Must-have Albums

So it's the 30th anniversary of the release of AC/DC's iconic Back in Black album. I absolutely LOVE this album. Who doesn't enjoy rockin' out to "You Shook Me All Night Long," "Back in Black," "Hell's Bells," or my personal fave "Shoot To Thrill." It's one of those albums that you can put on repeat and listen to all night ... especially around a fire with a cold beer in your hand :)

I commented on Facebook that the album was in my top 5 of all time, which prompted people to ask for the rest of my list. So ... here ya go!

In no particular order ...

Metallica (aka The Black Album)
Artist: Metallica
Release Date: August 1991

Metallica is one of my favourite bands ... which I guess goes without saying considering they're on this list :) It spawned hits like "Nothing Else Matters," "The Unforgiven," "Sad But True," and the all mighty "Enter Sandman." In my personal opinion, this was the last "kick ass" album the band released. Yes, they've had success with more recent albums and I've purchased those albums as well, but nothing compares to THIS one. Unfortunately the band left themselves some huge shoes to fill after the release of this monster. Still hoping they can top it, but it's been ... 10+ years and they haven't done it yet.

IV
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Release Date: November 1971

It's Led Zeppelin. "Black Dog," "When the Levee Breaks" ... oh ya and "Stairway to Heaven." That's all I need to say :)

Nevermind
Artist: Nirvana
Release Date: September 1991

I was never a huge Nirvana fan when the album was released; hell I was only 11 years old! And I wouldn't call myself a mega fan now. But the older I get the more this one stands out. It's unfortunate that the band was never able to really enjoy their success, and that their fans will never have the opportunity to see the band out do themselves.

Collective Soul
Artist: Collective Soul
Release Date: March 1995

Did you REALLY think you'd get thru one of my blog posts without hearing about Collective Soul? :) This was the album that got me hooked. Loaded with awesome songs, including the three #1s "December," "Where The River Flows," and my ALL TIME fave song "The World I Know," how can you go wrong? EVERY song on this album totally rocks, whether it was widely released or not. My fave CS hidden gem is on this album in "Bleed." And did I mention that it's gone 3x platinum in the US and 8x platinum in Canada?!? Follow 'em on Twitter, find 'em on Facebook. But whatever you do, make sure you listen to 'em!!

So what about you? What are your "can't get enough of" albums?

(photos courtesy of allmusic)

WTF ???

So I'm trying to figure out how to put my feelings into words ... Angry, frustrated, sad ... so this post might be all over the place.

As most Torontonians, I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon glued to my television watching the events unfold in downtown Toronto, my jaw on the floor for most of it.  I could not believe what I was watching. Looting. Vandalism. Violence. Cars on fire ... Hospitals and malls on lockdown.  Transit systems shut down. Thousands of police in riot gear ...  What the hell was going on?!? Was this REALLY happening in Toronto??

Photo Credit: Saul Porto, Reuters

It looked like a scene out of a war zone that, to be perfectly honest, scared the shit out of me.

Considering all the disturbing images I was seeing, nothing was more startling then what Mayor David Miller said during his numerous television appearances. He was stressing that the city is safe and to go about your regular day. Go out and enjoy the Jazz Festval events, the various soccer celebrations, and spend time with friends and family.

Huh? Excuse me?  Are we seeing the same things unfold, or are you in another dimension?  Had I gone about my "regular day" yesterday I would have been trapped in The Eaton Centre with no way to get home.  Mayor Miller: YOU take a look at the pictures from yesterday and tell me if YOU would feel safe going about your regular day yesterday, even if it was in a totally separate part of the city.  Would you want your children out and about last night?  How 'bout your wife?  Would you feel confident that you would be able to get home on the TTC?  Would you feel comfortable knowing that 4 of the city's major hospitals were on lockdown?  And what about today -- will you be out with your family "enjoying what our city has to offer?"

Now what I'm watching on CP24 is a huge police raid on the U of T campus.  A number of arrests have been made in connection with the violence yesterday and many bags of evidence have been collected. So tell me this: will this violent behaviour disappear when the G20 is over?  If this raid is happening at a major university campus, how can the Mayor say that the events that took place yesterday were caused by "outside sources?"  How can I feel confident that I can run errands downtown this week?

