Author: admin

On Saturday, a new clothing item entered my life in the form of a fedora. I thought this snazzy hat should come with a name. Meet Dora the Fedora.

On Saturday, considering Vero and I had some time to kill before heading over to Aunt Dinah’s surprise birthday party, we kept driving towards the Yorkdale Mall.

Now, I’m not from around the big city of Toronto so I wasn’t really expecting a zoo which was the parking lot around 2PM on a Saturday. However, after a relaxing drive from Ottawa, I wasn’t too stressed in finding a parking spot and managed to acquire one in 20 minutes.

My goals of the trip to the mall were simple:

• Visit the Apple Store.
• Buy a laptop bag.

I wanted a laptop bag that would be small enough to fit inside my backpack. Why do I want a laptop bag if I have a laptop? Well, for one…I don’t want thing getting scratched up inside my backpack. Who knows what lurks inside there! I think I have something growing inside one of the pockets actually. Plus, simply purchasing a laptop bag would not be sufficient for my needs as I am a scholar with many books, as well as my lunch and swimming gear.

The Apple Store was quite a zoo also. Literally hundreds of people sat there playing with the laptops and accessories. It was a pretty neat setup I must admit. You should check it out. Everything is out in the open to try out – even headphones.

I scoped a laptop bag which seemed to fit my needs but I then thought I should buy a new backpack (as mine has seen better days and I’ve had it since college. I think 10 years is enough time to retire Ole Faithful.) We headed over to Bentley Bags where I picked out a snazzy pack and got to the cash to discover it was 50% off! BONUS! You know me, I am…frugal? Is that the word? Either way, paying $12 for a backpack is my kind of deal. They made my day.

I headed back to the Apple Store, picked up the laptop bag and we were on our way out when Vero wanted to stop into the Aldo Accessory store.

Lo and behold, the hat had a heavenly glow emitting from it and something in my mind said “It will be mine. Oh yes…it will be mine.” I tried the hat on, all the ladies in the room turned their heads, and then I decided to buy it.

I dig the hat. I’ve been looking for a fedora for awhile and couldn’t find one I really liked. I’ll have to get used to wearing it for awhile. The logistics of wearing a hat in the year 2007 is a difficult one when you are also semi-concerned about how your hair shouldn’t look like bedhead when you arrive to work.

Now I am wondering the proper etiquette for wearing a fedora. The fedora exudes more of a spirit than a regular ball cap would. Here are some questions for the masses (perhaps those that were around when fedoras were in style could help me out here):

Nowadays, hats seem to be a fairly significant accessory in the clothing you wear. One cannot wear the fedora within the sphere of a workplace (well, at least MY workplace), but what about social events? Is it proper to keep your fedora on when you are having tea over at your Grandmother’s house? What about a party? I could see that going over well…but overall, is the general rule of thumb that you shouldn’t be wearing a hat indoors, plain and simple? What are the old vs. the new rules when it comes to the fedora (or hats in general for that matter?)

I’m not only wearing it for the coolness of old factor, but I want to bring back the qualities of old also. This is part of my constant effort to be a gentleman.

Vero has scored an amazing job opportunity with Production Charbonneau this coming year when Vero is wrapping up her school.

Production Charbonneau is filming a new television series which will probably be released sometime in mid 2008. But they are going ahead and filming a season’s worth of material this year.

She will be the assistant stage producer (did I get the name right?) and she will be responsible for not only the in-behind things that occur during production, but more importantly, responsible for the stage direction of the extras on the set! Now, I don’t know about you, but sometimes I’ve wondered how the extras on the set are instructed to move, to listen to their iPod, to walk a certain way, to eat some food, etc. Well, this is how! Vero will be letting them know what they expect in a certain scene and ensure that they aren’t goofing around when the camera starts rolling and they are secretly waving to the camera to their mom (as you all know I would do!)

