Burnt Toast

State of Confusion

2006-05-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness lunch was almost over when my co-worker started to tell me about Michael Chrichton's new novel State of Confusion. With eyes wide with enthusiasm she began to tell me about her latest read, and how global warming was a myth created by extremists to propagate fear to control "us". She talked about how it opened her eyes with the ease of someone just out of a confessional

Well I have gotten better with my self editing, so I listened as my skin crawled with the realization that an educated woman (with progeny) could so easily dismiss the environmental movement. So I waited a few minutes before I started to say, better to be cautious and wrong than....Nope! She wasn't having any of it. Argument or discussion- denied. No, it's in this book, and he's got footnotes...

I went a surfing on the subject afterwards and came across a great site on climate science by climate scientists RealClimate. I especially like the comment section- comments 14, 19, 33, and 34 spoke to me respectively. Gavin Schmidt did a great job reviewing "problem areas", and if you're going to read this book, have had a similar conversation with a friend or are just interested in the science behind global warming check it out. http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=74

The reservations I had about her apparently were there for good reason. Kind of disappointing, but as selfish as it may seem to me it's her opinion and she's entitled to it. Fuck.

Standing Up For Yourself

2006-04-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

Very recently, I read a clever post entitled Anatomy of an Online Thief . It was written by a guy who was scammed out of $450 for an Xbox by a comedian (the funny peculiar kind I reckon). His story is illustrated with their e-mail correspondence, pictures, and a notable FAQ section. http://shaunnixon.info/main2/index.php?itemid=2

I have my fingers crossed for this e-commerce vigilante because standing up for yourself is not only a necessity but also looks good on your resume.

The Golden Rule & the USA

2005-12-20T10:18:00.000-08:00

For the sake of an update: Three cheers for the McCain Amendment!

http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=1567&issue_id=70

The Duke Spirit

2005-11-16T17:25:00.000-08:00

Well Mange has done it again. Listening to streaming BBC 6, has got to be something I do more often. I was driving with her and this cd is playing, and I ask, "who is this, and can we turn it up?" She replies, "Oh yeah, it's The Duke Spirit."
"The Duke as in the dead actor?"
"One in the same maybe?"
After a couple of trips with this fine band accompanying us from point A to B, I finally borrow it. If you have a hankerin for some electrified Brit Pop, check out this cd.

Poppy Seeds & Walnuts

2005-11-10T21:51:00.000-08:00

I've been sick with the flu for the past few days. I actually had the pseudo-pleasure of having a fever dream. I dreamt there were poppy seeds in my bed. Not just a few strays rolling around causing discomfort but a bed full, and deep. I was pushing pillows here and there, rolling from one side to the other, and pulling my duvet tight to me, then pushing it away in an effort to shove them off.
~
I'm house sitting for my friend's parents, and using their vehicle while they're away. When I turned on the heater, the car started to smell of walnuts? Am I having a stroke?

Inner Child

2005-10-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

I borrowed this picture from my sister over the weekend. This little girl is listening to It Kills By Steven Malmus followed by the melodic Loud Crowd Crowd. Fuck she rocks!

http://www.stephenmalkmus.com/

Thanksgiving

2005-10-10T00:27:00.000-07:00

I went up North for the long weekend. We left after dinner Friday, and didn't arrive until long after dark. We were greeted with a show of Northern Lights that took up the entire sky. I'm not sure what was more beautiful, the northern lights or the stars of the northern hemisphere unobscured by city lights.

The next day I slept in until 8am the next day. Yes that is sleeping in for me. I suppose I could have milked it until 9-9:30, but the house was starting to come alive with the sounds of running water and the smell of brewing coffee.

I spent the afternoon in the bush with my brother in law locating a birch tree that he wanted to cut. We made our way several miles of cutline toward the lake trying to locate "the one" from his previous expedition. We were accompanied by three dogs, his and two of the neighbors. I thought would turn back after a bit, but they ran with us the entire way.

We had to cut our way past a couple trees that we couldn't climb over in the quad, and that's when the bugs were at their worst- when we weren't moving. The black flies were out in full force. I should be glad that it was too cool for their misquito brethren to take a blood meal, but I'm originally from northern Ontario and I seriously don't recall being so bothered by black flies. I think I'm turning into a wuss. They were horrible.

