Happy Belated Halloween

I had a roll of film in my fridge that had been sitting around since early November. I decided to finally get it processed a couple of days ago and look what I found on it:

Not too shabby even thought the focus is slightly off from camera shake.

I had a low speed film loaded with the intention of getting some decent daylight portraits, but when I saw my lady dressed like this for a Halloween shindig I couldn't resist getting her to strike a couple of poses. Unfortunately we were on our way out the door so I didn't want to take the time to set up the tripod. I'm kicking myself for it now.

On a positive note, I'm sure I'll remember this lesson the next time I'm tempted to cut corners.

Tis The Season

You Just Can't Make This Stuff Up

Or can you?

The BBC scores points with me again with this piece on the world's tallest man saving the lives of 2 Dolphins at a Fushtin aquarium. It seems they swallowed some plastic shards and the only way to extract them was to have Bao Xishun (a Mongolian herdsman), reach in and pull them out. He happens to be Guiness' "Tallest Living Man" at 2.36m (or 7ft 8.95in).

This may be the closest to comic books that real life gets. You have a noticeably extraordinary person, who uses what makes him unique to save the life of something else. Be it human, animal, or scantily clad, purple skinned, alien whore-maiden . It doesn't really matter.

Sounds like the core of every superhero story I ever read. It probably won't be enough to save us from Batman, but it's inspiring nonetheless.

Bruce Wayne: Russian Secret Service

So I'm browsing through headlines today when I come across this article from BBC News. It's a report on former KGB operatives attaining positions of authority in the Putin administration in Russia. I figured it was worth a look. There's been very little Russian intrigue in the news since the end of the Cold War. I kinda miss it.

But that's not what brings me before you today. Accompanying the article was this photo:

It's a picture of President Putin touring a new FSB headquarters in Moscow. Notice anything oddly familiar about the symbol on the floor?

Now all I'm saying is, if the implied Russian threat from the associated BBC article means anything, the West is totally in for a major ass kicking this time around. They have Batman working for them. What have we got? Keanu Reeves? I'm sorry, but "There is no Batarang" is not gonna stop the thing from slicing your face in half douchebag.

I'm thinking Rumsfeld picked the perfect time to resign. In fact it just might be the reason. I have no trouble imagining him seeing this, saying "fuck that", and just walking out of his office.

UPDATE: Sean from Film Junk sent me this link showing a more deatiled view of the logo on the floor.

Accidents Happen

I figured it was about time I shared another photo.

I was out on the front porch with my lady one night, pointing my camera at her and threatening to take unflattering pictures. I had no real intention of pressing the shutter release. I had no flash and the ambient lighting was pretty much nonexistent. I goofed and snapped a shot anyway.

I had the aperture open as wide as it could go, but the shutter speed was still completely unreasonable for a handheld shot. I was surprised as hell that anything was even recognizable when I got the roll developed, and frankly I've become rather fond of this picture.

It's still one of my favourites. It isn't brilliant, or even original, but it serves to remind me that sometimes mistakes can be quite rewarding.

Transient Possession 3

I whipped up a new mix CD for my car today and thought I'd share the joy. CD's for my car tend to be evolving mixes. I tire of some songs much faster than others, so inevitably a few tracks on new discs are shared with its predecessor.

Here's the new track list:

1. Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
2. TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me
3. Controller Controller - Bruised, Broken, Beaten
4. The Thermals - St. Rosa and the Swallows
5. The Kills - At the Back of the Shell
6. Chocolate Watchband - Let's Talk About Girls
7. Love - My Little Red Book
8. The White Stripes - Hello Operator
9. The Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
10. Metric - Dead Disco
11. Of Montreal - Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider
12. The Dears - The Second Part
13. The Pixies - Hey
14. White Whale - The Admiral
15. The Velvet Underground - Rock & Roll
16. The Vaselines - Jesus Don't Want Me For a Sunbeam
17. Badly Drawn Boy - Cause a Rockslide
18. Machine Go Boom - Parents
19. The Clash - The Card Cheat
20. Mobius Band - The Loving Sounds of Static

Now the reason I titled it Transient Possession 3 is becuase I decided one day that whenever I make a new disc for the car, I'd give the old one away. I figured this time I'd let anyone who reads this have dibs on it of you're interested. I don't mind mailing it out and if you don't want to give up a home address, give me a PO box or work address or something.

