Mike Fly's Blog

The first day...

2006-12-11T20:00:00.000-08:00

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…

2006-12-04T09:53:00.001-08:00

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

2006-12-01T16:15:00.000-08:00

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…

2006-11-26T13:22:00.000-08:00

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

2006-11-12T18:38:00.000-08:00

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.

Warning, this blog is inappropriate for reading – seriously

2006-11-05T00:16:00.000-08:00

An open letter to the lame chick at the bar that decided to make fun of my hair.

In case you got so ridiculously shit-faced at the bar tonight and don’t recall the incident that provoked this letter, I’ll refresh your memory. In passing me at the bar, while dragging the less attractive friend you have undoubtedly had since high school to make yourself feel more secure about your own fleeting looks, (yes, I noticed the years of tanning have left you with premature wrinkles that you undoubtedly already hope botox will solve) you decided you interrupt my conversation with friends to let me know that you “like my hair”.

Of course, due to the noise in the bar, which has caused my ear to ring well past my retiring for the evening, I was forced to ask you to repeat your comment because it didn’t seem to make any sense. And so you did, saying the same thing again, then dragging your dumpy friend away to the dance floor to grind like a prostitute. Your comment took me aback. I didn’t understand what caused the unprovoked attack on my genetically induced fleeting hair, and I still don’t. But rest assured, I’m trying to figure it out.

I’m sure that your lack of social decorum is most likely due to your frequent attendance to the ridiculous nightclubs on Granville, where you receive much attention from cha-chi, douche bag guys that treat you more or less like a third, independent hand to lavish their genitals with. I’m sure you have had an easy life in the bar thanks to the way in which your breasts pour from your “bar” shirt, enticing losers to purchase you drinks for a moment’s worth of adoration or thanks, much in the same way a common whore uses her body to solicit cash from strangers.

I’m also sure that your sexuality has been “explored” with many near strangers that have seduced you with what ever it is that can be “discovered” within two hours of the thumping and sweaty confines of the over-sex dance floor, covered in spilled rum and diet cokes and flecks of vomit. I’m sure that the attention you receive tossing your tits around has probably lead you to believe you have some level of superiority over the males that commonly frequent the Royal. But this is where your assumption has definitely made an ass of you and me.

Yes, your jab was sharp, and your delivery was scathing – you succeeded there, but you failed to consider that in order for your comment to truly sting, you would have to have or be something I desired. You failed to understand that though there were many men at the Royal last night that would have seen you as attractive, I was most assuredly not one of them. In fact, despite the way you have decided to flaunt all the features of your toned body like they were different cuts of meat in a butcher’s window, splayed out for the public to gawk at like every other tramp there to “hook up”, you are exactly the opposite of what I find attractive.

You are the kind of woman that will rely heavily on your looks in your early years, despite perhaps even acquiring a university degree, to draw attention from men. You will see the string of one night stands and tawdry failed relationships you experience until your early thirties as fun and exciting until you realize that your beauty has faded and you really have nothing else to offer the world socially besides a complete understanding of which top 40 hits of the 2000’s offer the most opportunity to get Furgalicious and grind your crotch on a stranger’s leg.

You’ll panic and marry the next douche bag you hook up with that actually leaves his real phone number with you in the morning without realizing that you don’t have the social skills to determine that he’s actually an asshole that will probably cheat on you after you gain weight and lose your body to an unplanned pregnancy in the early years of marriage or after he’s inflicted years of emotional and verbal abuse on you and your young child, he’ll finally pop you one when you get too mouthy. After the divorce you’ll be completely unmarketable sexually as an overweight single mother and will think back onto your time in the bar as the best years of your life while your fatherless child becomes part of the next wave of douche bags that frequent the Royal – and the cycle will begin anew.

Or maybe you’ll escape this fate and discover at thirty, that your genitals have become so over sexed and under-respected by the strangers that have frequented it, that they have started to droop or scab. You’ll spend years worrying about whether or not your vulva is still attractive, contemplating which plastic surgery to begin first: your aging face, lifting your now drooping breasts, trimming the fat off your ass, or stuffing your flaccid labia back in. You’ll never be satisfied with your body because you’ll always be thinking of the power you once had as a young bar star “hottie” dancing on a speaker so gold chain wearing losers could look up your skirt.

Either way, I’m sure you’ll have a fitting, karmic fate.

And now for my comeback, the comeback I didn’t bother wasting on you in the bar because you were obviously half way to being shit-faced so you could find the courage to captain your sexuality with some drakar noir wearing dick head that would only see you as a moist sheath for his cock. I hope the guy that managed to wrangle you into bed last night not only abruptly and rudely pushes his way into your out-port with his potentially diseased manhood, but that he also finds the courage to finally pull off a donkey punch so he can brag to his friends the next day and laugh at your expense.

I hope that you end up the cruel and ironic butt of a joke based on the way in which you have sexually exploited yourself to boost your confidence.

Good luck being you, you worthless bitch.

Sincerely,

Mike Fly

On myspace, this is my 100th blog.

2006-11-02T23:20:00.000-08:00

So here we are – 100 blogs since I started this thing a while back. Why did I start a blog? I dunno… I guess it was just a way to stay in touch with those I can’t say hi to on a regular basis, or maybe it was to see what it feels like to just sit and puke up some words onto a page, or maybe it was just to see what was banging around inside my head. Either way, I’m here.

The past week has been full of excitement, so let’s start at the beginning… Halloween was fun. We prepped for it 5 days before so we could shoot the show that would air on the 31st. It was fun because we got all the excitement and dressing up happening in the studio.

Then we went out on the Friday to party it up at Brian’s cabaret (I think that’s what they call them here). It was fun. One of our cohorts was so loaded before the party even started that he and his 3 foot drunken sway radius had to be packed into a cab and sent home. After that, Chris and I hit Granville and took pictures of him in his Ali-G outfit with random girls. It was good times.

On Saturday, I forwent the Halloween good times to play 3 shows in Theatre Sports. It was lots of fun. The first two shows were good, and the third was okay, but not great. I’d really like to play some more because it just feels good to be on a stage again. It was also great playing with some new people – such a good energy…

On Monday, the Urban Well produced her final night of improv – it was a big banging good time and we had a great crowd. The first half (in which I played) went well, and then they loaded everyone onto party buses to take them to the new venue, Chivana’s on West 4th. It’s a better venue in my mind and it will serve the show well. I’m hoping there’s room for me to play semi-regularly because I miss it.

And actual Halloween was good – Ian and Alanah had over 65 kids show up begging for candy. It still amazes me that this city goes apeshit over fireworks at Halloween. I’ve never seen anything like it. Strange west coast types…

Oh, and my boss had salmonella on tuesday. That was strange. I’m pretty sure I never want to have it ever. Yup, pretty sure.

And the last thing to mention in this prestigious blog is my short review of BORAT!

Well, if you’ve been following the movie and all it’s preview bits on the internet, you’ve seen most of the excitement – don’t get me wrong, it was super awesome, just not super-duper awesome, but seriously, go and see it.

That’s it – there’s one hundred. Leave a comment. Let me know what you are up to, what you want from me/life. What you want to be when you grow up.

I’m gonna sit by the phone and wait for my cousin to call and hang out (she’s in town this week) while you write me some shit for a change. Booyakasha!

70 blogs walk into a bar...

2006-10-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

Bartender says, we don't serve blogs in here.

The 70th blog steps forward and says, "Dude, it's my 70th blog, come on..."

It's Friday night – Brian's big party…

So I have decided that I'm going to head out tonight as Cameron Crowe so I have an excuse to take some hilarious Halloween costume pics – I love those. I'm hoping that there will be a plethora of great rockstar photo-ops.

Anyopne that knows mw knows that I'm not really a huge party-goer, but tonight I'm willing to give it a shot and rock out a bit. I'm prepare to spend… $50 on the whole affair – that should get me about 5 drinks and to and fro in a cab safely and dryly.

Speaking of which, I have now noticed the level of ridicule has gone up with my chosen mode of transpo – people seem to think the scooter is hilarious. I don't blame them, it's an easy target for humour, and I'm willing to take the lumps for the sweet benefits that the scooter supplies me with – virtually no gas expense and the understanding that my 52 miles per gallon are better than even a Toyota Prius.

So what if I'm mockable – I admit, I am an easy target, I set people up nicely for good opportunities at jabs (I'm pudgy, I don't wear fashionable clothes, I put myself in public positions, I say dumb stuff now and again…), but rest assured, I can take the lumps and give them too. Sarcasm and wit are my friends.

But for now, I need to go home and figure out how to make a media pass up for a MR. CROWE of Rolling Stone magazine… Hope everyone plays safe this Halloween. (I might buy a lot of fire works – it's the thing to do in Vancouver).

PS - look for all the sweet party pics and details in the next blog, BLOG 100!

The long wait for more fecal matter from my brain is over…

2006-10-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

More blog from Mike...

FINALLY STEPPING ON STAGE!

Well folks, here it is, the official FIRST performances I am doing as a Vancouver Theatre Sports League performer! This Saturday, I’ll be doing all 3 performances: 8pm, 10pm and 11:45pm. I’m excited and nervous, all the things I should be right? Let’s hope it all goes well – I’m pretty sure it will.

THE SECOND SADEST THING IN THE WORLD

The second saddest thing in the whole world is watching Otis, the friendly 10 month old white dog (a Dogo/Bulldog cross) limp around the house in his cast all doped up on morphine. It’s so sad to see the once energetic maniacally active dog be so lethargic and depressed.

His ACL surgery is done, but the exceptionally long road to recovery for him (until xmas) will be torture because he’s not allowed to do any physical activity. At least with a kid you can explain why they can’t play, but a dog just doesn’t understand… It’s so hard to see. I hope Tanja and Erik have the nerves of steel it’s going to take to keep him at bay.

