sense is overrated. or maybe it isn't!

...i'm off today, and trying to motivate myself to go out and get groceries, or do anything at all. some days you just don't want to have to do anything. shopping is a feeling. who can say it isn't beautiful?

...listening to various albums this morning. Blues Explosion, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, Stars. do you see how i narrowly avoided listening to them in alphabetical order? they sound better that way. and less alphabetical. i think i'll start listening to music in an order based on the Dewey Decimal system, which is subversive, because you have to be quiet in libraries.

...billowy is a seven-letter word that has all its letters in alphabetical order.

...True Stories is a movie that David Lynch might have made if he was taking his meds. so, David Lynch + meds = David Byrne. QED. is it just a coincidence that they share the same first name, and have a 'y' in the second position of their last names? probably. but have YOU ever seen them both in the same room? me neither. in fact, i've never seen either one in any room, except on TV, which doesn't count because it's controlled by the Masons. i thought my TV was controlled by this remote that i have in my hand (see it? it's right here), but not true. secret handshakes change my channels. and only the inner circle knows how the volume is adjusted.

...do you think general relativity has low self-esteem since that other kind is called "special" relativity? god, i hate that theory. it thinks it's so big.

...i have a big metal container that i fill with hot water, and then i lie in it. i steep in it like some kind of tea bag. it would have to be a larger-than-normal tea bag, but the similarity is there. i can assure you that this process makes for very poor tea.

i want to take you far from the cynics in this town

...this week, i started my new position at work. sometimes i wonder how i wound up where i am, but it's best not to question such things. for the most part, everyone has been great, and one of the team leaders has taken on a mentoring role to help me learn the ropes. my worst fear was that i was going to arrive on the floor and be completely useless, but that hasn't been the case so far. i'm appreciative of how patient everyone has been with me.

...went to see The Unknown on Wednesday night at the Khyber. it stars Lon Chaney as a circus performer and Joan Crawford as the woman he loves. it's an odd little film that i'm sure was quite disturbing to audiences in 1927. Chaney's reputation as the "Man of a Thousand Faces" is well-deserved here: watching his character's range of emotions play across his face is completely riveting.

...stayed in Thursday night to catch up on rest. i haven't been sleeping well lately, so a night at home is required from time to time. i had intended to watch City of God, but fell asleep on the couch for 3 hours and then went to bed. oh well, guess i needed the sleep.

...i'm working this weekend, so i won't be at brunch - i will be at movie night though.

hello, art

...went to the UK/Canadian Video Exchange part 2 last Friday night. i must confess that by the second half of the program, i was feeling mentally spent, as though i had seen as much experimental video art as i needed to for awhile. i did particularly enjoy Le Beau Jacques, a piece about two elderly Quebecois women who are utterly fanatical about Jacques Villeneuve - he's taken on an almost mythic quality for them. it's very entertaining, and funny, but also a comment on how we choose to fill the empty spaces in our lives.

...Monday night, i went to see a compilation of experimental animation shorts chosen by Richard Reeves. many of the works were his own, with other works by members of Calgary's Quickdraw Animation Society. much of Reeves' work takes a synesthetic approach, expressing sound as visuals. in effect, it asks the viewer to hear with their eyes. i was interested and engaged, but i don't feel like i experienced it as viscerally as others did. as i watched, it raised a number of questions for me about art, and how we interact with it. since i am fairly literal minded, maybe some of you who are creators can take a stab at answers - educate this philistine!

• how do we know when we are in the presence of art?
• is art relative? can something be art for me, but not for you?
• is art meant to be interpreted, or should it be experienced without trying to fit it into a framework of meaning? or both?
• what is art for? is it wrong to ask that question?

i know that some of these questions have been with us since the dawn of time. opinions are welcome!

weak become heroes

...finished training on friday. it was interesting to interact with my classmates in a "support" capacity. it seems to me that most people discount their accomplishments: they don't reward themselves or ratchet up their self-esteem when they are successful, or even when they try something difficult and fail. but they deserve to. isn't there something heroic about a person confronting something that they're terrified of, regardless of the outcome? or in the functional and relatively happy lives that people make for themselves, despite all the hurt they've endured and the impediments in their way? in that sense, we are all heroes, when we don't give up. "That's the spirit!" How can you not be impressed by the way people survive this life, and not just survive, but flourish?