Leave a comment or email me at the address listed above. I won't tell you what's on the one I'm sending though. I like to surprise people.

...And To Your Left, You'll See The Giant Freaking Monolith

I came across this little gem of a story in the Washington Post today and it set my little geeky heart to fluttering. NASA officially announced plans to set up a permanent moon base.

NASA unveiled plans yesterday to set up a small and ultimately self-sustaining settlement of astronauts at the south pole of the moon sometime around 2020 -- the first step in an ambitious plan to resume manned exploration of the solar system.

The long-awaited proposal envisions initial stays of a week by four-person crews, followed by gradually longer visits until power and other supplies are in place to make a permanent presence possible by 2024.

A friggin' moon base man! I don't think I need to explain just why this is unbelievably cool. I know that renewed efforts at manned eploration of the moon is old news and this inevitable step has been foretold for some time now, but the official announcement coupled with this graphic from the New York Times depicting a rough layout of one of the prime pieces of lunar real estate being considered just got me pumped.

The only real question left in my mind (aside from the obvious question of defending our newfound territory against the mighty Unicron), is when can I start moving my stuff in?

Hogtown

Looks like I've been carelessly neglecting my personal space again. Sorry about that, but I've been in Toronto all weekend and therefore separated from my precious RSS reader.

I came up here to attend my girlfriends staff Christmas party last night. It was interesting, if a little uncomfortable. I definitely won't knock a free meal, but we got stuck at a table with Al Roker's exact double. Dude even sounded like him. It was kind of creepy.

Anyway I'll be heading back home tonight, so I'll make every effort to find something interesting when I get back so I can offer up my unwarranted opinion on it. Unless of course, the world has stopped functioning in my absence. I'm just vain enough to believe that.

Ciao for now beautiful people.

Time Of The Preacher.

After a number of false starts at a feature length film, it seems Garth Ennis' Preacher may have finally found a home on HBO. Apparently the U.S. network is putting together a series of one hour episodes based on the gritty, supernatural adventures of Jesse Custer.

Normally I'd shudder at the concept, but HBO has a stellar track record when it comes to episodic television productions and I think the character will get the treatment he deserves in their capable hands. In fact, having read the entire series of 75 issues I think the story would probably work better as a longer term small screen production. There are a lot of great side plots that would inevitably get dropped in the process of adapting it to a film.

I'm rather looking forward to this. Long live the Saint of Killers.

For those unfamiliar with the comic, there's some good info including issue reviews here.

Blasphemers!

My friends, today is a dark day indeed.

The always informative Cinema Blend has just brought to my attention a story which could be a signal that the end of times is nigh. One of my favourite books, one which has been adapted for the screen and despite the change in setting remained true to the source material and therefore is also a favourite of mine, is being given the broadway treatment. Say goodbye to your sanity, and hello to High Fidelity: The Musical.

I'll pause for a moment while you howl in pain and disbelief...

Feel better? Then let's move on.

I'll be the first to admit that musicals just don't appeal to me at all. But there's a major difference between a story originally written as a musical, and one that was adapted into a musical. The former I've been known to express tolerance for, even if it isn't my proverbial cup of tea. The latter, every time it has been attempted, is nothing more than a mistake of biblical proportions. Need proof? Look what the bastards did to the Evil Dead.

Now if you'll kindly excuse me, I think I'm going to be sick.

Cure For The Blahs Anyone?

Sorry for the lack of content this weekend folks. I've been in a horrible mood and as a result I've had a hard time taking an interest in anything. I'm doing my best to shake it but if the winters of years gone by are any indication, I'm in for a rough couple of months. If anyone has access to some home-spun remedy for the winter blues, I'd be eternally grateful if you shared it with me.

