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My Window Shopping work created for, and exhibited at, the Nuit Blanche 2007 art show has been documented by the Centre for Canadian Contemporary Art (CCCA).  The site features my work proposal, a written description of the work, and a variety of pictures.
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Nuit Blanche Window Shopping

Hi folks! Welcome to another edition of my year in review. I’ve had a fairly successful year, with a lot of unexpected twists and turns. I’ve decided the best way to approach my year in review is to break it down by topic. So here’s what I have to say:

On friends:

We’ve learned a very valuable lesson this year; Most Toronto people wig out after a very short time. It seems most of these people think friendship is disposable, like it’s perfectly normal to alienate others after a short period of time. Of course there are exceptions. Jeff (aka James Cooper in my office installation) has consistently been a good friend, and I always enjoy his company. Aaron, though not officially a “Toronto” friend, has also been amazing. And Jill was always so great, unfortunately she has moved away to Vancouver. So that leaves us with only a few friends and a couple of acquaintances.

On drama:

2007 can officially be marked as the year with no drama. Ok… so there was a bit of drama thanks to some of those “disposable friends” early on, but once that was over, the rest of the year went very well. We met a few people who are considerably more easygoing, we’ve kept a bit of distance, and there has been no craziness since. It’s nice to meet people who aren’t so caught up in their own world that they can…

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It’s almost 3am, so you know it’s time for a post. Welcome to this year’s music in review. If you’re a long-time reader of this blog, you’ll know that every year I write an article that covers the hot artists and albums of 2007 along with my predictions for next year’s breakout bands. This year has been interesting, with notable releases by small indie bands, reunion albums from long-time artists, and unique approaches to digital music distribution.

First up is the hot albums of 2007. The following are in no particular order (in fact, it’s just the order they come up in iTunes as I listen to the tracks of the past year).

Hot albums for 2007!?

Strata - Strata Presents the End of the World: Strata ended up being the breakout band of 2007. Their latest album was a real hit, they are getting all kinds of airplay, and their single “Cocaine” is my pick for the best song of 2007. They are amazing performers live, they have a unique sound, and they combine that with powerful lyrics and storytelling. If I really had to pick one standout album of 2007, this would be it. And it’s a STEAL at only $7.99 on iTunes!

Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare: What is there to say? It’s the Arctic Monkeys. Somehow, a large number of people haven’t heard of them before. Ok… so they don’t really get any airplay here in Canada (which is a shame), but still… It’s the Arctic Monkeys!!! Their thrashy, kinda sloppy, rock-with-punk-roots sound is so recognizable I can tell it’s one of their…

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