Metric @ Billboard The Venue Oct 2

Doors opened at 8 pm, but the music only really began at 10:45. Oh sure there was Mission Control at 9:15, but the Melbourne based band was more self indulgent rather than entertaining. Or perhaps I was just expecting to go to a show and get more than an hour’s worth of Metric. So yes, Mission Control. The vocals were a mess, not because the singer was bad, but because of the sheer amount of effects going on. I couldn’t see the stage floor, but I’m almost certain it was littered with more effects pedals than there was floor space. I didn’t particularly dig their music, but warmed up to it by the time they had to get off. That was about 10, 10:15 or so. Only another half hour til Metric comes on.

If I am not mistaken, their setlist last night at the Billboard went a little something like this;

Twilight Galaxy
Satellite Mind
Monster Hospital
Gold Guns Girls
Empty
Gimme Sympathy
Sick Muse
Dead Disco
Help I’m Alive
Stadium Love

Encore:
Live It Out

There was a little bit extra after Empty which I wasn’t too sure about but whatev. Twilight Galaxy was a pretty kick ass song to start with, but when they started really rocking it up towards the end of the song with full on distortion and Emily Haines head banging. It was a rather short set, slightly over an hour, but it was intense.

Other highlights… Watching the sea of hands rise up with Emily Haines’ tambourine as she reaches the chorus for Help I’m Alive… and pretty much anything James Shaw did. He’s a demon on that guitar. Oh yeah, also, when Mission Control went off stage so they could clear the way for Metric (or Imperial as they’re known in the States) to perform. At least they came up with a decent joke while at it. Oh yeah. I had tears in my eyes when they played Satellite Mind, and I don’t know why.

So I was in this dream the other day.

Turns out that sometimes I do get my wish for a little drama in life. It’s come, it’s gone, and I’m glad it’s gone. I’d go for the mundane any time of day. I’ve no complaints, things happen, they happen, we happen.

Unlike someone cunt-flap who relishes being up to their eyeballs in drama (despite denying it), I think I’m quite satisfied with the amount of drama I’ve had to put up with and will make do with being dull. Or drunk. Or something in between.

On a sidenote, how’d you lose your fucking passport? Take it around town with you did you? Good work.

Hurt.

No not really hurt, unless you consider my raw fingers. To keep busy, I picked up my guitar again and learn me a new song to play. Find attached, the result of about a day’s worth of practice. I’d probably do better after a few more days of playing this tune to death. But, might as well get this over and done with before I actually get bored of playing the song.

Presenting, my cover of Johnny Cash’s cover of the Nine Inch Nails song, Hurt. Also, be on the look out for one word which I managed to mix up in there. Trying to sing the song through memory when I hardly remember the lyrics probably didn’t help.

Also. I’m shy and thus won’t be showing any of my face

Tell you right now

Someone was missing out. Or something. There was so much liquor I can’t even think straight. Thankfully the world isn’t spinning but I’m fairly sure for Aaron the world is spinning the hell out. Hoping to hell that tomorrow won’t be so bad. Like, get a hold of ourselves and not drink ourselves to silliness. Or something. Always fun to watch Aaron get fucked up. Amusing stuff. I know it sounded amusing over the phone. I think. Here’s to tomorrow in an attempt to fuck him over while I stay sober.

Monkey Island is back. In two forms. One remake, one episodic. Shit just went mad. (via and)

Shirt arrived.

Two weeks to the day they said they posted that shit. Going by that, I gotta wait another… 2 weeks for the other shirt to arrive. Fuck.

I order shirt(s).

I ordered some tee shirts wheres my fucking tee shirts?

Because I ordered them not too long ago (well, one of them not too long ago. It’s been around 2 weeks since the first one) and they’re cheap and I like them a lot.

La Vita e Bella

The Quick Brown Fox

They have nice little blurbs about the shirts.

Exacerbate, invigorate, pain.

Despite all the intoxication, I knew what they wanted. I knew no matter how many jugs of beer I get, they won’t wipe away what sits clearly in their minds. If anything it only exacerbates, letting them whisper to each other little truths that they do not dwell on most of the time. Or so I hope.

In a way it just pains me to know it all, but choose not to do anything about it. Like denying them of something that is not available every so often, if ever. I do not actually enjoy denying people of things they want. Yet it is something I have to do, for their sake, and my own.

What they want, and what I want, may well be intertwined, alike. But I can’t. I don’t need to complicate things further than it already is, or can be. Or maybe I can. Just to keep a running tally of all the little things I do in life, that keep it routine, and see how many I break. How many I push away to find new ways of living.

Much as jumping headfirst into something new can be invigorating and painful, the more thought I put into it the more I back away. I need to stop thinking. What good is attempting to live a new life if all I ever do is crawl back to the safety of routine?

I want to see the world differently. I want to see the world without a safety net.

I’m sorry did you say something?

Managed to perforate my ear drum. Am I fine? I guess I will be. As long as I don’t wet my ear, vibrate, or fly.

That means I can’t swim, can’t stick a vibrator in my ear or climb mountains.

But yeah, popped into the hospital to get my ear looked into by a doctor who looked displeased with me just being around him. Must have something to do with my being in the emergency ward for what he might consider a non emergency, but to me anything to do with me and my health I consider an emergency. Doesn’t make me a hypochondriac, but yeah, MOVE ASIDE KID WITH AIDS, MY PROBLEM IS BIGGER THAN YOURS.

It’s funny how the hospital took my details, because I was asked the same questions three times. This redundancy might be in effect for several reasons. Perhaps they wanted to make sure they had the right person. Double check the factsheet and all that. Perhaps they wanted to be a little more thorough in their questions, and hoping my story stays consistent. Or perhaps they don’t read each others notes and have to ask the same patient the same set of questions. Every. Damn. Time.

Whatever the case, I told what my problem is to two different nurses, the first one let me into the ward. The second one told me a doctor will come in. The third time I was asked what my problem was by the doctor himself.

Except I didn’t know he was my doctor because I was looking out the room I was in and he saw me and walked over without introducing himself and just asked what am I in here for.

So there he is asking me what am I in here for and here I am thinking this fellow is some busybody doctor that saw me being unattended and was curious what I’m in for. So I told him I’m waiting for a doctor. Then he says he’s a doctor. To which I said, well, I’m waiting for the doctor who should’ve already READ MY FILE. Then this wiseguy had to say he’s the doctor who’s seeing me now what is my problem.

So fair enough, I tell him what I’m in for (only the 3rd time I gotta repeat the story anyway) and then he looks in my ear. FINALLY SOME FUCKING PROGRESS. Like all sensible people, he looks in my good ear first, then my bad one. I’d cry myself to sleep if this fellow went straight to my bad ear.

End result was I got my antibiotics, my advise, and a general idea of where the perforation is (thankfully nowhere that could lead to permanent hearing loss).

How, did I get it in the first place? You ever hear people telling you NOT to stick things in your ear and tell yourself “naaah I wouldn’t be that dumb to do that”?

Thats what I told myself but did anyway when I had this peculiar feeling in my ear after applying some ear cleaner. Long story short, I fucked myself in the ear when I could’ve totally avoided this by NOT messing with it. The lesson here is really what everyone’s been telling you from the start.

Do NOT stick things in your ear.

Erase and rewind.

I’d like to start over. Everything.

But at the same time, I’ve already fallen down this rabbit hole, why not see just how deep it goes.