Maybe it's just because I miss my better half. I've never been good with distance relationships and even though she's not that far away, and the distance won't be an issue in a few months time, I'm still having a rough time with it. I'll see her again this coming weekend so here's hoping it shakes me out of this funk.

In the meantime I've got a useless but entertaining video to share.

Feelin' The Groove

There are few things that can bring a smile to my face the way re-discovering an album that's been collecting dust for a number of years can.

I had a hard time sleeping last night, so as I often do in such situations, I decided to toss on some tunes to soothe the savage beast known as insomnia. While browsing through the collection, I decided on a whim to go with Morcheeba's 1998 release Big Calm.

It's been quite some time since I played this one from beginning to end. I've picked out the occasional track or two to include on mixes for friends, but I'd completely forgotten the mellow charm this album possesses when enjoyed as a unified body of work. Plus, for reasons I've never been able to adequately explain, Skye Edwards' voice still makes me blush a little.

If you haven't yet had the priviledge, I highly recommend giving this album a go. It's at least worthy of a degree of respect for proving that the infamous "sophomore slump" is more of a guideline than a rule.

For Those About To Rock... Put Your Shirt Back On!

I am truly dumbstruck. I am in awe. Not a single one of my wildest adolescent fantasies could have spawned such a wonderous device as this one.

Australian CSIRO engineers have created an air guitar that actually works, fulfilling the dreams of talentless metal fans around the world.

It comes in the form of a shirt fitted with sensors which pick up the strumming and plucking motions of the wearer, as each arm bends to choose a chord or swings to brush the strings.

The shirt then sends the movement information across a wireless connection to a computer which generates the sound to match.

I can think of at least a dozen people that would gladly sacrifice an irrational number of paychecks to own one of these. If the ability to air guitar an audible song doesn't get you laid, I don't know what will.

The Nation Of Quebec Huh?

So our fearless leader Mr Harper has decided it would be a good idea to put forth a motion in Parliament declaring Quebec to be a "nation within a united Canada". Many thanks, Mr Harper, for opening up that can of worms again.

It's true that the topic of Quebec sovereignty hadn't just up and disappeared, but at least it had settled to a dull roar and that was something I think we all could have lived with. I am absolutely sick to death of this issue and the prospect of having to sit through yet another highly publicised political cock fight over a free and independant Quebec just makes my stomach turn. Especially since I plan on moving to that province this coming spring.

But for now, I'm not pissed off about the inevitable seperatist rhetoric. I'm pissed off that Harper assumed this was a move he had the authority to make. The man is nothing more than a stop-gap Prime Minister and he knows it. His party was not voted into power because a majority wanted them there, they were voted into power to send a message to a Liberal government drowning in scandal and corruption. A lesson the Democrats south of the border should take note of.

It seems little Stevie has gotten kinda big for his britches. Keep over-stepping those bounds big man. The more you do, the less likely you'll be sitting in that chair come the next election.

------------

UPDATE: The bullshit begins.

Spider-Man Director To Take On The Hobbit?

It seems that the rumor mill has been in overdrive today with talk that New Line has supposedly offered Spider-Man director Sam Raimi the chance to direct the upcoming adaptaion of The Hobbit. Now I've never been one to put much stock in such unsubstantiated reports, but I'm finding myself hoping that this one turns out to be true.

The story of The Hobbit had a much more light-hearted feel to it than it's successor The Lord of the Rings, and in my opinion Raimi would be the perfect man for the job. The real question in my mind is this: After investing so much time and effort in 3 blockbuster Spider-Man films, will he really want to jump straight into the director's chair for another major big-budget production?

If you ask me, the guy deserves a break. I'm keeping my fingers crossed nevertheless.

Beta = Frustration

It has been brought to my attention that comment moderation was active on my account. I have since disabled it, but blogger insists that I have no unmoderated comments and I never received e-mail notification for any of them.

I know for a fact that this isn't the case, so my apologies to those whos words of wisdom were lost in the shuffle.

