do do do

an ex boss once told me 'remember - people never aspire younger or downwards'. to that end i've always kept my eye on what 'the youth of today' (aka da youf) is up to, especially in music and art. so today's posting comes courtesy of Arcade Fire, a band much favoured by the kind of person who walks inside their jeans (you know, overlong legs, fraying at the back) and likes to show off the waistband of their pants.
their website (www.arcadefire.com) not only has some really great graphics, it also has nice entries from each of the collective's core members. some of the pages apologise for a lack of a mailing list (they are far too cool for that kind of pop-picker-palaver), others just include random photos taken on tour. the ones i liked most though are lists of touchy-feely imperatives like 'send postcards to your loved ones' or 'eat more fruit'.
here, then, Arcade Fire stylee, are my imperatives for the day:
'smile, even though you feel like shit. it works!'
'try and spend an hour at work looking like you are really busy while actually doing completely non-work related things - it's quite tough' (top tip: start a blog)
'remember we are all playing the same game, making up the rules as we go along'. as my sister Tracy says 'we are just beings trying to get on', which is a really nice thought, particularly when you're nervous about encounters with other people.
'before you bemoan the weather remember that no rain would mean no trees or flowers'
'press the wait button when you get to a crossing. not only will the traffic lights change more speedily, you'll avoid someone like me having an acute tack of pedestrian rage next to you'