This is gold.
I was already too old to watch much Sesame Street by the time this aired, but I was getting close enough to the age where I was watching it again for nostalgia purposes. In fact, I think that it might have actually been this incident that got me watching on occassion again.
I am talking about the Death of Mr. Hooper.
I don't recall being terribly affected by it originally. Apparently it only ever aired once - on a Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. to ensure that the most families were home together so that kids could talk to their parents about it after watching, and possibly before (it was well known that what was going to happen on the episode.)
Here is some more info on it.
I recall reading somewhere about the taping of the actual bit. One take (with a multi-camera set-up). That was all anyone could handle, and it was really affecting the first time around. All the tears were real. You can really see the actors trying to hold it together - some more so than others, and those who have the most trouble are actually the most affecting... Bob stands out. David (particularly subtle and good when he talks about the store), Maria (who appears the most affected by the end) and Susan are also really good. Susan barely makes it through "Big Bird, Mr. Hooper's not coming back." and sets the tone. I'm going to make it through this despite how broken up I feel.
It was pretty tear-jerking to watch it now. What a brilliant moment in TV. Although I'm always amused by the theatrical convention of everyone sitting on one side of the table especially on TV when it's used mostly to facilitate a three camera set-up.
It also had the added effect of making me scour YouTube for old Sesame Street bits - mostly Muppet bits, that is of course what I started watching Sesame Street again for in my teens.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
Pickton Begins
Well, here we are.
Another hugely public trial.
Robert Pickton is on trial for the first six of twenty six murders of prostitutes on the Vancouver DTES (Downtown East-side). This one has been a long time coming. Five years since he was charged.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/pickton/
In that time I have had a few brushes up against the case.
Firstly - as things were heating up towards the conviction, I was involved in a one night performance of a short-play called 'Missing Women.' It was singled out as one of the highlights of 'Theatre Under the Gun' that year. I had participated the previous year and had fun, but this particular year the group I was in was made up entirely of men. The previous year there had been two groups which had proudly declared themselves theatre groups comprised only of women. And while I certainly have no issue with women taking a position of advocacy for themselves, we did feel it was somewhat important that therefore it ought to be perfectly acceptable for men to do the same with impunity. For the most part, our move was seen as what it was. Not many people were upset. Though it was clear that the expectation was that we were going to do something that fell into the category of 'collegiate humour.' I suppose large fraternal groups only have one possible trajectory in the minds of the many.
In any case, we didn't go down that road. We created a multi-levelled piece which acknowledged the absence of women amongst us as a group, explored the many possible iterations of what it could mean to be 'missing women' on a personal level, and on top of that, we hid gold when the day we went on, the dual headlines in the paper was the capture of the Green River Killer and a huge step forward in the DTES case that became the Pickton trial. This was particular gold for us in that we already had a format where the entire piece was framed with the eight of us, marching up and down the stage to a primal drum beat with our heads in newspapers. The timing - for us to be able to carry newspapers from the same day with headlines that perfectly fit the theme - put it right over the top.
Secondly - I also got to do a show (The Woman in Black) at the Terry Fox theatre, which is right around the corner from the Pickton farm. We were performing while the farm was being sifted for evidence. I believe the school that the theatre is a part of is even built on land purchased from the Picktons, and it's definitely new enough that there could be some disturbing artifacts buried beneath the foundation. Though presumably no-one would be that stupid - too easy for a body to be uncovered during the excavation process prior to laying the foundation, no?
In any case, the trial will be starting as I write this. The judge is probably setting the stage for the jurors and the media right now.
Should be curious. And as we have no death penalty, you know that after these six charges of murder, unlike Saddam, he will stand trial for the remaining twenty. Oh, the lawyers must have creamed their jeans when the trial got split - all the more money for them!
I kind of feel that few people are in doubt of his guilt right now. The simple fact that for five years they've been gearing up to this without being derailed by some sort of evidence is going to sway people. The real question is - just how badly is he going to be penalized? Which is probably moot beyond this trial. The chances of him getting a sentence that is anything less than the equivalent, if not actual, life without parole is slim to none.
Another hugely public trial.
