Friday night music: Summer is here early!

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Friday night music: Home call

Home call. Quiet evening. It's a Miles Davis/Nina Simone kind of night.

On stress and respect / Friday night music

I was walking in the Market today and a woman exclaimed, "I have enough stress in my life as it is!"

Immediately I was annoyed but I couldn't tell why. Everyone has stressful events in their life, and they're rarely easy. Not only that, but I don't know who she is, or to what stressful event(s) to which she was referring. And some people truly do go through some extremely difficult tribulations in their lifetime.

However, there was something about the statement I found irritating. The tone seemed entitled, in some ways disrespectful, which also seemed to convey in her body language. But the biggest thing I realized was the statement itself. Does she have a magic ruler that measures that she has surpassed her lifetime permitted stress levels? Has she been able to compare or quantify that her stress is more significant or more important than those around her?

Again, let me reiterate. I am not doubting this person has stress, is/was struggling with some current stressor(s) in her life, or has a valid reason to feel "stressed". What I truly have issue with is that she was using her stress or whatever affliction she has to justify or allow her to shit on the person/people around her.

The more general point I'm trying to get to is that too often it seems people decide certain conditions, afflictions, privilege or abilities are justification to be downright disrespectful to people around them. Sadly it's rather commonplace in medicine. It can happen with staff to learners, physicians to patients, physicians to nurses, or residents to nurses (or vice versa!). It drives me nuts. We're all human beings so let's treat each other like they're one too.

I'm not trying to be a debbie downer. It's Friday! We've all been guilty at least a couple times of a similar situation above, so let's try to change that. Be kind to one another, and at the very least, respectful. Be nice to your bartender or waitress tonight. Try to dial down the road rage. It's not all about me, and it's not all about you.

Enjoy the company.

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Friday night music //

Got two treats for you tonight. First, I spent half my day off the other day compiling this playlist and making sure the flow was just right. It's a relaxed, chilled out playlist full of songs featuring female vocalists encompassing a number of genres, including some of my favourite releases from this year. The lady on the cover is London Grammar's Hannah Reid.

Ladies first from jfanae on 8tracks Radio.

The next song is from American folk rock band Dawes. Also fitting for a laid back Friday night in its own way.

A quiet Friday night

DJ Mitsu The Beats - Nightfall

Friday night music: some "hip hop jazz", versatile dream pop, and new but 'classic' JT

Hey folks, I know it's been a while but I've got a few gems for you.

The first band, who hails from Toronto, is, as Wikipedia puts it, "an instrumental hip hop jazz" group. That last sentence had a lot of commas. Anyways I heard them on the radio the other day on my drive to work and a quick Shazam later I find out who they are and am currently digging their stuff on bandcamp. They're called BADBADNOTGOOD, and in a way I wonder if it refers to their skills at using they keyboard because they clearly don't know how to turn off caps lock.
In some respects they remind me of the late J Dilla and of course they have that jazz element to them that I like. Of course I'm a fan of both of the aforementioned so it's not a surprise I'm currently trying to decide which album of theirs to buy first.



The second band I wanted to talk to today I actually heard from Aaron Paul, of Breaking Bad fame. They're a duo from the Big Apple who actually cut through a couple genres. Sky Barbarick's vocals fit the dream pop mold pretty well, but the accompanying instrumentals vary from a single guitar and percussion to a more electronic vibe that fits better in one of those downtown lounges. Either way, they sound great, especially for those clear summer nights when you're up late just chilling and chatting with friends over some drinks. Have a listen.




Lastly, JT is out with a new single from his 2nd part of his 20/20 Experience album... because having the highest selling album of the year so far wasn't enough. Some vintage JT here... that's what I like.

Friday night music: 3-for-1! Bass slapping, and post rock x 2

Hey folks, quick post tonight. Three songs I'd like to share... what a treat! I was thinking of posting something longer but working overnight happened and I slept until mid-afternoon.

Let's start things off right with something upbeat from The Preatures, a band from Sydney, Australia. Love that bassline!



Next, Sigur Ros just released another single from their upcoming album, Kveikur, and this is the title track. I heard them play it live earlier this year and it was definitely my favourite from the new songs they played. A few YouTube videos of live versions were floating around, but give a listen to the studio version. One of their more "dense" songs they've released in a while:




Lastly, here's "Campaign" by Russian Circles, a post-rock band. I used to listen to this album when I'd work out and need focus and I happened to play it again last night, reminding me how much I enjoy it. Great for some late night tunes.




Happy Friday!

