The Tick

Blaming the "victim"

2009-09-10T09:08:00.002-05:00

In this morning's Winnipeg Free Press there was an article regarding a 17 year old who cruelly killed and dismembered his parents this summer. The article is reporting on a school Custodian Tracy Rose who got to know the boy last year and had actually warned the school that he was high risk of doing something angry. Of course it should be clear that I don't support anything he did and I'm not defending him, but the school's response touched a nerve as both somebody who was bullied and whose child is occasionally bullied.

The alleged response from the vice principal was "there were less than two months left (in the school year), and that all (the teen) has to do is learn to get along better with his peers and everything would be alright".

I can't describe how much this notion bothers me, and not because of the outcome. I'm literally shaking. How dare a school official blame the victim. In a day and age where they preach so heavily about the need to stop bullying, how can this person turn around and declare that it is up to this messed up child to simply adjust his own tendencies to suit the norm. I guess it's clear which side of the social pool this administrator fell in.

Those of us who were bullied spent OUR ENTIRE LIVES giving in to norms and avoiding bad situations in order to save some sanity. Unfortunately this young person didn't have enough sanity left to keep doing it.

I'll be honest that I still occasionally give my child advice to pick her battles because she's going to have plenty of them, but that's a far cry from choosing to ignore that battle and say it will go away on its own because the school year is ending.

When will officials learn that it IS their responsibility to take action on these things when somebody thoughtful enough brings it to their attention?

Bandslam - the anti Camp Rock

2009-08-20T22:38:00.000-05:00

Tonight I brought my daughter out to see Bandslam. I went purely for her, assuming I was going to see another High School Musical or Camp Rock. What I ended up seeing was something different than that, something worth writing about. About once a generation some writer will come up with a film about music that written expressly to geek out about the music that came from the 70s which inspired so much of what we listen to now. It's quite possible that for the newest generation, this could be the Empire Records, High Fidelity, or School of Rock.

I know, how can I possibly say that? Is there any chance that a movie produced with young Disney stars by a Disney owned studio can actually do anything that is not cheesy? I'd rather turn that question on its head. Do we really think those other movies were that good? To be clear I am not saying this is a great movie, just that I appreciated it for what it was.

That in its place, here is what I liked about the movie. It mostly comes down to one thing, and that is respect for where so much music came from. The scene in which we first get to know the main character is when a new female friend decides to school him in music, and holds up a copy of the Velvet Underground. At that point he says its ok but he prefers David Bowie and that Lou Reed's later work was better. He takes a group of RHCP wannabe's and adds the right mix of other musicians to become a Ska band, even though none of them know Ska, and he does it by having them start with the basic parts and add things in a way that demonstrates each of Ska's roots. "It's like punk and reggae came together to make something else cool" one of them says. Sure the dialogue is contrived, but is it any more contrived than the dialogue in High Fidelity?

For a school project on "getting to know your partner" he is paired up with an ever so Ally Sheedy version of Vanessa Hudgens. One of the questions they decide to explore with each other is "where is your happiest place ever" and his happens to be CBGB "except that it's closed and I will only have to imagine ever going there" which echoes so many of us who would have wanted to make a similar pilgrimage. In typical movie fashion they break in and he is awestruck - offering the great "what if"? "What if [so and so] never saw the Sex Pistols and so U2 never heard them and were inspired to pick up a guitar and because of that the Killers never decided to sing their way out of Vegas". What if The Clash and the Buzzcocks hadn't opened for the Sex Pistols on August 29, 1976 and it hadn't caused such a stir that Morrissey, Joy Division and so many others would end up seeing them just days later at the Lesser Free Trade Hall? What would I listen to today? The movie draws that line in hopes that a new generation might decide to look up the importance of CBGB and understand that nothing is entirely without what came before it.

The main character narrates the movie in small part by sending small letters to David Bowie, and at the end of the movie ends up actually contacted by David Bowie who wants to sign their band to a new Indie label he's starting.

Finally a moment on Hudgens. A girl like her at this point in her career does not make sense in a movie like this one. Apparently its not the role she auditioned for, but she ended up taking a role with not nearly enough screen time given her current popularity. She plays a shy girl not unlike her character from High School Musical, who prefers to sit and read and sing to herself (though she doesn't do that on camera in the movie). I walked away thinking she must really want to be in the movie.

Well that's about all I have to offer on it. I'm not going to suggest any of you go out and see it unless you have tween/teenage girls you are looking to kill time with, but perhaps give it a rental sometime when nothing else looks good. You might be surprised.

Ticketbastard - a rant

2009-03-28T11:00:00.002-05:00

I really really hope that legal means can get this in check. It's always been assumed that Ticketmaster was withholding tickets, but this last year and especially the last few months, its completely out of control. You simply cannot buy a good ticket without going to a scalper (who, by the way, are also raising the insane prices they already asked - I've seen 800 a ticket).

But today took the cake. I wanted to buy my daughter tickets to see the Jonas Brothers this summer when they hit Winnipeg. I had checked out the pre-sales last week but knew about them way too late and didn't know there was a really cheap fan-club pre-sale until way too late. So I will admit there were things that could have been good for the fans.

Back to today's saga. I was logged in and ready, refreshing the page so that I would get the "search" page as soon as it was publicly available. Of course, they really shouldn't bother providing options at all, because if you choose ANYTHING other than "best available / any price" it tells you there are none and that you should get rid of your filters.

I am comfortable with the system having some randomness in it, so I wasn't surprised when one of my first hits brought up 300 level tickets even though they were obviously not the best available, or so I thought. After the first 20 minutes I had only received 2 reasonable acceptable results, and even those were in the 200 section. Not a single 100 level seat had been offered to me.

So, I thought I might see what was being offered to the American Express Front of the Line folks. I actually have an AMEX registered but its the company card and even though I pay it off the same day and almost as quickly let the billing system know it was personal, the reminder that we shouldn't be doing that is always unnerving. Anyhow, the result: floor seats. Pretty much the worst possible floor seats. Oh, and one offer of 100 level seats, again the worst possible seat. Following this logic I decide to see what the "VIP Package" offers. Sure enough, 100 level tickets on the side.

Now, in some ways I recognise that these are labelled VIP tickets, but in most concerts, like Leonard Cohen and things like that $375 gets you a meet and greet and a seat in the first 2 rows. This is a concert for kids/teens, so for a pair of $375 tickets at least one of them is purely overhead. Also, officially the price list says that any seat in the house could have the VIP price, so its clearly supposed to be about the add-on. Clearly that was not quite the case.

In any case, whichever of the options I chose I really ended up getting offered the same 2 rows of seats for the whole bloody time. Since I wasn't going to take the 300 section, I ended up buying the AMEX tickets.

This whole thing was just set up wrong. There was really just no option for somebody to buy a decent ticket on the regular market.

the me people see

2009-02-08T00:18:00.005-06:00

This is one post I am really making to myself, but I have decided in advance to put it up anyhow. It's late so hopefully I can keep it short, but I gotta vent, for lack of a better word.

Do you ever wonder what other people think of you? Or do you feel confident that they will always know you for who you are? I can honestly answer that this has been the defining question of my life. As I said recently on Facebook "I am exactly the person I wanted to grow up to be, but I am not living the life that I thought that person would be living. If only."

I post that here just for the context of the first sentence. I know myself. Period. I am an introvert. I survived the events of the end of my marriage because of my ability to dissect them and determine how much blame to take and what not to accept. In two separate conversations this week I made some comment about myself and was told "it's a very rare thing to know that about yourself." I think about what I say and do. That doesn't mean I always think before I say and do them.

But, I have never - ever - trusted others to know me that well. It would be fair to say that I knew that my ex didn't know me as well as I knew her. I turned out to be right about it. On the other hand I've been surprised to the extent to which my parents know me despite feeling like I hadn't shared so much of my inner emotions with them. Beyond them I would grant very few, possibly even only one person, with knowing all of my parts. And she will be sad to read here that I still occasionally [though not often - LOL] think she assumes too much about this or that as well. (If you have any doubt in your mind whether I am talking about you or not, then I almost absolutely am not - but this note isn't about that person anyways)

In this case I am talking about something specific. Trust. Trust that I am being up front. That my words were chosen such that they can be taken at face value. That the best intention can be assumed. While I am human and cannot claim perfection even in this part, I define myself by trying to be the example of being trusting and trustworthy. The former being harder than the latter, but I consider them a required pair to be useful at all. You can't be trusting if you are not trustworthy, because the second you start deceiving others you lose your ability to believe they are trustworthy.

This is on my mind tonight for 2 reasons. First, in recent memory I broke up with somebody who has experienced that a lot. She's heard every line in the book. Lots of reasons why it just wasn't going to work. She's heard them enough that she doesn't see any value in them. She told me so while we were dating. So, with my reasons in my mind, I chose to not offer them. I simply laid out that it was not working, that I didn't feel like I should if it was going to go on any longer (which really is the reason - but ignoring all the contributors which one could analyse.) The question still lingered that if I didn't feel that way, why did I let it go on as long as I did, and didn't I make this comment one time that could have been construed to think I did feel that way? The answer that she was worth giving a full chance clearly fell into the category of "heard it before" regardless of its truth. So, that strikes at the heart of me and I spent some time afterwards trying to re-enforce my earnestness, probably still to no avail. Not that I never said anything that could be interpreted wrong (because I am not perfect) but that anything I said or did was a part of me living into that try, as fully as I could, and enjoying the journey for what it was.

(I'm going to insert a 1.5 - that early in a relationship just prior another person made an assumption about my character that again I don't feel I ever reconciled no matter how hard I tried - and in that case I fully acknowledged how my behaviour could have left an impression - but back to it)

Second, and more recently. Tonight an aquaintence read me the wrong way. It would be fair to say that this person assumed I was saying something negative and flip when I was actually complimenting and just adding to what they had said. So here I am needing to get that out because it's bugging me. This person sees me in a very different context from most of my friends. She's always too busy to have a real conversation with me. The few words spent sorting this out tonight were probably the longest conversation we've had. But she has seen how I interact with other people, in one particular sphere, and its one which is odd because I am both at my best and worst there. I am an introvert. I am shy. I am not a confident individual about many many things, mostly involving getting to know people and talking with people I don't know. The counter to that is that in a group dynamic I flip that in order to bring out my best. I tease, I make jokes - hopefully kindly in both those cases- and ... I can have a tendency to take over a conversation. This can make me demonstrate charm and wit and knowledge, but I do often wonder whether it is seen as something else. Do I come off as domineering, self-centred, the sort of person who would seek to make comments just to fuck with somebody?

Because I have this phrase I've used for 20 years now: "I am an asshole, not a jerk" - an asshole in terms that I don't pull punches and I will remind you what you said and I will point out the flaws in your argument and I will say things to tease you, but I am not a jerk because I won't mess with your mind and I won't lead you on. If I said something intentionally, then it is safe to assume that I had the best intention in saying it. I know it's hard to explain - jerk seems like a safer word for asshole, but I would openly accept being flippantly called an "asshole" when I deserve it, but I won't tolerate the notion that I am jerking somebody around. That sort of mental cruelty is just not in my nature. I know how deception feels. I can empathize and I won't seek to act that way.

So, the crux of this long rant is really just a wish that one day I will be able to trust that they people around me, and mostly somebody special, know that I am earnest and that it will be assumed -- and that I will recognize it - because it would be really good to know they feel that way.

The American President

2009-01-18T14:14:00.002-06:00

No, not THAT American President. Ok, kinda.

This afternoon, on the eve of the Inauguration of President Barak Obama, the History channel is showing of my (admittedly many) favourite movies: The American President. Starring way too many amazing actors to mention, but fronted by Michael Douglas at his best, as a President arguably at his best. He knows what he can do and what he can't do. He's likeable. He honestly cares. He tries to do the right thing.

So, I am writing about it because it think it is amazing telling of the History channel to air it at this time. It demonstrates the hope that Obama will live in the same spirit that got him elected. I don't have much to say today other than I have that same hope. This is an exciting time, even for a Canadian.

Serving your Country

2008-10-29T10:32:00.003-05:00

I am at home sick today. Ok so I am still working here at home but it's a different pace from the office. One thing that is different is that I have the TV on. I just heard something remarkable. I don't think it will be implemented as stated, but it may be the first time I have ever considered america to be forward-thinking.

Joe Biden was speaking and when he talked about their need to increase medical care, he proposed a new definition of "Serving your country." He said that the country needs to recognize the other ways in which people serve their country, and make sure those people get the same rewards, specifically a college education. Now, I struggle with what he really meant by that, since working in the medical field really needs proper training and experience, and since its not really the same sacrifice.

But I really like the idea and I'd like to know more about what he's talking about. Is this the peace corps? Does this mean that if people gave up 6-12 months to help rebuild New Orleans that the state will then pay them back by putting them through college?

Update: I went searching on their website and found this proposal. It sure looks like a pretty good deal. Each year, if a student puts in 100 hours of community service, they will get a fully refundable tax credit for $4000. I think my math puts that at $40 per hour of community service. They say that is 2/3 of the educational costs. So it's not the free education that military folks get but at least it's a good deal for the poor. I guess that still leaves the question of whether they can afford the other 3rd.

Small Government vs Big Government

2008-10-03T00:33:00.004-05:00

This is going to be rough... but its late and time for bed. I just wanted to get this down before I lost my point.

You have to love how we hear it again and again from the conservative side of the fence. "one need only look at how badly government delivers services right now to know that the best thing they can do is get out of the way and let people and the private sector take care of it". That's almost an exact quote from Palin tonight and its not a new ideology from those who seek small government. We hear it in Canada from the same folks. Of course it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Over the last 20 years we have seen cut after cut to social spending from the federal government in Canada, and in the USA the government has never properly supported most of its own social initiatives. Then its pointed out that clearly these public institutions just don't work and PPP or fully private initiatives are suggested in their place.

These are not good examples of government action. Looking to the period before that when funding was good and people were getting ahead does tell us what worked. Looking at progressive countries where taxes are higher and so is prosperity for those with ingenuity and so is the standard of living for every citizen -- now that is a good example. If you starve a dog and beat it, and then strap a steak on your head, bang pans by the head of, and laugh at the dog, you can expect to see the worst of it's behaviour. Bad enough to feel you could justify shooting it. That doesn't mean the dog really deserves to be shot.

Taking my church for granted

2008-09-14T14:11:00.002-05:00

Fear not, this is not a continuation of the theme I am noticing in what makes me blog "these days", defines loosely as it is since I haven't done so in 2 months.

This morning something unique happened. Only it wasn't so unique really, it was moreso an elevation of some 'unique' things that actually happen quite regularly in my religious sphere. This morning at St. Mary's Road United Church (SMRUC) we held a special worship event. Special in terms of calling it special and by having guest speakers and musicians an addition to our usual bevy of talent.

The special part? Our music was lead by none other than Cara Luft (a founding yet former member of the amazing Wailin' Jennys) and Hugh McMillian (bass player for Spirit of the West). They came in for a Saturday morning to practice with our band and then again this morning for the worship, in a dazzling diplay of unusual morning wakefulness for people who are used to gigging late into the night.

The message? Provided by none other than Aiden Enns, editor and contributor to GEEZ Magazine, one of my favourite publications and leader of many important activist movements in Peg city.

So this post has 2 aspects. First of all, as this event approached I wasn't considering it as so special. It was an upcoming event being held in the sanctuary I am not as fond of, which doing tech work is hard or boring and no fun in either case. There were some people of note involved. I wasn't paying enough attention to who they were. Which is fine, because they aren't necessarily folks who like that. But it also means that I was taking their presence for granted. That is NOT good.

As I sat there this morning realizing the gravity of where I knew these gifted people from I felt bad that I had not done more to advertise this to other people who might have taken an interest in SMRUC as a result of it. This was a perfect example of what we do each week, amplified by the presence of these gifts. In some ways that was the reason I had taken it for granted. We have a really great thing going and its really spiritually and personally fulfilling. Unfortunately because I get a taste of it each week it starts to feel commonplace. This should have been a big deal. These people are really significant in many of the circles I value.

Augh... as I sit here I have even run out of energy to chastize myself as fully as I should. Noted. Live intentionally. Pay attention to the good things you have. Tell people about the good things and continue to value them like you did when you were fighting for them. It's important.

Marking a decade

2008-08-16T10:50:00.001-05:00

I don't even know why I am writing but somehow I seem to feel like I should. It's remarkable how important events can come and go and how in time the mind lets us treat them like any other day even though we know that they are not.

Thursday should have been my 10th anniversary. Of course it's been over 5 years since the marriage dissolved so its not like this lack of anniversary is a new thing. It's just interesting to see it come and go again and notice that the hardness of the day does wane in time. Last night I was out with somebody special and I played a song that apparently stuck a memory that she didn't want to dwell on. We got on to talking about whether I might have songs from the wedding (not having disclosed that it was so close to the anniversary) that I felt the same about. Honestly, I don't. Unless I went and reviewed our wedding materials I wouldn't even recall which songs were played. I know which artists sang them but not the songs themselves, and I don't think it bothers me at all to hear them.

Of course, the anniversary means many other things in my case. That was a busy year. I graduated, moved out of the parent's house (a second time) and got married in the same year, so it also means I have been doing what I do for over 10 years now. I'll ignore the 2 years as a co-op beforehand because the responsibilities were very different, as was the pay. I guess I picked my profession well because I've been successful at it and I still generally love what I do and the people I work with.

I think this week is just a good opportunity to remind myself of the things that I hold as fundamental. (a) Life goes on and ups and downs are just part of life -- don't take it all personally, (b) faith will take care of things given time and a bit of attention, and (c) all wounds lessen in time. Unrelated to the anniversary, since I am reminding myself of things here I guess I should remind myself that no matter how I might get down about myself and relationships, there are a lot more women out there who think I am pretty hot than I usually realize. It's probably a good thing I don't remind myself of that too often ;)

The good life

2008-07-15T00:24:00.003-05:00

for those who already have a good life, that is...

This weekend for the first time ever, I finally made my way to the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Despite the horrible rain/wind/cold on Saturday and a few issues here and there, I can honestly say it was a fabulous time. For those of us who can make the best of the issues, the rewards are there aplenty.

