The Facebook Dilemma
So – I haven’t written on here for a while, but fret not! All is not lost. I have just been busy. But kind of not really. I’m back working at the Gap and doing all the recordings during the summer so that’s keeping me partially busy. You’ll see below two versions of a recording I did with Chris Ho recently. It was a good time, and I think that the recording turned out well. Thoughts? Do you like version one or the remixed version two?
I did well in school. Passed all my classes. One D – in my super tough electrical engineering course (Thank GOD – no more elec), 2 B+’s and 2 A’s. This has definitely been one of my
more successful years even though I did get two D’s. So – I’m glad to be done that, and enjoying summer.
Image via Wikipedia
So the main thing I wanted to rant about today was my Facebook Dilemma. It’s about choosing who to add and who not to add. There are lots of people who I see on a semi-regular basis and have classes with and talk with in those classes occasionally. I would not consider these people my friends but they are people I could talk to at a party or in a social setting. Being kind of an outsider in the School of Music – that means there’s a lot of people who don’t really know me and vice versa, even though we’ve had classes together for 3 years now.
Should I be adding these people to my Facebook who aren’t really friends but decent enough acquaintances to justify a friend request? I know lots of people treat Facebook differently and think that “You should only add your true friends and people you actually know.” And then there’s the flip side of people who add just about everyone and anyone to their friends list. It’s all about how open and how social you are. I feel that I’m somewhere in the middle and will add people even though I’m not necessarily friends with them. I figure I might as well – there’s really no harm since I keep my Facebook pretty secure in what I share.
My general rule of thumb is if I would say hi to them on the street or nodded in passing (in terms of guys) then I can add them as a friend. To me this means that we know who each other are and share some kind of acknowledgement or whatever you want to call it. This also works pretty easy for deleting people – if I see them in public and make direct eye contact and they don’t say hi – I’ll delete them from my account.
Oh the tough life of a suburban university student. Who to add on Facebook such a huge dilemma.
What are your thoughts? Who do you add? Do you have filters for different groups of people?
- J
Related Articles
- How to use Facebook Friend Lists to your advantage (insights-group.com)
Children’s Day
I suppose I should update this with something. My brother has asked me to write more so he has something to read on the bus home. So while I sit with nothing to do waiting for my next class I guess I will write.
This is going to the be the typical “update-what-i-have-been-doing-because-i-don’t-write-often-enough.” I may try and do a few more posts later about more interesting stuff, so I just gotta get this out of the way.
Christmas came and went. Girlfriend and I stayed in Victoria and it was my first Christmas away from home. It was nice and quiet and we had the whole house to ourselves which was amazing. She got me a PS3 which is awesome and the best present ever, and I got her the entire series of the X Files. Something like 61 discs over 9 seasons. So we’ve been watching that, and I’ve been playing a lot of playstation.
Then I went home for a few days post christmas. I did the family thing and saw my friends. And I’ve realized I only do three things when I come home:
- Go take pictures
- Go to the mall
- Go to the bar
Each activity has a certain set of people who are associated with it. But really that’s all Calgary is anymore. Just a stop along the way in order to appease my parents.
Then I came home for a few days, had two days of school and left back for Alberta with Girlfriend. Her cousin was getting married so we attended the wedding. It was a good weekend on the whole, hanging out with her family and what have you, but the wedding itself was pretty boring. But we both did look really good! Pictures will follow shortly.
Now I’m back in school, 5 classes again. Had to quit work at the Gap because I couldn’t work it with my schedule this semester. I’d only be able to work weekends, and that just wouldn’t fly with homework. I’m still going to do the recording job so I will still have some income.
Other than that, I can’t think of anything else that interesting to talk about. So I shall sign off. Have a good one.
~ J
Related Articles
- Strathmore treats stranded motorists like family (calgaryherald.com)
Cótes des Neiges (Snow Hill)
So school is in full swing again, and unfortunately this blog has taken a toll because of it. I have a few extra minutes tonight, so I feel like writing something. I’ve got a whole bunch of other random stuff and thoughts I’m gonna write down sometime, it’s just a matter of laziness.