And now it’s time for another one sentence review of a movie (usually followed by a ranting, tangential paragraph)

THE PRESTIGE

This film was visually stunning (the cinematography and the design were fantastic), yet the plot of the film was flawed and one of the major themes was contradicted to make a convenient plot point that lead to a cool-in-concept, but overdrawn and wordy death scene.

I was really excited for this film and was entertained but disappointed.

SCARY SCIENCE:

Call me paranoid, but the scientists studying the honey bee genome and how the honey bee’s genetic code can dictate it’s social behavior as on a slippery slope.

find the article here (it's about bees)

Don’t they realize the results of their work could be applied to human beings in embryonic development? Isn’t that what A BRAVE NEW WORLD was all about? It’s a good thing I half read that book in grade 11!

And that’s all I have to offer at this point. I’m pretty busy at work lately, which is good and also means I won’t have a lot of time to write these crazy things all the time, which isn’t good. Whatever.

Cyborgs & Mom turns 50 & tonight's the show

2006-10-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

IT's true! We are only a couple steps away from becoming cyborgs. The following are a list of crazy articles that prove we are at the beginning of technology that will make us into humans that can intergrate machines in our daily lives. Just think of the inmplications and the possibilities! Video camera eyes are soon to be possible - you can record your memories folks, well, soon enough anyways...

silicone eye

bionic arm

parapalegic moves mouse with brain

Well, I..m officially weirded out that my mom has turned 50. It feels kind of like when I tuned 25 and I realized that approximately 25% of my life had gone by. I can..t help but feel that my mom is feeling the same thing. But, in the same breath, it makes me feel quite okay with the whole idea of where I..m at, at 27 .. there..s still time for me to have kids that will be 20 before I..m 50. 20 years is a long ways away, though I know in a while I..ll regret saying that.

I..m kind of sad that she..s here in Vancouver and that I couldn..t be with her on her birthday, but I was at a rehearsal for the show that I couldn..t miss (seriously, it was the dress). She was all alone for her 50th birthday on the terrifying (she is really afraid of heights) 12th floor of the Wall Center Sheridan. I tried calling several times, as did my brostar, but her phone was off so we couldn..t even say happy birthday. Too bad. Happy birthday mom.

Tonight is the first night of the show .. it..s called 3rd Person. It..s all about narration and the concept of description. We look at a variety of different narrative techniques, and there..s actually no direct dialogue in the piece (though I don..t think I..ve ever spoken so much in a single show before). It will certainly be interesting to see what the audience has to say about it after. It really is art-house improv and not a show that everyone will ..get.., maybe that..s not the right word, it..s not a show that everyone will appreciate.

But for now, I..m off to finish up the day..s work and then head home to get ready for the show .. I hope I don..t sweat through my shirt.. I know I will though.

Good food, good company and a decent film.

2006-10-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

Last night I called Tanja and Eric to see what they were doing for supper – nothing – so I brought over some sweet fettuccini and some sun dried tomato pesto and we cooked. It was great! We had roasted zucchini, garlic toast, asparagus and the pasta – which we made perfectly al dente. It was amazing and delicious – I was perfectly sated after.

Then I got a call from Alistair – he needed to get out of the house as he spent the whole day there. So we went downtown to the Paramount – there was nothing good playing – so we ran to the Granville – there was nothing playing – then we called Jayden to see if it was worth running to tinsletown – it was! So we trucked it down as quickly as possible.

And now, another 1 sentence review:

FEARLESS

Apparently Jet Li's final martial arts epic (whatever that means), FEARLESS sure wasn't fearless in it's rather flaccid delivery, which was a disservice to the exciting martial arts action that peppered the film with excellence.

Maybe Jet Li is right – he doesn't need to do another martial arts epic – maybe non of us need another one. The trailer for CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER played before the film and it looked beautiful, but it almost seems like that stunning cinematography and ballet like action has become a tiresome cliché now – too bad, because it was poignant and innovative when it was first employed in main stream Chinese films.

My mom arrived today and is waiting for me to pop by the hotel to take her out for supper. I am excited to see her because it's been so long (well, a month, but I miss her – What? Can't a guy miss his mom you jerks?). And, she's going to be able to see the show I'm in this weekend. Yay!

Now all I need is for Dad to com out and visit – we could go fishing for salmon on the open ocean – that would be pretty sweet!

A post after many months - just for you dad! (seriously, get a myspace)

2006-10-15T16:29:00.000-07:00

YAY! the rain is here!

For a bit there I was getting worried. I thought, just for a bit, that global warming had killed the rain. I was half excited but also terrified... I guess the next 10 years will be crazier and crazier when it comes to strange weather patterns.

Last night I went to the Vancouver International Film Festival closing Gala and it was lots of fun. There was free wine and beer and great food. Everyone was having a great time. That kind of social lubrication is great. Everyone was talkative, dancing and generally jovial. It was super good to head out to a function like that and just enjoy it. And, the tickets included the words ..Festive Dress.. .. basically it looked like prom for 20 to 60 year olds.

I enjoy being all dressed up and socially drunk (not sloppy but glowing) at something like that, and it was pretty sweet that the rest of the Razer crew was there too , they..re good people to party with. We took so many photos and I think I drank between 7 and 9 glasses of wine. It was quite refreshing. The only thing that would have made it better would be to have a film in the festival.. Soon, very soon.

I box of kraft dinner, 2 veggie weiners and 2 liters of water and an episode of Futurama before bed kept the hang over away and I managed to clean house and do laundry as well as get a little work done today too. And, the best thing about today will be going to BO KONG for supper. I can..t wait to eat some delicious Buddhist food. Mmmmm.

I hope you all had a good weekend.

I created a Slide Show! Check it out!

2006-09-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

IMPROV CAMP ROCKS

2006-08-31T15:37:00.000-07:00

Well, i'm back in Regina after spending the week releatively internet free. I feel a little behind and my computer is definitely in need of a cleaning, but I feel good about beeing back in action. I'll be posting with some regularity now, so there you go.

Improv Camp was super awesome. Period. The campers and leaders were great and the staff was super great. It just clicked. year 5 - the best year yet. Andrew Chen even did two short little films to capture the fun:

http://www.improv.ca/CampMovie1.mov
http://www.improv.ca/CampMovie2.mov

Now I just have to get ready to help my bro-star get hitched!

FINALLY A BLOG FROM FLY

2006-08-15T17:51:00.000-07:00

Well, Im here on the blog again after an exceptional hiatus, which is an interesting segway because the hiatus Im preparing for at 969 is the reason Im not able to blog as frequently. Ive been busy with preparing for the Hiatus at work its been hectic and at times, very long days.

Speaking of which, I got to shoot a girl at a powwow she was lots of fun and it was my first powwow I wish I ate meat (and had the will to stand in line for an hour) so I could have tried an Indian taco! Sounds strange, but makes sense I guess.

Then, this last week, I did a segment on some fire spinners and some random dude light his face on fire! It was super crazy, Ive never seen anything like that before I wish I could post the video. The guy burned half of his face to the 2^nd degree (3^rd being most severe of course). Its was nasty. The segment was good though.

And those are my excuses business and dealing with dinks who light themselves on fire (there was a lot of paper work to fill out on that one). Needless to say, Im excited to take a break (though it might be permanent if I dont get my job back) and head back to Regina for a bit for improv camp and my brothers wedding. It will be nice to see everyone for more than just 3 days Thursday at midnight to Sunday at 2.

Ill be blogging a little bit more frequently coming up as Ill have more time soon. For now here are some 1 sentence reviews of the films Ive seen recently (I get a lot of free passes at work):

Little Miss Sunshine:

A wonderful little film that didnt really break any new ground despite quirky characters and a cast operating at its finest it almost tried a little too hard

An Inconvenient Truth:

Its a great little film that balances some crazy-shitty news about global warming and how quickly things can get very shitty with some really human moments in Al Gores life worth watching.

A Scanner Darkly:

Interesting and nauseating at the same time, Richard Linklaters romp into rotoscoping and drug addled filmmaking is more of a hypnotic exercise in patience and gag reflex control than it is in excellent filmmaking.

Talladega Nights:

Not as good as Anchorman, yet still entertaining.

Barnyard:

Lame and nothing new to the genre or the field of animated films it just plain wallows in its own mediocrity.

The Night Listener:

Interesting and intriguing performance from Robin Williams, but the film itself builds to a wholly anti-climactic conclusion that does nothing to satisfy the intense and grippings curiosity the film builds.

Thats it for now more later.

Richmond Night Market

2006-07-29T22:21:00.000-07:00

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

2006-07-29T01:25:00.000-07:00

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

2006-07-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

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.

2006-07-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

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

2006-07-12T23:23:00.000-07:00

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

2006-07-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

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

2006-07-09T16:03:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-07-07T09:21:00.000-07:00

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.

First post in a couple of days.

2006-07-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

Long time – no post. Wondering where I’ve been over that last couple days? Well, I’ll tell you – I’ve been up to some irregular shit.

Monday – a bust – not a lot done – it was a Stat – what can I say – I had to recharge my vitamin D stores – working inside all the time starts to induce rickets. I also performed in a steam-less show at the Urban Well.

Roman hosted for the first time and we valiantly played to our huge audience of 8 – it was dreadful towards the end – one of those shows that just has no gas and the fumes only carried us so far. We’ll pep it up next week for sure. I think one of the things that makes it feel really awkward is having everyone on stage – there is so little room to move or do anything – maybe I’ll mention it on Monday. Great second impression Mike Fly.

Tuesday was an interesting day – we said good bye to Rich at the office – he’s off to travel the eastern part of the country to enjoy taping drunken party people. It will be fun for him. We went to bridges and I didn’t really feel all that well for the rest of the night.

