My Vancouver Sample

By | September 23, 2009

Matthew Good Vancouver StreamIt didn’t survive my 1and1 Post Drama from earlier this year, but in the summer of 2007 Matthew Good streamed his forthcoming album “Hospital Music” on his website for his fans to hear. This time around he is doing it again for his October release titled “Vancouver”. When I listened to “Hospital Music” for the first time I wrote my thoughts on a song-by-song basis, my first impressions of what I thought and I decided to try that again for this record.

However, this time it is a little bit different because most of the songs on the record I have heard in their demo format, which were released on his website over the course of the recording process. Regardless of it being my first time hearing the songs, or my tenth, I still set aside some of my afternoon and listened to the album front to back.

1. “Last Parade” – 5:55
Intro has remained the same from the demo. It feels like a song that could have been on “Avalanche” with the orchestral pieces and the layering. An interesting choice to start the record, it has a slow build but for the most part it feels like something that could be a second song or a closer. Still, the lyric “Ain’t it good to feel back home” does set the mood for the purpose and atmosphere of the record.

2. “The Boy Who Could Explode” – 6:57
I have heard this song many times but it never really stood out to me so I kind of feel like I am listening to it for the first time now. The song feels very open and light and I feel there was no hook to pull me in, perhaps that will change on repeat listens. The last part of the song with the pronounced drums and guitar was a nice ending.

3. “Great Whales Of The Sea” – 3:29
There is no doubting it, this is one of my favourite songs and I can’t explain it. I have to listen to the remainder of the album but this could be a front runner for my top track here.

4. “Us Remains Impossible” – 4:45
First off I have noticed quite the improvement from the demos released of this song. Like “The Boy Who Could Explode” this song did not stand out to me in demo format, however it is standing out to me now. Yeah, this song has gotten my attention and I am listening now.

5. “On Nights Like Tonight” – 4:22
I am not sure I have heard this song often but I immediately like it. I am still getting an “Avalanche” vibe from songs on here and this song continues to support that.

6. “Volcanoes” – 5:03
A very slow song that explodes in the middle. I don’t have much to say about this but I think it will be a grower for me. One where the lyrics stand out amongst others on the album.

7. “A Silent Army In The Trees” – 5:37
A song I had the pleasure of hearing live before “Black Helicopters” and am very pleased to see it get a full studio treatment here. The song remains unchanged from its original format but it’s good to have it here because it could be another of my favourites. The longer this song goes on for the more I like it.

8. “Fought To Fight It” – 4:23
Listening to Vancouver (Photo Booth)A fantastic bass line to start this song. I like it, a lot. As much as I like “Great Whales of the Sea” this may be my top runner for the album. Not much more to say on it, I was too busy rocking out.

9. “The Vancouver National Anthem” – 6:51
I love the guitar on this song. I like the additional vocals with Pete Yorn on this, obviously a big improvement from the demo. “We all live downtown. We all step over ourselves.” is a wonderful few lines and, again, reinforces the idea of this album.

10. “Empty’s Theme Park” – 9:21
Ten minutes? Daaamn. I was doubtful of this track but the band kicking in (I find it weird to say “band” if most of the parts were performed by MG himself) added a bit more depth. I have no idea how far in to this song I am but I love the orchestra inclusion around the one third mark. The last chord on the piano is a very definite and oddly haunting way to close the record out. This was a very fast nine minutes.

That was a very quick album, I’m surprised that was 53 minutes. The subject of the record is obvious and I think it flows quite well as a ‘concept’. I will try to refrain from listening to the stream too much before it is released in October but after that all bets are off as I prepare for his November 14th concert in Edmonton, which will be my 21st time seeing him perform.

My London Beginning

By | September 20, 2009

I have been trying to come up with a way to summarize our trip to England, and for lack of a better word, it was amazing. Every aspect of our vacation was exciting, fun and totally worth it.

For two weeks we were on the go, doing something, walking to a new area and experiencing the sights. We may have taken the tourist approach to London, seeing the things everyone else does, but since this was our first time to Europe we made sure to see all of them. I immediately fell in love with London. From their 150 year old Underground system, to the old and new mashup of items in their skyline, everything about the city I romanticized and fell head first into.

