NoteSlate

The NoteSlate is a new product coming in June 2011. It's basically a notepad for you to doodle, sketch, take notes or draw on. It's a simple idea but I kind of want one.

The key to it is affordability. I mean, it's said to be launched at a price of $99.00. It's going to be released later in a 4-colour version (Yes, computer. You're in Canada. Colour is spelled with a "U") but I'm wondering if that's really necessary. I mean, I have my iPod touch so some people may say I'm being greedy or frivolous but I have brilliant ideas and I want to be able to write them down. Who knows? Maybe with this, this blog could actually take some direction. Also, I want something to dedicate to this purpose. Sure, my iPod is great but I use that for everything else. It also brags a 180 hour battery life.

The down side is portability, I'd think. I mean, I know there's gonna be cases but they're still pretty big, about the size of a piece of paper. Maybe if they had a belt-loop case that you could just pull it out of. The question at that point is weight. Well, thankfully it tells us just how much it's going to weigh, about 280 g. That's less than a pound. However, I was just watching Mythbusters and they said that 60 g is about the weight of our clothes. So imagine carrying around about 4.67 approximate... clothes around with you. So in all honesty, I have no concept of weight.

Anyways, I'll have to see when it comes out.

Music I've been... Digging... I guess the term is?

This first song is "Fairytales" by a band called Serenity. I found out about them from a blog post from the lead singer of Delain, Charlotte Wessels, talking about her guest work on their new album. It includes guest vocals from Sandra Schleret, who replaced Sabine Dunser as the lead singer of Elis after Sabine passed away on July 8, 2006.

Serenity - Fairytales

The second song is "Faster" by Within Temptation. It's their new single from their upcoming album "The Unforgiving," due out on March 25, 2o11 (March 29 in the US and Canada). The album is going to be based on a comic book series to be released around the same time as the album under the same name. Along with that, the music videos are going to be a series of short films. If you've hung out with me recently and given me any chance, you've probably heard me ramble on about this album and if you hang out with me anytime soon, you probably will, too.

Within Temptation - Faster

The next song is "Let You Down" by The Material. This band just released their first full-length album on January 11 of this year and I really love their sound. They have a sound that I'd really like to see become the popular music of today. They have a very mature sound that isn't so mature that it's intangible. I'm looking very forward to seeing where this band goes and what they do in the near future.

The Material - Let You Down

This next song, I've been a fan of for a while but it's definitely noteworthy. "Adore" by Anneke Van Giersbergen and Agua De Annique. Where I first heard about this artist is when she backed up Within Temptation on their live performance of "Somewhere" on their "Black Symphony" live album. I had heard the name of her former band, The Gathering, thrown around quite a bit as the inspiration for many members of several of my favorite bands. She's an amazing artist whose voice has been praised by other musicians for her ability to make a raw demo sound as good as the final draft.

*Fun Fact* For her most recent studio album, "In Your Room," New Westminster native, Devin Townsend helped her write a song called "Just Fine."

Agua De Annique - Adore

No One Has To Know.

I don't expect any of you to care about what I'm saying nor even read this. I'm just gonna ramble for a while. Currently, I'm watching Sleepover starring Alexa Vega, Jane Lynch and Steve Carell. I just got off work, working 6am-2pm. My legs are sore and I just wanna sit for a while... It's the beginning of my weekend right now. You know those times when you say something that you meant to be mean and that person comes back with something nice? It's a huge kick in the face and it confuses the living bajingos out of me. What are bajingos, you may be wondering? Well, boys and girls, bajingos are like when a rabbit and a hawk are both being chased by a kingfisher. It's the surrounding air in that situation. Now, the reason it's such a huge kick to the nuts is because you feel bad about it and at the same time, you get the warm feeling from whatever that person said and then depending on the situation, you may still be angry on top of that. It's just a swirl of emotions. And this swirl, it's like purple and blue with all the blue parts outlined with a thin layer of red. And in this swirl, there's lightning. Deadly, scary lightning. Ugh, product placement. "Look at my Smart Car! Not even a dent!" Yuck. It makes me sick. So earlier this month, I received a package in the mail from one of my favorite bands, The Material and on the package was a personalized note. See, I love this band for that reason (and their great music, too). They take that one extra minute it takes to write a note on a box to tell their fans they care. I wanna go to the shower but I don't wanna use my legs right now. Also, I wanna take out my contacts but I also just wanna fall asleep right here. Sooo tired... This should hold me for now.

Sincerely,

Kory.

