The Gnostic World of Candy Minx

Fruit Of Our Labour

2012-01-26T15:11:00.004-05:00

Remember last year just about this time...we pruned our friend Gardenia's orange tree? Here are the oranges this week!

A Co-Worker

2012-01-25T19:16:00.001-05:00

I love finding out about peoples skills that I work with...she's got a voice!

Dub Step

2012-01-24T13:37:00.002-05:00

What I have usually called "drak rave" has kind of merged or become what the guys I work with call dubstep. I've been very glad for these guys getting me to look deeper into this facet of dance music...but here are the more mainstream songs right now...

Usually around 140bpm in tempo, the unifying sounds within dubstep are always bass and sub-bass.

The music ranges in style from melodious instrumentals to dark, techy and distorted numbers.

Many UK grime mc's also mc over dubstep tracks, although grime and dubstep should not be confused.

Dubstep is usually mellow and generally has a well paced structure to each song. Grime beats are generally more disjointed, the overall production level being grittier than that in dubstep. from Urban dictionary

Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London, United Kingdom. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals".[
The earliest dubstep releases date back to 1998 and were darker, more experimental, instrumental dub remixes of 2-step garage tracks attempting to incorporate the funky elements of breakbeat, or the dark elements of drum and bass into 2-step, which featured B-sides of single releases. In 2001, this and other strains of dark garage music began to be showcased and promoted at London's night club Plastic People, at the "Forward" night (sometimes stylized as FWD>>), which went on to be considerably influential to the development of dubstep. The term "dubstep" in reference to a genre of music began to be used by around 2002, by which time stylistic trends used in creating these remixes started to become more noticeable and distinct from 2-step and grime. It was labels Big Apple, Amunition and Tempa that began circulating the "dubstep" term. From Wiki

The above song is probably one of the most popular and most heard versions of a dubstep piece.

and here are Skrillex and Deadmaus

On Making Art

2012-01-22T23:36:00.003-05:00

"Don't listen to your peers, don't listen to the authority figures in your life, your parents, and don't listen to the culture. Only listen to yourself thats where you're gonna find the truth. The idea of making money, the idea of becoming famous, the idea of being powerful is in essence meaningless. It's only that you are happy and you can only be happy when you do what you love." George Lucas

Snow, Gears, And Other Stories

2012-01-20T15:23:00.004-05:00

Well just to catch up...Stagg is still juggling midnight shift. Its a rough shift but he's doing okay. I am juggling job options and underemployed but with some work at the same time. It's snowing like crazy today. I had to run errands and go bank and pay some bills. We are in a grind and just trying to stay good-natured about the whole thing. Of course, the car wouldn't start today so we had to walk and public transit it ina city slowing down to another grind with the weather. anyways just a funny story I landed up having a conversation with a fellow who has three families he's supporting. His sons family in Ukraine studying medicine. His wifes family and their daughters family. His wife is from Canada and when he heard I was from Canada he was delightfully honest with me. "I hate Canada!" I just started laughing. He said he went to Canada and felt like he was in a cemetary. Nothing happens, no people, he can't communicate with Canadians. They are nice, wonderful people but so slow and simple. Nothing happens. No excitement. " He added, "It takes so long to have a conversation and find out something about a Canadian...in U.S. everyone tells you who they are and what they want now now." I was dying of laughter. And funny enough on one of my reality shows the other day a stylist show on Bravo, the star stylist Brad is from Canada. His mother and sister were visiting him in New York and they weren't excited about much...and Brad told them some of his exciting news and took them around the city. They were nice, and easy going and enjoyed hearing about him dressing famous people and they enjoyed their meals in NYC. He said, "well thats about as excited as a Canadian gets."

From Manufacturing Economy To Service Economy

2012-01-16T12:06:00.002-05:00

"The parallels between the story of the origin of the Great Depression and that of our Long Slump are strong. Back then we were moving from agriculture to manufacturing. Today we are moving from manufacturing to a service economy. The decline in manufacturing jobs has been dramatic—from about a third of the workforce 60 years ago to less than a tenth of it today. The pace has quickened markedly during the past decade. There are two reasons for the decline. One is greater productivity—the same dynamic that revolutionized agriculture and forced a majority of American farmers to look for work elsewhere. The other is globalization, which has sent millions of jobs overseas, to low-wage countries or those that have been investing more in infrastructure or technology. (As Greenwald has pointed out, most of the job loss in the 1990s was related to productivity increases, not to globalization.) Whatever the specific cause, the inevitable result is precisely the same as it was 80 years ago: a decline in income and jobs. The millions of jobless former factory workers once employed in cities such as Youngstown and Birmingham and Gary and Detroit are the modern-day equivalent of the Depression’s doomed farmers.

The consequences for consumer spending, and for the fundamental health of the economy—not to mention the appalling human cost—are obvious, though we were able to ignore them for a while. For a time, the bubbles in the housing and lending markets concealed the problem by creating artificial demand, which in turn created jobs in the financial sector and in construction and elsewhere. The bubble even made workers forget that their incomes were declining. They savored the possibility of wealth beyond their dreams, as the value of their houses soared and the value of their pensions, invested in the stock market, seemed to be doing likewise. But the jobs were temporary, fueled on vapor."

Excerpt from an excellent, and brief, article in January's Vanity Fair. I think it's fantastic and worth your time to read.

(I am in the weeds...sorting my office and paperwork out and hope to not be AWOL much longer...)

My New Friend, Rob Lowe And His Stories I Only Tell My Friends

2012-01-08T23:26:00.010-05:00

I was in New York the month or so of Rob Lowe's sex tape scandal and a local station would play the tape every night at midnight. I remember my reaction to the scandal that Lowe was taking a lot of flak because one of the women was underage. I thought the whole thing was dodgy because no one was taking the other woman to task. After all, she was the same age as Lowe and also involved with an underage person.

I love Rob Lowe and I was very excited to finally get my paws on his book. I read it all in one sitting yesterday because it is just so fun, juicy, charming and the stories are recalled with a good sense of timing and delivery. I feel like I am now buds with Lowe. Lowe has been in several of the classic movies of the 80's and 90's and in likely, the best tv show ever written and produced to this date, The West Wing. Lowe focuses on about two dozen key moments and stories in his life. I am left feeling like I wonder what he didn't tell us because I have the feeling this guy has a lot more amazing events he could share. I hope for a sequel!

Lowe has a firm understanding of the changes in pop culture since he was 15 and 17 just starting out, how his appearance has affected his life, and how crazy mad-assed his luck has been in so many ways and with so many people. This guy had such a focus about wanting to practice his imagination and acting since he was a little kid that it feels as if his focus because a magnet for a vsion quest. the weirdness that his mum moved him to malibu and he grew up hanging out with the Sheen and Penn kids. That he ran into Liza Minelli when he was 10 in a hotel lobby with his mum.

I felt an affinity with Lowe's hostory as a kid of divorce who sought solace in the arts. I could relate. And we moved to the west coast from the cold eastern places to arrive ina surreal world of hip counter-culture west coast pathos at nearly the same time. I loved his descriptions of Malibu in the 70's.

Lowe comes across as he appears in interviews...refreshingly polite and positive and unpretentious. I loved every word and even read the acknowledgements at the end of the book. Lowe is hard and self-depricating about himself...but he very kind and compassionate about other people. This was a great way to spend an afternoon with hot cuppa tea and blueberry scones. Fun!

I've included a couple of pics from the movie The Hotel New Hampshire which is a movie I adore based on a book I adore even more. The movie bombed and although it may not be super strong at every turn it is a beautiful version of a wonderful novel. It's worth a watch if you've never seen it because trying to film a John Irving novel iand comparing movie versions to his novels could be a major rewarding past time.

Gorgeous today and he is as compelling to me now as he was way back in the 80's. Lowe co-hosted with Kelly Ripa on LIVE last week and he was fantastic. Polite, with a touch of the bad boy and grown up humour.

I love this movie About Last Night. I may have seen it 50 times.

The four stars of About Last Night. Jim Belushi, Elizabeth Perkins, Demi Moore and Lowe. I watched this a few months ago and it was every bit as wonderful as the first time I saw it. I think it's a true classic love story and about friendship and life dating.

Another movie I have watched many many times, St. Elmo's Fire.

I LOVE how Rob Lowe looks for his role in Californication. HOT!

More Wade...Peyote To LSD

2012-01-06T12:15:00.002-05:00

Peyote to LSD from Wade Davis on Vimeo.

In this feature length documentary, renowned botanist, explorer, and author Wade Davis, follows in the footsteps of his mentor to experience for himself the mind bending discoveries that Schultes brought to the western world. Get an insight into native...

Oops, this video won't work here so here is the URl video spot

The Sacred Headwaters

2012-01-03T11:37:00.005-05:00

CBC Books - Wade Davis and the 'twilight shadow of hell'

I really recommend following the link above and watching the interview with Wade Davis. Wade Davis wrote one of the best and one of my most favourite books ever....One River. If you haven't read One River you have missed one of the greatest experiences. Just go and read it right now! (I once read it aloud to Mister Anchovy's father).

Wade is a fantastic storyteller and adventurer. He lives right in the area where I went to high school and has recently written a book about the three main rivers of northwestern British Columbia and their threat by corporate mineral digs. He also has a new book about mallory and climbing Everest with some great insights into the minds and motives of the explores after World War 1.

"Because it's there," is what Mallory famously quipped upon being asked why he intended to climb Mount Everest. "It kind of distilled the essence of pure desire that led these men to Everest," Davis said. Mallory led expeditions to Everest in 1921, '22 and '24. "In '21, just to find the mountain they had to walk 400 miles off the map," said Davis. "In 1924, when [Mallory] made his final attempt, he was seen going strong when the mists rolled in and enveloped his memory in myth. A big question for mountaineers has always been 'Did he get to the top of the mountain before he died?'"

Davis thinks it's quite unlikely that Mallory made it to the top in the end, but that isn't the important part of the story to him. "I'm interested in the spirit that carried them on," he explained. "I had this feeling that all that generation had gone through the agony of the First World War, and not that they were cavalier about death, but in a way death had no hold on them."

For Davis, the research to complete this book was harrowing. "[It] was like a journey through the twilight shadow of hell," he said. "The war had such an impact on every single phase...so my thought was that life mattered less than the moments of being alive. Because of their experiences in the war, Mallory and his colleagues were willing to accept a level of risk that might have been unimaginable before the war. And it was that kind of risk and that kind of courage that Everest demanded."

The quest to conquer Everest was also, in a sense, an attempt to escape from humanity. "In the wake of the war there was a chasm that existed between the men that lived at the front, and those that stayed home and profited from the war," said Davis. "So after the war, there was this feeling of wanting to get away...In a way, that's what Everest became: a sentinel in the sky."

The sheer toughness of these men continues to amaze Davis. "These guys were from another reality," he said.

Apron!

2012-01-02T13:07:00.005-05:00

For the first time ever...my sister, The Underground Baker

....got a parcel to us before the holidays. It's been a long standing joke about her and I giving each other winter holiday gifts in July. She got us a beautiful skull motif apron which we set to using immediately. Stagg is chopping vegetables for the crock pot.

Twenty Twelve

2011-12-31T08:51:00.004-05:00

I feel sort of giddy that it's actually going to be 2012. I grew up hearing about the opportunities the energy of this year was going to offer. Not apocalypse but "a time of great change". My friend sharona, an astrologer on the west coast, says this year is like a door that we can open to make changes and those changes...whether "good" or "bad" will be supported. When I was a little kid and my family spoke with reverence about this year...it seemed so far away.

