we dance to the sound of sirens

people keep asking me about my top songs/albums/books/videoclips/milkshakes* of 2008. my standard reaction is to mutter something about innumeracy followed by disappearing in a cloud of smoke. i don't really understand why everything has to become a competition to be the best. and anyway, surely people know me well enough to know that if i were to take the best of lists seriously, then editors/brmc/sigurros/idlewild/thenational would feature, and apparently that's not the point of those lists. it's just an exercise in how cool you are. but looking through everyone's lists on hypem and godisinthetvzine, i get to wondering if people are ticking albums because they genuinely enjoyed them or if its because they're terribly cool albums. like MGMT. a technically good album thats nice background music to an afternoon toke, but not a very good live act, or a very engaging band. are people listening to music because they want to, or because they need to keep up with the cool kids?


huh. cynicism before midday. points for me.


x

i've bought three christmas presents this year (and only one of them was for a family member. it was an ikea buy and way too awesome to pass up). my mother has braved sydney central today to try and hunt down gifts. brave woman. it just doesn't feel much like christmas, instead it feels like the beginning (finally) of a long hot summer filled with sunburn and cricket. there's a crate of mangoes in my kitchen (a demand from my father that i eat at least one a day is a challenge i'm happy to meet) and Spike is barking at nothing, as per usual.

but ten years ago, i would have been excited, thrilled, bouncing ready for christmas and presents and the big family extravaganza. now i'm actively avoiding the majority of people that i know because i don't want to have to go through the year's recounting. i'm sick of hearing "aren't you supposed to be overseas" and sick of having to say "yeah, but i ran out of money (and patience with myself)". and i don't want to have to buy presents because i hate shopping.

mother: "you're too old for lots of little things this year"
sister: "but they got lots of things when they were fourteen!"
madeleine: "is it about quantity, claudia prudence?"

jesus christ, i'm turning into my mother.






*the best milkshake i had this year was in manchester, of all places.