As always, I blame bureaucracy.

Bushwhacked!

It would seem that even the offspring of the President of the United States of America aren't safe from street crime.

Reports that an agile Argentine thief snatched the purse of one of the twin daughters of President Bush while U.S. Secret Service agents were nearby had local media in a buzz Wednesday.

"Bush's bodyguards couldn't handle San Telmo purse-snatcher," read a headline on the Web site of official news agency Telam.

Telam said a government source, who asked not to be named, confirmed reports regarding the robbery. Different local reports said the incident happened on Sunday or Monday.

A law enforcement source briefed on the incident told CNN that Barbara Bush's purse was stolen while she was in Argentina with her twin sister, Jenna. But the source said that "at no point were the protectees out of visual contact and at no point was there any risk of harm."

Barbara Bush, 24, who has the same name as her grandmother, the former first lady, was in a restaurant in the San Telmo neighborhood when her purse was taken, Telam reported.

After a long, brooding ponder on the plight of this uber-privileged socialite, all I can really say about the matter is this:

OMFGROFLMAO!!!11!!oneone!111!!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Seriously though, I imagine she was pretty shaken up by the incident. If I were a member of her secret service entourage, I'd be mighty concerned about my job security.

On second thought, screw her.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

And Steven Loses A Notch Of Respect

Yahoo News brings us this little gem. It seems our good pal Steven Spielberg has taken issue with gruesome television programming (specifically Heroes and CSI) and has decided to play the "responsible parent" by publicly denouncing it. Here's where I roll my eyes while watching the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan.

His argument seems rather hypocritical after a quick glance at his filmography (as Richard at Filmstalker will attest), but hypocracy isn't what really gets my goat about all this. The entire argument that entertainment media is responsible for the moral decay of our children is just plain ridiculous. Entertainment media is nothing more than a reflection of our society, not the guiding hand of our ethical conduct.

Truly responsible entertainment media is about keeping us enthralled with flashy distractions while not letting us get so wrapped up in fantasy that we forget about the very real problems we face on a daily basis. Spielberg and others of like mind are ignoring a timeless and sage piece of advice. Were they to succeed with this campaign, all they would be accomplishing is to shoot the messenger.

The violent problems we face today existed long before television, films and video games, and they will likely exist long after they are gone if we continue to point the finger at scapegoats.

A Cherry Popped By A Lightsaber?

An interesting article brought to us by Entertainment Weekly relays the tale of Michael Morrison, a confessed Star Wars virgin commissioned to watch the entire series in chronological order for the first time in his life. Could this be a glimpse into the future of Star Wars fandom?

Despite the fact that he seemed to enjoy the series (sorry if I ruined the ending), it seems that some of what my generation found appealing in the original trilogy has been stripped of its intended impact. Gone are the days when audiences gasped in shock at such stunning revelations as Luke's true paternal heritage, or the discovery of his long-lost twin sister.

Oh George, what have you wrought?

You can find the article here.

Brought to my attention by the crew at FilmJunk.

Tag

Just thought I'd add this shot of a nifty tag I saw in an alley recently to compliment my opening post.

Where to begin?

This blog has no point. It has no theme, follows no subject and adheres to no specific topic.

I don't really know what my motivation was for starting it. I suppose I just lack a forum for expressing myself via written word and feel that I should for reasons that remain a mystery to me. But reasons be damned. What's done is done. I'm here now so I might as well start boring the hell out of whoever might read this drivel.

A little background information might be appropriate:

I've been toying with photography since I was 6 or 7 years old. I absolutely love it. I abandoned it for about ten years for reasons too complicated (and in hindsight, really stupid) to waste time trying to explain. After a number of failed attempts at alternate career options I've finally decided to get back to doing what makes me happy.

The love of my life currently lives about 80 miles from here. She's studying to be a special effects makeup artist. She has roughly 4 months left in her program, at which point the two of us are planning to pick up and move to Montreal. We have no real job prospects there, know absolutely no-one and only one of us can speak even an ounce of French.

I couldn't be happier.