Friday, January 2nd, 2009 09:29 am: The Friday Five

The Friday Five for January 2nd, 2009

Happy New Year!

1. What is your biggest waste of time in your home?
Internets.
2. When at work, what is the activity that you find wastes the most time?
Meetings.
3. When getting busy with a date or significant other, what ritual could you do without?
Not having one?
4. What is the biggest waste of time on the Internet?
Checking the same sites over and over for updates or new messages.
5. What do you do at a restaurant to waste time when waiting for your meal?
Uh, i make use of the time, to read.

Friday, January 2nd, 2009 09:56 am: Waltz With Bashir

New Year's Eve i went over to a former student's place. A pile of former (and some current) students were invited. When i got there, i was the only one. As it turned out only showed, including Mo, Ryan M (the quiet one), Mark, Ken, Ryan C and Diane showed up. Then a bunch of Jackie's other friends, who were okay, but a group apart. I had a heated discussion with Mo about politics. Jackie didn't even cook the dumplings she has made. I usually go to my friend Lisa's sister's place - it's pretty domestic, but they usually have good food. I had planed to party-hop, but it took so long for things to get going at Jackie's. Meh, not the year-end party i'd been hoping for.

New Year's Day i had planned to spend locally, but ended up going to TO (if you can call Yonge & Sheppard Toronto). I had a decent lunch at Boston Pizza. The movie i saw was Waltz With Bashir, an animated movie from Israel. It begins with one man telling another about the horrible dreams he's had ever since he'd been part of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in the 1980s. This other man had no memories of having been in the war, and so the movie becomes his search for his memories, and essentially his role in the Sabra and Shatila massacre in 1982 (or, rather, in allowing the maasacre to happen). A pretty powerful, sad movie. The artwork was very stylized - the rotoscoping was a bit annoying occasionally. It ended with some live action footage.

Friday, January 2nd, 2009 08:44 pm: Uberlist 2009

Okay, another list for another year. At some point, should my list sink to nothingness, ha ha? Like Homer's list: "Feelin' fine!" There will always be ongoing things (exercise, etc), i guess, and places to visit.

Car & Travel Tasks
1. Arrange a vacation for Reading Week - i've booked it off!
2. Visit a winery in the winter.
3. Plan what to do in an ACCIDENT.
4. Learn how to use a CARWASH, so i'm not stuck doing it at home. Ideally some automatic thing.
5. TRAVEL somewhere during the summer (realistically): Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, and/or New York.
6. TRAVEL to San Diego SDCC?
7. TRAVEL somewhere (unrealistically): British Isles, France, Japan or Australia.
8. Try to be better organized before Christmas, arrange a trip to NY or Vegas.

Arts &c Tasks
9. Finish Halloween costume ASAP, well in advance of October - at least finish last one, proper hat, suspenders.
10-11. Possibly new cameras - (a) high-end one with interchangeable lenses, you can focus properly, (b) small one you can use in places like a club - i like my current one, which is good 90% of the time, but that 10% is frustrating.
12. Buy an ukiyo-e print.

Digital Tasks
13. Get stuff off those VHS tapes and into digital format.
14. Try to get data off the old PERCEPTION system.
15. Organize my data BACK UP system.
16. Do something with my personal LJ (not the madlycool one).
17. Create a digital version of my COMICS CATALOG.
18. Finish scanning all the photos I have, turn them into a DIGITAL ALBUM (replacing the old physical ones), with captions - an enormous job (one day....).
19. Change PASSWORDS for various email addresses and eBay, again. Should do it every year.
20. Will have to update VIN page, again.
21. Convert the name of any .JPG files to .jpg, standardize on my website and blog (annoyingly sometimes they're seen as identical, sometimes not).

Learning Tasks
22. Learn ILLUSTRATOR (not a priority).

Junk &c Tasks
23. Get rid of old VINYL albums.
24. Clean out shelves/closets/dressers of my stuff.
25. I'd like to find a place to RECYCLE worn clothing, stuff that's not useable, like old socks and such.
26. I think i need to do a major cull, of what COMICS i have, and what i'm buying.
27. Take COMICS downstairs.
28. L&R have some of my negatives - one day i'd like to get them back.
29. I think Matt has some of my letters from him - they're missing anyway.
30. Toss out old electronics.

Home & Financial Tasks
31. FIND A PLACE OF MY OWN.
32. Will have to think MORTGAGE.
33. Do a proper BUDGET - I used to have one when I made much less money.
34. Get a rice cooker (wait for when i move...).
35. Do something with my PC Points.
36. Do something with my Airmiles Points.

Fashion &c Tasks
37. Need SHOES and CLOTHES for exercising.
38. Get some new DRESS CLOTHES.
39. Need dressier SHOES.

Reading Tasks
40. Read the book on BRITISH LEGENDS i bought but let sit.
41. Read HITCHERHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY.
42. Read final HARRY POTTER book.
43. Read the TARTAN book I bought and is just sitting.
44. Read the COMICS I've let sit (Batman from the late 90s).
45. Read the COMICS I've let sit (Hellblazer from the late 90s).

Music Tasks
46. Get soundtrack of ON VA S'AIMER 2006.
47. Get soundtrack of J'AURAIS VOULU ETRE UN DANSEUR.

Movie Tasks (ha, this is 24 movies)
48. Rent or see THE MAD FOX 1962 by Tomu Uchida
49. Rent or see this Godard film: 1962 VIVRE SA VIE (TO LIVE ONE'S LIFE, MY LIFE TO LIVE)
50. Rent or see this Godard film: 1964 UNE FEMME MARIÉE, FRAGMENTS D'UN FILM TOURNÉ EN 1964 EN NOIR ET BLANC (A MARRIED WOMAN: FRAGMENTS OF A FILM SHOT IN 1964 IN BLACK AND WHITE)
51. Rent or see this Godard film: 1966 MADE IN U.S.A.
52. Rent or see this anime: WONDERFUL DAYS (SKY BLUE) (Korean)
53. Rent or see this anime: THE PLACE PROMISED IN OUR EARLY DAYS
54. Rent or see this anime: THE BOOK OF THE DEAD
55. Rent or see PERHAPS LOVE 2005 (Oscar nominee) by Peter Chan (Hong Kong).
56. Rent or see this Demy film: 1962 LA BAIE DES ANGES
57. Rent or see this Demy film: 1970 PEAU D'ÂNE (THE DONKEY SKIN OR THE MAGIC DONKEY)
58. Rent or see this Demy film: 1979 LADY OSCAR
59. Rent or see this John Hughes film: 1984 SIXTEEN CANDLES
60. Rent or see this John Hughes film: 1985 BREAKFAST CLUB
61. Rent or see this John Hughes film: 1985 WEIRD SCIENCE
62. Rent or see this John Hughes film: 1986 PRETTY IN PINK
    Rent or see (at least) 5 of these Kurosawa films:
63-67. 1943 SANSHIRO SUGATA (JUDO SAGA), 1944 THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, 1945 SANSHIRO SUGATA PART II (JUDO SAGA 2), 1946 NO REGRETS FOR OUR YOUTH, 1946 ONE WONDERFUL SUNDAY, 1948 DRUNKEN ANGEL, 1949 THE QUIET DUEL, 1955 RECORD OF A LIVING BEING (I LIVE IN FEAR), 1970 DODESUKADEN, 1975 DERSU UZALA, 1980 KAGEMUSHA, 1990 DREAMS, 1991 RHAPSODY IN AUGUST, 1993 MADADAYO (NOT YET), 1945 THE MEN WHO TREAD ON THE TIGER'S TAIL (tried to rent, but it was damaged)
[seen: STRAY DOG, SCANDAL, RASHOMON, IKIRU (TO LIVE), THE IDIOT, SEVEN SAMURAI, THRONE OF BLOOD (SPIDER WEB CASTLE), THE LOWER DEPTHS, THE HIDDEN FORTRESS, RED BEARD, HIGH AND LOW (HEAVEN AND HELL), THE BAD SLEEP WELL, YOJIMBO, SANJURO, RAN].
68. Rent or see Serge Boson's LA FRANCE 2007.
69. Rent or see this Eddie Izzard dvd: CIRCLE.
70. Rent or see this Eddie Izzard dvd: SEXIE
71. Rent or see this Eddie Izzard dvd: LIVE AT THE AMBASSADOR

Shows
72. FRIENDS' CORPS NIGHT (tour): Wednesday, April 8, 2009.
73. BALLET working rehearsal: Feb 11, 2009.
74. BALLET Romeo & Juliet rehearsal: March 10, 2009.
75. BALLET working rehearsal: May 6, 2009.
76-81. See Bands in a Club at least 6 times.
82: CIRQUE DE SOLEIL NEW SHOW: Sep 5, 2009.

Health Ongoing
83. EAT BETTER - this would definitely be easier if I were on my own. Why don't i crave fruit? I need to eat more fruit and vegetables.
84. I still ought to FLOSS and use that weird little rubber thing every day.
85. Take my daily VITAMINS.
86. SLEEP! - seriously, i think it got to the point where i was so sleep deprived it was hurting my health.
87. Go swimming at least once a week during the summer.
88. Get a massage (having discovered how to do the physio, i think i'd like to get an occasional massage paid for through school).
89. LOSE WEIGHT - i've still got at least 50 lbs of unwanted fat. It looks awful, and is very unhealthy.
90. EXERCISE - it needs to be aerobic, and i still like the idea of yoga, tai chi and swimming. I just wish i had someone to do it with (at least three times each week).

Arts Ongoing
91. DRAWING - fill a sketchbook. (TRY AGAIN!)
92. PAINTING.
93. PRINT-MAKING.
94. More PHOTOGRAPHY.
95. LIFE DRAWING - hopefully there’ll be classes going on this term.
96. DRAWING - cartoony.
97. DRAWING - 100 people (that's at last 8 a month).

Home & Financial Ongoing
98. Stop WASTING my time online.
99. Regular SAVINGS (downpayment).
100. Regular SAVINGS (RSP).
101. CLEAN, dust and vacuum more regularly. I guess that means launder sheets more too.
102. Take the new comics DOWNSTAIRS regularly.

Sunday, January 4th, 2009 12:48 pm: R.B.G. & Icewine Tour

I was wondering what to do with my Saturday when it occurred to me i could take care of one of the items on my to-do list - weather was decent for driving, so it worked out nicely.

First stop, Royal Botanical Gardens. This is the small area before the Mediterranean Garden - it smelled amazing, kind of spicy. Maybe because of all the poinsettias?

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The Mediterranean Garden - this smells nice too, warm and herby.

They had a sculpture exhibit in the garden.

Little oranges!

Looks like a fox head or something.

Weird aloe flowers.

Even weirder aloe flowers.

Weird Seuss-like flowers.

Grapefruit.

In one of the halls, they had another art exhibit, 'EarthArt'.

I'd made an online reservation, because the last time i went to eat at a winery, they were crazy-buzy - i had to try 4 places before i found one to eat. As it turned out, i was the only one there (as i was leaving two more tables filled).

This is at Vineland Estates Winery, near Vineland, between Grimbsy and St. Catharines.

