Zhu, Karaoke & Subway Book Review

Weekly Update 2016-20: Crossing my fingers that the Phoenix Concert Theatre has figured out how to put on an electronic show, thinking about how to coax shy people to perform karaoke, and asking subway-riding book readers to share their thoughts in a sweet little project called Subway Book Review.

Music: Zhu
Tonight's the night, I'm finally seeing Zhu. Gotta say, his songs are pretty hit-or-miss, but my friend is really excited for it. I just hope that the Phoenix has worked out its sound issues with electronic music since my last electronic show there (Neon Indian). The show is sold out, so hopefully there will be some good vibes. In any case, I hope he plays this song (especially since Gallant is opening for him):


Accomplishment:
I love living in the city. Amongst all the chores I had to do this weekend, I was still able to fit in time to go to the Toronto Comic Arts Festival and support my friend Tess who was tabling this year. So much beautiful illustration! And what was even more cool was that Zanta made an appearance and started yelling a bunch of stuff in the middle of the show floor. But such is Toronto.

I also ran my 8th fastest run EVER on Saturday, right after a big brunch. I wonder if there's some kind of correlation between the two?

And finally, I found some cool stuff to see during Doors Open in a couple of weekends. May is such a big month for cultural events in Toronto.

Goal:
I'd like to ride my bike to work twice this week (hell yeah), and actually complete an Arduino project (which I didn't do yesterday). I did write another post on China, and plan to write at least one more this week.

Random Thought:
I was waiting for my turn to sing at Karaoke on Saturday (we've all been there, right?) and noticed that the slips of paper for writing your song choice were actually the backs of bar tab receipts. I was looking at all the alcohol that these people had consumed, and the cogs started to turn.

Many people don't like to do karaoke because it's a bit embarrassing, you make yourself a little vulnerable for three and a half minutes and maybe you forget the words. It happens. So, what if there were a karaoke bar where the bartender could provide a special drink to customers, payable by singing a song of the bartender's choice. That way, people would feel more comfortable singing a song, have a better time, and invariably purchase more alcohol. It's a win win! Maybe I'm in the wrong profession.

Inspiration: Subway Book Review
I have been feeling a void lately that can only be filled by a really good novel. I posted to Facebook looking for suggestions and was delighted that my friends still love to have their opinions heard. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski has been placed on hold at the Reference Library, and I can't wait to sink into all 700+ pages.

Isn't it great how much you can learn about someone by their book choice (and of course their opinion of said book). I found this great little collection of snapshots by Uli Beutter Cohen, displaying riders of the NYC subway system with the books they choose to read. So it's kind of like Humans of New York, but with a spin that perhaps, if you can find someone with whom you identify, you might choose to read the book they're reading. What a great way to choose a book to read.

See more here.