This just in: Burn!

Before I commence a marathon study session for the day, I thought I would "wax blog," if you will, and describe some recent happenings. This will also spare you, faithful reader, the burden of hearing me drone on about the niceties of legal study. But then, what else do you visit this page for? Anyway...

As it is one of the few decent channels that our basic cable affords us, I tuned into CBC Newsworld yesterday for my daily dose of Hanomansing. The venerable news anchor (who is a law school graduate himself) was joined during this broadcast by the stately Gloria Macarenko. What transpired thereafter was purely bizarre. Thus, I shall do my best to recreate the dialogue in screenplay form. (I'll use last names in the transcript because they are so much more exotic):

[INT. Newsroom. Day. HANOMANSING sits behind anchor desk near a laptop, as MACARENKO stands beside a TV displaying headlines]

MACARENKO: And I want to give our viewers an update on the immense traffic jam in downtown Vancouver. You can even see it outside our studio windows. Earlier this afternoon a cement truck collided with a pedestrian crossing Granville Street.

[shot of police-taped scene, with cement truck and lone backpack laying on the road]

MACARENKO: An ambulance took the pedestrian to the hospital shortly thereafter, and we don't yet know his or her condition -

HANOMANSING [consulting the laptop on the anchor desk]: Hold on Gloria, I'm getting something over the wire here... It appears as if Sesame Street's Cookie Monster is no longer advocating cookies to children, but fruits and vegetables!

[MACARENKO glares]

MACARENKO: Wow, Ian. You're pretty handy with the news on that laptop there.

HANOMANSING: Yes it is quite useful... One might say there was a hint of sarcasm in your voice there.

MACARENKO: Yes, one might.

What the hell?! What nature of quarrel exists between these two? Be it lover or co-worker? Regardless, it was a strange scene. Not only for Ian interrupting a pressing report on a victim's health to talk about, of all things, the Cookie Monster (was Ian even listening to her at all?), but also for that incredibly devious insult Gloria shot back.

On now to a show that is ALL sexual tension, a quick kudos to The O.C. for playing Bloc Party's "Banquet" during last night's episode. According to my iTunes play counter, that song has just edged out Arcade Fire's "Haiti" as my top played song.

Elsewhere, Pitchfork Magazine has been off the mark as of late, giving underwhelming reviews to Beck, Hot Hot Heat and Louis XIV. However, they have somewhat redeemed themselves with the recent British Sea Power review. It's a spot on indication of how good this album is.

I was disappointed with this band's last album, The Decline of British Sea Power, as the title proved less clever and more apt than I would have hoped. But this new disc, Open Season, functions nicely as solid piece of Brit-rock. I would venture to compare them to New Order unplugged (that is, if New Order unplugged their computers and plugged back in more electric guitars.) Check out the tracks "North Hanging Rock" and "To Get to Sleep." They might not be the most unique-sounding band, but I'd go to one of their shows just to see them wearing World War I uniforms for no discernible reason.

Lastly, for those on the same sinking study ship as me, this may be a useful diversion.