Which leads me to my real post. This is an event which is generally considered to cater to the left-leaning, environmentally, economically, and world conscious. The program is printed on recycled paper and lists the entire menu of their food providers, letting you know what is Local, Vegan, Organic, or Fair Trade. Most of the food comes on quality plates for a 2 dollar deposit you get back when you drop it off for washing. Hemp products and recycled clothing abound. Hippies and pretend hippies dance freely, artists go on political rants and are actually cheered for it by the crowd, and even when the organizer feels like they need to apologize to a corporate sponsor, they wouldn't dream of trying to sensor or censure the artist. People are encouraged to share and to treat each other well.

During the start of the final Main Stage as I sat on a fairly-won prime tarp position (thanks to Arthur and Laurie) eating my 4th meal from the East India Company booth, I considered what I might have done if some soul had appeared to be coveting my meal. If somebody had gone to the folk festival with their last few dollars and could not afford a Whale's tale or a chocolate covered frozen banana or something yummy from the Thai place. If they were forced to simply hope that somebody might hear their rumbling stomach and see the longing in their eyes. I had enough cash with me that I know I would have bought the best meal for that person had I seen them. That I would have nourished their body as the music did their soul.

But in that some moment it struck me how I had not seen such a soul wandering at all through the thousands that attended. Never a once did I see anybody showing restraint, let alone wanting for much of anything. Given the cost just to get in, and the effort to reach the festival ground, one could almost be assured that those less fortunate were not in attendance there.

This is not a guilt trip. I was there, and I wasn't holding anything back, and I wasn't driving downtown asking some poor busker whether they needed financial assistance in attending the folk fest. I just made note of the general affluence around and in some ways thought it was sad that in the face of all those things "done right", that despite the "bargain" that the festival really represents to most of those who come there, that bargain is still an impossible dream for many.

Some alternatives we don't often hear about

2008-05-10T20:31:00.003-05:00

This is post of varied things I happen to be picking up in the last hour or so, one from the 11th Hour DVD, and the other from the auto section of the newspaper.

First, I bought the 11th Hour weeks ago because my original complaint was the the movie was too filled with information, and that it didn't provide enough solutions, just like An Inconvenient Truth. I watched the film but noted that the DVD also contained a special feature about solutions.

The solution proposed in this section is something called Biomimicry. The idea is that most of our grand ideas came from ideas we witnessed in nature. Glass is one example they offered. It's noted that some creatures in nature effectively create layers of glass on their bodies which are micro-thin and yet a hundred times harder than the glass we produce. The key is that they take advantage of natural processes in order for the glass to create itself, whereas we take reams of sand and compress the to make ours. Nature doesn't make things happen, it creates the conditions for things to happen and then lets them do what they were designed to.

Fertalizer is an example that comes to mind, but since we all know so much about compost and its advantages I won't get into it.

A third example they offer are certain fungi which grow as mushrooms and similar organisms. One particular fungi happens to create anti-toxins that can destroy 6 known poxes and a variety of other common viruses. I have heard of some organisms that supposedly can eat cancer, and those were found in pond scum. In our society we search for ways to invent our own solutions rather than look harder for nature's answers.

Look for other great ideas in places like DavidSuzuki.org.

Also, in this Friday's free press there are two articles about a car company from India called Tata. They have been around for years but lately are starting to do some remarkable things. I present to you the Tata Nano:

This Nano is a car that can be sold for less than $2500 US dollars. It's not made for North American markets, but instead for the poor, crowded Indian market where cars have been unaffordable and space is limited. It's not without controversy because it's effectively selling cars to people who don't currently drive them. But take a look at the link and see how well it does. With a top speed of 105 Km/h, it gets 52 mpg in the city and 62 mpg on the highway.

What's really impressive is the OneCAT:

The OneCat runs on compressed air. The only pollution produced by this vehicle is that caused to generate the electicity used to compress the air that goes into its tanks. With full tanks it will run at 100 km/h for 90km. On AIR. The current vehicle is actually a dual fuel hybrid not unlike many of our current hybrids. You can plug it in for the night and it will fill its tanks for you. They are pushing for compressed air tanks at fuelling stations, which could fill their tanks in 3 minutes. AND they will be priced between $5100 and $7800. I wonder what it would take to import one of these babies. I could easily afford one and it would have no issue covering 95% of all of my driving needs.

Tranceformers

2008-05-03T23:23:00.001-05:00

Since most people that might see this are my age-ish or don't live here, I am gonna start off by describing what "Tranceformers" and other recent events are:

In the early 90's there was a rise in the public eye of "techno" and with it a realization that a subculture had existed in various forms for years. This was the "rave" subculture. I am not going to claim to know the history. Look it up on Wikipedia. But in those days it was mostly an underground thing. I became a huge fan of the few acts which did make the public eye: The Utah Saints, Black Box, 2 Unlimited, Robin S, Haddaway, Captain Hollywood Project, MC Sar & Real McCoy just to name a few. Peruse my CD collection if you want 50 more. I know that anybody involved in the subculture would spit on the notion that these were connected, but my point here is that these acts NEVER came to Winnipeg. If the subculture existed here it was very small. The dance bars played the chuft I just listed. It was the best I got. Other than a certain amount of remix culture of top 40 tracks, dance faded here by 1998 after a failed attempt to set up a wherehouse club in the Exchange District.

Jump forward to a few years ago. In Europe, dance continued. It forked and split into a hundred forms: Techno, Trance, Electro, Minimal, Drum n Bass, and 'Beats' being just a few, and some of those those having their own sub-genres. There is a place on the coast of Italy called Ibiza where people live to dance and party. World class DJs play to "clubs" that hold tens of thousands of people, and stadium shows with over 200,000. A few DJs from Winnipeg formed a series of promotions groups: DJNation, and Soundwave Entertainment are the most prominent. Little did I realize that they were now running the music at the clubs I used to visit. They were renting spaces and having licensed raves, and doing it like people do in the bigger cities. Events that start late and go until dawn. Flying in these DJs that are used to playing to thousands. Building a base of people 16-30 years old, and a few more like me who attend these events regularly.

For the youngest it has replaced the bar. This is what they do with their friends. The rave is their social life. (I wrote that with complete envy) It's not just one sort of person either. There are the people you might associate with rave culture. Hemp wearing / smoking; dreadlocked and pierced. There are industrials and goths (like me only more daring) mostly in black but in various styles. There are preppies, mostly asian but not always. There are Detriot rap looking types, and there are even those in just an oversize t-shirt and ripped jeans who could just as easily be at a Metallica concert as they are getting down to the beat. And there are a couple of old farts like me (I know I am not that old, but I see it in their eyes every time) who wish they could start yelling at them all to cherish what I was unable to experience when I had their youthful bodies.

I'm not sure what the first event I went to was. Likely Tiesto last August. Tiesto has been the biggest DJ in the world. He plays something known as "Uplifting Trance". He opened the last Olympics and created a soundtrack for their events. It's characterized by its "builds": high speed which builds in pace as the volume goes up and both the treble and bass are raised as a wall of sound that gets more and more exciting as it goes. As it reaches its peak the DJ holds it as you wait in anticipation for the sudden breakdown which starts a new cycle, at the same time providing some new effect. Some release. It's no lie to compare the build to an orgasm of sound. Imagine the best sex of your life embodied in sound. Tiesto has a song called "As the rush comes" for that reason. Each Trance DJ does it a little different, and my description will not be quite accurate, but its the closest I can get.

For me it's all about the bass. What a band once dubbed themselves as "The 808 State". The 808 was one of the first audio sequencers, and its stock in trade was a good deep bass. Used primarly for a bass drum, but also for effect. Last night at Tranceformers, primarily with Sean Mitiska but also with an earlier DJ there were moments when you were met with a wall of BASS flipping from left to right in a strobe-like pattern that I have never experienced before. It was almost overwhelming. It's one of my favourite things in the whole world. That mind numbing trace-like effect which beckons you to let go of it all, just be. Don't care who is watching or what they might think because in that moment you can exist alone with the music even when you are surrounded by a warehouse of people. Some will enhance that with Alcohol or drugs. There will have been more than a few hits of Estacy in the room last night. But I don't need any of that. To me this is my "other church". As Faithless, one of the founders of the Trance genre said "This is my church. This is where I heal my hurts".

So here's the problem. I injured my knees while dancing on a wet floor 17 years ago in University. If I let go tooooo much: bad things happen. My left knee wrenched a little more that it should have. I notice even the smallest change in my knees. So I stopped, went off, took a break. I felt better. The music throbbed. It called to me. I went back out into the middle of the floor. I got lost again. Then my knee reminded me that the only reason I didn't hurt the first time was because it hadn't had time to swell yet.

Here it was, 12:15, only 15 minutes into Mitiska's set, and 45 minutes until the main act was scheduled to begin. My legs were done. Without question I was not going to dance to the best portion of the night. I'd had 3 hours already, but the event cost $50 so I was wanting more. I decided to stick around so I could at least hear half of the main set. I sat on the ground mostly, the event was what is usually a roller-rink, so the rumble you get from the bass while leaning on the sideboards is amazing. It reached 1:30 and Andy Moor was still not on. It had been over an hour since the injury and I had not iced my knee at all. I had to give it up.

Today I spent 3 hours (really short actually) at an Emergency ward to get XRays and luckily this time I didn't do any worse damage. I've got some healing to do but surgery is not being forced upon me. Yet.

5 years...kinda

2008-03-21T21:57:00.003-05:00

Today is an interesting day each year for me. This year perhaps less so because its not really been a year. I will explain since that makes no sense on its own.

You see, on Good Friday, 2003... well that was the day the separation officially began. I woke that morning and said my goodbyes to my wife, with whom I was still sharing a bed despite all that had happened and was going to happen. I got up, had a shower, and left to pick up a U-haul to refurnish my entire main floor.

While I was gone, the wife, the other guy and some friends came and removed it all: the bed and dressers, the kitchen table, a TV, sofa, chair... microwave, washer, dryer. She even took down the wedding photo which was still on the wall, just to spare the lover the sight of what they had really torn apart. She didn't take it, she just took it down and put it in a closet for me to find later. I returned to what appeared to be an empty house. In turn I had a 30 year old sofa, a second hand kitchen table, and the bed I used to sleep in at my parents'.

Now, before anybody gets all weepy for me it has been 5 years. At this point its just a memory associated with a day. I used to find it kinda poetic that it happened on Good Friday. It was the day which represented my fall, and the new start. For most people, New Years Day is the day they like to begin anew. I expect that for the rest of my life I will choose this day as my point of reflection.

The kicker is, that the date itself was actually something like April 18. Easter is really early this year. I suppose that's the issue with setting a memory around an event that moves. It's still much easier to remember than the actual date.

I'm not ready to declare any new rise from my current station, but I try to approach every year that way. I remain hopeful. I remain at peace.

Shalom

My not-so-face-book

2008-03-21T18:54:00.004-05:00

I had my blog hooked into Facebook for a bit there but decided that if folks really want to read my blog they can come here. I may cross-post from time to time, but I have decided that there may still be some things I would like to blog about that I don't need to push to the newsfeed on all of my 'friends'. Many of them/you just wouldn't have the context of "me" to apply it to.

I think Facebook already unhooked it, but I don't remember doing that and I don't see a way to do it. Hopefully this doesn't show up there.

[edit]
Ok... so it did show up on Facebook, but that lead me to the "stop importing" page.

on to a real post

March 8

2008-03-08T00:14:00.002-06:00

I'm not always introspective, at least not here on my blog. This is not a memorable year of any kind (or a least so far, who knows the possibilities) and perhaps that is why I am sitting here remembering some of my best birthdays. Only 3 are ringing any bells in positive ways, and I will choose not to mention the negatives because I already throw enough bitterness somebody's way for far more important transgressions. I know they were trying to make me happy in their own way.

Anyhow, the three I remember:

March 8, 1980: I moved into "the house I grew up in". I turned 8, in '80 on March 8. You won't guess my favourite number I am sure. I lived there for 7 years. Eclipsed only by my duration in my current home. At the time I was moving back to be able to hang out with my best friend again. We parted ways years later, reconnected a year ago, then for some reason he's no longer responding. Perhaps he's reading this and might wish to explain why. It's not going to sully my remembrance of this day with fondness.

March 8, 1982: Birthday on Maui. We rode the Sugar Cane Train, went on a Glass Bottom Boat, and ate supper at Don the Beachcomber. My first ever Polynesian food. It was great. I had to choose between getting a snorkel to use on the beach or a better present when I got home. So I never learned to snorkel until recently, and I got a fabulous Star Destroyer playset at Sears once we were home.

March 8, (1993 I think): My 3 best friends and some ladies we knew went to see Barenaked Ladies at their first real stage gig in Winnipeg. It was a great time and we continued it afterwards at a bar somewhere. My mind is fighting between Wise Guys, Norma Jeans, and Monty's. More important I was introduced to the Waltons, who opened for BNL that night. Jason Plumb, writer and lead singer for the Waltons continues to be one of my favourite artists. They began the trend in my listening habits to realizing I had a thing for 'honest lyrics.' They were the first band I ever thought about it for. Jason, if by chance this ends up on your newsfeed on FB, keep on being honest. Your fanbase may not be huge, but we know you and appreciate that you share it.

It's not necessarily a top 3. I suppose they are otherwise I would remember more better than I do. Some might joke that some where so good I don't remember them but I am unfortunately blessed with a full recall of any of the stupid drunken acts I have taken.

Some thoughts on faith

2008-02-16T13:06:00.002-06:00

This morning I attended a meeting at my church, a sort of kick-off for the next year of participation for our Leadership Team. I've got to force myself to not switch back to the traditional "Board" term when describing it to people, because I can now articulate the differences and so I shouldn't use the traditional term for expediency where there are opportunities to describe a difference.

At one point we were describing the "One Faith" part of our new Vision statement. What is the character of our Faith? Is it just the United Church's faith? Is it the Christian Faith? Or is it something unique to SMRUC and some other churches like us. Two people's comments struck me in particular. One had described some "church shopping" they had done before arriving at SMRUC, specifically outside the United Church , and commented that as they visited some other denominations they felt that "I am just not as Christian as these folks". That wasn't listed as a negative, just a notion of colour and flavour. Another participant was describing how in our church the resurrection was so key as a symbol of renewal in our lives and especially in our church as we are constantly changing.

If you from my small audience might recall, I have kind of struggled with the notion of "Christian". Not from the "Do I feel Christian" point of things, but the "Do I want to be associated with a term that has come to be synonymous with 'Fundamentalist'?" Am I a Christ Follower? It's the second comment that clarified it for me, in terms of how fundamentally I disagreed with it. I think I would classify myself as a "Follower of the Living Christ". I honestly don't give a damn about eternal life. I don't believe in God or Christ in order that "someday" I will have my deliverance. That's not saying I discount the notion, its just not what drives me. I have heard fundamentalist families have the "Don't make your mother worry that you are not going to heaven" conversation/rant/guilt trip enough times and seen my marriage destroyed by the effects that mentality can have on a child if carried far enough.

What I DO value are the ways in which Christ lived, those he reached out to, those whom he declared would be saved by his message. Not the things that John and Paul claim he directed them to do in his name. The more I learn about them, the more I see compromise with the rulers of their day and the less I see guidance from God. It the things he did and the welcome and forgiveness he enacted. It's his radical idealism against the rich and the pious that serve as my model. These things are what colour my faith. I value second chances, forgiveness, and renewal, but I don't think that the resurrection defines those things for me.

Mind Job from the past

2008-02-11T23:23:00.000-06:00

I am spending a bit of time tonight putting together some clips of TV "families" over the last 50 years for a little video for church. Just as I was finishing the collecting phase I came upon an image of Davey and Goliath:

I used to love this "show" so I decided to look for a clip on youTube. Little did I realize that this show was completely funded by a church and openly talked about God. This is not a rant, but I am just kinda in shock that I didn't recall that at all.

Gotta love the product placement in some of them too.

Idol Season 7

2008-01-31T19:47:00.001-06:00

I don't know why I still like to watch this show, especially given how manufactured it really is, but last night I was reviewing Monday's auditions from Omaha, Nebraska and I am going to predict that the next idol will be the product of the Omaha auditions. So many of the people they showed us last night just happen to be exactly the type who make it to the end.

The trick is that they didn't show us many of the folks going to Hollywood from the earlier auditions so its not necessarily a fair comparison, but I am actually chalking that up as a reason why it will be true. The link above makes it clear that the process by which people end up in front of the 3 "judges" heavily influences who they will send forward. It then follows that if the producers decided to show us more of the gold ticket winners than usual, that they are telling us something about the Hollywood rounds, which are still not live.

So we have a bunch of ideal candidates (a Daughtry, a Clarkson , an Underwood, a Blake Lewis) who we saw far more of then anybody else this year.

Grrrr... Packaging

2008-01-30T21:24:00.001-06:00

I find that more and more I am forced to tailor my food buying decisions according to what sort of packing they insist on putting my food in. I have been annoying Tim Horton's attendants for years clarifying that "No. I DON'T want you to put my butter tart into that huge plastic tray... it's going to be in my belly within 2 minutes while I drive to work." Even the wax bags are really too much, but I suppose that little bit is better than dropping the thing on the way to the car. (yes, the way to the car... you know... when you don't idle your car for 10 minutes at the drive thru.)

Recently Taco Time opened at the food court by my work and I thought I might start enjoying their taco salads now and again. To my dismay the thing was wrapped up in a package similar to a hat box but I imagine having sides more reinforced than a safe. So much for eating that right. Perhaps once its not so cold and I can have it "for here".

So, today while I was in line for a coffee at Starbucks, I noticed they have a new product. Some cupcakes that I swear are the best looking thing ever. I resisted in the morning, but after lunch decided to have one. Little did I know that in the seconds between me viewing it on the shelf, and it being put in front of me, would it get wrapped up in this:

Take note that it not only had a huge box and a fork (yeah, cause you CUT a cupcake), but the box itself has an inner compartment, just as waxy and hard to recycle as the outer part, to hold the cupcake up straight. Now here's the fun. I get back to my desk, unwrap the cupcake, and it IMMEDIATELY disintegrates into a million little pieces of cake on my desk. The icing on top was so heavy that the cake could not support its weight. While that made for a yummy cupcake, it drove me more crazy regarding the packaging. All of that work to preserve the shape of something that couldn't hold its shape more than the average contestant on the Biggest Loser.

Did I mention I tried to eat a salad? MMM cupcake... GRRR packaging. No more cupcakes for Russ.... which is probably a good thing anyhow.

Random memory

2008-01-29T00:13:00.001-06:00

I have no idea why this one popped into my head tonight. It's truly a random memory. One of those moments in your life that is somewhat remarkable and probably could only have happened when it did.

