Richmond Night Market

Well, last night I went to the Richmond Night market and I've got some sweet pics to show you all. Check them out here on my site

I also had the chance to go to see a film:



It was infuriating, and frustrating. I hate people that are only interested in making money, even if it impacts everyone's health, the environment and global culture. I hate it even more when it's disguised as a way or preserving a way of life that was established in the 1950s. But heye, what can you do.

Then I went to City TV's Taste of the City. It was so crazy packed with people that it would take over 20 minutes in line to get one food sample. It was unbearable. So I took off and headed home.

Otherwise not much of big day. I hope tomorrow is more exciting.

Long time, no blog

So here is the blog you have all been waiting for…


It’s been a long week full of image doctoring and such. But, I’m pretty much done all the hard work on the RAZER photobooks. You can check them out here . I took all the images in the cast section and the individual people’s photobooks. I am really proud of some of the pictures – they look pretty good.

Also, I had a chance to see some movies this week, here they are with a 1 sentence review:




Michael Mann knows what he is doing, and if you are like me and you thought COLATERAL was pompous, you’ll love MIAMI VICE because his artful direction actually clicks 100% in this film – go and see it, it’s not anything like the TV series.






If you watched the TV series, and you enjoyed it like I did, you will really enjoy the film – Amy and I laughed our asses off.





If you want to see Woody Allen drag Scarlet Johansen into a 2 hour vaudeville routine of tired jokes, then this is your kind of film – though I may still love her.



If you want to know more, please ask. I’ll tell you more.

Also, I found this link on the CBC site to be very exciting as well:






Low-fat, vegan diet hailed for Type 2 diabetes


Last Updated Thu, 27 Jul 2006 21:18:46 EDT CBC News

Researchers in Canada and the United States said Thursday that people with Type 2 diabetes taking oral medications have seen dramatic improvements after switching to a low-fat, vegan diet.


I think it goes well with this story:




Officials unfazed by U.S. delay over new mad cow case


Officials in Canada and the U.S. downplayed the significance of an announcement by the U.S. Agriculture Department on Friday that recent cases of mad cow disease in Alberta have halted American plans for a major increase in Canadian beef and cattle imports.

I also think it goes well with this story:




The next pandemic?


H5N1. A string of numbers and letters that has the World Health Organization deeply concerned.



I’m done preaching. I’m going to watch the end of Jaws now and it will terrify me just like it did when I was a kid. Thanks for the cinematic treat CBC.

Go Riders

Well, this weekend has been exciting. It started with the wedding of two quality people, friends from the days of camp. One of which is probably the most level-headed and model people I know. He’s the kind of guy I would trust to make decisions that are difficult for everyone’s good.

The wedding was on Friday night – unusual for such an occasion, but they are definitely not your run of the mill couple. The whole night was great – sunset on wascana lake, a live band and a plain old good time. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I even danced – which I usually avoid at all costs. I should also mention that I won one of many medals for my laughable rhythmic talents.

I feel quite refreshed now that I’m back. I have slept well, except for the futon I’m on, and I have enjoyed the grassy air out here on the prairies. I miss that smell, but don’t miss the terrible tap water – blech.



I saw CLERKS 2 this morning and it was pretty much what I expected. More Kevin Smith claptrap. It had moments of comedy, but it was strung together with poorly conceived and disappointing plot points. One of which actually involved Dante admitting g to the girl he liked that he couldn’t dance and then falling in love with her when she teaches him. LAME. It was bad.



Then I went to a Rider game with Jayden. I was excited to go, even though I received the “try to actually enjoy the game” talk because of my general dislike for sporting events. You see, I like to go to the games because I like to people-watch. There is a plethora of sports-people at games (obviously) and they’re always fun to watch.

You get the full spread of people: fat losers that live vicariously through people with talent, people that are die hard fans (usually senior citizens) that are hoping to one day have their efforts rewarded with a victory, tanned bitches that are only there to hook up with tanned guys that will treat them like shit, guys that are in their early thirties that still wear their high school rings and shout stupid shit like it will make a difference and people like Jayden and I – that enjoy the observation.

Needless to say, the game was a bust, with a faint hope of victory, but as per usual, it fell through in the end. I’m sure my brother and his fiancé are wallowing right now.

Tomorrow it’s time for dinner with dad and then another plane ride. I hate airplanes, but I guess I’m stuck with them until teleportation becomes the norm. Hum.

Long time no blog.