Never get the Fanny Bay Oyster Burger – it’s absolutely revolting, says Joel. It looked like deep fried semen on a bun. Blech.

Then I went to Brian’s place to help solidify a studio set up for his video blog. It went well, and the boys from The New Wrinkle were there to shoot it. It was good to watch the process – to remind me of how it will work when I am ready to do it myself. I’ve been thinking about how that will work – it’s all about balancing the most minimal of efforts with the most innovation. Apparently there aren’t many daily blogs out there with produced segments. We’ll see –I might actually have a purpose for my white walls after all.

I could not, for the life of me, sleep from 3 am to 6 am this morning – it drove me nuts – and then I slept through my alarm and almost didn’t get to work on time. I dunno what’s up with me lately – I need to get back in the groove.

Maybe I’ll call Aussie Girl after work and explain my dilemma and then have a nap to center myself – I’m so high on caffeine right now – I’m going to crash and burn this afternoon – it’s not going to be pretty.

And lastly, over lunch, I became a member of Video In Studios so I could take a Final Cut Pro class next week. I will conquer you Final Cut Pro – I will be your master. Then all the pieces will fall together. For now – I’m off to work hard and the such. Cheers.

Superman Returns, Returns

2006-07-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

So I may have rallied some troupes together to see Supes again, this time in 3D! Who would have thought it wouldn’t be as spectacular as I was hoping it would be? Though, I will admit – the plane scene was great in 3D – I think it was the oversized polarized glasses that did it in for me – and potentially the Imax screen – as it was HUGE and I found myself darting from corner to corner of the screen a lot, while trying to process the 3D part of the experience. Needless to say, as my first 3D movie, I still enjoyed it – good luck making the experience better James Cameron.

$14.50 is too much to pay for a movie, regardless of how much 3D is involved. But, $6 is okay for breakfast, if it’s good.

Last night I went on a second date with Aussie Girl, and It was pretty fun, though a bit crazy. We started off heading down Davie looking for Indian food – but the place we found was packed with celebratory Canada-day-types so we abandoned that option a took off looking for something else. Persian cuisine is not very similar, but we decided to give it a shot. It was something interesting alright – kind of gloppy eggplant stew with rice. I enjoyed it, but probably wouldn’t seek it out again.

After our meal – we left and decided to keep up with the theme and we headed to the hookah “pub” to smoke some strawberry tobacco. I had never had tobacco out of a hookah before but Aussie Girl had. Needless to say, we smoked our brains out and ended up leaving in a haze of strawberry scented, nauseated fog. It was pretty fun, if not a little too much. We managed to walk off the ill—feeling and then headed back to wrap up the night early because apparently nurses work very early in the morning – for 12 hour shifts. Ouch.

And that’s the sum of my experience today – I was lazy, did very little and had a dream about a family of pork farmers (pig ranchers?) that had to put down a pig because it was biting people. Very strange.

Remember – tomorrow is a Statutory holiday – don’t do anything productive. I’m doing my part by performing in an improv show!

Fireworks indeed.

2006-07-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

Wow – June, where have you gone. You swept into my life and floated on through pretty quickly. Now it’s Canada Day, the day we celebrate our country and all it’s glory and the such… I winder if we should have an anti-Canada Day, kind of like how the night after Halloween is All Saints Day… We could have a day right before Canada Day where we take the time to remember all the stupid shit our country has been responsible for – infected blankets, our history with the KKK, the hanging of Louis Riel, the FLQ, a Tim Hortons in Afghanistan…

I think it would help highlight our country’s strengths like universal health care, a vibrant economy and so much fucking hockey you could build a whole town from the timber we happily turn into hockey sticks. Yep, Canada today is your day in all your maple syrupy glory. Happy birthday. I just wish Vancouver wasn’t so full of retards that we could have fireworks in town without having to drive out to a suburb.

In other news, my beach date went well. Aussie girl and I walked the beaches for a couple hours, pausing to watch a great sunset – the mountains here make for some fantastic scenery – especially when the disgusting oil and shipping barges fade into the darkness with only their lights to shine on the water – I wish I had my camera. The date went well, with us making plans to meet tonight when she is done her 12 hour shift at the hospital – we will search for fireworks, and by god we will find them.

I got a solid second round of sleep this morning – out like a light – I woke up in a daze – confused and exceptionally warm on my arm – I realized that the 11 o’clock sun happens to squeak through the tiniest of cracks in my shades and falls right onto my bed – I guess I’m never there to have that happen at 11. I like that feeling of being so deep in sleep that you wake up totally disoriented – it’s refreshing. Now I just need a coffee and I’ll be on track.

Headshots and Coffee

2006-06-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

Rob van Meeenen emailed me yesterday with an ASAP request for headshots. I obliged because I had about 2 hours – so I went to work. I polished, I primped, I “crushed the blacks” and I finished all 7 of the additional images he requested. Now, Rob is done, I hope. Except, I forgot to make B&W copies – I am a retard. Curses! I actually just realized it now, as I was writing this… And guess what – It will take about a half hour to do them, because you have to tweak a little… But now I am at work, squandering that time away on this blog. Oh well. I also have to finish Danny Maslany’s headshots too.

I enjoy the act of taking the photos, and I enjoy the act of tweaking them (taking out zits and the such) with the person in the room because it’s fun to get a sense of their personality. And, I enjoy giving them a set of digital files that I don’t have to be responsible for after that point. I like to help people that way – it’s easy and fun. I should talk to a couple of people here in town and try to set up shop here. I could use the extra cash.

Speaking of extra cash, I’ve decided that the timer on my coffee machine is well worth making coffee at home before work instead of buying it at Starbucks – so hopefully I’ll save some sweet cash. Though I do need to buy better coffee than Safeway – it’s pretty bad. I bet Starbucks’ take home is good, but expensive.

Also, the American version of THE OFFICE is great. I watched it in between sweeping and cleaning the mirror in the bathroom. I think I’ll start not downloading them tonight – because downloading shows is wrong. I can’t wait to see it all.

Cherries and Lame-ass Vampires

2006-06-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

Oh my god – the cherry tree in the backyard has erupted into a whole shit-load of delicious cherries. I must have pulled a half-pound of them off the tree and I ate most of them last night. I regret that this morning… not because of that you sickos – because I don’t have a lot of them to take to work now.

I have been warned though that the birds and the raccoons will sweep down upon the tree and finish them all off in no time. I hope to get at least a million more of them before then. Mmm cherries.

So, last night the BLADE TV series premiered. Wow – it was a colossal waste of money. It’s pretty bad, but I guess that was kind of to be expected. The movies weren’t all that good – pretty “stoic”. That’s my beef with comic book movies – the whole concept behind a bad comic book character is that they are the same at the beginning of the episode as they are at the end – this ensures the longevity of the series – unfortunately, it makes for boring films because in a film, we want to see a character change. Spider-man works because we see him change, Batman begins worked because we saw him change, and Superman Returns works because we see him change and figure shit out.

BLADE unfortunately doesn’t work on this level, and never has. I haven’t ever picked up a Blade comic, but I assume it’s a lot like the Punisher in that Blade kills vampires in every issue – simple enough. The funny thing is, the series will undoubtedly make the producers some sweet cash because of international sales. The show looks like it was made specifically for that market. I’m sure Spike TV’s first window option wasn’t enough to make the show on it’s own, but it was surely enough to trigger some CTF cash before the rules got changed. Now the series will definitely struggle to go into a second season because how the CTF funds were re-allocated, but if they go, I’m sure they will still make cash.

Lame TV makes money – the sad reality.

Transformers and sleep

2006-06-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a bit of a crash.

It started off with Taco Salad with Tanja and Erik (the meal of champions that keeps on giving) and ended off with me reading some Cerebus in bed and recouping some sleep – which was nice. I really need to start hitting the hay at 11 if I am going to keep getting up earlier for work – it’s nice to be able to leave at 5 instead of 6.

Fun stuff though, yesterday, I stumbled upon a pic from the TRANSFORMER set and happened to download it and post it on my website before Michael Bay’s minions had it taken off the net. Needless to say, It's posted here for your enjoyment. I’m pretty excited.

Still no great suggestions for things to do on Friday – I’m going to be stuck with only “going for an ice cream” as an option. Seriously, I need some sweet ideas here. 2^nd impressions are important.

Urban Well

2006-06-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

Last night I performed at the Urban Well it was a little strange. Normally, when I do a show, theres a warm-up period or something that gets me focused and ready to do the show, but last night I just blinked and found myself on stage. It was an interesting experience, and it was a short show. And, it was fun. The people playing were good, throwing curve balls here and there, and it was fun. I found myself hesitating a bit because I always feel a little tentative when I guest. Ill be back next week and I will be more aggressive and Ill try to warm up a bit too.

Also, Roman Danylo, of television fame, was there playing in the second half Ill admit, the guy is fast and hell commit to a scene. Hes definitely comedy focused, but thats cool, he was funny and I laughed. The second half of the night was definitely full of comedy.

For some reason, I couldnt get to sleep last night and I slept in and I still dont feel rested. Thats always a great start to the week. Its nights like that when I wonder if having a couple glasses of wine to get drowsy would be a good idea thats not a recipe for disaster, right?

Oh well, I read a little Cerebus and fell asleep. I have literally have about 8000 pages to read before I finish the books, so Im in no rush. I figure that if I finish the books by Christmas, Ill be in a good spot. Well, off to the races.

Aussies and Positivity

2006-06-26T09:25:00.000-07:00

So, it appears that the cute Australian girl reads the blog… Now the repercussions of writing a transparent communication to the open universe comes full circle – though I knew it would eventually… But what the heck, I’ve go nothing to hide…

The quick discussion we had produced the following question (not a direct quote): “are you an angry person?” I hadn’t realized it, but I guess the blog is working – it is a venting tool that allows me to express my frustrations openly. I should also emphasize that it also allows me to express the things that make me happy ass well. So, from now on, I’ll try to ad a little sparkle to my anger.