The New Seasons

Fall is here and along with the colours in the trees come the new television seasons. And now I present to you, those who have cared to stick with his post at least to this point, my opinions of the new seasons:

Survivor: I don't know why I keep watching this show but somehow, I always end up engrossed in the drama (drama), excitement (excitement), and absolute nonsense (absolute nonsense). I watch it every season and every season, about halfway through, I realize how scripted it is, how unrealistic the "contestants" are and just how much I hate people. And in these realizations, I realize the hypocrisy of me saying all this while I am watching the show. This season, they started things off with a bang. They separated the old people from the young people. This should prove to be... another way this show is going downhill.

Glee: Now, I started out loving this show in the first few episodes while it seemed like a young, fresh idea. The kids were so full of spunk, the actors were so new to the fame and the excitement, and the songs were new music mixed thoroughly with classics often overlooked by this generation of heavy bass and untalented artists. Then the series took a turn for the worse as they started finding songs or artists that they "had to make an episode around." And it really came out in the flow of the dialogue and the story lines. So how do they begin the new season? With a bright idea from the teacher: Let's do more recent songs. I see myself falling away from this series by at least Christmas, possibly sooner.

The Office: Last season ended with a very strange season ending. It finished with a discussion between Michael and the head manager, Jo, from the Sabre head office in Florida. He brought up Holly, probing Jo to ask about her. Michael went on to tell her about how great Holly was. Then, in reaction, Jo said "I'll see what I can do about that." Well, they opened with a dance number... I'm just glad they made a recovery. This season is to be Steve Carell's last so I really hope they make the best of it as it will never be the same show without him. Sure the other characters are the same but if they get a new manager that's exactly the same, the show will repeat itself and it will grow tiring. If they get a new manager who's completely different, the dynamic of the whole office will change and the show will change direction in a way that I hope will be positive but no guarantees.

Community: This series started last year around this time, boasting one of its stars as Chevy Chase. I tend to shy away from TV shows that pay attention to one star as it's a signal to me that they have not much else to offer. Like how Hot In Cleveland was so bent on the fact that they had Betty White that they seemed to forget that writing and acting has a lot to do with the success and brilliance of a show. However, Community sported a very well thought out script with a lot of new ideas and a refreshingly smart brand of comedy. Last season saw one of my favorite episodes of any show ever made... ever. It was called Modern Warfare and it was based around the idea of a paintball war, often referencing other movies or TV shows, or genres of the two in a classy yet relentless comedy style. The opening episode of the new season was a re-introduction to the old ideas of the series and the new directions they want to pitch. I'm excited to see the rest.

The Big Bang Theory: This show started its new season off well. Despite the history of the writers for this show, it has managed to keep itself funny however, I've witnessed first-hand how annoying and tiring the interactions between the people can get. Having watched it almost every day at work, I didn't think I would enjoy this show as much as I did anymore but I'm glad they proved me wrong.

Etcetera

So, I went to Bingo last night. It was my first time going alone. I wouldn't have gone alone if I hadn't won a teddy bear a couple weeks ago meaning I won a chance at $1000 with a special game. I looked long and hard for somebody to go with but everyone I asked was busy or not 19+. When I got there, I put my credit in the computers and started searching around for a computer to sit at seeing as the hall was almost completely full. Eventually, with the assistance of an employee at the hall, I found a man who was getting angry and leaving. He was escorted out and I was sat at what was his seat. I sat down and tried to get myself organized. After a while of trying to figure out the blue from green and light blue from dark blue, the man beside me decided to help. We played a couple games, none of which were coming close to winning. I seem to remember coming close to winning close to $3000 but memory of that night was kind of a boring fog. I remember getting down to 1 square on my double card, which would have meant $400. Then, later on in the night, the caller pressed the wrong button. Tragedy had struck the Bingo hall as they tried desperately to recover the game. It was no use. So from then on, they had to manually put in the games.

Sincerely, love, from/de,

Kory Cudmore

Things that make me happy

I am going to list things that make me happy... music, the Otters, my friends, the Dream Team, getting mail, winning small amounts on scratch and wins, winning large amounts at BINGO, the whole concept of the band Heart, the fact that the band Heart sings Heartless, What's that about? Inserting ROADHAMMERS into songs, sleeping normal amounts when I have to work the next day, barbecues, Shania Twain (this is where Ben Evans' comment came in), Steve Buscemi, finding an awesome band or song, thinking back on The Amazing Race we did as a youth group, metal covers of popular 80's songs, the name of the band Men Without Hats, Tobias Funke, Monday nights with the BB's, Autumn, ordering CDs on eBay, recieving CDs from eBay, giggling at the use of the words nuts and balls, foggy days, people humorously mishearing each other.

Female Fronted Metal Bands

If you've ever talked to me and brought up music, you know that I have a love for the subject. In particular, female-fronted metal bands. Even more specifically, European female-fronted symphonic epic metal bands. So I thought I'd blog about them. I thought I'd make a list of: A, my favorite bands, B, my favorite songs, and C, my favorite albums.

