Manifest O

Blockbusted

2010-11-11T23:56:00.002-05:00

I learned today that our local Blockbuster store will be closing soon. It has been here for as long as I can remember, and I have rented hundreds of video tapes, DVDs and blu-rays. Of course after it closes it won't be hard to still get movies. There are a couple of independent video stores in the neighbourhood, and they should survive for awhile. But when they are gone it will be all VOD or downloading. Kurt Vonnegut once wrote a blurb about how he would go down to the newsstand periodically to get a large manila envelope. When asked why he didn't just keep a stack of envelopes in his desk drawer he replied that he preferred the routine of getting them as needed from his friendly neighbourhood newsman. As he put it "we are born to fart around." Going to Blockbuster has been one of my favourite ways to fart around for the past 12 years. Guess I'm going to have to change the routine.

Gem in I

2010-09-01T23:34:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I found out I've been nominated for a Gemini for editing on SYTYCDC. If I were one of those people that believed that everything happens for a reason I might think the universe is trying to tell me something. Irena felt the previous post was a bit self-indulgent and she has a point. In any case, I'm feeling pretty good. The new job starts soon and the old job keeps on giving. Today I got a gift basket from SFA Productions as a congrats. I've got to admit, they sure do take care of their people on that show. Feeling pretty lucky. Maja is safe in her bed and all is well.

UPDATE-We didn't win. F**k Jesus.

A Parent Looks at 40

2010-08-29T23:40:00.003-04:00

Coming up on 38 in a few days. Lately I have been feeling restless and anxious to move on to a new phase of life. Ready for a new job. Ready for our daughter to be a little more grown up. Ready to move out of the very nice house that we have shared for 12 years. I have been doing a lot of real estate fantasizing, occasionally dragging Irena out to an open house. She has no interest in moving though, and I don't have enough enthusiasm or cunning to push her into it. We also have a vague interest in buying an income property, but like everything else, a vague interest is insufficient to make anything happen.
The other day we looked at a house that would be a good fit for us. But it had no parking. It's always something.

Summer is coming to an end. Last winter we did some curling, which was rather enjoyable. But now that it's time to sign back up I find I am hesitant. Another vague interest. I am starting to realize that nothing will magically reach out and become fascinating. You have to just decide that you are interested in something, which really amounts to making a choice to be enthusiastic about some random thing or another.

I also took a stab at taking up jogging. Haven't been out lately though. I thought about taking a filmmaking workshop, or a drawing class, or a french class or getting some tickets to the film festival. Then I thought, meh.

I do feel like a change will come. This will be the last few weeks I ever spend on the dance show. Starting a new gig soon.
Need to restoke the fire in the belly. Better get my shit together. Here comes 40.

i say no to iphone

2009-09-11T00:26:00.003-04:00

I have recently been thinking a lot about phones. We have just one cellphone in our family which my wife and I pass back and forth as needed. Everyone at work has either an iphone or blackberry or both, and I've been suffering from phone envy. So today, with time on my hands and feeling bored, I came closer than ever before to walking over to the mall and pulling the trigger on an iphone or Palm Pre. What saved me was the realization that I could go to the movies instead of phone shopping-which I did. The movie was Inglourious Basterds, which I liked quite a bit. I also found that, after the movie, my thoughts on the phone matter had changed. As I rode up to work on the subway, I found that my mind was wandering...thinking about the movie, my daughter, my wife, work, vacations, and lots of other stuff, and it occurred to me that all of the thoughts I was having were facilitated by NOT having a glowing LCD screen in my hand to play with.
So, I have decided not to donate any extra money to Rogers or Bell. For today anyway.

Don't Get Mad. Get Orange!

2007-10-06T22:07:00.000-04:00

See, we really did go to the rally!

Down to the Wire

2007-10-05T22:03:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I'm heading off to a pep-rally for Howard Hampton. I have been very busy with work lately and haven't had the inclination to spend any of my few free hours canvassing for the NDP, but after Howie's admirable outburst yesterday I really feel the least I can do is show up at the event down the street.
I must admit I'm allowing myself to buy in (slightly) to the hype here in Davenport that Peter Ferierra has a shot at knocking off Tony Ruprecht. I know it's a long shot, but hey, you never know.
Later we're planning to finish painting the third floor room that took ALL SUMMER to get renovated. The colour is red, which was chosen by our daughter. Hope that doesn't make her a Liberal.
In other news, both Buzz Hargrove and Bob Rae took shots at Hampton today. Raising the ire of those two douchebags can only help if you ask me.
So, here's hoping the NDP does OK this time out (as in better than dismal). Also keeping fingers crossed for Sid Ryan to win and Kathleen Wynne to lose. I guess it's probably too late to hope for Dalton to be denied a majority, but maybe he'll surprise us and manage to screw himself at the last minute.
Dare to dream.
Eat the kitten, Dalton. Eat it!!!!

Maja begins to remember

2007-07-29T09:18:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was our daughter Maja's 4th birthday party. We had about a dozen kids in the backyard and the house is now filled with more toys, games and junk food than we know what to do with. To me, this is a really significant birthday, because my first memory is of turning 4. I remember I was running down a dirt path in my bare feet, heading away from our family's house, which was located smack dab in the middle of the boonies. I just remember the packed brown soil under my feet, and running as fast as I could, and thinking, very proudly, "I'm four, I'm four, I'm four." I have kept this memory for over 30 years now, and I have always thought of it as my first memory. At this point however, it is impossible to separate what part of it is a real memory from what might have been made up in my mind over the years. In any case, whether the image in my head is real or imagined, I am certain the gist of it was real.
So, now my daughter is 4. I think it's time to assume that anything from this point on, she's likely to remember for the rest of her life. Even something as insignificant as running down a dirt path, or throwing a water balloon at her Dad.

A Tankless Job

2007-05-20T20:44:00.001-04:00

Last month we got the unwelcome news that our furnace needed replacing. After doing some research I eventually ended up talking Irena into going with a "Tankless Water Heater", a wall-mounted unit that vents out the wall and heats both our hot water for our taps and the radiators that heat the house.
The installation was a bit tricky, but a few days ago they finally got the job finished. The final product is a mixed bag. On the one hand we feel great about being more environmentally friendly and saving on our gas bills. The unit is much higher efficiency than our old one (from 1977!) and because it only heats water as needed it doesn't waste energy keeping a big tank of water hot. On the down side, it vents out the back under our deck and, while not too objectionable, it is smelly enough that you wouldn't want to lounge on the South side of the deck while a load of laundry is washing. Also, it takes longer for the water to get hot out of the taps. Sometimes a lot longer, depending on how recently the unit last fired up. And the water pressure seems a bit lower.
Still, as Irena pointed out, waiting a few extra seconds for hot water serves to remind us what a privilege it is to have hot water at our fingertips in the first place. Considering she was the skeptic, and could pile on the I told you so's if she so chose, that's a pretty good attitude.

Boys Club

2007-04-25T21:05:00.000-04:00

It was reported today that Justin Trudeau may face a tough battle to secure the Liberal nomination in Papineau.
Good!
Just like in Gerard Kennedy in Parkdale, a star candidate is trying to elbow aside a pre-existing female candidate to secure the nomination. The difference is that Mary Deros isn't going quietly, and may band together with the other candidate Basilio Giordano to try to block Trudeau. They also had a good candidate in Toronto Centre who had to be pushed aside for that pompous windbag Bob Rae.
It seems to me the Liberal party is only interested in increasing its female representation when it's convenient.
Go Peggy Nash!

