When something ends

As I spend my Sunday working on scripts, I have decided to give my iTunes a break and tuned in to NU 107.  I still can't believe that the station is closing down.  I haven't listened to NU in a long time, except for the occasional weekend visits to listen to Remote Control Weekend and Pirate Satellite on Saturday nights. But this pales in comparison to the time I was an avid listener.  I woke up and slept to NU.  I was educated by their shows, their chitchat woke me up and lolled me to sleep.  It was typical teenage years which made up a third of my life.  So basically, NU has been in me in substantial units; maybe it's not current, but it's in there, deep down.  And now I am digging deep.

When I heard the news I just thought that the station had to concede for practical reasons.  I guess they are no longer getting advertisers.  Does that mean that the NU audience has been thinning all these years?  Most likely.  I grew up in a generation where half of the school's population were rock fans.  Today, the most "angsty" genre comes from the emo kids, and even that it doesn't hold a candle to the kind of, say, anger Generation X were (by choice) carrying on their shoulders.  Currently I listen to Jam 88.3 which will probably be the nearest thing to NU today, but Jam is not as rock as NU.  Jam is current among those who love "indie" music.  They play a bit of pop, but even that pop is not mainstream.  But they don't play Korn, Stone Temple Pilots, Nirvana, those guys.  If I want to listen to those guys, I'd go to NU.

Now, it is just dawning on me that I am going to have to resort to YouTube just to listen to them.  This is more of the time of searching and no longer of accidental discovery.  I started listening to NU the first time I heard The Breeders' "Cannonball" during that daily 9PM countdown; unfortunately, I no longer recall the name of the program.  But anyway, it was "Cannonball", and I noticed they played better rock songs as compared to WLS, which was for a few years was playing Nirvana until Boyz II Men started to get into their playlist.  And there was the Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, STP, Pearl Jam... oh man.

I do think that NU's closing down signifies another thing.  Maybe it is similar to the time when the feeling of 60s revolution and rebellion started to get lost in the glam of the 70s.  I remember that scene from Almost Famous where the manager said something like music was dying because of disco.  But you can't hate what's replacing that music no?  I am listening to the current version of what is alternative, which might as well be the beginning of the new rock.

But is it, really?  Are these bands that I love now --- Stars, Metric, BSS, Siguro Ros, etc. --- are they the new rock?

It feels like we are all facing the great unknown.  I mentioned to a friend last night --- and even this I told my sister and another friend --- there is something with the times today.  People are experiencing significant changes.  People leaving their jobs, people just leaving, people getting married, people having babies.  For some reason there is a more distinctive mark between those who are ending things in order to begin, and those who are just making new beginnings to continue something.

In any case, whatever the differences there are always the beginnings.  It makes you hopeful, but I guess in order to move on you just have to let go.

My 5 Best Tips to Smart Single Living

Aside from making sure you've saved enough for rent, here are the following best tips to smart single living.

1) Learn how to cook - it helps you save, you get to learn a skill, and it can be fun.

2) Be storage smart - so you can just dump things into their respective boxes, baskets, etc.

3) Unplug when you're out - it will prevent any possible fires and electrical problems that can ruin your appliances.  And it DEFINITELY cuts down on the electricity bill.

4) Security, security, security - lock up, only give a spare key the person you trust most.

5) Just add hot water - stock up on canned food, noodles, and other food packets.  Useful when you're not in the mood to eat, and when you're running low on funds.