White Lies - Rounds 2 and 3

So as part of my trip to NYC we decided to include a concert. Well it just so worked out that White Lies (one of my favourite bands) was playing back to back shows in Manhattan and then in Toronto. So we scheduled our trip around that. It was cool to see the difference in the crowds. At Webster Hall in New York the crowd was more mature, maybe 25-45, and they were pretty chill. The band played a straight set no encore. Then in Toronto at the Phoenix (which was an early show) the crowd was much more rowdy - mosh pit? crowd surfing? fist fits? and definitely younger. People were getting on the stage and the band thought we were nuts. They said as much at the end. Here's a shot from the New York show of Harry and his shiny guitar...

Top 5 Songs of October

So not all of these are new, some are older but rediscovered:

Wait - Alexi Murdoch

You may recognize this from the movie Away We Go with John Krasinski and Maya Rudoplph. If you haven;t seen this movie yet my only question for you is: Why? Anyways this song is amazing - if you are in a reflective kind of sad mood I'm pretty sure you will cry.

Horchata - Vampire Weekend

I finally took the 2 seconds it takes to find out what Horchata is. It's the name for several kinds of traditional beverages, made of ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice, barley or tigernuts. Sounds gross. Nevertheless, the song is good.

Animal (Crookers remix) - Miike Snow

Yes this song was on Gossip Girl but that wasn't the first time I heard it. It's kinda jungle sounding but not so much that it's annoying (at least in my opinion). I particularly like this version. If you like this one try Plastic Jungle - I love driving to that one.

Velvet - The Big Pink

This has 90's feel mixed with a melodic space-y-ness that will probably be used in a car commercial.

Moth's Wings - Passion Pit

This has a harpsichord thing happening at the beginning and it's fun to TRY and sing-a-long to.

NYC = LOVE

So I'm pretty sure NYC changed me. It was MAJOR. I could have just stayed. Like as soon as we got out of the cab we started to acclimate. Our hotel was great, perfect location. We did so much despite or sore feet, the heat and general exhaustion. That was all part of it though. There were so many highs. Shopping at Henri Bendel, Brooklyn Bethel, Times Square, Lunch at the Palace Hotel, Jimmy Fallon, the Russian Tea Room, dinner at STK...I could go on and on. Even the moments that weren't so great are still good memories. I'll never forget my first time and it won't be my last...

Fall Is Here

Yep it's official. I was in denial for awhile but I am now embracing the season. So I've but away my shorts and tank tops and gotten out my hoodies and scarves. I'm looking forward to some hot apple cider and crunching leaves under my feet. I love fall when it's sunny and crisp, so hopefully we'll get some of that. Lately it's just been damp and rainy, not so hot. Last year this time I was in the Muskoka's at my uncle's cottage. This year I will be in Grand Bend. Looking forward to some good laughs and big meals!

This is now the second year of no "back to school" and I don't miss it in the ways I thought I would. It's more random when it hits me. You adjust and move on.

Fall also means more concerts! 2009 kind of became the year of concerts. A really exciting one is coming up...my friends (The Pretty Faces) from Florida are coming to play a few shows in Toronto at the end of November. Definitely looking forward to that :)

OLP @ Elements

Last week Amy, Steph and I went to see Our Lady Peace at Elements Nightclub in Kitchener. They were performing for Conestoga College's frosh week. After finally figuring out the ticket logistics (which turned out to be unnecessary) we got in the venue as close the front as possible, which was pretty close. The set was good, played a lot of their older repertoire and got the audience singing along. at one point Raine made his way to the bar and drank some girl's beer. The opening band was from Waterloo, Will Currie and the Country French. They put on a set of folky indie pop. The guys (and one girl) were really nice, we had a chance to chat with them after the show. We talked about recipe swapping and meeting bands, about where they went to school and the drunk guy Ryan that decided to stand with us.

This is Dan MacPherson of Will Currie and the Country French (he looked like Alex from Franz Ferdinand to us)

OLP playing their set

A blurry one of Raine on the bar

Le Cycle 13

ANTM (America's Next Tops Model for those who don't know) started this week. I have to say it was one of the best season openers ever. Tyra was crazy, Ms J was crazy, Jay was crazy, the girls were crazy and the photo shoot was actually good. Highlights were Tyra's French/British accent rant, the "Jesus" girl's panel interview, and "TyOvers" (Tyra Makeovers). So I'm excited to see what is to come. My top 3 girls are as follows (based on last nights performance):

Erin, Nicole and Rae

2009 Paris Fair-is wheel

So this was my first time going to the Paris Fair. My first observations were a) I can't believe how many people are here, b) Carny people are hilarious/scary, but mostly hilarious and c) why is everything so expensive! Haha the rides we went on were actually really fun, lots of spinning. By the end I was feeling a little queazy. If you want a candy apple, a quote on a new tractor, to be flipped upside down repeatedly or to get a tooth gem (yes they are real) then this is the place to be.