I know that everyone has a right to protest, and I would be the last one to disagree with that.  But what's NOT acceptable is the level of violent behaviour that took place yesterday. There were families peacefully protesting yesterday that were suddenly in this mob of violence.  Children people!!!! THINK before you ACT!!!

I'm from a small town where you don't see police in riot gear, cars ablaze, and "gas deterrents" being fired into crowds of people. I don't know about the rest of you, but this Torontonian will need some time before she feels comfortable again. I was already speculative of the safety in our city, and the events yesterday certainly didn't help.

Get On The GO ... Or is it Get it ON on the GO?

GO Transit has always been a reliable means of transportation. It gets me to and from "the cottage" on weekends quite nicely, beit the train or the bus. Comfy. Fast. Cheap.

Well it appears that GO has decided to charge its passengers by the hour ... or at least that's what happened to one couple last night. For the latter part of my trip GO transit became HOE transit. Yes ladies and gents, this lassie witnessed what could only be described as "bus booty." Out of the corner of my eye I'm pretty sure I saw thrusting ... or some other kind of body movement that would mimic that motion. Since I'm fairly certain there is no confusing the motion let's just call it what it is: SEX.

While I'm by no means a prude, and definitely believe that sex is supposed to be fun, there is a time and a place for everything. Public restroom? sure! Park bench? Why not! Sex on a bus with upholstered seats? How sanitary is THAT? Other people have to sit there later! It's not like someone can run a Lysol wipe over it, or wait for it to rain and wash the evidence away. Your mess is there for all the tots, twentysomethings, and other unfortunate souls to sit on.

Despite my best efforts to capture the adventure my attempts failed -- the lighting was too poor for the iPhone to capture anything. Since this is now the second time I've seen something to this nature, I'm sure there will be a third. When that happens let's hope for better lighting!!

Update 01: 30 Things To Do Before The Big 3-0

So I tried raw sushi last night at Momiji Sushi Bar and Grill ... and it was pretty good! I scammed some salmon from my friends sashimi plate; it tasted great, but the texture was weird. I don't know if I'll ever order it myself, but I always have the Momiji Dragon Roll, which was just as delicious as the last time I had it :)

Yum!!

Wanna see my 30-Things list? Check it out here.

30 Things To Do Before The Big 3-0

So this is the year. The year I turn 30. Ugh .... and to be honest, I'm absolutely TERRIFIED.

When you're growing up you kind of picture what your life will be like. Graduating high school with honours and a scholarship. Going to university, meeting a great guy, and graduating top of your class. Landing your dream job that makes you tons of money doing what you love. Falling head over heels in love and getting married. Raising a family in the country house on the lake with the white picket fence and a weinerdog named Oscar ....

Yep. That's my list of things I wanted to have by the time I was 30. And so far I have accomplished ... well let's just say considerably less than expected. When your life takes different paths your goals change, and not always because you wanted them to. I'm STILL trying to convince myself that this is, in fact, okay.

So when my gal pal sent me a blogpost about 30 things to do before 30 it kicked me in the ass and made me think "well why can't I do that?" I may not have the big house in the country, the hubby, the kids, or Oscar, but who's to say I can't add some other things to the list along the way. Hopefully by the time I actually turn 30 I'll have a few things crossed off my NEW list, and realize that I don't need those big ticket things to be happy.

Now I've given myself a tight deadline: I turn 30 in December. While I plan to add new things to my list, I will also add some things that I already had on my to-do list and have done already. Check back often to see new additions (and deletions!) from the list.

So ... here we go!

1. Take a kickboxing class
2. Make bread ... well almost done.
3. Learn to meditate
4. Get a tattoo
5. Be able to eat at a restaurant alone
6. See an opera (read about it)
7. Learn some form of self-defense (I guess this could be kickboxing, but we'll see)
8. See a whale in the wild; MarineLand doesn't count
   
9. Take a REAL vacation, not just a week at "the cottage"
10. Take a dance class (read about it)
11. Try sushi ... the raw kind (read about it)
12. Do a cleanse, (read about it)
13. Watch a ballet
14. Go to a wine tasting
15. Check out that Shakespeare in the Park thing ...
16. Kensington Market (read about it)
17. Eat all the yummy Toronto pastries in a "croissant crawl"
18. Learn French
19. Go skinny dipping
20. St Lawrence Market
21. Read "Romeo and Juilet" again
22. Learn CPR (read about it)
23. Take up crocheting/knitting
24. Get a library card (read about it)

Collective Soul blog contest?!? I've gotta get in on that!

