Today is Barack Obama's 50th birthday
I've been hearing a lot of negative things about the president lately
it seems like he's getting the blame for a lot of things that are either beyond his control, for things that can't be fixed in a couple of years, or are tough situations to navigate because of the insane
things happening in Washington right nowbut it's really easy to place the blame on one person, and I think that when he was elected we all expected that despite the shitty situation he inherited -the economy, the wars, etc- he would just magically fix all of it the minute he took office
that's not how things work, and it's not fair to say 'he should have fixed this by now'
people call the president a 'socialist', a 'fascist', a Muslim and a Nazi without stopping to realize that all of those terms all mean very different things (pick up a thesaurus, for Christ's sake)
but do you remember the elation you felt when he was elected? Like this was a turning point for the United States, like maybe things were going to start getting better
and then shit hit the fan and now we have scary people like Michelle Bachmann and Rand Paul running around, and people have forgotten what Barack Obama once meant for us: an America that's talked about by their founding fathers. Where anyone could accomplish anything if they worked hard enough. A country of equality, of free speech and shared responsibility. Where looking after those less fortunate than you wasn't a burden. Where it was your responsibility as an American to help others and to be a good example for the rest of the world
maybe that's why people are so upset with the President, because those don't seem to be contemporary 'American values'
but I hope that today, on his birthday, we can stop and remember what he meant to us back in 2008 and reflect on what he should mean for us now: a leader with a vision of a country that seems to have been lost somewhere between chasing Capitalism and fearing the Communists. One that he is working hard to restore.
Barack Obama is obviously an intelligent, complex and compassionate (not to mention awesome) person who has a really tough job, so let's cut him some slack today, alright?
So happy birthday Mr. President. Go check your FaceBook and see all the nice people who've wished you well. Check your Tweets and take note of all the kind things people have said. There are people in your country and all over the world who believe in you, and your vision of America.
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
Connect Do's and Don'ts
(photo cred to Kerry, I jacked this shot of the main stage from her FB album)
Back from Connect and still recovering. Between the intense 8-hour drive, many many rest stops, tornado that happened nearby and the scarily-intense thunderstorm that had us pulled over on the side of the road for a good ten minutes getting there felt like the biggest relief ever and deserved all those beers that I chugged back as soon as my feet met with campground dirt. It's only my second year attending this mega-shitshow festival but all my friends are Connect veterans and have taught me well in the ways of partying and now I'll share some of my Connect knowledge with you:
DO: Drink nonstop
Obviously the only reason anyone goes camping anytime is to eat smokies on the BBQ and get wasted, but the only way to escape the seriously blistering heat at Connect is to find some shade in the big field by the main stage, crack open your beer/waterbottle full of gin/rocket fuel and get smashed while listening to whatever minimal/electro/psy/whatever is playing. No glass bottles are allowed so either bring as many cans of decent beer as you can afford or pre-mix in some water bottles before getting there.
DON'T: Shit yourself while blacked out
'Nuff said.
DO: Gorge on canteen food
In particular the Connect Taco Salad is stuff of legend: a bag of nachos with the bag as the bowl (classy) with cheese, lettuce, beef and sour cream all over them. When you're wasted off your face there's nothing that tastes better than the zillion calories you'll inhale while gorging on that salad and chugging your booze. Other Connect canteen food faves are: perogies, chicken burgers, and the breakfast served until 1pm in case you're too hungover to turn on your own camping stove and make your lazy ass some food.
DON'T: Swim in the pond
I made this mistake my first year while in a state of near-blackout wine-induced sleeping-in-the-tent-during-30-degree-heat sweat while the showers were occupied. It was great for five minutes until I realized that I stank of stagnant, brown pond water and consequently grossed out both myself and the other chicks waiting in line for the shower. One girl was nice enough to let me cut her in line which is both a testament to how nice drunk people can be and how rank that pond is. Don't swim in it.
DO: Bring a wagon
Good for hauling food, booze, camping gear, or your idiot drunk friends. Make sure to take pictures of them getting into, sitting in, and attempting (and failing) to get out of the wagon for future hilarity.
DON'T: Sleep through your set
If you're scheduled to play make sure either a) you don't get super wasted and completely pass out before your set, or b) make sure your real friends around around to wake you up for it.
DO: Bring a utility belt
Smartest move ever. It holds all the necessities you could need for a festival: booze, water bottles, cigarettes (if you smoke), snacks, keys, band-aids, etc. Don't be a ninny and lug a giant purse or bag around with you all weekend, just cram everything into your utility belt and enjoy feeling like a Final Fantasy character (or a drunk handyman) as you sling it around your waist and go off on adventures.