Over the trip we amassed 1,200 photos and a few stories. It would be too much to write about the trip, touch on some memorable moments (from London, Brighton, Cambridge and Marseille) and post a few select photos in a single post so I have decided to split the review up into several. I will cover England in two posts and Marseille in another, so without further adieu, let’s begin with some quick commentary before going into the trip.

  • We didn’t have a pedometer for this trip, but if we did our mileage would have shocked us. We walked everywhere. I brought two pairs of walking shoes and both were not up for the task for walking. After a week of pain and multiple blisters I bought new shoes, and experienced a pain free walk for the remainder of the trip.
  • On the topic of shoes… oh my bank account, the shoes. I never thought I would be a shoe guy but the styles, colours and patterns of their shoes were miles ahead of what is available in Edmonton. I only bought shoes out of necessity but I dragged Jenna into many shoe stores in Cambridge, London and Brighton in the quest for the perfect sole.
  • The people in London were never cold, but they stuck to themselves. We did encounter a friendly local the day we went to Piccadilly Circus. She saw our map and ‘London A-Z’ book and asked if we were lost, as if it wasn’t immediately obvious, and kindly pointed us in the right direction. Even though people were rushed and always late to get somewhere they would say ‘sorry’ if they got in your way or brushed up against you. The exception was on public transit, where it was a mad dash to get on or off the carriage but for the most part I found people courteous.
  • No trucks. There was no obnoxious half tonne truck with metal testicles hanging from its trailer hitch. Instead we got a healthy does of Porsche’s, a single (and sexy) Audi R8, several Maserati’s, a lot of Bentley’s and one Rolls-Royce. Top Gear told me everything I knew about England, and their appreciation of expensive and fast cars did not disappoint. Even motorcycles were less annoying here, and moped’s were definitely more common.
  • Crossing the road as a pedestrian was one of the biggest challenges. At some crosses there would be a ‘look right’ or a ‘look left’ (or both) [photo link], but if those were absent and there was no crossing light it was a gamble every time you stepped off the curb. Near the end of the trip we got the hang of which direction to look but it was definitely a challenge.
  • The fashion was an obvious change from Edmonton. Dress shoes and pants were the norm. Shirts were always a button up and may have been complented with a tie. The females had a noticeable fashion sense and brand names like LV, D&G, Coach or Chanel were present in every area. The clothes and labels were a way of life and even females in stockings would complete their look with an expensive hand bag.
  • I didn’t mind the CCTV presence everywhere. I understand the world we live in has changed during the last decade, and England has been the subject of its own attacks but it was good to know that Big Brother was watching. Perhaps I would feel different if I lived there and the novelty wore off but I appreciated the fact that the cameras can be used for good and not evil.
  • English accents sound much better on girls than their male counterparts.

Our flight left Thursday afternoon, but we didn’t really begin our trip until Saturday. We landed in London at 7AM London time, or midnight our time and had a long day ahead of us. Once we were collected at Gatwick Airport we began our pilgrimage to Bishop’s Stortford. The trip to our temporary home was difficult. We wanted to appreciate the city around us, but were exhausted from the trip and our luggage was being a burden in the big city. Something as simple as buying a rail ticket from a self-serve kiosk was overwhelming to us. You mix in the mid afternoon crowd at London Bridge and Liverpool Street Station and we just wanted the sanctuary of a smaller, and much quieter place. The rest of Friday was uneventful. No matter what happened on our trip we were able to say “It wasn’t as bad as our first day here”, which is a testament to how knackered we were on Friday and not the tough situations we found ourselves in.

On Saturday we had a large breakfast and headed up the rail to Cambridge. The weekend crowd made the city extremely busy and crowded, especially in the market and Kings College area, but it was nice to be out and exploring what England had to offer. Kings College was gorgeous, and the Chapel area was really breathtaking. We went into a lot of cathedrals in these two weeks, and perhaps it was because we saw Kings College first, but the enormity of it stood out amongst the other ones we saw. Being in a school that is celebrating its 800th birthday is quite a feeling, especially when the University of Alberta made so much fanfare about its centennial last year. Kings College wasn’t the only area we visited, we took a tour of St. John’s College.