This is Roasted Pumpkin Bisque, with Cumbrae’s Smoked Chicken and Toasted Pepitas.

Whole Egg Buccatini, with Braised Chicken Leg ‘Chasseur’, Truffle Crème Fraîche.

The vineyards outside Vineland Estates.

The restaurant is to the left, boutique to the right.

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I didn't know what the netting was for - i thought maybe cutting down cold wind - but found out at the next place, it's to protect grapes left on the vine to make icewine.

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I'd driven to Hillebrand because there was a specific wine i wanted that i thought might be cheaper at the winery (as it turns out, wineries aren't allowed to discount their wines). When i got there, an 'icewine tour' was just starting, so i joined in.

These are actually chardonnay vineyards, not used for icewine.

Wine vats to left, barrels to right.

Sparkling wine aging in their bottles. The wall is about 4 times as big, and 17 feet deep. That hole is a bottle that exploded.

One of their 'libraries' of wine.

We went to the upstairs tasting room to do some sampling.

First a cocktail of icewine and brut sparkling wine, in a stemless champagne glass.

Oops, i skipped over the first icewine, made of vidal grapes ((the most common one). The is made from cabernet franc grapes.

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She's already taken away our champagne glasses, and the two wine glasses to the left have been... used. She's pouring the 'showcase' riesling icewine (my favourite). 4 drinks for 10 dollars, not bad.

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Soooo good!

Back to the QEW. Don't worry, it was all well-digested by this time.

In the evening, i went over to Lisa & Russ's, we watched the Canada-Russia Junior hockey game, then Tropic Thunder, and drank some ice cider. The girls are proud to show their newly pierced ears.

Friday, i saw the morning showing of The Spirit again - it is badly directed, but it's still kind of growing on me. Then i went to Pacific Mall for fried rice and dumplings.

Friday, January 9th, 2009 08:41 pm: The Friday Five

The Friday Five for January 9th, 2009

How much do your dreams cost?

1. What would you do right now, if money were not an issue?
Probably buy some trendy place to live in TO.
2. What would you do for the next three years, if money were not an issue?
Probably buy some trendy place to live in TO, travel.
3. What is bringing you the most joy right now that requires little or no money?
Movies?
4. What types of things do you find enjoyable that require no money?
No money? I dunno. Spending time with friends, i suppose.
5. Is there anything you've been meaning to do for a long time, but put off because of money?
Buying a place to live, lol.

Saturday, January 10th, 2009 12:10 am: school, therapy, wings, flubber

First week back at school. Well, Monday we had nothing scheduled - teachers were supposed to go out, then everyone cancelled, which i didn't find out until AFTER i got to the school. Urgh.

Tuesday we had a faculty meeting, which was kinda lame and long. The short of it is, the school is short of cash. What can you do?

Wednesday and Thursday were classes - never started classes in the middle of the week before - weird. Also weird, not having class until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. I may get a lot done this term, lol.

Monday, i had physio, and the acupuncture actually hurt a bit, lol - first time drawing blood, at least, where i could see it. Then i had massage therapy - more pain, lol.

Wednesday, a bunch of us went to a pub for wings and drinks after class. Thursday night, i read 6 days worth of newspapers.

Today, i've been organizing stuff and such. Went out for lunch, read this week's comics (including RASL and the new Blue Monday), bought a calendar for work, and new running shoes for the gym.

Tonight, i watched The Absent-Minded Professor, from 1961. I was underwhelmed. It was more amusing than funny, and a lot of the gags were dragged out (the bouncing bad guy, the basketball scene, etc.).

Raw flubber. "I'm an American citizen! Look, my credit cards!"

Sunday, January 11th, 2009 10:29 pm: Saturday is party day

Saturday was the big get-together day. Before leaving, i went to Wal-Mart to buy some track pants and tees for gym, and some drinks.

Andrea and Rick's place is about an hour east, past Cobourg, in the countryside. They've just built it, and they have a huge amount of land. I was the first to show up. Lisa, Russ and the girls, with Karen, showed up 45 minutes later. With A&R's kids, that made 10 of us. We did some karaoke game, and Trivial Pursuit video game (really kind of lame), talked and drank (i had 3 ciders, some red and some sparkling wine - i was there for over 10 hours), and ate (veggies, dip and chips, lasagna, salads and bread, various desserts).

"I don't feel like dancin', dancin'..." [not my pics]

"I WANT PIE WITH MY CAKE!"

What do i keep doing with my left arm?

Lisa and Russ left before 9:30, to try to get Karen to the train station (good luck, i thought, lol). I left around 11:15, and it was a horrendous drive home, through snow - there were times i had difficulty seeing the road (i mean, the lanes of the 401). Why do people tailgate in these conditions?

Sunday, January 11th, 2009 10:32 pm: Cleo from 4:30 to 6, at the Bloor Cinema

Today i did some tidying and such, and went into the city after lunch. I wandered around a couple of book stores and video stores (Queen and Suspect), around Bathurst and Bloor. Didn't buy anything, but rented some DVDs.

The movie i saw was Cléo from 5 to 7 (Cléo de 5 à 7) by Agnès Varda.

"Cléo is a pop singer who wanders around Paris while she awaits her biopsy results in fear she may have cancer. As Cléo readies herself to meet with her doctor at 7 o'clock, she meets with several friends and strangers while trying to grapple with mortality. Sensing indifference from those nearest to her, she finds herself questioning the doll-like image people have of her and is overcome by a feeling of solitude and helplessness. She finally finds some comfort in the company of stranger she meets in a park and with whom she is able to have a sincere conversation. He accompanies her to the hospital, where she meets the doctor who will give her the results of the exam."

I enjoyed it. I like how she started off as a shallow cry-baby at the mercy of a fortune-teller, to a woman of intelligence, facing possible death. I also like how, while it was dealing with 90 minutes in her life, there were times the camera turned away from the boring parts, and listened in on other people's conversations (just as we do in public), and didn't hide the fact random people were staring at the camera (challenging the barrier between film and audience). Is Cleo high-maintenance, or how should you behave if you're a constant object of attention?

They're not taking her seriously...

I'd like her apartment.

Her pal models for sculpture.

Paris...

"Have you ever been in love?"
"Often, but never as deeply as I wanted."

After the movie, i went to By The Way Cafe, got the butternut squash and fennel soup, house salad with lemon and herb dressing, and a chicken skewer with tahini sauce.

Monday, January 12th, 2009 11:15 pm: Regrets? I've had a few...

More physio after work today - this time with a very strong electric session (so powerful i was flinching, and laughing because of it).

Tonight i saw Kurosawa's No Regrets For Our Youth (Waga Seishun Ni Kuinashi). It centres on a frivolous young woman, daughter of a university professor, in a kind of triangle with a sensible compromiser and a passionate believer in freedom, in the clampdown on academic freedom before WWII. Her father loses his job, the one she loves is imprisoned for his views, and eventually she decides to move to Tokyo to get away from it. As she gets older she grows, and wants to believe in something - eventually she finds her love (knowing he has not abandoned his ideals, despite appearances), and they marry. As the war goes on, he is arrested for being a spy and dies in prison. She returns first to her parents and then his, to find meaning and purpose in her life.

Covering the years 1933 to 1945, apparently it's the only Kurosawa movie starring a female lead, and a proto-feminist one at that (although rooted in her devotion as a wife). I've seen the actress Hara Setsuko in other movies (and she was in the inspiration for the anime Millennium Actress) - she was great, unrecognizable from beginning to end.

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 11:36 pm: Crazy love

Tonight the movie i saw was La Baie Des Anges (Bay of the Angels) by Jacques Demy. Jean, a seeming mild-mannered bank employee introduced to gambling by a co-worker wins a pile, and decides to break out of his rut, goes on vacation to Cannes and Monte Carlo, and meets gorgeous hard core gambler Jackie (Jeanne Moreau), who has lost her husband and son ("I've got the feeling I gambled him away"). A beautiful black and white movie about addiction, obsession, jealousy and love.

L'amour fou...

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 11:57 pm: Just put one foot in front of the other...

Today i tried out a pilates class. Some things were surprisingly easy, some things were surprisingly difficult, lol. I was sweating a lot, more than anyone else, i think. Anyway, i made a first step, i figured out how to access the gym, lol.

Friday, January 16th, 2009 12:14 am: A donkey craps out riches?

Wednesday night i saw Jacques Demy's Peau d'Âne (Donkeyskin). It's a take on one of Charles Perreault's fairy tales (like Cinderella, Snow White, etc).

The movie plot pretty much follows the tale: a king's beautiful dies, he has only a daughter but no male heir, he will only marry someone who is more beautiful than his first wife, it turns out the only one more beautiful is their own daughter, whom he then pursues, her fairy godmother tells her to ask for a series of ridiculous requests (a dress the color of the sky), which are met, her final request is the skin of the donkey which craps out jewels for the king, and which she uses to disguise herself as an ugly kitchen maid when she flees, a prince spies her when she is dressed in her glory, she bakes him a cake and loses her ring in it, he finds the ring and declares he'll marry only the girl whose finger fits it, she's got that finger, turns out her father found someone else to marry, and everyone lives happily ever after.

You can see why Disney never made an animated version.

Demy makes a musical of it. Like Sword In The Stone, the magician is ahead of her time (she has a phone and helicopter in an otherwise medieval story). Catherine Deneuve plays the princess (and her mother). The colours are gorgeous (and i would like to have seen it in a theatre), but the most of the movie was pretty flat - hardly any emotional change, either in the characters or songs, but sometimes weirdly flat (the princess not only isn't distressed by her father's interest, but doesn't understand why they can't).

Ha ha ha, seriously...

"Is my love a sin?" "All little girls, asked who they want to marry when they grow up, say 'I want to marry daddy.' "

Friday, January 16th, 2009 12:16 am: "One cannot distinguish the thought from the words that express it."

Tonight i saw Godard's Vivre Sa Vie: Film En Douze Tableaux (My Life To Live), starring Anna Karina. Done in a series of 12 scenes, it documents a young woman, who has left her husband and young child to vaguely pursue an acting career, her poverty, and gradual descent into prostitution.

Nana plays it tough ("I think we're always responsible for our actions, we're free"), but we see that's not true. She is shame-faced when arrested for attempted theft. And she's not free - prostitution (like everything else) has rules to follow, set by the law, the police, the pimps, the clients. Nana's friend became a prostitute when her husband abandoned her and their children. Nana herself eventually gets sold. She tries to be playful (dancing with a bunch of gangsters), but even falling in love is no escape - in fact, it leads to her downfall. The height of the movie is a discussion between Nana (the prostitute) and a philosopher in a cafe - Nana wonders why words fail her when she has something to say (maybe there is nothing to say?). Nana cries watching the silent movie Joan Of Arc (articulating feelings she can't). We see characters talking shot from behind, showing us their alienation from each other - or we get documentary-style facts narrated at us. The movie doesn't glamorize prostitution, or sensationalize it - it's mostly a matter of fact. It's not a happy movie, but it is beautiful.

“I’m not giving up. That guy is going to take pictures of me. I might make it into films.”