DON'T: Expect to get a lot of sleep
The main stage may shut down during the morning but anyone with a car, stereo or in our case a megaphone aren't going to keep quiet, so if you're passing out around 6am you'll probably be up around 9am. This year I took intermittent afternoon naps (aka drank and fell asleep) which is probably the safest way to ensure you're good to go when the party begins again in the evening. Nothing is worse than crashing out at 10pm at Connect. It's not the Connect Rest and Relaxation Festival, after all.
Hip Hop Sunday #9 - 2Pac - I Ain't Mad at Cha
Posting this one from the future, it's Friday and in a few hours I'll be Connect-bound and away till Monday night.
Hope you kids are having the best weekend ever, and my Canadian peeps are enjoying August Long -I know I am!
Happy Hip Hop Sunday guys, missing you!
xo
It's almost time for Connect
which if you haven't noticed by now is the three-day camping/music extrrrrravaganza that myself and my fellow BTA-ers will be taking by storm this coming weekend
partially to let you guys in on the shit-show that was last year and partially to sift through old photos, let me share some of my best Connect 2010 memories:
- 8hrs of near-nonstop bad 80s power ballads in Owen's car on the way out
- Creepy people playing banjos and stoop-sittin' in Moosejaw next to the sketchy vendor we bought our beer before arriving at the festival
-Connect Taco Salad
- Gordon's failtent which he pitched drunk and left all weekend
-Komus' drunken garbage pillow
- The Commodore 69's
- Komus throwing a can of Lucky Lager we found on the ground up into the air and hitting a girl at an adjacent campsite smack on the head and spraying her tent and consequently getting threatened while wearing his Pedobear suit
aka
"are you the guy in the bear suit?!"
(being threatened by some n00b)and last but not least, the best Connect memory... when Donald drunkenly thought he'd lost all his DJ gear, flipped out, and punched a tree and broke his hand
good show!
Never have I had so much fun jam-packed into three days and the excitement that's overtaking me as I've been compiling this post is almost (not) embarrassing. Tonight Ty and I pick up the last of our essentials and we leave right after work tomorrow.
Omg. Connect. Omg.
(ps the rest of my Connect 2010 photos are here in case you wanted more ridiculousness)
Been thinking about this movie a lot lately
I saw Stop-Loss quite a while ago and was really disappointed with it, which is why it seems to weird that I'm thinking about it so much
I think it's because I have a problem with how a film that, at first, seemed to be taking a stand against injustice and winds up making you feel smothered by it instead
because after going AWOL after being stop-lossed, Ryan Philippe's character gets back on the plane and goes back to a war which he disagrees with and which has mentally scarred him and his friends
it's like everything he stood for and believed in, he had to let go of because it was 'for his country' and I just can't stand that kind of blatant shove-it-down-your-throat patriotism, which is what this feels like: that they played it safe when they could have really made a statement about something important
I feel like we do that too much these days
back down, I mean
and though it's just a movie it seems to send the wrong message
like there's no point fighting at all
Made infused vodka today
Oranges, cinnamon, cloves and brown sugar.It'll be ready by Connect, which is this weekend, after a jam-packed van ride with friends to Saskatchewan
It's the highlight of my summer
Camping with friends
BBQing
Dancing all night
Shenanigans
Plus Onion Union is doing visuals! Exciting!
Can't wait! Almost time!
Saw the new Beastie Boys video today
and while I like it -because who doesn't like the Beastie Boys, Spike Jonze, and videos with dolls pretending to be IRL people in them?-
it's sort of ruined for me, because all videos with dolls as people make me think of this video:
and while the video may be cute, Sum 41 is definitely one of the worst Canadian bands ever (behind Nickelback) and as a result it's all I can think about when I see the BB vid, which makes me sad
what does make me happy is that G+ has an iPhone app, it's Shambled Rambler's birthday and she's still as witty and stunning as ever, and this:
Tried to go see a play Friday night
we didn't make it
was too busy hanging with these kids and Ty
and eating this
and smoking cigars with Rhondal
at first I felt like this
but we saw a cat on a leash wearing a Bombers jersey
so I felt better
and we went to Lo Pub to say goodbye to mrghosty which I wrote about here.
Hip Hop Sunday #8 Kayo - My Mamma Told Me
there's something Halifax hip hop that kicks so much ass
Happy Hip Hop Sunday
Kickass show tonight
Enjoy Your Pumas is opening tonight along with other locals Mise En Scene
I'm mildly obsessed with the Pumas, so check out the vid and lemme know your reaction
(also the vid's shot all around #Winnipeg -that castle the guy rolls out of is on the U of W campus -I took an exam in there once!)
they're also opening for one of my fav bands Library Voices who I adore
mega stoked for this show
and also how free it is (thanks UMFM!)
we're meeting up with @jabezlee and his lovely lady and booking 'er over
and now I've realized
we're going to be late