This weekend was an interesting one. First of all, I got to party with some of the work gang as a joint birthday celebration. That was fun, I haven’t been out in a while and I haven’t drank in a while. It’s expensive. And it’s not all that much fun, I have decided. I spent my Sunday nauseous and that’s not all that awesome.

Warren is now safely in Regina – I washed his sheets and the only evidence he was even there is a couple of lilies a pregnant woman gave him. Good guy that Warren. Now my house is pretty empty, but my laundry and the dishes are done and I’m happy to be back in the groove I had established.

I bought a Final Cut Pro tutorial as promised, and I hope to start with it right away. Watch out world.

The weather this weekend has been great. I’ve really enjoyed the sun. Speaking of sun, I am going to hang out with Aussie Girl on Friday and I am at a loss for what we should do. Are there any suggestions out there? What’s an exciting Friday activity to partake in? I thought Theatre Sports would be an interesting introduction to improv, as it is apart of my life that’s easier to witness than explain, or maybe there is a show at the VAG. I dunno – I’m open to suggestions.

SUPERMAN REVIEW!

2006-06-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

Well, as predicted, I loved SUPERMAN. Go and see it, as soon as you can. It is impressive, immersing and delicate. It draws you in, it takes your breath and it's shot so beautifully. Superman floats through the world so effortlessly in this film, Singer and Routh really figured it out. He really is Superman - not like in the old films, where I always felt, even as a kid, that it was just a man in tights. I recommend this film to anyone and everyone.

SUPERMAN!

2006-06-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

SUPERMAN in less than 2 hours! I am so friggin' excited I could poop a rainbow! I love feeling like this - it's a tingling of anticipation that I just can't shake. It's wonderful. Warren and I are going to scoot to the skytrain station and head to Silvercity Metropolis - coincidence, I think not! Then I'm coming home to do laundry before heading our to birthday-bash it up with work mates while warren crashes a wedding he was formally invited to. Here's hoping it all ends up good.

In other exciting news, I hear from Jayden that the General Fools showcase show last night at IMPROVAGANZA went really well - apparently they were awesome and we represented ourselves well. Super-duper. More details on that soon, first I have to attend:

Birthdays, Aussies, Scooters and SUPERMAN!

2006-06-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

So, day-after-birthday day seemed to go by in a flash. Is that how it is from this point on - quick flashes until I'm 80? I hope not, how depressing.

Yesterday was good. I worked, editing a segment that should look cool, and then I headed out to a BBQ with Jesse and his brother Ben who is in town, it was at Cam's place - they are all good guys. Cam lives way far away, and I got to scoot into east van during rush hour - fun, carbon monoxide filled, stuff!

There I met a cute Australian girl and we got to chatting. It turns out, she's a nurse who, like everyone at the party was affiliated with the safe injection site, and she had also bought a scooter roughly when I did - except it's a Honda Jazz:

But, she was going to buy a Scarabeo like mine:

But they guy at Carter Motorsports (the place that wanted me to pay $1000 more than the Vespa Dealer for my scooter) talked her out of it. I let her tool around the block on mine and she instantly regretted buying the Jazz. Oh well, what can I say, Jeremy may be more Euro-styled than the Jazz, but he's awesome - so awesome in fact, I rode Tanja to work today and she loved it. I am going out for coffee with Ksenia, the Australian girl next week to discuss more scooter related things.

Also, I GET TO SEE SUPERMAN RETURNS IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS at a preview screening! HOLY SHIT AM I EXCITED!

Birthday blog

2006-06-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

June 21 - the longest day of the year! Especially for my mom 27 years ago! Booyeah! This is the first year I haven't heard that joke from her many years. Hum - I miss the family. Happens - gotta make some sweet headway in the biz - gotta make sacrifices when it comes to changing the world as we know it... Hum.
Right now the guys are in Edmonton playing in the IMPROVAGANA and I'm sure they are having a blast. I wish I could be there instead of chugging away on the work-horse. Oh well.
Birthday-day... I was greeted by my landlords with a sweet rice-milk Latte in the morning - a super-de-duper surprise! They are awesome. I then went to work, and they had cinnamon buns for me to enjoy instead of cake - sweet. Then, at lunch, we ate sandwiches and we drank some beers. I worked the rest of the day and then got free tickets to the PNE! That's the Pacific National Exhibition - aka, the FAIR! We had fun, my 4 workmates and I (me winning the mini-golf game and securing drinks from all of them on Saturday also helped with that). I had a good time, and wasn't even all that thrown-off when the skytrain was late because of a jumper (what a way to go...).
Needless to say - thank you to those of you that wished me a happy birthday - sorry I had to cut all conversations short due to the lack of cell phone power - I had forgotten my charger in Regina. It's back now and I'll start making calls tonight. I might even win at settlers too.
Cheers.

The Future.

2006-06-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. I'm picking up some training DVDs this weekend for final cut. I think I need more from the world of media. I was pretty resolute on my way home that I want to be contributing to the social fiber Canada instead of wasting the country's time.

Why do I feel obligated to produce something that in some way-shape-or-form furthers society? I'm not so vain as to believe that I have all the answers, but I am smart enough to realise that I have skills that can benefit the world in some way.

What shape will that take? I don’t know. A documentary? A short? A video blog? I don’t know. I’m sick of wanting and not doing. It seems to be an ember inside me – that wanting. Drives me nuts.

Maybe it’s just the birthday talking, that’s tomorrow, and I guess the pressure of turning 27 seems to be wearing on me. 27 – not all that remarkable, but I see so many peers that seem to be in a more stable spot than I am currently. There are so many little things that seem to rub that number in. I’ll just have to deal with it I guess.

It would sure be nice to have someone to sit next to and feel warm with. That, however, is a WHOLE other story.

If anyone out there has any advice – please feel free to throw it my way.

Hockey fans are RE-REs

2006-06-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's finally over - The Stanley Cup is won and we can all stop the bullshit Canadiana. Blast me if you will, but I am sick of the stupid and stereotypically Canadian attitude our country seems to exhibit during hockey season. I just don't get it. I mean, sports fandom in general bothers me - it doesn't make sense at all. Who gives a rats ass about which team is better than another - what contribution does it have to society? What good does it bring us in any way. It's just stupid. Why we encourage people to essentially become animals like racing horses for the amusement of the masses is beyond me. And why they make millions of dollars also baffles me. Don't even get me started on soccer. I just don't get it.

So maybe the drunken revelry and the sense of brotherhood sports fans seem to draw from watching grown adults behave like children just doesn't appeal to me. I guess my distractions come in other forms. I guess we all need something to cling to or get drawn into. I just wish that as a whole, our country could be distracted by other things as opposed to the classic Canadian cliché. Wouldn't it be a different world if we were as obsessed with astronomy or the Nobel prizes or even D&D... Hockey is just so tiresome and old. It's sad really.

I will admit though, I picked up my landlords from the airport today and their plane landed during thee last couple of minutes of the game, so they didn't know who won. I’ve never seen 200 people run off the plane so quick and rush out into the baggage area to be disappointed. 200 frantic faces turned to frowns - it was terribly interesting. I be that's what it's like to watch a bunch of high school kids run to the casting list for the musical after they post it at lunch - 4 cheer, but 50 are sad. It was a strange day to be in the airport.

One the final note, I went to the Urban Well tonight to watch the improv show there. The first half had the roughest time winning over the audience because the echoes of the Oiler fans' sadness was very obnoxiously drunk. My heart goes out to you guys - that's a tough crowd and you valiantly fought for your ground - I’ve been in your shoes before. The second half was the 'vets' and I must say, when Ian has a camera crew on him, he's a firecracker. IT was good to see Scooley (sp?) outside the VTSL - he’s very calm and cool while he performs, it's almost effortless - almost eerie.

Back in the 'couv

2006-06-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

I am here, in Vancouver, returned. Long weekend, lots of not sleeping well and then staying up late. Yay!

The show in Regina went well, I would say our performance was about a 67 out of 82, not spectacular, but still quite good. We did a 1/2 hour set based on a page of script - the gang had written a theme song and everything. It went well. There were some good laughs and some good moments. It's funny that even when we ddo a show that's supposed to be pretty much just comedy, we have these momnets of something else. It just seems to be in our make-up. And, it was super good to perform on the Globe's mainstage infront of 400 people.

The crowd liked the show, the Corner Gas read, though not as awesome as a live episode, totally had the crowd. They were pretty non-chalant and casual - which was new for the audience and that's what made it all work. It was really fun to watch my mom and Bernie watch the show - I spent a good portion of the read watching their reactions - I really like to see her laugh.

It's father's day. Don't forget to call your dad/stepdad/legal-male-guardian today, I didn't.

Soon to be in Regina, again.

2006-06-14T23:23:00.000-07:00

Well, tonight, Warren and I went to Locust to have drinks with Dylan and his girlfriend Ali. It was pricey, but Dylan caught this round. I owe the man a pitcher of mojitos - yay! Drinks with Dylan are awesome, he's good people and Ali's pretty fun too.

I need to get packed tonight for my trip back to Regina. It's the big Corner Gas show... Well, more accurately, the Globe Theatre "Live is Better" Fundraiser. I'm pretty excited, I have a feeling we will be the highlight of people's evening, mostly because we are awesome. I'm pretty excited to perform, I even bought myself a new shirt and even a new pair of pants. Yay! Here's hoping we're going to kick ass and be the highlight of the evening.

I also get to do some more headshot type stuff while I'm back in Regina - that will be fun too. I really enjoy taking photos. I want to take more. But, I'll get ot that later, once I'm back.

Long time no blog...

