Summer 2011 report card.

With the end of my summer unofficially coming up relatively soon (I begin training for a job on August 21, which will effectively carry into the school year thus marking the end of my summer "break") I have been reflecting on the past few months trying to figure out if I would consider this summer to be a "success" or not. In order to best figure this out I have decided to grade my summer via a breakdown of summer-related categories and I'll share these grades with all of you! I consider my "summer break" to have begun when my regular school year ended, so I'll be reflecting on the period of May through August:

Productivity: 6/10

I consider "productivity" to be things that you don't necessarily enjoy doing, but you do them because they'll assist you at a later time (they produce a future good, not the production of good in-and-of-itself). The primary measure of productivity would be wage-labour (summer employment) and this is something I have ultimately failed to do this summer. Despite managing to get 3 interviews at good jobs, and actually having to turn down a couple other jobs (for various reasons) I could not find gainful employment this summer. So why did I award myself a 6/10, even though I haven't been earning money the past four months? The answer is that I feel that I earned productivity marks in other non-employment related ways. For instance, this summer I took a course at school, earning a credit which will (somewhat) alleviate the stress this upcoming school year will inevitably bring. I also began diligently studying for my LSAT, which is also "work" in the sense that I'd rather be doing something else but it is something that must be done. Therefore my attention to studious endeavours over the summer have earned me, I believe, a 6/10 in this category. 

Social: 8/10

Another major aspect of the summer is the social one. The summer is a time when most people have less to worry about (especially us students) and therefore more time to get together and socialize. The summer is also the ideal time to catch-up with friends and acquaintances who you don't normally see during the regular year. For me, the socialization aspect of the summer has been pretty good. I managed to hang out with most of the people I wanted to at some point, and I feel like I have re-strengthened bonds with some old friends as well. There have been plenty of social occasions this summer; parties, get-togethers, trips, etc., and the only thing really left wanting in this category would be an awesome end-of-summer-bash (that I still hope someone puts on). I also managed to hang out with the girlfriend quite a bit (who I normally see maybe 4 times a month during the school year) so that was nice as well. 

Events: 9/10

More amounts of free-time plus the awesome weather means that the summer is the best time to go out and do things that you wouldn't normally do during the year. Despite not working and therefore not having much money, as well as May-June primarily being dedicated to my school course, I am quite happy with this category. Two big concerts featuring some of my favourite bands (I managed to see personal favourites Rise Against, Blink-182, Tokyo Police Club and the Arkells live), a weekend trip to Niagara Falls, two Blue Jays game, an Argonauts football game, and a day trip to Wasaga, all within the span of 6-odd weeks has left me satisfied with that summer "need" to do stuff (plus a quite large credit card bill for the month of July has effectively scared me off of doing anything more). The only things lacking in this category would be a cottage trip of some sort. I love cottage life and I love hanging out with good friends. I think combining these two things would be the ultimate summer event. If only I had a cottage...

Rest and Relaxation: 10/10

Again I can credit my low "Productivity" mark for this one and even though the break part of my "summer break" didn't really begin until July, I really feel that I have rested up as well as anyone can during the past few weeks. At this point I actually feel restless and I am excited for the upcoming school year. I have reached that point where I want to be busy, to have structure in my life again. It's a good thing as it means that I won't (hopefully) burn out with everything come October because I never really got a break. With a lot of my friends actually having jobs, plus the geographic distance I am from other friends, there have been plenty of days where I spend the majority of my time simply lounging around doing whatever. This has allowed me to catch up on my favourite hobbies (music, gaming, reading fiction, and movies, etc.) which are usually neglected during the school year.

Overall Total: 33/40 = 82.5% (A-)

I think this total is accurate, I would give my summer a low "A" rating. It's been a good few months. Nothing grand or life-altering, but decent enough that I have no major complaints. I got some work done that will help me in the future, I managed to catch up with a good number of friends, I have made memories and have been kept busy, and I ultimately was able to recharge my batteries in anticipation of the upcoming year.

I believe that these four categories adequately demonstrate all that I hope to get out of during a summer break and if you feel like reflecting on your time this summer feel free to write your own post (or leave it in the comments) grading yourself in these four areas of summer (if you agree with me and think it's an adequate breakdown of what a summer should entail. If you don't think so, feel free to create a scale of your own.). It would be interesting to see how our grades compare and contrast! 

