Ah my coven. You know, I'm sure there are several women that could make up the three in a coven but Colette, Mireille and OM would be a pretty solid three. They also nicely sum up the disaster that was my dating/sex life in between 1994-2001 in the most recent comments section.
Here are three intelligent, fun, attractive women. During that period of time we were all close friends. Two of them were single during that time. Yet, there was zero chance of anything happening. There are any number of reasons why that was probably so, but those comments probably sum it up as well as anything.
The mere thought of me writing a sex scene fills them with massive "Heebie jeebies." So the actual act would probably be enough to send them off to a nunnery scrubbing floors or something. That's the case now, and I suspect it's not a sudden, new discovery on their part. I imagine it's been around for, oh, 10 years of so.
So that was me in the 90s. Yes, I'm an introvert (despite what you might think on the blog) so that makes meeting people a challenge. And yes, I've always sucked at dating. And I'm sure the three of them will chip in that people would be hard pressed to find someone more oblivious to the interests of members of the opposite sex than me.
But there was just something about their reaction that just made me flash back to that particularly horrific period in my life. And the fact that if I actually do keep writing, I'm going to write a sex scene sooner or later. Probably not this time, but sooner or later. Best to brace yourself for the mental possibility.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Towards the finish
For those of you reading my grand epic over here, and that would be all three of you, you may have noticed that there are now less than two days left and I have less than 2,500 words until I make the 50,000 word count. It got dicey a bit there on the weekend and for the first time i actually fell behind where I need to be. But I should be able to finish it, if for no other reason than OM will fly up here and smack me repeatedly in the head with her hand that has all the rings should I fail this close to the finish line. (Om has the gift of hitting me in the head in just the right way to assure I get a migraine. It's a real gift that I hope she shares with her husband).
What should also be obvious is that the story isn't going to wrap up in the next 2,500 words. It's going to take probably another 20,000 or more. So I have another deadline, and that's to get it finished before I head home for Christmas, which is December 20. So we'll see what happens.
However, since I still have all these words left, I've been trying to work out what plot points to include. One of them is whether or not to include a sex scene.
Family and friends are no doubt heading for the hills. Especially when you consider that the book has taken a slightly weird twist in the last 7,000 words or so. There's also this simple fact - that people tend to infer what they read on a book onto the author. Stephen King writes horror and no matter how many funny interviews people read about him, there's always going to be a large group that think he's kind of twisted. Christopher Moore writes some very funny books, ergo he's a funny guy. And so on.
The opposite is also true. If you try to write horror and it isn't scary, then you're not a very scary guy. Try to write comedy and suck, you're not very funny. And there are worse fates than not being very scary or funny.
But try and write a sex scene and it's crap....
So yeah, a touch nervous and reluctant to go in that direction. I've never tried that kind of writing before and I ought to, if for no other reason that this book is an extended writing exercise to figure out what areas of my writing need improvement (character development and scene setting are the two most obvious to me right now).
Still, as I'm rattling around the idea in my head of whether or not I should do it and if so, how is it going to work, that I didn't need to see this headline today.
What should also be obvious is that the story isn't going to wrap up in the next 2,500 words. It's going to take probably another 20,000 or more. So I have another deadline, and that's to get it finished before I head home for Christmas, which is December 20. So we'll see what happens.
However, since I still have all these words left, I've been trying to work out what plot points to include. One of them is whether or not to include a sex scene.
Family and friends are no doubt heading for the hills. Especially when you consider that the book has taken a slightly weird twist in the last 7,000 words or so. There's also this simple fact - that people tend to infer what they read on a book onto the author. Stephen King writes horror and no matter how many funny interviews people read about him, there's always going to be a large group that think he's kind of twisted. Christopher Moore writes some very funny books, ergo he's a funny guy. And so on.
The opposite is also true. If you try to write horror and it isn't scary, then you're not a very scary guy. Try to write comedy and suck, you're not very funny. And there are worse fates than not being very scary or funny.
But try and write a sex scene and it's crap....
So yeah, a touch nervous and reluctant to go in that direction. I've never tried that kind of writing before and I ought to, if for no other reason that this book is an extended writing exercise to figure out what areas of my writing need improvement (character development and scene setting are the two most obvious to me right now).
Still, as I'm rattling around the idea in my head of whether or not I should do it and if so, how is it going to work, that I didn't need to see this headline today.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
How many?
Yes, I know. According to this story Vancouver is the land that doesn't "do" winter. But the following line is my favourite in the story.
"All 34 snow removal trucks were out working in Vancouver as crews tried to keep ahead of the slush and grime churned up by cars weaving their way through downtown streets."
Thirty-four. Are you kidding me? Thirty-freaking-four?
Iqaluit has about 8,000 people and I think we probably have close to half that amount. I don't know how many St. John's has, but I promise you it's more than that.
Thirty-four snow removal trucks for a city of two million people.
Yeah, that city is fucked for the rest of the week.
"All 34 snow removal trucks were out working in Vancouver as crews tried to keep ahead of the slush and grime churned up by cars weaving their way through downtown streets."
Thirty-four. Are you kidding me? Thirty-freaking-four?
Iqaluit has about 8,000 people and I think we probably have close to half that amount. I don't know how many St. John's has, but I promise you it's more than that.
Thirty-four snow removal trucks for a city of two million people.
Yeah, that city is fucked for the rest of the week.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Let's feel sorry for Vancouver (or not)
So as just about everybody knows, Vancouver got nailed with a snowstorm yesterday. On the off-chance that you didn't, here's a short story. As might be expected in a place that likes to brag that they're out planting flowers in February, they're not handling this situation well. And as might be expected in a country that mocked Toronto for calling in the army when they had a bad blizzard, the out-pouring of sympathy has been...non-existent.
Normally there's a story I like to tell when Vancouver gets hit by snow like this. Alas, Dups beat me to it a couple of days ago, even before Vancouver got nailed. Dups has been some kind of eerie weather jinx the last week or so; lamenting how warm it was in Edmonton and then the temperature freefalls about 30C. He mentions snow in Vancouver and, voila! He is apparently some evil weather groundhog.
Kirsten, who is living in the land that God is apparently pissed with this month, says I should feel free to go ahead and laugh. And, you know, I did. However, Environment Canada is telling me that at 8:10 a.m. it is -22C outside with the windchill putting it down to closer to -35. So I probably shouldn't laugh too hard.
ALthough I do take some comfort that if Vancouver ever got cold like this there would likely be rioting in the streets and a mass exodus to Toronto.
Normally there's a story I like to tell when Vancouver gets hit by snow like this. Alas, Dups beat me to it a couple of days ago, even before Vancouver got nailed. Dups has been some kind of eerie weather jinx the last week or so; lamenting how warm it was in Edmonton and then the temperature freefalls about 30C. He mentions snow in Vancouver and, voila! He is apparently some evil weather groundhog.