Half my life ago when I was in high school I decided to try my hand at acting in our school musical. It wasn't my first attempt but the first one hadn't gone so well, mostly on account of having to kiss a pretty girl and me being not overly experienced in the matter (not unexperienced, lets be clear, just well... not that experienced... and she was hot). Anyhow, the musical at hand was Fiddler on the Roof. A story I had actually never watched or read despite its popularity.

I played the part of Lazar Wolf, the old butcher who desires to take Tzeitel to replace his last wife. During the scene where that bargain is struck, I am to join Tevye in a lengthy chorus of L'Chiam, to which we were supposed to be drinking heavily from a bottle I had ordered earlier. The problem was that the cast member playing the barkeep (a Holmstrom I believe) had brought us a bottle with no more than 1 inch remaining. Now, the rich butcher that I was -- I was completely annoyed that I paid for a whole bottle and received only this bit. What did he think, I was drunk? Oh wait I was... but anyhow... it just wasn't going to do for the song.

So, I did the only thing that made sense. In character, I requested that the barkeep bring us another bottle. This was, despite the fact that we were indeed live on stage, and the selection was not great, and that we were amateurs in a high school musical. To my delight, the barkeep caught the cue and brought us a better bottle to continue our song.

Perhaps it was the wine I had tonight but it struck me just how lucky I was that it worked out. The number of assumptions I had to make to adlib that line was astonishing. I would almost never attempt something like that today. I'd probably have to actually be drunk to do it. What were the chances that I could really pull that off? I mean, the pianist was waiting to start a song, the lead was a stickler for his lines (although a world class performer), the the barkeep was in his first stage performance ever. There were 10-20 other people on stage with us.

My point is only that such is the carefree life of a teenager. I don't believe that in those 10 seconds I pondered any of the difficulties that could have been a disaster. We probably could have gone forward with the song and all the old folks watching wouldn't have even noticed the bottle was empty. But that risk was taken and it paid off.

That's what makes a memory.

The C-word?

2008-01-27T22:16:00.000-06:00

Whilst perusing a messageboard usually filled with drivel and light-hearted fun, I came across a discussion of news reports like this one which would seem to indicate that the good ol' boys in Redneckistan have decided that "Canadian" is the new polite term for black Americans. There are a fair number of possible reasons for this, ranging all the way from "nobody finds Canada offensive so it raises less eyebrows that way" to notions that we're so backwards that they draw a similar parallel to their stereotypes. In either case I suppose its we could wear it as a badge of honour but it does raise one idea in my head, and that is the notion that these folks are too cowardly to admit they are racist. I certainly don't have many qualms about telling them they are idiots. They only time I don't break the 'polite' conversation at family gatherings to call somebody out is when its clear they are just provoking my Dad and I. If they really think they are right then why do they hide?

Maybe they are just admitting that the average Canadian is better endowed than the average Redneck.

Rights and Freedoms

2008-01-26T21:59:00.000-06:00

During U23D, there is a moment where the concert stops as portions of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights are read aloud and printed in multiple languages on the screens. I watched it again today, and as on Wednesday it made me think that I had probably never read them. After all, Canada has its own charter that had done fairly well on its own. But today I have just gone and read the whole thing. I encourage you to do the same. I considered printing it here in full, but that link above is pretty handy and I have some comments to make. I will still reprint some parts here for discussion.

Article 1.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

If only this were true. I suppose the declaration has to paint a rosy picture in order to provide a goal. I am not just talking about the right of people. I find it almost laughable to suggest that most people are "endowed with reason and conscience." I believe if that were true the world would not be in half the mess that it is, and that the first sentence might be more likely to be true.

Article 3.

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4.

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5.

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6.

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

These are all really important, though I wish that Article 4 went a little further, perhaps even Article 5. Consider the state of manufacturing in the world. How different are much of the 3rd world factories from Slavery? Is their treatment not inhuman or degrading? It's certainly not torture, though we know that even the US Troops are fully capable of stamping all over this one.

Article 9.

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

I dare anybody to protest outside a G8 event and still feel that this one is being upheld.

Ok, so here is one that I find interesting. Given the date on which it was written I can sort of understand the way it is written, but for at least the western world it does a really poor job of covering its material. Most of the world would probably still consider it correct, even if many of us differ:

Article 16.

(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.

(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.

(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Hmm... this is bugging me. I made some assumptions the first time I read it, mostly based on part 3. The more times I read it, the more I tend to feel that this definition doesn't have anything in it that same-sex families would consider objectionable. It doesn't say both spouses have to be of opposing sexes. It doesn't define what a family is. That does beg the question as to how the state will defend it, which is what I was originally going to comment on. I suppose I still do read part 3 as saying that society and the State must protect the "traditional" definition of marriage because I don't see what else they might have to protect it against. In case I haven't been clear enough, I don't think that is true, I am just noting that Article 16 seems to imply it.

Well there is our rights lesson for the day. I once again encourage you to read and ponder the entire Declaration.... and to go see U23D - I may go a 3rd time.

Coexist

2008-01-23T23:50:00.000-06:00

Coexist
Jesus, Jew, Mohammed, it's true
Jesus, Jew, Mohammed, it's true
All sons of Abraham
Father Abraham, Father Abraham
Where are you now?
Father Abraham, look what you've done
You've pitted your son against your son
Father, Father Abraham
No more, no more, no more
No more, no more, no more
No more, no more, no more
No more, no more.

Last night I went to see U23D, a remarkable change in entertainment. There are many more such concerts to come, including the new Hannah Montana concert movie which I know my daughter is looking forward to.

I'm not exactly a closet U2 fan, but because I haven't been to a recent concert I have missed a lot of the stuff that goes on. I've started to approach them differently. Despite knowing all the lyrics and owning a DVD or two I was unaware of what a socially transforming spectacle a U2 concert is, at least on their latest tour. The topics include but were not limited to [my names for these things] "peace", "religious acceptance", "human rights - including the full recitation of the declaration of human rights", "media awareness". In this concert/movie the band clearly made decisions to highlight these thoughts. It's unmistakable - they literally shove it in your face in 3D. "letters are simple, but they become words, and words become thoughts, and thoughts become sentences, and sentences become lies. Become You."

Some people may decry Bono as a hypocrite - living rich off his fame and then talking about how the world needs to save the poor in Africa, but I don't see it that way. I am growing past the point of criticizing Bono, Al Gore, Stephen Lewis, or others like them who trot around the globe polluting and pontificating as they go. These people understand the difference. No doubt they fight with themselves sometimes but you have to compare the weight of their words to transgressions of their actions. For all his pop star wealth, Bono cannot reverse the tides of the African nation by spending his millions on food or medications. What he CAN do it tell us what is really going on, and use his fame to put politicians and "world leaders" (I can't write that phrase without the quotes since they don't really lead much) on the hotseat as they grope for a share of his spotlight and the positive energy he carries. He can't forgive the unfair debt of African nations, but he can influence those who can. Sure, Bono has all the appearance of megalomaniac, with his fancy glasses and smarter than thou speeches, but would he wield the power to actually be smarter than thou if he did not act that way? Would you pay him any more attention than, say, Chris Martin of Coldplay? They are almost interchangeable in their dedication to their causes, but if you were to ask somebody who the face of the One or Make Poverty History campaigns is, you know they will answer Bono. Amnesty International - Bono or Sting? Bono again.

I'm on a bit of a high after the show and yet still haven't really covered how great it was by itself, but I guess I was inspired tonight. I will leave you with this last thought from "New Dress" by Depeche Mode:

You can't change the world, but you can change the facts, and when you change the facts, you change points of view, and when you change points of view you may change a vote, and when you change a vote you can change the world.

Homemade or Homegrown

2008-01-16T18:56:00.000-06:00

Tonight my family settled down to one of our favourite meals: cottage cheese perogies and farmer sausage. What can I say, Mennonite to the bone. Honestly, when I met my ex-wife one of the things which ranked high on compatibility was that we had the same favourite food. An early date was a trip to the MCC craft sale, where her mom and a few hundred other moms had provided thousands of perogies for the lunch.

Recently the Free Press had an article about how unknown Farmer Sausage is as a product, despite it being so tasty and versatile. Locally we have 2 large producers of Farmer Sausuage, Pioneer Meats Ltd. and Winkler Meats. I suspect that a preference for one or the other is as divisive a discussion in southern Manitoba as John Deere vs. Case. For the record, I am a devoted Pioneer Meats fan.

During that same period, some friends were taking part in the 100-mile diet. So that got me thinking. There is rarely a clear distinction in manufacturing between where the resources come from and where the packaging is completed. There are many "Made in Canada" goods which are little more than packaged here. So when it comes down to a product like Farmer Sausage, I really wonder: is it Manitoba Pork on my Fork? Pioneer doesn't appear to have their own website, and I don't seem to find any other information on the net. So, is this actually a Product of Manitoba or do they truck it in from somewhere else.

Anybody know?

JUNO

2008-01-05T23:41:00.000-06:00

Juno may just be the best film of 2008 and we are only 5 days in. I suppose it did come out in 2007, but you know I will not declare anything except Once to be the best for 2007 so I am electing to make this declaration regarding the year I saw the movie.

So what makes Juno so good? Tough question in a way really. Is it the amazing dialogue or the choice of actors, or just their delivery, or just the general quirkiness of the film? I guess it has to be a combination of it all, but regardless it just made for a fantastic film. The biggest surprise was the almost non-existence of Michael Cera (Arrested Development, Superbad) but the thing is, there are so many little things related to his character that just knowing its him they are talking about made his presence that more important regardless of screen time. Jason Bateman (Arrested Development, amongst others) did a fabulous job of being the hip 30-something rock dad-to-be. They did a great job of setting him up as the kind of father Juno would want her baby to have, only to make you realize that his obsessive wife is actually the mother she'd want her to have instead.

Juno can best be compared to Something About Mary or Napoleon Dynamite, if you took away the slapstick from the former, and the deliberate overacting from the latter. Maybe its more like Garden State. I guess I'm just saying its a lot like a bunch of really good, funny, heartfelt movies.

I might have to go see it again, and it will definitely end up in my DVD collection. Come to think of it, I still don't have Garden State. I really have to get that and the Breakfast Club before much more time passes.

Remembering Wayne

2008-01-03T19:45:00.000-06:00

It's been one year since Wayne passed away. It seems so recent and so far away all at the same time. I don't even really know what I want to say tonight, I just need to mark the occasion. My daughter and I visited the cemetery after work to pay our respects. She doesn't react much to all of it, but she gave Daddy a big "Wayne" hug when he needed one. I can't think of any better way to remember her uncle.

Rest well Wayne. You will always remain in our hearts and minds.

Innocence Lost

2007-12-23T21:47:00.001-06:00

I am so not ready for this. Some challenges as parents, you prepare for well in advance of when they have to happen. You know how to deal with them and help your child along. Some of them you dread long in advance (like adolescence, especially where girls are concerned) and wish they would just never come. Others just hit you out of the blue.

Now, if you follow current events you MIGHT think that I am talking about this Jamie Lynn Spears fiasco, especially since my daughter is already one of the Hilary/Raven/Hannah/Zoey101 groupies. But, as much as I have been considering that as a teachable moment even though its really a year or two too soon, that is not what I am talking about.

No, the sad truth is that my little angel is in need of a ride on the Polar Express. That's right, an older kid has her convinced that Santa isn't real, that they saw their dad putting presents under the tree. I've explained that Santa won't bring anything to her if she is awake, and that kids who don't believe in Santa don't get anything from Santa, but she's holding fast to the idea that Daddy is putting these things under the tree.

It doesn't make any sense to me, I mean, why would I give myself such crappy presents? Ok honestly though, what's a guy to do? She's way too young for us to let this bit of innocence go, and she had a little sister and cousins to support. On the other hand, I cannot remember how old I was when I lost that notion.

It won't bother me if it goes away, but this period of limbo is enough to drive a daddy nuts.

What Would Jesus Buy?

2007-12-18T23:26:00.000-06:00

Tonight I went to see "What Would Jesus Buy?", produced by Morgan Spurlock and starring Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping, as they toured across the USA last year. I am tempted to point out the things I didn't like about it, but I think instead I will count myself lucky to be amongst the 200 or so Canadians (all here in Winnipeg) who will see it this season. That's right... 200 or so folk crammed themselves into a small theatre to enjoy the only screening that will take place in Canada, courtesy of the local Buy Nothing Christmas campaign. I will offer just one criticism: It didn't its own question very much at all. There could have been a better balance of sensational and documentary. To it's credit, it got me thinking. To the credit of those who made it: they are doing more to promote change in our society than I am this Christmas, so I can't start pointing the finger now can't I?

So instead I will list a series of thoughts, some of which came from the movie and some of which came to me because of the movie.

1. I wonder what it would take for Buy Nothing Christmas to get a float in the Santa Claus Parade? Would that even be possible? Breast Cancer is there. The Scouts are there. War Amps is there. Krevco is there with their half naked girls in a hottub. Sports teams and politicians are represented. Why not an environmental group or some other cause?

2. Think about the best gift you are giving to or receiving from somebody this year. Then ask yourself where it came from? How far did it travel to get to you? How much fossil fuels were burned to achieve that? How much byproduct waste (the part you don't even know about and therefore cannot reduce, re-use or recycle) was produced along the way? Who made it? Any chance it was from a developing country? Was it perhaps made by a 15 year old girl who is just finishing another 19 hour shift and heading to her bunk in the lockup dormitory? What do her fingers look like? Are they injured? What about the rest of her health? Has the level of exhaustion modified her body so much that she's now infertile and mentally unstable? When will she be able to go home? Will she have even made anything substantial enough to help her life when that happens? How much would you have to pay for that product for her to have a life one fifth as nice as yours? When her father tried to get her to come home, did the factory boss break his knees like they did the fellow who was trying to organize a union to make her life a bit fairer? Hey... nice gift!

3. I had been feeling guilty about preaching a bit at a party on the weekend. I asked people why they would even shop at Wal-Mart, and made the outrageous comment that "they are the ones who started all of this". Certainly they didn't start the dependence of the West on cheap goods made by pseudo-slave labour in developing countries. But maybe its better to point out the extreme they represent, and the impact they have had. You are talking about the largest retailer in the world. One who has a policy of moving into a local economy and shaping their behaviour to obliterate local businesses. One who disposes of their real estate they same way they promote the disposibility of their products. Huge vacant buildings to match the huge landfills down the road. One who almost entirely imports their goods from elsewhere. One whose corporate heads make hundreds of millions of dollars each year (the Walton's themselves being 5 of the 10 richest in the USA) by paying their employees almost nothing and offering next to no benefits, actively fighting unionization, and then actively encouraging their poorest employees to apply for food stamps. They made popular more than anybody else the notion that cheap disposible goods are the best thing since sliced bread. They don't just import goods. They own the development of those goods around the world. They directly create the sweatshop conditions their goods are manufactured under. They shape the development of new goods they carry in their stores, battling the entrepreneurs who want to sell items in their stores until their dream is giving them a fraction of what it did when they pitched the notion, and has likely been pushed off to use lower quality materials and is developed in a poor country. Whew... that felt good. I guess I DO remember why I don't like shopping there.

4. How soon is too soon to conscientise your child? Really, for me "Buy Nothing Christmas" or even just a move to buy less, just has less of an effect, because over 3/4 of my spending is on one person who has no notion of the reasons why I would be cutting back on the toys, and who is far too much a victim of all the things in life which teach her that her daddy buys her gifts as one of the ways he demonstrates his love.

Ok, I've been ranting on here enough... but hopefully I will think of more. I need to stop for the night.

Finally! Somebody Makes it Clearer!

2007-12-07T20:37:00.000-06:00

This post is about Stuff. Thanks Adam for posting about this, and for my own personal record I am reposting about it. You will recall that a few months ago I posted about how The 11th Hour missed the mark. They were earnest in their attempt, but made it all too harsh and complicated. They didn't break it down nice and easy. Enter The Story of Stuff. This is a short, easily digestable view of all the things that are wrong with the world today. It talks about the causes and the effects, and the site talks about the solutions. Take 10 minutes and help yourself understand the world a bit better.

One Faith, Many Paths -- No Boundaries

2007-12-05T23:27:00.001-06:00

Let the pimping begin. Let me ask you what the colour of your faith is. How do you define it? How do you plot out a path to live your life, how to follow your faith? Some members of our church have completed our process of defining Vision and Mission statements for our congregation. Not everybody will agree with them, but I like them. I enjoyed the process, though it was long. I am happy with the outcome, even without some elements I liked in earlier drafts. We defined the vision as a broad statement of both who we are and how we hope to be:

One Faith, Many Paths -- No Boundaries

That part was achieved in a straightforward manner. The mission statement was something else. We had to work hard to make sure we included as much of the congregation's feedback as possible. I began to jot down key words which I thought needed to be represented. Others did the same, and quickly that method of writing gained momentum. We struggled with the nuances of each phrase, but in the end came up with the following:

Welcome Radically
Worship Totally
Hope Stubbornly
Love Wastefully
Live Intentionally

I like it. It defines and it challenges. The verbs are the actions we take every day, and the adverbs force us to consider those actions in ways that sometimes seem backwards. But, they are what we feel called towards nonetheless.

This has not yet been accepted by SMRUC. What we will be presenting at the annual general meeting will include more words in a document, but for now this can stand on its own.

Back to the Well I go...

2007-12-05T23:02:00.000-06:00

This is not a new subject for this blog, so at risk of repeating myself I am going to point to an article at Wired Magazine's website called Former Evangelical Minister Had a New Message: Jesus Hearts Darwin. This guy captures very well all of the same points I have made before. There is too much design in science to make it accidental. I was careful just now, because you won't catch me promoting "Intelligent Design." It's been a while since I read up on it but I recall there were too many thoughts I disagreed with. Michael Dowd on the other hand, I agreed with a great lot.

I also have to say that I am impressed with the growing number of Evangelical ministers who are realizing their previous positions just never made sense. I have had too many fights on Wondercafe with folks who claim that Evangelism is (was) growing because it is (was) the only true way. The more folks who can (a) tell good sermon and (b) have good messages to tell; the better off we all are. Christianity in the west needs a wakeup call, and a good hard slap towards the left to go with it.

Ok, Russ is tired and cranky... time for bed.

What happened to the Canada I grew up in?

