Before May sweeps, I didn’t even know there was a 25th ammendment to the US constitution. Now I’ve seen it invoked on two separate shows! A pity life can’t imitate art. Still, an interesting twist on The West Wing tonight. I wasn’t expecting a cliffhanger since this was Aaron Sorkin’s last episode at the creative helm of the show. This means that an all new creative team will have to pick up the ball and run with it. Regardless, I’m happy to have my Wednesday nights tv-free for a few months at least. And after next week, Tuesdays are liberated from the boob tube as well!

Exploding Dog books! They’re nice, I want one, but they’re expensive!

np – R.E.M. / Up

Some pros for taking the first week of July off. One – it seems we will be taking the Tuesday off, not the Monday. So if I take that week off, it’s just 4 days of holiday and not five. Two – American Analog Set is coming to the Horseshoe on June 25th.

Kyle is recommending to me Brendan Benson, who is doing an instore at Soundscapes the afternoon of June 1 and a show at the Horseshoe that night.

np – various artists / The Amos House Collection Volume 1

Work is breathing down my neck to book off vacation days. I have nine days remaining before October 15th. Two or three of those are set aside for going to NYC/All Tomorrow’s Parties in September, though I wish they’d at least post the dates for the festival if not the lineup. Either way, I figure it to be a Friday-Saturday-Sunday affair, so that’d be three days off I’d need to reserve (the Thursday, Friday and Monday, at least). That leaves me approximately one week to play with. I’m currently eyeing the last week of June (23 to 27) though the preceding weekend I would not be able to get away because of the Wilco show on Friday and Andrea and Bryan’s wedding on Saturday. Not that I could really afford to go away for a full eight or nine days or whatever. I have to check if we are taking Canada Day on the 30th of June (the Monday), in which case I could sneak an extra day off onto the stretch. The other option is the following week, which would only cost me four days (on account of Canada Day). Downside, everyone would be travelling that week and transportation might be pricier. I don’t know. This is all to say nothing of the fact that I have no idea where to go or what to do. Suggestions?

np – Superchunk / Come Pick Me Up

The new coloured US greenback has finally been unveiled. It’s not nearly as gaudy as I’d hoped. After years of Americans mocking our currency, I was hoping it would be payback. Oh well.

Broken Social Scene’s next release will be tracks from the You Forgot It In People sessions that didn’t make the album. Details here.

Bad news – That Richard Thompson show at Hugh’s Room is sold out. Good news – he’s on the bill for the Toronto Star Bluesfest July 27, with a full band. And it’s cheaper than the intimate solo acoustic show. I would much rather see RT plugged in with the full band, so for once my sloth has worked out in my favour. Go figure.

np – Richard Thompson / Mirror Blue

An in-depth “this is your life” interview with Luna’s Britta Phillips can be found here.

Superchunk release their third b-sides and rarities comp – this one a double disc – on August 19th. Check out the track list and cover art for Cup Of Sand on the Superchunk website. You have to love a band that runs it’s own label (and a fantastic one at that). They want to release something? Whoop – there it is.

I discovered to my horror last night that the Lake Holiday website wasn’t working in IE for Windows for probably a couple weeks now. Uh… that’s great. Wish someone had told me. But there is some news from the counseller’s cabin on the shores of Lake Holiday… August 3rd – pencil (not pen) it in.

Question – renters insurance in Ontario. Anyone have the skinny? Advice? Suggestions? The fact that I have no coverage on all my worldly goods is troubling to me.

Meerkats!

np – The Pernice Brothers / The World Won’t End