The production company even rented a house which they will use while ripping out key walls to put video cameras into. That is pretty cool. I must admit that the only knowledge I have of the inner workings of television shows and movies are what I see on the special features disc of a DVD. So I have an idea of what she will be up to, but my knowledge is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what she will be responsible for.

So the filming runs from April – June, then the show filming will take a break until October-December. Personally, I think that is an awesome job considering I would love to be getting out of school, work for three months and then get three months off to decompress from the whirlwind which was school! I remember that this happened to me (not by choice) when I graduated and didn’t find a job until October. I don’t know what my parents were thinking at the time (what the heck, ya bum, go get a job!) but everything worked out fine and in hindsight, I had one of the greatest summers I have ever known.

All in all, I know Vero is destined for great things. I’m pretty sure not many of her school colleagues have received this opportunity to work on such a large scale production (there are 40 people on the team!) and she has earned it with her hard work ethic over the years. Am I allowed to say break a leg to someone who is behind the scenes or is this bad luck?

We all know it’s been my secret desire to one day be on television. Faithful readers, this is my way in! (Meanwhile, Vero is shaking her head saying “Noooo!”)

I’m pretty sure I aced my mid-term last night in my Media Ethics class. Man, I love that class. Reading Supreme Court cases and having someone explain them to me is actually very entertaining.

At this point in my life, I am coming to the close of my required courses for the Communications field and have a bunch of electives to choose. While I would like to think that I will be a cool guy behind the camera in some studio one day, I think that perhaps it is best to broaden my knowledge set to what I am currently in – the Government.

So with that, I am looking at branching out my knowledge set by taking some sociology courses as the Government policy makers require that in your brain to ‘successfully’ work in that field. While I do not know if I will want to be a policy maker in the future, I don’t want to have a closed door. Heck, that’s why I went back to school in the first place; to leave the doors wide open! Everyone knows I am the cats meow, but I didn’t want some piece of paper declaring I am unfit to proceed higher in this organization. Albeit, I have a giant ego so that’s always a clincher.

Now onto some fun news…while my potential trip to Europe is being put on the back burner for this year (but Vero is still going ahead…JEALOUS!), we will both be headed to the Dominican Republic next January for her sister’s wedding! I am excited for this trip as I have never been anywhere down south and I always said I would wait for an opportunity like this to come along to make my trek. I am unsure if I will truly enjoy a paradise of sand and water compared to the wonders of traveling to Europe, but who knows? This is why I am going! I want to see if I enjoy this kind of thing!

My only beef is the fact that they need deposit next week for a trip that is happening next year. Boo!

In a grand stroke of awesome news, Evil Dead – The Musical is coming to Toronto!

http://www.evildeadthemusical.com/index.htm

Honestly…first the Smashing Pumpkins are coming to Toronto and now this? WOOT!

The brain works in mysterious ways. It is also faster than a speeding bullet.

Yesterday when I walked in the lobby of Vero’s residence (sadly, I won’t be seeing that place much longer, the summer term is arriving soon!) I sniffed a heavenly scent of the gravy which you put on your hot chicken sandwiches.

Mmm boy! This automatically placed the following trail of thoughts into my head:

“Boy, I wish I could have a hot chicken sandwich right about now.”
“Hmm…I wonder if Vero would be making a hot chicken sandwich right now?”
“I don’t think she’s made one before for me so I would be satisfied with a poutine instead as she has made those before.”
“Wait, I think I had a hot chicken sandwich at her grandmother’s place in Saint-Jacques-des-Leeds.”
“I really love that place. It was a beautiful town in Quebec with mountains all around. I really think it was the cats meow.”
“You know, I should buy a house and retire there. Hmm…maybe I could buy a house now and have her cousins rent out the place.”

All these thoughts triggered into my brain in the span of 100 meters from the lobby to Vero’s door. It is amazing how many random thoughts you may have in a short time period. I wish there was a device (like in the sci-fi movies) that may record the images you see in your brain and track how fast they move.

