Hope you enjoy :) I waste too much time toiling over these things. Phoenix and Coldplay lead the way with two songs each, but there's some Aloe Blacc and Alt-J in there too. Also, if you like Paul Simon, there's a remix of one of his classics that I think you'd enjoy.
28 April 2013
26 April 2013
Friday night music: Sons of Fathers - Roots & Vines
Quick post here. I won't give this song much of an introduction except I want you to give it a chance to build. If you like songs with harmonizing, this one excels. Add in an intriguing mix of folk, country and maybe even some gospel(!!) and you'll have yourself tapping your foot in no time.
I just downloaded their album, Burning Days, off iTunes and loving it. It'll be some great driving music... only if I were in Alberta, it would be perfect with the big sky! Kudos to this NPR article for leading the way to this band.
Have a good weekend!
I just downloaded their album, Burning Days, off iTunes and loving it. It'll be some great driving music... only if I were in Alberta, it would be perfect with the big sky! Kudos to this NPR article for leading the way to this band.
Have a good weekend!
22 April 2013
Quebec City
Quick post. Finally got a small break for six days. Got it on the tail end of an unpleasant flu.
In QC with some good friends. Nothing too groundbreaking here, but it's been nice. Walking tour showed me this city used to be a bustling port city full of commerce and trade which essentially evaporated with the emergence of the steam engine. In a city of only 500K, their restaurant market is massive. If anyone comes by here, making a reservation at Chez Boulay is a must. I didn't know cod could be pan seared in such a way that the fillet just flakes away and disintegrates in your mouth. Ridiculous...
As always, a song for you at the end of the post. Didn't like Ports of Morrow that much but I'd have to say I'm still a Shins fan. The song is called "No Way Down"--
In QC with some good friends. Nothing too groundbreaking here, but it's been nice. Walking tour showed me this city used to be a bustling port city full of commerce and trade which essentially evaporated with the emergence of the steam engine. In a city of only 500K, their restaurant market is massive. If anyone comes by here, making a reservation at Chez Boulay is a must. I didn't know cod could be pan seared in such a way that the fillet just flakes away and disintegrates in your mouth. Ridiculous...
As always, a song for you at the end of the post. Didn't like Ports of Morrow that much but I'd have to say I'm still a Shins fan. The song is called "No Way Down"--
12 April 2013
Lazy Friday with its music, featuring Iron and Wine
Lazy Friday. At least partially, and as much as I can. The stage is set quite nicely for it to be lazy. It was a long day at work, I worked out yesterday making today a rest day, and there's nasty weather outside with winds, freezing rain, sleet and slush. I'm on call though, and every time that cursed pager goes off I jump, dreading a call for a consult from the emergency department.
Sipping the tea, got my loafers and wool sweater on, and I've got the coachella YouTube feed going in the background. It's kind of weird watching people sweating profusely while I'm a bit chilly wearing a sweater. What's weirder is watching Lee Scratch Perry perform live. Picture a 70-year old (wait, Wikipedia says he's 77!) Caribbean gentleman with a white beard dyed bright red, in a full red suit and baseball cap. I hope that if I live to be 77, that I'm living a rather healthy and functional life... but aiming to be singing reggae in 35 C heat at one of the world's biggest music festivals seems like it would be hard to top.
Anyways, I digress. Today I was wondering why it seems I post on every Friday. It seems like rather poor timing considering all forms of media including papers, TV, Facebook and twitter get the least amount of readership on this day of the week. Needless to say it's not on purpose. It is however the day of the week where I'm able to let out a big exhale and just let myself relax. Even though I'm on home call tonight, it's still the same.
As a result, I'm more able to unwind and enjoy listening to music. And there's a ton of it right now. I can't remember the last time I've had this many new release albums I simultaneously want to put on repeat. It's a nice problem to have. I'll be sharing more of that later, including a spring playlist for all y'all.
Posts in the near future will be about many albums that have been recent released in what is shaping up to be a massive 2013. To change it up, here's a tune from a few years ago. Probably my favourite Iron and Wine song. It's chilled, but the overlapping piano, drums, other percussions and guitar just makes me tap my feet. Love it! From his album, The Shepherd's Dog...
.
.
.
Well, there goes that pager...
Sipping the tea, got my loafers and wool sweater on, and I've got the coachella YouTube feed going in the background. It's kind of weird watching people sweating profusely while I'm a bit chilly wearing a sweater. What's weirder is watching Lee Scratch Perry perform live. Picture a 70-year old (wait, Wikipedia says he's 77!) Caribbean gentleman with a white beard dyed bright red, in a full red suit and baseball cap. I hope that if I live to be 77, that I'm living a rather healthy and functional life... but aiming to be singing reggae in 35 C heat at one of the world's biggest music festivals seems like it would be hard to top.