The start of my third year has kind of come in as a whimper versus a bang. My schedule is very forgiving this semester, I only really have class on Monday and Thursday. Tuesdays has one class @ 7pm, and Fridays are off. So it’s pretty good. Again due to the program, I’m taking a mismash of courses, including the Art and Architecture of Ancient Greece. So hopefully things will be good as the year progresses.
Luckily, Girlfriend and I have still managed to maintain seeing each other fairly often. You’d think more often than we do, given we live in the same house. I am surprised how well the living situation is going. Being roommates is great, we usually have breakfast together and then do something in the night together, so it’s nice. The owners of the house are great and the cat loves me. Which is nice. Unfortunately my parents are under the assumption that Girlfriend and I share everything (food wise) and thus they have stopped pitching in for my food bill. I suppose this is fair, but hopefully when they come at the end of September, they will see how little we actually share, and have a change of heart. (Doubtful – but here’s to wishful thinking)
$500 Music Box
In other news, I’m spending too much money lately! I’m in the process of purchasing an Mbox Pro2 (pictured below) for $500. Which is a steal of a deal considering you generally pay $1200+ for it. It’s great because I can use it to record, I can plug in my other box into it, and I get access to the most used software in the business.
You see! Digidesign, the company who makes the Mbox, has also produced a program called ProTools which has become the industry standard. Well, Digi has also made it so that you can’t use ProTools unless you’re hooked up to an Mbox. So this is not cool. Thus I am buying one.
Secondly, I just bought VIP tickets to the Alexisonfire show that will be happening here in November. This means I get: a ticket &
- meet & greet
- tour poster
- exclusive laminate
- 7″ (DEMOS from OC/YC….super limited)
- early entry into venue
The guys I'll be meeting
Most importantly on this list is the meet & greet. Alexisonfire has grown to be one of my favourite bands, and having the opportunity to talk to them is going to be awesome. I’m already thinking up questions to ask and all this other loser stuff. Victoria is the first stop on the tour, so I’m gonna be one of the first people they meet! Aweeeesum.
In other nerdy music news involving me, there’s a guy coming to our school to talk to us about working in a well known studio. This guy has worked with K-Os, R.E.M., The Tragically Hip and Rise Against to name a few. These are a lot of big names, and a lot of bands that I listen to. I’m super pumped to talk to him and see what he says about the industry. So I’ve got another list of questions going for him too.
That kinda runs injunction with some other news of mine. I’ve taken over the Facebook group for my program, so I’m being a big n00b and posting all the time in the group to keep it relevant. 
Umm…other than that, I’m not really sure what else is going on with me. Trying my best to stay active. Girlfriend and I have started playing tennis, and I’ve joined a ball hockey team as well. So I’ve got lots on the go.
Oh! I suppose I can talk about what happened in the last bit of the summer. I’ve been working at the Gap most of the time, and still am continuing into the fall (5 classes, and 2 jobs – great). The Gap is great, and I love working there, right now it’s mostly weekends and Friday’s so the hours aren’t fantastic.
Also – this summer was probably the first summer where I actually read more than 2 books that weren’t comics. I read:
- The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
- The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
- The Producer as the Composer by Virgil Moorefield
- Think of a Number by John Verdon
All of them were really good, but I have to pick two out of the mix. Think of a Number was fantastic, probably the best book I’ve read in a long time. It’s a great serial killer/mystery/crime/psychological/fuck-with-your-brain type of book. Which I really enjoy. So I’d definitely recommend that one. 
The second, The Producer as the Composer, I would recommend for anyone with any interest in music. It talks about the producers role in making music all the way from Motown to DJ’s of today. It was the first book that got me to listen to an entire Beatles album (Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band) and it made the music actually interesting to me. I went out and bought Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, just so I could hear for myself what Brian Wilson did in terms of mixing and arrangements. So for me this book had a significant impact on my musical life and how I want to pursue my career.
I think that’s enough for tonight. Ima go to bed now. More specifically…girlfriend’s bed! 