2006-06-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

Holy crap all, sorry for taking so long to post - things have been quite hectic as of late with people in town, a flurry of shows and a pile of work to do.
Today in the office, I was subject to a well executed prank. It goes like this:

The background:
Dana, a producer and friend in Regina had asked the General Fools to be a part of a game show proposal she was submitting. I agreed and gave her the information she needed for the one sheets about 2 months ago. I totally forgot the bulk of the show's details. She is currently at the Banff TV festival pitching broadcasters on a variety of projects as well as the game show. Needless to say, I was told that her pitches have been going well and there is interest in the show from 2 broadcasters. I mentioned this to a colleague at work.

The Prank
I received a call from a Jeff Malek of Fox Television in LA, he had heard a buzz about the show and was interested in getting more information and possibly flying us out to LA to chat next week one he was back from Banff - not an entirely unreasonable request in the industry. But I was caught off guard when he requested more information about the show - I didn't know anything besides vagaries - so I quickly bull shitted some non-specific details and he gave me his email address to fire him a one-sheet. Of course I complied with his request and hung up to call Amy to get Dana's contact info in Banff.

Needless to say, I was totally had and the entire thing was caught on tape - it was even a two camera shoot. I totally fell for it hook-line-and-sinker. But hey, what are yu going to do?

The revenge.
Well, I took great [pains to steal the tapes back from the guys that did it, and I took them in the back and blacked the sections of the tape that included me (as the tapes had other important info on them). Needless to say - they were quite surprised to find them blacked and I felt somewhat vindicated as they were destined to air as part of a Behind the Scenes thread on the show.

The Lesson.
Never trust anyone again. ever.

Improv Fest 2 - The Thursday

2006-06-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

So, Thursday night was another mixed bag of performance – a full spectrum in fact. I’ll give Alistair and the boys credit, they have managed to put together some pretty interesting and diverse evenings of performance. That’s one of the reasons it’s easy to sit through a mediocre show, you know there will be at least one that’s better after.

Highlights – Razowsky and Suton – they blew me away. Their honest, and simple performance was totally engaging and enthralling. I give them kudos, they deserve it. And, I’m sure that the ensemble now has a full grasp of the knowledge and skill at their helm (if there was any question of it in the first place). I also hope that their performance had an impact on the less art-oriented improv companies here in Vancouver.

Second Highlights – Drum Machine. Jill Bernard is flatly amazing to watch on stage. Her solo performance was amongst the most engaging I have ever seen, and was certainly the best improvised solo performance I have had the pleasure of observing. Though the editing and the music within the performance were not as tight and polished as on would see in a rehearsed show, her sense of play and the sheer joy of performing evident on Jill’s face thought the performance was more than endearing and easily smoothed out any wrinkles. In short, it was wonderful.

The rest of the evening consisted of Buckshot and Benny, and Landed Gentry. BB was a performance of quiet conversation. The characters were committed, though they were not themselves enough to fully engage me. Their interaction felt sincere and the sense of discovery was there, but was often underplayed. The performance was interesting and not without merit.

The opening act of the evening clearly has a long way to go when it comes to assessing their skills as performers and as a company as a whole. Their performance attempted to emulate the more advanced styles of performance featured in the festival, but without the advanced skill set needed to produce such work, their performance fell flat, though it is important to acknowledge their efforts to challenge themselves by committing to more advanced work.

The ensemble still suffers from the clear inadequacies of some of its members. Unfortunately the weakest link adage is true in this case, and it’s preventing the skilled members of the ensemble from creating the utterly amazing work they could be. It’s like a speedboat at full throttle with the anchor down. Luckily, I can enjoy the nuggets of gold because I know what to look for.

That’s the festival so far for me. I am enjoying myself.

Improv Festival Review

2006-06-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

Hey all. I apologize for not writing last night before bed, but I was tuckered after 3 shows and a full day of work. I can’t imagine what it’s like for the ensemble members to workshop for about 7 hours and then perform that night literally 12 hours after they started their day. But, it’s a week of intensity and innovation, so sacrifices must be made.

The shows – well, I’ll be honest, AKA was good – they did a great job with what they were doing and they totally had the crowd. I just want to help encourage them to take a little more pro active step towards the front of the stage – they play a little back and that subconsciously makes me think they are still a little afraid of the audience – even though their talent is more than ample. They did well, and I hope that constant praise doesn’t damage their egos, because they are tight and fun to watch and poignant and original, but there is always room to improve and become better.

The guys from Shelly’s Sweet 16 were great. They put on a show stopping musical that was about 20 minutes long and as varied in it’s style and delivery as it was excellent in it’s narrative structure. It really blew the audience away – as promised. And these two guys haven’t worked with each other in a while, nor have they played with Woodhands, the festival musician before – truly it was great, and awe-inspiring.

Unfortunately, they should have stropped their show after the musical – they would have received a standing ovation for sure, but instead they filled their remaining 4 minutes with a lack-luster variety show attempt that turned out to be more sloppy masturbation, though funny nonetheless. But, it was easily forgiven by the crowd because of the stellar performance the scene before – but no standing ovation.

Then, the good ‘ol boys of VTSL stepped up with their performance of String Theory, a musical Harold that ended up becoming a musical as well. Unfortunately, you can’t follow a stellar musical with a barely adequate one. Though I admire the grit of a company that knows they showed up to do the same thing that just happened and that it will not be as good, yet they slapped a smile on their face and dug in. I think the prior show probably pushed them into a better show than they would have done without it, but still, it paled in comparison.

The problems came mostly from on person bulldozing every second scene despite their mediocrity and small contribution to the show. He’s the kind of improviser that everyone sees and then immediately second guesses themselves because of it. I’m a confident performer – I know what I can do and I’ll try to push myself, but there is a line before that attitude becomes destructive in a show – it’s just too bad that this improviser can’t see that line and is too clouded in his self-confidence to recognize he’s hurting everything. And he managed to do the same thing in the ensemble show. Wow – taking out two shows in one night – that’s tough.

I am really excited to see the ensemble come together. I realize they have only had 2 days of workshops, so the initial shows will be rocky, but I expect good things. I hope the instructors coming up from the USA are going to be constructive for the performers that do more damage than good, by being honest with them and letting them know when they are hurting scenes and when they are helping. It’s the only way they will be reigned in for the rest of the ensemble shows. And that’s the only way those shows will come together and be as awesome as they can be. I guess we’ll see tonight how they have progressed. There are so many talented people in the company that I just can’t wait to be surprised.

non-participation blog

2006-06-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

Well, it's definitely not as much fun being the guy on the outside of the festival - in fact it seems my week will be full of envy, smattered with slight bitterness towards my job because it would have been an excellent week. But hey - what are you going to do...

In other news, I've coped well with the Rosaline, in fact, I've pretty much accepted that I'll have to wait until we meet up later in life after we've both recovered from divorces. That doesn't stop those moments, however fleeting they are at the time, from ringing loudly in my brain. There are just moments where you see so much of yourself reflected in someone that you can't get the idea that they are there for a reason out of your head.

I guess that's just the way it's going to be. On other subjects... Did anyone else hear about the Conservatives passing their budget COMPLETELY UNOPPOSED? That's right - the story is here: on the cbc website it is completely unacceptable. We elected these people to be in their seats, not in the lobby during votes that will have a PROFOUND effect on our country's future on the immediate future.

This is total bullshit and I really don't appreciate the fact that no media outlet seems to be giving this situation more attention - they are all just treating it like a funny little sidebar, when in reality, it is a scary look how our system can fail us because the people we elected are not really all that committed to their jobs. Thanks for slacking off elected officials. Thanks for dropping the ball opposition members. thanks for being a prick Mr. Speaker, and making our entire parliamentary system look retarded. Thanks government of Canada. Thanks.

Regina and Rosaline

2006-06-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back from the city of the queen and let me tell you that I missed her muchly. It was really nice to see friends and family once again. I hope that my return in a couple weeks will be just as excellent. I took just shy of 2000 photographs and made some great headshots for people while I was away. This necessitated the purchase of a flash, which is also excellent. The trip and the wedding were both resounding successes. May Rob and Dionne enjoy their blessed union until the end of time as we know it.

Now I'm back in Vancouver for the improv festival and I am happy to be amidst the creativity and the resulting juices. I hope to wean a thick amount of inspiration from the group and use it to rejuvenate my spirit. Here's hoping the well is deep and plentiful and that I have the opportunity to drink it all in despite a hectic week at work. I am filling in for Andrew, the Britt from work who is on vacation. I'm doing his job and parts of mine and it seems to be a fuller day than I am used to, but I will survive with extra gusto gained, gleaned from the great group off groundbreaking improviser guys and gals.

But I must sleep - I am sure my typing is keeping Jayden up, he is trying to sleep on my couch and I have no door to shut and keep out the clatter of keys. But he is not my difficulty this week. My Rosaline is in town and she is every bit as unavailable as she was for Romeo. Too bad about that. Really, too bad. I could hold her like no one else. But hey, what can you do - timing's a bitch ain't she. So, I'll just clam up and let the pearl grow, one day I'll give it to her. One day.

I hate Airplanes.

2006-05-31T23:02:00.000-07:00

Well, safe and sound in Regina now. I hate airplanes now - they had a certain je ne sais quoi ten years ago but now they are just sweaty, disgusting cattle transport. I hate them. I hate sitting next to fat, bloated dumbasses. I hate watching people waddle through life with a blank, lifeless pacifity about them. And, I hate all the stupid little rules that are only there to keep the masses under control.

Seatbelts, on an AIRPLANE - why the fuck do you need seatbelts on an AIRPLANE? Shit do they have airbags? No - they are there to keep retards in their seats.

Turn off your phone - why? Are you telling me that a single cell phone can crash a plane? That is the most asinine thing I've ever heard, and they proved it wouldn't work on mythbusters. So why do I have to turn mine off and why can't I play on my PDA while we taxi and take off or land? Because people are stupid.