Edgefest.

Yesterday I attended Edgefest for the first time and had quite the experience. As I write this I am exhausted, smell like smoke (cigarette and otherwise), possibly suffering from heat stroke, and a couple hundred dollars poorer, but it was all worth it. Going to Edgefest this year shook me out of a lack-of-concerts funk that I've been in over the past year or so, and I am happy to be back. Edgefest is my second music festival experience (the other being 2008's Rogers Picnic) and attending the event reminded me of why I am attracted to these big events.

Toronto generally doesn't get too many big music festivals. I find this odd as other comparatively sized/culturally prominent North American cities do (Montreal's Osheaga, Chicago's Lollapalooza, and San Fransisco's Outside Lands to name a few). Toronto, with 2.5 million people in the city proper and 5.5 million if you include the GTA, should be home to a big music festival. The population is definitely there, and as the line goes, "if we build it, they will come". There must be some bureaucratic reason why Toronto cannot hold such events and it's a real shame as these events - which usually last for multiple days featuring some of the biggest/emerging names in rock and alternative music (and all their sub-genres) - seem like a good time and would provide for an amazing experience. 

But onto what we do get - Edgefest. 

The main stage.

It was amazing yesterday. Two stages, tons of people (I heard that they were expecting about 15 000, and it was definitely packed, the space allocated for the festival wasn't all that big. All the bands I wanted to see put on terrific shows - those being the Arkells, Tokyo Police Club, and Rise Against - and the rest of the acts I caught were great as well - The Weakerthans, A Perfect Circle, and Hollarado being the ones I distinctly remember. Tokyo Police Club really impressed me, probably the best set I've seen them play - this was my 4th time seeing them live - and Rise Against impressed as well, but that was expected (yesterday was my 2nd time seeing them). I had never even heard of the band Hollarado until their set on the XM Side Stage yesterday evening and they put on a terrific show and can consider me a new fan. 

Edgefest is an event made for bigger groups. While it was fun going with three people (myself, my girlfriend, and my cousin - it was his first concert and he was treated to quite the show. My first concert (with friends, i.e. away from mom and dad) was at The Phoenix many years ago (I think I was 15) where I saw A Static Lullaby and the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (plus others), a decent show in it's own right I suppose but nowhere near the epic scale as offered by Edgefest), it would be awesome to go with a big group next time. At least 5 people or so, that'd be ideal. Although granted throughout the day we met up with others so our little group grew and shrank as the day went on.

One thing that surprised me about the event were the number of people who smoked. I am not oblivious to the fact that - despite the repeated warnings and education about the potential hazards - people still smoke (many of my friends do, and I on occasion feel like I would like to) but I was surprised at the amount of young people that were smoking, especially the younger women. I know people attended Edgefest to have a good time, but I would've thought that - in today's age - the general attitudes towards smoking would have affected some change in people's habits. People were also smoking other (less legal) substances, and I'm generally fine with that. It was just the sheer amount of cigarettes in people's mouths is what surprised me. 

I also found the litter everywhere highly ironic. This year the law in Ontario changed, allowing people to take their alcoholic drinks with them wherever they go at concerts (as opposed to being restricted to beer "tents" or "gardens"). This led to the ground being littered with discarded plastic cups (among other things). The irony is that the headlining and most popular act - Rise Against - are steadfast environmentalists, and I couldn't help myself but wonder what'd they think about people's disregard to keeping the Earth clean. 

Rise Against.

Overall Edgefest was a great experience and despite being hesitant about attending initially, in the end I'm quite glad I did. It couldn't have been held on a more beautiful day, and it had all the fixtures of an epic rock concert (two stages, tons of people, crowd surfing, $8 beers, mosh pits, a few fights, etc.). One of the funnier/more annoying experiences I had was when a couple guys near me were trying to mosh to Tokyo Police Club's "Your English Is Good". It reminded me of people trying to mosh at an Angels & Airwaves concert I went to awhile back. Just not the type of music. There is a time and place for everything. I guess alcohol will do that to people. 