I was smoking incessantly because it kept them back a bit. And when I wasn't smoking I was burning birch bark and waving it wildly asking to be delivered in some kind of 1/16 Aboriginal prayer. Then I would be fine for a while until they came back with the reinforcements. The biggest bother are the buzzing noise and the dive bombers that found their way into my mouth, eyes and nose. I spent more than one occassion shielding myself with my toque pulled down low where it met my upturned collar.

I've never watched a tree being cut down, although I have heard one fall. It is really an awesome moment. It starts to creak in a low moan, and when it's ready with momentum it topples over branches crashing to the ground. I want to say that the tree that he chose would have been removed in the next year to prep the land for its' industrial use- I believe a water treatment plant?

Then the work began. I shouldn't have even been on the quad without a kidney belt, but there I was hauling the logs I could carry. That was brief, and Ernie did the majority of the hauling and lifting when it came to the (wide) length of trunk, about 1000 lbs in all.

Getting in was easy, getting out was a little trickier. We did a bit of bush wacking and had to use the winch to so we could bi-pass a deep puddle thick with mud. That took about an hour. It was honest hard work chopping through small fallen trees with hatchet (the chainsaws would be faster, but overkill), and to our surprise we had a reprieve from the flies during this time.

We made it home in good time, the whole adventure lasted about 5 hours. I was stiff and tired from the ride, and after a beautiful dinner of bbq salmon I was ready for bed.

It was a short visit, but that didn't dampen the time we did have. Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful, and it was great to share a meal with such good company.

I often think that it would be great to have my family closer but I'm thankful for the time we do spend togther.
I'm also thankful that I was able to be in the forest with sunlight coming through the trees, and the smell of rotting fauna so earthy and good. Even when it's dying it's alive.

Two Nights with Arcade Fire

2005-10-05T16:40:00.000-07:00

Ah the mall. A place where you can shop your blues away, watch a movie, eat fast food, people watch and two nights ago see Arcade Fire.

I was in good company from the get go when my friend and I circumvented the line-up. When you see a group of people heading in the door past the line up make like a sheep and follow.

Every hipster in the city, with maybe the exception of that guy from Listen Records, made an appearance last night. I'm not a fan of all ages shows, but I could hardly notice submerged in the crowd. I'd like to take this opportunity to appologive to the woman standing in front of me in the short dress and plaid corsette. Sorry, I didn't mean to touch your ass on more than five occassions.

The audience was mature, controlled, and appeciative. They were rivited watching Belle Orchestre a quasi-avant garde foursome. They were treated to polite applause, without the continual talking that happened during the Calgary show. I think it says a lot that they sold 25 cds in Edmonton, and only 11 in Calgary. Oh how literate we seem. http://www.bellorchestre.com/ .

The sound, oh the sound was bad, but I will hand it to all the bands for continually tweaking it until it could get no better. I'd like to think someone read our e-mails warning of shitty soundmen in a shitty room, but more likely they did it because they are professionals. The sound was as good as it gets at Red's. It's a tough place to play music with it's odd shape, and let's face it it was never designed for live music.

Arcade Fire had stage presence to spare. Although I couldn't take in the whole stage from my place in the crowd, the members I could see were passionate, lively, and enthusiastic throughout the evening. Their set was substantial, and they finished it off by zig zagging through the crowd doing an accoustic version of David Bowie's Queen Bitch.

Last night in Calgary they played at the bomb shelter AKA MacEwan Hall. You could see the stage anywhere in the room, again with the exception of the vertically challenged. MacEwan Hall does have the feeling of a large gymnasium. And like a high school dance there is nowhere to sit, just leaning room against the concrete walls.

It was an all ages show and the crowd was quite young. 16 going on 12- they acted like they'd never been to a show. A few with front row realestate talked incessantly to the bands, but how can you blame them when their idols are three feet away. Their youthful exuberance seemed more like aggression, and I believe that is why the band walked down the side of the venue to finish the show instead of manouvering through the shoving pit at the front.