Kirsten, who is living in the land that God is apparently pissed with this month, says I should feel free to go ahead and laugh. And, you know, I did. However, Environment Canada is telling me that at 8:10 a.m. it is -22C outside with the windchill putting it down to closer to -35. So I probably shouldn't laugh too hard.
ALthough I do take some comfort that if Vancouver ever got cold like this there would likely be rioting in the streets and a mass exodus to Toronto.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Music, again
So the post I lost yesterday was on three records I was acquired and was going to listen to. One of them, The Decemberists' The Crane Wife, I still don't have a feel for the record yet. I only listened to it once. But I have a fondness for their last record, Picaresque and especially "The Mariner's Revenge Song" (which Switchpod is being cranky with, but go find it), one of the songs that makes you stop when you hear it and go, "What the hell am I listening to?", hit repeat to make sure you're hearing it and then fall in love with it. It's a spectacularly over-the-top song that should be ridiculous and not work, and yet is glorious. So if the new record has a gem like that on it (and nothing has jumped out at me yet, but it's only the first listen) then it will be well worth it.
The other think I spent a chunk of the day listening to was Tom Waits Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards. Just for the record, while I love Waits, three plus hours of his music is perhaps more than mortal man should really attempt. I haven't actually cared for the last several Waits records. The last one I liked was The Mule Variations from back in '99. And what with this record being a collection of stuff from soundtracks and things Waits dredged up from the vaults, I didn't have my hopes all that high.
But it's a pretty damn good set. There are things that don't work, of course. There are 50 odd songs here so some of them are going to stink. But there is some classic Waits' songs here. If you're a Waits fan then this is well worth picking up. If you're not, well, this is not going to do anything to solve the mystery of why people love a man who, as my wife likes to say, "sounds like a swallowed a goat."
(She's sitting next to me as I write this saying "I like the lyrics, but the man has more than just a frog in his throat, he has a goat.")
Anyway, my current favourite: Bottom of the World.
Finally, we have The Beatles "new" record Love. It's new in the sense that it's a mash-up record. The producers took Beatles songs and mixed and mashed them together. So you can take one song and add bits a pieces of a half dozen other Beatles songs into it.
It shouldn't work. It should be a mess. And, as you might expect, Beatles purists hate it. On the other hand, I really quite enjoy it. I like The Beatles a lot, but it's mostly background music at this point. You've heard the songs so often they hardly even register. So something that sounds like them, but then suddenly does something you don't expect, and makes you actually listen again is a good thing. Not everything works, but a lot of it does.
So I'm actually listening to The Beatles for the first time in years. This one is going into high rotation on the iPod.
Here's a sample of one of their songs: Strawberry Fields Forever.
The other think I spent a chunk of the day listening to was Tom Waits Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards. Just for the record, while I love Waits, three plus hours of his music is perhaps more than mortal man should really attempt. I haven't actually cared for the last several Waits records. The last one I liked was The Mule Variations from back in '99. And what with this record being a collection of stuff from soundtracks and things Waits dredged up from the vaults, I didn't have my hopes all that high.
But it's a pretty damn good set. There are things that don't work, of course. There are 50 odd songs here so some of them are going to stink. But there is some classic Waits' songs here. If you're a Waits fan then this is well worth picking up. If you're not, well, this is not going to do anything to solve the mystery of why people love a man who, as my wife likes to say, "sounds like a swallowed a goat."
(She's sitting next to me as I write this saying "I like the lyrics, but the man has more than just a frog in his throat, he has a goat.")
Anyway, my current favourite: Bottom of the World.
Finally, we have The Beatles "new" record Love. It's new in the sense that it's a mash-up record. The producers took Beatles songs and mixed and mashed them together. So you can take one song and add bits a pieces of a half dozen other Beatles songs into it.
It shouldn't work. It should be a mess. And, as you might expect, Beatles purists hate it. On the other hand, I really quite enjoy it. I like The Beatles a lot, but it's mostly background music at this point. You've heard the songs so often they hardly even register. So something that sounds like them, but then suddenly does something you don't expect, and makes you actually listen again is a good thing. Not everything works, but a lot of it does.
So I'm actually listening to The Beatles for the first time in years. This one is going into high rotation on the iPod.
Here's a sample of one of their songs: Strawberry Fields Forever.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Bollocks
I had a post written up about music and whatnot, hit send and thought no more of it. And an hour or tow later I swing past the blog to notice it isn't there. Nor is it saved in draft form. Blogger just ate the damn thing.
Between that and all the problems I've had with Switchpod today, apparently I shouldn't be online. Only bad things can happen.
So yes, no words of wisdom on music or anything. Sorry, but I'm not in the mood to spend 30 minutes rewriting it. I'm having enough fun whacking my head against the wall trying to get the last 8,000 words I need to get the book up to 50,000 today.
Tune in tomorrow for something pithy and entertaining.
Between that and all the problems I've had with Switchpod today, apparently I shouldn't be online. Only bad things can happen.
So yes, no words of wisdom on music or anything. Sorry, but I'm not in the mood to spend 30 minutes rewriting it. I'm having enough fun whacking my head against the wall trying to get the last 8,000 words I need to get the book up to 50,000 today.
Tune in tomorrow for something pithy and entertaining.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Black Friday
So a day after gorging themselves on turkey and football (Cathy was horrified there was football on yesterday. "Is it Sunday and I missed the weekend? Because if it is I'm going to be pretty pissed off) Americans take to the malls to gorge themselves on another feast - sales.
In recent years this has become known as "Black Friday". The day when most stores offer big sales in the U.S. and a good chunk of its citizenry go batshit insane. I'm sure there will be no shortage of video today if you look at the American news of people crashing through doors, rushing around and generally acting like lunatics.
Others choose to mark the day by celebrating "Buy Nothing Day", where they encourage people to boycott crass commercialism and stay home. Basically, this is the day where most of America loses its mind, I should think.
It's also the official start to the Christmas season, although I suspect most of us have figured that out if you've gone into a store whatsoever.
It's also a month until Christmas, which means if the stereotype holds to form, many women are starting to seriously freak out that they don't have their shopping done. Meanwhile, most men are glancing at the calendar and figuring they have another good three weeks before they have to start worrying about it.
There's not too much worrying on the home front here. I've got something for mom, although no idea what to get dad. Myself and Cathy are going to exchange a stocking, but no real gifts, figuring that the roughly $6,000 were going to spend getting home, moving ourselves around once we get there, eating at lots of restaurants and other things, constitutes a pretty good Christmas gift.
I still have to get her a birthday gift, though. Her birthday is Christmas Eve. And I have no ideas. This ought to be fun.
So yeah, the next month ought to be fun. Ah well, at least I'll be home soon enough. Cathy is wired for it and can't wait. I'm still a little more reserved, but I can definitely feel some anticipation. It should be interesting to be back in Newfoundland after 16 months.