Anti Dentite Propaganda

2007-02-28T19:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went to the dentist to pick up a nightguard-a little piece of plastic to protect teeth from grinding in my sleep. The whole thing took 2 visits and about 10 minutes of the staffs time. The cost? $380.00
Is it any wonder people resent dentists? That fee is an obscenity.
And yet, although I can afford this sum it will cost me nothing, as my wife's insurance will cover it. Those less fortunate would of course be uninsured and expected to pay the full amount.
It's high time dental coverage be included in Medicare.

Too Late for the Oscars

2007-02-25T09:16:00.000-05:00

Our friend Cameron was over for a visit last week and I mentioned that maybe we should have an Oscar party.
"Nah, too late," he said.
But he didn't mean the day on the calendar-he meant that now that all of us are nearing the wrong side of 35 (if not there already), that nobody cares anymore.
He's got a point.
In the old days, the emails would be flying back and forth. In the really old days the phone would be ringing.
Not this year.
Sure, we'll tune in-starting late so we can speed through the commercials on the PVR-and we'll root for Scorsese and have a bit of a laugh.
But there won't be many of us watching with an eye towards being there someday.
Not anymore.

(I do still dream of GOING TO SEE A MOVIE someday. Of the Oscar Best Picture Nominees, I've seen 2, only one in the theatre. My 20 year old self would be shocked.)

In other news, we are considering buying a new house, Maja is starting to take a serious interest in learning to read, I have an upcoming job editing a popular TV show, Irena got a raise and promotion at CityTV, my parents have a new company, my sister's baby is cute as a button and we're all getting ready to head out to a kids birthday party today. So life is good. Ordinary, yes, but good.

Feeling the Heat

2007-01-05T14:26:00.000-05:00

My daughter and I were out for walk today and I noticed some of the trees are getting green buds on them. The trees think it is spring! This cannot be good.
What happens when winter finally sets in? Will the trees be ruined? We need a blast of cold, and fast.

Happy New Year, Baby

2007-01-01T11:31:00.000-05:00

Just past midnight last night I got the call from my Mom: My sister Cree had just delivered an 8lb baby girl. She waited just long enough to be a 2007 baby. They still are trying to decide on a name as of this morning. It's a pretty incredible day for someone's first day on Earth. Sunny and about 9 degrees. (Or else it's a sign of global warming and we're all screwed, but let's save that worry for another day.)
Congratulations Cree and Darcy and welcome Baby Morrish.

2006 was a very good year for us. My wife Irena got a promotion at CityTV and is doing interesting work, even if the hours are still long. I had lots of work editing TV shows of varying quality, and Maja started preschool. Hard to believe we will need to start scoping out local public schools this winter. My parents moved closer to us, relocating from Bancroft to a beautiful country estate in the Hamilton area.

And we finally managed to make a film, after years of neglecting that side of our lives. We have only shown it at a couple of very modest local festivals so far, but it was immensely satisfying to make it, regardless of the audience it ultimately reaches.

Goals for 2007: Get in better shape-give up Coke and cut down on sugar. Improve my French. Make another film. Teach Maja to read.

Favourite political moment of 2006: Adam Vaughan beats Helen kennedy for City Council in Trinity Spadina.

Political hopes for 2007: Please no federal election for a while. And when it does come, let the NDP hold the Balance of Power. I hope McGuinty gets humbled by Hampton in the October election. Let's get out of Afghanistan. Impeach Bush (unlikely, I know). Al Gore. please enter the race for President (if only to keep it entertaining). And as for all this global warming, genocide, disease, poverty and terrorism business, personally, I'm against it.

Dion da one dat won.

2006-12-02T19:21:00.000-05:00

I think Jack just dodged a bullet. If Rae had won I think the NDP would have been in big trouble going into the next election. Ignatieff probably would have been best for Jack, since he would have had a clear field against two war-mongering lunatics, but unfortunatley one of those lunatics would still probably have won the next election.
So, I'm pretty happy tonight to see Dion take the prize. Not only does he not spell disaster for the NDP, but his strong environmentalism might just take the wind out of the sails of those pesky Greens.

US done, bring on the Local "race"

2006-11-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

I was very happy to see that the Senate is in Democratic hands, even if they do need to count Lieberman to make put them over the top. I'm tempted to taunt my conservative American relatives, but I guess I can't be bothered. I hope this forces the Dems to finally come up with some solutions. I suppose politically it made more sense to stand back and let the GOP shoot themselves in the foot, but the Dems are still awfully timid. Howard Dean and John Kerry must both be breathing a sigh of relief-if they had blown this both their careers would be over. Well, Kerry's probably is anyway.

Locally, just a few days to go until the municipal election. I'm trying to decide whether to give Miller my vote. If I thought he needed it, I would, but he doesn't. Royson James has an article in the Star today suggesting sending a message to Miller by voting for one of the also-rans. Something to consider. The botched World's Fair thing was pretty pathetic. As for councillor here in Ward 18-I say let the Wookey win. I like his environmental aspirations and think he'd probably be profoundly adequate.

Politics is back

2006-10-19T09:59:00.000-04:00

After a long summer dedicated to work and family outings, the world of politics is creeping back into my consciousness.
There were a couple of new polls out yesterday. Federally the Liberals have pulled even with the Conservatives, leaving the NDP at its usual 17%, which is disappointing. The Liberals are a mess. If there were ever a time for the NDP to take over as the real alternative to Harper, it would be now. My sister has a bumper sticker on her car that says "Jack Layton's NDP-The REAL Opposition." That might be the case in the HofC, but the message sure isn't filtering down to Joe Sixpack.
Maybe it's the stagnant polls, or Jack & Olivia's annoying meddling in Toronto municipal politics, but personally I'm becoming more shy about saying I'm an NDPer. I certainly wouldn't advertise it on my car-but good for you sis for being bolder than me.
In Ontario, the NDP has made gains putting them at 18% or so. Still, we will need to crack 20 to make a real breakthrough. I'm sick of the NDP celebrating not being annhialated.
There is talk today of ousted MP Garth Turner joining the Greens. Jack did his usual routine about crossing the floor being ungroovy, but I'd like to see it happen. I don't much like the Greens as I think they are just in the way, but I do have a soft spot for Turner and it would certainly make things interesting.
Locally, I've been wrestling with who to vote for for City Councillour here in Davenport. Incumbent Adam Giambrone has been annoying-repeatedly failing to address people's concerns on a variety of issues, including some controversial building developments and a ridiculous outhouse project that the granola munching set wants to build for the kids in the park. Do I hold my nose and be a good NDPer and vote for Giambrone again, or go for Simon Wookey, who is a lot more appealing even though he has the support of (ugh) Mario Silva. In the end, his campaign slogan put me over the top. "Let the Wookey Win". (If you don't get the reference, you need to watch Star Wars again.)
I declined to participate in the recent by-election over in Parkdale as well as the current Municipal race (where I'd be inclined to work for Adam Vaughan if anyone). Politics seems to be more of a spectator sport these days.
Lots of good shows ahead.

Odds & Ends

2006-08-22T13:45:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted in ages, so here are some stream of consciousness thoughts...