Are you up to anything fun tonight? My friend Tricia is coming over for martinis and I am looking forward to seeing her.

Happy new year!

OMG!

2011-12-29T11:56:00.000-05:00

Another movie I am very excited about seeing! By one of my favourite directors!

Man Down

2011-12-26T22:01:00.006-05:00

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this song "Man Down" by Rhianna. She has some parents and people angry because of the violence depicted in the lyrics. Of course it was okay for Bob Marley or Eric Clapton to sing a powerful ballad about revenge or murder. Strong angry repentant women storytelllers? Dangerous! Go goddesses!

Rhianna on Twitter page, insisting upon her “freedom to make art” and telling parents it is up to them, not the music industry, to raise their kids.

“The music industry isn’t exactly Parents R Us!” she tweeted.

“We have the freedom to make art, LET US! It’s your job to make sure they don’t turn out like us.”

In another tweet, she said: “I’m a 23-year-old rockstar with NO KIDS! What’s up with everybody wanting me to be a parent? I’m just a girl, I can only be your/our voice!”

The Artist

2011-12-23T09:59:00.006-05:00

I just wrote a friend how I was wondering what kinds of movies are coming out ...and I really had not felt super excited about seeing a new movie in quite a long time. Listen, I am excited about the Dragon Tattoo movie, and Sherlock Holmes, and Mission Impossible...but I mean really excited. Excited like the kinds of movies that might inspire you to think about life. Like anticipating a Scorcese or Fellini movie. I used to get so excited to see a new Fellini movie. I really haven't been very excited to see a movie since "The Matrix" which had so much word of mouth and buzz.

Now here comes a movie...in black and white with no dialogue...and the trailer alone gets my eyes watering and my heart jumping. I can not believe someone has the guts to make a silent movie in black and white. I am so stoked for this movie! The director is a fellow who has made delightful spy movie spoofs in the past.

When I look at the trailer for "The Artist" I am filled with the memories of going to see Marx Brothers movies or Fellini's "Cassanova" at the Plaza Theatre in Calgary. I think The Plaza still shows movies. One of my oldest friends was the projectionist (he became a labour leader for projectionists since those days). The first movie I took my daughter to was at The Plaza (she was a newborn but I took her in a snugglie to "Wizard of Oz" which of course she slept through).

It just feels so cool to anticipate seeing this movie! Would you go see a silent black and white film?

Houseguest

2011-12-21T22:23:00.005-05:00

We have a little houseguest. He's a hamster that needs a bit of tlc for a couple of days. Hes very cute but very shy.

I am watching the 4 part series Fabric Of The Cosmos ala marathon tonight. I love the host, Brian Greenes, books which this mini series has been adapted. A quiet night. Stagg is at work. We are both working on the 25th so I don't even think we'll get a tree. we're either at work or sleeping. Not much else....back to my physics series...yummy!

Sqweegel

2011-12-18T12:26:00.000-05:00

This is one of the creepiest characters and episodes from CSI. I was so frightened watching this episode a couple years ago I had to turn all the lights on. And then phoned my daughter who was also watching it. Ann Margeret was also in this episode.The serial killer wore total pvc suit and was "unforensic" ot able to find any evidence of who he was except for the nicknames "Sqweegel" and "Ian Moore" (I am no one). This episode was so popular and so good that fans are hoping the writers will create more episodes of "Sqweegel". Here is a behind-the-scenes video.

If There Is No Fighting, It's Just Ice Skating

2011-12-16T14:21:00.009-05:00

"By a practice I am going to mean any coherent and complex form of socially established cooperative human activity through which goods internal to that form of activity are realized in the course of trying to achieve those standards of excellence which are appropriate to, and partially definitive of, that form of activity, with the result that human powers to achieve excellence, and human conceptions of the ends and goods involved, are systematically extended." Alasdair MacIntyre

Hockey without fighting is just skating? No really though, we think of hockey as having sanctioned fighting like boxing. The thing is, usually actual fist fighting doesn't happen in hockey until kids are well over 12. When I heard about this fight among 9 year olds after a hockey game I was really surprised. then I thought, hey maybe this game wasn't in North America. And I was right it's in Russia. I don't know anything about the customs of kids games in Russia but I know a fair bit about hockey games in Canada and the States for youth. Fighting is not tolerated. Nor is parental verbal abuse. Especially in Canada. Kids play hockey for fun. The fighting kicks in around the time of hormones. And kids having less influences from positive role models. Not the fighting players...but the players who make bad decisions during games.

In the above video what happens is that the kids start insulting each other...then fists fly.

And this is often what happens in professional hockey. Almost always in professional hockey, when a fight occurs its after one of the players has done something wrong. By wrong it could be a wrong play, a rule break, she wasn't caught by refs at a bad play...but often it is something really morally or gameship unacceptable. The fight happens after a bit of back and forth during the game till it escalates. There is ussualy a moral imperative and a "good versus bad ". It's part of the game and part of keeping up good gameship in the game of hockey.

I know, its a bit of a contradiction but there it is.

With children emphasis on the game is fun. Fun. No verbal abuse, no name-calling, no insulting players. The junior games are monitored and refereed and coached way before insults or rude words surface. Way before a fight would surface.

Hockey really is one of the more beautiful sports. Sports is the marriage of art and war. And hockey is the marriage of ice skating and boxing. Like many martial practices or artistic practices there is attainment of knowledge seemingly outside the actual practice. Part of being both an artist or a hockey player is going through the experience and gaining life skills. We teach kids tolerance and kindness during junoir hockey in the hopes that when they become grown ups they will choose their battles. After all, just like real life there are going to be bad people or people with poor social and game skills. Part of the idea of 10,000 hours or the philosophy of virtue (Alistair MacIntyre) is that we gain experience and tact and judgemental skills during our apprenticeship and practices.

The fight among 9 year old hockey players means we need to work harder at making sure children get those precious years of fun and play while attaining social and game skills so they can be ready for real life or grown up games.

Shit Disturber, R.I.P.

2011-12-16T11:43:00.004-05:00

"There is, especially in the American media, a deep belief that insincerity is better than no sincerity at all."

"One reason to be a decided antiracist is the plain fact that 'race' is a construct with no scientific validity. DNA can tell you who you are, but not what you are."

"A melancholy lesson of advancing years is the realisation that you can't make old friends."

All above quotes of Christopher Hitchens.

In my world, being a shit disturber is a compliment. The term is used a lot in Canada and I think maybe trickled over from UK. It's kind of a 60's slash punk term and Hitchens was a royal shit disturber. He liked to get his brain wrenching with any kind of status quo. Question authority. Like him or not. Agree with him or not...he could set up a frame for a discussion. I feel like I've been reading his opinions and arguments all my life. He was a regular guest on Bill Maher's shows and he will be sorely missed because he brought humour, cutting social criticism and UK swag to so many discussions and magazines.

Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn
Suicide remarks are torn
From the fool’s gold mouthpiece the hollow horn
Plays wasted words, proves to warn
That he not busy being born is busy dying.
—Bob Dylan, “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”

Related Links:

1) From NPR
2) Hitchens on Nietzsche for Vanity Fair
3) A Hitchens friend remembers

Radio

2011-12-15T13:13:00.002-05:00

New Barry White? I love this new video and song by 50Cent. I always have on WGCI in the car. I am now super familiar with the djs and programming. I also have landed up driving all kinds of places in the past couple months. Really starting to get a sense of direction in Chicago...

A Painting Being Made By Peter Josyph

2011-12-14T12:32:00.005-05:00

This is a photo I took in Knoxville of Cormac McCarthy's family house back in 2007. Yes, I was sneaking around on this property...and I was nervous and took some silly photos. I was visiting a few friendsfrom my online bookclub, with a fabulous guy Wes who took me on a literary tour of McCarthy's world in Knoxville. This house burned down a couple years ago.

A buddy of mine has these great videos of him making a painting of Cormac McCarthy's house: Peter Josyph is a New York artist and film maker who did this painting for our bookclub and I think this video archive is just a wonderful thing. Check it out! See how two very different people had such different responses to a visual imspiration as this house. ha ha. Okay okay, Peter's is obviously way more cool!

Some Billy

2011-12-13T19:58:00.002-05:00

Aw, cute, Billy Bragg on a Canadian kids show...I used to sing this song to my nephew Nathan. One trip to tofino and this record was very popular I would get up early in the morning and let my sister and brother-in-law sleep in and I would take Nathan in a snuggly pack to the beach and watch eagles feed in the seaweed and sing this to him.

A concerty version....

I love both these Billy's and they are both from the British punk scene and same era.

No surprise Billy Idol became a big star, his face was made for music videos and he is so gorgeous! At the time of Idol's early rock videos they were super inventive and now they seem so cute. We used to love waiting for one of his sexy videos to be shown on Much Music or MTV.

Must See!

2011-12-12T07:50:00.000-05:00

Just got word that Adam Ant is on his way to Chicago. I've got to go!!!

Stacking Lifting Stocking

2011-12-11T08:15:00.003-05:00

well, I did manage to think about if I was gonna get a tree or decorate...and yes, I am going to decorate next week. Stagg is going to find some decorations in the attic. We also had our Festivus decorations in the basement at our old place so they survived. I've been lifting and stacking 30 pound bags of cat food and cat litter and flats of tins of cat food for the past couple days. I am so out of shape I thought I would't make it but can you say "core"? I MUST get back into yoga or else! Not much else going on. I love the people I've been working with this week. Two of the women are just wonderful. One I call "movie buff". she describes everyone as a movie person they look like. when she described one of the guys as "michael J Pollard" I did a double take. That was for sure a movie buff observation so esoteric. I love hearing about the other staffs dogs and cats and retiles etc. Everyone has pets that works here. (well except me) Thats it for now. On a tear with the crock pot. Threw in all organic chicken and bones with tiny potatoes )no TINY potatoes) and vegies and organic chicken stock and just let it simmer. Stagg's got dozens of soups and stews for work now. Thats all for now folks...

Night Shift

2011-12-09T12:56:00.003-05:00

Stagg and i are working two different night shifts so he'll be gone when I get home tonight. We still don't know if he'll be picked up full time. Cross your fingers. We've filled up the fridge and he has meals ready for several days. The crock pot has already been a terrific addition. We made an awesome stew last night with stuff I grabbed at Trader Joes like stew beef, peas, potatoes organic beef stock. My new location is in our old neighbourhood right next to our old Trader Joes! So it is super convenient. I will just get groceries on my way home every day. Zowie! Thats about it for now...my new location is really new. Brand new store , not even open yet...so I got some extra hours helping unpack stock...which I LOVE DOING! And so no dogs yet but probably be grooming by next week. So its been a fun couple days. The people I work with are so cool and nice so thats really great too. Later...

Welcome To The 1950's

2011-12-07T09:10:00.004-05:00

I've been at Tricia's for a week and just got back. Um...Stagg hadn't been to the grocery store. He made odd bits of food with potatoes and cabbage and rice we had kicking around. The thing is...when he came to Kenosha for the funeral the other day I thought he looked very very thin. I had no idea he was on the cabbage soup diet. If anyone didn't need to lose weight it's Stagg.

Now coincidently on the way back into town I stopped for groceries and I saw a lovely crock pot at Target. I've never owned a crock pot before bit thought it might be a way for Stagg to make some meals.

I got him to spend an hour chopping onions and celery and so now he has a prep for recipes. Its just as much trouble to chop a lot of onions as one...and then store them in the fridge till you make a bunch of soups etc. He walked through an informal chili recipe with me last night ....and this morning...the chili looks pretty good.