Robert Pickton is on trial for the first six of twenty six murders of prostitutes on the Vancouver DTES (Downtown East-side). This one has been a long time coming. Five years since he was charged.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/pickton/
In that time I have had a few brushes up against the case.
Firstly - as things were heating up towards the conviction, I was involved in a one night performance of a short-play called 'Missing Women.' It was singled out as one of the highlights of 'Theatre Under the Gun' that year. I had participated the previous year and had fun, but this particular year the group I was in was made up entirely of men. The previous year there had been two groups which had proudly declared themselves theatre groups comprised only of women. And while I certainly have no issue with women taking a position of advocacy for themselves, we did feel it was somewhat important that therefore it ought to be perfectly acceptable for men to do the same with impunity. For the most part, our move was seen as what it was. Not many people were upset. Though it was clear that the expectation was that we were going to do something that fell into the category of 'collegiate humour.' I suppose large fraternal groups only have one possible trajectory in the minds of the many.
In any case, we didn't go down that road. We created a multi-levelled piece which acknowledged the absence of women amongst us as a group, explored the many possible iterations of what it could mean to be 'missing women' on a personal level, and on top of that, we hid gold when the day we went on, the dual headlines in the paper was the capture of the Green River Killer and a huge step forward in the DTES case that became the Pickton trial. This was particular gold for us in that we already had a format where the entire piece was framed with the eight of us, marching up and down the stage to a primal drum beat with our heads in newspapers. The timing - for us to be able to carry newspapers from the same day with headlines that perfectly fit the theme - put it right over the top.
Secondly - I also got to do a show (The Woman in Black) at the Terry Fox theatre, which is right around the corner from the Pickton farm. We were performing while the farm was being sifted for evidence. I believe the school that the theatre is a part of is even built on land purchased from the Picktons, and it's definitely new enough that there could be some disturbing artifacts buried beneath the foundation. Though presumably no-one would be that stupid - too easy for a body to be uncovered during the excavation process prior to laying the foundation, no?
In any case, the trial will be starting as I write this. The judge is probably setting the stage for the jurors and the media right now.
Should be curious. And as we have no death penalty, you know that after these six charges of murder, unlike Saddam, he will stand trial for the remaining twenty. Oh, the lawyers must have creamed their jeans when the trial got split - all the more money for them!
I kind of feel that few people are in doubt of his guilt right now. The simple fact that for five years they've been gearing up to this without being derailed by some sort of evidence is going to sway people. The real question is - just how badly is he going to be penalized? Which is probably moot beyond this trial. The chances of him getting a sentence that is anything less than the equivalent, if not actual, life without parole is slim to none.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Too Much Information - III
Well, fuck that.
I did some reading that criticized the cleanse. Add that to how lousy I felt doing it, and I decided it was time to eat again.
On the plus side. I did decide to wait out the caffinne withdrawl headaches - which largely have subsided now - and try to ditch coffee permanently.
So far, so good.
I used to not drink coffee at all. But, hanging out with friends who liked to hang out at what was Victoria's pre-eminent coffee house, Java, in the 90s, pushed me in that direction. I've never drank a lot of coffee, and even less in the past year or so as it has really started to keep me awake if I have any after say... NOON!
So it was simply time to drop it and this was a good springboard into that.
Better eating habits are also on the agenda. The photo is a rather embarrassing and hopefully not too optomisitc 'before' shot.
I did some reading that criticized the cleanse. Add that to how lousy I felt doing it, and I decided it was time to eat again.
On the plus side. I did decide to wait out the caffinne withdrawl headaches - which largely have subsided now - and try to ditch coffee permanently.
So far, so good.
I used to not drink coffee at all. But, hanging out with friends who liked to hang out at what was Victoria's pre-eminent coffee house, Java, in the 90s, pushed me in that direction. I've never drank a lot of coffee, and even less in the past year or so as it has really started to keep me awake if I have any after say... NOON!
So it was simply time to drop it and this was a good springboard into that.
Better eating habits are also on the agenda. The photo is a rather embarrassing and hopefully not too optomisitc 'before' shot.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Little Mosque Scant Humour
Oh, poo.