2007-11-25T14:27:00.000-06:00

Once upon a time Canada led the world in some respects. We used to be the example that others wanted to follow. Now, out of the entire Commonwealth, "we" are the only holdout against Kyoto (there were two, but luckily the Aussie's slipped a little back towards centre this weekend and their new leader is a Kyoto supporter.)

So, with that I present this:

Repression

2007-11-15T23:12:00.001-06:00

Today I'd like to link to a video I have seen. Really I'd love to just post it here, but this video is set to prevent that. I wanted to call this "Repression and Democracy" but I am not sure Georgia, Russia is considered a democracy. In the video you will see massive use of tear gas, water canons, and a new tactic... a sonic tool which pierces your thoughts and can be even more disorienting than the other two.

It shows the state of peaceful protest these days. Not that any crowd of 70000 people is entirely peaceful, but I didn't see people throwing stuff back at the police. My problem with it is that I've seen too much of this used to repress dissent by groups I do know are peaceful, in democratic countries. I don't think its too far a stretch to believe that our own "leadership" would use the same tactics. Sadly, democracy in the world still doesn't appear to be strong enough to let the people be heard. That doesn't sound much like democracy to me.

24 in '94

2007-11-09T22:12:00.000-06:00

This is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. The best part is its more than funny. It does a great job of reminding us how much the world has changed since the early 90's. I think I got my first 'real' PC in 1992 or 1993 - a take no prisoners 486 DX at 40 blazing megahertz. I wrote my first web page for a text based browser. I bought my first computer parts from a vendor on a local BBS at an astounding 14400 baud. I played DOOM all night long while dialed up to my best friend's computer over that 14400 baud phone line, and I had never been so excited in my life. I got my first tech job just as Prodigy (featured in this video) was going the way of the dinosaur, and I was providing tech support for customers of a different online (not yet internet) service which never made it out of beta because the internet beat it, Prodigy, CompuServe, and AOL out of relevancy before it could get popular. Those were exciting times, when you still had time to enjoy each advancement before another rose up. These days we get 100 major announcements a day.

Anyhow... I present to you, the "lost" pilot of 24, pitched 10 years before technology would finally allow the show to be everything it could. ;)

GodTube

2007-11-08T10:32:00.000-06:00

I don't have much to say about this except that it's potentially interesting. Today's Winnipeg Free Press mentioned a few religiously-related sites, a video site GodTube, and a social networking site that I have forgotten.

I'll take a closer look at them over the next bit, with particular attention to diversity. I noted that a description of GodTube in the article indicated that "[People of other faiths are allowed to join and post but cannot go too far in preaching their own message]". I wonder how far that goes. I did see those "Christian vs. Christ Follower" Parody Ads I posted a while back, but so far that's all the time I have had.

A thought on Creationism

2007-10-28T20:31:00.000-05:00

Just something I noticed today while reciting the United Church's A New Creed.

1. I observed that a fairly innocent looking statement indicated a belief in evolution, but within the context of God's everyday actions. "who has created and is creating,"

2. Since I read it frequently, but just paid note to this today, it got me to thinking about arguments used by believers in creationism, and my own beliefs that doesn't see any reason why they two can't coexist. I suppose that's because I'm not a believer in absolutes (likewise as a Christian I'd never say that evolution is proof that creation is false).

But anyways... the thought went something like this:

a) Most believers in creationism also share an absolute believe that God causes and effects events in their lives and in the world. They openly thank God on TV, and obviously nobody would raise an eyebrow towards prayer, whatever its asking God for help with.

b) Why would these same folks decide that God is active in their lives but not in shaping the world, making intelligent decisions, or perhaps setting in place a plan that allowed life to evolve?

Community

2007-10-28T19:37:00.000-05:00

I'm starting this one without really knowing what I want to say, but it starts like this:

Back in the day (you know... as in before I was conceived) people appear to have had one community usually. They lived in one place most of their lives. They knew everybody. They all went to one of the churches in that community. That was all they needed. Baptized and buried in the same 4 walls.

Fast forward to the modern age, or at least mine. I've lived in 10 different houses in roughly 5 or 6 distinct communities. I held onto zero childhood friends, and although I have re-aquainted with a few its still not the same thing. When I was married I had no community, unless you count work - because I was blessed with close enough friends there that we are a bit of a community. Of course I had family, which for me is pretty big.

Currently, I have 4: a church, work, my local community (since I chose to volunteer at the club), and more recently the Meet Market Adventures community. All of these have different draws on my life and time. All of them give me something and allow me to give back. Ok, well so far perhaps I haven't given much to the MMA, but I know that's only a matter of time. Perhaps if one of the others frees up a bit. In addition to those, I have at least 2 other groups of friends, and despite the upcoming divorce I still really have 2 families. The problem is that I can keep searching and likely still not find the sense of community that people used to experience, because that's the difference of the magic number 1. Four is a much bigger number by comparison. Ironically the only one which calls itself a community is likely going to be the one to drop. I love the community I live in, and what the club provides for my daughter, but I don't feel like the demands of my post there are a fit for the time and efforts I have to give.

I guess I just became a little more aware today of the change in my notion of community.

Western Greed Works

2007-10-20T22:59:00.001-05:00

Today's Winnipeg Free Press brought us reports that Western Glove Works is finally packing up shop and moving to China. While its not totally surprising, the gall of Bob Silver in doing so is making me furious.

He speaks as if he had no choice, this is just a sad reality that he has to cope with like the 100 workers he has just let go, and the 900 who preceeded them. He says:

Over the last three to five years I have tried everything I could think of to justify continuation of production... but it is just no longer possible.

I'm sorry Bob, but I have to paraphrase your total bullshit there a bit

Over the last three to five years I have tried everything I could think of to justify not lining my own pockets further on the backs of much poorer people than the local ones my family has taken advantage of for the last 86 years... but its just no longer possibly to deny myself that.

I mean, take one look at the last line of clothing he has been making here, none other than the ultra tight mega-expensive jeans branded by Victoria Beckham. These jeans sell for hundreds of dollars not because of the cost of workmanship put into them, but because of the status they display. You can't seriously tell me there are price wars at that level, that cost of production is going to drive dVb jeans off the market.

Welcome to Globalisation Winnipeg. Maybe its time some folks woke up and smelled the coffee?

Once

2007-10-20T00:33:00.000-05:00

I'm a few days past my travelling but I still have travel on my mind. Why? Because I found good movies not just on the way to London but also on the way home. While I was watching Radiant City I noticed the person next to me watching something which looked equally interesting. While I was in Toronto at the HMV I noticed the soundtrack for Once and realized it was the same movie. I decided to watch it on my way home.

I LOVE THIS MOVIE.

My first thought is to compare it to the Commitments, which is turns out is a good comparision, considering that Glen Hansard was actually in both (which no, I didn't realize until tonight when I was looking for more info on Once). He plays a nameless busker on the streets of Dublin who is escaping a broken heart and ends up meeting a beautiful young Czech woman who shares an interest in his music. They wind up in a most interesting love relationship, so clearly in love but also recognizing that they have other loves they are still trying to decide whether they want to save.

This film is filled with fantastic acoustic music and though much of it is contrived, they both pull off convincing performances. It's a fantastic musical journey by some gifted musicians and its heartwarming at the same time.

Anecdotes on a Trip: Part 2

2007-10-13T15:14:00.000-05:00

Foolish me. I regularly begin travel of this sort by weighing myself down with my laptop and a few other gadgets from home. Then I get to the airport and feel compelled to buy at least 2 magazines of different types to make sure my interests are met. I don't take a lot of other time to read these days, so this makes sure I am giving myself the outlet. I usually get through them by the end of the trip, even if I may not read them much on board. Today I also decided to buy a book, which is of course a waste of money in an airport, because you don't get the usual discounts. But I have been meaning to buy and read "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein. She's fantastic and her books are too. Ok... I say that, but this is the first one I have bought, which was part of the compulsion. I KNOW her books are good and yet I haven't read one.

So.. loaded for bear I board the airport, where the entertainment gadgetry THEY provide immediately supersedes everything else I have brought. In this case, more than just entertainment. The "Canadian Films" section of their fancy new system had a movie called "Radiant City" which I had been meaning to watch at some point. I don't recall but I think it won some awards, otherwise I don't know why I would have heard of it. It's a mockumentary about Suburban life. A "typical" surburban family, brought there by the wants of the mother figure who is the cheerleader (along with a very enthusiastic, hard-sell biased, real estate agent) of all the glory that is suburban life, and all of the mire that is urban life (in her mind, not mine). Her husband, the sole breadwinner, reluctantly accepted the move, preferring to be inside the city, where he isn't afraid to know his neighbours. He is the lead in a mockumentary play at the local community club, about... surburban life. Hopefully I haven't ruined anything for anybody by letting them know it wasn't a real documentary. It only really matters at the end, and by then hopefully they have fooled you.

Mixed into the film are wonderful statements about how suburbia came to be what it is, what the motivations are/were, and a list of facts about housing in North America compared to the world, and to 50 years ago. Between the entertainment that is the family members' life, and these facts, its the making of a fantastic film.

Alright... time to board the crappy little Dash 8 for the rest of my trip.

Anecdotes on a Trip: Part 1

2007-10-13T15:13:00.000-05:00

Over the next 5 days I am in Toronto visiting an old friend and his family. Air travel is always a joy full of surprises, so my trip notes start here:

I just heard an announcement in Pearson Airport that had everybody scratching their heads:

"Passengers can now board Air Canada Flight 123 to Detroit. At this time we are requesting that women board first due to a weight distribution issue."

I don't even know where to start.

Should we shelter our kids from the digital storm?

2007-10-05T13:37:00.000-05:00

Today I read an article regarding the opinion of a software company CEO that our schools need to stop using old school teaching methods and get tech-saavy. He says "Today's generation of kids is the most technology savvy group that [the USA] has ever produced. They are born with an iPod in one hand and a cell phone in another. They're text messaging, e-mailing, instant messaging. They're on MySpace, YouTube & Google. They've got Nintendo Wiis, Game Boys, PlayStations. Their world is one of total interactivity. They're in constant communication with each other, but when they go to school, they are told to leave those 'toys' at home. They're not to be used in school. Instead, the system continues teaching as if these kids belong to the last century, by standing in front of a blackboard."

Now, I'm a really tech saavy person so it may surprise you to know that I don't agree on a number of levels.

I CAN see how access to technology is important. Not all students have the same home access to technology as others, so its important that they know how to use a computer, search "safely" and "efficiently", and if I might so add "critically" from as early an age as possible. I can see how computer-led teaching and electronic whiteboards (perhaps one of those fancy new Multi-touch thingies) can save teachers writing time, make their lessons more robust against those little faux-pas that happen, and sometimes make them more interesting.

But its the assertion above that really bugs me, and not just towards kids. Us grown-ups are bad enough for getting internet and crackberry addictions. Why the hell would we promote that concept in kids when they are still developing their interaction patterns; when they haven't yet learned when its appropriate to interrupt and when its not; when its important to be polite and when the rules are a little looser; when its important to take turns; and most importantly -- that sometimes its just crucial to give one person or thing all of your attention, whether its out of respect or so that you can grasp the subtleties. (yes that was a run-on sentence, I never paid enough attention in english class)

Most kids have a hard enough time paying attention in class without constant. When they are little they loose their attention to every little thing that goes on. When they are teens its now lost to hormones and peer interaction. The last thing kids need is to be managing a cell phone or handheld computer while they are in class.

Furthermore, don't they really need a break from the constant tug of these devices? I suffer from it badly enough myself. I literally fear being offline for more than a few hours at a time. I get mad that my workplace blocks some of the sites I like to check every hour or two for "news." I get Google calendar and Facebook reminders SMSed to my cell phone. I have accounts on 5 different instant messaging services in case anybody I know uses a different one than I usually do. So then what's my problem? How can I be such a hypocrite? The point is that I am aware of it, and you can NEVER expect a child to realize something like that. By their very nature kids aren't introspective and they won't stop their impulsiveness because they won't see a pattern developing.

Should children be allowed to use these tools? Absolutely. In today's world kids aren't as free to be out and about as they once were, so chatting with friends by IM allows them to feel like they belong even if they can't physically be there. When they are out and about we want to be in contact with them. While I don't plan on buying my daughter her own cell anytime soon, I do see a real advantage to being able to get a hold of her if she was out at friends houses more often.

Should children be allowed to use them school? I just don't think so. We need to provide a place where they can take a break from it, where they are freed from slavery to their handheld devices. We really need to find more places where we adults do the same.

Collective Individualism

2007-09-22T14:28:00.000-05:00

This is something I wrote about 10 years ago. I couldn't find it for a while so I thought I would post it. It's a bit rough but mostly I still believe in it.

Collective Individualism

* this is basically my hack on the idea of "survival of the fittest"

* if the "game" is supposed to be about survival, is it based entirely on me defeating something or someone else as Capitalist ideology would have us believe, or is it really just about me surviving period?

* the majority of the beings that survive one age or another don't do it by opening fighting something else, they do it by adapting to some situation around them so that they are not harmed.

* perhaps the fittest beings are those who worked together, or at least in different ways but fulfilling the same objectives. Symbiotes.

* they recognise that the best practice for their individual success and security is actually the mutual success of those around them, the continuance of their ecosystem, the maintenance of the equilibrium.

* in math, I once had a teacher state that it was impossible to maximize an equation with more than one term. I say bullshit, and that maximal equation is an equilibrium equation. It provides the optimal solution for all parties.

* this is not pure communism or even so much socialism. it is not the idea that the best thing for everybody is the one that benefits the most flatly. It is the idea that there are happy mediums to be reached, and that is the equilibrium. Whether that is achieved through regulation or some mutual understanding that I don't get ahead by pursuing goals that diminish others, the bar is raised each time a success is reached.

* this idea applies to all parts of science and nature, now it applies to economics and politics.

* it recognises that humans did not become predominant by might, we did it by mind. Humanity needs to take that step and become more rational and less driven by the instincts that drive mere animals. My own safety does not depend on me killing everything else.

* it certainly recognises the need for sustainable development. We don't benefit the western world by desecrating areas of the globe that we consider less desireable. It is one earth, one ecosystem on a macro level.

Flick Off

2007-09-14T21:16:00.001-05:00

I just saw an ad for this new campaign on TV. I don't necessarily agree with the idea that simply conserving our household energy is really the solution when our consumption based society uses plenty of energy and even fossil fuels even if we ignored our cars and sat in the dark. How many of the products we use each day have packaging or components made of plastic, or were sprayed with a chemical to clean them or polish them or 'protect them'? ALL of those things are petroleum and most of them produce byproducts which are polluting the world in one way or another. Were they made locally or did they travel to you somehow? What about machinery used where they were made? Is the store you bought them from following a lights out policy? All of these questions have much more weight than the simply actions you and I take to personally use less electricity. That's not to say we don't have choice, so I do support the campaign.

Let's face it, I am going to buy one of the T-shirts, if for no reason other than I can appear to be swearing at people when I am totally innocent. (yeah, right.) Really... watch the TV SPOT on the front page and tell me you honestly see "flick off" when it appears. They TOTALLY shaped their logo for the shock value.

I just joined, so I suspect the organization has lots to offer which I just have yet to discover.

Ships n Dip 3

2007-09-09T21:23:00.000-05:00

sigh... if only I had money, a partner, and time...

ok only one of the 3 is really a factor.

http://www.shipsanddip.com/

BNL
Jason Plumb
other live entertainment
Sun
Boat

The failure of the 11th Hour

2007-09-02T22:11:00.000-05:00

I am sad to agree with the critics I have read, but tonight I took myself out to the 11th hour and I came away not pleased. The real truth is that its easy to see what they were trying to do, and unfortunately so easy to see where they failed to do any of it. Hopefully their campaign will have its intended effects, but the movie won't do it. Here are my feelings about the film.

1. You don't start a movie with a montage of scary images, no matter what tone you are trying to set. Your film should leave the audience unsettled with what they have learned. If you make them unsettled before they learn it, they will learn nothing. It's like randomly punching a student in the morning at school and then hoping that ANY of them are going to pay attention to anything but where your fist is going.

2. If you want to show the big picture, then state what it is. Don't make a film that has 100 topics and just flow from one to the next for 90 minutes. In fact, don't jump around between them and mix them around either. I could have wished for some flow. There was an overall flow, but ultimately not in any digestible fashion. Tell me what you're gonna tell me, tell me, tell me what you told me.

3. Pick less than 100 topics. 100 topics might be accomplishable in a book, maybe, (likely not), but definitely not in 90 minute film. Ok, so it wasn't one hundred, but the point was it felt like it. I know there is so much to talk about regarding the interrelation of all things on earth, but talking about so many of them makes it hard for people to grasp. I did like that you dared to cover more ground than An Inconvenient Truth, but it was just too thin.

4. Don't contradict yourself, or were you just shooting yourself in the foot? There was a point about 1/3rd into the film where they describe human nature and economic progress. It is described that most of nature succeeds because it is opportunistic. They proceeded to say that the difference was that humans take opportunism a step further than nature, by seeking it, in the form of greed. I couldn't agree more. They discuss how the corporation follows a goal of endless growth and how its unrealistic and unsustainable. I continue to agree. They describe how our entire economy over the last 200 years, and the population growth of Earth along with it, have only been sustained because we have access to more energy.

Then in summation of the film they launch into a description of how the USA decided they were required to enter World War II, that the American manufacturing economy was turned upside down within 6 months to build the war machine, and that less than 4 years later accomplished the same goal by retooling as the war ended. The idea was that if the political will and incentive was present, the switch to more sustainable energy use could be accomplished by industry. It was meant to indicate that this transformation was accomplishable, within the reach of the USA.

So what's the problem with that? The carrot was ... GREED and economic GROWTH. At least it was 60 years ago, so why would it be any different now? If we don't solve the problem of unfettered growth we may no longer face a crisis due to greenhouse gases, but we will face another instead. Whether its water shortages or habitable space or sewage containment, or whatever, we will continue to have more different crisis every 50-100 years. The proposed solution of legislating environmental change to change the economy's approach to the environment didn't solve the issue that the economy is running on a screwed up model to begin with. The idea of cutting income taxes and replacing them with energy taxes is a step in the right direction, but unless you can legislate people to save more, pay off their debt more, and spend more time playing in the park with their kids, you can bet your ass the economic model will just find ways to convince average Joe and Jane that they need to spend all of that money you just handed to them for being sustainable. The USA can only legislate in the USA, so you can retool yourself all you like, but your corporations aren't operating in the USA anymore so they frankly don't give a shit. They are going to operate where they have more power, and they are going to manufacture more goods and mark them with energy efficiency decals so that Joe and Jane buy more of them on credit financed by your income tax cut.