If you have any groovy and wholesome crock pot recipes lay them down!

What Defines A Family?

2011-12-03T12:49:00.000-05:00

Cool Brother, R.I.P.

2011-12-01T11:02:00.011-05:00

The only thing I can make any sense over this sudden loss is that Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain must have needed a bodyguard.

The Neil, as he was called by just about everyone, was a Marine. Just exactly how cool was he? He had tattoos. He wore combat boots and five fingers shoes. He got his sister, my friend Tricia, her first iPhone and kept upgrading them. He was one cool brother. He had just got his concealed weapons permit and was planning to branch out from security to personal security. He drove a bad ass truck. He worked at a gentlemans club and took care of the dancers like they were family. He was the life of the party and he laughed loud and hearty. He was huge, larger than life at 6'5". He had a massive love of travel and seeing the world especially if the weather was balmy and there were palm trees. He could quote The Simpsons on a dime. Knowing The Simpsons is a sign of great mental health and well-being. He loved movies and was a source of useless information which made for great conversation. His favourite movie was The Big Lebowski. Almost all of his clothes were black and glamorous styling...and when they weren't they were black with skull and pirate motifs, which of course is also glamorous! He was a foodie getting his parents to try new foods they never imagined they would begin to love. He did it all and he lived so large and to the fullest: sky diving, scuba diving, gun savvy, knife collecting, massive hat wearing, camping, hunting. He really was the best version of the American spirit we see in movies and literature. Only for real. He seized the day.

He's going to be interned on Saturday in his five fingered sports shoes with two pounds of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. Semper Fi!

"You make me smile like the sun
Fall outta bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night

You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile"

Friend

2011-11-29T14:11:00.002-05:00

I am at my friend Tricias place...everyone is totally gutted. Her brother and his dog both passed away yesterday morning in a terrible car crash. We spend so much time with Tricia and her family they are our family. Just raw shock. I'll write something proper about him in a bit...just wanted to put this wonderful photo of him here...

Flat

2011-11-28T23:24:00.002-05:00

Oh this is so hard to even type. We are gutted. We've lost a friend. I can't write about it right now...I am so sick thinking about their family, our friend...we are in shock. No words. I just want to hug my friend. Tonight...meditation and breathing...

Stag Is The New Owl

2011-11-28T10:52:00.017-05:00

How many hipsters does it take to change a lightbulb?

The number is really obscure; you probably haven't heard of it.

Deer heads and stags have been trendy for about 10 years now...but sometimes these trends get second booms. We saw a lot of stags this weekend. Tricia and I did a lot of second hand shopping. We saw this vest with Illinois sillouette and Lincoln sillouette and thought how funny! Then the front of it had all these hilarious buttons and badges...no no really look closer...

We did a big double take. The vest was $50 and would have been funny to buy except then Stagg might actually wear it, so no way!

When we got on a streetcar Saturday night as we went bar hopping...I thought shit, is this a film set? Is this a casting call for people who all dress in ironic retro wear and look about 22? Its like everyone on the streetcar had bought at the exact same store the exact uniform of hip urban bored ness. Its been decades since anyone could even attempt to find something rare or different in music and art. Any band you think you've discovered and fell upon, trust me they have a following of millions....there is no mysterious artist or musician out there, no surprise actor or movement, no unique music or alternative style. the alternative and folk is long dead and popularized within seconds. "Obscure" or "authentic" is all always everywhere for everyone...but even this sight on the Toronto streetcar was a surprise. I actually felt a little embarrassed for all the people who wish they were special and unique and knew cool unheard of music...those days are long gone...

There are two words I've always tried to avoid using. I have tried to not have them in my vocabulary and hope to have them not insert themselves into a pattern of thinking. These two words are discovery and progress. I simply do not believe there is any such thingas progress. Period. Or discovery. I think the human brain has the illusion of progress because it can't see the whole picture. I also think discovery is an illusion of the brain of someone who hasn't seen we just find things already in existence we don't discover them.

In practicing meditation and meeting many people over the years who begin meditating they often go through a phase. Well, many phases are found in "aspirants" f meditation. One phase is feeling special or unique. The idea that we are individuals is very strong part of what may surface when you begin meditating for the first time. We start to see that often our culture has programmmed in us the idea that we are original or different than others. Meditation begins to confront that philosophy.

I have had several friends who were in AA. AA had some very similar concepts and phases as meditation. One is a sort of aspirant when they first practice AA. AA had a adage or concept called "terminal uniqueness." In meditation the concept of terminal uniqueness is part of the ego. The ego thinks it can discover a new band. Or be "authentic" and find rare music and art and literature in order to represent it's own specialness. The ego will resist meditation and group settings "to do it alone".

I think a lot of restrictive thinking...thinking and programming from the kind of economy we have under agriculture in Europe, China, North America...is conducive to this idea of "obscure" and "special". This idea of obscure or unique or alternative feeds into addictive thinking and rigid patterns of behaviour that prevent us from seeing other ways to live and think. I couldn't help but feel a little sad and frightened by this mass manifestation of "obscure" and "authentic" mindset on the Toronto steetcar the other night. This is a kind of reaction to totalitarianism yet...it is just another form of totalitarianism. We want the "old ways" of clothes...a better time, not to be products of machine and economy that keeps us from thinking freely...yet we becme another form of group thinking. We don't want to be a "robot' and that wish is linked to addictive behaviour...and then we become robots in our revolutions.

No programs. No discovery. No progress. Go Occupy Wall Street. Go Occupy Everywhere!

Related Links:

1) Suttree. A novel where the character is a flanuer...but also is trapped in wanting to be "unique" and "authentic". 1979 book review of Suttree.

2) a blog post about terminal uniqueness.

3) "He's wrong... You don't get to do it your way. You don't get to make up your own special rules. We have a name for people like that. Those are people who suffer from terminal uniqueness. You don't get to do it your way." about Charlie Sheen, by Rob Lowe

4) Urban Dictionary on Hipster

5) Ego death at Wiki...and "how to meditate" suggestions at Meditation Oasis

Downtown

2011-11-28T10:41:00.010-05:00

The Death Of The Fringe Suburb

2011-11-26T09:54:00.002-05:00

"DRIVE through any number of outer-ring suburbs in America, and you’ll see boarded-up and vacant strip malls, surrounded by vast seas of empty parking spaces. These forlorn monuments to the real estate crash are not going to come back to life, even when the economy recovers. And that’s because the demand for the housing that once supported commercial activity in many exurbs isn’t coming back, either.

By now, nearly five years after the housing crash, most Americans understand that a mortgage meltdown was the catalyst for the Great Recession, facilitated by underregulation of finance and reckless risk-taking. Less understood is the divergence between center cities and inner-ring suburbs on one hand, and the suburban fringe on the other.

It was predominantly the collapse of the car-dependent suburban fringe that caused the mortgage collapse.

In the late 1990s, high-end outer suburbs contained most of the expensive housing in the United States, as measured by price per square foot, according to data I analyzed from the Zillow real estate database. Today, the most expensive housing is in the high-density, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods of the center city and inner suburbs. Some of the most expensive neighborhoods in their metropolitan areas are Capitol Hill in Seattle; Virginia Highland in Atlanta; German Village in Columbus, Ohio, and Logan Circle in Washington. Considered slums as recently as 30 years ago, they have been transformed by gentrification.

Simply put, there has been a profound structural shift — a reversal of what took place in the 1950s, when drivable suburbs boomed and flourished as center cities emptied and withered."

Whole article here by CHRISTOPHER B. LEINBERGER.

All Nighter

2011-11-25T12:06:00.002-05:00

Tricia and I pulled an all nighter and drove to Toronto. I haven't driven quite like that ina long time. Tricia slept a bit I just kept driving and pumping coffee. We got here around 8 a.m.

We spent yesterday with the family and just chilled. Today we're going to Kensignton Market. We stayed up late last night shooting the shit with Jill and Scott. I can't get my picture bigger or rotated right now. Off to enjoy another beautiful day and show Tricia around Toronto!

4 Years Ago

2011-11-23T15:41:00.003-05:00

It just came to my attention that our friends band "The Hamburglars" have been playing for four years. I love this crazy video I shot at one of their first gigs. Please feel free to play this video on your blog or FB page..help make them go viral folks! I really want Rosie to have them on her show! She used to collect "Happy Meals" (maybe she still does...I wonder?) and I think she would love this band. I posted this video to her FB page and her twitter.

Body Modification

2011-11-23T07:03:00.000-05:00

Another Lynch Moment...

2011-11-22T23:41:00.002-05:00

There are so many great tv shows. A lot of writers have said in interviews that they look to Twin Peaks as a huge influence. Shows like United States of Tara, Breaking Bad, Nurse Jackie, True Blood, and all the shows with "kooky characters" have the breakthrough eccentric stylings of script and characters in Twin Peaks to nod towards. Twin Peaks is the godhead of all our unique and lovable tv shows these days...

I absolutely love love love the music and intro to Twin Peaks...it still makes my heart go pitter patter.

I've been practicing meditation since I was 13 years old. I just love hearing David Lynch talk about his experiences and perspectives on meditiation. I need a little Lynch in life all the time...so here is some more!

Bow Wow

2011-11-20T19:12:00.003-05:00

The Body Artist

2011-11-18T22:30:00.007-05:00

I have a dirty dark secret. Michael's Jacksons' surgery never really bothered me. Actually...I "got it" why he made the changes he did. I thought he looked beautiful. I loved how he looked all his life. As a child peer. As a cutie on the cover of "The Wall". I loved him since I was little and thought I was going to marry him...but I also understood the changes he made with his face.

We never landed up seeing the movie "This Is It" until this week. Maybe it was as good a time as any after his doctor was found guilty of manslaughter for killing Jackson. Hear hear.

"This Is It" is one of the best concert movies ever. Maybe concert movie is too strong seeing as he it wasn't really filmed in front of an audience but the several days of rehearsals and sound checks recorded feel very much like a concert. The dancing is utterly beautiful and outstanding. jackson is a true artist with every move he makes. He is mostly reserved going through the marks and lighting rehearsals...but his moves are perfect, powerful, breath taking...even when he is holding back. His voice is gorgeous. And just some of the simplest gestures with his hands holding a coat or shirt and sliding across the stage made me hold my breath. He must have been from another planet...could he really have been human? He is like a flower out of a William gibson novel...his novels where people don't just get their surgery to look younger but to change species. Michael jackson must notbe human, he must not be from this planet. He moves like magic.

Mr. New York

2011-11-17T21:49:00.004-05:00

I've been watching Regis every morning for years and years. I used to get teased about it from my friends. I first saw Regis Philbin in the mornings when I was in New York City in the 80's. I thought the local tv morning show was the best thing. I used to watch it with coffee staying with friends in Manhattan during my "club days". When his show got syndicated in Canada I was so excited and just worked my day around the show.

The opening segment of host chat was live. In the 1980's there were very very few shows of live tv and the excitement of their chit chat being live was huge for me. It just felt so real. Unscripted, and most of the dialogue was about their personal lives. Original reality tv.

I record the show now...but still the best way to watch it is when its on the fly as it happens. I've watched it even if I am working, or on a road trip. I find it online or record it. I am having a very weird feeling that Regis will no longer be on the morning show. It just feels so weird to anticipate this change. At first when he announced he was leaving the program I was pretty upset. I thought he shouldn't. But in the last few weeks I've really enjoyed all the extra interviews and coverage and accolades people have been giving Regis. I'm glad he has gotten to hear people say they appreciate him and to say best wishes. Regis has been on tv more than any other person. He's broken Guinness records with almost 17,000 hours on tv.