...but, for all the instances in which we are heroes, there are the moments in which we are monsters.

yeah, a tunnel from my window to yours

...updates have been scarce lately, but the reason why will become clear later in this recap.

...last friday, went to see a UK/Canada Video Exchange at NSCAD. the pieces shown were hit and miss, as these things often are. a favorite sequence for me was Amen ICA Cinema: "a palindromic video completed on a palindromic date - the 20th February 2002". it plays with the linearity of time, and with language, in a way that i found appealing. Dan, Lisa and Becka were in attendance as well, and a good time was had by all (well, maybe not Lisa, who was horrified when someone thought i was her brother).

...saturday brought snow, wind and general nastiness. made it to brunch, but declined to go see Sharp Like Knives, etc. at the MicMac Friendship Centre. stayed in and watched a Matrix marathon on the Movie Network instead.

...sometime overnight Saturday, the power went out. i woke up in the middle of the night, noticed my clock was off, went back to sleep. got up at 7:30am in an apartment that was rapidly getting colder. stuck it out until shortly after 10, then bolted for somewhere with heat and light. ended up at the Paperchase. had coffee, then went and had lunch at Subway. pretended to be a telemarketer when calling Jim and Becka. headed back to the apartment, thinking that it was hardly possible that the power would still be out.

...get back to the apartment, which still has no power and is now like a meat locker. talk to Jim and Becka, who kindly invite me over. end up crashing there Sunday night. (thanks, guys!)

...head back to the apartment Monday morning. still no power. get changed and go to work, where i'm told that it could be Thursday before power is restored. excellent. end up taking calls at work, which is always fun. terrific.

...go back to the apartment Monday afternoon, where the oxygen has begun changing to a liquid. consider staying there and sleeping for 14 hours until the following morning. plan thwarted when awoken by no longer being able to feel my nose. call Jim and Becka, who offer to put me up for the night. (thanks again!)

...bus to Hfx. meet up with Jim and go with him to Rod's place for practice. thoroughly enjoy listening to the band play, get songs stuck in my head for the next 24 hours. go back to Jim and Becka's for ordered-in Greek pizza (tasty!). sleep.

...the apartment, Tuesday am. power has returned to half of my apartment. so, if all i'm looking for in an apartment is the ability to run a clock radio in my bedroom, i'm in the freaking Ritz. get changed, go to work. come home, THE POWER IS BACK ON. soak in hot bath. place contents of refrigerator in garbage bag, throw in dumpster. go to Superstore, replace groceries. get home, choose to cook something in the oven to add heat to the apartment. apartment is still cold, go to bed with three blankets and wearing a sweater over pyjamas.

...Wednesday morning. not enough hot water to take a shower. go to work. come home, apartment is now back to normal temperature, and there is plenty of hot water. have nice, long, hot shower. do laundry that was supposed to have been done Sunday. get laundry done just in time to catch bus to the Khyber for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (accompanied by Sageev Oore). meet up with Mike and Heather. lots of fun, but the movie is not as good as Sunrise had been the week before.

...see Rod after the movie finishes. we make a trip to the bank machine and then to Ginger's for Ashley Moffat, Al Tuck, and The Secret. stay waaaay too late, and still don't get to see The Secret, since i leave at 12:30 to go back to the Darkside. (see Rancho Relaxo for rant about gig scheduling)

...and that's pretty much how things have been going. glad you asked? :)

i've been learning to drive my whole life

...wouldn't it be nice to think that all the experiences you've had - the happiness and the pain, the kisses you gave and the bruises you took - were all leading to something? that your whole life has been spent preparing for the next challenge that life sends your way, and that you are uniquely equipped to handle whatever twists the universe throws at you?

...but maybe that would be naive.

keeping busy

...went to see The Incredibles Thursday afternoon with Mike, Jim & Becka, and their friends Seana & Graham. SO great. highly recommended to anyone who likes things that are fun. the animation is stunning, and the movie is very funny throughout.

