i know i know

i know I said I was back to blogging... but then a long (but great) tour with Paramore, New Found Glory, and Kadawatha got in the way! Anyway, here's a shot from that tour. Any guesses on which venue this is from?

Circus Circus

Ok no it's not Vegas, and it was taken minutes after another shot I've already posted but I think this may be my favorite shot I've ever taken? Maybe? I even caught a bird in flight so that's good right? Anyway, I love the clouds, they were incredible.

Gothem City

No it's not Chicago but it is another fun town. I hadn't been back since I lived here four years ago. So great to visit old friends and old home towns.

I also like the gold pin striping on the bus matching the glow of the buildings.

Goodbye for now.

new direction?!

I don't think I am done with my odd rants and all, but I do seem to spend less time writing them down and talking them out like I used to... therefore I think I am going to start just using my blog as a place to throw out a few photos from the road. Why not, what else am I going to do with them, leave them in iphoto to rot? Oh and I get bored of my photos so I tend to tweak them... sometimes a lot, sometimes not.

Well here's the first of many I suppose. Actually maybe I'll leave out the locations so you can try and guess where each shot is taken from. Crap, this first one couldn't be more obvious.

FALSE ADVERTISING!!! sort of

Have you seen that ridiculously cute commercial for Dawn soap, where they are washing penguins and otters and a few other cute critters? The they say that one dollar of your purchase will go towards "helping to save wildlife". Amazing I thought. Really cute ad, help save the little animals, and get dishwashing soap for home. Simple. UNTIL i was about to purchase it and read the very elusive and evil word, CAN. Your purchase CAN help, but won't unless you go to our website and punch in the code of this container and fill out this and that and then maybe then, if you fill it out right, we will send one dollar to the wildlife. Who is actually going to go to their website and take the time to do all of that?! A SMALL FRACTION OF THE PEOPLE BUYING, that's for sure. I felt cheated, and therefore boycotted their product altogether. I still like the ad, but it kind of enrages me at the same time now. So cute! Stupid False Advertising! Awww, little ducky! Evil company!
If anyone wants to send me money like 10 bucks or so, I CAN give two dollars to someone who needs it, if you pass a skill testing question that may not actually have an answer. And I choose who "needs it". Am I too generous?

still worth watching

Been a while, but back in the saddle?

I'm sorry it has been so long. Much has happened and I've neglected my blog. Sorry. Oh and I moved to Vancouver so that has been occupying my time of late. House Reno's are fun when you have the time. I no longer have the time, nor the money. No longer are house reno's fun.

The other update is that we (Tegan and Sara) have started rehearsals for upcoming shows! All I can say is that the new songs from Sainthood sound great and are a lot of fun to play live. Talk soon, hopefully

Comic Con

A friend sent me this link to a collection of great comics! I also want to go to Comic Con, but I say that every years so...

This comic is how I view the world. Maybe this should be the cover of my packing book?

Just beCause?

"Suppose a cause that HASN'T affected your family"

I used to hear this and think what a great idea. Don't be so self centered by only thinking of your needs, but help out those around you who you aren't affiliated with. It's important to see the bigger picture as there are so many people out there who need our help. This I still agree with, BUT...

Tell me what's wrong with supporting a cause that has affected you or your family when you are that much more passionate about supporting it. Supporting a cause at random means you are randomly passionate about it. How much support and awareness will you raise with that kind of thinking?

If you have an ailing family member and you are motivated to raise a ton of support for them and others like them, why isn't it as good as supporting something else? How often do people raise money for a cause and actually see it cured? Have we completely eradicated cancer? AIDS? How can it be considered selfish if we know that our hard work won't cure each other (although we may like to), but hopefully others after we are gone?

just a thought

What's Better?

Has anyone ever seen a study done or any research for that matter on what is the best option for drying your hands after washing them in a public restroom... including what is better for the environment?! Paper or Hot Air?

-Paper obviously uses more trees
-Hot Air takes electricity which means...

I normally try and research this before I pose the question but I haven't today so I'm interested to see what you think. Ok well I just found a study while I was searching for a picture, sorry, couldn't help it... but form your opinion first before you read this... STUDY and then let me know what you think.

I found this cartoon through Raine Wilson's twitter page and thought I'd share it. The artist is Tony Luchbreath. That's all for now!

Twilight in VANada

I was once again reminded of what it is like to drive across Canada in a van.

Although I did cheat a little, I skipped the first 100 hours of driving and flew out to Thunder Bay last week to meet up with my friends from Laura Smith. I was joining the tail end of the tour since their bass player had to join another tour with some guy who wrote that song in which the dude from Twilight sang for the Twilight soundtrack. Confusing? Anyways, I got to drive from Thunder Bay to Vancouver... oh ya and play three shows in between... in a minivan. Saskatoon to Vancouver in one day was a highlight, 18hrs or so?

I miss the ol' van across Canada days, they were a fun time in my life... BUT I don't want to go to back to it on a regular basis!

Finally, Music Time

Well it's been a while but we are finally going to be playing music again! Well even if it is just two shows, I'm excited. The Showbox in Seattle, then the Hollywood Bowl in LA with Death Cab and The New Pornographers. Anyways, if you are around either of those cities you should come by and say hi.

new iphone, new price

I've always kinda wanted the iphone. And when I say kinda, I mean, I've always really wanted the iphone. But I can't justify spending that kind of money. Well apparently I wasn't alone and so the new iphone was just unveiled and it's going to be a lot cheaper!

$99 for the (older) 3G
$199 for the 16 gig (new) 3G S and
$299 for the 32 gig (new) 3G s.

Now I'm tempted.