Every episode last week I cried. I was a wreck even though there was still a whole other week coming. this week the tone has been more happy and silly and I have hardly cried at all. I sure hope he takes another job. I've always felt watching the show has kept me leveled out. (there has been some study that the amount of eye contact and/or social time between primates in the morning affects their sleep and mood-see chart below from Seth Roberts)

Watching Regis has always been my little taste of New York City. His brusque and crazy manner has reminded me of so many people I have known from there and the general spirit of the city. I'll still watch the show with Kelly Ripa and whoever they hire to co-host with her by next year...but it just won't be the same.

The show coming up tomorrow morning is going to be his last morning hosting position. I've got a box of tissue ready.

A Beautiful Day

2011-11-15T13:48:00.004-05:00

I watched the Diane Sawyer interview with Congresswoman Gifford. Wow what an incredible story and her recovery has really been from music. the brain can remember words through music. Above is a really great video of her husband astronaut Mark Kelly giving her a message and greeting before a U2 performance of one of Giffords favourite songs "A Beautiful Day", And Kelly also quotes a David Bowie song. I felt pretty verklempt and thought about my daughter and also a friend of mine who loved Bowie. Michael passed away 20 years ago...but i couldn't help think how much he would have been into this recovery story, and how U2 and Bowie were part of the story and her recovery.
video platform video management video solutions video player

"Optimism is a form of healing. Hope is a form of love" Mark Kelly.

The Most Popular Artist In America

2011-11-12T11:07:00.003-05:00

From The New Republic, a book review by Jed Perl...

THE LOVE AFFAIR between the intellectuals and the trashmeisters, now more than a hundred years old, has just overtaken the man who is by some measures the most popular painter in America. Thomas Kinkade: The Artist in the Mall is an essay collection that exudes a creepy fascination. While a number of the contributors manage to provide level-headed assessments of Kinkade’s place in the American imagination, I am not remotely convinced that such attention should be lavished on Kinkade’s sugar-drenched Middle America, with its frosted gingerbread domiciles, dew-kissed old-fashioned small-town Main Streets, and farmlands so fertile they look as if they’re on steroids. Alexis L. Boylan, who edited the book, would no doubt protest that the size of Kinkade’s reputation justifies the attention on sociological or cultural grounds, pure and simple. I know that many intellectuals believe we overlook middlebrow tastes at our own risk. But there is a large dose of reverse snobbery threaded through this collection. More than a generation after Pop Art became holy writ, it is rather tiresome to be announcing yet again that we live in a democracy where one person’s treasure is another person’s trailer trash, and that their masterworks are not necessarily inferior to the Picasso’s and Matisse’s in our museums. Many of the contributors to Boylan’s anthology want to devour every last bite of their middlebrow cake, but only after each tasty morsel has been skewered on a highbrow fork. The problem is not that they respect Kincade anthropologically, it is that they respect him as an artist.

Verteran's Day Occupy Chicago

2011-11-10T18:40:00.002-05:00

11am - Veteran Memorial Speak Out & March (Wacker & Wabash)
OC joins Veterans for Peace, IVAW and AVAW for a memorial and speak out by veterans of Afghanistan, Iraq and the “Global War on Terror” at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

12 pm - March from Vietnam Veterans Memorial to OC headquarters at Jackson & LaSalle

3-5pm - Community Outreach Meeting at Grace Place (637 S Dearborn)
Outreach is inviting community organizations from all over Chicago to see how we can collaborate on actions, trainings, and events.

3-4:30pm - Teach-in: “Resisting Military Recruitment into U.S. Wars for the 1% - On Veterans Day & Everyday”

4:30-6pm - Teach-in: “Critical Theory, Critical Practice”

5:45pm - Silent March and Candlelight Vigil at Veteran’s Memorial
Silent march will leave Jackson & LaSalle at 5:45pm to the Veteran’s Memorial on Wacker Drive at State Street. Once there, people will be encouraged to say a few words or read a favorite poem or song. We will march to OC's General Assembly at Congress & Michigan before 7 pm.

Right?

2011-11-09T16:00:00.001-05:00

Nebraska 1958

2011-11-09T12:01:00.004-05:00

When we were on the west coast a few months ago driving around victoria...I slowed down and showed Stagg the theatre where I saw Indiana Jones. I was laughing and like, god, who shows where they saw movies to somone...only me... we also checked out the place where many many times after a movie friends and I would go for coffee and chocolate cake. The place is still there called Pagliacci's and still serves chocolate cake. As we walked around downtown Victoria we talked about how big a deal it was to go to a movie and then out for coffee. I just think back on those days where a movie, some cake and coffee was such a way of life. Seeing and discussing movies was a steady past time and would engage a whole evening. Now you're lucky if you can find anyone over the age of 25 who has even been regularly to a movie theatre within a past year.

One of my top top top favourite albums is Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen. I have spent many irreplace hours staring at a ceiling and listening to that record. The title song is sung from the perspective of one of the most famous spree killers Charles Starkweather. I came across the following videos which are behind the scenes interviews with the stars and set designer of an interpretation of the Starkweather killing spree called Badlands (one of my best memories of seeing a movie). Martin Sheen talks a bit about a review of the movie and how the critic tells people they must stop and go see this movie. I thought, gee how often do you hear a film critic just wowed by a movie these days? How often does someone say just GO see a movie. when was the last time a friend called me up and said i HAD to see a movie. I know one of the last times I called up friends and told them they had to see a movie. It was 1999 and the movie was The Matrix I was so excited I just phoned everyone I knew and said they had to see it in the theatre. (more about that tomorrow...)

Ive always been fascinated by Jack Fisk. Jack Fisk is film art director. I have always been so interested when he works on a movie because the sets and details are always so fastidiously treated. He is the art director on most of David Lynch's movies and all of Terrence Mallicks movies. He worked on Raggedy Man and Carrie. He is also interesting because he has been married to Sissy Spacek for thirty years.

Greece

2011-11-08T09:14:00.001-05:00

From the other night on SNL.

Flash

2011-11-08T09:10:00.000-05:00

I think these might be the most fave tattoo designs I've ever seen. Brilliant!

B.C. Sign Off

2011-11-07T23:23:00.000-05:00

Here is a lovely sign off from B.C.

What I Tweeted Today

2011-11-06T16:24:00.000-05:00

Taking steps to deal with a 2 yr BLOCK. Will blog about it. Today I went for a run. By run I heaved and panted in public. Baby steps.

10 Coms For Nons...

2011-11-05T11:14:00.001-04:00

Shout out to Asterisk...for this list...I love it. A 10 commandments for non-believers...

In his new book, "God, No!" atheist magician Penn Jillette tells how he was challenged by conservative radio host Glenn Beck to come up with an atheist's version of The Ten Commandments.

"I wanted to see how many of the ideas that many people think are handed down from (G)od really make sense to someone who says, 'I don't know.'"
Here's his list:
STORY: Magicians say craft makes them see faith as hocus-pocus
1. The highest ideals are human intelligence, creativity and love. Respect these above all.
2. Do not put things or even ideas above other human beings. (Let's scream at each other about Kindle versus iPad, solar versus nuclear, Republican versus Libertarian, Garth Brooks versus Sun Ra— but when your house is on fire, I'll be there to help.)
3. Say what you mean, even when talking to yourself. (What used to be an oath to (G)od is now quite simply respecting yourself.)
4. Put aside some time to rest and think. (If you're religious, that might be the Sabbath; if you're a Vegas magician, that'll be the day with the lowest grosses.)
5. Be there for your family. Love your parents, your partner, and your children. (Love is deeper than honor, and parents matter, but so do spouse and children.)
6. Respect and protect all human life. (Many believe that "Thou shalt not kill" only refers to people in the same tribe. I say it's all human life.)
7. Keep your promises. (If you can't be sexually exclusive to your spouse, don't make that deal.)
8. Don't steal. (This includes magic tricks and jokes — you know who you are!)
9. Don't lie. (You know, unless you're doing magic tricks and it's part of your job. Does that make it OK for politicians, too?)
10. Don't waste too much time wishing, hoping, and being envious; it'll make you bugnutty.

Mapping Stereotypes

2011-11-03T23:37:00.003-04:00

Mystery Soundtrack

2011-11-02T12:45:00.003-04:00

I was pretty excited to see a new mystery mini-series on PBS this fall. It's called Case Histories and is really really good. The setting is Edinburgh and it is filmed really lovely. I love the characters, the music, the stories and actors. I highly recommend. I liked it so much I've saved it on my DVR to watch again.

"Thoughts from Kate Atkinson: Like me, Jackson is a long-term country fan and for each of the novels I've had a playlist — something which often evolves during the course of the novel, but which somehow points me to something essential at the heart of each book. Sometimes the tracks don't seem particularly relevant, but they are to me (and Jackson)...

I sent the Started Early tape to Ashley Phoenix, the writer of two of the Case Histories episodes, as he's also a country fan. I suspect some of the choices on the soundtrack are his, but the Mary Gauthier song is mine. I'm really glad that thanks to Case Histories more people have discovered Mercy Now as I think it's such a great track.

Jackson likes his women, not just Nanci Griffith and Lucinda Williams but also Iris DeMent, Gillian Welch, Mary Gauthier, Eliza Gilkyson and a host of others. I am (and thereby Jackson, of course) a total fan of both Lucy Kaplansky and Patti Griffin, neither of whom are feature here but would most definitely have been on Jackson's playlist. Kris Delmhorst was a new artist to me but I've been listening to her a lot since discovering her on the soundtrack." from here. And here is a review by NYTs.

The Music

Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness by John E Prine (Bug Music / Universal International Music) – Performed by Nanci Griffith
Mercy Now by Mary Gauthier (Mary Gauthier Songs /UMG Recordings Inc)
Sweet Old World by Lucinda Williams (Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp / Chameleon Records)
Your Long Journey – Traditional /Doc Watson – Rosa Lee Watson (NS) – (Hillgreen Music/ Rounder Records Corp) Performed by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
I’ll Take My Sorrow Straight by Iris DeMent – Elmer McCall (NS)-(Songs of Iris/ WEA International Inc.)
Trouble by Iris DeMent – Elmer McCall (NS)-(Songs of Iris/ WEA International Inc.)

When You Walk On by Eliza Gilkyson – (Gilkysongs/ Red House Records, Inc.)
Busker’s Saxophone by Kenny Tomlinson ( Ruby Films (Case Histories) Limited)
Bus to Baton Rouge by Lucinda Williams (Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp / UMG Recordings Inc)
2 Hearts by John Eliot & Jemima Stilwell (Sony/TV Music Publishing (UK) Limited/ EMI Records Limited) Performed by Kylie Minogue
Calm Before The Storm by Eliza Gilkyson – (Gilkysongs/ Red House Records, Inc.)

Destiny by Sia Furler, Henry Binns, Sam Hardaker, Sophie Barker – (Universal/MCA Music Limited/ EMI Music Publishing Ltd /Ultimate Dilemma Records) Performed by Zero 7
Drinkin’ Problem by Mark D Sanders & Lori McKenna (Larga Vista Music/ Hornall Brothers America Music/ Warner Music UK Limited) Performed by Lori McKenna
Mercy Now by Mary Gauthier (Mary Gauthier Songs /UMG Recordings Inc)
Winter Wonderland by Felix Bernard & Richard B Smith – (Donaldson-Douglas-Gumble Inc./ Sony Music Entertainment Inc) Performed by Macy Gray
The Magic by Joan Wasser (Chrysalis Songs/[PIAS] Recordings) Performed by Joan as Police Woman
Since You Went Away by James Johnson & Kris Delmhorst – (Big Bean Music/ Continental Record Services B.V) Performed by Kris Delmhorst
Vcr by Romy Croft, Baria Qureshi, Oliver Sim & Jamie Smith – (Universal Music Publishing Limited/ XL Recordings Limited) Performed by The xx

James Bond Guitar?