It seems to be a pattern that when I get busy, I’m stuck without time to blog – I guess it makes sense. Right now Amy’s at my place, probably partying it up a whole bunch, ad I’m at my parent’s place while they are out camping. I’m staying here with Brother and Sister Ryan and Brienne – It’s good to be home.




I have to hook up with the Thai guy staying at my apartment in the next couple of days to go over the transition from having the place, to not. That should be an interesting conversation. I’m not looking forward to paying for a couple extra month’s rent in Regina for a place I’ll only be in for about 3.5 weeks. Oh well, thems are the breaks I guess.

I am stuck pondering what I will do with my life in both cities, I think one has to transition to the other. I wish I had more concrete news in either direction. I’d really like to be making a movie right now, but that’s a whole ball of wax. I should call my Producer and make a hang out date so I can keep pushing to get this thing made. I’d like to take some time off and do some writing – maybe in the hiatus from work.

Speaking of which, I’m done the majority of the photos I had to work on – though I still have a good chunk left. Here are the low resolution images that will be on the 969 website – the entire cast n’ crew (except Brian).

















So there you have it. Those are the picture I have been taking – yowza.

the blog where half thee blog gets fired

Wow – I just had the most insane day today. First, it started with me getting up to rain after weeks of sunshine here in Vancouver – that was a nice surprise for my scooter ride to work… And, I realized that I had my computer and my hard drive in my bag as well as my computer – perfect for the rain – and I didn’t wear my rain pants… I don’t recommend wearing jeans in the rain on a scooter. The water tends to run off your raincoat into your crotch, and you get pee crotch – very professional.



Then, I arrived today at work to my colleague’s voice saying “Hey man, we work for CTV now”. Apparently, Bell Globe Media bought CHUM Media about an hour earlier. So, as people rolled into the office, the jokes went around until it started to sink in that this was going to change a lot. Then an email from management came that said there would be a meeting that we should attend. Only 2/3rds of the building was in attendance.

When we got there, we were informed that the news cast for City TV from Vancouver no longer existed and that the people that worked in the news room were being let go in another parallel meeting. It was remarkable. There was a sense of dread and elation in the room at the same time. It was really strange. I watched the upper management break some of the most difficult news there is to people with professionalism and poise. It was such a secret until the last second - they really hid the whole thing quite well, across the country.



So, we went back to the office after a twenty-minute wait – for the former employees to gather their things and leave. I can’t imagine what it would be like to walk into work and be mass-dismissed like that. Literally, you just walk into work and there is nothing there for you. You are just told that you don’t work there any more. It’s so strange to wrap your head around it.

So, the day went on – we started to work and started to chug forward… but we ended up at Earls for lunch. There I found out after much speculation about our channel and show’s future as it is not directly related to City TV, it is a CHUM property, or rather – was, that we are being bumped onto City TV every day from 4 to 5, right between Maury Povich and Ellen. So that’s it, that’s 969’s triumphant move to basic cable – on the deathbed of the news. I hope we can fill that hole sufficiently with our pop culture and claptrap and nonsense (thanks for the description Old Man that I tried to get on the show for a segment called “ask the oldie”).



So, there we are. Out of the ashes of a fine news department comes the crest white-stripped fun-times of 969. During the remainder off the day, I took more headshots, and let the echoes of the departed employees sink in. It just reinforced the impermanence of the industry I work in – even a station can turn over one morning and the doors can be locked – nothing is stable and nothing is constant. Good luck casualties of the media bizz – I hope your severance package is good enough for you to enjoy the rest of the summer in the most beautiful city in Canada.



Also, YOU, ME AND DUPREE is lame – it’s definitely a cheap theatre film or even a renter. It’s safe and nothing special. If you like white bread, then it’s perfect for you.

I’ll post some more of the headshots I’ve been taking tomorrow – I think they look good.







Also, What the fuck is going on in the middle east right now? I hear it’s pretty fucked up. I sure wish I could flip on the TV and catch the 11 o’clock news in a couple of minutes – hmmm.

yo-ho-ho and such

Pirates lets just take a couple minutes to talk about pirates. Theyre not just a bunch of singing burlies with bad teeth and a penchant for the sea. Pirates are the kind of people you fought against on open water because you knew that if they boarded your ship and you were not able to repel them, they would torture, rape and then kill you. It was considered a better fate to take ones own life than to face the gut-spilling madness of a boat of pirates.



