I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: SHAD & DALLAS-“Listen (remix)” (2010).

The other track on the Shad and Dallas EP is a remix of “Listen” from Shad’s TSOL album.  I like the original song quite a bit.

The remix is marginally faster than the original.  And Dallas Green adds a few lines over the “chorus” (in the original, Shad just says “listen” over and over). It’s a nice addition to a good song.  In fact, I went back to the original and realized that I kind of missed Dallas’ section (and that was after only two listens).

This single benefits Skate4Cancer, so it’s for a good cause and worth checking out.

[READ: January 24, 2011] “What We Are Capable Of”

This is the second story that The Walrus published.  And this author (who I’d never actually heard of) is also a bestseller (with at the time nine books out).

I found this story a little confusing at first (there are many different people introduced without context in the opening paragraph or two).  But once I sussed out who Em had broken up with, who her ex husband was and who her daughter’s ex-boyfriend was, the story came together quite nicely.

Basically this is the story of two breakups.  Em, a widow, has recently become involved with Michael.  (Who is married).  When her daughter, Sarah, calls to say that she wants to come back home, Em soon realizes that Sarah is in a similar heartbroken predicament (although at least Sarah’s boyfriend isn’t married).

Em had hoped to wallow alone, but she finds Sarah’s presence comforting.  I thought that the story was goin to be only about two women coping with loss, but Itani broadens the scope of the story when we learn a little bit more about what Em does and how she met Michael (they both assist immigrants with thier transition to Canada).  Em helps Vietnamese immigrants with their English (and we see may examples of what their calsses are like).  There’s also a little bit of talk about island life, although I wasn’t sure what island they were on.

By the end of the story, we learn which woman is more resilient and how both women handle their grief differently.  It’s a good story although it’s one that I couldn’t relate to all that much.