Wow did THAT turn into a rant. The worst part is that I could have kept going.

5. This may make me unpopular, but no more freaking Stephen Hawking. He may be a genius, and he may be really caring, and he may think lots of profound things, but I'm sorry. To the average person, his on-screen time is distracting. I don't mind the robotic voice talking about important things, but couldn't the face time have been used more effectively to show us things?

Now, here's the funniest thing I am going to say all night. Despite this rant I still think people should see the film. Some of the links its draws are insightful if not new. Some of the words that are said are important to hear. I just wish it could have been done better. At least Al Gore had an effective message.

EDIT: I came back to this because there was another point I should have made. In the film we DO hear perspectives regarding the things I believe are the right answer to the question. The fundamental problems in the structure of western society are properly stated. The places to refocus our personal energy are properly stated. The people behind the film seem to mostly have their hearts in the right place. They just don't spend enough time on these ideas, which was what I was getting at. It makes me wonder... if they made a film purely about how much we would all benefit by shifting our priorities back, would it be interesting enough for people to watch? I can see it now "LIFE, the film... coming to a theatre near you." How can you re-educate a society, a world, on the things they are missing and the small things they can do to get closer to where they should really be?

God is a DJ

2007-08-24T02:43:00.000-05:00

and she sent us Tiesto. He delivered my love to me. Her name is 808.

God is a DJ - Faithless

This is my church
This is where I heal my hurts
This is my church
This is where I heal my hurts
This is my church
This is where I heal my hurts

It's a natural grace
Of watching young life shape
It's in minor keys
Solutions and remedies
Enemies becoming friends
When bitterness ends

I sit here with so much to say and so little energy to do so. Tonight I wrote a hundred blogs in my head, but they are now all lost in a haze of adrenaline and caffeine.

I spent tonight in my other church. A place almost forgotten its been so long. A place dear to my heart. That place has no proper name, but its effect is no different than any other sanctuary. There we are one. We are together but we are alone with our thoughts and dreams. It is everything and nothing at the same time.

Tonight I went to see Tiesto, world renowned DJ. He played to a full house of 3000 people. It's an experience you have to be a part of to understand. It's a place where you are welcomed to lose yourself, to do what YOU want, without judgement. A place where the hippie, the jock, the geek, the princess, and apparently the old fart in the Depeche Mode jacket are all rendered the same. Where people openly show love to each other, including strangers, and yes without necessarily taking drugs. I went alone but I wasn't.

So here's what it meant to me. It meant the release of years of pent up emotion and aggression. Euphoria like I haven't known in such a long time. I am at a loss for words.

The 11th Hour

2007-08-20T12:12:00.000-05:00

I don't know much about this film yet, but I feel that few subjects are as important as this is right now so I feel compelled to link to it as soon as possible. This is a film spearheaded by Leonardo DiCaprio about climate change. That's about all I know right now. For more information see the movie site http://wip.warnerbros.com/11thhour/ or the blog http://www.11thhouraction.com/. The 11th Hour begins in Winnipeg on Friday August 24.

Lyrics:Tori Amos - Bouncing off clouds

2007-08-11T22:15:00.000-05:00

I have always imagined that most of the women (or moreso the men) who need to benefit form Tori Amos' work haven't been properly reached. I'm going to admit that today's lyric is from a song that I mostly listen to just because its got an awesome sound. Kind of a Fleetwood Mac feel to it.

There is more to this post that just the lyric. In the booklet for this CD she defines some personalities she attributes each song to, in this case a woman named Clyde. Clyde makes a statement about her approach to people and it goes like this:

When I meet a person I try and see not their mask, with it's defenses, but what's underneath. I get accused of refusing to acknowledge who a person is choosing to be right now. What that person is arrogant or rude or selfish then my friends say, "Clyde!!!!!! THIS is what this LOSER is about." But I say, hold on people, this is only what this person THINKS they are about. So this socalled Loser person is confused. But if no one sees their potential then they may not ever see it themselves and that would be tragic.

I can think of few things which describe my approach to people as well as that.

Tori Amos - Bouncing off clouds (American Doll Posse: Clyde)

Bouncing off of Clouds we were
Is there a love Lost and Found?

Make it easy
Make this easy
it´s not as heavy as it seems
Wrapped in metal
wrapped in ivy
paint it in mint ice cream

We could be Bouncing off the top of this Cloud
I´ll put on my silver
Bouncing off the top of this cloud

Failure to respond but
I did. But did you listen?

Bouncing off the top of this Cloud
I´ll put on my silver
About what you said, has it come to this?
I´ll put on my silver
Bouncing off the top of this Cloud

Well you can stare all day at the sky
But that won´t bring her back
that won´t bring her back
You say you´re waiting on Fate
But I think Fate is now
I think Fate is now
waiting on us

Make it easy
easy easy
we could make this easy
easy love easy
we could make this easy
make this easy
it´s not as heavy as it seems
make this easy
make this easy
it´s not as heavy as it seems
wrapped in metal
wrapped in ivy
blue umbrellas smiling

We could be Bouncing off the top of this Cloud
I´ll put on my silver
About what you said, has it come to this?
I´ll put on my silver
Bouncing off the top of this Cloud
i´ll put on my silver
About what you said, has it come to this?
I´ll put on my silver

Bouncing off of Clouds
we were

Hilary Duff was Awesome!

2007-07-28T23:03:00.000-05:00

Ok, shock to the world... a Hilary Duff review in Russ' blog. Hell has frozen over perhaps. Ok, I could be accused of being a closet fan, and after all my 7 year old does make me listen to it all the time.

So, Hilary opened up her tour here in Winnipeg of all places to a far from sold out crowd. My first surprise of the night? At the door we were sent back to the ticket booth because we had been relocated. I was instantly pissed, assuming the show had sold so poorly they were compressing the bowl and trying to push us into worse seats. Turns out that because of our American Express "Front of the Line" tickets, we had been selected to move from the 200 section - 4th row down to the 100 section 5th row, about the distance of 10 seats from the stage.

The show was fantastic. But first the bad: Hilary told the crowd it was their first show so to be understanding, and sadly it was required a bit. I think she was falling back on a "vocals track" at least a few times because it didn't sound like it was her singing, and then all of a sudden the decent vocals were there again. Her band... OMG they were so tacky. It was like somebody took The Zit Remedy (work with me folks, if you don't know then look it up) , gave them punk hair
, and made them watch Poison videos till their eyes bled.

Ok, now the good. Hilary did a great job of working the crowd, getting all the teeny boppers dancing and cheering. It must be hard for a 19 year old who is clearly trying to break her mold, but in the end she knew what she had to do, and that meant reverting to her old way of talking to the younger crowd. Her dancers (2 girls in non-existant shorts and 2 gansta looking dudes) worked their buts off.

The highlights of the show for me: the first time my daughter let go of it all. Her and this littler girl next to her (who looked exactly like Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail Breslin) just got up and started dancing for 2 songs straight without a care in the world. I don't know where my daughter got those moves, but I think the grade 6ers at the daycare are training her.

Next up, 80's 80's and more 80's. They did a cover of Love is a Battlefield and it was almost move for move of the video... it was really well done and a great homage. She had one song where she played the chorus from Peter Schilling's Major Tom. Finally... she ended the show with none other than Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode... er... well kinda. The song started off an it was so clear what she was about to do that I almost crapped myself. She casually mentioned in an interview last month that she was a fan, but I've seen no mention of her every performing this before tonight. It was, in fact, the exact music of Personal Jesus, but with her own lyrics, and the chorus changed to "Reach out and touch me". I can imagine there were a few shocked soccer mom's wishing they had left already but for me it just made the night.

Some of the best moments of the night were when you could see her as a normal person dealing with the kinks of a show. Her monitor earphones cut out a few times and she checked to make sure it was still on before trying to casually let somebody know she could not hear as well as she was singing. She paused on a couple of dance moves, shot the pros a nervous smile and then caught up, but in that exchange you could see that everyday person poking out. It's always nice to see when stardom hasn't completely gone to somebody's head.

Ok, that's done... hopefully I don't have a review of Sesame Street on Ice next ;-)

What kind of Values?

2007-07-21T09:16:00.000-05:00

My Saturday morning just began bright and early because of a phone call from Family Feature Films, asking whether I agree that the movie industry has abandoned the family and the ratings system have failed. They also asked if they can call me back later to talk some more. Now, I have failed in wording their message properly, but that is largely because they spent a lot of effort to craft a pitch any parent would have a hard time disagreeing with.

I ended up saying they could call me again but now I have checked them out and I am definitely not interested in talking to them again. So, why am I blogging about it? It's because of the whole approach of these folks on the conservative end of society, and the way they abuse terminology. Most of the time the called was talking about "family entertainment", which is still a far cry from "movies which display 'family values'" which is itself a huge leap from admitting that I can have 'family' values and still disagree with their values.

Even searching their website, it was almost impossible to find a useful description of their mandate. I finally found it on the page I linked above in a PDF.

The timing of all of this is interesting. On the one hand there are certainly more movies which are clearly based on material for 8-12 year olds, but which put in elements which really aren't appropriate for them. Transformers is a good example. I spent the last two weeks considering whether my daughter could see it, and arrived at the conclusion that the topics I was concerned about were short and completely over her head to the point where she wouldn't notice them.

On the other hand, as much as movies like Transformers exist, I have been amazed the last 2 years at how many quality animated and live action films have been created that kids can watch. Narnia, Bridge to Terrabithia, Ratattioulle, Surf's Up, Nancy Drew, Flicka, and so many more. Even the recent Hairspray managed to earn itself a G rating. Notice that I am pointing out that the ratings are usually informative and accurate. It's the tough decisions parents have to make based on the PG films which fly in the grey zone on whether we want our kids to see them.

I continue to have problems not listening to the little voice in my head when a call like that comes in. Of course the fact that they woke me had an influence. I'll have to make sure I cut them off quickly when they call again.

What would Jesus Buy?

2007-07-15T20:26:00.000-05:00

I was looking into what ever became of Morgan Spurlock, the documentary filmmaker responsible for SuperSizeMe and the fabulous 30 Days show which only lasted a few episodes.

His newest project is a documentary of a man who calls himself Reverend Billy. Billy happens to be a performance artist, but had made his current life calling by taking the Michael Moore approach and entering the temples of consumerism and loudly performing such acts as "exorcising" their cash registers and preaching a message of anti-corporate consumerism. That is, as much as he abhors the mentality of consumerism, he's not opposed to shopping... he just wants to correct the imbalance. He wants people to to "buy local, think global". He wants people to know their shopkeepers. He wants the shopkeepers to treat their employees favourably.

I can't say I appreciate his work, but I applaud his cause. Here's a short profile:

A sad and wonderful affair

2007-07-13T22:50:00.001-05:00

I don't really know where to begin. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times?"

Tonight myself and less than 30 others attended the West End Cultural Centre to see one of my favourite performers, Jason Plumb (and his 5 member band The Willing), and the engaging and heartfelt Nicole Lishka. At least 6 of the folks there were associated with Keith Nakonechny, from Jason's first band, The Waltons, and about 10 more were volunteers at the WECC. You can see how the numbers are adding up and sense my ire at the state of affairs in Winnipeg.

I know Jason isn't exactly a household name anymore, but the Waltons did win best new artist about 10 years back, and Ed Robertson from BNL considers Jason the best artist he knows. CAN WE NOT MUSTER MORE THAN 20 PEOPLE TO WATCH 7 PERFORM?

Ok, enough rant. Despite the crowd, they all put on an amazing show. Nicole Lishka has an amazing voice and has a gift with lyrics. I enjoyed every minute she was up there. I will say though Nicole, stick to your own material. I liked your stuff so much more than the cover of Ryan Adams.

I can't say enough about The Willing. As much as I felt bad that they almost outnumbered the audience (ok, I'll stop) what it creates is this amazing sound on stage. These guys are fantastic and they both have fun on stage and manage to keep Jason in check when he screws up.

(sidenote -- my nose is killing me... I was eating a samosa and I think I just ended up with a hot pepper seed in my sinus)

Their cover of Skyhigh is even more amazing live than it was on the CD. The whole concert was amazing. I'd like to walk through the whole thing but without taping the show like the band did there is no way I could keep up.

All I can say is I sincerely hope it's not another 2 years before they come here again.

Geek Alert: A better Shell for Windows

2007-07-12T23:17:00.000-05:00

This started as a rant at work a few days ago. Why didn't the DOS prompt in XP work as well as previous versions of Windows? Really it mostly came down to whether I could copy-paste without injuring a finger, but it also meant that I was getting more used to UNIX again and I was missing some popular commands from that world.

So tonight I began to look around and I discovered the Microsoft itself was tackling this problem from another angle. They were writing a new Shell for Vista from scratch with a whole different focus. As it happens, it provided exactly what I was looking for. It's called PowerShell.

It's not perfect for my needs, but it is a whole lot better than what came in the package. So, if you work in CMD a lot in Windows XP or Vista, then take a peek and see how you like it.

Petty almost Theft

2007-07-07T12:11:00.000-05:00

Last night my garage was broken into... clearly it was just for moments but its just so damn annoying. I mean, if it wasn't messy enough already now there is even more I have to clean up.

As far as I can tell they never took anything. They had my lawn mower (fresh from a $70 tune-up), the gas can, and an old tent I don't use piled up by the main door, which was open this morning. They obviously got scared off by something. It's funny because last night I packed our bikes in the car at my folks to bring them home and I decided not to take them out when I got home. The thieves might have thought they were portable enough to ride off on them.

The biggest issue I have suffered from it was that they used a crow bar to open my door. The past 2 times they have attempted to take the nothing I keep in there I happened to have my door unlocked. So, this ends up being the most damage after 9 years in this house.

One thing that will change, at least for the near future, is that I will get my neighbour to check my mail when I am away instead of the ex-wife. She neglected to do so the last 2 times she promised to (really good at that promising thing obviously) so I came home to a packed mailbox any idiot could see from the street. It may or may not have influenced last night.

This is the Truth

2007-06-24T23:22:00.001-05:00

Sorry. one more for tonight. I swear this is the last one I will post tonight (is it midnight yet? LOL)

iBible

2007-06-24T23:17:00.001-05:00

It's going to border on spam but the guy who makes these videos is just incredible. I love this one:

I might have to suggest a service or special event in August just to watch the best of bramsvan as a group.

Christian vs. Christ Follower

2007-06-24T22:56:00.000-05:00

Ok, so here is something I stumbled upon moments ago whilst trying to read some drivel about movies and video games. I'm going to say upfront that I don't see a need for Christians of my brand to give ourselves a new name just because those who lack tolerance and the actual values Christ taught deride us endlessly because we don't match the definition of Christian they would have us follow. I'd rather still be called a Christian when the masses realize that hating each other and themselves isn't doing the world any favours. That said, I think the following videos are awesome and I'll support these "Christ-Followers" even though I don't agree with the name change. I'm going to post 2 and let you follow the YouTube links to get to the continuing parodies.

Christian vs. Christ Follower

Christian vs. Christ Follower (PC. vs Mac style) - Part 1

Shalom

The Reality of Facebook Hits Home

2007-06-16T02:46:00.000-05:00

I have managed to locate some of the folks I went to Elementary school with. This had made Facebook so much cooler than it was before. These are people who I haven't seen (and mostly, haven't thought about) in over 20 years. Some of them, like the initial contact I made, went through kindergarten and the first 8 grades with me, until I moved away.

Much like my contact with my old friend Chris just a few months ago, this is a really good thing for me. I've been quite envious through the years of my friends who grew up in one place. I grew up in 4 or 5 places, and I missed the kinship you can share with friends you have spent your whole life with, and the identity of a single place you can call home.

Even the question of what I consider my Hometown on Facebook is confusing. I was born in Montreal but only lived there for 2 stints of a year. I spent my childhood in a suburb in Mississauga, and I spent my teen years in rural Manitoba. Now I've been here for 17 years. So are any of these my "hometown"?

Likewise, the distance of time is far enough that some of these folks I spent my formative years with don't even remember me until they realize we are pre-high-school.

The cool part is the old class photos. Of course, in Elementary school you pretty much know everybody, but you change classes a lot. I swear I went over one photo for 15 minutes looking for myself, only to realize that was a year I didn't have all of those folks in my class that year. Most of them I remembered from grades 6-8 but had failed to realize that we actually went to school for years before that. It made me spend a little time going through yearbooks and that itself was a fun trip.

It sure is late. Unfortunately I was feeling ill earlier and even though rest managed to keep me from getting sick, my body hasn't settled down enough yet to sleep.

Who are your friends really?

2007-06-06T22:30:00.000-05:00

Adam's blogging about Facebook so I guess I can too. So far I have mostly been just watching the friends in my list to see if other friends I know through them have signed up. Today I had a few friends and a relative find me. So, I decided to look through my university days a little bit.

That started to raise a few big questions. One truth in my life is that I remember others more often than they remember me. I try to believe that has to do more with my memory than with whether I am memorable. So, that means that as I go through the list of people who attended my university when I did that there are a variety of people whom I "knew". They weren't "friends" and its not like high school where you REALLY knew them even if you were not close with them.

These are people you hung out with because you were in Rez with them, or were associated somehow with a group they were in, or something like that. This is where the trouble is. They weren't really friends, but I knew them well enough that I might care to know what they were up to lately. If they aren't in any networks you are already a part of you cannot see any of their profile. So then you have to choose. Do you risk that they don't remember you? Do you really want to "be their friend" in the first place? In some cases I was even asking myself where I knew a few folks who I hung out with a lot. I think both of them were Rez. In the end I added very few of them. Tempted, but no.

A separate problem is that of "Hey... it IS called facebook... and she's cute and single and seems to approach life like I do." So far I have avoided that one. Regardless of its name and some features it offers I don't think of Facebook as a dating site, and it doesn't really seem to gear itself that way anymore.

Keane: Hamburg Song

2007-05-29T00:07:00.000-05:00

I don't know why I am listening to this song so much again lately... perhaps its the rain. This song, sadly, is the sum of all my past loves, and hopefully not my future ones...