It was in Cambridge that we got to experience what England was all about: going to the local pub and having a few pints with your mates. After a long day of walking we settled down at the cities oldest pub, which was located alongside the waterway, and drank the afternoon away. The crowd around us started to thin out and the sun began to set so we packed it in and returned home.

Cambridge Crowd Kings College Chapel Kings College Chapel Kings College Cambridge St. John's Bridge of Sigh's Cambridge St. John's - Trinity Cambridge Fort St. George Pub Cambridge

On Sunday we returned to London (photo link) and were introduced to the Underground system (photo link) for the first time in the trip. I have a lot of great things to say about London and their public transit (photo link), especially the Tube. Locals may loathe the system but I was in awe of it the whole time. Originally I was confused by all of the lines and stations but it was the most effective way of transporting us around the city and thought it was a great system. However, being on a carriage that is chock-a-block is a very unpleasant feeling and we often avoided it when the work day ended.

London Millennium Bridge (Pano-Autostitch)

But back to London…our sightseeing took us to St. Paul’s Cathedral. We were able to go inside the chapel for free, but because of mass occurring our movements were limited. However, being there when others were worshiping added to the experience. Our trip continued down the Millennium Bridge and into the Tate Modern Museum. From here we continued along the Queen’s Walk along the Southbank and came across the Southbank Skate Park. The atmosphere along Southbank was contagious, people were out enjoying the beautiful weather and there were street performers on the walk. We stopped by Trafalgar Square, but the hoards of people prevented us from fully appreciating it. Since it is “one of the most famous squares in the United Kingdom and the world” we wondered if we missed out but felt good saying we were there and never felt the need to return.

St. Paul's Cathedral London St. Paul's Cathedral London Millennium Bridge London Tate Modern Museum Southbank Trees London Southbank Skate Park London Southbank Skate Park London Southbank People London National Gallery London

Monday would be our first unchaperoned test into the city and our chance to become intimate with public transit (photo link). It may not seem like much but visiting platform 9 3/4 (photo link) was an exceptional moment for me. Finding the magical platform was a little tricky and when we were clearly in the wrong area a helpful station worker asked “Are you looking for Harry Potter?” and I bashfully said “Yes”. He gave us some basic directions and we were on our way to Hogwartz (photo link). Jenna thought it was a dorky thing to do (photo link), but eventually got in on the ‘cart pushing’ moment (photo link). We made our way back to Southbank and experienced a much quitter area than the day before, but noticed that there were still some street performers trying to cash in on the tourists in this area. Even though it was overcast the London Eye was a really cool experience and gave us an appreciation for how large the city really was. We would spend most of our time in London by the Thames but when you see how far the city sprawls it puts things into perspective.

To cap the day off we did the walk to Big Ben, Parliament and Westimster Abbey. Westminster Abbey was a huge surprise. I am not a religious person, but it was very powerful experience to be in hallowed grounds like the Abbey. We were literally walking over historic people, those that shaped the past were beneath our feet. I was particularly moved at the Royal Air Force Chapel section of the Abbey. This was a footnote amongst all of the other Chapels in the Abbey but this stopped me in my tracks the longest while touring the Abbey. We probably would have benefited from having an audio guide with us, but it was still helpful to stop and read any posted information boards.

Approaching the Eye Inside our Pod at the Eye London Tourist View on the Eye Big Ben London Parliament London Westminster Abbey Entrance

Our educational journey in London continued the next day at the British Museum, which again was free. Some may come to the museum to see the Rosetta Stone but I came to see the covered roof in the Great Room (photo link). Of course the Egyptian and Greece exhibits were amazing, especially the sculptures area where we saw the marble statue of Aphrodite (photo link). I could have spent more time at the British Museum, and would consider returning if we found ourselves in that area again.

