zombieriffic news from toronto
This should make my friends happy.
Plus, I can't wait to see Shaun of the Dead in the theatre. Who says the availability of movies online hurts the box office? I think that only applies to crappy movies. That, and people who are really so cheap that only the movie matters, not the environment. Wait a minute..that's pretty much most people, so never mind. If I see a movie for free, and it's good, I'll happily support it in the theatre.
Go see Shaun.
back to business
Well, another weekend of visitors from home..two of my wife's friends came to see the new pa and experience the 5 1/2 hour (or so) drive from Edmonton to Medicine Hat. Thus, we didn't get much unpacking done, but did a few errands around town (looking for curtains & rods, buying groceries, dog food, kitty litter, all the necesseties, you know).
After they went home on Sunday, we did manage to move a few boxes (some unpacked & flattened, some full of stuff for our impending garage sale) into the garage, to get them out of the way for now.
Allie's working a rare day shift today, as part of a mandatory orientation shedule (weird to think of still needing orientation, as she's been working there for over two months). I shall continue unpacking, and having gottent he kitchen and living room liveable, if not perfect, now I start on the two rroms in the basement, which will end up as our craft and rec room in one, and my home theatre and "my stuff" room..toys, swords, lacquered frogs, all the shtuff that she won't allow in the rest of the house.
Damn, I hope I at least hear from the EI people soon. Nice to know some money will be coming in at some point, as I haven't found a plethora of jobs requiring AV experience. While antique browsing with the girls on Saturday, I did make a contact with a local music theatre group (the store owner sits on the board of directors), and he mentioned they always need sound & lighting volunteers. Music theatre isn't exactly my specialty, nor is it even something I particlarly care for, but once I get more settled, perhaps I'll investigate it, just to learn some new skills and keep my hands in things. I am also going to check out volunteering at the art gallery/museum, as another way to get my foot in the door at the Esplanade, as well as the library (they have a theatre that is available for bookings, maybe they need some technical people).
I can see that I'll need to find something to get me out of the house on a regular basis soon. I can only do so much unpacking and organizing, and I'm going to need to meet some people soon, as I already miss the ongoing contact with my family and friends.
a medicine hat phenomenon
So, since I'm talking about reality shows, I really cannot get into Canadian Idol. However, Medicine Hat is very into Canadian Idol, due to a local boy, Kalan Porter, being involved and having made it to the final 6. It's really odd coming into a smaller city (50,000 or so) and seeing virtually the whole thing in the grip of something like this. Businesses have "Go Kalan Go" painted in their windows and doorways, SUV's have "Kalan 4 Idol" logos pasted to their tinted rear windows, and posters around town are encouraging locals to vote, vote, vote (to the extent that making a long-distance call out of Medicine Hat is nearly impossible for about an hour, once per week.)
I'm non-plussed about the whole thing, but the strange part is, I guess he lives about 3 doors down from us. Smaller city indeed.
i hate survivor
..as well as almost every "reality" show out there..except for one. Yes, I have a reality show vice, and that is Big Brother. I scoffed at it just as much the other reality shows at first, but damned if, in a moment of boredom, I didn't pay attention to one episode a few years ago and became intrigued by the concept.
I have no idea why I actually like it. SOmething about peple being awful to each other, probably.
They do a Big Brother UK several times per year, I believe, as opposed to the once-per-year American version. I think they should do a Canadian Big Brother. You know, make sure all the provinces/territories are represented by at least one houseguest, and throw in some treaty indians to round out the house. I used to joke that Canadian Big Brother would be way too boring, they'd just be all polite to each other all the time, but in fact, today's Canadians can match rude-for-rude with your best Americans, French, Belgians or other Europeans.
Did I mention that my trip to Cuba left me with a complete and utter distaste for Europeans and their rude ways?
no pictures
..to post, but I had a blastgoing out for beers with people one last time as a resident of Edmonton. To all you guys who made it, thanks for coming, it meant a lot to me to see you all. Those of you who didn't make it, more beer for us!! Seriously, I know you couldn't come and that's cool, I'll see you on my next trip into town.
Saw Alien vs Predator on the weekend. Some of the family came to visit us in the Hat and see the new house..while checking out the mall, three of them went to Shrek 2, one of my brothers-in-law and I went to AVP instead. I was expecting it to be a lot worse, and was actually OK once past the slow start. It had pretty much all the cliches you'd expect to see where these two species are concerned, all the little things that were set up in the first movies that featured them. I can't think of anything that's coming out in the next little while that I'm excited to see, but not having seen any commercials or anything for the last few weeks has left me blissfully unaware, so we'll wait for the hype machine to catch up to me.
I was hoping this wouldn't pan out
and still don't..I'd rather see Sam Raimi work on Evil Dead 4 to bring Ash back to the screen..but, if this is the best we can hope for, well, I suppose it's better than nothing...isn't it? C'mon, it is, right?
I was afraid of that...but we can hope for the best.
finally
Now, the unpacking begins. The net hookup went smoothly, computer temprarily set up in a corner of the basement..no idea where it's going permanently, but for now, that's where the AC and ADSL are, so here we are for now. I found some CAT 5 cable running in the basement through various rooms in the house, but have yet been unable to find out where they terminate. If I do, computer will be on the move.
Wish us luck in this unpacking process..!
...
...almost...there....
turkey legs.. in... the...
gaaahhhhhhhh......
Yeah, the stuff made it..now just a few carloads to store/ship/throw out..the cat caravan was amusing in its own way.
