i'm SURE  there are some! i'll stay positive!

....

right.