2011-11-01T15:29:00.004-04:00

hey, I just had to forward on this guitar news from blogger "Guitars and Life". A new brand of guitars! Made by the snazzy luxury car company, Aston Martin.

If Kim Kardashian Can Get Married...

2011-11-01T11:21:00.001-04:00

Why can't gay people?

Sign Off TVO

2011-10-31T23:22:00.000-04:00

Here is a sign off from TVo...nice!

Wisconsin

2011-10-31T20:18:00.030-04:00

Another crazy weekend. We went to tricias in Kenosha where coincidently Andy friend also lives...and got married this weekend....so andy was driving down from St. Pauls and we all met to hang out in Kenosha. Yes Andy now moved jobs from wisconsin to MinnEsoda. Anyways it was a wonderful time and we did catching up.

This is a restaurant that is chef Tony Mantuano local to Tricia. Her and her family have eaten there many times. He was on Top Chef Masters Season 2...and has a restaurant he well known for in Chicago called Spiaggia which I have eaten at twice! This seasons Top chef Texas has one of his chefs from Spiaggia competing which is pretty cool.

Going with the theme of prohibition.

One of those rocks is an outdoor speaker. How cool!

This is Franks Diner featured on Guy Fieri's Drive-Ins, Diners and Dives.

Prohibition

2011-10-28T17:34:00.005-04:00

Stagg dressed in his finest Prohibition era hat to watch the PBS five and half hour documentary by Ken Burns.

Tricia was over for a few days and we camped out and watched a lot of docs and tv shows, one of them this series. Wow, I had no idea that the build up to Prohibition happened for a 100 years and everyone including kids drank booze. I loved this doc and it goes well with Boardwalk Empire. We also watched The botony of Desire which has a segment about marijuana and its relationship and sucess with humans. The doc on Prohibition had a few too many repeated images of pouring out barrels of booze, could have been a little bit shorter...but well worth watching.

Conflicting images of women during prohibition.

Night Shift

2011-10-28T11:47:00.002-04:00

Stagg is working a night shift and the hours are a crazy new adjustment. I was driving him to work and picking him up. He was to work till 3:30 and I was parked at a coffee shop waiting for him. He landed up working an extra two hours. So we are zombies. Its kind of exciting though.

Tv Sign Offs

2011-10-25T23:26:00.003-04:00

You know whats weird...I don't think I actually noticed when tv networks stopped having sign offs. I love love love sign offs. Some sign offs stir a nostalgia in me...which is just so strange, no? Sentimental about a network closing? Nuts! Now tv stations seem to repeat their programming, or have 24/7 programing...or the dreaded infomercial. I love these things...here are a couple of choice ones...

This one ssays its a re=creation...its got a lot of spicy flavour!

Har!

2011-10-24T18:45:00.000-04:00

Uh Huh

2011-10-22T19:03:00.000-04:00

Double Dog Dare And They Did

2011-10-22T16:30:00.003-04:00

"Americans have been watching protests against oppressive regimes that concentrate massive wealth in the hands of an elite few. Yet in our own democracy, 1 percent of the people take nearly a quarter of the nation’s income—an inequality even the wealthy will come to regret.

It’s no use pretending that what has obviously happened has not in fact happened. The upper 1 percent of Americans are now taking in nearly a quarter of the nation’s income every year. In terms of wealth rather than income, the top 1 percent control 40 percent. Their lot in life has improved considerably. Twenty-five years ago, the corresponding figures were 12 percent and 33 percent. One response might be to celebrate the ingenuity and drive that brought good fortune to these people, and to contend that a rising tide lifts all boats. That response would be misguided. While the top 1 percent have seen their incomes rise 18 percent over the past decade, those in the middle have actually seen their incomes fall. For men with only high-school degrees, the decline has been precipitous—12 percent in the last quarter-century alone. All the growth in recent decades—and more—has gone to those at the top. In terms of income equality, America lags behind any country in the old, ossified Europe that President George W. Bush used to deride. Among our closest counterparts are Russia with its oligarchs and Iran. While many of the old centers of inequality in Latin America, such as Brazil, have been striving in recent years, rather successfully, to improve the plight of the poor and reduce gaps in income, America has allowed inequality to grow." From article in Vanity Fair...to read complete essay here

My Peeps!

2011-10-22T11:47:00.004-04:00

Oh I feel like a big sister...I feel like my family is out there trying to do and say something...when I watched this video I was so reminded of me and my friends when we were art students. I seriously had tears in my eyes watching these folks taking a stand...for better or for worse,whether we totally agree with what they're saying...or not...they are out there working hard. I just love this video. I had to laugh out loud at about 9 minutes into the video the guy wh has been filming yells he is the %1. He has been trying to "correct" what the people are saying int heir manifestoes...he seems pretty smug and judgmental...but its his free will too. Very interesting to see how he tries to interupt and they give him their symbol of hands in a triangle which means "stay on point".

I have been reminded of an argument of film critic Robin Wood who argued that there are two major forces in North America, patriarchy and capitalism. And those two forces corrupt relationships. I love how the people working at occupying wall street have designed ways to move around hierarchy and to prmote democracy and consensus among themselves. I think many of the processes they have worked on will move into popular culture, like schools and workshops, baord rooms and government meetings over the next few years. And actually, many of their processes have been in work in such setttings for a while now.

I love in one of the manifestoes read during the above video a line is "fuck the cynics" and they all laugh...t's just lovely!

And just for the heck of it, in the spirit of the OWS general assembly... I shall re-post a manifesto here...and a back story is blogged here...

Steve Hughes

2011-10-21T18:08:00.003-04:00

This one above is dedicated to Sarah and Mark. And below is for Anita and George.

YES!

2011-10-21T10:08:00.001-04:00

Arresting a middle-aged writer in an evening gown for peaceable conduct is a far cry from when America was a free republic

2011-10-20T10:04:00.002-04:00

Unbelievable. Naomi Wolf arrested. Her account here

"This One Could Take Them All Down!

2011-10-19T18:20:00.002-04:00

Chris Hedges nails exactly why this is so powerful.

Board Games?

2011-10-19T11:26:00.008-04:00

I love board games and playing cards. I want to get into a regular game night if possible and I also was wondering...gee what kinds of games are there out there...so yesterday on Facebook I asked if anyone knew of any good board games. I got a lot of fantastic recommendations. And over half of the games friends suggested i hadn't even heard of! Wow! Am I ever out of it in games. So I went to a terrific web game ranking site called Board Game Geekand got some information about the some of the recommended games. Games have really changed and so have the attitudes about games...like who the designers are behind the games. To me this shows the influence of the film industry, painting, and computer and video games...we now are more and more interested in knowing who made a game, who designed it. We have an aesthetic demand as well as the fun and challenges of games. This is way beyond Monopoly and Risk (btw...I absolutely loathe playing Monopoly). A lot of these look pretty damn cool.

I spent a little time on Wikipedia reading about the game playy on some of the following games as well as the breakdown on Board Game Geek which I post below. Sheesh, The Washington Post called "Settlers of Catan" the board game of our time. I never even heard of it! I thought Cranium was the board game of our time! So I am pretty excited to look into getting some of these and playing.

I also found a review written with these kinds of questions...regarding Mr. Jack Pocket

Components - Does the game look nice? Are the bits worth the money? Do they add to the game?
Accessibility - How easy is the game to teach, or to feel like you know what you are doing?
Depth - Does the gameplay allow for deeper strategies, or does the game play itself?
Theme - Does the game give a sense of immersion? Can you imagine the setting described in the game?
Fun - Is the game actually enjoyable? Do you find yourself smiling, laughing, or having some sense of satisfaction when it’s over?

Do yuo have any favourite board games?

Designer
Thomas Lehmann
Artist
Martin Hoffmann
Claus Stephan
Mirko Suzuki
Publisher
ABACUSSPIELE
Albi
Gabinete Lúdico
Gamesinitaly
Show More »
Year Published
2007
# of Players
2 − 4
User Suggested # of Players
Best with 2, 4 players
Recommended with 2, 3, 4 players
(527 voters) [poll]
Playing Time
60 minutes
Mfg Suggested Ages
12 and up
User Suggested Ages
12 and up
(119 voters) [poll]
Language Dependence
Some necessary text - easily memorized or small crib sheet
(200 voters) [poll]

Designer
Bruno Cathala
Ludovic Maublanc
Artist
Jean-Marie Minguez
Publisher
Hurrican
Year Published
2010
# of Players
2
User Suggested # of Players
Best with 2 players
Recommended with 2 players
(11 voters) [poll]
Playing Time
15 minutes
Mfg Suggested Ages
14 and up
User Suggested Ages
10 and up
(6 voters) [poll]
Language Dependence
No necessary in-game text
(11 voters) [poll]
Honors
2010 Tric Trac Nominee
2011 Golden Geek Best 2-Player Board Game Nominee
Subdomain
Strategy Games
(9 voters) [vote]
Category
Deduction
Murder/Mystery
Mechanic
Modular Board
Variable Player Powers
Expansion
Mr. Jack Pocket: Goodies
Expands
Family
Jack the Ripper
Mr. Jack
Sherlock Holmes

Designer
Klaus Teuber
Artist
Volkan Baga
Tanja Donner
Pete Fenlon
Fine Tuning
Show More »
Publisher
999 Games
Albi
Astrel Games
Brain Games
Show More »
Year Published
1995
# of Players
3 − 4
User Suggested # of Players
Best with 4 players
Recommended with 3, 4 players
(607 voters) [poll]
Playing Time
90 minutes
Mfg Suggested Ages
10 and up
User Suggested Ages
8 and up
(142 voters) [poll]
Language Dependence
Some necessary text - easily memorized or small crib sheet
(182 voters) [poll]

Designer
Uwe Rosenberg
Artist
Klemens Franz
Uwe Rosenberg
Publisher
999 Games
Hobby Japan
HomoLudicus
Lacerta
Show More »
Year Published
2008
# of Players
1 − 5
User Suggested # of Players
Best with 3 players
Recommended with 1, 2, 3, 4 players
(309 voters) [poll]
Playing Time
150 minutes
Mfg Suggested Ages
12 and up
User Suggested Ages
12 and up
(66 voters) [poll]
Language Dependence
Moderate in-game text - needs crib sheet or paste ups
(76 voters) [poll]

Designer
Uwe Rosenberg
Artist
Klemens Franz
Publisher
999 Games
Brain Games
Compaya.hu - Gamer Café Kft.
Hobby Japan
Show More »
Year Published
2007
# of Players
1 − 5
User Suggested # of Players
Best with 3, 4 players
Recommended with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 players
(897 voters) [poll]
Playing Time
120 minutes
Mfg Suggested Ages
12 and up
User Suggested Ages
12 and up
(312 voters) [poll]
Language Dependence
Extensive use of text - massive conversion needed to be playable
(474 voters) [poll]

Designer
Matthew Kirby
Mark Alan Osterhaus
Artist
John Kovalic
Publisher
Beverly Enterprises, Inc.
Mattel
Out of the Box
Pegasus Spiele
Show More »
Year Published
1999
# of Players
4 − 10
User Suggested # of Players
Best with 6, 7, 8 players
Recommended with 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, more than 10 players
(105 voters) [poll]
Playing Time
30 minutes
Mfg Suggested Ages
12 and up
User Suggested Ages
8 and up
(32 voters) [poll]
Language Dependence
Extensive use of text - massive conversion needed to be playable
(39 voters) [poll]

As You Wish

2011-10-18T19:33:00.001-04:00

If you love this movie like I do, you must click on this photo...wonderful!