"Lower grade prostitutes average five to eight clients a day."

"Lend yourself to others but give yourself to yourself."

"Shouldn't love be the only truth?"
"For that, love would always have to be true."

"The more one talks, the less the words mean."
"One cannot distinguish the thought from the words that express it."

Friday, January 16th, 2009 12:32 am: Just put one foot in back of your head...

Today i tried out a yoga class. It was mostly easier than pilates, except i had to kneel - going up and down on my knees was very painful. I must have sharp pointy tibia. There were more people, and it almost looked like i was going to be the only guy (two popped in at the last minute). There were a lot of cute girls, including the instructor. Hrnn.

My body is still hurting from pilates - especially the front of my hips and random chest places, lol. Yoga maybe hurt my tendons (there's an awful lot of push-ups in both classes).

Anyway, today was the last free preview day - i paid for the sessions for the rest of the semester. So, that's it, Tuesday is pilates, Thursday is yoga. May i live long enough to benefit, lol.

Sunday, January 18th, 2009 09:42 am: The Friday Five

The Friday Five for January 16th, 2009

Aromas

1. What are your favorite smells/scents?
Food ones - baking bread or cakes, BBQ, i guess.
2. Do they bring back memories for you? If so, what?
Mmm, not especially - the only scent that brings back a memory is one i can't quantify/identify - it's like the smell of hot dogs cooking on a backyard barbecue, but doing it now doesn't smell the same.
3. What are your least favorite smells/scents?
Poo and pee? lol... Especially in public places.
4. Do they bring back memories for you? If so, what?
The memory of poo and pee, lol.
5. What are your favorite perfumes/colognes?
None, really.

Sunday, January 18th, 2009 10:43 am: tees, beer on my parka, munchkins

Friday was errand day. Lunch at Licks, to finish Nana and continue The World Without Us. Then i picked up more tees for exercising (all cheapies of the same dark grey, to distinguish them from my regular tees), anti-perspirant, checked out a bookstore. Dropped by Lisa's but no one was home.

Then someone online revived the get-together for Angelina's birthday. We met at Fitzpatrick's, whose parking lot was ridiculously busy (more for the cinemas than the pub). We were supposed to meet there between 8 and 8:30 and, of course, i showed up at 8:15 while no one else got there before 8:40. Angelina and her boyfriend (who seemed nice enough, but i was thinking of his stalking activities), a random Todd, John and Emma (who are apparently a couple, both very recently having separated from their spouses...), Miah and his girlfriend (first time meeting her), and Miah's landlord and his girlfriend were there. Kind of an awkward mix. Oh, and the waitress splashed a full pint across the table - i was able to jump up pretty fast and missed most of it. Why did i order a burger?

Miah's girlfriend seemed nice enough, although others have made jokes about leatheriness. I thought she was built a little like a brick shithouse - kind of like an ex-cheerleader in her 30s who's been playing tackle in football. They were certainly all over each other. I don't know why Miah brought his landlord to a birthday get-together, especially since they don't get along. Bob and his girlfriend are pretty short - i'd never realized how short before, like a head shorter. I thought it was cute, though - they were dressed like adults! After, they all left for a dance club. It's a scary world when Miah is the leader of a group.

Sunday, January 18th, 2009 10:43 am: prix fixe, pants, MOCCA, BDG

Yesterday was another errand day. I checked with Lisa to see if they were available - nope. Then i thought i might see Let The Right One In again, but there was only a late show, and a snowstorm coing our way. Argh - either snow or brutal cold. Anyway, i went into the city for lunch at Jules (ordered my favourite prix fixe - sauteed chicken, caesar salad, creme brulee). Went to Mountain Equipment Co-op to get a second knapsack for gym stuff. Went into H&M, Club Monaco - CM had a pair of bright blue jeans that i was interested in but was waiting for a sale to buy, and they were only 20$ from 130! But not my size, argh. I did get second pair of tartan pants for 30$.

I stopped at MOCCA to see their current show, Lupe Rodriguez: Radiant Passion. Lupe Rodriguez was a painter involved in educational programs at MOCCA (among many other things, of course), and died a few months ago of leukemia. The pics don't show you how colourful they really were.

I went up to Bathurst & Bloor to drop off DVDs at Queen Video and Suspect Video, and picked up some more. I stopped at 3 more places (Avenue Rd & Bloor, Fairview, Scarborough Town Centre), but none of them had those pants in my size (only puny sizes) - although the last place had the silvery grey jeans i was looking for in my size, which had disappeared from their stores months ago. Huh!

Last night i spent watching the televised Battlestar Galactica webisodes, and the beginning of the last batch of regular episodes.

Monday, January 19th, 2009 11:47 pm: "Shit, he's wearing a lot of make-up."

Sunday i only left the house to shovel. I culled my CDs. Finally finished The World Without Us. Read the newspapers.

In the evening, after watching Battlestar Galactica again, i watched one of the DVDs i rented, Eddie Izzard: Circle from 2002, full of his usual funniness.

There was Pope John if you remember, now there is Pope John Paul. The next Pope's gonna be John Paul George and we can see where they're going.

But then the Roman Empire fell like this: "oh shit". And we went into what the historians called the Stupid Fucker period. Where everyone was going, "Er, I dunno. Is that a Roman road? Can we eat it?" Then there was the Dark Ages. "I can't even see you! Where are you?"

[about the Crusades] But they went down to get the Muslims out, the Islamic people out of Jerusalem, I believe it was that. And they were hacking into them 'I kill you! I kill you in the name of Jesus.' But the Muslim people 'No! Jesus is a prophet in our religion. We kill you in the name of Jesus.' 'Do you? I didn't know that. Jesus in your, oh right! Well I kill you for your dark skin, for Jesus was a white man from Oxford." 'No he wasn't! He bloody was not! He was from Judea, dark-skinned man, such as we.' 'Really? Look, we've come all this way, would you mind awfully if we hacked you to pieces? Just for the press back home.'

World War 2, that's probably Europe's biggest film: 'Saving Private Ryan'. The Americans steamed in, of course, as you know, and they were looking for Private Ryan, Private Ryan. Where was Private Ryan? It would have been nice to have had a British soldier in there somewhere in that story, as we came in on D-Day, after four years of war it would have been nice to show a British soldier. Maybe we could just look 'round the edge of the frame, "Hello! Hello, I'm a British soldier, this is a Canadian soldier here, Free French, some free Polish. There's Australians and New Zealanders, there's some Indian soldiers, South Africans. All been fighting here. What's the name for us? Oh, The Allies, that's it - The Allies, Hello, hello. How're you getting on? Yeah, don't want to interrupt your film but, you know, just, if you could swing the cameras over the lads all on Gold and Sword and Juno beach would like to give a wave. A little bit of a wave there. Four years of war, Dunkirk, The Blitz, The Battle of Britain... All that shelling, bombed to shit, no food to eat. If you could just swing the fucking cameras over the lads'd like to give a wave! You heartless bastards!"

Whats that star? It’s the Death Star. What does it do? It does Death! It does Death buddy! Get out of my way.

But there must have been a Deathstar canteen, yeah? There must have been a cafeteria downstairs, in between battles, where Darth Vader could just chill and go down
(Vader voice) "I will have the penne a la arrabiata."
(canteen server) "You'll need a tray."
(Vader voice) "Do you know who I am?"
(canteen server) "Do you know who I am?"
(Vader voice) "This is not a game of who the fuck are you. For I am Vader. Darth Vader. Lord Vader. I can kill you with a single thought!"
(canteen server) "Well you'll still need a tray."
(Vader voice) "No I will not need a tray. I do not need a tray to kill you. I can kill you without a tray, with the power of the Force - which is strong within me - even though I could kill you with a tray if I so wished. For I would hack at your neck with the thin bit until the blood flowed across the canteen floor..."
(canteen server) "No, the food is hot. You'll need a tray to put the food on."
(Vader voice) "Oh I see, the food is hot. I'm sorry I, I did not realise. Hah hah! I thought you were challenging me to a fight to the death."
(canteen server) "Fight to the death? This is the canteen, I work here."
(Vader voice) "Yes, but I am Vader, I am Lord Vader. Everyone challenges me to a fight to the death. Lord Vader. Darth Vader, I am Darth Vader, Lord Vader. Sir Lord Vader, Sir Lord Darth Vader. Lord Darth Sir Lord Vader of Cheam. Sir Lord Baron von Vaderham. The Deathstar. I run the Deathstar."
(canteen server) "What's the Deathstar?"
(Vader voice) "This is the Deathstar. You're in the Deathstar. I run this star."
(canteen server) "This is a star?"
(Vader voice) "This is a fucking star - I run it. I'm your boss."
(canteen server) "You're Mr Stephens?"
(Vader voice) "No, I'm... who is Mr Stephens?"
(canteen server) "He's head of catering."
(Vader voice) "I'm not head of catering! I am Vader. I can kill catering with a thought."
(canteen server) "What?"
(Vader voice) "I can kill you all. I can kill me with a thought. Just... I'll get a tray, fuck it!

Sunday, January 25th, 2009 08:55 am: Shadow Thief

On Monday and Wednesday night (it was 3 hours long) i watched Kurosawa's Kagemusha (Shadow Warrior), set in the Warring States period (just before the Tokugawa Shogunate). A man about to be executed for theft is rescued because of his uncanny resemblance to the powerful clan warlord Shingen. He becomes Shingen's body double (apparently a common security measure). When Shingen dies, at his request the other clan generals decide to hide the fact from their enemies (using Shingen's fearsome reputation to protect them from attacks) by having the double take his place permanently, fooling even his family and concubines - his grandson prefers the new Shingen. Based on true events, it was fascinating, although far too long. The thief points out the irony of his proposed exceution for a minor crime compared to the murderous brutality of warlords like Shingen, although later becomes attached to his role (although more in personal affections, such as his attachment to his new grandson, than to the military aspects).

The brother (and part-time double), Shingen, and the thief.

The double has a funky 70s-style nightmare.

"Little Takemaru was a problem, but the horse is worse. It can tell. Only the late lord could ride it."
"If the double falls off, everyone will suspect."
"Lord Shingen has been ill. He must refrain from riding."
"Tonight he will have to meet the late lord's mistresses. How will he be with them?"
"Our master has been ill. He must refrain from riding."

"The shadow of a man can never desert that man. I was my brother's shadow. Now that I have lost him, it is as though I am nothing."

Sunday, January 25th, 2009 09:39 am: The week, Friday double-feature

Went out to a pub with some people from work on Tuesday (wings in lieu of supper), and Thursday night went out again to a different pub, with a different some people from work. Did the Tuesday pilates and Thursday yoga again - yay!

Friday, i dropped off my prescription renewal, went to Yorkdale to check out Club Monaco for those pants (no luck, lol), stopped at Home Depot on Caledonia Road to pick up a thing to hang coats on for the office.