I've been driving through the Parkdale neighbourhood on my way to work and signs have started popping up for candidates for Toronto city council.

Oops-I have to edit this post as it was pointed out that there is a provincial by-election happening. Missed that. This must be to replace Gerrard Kennedy. Silly me.

Still, I stand by my theory that the NDP should stay out of municipal politics...

Even as an NDPer, an orange sign would make me LESS likely to support a candidate in a local race. I just don't see why I would want my local city councillour having his/her hands tied by having to toe a party line.
I think independent candidate Adam Vaughan (Trinity-Spadina) said it best. The problem is incumbancy and the solution is turnover. As much as I support the NDP, I think the casual NDP clique that runs city hall is a little too comfortable and needs to be broken up by some people with some vision. Go Vaughan. Go Sewell. And Jack and Olivia-you finally made it to Ottawa-good for you-stay there.

One more thing on an unrelated topic-not that I have anything original or insightful to add, but I was dismayed that the latest Israel/Lebanon "cease-fire" lasted a scant 5 days. To quote George Bernard Shaw, "Cease firing, damn you!" The whole mess reminds me of the Star Trek episode where two warring planets wage virtual war, with the citizens reporting to disintegration chambers as prescribed by the computer. Not that the middle east war is virtual-but it has become an accepted part of daily life, and that's not acceptable. Where's Jim Kirk when you need him?

We went to see Snakes on a Plane the other day. Pretty bad, of course. This has been one of the worst movie summers I can remember. Hopefully the Film Festival will provide a much needed drink of water after a long drought. (I'm not holding a grudge even though they rejected our film this year-the bastards).

The show I've been working on, "Patent Bending" starts airing tonight on Discovery. It's one of those rare jobs where I might actaully watch the show even if I hadn't worked on it. It started as a science show but has been moving more in the direction of a comedy. Luckily the show has no agenda other than to entertain, so we have been pretty free in the editing room to go where the material takes us.

In other news, my daughter Maja has taken an interest in making paper spiders. Off to make another one right now...

Gays are Super!

2006-06-24T09:17:00.000-04:00

Last night I was staying up late watching the tube, and Larry King came on, interviewing Brandon Routh about his role in the new Superman movie. The original Superman was the first movie I ever saw as a kid and I am really keen on this new flick, so I decided to stay up a bit longer to watch. It was all the standard movie promo type chat, until from out of left field Larry asked Brandon what he thought of Superman's status as a gay icon. This shouldn't be a hard question to answer. He's a big muscular handsome guy in tights and a cape. Of course it's going to appeal to the gay crowd. Duh, Larry! But Routh got all squirmy and basically just said he didn't think there was anything gay about Superman, and if anyone did he was man enough to handle it. And oh, yeah, he has a girlfriend.
OK, he's just a kid who's new to the publicity machine and was caught off guard. Fair enough. But then Bryan Singer comes out, gets the same question, and handles it the same way. "Oh, Larry, that's silly. This is the most heterosexual movie I've ever made."

As we head into Pride weekend here in Toronto it occurs to me that we still have a long way to go. The rest of last night, watching TV, I noticed a lot of gay-phobic content, boiling just below the surface. Example: A bud light commercial-"Hey bro-don't toast with your bottles at the top-our saliva will touch-that's like kissing-eewwwww, just touch the bottoms. Oh no, touch bottoms? Ewwwww. hee hee hee)

With the Harper government about to re-open the same sex marriage debate (and the Americans getting nowhere with the same issue), this Pride weekend seems a good time to stop and reflect what we really think about gays. Is being gay some kind of yucky fetish, or simply a natural aspect of the human condition? If we believe the latter, tolerance is not adequate.

Let's show some genuine respect.

End of an Era-again

2006-05-31T20:17:00.000-04:00

I was sad to learn that a number of Festival Cinemas, including The Paradise which is just steps away from our house, will be closing at the end of June. Apparently it's just impossible to make a go of "the Nabes" these days. If I had an extra couple million dollars lying around I would be tempted to buy The Paradise and give it a go. You would need a completely new business model, but it seems like there must be a way to make these little local movie houses profitable. I think one factor would have to be really great projection and sound as well as comfort and style. The Paradise never had any of that, but I still loved to be able to go across the street and see a film on the big screen.
The Paradise closed once a few years ago and came back. I hope it can happen again, but I have my doubts. I wonder if it could be run as a non-profit community project.

Driving Slowly

2006-05-24T20:36:00.000-04:00

I've just started a new job which requires a daily commute from Toronto to Oakville. If there is light traffic it can be done in 25 minutes, but most mornings it takes 35-40 and evenings 45-50. I have never been a commuter before and it's a real eye opener just how bad it is on the roads these days. Yesterday on the way home there was a bad crash with one car tipped on its side in the middle of the QEW. So, the daily trek is scary and tedious all at the same time.
I'm glad this job ends in September.

In driving related news, this movie looks interesting.

Better Red than Dead

2006-04-28T08:43:00.000-04:00

I'm starting to really grow weary of seeing the Liberal leadership candidates throw their hats in the ring. Everyone gets a double announcement. First comes the "leak." Then a few days or weeks later comes the official announcement. And so far, it looks to me like a lot of footsoldiers and no generals. Mixed feelings. If I were to be a loyal little dipper I'd have to say this is good. As long as the Liberals keep stinking up the joint, it's got to be good for the NDP, right? But the other day I saw a poll that was a bit of a reality check. CONS 42% LIB 28% NDP 19%. Sure it's just one poll but it made me consider the possibility that the Liberals, for better or for worse, are the only real Tory killers in the game, and if they blow it, it won't be 90 seats for Layton and the NDP. It will be a Stephen Harper majority.
So, as tempting as it would be to hope the Libs pick Bob Rae, Mike Iggy, or somebody else equally hobbled by their past stupidity, deep down I can't help hoping they find a Trudeau, not a Turner.

CFC, Not 4 Me

2006-04-21T09:27:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago I had an interview for the Editor's lab at the Canadian Film Centre. It is a program where you basically pay 5 grand to take half a year just practicing the art of dramatic film editing. I was hoping the interview would be a chance to learn a bit more about the program but it turned out to be a pretty one sided affair, where I was expected to sell myself to a panel of 8 people or so. I thought I did a reasonable job, but my misgivings must have shown through, because yesterday I got a call telling me that they decided I wasn't right for the program. Fair enough. I'm inclined to say the feeling is mutual. But I do wonder just who the program IS for. Several years back a friend of mine was similarly rejected, presumably for lack of experience. At my interview they suggested I had too much. The thing is, now that I'm at a point in my career where I'm working steadily, albeit on mid range doc TV shows, it is a pretty big deal to put that aside for six months and actually pay for the privilege of practicing what I'm already well paid to do. The Film Centre folks never really sold me, so perhaps I'm lucky to land in the out pile.
One irony is that while I make my living editing documentary TV, the few times I have cut drama I have found it much easier than docs anyhow. It ain't rocket surgery!

On another topic, I go so long between posts that I often have to sign back in to post. Trouble is I usually can't remember my password. But the strange thing is that just by clicking the "forgot password" link, and then clicking the link they email you, access is restored without ever having to actually type in the password. Not exactly secure, not that it matters.