A. My favorite bands

10. In This Moment

In This Moment is a band that took some getting used to for me. Originally, I was put off by the screaming vocals of front-woman Maria Brink. But after purchasing the "Century Media Girls of Metal Track Pack" on Rock Band, I fell in love with the song "Forever." Slowly easing my way into the rest of "The Dream," I eventually found them as part of a regular rotation on my iPod.

9. Epica

Epica is a band that is very dynamic and has quite varying sounds. They can take a song and completely tear you apart emotionally in one of two ways, either by tearing apart on their instruments or taking it down for a slow song. Vocalist Simone Simons is able to range from heavy-hitting, loud vocals to quiet, caring sounds and everything in between.

8. Children 18:3

Children 18:3 is the only band not strictly fronted by a female vocalist. I'm so upset I missed these guys at Creationfest the year our paths both crossed. I, however, heard them singing on stage while rushing to get back to camp for lunch. I immediately fell in love with their sound and went to buy their CD. I asked the lady if the CD I was holding in my hand was from the band on stage. She told me yes so I purchased it. Then I got back and after looking at the schedule, realized that the band on stage was not Dizmas.

7. The Birthday Massacre

The Birthday Massacre is a band that constantly shocks me with the way they keep coming up with fresh new stuff while still sticking to their unique sound. I'm greatly anticipating the release of their "Pins and Needles" album due out on the 14th of September. I have my copy pre-ordered.

6. Florence + the Machine

Florence and the Machine is the first on this list that I have seen live. While following the band Delain on Twitter, they happened to come up. The two bands were playing the same festival and the lead singer of Delain tweeted about this amazing band. Immediately, I fell in love with the first song I heard, "Drumming Song." While browsing through HMV, I came across their album. $10, how could I resist? I got it home and did NOT regret buying it. Amazing live performance, too. If you ever get a chance to go see them, don't pass up the opportunity.

5. Nightwish

Now, I will not get into the argument of when the band was best, that's an argument without a definite answer. I'll just say that I love the band with Anette but I'm greatly saddened by the dismissal of Tarja. Again, I don't want to get into it so anything further would just be inviting argument.

4. Lacuna Coil

Another band I've seen live, this band has certainly shown its diversity lately. With their release of "Shallow Life," the band has brought itself into the Rock category more than its former Metal classification. Still, they have certainly left their mark in the music business appearing regularily in Rock magazines and charts. They always are able to come to the front of the line wherever they perform, puting on a spectacular show that's a must-see for all who enjoy the heavier side of rock.

3. Flyleaf

This band is by far one of my favorites as they are never afraid to say what needs to be said. Often classified as a Christian band, they deal with the tough issues in life with influence from real world experiences. The back story behind front-woman, Lacey Sturm, is one that should not go left unnoticed. You can really feel her draw from that when making music.

2. Delain

Delain is a band that started as a project and blew up into something wonderfully uncontrollable. Though originating from a former member of Within Temptation, they didn't try too hard to distance themselves from the other band which is something I respect. Sometimes when a band comes from the background of another, they try way too hard to make themselves different from that band and it really shows in the music which can ruin and taint it. I love this band and can't wait for their next album.

1. Within Temptation

Wow, what can I say about Within Temptation that doesn't understate how great this band is? They consistantly bring something new to the world with every release. With the gorgeous front-woman, Sharon Den Adel, they are able to range from soothing melodies to insanity in musical form from track to track without contradicting itself as a band. They recently saw miniscule chart success in Canada and the US, having their song "All I Need" featured in the popular television "Vampire Diaries." So let's hope that with this success, they will see reason enough to come to our continent again. Can't wait for their next album, due out early 2011.

B. My favorite songs

10. Enjoy the Silence - Lacuna Coil

9. Tides of Time - Epica

8. Twisted and Turned - Autumn

7. A Day for Ghosts - Delain

6. Forget to Remember (Sunday Mornings) - Autumn

5. Oronar - Luna Obscura

4. Blinding - Florence + the Machine

3. The Truth Beneath the Rose - Within Temptation

2. Nothing Left - Delain

1. Ghost Love Score - Nightwish

C. My Favorite Albums

10. Rain's 'A' Comin' - Children 18:3

9. Children 18:3 - Children 18:3

8. Memento Mori - Flyleaf

7. Fallen - Evanescence

6. The Dream - In This Moment

5. Karmacode - Lacuna Coil

4. Lungs - Florence + the Machine

3. Once - Nightwish

2. April Rain - Delain

1. The Heart of Everything - Within Temptation