Saturday, August 29, 2009

The best part

What's up, you ask? A few things, actually. I will not become institutionally distracted starting this fall, because apparently they've moved the recruitment phase since I last checked, but i'm still seriously thinking of dipping my toe back into academia for a moment. We'll see how I feel about that come June.

I also had a random chat with Asia recently and we came up with what in hindsight seems like a glaringly obvious idea, which for once I would really like to pursue all the way to its inevitable demise at the hands of reality. We're in the very, very early development stages, but we seem to have at least a couple of things going for us, so... damn, I at least want to be able to say I've tried. Sorry about the vagueness, but I already dread people asking me about that thing I meant to do and me having to explain how it all went to hell.

I went out with the three A's tonight, vaguely aware that at some point dancing might be involved (that's: went out dancing, in adjustedspeak). I made every preparation - tried to get wasted with my companions at home beforehand, tarted myself up a wee bit, hummed Kylie in my head... alas, the first place we landed at offered us a thumping beat and not much else (the highlight was a pretty bad remix of a very boring La Roux song). I would have tried at least going through the motions for the sake of the people who invited us there... had I any motions to go through. Unfortunately, that is not the case, so we moved to Kulturalna, where the music was equally thumpy, but with a funky twist. After downing some more vodkas and focusing hard on "having some fun" I managed to enjoy about a number and a half, but then shit got electro, the music left me, and I decided to vacate the premises.

The moral of the story is: I seem to have temporarily misplaced the ability to get drunk socially. I only feel the benefits once I detach, and am suddenly able to languish in the heightened/distorted impact of my own music, and the city pulsing around me in the night. Which, incidentally, often makes the walk home the most enjoyable part of the evening.

Meanwhile, tomorrow could make for a nice and vivid memory, or become an unmitigated disaster. Right now I'm totally not feeling having to prance around a huge shopping mall in full-on 60s picnic garb, but there seems to be no way around it. Then again, hey...

Nope. I got nothing.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Mutant update

Kylie Minogue - Too Far

Some terrible remix. And it really is a pretty good song when you're in the mood for something breathy, frantic, and somewhat unsettling.

The Ol 97s - The New Kid

Live. Which is to say: not that good.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

The Fall



Shall I go on?

Friday, August 14, 2009

The case for/against BB

Some time ago I happened upon this song with a rather killer (if somewhat rockchick) intro that got me giddy from the first note. And then the chorus happened. And giddy was a thing of the past, buried under layers of soulcrushing blandness. I was so disapointed I actually shared the story with several people. The song was Another White Dash, the artist - Butterfly Boucher.

Well I recently listened to her 2nd record, and it turns out it's just what she does. Builds up your expectations with something full of promise only to crush them with the most generic chorus you could imagine.

Exhibit A



Exhibit B



I know it's all subjective, de gustibus blah blah blah, but in my case it's literally fusing an instant hit with an instant miss. Sad panda.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Position locked

A while ago I caught wind of two apartments for rent, both cheaper than my current one. For some time now I have been a bit worried about how quickly I seem to burn through cash, so I decided to check them out. The cheaper of the two was on Smocza, so in my current district, even closer to my parents' place, and deep within my comfort zone (across the street from my kindergarten, actually). Unfortunately it was somewhat cramped, hot, and I was warned about psychotic neighbors, all too eager to call the cops on you whenever they don't like the noise level.

The 2nd one was on Narbutta, a quiet, lovely street in Mokotow, the "Holy Grail District" for most Varsovians. By the time I got to see it, I really hoped it would be a dingy little shithole, because the more I thought about it, the more nightmarish the perspective of getting uprooted again seemed. Unfortunately, it was not. It kind of reminded me of Paris. Which I've never ever been to, but it did. Don't make me explain. It was tiny, but very cozy, overlooking a quiet courtyard, and stuff. And my friends live just down the street. The only downsides were the shower (kind of icky, to be honest), and the windows which were supposedly less than hermetic. Oh, and you had to take the rent in cash down to some guy at the French Institute (hey, maybe that's where the Paris part came from).

I spent 2 days agonizing over the issue and trying to make up my mind, before finally deciding to stay at my current place. My reasoning was, obviously, multi-layered and complex, but it all boils down to the fact that I've just grown too attached to it. Once I let the girl from Narbutta know I wouldn't be taking the apartment, I went into the kitchen to make myself some tea, and suddenly felt such a surge of joy and relief... I know it's just a simple psychological mechanism put in place by our alien overlords to make us content with our decisions, but nonetheless I think it was some sort of turning point. I like this place. I like the space, I like the clean bathroom, I like the giant kitchen table, and the crazy couch. I like my queen-sized bed, and my plum-coloured, bulletproof drapes. I don't like the fucking armchair, but at least I can bury it under my clothes, much like I used to when I lived with my parents.

So I guess I'm here to stay.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Southern Comfort

Saturday, August 1, 2009

...but with a whimper

I'm back in Warsaw and have no idea what to do with myself with no people or deadlines to meet, no movies to miss, and no food to binge on.

I also happen to be exhausted and couldn't be more thankful for this long-overdue implosion.