Filming Finished

2006-04-03T13:40:00.000-04:00

Yesterday my wife Irena and I finished our second weekend of shooting our short film. It was a real eye opener how much work it entailed. This was the first dramatic film we've made in about 8 years and, unlike back then, we did it more or less "properly" by hiring a cinematographer and a sound recordist to make sure it looks and sounds like a real movie. It was very satisfying to get it done, but there were a lot of things we learned for next time. The main lesson was to schedule less to do in a day. The technical aspects were so demanding that our actors were left somewhat to their own devices in terms of motivation and the nuances of their performance. Next time we'll split up the work and have one of us dedicated to the actors and the other to the visual aspect. Luckily for us our actors were uniformly excellent and the footage turned out really well in spite of our challenging schedule.
Thanks to all who participated. Or attempted to participate.
If anybody is looking to shoot a film I highly recommend Pasha Patriki as a DOP and Rob Turi as sound recordist. They are highly professional while still accomodating to people like us without a lot of on set experience.

In other news, I have an interview next week for the editing program at the Canadian Film Centre. I think it would be cool, and a possible way into the world of cutting feature films. On the other hand, it would cost a lot of time and money. $5500 in tuition, which is a fraction of what it would cost for 5 months of not working. So I'm on the fence at this point. Not that I've been accepted yet anyway. We'll see what happens.

Almost bought an iPod

2006-02-28T18:33:00.000-05:00

Today I was feeling bored, with a couple hours of free time and an old Future Shop gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket. So, I almost went downtown to buy an iPod. I have always resisted the ubiquitous iPod, not being the type who really enjoys listening to music while walking around. I prefer to actually experience the world as I move through it. Still, having recently noticed that prices are getting pretty low for the entry level models, I have to admit I was tempted. They just look so slick and tiny and cool. But it's a slippery slope. Once you buy in, this things got more accessories than a Barbie doll.

I'm reminded of the old Neil Young (or is it CSNY?) song.

Almost bought my iPod.
But I didn't, and I think I know why.
Gonna let my freedom flag fly.

Lord of the Rings, Toronto style

2006-02-18T22:21:00.000-05:00

Today I went with my wife, father and brother-in-law to the matinee of Lord of the Rings, at the Princess of Wales Theatre. This was a Christmas present to the family, and we attended the show in shifts to accomodate the kids.

This was a preview performance, and as such it's not quite proper to write a review, but dammit, we spent several hundred dollars and 5 hours of our lives, so, if not a review, at least some impressions.

The first thing that hits you is the spectacle of it all. There is a very complex rotating stage, with lighting effects and sets that take your breath away.

Then Gandalf shows up.

And he....

sucks.

I mean, really, really sucks.

Astonishingly poor.

We're talking 3rd grade Christmas pageant level acting here.

This is Brent Carver, a highly accomplished and acclaimed actor. But inexplicably, his Gandalf is absent minded, soft spoken, and has about as much gravitas as a used paper cup. It doesn't help that he seems to barely remember his lines, often pausing in the oddest places until he can think of what to say.

Oh well, one actor that doesn't work. Moving on, the show gets more spectacular as it goes. It dazzles you for a while, until the spectacle starts to get just a wee bit redundant, and you find you are thinking about some of the other aspects of the show.

Gee, almost every line seems to be pure exposition. Hmm, none of the songs are too memorable. Heck, my butt sure is starting to feel numb.

There are positive thoughts as well. Gollum is great. Galadriel certainly can sing, if not act. The wind that blows over the audience as the Balrog rises is exhilarating.

Then near the end of Act 2, a major problem causes an unscheduled intermission, and all momentum is lost.

Act 3 is a long slog to the finish line. There are still plenty of "wow, how'd they do that?" moments, but for me, the prevailing thought is "I'm hungry and I'm ready to go."

This was, as I said, a preview, and there are many aspects of the show that will surely improve over the next weeks. But, bottom line, it just doesn't work as a piece of storytelling and I suspect it never will.

That's not a review. Just an impression.

Dick, Wayne & Buzz

2006-02-16T10:56:00.000-05:00

It's very amusing seeing "Dick Cheney Shot a Guy in the Face-Gate" unfold, especially on the Daily Show. It is sad though that he gets in more hot water over an accident than for all those thousands of people he intentionally killed through his warmongering.

On Gretzky-I'm not a big hockey fan, but I find it really annoying that the press won't give Wayne the benefit of the doubt. After all he has accomplished I think he deserves better. Bring home the gold, Wayne, and then toss it in the lake tell 'em to choke on it.

And it's been a few days since Buzz was kicked out of the NDP. I was happy about this at first, and mainly still am, but it does create some food for thought. If Buzz goes, shouldn't David Miller be kicked out too? He has endorsed Liberals in the past, and posed with Martin for the "handgun ban". Sure, Miller was less explicit in endorsing strategic voting, but he's still culpable. And Bob Rae has mused publicly about becoming Liberal leader. Maybe he should be kicked out too. (Actually, that would be awesome, but anyway...) Maybe the NDP should have just had Buzz soundly beaten by some burly-union guys.

And finally, we might be days away from a massive CUPE strike. I wonder if we would be in this situation if Sid had won is seat in Oshawa. And he might have won, if not for Buzz. So, if CUPE goes on strike, that's Buzz's fault too.

Tagged by Cameron

2006-02-15T09:46:00.000-05:00

Check out Cameron's blog, which is well worth the visit. He's tagged me with that 4 vehicles/jobs/places/vacations meme that's been sweeping the blogosphere.

I'll answer the questions, but I hope it's not bad etiquette to decline to tag others. I think this one is on its last legs, especially if it has finally found its way down to little old me. Plus I don't think I could think of 4 places to tag that haven't done this already.

4 Vehicles I've owned:
lots of bikes
razor scooter
1986 BMW, which was an old beater but still had a feeling of luxury-when it ran.
2001 VW Golf, which is our current car. I just took it in for a tune-up and ended up spending $900 on new brakes. Owning cars is kind of a drag. I'm looking forward to the transporter beam.

4 Jobs I've had:
Clerk for the auctioneer who lived across the street when I was a kid.
Carnie worker at Lake Ontario Park in Kingston as a Queen's student
Staff at Trinity Square Video in 1996-97-This really gave me my start in the film/video world.
Freelance film/video editor-still goiing strong

4 places lived:

Bancroft, Ontario is where I grew up. My parents are threatening to move down south. It will be weird to have no reason to visit Bancroft anymore.

Kingston, Ontario-the Queen's U years. I lived in about 6 places in 4 years.

Vancouver-did a brief stint out West. It didn't take.

Toronto-'96-now.

4 Vacations I have taken:
East coast Canada tour, 2001
Eastern Europe Honeymoon, 2002
North side of Cuba, 2005
South Side of Cuba, 2006 -next month (I guess that's not "have taken", but close enuff...)

OK. that's it.

The House floor carpet must be getting ragged by now...

2006-02-06T16:04:00.000-05:00

So, another opportunistic politician shows his true colours.

It looks like the NDP will have the balance of power after all, just barely, now that David Emerson has crossed the floor to join the winning team. (Assuming Liberal Peter Milliken is retained as Speaker, which seems likely.)

This seems pretty short sighted to me. The Liberals will be back. My guess? Emerson won't.

It just goes to show that Liberals and Conservatives are interchangable. The NDP position is that there should be a by-election if someone wants to cross the floor. We should really make a big fuss over this, because if there were a by-election the NDP would have an excellent chance of winning our 30th seat, since we are the only party without the stink of betrayal all over us. (Just don't run Svend, for God's sake!)

