The simple things in life.

I have to praise Polyvinyl Records for being so amazing. Earlier this week, I ordered the of Montreal "Hey is for Horses!" t-shirt for only 12 effing bucks, and it's American Apparel and super comfortable. I got it in the mail today and was so excited just to get the shirt, but I also got an of Montreal pin (which I already had, but really you can't have too many pins), an Owen sticker (who is pretty amazing), and an air head. It basically made my day, I am easily pleased.

My shirt:


My pin (it's a horrible scan:


My sticker (this is a pin, but it's a sticker):


and my airhead:


I know I'm a dork, but I'm a happy dork.

The Engagement Party.

Was so much fun! I got to see lots of people including Sam-a-lam-a-ding-dong, who I haven't seen in FOREVER!

I went shopping today.

and got an adorable dress for the engagement party on Friday! Yaaay!

Homework is yucky.

But I like looking for my maid of honour dress while I do it. It makes it fun.

Pretty

Cute!

I'm fine right now.

But I predict many, MANY breakdowns in the next year, possibly a little after that too. I'm in for quite a year, but I refuse to give up anything that I'm doing.

It's raining so effing hard!

...and all is right with the world.

May I just say...

I hate pretentious little bitches who think they're so high and mighty, that their grammar is so much better, yet cannot form a complete, coherent sentence. I hate kids who think using semi-colons instead of commas makes them look cooler (and I don't mean rewording the work so a semi-colon works, I mean a "search and replace" of commas), like they have an amazing grasp on the written word and use 10 dollar words which are interjected like it was translated from thesaurus.com. No, you look like a JACKASS. A grade-A, all American, just got into the "scene" jackass. So do everyone a favour and shut the fuck up until you can pull something out of your ass that isn't completely useless. (And yes, I realize I called someone else pretentious.)

Amaaaaaaaaaazing.

He's definitely creepy enough to be him...

The new Horace Slughorn

Yeah, he's creepy looking but he's done some amazing roles. Good casting...maybe.

Dream a little dream of me...

So I'm watching the Emmys right now, but my little sister just told me she had a dream last night with me in it and I thought it was so hilarious. So we both got into Hogwarts and when we got there I was sorted into Slytherin and she was sorted into Hufflepuff. So apparently I was Snape's favourite and we started singing together. We sang the song from Potter Puppet Pals and instead of me going "Dumbledore!", I said "Nicole!" So basically that's the most amazing dream I've ever heard of and I wish I had that dream so I could see it.

Oh, it is love.

12 hour live Mugglecast=looooooove. Especially Andrew begging for tickets to the J.K. Rowling reading. YAY.<3 Especially when they play "Killer Queen" by Queen during a break. GREATNESS.

I'm exhausted.

I've been going to auditions for about 3-4 hours a day for After the Game and Goldilocks and los tres Osos, so I'm pretty out of it. Not much else is going on in my world, but I'll probably do another video blog soon. I'm gonna go read and then probably lie down, but if someone gets on, that someone should text me and maybe I'll still be awake. Wink wink.

P.S. THE CALLBACK SHEET GOES UP TOMORROW SQUEE.

Dear MTV,

dear lord you keep fucking up! Get your shit straight! Deathly Hallows came out like 2 months ago, you really think they're gonna start filming it next week? HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. HALF-BLOOD PRINCE.

Anyway DanRad=lolz

I forgot!

Thank you Justin Timberlake for challenging MTV to play "more damn videos" in your acceptance speech. You were one of the only good parts of the show, and you made me remember why I've been in love with you since I was 8. I just realized 8 was a good year for me. *N SYNC+Harry Potter=Best Year Ever.