One a Day

Spent too much time yesterday checking out all sorts of these 'Deals of the Day' sites. After a couple hours searching, and a bunch of, "Oh, I could use that." I realized, I didn't need anything. I suppose these sites prey on impulse buyers? I kind of wanted to be an impulse buyer, however by the time I got to the checkout I realized I couldn't be bothered to spend that extra time (filling out my info) and $3.99 to get a pair of orange ipod buds... that I didn't need!

Does anyone have a favorite site like this that they check out daily? What's the most random thing you've purchased online?

FREE RICE!

Better than the 'word power' section in Readers Digest, I've officially just wasted two hours on a great little website called Free Rice.

"Give free rice to hungry people by playing a simple game that increases your knowledge."

Every time you get an answer right, the site sponsor donates 10 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger. It's addicting and fun, AND it helps end world hunger, what more could you possibly want? So far I have donated over 5000 grains of rice... and I can't stop playing. Don't like English vocab? Try French, German, Italian or Spanish? Or study your chemistry symbols? Multiplication tables? I liked identifying the country on a map or naming their capitals!

My only question is where was this site when I was studying so hard to be on the Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego show!

True Story...

Some find it sad, I find it awesome. I have more Wierd Al Yankovic cd's than any other artist. I sing along to so many 80's and 90's songs with Al's lyrics, and not knowing the real lyrics. Anyone who can make a living for well over twenty years as a musician, who's main instrument is an accordion and is still considered a rock star is my hero.

Prey on Me?

Dear all the people who make television series available on dvd,

I like collecting tv series on Dvd. I'm in a band and we like to catch up on all the shows we've missed while on our bus. Episode after episode we can watch without commercial break and definitely without having to wait a week between them, but still, you do have to wait until that season comes out on DVD. This is where I have a problem with a few of your shows...

I have patience. And this has nothing to do with waiting for these seasons to come out, but all to do with your changing of packaging and design. Why do you change your design scheme half way through a series?! If you start something, finish it, please!

Smallville for instance has really annoyed me. Seasons 1-4, same. Season 4, smaller box AND Smaller logo?! Then it changes again! Smaller packaging is fine, less material means less waste and probably cheaper for you and us(?)... but why move the logo and make it smaller, it would still be fine in the same place with the same size? Entourage, you do this too, but to a lesser extent. Or do you remember how lame the first Matrix dvd looks compared to the next two?!

Are you picking on those with OCD? Do you figure you can make more money from us when we have to re-buy the series in a fancy new 'official box set' because we can't stand to look at the mismatched set we have? I was on a movie set again last night I was reminded of a common word in your industry; Continuity. Although it may not exactly translate, I think it's still relevant here.

Please keep your designs consistent, cause I don't want to have to buy the box set too! Oh and if Star Trek can do it, so can you, right?!

thanks for your time,

SHaun

Prove it!

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

-Edmund Burke

I was looking up this quote and reading a little about it yesterday and apparently there is no proof that this is Mr Burke's quote. No historical evidense that proves it was he who said it... but does that matter? We should be more concerned about what it says than who can take claim to it?

Then, out of curiousity, I googled it in google images to see what would come up. Here's what I found. Without doing any more research, I am going to assume that Captain America once said it... and that maybe he even said it first?!

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

-Captain America

If the big one comes, I better not be in trouble...

So with all this down time I have from not being on tour, I went out and got a real job. I am now the "Safety Coordinator (slash) First Aid Attendant" on a construction site. By no means does that make me a carpenter. Sure I've hammered my fair share of nails and I've overseen a lot of carpenters work, but once again, I am no where close to being a carpenter. All that aside, it doesn't take a carpenter to put up a painting, right?

Well yesterday I was sent over to the owner of the company's beautiful home overlooking the ocean. I was instructed to "go and put up a picture in one of the rooms... oh and it's a large picture so make sure you find a stud!" I get there, he lets me in, and as I'm taking off my shoes, my measuring tape falls and makes a loud banging noise as it collides with the marble floor. Now I'm kinda nervous as he informs me to be careful because it's a "soft marble" flooring.

Why did they send the only non-carpenter in the company to go to the owner of a construction company's house? He'll obviously know I'm not a carpenter?!

I get to the room, see the large painting, measure a few things, find the studs and make a few more markings. Not too bad yet right? I pull out the 3" screws and the larger heavy duty bolts I was given to do the job. "You don't need those, they are WAY too big" I am told. So off I went to look for something smaller in the truck. I find some 2" screws while the owner shows me a 1" screw and says, "Maybe just a little bigger than this...?"

I don't want this painting to fall, and I need to go through more than just the drywall, that much I do know.

After putting the screws into the walls and having to redo one of them (due to picture sloping and something honestly not my fault but I won't bother explaining), it's finally up and the owner is happy. Then I find out a little more about the painting;

It can't be in direct sunlight because it is a pastel, OH and it's an original from the 18th century that his son bought for him at the Sotheby Auction in London.

I now wish I had used the heavy duty wall bolts. And I pray that no earthquake hits us anytime soon.

superhumans

Discovery channel has once again got me thinking.

Have you seen the show about the 'Superhumans' where there are people that can raise their own body temperature to above normal when they are in below freezing water? Or the solve insane mathematical equations in their heads, instantly? How about the blind man who was born without eyes and yet is a painter and paints with true perspective?
I liked the woman who 'tastes' sounds. She tastes 'bitter' when she hears a minor chord and others see colors with music.

All of these are incredible, but what freaked me out was hearing that one of my favorite movies, Gattaca, may not be that far off. This one doctor says that within the next ten years or so, humans will start being able to 'enhance' their pre-born children to have better genes, be more advanced in certain areas, or develop certain superhuman abilities...

Crazy. And fascinating.