The first day...

So here we are, the first day of the new job. I'm thinking it will be great and that this team will be fun to work with even though it'll be quite a change from the last one I was on. I'm going to miss the vibe in the RAZER office for sure, but I doubt I'll have much time on my hands to think about it - this job is going to be crazy busy.

Today though, as a sweet fuck you from nature, the wind broke my scooter by knocking it over in the street. How fucking lame is that. I hope to god the damage isn't a lot because that's not in the budget so to speak. Now I have to deal with getting it looked at... fucking ass - stupid wind.

Necks, you never know how much you miss them ‘till they are gone…

So, today is day 4 of my venture into old-man-dom and I assure you it sucks ass like a rookie inmate holding a bottle of syrup. That’s right, my shoulders and neck are totally fucked right now and for some reason, they aren’t getting better. I’m not liking it in the least (surprise). But, I’ll get over it because I’m a trooper, and I won’t/can’t let it take over my life. I’ll just have to be happy moving like a robot until it goes away.

On that note, the “going away” note, I have to work my last 40 hours here at 969 with gusto. So I’m off to train my well sideburned replacement in the ways of the show. Let’s hope he’s got moxie, because I’m gonna ride him like a birthday party pony.

AMAZING NEWS, THE BLOG

A couple of exciting developments have recently emerged in my life and here they are:

1 - 2 HUMAN (now ANDROID APOCALYPSE) just aired for the first time on Movie Central in Canada. It’s bad, really bad. Please watch it and tell others to do so, but realize that it’s shit, mostly because of the talent-less script and poor direction. Also, I’m terrible in it as well, in part because of the latter.

2 – I now work for the CBC again. That’s an exciting change. I handed in my resignation to 969 on RAZER on Wednesday and I’m finishing my last week with the crew here next week and starting fresh in the concrete bunker that is the CBC in Vancouver on Monday the 11th. The show I’m moving to is called Living Vancouver and I’ll be doing segment producing in and around Vancouver. So, if you have any cool pitches for story ideas around town, please feel free to email them to me – the only catch: they must appeal to people that would be home around 1pm weekdays.

3 – You never know who reads your blog… Found that one out the hard way the other day when someone read the blog and took something the wrong way. I apologized and let them know that I’m not one to allude to people on the blog, and that if I want to talk about someone, I’ll be very specific. So if I don’t mention your name, please don’t take offence.

4 – I won SO YOU THINK YOU CAN IMPROVISE last night. It was a fun show and I’m excited to do another this Saturday. I enjoy performing regularly, it keeps my brain from wanting to scratch it’s way out of my skull. I’m also performing next week at Chivana’s on Monday night at 9 and at VTSL on Friday at 8, 10 and 11:45 – show up if you aren’t afraid.

5 – The scariest Robots ever. I just read an article from Wired news about Sobots – autonomous software robots… basically they work like this: they are a software entity like a virtual robot that can transfer it’s consciousness wirelessly from computer to computer to machines and even to the internet. Sounds strange, but it could be really useful to doctors walking through a hospital with many patients, or a scientist overseeing a huge lab project, or even some type of crazy government dictatorship that wanted to oversee every detail in a person’s life. Here’s a quote from the guy that wrote the article, in passing at the very end of it (followed by the link to the article):

“It's a project as far removed from robotic soccer as landing on the moon is from model rockets. The possible uses of this kind of system verge on science fiction, but so can its abuses. The researchers concede that in the wrong hands, sobots could be the tools of a complete surveillance regime beyond the wildest dreams of Orwell.”

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72154-0.html?tw=wn_index_3


That’s all I got for now. I’m off to punch some kittens.

The high cost of living…

Here we are, a month before xmas, and I’m already feeling the itching and burning of the financial crunch that the holidays imposes. Just traveling home to see the family that’s expecting gifts is a burden on my bank account that I’m having trouble covering, let alone the presents I’ll need to buy/make. It seems this time of year, though beautiful, is always stressful for me.

I love the idea of giving gifts and I love the smile that they produce, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to meet people’s expectations and survive the whipping my credit card company will give me. I can now see why people are pushed to the edge this time of year ‘ why crime rates go up and why people begin to panic and freak out and/or turn to the bottle to steady their nerves.

I can actually say with complete confidence though, that I'm glad I don't have to deal with having a girlfriend this time of year. It seems strange to put it that way, but it's true, I don't think I could handle the pressure of having to come up with something spectacular, meeting someone's family or feel guilty about going home for the holiday - because I live in Vancouver now. As much as I miss the warmth of a body next to me, I'm just not convinced that it would be worth it this year given my current circumstances. Especially if I was to meet someone this close to "the day".

Perhaps maybe I’ll stumble into something come January, and I’ll be able to enjoy the goodness of the holiday with someone fun and exciting, and I’ll only have to deal with the pressure of Valentines day. Thankfully, it will only be the first Valentines day in the relationship and the expectations won’t be the same as they would be the next year. They would be manageable.

So there you have it, a perfectly reasonable plan to succeed in a relationship with perfect timing. Now, I guess all I need is to find someone else in the same boat, looking for the same thing, with the same concerns’ Shouldn’t be too hard, right?

So start lining up on the 2nd of January ladies. Please have a photo and resume ready.

Sunday November 12, 2006

Daniel and Kim, family from Regina rolled into town but 6 hours ago to watch the western final of the CFL. In Daniel's words, "it's probably the best team we'll have for a while so it's worth coming out." It's the first time either have been to Vancouver and it's not necessarily the city for them. Both looked uneasy and unsure when they stepped through the automatic sliding doors of the airport's West Jet terminal to claim their small suitcase from the conveyor belt.

Though breakfast was good, and it's great to have them in town to visit, I can only assume the loss incurred by the Rough Riders (as of this writing, they stand at a 26 point loss to the Lions of British Columbia) will only serve to distract them from the beauty of this city. Unfortunately, they have arrived on a typically grey day and because of the season, they will not only miss the opportunity to see the mountains, which are currently most likely capped in fresh white snow, but will also emerge from the stadium to a barrage of catcalls (they are wearing their Rider jerseys of course) into the darkness of autumn night.

The gleaming glass towers of the downtown core will fail to inspire them and the sour taste of passion unfulfilled will double the feelings of beleaguered tiredness their 3:30 am wake up have incurred. As the host of this short visit, I feel compelled to bring these two over to the pro Vancouver agenda. I am afraid that I will be unable to fulfill these self imposed duties.

I can already tell that the low, misty grey clouds will overshadow their experience here in my new home (is it really new after 14 months?). I can only hope that a good meal of some type of traditional comfort food might be my only option to win them over. I'm not sure however that a stop at Modern Burgers for fantastic meal will do the trick. I'm willing to try though.

As for me, I'm already feeling the dreary effects of the grey winter. Like the dampness in the air, the grey seems to slowly seep it's way into my body and like the feeling of damp wool, begins to weigh and itch at the happiness I have inside. I have decided to make a concentrated effort this year to eliminate that feeling and force myself to bear the cold and dreary weather like a badge of honour. Resolute I stand under this drapery of cumulous, preparing for the inevitable erosion.

These are the times that I miss home. I miss the comfort of friends dear and I miss my mother's smile. I miss the tender touch of lovers past and I miss the crisp biting cold that I am used to defending myself against.

So to all those Rider fans out there that have suffered a loss that will echo for seasons to come. I say, Go Riders, Go. And though I don't care for your sport, nor it's entrapping fanaticism, I will empathize with your battle, standing tall in the bleak and cold future. We will endure. The promise of spring is always in the air.

Go Riders, Go.