Arcade Fire seemed tired and played a shorter set. They fought with some feedback, and the performers gestured vigorously for more monitor output. It would have been great to hear Cold Wind from the Six Feet Under Soundtrack, but the New Order and Bruce Springsteen covers filled the tiny void perfectly.

It's hard to say whether Arcade Fire would have stopped in Alberta if they weren't Canadian. The gruelling tour schedule they have been on has given them the international attention they deserve, and has possibly made them a slave to their fans. Hopefully it isn't the last Alberta has seen of this dynamic, talented and enthusiastic group of musicians.

A big thank you to Mange for your imput for this blog on the drive home, as well as the transportation and accomodations. And especially for supporting my weight when I almost passed out.

October Light

2005-10-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

I finally picked up a full spectrum bulb. I was about to throw off the over draft gloves to buy a SAD lamp but the least expensive one was $199. They had bulbs so I opted to pay $14 instead. I told a friend about it, and she said she had an extra lamp she would lend me. Man I have the best friends! So I retrieved and set it up yesterday. Let the sun shine in!

I started a painting. I have a few things in my head that I've wanted to paint. I have to say that I am by no means a painter. I have dabbled but it has been very rudimentary, so I've decided to paint my ideas in the abstract. A friend with a BFA is being pretty supportive and has been generous with tips. The biggest being you can always paint over it.

Arcade Fire is playing tomorrow night, and I'm pretty pumped. I'm also going to Calgary to see them the following night. The woman I'm going with has booked a nice hotel, with an indoor waterpark. Any recovering from the previous night will be done in the shallow end.

3.5 day work week then it's the Thanksgiving weekend. October is starting fabulously.

The Medium is the Message

2005-09-20T05:40:00.000-07:00

I haven't dreamed anything I could remember for a while now. But that changed last night. Instead of the regular weirdness that typicaly ensues when I close my eyes, I was inundated by ideas from a show that I watched earlier in the evening.

I suppose I am a sucker for punishment watching as long as I did; flipping back and forth through my three channel universe debating all the while if I should watch Diamonds are Forever. I decided to forgo the adventures of James Bond for another evening, opting instead for the documentary women who are sold into the sex trade. Sex Slaves.

A Russia-Canada co-production, the documentary tracks the multibillion-dollar trade in human trafficking in which young women are sent from the former Soviet Union to customers around the world. Hidden cameras and microphones are used as pimps move their product from eastern Europe to third-world brothels, in one case even to Canada where a young woman was supposed to work as an exotic dancer. Viewers are reminded that Canada's so-called stripper visas, now under review, have been aiding the trafficking. It is estimated some 600,000 women a year are lured, enslaved, raped and ultimately abandoned or murdered.
In one nail-biting sub-plot, a desperate husband agrees to wear a wire and go under cover to try and 'buy' his abducted wife back from a very dangerous Turkish pimp.
~
I am watching a truck drive away loaded with women. Suddenly the truck makes a sudden stop lurching the passengers forward, and as they resume their position a child's body bounces off the front bumper and hits the pavement like a rag doll. The truck lurches back into gear and carries on leaving the lifeless victim on the street much to the cries of the women on board.

The women are scared and tired and cramped in the truck. They are being moved to their next destination. Throughout this dream I am only a spectator. This opeing scene is too much for me to continue, and I wake up. I turn roll over, and adjust my pillows, and go back to sleep.

I resume dreaming. Much like the documentary the colours are drab shades. I dream of more women being rounded up, and it is taking on the charachteristics of past dreams where I am fleeing from an army, marching with hundreds of people to safety. I wake again.

I am caught in a pattern of sleep, dreaming and waking for the majority of my night. The dreams all quite similar. Flight or fight reactions are tunned to flight mode, and it is all about escaping captors.

Now that I have been awake for a while I'm slowly getting past yet another injustice imposed on the poor, imposed on women. As the street prostitutes make their way down to my end of 107, I can see why people move to the suburbs. It is a retreat into security, away from the grit, desolation and the disenfranchichised.

The land of milk and honey cannot escape the vile smell of sour milk.

Claire and Dead Bird

2005-09-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately for my cat, these are unrelated photos. I came across the bird carcass on my way to brunch last Sunday. Oddly enough it was half a block past a Synagogue that was hosting a funeral.