Lo and behold I walk into Vero’s place and find a HOT CHICKEN SANDWICH BEING MADE! This blew my mind. Then I rambled off what I was just thinking about to Vero and was telling her how (even though highly improbable) the smell of the gravy has traveled all the way through the residence to the lobby and that’s how I was thinking of the hot chicken sandwich.

So then I got to thinking about premonitions and if somehow they can trigger your nose also and then whatever you are thinking about…you actually think you smell it! I must admit it was a surreal thought but in all honesty, it’s the more likely one as Vero’s residence is pretty vast and it’s really hard to believe that 100 meters and three doors later, the smell of hot chicken gravy was wafting through the halls. Unless her fan was directly linked to the air supply in the lobby somehow – much like how Carrie’s old place had a fan that connected the bathroom to the kitchen. That was lovely.

So that’s that. I had a lovely supper as it always is. I was laughing with Vero at the fact that I hate peas, but you gotta have them with a hot chicken sandwich. It is sacrilege not to!

Well, I bit the bullet on Saturday and headed down to the St. Laurent Centre (yes, that’s right, it’s St. Patty’s Day and I didn’t head to a bar) for…you guessed it.

The Canadian Idol competition.

Alright, now, I haven’t really spoken about it here before but the idea was planted in my head by some British woman who kept calling me to convince me to go to the auditions. She said that she had contacted all my friends and they agreed.

At first, I thought ‘Hogwash!’ but it was too late. The idea was planted that, the Palmer, might actually be decent in the singing category.

So I headed down to the mall with nothing more than my iPod, my guitar, my study notes (mid-term on Wednesday coming up!) and some lemon water for my voice. Hey, I’m no professional here but I read lemon water does the trick. This actually makes sense as I don’t really sing that well after drinking beer all day, but throw a rye and ginger into the mix and WHAMMO, I am the next Alice Cooper.

The line-up was HUGE and I was not too impressed. Many times I thought that I should just bow out so I can go home and enjoy the day. Also, they don’t allow old-timers like me after this year, so this was the last year I could potentially go to it.

Time passes by and I gaze at the number of teeny-boppers and they are practicing like mad and I’m thinking “Holy crap, some of these girls sound awful, but some of them have the sweet angel’s voice.” This reminded me of Vero’s cousin back at Christmas who was going to try out for Canadian Idol this year. I wonder if she was trying out in Ottawa?

I had arrived there around 8am (opening time) and was allowed in around 11:15. Alright, it’s showtime! I summoned the Gods of Rock to help me out and I went into a room and there was a table with 5 people around it. I don’t really watch these Idol shows but I don’t think there are usually 5 judges. Anyhow, they just asked me a few questions like where I was from and what I do nowadays and what kind of music do I play.

So then they say they have something different happening and are wondering if I would mind singing along with someone. You can’t say no at a point like this and so they bring out TOM COCHRANE! Awesomeness! That was totally random! So he turns out to be a decent guy and just wants to sing along to a tune so I tell him the only tune of his that I can play on guitar is Life is a Highway (natch) and I didn’t bother telling him that I don’t really know any of his other songs. That would just insult the guy. I would like to think that they brought him out considering I was probably one of the few older gents there with a guitar in hand.

I have no idea why Tom Cochrane was there to begin with. They were filming it so I’m assuming the audition tapes make it onto the show? Does anyone out there actually watch the show? It was pretty amazing to sing along with Tom on his song and then he asked if I had any songs so instead of playing the regularly scheduled Mr. Jones, I decided, heck, this is a moment of a lifetime on its own, why not pull out a Palmer original in the form of my biography of Stompin’ Tom? So I explain to him that I had been reading Stompin’ Tom’s biography and was inspired to write this song that kinda sounds like a Stompin’ Tom tune in its own right. So I pull out The Stomper, play it for everyone and I don’t know if he was just being nice but he said he thought it was pretty good.

I thanked everyone for the opportunity, shook hands with Mr. Cochrane again and headed home. Flippin’ unbelievable! Pretty awesome day I must say. I don’t even care if I make it onto the show as I have never watched it. Playing with an awesome musician is good enough!