Despite Emerson being a major disappointment, this is very good news for the NDP, both now, and in terms of pointing to this despicable behaviour in the next campaign.

It's a "Miracle"

2006-02-04T12:27:00.000-05:00

Today I read that the Catholic powers that be have scrounged up a "miracle" that they can attribute to Pope JP2, paving the way for his eventual sainthood. It seems a nun prayed to the late Pope and her Parkinson's disease inexplicably went away.

This seems like a pretty weak "miracle" to me. Hundreds of millions of people pray to the Pope every day. You've got to bet that a few of those will have unexplained good things happen. That's basic statistics, not a miracle. What about all the people that pray to him but are still totally screwed. Of course, those don't count against him!

Maybe someday humanity will move on from believing in fairy tales. That would be a miracle.

A Little Story about Jack & Olivia

2006-01-24T23:09:00.000-05:00

The John Mellencamp tune "Jack & Diane" has been popping into my head all day.

I made up some new lyrics:

A little story 'bout Jack and Olivia
Two Canadian kids on the edge of political oblivion.
Jackie says he's gonna be a parliamentary star.
Olivia says without two more seats babe we won't get too far.

Oh yeah, life goes on
Long after the balance of power is gone.
Oh yeah baby, life goes on,
Long after Lorne, Sid and Svend are all done.

Twenty years ago Ed was a big left-wing badass.
Nowadays we're happy with official party status.
We've had to learn to try to set modest goals.
Woopee freakin doo we're up two points in the polls.

Oh yeah, life goes on,
Long after that guy from Barenaked Ladies has gone.
Oh yeah baby life goes on,
Long after the dream of a third place finish is done.

Rock on!

Postmortem

2006-01-24T01:49:00.000-05:00

So here I sit at 2am. I should go to bed, since I'm working tomorrow, but I just can't stop clicking on the refresh button in the CBC internet window, hoping that last Liberal leading seat will go NDP so we can hit 30. Yeah, dream on.

Mixed feelings.

I'm glad we didn't get squeezed like last time, but really bummed to miss out on balance of power. I admit I had dared to dream a little bigger than this. I'm glad Harper was held to a minority, but at the same time a bit chagrinned that the Liberals did so respectably well. Without balance of power it's going to be pretty hard for the NDP to do much over the next year or two, and red vs. blue will still be the main story for the forseeable future. I had hoped they would get humiliated, not just slapped.

I am happy to see the Bloc lose support. Let's hope that continues next time.

I was stunned that our local candidate, Gord Perks, lost so badly here in Davenport. It was supposed to be close. It wasn't. Gord was a higher profile candidate than Rui Pires last time, so we should have made gains if not win. It makes me realize that ethnicity matters a lot here. Either that or Mario Silva is a cheater. Probably both. I was scrutineering today and when Mario came in to vote his own scrutineers didn't even recognize him. It kind of makes you think some mob boss ordered his goon squad out to work for Mario. OK, OK, I'm just bitter. Also very sad to see Churley, Nystrom and Sid Ryan lose.

Still, some good and some bad for everyone.

Harper won but with a pretty weak minority.

Martin lost, but not as bad as expected. He gets to leave with his dignity. Pity, that.

Jack didn't get squeezed again, but the gains were modest and he didn't get balance of power.

Duceppe doesn't really have much to be happy about, which makes ME happy.

Let's do it again in about a year and a half!

(Next time I'm not bothering to volunteer in Davenport though. What a waste of time!)

seat predictions

2006-01-13T21:13:00.000-05:00

Still over a week to go, but what the hell. Here are my seat predictions:

NDP 30
BQ 55
CPC 140
Liberals, uh, what's left? 83

I think we'll pick up a couple in Toronto, and possibly, possibly even here in Davenport. (Although if that happens we'll be bound to get more than 30!)

Still, I long for the day that the NDP has more to celebrate than not doing as badly as predicted. Really, the number of MPs matters far less than whether we get the balance of power. 22 seats with the BofP would be far better in the long run than 30 MPs sitting off in the political wilderness.

Gr8 Db8

2006-01-09T23:41:00.000-05:00

I'm watching the debate rerun and it's pretty entertaining television. What a difference Steve Paiken makes. The slight change in format works better too, letting the moderator steer things a bit more at his discretion.

Layton's doing fine. I already know from the other blogs there are no knockouts coming. Harper is doing really well too. Duceppe, surprisingly, is stinking up the joint and flailing away semi-coherently. Dithers is speeding through his answers and comes off as a bit desperate. Not good. I contributed the phrase "the fact is" to the NDP debate bingo card, and he's using it constantly, as always. I think the Liberal's just lost their last chance to turn this thing around.

Episode IV: A New Hope

2006-01-08T10:11:00.000-05:00

It is a dark time for the rebellion...no, wait, that's Star Wars.

It's actually a good time for the rebellion, at least here in Davenport. I gleaned 2 good pieces of info off the web yesterday for Gord Perks. First, he's just opened up a second campaign office up on St. Clair, which is right in the heart of Mario Silva territory. Hopefully that will be effective in taking some support form Silva's strongholds.
Secondly, democraticSPACE.com has some very detailed seat projections for this election, and as of yesterday they were calling for an NDP win here in Davenport! It CAN happen here people! Ya gotta believe!

When in doubt, make a list

2005-12-28T17:37:00.000-05:00

I haven't made any blog entries in a while, but I'm feeling a bit lazy, so I'll just do an end of year list of random stuff. It's a lot less heartbreaking than trying to come up with something intelligent to say about the latest Toronto shootings.

Fave movies:
The Constant Gardener
A History of Violence
Serenity

Disappointments:
King Kong
Star Wars III:ROTS (although it's hard to be disappointed by Star Wars anymore)

Some music I liked in 2005:
Weezer-"Make Believe"
Sarah Harmer-"I'm a Mountain"
Sexsmith & Kerr -"Destination Unknown"

Most annoying tech gadget:
The ever evolving iPod

Most inspirational politician (although it has no effect on his poll numbers):
Jack Layton

Most disappointing politician (although it has no effect on his poll numbers):
David Miller

Least welcome political topic making a comeback:
Same-sex marriage

Political Topics needing a comeback:
The Arts
The Environment
Nuclear Power/Nuclear Waste

Best Christmas Present:
Maja riding her tricycle
runner up: painting of me and Maja from Irena

Most annoying holiday season media crutch:
Lists

The fact is...

2005-12-16T23:26:00.000-05:00

I'm just watching the rerun of the debate. You could have one hell of a drinking game based on how many times PM th PM says "the fact is." You'd be wasted in 10 minutes. It's almost bizarre how often he says it.

Saying it don't make it so.

Jack's doing well. He sounds a bit pre-scripted, but sincere. Harper and PM seem weaker to me, but that's probably just because I can't stand either of those weasels. The only one who seems spontaneous to me is Duceppe.

Three Way Soccer

2005-12-14T17:52:00.000-05:00

The story (or non-story) for Jack Layton the last few days has been that he's "having trouble getting his message out." Of course, the media wastes time telling us this rather than, God forbid, delivering the message.