Boarding - why does every moron that sits in the front of the plane stand at the beginning of the line so everyone has to wait behind them? Because most people are just stupid cows, waddling stupidly through life.

I'll talk more about my feelings about coming home to Regina in future blogs - I have to go to bed now. Cheers.

Improv and Headshots

2006-05-30T00:17:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am, writing a blog about improv. Finally, Mike is performing, you might be thinking... Nope. It's about seeing a show. At least it's a step in the right direction you might be thinking... Nope. I just spectated some improv that was merely mediocre.

If you are form the area, you might be aware of the show I saw this Monday night, but I won't be naming names because I don't think that will help me performing on stage... There are some things an improviser sees in a show that audiences see but can't articulate - hesitation, waffling, blocking, corpsing, and not committing to a scene. These are things a seasoned improviser can't help but see and they overshadow the fun of the show completely. There is nothing more heart wrenching than watching a show done by obviously talented people, an ensemble nonetheless, that just doesn't click because people are either lazy, or so comfortable in their mediocrity that their rust so becomes their infrastructure. Harsh.

That said I want to play, and I want to play now. It sure is strange knowing that you can just step in and play their game as well, if not better than them even though you aren't playing regularly. I have a great group of improvisers to than for that - you don't know what you have until it's gone right. I can't wait to make some art in a couple weeks.

Also, I'm taking orders for headshots as of right now. $100 gets you photos on a DVD and $100 gets you two finished images (touch-ups and layout) in both B&W & colour. Let me know soon, I'm filling up rapidly.

I am a tool.

2006-05-28T23:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I recently bought a thermos for taking delicious coffee to work in the morning on my scooter. I admit that I have been lazy with it because I have been going to the Starbucks that just opened by work, but - I needed the thermos to take the coffee back to work. The intent was however, to bring it from home. Anyway...

Today was the day I was going to make the switch to home coffee, and I was going to do it by grinding the absolutely last bit of fresh Costa Rican coffee I had. The delicious, dark, aromatic coffee was going to wake me up tomorrow morning because the coffee maker has a programming function. I set the clock, set the program and turned it on and headed to brush my teeth.

I came back 3 minutes later, and the pot was brewing. It turned it ON! I am a total dumbass! Now I have used up my last cache of delicious Costa Rican coffee on a total brainless move. I can't even drink it because it will obviously keep me up all night, and also, I've already brushed my teeth.

So there you have it. Costa Rica was amazing and all I have left is a clay pot, 4 cigars and a whole pile of photos. Which incidentally, can be seen at: www.mikefly.ca/costarica if you feel so inclined. I'm going to smell my coffee now. Goodnight.

X-again?

2006-05-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

Working on weekends is crazy. I don't like doing it. I spend enough time working during the week. I hope Rob and Dionne are excited that I'm coming for the wedding because it's killing my weekend mojo. I still have not figured out what to get them for a present. There are so many different options out there but none seem to work because they are headed to Australia for a year. If anyone out there has any suggestions, please let me know because I'm hurting.

Either way, I'm going to see Xmen again tomorrow because I want to see it in over-sized majestic glory (with my glasses). That's it - ciao for now.

Xmen Review

2006-05-27T21:19:00.000-07:00

So... The Last Stand they call it... There is so much fanboy craziness out there right now over this movie that it was really hard to forget what they had written while walking into the movie. But, I think I did okay... The only thing I regret was forgetting my glasses at home - stupid move on my part - but they aren't that strong, so I'm okay with it.

As for the film itself, I enjoyed it. I thought it was a an adequate follow-up to the previous films and that it was grandiose enough to qualify as a final chapter to the trilogy. The effects were great and I was happy enough to see the Xmen form a team and fight. It was good.

Let's be strait though, the other two Xmen films weren't fantastic, they were just good. So that makes the trilogy good, nothing more. 'Nuff said. I suggest you see it this weekend if you are excited to see it (I was) because the fans will be there and you will be able to get the vibe of a crowd that's been really pumped to see it (they were). It makes a big difference to the theatre experience I think.

Let's hope Superman is as good as it looks.

Fix-em ups & math

2006-05-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

Today I took the scooter to the Vespa shop so they could fix a piece of detailing that was put together poorly and they did. Nice guys. I also got the second helmet and am ready to double-scoot - booyeah!

It felt really good putting 5.5 liters of gas into the bile and working out the mileage at 34km/L that's roughly 72 miles per gallon. Sweet. And cheap, until you factor in the cost of 2-stroke engine oil at $15 per liter. I just wonder how much oil it's actually going to use... Either way, the scooter TOTALLY KICKS ASS! And, I highly recommend everyone gets one - seriously, I do. But until then, free double scoots for all.

X-men tomorrow... here's hoping it doesn't suck.

It's here!

2006-05-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

I finally picked up my 2nd helmet - sweet deal! I can now double people. sexy.

Lord of Catan and LOST

2006-05-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

Well, there you have it, I am the LORD OF CATAN after an exciting battle this evening and then I am truly LOST. What an evening on ups and ups.

Now I'm not a LOST junkie like some out there, but I will succumb to the hysteria because the show is that good - It, like CSI is pretty much perfect television. However, LOST succeeds on a level that CSI could never achieve - I actually care about every little detail. Hum. I guess I'll have to wait until October to get my fix now.

Forr those that do not understand the CATAN reference, you need to trust me on this... Go and secure yourself a copy of "Settlers of Catan". It's a German board game that is superior to risk and far more enjoyable for group play because it doesn't take up to 5 hours and no one is eliminated. Trust me. I know what I am talking about. Buy Settlers and play it, for otherwise, you will never take my prestigious title away.

I AM LORD OF CATAN!

The video is in the myspace world - sorry.

2006-05-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

So, the crow attacked me again. This time I caught the whole incident on video - terrible, shaky video. It's posted - no worries. Also, I sound like a little kid when I giggle - I like to think it's endearing...

So here's my deal with crows. Some of you may have heard this already, but for those that haven't... A crow, or any member of the crow family (magpies, blue jays...) can be taught to speak in the same manner as a parrot. This is confirmed by my own father that had a pet crow he and his brother Doug stole from a nest as kids. They named it Jake and it ate cat food. It would come back year after year (they released it in the fall) to nest nearby their house.

My plan is to one day, raise a whole barn full of crows all at once, teaching them all to say only one thing, "today will be your last" and then I want to let them go. Could you imagine how freaky it would be if a whole murder of crows sitting in a tree started croaking "toady will be your last" as you walked by. People would freak right out. And I think it would make them think about living life to the fullest - plus it would be super funny.

That's it. Stupid crows. I hope I don't get the bird flu, this time he got me with both claws, raked my head a bit. I guess I deserved it.

Victoria Day - Settlers of Catan

2006-05-22T20:32:00.001-07:00

Well, two games of Settlers of Catan later, it appears my lordship has ended. I highly recommend the game, it's really fun. Seafarers, the expansion pack I bought, is lots of fun. Boats and such. I'm really excited to try it with the Cities and Knights expansion set as well. Lots of fun - I hope.

I'm excited to try scooting out on the wet streets, as crazy as that sounds. I'm not talking torrential rains, I'm talking moisture - I want to see how I fare and how the bike does. We'll see - tomorrow is supposed to be rainy in the afternoon - I'll be careful. No worries.

But, I have some exciting shit to do (not really) so I'll post more later (probably not). Happy Victoria Day.

Victoria Day Eve

2006-05-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

Well, the May long weekend may not be the most spectacular weather weekend of the year here in Vancouver, but it most certainly has been tolerable. I went out to hit the highway, so to speak, and I managed to put over 60km on my scooter today. The good news: only used a 1/3 of a tank and I got it up to 82km/h. I also managed to find a cheap pair of leather gloves at sears, the bad news - the gloves are throwing me off my game. I need to get used to them - I will.

I just got home from the Sunday Service at wink, it was good to see the show - hung out with Jesse and with Cam, it was good to see them again, good guys all around. Also we ate dinner at the BO KAHN - and it was super fuckin' sweet. My favorite restaurant ever! I know there are people out there that don't like it, but they are obviously strange.

Anyhow - I'm off to bed after Ali G is over - cheers all, may your celebration for Queen Victoria be full of surprise and excitement. Read some Shakespeare for God's sake.

Thumbsuckers unite

2006-05-22T20:31:00.000-07:00

Well, the long weekend is certainly going to be cloudy here in Vancouver. I was really hoping (as was everyone else) that it would be super sunny and such - this is going to hamper my scooting and such. Oh well. What can you do.

I am looking after the landlord's cats while they are off having fun in the world, I must say, the kitten is really needy when it comes to attention - it kind of drives me nuts. But, maybe it's good for me. I don't really understand how to make that separation of work and life I guess (that echoes from blogs of the past and words from girls mouths - doesn't it?). Maybe Ill get a movie and watch it whilst stroking the kitty tonight. Oh innuendo...

Also, saw THUMBSUCKER last night, it was really well done. I was totally drawn in to the story because the characters were so full and real. Even Keanu did well - he sure plays a brain dead stoner well. I recommend the film to almost anyone that had a childhood. Esp. you Tat.

I may not have the sun on my side, but I will have sunny-side-up eggs on my side. I'm off to breaky. Chat again later.

Last Night's News

2006-05-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

So, today was adventurous - 2 big happenings, well, 3 really.

..1 - The new Starbucks opened by City TV - SWEET! I have been waiting for good coffee in the morning for a long time now and it is finally here! yay! This brings me to...

..2 - I had a crow encounter today. I was walking back to work this morning at 8 am from the new Starbucks, and was all of a sudden, out of the blue, hit in the head, by a crow. I felt it smack into me, soft at first, then legs. I turned into it as it was hitting me and I looked right into his black eye and he continued to fly away. It was so bizarre - that has never happened before to me. It was really strange.

