Print Edition: January 23, 2013
Pop music: “aural diarrhea”
Pop music is of an empirically poorer quality than those artistic categories, to name a few, of classical, operatic, jazz and folk. In these latter forms, the sophisticated and creative composer’s mind expresses its highest qualities in the rich and prolific body of music. Contrarily, in popular music we have a creation showing that the drive of the songwriter was a desire simply for popularity, for satisfactory attention, for him/herself or for the performer it was written for.
Without going into the well-known details of the untrustworthy and knock-you-out-and-rob-you tactics of pop music, I’ll say how easy it is to stop the root of any complaint before it can sprout into the cynical remarks in which it sometimes blooms. Stop listening to that aural diarrhea. Like a fairytale monster, popular music grows fat on your attention; it’s sly, tricky secret is that “popular” is not the extension of pop, nor “soda pop,” but “poppycock” and all it wants is talk, talk, talk.
The worst Monday of the year
This past Monday students were given a free pass to be blue. And I, for one, definitely took advantage of it.
According to The Guardian, there is a formula for why January 21, 2013, was the worst day of the year. It was created by life coach Cliff Arnall, a man who has made a profession of his expert knowledge of … life itself.
The variables of this equation include the weather, debt (particularly student debt), the amount of time since Christmas, the amount of time since most people have dropped their New Year ’s resolutions, motivation levels and the need to take action in some area of life.
While this formula screams bogusness, there is something to that feeling of “blah” that rolls around halfway through January. The aforementioned factors mixed with the fog that seems to be lingering far too long for comfort does not make this week one to remember.
Actually, I sincerely hope it’s quickly forgotten and blue skies push away this particular blue Monday.
Cat lady stigma
Having recently welcomed a second cat into my one-bedroom apartment, I’ve become more and more aware of the stigma that comes from being a woman who has cats – and who spends time with her cats (perhaps more time than with people).
What’s the deal?
So what if I am replacing human contact with that of an animal’s company? They’re my bros. If you people would be kind, accepting, and more snuggly, then maybe it wouldn’t be like this. But every time I interact with people it’s awkward, ugly and superficial.
Cats aren’t like that.
They go by a code I understand. They listen and are cool with me. People these days don’t let me behave like a human being without punishing me in their own socially acceptable ways. And if it’s socially-unacceptable not to pretend to just love people, then so be it.
And if you’re all going to bitch about how I spend my time, well, fine. You’re all assholes anyway.
I’d rather be with my cats.
Currency conundrums
I hope you’re all enjoying your crisp, new $20 bills courtesy of the Royal Canadian Mint. Hey look, they can’t be bent! Neat. Since entering circulation, these precious plastic pieces of legal tender have been attracting attention over embarrassing holes in their seemingly resilient design (better not leave that Lizzy on your dashboard lest you want it permanently melted onto your air conditioning vent).
What’s more, as Jill Mahoney reported in The Globe and Mail on Friday, the maple leaf design on the new bills isn’t as Canadian as some of us would hope. What the Royal Mint is attempting to excuse as “stylized,” one botanist is calling more reminiscent of Norway maples than those found in our home and native land. So there you have it: sketchy functionality, questionable symbolism.
While I’m thankful for the Mint’s attempts to keep Canada’s currency on the cutting edge of counterfeit-proofing, maybe they should take a step back before introducing their next design. And considering how often they seem to be churning them out, I’d wager they’ll have the opportunity to make a better impression before too long.