Saturday-at-noon music: 11 months into residency / Parov Stelar

Hello from medicine call. Good morning! Good afternoon! Got the Friday/Sunday shifts this weekend. I tried starting this entry on call during some down time but the medicine gods got mad at me for slacking off so it ended up being a pretty busy night.

In just over an hour it will hit It is June 1st, the day before my mom's birthday. This time last year she and I had just gotten back to Edmonton after deciding on a place for me here. As much as that seems like it was so long ago it's hard to believe that it has already been 11 months.

What have I learned so far?
- As much as we made fun of the FIFE pneumonic in medical school, I find its framework has been vital for good patient care, rapport and satisfaction. Even from a medical side there have been countless times where an important piece of information was gleaned exploring this side. Go figure.
- Family medicine rulez. The people in my program are happy with their future in their profession, the flexibility and what limitless directions it can take. The job opportunities are endless, we are fostered in a positive environment and I've found it satisfying. Huzzah!
- Despite my previous point, medicine can consume you. Be careful. It will be all you think about at work, it is most of what you and your co-resident friends will discuss and it will seep deeper into your consciousness even more than in medical school. The hours are longer, the pressure is stronger.
- I started re-watching Scrubs (again). I have heard that out of all the medical shows out there it is the most accurate in its atmosphere, the conflicts and the stories. I couldn't agree more.
- In Atul Gawande's book, Better, he emphasizes the importance of asking every patient one question completely unrelated to why they are in hospital or about themselves. I saw the value in it but I am blown away by how much it improves my rapport with patients and in turn my enthusiasm to genuinely want to help them. You can see their faces light up when they see that you're not just running through the motions and show an interest in who they are. It can be anywhere from a simple "what do you do for work/fun/school?" or a follow-up question regarding a random tidbit they mention about themselves. I now actively try to do it at least once a day.

As much as I find it interesting looking back, the future is just as intriguing. I could be finished in just over a year, or more hopefully on to further training in something that will further diversify my future practice. Either way,

Whoa, this got too long! Anyways, here's my tune for the week. I stumbled upon Parov Stelar recently via Spotify (best music streaming service ever) and am really digging his jazzy-loungey-chill songs. Excuse my incoherence and lack of proper vocabulary, I'm a bit low on sleep. Just listen.

Friday night music: taking it down a notch with Boards of Canada

No particular mood or tone I've got in mind for this week's post, but I am a big fan of Boards of Canada, whose name may or may not play a part even though they're from Scotland. Anyways, they just released a new song this week called "Reach for the Dead". They haven't released any new studio material in a long time so I figured I'd feature them. I remember my favourite song by them when I was in university was this one.
It's a bit of a change-up for my blog because I haven't posted anything remotely close to ambient/post-rock/minimalist in a while. Give it a shot, especially if you have some headphones handy.

Look for their album, Tomorrow's Harvest, coming out on June 10th. I've got a couple asterisks beside this one.

Friday night music: it's windy

I've been listening to more electronic music recently so I'm looking to tone it down a bit especially with it being a post-call day. It's a bit windy outside and I've got a great song that also happens to sample some wind chimes at the beginning. This song may seem familiar because it has been featured in a couple ads. Nevertheless, it's an excellent one. Some claps, harmonizing and deep drums during the chorus will help you feel great this Friday evening.

Have a nice looooooooong weekend, peeps

Friday night music: Two Bobs. Bobby Darin and the Robby Hunter Band

Another beautiful day outside. I'm only on call Sunday this weekend and I don't mind because it means I can enjoy the prime of the weekend that is Friday and Saturday.

And now, the music. I love it when two songs I want to share have a neat link between them. Here we have two "Bob"s. One swing, one with what sounds like classic pop. They're separated by more than 50 years yet they don't sound that far apart. Enjoy!


Bobby Darin - Lazy River (1961) ... gotta love the swing. Ignore the silly slideshow, haha





The Robby Hunter Band - Hard on Me (2013) - that electric guitar...

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!

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... 



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Well, there goes that pager...

Friday night music -- Rhye

Just got one song to show for you folks tonight, but I do recommend you check out the artist, Rhye, and their album Woman. This song is called "Open". Enjoy!

Friday night jazz -

I have a weakness for jazz. I'm not sure where it came from, or why it sticks. I just love it. Add the fact that it's a cold night, I've got my warm clothes on, it's quiet, it's Friday night and I'm cooking. Perfection.

With that said, I'm still relatively a greenhorn when it comes to the jazz world. So outside of the legendary Miles Davis, I often tune into to jazz on the radio and let the professionals decide on what to play. Tonight on my way home I was listening to the program Tonic on CBC Radio 2, and this gem came on. Well played, Tim Tamashiro.