...also went to see a documentary, Pleasant Street by Gerry Rogers, at AGNS. the film follows the progress of two cancer patients, Ken Hickey and Leida Finlayson, after they learn of their condition. what i took away from it was a stronger sense of what it means to live, and die, with grace: to face your own mortality with dignity and a nobility of spirit. one particularly heart-wrenching scene involves Leida's friends bringing her 1000 origami cranes that they have made (a reference to a young Japanese girl, Sadako, who contracted leukemia after the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima). Leida's feelings of gratitude, love for her friends, and grief for her own situation were quite moving.

...took in the Tragedies performing at Gus' Pub for a Halifax Coalition Against Poverty fundraiser. i was told before the show that they hadn't had much time to practice, so things might be a bit shambolic. which they were, but still fun. the lead singer tended to wander off the stage to buy more draft whenever he didn't have to sing, including in the middle of songs. there was a lot of good-natured and hilarious heckling coming from the audience that didn't seem to bother the band, so i'll give the show a thumbs up. i wish that the posted start times for gigs were related in some way to the time that things actually get going... it's a long way from 9pm (posted) to 10:40pm (actual). Shant had a really bad headache after the show, hope he's feeling better!

songwriting contest

...in commiseration with Evil Robot Boy's songwriting woes, here i channel some darkness into lyrics that i think will be judged "poor" by all but fifth-graders strung out on the drugs.

all this senseless striving
from our broken hearts deriving
wounded, just barely surviving

every day just put another
foot in front of the other
forgot why I should bother

inside us all a useless spark
losing ground against the dark
what made you think you’d make your mark?

if we stop moving then we’ll freeze
or contract some obscure disease
I’m weak, I hope nobody sees

stop to search the sky for signs
or read between these awkward lines
nothing there but our own minds

trying to find something to nurture
or believing in a better future
is a tourniquet, I need a suture

please throw only your rottenest tomatoes.

silent night at the Khyber

...just got back from seeing Sunrise at the Khyber. so great. highly melodramatic by today's standards, but then, silent films aren't usually known for the subtlety of the acting. i'm a sucker for a melodrama anyway, where good triumphs over evil, or true love conquers all. Janet Gaynor has such a beautiful face... *sigh*. having live musicians accompany the film adds so much to the experience as well. at one point, the main characters are about to dance, and we see a shot of the sheet music for the piece they're going to dance to. i wondered if the musicians accompanying the film had copied that sheet music and played the piece during that sequence. it's a nice thought!

...next Wednesday at 7pm is The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. make an effort to be there, you won't regret it.

full and robust flavour

...those who know me know that the lines "underneath the shaker knit / he's a brick wall" (Metric, Wet Blanket) could only be applied to my physical being in a sense so loose that meaning is lost. given that, you may appreciate the following exchange, which occurred between me and a co-worker yesterday:

Jack (referencing The Hulk): "it's making me angry. you wouldn't like me when i'm angry."
Co-worker: "why? what happens? do you get skinnier?"

at which point hilarity ensues. thank you, and good night.

days become nights

...Good Bye Lenin! was very good. it's not every film that lets you see the top half of Lenin's torso being flown around by helicopter, reaching out to rapture the faithful to the promised land. i was also intrigued by the idea of apartments in East Berlin having been completely abandoned by people escaping to the West... clothes, furniture, everything just left behind in hopes of finding a better life...

...darkness is coming too early now. it's oppressive sometimes, and feels like everything is compressing to the confines of your own head. but, it'll get better after the winter equinox, right? hmph. it always seems to me that it takes longer in the New Year for it to get lighter than it took to get dark in the fall (ie. if you were to compare sunsets one month before and one month after the equinox, the sunset in January seems earlier). my perception is wrong, though. it's about six weeks from today until the shortest day of the year: sunrise was at 7:02, sunset was at 16:54. January 31, 2005 is about six weeks after the equinox: sunrise and sunset will both be about half an hour later, at 7:34 and 17:22 respectively. better living through astronomy!