I didn't take many pictures or video of the concert, at least when compared to when I was younger. As I've grown older, and had gotten more and more concerts under my belt, I have simply grown tired of constantly having a camera in my hand, holding it up as the band I want to see plays. I want to see the band, not worry about getting a cool photo or full video (although when I do, it is pretty awesome). However if you'd like to see the pictures I did manage to take, you can see them here.

Edgefest 2011 was awesome. Definitely a highlight of my summer thus far.

Stay thirsty my friends!

As many of my friends know, I am quite fond of alcoholic beverages and I have a specific affection for beer. Beer is both a refreshing beverage as well as a great socializing tool. It loosens you up enough in social situations to allow you to have a good time, but doesn't loosen you up so much that you end up making a fool of yourself - as "harder" drinks are more likely to do.

I also like trying new things, as well as collecting, and I have incorporated these two interests with my love of beer. Last summer I made a concentrated effort to try new beers and every time I did, I'd keep a bottle of the beer as a little memento. I think I've acquired a decent collection so far, and with the summer break here I will once again attempt to buy a new brew every time I go to the beer store.

Beer culture in Canada (and North American in general) is very strong. The Beer industry does a good job of advertising and selling their products as they tout beer - and alcohol in general - as being an essential part of any party, get together, or good time. While I do not always agree with what is portrayed in alcoholic advertisements or with how the beer culture operates in general, I am not going to argue the moral implications of alcohol-production companies who claim that drinking is necessary in order to have fun. The reason for my muteness on this topic is because I really think it's true, drinking indeed enhances your social experience and makes them better, I wouldn't be writing this blog entry if I didn't think that alcohol was a good thing. While I understand the dangers of alcohol - as with any substance, moderation is key - I am not going to let that inhibit me from enjoying it and treating all of you with this blog entry. God knows I've had my fair share of bad alcohol related experiences (we all have) but as we grow older and mature we learn how to moderate our consumption with what we can handle. Riding that proverbial "sweet spot" between "tipsy", "drunk", and "dangerously drunk" (quotes surround all these words as each term may mean something different to each individual reader) is an aspect of growing up and incorporating oneself into our society. The saying "please drink responsibly" is a necessary one despite the fact that we do not always adhere to it.

Below is the list of the brews that comprise my collection. It is not an exhaustive list, as I have tried many other beers, but it is just a collection of the bottles I had managed to keep. I am going to have to go back and retry some of the brews whose bottles I have failed to hold onto - in some cases I lament this process as there are some bad beers our there, but I'll do it for the good of the collection. All selections with a (*) indicate that this beer is one of my favourites from the bunch:

- Amstel Light*
- Brava Premium Lager*
- Bud Light Lime
- Budweiser*
- Cracked Canoe*
- Corona Extra*
- Corona Light
- Guinness Draught
- Krombacher
- Mill St. Original Organic
- Mill St. Tankhouse Ale
- Laker Ale*
- Molson Canadian
- Molson Canadian 67
- Samuel Adams Boston Lager
- Sleeman Clear
- Steam Whistle
- Stella Artois
- Wychwood Brewery Hobgoblin

While I would like to further my beer-experiences and try a wide variety of different brews, there are a couple specific types of beer that I would love to try. The first should be easy to get - I could go to the beer store and pick it up at this very moment if I wanted - and it's Dos Equis. Referring to the beer industry and advertising, Dos Equis is known for it's commercials as it features "the most interesting man in the world." I am not going to lie, it is these advertisements that make me want to give Dos Equis a shot. The second beer I'd love to try will prove to be a lot harder to get. It's called Hell or High Watermelon and it is brewed by 21st Amendment Brewery out of San Fransisco. It's a wheat beer that is fermented using fresh watermelon (need I say more?). I don't even think the Beer Store or the LCBO carry this brand, so I guess I'll have to wait until the next time I'm in the Bay Area before I can pick some up.

So there you have it! A little insight into my beer tastes and preferences. Maybe at the end of the summer I'll make a reply post to this topic updating you all with how my collection looks after four more months of trying new brews! I have included a picture of my current collection below for your viewing pleasure. Cheers!

Aren't they beautiful?

Sports.

So apparently the NHL playoffs are happening, and it's a supposedly a big deal. Yeah, so, that's exciting. Honestly I have been completely disinterested in this entire NHL season, and while I usually get into the post-season, in the very least, this year that hasn't been the case.