Hamburg Song - By Keane

I don't wanna be adored
Don't wanna be first in line
Or make myself heard
I'd like to bring a little light
To shine a light on your life
To make you feel loved

No, don't wanna be the only one you know
I wanna be the place you call home

I lay myself down
To make it so, but you don't want to know
I give much more
Than I'd ever ask for

Will you see me in the end
Or is it just a waste of time
Trying to be your friend
Just shine, shine, shine
Shine a little light
Shine a light on my life
And warm me up again

Fool, I wonder if you know yourself at all
You know that it could be so simple

I lay myself down
To make it so, but you don't want to know
You take much more
Than I'd ever ask for

Say a word or two to brighten my day
Do you think that you could see your way

To lay yourself down
And make it so, but you don't want to know
You take much more
Than I'd ever ask for

Greatest Hits

2007-05-17T00:04:00.000-05:00

Tonight's episode of LOST was named the same as this post. In this case, a major character - once a rock star - believes he is about to die, and so he begins to write a list of the 5 most important events in his life, so that the woman he loves will know how much she has impacted his life in the 90 days since they met. I started to wonder what those events might be for me.

1. The first time I was paid an earnest compliment.
If you know me, then you know I can pretend to be vain but actually take compliments very poorly. I have a hard time accepting that others see my gifts as much as I do. So one day at a workplace, a coworker took me aside and said "you're amazing". I almost told him to "f-off" and he saw the look on my face and told me he was serious. It still shouldn't really matter but that one had a huge effect on my willingness to value myself.

2. The first time my daughter ran and jumped into my arms.
I know, this list kind of has to have one like this, so I almost disregarded it, but its just the truth. If I can raise her to love and trust herself than this would be the greatest achievement of my life no matter what else I can do.

3. Confirming after 15 years that I touched a woman's life as much as she had touched mine when we were younger.
We never actually discussed it back then, but we knew. Life tore us apart and when the time finally came the gap was too large, or something. But during a time in my life when I felt abandoned and unloved, it was good to know that I would always share a kinship with that one person. That it wasn't imagined.

4. Seeing Depeche Mode live in 2005/2006, and watching then from 10 feet away.
It's so insignificant that its almost not worthy of putting here, but it stands out. After 16 years and 5 tours of trying to convince my friends to go on a road trip with me, I decided that no matter what the commitment I was going to see them. I had 2 whirlwind trips during that tour and got the chance to sneak up to seats near the stage. I got to meet fans I'd been talking to on the internet for 14 years.

5. Reserved for future use....
Ok it's a cop-out, but I choose to believe that sometime soon I'll connect with somebody for the rest of my life, and I wouldn't want to have to decide what to cut out of this list.

Lyric Time: Insight - By Depeche Mode

2007-05-16T23:57:00.000-05:00

I should post lyrics more often than I do lately. Thanks to another Depeche Mode fan listening to a song called Freestate tonight, I decided to listen to Ultra. This is one of their least renowned albums because it contains almost no music you might hear on the radio, which is really too bad because it contains some of the best writing. This is one of my favourite songs from Ultra:

Insight - by Martin l. Gore

This is an insight
Into my life
This is a strange flight
I'm taking
My true will
Carries me along

This is a soul dance
Embracing me
This is the first chance
To put things right
Moving on
Guided by the light

And the spirit of love
Is rising within me
Talking to you now
Telling you clearly
The fire still burns

Wisdom of ages
Rush over me
Heighten my senses
Enlighten me
Lead me on
Eternally

And the spirit of love
Is rising within me
Talking to you now
Telling you clearly
The fire still burns

I'm talking to you now
The fire still burns
Whatever you do now
you've got to give love (chant)
The world still turns

I'm talking to you now

How many movies have YOU seen?

2007-05-16T23:52:00.000-05:00

I'm an admitted movie, tv, and music buff so I take no shame in admitting that I have seen 158 of the 239 movies on this list.

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own facebook account, paste this as a note. Then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom. Have fun.

() Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
() Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
Total:7

(x) The Princess Bride
(x) AnchorMan
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
() Saw
() Saw II
() White Noise
(x) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 16

(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
() Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
() Scary Movie 2
() Scary Movie 3
() Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
() American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 22

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
(x) Resident Evil 1
(x) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
(x) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 32

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots
Total so far: 40

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
(x) Universal Soldier
() Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
(x) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
() Joe Dirt
(x) KING KONG (the original and the remake, not the new one)
Total so far: 49

(x) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
(x) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
() Dumber & Dumberer
() Final Destination
() Final Destination 2
() Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
(x) The Ring
(x) The Ring 2
(x) Surviving X-MAS
(x) Flubber
Total so far: 58

() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
() Ghost Ship
() From Hell
(x) Hellboy
()Secret Window
() I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
(x) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 63

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child's Play
() Seed of Chucky
() Bride of Chucky
() Ten Things I Hate About You
() Just Married
() Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
() Remember the Titans
(x) Coach Carter
(x) The Grudge
(x) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
() Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 71

(x) Bad Boys
(x) Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
(x) Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
() Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled (and the peter cook dudley moore one)
(x) Predator I
(x) Predator II
() The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
() Curious George
Total so far: 83

(x) Independence Day
(x) Cujo
(x) A Bronx Tale
() Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) ET
(x) Children of the Corn
(x) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 94

() Best Bet
() How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
() She's All That
() Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
() Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
() Big Trouble in Little China (classic)
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 102

(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
(x) Sky High
() Jeepers Creepers
() Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
() Reign of Fire
(x) The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 115

() Swimfan
() Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
() The Notebook
() K-Pax
() Krippendorf's Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
() Ice Castles
() Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 118

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 124

() Baseketball
() Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
(x) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
(x) Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
() Three
Total so Far: 128

() The Jacket
() Kung Fu Hustle
() Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
() Willard
Total so far: 132

() High Tension
() Club Dread
(x) Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
() Orgazmo
() Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
Total so far: 137

(x) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
(x) Kingdom of Heaven
() the Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
(x) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 142

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
(x) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
(x) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 150

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
(x) Animatrix
(x) Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
(x) Team America: World Police
(x) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
() Hannibal
Total so far: 158

Congratulations Adam!

2007-05-14T23:08:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the way a computer system acts makes funny things happen. I have recently joined Facebook, and tonight I was greeted with the following message:

Hot Pants

2007-05-13T23:58:00.000-05:00

This is a video I got from somebody a long long time ago and loved, but somehow deleted. I've been searching for years for a copy... and thanks to YouTube...

Words to live by...

2007-05-13T23:31:00.000-05:00

I was watching the Survivor finale tonight and caught a great quote from Yao-Man. I somehow missed this when it aired, but it reinforced how great I thought he was:

Love many, trust few, do harm to none.

It's pretty close to the way I live my life. The last part is tough. If I were allowed to add "willfully" I might have a chance at achieving it.

Jury Free

2007-04-26T12:37:00.000-05:00

Whew.

Today I went for Jury selection and I was not called. Back to my regularly scheduled life.

You may be asking yourself: "What is jury selection and how does it work in Manitoba?". If you are then I will tell you. If you aren't, well then I'm going to tell you anyways.

6 weeks ago I received a notice from the department of Justice that I was to appear this morning and that I needed to contact their clerk in 7 days to confirm whether I was coming or whether I was going to request an exemption. Since I didn't qualify for an exemption, I had to appear. 4 people failed to appear, and so at 10:00 today a judge ordered warrants for the arrest of 4 Manitoban's for failure to appear. Yep... that really happens, in fact... well... I'll get to that in a minute.

A few days later I contacted the clerk and she informed me that there were 6 cases up for trial and that selection could take as long as 2 days. All trials they call for will be completed within a month or two of the selection, in this case all before the end of June. They ranged from 3-15 days in length.

When we reported in this morning, we had to pass through the security detectors and we were not allowed to bring any camera or any cellphone which had a camera. Now... I don't know what people can do about that one, since almost all current phones have a camera. I left mine in the car. Then you check in with the clerk, and we were separated into two groups. One was going to the actual court room, the rest of us to an overflow room. Keep in mind that this was a "Jury Panel" of enough potential jurors for 6 trials. That's 6 x a minimum of 38 = 228 people who had to come spend some time in uncomfortable chairs in a really poorly ventilated room. This is to select 12 jurors and 2 alternates for each case.

We had to be there by 9:00, but court doesn't start until at least 10:00. In this case, it started closer to 10:30. We had a video screen showing us the actual court room from various closeups of the people involved. The judge explained the rest of the process a little, and then they started.
It was at this point that they revealed that 4 of the 6 matters had been settled already.

In some cases that means that they still have to talk about them a bit. In one case, the accused was not present, so we had some churn over whether they were going to make everybody wait until she showed up for the formality of scheduling her sentencing, whether we were going to put it aside and finish with the rest of the selection and deal with it afterwards, or whether the judge would just see to the matter in her absense. They went with option 2, which meant that 5 minutes later, just as we were about to get started, we jumped back and lost another 10 minutes while she arrived.

The judge explains that there are a variety of reasons why we might need to tell him we cannot participate, mostly based on a relationship with anybody involved. That means, a relationship with the judge, crown lawyers, defense lawyers, witnesses, or the accused. You would "stand aside" and re-enter the selection pool for other trials being selected that day.

That done, they start calling numbers. The room goes quiet apart from the sound of sweat pouring from the Jury Panel and our heartbeats going nuts hoping we don't get selected.
The first selection begins. It is a case where a woman is accused in a case of manslaughter, seemingly for killing her own child but that wasn't explained beyond the legal jargon. As it happens, I notice that the crown attourney for the first case is somebody I know. I work with his wife, and was at his house a couple of months ago for a party.

For some reason that does not lower the tension I feel as I wait. They call 20 numbers, and bring those people forward. One by one they are asked to stand and face the accused, and the accused to face them. The two legal teams each have the ability to dismiss 4 candidates without explanation, and another 2 while selecting alternates. Once you stand, the lawyers take turns going first with the ability to "challenge" or dismiss a juror. If they don't you are asked whether you are willing to swear on the Bible, or whether you will "affirm" which I just means you swear in general. Why in this day and age they don't just make everybody affirm is kind of beyond me.
They burn through the first 20 and have yet to fill the spots, so they call another 20. They eventually reach 14 total, and they send the rest back to the rooms they started in.

At this point they determine a recess is needed. We are told we only have a few minutes so don't go anywhere. Well... 20 minutes later they return. This time we are looking at a "5 day" case regarding a woman who was caught disobeying her recognizance. As I understand these things it means she jumped bail or probation. So, you wouldn't be hearing the case for which either of those applied, only for a charge of whether she violated the order or not. A 5 day JURY trial for bail jumping. Unbelievable. Obviously a last ditch effort on the part of the defense, just to piss off the crown. It's a few weeks away, and its fairly short, so nobody is really sweating this one so much.

They blow through the pool of selected jurors and they still have 1+2 alternates to fill, so they call another 10 of us. At that point you pretty much know you aren't going to be called today.

So here I am, at home, cleaning myself up so I can go back to work for a few hours. My duty was done in 3 hours without much fuss. I played a lot of Nintendo DS and joked with a few other Jurors for a while.

The Death Knoll of Volunteerism

2007-04-19T22:19:00.000-05:00

Tonight I went to my community club's AGM. This is either the 2nd or the 3rd year that I have done so. It was the 2nd or 3rd year I have seen the exact same faces in the room. It's the 2nd or 3rd year that I have heard complaints about lack of volunteerism, that parents want to use the services of the volunteers but aren't willing to give up their time to help them.

Each year we have a summer tournament. Last year it got cancelled because after 75 phone calls to parents, the volunteer coordinator had not yet been able to get ANYBODY to agree to work 3 hours that weekend. As a coach, I wrote a letter to my team's parents expressing the circumstances. They assumed it was the executive who wrote the letter and mocked the letter openly, calling the volunteers who gave their kids the ability to enjoy sport a bunch of whiners. Not a one of those who mocked the volunteers showed up tonight to volunteer or to vote.

In Winnipeg, all community club's are facing a crisis. Volunteers are dropping off. The volunteers who have chaired the clubs for years are getting exhausted and resigning. AGMs aren't making quorum and the clubs are being closed by the city in an effort to pool the volunteers and funds in the hopes that larger facilities might be more successful.

At the same time, the community clubs traditional methods are obviously proving less effective. Attendance is dropping because there are so many activities for kids these days, and because parents are so much busier than they used to be. When most parents are used to being in contact by email with organizations they care about, the clubs are still putting up posters and road signs.

So, it is with all of this in mind that tonight I accepted the new position of VP of Communications for my community club. Unfortunately it includes a bunch of responsibilities that used to belong to the publicity chairperson, but hopefully those won't take too much of my time. The good news is that I will be in control of the website, and there is a strong desire to get better organized to send out email.

Unknown to anybody at the meeting, this position was my idea last year when communications were failing. They don't know who it came from, nor would they have any idea who I am. Hopefully I can help them become more effective communicators.

Stupid Windows

2007-04-13T21:31:00.000-05:00

Ok, here comes a rant.

Yesterday afternoon I went to a meeting with my laptop and windows detected that it couldn't connect to something or other, and asked me whether I wanted to go offline. I hit ESC which for 99% of all programs means "close this stupid dialog, I don't want to change anything". It would appear that in the case of Internet Exploder that means "Yes, Please".

The fallout?

1. MSN Messenger wouldn't connect. The thing is their service is crappy enough that it happens to me all the time anyhow, and while they give you an error code it usually translates to "couldn't connect to our service". In this case, the number meant "You are working offline because you hit ESC on that dialog box" but of course it doesn't say that, even though the number is specific. At least an internet search on that code led me to the solution.

2. My IBM dialer software wouldn't try to connect to the internet to get to IBM. This I have NEVER seen in 6 years with the company. To top it off, other people were having trouble connecting to IBM as well. It offered that I could set up a proxy, which I would have assumed meant "I am on the network but I can't seem to get home, help me".

3. I have a bunch of really ugly software on my home computer. Although I couldn't connect to IBM at work, I could open a remote desktop to my home PC just fine, and it also knows how to connect to IBM. What it didn't yet know how to do was run the program to help me file my timesheet, which is due today. So I tried to download that program, but company policy says that they only let me install it using their automated installer software, which MUST be installed on your computer, and tries to install a variety of other "helpful" software for you. I think the last time I tried to get rid of it I had to reinstall windows. Hopefully I can avoid that this time. At least I got my timesheet filed, but now I will have to figure out how to remove the rest.

Thank you Microsoft... I had a wonderful day.

One of those days

2007-04-11T21:19:00.000-05:00

I won't even begin to cover how crazy it was at work today.

My story begins long afterwards. I was on my way home, heading down my back alley, when I notice that a car appears to be parked in front of my garage or perhaps in front of my neighbour's driveway. They pull away as soon as I enter the alley, and give me a look as we pass each other. 2 guys in their mid-20's... scruffy looking... in a grey/silver late model sedan. As I get closer to my house I regret not peeking at their license plate... just a feeling... and my feelings are usually right.

So I go inside and take the dog out for a pee. I hear a noise and realize the exact same car is back, right behind my neighbour. I run to the back as fast as I can, and the car has just pulled away and is far enough that I cannot make out an exact make or plate. Speaking of plates, my new neighbour's is gone. I put the dog inside the house and rush around the front to go tell them.

Since it's not the first time I've seen something like this, I figure they might have headed to a nearby store to regroup before moving further, and lo and behold a half block away I see what looks like the exact same car at a local store. I decide to talk to my neighbour first, and by the time I did that they were gone.

He's new to the area so I help him get to the nearest autopac to get new plates. We get there 3 minutes before they close. If he had gone on his own he would have missed it.

Our adventures talking to police have been pretty much fruitless. They weren't interested in whether I could ID anybody, only whether I specifically saw them take the plate off the car.

What a pain.

At least my new neighbour now knows what I am made of.

In better news... I got my cables. AMAZING. I don't know how stores get away with selling the crap they do for hundreds of dollars when I got much better cables for $11 or less.

I am going to plug them in now.

Funny

2007-03-27T21:50:00.000-05:00

It's not always true that Scott Adams makes me laugh... but today it sure was:

Melodrama and a TV

2007-03-25T22:53:00.000-05:00

When last we left our hero he was off to pick up the TV. Sadly, 'twas not to be so. My brother, his van, and I arrived to find that the TV they had in stock was actually damaged and somebody had forgotten the sticker. They will get a set transferred from another store for the next morning. I make a point of asking the guy in charge if they can transfer the DVD player they shorted me on since they were already going through the trouble. "Already taken care of," he says. So I went separate ways from my comrades and had to wait until the next time they were available: Mid-Sunday.

I spent my Saturday in between re-arranging the house, cleaning the house, and researching video cables. I found a place online that has a good reputation for cheap, good quality cables, Monoprice.com. I ordered 2 6' HDMI, 2 6' Component, a 25' VGA, and 2 6' optical cables for about $90 including shipping. For those of you keeping score at home, that's less than a single HDMI cable from a retail store. Since that will take a week or two to ship, I still needed an HDMI cable to connect my HD-upconverting DVD player to the TV. So I went to Computer Boulevard where they happened to have a 6' HDMI cable for $33.95. Unfortunately nobody there realized that even though their website had it very clearly marked. After charging and crediting my card for the 3rd time as I corrected them on the price, they neglected to charge me any tax, but like HE-double-hockey-sticks was I going to go through all of that again. I think she even gave me some changing thinking she had still stiffed me. As it turned out today... the TV came with its own 6' HDMI cable, so I could have saved myself that whole trip to begin with.

Finally Sunday comes and we go to make the pickup. The TV is right there and we load it up into the van. Unfortunately, my sales guy tours the store for about 20 minutes trying to find the DVD player. In the end somebody has screwed up. He blames it on the wrong model transferred but whatever. I tell him I'm not happy and that he better loan me one of the display models until they can get it in. I don't have an HD cable box and I am not about to head home with my new 46" TV and have the first image I see look like crap. He agrees and we head out.

Brad and I get it all set up and settle in to watch it... and... the freaking DVD player they loaned me is kaput. Shows garbled letters on the readout and transmits nothing to the screen. I end up hooking up my old DVD player using the component ports, just so I can at least check out the TV. It's passable like that. Not great, but passable.

Brad goes home and I head back to the store so that I can get a pick up slip and make my way across town (right next to the CBIT I was at the afternoon previous) to get a working DVD player. They insist on paging my guy instead of serving me and just giving me a pick up notice, even though I had waited about 10 minutes for him before a co-worker managed to drag him over. Turns out he's outside having a smoke. Luckily he has another in-store DVD player that he knows works, so I save myself the trip across town.