HPX/MX weekend

...so, after waiting all week for the Friday night Pop Explosion show at the Marquee, it finally arrived. and it did not disappoint. well, The Holy Shroud and The Arcade Fire didn't, anyway. can't really comment on the Wax Mannequin performance, since i saw it from the comfort of the smoking lounge, deep in the throes of conversation with someone i could talk to all day. the lounge at the Marquee is so great: there are screens showing what's happening on stage and the performance is piped in. did see The Organ, but i was not terribly impressed. i suppose you could chalk it up to their reported stage fright, but i'm just not taken with the staring-straight-ahead, "we're so bored by everything" style of performance. especially when their performance was book-ended by Holy Shroud and Arcade Fire, two bands that deliver so much energy and intensity. seeing The Arcade Fire live is like attending a revival meeting - they have a message they want to get out, it's urgent, and they want you to join in their ecstasy. fantastic show.

...but on the subject of the Marquee, i was irritated by a few things. for instance, if it's a cold and windy night, and some of the attendees have advance tickets or passes, why does everyone have to stand in the ticket purchasers' line? and isn't there some minimum amount of space necessary in front of the stage to make it worthwhile for that frat boy to knock you over while he's getting there? part of my enjoyment of a concert involves breathing. and i assume that there is some design flaw in the glasses used, making them impossible to hold, since they all end up broken under my feet. but enough vitriol...

...brunch on Saturday morning was fun, as usual. i was there way too early. after getting to bed around 4am the previous night, i was on a bus to Hfx by 9:30am the next morning. it was Lisa's birthday, so we all wished her well, and continue to do so. Lisa's mother was there as well, and suggested that Jim was a "stud muffin", which is complicated on many levels (see photographic evidence here).

...Saturday night was the Mock Explosion show at Gus' Pub. Jeremy Gara (backed up by members of Arcade Fire!), Death by Nostalgia, and the Sweet Tenders played. the Jeremy Gara set was an improv on upright bass, violin, drums, keyboard and electronica. very enjoyable, and the improvisation was fairly seamless. DbN rocked the mike well, with the boys looking so precious in their glam makeup. Matt had an expression of irritation on his face for much of the set, not sure if he was or not...? the Sweet Tenders played a pretty tight set, the crowd loved them - they were calling for encores before the last song was even played! the band was coerced into two encores, and then shut it down, although there seemed to be some dissension in the band about whether they should play on. as i see it, if you're not willing to play anymore, thank the crowd, shut off your amps and start putting away your equipment. the crowd will get the idea.

...tonight (Sunday) will be movie night, and this week it's Good Bye Lenin!, which looks like it will be fun.

the weekend that was

...so, while i'm in training for my new job, i have nights and weekends off. i thought this would mean that i would be doing lots of interesting and exciting things, but so far it's been something less than Playboy of the Western World action for your humble correspondent.

..for instance, i thought there would be something that I would want to do on a Friday night in Halifax. as it turns out, staying home and watching Freddy vs. Jason was the highlight of the evening.

...brunch on Saturday morning did not disappoint, however - most of the major players were there. Rod was conspicuously absent, but i think he rocked like a hurricane at NSCAD on Friday night. acceptable. Mike showed his wide-angle photos accompanied by a description of how anyone can gain access to the roof of Maritime Centre. James gave the upcoming Arcade Fire show at the Marquee his seal of approval.

...after brunch broke up, i went in search of tickets for said show. the ad in The Coast said that tickets would be on sale at Sam's, but it turns out that CD Plus is handling ticket sales for the Pop Explosion. besides, Sam's was sold out of Funeral (Arcade Fire album). so, with Jim, Dan and Mike in tow, i headed to CD Plus and was able to pick up tickets and the album. Jim was in salesman mode, and made a pretty solid pitch to Mike on a Gram Parsons double album. sadly, his efforts were in vain and fell on deaf ears. Jim was more successful in selling me on a Hidden Cameras CD (Mississauga Goddam), which held some lyrical surprises once i took it home (see linked review). i had never heard of the band before, and as i later found out, Jim only knew their musical style. ah well, live and learn.