I feel like the main reason why I am generally disinterested in the NHL this year is because I do not have a "home" team. While, yes I live in the Greater Toronto Area and hence the Toronto Maple Leafs would typically be considered my "home" team, I don't consider them to be so because I don't have that feeling of connection with the team and the franchise that impels me to follow and root for them. If anything, I despise the Leafs solely for the inherent irony in the franchise - that irony being that the last time the team really excelled in the sport, and had a chance at winning the Stanley Cup (i.e. making the playoffs, I am not even talking about the last time they had a real of chance of winning the Cup, just the last time they had a chance for the chance) was during the 2003/2004 season, yet despite their lackluster results over the past few years,  they continue to be the most valuable and profitable franchise in the NHL.

I am not saying I don't find the sport of hockey entertaining. While I never played the sport in a league of any sort (with the exception of ball-hockey leagues my friends and I would set up in our youth), there have been moments in my life where I have been interested in the NHL and specifically the playoffs. Last year I became a huge supporter of the Montreal Canadiens as they made their remarkable playoff run, making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. I wouldn't consider myself a Canadiens fan - again I don't consider myself a fan of any particular team - but I get the entertainment value of the sport, and for those few weeks during last year's post season I was a Canadiens supporter. If anything, I enjoy hockey as a socializing tool, it's an excuse to go to the local bar on a weeknight so to watch the game and have a couple drinks with with your friends.

This season I just couldn't get into the NHL playoffs, and I blame this on my schooling. The end of this year has been brutal in terms of academics. Tough exams for courses I didn't pay enough attention to during the year, all spread out over three weeks; not to mention the many assignments that had to be done leading up to the exam season. I'm having a hard enough time keeping up with the Federal Election, let alone a bunch of hockey games.

Again though, I feel that if I had that "home" team feeling/emotional-attachment to a team, I would make the effort to follow the playoffs, or at least care. My girlfriend, for instance, doesn't necessarily follow the NHL, but she is aware of the standings and is a Leafs supporter. She complains when they lose and is happy when they win, despite not being the most adamant fan. I just don't have this attachment.

This isn't to say I don't like sports at all. For instance, in recent years I have made an effort to get into the NFL. I always liked football, the dynamics of the sport and the epicness of the NFL, but I lacked that "home" team context. A few years ago I had one day flipped to a game on a Sunday and saw the Indianapolis Colts playing and - for some reason - I liked what I saw and I have been a supporter of them ever since. In the past season - and admittedly after having visited Florida - I became a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan. The fact that I became a fan of this team only after I had visited Florida just further demonstrates my desire to want to have that "home" team attachment (my aunt and uncle own a place in Sarasota, which is relatively near Tampa, so I consider the Bucs my "home" NFL team vicariously through them).

I also generally like soccer. Soccer had been the one sport I played for most of my life, and I was fairly good at it (I like to think so anyways). Whenever the World Cup rolls around I get into it in a big way - the 2010 World Cup was huge for me, I've never watched so much sports in such a short period of time. What was weird about the World Cup for me is that I didn't support my typical "home" team of Italy (probably because I don't really identify with Italian culture, as my dad always says, "We're not Italian, we're Sicilian."). I instead opted to support the United States (as I considered them to be the closest-relative to Canada in the tournament) and a number of African teams - South Africa, Ghana, and the Ivory Coast being the main three. I have also played in basketball leagues, but for some reason I just can't get into the NBA at all. I think it's the culture of professional basketball that I have a detachment with.

Over the summer I plan to make an effort to follow both the Toronto Argonauts (CFL) and the Toronto FC (MLS). I have had success supporting and following both football and soccer in the past (as noted) so I hope that I can find that something that will attach me to these two teams.

But back to hockey, I think a main reason for my lack of hockey enthusiasm is that my household growing up was never a really "into" the sport. My dad is Italian and he is just not a huge sports guy in general - although he follows Formula One racing fairly religiously - and my mom just doesn't really care about sports at all either. However my mother's family loves the sport, huge hockey fans on that side. The thing is, they predominantly live in the Ottawa area so I never really got exposed to their fandom growing up and it never rubbed off on me. In contrast, the family I see often, my dad's side (as they all live in and around the GTA), generally follow my frame of mind with regard to sports - and actually I'd be considered one of the bigger sports fans in my NFL following.