Well, that's enough crapping on the process which it took to GET the TV. Once all of that was settled, the amazement and joy of my new LCD could begin. I think I've tested it all. I've watched some of my favourite movies and they looked AMAZING. I've watched TV on it, and it was ok. I played Wii on it and it was nice. At the very least it was nice and big. I hooked my computer up to it and used it as a 46" monitor. Yes, that's right. What else would I need a 25' VGA cable for?

I have watched DIVX movies on the DVD player. It turned out that it only supports standard definition sized DIVX/XVID, but that is fine, because I realized when using it as a monitor, that I can play any kind of file I like on the computer and it scales right up to full screen and its perfect. My computer can play whatever I like, so that's a great combo. So, I leave you with the following. It's the end-all-be-all of this TV. I am in PC mode, with a Hi-Def episode of HEROES playing on the computer, while I MSN with a friend, my favourite Java-programming tool letting me work at home, and Weather-Eye on top, with a cable-tv channel running in my Picture-in-Picture window. CRAZY!

Big it IS!

2007-03-23T19:09:00.000-05:00

What a difference a few weeks can make. I ended up not getting the 40" because they didn't have stock yet. They were supposed to get stock today. I also heard that the new models come out in April, which would mean that even better deals should be available, so there was no way I was going to tie up that kind of cash for 3 weeks when it might not even be the best deal.

Move forward to today. Since the Brick was supposed to get stock today, I called them this afternoon... and called... and called... it was always either busy or no answer. But I decided I would head down there after work anyways. I didn't imagine that I would get the same deal, because they had inferior TVs "on sale" for more than that this week. On the way, I decided that since I hadn't been to Visions yet, and they were on the same side of the road I was driving on, I would just see what they had to offer.

So I walk in and they have done a much better job of displaying their TVs than anybody else had. They had the "95" series both on display just a few feet apart from each other, so I can finally decide whether I can live without the extra 6" - which of course I could. It was about $300 more than the old offer. As I am doing that, the sales guy does the casual walk-by deal and says if I am having trouble deciding he'll give me the 46" for $400 less than the ticket price. I had kind of set myself that I was no longer spending that much, so I wanted to think about it a while. When I asked for his card, he took another $100 off.

So I thought about it for a few more minutes. At this point the TV was $900 less than anywhere I had seen it advertised previously. Further, you usually pay about $700 for that 6". At that point it was only $500 more than the deal I almost took on the 40" a few weeks ago. In the end, I decided it was worth it. I will be picking it up in a few minutes.

EZ Redux

2007-03-18T21:51:00.000-05:00

Now here is something neat. I have google sending me email anytime it finds a new blog post regarding WonderCafe.ca. (Ok, I admit that I haven't spent nearly as much time there as I expected to... life got busy.. sue me... I guess my spiritual needs are being met in person, which is a good thing)

Today it sent me a link to a blog post regarding Vitaluna. Apparently this is the blog of a bunch of young folk who are in the UC and one thing they have is a youth group. An active one it would seem. Anyhow... they constructed a series of parodies of the WonderCafe EZSquirrel. While I'm not going to say I loved these parodies... what I did love was the effort these teens put into them. It might be the sort of thing that tickles the fancy of our own youth group.

Not so big?

2007-03-05T17:53:00.000-06:00

Just as I get myself all set, I discover a really great deal on a slightly smaller 40". Same features, just less size. HUGE price difference. Between 1/3 and 1/2 less.

Then, I get all committed to that model, only to find that nobody has stock. They'll take my money and deliver a TV in 3 weeks or so, but for now no joy at home.

So I decide to do that.

Then, somebody else mentions that the next generation (you know... since last November is so far away already) will be absolutely amazing, and that the price of this gen will go for a tumble... in APRIL. So I can buy a decent priced TV now and wait until just a few weeks before it gets even lower, or I can be patient and either get it much cheaper, or buy a much better TV.

grrr... sometimes I hate my sensible side. If I could take it home tonight I still probably would, but since I have to wait I might as well do what makes the most sense and just wait a bit longer yet.

BIG

2007-03-03T21:44:00.000-06:00

What other word could describe it? This is the Samsung LN-S4695D 46" 1080p LCD. After weeks of looking at its sister, the LN-S4696, and pining over its huge cost ($700 more) I discovered this gem at Best Buy. I'm not 100% sure yet but I set my heart on getting an new TV this year almost a year ago, the money is falling into place in the next few weeks. I've found it funny that almost everywhere I look people are comparing it against the other TV I was considering, the Sharp LC-46D62U. They cost the same, the Samsung has Picture-in-Picture, and a VGA port to hook up a computer.

Yes, that's right... on work-at-home days Russ can code on a 46" screen (and perhaps even in a picture while something interesting is playing behind it).

I trust Samsung better anyways. I think Shayla and Daddy are going to see a TV after church tomorrow.

This blog is brought to you by GetDataBack

2007-03-03T00:24:00.000-06:00

Ok, not really. My computers are fine. But dad... well... he had a hiccup this week. Just running through his routine everyday work, turns his back, and wouldn't you know it that fiendish computer of his decided to cough up and die. This behaviour still amazes me because I abuse my computers like almost nobody else, but I've never lost data on a computer that I own.

I talked him through trying to recover from what just appeared to be windows usual crapfest of bugs, but in the end it looked like he needed help I didn't have time to provide that day. So he took it to a local shop, and they spent some time with his baby, only to tell him that all was lost. They said "One tool saw nothing, and the other could see your data but could not copy it, " at which point I said "HuH?"

That sounded fishy to me. Or rather it sounded like a fish I knew. GetDataBack has a trial version which can see files but which cannot copy them unless you pay. So, I got his disk, downloaded the trial, spent about an hour just getting my oldest computer put back together from the last time I saved somebody's ass (I guess I shouldn't have put that task off for the last 2 months) and then checked out his drive.

Every file Dad said was vital appeared to be intact. In fact, the tool said that it could recover 60% of the disk. I really have to wonder what that other 40% was because in the end I got him everthing he could have imagined needing and a whole lot more he will need to delete. So Dad forked up the cash and I spent the next 2 hours copying data. That's it... 2 hours and its done.

Very impressive, and now I have a legal copy of this useful tool for the next time somebody's bacon is fried. What a worthwhile way to spend a Friday evening, even if I am exhausted.

Gnight...

Maybe the message was more important

2007-02-27T12:53:00.000-06:00

I am sure that the future release of a movie "proving" that Jesus body didn't ascend to heaven after he died is going to cause lots of controversy. I'm going to go on the record here as saying that while I've always chosen to believe that part of the life of Christ, it's always been the least important to me. I've always considered more that his soul went to heaven, and remained kind of ignorant regarding the body.

What if there was unwavering proof that this was indeed his tomb, and that he married and had offspring? Would that really matter? Would it be the end of Christianity?

I think I'd have a lot of trouble with the notion that Christianity only amounts to a belief in the resurrection. There is so much more to what Christ stood for. I think it was far more important to him that we create ourselves a heaven on the Earth. More important that we tear down social barriers, forgive others, remove the misery we create for ourselves through judgment and hate. Love.

None of those things is dependent on resurrection. Yes I know that it could mean that a few prophecies would not have been fulfilled by his coming, but I really don't think that after 2000 years the flock is really that tied together with them anyways.

Live the life he presented, create a heaven on Earth, and if I am wrong and one day the rapture comes, well then you've lived a faithful life anyways.

Sounds pretty win-win to me.

Wisdom and Teeth

2007-02-19T12:53:00.000-06:00

Wisdom Teeth are a funny notion.

Had I been wise I would have had them yanked years ago.

But I didn't and so I have spent many a day lately dealing with otherwise unnecessary pain. Had I done that the one I had removed today wouldn't have chipped away at the tooth underneath it while I slept, so I wouldn't be talking to the dentist about a crown for that tooth. I wouldn't have been putting up with as much neck pain from sleeping on the side I favour less for the last few months, for fear of irritating the tooth, which was poking out towards my cheek. I wouldn't have had to carry floss to fowl suppers for fear that chicken might get lodged behind the tooth and irritate my gums.

All of that effort on my part to avoid my $32 share of the costs involved and what looks like 1 day off work, less than the average virus causes. How's that for wisdom?

At least my extended absence from the Dentist hasn't treated me badly. My gums remain in fine condition and only my remaining wisdom teeth appear to have any decay. The office I started with today appear to be really good, attentive to pain, etc. Plus they are totally high tech. Filmless x-rays, a teeny digital camera to take pictures inside my mouth, and flash based education system which explains the procedures they are performing and tells you how to care for yourself once you leave.

The most beautiful girl in Hollywood

2007-02-17T22:04:00.000-06:00

That's going to be an odd title for what I will write about tonight. This will likely be a jumble, but here's a start.

I am just nuts about this young girl, AnnaSophia Robb. Not in any sick kind of way. I just think she's really neat. Hopefully when she grows up she doesn't turn into some Paris Hilton type. With any luck she'll be the Natalie Portman she acts like today.

That brings me to the second part of my post. The video which you hopefully saw above is from the new movie based on one of my favourite books when I was little, Bridge to Terabithia. More on that in a second, but first the lyrics to that song:

Have you ever seen the sky so beautiful, colorful, wide and wonderful
Have you ever felt the sun shine so brilliantly, raining down oh the unity
Have you ever wanted more? (wanted more)

You've got to keep your mind wide open
all the possibilities
You've got to live with your eyes open
believe in what you see

Think of all the days you've wasted worrying, wondering, hopelessly hoping
Think of all the time ahead, don't hesitate, contemplate, no its not too late
Have you ever wanted more? Don't you know there's so much more?

You've got to keep your mind wide open
all the possibilities
You've got to live with your eyes open
believe in what you see

Tomorrows horizons
Full of surprises
Don't let them chase your dreams away

You've got to keep your mind wide open
all the possibilities
You've got to live with your eyes open
believe in what you see

You've got to keep your mind wide open
all the possibilities
You've got to live with your eyes open
believe in what you see
believe in what you see
believe in what you see

Tonight I brought Shayla to see the movie. In all honesty I didn't remember a word from the book. I just knew that I loved it, and that it was about using your imagination. That was good enough to want Shayla to love it.

Little did I know how many life lessons this movie holds. Here's a short list:

Use your imagination
Be open minded
Make your own fun
Bullies are misunderstood. They are usually mean because somebody else is mean to them. They and just looking for somebody to teach them what a real friend is.
Sometimes terrible things happen, that doesn't make it anybody's fault
Have courage, you'll need less of it than you think you will
Live life the way YOU want and eventually you will find a friend to share it with

Here's what I didn't imagine it talking about:

"I really don't think God will damn you to hell ... He's too busy [creating] all this"

"I don't know much about God, but girls like her don't go to hell"

As for the movie, it was so very well done. There wasn't a thing I didn't love about it. There was neither too little nor too much of anything.

Ok, so I can admit to having one complaint. Apparently in the afternoon show somebody had complained that it was too quiet, so they had the theatre turned up to rock concert levels. Shayla had to cover her ears through the previews, and the movie gave her a headache by the first 30 minutes.

A Loss for Seed Saving

2007-02-14T21:56:00.000-06:00

Tonight I stumbled upon an article about the death of Bent Skovmand
at the age of 61. I have been aware of many Seed Savers, but not Bent in particular. That makes his loss no less tragic.

Bent helped to create the "doomsday vault" which is intended to protect our seed stocks in case of some kind of catastrophe. Now, the beauty is that is serves a second purpose as a seed stock for other occurances, such as a GM crop utterly destroying a natural crop, or us realizing that some GM crop was a bad idea to begin with, or even just to let farmers save seeds without a worry about cross contamination of their crops by GM crops.

I realize I'm tossing a lot in there. I think Bent had a particular purpose in mind, but I am pointing out the importance of Seed saving, especially here in agricultural country, but its something that affects everybody. The NYtimes article that got my attention today pointed out that just a few hundred years ago there were 7100 varieties of apples in North America, and now they think only some 300 are left. Hopefully that paints a clear enough picture of the problems managed agriculture can cause if not managed properly.

A curtsey for the Chicks

2007-02-11T22:48:00.000-06:00

They had it coming. People always told them that if they kept on that way, something was gonna happen.

Well it certainly did. I was so proud tonight of the Dixie Chicks. Country radio may be a bunch of asses, but country fans know what is right, despite what their preachers tell them. Natalie Maines called a spade a spade, and paid the price in the short term, but just a few years later time has proven that if you are right, and you are determined not to back down, you will be recognized as right.

"Control"

2007-02-06T00:18:00.000-06:00

This one will cut a little closer to home. I post this with a little trepidation. Another friend of mine, my first friend actually, was talking to me about the nature of my past marriage and the dynamic that brought me and my ex wife together. We were also talking about conversation styles, and the needs of some people to control the conversation by talking over the other person. Now, the interesting thing is that I am just as apt to listen at length to people, but in certain situations (like a phone call with an old friend -- sorry) I can act in ways that I would prefer not to. Given the table, I take control of it.

You may ask how those two trains of thought are connected, but if you have to ask that then I may wonder why you are reading my blog, but welcome to me anyhow. In summary, I had a relationship that was based on me supporting somebody else emotionally. At the point when I had other matters (like work, a baby, a house) to support as well, the relationship fell apart. I couldn't give all of my energy to somebody who demanded all of it, and the void was filled elsewhere. Here's the thing, and it's nothing new other than putting it all together. Co-dependent relationships are a matter of control. It's light and its heartfelt, and I was unaware it had happened, but in the end knowing that somebody else depends on you that unequivocally is a form of control.

So, control is bad -- right? But consider this: I have a group of friends who are all very similar to myself. I noticed years ago that we were similar, but I couldn't put a finger on it. We behave in similar ways, do similar work, and are depended upon by many people because we act that way. We are so in-tune with this behaviour (though we don't name it and are mostly unaware of its exact nature) that we even suggest to our employer (for those who are my coworkers) that they hire other people who demonstrate this exact same trait. Is it about being Smart? Confident? Eager? Dedicated?

I submit to you now that these are all really noble concepts all built around one simple principle.

Control.

Now here's where I have slipped in a bit of a red herring. These things may all be about control, but that doesn't mean that they are about controlling others, since that wouldn't be so noble. We're not control freaks, otherwise we would actively engineer things on order to benefit our need. It's about self-control. It's about making sure we feel we have done the right thing, and ensuring that others think the best of us by doing that. Since most bright people realize that control is an illusion, the only thing we can really control is ourselves, and our reactions to that lack of control. I would further suggest that it's what makes us ideal for what we do. When cool heads are needed, we are there for it. I may not be as smart as the person sitting next to me, but if I can keep my composure long enough to harvest her brain when a crisis hits we'll be served well in the long-run. When you want all of those things I listed above, this sort of thinking is needed. As long as it doesn't drive us completely insane, it can be a good thing.

I am hoping that none of the people I have referred to take this the wrong way. Because this is after-all, mostly about me, and you might want to question why you realized I was talking about you. I view this knowledge as something I can use to help me in the future. Perhaps I can better control my control ;-)

"Emergent"

2007-02-05T23:53:00.000-06:00

It's an interesting night for me. I've had some time over the last few days to talk with friends of mine in candid ways about who I am and what makes me tick. In truth, its a little more like "I talked with my friends and it made me think about what makes me tick," just in case they start wondering what conversations we had that I have invented. Neither of the realizations I have made is a new thought to me, but instead its kind of putting the point on the head of an idea that's been there for a long time.

The first has to do with Religion. A friend of mine has introduced me to Brian McLaren. I have just finished reading Brian's book "The Secret Message of Jesus." It was an interesting read because it had biblical references to a lot of the things that I already believe in, and had some food for thought. What it also had a lot of was Brian describing to the reader how he used to believe differently and what he believes was wrong about it. Brian is a leader in a religious movement in the mainstream Christian churches called "emergence".

I knew all of these things, so here's what was new. My friend used the word "emerge" in a way that I hadn't really clicked on before. I've known this movement by its name for a few years, and when the United Church called their renewal campaign Emerging Spirit I pretty much considered they were just following along the trend, since it was pretty much in line with a lot of the things they profess. But tonight it struck me, Brian is talking about fundamentalist religion emerging from its pious, self-serving state of being, and becoming something else. Another book he wrote, called "A New Kind of Christian" detailed a lot of this as well, or so I understand. Now you see right there is why I've been confused, and perhaps why I didn't quite appreciate the tone in his book. I told my friend tonight that I thought the book was like Brian was applying his good ol' fundamentalist preaching style to his newfound beliefs. And now I KNOW that he was. Just like so many fundamentalist religions have cast a gaze down their noses at churches like the United Church for so long as "not being christian" or "not standing for anything", it so happens that right at this moment that their flock is finally having an epiphany that they have decided that we still never were. They may have a need to emerge, but they certainly aren't becoming anything new. They are opening up to the same ideal that we have been striving to be for years.

Now, don't start to get the feeling like I am putting my beliefs up on a pedestal. I'm just pointing out that it needs to be considered. It doesn't have to be all about their side, just as it wasn't before. That follows something else I have been wondering for a week or two, and that is "just how long have we felt the way we do" in the United Church. I mean, I know there are still a great many members who feel very traditional in their beliefs. That's all fine and good. Their hearts are open and that's good enough for me. But honestly, I don't remember hearing about most of my beliefs when I was a child in the UC, but I know that I belong there, so I have been trying to figure out whether my beliefs are a product of my church, or whether we've just kind of grown up together.

If this ends up on anybody's radar and they want to comment on the social conscientization of the United Church from a historical point of view I'd love to hear it. Is this new? Is this old? Did I just never pick up on whatever Rev. Bob was preaching about even though it still sunk in?

Lyrics: the Fugitive

2007-01-31T13:53:00.000-06:00

I have always really liked this song from the new CD, but never considered the lyrics enough. I actually had thought that it was denying the idea of heaven, and while I might consider myself in favour of the idea of making Earth a heaven, I'm not yet ready to dismiss the idea that there might be somewhere to go later.

One thing I certainly never did was think of it in the context of this past month.

"You my brother, I'm really gonna miss you..."