Soon, will be a resident of Medicine Hat, going back Wednesday or Thursday..talk to y'all in a few days...
this is it
Last day of packing was hell, but acceptable..there is light at the end of the tunnel..decided on beers at Brewsters on 104 avenue on Tuesday with any of my friends that can make it.
Unplugging pcomputer..will pop in from other's, if possible, so take care everyone, and back in a few days (hopefully), a week at the most.
TTYL (as a friend once misinterpreted it one time, TA TA YA LOSER!) You know who you are.
friday
The move is tomorrow. Well, as much of it as we are ready for, anyways. Anything left by the movers gets thrown away, shipped with visiting family members, or stored at family homes until we come back to visit.
Man, this can't be over soon enough..I'm dreading the experience, becuase there is so much yet to do ('m not looking forward to hauling our junk out of the crawl space), but I want it to just be over with. Can I just fast-forward two weeks?
The computer may or may not go with the movers. Most likely it will (who wants to update their blog on a computer on the floor, since all the furniture will be gone?)
SO, e-mail and blog updates will become less frequent for the next week or so.
Will post again before tear-down if I have anything to say..if not, see y'all in the Hat. Wish us luck..
gin shoes part ii
Ojay, the previously mentioned humour site is back, so check out the life story in postcards while you can! I think I might put all the facts about Canadians onto a T-Shirt. Vive Javier!
limbo
OK, I've now hit the crappy part of moving and packing, though it won't be for quite as long as Mukey's limbo when he did it. Most of the stuff is packed, just have the leftover pains-in-my-ass to fight with now..the "too-bigs, too-heavies, and still-needs". So, I have a fridge and freezer full of food, but all most of the kitchenware is packed. Bought milk today, but packed all the cereal. Come Friday, it'll be Mukey territory, as the place will be 99 percent empty, with only the cleaning left to do. Even the cats will be gone (but the dogs will be either here or at Allie's mom's place.) I may sleep on an air mattress if I don't feel like leaving, but odds are will be crashing at one of the moms' places.
hopefully never again
Holy crap, I hope Medicine Hat works out, and if we ever have to move again,
a) it won't be for a very, very long time
b)Allie will be here, to share the suffering
c)it will be for one of those insanely high-paying jobs that pays for everything..packing, moving, and unpacking while we go to Florida for a week.
But somehow I know within five years we'll be doing it again, even if it's just within Medicine Hat. But I can dream, right?
Moving is hell...
like cream-starved calves
OK, this isn't as funny as the old bookmark from the last post, which dies right after I redicovered it, but this and some of the other stories on Popeye X's Toiletside Reader are amusing in a stream of consciousness kind of way. Some are offensive..read at your own risk.
gettin' my gin shoes on
Going through old bookmarks, and redisovered this little humour site, and remembered how funny some parts of it were. I particularly like the life story in pictures (especially Javier). The stuff about Canadians, and the Chinglish made me snicker, too.
i'd be a terrible censor
If I was the guy at the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council that had to read complaints, and transcribe the offending TV and radio segments, I'd more than likely be cracking up, rolling my eyes, or both. NOt that there aren't some valid points being raised from time to time, but overall, people take things way too seriously, and if you don't like, don't watch (or listen).
So, while local stations like The Bear here in Edmonton irritate me to no end, I am free to (and most often choose to) tune out. And songs like this are more prone to making me snicker in reading them than actually having to listen to them.
I have a new list of things to call my buddy Al.
Mukey's car pic
drawing a blank
I want to go out and drink beer with my friends before I leave town. I am drawing a blank on picking a place. I'm thinking downtown, not Whyte. Sherlock Holmes is too noisy and crowded. I hate trying new places with large groups (or small groups) in case they suck. Where should I invite people to this Friday?
on a date with the wife
It's a neat feeling, having been married for two and a half years, to still be able to go out to a movie with Allie and have it still feel like going on a date. Knowing that she was headed back to Medicine Hat in a couple of days, and that she may or may not come back to Edmonton one more time before we move, made it feel more datelike for some reason.
We went to see King Arthur, and while I didn't dislike it, it didn't do much for me, either. I found it uninspired and uninspiring at the same time.
Some of the complaints I've read are based on the "realness" of it, the lack of magic, etcetera, but I have no problem with that aspect at all. I've been a huge fan of Jack Whyte's take on the pre-Arthurian legend for years, as any of my friends will tell you. All "King Arthur" really did for me was make me wish for a big screen version of Whyte's books.
I can't say they're the most well-written books I've ever read. They're flawed, no question about it, but the combination of well-fleshed out and sympathetic characters, along with the "historical fiction" aspect that places these characters among real historical figures and events results in a compelling, entertaining read.
From the very little reading I've done on the history of Britain, I think Whyte took far fewer liberties with the historical figures than "King Arthur" did, as well.
I haven't enjoyed the latest of Whyte's books as much as the first, probably because as the story progresses, there is less and less "historical" in the "fiction". That's why they called them the Dark Ages. Although the entire series has been a lead-in to the telling of the tale of Arthur and the Knights, it's not nearly as riveting as the tales of Arthur's grandparents and the final days of the Roman occupation of Britain.
But back to the movie, yeah, it was OK. They left out what was, to me, the tragedies that defined the legend, and it was the lack of those, not sorcery, that killed the potential of the movie for me. Somehow, I suspect test-screened audiences, or producers anticipating such, demanded that the ending be happy.