So, lets take a second to think about the general idea of pirates at Disneyland in the first place. Theyre not represented in any type of factual light and they grossly misrepresent the picture of the rapist-murderers of the past by representing them as a band of drunk tramps roaming the sea. So, when Disney put together the first Pirate film based on the euphemistic ride in their theme park, I was appropriately suspect of its potential. Like most, I happened to be pleasantly surprised.



The film caught me off guard. I enjoyed the pace, the characters and the over the top spectacle of the film. It was well paced and full of swashbuckling adventure. And, it was safe, relatively wholesome, family fun just like the ride. Brockheimer I give you kudos Id like to see you produce a remake of Monster. So, last weekend, when the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel, slammed into theatres with the force of Routh on a pseudo-kryptonian island, I thought to myself, how can this possibly compare to the charm of the first film?



The answer to that question is simple: almost. You see, Dead Mans Chest is simply fantastic to watch, the effects and cinematography are brilliant, and the actors are in full form, Depp is still entertaining and Kinghtly is still enchanting, but the story just seem to float no pun intended. Though I was not bored, I was not entranced like I was the first time I saw the original I even saw it in a packed and excited theatre, which usually helps heighten the overall experience.



I thought to myself, why didnt it meet my expectations? Why did it fall short. The answer is simple Spectacle. The rides just not the same the second time around. I guess theres something that lays in the singularity of the first time you experience something. I guess thats why I like improv so much. Its always about seeing something for the first time.



So, my recommendation as if anyone is going to base their decision to see the biggest blockbuster of the summer on my word anyway is to see the film. Go prepared for the ride, make the experience what it is go and see a fun movie, get a $7 popcorn and a $4 cola and sit back and strap yourself in youll enjoy yourself. One of the last shots of Johnny Depp fighting the Krakken is still burned into my mind.



Plus, the more you go and see it, the more my Hollywood Stock Exchange will climb.

Lazy Sunday Blog

Well, here’s a little gem of advice for all you people out there: don’t buy a couple young coconuts, intending to enjoy their sweet nectar, and then not drink them for 3 weeks – apparently, they go bad, and will keep you tossing and turning all night, with several horrible trips to the washroom. Yay! Now I’m pessimistic about the whole mango situation – I’ve had the two mangoes in there for a while now…




I just got back from spending the day shopping – wow do I hate shopping. I can never find anything I like and I always finish looking before everyone else, so I end up spending a lot of time waiting around for everyone else. I don’t know – I guess I just have a hard time finding things I like enough to pay for. That probably explains my poor wardrobe. I do find that I will buy things when I am in a rush – I tend to settle, not today on this lazy Sunday.



Leather jackets are too expensive to buy brand new as well – I hope I can find one that’s cheap at a consignment store of some kind. I guess I’ll have to start looking there now. Hum.



Amy’s in town, she rolled into my apartment at 10am this morning – now she’s sleeping on the couch while I have a nap. It appears that both of us did not get enough sleep. She happened by at the perfect time this morning as I was just finishing making breakfast – and it was pretty good – Aussie girl brought over some avocados and we made Mexican eggs benedict with Guacamole instead of hollandaise. It was good.



Well, I must nap now – hopefully I’ll have more later – like my review of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2 – which I saw yesterday,

Blog this Biatch!

Another long day ahead – shot listing old tapes and chugging through the day as per usual.  I’m hoping to get ahead of the game a bit. 

 

 

George Bush is on the TV right now yappin’ his trap – and it’s funny to watch him talk in circles and to have people point out his flaws – he takes these criticisms very lightly.  One reporter even asked him if his presence in Chicago was going to hurt the next republican candidates because of his low approval rating – he just stammered.  It was good to watch.

 

 

I also love him using the term “winning” when it’s used in the context of war. I’m pretty sure that no one wins in war and that his “commitment to the spread of liberty” is by no means a key to “freedom” – it’s more like a key to having McFalafels available for every Iraqi family and a “fair” share of the oil reserves going to the USA instead of China.

 

 

But I digress.

 

 

I wish Stephen Harper held more press conferences – I think he’s scared that the media will paint him like a clown too – I honestly think he’s afraid of them – he saw them crucify Stockwell Day and he’s nervous.  Think back to those pudgy photos of him in Afghanistan drinking an A&W Root Beer.  That was a low-blow and it can only get worse – especially when This hour Has 22 Minutes starts up again.  Good luck fatty.

 

 

I should get to work – but before I wade into the work world, I want to express my excitement for Pirates of the Caribbean 2 – I hope it to see it today if not tomorrow – Arrrg.