..3 - I saw The Da Vinci Code tonight. Ron Howard is a douche bag with way too many connections. The man gets opportunities that no one else does because of them i think another director would have made a better film, but what can you say, the road map was drawn pretty clearly for him. He just had to colour without crossing the lines - he just always chooses the safest pallet he can - mostly taupes.

The scooter is fantastic - I have a photo posted below. I think it sums up the whole experience nicely. More pics to follow as the weekend of scooting progresses. Be well all.

2006-05-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

Watch out ladies!

Blog 20 - 20!

2006-05-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

I named my scooter today officially. Jayden told me I wasn't allowed to name it anything remotely cool. He said no to "thunder-awesome" and "lazer-ninja" in favour of names like "flower cycle" or "gay-mobile". I wrestled for hours with different options as I scooted about - I put 50km on it last night (1/3 of a tank, oh yes) and the name came to me on 26th & main on the left turn north. My scooter is officially "Jeremy" - simple and yet just enough in the homosexual overtones that Jayden required. It allows for many awkward moments when I tell people that I just rode Jeremy for hours, etc...

I think I'll pack a book and head to the park on Saturday to relax. I re-bought "The Rebel Sell", the book I lost in Costa Rica - i even found the page I had gotten to. It will be nice.

But for now, I have to go to watch LOST - it's an important part of Wednesday.

my blog can hit the bar in BC, SK & ON

2006-05-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

The scooter is SUPER AWESOME! I love it. I had the stupidest smile plastered on my face all night while I drove it. It seems to fit really nicely with me - I like it a lot.

I can't wait to get another helmet so I can go on adventures with people. I imagine riding with a passenger will still take some getting used to with the different weight distribution, but I'm sure I'll adjust.

I am pretty excited to scoot around this weekend, the longest of weekends, and really enjoy the scenery and such. It feels nice to have an outlet to get me to an inlet, or a beach. Yay.

the blog is a legal adult

2006-05-16T08:59:00.001-07:00

I BOUGHT A SCOOTER

That's right, a 2005 Aprilia Scarabeo - midnight blue. Hot! Hot! Hot! I will be scooting about all night tomorrow and no one will be able to stop me! Yay! Pics should be up tomorrow. And, I got it for $1024 cheaper than the other place! I am SO happy I shopped around.

That's the news! Serious, I'm excited.

Driver’s license blog

2006-05-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

Well, finally a real night out. And I say that because I haven't "gone out" in that drunken 20-year-old kinda way. It starts with a lazy friday work-day, that ends a little early to watch the Oilers beat San Jose (hockey - the stupidest and most cliché of Canadiana). The guys from work seem to think I don't drink, that I'm a pale vegetarian strait-edge nerd type. Well, I stun them all with my Double G&Ts. They are aghast. But I show them, I drink a few and keep pace with their pints of cheap beer.

Then we adjourn to play poker right after one of the women from work joins us, a bad omen for me because she beats me out of third place and I lose my "pat on the back" part of the pot to a rogue ace that shows up to pair with hers on the river - my pocket kings do nothing to win. Lame. Good times though.

At this point we are an hour late for our meet up with the Leo Awards gang. As you may have guessed, we did not win, which is too bad. I was really gunning for Brian, he's really good at what he does. I guess Street Cents for Soccer Moms was just too appealing.

Then it was off to the Urban Well, I've never been, but I hear the improv is alright. Apparently, it is quite the night club on the weekend. It was interesting. Lots of 20-somethings parting it up, playing the game. I wish I had a camera, I really enjoyed just watching people interacting. People are pretty funny when they are drunk. It's so strange to see the collective group mentality of everyone trying to "have a good time", agreeing to get all gunned up for the sake of lubricating the social atmosphere. It's like everyone saying "if we all take stupid pills, we'll all be smart - and more attractive".

Moral of the story is - I haven't had over 14 ounces of alcohol in me in a long time, though it was spread over about 6 hours, and it was liberating. I don't think it will happen for a while, but it was fun. So there you have it - party on.

BIG NEWS

I test-rode a scooter today, and I loved it. I will buy one in the next week. I have made up my mind. I want one, I can use one, and I will get one. I am an adult, and I can do what I want. I will soon be ridding on a 50cc Scarabeo - which, will be awesome.

Kick ass.

fifteen blogs along

2006-05-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

Look at how pro-active I seem to bee with my blogging. I'm writing shit twice in one day. booyeah!

I'm off for another crazy evening with the gang from work - hopefully this one won't degrade into standing around and judging people. I mean, that is fun and all, it's just been pointed out to me in the past that I seem to do it too often. I guess I'm a dink.

The Toronto Tournament of Wonders is on right now and I really wish I was there. I think I need to start doing more of what I like and less of what I don't like. That seems to be quite a novel idea and it fills my heart with joy.

Maybe I'll try calling some friends up and going to a movie this weekend, or maybe I'll go scooter shopping tomorrow. I could use a scooter, right? Though I am divided on the scooter VS electric bike line because of the environmental concerns and such. We'll see.

The fire alarm at work just started, so I have to run. Cheers.

FOLLWO UP:
No fire, just a drill, at 4pm on friday. Lame.

blog 14

2006-05-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

So it's a little late. So what. What's 8 hours in the grand scheme of things.

Last night I met some of my Landlord's work colleagues, they seemed like nice people and they are working to figure out how to kill cancer. They recognized me from an improv show I did in may of last year here in Vancouver. How's that for memory. Her really enjoyed the show, so I invited him to the festival. He seems to want to become a fan. He's also from Romania. Wow.

I also ate a new product from the Yves line - they were "souvlaki-style skewers" and I must say, I don't remember Souvlaki, but I remember the texture of meat - this was it. How interesting. They were even BBQ'd - mmm. Though thee lack of tatziki sauce was commented on by the meat-eaters, but I was quite happy with a good Dijon.

Tonight, 969 is up for a LEO Award - the Vancouver equivalent of the Geminis, which is the Canadian equivalent of the Emmy's. We're up for 2 awards - 1 for a Host, Brian Adler (also a producer), who is probably the most professional host I've worked with in my time in TV - and the 2nd the overall Lifestyle Programming award. We are up against some strong competition, that I have never heard of. but, to give you an idea, Street Cents for Soccer Moms (The Shopping Bags). The good news is that a poker game will take place for those not attending the awards ceremony. - This time, I win!

Also, I will probably see Art School Confidential this weekend, and I got my taxes in - finally - and it looks like I will be getting $ back, only because I took extra off my CBC cheque this last year and bought my laptop. That's it - see y'all tonight after the awards.

13

2006-05-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

Thirteen is supposed to be an unluck number. I think it's just a number. There you have it.

I just watched LOST and I have to say, it's super good. I really want to watch them all, but can't seem to get the time and the enrgy to commit - I haven't seen the first season and really don't want to invest all the energy.

I saw a trailer on apple.com today for a french movie called District B13. It's by the producers of ONG BAK, which was super awesome. I'm not sure if Tony Jaa is involved, but I hope so - he's super awesome. He doesn't do the wires or any of that. Crazy stuff.

Anyway, I'm off to bed - hopefully to dream of wonderful things.

One Dozen Blogs...

2006-05-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it past the hump, I guess I can now start putting a second bean into each egg cup...

I ate pizza for the first time in a while, and I must say, it is a marvel of food-technology. You eat the plate. Delicious. I just wish I could enjoy cheese - I still think it would try to crawl out of me I if did eat it.

Today I was on the set of Robson Arms, the underrated CTV series. It's a great show that inspires me. It was super cool to check out the set and see how tight the crew is. I really like the guys and gals at Omni Films, they make good product and they seem to really create a sense of family within the production. I am excited to see how Alice I Think turns out.

I have tried to upload the trailer for 2HUMAN, the crappy movie I was in last summer, but I can't seem to figure out why it won't let me. I trimmed it up a bit - maybe that will help. It might just be too large. Waddaya gonna do. I'll keep trying, but I can't promise anything.

Off to bed, gonna sleep the shit out of the night.

bloggin' elevin'

2006-05-16T08:51:00.000-07:00

So, here we go.

Over the Hedge, the newest of the animated, "furry animals do something wacky" genre of film rapidly establishing itself as "mediocre at best", lived up to it's pedestrian potential. If you are in the market to neither waste, nor gain anything for your time, go see it - it's probably what purgatory is like, except a little flashier. Why do I go to movies like this you ask? Well, this one was free, but that excuse only goes so far... I dunno, maybe it's because I just like to escape. Unfortunately, escaping to purgatory, is a 2 hour vacation that more or less sucks.

In house cleaning news, I started to use the dish washer. I waited 6 months to use it once out of desperation, and now I only use it. I am bad for the environment and so lazy. Yay. So, to counter act the dishwasher, I have begun to do a regular little "workout" routine every day consisting of push-ups, sit-ups, crunches and leg crunches. Hello fitness. I recently moved from 10 push-ups to 25 and I can comfortably do 35 uninterrupted full sit-ups, which everyone says are unhealthy, but I disagree. they are just movement and can only help strengthen your muscles. I don't strain, and they are controlled, which to me says ok.

I hope to be "ripped" by the end of the month, I'll keep you posted. I really wish I had a chin-up bar I could use, but unfortunately, one does not exist nearby. it would be nice to use my body's own weight as a training device.

Is it just me, or are almost all commercials totally lame? I hate most of them with a smoldering passion. Especially allergy medication commercials, or commercials for children's allergy medication, or medication commercials period. What if our country just made it illegal for any pharmaceutical company to make a profit and our federal government funded research? Medicine, science and education are all things we should agree on making a priority, but hey, that's just me looking at the bigger, more unrealistic picture.

That's all I got, Colbert is on, John's done, and I have to be ready for work tomorrow. Be ready for tales from the set of Robson Arms in the bloggy dozen. A demain.

