2000-09-04 - 1:05

And the winner is . . .

Yeah, I know, I already posted an entry tonight. Well, this one is different from my usual post, so I thought that I'd fit it in tonight, too:

Okay, considering that: (a) it's Labour Day and (b) two of my roommates from the last four months have moved out, I must admit that it's the end of summer. This was my second summer in Ottawa and I thought that I'd compare the two.

A Contest of Two Summers

• 1999: I shared a townhouse with my friends Colin and Frank, as well as Naim; and Aaron was a very frequent guest.
• 2000: This year, it was Aaron, Colin, and Nick in the same townhouse, with Frankie popping in sometimes.
• Edge: This summer was definitely better, since it was cool to add Nick to the mix.

• 1999: I had a girlfriend living several provinces away.
• 2000: No girlfriend at all.
• Edge: Neither situation was ideal. Last summer at least had cause for optimism; although it was also more stressful at times.

• 1999: Too damned hot!
• 2000: Too damned rainy!
• Edge: I complained at the time; but at least last year felt like summer.

• 1999: I got to see two concerts, highlighted by Black Sabbath in Montreal.
• 2000: Six concerts: four trips out of the city and two local festivals.
• Edge: This year kicked ass for concerts. Einst�rzende Neubauten in NYC was a surreal experience; and it was a lot of fun seeing the other shows with different groups of friends.

• 1999: Cool job for my last co-op term.
• 2000: The same job, but now that I picked up that piece of paper from school, they pay full-time money.
• Edge: Gotta give the edge to this year, even if I do have to work a little harder sometimes.

• 1999: Walked home, unless the heat did me in.
• 2000: Usually got a ride from Greg; but we started getting in two soccer games a week.
• Edge: I'm sure that soccer is more exercise (even if I do play nets sometimes) and it's definitely a lot of fun.

• 1999: Shaved my head.
• 2000: Went blond.
• Edge: '99 . . . I can't top that one for shock value, especially since it was my first haircut in five years.

• 1999: I discovered the music of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, I really got into Massive Attack and Everlast, and I also picked up some Esthero, N.W.A., and Nashville Pussy.
• 2000: (With some help from Nick, Richard, and Liam) this year's additions were Yo La Tengo, Lydia Lunch, the Supreme Beings of Leisure, B�a, Congo Norvell, Jeffrey Lee Pierce, the Gun Club, Elwood, Moby, and Beth Orton.
• Edge: I should add a section for the start of this year, when I discovered the Dirty Three, Crime and the City Solution, Mick Harvey, Anita Lane, and Die Haut. The fact that each of those bands ties strongly to Nick Cave illustrates why I give the edge to last year. However, I must say that it's nice to be able to pick up as many CDs as I have since I started working.

When I came back to Ottawa at the start of the year, I kept thinking that, with the exception of money, my life was definitely worse than it had been a year before. Now, when I make the same one-year comparison, I no longer have to say the same.

It got a lot better around here when more friends moved up. It has been really cool to have Colin back in this town; and I'm glad that Nick made it here (and that he's coming back soon). It's also been a bonus to not have four months of zero income and a $2200 tuition fee looming around the corner. Okay, now I have student loan payments; but I can still say, "Hmm, I feel like buying new speakers/a guitar/a ticket to New York" and make it happen. The independence is great.

The main change since the start of the year is that I have worked farther through my reactions to the endings that came with making the move to Ottawa for real. I think that it was the end of March before I acknowledged that there had really been no other decision for me; and that this was where I should be. I started this journal about a month too late to capture those thoughts; but I think that they fit in with this topic.

So, to end this entry as I often do . . . life is good. Still.

J.