Hmm

2011-10-18T00:51:00.000-04:00

Nirvana's Soundtrack

2011-10-17T10:19:00.003-04:00

Hare Krishna.

I remember living on a PMQ in Ottawa and coming home from school one day to find my dad and his best friend from college lying on the floor with the stereo speakers blaring next to their heads listening to an aircraft flying and then jumping to a really fast rock song over and over again. I just remember standing there while they were so excited about this record they were listening to...they would get up and manually lift the needle and replay this one song, and then lay back down again to listen. It was The White Album by The Beatles and the song was "Back In The USSR".

I also remember when my dad and I were channel surfing in the basement rec room of our house in Calgary and we stumbled on to a BBC show called The Rutles and just got right into the show laughing amazed we had never heard of it before. I have such a happy memory of just us howling and thinking what a brilliant idea for a mockumentary. We saw this just before the Spinal Tap phenomenon. I don't think the name mockumentary existed until Rob Reiner.(although there several genre like Woody Allen stuff and some British tv shows and Orson Welles radio play). It just seemed so brave to make a movie mocking the Beatles. And that first viewing as the credits rolled both my dad and I were so blown away that Harrison was the producer!

This weekend we watched the HBO documentary by Martin Scorsese on George Harrison Living In The Material World and it was really quite good. I thought there might have been a little too much focus on the Beatles years and less on his life after...but in general it was a pretty cool two part doc. Interviews with Harrisons wife, Ringo Starr and Terry Gilliam were major highlights. There was also some interesting clips of the Beatles tension just before they broke up. I must say, the clothes were pretty awesome and many many clips were things I had never seen before. We were excited to see this doc because we had been on the road with Tuffy P and Mister Anchovy when the PBS Dylan/Scorsese movie came out. I think we watched it one night in Nashville and the second part in Memphis. (how rock and roll is that?)

A great part of this documentary was the interview and little bits of back stories about The Traveling Wilbury's. And of course, since it's Scorsese we want to know...what and hw will he treat this story, how will he bring his own taste, and innovate making a doc? A lof of Scorceses legend has to do with music. He's made so many movies that study pop culture and used music in amazing clever manners in editing and references. Who can forget Donovan singing operatic over a violent beating in Goodfellas? Scorsese positioned The Clash in a street scene with Rupert Pupkin. And ne of the top five concert movies of all time is The Last Waltz. So how will he work with this subject and beloved person? Scorcese brings a lot of life to the movie with sharp editing. the soundtrack is often suddenly chopped right out...a contrast to the usual "Ken Burns" easy drifting of music carrying over from one cut to another scene. Scorsese dispenses with such comforting edits. I found this brought an unexpected energy to the pace of the movie.

OCCUPY EVERYTHING!!!

2011-10-15T16:08:00.003-04:00

The Rosie Show Rocks!

2011-10-15T15:03:00.009-04:00

I have something in common with Rosie O'Donnel. We both have a huge craving and nostalgia for the kind of tv talk shows we grew up on. It's been a major rip off for me that most of the shows that were so crazy and fun and innocence fell out of trend in the 1980's. The only fix I get from such memories of watching talk shows when I used to stay home sick from school...is the morning chat on LIVE with Regis ad Kelly..bit their show is not the same. Rosie's talk show was exactly the kind of vibe I'm talking about and I used to just love her old program. I also enjoyed a variety show

Talk shows when I was growing up had this eccentric pacing and thrill of goofy reveals of the hosts personality. In fact, it's rare to find a talk show host with a massive over whelming personality that imitates the sensation I had as a kid of people like Merv Griffin, Dinah Shore, Carol Burnett, Cher, Dick Cavett, Flip Wilson...having these broad campy personalities.

I am very very fond of Rosie O'Donnell's previous show and have been excited for her show on Oprah's network. I liked a variety show she experimented with a couple years ago but it didn't catch on. I have been hoping this new one will have all the flavours I am nostalgic for...and it really really does. Her new show is the kind of program I could imagine watching with the whole family. The kids will miss some of the innuendoes and there is a little irreverences that ill suit cranky old people (heh heh just kidding) and then there is the general magic of her great attitude of talking to people. Rosie really loves people and she has a great sensitivity for finding funny things about talking with in them in a few seconds. It is this unplanned, nervous bordering on uncomfortable at times energy that I believe will be the potential for her show to succeed. The show focuses on a stand up then a long three segment interview and then games. A little music, a little joking and some heavy topics handled with world-wise humour on Rosie's part and on the guests parts. The first episode had an opening segment with Russel Brand that was tense at first, but then at some point the two comics just fell into the show and it had moments of brilliance. I think I love Rosie and her guests (so far,Roseanne Barr and Russell Brand and Wanda Sykes) even more than ever. The banter between Gloria Estefan and Rosie was terrific and old-fashioned energy. I hope the show gets some ratings because I am already in love with the program. I've GOT to get down there and see if I can get a ticket. I wish I could work for the show...it's just that delightful.

Rosie created a bunch of games that she ends each episode with by picking two people out of the audience to compete with each other, or sometimes with one of her guests....and I thought the one she had the other day called "DOODLEZ" was really quite agreat idea. I took a bunch of pics. Basically the production staff has made doodles over the faces of celebrities and you get a couple of chances to guess. The first photo has a lot of doodles over the faces...and then the doodles are less if you can't guess them right away. If you feel like guessing I'll post the answers in the comments.

B Movie Gets A+

2011-10-14T13:48:00.006-04:00

I thought that the movie of The A Team was gonna be a bit fun, but I didn't expect to really really enjoy it so much. Great comic and action writing with really good actors makes this movie work. It's got a little bit of everything you want in an action film.

One of my very favourite move characters EVER is Jim Huttons SGT Petersen in The Green Berets. SGT Petersen was a little bit like the character Radar in M*A*S*H by being a total salvager for his troop. Well, this movie version of The A Team has a character with a similar vibe to Huttons classic character. Sharto Copley plays CPt "Howling Mad" Murdock and is a delightful actor and makes crazy so cute and fun. Bradley Cooper and Liam Neeson are strong, funny and charismatic. It's just fantastic to see Liam Neeson in such a lighthearted fun movie for a change.

Do you have a favourite movie character?

EEEEKKKKKLOL

2011-10-13T19:42:00.001-04:00

Making George Proud

2011-10-13T11:59:00.003-04:00

"Hundreds of people marched up Manhattan on Tuesday to take the Occupy Wall Street protest literally to the doorsteps of some of the richest tycoons in the United States.

Galvanized by an overnight crackdown on protesters in Boston, the marchers traversed the Upper East Side along a route that took them past the homes of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and conservative industrialist David Koch" from here

Anniversary

2011-10-12T18:21:00.009-04:00

I have documented and been in and around a lot of protests in my life...but I will tell you...there is something about this one that just feels different. As soon as we approached the groups things felt very down to earth and real. Calm. I believe this is a calm before a social spiritual change. I know...that must sound crazy, but I believe this has been formulating in a paradigm shift for a long time. It's Stagg's and my anniversary today. We got all dolled up in Las Vegas three years ago...and this felt like the most wonderful way to celebrate. I am so inspired by the folks who are able to get out and make a statement about the inequality of our culture. We brought some bottled water and snacks...and these folks have been standing all day...it just didn't feel like enough. I am torn up...i just want to take and make food for them all day long. Please please please...if this is a confusing or weird concept these people are doing...try to go right to an urban centre and talk to people. I really believe you will want to help them at least by saying hello and "hang in there" and if you can....by donating food or water. And you...a lot of people in power are wondering if this will go away as soon as the weather changes. I will not be surprised if it keeps on going...and then, they will need tarps and down feather sleeping bags...

Whats a revolution without some imbibing right?

Wow, we stopped off for a beer and cocktail and you know, we haven't been out much lately so it just felt great to be out in the city. It's our sixth anniversary of being together and third anniversary of getting hitched in Vegas.

Occupy The World

2011-10-12T05:46:00.002-04:00

Bassist, R.I.P.

2011-10-12T05:40:00.001-04:00

Occupy Chicago 3 Weeks Strong!

2011-10-10T11:27:00.002-04:00

I am going to pick up some food today some bags of trail mx, and some fruit...and try to find some extra clothes around here and blankets to take down to donate to the people in Occupy Chicago.

The idea is the best donation one can make is "to donate yourself"...but if that is not possible there are outlets online for donating.

The Huffington Post has links to follow here:

The Huffington Post to these links...

General Assembly

Donate money by mail:
Money orders (no cash, no checks) with "Occupy Wall Street" indicated in the memo line can be mailed to the Alliance for Global Justice:

Alliance for Global Justice
1247 "E" Street, SE
Washington, DC 20007

Donate showers and laundry here.

Chicago...

Suburban help for Occupy chicago's general assembly.

No New Programs!

2011-10-09T09:10:00.002-04:00

No rules, no Wall Street, No new "Programs"...4 weeks strong!!!! Hang in there Adbusters and culture jammers and poets....hang in at occupy wall street!!!!

The old programs didn't work...why offer new programs. The old platforms don't work...no new platforms. Programs and platforms don't work...they never did...

Critics and Media dismissing the people standing against Wall Street are bringing an 8 track to an iPod party.

Puppets

2011-10-08T09:33:00.000-04:00

Other

2011-10-07T17:56:00.002-04:00

Buddha Business

2011-10-06T23:17:00.000-04:00

Toymaker, R.I.P.

2011-10-05T20:08:00.004-04:00

I love everything Apple.

No, I love it. How people love Van Gogh's Starry Night.

I remember when I was living on Jarvis in one of my favorite apartments watching the Superbowl when the classic advert for Mac aired. I was stunned. I used my first Mac just a short time after that. The sound of a 1994 Mac restarting used to make my heart leap. I love going to any Apple Store. I feel giddy in them. In fact Stagg and I call them... The Church.

Thanks Mr. Jobs for some of the most fun I've ever had.

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on." -- Steve Jobs

Cat Dancers

2011-10-05T16:39:00.003-04:00

We saw this documentary a few years ago and last night my friends in England put this video on my Facebook page and asked if I had seen it. You know, its funny but I don't think I blogged about this movie although I thought about it at the time. I totally think this is ripe for being made into a fictional movie. It's absolutely impossible not to watch these people once you get the doc going. There is everything in this story, from the photos of when they were young and what they looked like to their personas when they age, to their love life and to this fabulous cat they live with. There's a little serendipity in the world because I applied for a job as a cat caretaker today. I hadn't seen a job posting for anything with animals for a long time and yet today after being reminded of this movie I found a posting on Craigslist for a cat caretaker position. I really want that job so please please cross your fingers for me. And check out this documentary it's really really amazing. It's a little bit like Grey Gardens.

Wall Street

2011-10-05T09:12:00.002-04:00

Cop Rock

2011-10-04T18:05:00.003-04:00

Some shows make it and some don't. I had to laugh today when The Playboy Club was cancelled because Stagg and I had both been trying to be extras on the show.

I've enjoyed a number of shows over the years that got cancelled early in their runs.