Anyways, I digress. Today I was wondering why it seems I post on every Friday. It seems like rather poor timing considering all forms of media including papers, TV, Facebook and twitter get the least amount of readership on this day of the week. Needless to say it's not on purpose. It is however the day of the week where I'm able to let out a big exhale and just let myself relax. Even though I'm on home call tonight, it's still the same.
As a result, I'm more able to unwind and enjoy listening to music. And there's a ton of it right now. I can't remember the last time I've had this many new release albums I simultaneously want to put on repeat. It's a nice problem to have. I'll be sharing more of that later, including a spring playlist for all y'all.
Posts in the near future will be about many albums that have been recent released in what is shaping up to be a massive 2013. To change it up, here's a tune from a few years ago. Probably my favourite Iron and Wine song. It's chilled, but the overlapping piano, drums, other percussions and guitar just makes me tap my feet. Love it! From his album, The Shepherd's Dog...
.
.
.
Well, there goes that pager...
07 April 2013
Bands I'd highlight if I were going to coachella 2013...
As the days to coachella 2013 get closer, the excitement in the pop culture media, the music world, and my friend who are going are all reaching a head. In some ways, I'm getting a bit more glum because it's well organized festival and the atmosphere is unreal. Maybe I am just missing some heat and sunshine too.
Alas, it was not meant to be this year. Difficulty with scheduling, cost, and the depth for artists I've fond of wasn't there this year. Despite that, I'm starting to reflect some unexpected aspects of it were what made the experience awesome...
- An otherworldly atmosphere + being around great friends on what was a last hurrah of med school
- Reaffirming my love for a few artists -- Bon Iver, M83, Girl Talk. M. Ward (can you say guitar solo?), and Real Estate to name a few
- The most undexpected part was it was also a fantastic places to see artists live who I'd never suspect would hook me -such as Swedish House Mafia, Gotye, Fitz and the Tantrums, and The Head and the Heart. Of course, Tupac's hologram et al. put on a ridiculous show too.
OK... enough reminiscing!! In a way to cope, or maybe to be cruel to myself, I've compiled a list of artists I'd really go out of my way to see this year. Again, this is just my own taste, but I think many of them are worth checking out if you're looking to see something new, or wanted to confirm your own hunches. So, trying to exclude the obvious...
Friday:
- Lou Reed
- Beach House
- Four Tet
- Alt-J******
- the Neighbourhood*****
Saturday:
- Sigur Ros - Do you like to gamble? This is a toss-up. Knowing their songs and seeing them live before this venue could go either really well or really badly for first-time listeners... but I still love them.
- Phoenix***** (obvious yes, but it kills me that I'm missing them live. Don't go home early on Saturday...)
- Grizzly Bear
Sunday:
- Tame Impala
- James Blake*****
- the Airborne Toxic Event
- Alex Clare
- Jessie Ware
Enjoy it, folks...
Alas, it was not meant to be this year. Difficulty with scheduling, cost, and the depth for artists I've fond of wasn't there this year. Despite that, I'm starting to reflect some unexpected aspects of it were what made the experience awesome...
- An otherworldly atmosphere + being around great friends on what was a last hurrah of med school
- Reaffirming my love for a few artists -- Bon Iver, M83, Girl Talk. M. Ward (can you say guitar solo?), and Real Estate to name a few
- The most undexpected part was it was also a fantastic places to see artists live who I'd never suspect would hook me -such as Swedish House Mafia, Gotye, Fitz and the Tantrums, and The Head and the Heart. Of course, Tupac's hologram et al. put on a ridiculous show too.
OK... enough reminiscing!! In a way to cope, or maybe to be cruel to myself, I've compiled a list of artists I'd really go out of my way to see this year. Again, this is just my own taste, but I think many of them are worth checking out if you're looking to see something new, or wanted to confirm your own hunches. So, trying to exclude the obvious...
Friday:
- Lou Reed
- Beach House
- Four Tet
- Alt-J******
- the Neighbourhood*****
Saturday:
- Sigur Ros - Do you like to gamble? This is a toss-up. Knowing their songs and seeing them live before this venue could go either really well or really badly for first-time listeners... but I still love them.
- Phoenix***** (obvious yes, but it kills me that I'm missing them live. Don't go home early on Saturday...)
- Grizzly Bear
Sunday:
- Tame Impala
- James Blake*****
- the Airborne Toxic Event
- Alex Clare
- Jessie Ware
Enjoy it, folks...