Change of Season

2005-09-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

Although the first day of fall isn't until September 22 you couldn't tell. The leaves are changing colour and falling to the ground, the sky is grey, and there is noticibly less day light. For many it also signals the beginning of moodiness, lethargy, and melancholy.

Seasonal Affectiveness Disorder is a real bitch! You wake up in the dark, get home from work with maybe an hour of light (if you're lucky)before you're hurtled into darkness again. Knowing that I am one of these sorry sacks, I am going to be proactive this year and purchase a full spectrum UV lamp.

Having a lamp isn't a magic bullet or anything, it's just the casing. If I can keep physically and mentally active over this period I will be ahead of the game. Especially if I get outside more. Dare I say like the good ol' days when I was back east. What the hell happened there I'm not sure. It certainly wasn't hard to do, let alone hard to maintain. I just never did. I traded in my snowshoes for SFA. Time for a rebound.

Labour Day

2005-09-04T10:42:00.000-07:00

I am back in school, and I have managed to start the year off on the right foot. I hope I'm still feeling this way when I ask for 1.5 days of personal time to "attend a function" in October. The function is actually Arcade Fire- but I don't think travelling to see one of my favorite bands is going to fly with administration. I want to disclose the least amount of information possible so I can forgo half-truths.

A friend came by for a vist, and since it's been awhile since I'd heard it last, I put on Funeral. This is one cd that we both sing along to. I have a great memory of driving in her car with the cd player louder than the hums and rumbles of her little car singing at the tops of our lungs- happy to have found this gem of a band. The realization on Friday night that in a month's time we were going to be seeing them (twice for me), got my chinker going.

I sent the CD to a friend back in the spring. He didn't get into it as much as I, which is funny because we have gotten into some great music together, and I thought if any cd would bridge the miles of ocean this one would. I guess the good news is that we don't need music to do that when e-mail is at our proverbial beck and call.

I spoke to my father today. He usually calls on Sunday while my mother is at church. That way he can say what he wants without the possibility of her running commentary. She has returned from her huge road trip, viisting family and friends on her way to see, possibly for the last time, her sister who is battling cancer. After visiting with her and my sister for several days I gave her my collection of Harpers magazine to pass the time. Well dad had started reading them since she got back, and off the bat asked me what I thought of George Bush. I paused surprisingly, for I am usually quick to expound my views on republican politics. I thought about it Katrina, being part of the working poor; safe and sound in my apartment, food in the fridge, electricity humming away...and all I could say is "any black person who votes for George Bush is a fucking idiot, despite Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice". Jesus Murphy what was I thinking? There I go talking without thinking again- but I did think, and it still came out. Thank god we are family and on the same page.

I later came across this quote at http://pmrush.blogspot.com/

"The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them."- Albert Einstein

Amen.

Rock & Roll Life Style

2005-09-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

When I was 20 I met this great guy Mark. We've lost touch, but it hasn't stopped me from thinking of him often. You see Mark was one of those people who had a really great life style, one that I hope he still enjoys. He had a low overhead- no kids, no mortgage. He always worked at jobs he enjoyed, and most importantly ones that gave him time to do the things that he really loved- see live music, and spend time outdoors hiking and camping. Mark is also the man who introduced me to the concept of independent wealth. Neither of us had it then, and although I can't speak for him, I definitely still don't. But that is neither here nor there. But getting to the point...seeing live music is one of my favorite things. So when I heard that the Dirtbombs were playing with a great local garage/surf band The James T. Kirks, I knew a great evening of live music was 2 weeks away. The tickets are pricey $25+ but it's not stopping me from going. It's penance for 1% of the music I've downloaded- I always said I would support the arts when I could afford it, and you know even though I can't really- fuck it! It's just my feeble attempt at a temporary rock & roll lifestyle.

The right place at the right time

2005-09-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

Talk about being in the right place at the right time. I was walking down the hall and from one of the rooms I heard, " Does anyone want a coffee maker?" I took a few more steps, now just outside the door, "Does anyone want a cappuccino maker?" Now looking into the room saw a man holding a espresso maker and replied "Why yes I do." With that he handed it to me and pointed out it came with all the peices, and it worked great when I tried it at home. In 48 hours I have drank more milk than I have in a year. It's in latte form, and that's alright with me.