In recent years this has become known as "Black Friday". The day when most stores offer big sales in the U.S. and a good chunk of its citizenry go batshit insane. I'm sure there will be no shortage of video today if you look at the American news of people crashing through doors, rushing around and generally acting like lunatics.
Others choose to mark the day by celebrating "Buy Nothing Day", where they encourage people to boycott crass commercialism and stay home. Basically, this is the day where most of America loses its mind, I should think.
It's also the official start to the Christmas season, although I suspect most of us have figured that out if you've gone into a store whatsoever.
It's also a month until Christmas, which means if the stereotype holds to form, many women are starting to seriously freak out that they don't have their shopping done. Meanwhile, most men are glancing at the calendar and figuring they have another good three weeks before they have to start worrying about it.
There's not too much worrying on the home front here. I've got something for mom, although no idea what to get dad. Myself and Cathy are going to exchange a stocking, but no real gifts, figuring that the roughly $6,000 were going to spend getting home, moving ourselves around once we get there, eating at lots of restaurants and other things, constitutes a pretty good Christmas gift.
I still have to get her a birthday gift, though. Her birthday is Christmas Eve. And I have no ideas. This ought to be fun.
So yeah, the next month ought to be fun. Ah well, at least I'll be home soon enough. Cathy is wired for it and can't wait. I'm still a little more reserved, but I can definitely feel some anticipation. It should be interesting to be back in Newfoundland after 16 months.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Where'd everybody go?
Man, I don't know if it's the American Thanksgiving, the fact that it's getting closer to the holidays and people don't have as much time to waste reading blogs or if I'm just getting boring, but my stats did a freefall. They dropped about about 20 per cent this week.
And yes, I'm a statcounter whore. I check about four times a day. I notice these things. It's a sickness and I probably need help.
You do run into challenges trying to post every day, though. Iqaluit, while it has many virtues, is not the most happening spot in all that land. And, let us be honest, neither am I. Although I did win a really excellent curling match last night. While that puts me in a good mood, it's not exactly huge news. The legislature is back in action, which is making work busier, but it's not anything I can talk about.
Also, I'm finding it difficult to comment on political items back home. I've been away for about 15 months now. I could comment before because between the media outlets, my own instincts and not being away too long, I generally could read between the lines and figure out what was happening.
Not so much now. It's a lot harder and I'm more reluctant to comment on things when I don't think I know them as well as I should. Hopefully some time back in Newfoundland will recharge the batteries.
And, of course, the book is sapping my will to go on. But I'm at nearly 40,000 words. Cathy is going to be out playing poker again Saturday for a few hours, so I might try and see if I can finish it off in one burst. Well, get to my 50,000 word count. I suspect the book is going to be closer to 70,000 in length.
Finally, a word to my American friends about Thanksgiving, which they are all celebrating today.
"...it's time for English Thanksgiving, where we give thanks to our ancestors for throwing all the creepy religious types into boats and floating them off to a continent cursed by earthquakes, hurricanes and tornados." - Warren Ellis
And yes, I'm a statcounter whore. I check about four times a day. I notice these things. It's a sickness and I probably need help.
You do run into challenges trying to post every day, though. Iqaluit, while it has many virtues, is not the most happening spot in all that land. And, let us be honest, neither am I. Although I did win a really excellent curling match last night. While that puts me in a good mood, it's not exactly huge news. The legislature is back in action, which is making work busier, but it's not anything I can talk about.
Also, I'm finding it difficult to comment on political items back home. I've been away for about 15 months now. I could comment before because between the media outlets, my own instincts and not being away too long, I generally could read between the lines and figure out what was happening.
Not so much now. It's a lot harder and I'm more reluctant to comment on things when I don't think I know them as well as I should. Hopefully some time back in Newfoundland will recharge the batteries.
And, of course, the book is sapping my will to go on. But I'm at nearly 40,000 words. Cathy is going to be out playing poker again Saturday for a few hours, so I might try and see if I can finish it off in one burst. Well, get to my 50,000 word count. I suspect the book is going to be closer to 70,000 in length.
Finally, a word to my American friends about Thanksgiving, which they are all celebrating today.
"...it's time for English Thanksgiving, where we give thanks to our ancestors for throwing all the creepy religious types into boats and floating them off to a continent cursed by earthquakes, hurricanes and tornados." - Warren Ellis
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
"We'll put it on for ya!"
So I was looking for a last name for a new character I just created in my novel. I had her originally coming from Maine because I figured if there was a part of the United States where the people might actually know the location of Newfoundland, it would likely be Maine. I had the first name (she just seems like a Janice), but I couldn’t think of what her last name would be.
I only have one tentative memory of Maine and that was when I first got cable television in the early 80s it came from there. For some reason, all the American channels (the whopping four of them at the time – ABC, NBC, CBS and PBS) came from there. I imagine the content of the stations would have been viewed as odd by most people, but of course in Newfoundland we had NTV. We just assumed at that time that everyone had a station run by mad people.
The shows I recall the most were All-Hit Videos (because this was the early 80s, before Much Music was available and the only reliable way to see the latest music videos was to stay up late on Saturdays and watch the show, which always ended with Herbie Handcock’s “Rock It.”) and “The Great Money Movie”, which was sometimes a movie, and sometimes old TV shows edited together in such a way that they killed two hours. And they always had theme weeks and, as the title says, they gave away money every day.
So I figured I would name my character after the guy who hosted the Great Money Movie. I just couldn’t recall his name. One quick Google search later and voila – Eddie Driscoll. It had been more than 20 years since I’d seen the show, so I wasn’t certain if he was still alive. Turns out he died in September. This is the obit that ran on CBC. As you can tell, he had quite the influence on people both in Maine and Atlantic Canada. He had been suffer from Alzheimer’s for the better part of the last 20 years, which is tragic.
Anyway, I now have Janice Driscoll which works as a name and as a small tribute to a man that brought me some small amusement while watching his bizarre movie choices and eating supper.
I only have one tentative memory of Maine and that was when I first got cable television in the early 80s it came from there. For some reason, all the American channels (the whopping four of them at the time – ABC, NBC, CBS and PBS) came from there. I imagine the content of the stations would have been viewed as odd by most people, but of course in Newfoundland we had NTV. We just assumed at that time that everyone had a station run by mad people.
The shows I recall the most were All-Hit Videos (because this was the early 80s, before Much Music was available and the only reliable way to see the latest music videos was to stay up late on Saturdays and watch the show, which always ended with Herbie Handcock’s “Rock It.”) and “The Great Money Movie”, which was sometimes a movie, and sometimes old TV shows edited together in such a way that they killed two hours. And they always had theme weeks and, as the title says, they gave away money every day.
So I figured I would name my character after the guy who hosted the Great Money Movie. I just couldn’t recall his name. One quick Google search later and voila – Eddie Driscoll. It had been more than 20 years since I’d seen the show, so I wasn’t certain if he was still alive. Turns out he died in September. This is the obit that ran on CBC. As you can tell, he had quite the influence on people both in Maine and Atlantic Canada. He had been suffer from Alzheimer’s for the better part of the last 20 years, which is tragic.