Parked at Bloor & Bathurst, intending to shop a bit, eat and see the 7 o'clock showing of Let The Right One In (again) - it turned out the web site screwed up the hours, and it wasn't until 9:30. Went to Suspect and Queen Video - they seem to be out of movies i want to see, other than Kurosawa. Bought a couple of things at The Beguiling (JLA 28, Aqua 2), checked out David Mirvish Books (all art books, but nothing grabbed me), went to Labyrinth (bought Gothic Lolita Bible 4, Maka-Maka 1 - a gloriously-produced over-sized colour yuri josei). I had supper at Montreal Bistro, including potato, carrot and smoked meat latkes (one of each), and a big Montreal smoked meat sandwich. Then... i still had more than two hours to kill. So, i did the double feature, and saw Happy-Go-Lucky again too.

Sunday, January 25th, 2009 09:40 am: The Friday Five

The Friday Five for January 23rd, 2009

1. If you owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?
Mmm, i dunno, bistro-style i guess. Although i had this idea for a more pop-cult oriented sushi place.
2. What is your favorite restaurant and why?
Jules, i guess - great qucihe, crepes, chickne, steak, creme brulee.
3. What is your favorite fast food place?
Licks!
4. If you had to choose only one type of food to eat for a year, what would it be?
Sadly, burgers, lol
5. What is your favorite cereal?
None, really.

Sunday, January 25th, 2009 09:47 am: The Rassler

Saturday, after a lunch of steak sandwich, onion rings and manga at a very busy Licks, i went to see The Wrestler. A very good movie, no pat endings.

"I don't hear as good as I used to, and I ain't as pretty as I used to be. But I'm still here - I'm the Ram."

In the evening, i didn't do much, read a bit, helped a student with her model.

Thursday, January 29th, 2009 09:53 pm: La la la...

Weather was kind of crappy on Sunday so i saw Dark Knight again (i'd hoped to see it in IMAX).

Work has been flying by - having late classes really means i'm getting lots done in the mornings, lol. Did my third round of pilates and yoga this week.

Wednesday went out for drinks and wings with Chris, Miah, Angelina, John and Emma (the last two of whom have separated from their spouses recently and, ugh, messy).

Saturday, January 31st, 2009 08:00 am: The Friday Five

The Friday Five for January 30th, 2009

1. How would you define beauty?
I wouldn't.
2. What is the best quality a person can have?
I think niceness is highly underrated.
3. What is the worse quality a person can have?
The opposite of niceness, being an asshole.
4. What makes up your perfect match?
If i knew that...
5. Have you met this person yet?
WAHHHH!

Saturday, January 31st, 2009 09:29 am: Entre Les Murs

I was making a trip into TO yesterday, so i thought i'd make a day of it. I even stopped at Lick's to grab a burger to eat on the train, and brought Oishinbo to read. It's an odd book - so many volumes (102!) published over the last twenty years that the US publishers are doing thematic collections, which can work, because it's largely a book about Japanese cuisine. Still, there's a story to it, and we're jumping around (hmm - i wonder how much the characters have aged over the years).

I saw the movie The Class (Entre Les Murs, "Between The Walls"), which is a dramatization of a teacher's experiences teaching in a working class and largely immigrant high school (starring the actual teacher/writer). It's obvious he and the other teachers care about their students. He's trying to get them to think, and to value their education, although i think the day-to-day teacher-student conflict was exaggerated ("The students are played by high school pupils who spent a year with Cantet, work-shopping badass versions of their reportedly more docile selves."). As a drama it works well and is very interesting.

Except... as a teacher i was aghast. He assigns them to do a 'self-portrait' writing piece (he's their language teacher), but in a way that seems to me like he's crossing boundaries that a teacher shouldn't cross (talking about what they feel ashamed of?). While he can be engaging and clever, he can also be condescending towards them, when there's no need to be (for example, when one students asks how to spell Lafayette as in the department store name, he essentially mocks them for travelling outside their neighbourhood). He's also not very good at explaining why he's teaching what he's teaching. They ask him why he uses the name 'Bill' ("a honky name" - also, oddly un-French) in examples, rather than a variety of ethnic names, and he wastes time having a pointless argument about it. No wonder they never learn the imperfect subjunctive.

What's with having 'class reps' sit on the faculty meetings reviewing individual student progress, academic, disciplinary, and so on? What happens is totally predictable - the 'reps' go back and report to each student a biased account of their reviews. In my mind, it's reprehensible - that kind of information should be confidential. At least it didn't appear the reps used their info against fellows students (but which must happen all the time). Damaging no matter how you look at it - what are the French thinking?

Then, in a heated discussion (regarding the above), the teacher calls the class reps (both of whom are female) by a vulgar name. Rather than apologize, he gets into another heated discussion in the schoolyard (acting no more mature than they are) - and starts bringing up the troubles one student had at another school! At least the director doesn't make him perfect, but i think the French school system needs some serious educational training. Where is the Innovation Centre when you need it?

Interesting shirt.

Saturday, January 31st, 2009 09:46 am: In Ahuri

I shopped a little bit before and after the movie, and after supper - bought a pair of pants cheap at Club Monaco. Supper was at Spring Rolls - had the fried dumplings and pad thai, and a couple of Springroll-linis, and finished my book.

The show i'd come to see was A Work in Progress Presentation of 'A Fool’s Life' ("A 60 minute ‘work in progress’ presentation of Ahuri Theatre’s original creation based on the short stories of Akutagawa Ryunosuke, one of the most celebrated modern Japanese writers, and best known as the author of Rashomon. Dark, bizarre and absurd, this work in progress presentation combines Japanese forms of Noh dance and Butoh, mime, three different languages, shadow puppetry and projections on a set made entirely of paper"), by Ahuri Theatre.

Hey, it was free, and interesting. I didn't really get into the drama (why was he going nuts?), tho' it was funny, but mostly i enjoyed the staging, with actors playing trains and moving walls around and doing sound effects.

I was annoyingly just a little late for the train, so went back to Indigo. I wish i'd brought a couple of books to read instead of just the one.

Saturday, January 31st, 2009 10:00 am: Blargh

I didn't really need this throat infection (travelled up my throat, now in sinuses), but at least it's mild.

And screw off with the snow, eh? We don't need to set another record.

Saturday, February 7th, 2009 11:18 pm: The Friday Five

The Friday Five for February 6th, 2009

Hodge Podge!

1. What activity can you not believe you survived in your childhood?
Umm... i dunno. Pretty safe childhood.
2. What activity can you not believe kids get away with today?
Umm... mass murder?
3. If you could be anyone else in the world live or dead, who would you choose to be?
Martian Manhunter.
4. A lot of people think they've been in love at 15 or 16 years old, do you think you now look back and think you were a stupid kid or do you believe that you were old enough to know what love is?
I'm afraid when i fell in love at 16, it was the great love of my life.
5. Do you think it is possible to remain in love with someone you once loved, but haven't seen in a year?
Sure.

Sunday, February 8th, 2009 12:46 am: hangers, spasm, real estate

Hmm... what did i do last weekend? Sunday i did shopping, for silly things like hangers. Saturday? I think i saw Dark Knight again on Saturday. I know i did a lot of reading. Oh, and Sunday, shovelling.

Monday morning in the shower, i moved my arm innocently, and it went into a major spasm. Arggh! All the physio and massage therapy and pilates and yoga, for nothing. I went to my therapy sessions after class, but i think massage was actually worse because of it, as i think she went after other trigger points in the back. Anyway, my back around the right shoulder was in pain all week. I still did pilates on Tuesday - luckily, it wasn't the usual instructor, it was the yoga instructor, so hardly any planks. The exercise didn't seem to bother me. Nor did the yoga on Thursday.

Friday morning, my sister and i looked at some houses with an agent. There was nothing that interested me. Bah! It's depressing. My sister passed her second real estate exam, but that means she can't go on a trip with me, as she's taking the next classes. Bah! It's depressing.

The cold has been moving up and down my throat and sinuses, but i think it's on its way out.

Sunday, February 8th, 2009 12:48 am: sushi, wings, ice

On Wednesday, i met up with some 3rd years and grads at the Campus Ice Rink pub Shagwells, had some wings. Thursday, i went with teachers (Chris, Matt, Geordie) first for sushi, then wings & drinks - never spent any time with Geordie before. Friday, i left here around 5:30 to meet up with Matt and some 2nd year Games students. I had enough time to make it to the movie (no late shows).

Today, i went out for lunch, then clothes shopping at H&M, to replace those pants. No luck, but i got a couple of sweaters and tees. Tonight i did laundry, read the papers, chatted online with some peoples.

Sunday, February 8th, 2009 11:42 pm: Caroline?

The movie i saw was Coraline, the adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel. The major change was the addition of a new character, Wybie, whom was a little pointless, but not annoying either. Plus, there were songs, ha ha. Regardless, i really enjoyed it - i thought Coraline herself was really brought to life. I couldn't recognize Dakota Fanning's voice at all.

Plus, nudity in a stage show, ha ha ha.

Apparently the longest ever stop-motion animated movie ever (the projection is in 3D in selected theatres).

I loved the references - aside from quoting Shakespeare, they adapted Van Gogh's Starry Night into a dream sequence, and Botticelli's Birth of Venus into a burlesque.

In the middle of the movie, i adjusted my leg, and suddenly, the fabric exploded - third time i got a tear in that brand of pants. Too bad, i love their look and feel. Luckily, i was wearing a long coat. I mentioned it to the person i picked up some alterations from: "It wouldn't be the fabric, it would be the thread." Umm, yeah...

Today, i saw the movie again. Before i had a Bulmer's cider, pasta and salad at Fitzpatrick's. Unfortunately, that meant i nodded off during the first half hour, lol. Since then i've wasted time, and done a few things. Ordered Franz Ferdinand tickets for May.

Monday, February 9th, 2009 10:23 pm: 25 Random Things

1. I feel too young to be an adult, ha ha.
2. I have very many books. Many, many. Books on many topics (science, fashion, food, history, aqrt, children’s stories, folklore, atlases). That’s not even including comics and manga, of which… I have far too many. It’s been years since I bothered counting (I have a catalog - I could do it).
3. I used to rent a lot of anime, but got tired of having to drive into Toronto for it (and I hate watching movies on the comp).
4. I still have all my stuffed (plush) toys from when I was little.
5. When the alarm goes off to get up, I get up. If you want 10 more minutes, why not set the alarm 10 minutes later.
6. I have started pilates and yoga classes, and I’m also getting physio and massage therapy. I have never felt worse, lol.
7. I like going out and seeing movies (SURPRISE!), and write short reviews of the movies - it’s not just about seeing the movie, it’s about getting out, having something to eat, reading while eating, reading waiting for the movie to start, and then seeing the movie the way it was meant to be, on a giant silver screen.
8. I wish I spoke French (4 years of high school long ago weren’t enough).
9. I hate beer, but like cider and wine.
10. I like reading about paleontology and anthropology.
11. I have a Master’s degree in Political Science (my BA was in History and Political Science).
12. I get cravings for burgers, sushi, Chinese fried dumplings, perogies, kolbasa, ginger ale.
13. I want to draw more, but have trouble finding the time.
14. I’ve always loved animation - I have no idea how I backed into a career with it.
15. I love kitties, but not enough that I want to take my sister’s weird ones.
16. I like to listen to new music, including dancier, poppier, ‘alternative’ stuff, random stuff from the past (Goldfrapp, Franz Ferdinand, Bow Wow Wow, Sex Pistols, Stone Roses), but not your average country, rap or metal.
17. I find French and Japanese culture fascinating.
18. I would prefer to live in the city, but somehow my job ended up on the outskirts of The Shwa.
19. I enjoy going to museums and galleries.
20. I try to stay organized by making lists – lists for the year, lists for the week, lists for that day, lists for work stuff, a calendar-type chart with stuff written in, and so on. It’s better than forgetting important things.
21. Bad spelling grates on me, but typos can make me laugh.
23. I have met someone IRL that I originally met online.
24. I like taking photos. I should do that more.
25. I enjoy making people laugh (especially myself, ha ha), and when people thinking I’m acting weird, I’m probably riffing on some bit from Looney Tunes or Monty Python, or something.