Part of the problem, it seems to me, is that a 3-way race (or 4 way or 5 way if you include the Bloc and Greens) makes for a less straightforward narrative than Red Vs. Blue. It reminds me of when I was a kid, sometimes in gym class we would play 3-way soccer. It was a novelty, but it never really worked that well. I think a lot of people who are tuned in to politics, particularly the papers and the TV stations, feel the the NDP is kind of just in the way of a good juicy two-side battle.

People prefer 2 choices to three. The challenge for Jack is to lump the other guys together as one choice, and him as the other.

As an aside, it kind of sucks that the power colours are taken, and we've got orange. Didn't green also used to be an NDP colour? You can't have it, Green Party. Orange AND green are ours. You can have Yellow!

Bring on the friggin' debates already!

The Whacker

2005-12-10T14:42:00.000-05:00

I just got back from my first volunteer session with Gord Perks. I got to meet him, briefly, as he was heading out to canvas. He actually asked if I was the guy whose blog he'd seen. I said no, not intending to be deceptive, but it just didn't occur to me that he meant me. After all, this site is only seen by a few people a day. It's mostly read by family and friends and, as I like to say, it's cheaper than therapy. But anyway, if Gord does read this thing, apologies. I'm a bit chagrinned at my previous post. I could have been a bit more positive . God knows running a campaign is not easy and he and his team are working very hard.

Anyway, I got off my ass and helped put up some signs today. We were using a big metal contraption called "the whacker" to drive in the posts. My arms are TIRED. Yowza! On the plus side, the guy working with me called me a strapping young lad, which was nice. I'm borderline on the young part, and definitely not strapping.

Anyway, it feels good to get out and do something. By the time we got back this afternoon the office was full of volunteers. No more naysaying. We've got a campaign to win!

Newman!

2005-12-08T20:09:00.000-05:00

Lately I find myself trying to wrap up my work by 4:30 everyday so I can catch some of Politics with Don Newman on CBC Newsworld before spending the evening with my daughter. He's very good at what he does, whether acting as interviewer or referee, and he's got a bit of a goofy side which manages to shine through.

Some days I even record it to watch later. It's a sickness.

(...as is posting blogs posts while Maja zones out in front of Toopy & Binoo. I better go.)

Perks me up!

2005-12-06T15:29:00.000-05:00

I dropped by NDP candidate Gord Perks' campaign office today. I was hoping to feel pumped up and inspired like I did when I attended his nomination meeting, but it was not to be. There were only a couple people in the entire office and it looked like absolutely nothing was happening. The signs aren't in yet, even as Mario Silva slathers Bloor Street in Liberal red. Of course, he is the incumbent, but come on, people! Gord was declared our candidate well over a month ago! I think this riding is winnable, but only if the NDP effort is a well oiled machine. Sadly I saw no evidence of that today. I was greeted with the same level of enthusiam I'd expect from a bank teller. Still, it is early days and perhaps I'm reading too much into a slow Tuesday afternoon. I've volunteered to go in on the weekend. Hopefully by then I will see a spark.

On an unrelated topic, my wife and I stayed home with the kid this weekend, but took turns going across the street to the Paradise Cinema to see The Constant Gardener. It was one of the best movies I've seen all year, so check it out if you get a chance. It makes our politics seem pretty tame by comparison.

Happy Birthday

2005-12-01T14:27:00.000-05:00

Today would be my grandfather Ed's 86th birthday. He passed away about a year ago. So I'm sending out a Happy Birthday message into the cyberspace ether.
Ed served in WWII, was married for over 50 years, had 4 kids and lots of grandkids. He even lived to see a couple great grandkids.

Again, Happy Birthday Ed, wherever you are.

No Province is an Island

2005-11-28T21:40:00.000-05:00

The big news is the government falling today, but we all knew that was going to happen. I was more interested to see how the vote for electoral reform would go in PEI.

Answer: Bad. If you favour electoral reform, that is.

And why should they bother fixing their system anyway? The entire island has the population of Belleville, so it makes no difference who their elected officials are. All they really have to decide is how to distribute their time between digging up taters, reading Anne of Green Gables and trying to convince themselves that they are a province.

Unfortunately, those of us in the rest of the country could have used the precedent.

Ontario gets our chance in 2007. (maybe) Bring it on!

Ad it up

2005-11-25T17:40:00.000-05:00

I just found out today that a friend of mine has been hired to do a bit of work on Harper's ad campaign. Normally I would be horrified at this, but I actually kind of wish the Tories (reasonably) well this time around. It's the wrong end of the spectrum from where I'm sitting, but sometimes things just need shaking up. The Liberal forest is full of dead wood, and a if we need a Tory fire to clean it up, so be it. We just don't want the fire to get out of control and land us a Harper majority government. That's why we need lots of Dippers. Harper's the fire, Jack's the water.

So it begins (again)

2005-11-24T16:41:00.000-05:00

So the campaign will most likely be officially underway come Monday. I'm sort of on the fence about helping out with it this time around. I already gave a bit of $$$ to the Gord Perks campaign here in Davenport, but part of me feels like I'm not really worth my salt unless I get out and knock on a few doors. On the other hand, I really have my doubts about the winnability of this riding, and knocking on doors is a DRAG.
It should be an interesting challenge for all the parties to get the volunteers mobilized over the holidays. I'm sure most people really don't feel like it right about now. Put that together with the potential for E-day to be a nasty winter day, and the commitment of the base could really be a factor.
Oh, hell, I guess I'd better get off my ass!

...and for some, a corrupt and arrogant governing party may be their El Guapo.

2005-11-13T19:16:00.000-05:00

So the 3 opposition parties have finally gotten 2gether to see if they can box PM in2 a corner, calling on the Liberals to drop the writ in early January...

This should be interesting. I really have no idea what the Liberals best move is in this situation, but you can bet that they do. Jack has been light on his feet lately, deftly playing politics while managing to come across as calm and reasonable. But the Liberals are just so damn good at this game, it's hard to see how they will let the 3 Amigos get the best of them.

The Liberals are kind of like the Republicans in the U.S. They stink at actually running the country, the majority don't like them, but they are maddenly good at surviving.

Interesting days ahead.

Amusing ourselves to death

2005-11-08T18:33:00.000-05:00

I'm going into full curmudgeon mode today after seeing some info on HD for Indies about downloadable TV shows for your iPod. I don't think this is available in Canada yet, but you can be sure it's coming. 99cents to download Law & Order or countless other shows. (Didn't TV shows used to be free?-now we pay for them on DVD and iPod)

Are we really so pathologically unable to enjoy the world around us that we need to watch TV on a 1 inch screen everywhere we go?

Meanwhile, everyone makes a big fuss over the possibility of an Xmas election, like we couldn't possibly deal with the distraction of having to take 10 minutes out of our holiday season to vote. I don't think it's the time involved. I think people just object to having to do all that pesky thinking. Maybe people won't mind voting so much now that they can watch TV in line.

PR in PEI

2005-11-06T17:14:00.000-05:00

Greg at Sinister Thoughts has posted a couple things about the upcoming PEI vote on Proportional Representation over the past few days. The powers that be are doing whatever they can, it seems, to stop proportional representation. The goverment is limiting the publicity and number of polling places, and now a group of Grits & Tories are mounting an official "No" campaign.