Pet Shop Boys: Fugitive

Now is the time of our lives
But it won't last long
We're strong and in spite of the fight
You sing this song

It's always a new day in heaven
There's always a new way to heaven

You my brother
I'm really gonna miss you
You my brother
You're gonna take me with you
You my brother

Forever

Where do we stand in this land
We're invisible now
Clean an prepared to elect
Indivisible

It's always forever in heaven
We'll all be together in heaven

You my brother
I'm really gonna miss you
You my brother
You're gonna take me with you

We'll be together now and forever
We'll be together now and forever

I know that it won't be that long
Until the hour
Free and released from the world
It feels like power

You my brother
I'm really gonna miss you
You my brother
You're gonna take me with you
You my brother (It's the time)
I'm really gonna miss you
You my brother (It's the time)
You're gonna take me with you

My Heroes Personality

2007-01-22T22:37:00.000-06:00

Interesting that this matched a response which NBC's new interactive feature asked me about during the show. Whose power would I most like to have?

Heroes really ramped up the internet culture appeal this week. I have heard rumours of a viral video, they have added an interactive "pop-up video"-like feature called NBC 360 while shows are on the air, and their website now links to Primatech Paper, the shadow business of the man with the Horn Rimmed Glasses. The site directs you to call a 1-800 number where if you follow the correct (obvious) steps you receive an invitation code to apply for a job at Primatech. The phone also takes your cell number in case you would like them to send you SMS messages about future employment or other important company events.

I'm anxious to see what comes of that. We'll see if they call Canada.

Air Comfort

2007-01-17T21:25:00.000-06:00

I have just returned from my company's yearly shindig in Vancouver. This year it was over a month earlier than usual so not only was it naturally not as nice weather-wise, but mother nature is kicking BC in the nuts these days to boot, so we were a few degrees below normal also. Needless to say we didn't go out as much as we usually do, and that made it much less of the break that this trip usually provides.

However, one thing that was shocking was the flight to Vancouver on Sunday afternoon. Despite a few ground issues in Winnipeg delaying our flight, we still ended up arriving in Vancouver ahead of schedule. That's right, only 2.5 hours to cross halfway across this dear country of mine. What's more, Air Canada appears to have subbed in a new member of the fleet. More legroom, nicer seats, and a fully interactive touch-screen TV system personally available to every seat on the plane. It's a lot like WestJet, except better -- much much better:

touch screen, not crappy buttons on the armrest for you to press by mistake
20+ on-demand television stations each with 1-10 shows for you to select from. That is, shows you actually want to watch, with a variety to appeal to all tastes.
20+ on-demand digital albums, old and new, ditto to above. With amazing sound quality. You can walk through their selection and pick tracks for your playlist and then just play the playlist, or you can listen to each track or album individually.
20+ on-demand digital movies. All new releases. Here's a short list of what was available: "The Last Kiss", "The Departed", "Monster House", "Barnyard", "Open Season" and obviously a lot more I have forgotten. In fairness, WestJet offered both "the Departed" and "Little Miss Sunshine" but they wanted $5 for the pleasure.
A pile of digital radio stations I will admit I never even looked at
An interesting button marked "games" which so far just gave a "coming soon" message but left me drooling with anticipation.

On top of those entertainment features there was a 3-prong power outlet which appeared to be active despite some comment in the Enroute magazine to the contrary, and a USB port which I never did figure out. I plugged my iPod into it to see if it might just be there for power, but it tossed the iPod into the "Do not Disconnect" screen which means its now paired with a computer. I suspect that it might be for a USB mouse so that people who have trouble reaching the screen can have fun too. If it could double as a bigger screen for my iPod that would be cool too, but I can't imagine them taking the chance of somebody displaying something unsuitable for all eyes.

Now, my flight itinerary says this was just a good 'ol Airbus 319, and the seating capacity of the aircraft matches, but obviously that link doesn't yet mention the awesome upgrade this plane got. If I can find any information about this new system I will toss a link in here, but so far my searches on their website aren't finding much. You would think that if they were offering a service good enough that it might actually make me prefer Air Canada over WestJet again that they might actually want to promote it a little.

My Short Eulogy

2007-01-03T20:51:00.000-06:00

This morning at 10:04 AM the world lost a great man. Wayne Tucker was true friend to anybody willing to return the favour. He was a "hard shell with a squishy middle" as his older brother put it so well. Wayne was the hub of activity in his neighbourhood, and a far more than willing volunteer for any activity which people needed help with. He loved his workshop, his wife, his kids, his ex-wife, his brothers and his sisters, and their kids. I'd mention friends, but the thing is, if you were a friend, you were family, so there's no need. He loved to party, and hosted all of those listed above (and anybody they brought with) in his garage for a pot luck, barbeque, or roast whether it be spring, summer, fall, or winter. He taught his sons that the only way to get a job done is to stick with it until it is done, and he taught his daughter that she was the match of any man in whatever field they decided to challenge her. By example he taught anybody who met him that its a blessing to be yourself, and that a light heart and strong hug can heal most wounds.

I am proud to have called him my friend, "my uncle", my brother-in-law, and more lately just "my brother" as my roles within the family structure have changed. I can only imagine the impact this loss will have on all of us.

Donate to the Canadian Cancer Society and if you smoke or take part in any other known carcinogenic activity, cut it the F*ck out already. Your family and friends will thank you later when you've lived a full life with them.

Just because I feel its today

2007-01-02T04:51:00.000-06:00

My brother in law Wayne, who is one of my closest friends, has been battling cancer for 12 years now. A day or two before Christmas he started to give up the fight. Perhaps in these final days we wake every day expecting it to be the last, but its just what my heart is telling me. We're all here together.

Wayne will be missed. I love you Wayne.

Death's Door - by Depeche Mode

Well I'm knocking on Death's door
Will I take my rest, among the blessed
Mother are you waiting
Father are you pacing
I'm coming home

I'm knocking on Death's door
Will I take my rest, in my Sunday best
Mother are you anxious
Father are you gracious
I'm coming home

I've been away too long
For so long you've been strong
I've been away too long
I know that it was wrong
But I'm coming home

Well I'm knocking on Death's door
Will I take my rest, have I passed the test
Mother are you praying
Father I am saying
I'm coming home

All About Heroes

2006-12-24T23:47:00.000-06:00

Here's my shameless plug for my new favourite TV show Heroes.

The premise is about people across the world who have developed genetic mutations which give them special abilities: Flight, teleportation / time travel, regeneration / healing, mind reading, foresight, telekinesis... and a few others which would require explaining. Most of them are just coming to terms with their new powers and the show deals with how it affects their lives. It's not some superhero show, although the end result of their actions is to save the world from a catastrophe that a few of them have foreseen. The pace is good, the human component is good, and of course the mystery and the powers are cool. They have a number of good cliffhangers.

NBC will be running an all-day marathon of the first 11 episodes on New Years Day. If I didn't already have HD copies on the laptop I'd be watching, and even then I might.

One thing which I have also enjoyed is a song which has become the theme. It's called "Together" and its written by a teenage Christian artist named Krystal Meyers. She's a bit of an Evanescence knock-off and I haven't really given her other stuff a try, but this song does things for me on a few levels. Here's the lyrics:

We all long to belong
We all need to be needed
Loneliness is our disease
Still we bite the hand that feeds
Where did we go wrong
Insecure and self-sufficient
Building up walls instead of bridges

(chorus)
Let our lonely hearts collide
We're made to live this life
Together
Together
Reach across this great divide
Cuz standing side by side is better
Together

All the pride we defend
Teaches us to pretend
Like we can make it on our own
But we were never made to walk alone

(chorus)

Let the lines between us disappear
It starts now
It starts here
Yeah

Simple, but the message is one which people really need to learn. Society has lost the notion of community. We don't trust others, we don't let ourselves depend on others. We end up trapped in prisons of our own lives, afraid to let people in, afraid to be real.

Let's start the new year together.

CityWide FTW!

2006-12-23T19:41:00.000-06:00

It must be one of Murphy's laws that appliances and heating systems will always fail on a holiday weekend. Today is the day for me it would appear. In fairness, the install tech revealed that my existing heater is 16 years old. How's that for reliable?

Shayla and I went outside for a few minutes and came in to a gassy smell, which turned out to be accompanied by a puddle in my basement. Luckily it was a very very small puddle. A few phone calls and I knew what steps had to be taken, and a few more and I had reliable advice on who to call to replace it.

These things are never cheap, but at least in this case it was fast. The first vendor I called said it would take until Wednesday due to the holidays. I somehow wonder why they bother to answer the phone on a night like tonight if they can't actually offer any service. Luckily my friend recommended City-Wide. While their prices aren't any better than the other folks I called, the original estimate for delivery was 8:30 AM in the morning. Since I am busy then, I arranged for an afternoon appointment.

About an hour later I got a call back. There had been a cancellation and now they were available within the hour. That turned out to be 30 minutes. So, here we are about 3-4 hours from the failure and the job is almost done. On Saturday night, December 23.

Kudos.

5 Things

2006-12-16T23:31:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I will give in and participate in one of these chain things. Adam tagged me with a request for 5 things people may not know about me. I honestly didn't think there were 5 that I could disclose because apart from a few far too personal matters I'm a bit of an open book:

I was once caught red handed copying software from my uncle's computer. I lived far away and only came to his house every few months, and there was one occasion when I was going to be staying with my grandparents and he wasn't going to be there. He hadn't been sharing much in a while, and he anticipated that I would be trying to acquire a few games, so he created an imitation of the only disk copying software either of us owned at the time and left it in the usual place. Once When I tried to use it, it deleted a portion of itself and threw up an evil message. I believe I managed to find his original and replace all but one file. It took another 3 months of me dreading the eventual confrontation. Never tried that again. Luckily it didn't hamper the friendship much, I think he was just so darned impressed with his ingenuity, and how far I was able to recover it. I felt the same.
I consider myself personally responsible for making my parents quit smoking. When I was 10 I would literally drop to the floor in a choking fit the second they lit up. A few weeks of that and they were done. They likely wanted to quit anyhow, but they've never robbed me of the accomplishment.
I've never been in a real fight. It's easily arguable that I'm just a chicken, but there has been more than a moment or two when I jumped into somebody else's fight to break it up and got a few pains for my effort, so judge as you will.
My favourite CD is Black Celebration by Depeche Mode. While that itself may not be something worth putting here, funnier is the fact that the first time I bought a copy, on tape, I hated it so much that I taped over it with a local radio show. It was probably almost 5 years later that I started to listen to it again. In the time since then I replaced the 2nd tape at least once (making that my third) and bought another on CD. In the next 3 months they will release a remastered version with a 5.1 mix of the CD and that will make the 5th time I have bought it.
When I was 11 or 12 years old, I believed that a vision of Christ appeared in my bedroom while I slept on Good Friday or the Saturday that weekend. The vision didn't say anything but I always felt inspired by what was likely just me being a kid. I can imagine what the born again feel about themselves.

The next bit of bad news is that I don't have many friends blogging, so I can only tag Diana with this one. Since she does 5 or so of these per day instead of doing her job I can feel pretty assured she'll continue it on.

Best Review Evar

2006-12-14T09:01:00.001-06:00

Today I received my yearly review from my current project at work and it contained some humour. As many do, I like to bring treats to the office now and again so that I don't feel so guilting about buying one for myself. It's fitting that my review held the following:

"Russ should bring donuts more often. Or maybe those chocolate almond things."

Now, I don't know what almond things they meant, but they sure sound good ;-)

F.U.C.S.

2006-12-01T18:50:00.000-06:00

"Friends United towards Cultivating Seeds" of course ;-)

(and also known as F.U.S.H - Friends United towards Seed Harvesting)

There seems to be no bounds to which this government will avoid democratic behaviour regarding its desire to can the Canadian Wheat Board. After all, rich farmers should be able to get richer at the expense of those trying to get by, just like their corporate counterparts do. Once again the logic against this stands pretty well on its own without even mentioning how many of the largest farms are foreign owned.

So the CWB wants to be able to fight for its own existence, in effect to defend its members rights against this goverment, and now Chuck Strahl wants to not only limit their ability to spend the CWB's money telling the truth about the situation, he wants to fire the CEO to keep him from doing it to. Now, something occurred to me today. Isn't collective pricing just a little like collective bargaining? Isn't that same collective bargaining protected by law in Canada? Last time I checked it was also the right of the MEMBERS of those bodies to decide who was in charge, not the employer. Yes yes, I realize it's not exactly the same, and the government did put this particular board in place. But isn't it eery how similar the issues are? Isn't it just as eery that it's the same bloody people who bust unions who want the CWB gone?

In other lighthearted news I understand that in support of all the crappy stereotypes Belinda Stronach has already had hurled at her lately, the Young Liberals have decided that they should support the party convention by selling these lovely thongs, as modeled by one of the Young Liberal delegates.

In response, I am hoping that the next NDP convention will feature everything from crotchless panties to granny underwear and orange and green leather chaps for the men, to truly demonstrate that one party actually provides choice.

I screwed up ...

2006-11-25T23:56:00.000-06:00

... But if I post it here perhaps somebody will remind me next year.

So, as it turns out today is Buy Nothing Day but I didn't realize this until now, which is about midnight, so I guess I'm too late.

In fact, I did lots of Christmas shopping today. I got gifts for my brother, his son, and my mom today. I guess I should count the present for Chewie too. That leaves his wife, my dad, and I suppose the ex-wife although Shayla didn't seem to have any suggestions. I think she said "there's lots of time dad" which I thought was pretty mature for a 6 year old. She was quite the trooper today considering that just a few hours earlier she was sent for a morning nap only hours after waking. If you ever read this... thanks Shayla.

Of course, at the time she was thinking that once we got home she was going to spend the afternoon with her cousin, but we got stood up as we so often do. We had enough things planned that it wasn't so much of an issue, but she asked every 30 minutes or so, and called them herself every hour.

One last note to myself for the night... it appears to be ok that when you are supposed to have 2 weeks to get a bunch of research done for the church that you CAN actually pull off the bulk of it in 3 hours before bed the night before the meeting. ;-)

Say hello to a whole new Mii

2006-11-19T16:45:00.000-06:00

Perhaps I am just out of shape (okay I am) but the games are actually better exercise than I was expecting. Not all of them of course, but there are for sure some. The running games in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz definitely get the arm tired quick.

Let the games begin

2006-11-19T13:50:00.000-06:00

I got it set up and played a bit of Tennis and Baseball on Wii Sports. The controls aren't perfect but it was still a lot of fun. Playing baseball or other swinging sports will definitely make my arm sore until I get in better shape. I consider that a feature, not an issue.

Just came up for lunch, and decided to connect it to my wireless network first, since it supposedly takes a long time. There is a forced upgrade the second you connect. I actually set it up wrong the first time and then when I was up here eating I noticed in the manual that I needed to navigate to the next page and set up the security. It's been so long since I set up a new device that I even forgot that I needed to enter an encryption password. Changed it and voila.

I'll make sure I post a picture of my Mii (that's the character you play with, I'd say its your identity but you can create as many as you like) the next time I update.

Wii got them!

2006-11-19T12:28:00.000-06:00

So Deb and I started to hang out at Toys R Us at about 9:30 this morning. The line started forming last night and there were about 5 people then. This morning when Deb got there the line was at 8 or 9 and people had lined up their cars instead of waiting outside. That's the beauty of a small line... the 100 people at Best Buy and Future Shop each couldn't have pulled that off. It was all very orderly. Some of the people were not even in order any more but knew their number and respected the line.

That was... until 11:00 AM. Some guy drove past the line, parked his car, and walked up to the door. People spoke with him about it and he said there was no way he could have known that line was for the Wii. *ahem* Sorry but you're not that dumb. He refused to leave his "2nd place" position regardless and we all decided we'd leave it up to the manager. We all lined up to avoid future issues given that there was less than an hour remaining.

As it turns out, the manager came out at 11:45, handed out a couple of boxes of donuts, and told us the system. He had numbered tickets, and there would be separate lines for Pre-sale and non Pre-sale. That meant that Deb and I would end up #1 and #2 in the Pre-sale line.

People mentioned the line cutter and the manager told the guy that unless he could agree with people about where he should _actually_ be in the line then he wasn't going to get a ticket. Cutter argued for a few moments and then realized he had to leave, since the line was now too long. The irony is that there were actually enough systems that if he had got in line when he arrived he actually might have got one.

It turned out that being first in line really paid off. There were REALLY limited quantities of games and even more limited quantities of accessories. I think they only had 5 extra Nunchuks or something like that. I got the first one. I got the games I wanted and I have now headed home.

Time to go set it up.

The Tick

Blaming the "victim"

Bandslam - the anti Camp Rock

Ticketbastard - a rant

the me people see

The American President

Serving your Country

Small Government vs Big Government

Taking my church for granted

Marking a decade

The good life

Some alternatives we don't often hear about

Tranceformers

5 years...kinda

My not-so-face-book

March 8

Some thoughts on faith

Mind Job from the past

Idol Season 7

Grrrr... Packaging

Random memory

The C-word?

Rights and Freedoms

Article 1.

Article 3.

Article 4.

Article 5.

Article 6.

Article 9.

Article 16.

Coexist

Homemade or Homegrown

JUNO

Remembering Wayne

Top 20 Viral Videos of 2007

Innocence Lost

What Would Jesus Buy?

Finally! Somebody Makes it Clearer!

One Faith, Many Paths -- No Boundaries

Back to the Well I go...

What happened to the Canada I grew up in?

Repression

24 in '94

GodTube

A thought on Creationism

Community

Western Greed Works

Once

Anecdotes on a Trip: Part 2

Anecdotes on a Trip: Part 1

Should we shelter our kids from the digital storm?

Collective Individualism

Flick Off

Ships n Dip 3

The failure of the 11th Hour

God is a DJ

The 11th Hour

Lyrics:Tori Amos - Bouncing off clouds

I have always imagined that most of the women (or moreso the men) who need to benefit form Tori Amos' work haven't been properly reached. I'm going to admit that today's lyric is from a song that I mostly listen to just because its got an awesome sound. Kind of a Fleetwood Mac feel to it.

There is more to this post that just the lyric. In the booklet for this CD she defines some personalities she attributes each song to, in this case a woman named Clyde. Clyde makes a statement about her approach to people and it goes like this:

Tori Amos - Bouncing off clouds (American Doll Posse: Clyde)

Hilary Duff was Awesome!

What kind of Values?

What would Jesus Buy?

A sad and wonderful affair

Geek Alert: A better Shell for Windows

Petty almost Theft

This is the Truth

iBible

Christian vs. Christ Follower

The Reality of Facebook Hits Home

Who are your friends really?

Keane: Hamburg Song

Greatest Hits

Lyric Time: Insight - By Depeche Mode

How many movies have YOU seen?

Congratulations Adam!

Hot Pants

Words to live by...

Jury Free