Yes...I actually was watching Cop Rock when it got cancelled...the time brings back memories. We were living with my gay friend who was fighting AIDS. We had a bunch of tv shows we loved watching together and we thought the idea of a prime time tv show with singing was a brilliant idea. I guess we were hungry 20 years before Glee. My friend who passed away in the early 90's would have loved Glee.

Other shows I liked that didn't make it....

Parker Lewis Can't Lose
Bosom Buddies
The Book of Daniel
Veronica Mars
My So-Called Life
Arrested Development
Pushing Daisies
Studio 60
Wonderfalls
The Tick
The Ben Stiller Show
Sports Night
The Mole
Dark Angel

Robot Litter Box

2011-10-04T09:43:00.003-04:00

If this actually works and is good...we might get a cat...

Girl Love

2011-10-03T05:18:00.004-04:00

Something had to fill the hole left by Sex And The City. And along came Bravo's "The Real Housewives" reality tv series.

In similar thinking of "Field of Dreams" someone finally figured out that if you make movies and tv shows with strong female characters....they will come.

Maybe it was Thelma And Louise or maybe it was Lucy and Ethel...or maybe it was as far back as the Sirens or Muses. Women's friendships play a major force in Shakespeare. His plays often examine the influence of womens friendships within a community and also what a lack of those bonds does to a community. Jane Austin dissected womens bonds and mutual support or sometimes betrayal. Female interrelationships have become easier to find the last ten years or in entertainment. Women and their complex strange mysterious passionate friendships have become more of a popular focus in storytelling.

It's very difficult to explain how come and how much I really really enjoy watching "The Real Housewives" various series. I resisted at first. I didn't think it would be interesting at all. But the first series set in Orange County was on as a marathon one day and I got hooked. I couldn't look away. I had been a big fan of Desperate Housewives and Sex And The City. And then I found out that a couple of my gay friends and a neighbour were following these new tv series so let the games begin. These are fantastic programs for conversation. Conversation and dissection. Move over football and soccer this is sports for women. This is sports for people persons. For people who love friendships.

A new season of The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills has begun in the shadow of one of the women's husbands having committed suicide during the summer hiatus. Since 2006 the various housewives cast has had many changes in their lives including setbacks like divorces, a political/social scandal (party crashers at White House) and the economic crisis in the United States. But nothing as tragic and heavy as this loss for one of the housewives. I thought perhaps the series might be cancelled. Instead the premiere episode of "Beverly Hills" had the women without the widow, meeting and discussing the response and concerns regarding the death of one of their friends husbands. I thought the production handled this tragedy very well. After all, the entire season had been filmed and wrapped before the housewife Taylor Armstrong's husband had passed away.

All of the series casts have a lot in common in that they are in fairly well off situations financially, they are volatile and touchy, they are sincere at needing and wanting friendship and they all are fairly skittish if someone does something they feel has hurt them. Hurting feelings is one of the major themes of the program. Analyzing and picking at social taboos, social expectations and demanding loyalty are also major elements to the womens behaviours.

We are into week three of this season and it is fascinating. Out of all the locations, Beverly Hills is my favourite. The clothes are MORE. The houses are MORE. My favourite housewife in this series is Kyle. She was a chid star playing a recurring character on Little House On The Prairie ad a couple of horror movies. She is beautiful and looks a lot like Demi Moore. She has a hell of a sense of humour and she seems to be fairly earthy emotional in contrast to representing many stereotypes of a materialistic person.

I joke with Stagg that I watch Survivor and reality shows like The Real Housewives because they are like Shakespeare to me. And you know...it is about the human interelationships that I watch these kinds of shows. I can't take my eyes off and watch in utter suspense and excitement and just fall down enjoyment. They are anthropological. They are puzzles. They are mysteries. And I love them. They are juicy clusterfucks of human behaviour with ups and downs. Wonderful.

And this season has been so intense. This series offers a window into how community and its health of functioning is so interwoven with women's relationships. The health of the family and community has so much to do with the way women get along...or don't. And we can see this played out in "The Real Housewives" franchise. How strange and hilarious that reality tv is every bit as successful as Shakespeare was working with his imagination. It just makes him shine in my heart even more and love him even more.

Below is a sweet sad moment in a hot tub as one of the housewives is coming closer to a breakdown. It just is so intense. The scene that is very special is at 9:20 time code on the video. You can see that Taylor, the blonde housewife is not eating. The setting is a gorgeous hottub and looks like a Waterhouse painting to me. The way they move their heads, the colours of the rocks and water, their necks stretched. The listening and staring, poor Taylor unable to put words into the air her denial so powerful. If you scripted this I'm not so sure anyone would spend the time to watch it...there is something about it being actual people and yet it's also still storytelling and art...wow.

No Exit Redux

2011-10-02T11:36:00.014-04:00

This could have been the start of a beautiful friendship.

I heard that Tommy Lee Jones was making Cormac McCarthy's The Sunset Limited for HBO, but when it was playing we were no where near a tv but somewhere on our way to Florida. So I was so hyped when I noticed it show up on tv listings the other day. Whoo hoo!

When this movie version started I thought "oh maybe I'm not in the mood for this" because it is a teleplay...and I thought maybe I won't get able to suspend my disbelief at this moment. But let me tell you...if you haven't seen this... the acting is so good. It's awesome actually. I actually forgot sometimes that one of the actors was Samuel L. Jackson and that is saying something....because love him, but he's intense and that is almost his tell. Both Jones and Samuel were hardcore.

We had seen the preview performance of this play five years ago and the actors were good. It was a preview so to compare it to a movie version isn't really fair. I loved the performance we saw at Steppenwolf. But sheesh...the level of skills in this version was really impressive. I got sucked right into both men.

I am obsessed with movies that talk about big ideas. Not because I am big idea or whatever....I am far from it ha ha. But because I think it's the most difficult kind of movie to make. How do you talk about big ideas or lofty philosophical concepts without getting preachy, too literal and worse boring. There are a lot of movies that have tried to tackle the meaning of life and "faith" and "truth"...some succeeded and some failed and even bacame pop culture jokes.

When we saw the play there was a scene that really choked me up and again in this version I was moved. It's when the two men eat. I just lose it. These two men have a rapport even if they disagree...isn't a great argument or discussion one of the spicy things about friendship? A lot of my friendships are built upon talking about all the big crazy difficult topics in life. Mister Anchovy and I probably spent the first couple years of friendship arguing and discussing art and the meaning of life over a Scrabble game and Peek Frean Fruit Cream cookies and tea. I wrote here on this blog about a huge argument Stagg and I had...and you know...I much prefer that kind of an argument than who did the dishes or being all pissed because someone cut you off in traffic. There's something wonderful about the human mind that gets so committed to a discussion and differences of opinions. Back when my friends and I were young at school studying art and setting out in the world we would have all kinds of intense, polarizing arguments. We used to meet every Sunday for brunch and after we covered topics like Star Trek:TNG or Seinfeld or Cheers we usually would get into some discussion about red flag topics and the voices would get louder and louder in the greasy spoon. These are the kinds of discussions that give spice and build friendships. You get to know what each others thoughts are and how to regroup after either so-called lofty topics or those core moral themes that we all have a tendency to take to heart. reconciling and getting to a place where we can share opposing values and ideas over a beer or a coffee and get passionate and share thoughts can bond. They test our character and each others characters and we get the chance to be tolerant, fun, thoughtful while polarized and even angry. Sometimes friendship encompasses our similarities and sometimes friendship encompasses our differences.

What makes me so sad about the contact in The Sunset Limited between these two men is they at one moment almost could have become friends. They almost could have been so different and so polarized. They broke bread. They spent a lot of time telling each other and asking about each other. They could have taken comfort in their mutual company. And then one of the characters can't shake his experience that hell is other people. We don't learn very much about this one man. He was trying to kill himself and the other fellow saves him from jumping in front of a train. I suppose its obvious that a person who is depressed and given up on life and suicidal might not be interested or able to make friends. One of the things I've thought a lot about over the years with this character named White is why did he stay with his conclusion? Why didn't anything ever happen with him to give him pleasure. Or rather nothing in this world gives him lasting pleasure or good feelings. He doesn't believe in any other world or experience like god, or faith or religion. Fair enough. I know tons of atheists but they enjoy this life, they make friends and community just like faithful people do. I've known faithful and religious people who are not community based or compassionate. There is no set rule on how one lives with ones experiences and beliefs. I was just so sad at seeing these two men meet, and share a lovely meal and enjoy it with each other....and yet that moment was not enough for our suicidal man.

This time around with this play I felt...peace of mind is a choice. And there is something beautiful about that freedom in such a choice.

The soundtrack is stunning. I had to turn off the volume because the music and sound effects were so realistic. I thought something was going on outside our place. The lighting is also excellent. This might not be Die Hard but these men are wrestling and fighting within their bodies and minds and it's so well acted.

Related Links:

1) Some good quotes with Jones here
@) and a another one

New Telly

2011-10-01T16:37:00.011-04:00

The Playboy Club hasn't got very good reviews, but I actually like the first two episodes I've watched. It's not LOST or The Wire or House but it's not bad. I thought a couple of the main characters good actors and I enjoy the setting very very much. The series may not test your intellect like House or LOST but it's a little bit of fun so far.

Pan Am feels a little like The Playboy Club with similar ways of setting up the characters. Both these shows feel like "Mad Men Lite" but again, they have fun things about them. I think the camera work and settings of Pan Am are a lot more arty than TPC...and Christina Ricci plays a Greenwich Village beatnik when she isn't cleaned up as a flight attendant. Seeing the beatnik side of her life might be a lot of fun.

Whitney. Perfect. Everything about this show rocks. Stagg and I laughed out loud.

Up All Night first three episodes are great. LOVE this show. Very very funny.

New Girl. Didn't like it. Have watched both episodes so far. Didn't like them. Not funny. Awkward timing in the writing and direction. I will try one more episode because I really believe in Zooey Dechanel. but if it doesn't come together I'm out.

Prime Suspect starring Maria Ialwayshaveoralsexinmymovies Bello is really good. I am more than pleasantly surprised because I was a huge HUGE fan of the original series starring Helen Mirren. I was super curious to see this revisit to the character of Jane Tennison. This might be considered the third version seeing as The Closer is the same fish-out-of-water premise female boss in male dominated world. I love this kind of plot base. You know like Silence of The Lambs the fairy princess has to go to the dragon to save the town from another dragon...the tweak being the female must be inside the mind of the dragon, and the dragon is the male world. I like Maria Bello very much (The History of violence and The Cooler). And she is compelling and interesting this role. she is really creating the energy of this woman and it grabs you and draws you in to the whole story. I also like Peter Berg (The Last Seduction and Friday Night Lights). A rigourous standard in this series is already apparent in only two episodes. The people working on this have got it right. They have a great way of presenting the characters, the crime drama and the relationships that bring a new light into a classic plot. The writing is very good with emphasis on the timing of what we know about the characters and how they work and move in the world. I also really love the relationship Bello has with her father. The way they talk to each other and know each other promises to be a fullfilling emotional backstory.

Charlie's Angels pilot just wasn't that good. Probably won't watch again. No character interest. No excitement. If it gets a buzz and warms up I'll check it out again later. Sometimes a new show has growing pains.

Related Links:

1) NYTs review of The Bunny club

Soap, R.I.P.