This is a shame, but unlike the tactics of the government I don't think it is scandalous. The fact is that any system that allows appointed members into an elected parliament is problematic. Not that anybody's asked me, but I posted a far more elegant solution a few months ago. It was about the federal parliament, but you can apply the same idea provincially, although it might be slightly trickier with a tiny jurisdiction like PEI. Oh, what the heck, I'll spare you a click and just repost it right here:

The first change I would make is eliminate the local ridings for the party leaders. Instead, any party that gets 1% of the vote should have their leader automatically sent to Parliament, but without representing any particular riding. The rest of the MP's should be elected as they are now but each party caucus should get a weighted vote in the house for all votes along party lines. Thus if the Liberals got 60% of the seats but only 30% of the votes, each members vote would only count as half a vote. Conversely if the NDP got only 8% of the seats but 20% of the votes, each NDP's vote in the House would be worth 2.5 votes. If smaller parties such as the Greens got say, 5% of the vote but no MPs, at least the leader would be in the House with 5% of the votes in the Commons. For free votes, each MP would get 1 vote.

(As I said the first time I posted this, I freely admit that I am a nerd.)

Circus Fever: Catch It

2005-11-05T17:46:00.000-05:00

My wife and I took our daughter to see the Moscow Cat Theatre today. It started about 40 minutes late which just killed it for us. Maja was reasonably excited to see the cats when we got there, but after waiting so long to get in she was pretty restless. Half an hour in she had had enough and demanded to go home.

As for the show itself, I can't say we were too upset at having to leave early. It was basically a clown act, with some cats and dogs thrown in. Most of the cats just sat on big colourful things that moved around. There was one cat that could stand on its front legs, but for the most part it was not apparent that the cats were actually even alive.

Um, good though.

The moral of the story? Apparently NDP meetings are more entertaining that Cat Circuses.

Rick's Schtick

2005-11-03T14:51:00.000-05:00

I see on the TV sked that Rick Merceris back, now on Tuesdays. About time. Last season he managed to miss the election and filled his episodes with lame segments like Canada's worst pothole. I don't know what happened to the sharp satirist of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, but his Monday Report was limp and weak. Let's hope he's learned a few things from the dissappointing first season. If I see Daryn Jones again, I'm tuning out!

In other news, The Colbert Report is coming to Canada next week. Yay!

Thinking Outside the Block

2005-11-01T16:13:00.000-05:00

We had a stressful weekend due to some, um, friction with my wife's family. This is pretty common for us, but it's starting to feel like it's not going to blow over as easily this time.

For the past year my wife and I have been working fulltime and shipping our daughter to her grandparents as needed. While my wife's parents do a great job of looking after our daughter, the personal family conflicts that take place under their roof are a source of constant tension. Furthermore, we're starting to feel like she's just spending too much time with them, regardless. She spends about 4-5 hours a day over there most weekdays, and we don't want to deligate our parenting duties that much anymore.

So...

It's time for a change. We're trying to think outside the box and break out of the traps of conservative thinking regarding how to live our lives. We are very lucky to have a house that's paid for and money in the bank. We don't have to both work 9-5 jobs. We don't have to waste energy trying to "educate" family members who are never going to wake up and smell the coffee. We don't have to live one street away from my wife's family. We don't even have to live in Toronto. OK, my wife might take issue with that last one. But anyway, we're trying.

And in political news, uh, the Liberals suck.

Cop Out

2005-10-30T19:26:00.000-05:00

We had a nasty surprise this afternoon when we discovered someone had smashed our VW Golf's back windshield. The car is parked behind a tall gate at the back, so it seems the perp came right into our backyard from the front. There was a trail of broken glass leading back out to the street. Strangely, all they took was a worthless bag containing an old gazebo canopy. The stereo and other stuff was untouched, as was my parents car which was right beside ours.

It's very unsettling. It feels personal, and for all we know, it was.

We called the cops, but they couldn't be bothered to come over and try to solve the crime. There's no way to tell if this is part of their job action or if they are always this lazy. Either way, they hardly seem like they deserve to be the highest paid cops in the country with service like that.

Regarding the person who did this, I will quote that great master of the pithy one liner, Mr. T.

"I pity the fool."

NDPing in davenport

2005-10-28T15:04:00.000-04:00

I took my 2 year old daughter Maja to an NDP nomination meeting the other day. It's always nice to convince ourselves that our guy can win, if only for an evening. I think Mario Silva will be pretty tough to beat, but Gord Perks (who was acclaimed) should make a fine candidate. Last time around there were several people vying for the nomination, this time just one. I hope that's more to do with Gord's quality as a candidate rather than a perception that the riding is unwinnable.

The highlight of the evening was Maja. She sat in her seat quietly, drew pictures, ate popcorn, and listened to boring speeches for the better part of 2 hours. Not bad for a 2 year old.

New Orleans Thoughts

2005-09-07T23:14:00.000-04:00

It's hard to come up with anything original to say about the Katrina disaster. It is appalling. The number of issues this event raises is staggering.

Systemic failures of foresight, leadership and organization at all levels of government, with a tinge of racism thrown in. One thing I haven't seen much about is the environmental angle. From what I have seen global warming is not relevant, but what is a factor is the destruction of wetlands and the mismanagement of the landscape in general which created the environment for this flooding to be as bad as it was.

It's also interesting to note that Wal-Mart was on hand with lots of resources and was blockaded by FEMA. So not only does the American government fail, they also get in the way of the private sector helping. It is a bizarre worst-of-both-worlds scenario, where the aspect of government that should act is paralyzed, but the aspect of red tape and beauracracy is fully up and running.

Let the resignations begin. George, you start.

Films etc.

2005-08-23T20:28:00.000-04:00

It's been a crappy summer for moviegoing. I haven't made it out to a flick in 2 months, for a lot of reasons. Too busy with work, too hot, and nothing much out that made us feel like hauling our ass downtown. I'm counting on the Film Fest to make up for it.

We did catch a good film on DVD the other night. A futuristic thriller called Cypher starring Jeremy Northam and Lucy Liu. It was directed by Vincenzo Natali and looked like it was filmed here in Toronto. I liked it better than Cube and way better than his piece of junk called Nothing. Much like Egoyan, I think Natali is destined to make better films when he doesn't write 'em. My question is why did this movie never see the light of day? A year or two ago Alliance/Atlantis made a big push to try to market a terrible film called Foolproof which was supposed to mark a turning point in Canadian distribution. It got an American style P&A campaign but still tanked. This movie was much better but never played in theatres as far as I know.

Anyway, if anybody is reading this, check it out.

Grand Theft

2005-07-22T09:02:00.000-04:00

Today there is a blurb in the paper about how stores are taking Grand Theft Auto off the shelves, after Hillary Clinton made a big stink about sex hidden within the game. To me, the real obscenity here is focussing on non-issues like this when there is so very much real work that needs to be done to make the world a better place. News flash-if your kids are sophisticated enough to download the cheat codes to unlock the sex in the game, then there isn't much they haven't seen by this point. Besides, if a person is old enough to play a game where they run around murdering other people for no good reason then they are probably old enough to see a little pixelated sex.

There are plenty of issues that need real leadership in America and the world. It is disappointing to see people like Hillary stooping into Tipper Gore territory when she should know better. Stealing the focus away from Iraq and poverty and the environment etc. really is Grand Theft.

Cut Karl

2005-07-13T21:19:00.000-04:00

Check outMichael Moore for lots on the Karl Rove situation. I really, really, really hope some of this sticks.