If there’s any books you think I should be reading, please let me know!
Faust Arp
Why hello there internet land! Long time no speak.
I feel like I haven’t written a meaningful post in ages. Mostly because my life was rather dull. Let me just check and see where I last left off…Good grief. It was May 5th when I last wrote something that pertains closely to my life. So let’s see, I’ll try and begin from there.
School had ended, it was the best semester I had ever had. My jazz band mark sucked, so I appealed it and got a better one. I decided to go home to Calgary.
The Gap
Found work with the Gap, and eventually the City of Calgary. Applied to countless jobs. Had an interview to be an audio editor with CJSW, the University of Calgary radio station. Didn’t get it. Sad. Missed lover. Was missed by lover. Hated Calgary. Lots of friends who I thought were closer didn’t seem interested. Saw my good friends and that was good. Had fun. Went to a show. Saw my old band teacher (awkward). Went to Thunder Bay to see my grandparents. Drank rye and had es cargo with them. Hated life. Fought with Parents. Folded Jeans @ the Gap. Folded Shirts @ the Gap. Put up tents for the City. Folded more jeans. Put up more tents. Hated Calgary. Decided to move. Fought with Parents. Came to Victoria. Had to deal with psycho mother. Found a place. Living with lover. Happy.
That’s more or less the last two months of my life. In a nutshell. Calgary just doesn’t suit me that well. I dislike the lifestyle, and just the atmosphere of the city. It was good to see a couple of my close friends, but they’ll still be my friends no matter where I am so coming back to Victoria didn’t matter. I left playing on a ultimate frisbee team, which I’ll miss, but I’ll survive. It was good being active again. I just have to get out running. I finally finished my book (The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova) and it was good, the ending was a little unexpected. I’m going to start reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon which I mentioned in a previous post.
The last week has been hell though, but it’s looking up. I was here with my mom looking for a place to live. I used mainly Craigslist, Kijiji, and the UVic housing site to scope out places. It sucked trying to remember what each place offered and who lived there and stuff. I saw a lot of really shitty places where 9 other people lived and some with owners that wanted to be my parents. And I didn’t want that. I wanted to be independent in a nice household, with ceilings that weren’t so low that I hit my head.
I ended up finding a great little character home close to my lover. The owner is a 49 old mother of three who has a little shitzhu. The bathroom has been converted to a splash room, which as most of you don’t know, is a room where everything can get wet. The shower head hangs from the ceiling, which means I will have no problems washing my hair on the top of my large 6’4″ frame. And a vintage oven/stove. So I’m pretty stoked, I move in sometime this coming week.
My mother drove my absolutely crazy over this week. Hell, the entire time I was home, both my parents drove me crazy. I think my mom asked me 4 or 5 times if I was depressed. Had me rate my happiness levels from 1 – 10. Pestered me why I wasn’t eating a lot or why I didn’t go out or whatever. I just didn’t want to be around them. They continually asked me if my lover was the only reason why I wanted to move and they questioned her character which was insulting to me and her. When in Victoria, my mother was indecisive, emotional (she cried at least 10 times over the course of 3 days), and just overall really stupid. It doesn’t make sense to me that she would be this emotional over me moving. This has happened twice before when I’ve had school. You’d think she’d be used to it by now. And I’m not one who is emotional or shows very much emotion, so it’s hard for me to be sincere about it. Sigh, she’s gone now so I can relax and enjoy myself in Victoria.
Tokyo Police Club's new CD: "Champ"
But I have to find a job now. I’ve already applied at quite a few places and the Gap might hire me back as well. So things are looking up and I’m trying to stay busy, without spending a lot of money. That being said, I am going to the casino tonight. So shush. Maybe I’ll win $100 in blackjack or something. That’d be pretty awesome.
I’ve been listening to a lot of new music lately. The new Broken Social Scene CD = not good. The new New Pornographers CD = good. Citizen Cope = really good. New Deftones CD = really good. New Secret and Whisper = good. The new Tokyo Police Club CD = really good. Go check them out now!