Anyway, I now have Janice Driscoll which works as a name and as a small tribute to a man that brought me some small amusement while watching his bizarre movie choices and eating supper.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Entertainment bits
Some more entertainment highlights of recent days.
1. I mocked Daniel Craig for being the next James Bond like so many others. He was blonde, didn’t look the part and sounded like a bit of a wuss. Clearly Clive Owen would have been a better selection. Well, I’m man enough to offer up a mea culpa. Rotten Tomatoes is showing an astonishing 95% positive reviews for Casino Royale. It may end up one of the best reviewed movies of the year. I’m not saying it’s going to get nominated for Oscars, but that’s still impressive.
So is the box office. Nearly $41 million on an opening weekend with a basically unknown guy playing Bond is a very good start. Also, I read an article that says about 60% of the money a Bond film makes is overseas, so I suspect it’s going to do quite well. My rough guess is probably around $350 million worldwide. Oh, and for those of you who say move reviewers don’t matter, piss off. The glowing reviews for the movie in the weeks leading up to its release clearly impacted how many people went.
It’s not here yet, of course. I suspect I might end up seeing it back in St. John’s before it winds its way up here.
2. Is there any doubt anymore than Michael Jackson has become a Star Trek alien? And how much did he have to pay those kids to act happy around him when the sensible thing would be to have a severe arachnid reaction (the kind when you’re around something that is clearly not human and creeping you the fuck out). Terrifying.
3. Quite possible the stupidest bit of news you’ll read out of Hollywood this month. Peter Jackson has been told by New Line Cinemas that his services will not be needed while the company goes forward with The Hobbit and a Lord of the Rings prequel. Because you just know that’s going to work out well.
4. Studio 60 nailed it last night. There are many problems with the show, but one of them was of high expectations. Very few shows come out of the gates without severe growing pains, but considering how good the pilot was people expected Studio 60 to be perfect. Also contributing was Aaron Sorkin writing it. Everyone was expecting The West Wing all over again. The first season of the West Wing was a miracle the likes of which we will probably never see again on network TV. It barely missed a beat.
NBC is clearly giving it a chance by picking it up for the rest of the season. Hopefully more shows will be like this, where Sorkin has now figuring out what is working and what needs to go. It was funny and well written and Matthew Perry and Sarah Paulson are slowly creating one of the nicer romances on television.
5. Things are looking grim on The Amazing Race. With the Cho brothers falling last night (and really, they kind of deserved to go. They were nice, but they ran a terrible leg), there are four teams left. One is evil, two are severely annoying and one is pretty ok. So the odds are long for good triumphing.
The face of evil is two pretty cheerleaders, who are fairly blatant about their evil. The two annoying are the squabbling couple and the single moms for Alabama. Now, as much as two black single moms could certainly use the money, they’re not very likeable in the show. The ones to cheer for are two friends, who are models and recovering addicts. Not normally someone I would cheer for, but they seem nice, work well together and aren’t aggravating.
Still, the odds are stacked against good winning out. But I remain hopeful. Just so long as the cheerleaders don’t win. I think I might become sick.
1. I mocked Daniel Craig for being the next James Bond like so many others. He was blonde, didn’t look the part and sounded like a bit of a wuss. Clearly Clive Owen would have been a better selection. Well, I’m man enough to offer up a mea culpa. Rotten Tomatoes is showing an astonishing 95% positive reviews for Casino Royale. It may end up one of the best reviewed movies of the year. I’m not saying it’s going to get nominated for Oscars, but that’s still impressive.
So is the box office. Nearly $41 million on an opening weekend with a basically unknown guy playing Bond is a very good start. Also, I read an article that says about 60% of the money a Bond film makes is overseas, so I suspect it’s going to do quite well. My rough guess is probably around $350 million worldwide. Oh, and for those of you who say move reviewers don’t matter, piss off. The glowing reviews for the movie in the weeks leading up to its release clearly impacted how many people went.
It’s not here yet, of course. I suspect I might end up seeing it back in St. John’s before it winds its way up here.
2. Is there any doubt anymore than Michael Jackson has become a Star Trek alien? And how much did he have to pay those kids to act happy around him when the sensible thing would be to have a severe arachnid reaction (the kind when you’re around something that is clearly not human and creeping you the fuck out). Terrifying.
3. Quite possible the stupidest bit of news you’ll read out of Hollywood this month. Peter Jackson has been told by New Line Cinemas that his services will not be needed while the company goes forward with The Hobbit and a Lord of the Rings prequel. Because you just know that’s going to work out well.
4. Studio 60 nailed it last night. There are many problems with the show, but one of them was of high expectations. Very few shows come out of the gates without severe growing pains, but considering how good the pilot was people expected Studio 60 to be perfect. Also contributing was Aaron Sorkin writing it. Everyone was expecting The West Wing all over again. The first season of the West Wing was a miracle the likes of which we will probably never see again on network TV. It barely missed a beat.
NBC is clearly giving it a chance by picking it up for the rest of the season. Hopefully more shows will be like this, where Sorkin has now figuring out what is working and what needs to go. It was funny and well written and Matthew Perry and Sarah Paulson are slowly creating one of the nicer romances on television.
5. Things are looking grim on The Amazing Race. With the Cho brothers falling last night (and really, they kind of deserved to go. They were nice, but they ran a terrible leg), there are four teams left. One is evil, two are severely annoying and one is pretty ok. So the odds are long for good triumphing.
The face of evil is two pretty cheerleaders, who are fairly blatant about their evil. The two annoying are the squabbling couple and the single moms for Alabama. Now, as much as two black single moms could certainly use the money, they’re not very likeable in the show. The ones to cheer for are two friends, who are models and recovering addicts. Not normally someone I would cheer for, but they seem nice, work well together and aren’t aggravating.
Still, the odds are stacked against good winning out. But I remain hopeful. Just so long as the cheerleaders don’t win. I think I might become sick.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Greenpeace
So I read about how Greenpeace is doing a pseudo South Park cartoon criticizing Canada for using trawlers despite increasing international pressure. So I was curious to see what it looked like. And not to be YouTube boy this weekend, here it is.
Kind of lame, really. Seriously, I'm all about curtailing or outright banning dragger technology and I'm annoyed that Canada is refusing to join in. I mean, when we're siding with Spain on a fisheries issue, you've got to wonder.
But this video. Blah. Ick. Dumb. You'd think with Greenpeace's budget they could come up with something better than this.
Kind of lame, really. Seriously, I'm all about curtailing or outright banning dragger technology and I'm annoyed that Canada is refusing to join in. I mean, when we're siding with Spain on a fisheries issue, you've got to wonder.
