Monthly Archives: December 2006
only two more sleeps
Thursday, December 14, 2006
- 30L carryon-sized travel backpack
- canvas messenger bag
- one pair convertable cotton pants, khaki
- one pair shorts, light grey
- one t-shirt, brown
- one polo shirt, orange
- one hooded sweatshirt, brown
- one pair sandals
- one pair Chuck Taylors Converse sneakers, black
- three pairs of boxer shorts underwear (one with monkeys)
- three pairs of socks
- one pair of swim trunks, olive
- travel alarm clock
- toothbrush
- toothbrush case
- toothpaste
- deodorant (Mountain Rain flavour)
- mini umbrella
- small microfibre towel
- LED flashlight
- two pairs of earplugs
- earplug case
- digital camera, Canon ELPH SD400
- spare camera battery
- camera battery charger
- extra 1GB camera memory card
- camera case
- hardcover notebook
- two pens
- travel wallet
- US currency
- Canadian currency
- credit card
- bank card
- wearable passport/cash mini wallet
- iPod, 20GB with music, podcasts and language lessons
- iPod adaptor and cable
- earphones
- earphone case
- passport, with Vietnam visa
- two 4cm by 6cm photos for Laos on-arrival visa
- vaccination booklet
- books: http://columbuscameragroup.com/sony-a230-outfit/ Graphic Guide to South East Asia; The Beach (I hear the book is way better than the movie); A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (to read on the plane); Fifty Challenging Problems in Probability (it’s small, and I’m a nerd)
- photocopies of relevant sections of Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring
- printouts of various bookings, addresses, insurers and e-tickets
- wristwatch
- eyeglasses
- eyeglass case
- sunglasses
- subglasses case
things I’ve learned, part 17
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
I’ve had a cold the past few days, which had been making me feel kind of miserable. However, I really compounded my suffering when I followed my after-dinner martini with a hot, lemony Neo Citran. Even with a couple of hours separating them, there were consequences: excruciating;y boring dreams that managed to be disturbing, too, though mostly for their boringness. And a generally stoned and unhappy Eric for the entire yesterday.
Note to self: don’t do that.
I (heart) Explosions in the Sky
Sunday, December 10, 2006
According to legend, Explosions in the Sky were signed when fellow post-rockers American Analog Set listened to half their demo and submitted it to their label with a note reading “This totally fucking destroys!” Turns out they do.
I’ve been listening to Explosions in the Sky on a near-daily basis for months now, and to my continued surprise, I’m not remotely sick of them. They do jammy instrumental post-rock in the vein of Mogwai or Tortoise, but their music is a more haunting and delicate, with bits of goth and heavy metal for good measure. In fact, somehow these four guys from Texas make music that perfectly matches my feelings about Vancouver winter — moody and vast and cooly beautiful. The perfect musical accompaniment to taking the early-morning bus across the Granville bridge and seeing the city of glass dwarfed by snow-topped mountains and endless grey clouds and cold black ocean.
They have a free album, The Rescue which you can download from their site, and a new album coming out in February. You should probably check ’em out. I can’t guarantee you’ll love their stuff as much as I do, but you just might, and wouldn’t that be grand?