Hmmm…before I start on my post, how many people have joined the new web revolution called Facebook?

Last night I dropped off the guitar at Long & McQuade. We’ll have to see the results to see if it’s worth spending $90 on.

Mike brought up a good point that you have to have a pretty nice (read: expensive) guitar to justify a $90 tune up. One would think you wouldn’t spend that on your $300 guitar. However, I must admit that the old Yamaha has a special place in my heart so maybe it will be the next guitar to get set up.

Today’s topic of conversation revolves around music. Fancy that.

What I would like to discuss are the differences between music releases in the 60s-70s and nowadays. Yes, I am purposely leaving out the 80s.

I am going through the Top 500 Rock Songs of all time and clearly, the majority of them stem from the late 60s – 70s period. I come across many songs by many of the same artists (like Zeppelin, Floyd, etc.) but I noticed a common trend.

Their albums pretty well came out one year after the other. It wasn’t uncommon to see an album come out in ’70, ’71, ’72. Whereas nowadays, I think the norm is every 2 years, give a few extra if you’re an old band who just want to tour every five years (or don’t have enough creative juices).

So, the question is, did they really release a heck of a lot more music for the masses back in the day?

Let’s take a look at the elements of a classic rock album vs. a new album. Mainly – track numbers.

It was very common to see around 8 tracks back in the day on an album, whereas I would think it’s common to see an average of 14 songs nowadays. That’s nearly double, but not quite.

For my thesis here, I will use Led Zeppelin as my classic rock example, and Our Lady Peace as my 90’s example. I will also use a five year span to develop the procedure which will demonstrate the song writing ability of these two bands.

Led Zeppelin I (1969) – 9 songs
Led Zeppelin II (1969 – note that these two albums were released in the SAME year!) – 9 songs
Led Zeppelin III (1970) – 10 songs
Led Zeppelin IV (1971) – 8 songs
House of the Holy (1973) – 8 songs
Total – 44 songs

Naveed (1994) – 11 songs
Clumsy (1997) – 11 songs
Happiness is Not A Fish You Can Catch (1999) – 11 songs
Total – 33 songs

Now, of course, my formula could be off severely. If you take the Smashing Pumpkins against Led Zeppelin, then we are looking at a total of 51 songs being released on albums during a five year period. That’s pretty impressive. Heck, that’s why I like them. Plus, can we say that Led Zeppelin may have been abnormal in that they could create a heck of a lot of songs compared to other bands at the time? Unsure.

On average, if I did a more thorough analysis we would find that there are more songs released by a band in the past than in the present.

Then we get into the whole debate about ‘quality vs. quantity’. I have heard the argument that back in the day, people just released whatever they came up with and some of it was lackluster (aka, not single worthy). So there’s a an argument that you can spend 2 years now and ween through the crap that you would release on album.

However, I disagree with this standpoint as there is still crap coming out on albums, so why don’t you just release everything you enjoy recording at the moment, and if 2 weeks down the line you hate it, so be it. At least you tried. Something tells me this is the point where I will hear from people who just enjoy the singles anyhow and prefer grabbing their favourite tracks off an album instead of listening to the album as a whole.

What am I getting at with my commentary? I want more music from my current artists. An album every year I say! Especially now with the Internet, there’s no reason to wait around until you have 12 songs available. Re-enter the land of singles and then release a few compilation albums every few years.

So my question to all of you is this – do you feel that there was a lot more music being produced in the past? How do you feel about waiting an average of 2 years to hear a new album (which, could be crap)?

This leads into my review of the new Finger Eleven album – Them Vs. You Vs. Me. While it has some alright tunes, it is a different direction. Think ‘One Thing’ but multiply it by 12 and you have their new album. What the heck lads? Disappointment ensues for this gent who has been waiting for a rocking album.

Plus, your album is 30 minutes long. Two years of waiting should at least produce 45 minutes of music.