"President Bush once said he would fire any White House staffer who had leaked the identity of undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame. But if that source turns out to be Karl Rove, the president's longtime political guru, a firing would be a devastating blow to the White House."

Dare we hope? Forget firing him. How about putting him on trial for treason. Oh, well. Stephen Colbert is probably right when he says Bush will have a hard time figuring out what honour to bestow on "the only man in Washington with flesh coloured hair" for a blunder this big.

In other news, here at home the Liberals are really letting things unravel on the healthcare front, what with Alberta's "Third Way" bull-jive. Check out Sinister Thoughts for some really insightful recent posts.

How can the Grits be such wizards with Parliamentary procedure and so stunned on policy? (Or even on having any policy.)

Oh well. It's a good opening for the 'Dippers.

Cut Karla

2005-07-05T23:06:00.000-04:00

So last night Karla Homolka's interview was on. Today Bernardo's comments are being reported on too. The media really needs to give this a rest. There is nothing these people can say that is worth listening to. When she showed up at that TV station they should have had the integrity to shut the door in her face.

It's not news. It's sick reality TV. The whole thing puts me in mind of the film Natural Born Killers. I didn't care for that flick when it came out, but it might be worth another look.

It sure didn't take long to get distracted from the G8 story, did it? Who cares about millions in poverty when the schoolgirl killer is serving up the crocodile tears.

A Cold Day in Hell

2005-06-29T00:29:00.000-04:00

So the other day our fridge kacked out. I was out of town on the great Michigan adventure (see below), so my wife went with her Dad to buy a new fridge.

She picked out a nice one, with no problems except for managing to pay for it ourselves. Her Dad is like a credit card ninja and anytime you pull out your credit card, he's got his out first. So anyway, the parents bought the fridge. Nice gesture? Not so much. There is a high price to be paid for free stuff, at least in their case. So today the fridge arrives and is perfectly nice, but the first thing out of my Father-in law's mouth is "Oh, there's a dent." Sure enough, if you get out the microscope you can find a slight imperfection on the front door. Now this is the kind of bullshit pseudo problem that people like us tend not to concern ourselves with. We are too busy raising a child and living our lives. But some people, it seems, have too much time on their hands. Next thing you know, he's going behind our back, calling customer service to complain, and telling us to expect a call from the fridge store.

Of course, he thinks he has the right because he paid for the damn thing.

If they call we'll just have to tell them that my father in law is f**king batshit insane.

Tomorrow's mission: Go to the bank to get a wad of cash to buy back "our" fridge.

Over Cooked!

2005-06-26T20:19:00.000-04:00

I'm getting pretty sick of seeing Dave Cooke as a panelist on TVO's Studio 2.

The other night he was lining up with Sean Conway and Janet Ecchhhh-er defending the First Past the Post system arguing against a guy from Fair Vote Canada. This despite the fact that Electoral reform is a key plank in the NDP platform. He's always trying to distance himself from the NDP and I am sick of it. I remember in the last provincial election he would praise everyone BUT the NDP. What would you expect from the guy who quit his MPP job to take a job from Mike Harris's goon squad.

Bring back Ruth Grier.

In and Out of America

2005-06-26T20:01:00.000-04:00

My brother in law and I made a quick trip down to Michigan this weekend to pick up some items from my late Grandfather's estate. There's definitely a weird vibe you get down there just driving on the highways. We saw about a dozen dead deer by the side of the road, plus there are shredded pieces of tires every couple of miles. Add to that a snarky border guard, all the army recruiting billboards, and the fact that every other car has a yellow ribbon sticker on it (ah, the good old yellow ribbon-literally the least one can do to support the troops), and you definitely feel like you are in a less civilized society.

We got out of there as fast as we could.

(On the way back into Canada we had to fill out some ridiculously unecessary paperwork, but at least they were nice about it!)

That's it. No more trips to the U.S. until President Hillary takes over!

Batman Begins to Annoy Me

2005-06-19T20:40:00.000-04:00

Went and watched Batman Begins today, which was directed by Christopher Nolan, who made one of my all time faves, Memento. It was quite watchable, but it is really disappointing to see such a talented director wasting his time with something so banal as a Batman movie. Sure, he did an OK job of it, but couldn't he do something original? It seems all too often the reward for filmmakers who make a great breakthrough is that they get to do "big" movies. But bigger ain't often better.

I hope CN can get back to his roots soon. (And please don't follow in his footsteps Shane Carruth...)

Block the Bloc

2005-06-07T23:42:00.000-04:00

The PQ and BQ are in the spotlight this week, with Landry stepping down and speculation flying about what Duceppe's gonna do. Perhaps it's timely then that I jot down a few thoughts (can you jot if you are typing?) about the BQ. For all the talk about the petulant and childish parliament lately, the real elephant in the room is the Bloc Quebecois. I think we need some new rules to enforce some loyalty to the nation for members of what is, after all, the Federal Parliament. It's a sticky area to be sure, and you have to be very careful about not trampling on people's rights to organize, but I think some rule could be cooked up that if you don't run candidates in all provinces and if you don't take the oath of loyalty to the Queen or whatever, that you are not recognized as a federal party. I can't think of any reasonable way to make the Bloc go away entirely, but at least kick them off of committees and stop treating them as a Federal Party.

Treat them as 54 independent MP's. It's still more than they deserve but it's a start.

Darth Side

2005-06-01T22:56:00.000-04:00

Check out this! It's a really fun blog for Star Wars fans.

First Post

2005-06-01T18:57:00.000-04:00

This is the first real post of my new blog. Who knows if this is even a hobby I want to undertake, but I'll give it a go. I have 3 main topics that I give a damn about: Family, film and politics. The first is most important but probably least interesting for readers (if I get any readers) so I'll probably focus on the latter 2.

It looks like the CPC is playing hooky today from the parliamentary committee looking into democratic reform. Of course neither the CPC or Liberals want any kind of Proportional Representation because they both need the FPTP system to have any chance at a Majority Government. Now is the time for the NDP to push for this. I don't think it even matters how far it gets in parliament as much as making noise about it. Let's face it, with neither the red team or the blue team on board it won't go anywhere until there is major public outcry for it. And of course the Bloc will be against it because it would make Canada run better.

Much has been made of how complicated the voting system would get under a PR system, but I think the real issue would be how Parliament will perform under a permanent minority situation. People point to the current HofC and say it would never work, but my theory is that the relative stability of a PR system would mean each party could count on a healthy caucus but would have to earn gains over the long haul, thus making for more stability and less political game-playing.

As for the voting sytem, here is one workable model:

The first change I would make is eliminate the local ridings for the party leaders. Instead, any party that gets 1% of the vote should have their leader automatically sent to parilament, but without representing any particular riding. The rest of the MP's should be elected as they are now but each party caucus should get aweighted vote in the house. Thus if the Liberals got 60% of the seats but only 30% of the vote, each members vote would only count as half a vote. Conversely if the NDP got only 8% of the seats but 20% of the vote, each NDP's vote in the House would be worth 2.5 votes. If smaller parties such as the Greens got say, 5% of the vote but no MPs, at least the leader would be in the House with 5% of the votes in the Commons.

OK, I'm a nerd. I probably should have just written about Star Wars.

There's always tomorrow.

The Slip Nuts

2005-06-01T00:45:00.000-04:00

These guys make an art out of slipping on nuts. When is the DVD coming out? I want to know!