Saturday, February 14th, 2009 09:43 pm: The Friday Five

The Friday Five for February 13th, 2009

1. If you were to have a scholarship created in your honor, what qualities would you look for in applicants (leadership, service, GPA, etc.)?
Sexy cute female? or, if you want a serious answer, hard work.
2. Who would be eligible to apply for your scholarship (members of a certain major, ethnic group, sexuality, etc.)?
Sexy cute female? or, if you want a serious answer, anyone.
3. Would it be need-based or not? Why?
Mine? or, if you want a serious answer, sure.
4. What would you call it?
The Madly Cool Scholarship?
5. If you made applicants write an essay, what would the topic be?
Nah!

Monday, February 16th, 2009 09:55 pm: Pretty In Pink

Well, last week flew by! Lessee, what happened. Wednesday i went to Shagwell's briefly to meet up with 3rd Year Animaton students for some wings. Then i saw Coraline again with Emma and John (John and i had supper at Fitzpatricks).

Friday i did some errands, then squeezed in another showing of Coraline, ha ha. I met up with the 2nd Year Games students, Chris and Matt at Shagwells for drinks and food.

Saturday, more silly shopping and such. Saturday evening i saw Pretty In Pink, finally. It was good, although i thought there were some odd bits. James Spader was so over-the-top evil it's hard to believe he'd have any effect on Andrew McCarthy. Harry Dean Stanton was kinda unintentionally creepy. Annie Potts looked more ridiculous in her 'grown-up' outfit than her new wave clothes. Jon Cryer was annoying.

"...when the Duck laid that kiss on me last night, I swear my thighs just went up in flames! He must practice on melons or something."

"Well, not nothing. I mean, I kissed him..."
"Anywhere interesting?"

"It's called a sense of humor - you should get one - they're nice." That dress is a good sign.

Monday, February 16th, 2009 10:48 pm: Sin and Salvation

Sunday morning i drove in Toronto, first stop AGO. The show i saw was Sin and Salvation: Holman Hunt and the Pre-Raphaelite Vision. Hunt admired medieval art, became fervently religious, went to the middle east for research and became enamored of local culture. In addition to works by Hunt and other Pre-raphaelites, there are middle eastern costumes the Hunts wore. He was also closely connected with the people in the ROM and the AGO (i believe an in-law).

Monday, February 16th, 2009 10:51 pm: Pareidolias et Une fois de trop

After, i had lunch at the Queen Mother - i had squash-curry soup and the pear-arugula salad (with figs and blue cheese).

I also went to the newest MOCCA shows, Pareidolias | Paréidolies by an abstract photographer Nicolas Baierand and Une fois de trop by a sculptor/mixed media artist, Valerie Blass, both from Montreal. It was okay, neither really grabbed me.

Monday, February 16th, 2009 11:00 pm: bendy and dumplings

I stopped at Silver Snail to pick up a Coraline figure - she's bendy! Then i went to Labyrinth, picked up Maka-Maka 2 (okay, so it's soft-core) and a magazine called Hi-Fructose (never seen it before). Then i drove back home, met Michelle T and Courtney to see Coraline again, ha ha. I was annoyed when i was told i couldn't take the knapsack into the theatre? What? i've seen hundreds of movies and no one has ever said anything. There's nothing i couldn't sneak into the theatre in my coat, if i wanted to. Search my bag. Bah!

Who's that at the side door?

I made another quick trip into the city today, got some new undies, replaced the memory card for my camera (8 gig won't work in my camera, urgh!). I also ate at Spring Rolls.

Thursday, February 19th, 2009 09:36 pm: Lynde Shores

I decided to do a little photography trip to the Lynde Shores Conservation Area, since it was nice and sunny. It wasn't too cold - the past few weeks have been unseasonably 'warm' and rainy, but we're now back to normal temps.

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Thursday, February 19th, 2009 11:06 pm: Snowboarding and wings.

On Tuesday, another teacher and i went with a bunch of 3rd year Animation students snowboarding or skiing, as it was Chris's birthday. In some ways we're opposites. I'm a total spaz and nerd, while Chris is too cool.

I've never snowboarded (or skiied) before. I found it painful just to stand in the bindings, and to try to move around. My first attempts made me feel frustrated and inadequate. [not my photo]

I sat back for a while, and later went with a handful of students (some of whom were also not getting it) for a drink inside. But, we went back out, and tried again, which made me feel better. I never went to an actual hill, but i did a little bit. I stopped before i got seriously hurt, ha ha. Chris, however, was filming as he boarded down the big hills, and playing guitar, lol. [not my photo]

Here is most of us - Chris is doing the devil horns. Hana is doing her best to bloack me, lol. After we went out for wings (with most of them, plus a few more teachers), and then after, the teachers went out for wings, with even more teachers.[not my photo]

This is 3 of us at the campus arena pub on Friday the 13th, hanging out with some students (2nd year Games). [not my photo]

This is me hanging out with some students (2nd year Games) and other teachers at a restaurant before Christmas. [not my photo]

Yesterday, a grad (Torrie) showed up yesterday at school, and she, Chris and i went out for sushi for late lunch. Ugh, the snow is back.

Sunday, March 1st, 2009 02:49 pm: Hola! Trip to Varadero Cuba.

I decided i was going to go somewhere on Reading Week, because i'd booked it off as vacation months ago, and i've never actually gone away for a vacation. But i've never gone down south, or arranged air travel (the other two times i've flown someone else did the arranging, and it was pre-9-11 USA and BC). So i was stressing quite a bit. Anyway, with my sister's help, i booked an all-inclusive for Varadero, Cuba, on Friday, for 4 days/3 nights, starting Monday. Gave me some time to get my crap together.

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Pre-flight i shaved off the beard, to look more like my passport, and just for a change.

Ugh, how does making me wait in an airport for 2 extra hours make anything more secure? Not a lot is open at 5 am (and checking out duty-free liquor is not such a thrill). Boarding here some time after 6.

We're wheeling around now, departure time 7:15.

Holy crap, 10 minutes later, we're buzzing over Hamilton - if only GO were that fast.

Long Point on Lake Erie.

The Florida Keys.

I missed the best shot of this - when the clouds were close, you could see a circular rainbow with the shadow of the plane in its centre.

Cuba! We actually got off onto the tarmac and walked to the arrivals. The Varadero airport (which is about 25 minutes away from the resort) looked awfully Third World, at least compared to Toronto, ha ha.

My room is the open door.

Looking over the Hotel Barlovento complex (thanks Google Maps). You can see the three pools (middle one is a wading pool), beach. I marked the approximate location of my room with a pink dot. The lobby building is near the bottom.

Great view, pretty close to the beach! It was actually sunny, silly camera.

The lobby, as viewed from the lobby bar. I was there often, ahem.

Looking into the first courtyard from the bar.

Darn, it only means 'activities'.

Magic show, ha ha ha. One of the nightly shows was called 'Show'.

Standing in the first courtyard - i sat here drawing on Wednesday morning.

Another view from the landing outside my room.

The beach! Looking northeast, around 1 pm.

Looking northeast.

Looking southwest.

The beach house for Hotel Barlovento.

Directly behind the beach.

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The beach house also has a bar.

Coconut.

A former jellyfish.

For some reason i really like beaches.

I sat around the pool for a bit. I eventually went in for a swim, after figuring out where everything was (currency exchange, restaurants, etc).

They did a bit of dancing, but no one wanted to join in (it was mostly Canadians at the resort).

Sunset from my doorway.

Sunset at the beach.

In a month, the sun will actually hit the water at sunset.

Looking down the side road separating the beach from the rest of the hotel grounds.

One of the pools in the evening - people were eating or at the bars. No swimming after 7.

Back at the bar, ha ha. I'd had lunch and supper at the main buffet. Okay, never touch the Cuban cheese again, and their ham is essentially bologna. People don't go to Cuba for the food. I also tried out their very slow internet service (6 pesos for half an hour, about 8 dollars at my resort).

Tuesday, i got up early to take photos. View from my room, around 7 am the next day.

The soft light of morning.

Okay, every where you look there are stray dogs - the never bother you, and they usuay look like they are staggering around looking for some place to die. Usually, there's only one - i figure they have their assigned places. Here one is training a younger one to be its replacement, after it dies. These are looking pretty healthy compared to the ones in the city.

Breakfast was the better meal. I was waiting for the excursion bus to show up - my excursion bus. There are a ton of them, each different travel company arranging them, stopping at all the Vardero resorts, and many doing the same excursion. So i saw people in Havana from my hotel in Havana, from a different bus. Also, they had separate language tours - a lot of French Canadians at my resort, assorted others. Most were English-speaking Canadians.

I saw that dark-haired girl around quite a bit the first few days. She looked incredibly like an actress i've seen, but i can't remember where, some Quebec movie.

Taken on the tour bus. Cuba's climate isn't all jungle, like people think of the tropics - some places it's more like the Mediterranean. February is in the dry (and cooler) season, so there aren't a lot of flowers.

A very high bridge, hard to see from here (if it were me, i would've stopped).

The only wide shot i got of Matanzas City. Our tour guide, George (Jorge?), was talking all the way to Havana. "Let me show you..."

"Matanzas Ceety is a very beautiful ceety." Mmm, i dunno, looked kinda rough to me. I wonder if any of the tour guides have ever left Cuba, because they didn't seem to hide the rough parts.

"Thee mountenzzzz".

Royal palms!

We finally arrived in Havana. This is looking across the bay - there were walls and forts on both sides.

The tour i was on was of the Old Havana, which is very old. The central area, nearest the port, is from the 1500, 1600 and 1700s!

The port building.

St Francis of Assisi square and church.

I didn't hear who this guy was - i know he died very recently, and was a famous carriage rider, or something. Apparently it's good luck to touch his beard and finger.

People dressed in traditonal costume, hoping to get tips for posing with people (or sell flowers).

We walked away from the main square, through the streets>

Finally, a picture of George!

There were many monuments.

We see George being his very enthusiastic self. Here he's describing how Enrest Hemingway stayed at this hotel a lot.

The lift Hemingway used, ha ha.

Photos of Hemingway, and his signature.

Down the street was this crazy very old apothecary (though it was still open fro business annd sold drugs).

This is maybe one tenth of the walls of jars of medicnes.