While I have not yet gotten into hockey at a level where I could consider myself a true "fan", I have not given up hope. I am really looking for a team to latch onto and support. I have high hopes that this renewing of the Winnipeg Jets happens as it will provide me with an opportunity to be a part of a team from the very beginning, and hence I can grow my support for the team as the franchise grows. Maybe one day my kids will be Winnipeg Jets fans, as my influence rubs off on them. Of course this is all contingent on if the Phoenix Coyotes move up north and become the Jets, but again, I can, and do, hope. I generally find most sports entertaining and I realize their value in terms of being cultural and national phenomenons. However I feel that true support of sports teams and franchises is dependent on a specific type of attachment to those teams and franchises. This attachment makes the sport more interesting as you feel invested in the team and all they represent (essentially, their culture). This summer I hope to pursue this attachment in both the CFL and MLS and I hope to soon branch into the hockey arena as well.

Foster the music.

The band Foster The People (FTP) are going to be big. This is a prediction I had made about a month ago when I first heard their Single "Pumped Up Kicks". I came across the song after a cousin of mine had posted it on Facebook (the power of social media) and it seems like ever since then this band has been turning up everywhere I look. I see/hear them on television and the radio, I hear people talking about them (many of whom I know as I was the one who introduced them to the band), and they've been touring quite a bit; playing shows across North America - including big music festivals like Coachella and Outside Lands. They're doing all of this on the release of THREE songs off of one EP. It's really amazing.

FTP's rise reminds me a lot of the success story had by one of my favourite bands - Tokyo Police Club (TPC). TPC is a little band from Newmarket (the town I was born in by the way), and they first hit the music scene in 2006 when their EP A Lesson In Crime was released. The force of this album quickly pushed TPC to play local Canadian festivals Pop Montreal, Edgefest, and Osheaga. However within a year of A Lesson In Crime's release they played at Coachella, Lollapolooza, and Reeding and Leeds Festivals. More importantly they played The Late Show with David Letterman on April 19, 2007 which was a breakthrough for the band, exposing their music to a much wider mainstream audience. Like TPC, FTP are making a name for themselves by playing big name festivals, all on the strength of a few songs.

TPC's latest album Champ reached number 58 on the Billboard 200, 12 on the Alternative Albums chart and number 5 on the Independent Albums chart. Such numbers are not too shabby for a bunch of 20-somethings from the Town of Newmarket. I intend to watch FTP's career in the same way I've been following TPC's. FTP are from Los Angeles (a little bit bigger and more well known than Newmarket) but their rise as a band is very similar. With the release of their first full length album Torches set for May 24, their career will inevitably continue to grow. I love music and seeing these small bands have this kind of success is a great thing. Needless to say, I think TPC is great - and getting better - and if FTP follow a similar trajectory as they did - which seems likely - then I am excited for what they have to offer in the future. I own all of TPC's albums, I have seen them play live at least three times, and I consider Champ to be the 'soundtrack' of my summer last year. I have already publicly made the assertion that FTP's Single "Pumped Up Kicks" will be the 'song of the summer' this year (in terms of popularity and mass exposure - similar to Peter, Bjorn & John's Single "Young Folks" back in summer 2006). With Torches coming out in May, and upcoming Toronto shows, FTP will - in the very least - be a major part of how I experience, and remember, summer 2011.

Various links for each of the bands below, check them out!

- Tokyo Police Club's website
- Tokyo Police Club's first Single - "Nature of the Experiment"
- Tokyo Police Club's latest Single - "Bambi" (also my favourite track off Champ)

- Foster The People's website
- Foster The People's only Single - "Pumped Up Kicks"

P.S.

This being a music post, I'd also like to bring your attention to an awesome website that a friend has recently made me aware of. It's called We Are Hunted and I have found it to be a great resource to discover new (and old) music. The site is unique in its ability to let you search music and then save your favourite tracks onto your very own "Chart" which you can then share among the site's community (a link to my Chart can be found here). If any of this sounds even remotely interesting to you, I highly recommend you check the site out!