I haven't started my own personal blog yet (unless you count Spaces on MSN) so I figured now is a great time. I've participated in message boards, blogged about my East Coast vacay last year, but I haven't been inspired to start my own personal "glimpse into my life" blog ... until now. My all-time fave band EVER, Collective Soul, has launched a blogging contest, so here’s my entry!

Oh so much to say about Ed and the boys from Collective Soul …

They have been my favourite band since the release of their self-titled album in 1995. Not that I don’t enjoy their first album “Hints, Allegations, And Things Left Unsaid,” I just didn’t hear it ‘til after the self-titled release. Anyway, I remember by best friend Amy and I listening to the self-titled album on repeat ‘til we knew all the lyrics :) I’m SO glad I discovered this album and this rockin’ band!!

The Music

(Check out Collective Soul Radio at the bottom of this post to listen to some great tunes!)

Whenever Collective Soul releases a new album it's always packed with catchy songs you just can't get enough of. They're the kind of albums you can put on repeat and listen to without skipping a single track.

A while back the band posted a question on SodaHead asking their fans which of their 7 #1s has affected them the most. Well, I of course took this opportunity to respond and to thank the band for their AMAZING song "The World I Know":

"From the moment I first heard "The World I Know" shortly after the album was released I was forever a fan of Collective Soul. I remember my best friend and I listening to it over and over again. It was what Oprah calls an "ah ha moment." I felt such a connection to it, and still do to this day. It's my favourite song ... ever ... by any artist. It's hard to put into words what this song means to me. It takes me on an emotional rollercoaster every time I hear it, usually bringing me to tears, and even moreso when I'm experiencing it live in concert. Not necessarily bad emotions, just memories of my past and some glimpses into my future. In difficult times it helps me deal, even if it's just to get the frustration or sadness out. In happier times it triggers wonderful memories that make me smile from ear to ear and helps me stay positive and grateful for the things I have, even if only for the brevity of the song itself. I cannot thank Collective Soul enough for presenting this song to the world. It means a lot to me, and I'm sure to many others. Thank you for writing such a beautiful song."

(original post can be found here)

It should be hard to pick with all the amazing songs they’ve released, but this one takes the cake … easily :) The first time I heard it I thought “Wow, these guys are incredible.” It was almost like they were speaking right to me. Story time!

A few years ago at one of their shows @ The Docks in Toronto, Ed, in the middle of the song, mouthed the words “Is she okay?” to my girl friend Megan while I was in the midst of my moment. After the song was over, Ed looked right at me, put his hands together in a very yoga “Namaste” fashion and took a bow … after which I started screaming my head off!! I’ll never forget that.

Wow, I sound like one of those teenage Zac Efron fanatics ... and I'm 28!! I think now is a good time to move on …

In concert, no one else compares. I love attending concerts, beit CCR cover bands to heavy metal acts like Metallica, and Collective Soul never disappoints. The venues are usually small, which makes their performance that more intimate. This totally adds to the live experience that IS Collective Soul.

The New Album

The band did something awesome while producing the new album: they Tweeted away on their Twitter page keeping their fans updated on the latest and greatest with their new album. Fans got an inside look at the making of the album with webisodes, photos, and the occasional beer with family [right, Dean? :)]

What’s great about Collective Soul is they follow everyone who follows them on Twitter and take the time to actually respond to their fans, making a real connection with their fan base. Speaking as a web producer for a large non-profit organization, the web has totally changed in the last few years since the boom of social media. Facebook, Twitter and other social media have become THE KEY to connecting with people. The web has become a place where the users decide what they want to know, not a place where companies or organizations tell their users what they want them to know. This has completely changed the way people market their product. What Collective Soul has done has engaged their fan base. They've listened to what their fans want, who are really the reason why they continue to produce music and be successful. Brilliant!! As a HUGE Collective Soul fan I must say thanks! This is uber cool!!

I am totally hooked on their latest single “Staring Down” from their upcoming album to be released in August 2009. Their new tour kicks off June 22 … and I’m hoping to see some Toronto-area dates on there soon :)

Stay in touch with Collective Soul on their website – check out their blog while you’re there – and on social apps like Facebook and Twitter. Also, be sure to check out their official fan club.