But this video. Blah. Ick. Dumb. You'd think with Greenpeace's budget they could come up with something better than this.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Shades of justice
I don't really care for CSI: Miami. Just one of those things. If I have to watch a CSI, I'll watch the original, thank you very much. Part of the problem is that David Caruso kind of bugs the shit out of me. It's beyond me how Studio 60, which is a good show despite its problems, is getting its ass kicked in the ratings in the US by this show.
Actually, if I'm not mistaken CSI: Miami is more popular overseas than the original. Apparently, Miami is just one of those places that fascinates people.
Anyway, I was reading this post on Warren Ellis blog about CSI: Miami. Especially, Caruso and his sunglasses. Apparently they are called "the Sunglasses of Justice" on the set. It's so ridiculous. And apparently there is a video which just takes a look at Caruso's last line before they go into the opening credits. The fact that they all sound the same is retarded. That almost all of them feature him putting on sunglasses is...something.
Anyway, for your amusement on a Saturday night...seven minutes of David Caruso dispensing justice...with shades.
Actually, if I'm not mistaken CSI: Miami is more popular overseas than the original. Apparently, Miami is just one of those places that fascinates people.
Anyway, I was reading this post on Warren Ellis blog about CSI: Miami. Especially, Caruso and his sunglasses. Apparently they are called "the Sunglasses of Justice" on the set. It's so ridiculous. And apparently there is a video which just takes a look at Caruso's last line before they go into the opening credits. The fact that they all sound the same is retarded. That almost all of them feature him putting on sunglasses is...something.
Anyway, for your amusement on a Saturday night...seven minutes of David Caruso dispensing justice...with shades.
Friday, November 17, 2006
No more hits, please
This is a touch off base for me, but hey, the thought occurred to me, so why not run with it for a bit.
Last week the tabloids rejoiced because Brittney Spears and her husband are finally getting a divorce. They’ve been angling for this for awhile and it finally happened. And yes, while I’m sure they’ll miss the regular drama of one of the more fucked up and obviously doomed couples in main stream media, it was a pretty good run. Certainly longer than many expected.
And as a bonus, they get to rename the dubious loser K-Fed into Fed-Ex. Which I’ll give them props, is pretty damn clever. And there is the ongoing divorce drama to keep them entertained and fueled. I’m sure American gossip whores have been disappointed that they don’t have something like Paul McCartney and Lady Heather to fuel things on this side of the Atlantic. This will no doubt be a pale imitation, but it’ll do.
But here’s the thing, I’m sad to the marriage end. But not for any of the reasons you might think. Here are the two positives I saw in the Brittney-K-Fed marriage.
1. She remained knocked up.
2. Because she was always pregnant and apparently losing what little mind was left after you have that much peroxide poured on your head over many years, she had stopped making music.
I’m all about the whole not making music aspect of Brittney Spears. I never liked her music. In fact, I would go so far as to say I loathed her music. So the past couple of years, with her not producing much and gradually becoming the running punchline to hundreds of internet jokes...I had no real problem with that.
This is a long-running thing with me. While I have musicians I love and whose music I adore, I’ve also tended to nurse a grudge against certain musicians. It’s a ying and yang sort of thing. They are people whose music I loathe and I long for the day they fall from grace and stop making records. They become a trivia question on VH1 or something.
But the whole joy of hating a musician is that they eventually have to go away. I hated New Kids on the Block and they eventually went. I hated the Backstreet Boys, and eventually got my wish with them. The joy is in knowing they're doomed and then watching it happen.
The fact that Madonna continues to produce music and is popular is a long-standing source of frustration. She is, however, proof of Satan on Earth because surely only a deal with the devil could allow that woman to keep making records and be successful.
Anyway, I had the same feelings towards Spears. And the last couple of years, I thought the cycle was going to successfully continue. I would hate their music and the rest of the world would eventually wise up and join me.
Sadly, she’s dumped Fed-Ex (really, that is quite clever), but probably hasn’t fallen so far that she’s beyond redemption. I’m sure the inevitable comeback record is being produced as we speak. And she was on Letterman the other week apparently showing off her new svelte body, putting her into MILF status.
She’ll probably bounce back. I don’t listen to radio anymore and I can't remember the last music video I saw, so her comeback won’t bother as much as it would have five years ago. Still, I live in hope these crazy kids can reconcile. You know, for the children. And so I don’t have to listen to her God awful music anymore.
Last week the tabloids rejoiced because Brittney Spears and her husband are finally getting a divorce. They’ve been angling for this for awhile and it finally happened. And yes, while I’m sure they’ll miss the regular drama of one of the more fucked up and obviously doomed couples in main stream media, it was a pretty good run. Certainly longer than many expected.
And as a bonus, they get to rename the dubious loser K-Fed into Fed-Ex. Which I’ll give them props, is pretty damn clever. And there is the ongoing divorce drama to keep them entertained and fueled. I’m sure American gossip whores have been disappointed that they don’t have something like Paul McCartney and Lady Heather to fuel things on this side of the Atlantic. This will no doubt be a pale imitation, but it’ll do.
But here’s the thing, I’m sad to the marriage end. But not for any of the reasons you might think. Here are the two positives I saw in the Brittney-K-Fed marriage.
1. She remained knocked up.
2. Because she was always pregnant and apparently losing what little mind was left after you have that much peroxide poured on your head over many years, she had stopped making music.
I’m all about the whole not making music aspect of Brittney Spears. I never liked her music. In fact, I would go so far as to say I loathed her music. So the past couple of years, with her not producing much and gradually becoming the running punchline to hundreds of internet jokes...I had no real problem with that.
This is a long-running thing with me. While I have musicians I love and whose music I adore, I’ve also tended to nurse a grudge against certain musicians. It’s a ying and yang sort of thing. They are people whose music I loathe and I long for the day they fall from grace and stop making records. They become a trivia question on VH1 or something.
But the whole joy of hating a musician is that they eventually have to go away. I hated New Kids on the Block and they eventually went. I hated the Backstreet Boys, and eventually got my wish with them. The joy is in knowing they're doomed and then watching it happen.
The fact that Madonna continues to produce music and is popular is a long-standing source of frustration. She is, however, proof of Satan on Earth because surely only a deal with the devil could allow that woman to keep making records and be successful.
Anyway, I had the same feelings towards Spears. And the last couple of years, I thought the cycle was going to successfully continue. I would hate their music and the rest of the world would eventually wise up and join me.
Sadly, she’s dumped Fed-Ex (really, that is quite clever), but probably hasn’t fallen so far that she’s beyond redemption. I’m sure the inevitable comeback record is being produced as we speak. And she was on Letterman the other week apparently showing off her new svelte body, putting her into MILF status.
She’ll probably bounce back. I don’t listen to radio anymore and I can't remember the last music video I saw, so her comeback won’t bother as much as it would have five years ago. Still, I live in hope these crazy kids can reconcile. You know, for the children. And so I don’t have to listen to her God awful music anymore.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Anniversaries, of a sort
I mentioned to Cathy the other day that I think our anniversary was coming up. Which got me a strange look, as our anniversary is July 30. But my brain is wired funny. Cathy has noted that I have a real gift for useless information, which is why I’m dangerous at trivia. But I also tend to remember dates. Probably my studies in history. I was always good at remembering dates.