Once we were done with knowledge we changed gears completely and went from the old and historic to the busy and expensive as we ventured towards Harrods to buy some gifts. Handbags that were several thousand Pounds were the norm and security was present at every ‘section’. Like a kid in a candy store, we were over stimulated, bought what we came for and got out of there, and headed back to the comfort of Bishop’s Stortford.

Rossetta Stone British Museum London Ancient Stone British Museum London Ancient Stone British Museum London Ancient Stone British Museum London Standing in Knowledge British Museum London Badges of Dishonour British Museum London

As this is nearing 2,000 words I will stop the post here. We still have the strangest and most bizarre experience we went through on Tower Bridge coming up, our mini-Beatles pilgrimage, the day Sean was searched at Gatwick and Calgary airport while scoring a ‘perfect score’ on packing the luggage, days away from heading to Marseille without a hotel booked and, of course, the Marseille trip itself.

My Great Kingdom Leave

By | September 2, 2009

Sean Has Gone to London

That’s it. The bags are packed, the Canadian Tire Monopoly money has been converted into British Sterlings and Euros and we are ready to watch the sunset and rise on the same plane ride.

Jet lag may be my biggest enemy. We will hit London on our midnight, their morning. Anyone who knows me understands how much I appreciate an early bedtime so this trip will be about more than seeing the sights and having fun; it will be about surviving the time difference. We have been told that the time difference hits you more when you return home, and with a few days before returning to work I would rather pay the consequences then instead of having it affect my trip.

Otherwise, I think everything is in order. It is still hard to believe that a trip of this magnitude has come together in under two weeks, there was almost no time to get excited and start a proper countdown.

Check back in a few weeks to see how the trip went and maybe I will have a photo or a few…

My Attitude Machine

By | August 27, 2009

Our London trip is a week away and things are starting to take shape. We have a weekend in Marseille booked and are getting an idea of what we want to do in and around London. We are not sure what we will do first, if we will attack Cambridge, Brighton and then London or if it will be a what we feel like in the morning situation, but we will be sure to make the most of this trip.

I downloaded “London Tube”, an iPhone app that displays a map of the Tube system, which also includes subway line routes and directions to stations. It even shows bus lines so if we are stuck at a station I should be able to figure out how to get to an area we are more familiar with. I do not feel fully prepared for the trip but I feel armed with the tools to survive.

Until I saw this!

Cockney cash machine

The young people laughed when the ATM asked them if they required “some moolah for ya sky rocket”. The machine, in Spitalfields, was one of five Cockney cash dispensers from East London to Barnet that began dispensing “moolah” yesterday morning.

Seriously? I do not plan on using an ATM while there, but if I do I may be using one that will be dispensing linguistic sass? It may be bad enough that I am in a strange part of town where people sew hundreds of pearls to their clothes, but I won’t be able to understand the English words I am reading?

Also from that article, to make matters worse there was this quote:

“It’s complete pants”

Pants? What? Is that a good thing or bad? These British expressions are going to be the comical end of me.

My Frank Conclusion

By | August 24, 2009

I had a hot dog on the weekend. Usually this is not cause for a whole post, but this was more than a hot dog, it was a Fat Frank hot dog! My plight with Fat Frank’s has been long and arduous. It started in June when Cindy and I walked to Fat Frank’s on Whyte Ave and found them closed.

Fat Franks is closed!

Fat Franks is closed!

Other trips down Whyte Ave were greeted with a closed Frank shack. In a cruel sense of mockery, the times I had already eaten or it was not hot dog o’clock Fat Franks would be open. I have seen the small Frank stations around Edmonton but was never in a situation to try one…until Saturday!

Hot Dog Challenge - 16

Jenna and I were running errands on Saturday and after a morning that had trips to AMA and Mountain Equipment Co-op we needed some supplies at Canadian Tire. It was early afternoon, several hours since we had breakfast and in the shadows of the entrance stood a magician commanding a portable Fat Frank’s stand. Like an oasis in the Sahara, I had a Fat Frank.

It may not have been a gourmet style one that you would find on Whyte Ave, but it was still delicious. Perhaps after having my first Fat Frank my luck will change and the next time I take a walk down Whyte Ave they will be open.