An old scale.

An old Cuban.

Modern meets old - i think this is a university.

This is odd - the building on the left is reverse painted on the right (although, oddly, higher), withrandom famous people at the bottom.

The St Christopher cathedral, at the head of another square.

A composite of various shots around the square. If i'd been smarter, i would've stayed in the centre, and made sure the settings were the same for each shot.

Inside the cathedral.

My wrist band from the hotel - so people at the resort knew to allow me to eat and drink for free, ha ha.

A couple of officers. I saw a few military people too, with big guns. Overall, i felt very safe in Cuba.

Part of the old wall, knocked down as the city expanded, and pirates and other attackers disappeared.

Another old fort.

Another square, with lots of people selling books.

We stayed in this hotel a bit, while George went to get the bus - i suspect there's a kickback from the hotel, to sell us drinks, ha ha.

A close up on the way to the bus, looking across the bay, to the famous Christ f Havana statue.

You can see statue on the left. You can also see one of the old cars for which Cuba is famous. I'm back inside the bus.

The walls and fortress across the bay.

Museum of the Revolution (formerly the Presidential Palace).

Uh huh!

Now we went to a newer section of Havana, from the 1800s, so the buildings are a little more familiar to someone from Toronto.

A great place to stage a coup from!

A big composite shot.

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The Capitol building (formerly the legislature, now the Ministry of Sciences), and the Great Theatre.

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Statues from the Great Theatre.

More old cars. Some are in great shape.

Back on the bus. More about the photographer, ha ha.

A composite - while the heart of the old city was beautiful, other parts looked pretty run down and dirty (although free of graffiti and garbage).

Run-down sports stadium. We're on our way to some restaurant, way out of the way.

-
The kickback cafe, ha ha ha. We had 'creole' food (Cuban creole, not New Orleans), which wasn't spicy. I had the chicken and rice/beans. SOmetimes the meat in Cuba was a little over-cooked. But that is better than being undercooked. A stray cat (looking rather healthy), came by to beg food.

We passed by the Christopher Columbus Cemetary, where there over 800,000 people 'buried'. Only the famous remain in their graves - after a few years, others are taken and put into boxes (short on space - though it goes on forever).

The Ministry of Culture building.

We stopped at some cigar shop in the middle of nowhere. Nothing to see in it, just selling cigars. There was a parking area nearby which was well-protected along its fence, ha ha.

We went back to the old city, to the markets, people selling art, crafts, and knickknacks. There were a little aggressive, and some guy stopped me and started talking about Canada and shoes - i couldn't understand him, and was waiting for him to tell me what he was really after (maybe he wanted my Converse?), unti a cop shooed him away.

Cannons from the old wall.

I saw these odd little taxis all over.

Try it without sun in my eyes.

Some looked really neat, but i figured it would probably break in my luggage, and gather dust at home.

Cutting up a coconut to drink from.

Okay, certain kinds of safety aren't a big deal, ha ha - this is an old traffic sign chopped down.

We got on the bus for the drive home, and drove along the opposite walls to look across at the skyline.

The Havana-Matanzas-Varadero area has oil wells (for fuel, not plastic), and when ou passed the natural gas areas, it stank.

Passing by some little places on the drive home.

The mountains in the fading light (through a bus window).

I'd made a reservation at the 'creole restaurant' at the resort for 7, and the tour should've been back by 6 - ha ha. It was only a little late. During the day, it's just part of the outdoor lunch area (they did barbecue, so that's where i had lunch on Wednesday and Thursday).

The main meal was brought to your table, but the soup, salads and such were buffet. It was okay - same creole rice, and i have no idea what part of the cow the steak came from, but it was good.

When i got back to my room, the maid had folded the towel into a ship (when i first got there, it was a heart). And, she left a note.

Ha ha, i thought this was hilarious. I'm not sure why she told me Wednesday was her day off - not to tip the next maid? Off to the bar.

Wednesday, i got up at 6 to go out and take some photos (actually i'd woken up at 5 anyway, after falling asleep at 10:30).

My room from the opposite side (room with lights on).

The beach at 6:30.

After breakfast, i sat in front of the pool and drew for 3 hours. It was later i discovered the part of my neck and right forearm not covered by sunscreen. When eating lunch in the BBQ area ("Ranchon"), this bird was chirping a lot. Kinda boring to look at, just a blackbird, but a prettier voice. There was very little in the way of bugs, and most of the wildlife i saw looked the same - little finches, mourning doves, gulls. On the drive from the airport, i saw a lot of seabirds (pelicans, herons?), and very skinny cows and horses. There were also a lot of horses and goats along roads, eating grass.

A late afternoon visit to the beach.

I went in for a swim, but i failed to notice the red flag. After chatting a bit with the lifeguard, he got me to bring him some food - hope i didn't break any rules, ha ha. The water at the beach was always pretty rough, and there was always a lot of wind. The temps were between 18 and 25 C. It got a little cool for swimming Wednesday and Thursday if the sun went behind clouds, but was never too cool for shorts, even at night.

The path from the beach to the resort.

Okay, finally, some real native life. They were hiding away from all the people, and came out on rocks to warm themselves.

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<lj-cut text="Many Cuba pics">

Wednesday night i had supper at the Mexican restaurant - i had to make the reseration on Monday night. The food was very good though!

After dinner, uhh.. to the bar for drinks and internets.

Thursday morning.

My final day - the pool opened at 10, and i had to be out of my room at 12, so swimming.

A composite of the whole beach.

The designated beach stray dog.

A composite from my room before checking out.

I mainly waited in the lobby, and drew some more, and did some final internets. The dancers came in for 3 minutes and tried to get people excited.

The internet area at the back there. Someone told me i had nice eyes - unfortunately, it was a hotel clerk when i was buying an internet pass, ha ha. I think he was just aiming for a tip.

Cute tall girl - at first i wondered if the guy she was with was her older boyfriend, but she was too young for alcohol, ha ha.

Okay, last time in the bar, getting my last drink (using all my coins for tipping - i was a good tipper, and got good service), before the bus picked us up.

Ugh, what's worse than 3 hours in a Canadian airport? 3 hours in a Cuban resort, where smoking was allowed - i was literally queasy getting on the plane from all the smole. I blame the asshole Canadians (since most of the travellers were Canadian) - they lit up around kids, and even babies in strollers. This is why smoking has been banned in most places in Canada. Laughably, there were designated smoking areas (not that the air, or anyone else, cared).

How safe is Cuba? That's cash lying beside the register, Canadian money. And the Cuban money was in an open box, not the register. On the other hand, i'm blaming the sandwich i bought there for my current digestive concerns, ha ha.

The flight (Sister of the Travelling Pants 2?! AUGH! and i didn't even get earphones) got back just before 2, and i was home by 3:30, and very tired the next day.

Sunday, March 1st, 2009 11:10 pm: The Friday Five

The Friday Five for February 27, 2009

Chocolate!

1. What tastes best covered in chocolate?
Caramel.
2. Why do you eat chocolate the way you do (or don't)?
It kinda makes me sick. Not the flavour, just eating, i almost want to throw it up right away. This started in the past 5 years or so.
3. Do you know how chocolate is made?
More or less?
4. If you knew you would live 5 years longer if you never ate any chocolate again, would you give it up?
Sure.
5. Have you ever had carob?
Yep, caron ice cream - it was good.

There was no Friday Five for February 20th.

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 12:32 am: The Good, The Bad And The Ukiyo-E

So i've been meaning to draw these photos i took last summer, and took them to Cuba. Unfortunately, i'm rusty, and many were not my best. Here they all anyway. Apologies!

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Sorry, ha ha!

Sorry!

Okay, i'm really having issues drawing faces, lol.

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I liked this one.

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Gah!

I liked this.

Sorry again!

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I've been intending to buy a ukiyo-e print for a while. There were some that were pretty reasonable, so i bought a couple.

Illustration from the novel Aki No Tabi, by Toshikata Mizuno, 1907.

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Nuthatch On Bamboo by Sugakado, late 1800s.

Saturday, March 7th, 2009 08:32 am: The Friday Five

The Friday Five for March 6th, 2009

What would you do?

1. If your car/bike is wrecked (if your mass transit service goes belly-up), do you know what you would do to replace it, perhaps even have the car or bike you want already picked out?
Well, i'd go looking for a new car. Probably a Honda, again. I wish they had the Civic hatchbacks in Canada.
2. A client/friend gives you a lottery ticket, which wins you a prize worth (after taxes) ten times as much money as you earned/received last year. What will you do with it?
Well, no taxes on lottery winnings in Canada. I'd buy a house. Nyahh!.
3. Fight or flee?
Depends on the circumstances, but discretion is the better part of valour.
4. Someone performs a random act of kindness that is exactly what you need on a bad day. If you wish to pay them back, would you write a poem, bake, buy something, or what?
I do the same. It's not a debt to be repaid, but ongoing kindness. But thanks is good.
5. Your manager commands you to pick a charity to contribute to. Do you resist? If not, which charity would be your first choice?
Yes, it's none of his business to tell me what charities to contribute to. Besides, the union would raise a hellstorm on his head.

Saturday, March 7th, 2009 09:40 am: bendy and physio

Sunday i went over to my sister's place for supper - it was a good-bye dinner for one of my niece's (brother's daughter), who's going to BC to live. My Dad had been feeling too sick to go, though he's feeling much better now.

I hope i had my last physio - my leg was feeling good, until physio, lol. The break in Cuba was good for that. Also, i think sleep is an issue (i got more in Cuba than here). I had massage therapy Wednesday - that was good. Pilates was challenging this week, ha ha. Also did yoga - my instructor is going to Cuba herself end of the month.

Wings and cider on Wednesday with the gang - oh, i also saw Coraline again, with Matt and Angelina. My *kof* tenth time.

I got a new Coraline bendy last week, but it's taken me a while to photograph it. I noticed Amazon in the US has a lot more Coraline toys than we have here, and they can't be shipped here. I wonder what the issue is.

Saturday, March 7th, 2009 09:41 am: Who Watches The Watchmen?

Yesterday i saw Watchmen. It's pretty faithful to the book, except at the end, which i think actually works better than the original ending. It's got its problems - it's pretty darn slow sometimes, though the action is exciting, and while for the most part the casting seems perfect, the guy who played Ozymandias was all wrong - he seemed creepy rather than a heroic golden boy. But overall, i enjoyed it, though i don't think it's great.

"That's what they're saying about me now? That I'm paranoid?" Not paranoid enough, as it turns out.

"The world will look up and shout 'Save us!'... And I'll whisper 'No.' "

Sunday, March 8th, 2009 11:33 pm: Oscar Animated Shorts

On Saturday i saw The Oscar Nominated Shorts Films 2009 - Animated at the Bloor Cinema. It included all 5 nominated shorts, plus handful of others.