So right about now, five years ago, is when myself and Cathy started dating. On November 6 we were set up on a blind date (about as blind as you could make it. We didn’t know we were being set up until minutes before we met) to go see Monsters, Inc. I was smitten enough (an incident involving popcorn certainly helped) to see if she would like to join a group of us to see Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 10 days time, on Nov. 16. She agreed. We met up at Harry Potter, agreed to split a large popcorn so we could have the excuse to sit next to each other. And then the group of us went to the Duke of Duckworth afterwards to engage in a couple of hours of post-Harry analysis. Before she left I worked up the nerve to ask her on a date. That was a good thing because while she was enjoying the conversation, she was also waiting for me to hurry up and ask her out.
The date, by the way, was Voices of Avalon (Anita Best, Pamela Morgan, Vicky Hynes and Colleen Power) at the Arts and Culture Centre. That would have been on Nov. 20. So I've never known what the anniversary is. The 6th, when we met, the 16th for the group event or the 20th which was our first "solo" date. I guess it doesn't matter too much.
And the rest is history. I nearly blew it a few times in the intervening weeks, but somehow managed not to (asking her out was nerve-wracking; trying to find the right moment to kiss her nearly drove me mad. Fortunately she solved it by kissing me first). By New Years one of our good friends was saying with certainty we would get married.
Anne was always a touchy spooky like that.
Anyway, I don’t think we’ll be doing anything to mark it. Maybe we’ll have a nice supper in the next couple of days, but certainly no gifts or cards. It’s one of those things, once you get married, that date is the anniversary. The anniversaries of first dates, first kisses and even the engagement, kind of fall by the wayside.
But I just like to think that that it was five years ago, while waiting for Monsters, Inc. to start that I glanced over to see my friend Erin and Cathy cracking up at the way she was getting rid of some spilt popcorn. And I thought “she seems fun. I wouldn’t mind getting to know her a bit better.”
And voila. Strange where you end up, sometimes.
So right about now, five years ago, is when myself and Cathy started dating. On November 6 we were set up on a blind date (about as blind as you could make it. We didn’t know we were being set up until minutes before we met) to go see Monsters, Inc. I was smitten enough (an incident involving popcorn certainly helped) to see if she would like to join a group of us to see Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 10 days time, on Nov. 16. She agreed. We met up at Harry Potter, agreed to split a large popcorn so we could have the excuse to sit next to each other. And then the group of us went to the Duke of Duckworth afterwards to engage in a couple of hours of post-Harry analysis. Before she left I worked up the nerve to ask her on a date. That was a good thing because while she was enjoying the conversation, she was also waiting for me to hurry up and ask her out.
The date, by the way, was Voices of Avalon (Anita Best, Pamela Morgan, Vicky Hynes and Colleen Power) at the Arts and Culture Centre. That would have been on Nov. 20. So I've never known what the anniversary is. The 6th, when we met, the 16th for the group event or the 20th which was our first "solo" date. I guess it doesn't matter too much.
And the rest is history. I nearly blew it a few times in the intervening weeks, but somehow managed not to (asking her out was nerve-wracking; trying to find the right moment to kiss her nearly drove me mad. Fortunately she solved it by kissing me first). By New Years one of our good friends was saying with certainty we would get married.
Anne was always a touchy spooky like that.
Anyway, I don’t think we’ll be doing anything to mark it. Maybe we’ll have a nice supper in the next couple of days, but certainly no gifts or cards. It’s one of those things, once you get married, that date is the anniversary. The anniversaries of first dates, first kisses and even the engagement, kind of fall by the wayside.
But I just like to think that that it was five years ago, while waiting for Monsters, Inc. to start that I glanced over to see my friend Erin and Cathy cracking up at the way she was getting rid of some spilt popcorn. And I thought “she seems fun. I wouldn’t mind getting to know her a bit better.”
And voila. Strange where you end up, sometimes.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Ooops and word counts
So, I got the tire fixed today and I might owe the street urchins near the apartment an apology. Seems they didn't slash my care tire or let the air out of it. The garage, when they were putting the tires on, made a mistake of some kind and nicked the tire. I have no idea why it took a week or more for the tire to deflate, but it did. So I managed to get enough air in the tire for it to hold until I could get it to the garage where they fixed it. Didn't even charge me. So that's a good thing.
Although I admit that in some ways I miss the walk to work. The weather got mild again this week (around -5 or so) so it hasn't been too cold. And yes, the exercise is good. but I find that I can "write" in my head when I'm walking. I used to do it all the time when I was in Clarenville. I didn't have a car so I'd walk to work. And I'd often write columns or editorial in my head while walking. Then I'd rush to my computer and get it all down before it faded away.
Same thing with my book. I was stuck on what direction it was going to go in a few days. There were a couple of ways and I wasn't sure what direction I was going to go. Then, as I was walking home this evening I figured it out. Bang.
Granted, I still don't know how it's going to end. Apparently more walking is required. But at least I'm good for a couple of weeks.
Today, by the way, is the 15th, which means the half way mark in the writing challenge. I'm happy to say I'm over 28,000 words, which means I'm ahead of pace. the other two competitors are hanging in there and I hope they get to 50,000 as well. Not before me, though.
I have no idea if anyone is actually reading the books (click on the sidebar if you don't know what I'm talking about). Nor do I know if they're any good. I'm liking OM's and Dups' books. But I'm...happy with the way mine is going so far. Don't know if it's good, but I don't think it sucks. And it will need a ton of work to make it coherent at the end.
Although I've realized one depressing fact. I'm pretty sure it's not going to be wrapped up in 50,000 words. Might be closer to 70,000. I'm going to finish it. Stopping at 50,000 would be foolish. But it is a bit depressing to realize that it's likely going to be mid-December before I'm finished.
Still. I'm having fun. It seems to have loosened up some mental muscles. Maybe I can do this sort of thing after all.
Although I admit that in some ways I miss the walk to work. The weather got mild again this week (around -5 or so) so it hasn't been too cold. And yes, the exercise is good. but I find that I can "write" in my head when I'm walking. I used to do it all the time when I was in Clarenville. I didn't have a car so I'd walk to work. And I'd often write columns or editorial in my head while walking. Then I'd rush to my computer and get it all down before it faded away.
Same thing with my book. I was stuck on what direction it was going to go in a few days. There were a couple of ways and I wasn't sure what direction I was going to go. Then, as I was walking home this evening I figured it out. Bang.
Granted, I still don't know how it's going to end. Apparently more walking is required. But at least I'm good for a couple of weeks.
Today, by the way, is the 15th, which means the half way mark in the writing challenge. I'm happy to say I'm over 28,000 words, which means I'm ahead of pace. the other two competitors are hanging in there and I hope they get to 50,000 as well. Not before me, though.