My Presence In Graph

By | August 22, 2009

The MIT Media Lab released something called Personas Friday. I saw this on TechCrunch, and immediately thought of Wordle, except this takes you as a source of the words.

Enter your name, and Personas scours the web for information and attempts to characterize the person – to fit them to a predetermined set of categories that an algorithmic process created from a massive corpus of data. The computational process is visualized with each stage of the analysis, finally resulting in the presentation of a seemingly authoritative personal profile.

Sean Gursky - Personas Thumb FullI was curious how Personas saw my identity. Since I have a “Sean Gerski” doppelganger and have recently been wondering about my online identify I thought this was a good test. Obviously “online” was the front runner, I am surprised that “Illegal” was as large as it was, however I have no idea what that is referring.

I see that “Politics” and “Religion” are the same size too; you can draw whatever social commentary between that you would like. I took the words from Personas and turned it into a Wordle here.

My London Calling

By | August 21, 2009

Two weeks from now we will be in Wee Britain. Yeah, I am just as surprised as you are. Usually we plan any trip we take for several months, especially one that involves air travel, but England came together in under 24 hours.

For the last few months we have talked about going to England in September. However when Jenna was unable to get confirmation for her vacation we began to doubt if she would get any time off at all and started to build a contingency plan. On Tuesday she got confirmation for some key days covered by vacation, we found a cheap flight courtesy of Canadian Affair, I got my vacation approved and the rest is history.

London Skyline

We are able to get away with planning a trip so soon because we will be staying with family while out there. What are we going to do out there? No idea! But London/England seems like a big enough country we could find enough to do while there, we may even venture over to Scotland, Vienna, Rome or Marseilles. Either way, it should be a great trip and because we don’t have that long to wait until we leave it’s easy to get real excited for it.

My Landslide Experience

By | August 17, 2009

The Trip
Short Version: I went camping. There was no mustard.

Hot Dog Challenge 15

Long Version: I went back country camping and experienced ultimate highs and lows. I was in the bushes for nearly ninety hours and had a fantastic time with Gord and Tyler. I could stretch this post out, carefully detailing the trip, but I will leave that to Gord to do. My post will act as a Coles Notes of what transpired.



Thursday started out with a 3 hour and 45 minute drive to the trail head of the route we would take to Landslide Lake. We had built a large fire, roasted hot dogs and drank beer. This was the kind of camping I know how to do. However Friday morning would introduce me to what back country camping was really like and I had one of the most unpleasant and miserable experiences of my life. I was cold, wet, hungry and pain was starting to develop in my shoulders. Somehow, by the simple act of walking, I pulled my groin so I felt each step. If I was able to walk it I would have been on Death’s Door in minutes.

In the rain we sought refuge, set up camp, got warm and had a nap. By 5PM we had our first meal of the day, my camera still operated after the hike and I could feel my spirits lifting. I was ready to try this back country camping thing again.

The sun was out and Saturday was the highlight of the day with a 2.5 hour day hike to Landslide Lake. I broke my fishing rod in the process of snagging a whale, Ogopogo or a bear. The story changes depending on who you asked. Tyler and Gord did not fair much better with multiple line tangles and stubborn fish. We left the lake early as we could see clouds roll in over the distance and rain was not something we wanted to get caught in again.

Standing on the landslide rocks looking out

A cup of coffee, a fire and a hot meal are wonderful things while out in the elements and each one added to the enjoyment of the trip. On Sunday we hiked the remaining 3.5 hours back to the car, our packs lighter than on Friday, we set off with our feet dry and we all had stories to tell. I began to think this was something I would do again. At the end of the trip my feet had multiple blisters, both groin muscles were sore, my left knee could not bend without pain and my back and shoulders were stiff; all of this seems par for the course.

Jean Farewell
The trip could not have been possible without my jeans. I was told to bring one pair of jeans for the trip and live in them. I lived every last minute of their life from Thursday to Sunday. They survived rain, mud, a hole caused by fire, several treatments of duct tape and hours away from the car the backside ripped, adding an oddly comfortable breeze to my stride.

The jeans were not going into the wash, they went straight into the garbage and proudly served their purpose right to the end.