Nominees:

Lavatory - Lovestory (Russia, 10 min) Finding love in a men's washroom (seriously, you have to pay the attendant at Russian public washrooms? whatever happened to communism?). Funny, sweet! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajLrFugsdMw

Oktapodi (France, 3 min) About a pair of lovestruck octopuses, separated at the deli counter. Fast and funny! I loved the style of the set and the rendering. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyuqtOuljSw

Le Maison en Petits Cubes (winner, Japan, 12 min) About an old man who lives in a submerged town - as the water rises, he's forced to add additional levels on to his home with bricks in order to stay dry. One day he dives down to retrieve his pipe - as he moves downwards through the different stories of his home, he relives scenes from his life. Sentimental and a little sad.
(part 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEUZCmh-sfg
(part 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G6ulLnMbcA

This Way Up (UK, 9 min) The story of two undertakers trying to deliver a body to a graveyard. Funny - not as good as Oktapodi, but a great domino/butterfly effect set up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrGvv-5_G1

Presto (USA, 5 min) Pixar's great short from Wall-E, the battle between rabbit and magician.

"Commended Films":

Varmints (UK, 24 min) Beautiful to look at, but i found it very slow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJQ4RTo6hRg (sample)

John and Karen (UK, 5 min) A lover's quarrel, between a polar bear and a penguin. Funny - i saw this in Ottawa.

Gopher Broke (USA, 4 min). A gopher gets frustrated trying to steal produce from passing trucks. Funny, cute. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2EoM3Jzoaw

Skhizein (France, 14 min). A man gets hit by a meteorite, and he is literally beside himself, by 91 centimetres. Funny - although i'm not sure if it's meant to represent mental illness, in which case i guess it's not funny.

Hot Dog ( USA, 6 min). A typical Bill Plympton cartoon about a dog that wants to become a fire fighting dog. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWw-9L87fSk (part).

Sunday, March 8th, 2009 11:52 pm: movies, foods, weather

I wandered around Bloor and Bathurst before the movie. Couldn't find a decent place to eat (tried Future Bakery, Montreal Delicatessen, By The Way Cafe), ended up at Acme Burger. Looked around The Beguiling and Labyrinth, but didn't buy anything.

I went to Lisa and Russ's for supper (kitchen sink pasta). After we dropped the girls off, the three of us saw Coraline (ahem).

Today, i saw the 11 am showing of Watchmen (with egg mcmuffin in knapsack). After, i went to Pacific Mall for some dumplings, and half-assed look for some Coraline collectibles.

The weather has been mild, but rainy. It was very easy to adjust to last night's time change.

Sunday, March 15th, 2009 07:02 pm: The Friday Five

The Friday Five for March 13th, 2009

Luck

1. Do you believe in good and/or bad luck?
Not really, i think reality is fairly random.
2. Do you believe there is one man/woman luckier than all the rest?
Sure, there's always someone on one end of the randomness curve.
3. When was the last time you considered yourself lucky?
In general terms, i guess i'm luckier than most people on the planet.
4. What is the most unlucky thing to ever happen to you?
I really haven't had a whole lot of awful - having my car struck in an accident after visiting my Mom in the hospital as we found she was dying of cancer was not a good day.
5. Where do you think luck (good or bad) comes from?
The superposition of particles.

Sunday, March 15th, 2009 07:24 pm: Romeo & Juliet

I did the Monday yoga class for the first time this past week - it was before my massage therapy appointment, and my therapist was quite impressed at how it opened up my muscles for her - she also opened another appointment for me, as it's very difficult to get appointments.

The pilates class on Tuesday has been getting tough - last week's was good, i could feel it in my abdominal muscles, but this week it felt hard on my joints, and right now my right gluteus is hurting.

Tuesday evening i went with Emma to the ballet. We had supper at the Queen Mother - we both had the 'classic steak frites' (topped with a mushroom and sundried tomato compound butter, served with garlic frites and roasted shallots), she had a martini and i had a cider.

The pre-show talk was by famous, now-retired Rex Harrington, who had some funny anecdotes. The ballet we saw was Romeo & Juliet (the dress rehearsal), one he'd often performed. It was okay - very romantic, but short on actual dancing (a lot of running around to service the story).

After Thursday yoga, i was eating my soup and bread (something i often do after ballet, finding other food a bit heavy), and bit down and broke a tooth (big back molar). Actually, at first, i thought there was something in the bread. Ugh! The soonest appointment i could get was for Monday, so it's been cutting up my tongue, and i've been eating on just the one side, which has been kinda frustrating.

Sunday, March 15th, 2009 08:06 pm: One Week

The weather was cold most of the week. I missed a great photo opportunity on Friday morning - the fields were glowing, because the rain from the night before had frozen, but the sun was shining (around 9 am). I went into work on Friday (unusual) to get caught up on some marking, and help a student with a project. The weather is definitely nicer now (almost spring-like)

I left around 12:45, grabbed a burger at Licks, which i snuck into the AMC.

The movie i saw was One Week, which is a Canadian movie about a young man, about to be married, when he gets diagnosed with a deadly cancer (only 10% chance of survival). He decides to buy a motorbike, and travel across Canada. Party it's because he just wants to run away from the diagnosis and treatment, but he'd been spying the bike a while (his wife-to-be, and actuary, disapproves), and he is rebelling against the constraints life has imposed on him (what happened to all his dreams). It's filled with Canadian music, and Canadian references (from Canadian Tire, to Roll Up The Rim To Win, to the Stanley Cup).

It's almost too much, although maybe that's because we're not used to seeing Canada treated this way (while seeing America like this on a very regular basis). I really liked the narrator, who was able to contextualize and balance many of the events and feelings (so he often spoke about what Ben was thinking), especially when jumping to events in Ben's past. In fact, there were a few times when i'd wished the narrator had said instead of a character speaking. It had a sense of humour, despite the grimness of Ben's situation, and a real heart, despite the quirkiness overload. Definitely worth seeing.

His fiancee is a babe.

He actually looks kinda nerdy on his bike (you'd never see that in a Hollywood version).

I'm not sure i'd take Gord Downie's advice - he used to be a big rock star, and now he's running a crappy motel.

He took a ton of photos along the way, including anything unnaturally big.

I'd get lost in Jasper too, if Emm Gryner would rescue me.

I met up with some third years (Ginny's birthday) to play some bowling and dinner at Shoeless Joe's.

Sunday, March 15th, 2009 09:53 pm: East, Watchmen, Coraline

Saturday was a bit of a run around in the morning - first i'd grabbed my camera to see if i could catch the same light i'd missed on Friday (no). Then, i went to The Shwa to check out the new H&M - i did buy some new pants. Stopped at Shoppers to quickly pick up a Globe, lotto and skin lotion - ugh, ever since they started selling groceries, the line-ups have gotten awful, i didn't even bother with the lotto.

I made it into the city just at 11. Amazingly, East was open, so, i had...

... the sesame ginger salad (romaine lettuce, baby greens in a sesame ginger vinaigrette),

...spring rolls (ground chicken, taro, shiitake mushrooms and mixed vegetables),

... Japanese udon 'street noodle' soup (chicken, in chicken broth with bean sprouts). Didn't have enough time to actually finish the last one.

I also started feeling a little crappy - was it something in the springrollini (alizé sunset passion and skyy vodka)? I think it's the ice in the drink.

Anyway, i had come to see the IMAX version of Watchmen. I'm still trying to figure out my reaction. Afterward, i bought a copy of the graphic novel (rather than digging out my originals), and decided that i think the movie is an improvement in almost everywhere - far less talky, less sidetracking. The characters came alive in the movie in a way they never do (for me) in Alan Moore's work (the exception being Swamp Thing). So, i think it's just the ending, which i just think doesn't make sense in either book or movie - it seems to me a pretty lame solution, that is, Adrian Veidt's plan. Alan Moore makes it happen, but i think peace breaking out under those circumstances is just so unlikely. And is that really the best a genius can come up with?

I also bought Coraline - A Visual Companion, about the book and the making of the movie - nice.

The evening was spent surfing and laundry and reading.

Sunday, March 15th, 2009 09:54 pm: Pontypool

I took a manga (read 2/3 of the day before) and Coraline - A Visual Companion with me this morning. I'd scanned Coraline a bit early, and i heard a song on the way that gave me an idea, so when i got to the restaurant, i started writing this story idea down. I got the lunch trio (chicken soup, club sandwich, salad), which i hadn't had in years. I'm sure the story will go nowhere, lol. I also did a little rough sketching for a character for school (inspired by the book).

The movie i saw was Pontypool, which is an interesting take on the zombie idea (and another Canadian movie). For the most part it takes place inside a tiny small town radio station (in fact, Pontypool is a village even too small for a church basement radio, about 28 km from where i live), where they are the epicentre of some kind of outbreak. There's not a lot of gore, so it's more about the fear of not knowing what's going on that makes it work.They're trapped in a basement, so they really have no idea what's going on, their reports coming from their 'sunshine copter' traffic reporter (who actually reports from his car), and when the BBC calls and asks about the French-Canadian soldiers, they really don't know what's happening at all. What makes it really different is the nature of the outbreak - it seems to be viral, but an infection of words, not microbes.

Kill is kiss.

Shut up or die!

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009 10:21 pm: The Friday Five

The Friday Five for March 20th, 2009

Stranded!
It's the "stranded on a desert island" question! You can only take one thing from each category. What is it and why are you taking it?

1. A food that can be planted and regrown.
Hamburgers.
2. A person you haven't seen in a long time.
My Mom?
3. A book you (were) read as a child.
Greek mythology book?
4. A celebrity.
I dunno - maybe Natalie Portman? Smart, pretty, younger than me? lol
5. The entire episode run of a television show (it's a very nice desert island).
I have no idea - all i need is the first 6 seasons of the simpsons, lol.

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009 11:50 pm: Just one of the girls...

I had a lot of assignments come due this week, and i'm kind of behind on marking - at least, behind for me - and this week didn't give me a lot of opportunity. Other things kept occupying my time (especially trying to convince some students they need to delete their crap from the server).

Monday was my dentist appointment. They fixed my tooth without freezing, which is good, because the freezing is pretty tough on you. They also did a cleaning, which is the part that hurt.

Did my pilates on Tuesday, and yoga on Monday and Wednesday. Did massage therapy Friday morning. I was gonna mark Friday afternoon, but my therapist said not to sit at the computer, so i went to see a movie. I did do some marking after, because i was meeting some students.

Wednesday, i went out with the 3rd students, and a bunch of last years grads were there. Actually, only some of the 3rd years, as some are party poopers, and there's been a conflict because of a stolen thing. Ugh!

Most of the Games girls went out Friday night after school, and for some reason, i was invited, lol. We actually had a lot of fun. The first place we went to was a campus pub, but there was no space, so we went to another pub, and i drove a bunch of them over. Oh god, always have at least two together, lol. Actually, i said that to them, and one joked, "That's right, you can't catch both of us." Ha ha. After, a couple went home, and the rest invited me over to drink in their res. Uh, okay, i had to draw the line there, lol. Where were they when i was a student? Don't say not born yet.

A montage from Friday night. Me in the car, the girls brandishing their rotting apple. Then, around the table. Lower right, you can exercise doesn't seem to be helping a whole lot, and my eyes are of course closed, lol.

Painting my wings with ranch sauce. It was the perfect carrot, cuz the tip was flexible, lol.