I have no idea if anyone is actually reading the books (click on the sidebar if you don't know what I'm talking about). Nor do I know if they're any good. I'm liking OM's and Dups' books. But I'm...happy with the way mine is going so far. Don't know if it's good, but I don't think it sucks. And it will need a ton of work to make it coherent at the end.
Although I've realized one depressing fact. I'm pretty sure it's not going to be wrapped up in 50,000 words. Might be closer to 70,000. I'm going to finish it. Stopping at 50,000 would be foolish. But it is a bit depressing to realize that it's likely going to be mid-December before I'm finished.
Still. I'm having fun. It seems to have loosened up some mental muscles. Maybe I can do this sort of thing after all.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Tired again
So we had an entertaining long weekend (yes, it's late mentioning this. I've been busy). Angie and Wendy made it safely back to Rankin with only a touch of drama. Angie had some last minute scrambling after realizing that she had left her wallet in the backseat of the car. It was truly a bit of luck that she got it back as myself and Cathy were out running errands and didn’t get their phone messages. I got back to the apartment literally minutes before she arrived in a cab looking frantically for her wallet. I think she made it back to the airport about three minutes before they started boarding.
But she got it back, so that’s good.
So what errands were myself and Cathy running? Glad you asked.
We were looking for an air compressor. Why do you need an air compressor? Why, to reinflate a flat tire.
Yeah. Again.
It was only one tire this time, the left front one. And the cap on the nozzle was missing, so we had hopes that the air was just let out. So we bought a small pump (there was an air compressor at North Mart, but no one knew how much it was. I love the north), reinflated the tire and hope for the best.
Alas, hope was dashed this morning when the tire was flat as a pancake again. That means dealing with Baffin Auto again. At this rate, I might as well start sending them my paycheck.
What’s mildly amusing about all of this is that Jennifer left a lovely little note on our car Saturday. She is coaching a soccer team for Igloolik and was in town for a tournament. Apparently they were in the neighbourhood and came and hugged our car for good luck and left us a note saying so.
She even managed to pop down to the apartment for 15 minutes on Sunday, which we both thought was awfully sweet of her. And then we lose a tire.
Now, the cynic might say “Well, apparently hugging the car didn’t do much good.” My friends, I must disagree. Because the last time we had a racket with the tires, we lost four of them. This time we’ve only lost one.
So Jennifer, feel free to come and hug out little car whenever you want. Providing I haven’t shot it and put the damn thing out of its misery.
Oh, and for those of you wondering how I can be so upbeat in the wake of the minor freak-out I had last time, I’m trying to remain upbeat. I’m likely going to sprain something, but I figure it’s worth a try. The alternative is to set up some kind of blind near the car and camp out. As soon as someone starts to mess with it I hop out and taser the bastard.
So yeah, glass half full seems to be the way to go.
But she got it back, so that’s good.
So what errands were myself and Cathy running? Glad you asked.
We were looking for an air compressor. Why do you need an air compressor? Why, to reinflate a flat tire.
Yeah. Again.
It was only one tire this time, the left front one. And the cap on the nozzle was missing, so we had hopes that the air was just let out. So we bought a small pump (there was an air compressor at North Mart, but no one knew how much it was. I love the north), reinflated the tire and hope for the best.
Alas, hope was dashed this morning when the tire was flat as a pancake again. That means dealing with Baffin Auto again. At this rate, I might as well start sending them my paycheck.
What’s mildly amusing about all of this is that Jennifer left a lovely little note on our car Saturday. She is coaching a soccer team for Igloolik and was in town for a tournament. Apparently they were in the neighbourhood and came and hugged our car for good luck and left us a note saying so.
She even managed to pop down to the apartment for 15 minutes on Sunday, which we both thought was awfully sweet of her. And then we lose a tire.
Now, the cynic might say “Well, apparently hugging the car didn’t do much good.” My friends, I must disagree. Because the last time we had a racket with the tires, we lost four of them. This time we’ve only lost one.
So Jennifer, feel free to come and hug out little car whenever you want. Providing I haven’t shot it and put the damn thing out of its misery.
Oh, and for those of you wondering how I can be so upbeat in the wake of the minor freak-out I had last time, I’m trying to remain upbeat. I’m likely going to sprain something, but I figure it’s worth a try. The alternative is to set up some kind of blind near the car and camp out. As soon as someone starts to mess with it I hop out and taser the bastard.
So yeah, glass half full seems to be the way to go.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Enter Sandman
I've been a believer in getting Christmas gifts for yourself. There are always things you'd like for yourself that are either too expensive, that you can't wait until Christmas or that you know loved ones will perhaps not care to get you.
I've longed resigned myself to the fact that comic books are something that my parents tolerated at best. They never bought them for me when I was a kid and they were certainly something they didn't care to get for me as an adult. While Cathy is better, she's still not comfortable buying them either. She's picked up the odd one, but I think she's worried about getting the wrong one.
And I think both her and my parents dislike buying them because they don't want to encourage me. A little late for that now, but I guess they live in hope.
Anyway, I got my early Christmas gift on Thursday and spent the weekend on and off reading through it. I still haven't finished it, but I am enjoying it thoroughly. It's The Absolute Sandman. This is what it looks like.
It's a beautiful over-sized hardcover with a slipcase that reprints the first 20 issues, or three trade paperbacks, of the series. Along with the issues there are some nice extras including the series proposal and a script. Plus, the stories have all been recoloured. It might not seem like a big deal, but when the individual issues first came out there were problems. The technology to colour comics improved significantly with computers. However, believe it or not, the paper comics were printed on wasn't keeping up. So a lot of the early issues had dark and smudged colours which marred the artwork. This book cleans it up and puts it on nice paper. The issues look beautiful.
Granted, it's price tag isn't for everyone. But the way I look at it is if you've never read the books before and want to, buying the three trade paperbacks will set you back about $50 or more. For $30 extra you get this much better looking book.
If you don't know what the fuss is about with regards to Sandman, well, you could always go to Neil Gaiman's site or, of course, the token Wikipedia entry. Let's just say it's one of the best comic series of the past 20 years and well worth picking up.
By the way, this is volume one of four, although I don't know when the other three volumes are coming out. Needless to say, I'll be getting the rest of them
I've longed resigned myself to the fact that comic books are something that my parents tolerated at best. They never bought them for me when I was a kid and they were certainly something they didn't care to get for me as an adult. While Cathy is better, she's still not comfortable buying them either. She's picked up the odd one, but I think she's worried about getting the wrong one.
And I think both her and my parents dislike buying them because they don't want to encourage me. A little late for that now, but I guess they live in hope.
Anyway, I got my early Christmas gift on Thursday and spent the weekend on and off reading through it. I still haven't finished it, but I am enjoying it thoroughly. It's The Absolute Sandman. This is what it looks like.