06 April 2013
Hurry up, spring + new Bonobo
It's that funny time of year, well maybe especially this year. Mother nature teases us with the March equinox and the longer days, the sun beaming through the windows, but she's still keeping it nippy in these parts. Normally in Ottawa (apparently), the green is all around, but this year there's no denying that she's letting Old Man Winter linger a little longer.
Oh well, that's fine with me. I'm just happier with the extended daylight hours, and that I can ride my bike through the Market. Respirology is almost done, and I'd say it was probably the toughest rotation I was on so far in residency. Mental fatigue not so much due to long hours, which I can handle, but moreso from seeing tons of cases with dismal outlooks (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, end-stage COPD, lung cancers galore) and scratching tooth and nail to try to get some improvement or at least good follow-up for these people. It's also strange seeing Emergency from this side... I understand the political divide in the hospital a bit better now which I'd rather not delve into right now, but at the same time I really don't see much of a solution. Not many solutions + not many solutions for the politics = many frustrations.
With that, I'll try to focus on it being close to spring. Running my first race of the year tomorrow, just a 5 km to get things going. Aiming for a sub 5 min/km time.
Of course, I'll leave you with a tune today. Bonobo is out with a new album, The North Borders. He has an interesting interview up on NPR where he discusses sampling actual sounds you hear out in real life... trains, water, etc. His previous album didn't actually stick with me very much, but I like this one. It's excellent for almost any setting... chilling, reading, hosting -- a good sign it's gonna rack up some play counts with me :)
Below is "Jets", one of my favourite songs from the album.
Oh well, that's fine with me. I'm just happier with the extended daylight hours, and that I can ride my bike through the Market. Respirology is almost done, and I'd say it was probably the toughest rotation I was on so far in residency. Mental fatigue not so much due to long hours, which I can handle, but moreso from seeing tons of cases with dismal outlooks (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, end-stage COPD, lung cancers galore) and scratching tooth and nail to try to get some improvement or at least good follow-up for these people. It's also strange seeing Emergency from this side... I understand the political divide in the hospital a bit better now which I'd rather not delve into right now, but at the same time I really don't see much of a solution. Not many solutions + not many solutions for the politics = many frustrations.
With that, I'll try to focus on it being close to spring. Running my first race of the year tomorrow, just a 5 km to get things going. Aiming for a sub 5 min/km time.
Of course, I'll leave you with a tune today. Bonobo is out with a new album, The North Borders. He has an interesting interview up on NPR where he discusses sampling actual sounds you hear out in real life... trains, water, etc. His previous album didn't actually stick with me very much, but I like this one. It's excellent for almost any setting... chilling, reading, hosting -- a good sign it's gonna rack up some play counts with me :)
Below is "Jets", one of my favourite songs from the album.
01 April 2013
Chelow kabab
In case you didn't know, it was Persian New Year back on March 21. To celebrate, I decided to cook up some Persian dishes that I grew up loving. Here I profile chelow kabab, the national dish of Iran. It's incredibly delicious but also very easy to make if you have a BBQ grill (or a George Foreman-esque grill like me) and some metal skewers. Preferably you would use these special skewers, but really almost any type of skewer will do.
If it's just you and maybe two other people, these proportions will work fine. Multiply or divide accordingly.
Start with 500 g of lean ground beef, 1 egg, 1 small-medium onion (diced), 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, a clove or two of garlic, and maybe throw in some bread crumbs and parlsey for good measure. Throw this all in a bowl and MASH with your hands. Get them all mixed together.
Next, thinly shape the meat around the skewers, no more than a 1 cm radius. They should look either like flat hot dogs if you're using the special skewers or like thin hot dogs if you're using regular skewers. This part may be difficult because you want to wrap it firmly enough so it stays intact but if you press too hard it may fall apart. What I wrote probably doesn't make sense but you'll get the hang of it when you start shaping it.
Place on the grill and cook like you would a burger, preferably on medium high heat and flipping once!
Delicious!
If it's just you and maybe two other people, these proportions will work fine. Multiply or divide accordingly.
Start with 500 g of lean ground beef, 1 egg, 1 small-medium onion (diced), 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, a clove or two of garlic, and maybe throw in some bread crumbs and parlsey for good measure. Throw this all in a bowl and MASH with your hands. Get them all mixed together.
Next, thinly shape the meat around the skewers, no more than a 1 cm radius. They should look either like flat hot dogs if you're using the special skewers or like thin hot dogs if you're using regular skewers. This part may be difficult because you want to wrap it firmly enough so it stays intact but if you press too hard it may fall apart. What I wrote probably doesn't make sense but you'll get the hang of it when you start shaping it.
Place on the grill and cook like you would a burger, preferably on medium high heat and flipping once!
Delicious!
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