Pixar's best new short: "Day and Night"
I saw Toy Story 3 yesterday! It was really good for a 3rd movie. Not sure if it’s good as a stand-alone film. But still really great. I loved the short Day and Night at the beginning. May be one of the best ever, behind the chess player of course. Pixar really knows how to get things done.
I’ll leave you with that short! Hopefully I can start posting more now that I feel up to it. Have a good one!
Just A Quote
So I just finished reading my book called “The Autograph Man” by Zadie Smith. The title implies what the book is about, a man who collects, sells and trades autographs. That’s his job and his life. It’s a good book by my standards, and I enjoyed reading it. It was told in a style that is sarcastic and crass, with some subtle humour. It’s quite involved with religion and life and honour and love and all that jazz. But there was one quote that really stood out for me.
“What do you want to do with your life?”
“I tell you something yeah? Das an idiot’s question. Life is going to do things to me…“
I thought this was a great little saying and this whole book has kind of made me wonder more about what I am going to do with myself and what Life is going to do to me. But for now, I’m just going to suscribe to Life and see what comes up in next month’s edition. God I sound so cheesy. And now, by my girlfriends recommendation, I am going to read “A Picture Of Dorian Grey” by Oscar Wilde. Apparently it’s a classic, so we’ll see how I like it!
Anywho, JSTB hit 1000 views the other day! Yay for us! It’s so much fun doing this blog. And our party is tonight at the Gap, so that will be one hella fun good time! And then my brother comes tomorrow and another party tomorrow night! Still no ideas for costumes though. And clearly no help from any of your readers out there. And a sad story about Applebee’s. They still aren’t ready to open the resturaunt yet, so they pushed back training to Sat, Sun, Mon of this upcoming week. WELL, that’s when my brother is in town, so there’s no way I’m working for them. I’ve done some consulting with parents, and taken advice, and I have come to the conclusion to not do training and not work until I get back from my trip home. That is all. So yeah. I think that’s all for today, or today @ 11:18am, there may be more come the evening!
Later Days,
- J
Something that’s NOT a CD review…
Greetings,
So yesterday was a busy day, for CD reviews that is. I wrote 4 yesterday, which you can view below, and combined with the 3 others I have finished previously, I will have a total of 7 to send to the Martlet come Monday. Which may be a little overwhelming, but we’ll see what happens.
Today was my first day of training for Applebee’s. I was up @ 7 to be ready for 9:30, our training session today took place in a classroom in Clearihue (one of our school buildings here at UVic). It was basically a class on Applebee’s. Although I understand that we need to be learning the theory of the stuff, and what have you, plus the restaurant isn’t even completed, so the opening has been pushed back to Sunday, maybe even Monday or Tuesday. I just want to start working! Grr! It’s so hard to try and focus in a classroom and learn how to cook. You need to be actually doing it! Hopefully soon!
In JuST B news, we’ve been invited to a party at the Gap on Government Street here in Victoria for their Exclusive Premire Party for their new line of 1969 jeans! Pretty cool for a little time blog from Victoria with only a few hundred views. http://jstb.wordpress.com/about/
Other than that, not a lot has been going on with me lately. Trying to stay busy.
Here’s something that may be amusing to you, Smart-Car Tipping.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/pranksters-go-smart-car-tipping/article1253835/
Also, Usain Bolt did it again, another world record, I don’t understand how this guy does it. It’s incredible.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/bolt-shatters-world-record/article1253787/
Or if you want something like my blog, but not at all, go watch Jenn and Katie at http://www.youtube.com/user/thoseweekendgirls
I hope you’re enjoying my blog so far. I’m going to try and maintain the quality and quantity of posting, maybe check out my foe-toes if you haven’t already!
Speaking of photos, I’m slowly becoming my mother. I haven’t been out taking photos for just the art, and the serenity that it gives me. This may be attributed to my use of film and lack of digital camera. But I’m now taking photos to keep the memories. So that I can remember this summer and a lot of the things we did. I can definitely start to see the appeal of keeping photographs as mementos. I hope you enjoy mine.
That’s it for now,
Later days,
- J
