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31 March 2007

music and purity


It's the beginning of a beautiful Saturday. The buds are starting to green the tips of trees, there's not a hint of a chill in the air, and I...

I am spending 8 hours of the day in a windowless computer lab that I work in. Drat!

Well, hopefully I will be productive, but the internet connection here is so much faster than our hotel-style internet at home, and I believe I will use the increased speed to obsessively search summer concert schedules instead of doing work. But seriously, I have to do work. There are 3 weeks left, and 4 major assignments to hand in before I am finished my first year!

Yesterday I spent the day at a sound studies conference, at which Brian was presenting a paper. The presenters were all fabulous; they discussed everything from the history of community radio in Canada (Brian), to progressive middle-eastern hip hop, to the creation of an audio guide of an old Irish community in Old Montreal. The best part of the conference, however, was the shmoozing part with all the free food and wine. After a few glasses, Brian and I decided to go out for dinner in Mile-End. I was scoping out a microbrewery/gourmet pizza place for the year-end event I am planning. I do believe that Sergent Recruteur with its fresh, fruity artisan beer and indescribably good pizzas, will fit the bill.

We moved on to a cozy live music cafe-turned dance spot at night, Casa del Popolo, to meet some friends, and then, finally to The Main for a late night snack (in my case a pickle). It was quite the day.

I went out and got a few of the CDs I have been meaning to purchase for a while now: Malajube, Arianne Moffatt, and Carla Bruni. Bruni's album is especially dear to me already, and if you listen, you will hear why. I am also loving London/Western/CHRW's own Basia Bulat. I had met Basia a few times at Western: she briefly volunteered at The Gazette and was also briefly in my Foundations in Singing class. I had often heard her radio show and a few of her tunes, and they were very cute and fun. Her new stuff is really special, and certainly worth listening to!

In more academic news, while doing research for my Media and Sexuality class paper on the Bush administration's sex education policies, I unearthed an interesting gem which is now the focus of my paper: the trend of purity balls. Please, read for yourself and let me know what you think of this kind of "party."

Thank goodness Canada has Sue Johanson. She would never stand for state-enforced teaching of misinformation

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm not going to lie, I anticipated some sort of sex toy when I clicked on the link "purity balls." Boy was I wrong.
Aside from the obvious electra complex, these balls are really frickin weird*.
Yesterday on the bus I overheard this glorious conversation:
girl 1: remember cynthia from high school?
girl 2: no.
girl 1: she was in our gym class. she's totally preggers. i saw pics on facebook.

Good luck with your research!

*something tells me that's not the first time i've used 'weird' and 'balls' in the same sentence.

Unknown said...

Sex toy it is not, a contracted electra complex it is.

Weird balls, hah!

etc'd said...

i love that you love basia's new stuff (smile)

she played the horseshoe two weeks ago and it was a fantastic show ... she ALWAYS plays well

and apparantly she's touring europe sometime in the next month... i'm so excited that more people get to hear her music

b said...

its because of places like sergent recruteur that ill have to be dragged - screaming, fighting, and crying - out of this city when/if its time to go.

not even a year in, and im dreading that thought.

Anonymous said...

Yah to Malajube..great album and amazing band live
Karkwa (spelling?) album is pretty good and put on a decent life show, Dumas as wel. Jeez, québecois musique is doing well right now.

sarah nicole said...

The idea of virginity as a contract signed over from father to future husband leaves me cold -- mostly, I think, because it hits so close to home. My parents wanted me to be the world's whitest bride -- I remember my mother telling me she hoped my first kiss (yes, KISS) would be on my wedding day.

I wonder how much of this purity business is the girl's decision, and how much is doctrine shoved down her throat so nothing else will be.

Unknown said...

S-nicole, clever play on words. You wouldn't happen to have journalism experience would you?

Seriously, these purity balls and the rhetoric that accompany them seriously creep me out.

Erin said...

That website was terrifying. I can't wait until these girls meet some cute boys in school, rebel hardcore, and end up pregnant at 16 because they couldn't access birth control for fear of their parents knowing they have sex. Disgusting to oppress teenage girls instead of educating them. Let's teach them to be ashamed of their bodies while we're at it - sex is immoral, and menstruation means you are filthy! Now go rake that cornfield and be back in time for bible study and your beating.

I can't imagine my decisions regarding sex being based on a contract with my father, ugh. Thank goodness my family is so obnoxiously liberal.