…calling this a top ten albums of 2004 list yet, since I’ll almost certainly change my mind once a few more from my wishlist roll in (e.g. Jolie Holland, the soundtrack to Friday Night Lights), so let’s just say these 10 could very well be on contention:

• The Arcade Fire . Funeral
• Division Of Laura Lee . Das Not Compute
• Jimmy Eat World . Futures
• Kasabian . Kasabian
• Loretta Lynn . Van Lear Rose
• Neko Case . The Tigers Have Spoken
• Ted Leo . Shake The Streets
• A.C. Newman . The Slow Wonder
• The Von Bondies . Pawn Shoppe Heart
• The Walkmen . Bows And Arrows

Notice the absence of PJ Harvey and The Fiery Furnaces there? I want to love them, I want to think they’re brilliant (especially Blueberry Boat), but I just can’t get into them. They’re the biggest disappointments of the year for me. In fact, the whole lineup is rather uninspiring compared to last year’s haul.

• Childstar
• Elles Etaient Cinq
• I, Claudia
• It’s All Gone Pete Tong
• La Peau Blanche
• Ryan
• Saint Ralph
• ScaredSacred
• Shake Hands With the Devil
• What Remains of Us

from CBC

As I lay on the couch trying to ditch the cold that had driven me out of the office, a fire alarm went off. This happens occasionally when they test the system so I didn’t think much of it.

I went downstairs to check things out; the building manager was there and looked pretty unpanicked, talking to someone on the phone while the alarm panel went crazy. The elevators were out so I had to walk back up to my apartment. No big deal, I thought; they’ll shut it off in a minute. Then the second-stage alarm came on. A bit more concerned now I step out on my balcony; a fire chief’s van has just pulled up in front, lights on, and I hear sirens about to turn the corner onto my street.

Right, time to go. Stuff the cats in their carrier bags — which they do not like, by the way — and carry them down to the lobby. A bunch of people have gathered down there already, with pets & babies in tow, waiting for the all-clear. Eventually it was deemed safe to go back to our little boxes in the sky, much to the relief of the cats, who’d been howling the entire time.

Jeez…I can’t imagine carrying them down (and back up) 20-odd stories. I hope this doesn’t happen in our new condo building…

…c’mon, people…your daughter is 13! Do you really think she’s not going to hear the word “fuck” every day at school?

Wal-Mart sued over Evanescence lyrics (from USA Today)

Today’s the first day it’s really felt like xmas season. I suspect that has something to do with the snow and crowds of crazy people (see this week’s M@B comic). I’m nearly finished my shopping now…just one or two more things to get (but I have to think of them first). I spent all morning on the go, and my burgeoning cold is beginning to slow me down, so I’m in for the rest of the day.

Yesterday my department had our christmas party at the Duke of York (I came away from the gift-trading insanity with a couple of decent DVDs). After that T-Bone and I caught a movie and did some shopping before eating way too much at Fieramosca and chitchatting away the evening, as Nellie was downtown doing the same with a friend.

Today’s shaping up to be simple: write a paper for my HR course that’s due next week, clean up, throw a few more posts up on AAD and watch the next few episodes of The Wire when poor Nellie gets home from work.

Two weeks!

• Neko Case – This Little Light
• Le Tigre – TKO
• Silver Sunshine – Greenfield Park
• Mono – Halcyon
• Thirdimension – Only Healer
• Stars – Your Ex-Lover Is Dead
• Oceansize – Dead Dogs an’ All Sorts
• Pixies – Isla De Encanta

Christmas music? What’s that?

Less than a week after Zip said they were ending my membership, they’ve sent me 4 DVDs in the mail…including Saved!, one of the movies they said I stole.

Talk about your mixed messages.

This article got me thinking about how much music I download, and how much it’s influenced my buying habits. I figure I’ve bought the following CDs this year only because I heard about them online and sampled the MP3s:

• The Drive-By Truckers – Decoration Day
• My Morning Jacket – It Still Moves
• Metric – Old World Underground
• Ted Leo – Hearts Of Oak
• The Walkmen – Bows And Arrows
• The Long Winters – When I Pretend To Fall
• The Von Bondies – Pawn Shoppe Heart
• Matt Pond PA – The Nature Of Maps
• The Arcade Fire – Funeral
• Kasabian – Kasabian
• Mirah – C’mon Miracle
• Sea Ray – Stars At Noon

I also figure I’ve bought at least twice this many because I suspected I wanted them, and just downloaded the MP3s to be sure. So I spent ~$175 that I wouldn’t have otherwise spent, and I bought a few dozen more discs to boot. The way I see it, the only people losing here are second-hand CD joints.

Former Ratt Singer To Perform For Troops (from SoulShine)

Yes