Also, should we feel bad for David Blaine, or should we just not care. I'm in for the latter.

blog le dix

2006-05-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

Here is blog 10. Let's start with poker...

Poker is two games. The first is a friendly social outing with the guys where beer is drank and "bonding" occurs, simple enough. The second is, in my mind exacerbated by the outrageous explosion of televised poker tournaments, a pissing contest. The poker game I played in, was both. So, way to go poker. Also, I lost.

Then we have, waiting for a cab... which apparently is an hour long event. Lame. Thanks every cab company in Vancouver - you all suck.

Then going to the bar on a Saturday night. With the right people, this might be super fun, if you ever get into the bar. But when you end up waiting around in line forever, the potential of a good time is hampered severely. So, even if you go out with good people, you end up settling into a pattern of non-excitedness that leads to judging the other patrons - which is compounded by your sobriety of course.

After a rousing game of "who do you not want to be" and "look at that drunk retard", we decided to call it quits, leaving one of the party behind to "be the nice guy" and hit on a girl that was confident he could take home. I wonder how that story ended - I'll find out tomorrow I guess.

After meeting up with the group that made it into the expensive and busy bar we had no intention of waiting around in line in the rain for, for all but 30 seconds, I headed home to sleep. Tired and happy I didn't spend more than $10 on a drink. I wish I had it in me to be a bar star. No, wait, I don't. Getting smashed and acting like a dumb-ass is stupid. And also sad. But then again, I ended up at home, watching the tail end of an SNL rerun before sleeping alone, so what do I know...

That's all I've got right now. Stay tuned this week for: taxes, house cleaning, improv fest news, bike ridding and push-ups.

B: LOG 9

2006-05-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

Mission: Impossible 3... It sure felt good to be all excited about going to see a movie again. It was great sitting in a fairly packed theatre on a Friday afternoon with a bunch of other people just as excited as I was.

For someone that enjoys the movie theatre experience, I highly recommend going to movies on the opening weekends - you have to get there early to get good seats, and you have to deal with lots of people, but those are the showings that movie fans go to - people genuinely excited about the experience of the film. That makes for a great crowd.

The film itself meet my expectations. The M:I franchise has never really been one of my favorites. To me it's essentially action pornography - implausible, unrealistic and contrived - but fun to watch and it sure as heck gets you in the mood to "action" something. I most definitely found myself thumping the theme song in my head as I walked to the sky train after, just waiting to have to dive out of the way of some horrible traffic accident or having to chasse after some purse snatcher for like 10 blocks...

I think that feeling was definitely parlayed by the realization 1/2 way through the film that I had my glasses in my backpack and that I wasn't wearing them - stupid me - the movie was so much crisper and so much more wonderfully shot than I had thought. That's the lesson that has been burned into my head now - never, ever, watch a film without my glasses again.

Some review eh? Just go see the movie. Put aside your Tom Cruise uneasiness, the man still does what he does best in M:I 3 - there is no scientology, no Katie Holms and no gay rumors, there's just Ethan trying his damndest to get Owen, that's it. It's worth 10 bucks to see it in a theatre with 200 other people all gasping at the same time.

Blog nine.

blog seven

2006-05-16T08:45:00.001-07:00

So here we are. Seven, the lucky number... The Vancouver International Improv Festival is about to announce the festival ensemble, and I'm choked that I can't be a part of it. I'd really like to, but I'm stuck at work for the week. Which blows. But, on the other hand, it will be nice to hang out with everyone in the evening and check out the shows. It will just be difficult to not be a part of the creative process. But, waddaya gonna do?

It will be a chance to see a girl I dated in high school for the first time since I was 17. That will be cool. It's always interesting meeting people from your past. I hope she's well.

As for calling the girl... I opted out because we connected for a bit on msn and that felt like it was a nice, safe connection. It wasn't the same as talking directly, but it was a good starting point. I hope she is alright. I hope the friends she has are a positive influence, because she is relying on them right now. I know lots of guys with bad advice, and even worse coping mechanisms, I assume the same goes for women. We'll talk this weekend I predict.

Also, poker game coming up this weekend - I don't want to get cocky, but I think I'm going to win based on my overconfidence and plain old good looks and charm. But it's time for the Daily Show, night all.

Blog 6

2006-05-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

So, 6 blogs in and nothing has happened. No minor internet celebrity, no crazed emails, well except one, all in all, quite uneventful. In fact, I'm not even sure if anyone actually reads these things. I think I could write just about anything here and no one will care. That's fine I guess.

I've been flip-flopping between calling the girl and not all day. It totally sucks to be in this position. I really want to call her, comfort her and tell her it's going to be alright. There is a lot of "suck it up" factor in that line of thinking for me because it's really hard to pick up the phone and make that call. I'm willing to suck it up and deal with how that's going to make me feel, and it will suck, to make her feel better.

But, is that what she needs? That's the question. And, that's the ultimate question. I have no idea how to proceed here. There's no advice people can give for someone that isn't generic and useless. I value her more than that as a person, a wonderful person.

Oh well, I'll just deal with it I guess. I think tomorrow is a good day to call - it still leaves her Friday to teach and be distracted. I think waiting for the weekend is a bad idea - an idle mind dwells and stews, and that's not what anyone needs, though I imagine we're both in for that. Hum.

BLOG 5

2006-05-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

Well, another entry down the hatch. It's that simple - you just take 3 minutes and write. Pretty simple.

Today was work as usual. I have to go out and shoot a sketch show and then take some time off work tomorrow, which will be nice I guess as I have to catch up on some other work. I am pretty excited bout going tot his show tonight though, I'm secretly hoping it will kindle some nerves in me that will drive me like a carriage of wild horses into shooting more indie stuff.

I really want to pick up my camera again and start snapping away. I'd like to try some more model based photography. But it's kinda weird to find someone for that. Who do you ask, and how do you ask... It's all awkward. Oh well, I don't have a lot of time right now anyway...

Well, I'm leaving work now to head home and eat, then do more work. Yay. hum.

The 4th blog.

2006-05-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

Just when you think you've felt the full spectrum of emotion life throws at you, you see a futurama you've never seen before. Poor metaphor, maybe, but the point is till there. It's been an introspective week. Apparently, I have a lot to learn about myself and how I deal with the world around me. I'm not so much a receptor as an unfocused conductor. I need to be more in touch with what's around me - I'm pretty detached.

On the weekend, i saw 2 consecutive movies, something I haven't done in a while, I also paid for both of them - too depressed to try and sneak into the second. Thank You For Smoking and Brick. I highly recommend Brick, it was super good. it went a 1000 mph and I was totally captured by it's style and the script. It was superbly put together and overall a fantastic film experience. It moves quickly, so you might not want to drink a big soda at the theatre, because what you miss in the pee break will not be recap-able.

Thank You For Smoking was a great satire and just the kind of "mazda miada" film I needed to get my mind off of things. It was bright, fun, well crafted and quite fun to sit back and enjoy. It was dark satire, but not gloomy, a nice treat. Next week M:I 3 comes out, and Im sure I'll be there for the premiere. Until, I won't have time for more films.

Grrr. There's that echo again.

The third blog.

2006-05-16T08:41:00.000-07:00

Wow - what a phone call. I just got off the phone with the girl and... what can I say, I feel like the biggest dink in the world. How can anyone make someone feel like complete shit and feel good about it - I don't think it's possible.

It's so difficult right now to keep perspective. I'm on really shaky ground, rethinking and going over things in my head, over and over. I'm not used to this kind of feeling. Like I'm purposefully telling myself to be cold. I don't want to be, but it seems like the only way to make things as easy as possible. Wadding into the grey seems like a really slippery slope., but it's hard to look down into the pit and see someone at the bottom, wading in the white while you stand on the black, looking back up, wanting nothing more for me to materialize in the milk with them...

That takes a level of self control I wasn't sure I had. Now though, I question whether or not it's doing irreparable harm to my own emotions. Will I see this as easy now? Will it start to become reflex? Or is it already impulse? thank god I know and believe that impulse can be trained. I have to get back into that - I'm getting rusty. I'm relying on reflexes that are not reliable - they are unpredictable, or rather, are too predictable.

I need to find a way exact some change, and I need it soon. This week I'll start looking. Maybe Karate, or a class, or just a gym membership will help. I should just go for a bike ride. But I have too much work to do. too much work to do. That seems to be a mantra, that I am growing to dislike more and more.

It's time for some changes. That's that.

The second Blog entry.

2006-05-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

Well, here is is, the second entry. It's a relationship entry... what can I say... I just ended a relationship - it was a long distance relationship. It started that way and proved to be, in the end, too much distance for things to grow properly. It's unfortunate. The girl is a great person, and things were dgood when we were together, but the time apart proved to be too much. Part of me is very upset about the situation, but it's a lot smaller than the part of me that's awere this is the best decision for both of us - despite her now, "not as devoted to the idea" attitude.

Unfortunately, it's the way it has to be. Now I guess I just have to live with the decision, be firm, and live on. I just hope she can do so too - we're built differently, her and I. she much more in tune with her emotions, and she rides the peaks ad valleys of them much more than I. Once it sinks in and she gets the chance to bury herself in work, I'm sure she'll feel much better. I really hate making her feel this way, but it has to happen, even if it hurts us both.

The first blog entry.

2006-05-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

This is officially my first blog entry. why do I need a blog? I dont know, it just seems like the thing to do. That's the type of unfocussed and non-committal blog entry that certainly sparks people's interest. I'll warn any readers right now that this blog will be honest and real and will contain a lot of sarcasm. This is generally difficult to cipher in written text, but fuck it, I don't care. If you don't get it, then I don't really care. Also, i'm not going to spell or grammar check anything, and if you don't like it, you can also eat a dingleberry.