2011-09-30T11:34:00.013-04:00

I was so surprised that All My Children was leaving tv. I believe it may be continued on the internet, but I'm not sure. I've had several girlfriends who loved this series over the years. All of them have watched it their whole lives. I wasn't a soap person. I thought they were really jokes when I was a teenager. I thought all kinds of stereotypes when I was around 15 or 16 that soap operas were "bad'. The funny thing is once I became a parent and made friends with other parents I started meeting women who loved these daytime shows. I have one dear friend who skipped school to hang out with her mum and watch these soap operas! So, I got turned on to AMC a long time ago. I haven't watched it religiously but have gone through times when I have watched it every day for years at a time. I felt a lot of nostalgia and care for my girlfriends who have been so invested in the stories and characters for so long. I am really grateful that the women I have loved who loved this sopa opera...taught me to not be a snob and to not judge people by the entertainment they watch. To see the value in mainstream pop culture media and entertainment. I am so happy i am not an art, tv and music snob and this very daytime tv series was a major part of my learning about culture, taboo, customs, and human nature and tolerance.

Michael E. Knight played one of my favourite enduring characters. Up or down whenever I checked in I always cared about his work and his story. Even his character's name was a riot. Tad. The relationship between Tad and Dixie (below) has been studied by anthropologists and there are really fascinating articles about them. Check out Wikipedia page...for books to read. A very different treatment of Soaps than the stereotype. Camille Paglia also wrote some great things about soap operas and how they have helped women gain empowerment especially in societies outside the US. Try finding her notes here at Google books

I have a friend who just loved Dixie. Dixie was one of my faves too. Cady MacClain was really really good. I don't even want to talk about her being killed off. It's always going to be one of those events in tv history that people will talk about.

Kelly Ripa played a crazy gal Hayley. She had the most amazing face. And she had terrific action in the show. It's funny how significant she became to me since she moved to my favourite talk show ever. I have been watching Regis in the morning for a LONG time.

I loved the storyline of Kendall, Erica kane's daughter way back...played by Sarah Michelle Geller. Yes, of course, I was a HUGE Buffy fan.

In Reply To The Previous Posts Comments

2011-09-30T11:32:00.001-04:00

oops, I couldn't reply in one comment to the earlier comments on last blog post so here goes here...

X Dell, that just makes me sad. It just totally bugs me. I am inconsolable. My nephews were selling organic lemonade in Vancouver (that is SO west coast huh?) and then organic popcorn. since we were there and busking, now they are selling their art outside on their street.

Tif, Um, I seem to recall carrying xmas mugs on streetcar and snacking while we were going out to shop. I have always picked up a snack at the corner store to eat on public transit..and carried snacks for kids on public transit. The Chicago rule means no crackers for babies. No Ensure for ill people, no coffee milk or protein shakes for commuters. We want folks to stop driving and take public transit...when they have to take an hour and half on trains to commute downtown...it seems to make sense to eat breakfast and read a magazine in transit no?

Janet, as a character in an Ivan Doig novel once said "It's against the law to be stupid". We can't legislate manners or thoughtfulness. We try but we just can't. Thats why we have taboos. Some of our lawstry to incorporate these subtle taboo customs but they can't really. peer pressure is one of the best ways to encourage people to clean up. The idea that people pay over $5 to get to and from crappy jobs, they can't drink coffee or eat on the journey and there are very few public garbage bins in cities (cutbacks!) people get messy.

People talk about "job creation" al the time in this horrible economy in the US> We dont need job creation...we just need to put people to these exisitng needs...like conductors. A train conductor or staff is not job creation. It's returning an employee to their original job! it's already created...it's just not filled. More garbage bins, more pick ups more jobs. More staff on public transit...to monitor trash bins and recycle stuff ont he buses etc.

D. that all makes a lot of sense. I can see why the law is there...it seems to be for extra oney and to control the use that eople have of their OWN HOUSES! I believe people should be allowed to make money in their own house. i also think for the most part...these second hand sales have already represented a tax going through the society...we don't really need the tax taken on such small sales, reallY? I also imagine that you can get away with snacking a bit ont he public transit and you're right...its really about jerks being drunk for a lot of the rules.

Mister A, I'm kind of laid back about this sort of stuff. Having grown up on the west coast...the management of gardens and property we have quite a different sensibility about it that big urban centers. Living near Reservations, and small towns....we had a different way of looking at property and goods. It wasn't unusual to keep something stored outside. To keep old parts huddled under tarps near garages for salvaging. in fact salvaging was a whole economy on its own. We might need that later or sell it later. I think it's outrageous not to be able to set up a garage sale at ill. Especially right now in the States. We have garage sales left and right...all over the place because people are broke. They are in debt and pretty screwed up. so garage sale is a great way to organize ones space, get rid of stuff and buy groceries.

I also really really believe that making money out of one's home is one of lifes "rights". I really believe it's a tradition that we've lost. All of Amsterdam and their houses were designed for family life and merchadising. In fact, the design of all those brick houses in Toronto is based on that sensibility of Amsterdam buildings. Of the narrow front of the house for selling and manufacturing goods. Not for a living room. A living room is a contemporary invention. We all used to make and sell goods and trade and barter. I suspect we might see more and more people turn to "cottage industry' because of the major economical crash here in the States. I think it's already happening in some places.

What concerns me about the permits for houses...is not that people won't pay taxes...and you all know, I really believe in taxes....but that it's a general deterent. It's a way of forcing people to work outside the home, to drive, to travel, and work for big business rather than for themselves.

And also under these grim circumstances that so many people are in being so poor right now...a garage sale is such a productive and quick way to generate money. In all the dangerous neighbourhoods if people were making their own legal goods and swapping them bartering, selling....it's a viable alternative to gangs and drugs and changes up the economic competitive environment.

Really?

2011-09-26T14:43:00.003-04:00

The following is one of those weird restrictions in Chicago. This reminds me of the first time I rode public transit and there is a sign on the trains and buses about "no eating" ( and "no littering no urinating")..I get the last two, but no eating is just ridiculous and why would the riders of the CTA allow that rule?) I can't believe anyone would have allowed the following permits to pass city laws...

"Chicagoans planning to hold garage, yard and apartment sales can obtain their required permits at any of the city's 50 ward sanitation offices. Locations of these ward offices can also be obtained by calling the city's 311 non-emergency number.

As of October 1, 1996, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance requiring such permits to guard against seemingly perpetual yard sales that actually were serving as unlicensed retail operations in residential neighborhoods. The ordinance limits each household to two per calendar year, unless a third sale is needed because the applicant is moving permanently from their residence.

All such sales are limited in duration to three consecutive days between 9:00 a.m. and sunset. In case of rain, the sale can be held during the next three days after the permit period, but is still limited to three total days. If more than one household is joining in a single sale, each household needs its own permit even if the sale is at the address of only one participating household.

The ordinance specifically prohibits advertising these sales with signs posted anywhere except on the property where the sale is taking place. Violators face fines ranging from $50 to $500 with each day representing a separate offense.

Charitable organizations, churches and schools are exempt from the ordinance. To get your permit, complete the attached application form and mail it at least two weeks prior to the starting date."

This Weekend

2011-09-25T21:03:00.009-04:00

SNL was really good. Here is one of their host portraits with Alec Baldwin doing Warhol's Elvis.

I took over a double closet in the basement but before I could finish putting clothes away, Stagg had to come and catch a spider. He put it in a jar and put it outside. Thanks my big man! Stagg's parents got back into town from a long holiday and we had a great visit with them. They were blown away with all the changes and work we had done on the house.

Oh my god...this version of Lotus Flower was breathtaking. So very very beautiful. A must watch and listen!

Radiohead On SNL Tonight!

2011-09-24T10:31:00.001-04:00

I am so excited for the new season of SNL. And what a great opening night line up. The greatest band in the world and Alec Baldwin. Should be fun.

Nevermind 20 Years

2011-09-23T18:47:00.008-04:00

Where were you when Nevermind was released? It had been a long time since one record album had made such a noise. I was living in a huge loft on the east side of Toronto. I was single back then and dating musicians. I had a rule not to date musicians but you know what they say about rules. I was dating a guy who played guitar in a local cult punk band. I was working two jobs and a full-time parent. The loft had huge windows, 15 foot high ceilings, hardwood floors and I painted all the main room walls black. I was listening to Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, L7, Janes Addiction, DOA, Faith No More, and was already familiar with Nirvana via Bleach. On Tuesday and Thursday nights I was at improv workshops, on weekends I was usually at a live music show or a party. And at those parties or clubs Nirvana's Nevermind was a mass head banging phenomenon. Everybody had heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and it appealed to all kinds of music fans. Even cynical sour urban slackers were excited about Nevermind. And so were many old school rock fans. Hell, even my parents had heard of this new record. There wasn't a party I went to that didn't play this album. Every song was a masterpiece and the lyrics and heavy rock melodic sounds bonded dancers and shoegazers.

I was already lovingly familiar with the Pacific Coast sounds coming from mostly Seattle having seen Soundgarden in Vancouver and I would buy any record from Sub Pop Records on faith. Yet these records and bands were seen as messy and mostly alternative. Some naysayer coined the term "grunge" to insult the scene coming from low-employed dead end towns on the west coast. On the radio in Oregon, Washington, and B.C. Led Zepplin and Jimi Hendrix had never gone out of style out there and kids growing up on the west coast were immersed in anthem rock. And making it their own and fresh. Sad. Fresh. Angry. Misunderstood. Beaten. Cozy. Suspicious: west coast psyche complete. And all of a sudden tons of young people felt the same way and Nirvana sang it.

Damn. When Nevermind came out I was still "young". Looking back and thinking about this album I see just how young I was. Ouch. Bittersweet.

When Kurt Cobain died I was heading home in the afternoon in a taxi. The driver and I had been chatting when news of Cobains death broke through a news report. The rest of the trip I was crying. When I got into my apartment (not the loft anymore) I could see that my answering machine had several messages. Yes, answering machine. I didn't have a cell back then or digital messaging. A little tape machine with lights that blinked to notify messages. I knew what the messages would be about. They were from friends wondering if I was "okay"...and where were we gonna go drinking to mourn? I landed up bar hopping that night with Dave and Martina all around our neighbourhood asking places to play Nirvana. If they didn't have any Nirvana we'd leave. And then we'd say...oh they'll be playing Nirvana by next week. They had no idea.

That week after endless montages about Nirvana on tv, and the constant playing of Nirvanas "Unplugged" (which I couldn't watch, it just upset me) I tried to make a pledge that I'd never cry for a rock star again. I was done. I would brace myself for the early death that seems to be an occupational hazard of being such a celebrity. I have not been successful with my pledge. These beautiful musicians that seem to implode always break my heart again and again. The high cost of not ever becoming cynical.

Yes!

2011-09-20T16:05:00.001-04:00

Spring Fall Cleaning And Stuff

2011-09-19T14:13:00.010-04:00

Tricia's dad sent a bunch of tomatoes to us. YUMMY! Here are some cute Roma tomatoes on the window sill and I blanched some regular tomatoes to make a sauce. We made bacon and tomato sandwiches with some too. Crackers and cheese and tomatos. What on earth do we eat the rest of the year when there aren't fresh tomatoes? The ones in the winter at grocery store feel and taste like chalk just about.

T was in town for the weekend and she helped me go through a closet in the basement to put my clothes in. Sometimes just having someone keep you company while you do a chore really helps. Later....I hung up my wedding dress near Grandmas wedding dress. And I had the strangest feeling. Emotional. But I can't express it.

Whatthe...

2011-09-19T11:58:00.004-04:00

Tricia and I were watching tv the other day and this ad appears....and we were what? And then just like laughing because this has to be the least poetic advert made. No time at all spent on this one. I mean all the drug commercials are one thing and super scary and disturbing (we don't have them like that in Canada...different medical system) ...but this was just so weird. And nothing else, just what you see. And added we had never heard of transvaginal etc etc.