I feel pretty, oh so pretty...

2005-08-11T21:15:00.000-07:00

G-Unit.
It was her party, her birthday party.
She played BEEF
& BEEF II.
That night I dremed everyone was speaking
in eubonics.
Word

See You... at the Velodrome!

2005-08-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

Why Cowboy Bebop...I Never Knew

2005-08-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard these cds I suggest you take a minute and ask yourself a) why not? and b) where can I get them? Thanks to The Rt. Hon. Dr. Rev. DJ Cal for rounding out my summer holiday listening selection. Don't let all the titles intimidate you, he's really a humble fellow.

If Only Our Egos Were the Size of Our Heads

2005-08-11T15:57:00.000-07:00

Stand Up Dream; It Don't Mean a Thing

2005-08-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a dream that I was at a job interview. I was standing up, leaning on a desk when I started doing a stand up comedy routine. I recall one point where I thought this is going great! If I can keep this up I will surely have the job. Funny thing is I don't remember any of the jokes, or what the job was for.

Team America: World Police

2005-08-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't laughed this hard continuously watching a movie in a long time. I highly recommend it unless you are frustrated by absurdity, cringe at the idea of gratuitous sex scenes, and/or have no sense of humour.

Trevor "Big Daddy" Fletcher On Wolfnote:

2005-08-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

[The Wolfnote] are poised to plunge deeply into the moist inner folds of international stardom. Again and again like two throbbing pink steel falices of talent and where with all.

Said after learning that Wolfnote would be opening for Arcade Fire this October.

2005-08-01T22:48:00.000-07:00

Notes On Exclusion, Or Jealousy Found

2005-08-01T22:29:00.000-07:00

Between favours and special friends,
A mutual trust develops. It is slow and steady before
thick and thin.

In that cock sure way pipedreams are;
I'm trying to keep my eyes closed.
Squeezed shut from the here and now.

Once recognized, jealousy is displaced by feelings of failure,
Alone where anything can happen.

Murder of Crows

2005-07-31T01:09:00.000-07:00

At least one hundred crows flew northwest across the sky, to be in there nests by sundown. They have usurped the pigeons with this mass homing display.

All Tomorrow's Parties

2005-07-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow instead of sleeping in I will be going to pick up tickets for Arcade Fire. I am really excited about this show, and can hardly wait to hear them live.
Unfortunately the venue they're playing has been consistently disappointing. It is located across the city, and in a club that doubles as a games complex (bowling lanes, arcade, and etc) . The sound is lousy there, the drinks are served in plastic, and did I mention it is in a mall? All distractions, and knocks against the club, I'm sure Arcade Fire can pull it off. My friends and I have been patiently waiting for this show, and tomorrow we will be that much closer with tickets in hand.

Inner City Advertising

2005-07-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

I wasn't exactly sure what this meant when I took it. A couple of years later I showed it to a friend and she rattled off: Baby Girl 3, white homosexual, and will return to the corner for money.

Boy Dracula

2005-07-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

2005-07-26T22:53:00.000-07:00

Jamie S. Perfect model almost every time.

2005-07-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

My friend Richard B.

2005-07-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

Folks rumaging through junk at a yard sale.

On Going Back

2004-08-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

School starts up in less than two weeks. I can hardly wait for a regular paycheck. Yep it comes down to cash. Quell surprise! It's been slim pickins' over the last two months, but with the help of my family and friends I've managed to escape eviction, and keep my bills paid. Unfortunately being broke is nothing new. I had to remind myself a couple of times that I've lived on less, and lived better- but maybe the cost of living had something to do with it, or maybe it was all the pot?
I go back next week to assist with registration. It's a great opportunity to meet students, be helpful, and put a friendly face on high school- who am I kidding school sucks but the real world sucks more. So here I am, trying to psyche myself up for another year of departmental politics and teenage angst. Funny ha ha and peculiar if the truth be told. Working in a school is a laugh riot. You know what they say: Tragedy +Timing = Comedy, and god there is a lot of tragedy.