Saturday night, i got together with some grads from last year and some 3rd years, for Ryan C's birthday, at Swiss Chalet (the only place Ryan can see). Fun. No photos, it seems.

Found out my sister has a cyst on her ovary, and it will be operated on (i.e. ovary removed).

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009 11:54 pm: I Love You, Man

Friday afternoon, i saw I Love You Man, about a guy (Paul Rudd) who's about to get married, and realizes he has no friend to be a best man. So he goes on a series of 'man-dates' to find himself a friend. His new BFF (Jason Segel) isn't the stereotypical macho man, but he is the id to Paul Rudd's superego. I like that he was still thoughtful and soft-spoken (most of the time), and not just some lunkhead - he actually wants to talk about feelings, ha ha. Anyway, the movie is very funny.

He drives a vespa - that ain't exactly macho, lol.

Now this guy is the macho a-hole.

RUN!

Monday, March 23rd, 2009 12:05 am: Duplicity, or is that Triplicity?

Saturday i saw the movie Duplicity, with Clive Owen and Julia Roberts. It's billed as a 'thriller', but it's really more of a comedy caper, kind of like Oceans Eleven, with a love story angle thrown in. It's an aptly named movie, because we never really know what's going on at any one time, and who is betraying whom. It was funny and exciting.

I loved the slow motion punch up between these two corporate execs.

Thursday, March 26th, 2009 09:15 pm: McMichael Collection Winter 2009 Exhibits (Karsh, War Art)

On Sunday, i went to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection to see their current exhibitions.

The first one was Yousuf Karsh: Industrial Images, "a culmination of Karsh’s industrial and commercial work with the Ford Motor Company of Canada, Atlas Steel in Welland, Ontario, and Sharon Steel in Pennsylvania, and a variety of other commercial images." Yousuf is one of the the world's most famous photographers, and lived most of his life in Canada - his studio was in Ottawa.

The next show was "Karshed": Yousuf Karsh Selected Portraits.

Perhaps the single most famous portrait photo in history, and one that really made Karsh's career. You ought to know who this is.

Einstein of course - his eyes have starred in many CG anthropomorphic characters, lol.

Picasso.

Painter Georgia O'Keefe.

The next show was A Brush with War: Military Art from Korea to Afghanistan, which "...includes artworks dating from 1947 to 2008. In particular, it explores the two military art programs that started more than twenty years after the Second World War, the Canadian Armed Forces Civilian Artists Program (1968–1995) and the Canadian Forces Artists Program (2001– present)."

Harder to find good pics of these, so i had to capture from the gallery press package.

The last exhibit was The Arctic Image, which "...examines Canada’s north from two distinct artistic perspectives: the Inuit people who lived there for generations, and those who came much later and experienced it as an unknown environment."

I enjoyed all the exhibits, although i must say i enjoyed the Karsh work the most.

Thursday, March 26th, 2009 09:23 pm: McMichael Gallery Trail

When i first got to the gallery, i took a few shots from the parking lot area, looking into the Humber valley. After i went through the shows, i decided to walk the trail around the gallery building.

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From the parking lot.

This is actually from inside the building.

A composite shot.

Behind the building - i thought it looked like a torii. Hey! It's sunny out now.

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<lj-cut text="McMichael Gallery Trail pics">

Looking down on an alternate trail.

From the other side.

Oh great - how to destroy the impact of an inukshuk, fence it in. But who can blame them - it has signs on it like 'do not climb'. Urgh.

Looking down the trail into the valley.

Pines.

This little thing is visible in the shot below.

Further down, looking back up.

Another odd structure.

I walked the red trail. Thanks for the 'you are here' marker (which is supposed to be there). I started on the right, where the yellow and red meet. There's a Trail Cafe? And why does it look so enormous compared to the gallery?

Danger! High water! Really? Ha ha.

I walked off the trail - whaddya know, there is water, in solid form.

Looking back to the trail. By the way, it's a little muddy in places.

I have no idea what kind of plant this is (well, i assume it's a kind of grass), but up close it looks like bamboo.

A part of the Humber, looking eastish.

Looking westish.

Looking down into the dirty blocks of ice, dirt and branches.

Duck.

Whoa! I hadn't noticed that when i was standing on the edge. All that ice collapsed that.

From further along the trail, looking back to where i'd been standing.

Ugh! The path in front of me is so muddy.

Then again, i've already started, and it's muddy behind me, and longer around.

URGH!

Nice...

Clumps were sticking to my boots. Hard to believe i went clothes shopping at Yorkdale Mall after this, ha ha.

Lovely sign, lol.

Finally rising again.

The far end of the gallery (which is like a series of large cabins stuck together).

Thursday, March 26th, 2009 10:34 pm: Today in Science

Tianyulong confuciusi - Feathered Plant-eating Dinosaur With Feathers (reconstruction)
http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/03/tianyulong_-_a_fuzzy_dinosaur_that_makes_the_origin_of_feath.php

While dinosaurs with feathers or proto-feathers isn't exactly news (all of the velociraptor style dinos, close relatives of bird, likely had them), this (a heterodontosaurid) isn't a close relative of those kinds, but a plant-eating dinosaur, distantly related. Which likely means all dinosaurs had feathers or proto-feathers. It's also the oldest dinosaur found with them. I also think it's likely the common ancestor of dinosaurs and birds had them, and that they are homologous with pterosaur 'hair'.

a, Main slab of the holotype (STMN 26-3). b, Broken slab. The scale bar in b refers also to a. c, Close-up of skull and mandible. d, Interpretive drawing of skull and mandible. e, Close-up of dentition. Abbreviations: a, angular; aof, antorbital fossa; ca, caudal vertebrae; cv, cervical vertebrae; d, dentary; dv, dorsal vertebrae; emf, external mandibular fenestra; en, external naris; f, femur; h, humerus; isc, ischium; j, jugal; l, lacrimal; m, maxilla; n, nasal; pd, predentary; pf, prefrontal; pm, premaxilla; po, postorbital; pub, pubis; q, quadrate; qj, quadratojugal; scaco, scapulocoracoid; sa, surangular; tf, tibia and fibula.

Pink Elephant
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7951331.stm

A baby pink (i.e. albino) elephant caught on camera in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, Africa.

Etc.

Okay, i couldn't stack that many pills if i tried.

Saturday, March 28th, 2009 08:08 am: The Friday Five

The Friday Five for March 27th, 2009

1. Would you return to high school life for a week? Why or why not? (If you're currently in high school, would you redo your experiences so far?).
Just a week? That's a short time to try to get laid.
2. Who were/are you in high school.
Same as i am now, except skinnier, spazzier, with even less self-esteem.
3. What was/is your favorite high school hangout? What did/do you do there.
Home, i guess - i didn't really hang out.
4. What were/are your favorite three songs in high school.
I wasn't really into music back then. Buh!
5. What was the craziest thing you did in high school.
I don't think i did anything crazy. I collected comics, watched Star Trek, and moped over girls who weren't interested, Things don't change much, lol.

Saturday, March 28th, 2009 08:29 am: "I love it when nights are about me."

Starting to get caught up on marking. Did my three fitness classes this week (2 yoga, 1 pilates (which is getting tougher, lol)).

Monday i went in to the city to meet up with Angela. We had dinner at the Wellington Pub, then dessert at Le Select (usually she doesn't get an evening off, but she had some training early, so was able to leave early).

Wednesday i met up with Kay for lunch, who is back in the area from BC because her Mom has cancer (unfortunate reason). I knew she didn't realize it was my birthday when she asked for separate bills, lol.

After school, a bunch of us (Matt, Miah, Angelina and i) went to see I Love You Man - i was the only one who liked it - maybe because i identify somewhat with Paul Rudd's character a bit. Then we went to Fitzpatricks, with Chris, Emma and John, and then Jack Astors when it died.

"I'm gonna shove that camera..."

"You will forget this ever happened."

"Look at the juiceness."

"I love it when nights are about me."

When i got home, i replied to about 75 Facebook birthday messages.

Saturday, March 28th, 2009 09:32 am: Japanese Dolls exhibit

On Friday, Mo and i checked out an exhibit of Japanese Dolls put on by the Japan Foundation in the Mississauga Civic Centre and Central Library, and looked at the little Art Gallery in the Civic Centre. The dolls are a traditional craft, kept alive especially by the Hina Matsuri (girl's doll festival), and feature popular folk tale and historic characters.

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Sunday, March 29th, 2009 06:58 pm: SuUuUuUuUuUusannnnn!

Friday afternoon, after the Dolls exhibit, we stopped in TO to see a movie at IMAX - after we had lunch at Jules Bistro.

The movie we saw, also in 3D, was Monsters Vs Aliens. The trailer is a little misleading about how the story is set up. In fact, Susan the '50 foot woman' is the main character, and the other monsters are her 'wacky buddies', and their stories aren't explored that much. I was a little disappointed in the story - i was expecting a little more from the concept. That being said, it's pretty funny, lots of gags, and worth seeing.

There is something about Dreamworks designs that i just don't like. The non-human characters are usually fine, but there's a ugliness to most of the human characters (aside from Susan) that i just can't define. There's also some disconnect between how they're modelled and rigged, and how they're animated. Like the bodies look very human, but they behave in a very rubbery way - while their faces are the opposite.

This battle was pretty well done - the action highlight of the movie.

Is it wrong if i said Susan was kinda hot, especially in her alien bodysuit? lol.

Sunday, March 29th, 2009 07:55 pm: Cinema Kabuki

Saturday afternoon i saw Dojoji - A Lover's Duet, a kabuki dance performance, recorded live at Kabuki-za Theatre, Tokyo, 2006 (subtitled in English, with useful info too), at the Scotiabank Cinema. It was my first experience with kabuki - there were two other shows (one a 'domestic comedy', the other a 'Japanese Robin Hood'), but their times were inconvenient.

"Tamasaburo, one of Japan's most renowned dancers, and rising star Kikunosuke created elegant mirror images to underscore the beauty and eroticism of one soul divided by the sacred and the profane. Abandoning the sacred path has transformed a beautiful young woman into a serpent. Dancing at a dedication ceremony for a temple bell, the woman/serpent rediscovers her higher self. Following Kabuki tradition, both of the dancers are men."

My yoga experience says that is hard to do, lol.

Actually, my understanding about the story is: a young woman falls in love with a young priest, he flees, hiding in a temple bell, in her rage she turns into a serpent-demon, heats the bell, and kills him. Years later, unaware monks admit a woman to the temple grounds (despite a ban on females, specifically because of her), as the temple is attempting to raise a new bell and she attacks it (she blames the bell for causing her intended's death). It's not really heavy into the narrative - for example, one part is about emulating women from the different pleasure quarters of old Japan.

Emulating cherry blossoms with the fans.

It was interesting, and i enjoyed it, though i wish i'd seen one of the comedies, ha ha.

Afterwards, i went to Lisa and Russ's for a birthday party for me. My only cake! My Dad gave me money, but Lisa, Russ and the kids gave me my only actually presents (tickets to Sprockets, a Totoro mini-wallet-thingy, and some Russ CD compilations).