Rilo Kiley's "Under The Blacklight"

After a two-year hiatus, Rilo Kiley conciously plunges headfirst into the mainstream with Under The Blacklight, trading in haunting, yet uplifting ballads for more lyrically shallow toe-tappers.
While the album semi-satisfies a Kiley quench, one cannot help but feel the void left by the overly synthesized and high pitched songs. Instead of bearing raw, soul-stripping vocals as if Lewis is talking directly to your soul, she moves up an octave to deliver vocals to match the new upbeat direction. The new songs lose the quality old favourites such as "The Good That Won't Come Out" and "A Better Son/Daughter" carry to our conscience.
The album opens with the promising "Silver Lining", quite possibly lead singer Jenny Lewis's jab at ex-boyfriend, Rilo Kiley lead guitarist Blake Sennett, singing "I was your silver lining, but now I'm gold." Perhaps indicating she's over their 2001 break-up or perhaps boasting her critically acclaimed success in her solo endeavor Rabbit Fur Coat in comparison to Sennett's less receptive work with his other band Elected. The album continues on with "Close Call" with Lewis singing frankly about the dangers of "sex for money". Next is Kiley's controverisal first single off the album "The Moneymaker". Lewis bluntly addresses the porn industry and its appeal to many, but at times seems as if she's guiding others to give in. "You've got the money maker, they showed the money to you" As if saying you got it, they're buying, why not? A steer from the old Rilo Kiley.
Next up is "Breakin' Up" credited to both Lewis and Sennett. Somewhat generic, yet liberating at the same time as the chorus sings "Ooh, it feels good to be free". The title track sets up for a possibly epic song, yet fails to deliver and utilize Lewis's revered mutilating voice on a lyrically intricate track.
"Dreamworld" becomes an instant classic, the only song on the album penned by Sennett alone. "The people, all that you meet, they're living in a dreamworld," stays with you long after the song is over, far more memorable than any of the other tracks. "Dejalo" visualizes Lewis as a less ethnic Gloria Estefan, but fails to hit the mark completely. "15" tackles on what Dateline more shamelessly does. In this tale of web romances with 15-year olds, the older man meets with his "prey" yet "how could he have known that she'd be down for almost anything?" They unflinchingly take on telling the side of the all too well known story from the supposed "predator"'s side, and does it with a bit more class. "Smoke Detector" starts out with an almost 60's beach anthem replacing "The Twist" with "The Smoke Detector" yet is a bit more contemporary than the twist. "Yeah, I was smoking in bed, this is what he said." Yet one cannot help but conjure images of hula-hoops and fisherman hats.
"The Angels Hung Around"'s lyrics meet the standard fans set for Rilo Kiley, but its beat can't help but get lost in the shuffle with other sub-par tracks, unfortuntely becoming easy to skip over. "Give A Little Love" closes up the album with an endearing catchiness missing from other tracks. Lewis's voice beats any chesse coming from synths as she sings at last "And you're waving to me our last goodbye..."
While the new album can hardly be held in such high esteem as The Execution of All Things or Take Offs and Landings, the album holds its ground in comparison to today's pop music. Hailed as the new Fleetwood Mac, Rilo Kiley may never live up to the comparison, this possibly being the last album (if not one of). In an interview with Spin magazine Lewis confesses, "I think I realized that [Rabbit Fur Coat] is the kind of music I want to be making... I can't do that with Rilo Kiley." And when posed with the question of seeing herself continuing with Rilo Kiley, "I honestly don't know." Although we may lose the old Rilo Kiley, bring it on, because if this is the new direction of pop music, I say "Good riddance".

Writer's Note:
When dismissing any expectations held for this album, I thoroughly enjoy every track and know I will continue to listen it incessantly. Compared with any other pop music, Rilo Kiley will win. But when faced with the choice of The Execution of All Things and Under The Blacklight, there is no contest.

Never need a guillotine to get you off my mind.

So I've decided to change my "of the day" stuff to "of the week" because I think I want to video blog more than typing blog, video blogs are lots of fun and I like to talk more than I like to type. In other news somebody should buy me the 160 gig ipod. That would be nice, kaythanks.