It's a beautiful over-sized hardcover with a slipcase that reprints the first 20 issues, or three trade paperbacks, of the series. Along with the issues there are some nice extras including the series proposal and a script. Plus, the stories have all been recoloured. It might not seem like a big deal, but when the individual issues first came out there were problems. The technology to colour comics improved significantly with computers. However, believe it or not, the paper comics were printed on wasn't keeping up. So a lot of the early issues had dark and smudged colours which marred the artwork. This book cleans it up and puts it on nice paper. The issues look beautiful.
Granted, it's price tag isn't for everyone. But the way I look at it is if you've never read the books before and want to, buying the three trade paperbacks will set you back about $50 or more. For $30 extra you get this much better looking book.
If you don't know what the fuss is about with regards to Sandman, well, you could always go to Neil Gaiman's site or, of course, the token Wikipedia entry. Let's just say it's one of the best comic series of the past 20 years and well worth picking up.
By the way, this is volume one of four, although I don't know when the other three volumes are coming out. Needless to say, I'll be getting the rest of them
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Last 10
The meme is going around on what were the last 10 songs you listened to. I always like these things because if nothing else sometimes I hit upon some new music to check out.
Also, Helmut's selection reminds me that we have creepy similarities in our pop culture favourites (that and she put up a link to the Spider-Man 3 trailer). She played Garbage, Peter Garbriel, Tom Waits, Spirit of the West and Leonard Cohen in her last 10. That's some pretty excellent taste in music, if I do say so myself.
Anyway, here's the last 10 things there were played on my iPod. On shuffle, because that's how I normally listen to my music.
1. Bottle of Smoke - The Pogues
2. We hide and seek - Alison Kruass and Union Station
3. It's hard to be a saint in the city - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
4. The maid on the shore - Pamela Morgan and Anita Best
5. Fat bottomed girls - Queen
6. Introducing the solution - Mo Berg
7. Weasel stomping day - Weird Al Yankovic
8. Bye bye baby - OK Go
9. Independent thief - Kathleen Edwards
10. Poets - The Tragically Hip
Also, Helmut's selection reminds me that we have creepy similarities in our pop culture favourites (that and she put up a link to the Spider-Man 3 trailer). She played Garbage, Peter Garbriel, Tom Waits, Spirit of the West and Leonard Cohen in her last 10. That's some pretty excellent taste in music, if I do say so myself.
Anyway, here's the last 10 things there were played on my iPod. On shuffle, because that's how I normally listen to my music.
1. Bottle of Smoke - The Pogues
2. We hide and seek - Alison Kruass and Union Station
3. It's hard to be a saint in the city - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
4. The maid on the shore - Pamela Morgan and Anita Best
5. Fat bottomed girls - Queen
6. Introducing the solution - Mo Berg
7. Weasel stomping day - Weird Al Yankovic
8. Bye bye baby - OK Go
9. Independent thief - Kathleen Edwards
10. Poets - The Tragically Hip
Saturday, November 11, 2006
No words
It dawns on me that the previous post was kind of frivolous and this is a fairly serious day. I know today is Remembrance Day. It feels like I should write something more, but I've honestly written about it so much in the past that I feel like I have no words left to describe how important a day it is, especially in light of what Canadian troops have been facing in Afghanistan this year. The well is nearly dry. Between blog entries, editorials, columns and new stories I must have written a couple of dozen pieces on Remembrance Day.
I've written about my grandfather, who fought in the Great War and very nearly died. I've interviewed veterans of World War Two and the Korean War. And I've spoke to peacekeepers. You reach a wall when you know this is important, you desperately want to convince people to read the stories and understand why it needs to be remembered, but you've run out of the words. I think I've hit that wall.
I'd like to think and hope that most of the people who visit this blog need no convincing or reminding of what this day means. Odds are we've all had family or friends who have served in the military at some point.
If you don't know what it's important to commemorate this day and view it as something more than a day off, then I don't know. I don't think I have any words left to convince you at this point. I just find it sad and I hope that one day, when you get a bit wiser, you better understand why we mark this day.
I've written about my grandfather, who fought in the Great War and very nearly died. I've interviewed veterans of World War Two and the Korean War. And I've spoke to peacekeepers. You reach a wall when you know this is important, you desperately want to convince people to read the stories and understand why it needs to be remembered, but you've run out of the words. I think I've hit that wall.
I'd like to think and hope that most of the people who visit this blog need no convincing or reminding of what this day means. Odds are we've all had family or friends who have served in the military at some point.
If you don't know what it's important to commemorate this day and view it as something more than a day off, then I don't know. I don't think I have any words left to convince you at this point. I just find it sad and I hope that one day, when you get a bit wiser, you better understand why we mark this day.
Dinner and yoga
We have company this weekend. A pair of teachers from Rankin Inlet - Wendy and Angela - are in town to do yoga...there's an instructor up from down south conducting a workshop this weekend. And they asked if they could crash here. I know Wendy as she and her husband Jeremy went to our wedding. Since we're always glad for the company, we said sure. Granted, it's a challenge trying to fit four people and a very hyper-active little dog into an apartment this size, but I can always count on Cathy to defy the laws of physics and find more space when I'm sure there isn't anymore to be found.
I think the plan this evening is to out for a few drinks and some food. When you arrive in the "big city" from Iqaluit, clearly drinks, a sampling of the finer restaurants in town, and possibly a movie is required. This isn't sarcasm, by the way. If you've spend month and months in a community of only a couple of thousand people, or less, then when you get out then you really do need to get out and do a few things.
Myself and Cathy have already made a list of restaurants we need to hit when we're in St. John's. Zapatas, Magic Wok, Giovannis and Taj Mahal are the nicer ones. I suspect Swiss Chalet and Wendy's will also be needed to satisfy certain cravings. I throw it out to the masses - what are your recommendations for restaurants in town right now. The caveat is that if their menu is primarily seafood, we can't do it as Cathy is allergic. I know there are supposedly some nice sushi places in town, but they're a no go. We will probably need to try a few new places, especially since our beloved Duck Street Bistro is no more. We only have a limited time in town. These things need to be thought out carefully.
I think the plan this evening is to out for a few drinks and some food. When you arrive in the "big city" from Iqaluit, clearly drinks, a sampling of the finer restaurants in town, and possibly a movie is required. This isn't sarcasm, by the way. If you've spend month and months in a community of only a couple of thousand people, or less, then when you get out then you really do need to get out and do a few things.
Myself and Cathy have already made a list of restaurants we need to hit when we're in St. John's. Zapatas, Magic Wok, Giovannis and Taj Mahal are the nicer ones. I suspect Swiss Chalet and Wendy's will also be needed to satisfy certain cravings. I throw it out to the masses - what are your recommendations for restaurants in town right now. The caveat is that if their menu is primarily seafood, we can't do it as Cathy is allergic. I know there are supposedly some nice sushi places in town, but they're a no go. We will probably need to try a few new places, especially since our beloved Duck Street Bistro is no more. We only have a limited time in town. These things need to be thought out carefully.
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