I had high hopes for Little Mosque on the Prairie, CBC's apparently highly contentional new sitcom about, well, a little mosque on the prairie. When I first saw a preview for it on Christmas Eve - with a group of Muslims feverishly playing a shot in curling I laughed really hard.
I thought: Oh, wow. Here is CBC really putting itself out. This could be a real new dawn for Canadian programming.
Well, so much for that.
The show has no edge. Most of the humour is based on weak word-play, and what else there is is built upon the hackneyed notion that Muslims are all seen as terrorists. While I expect that the current worldwide obsession with terrorism was inevitable, it was dealt with in the most unimaginative and, frankly, gut-less of ways. A Muslim talking on the phone in an airport, using the words 'suicide' and 'bomb' in the most innocent ways justifiable is immediately detained. Wahoo! Barrel of laughs. A gag weakened even further, when a Muslim contractor's slogan - "We'll blow the competition away" - is taken out of context in the same fashion. Yawners.
To be fair, I did laugh out loud twice. Though I have since forgotten the jokes - yes, the jokes that stand out in memory are the ones that did so by being bad.
And the acting was at best, un-even. Some of the cast take a naturalistic approach - which seems to behoove the material better than the broad strokes of the majority.
It seems to me that this is a sad opportunity lost.
Remember the first season of 'The Newsroom?' There was a show with bite. 'Little Mosque...' could have taken a page from that show and been a truly socially relevant show with a voice that spoke to issues that remain sharp to the moment, rather than softballing at the dull side of the blade (eww - bad mixed metaphor). That doesn't mean that begin goofy is out - heck, curling Muslims was what captured my attention in the first place. But that's just it! I've never even thought that Muslims in Saskatchewan would fall in line with the rest of the community and do the only thing available to while away the winter months, while the humour exhibited in the pilot episode was tepid at best.
Here is my hope. 'Little Mosque...' recieves plenty of criticism along the lines of what I've just outlined, but also reaches a regular and devoted audience of Muslims who are pleased as punch that they're being represented on TV as something other than bad-guys on '24.' (Irony for those who watch both shows and get the inerent in joke in that sentence.) And hopefully a good number of those same devoted Muslim viewers agree that 'Little Mosque...' could serve itself, the audience, CBC and (God/Allah forbid.) Canada better by having a more socially caustic voice.
I'll keep watching for now. Perhaps the pilot wasn't representative of where the show went in full production. I'll definitely last until I get to see the curling Muslims again. It's a short season, so I might even make it all the way just out of combined respect for a good idea and encouragement to take it to the next level.
I had high hopes for Little Mosque on the Prairie, CBC's apparently highly contentional new sitcom about, well, a little mosque on the prairie. When I first saw a preview for it on Christmas Eve - with a group of Muslims feverishly playing a shot in curling I laughed really hard.
I thought: Oh, wow. Here is CBC really putting itself out. This could be a real new dawn for Canadian programming.
Well, so much for that.
The show has no edge. Most of the humour is based on weak word-play, and what else there is is built upon the hackneyed notion that Muslims are all seen as terrorists. While I expect that the current worldwide obsession with terrorism was inevitable, it was dealt with in the most unimaginative and, frankly, gut-less of ways. A Muslim talking on the phone in an airport, using the words 'suicide' and 'bomb' in the most innocent ways justifiable is immediately detained. Wahoo! Barrel of laughs. A gag weakened even further, when a Muslim contractor's slogan - "We'll blow the competition away" - is taken out of context in the same fashion. Yawners.
To be fair, I did laugh out loud twice. Though I have since forgotten the jokes - yes, the jokes that stand out in memory are the ones that did so by being bad.
And the acting was at best, un-even. Some of the cast take a naturalistic approach - which seems to behoove the material better than the broad strokes of the majority.
It seems to me that this is a sad opportunity lost.
Remember the first season of 'The Newsroom?' There was a show with bite. 'Little Mosque...' could have taken a page from that show and been a truly socially relevant show with a voice that spoke to issues that remain sharp to the moment, rather than softballing at the dull side of the blade (eww - bad mixed metaphor). That doesn't mean that begin goofy is out - heck, curling Muslims was what captured my attention in the first place. But that's just it! I've never even thought that Muslims in Saskatchewan would fall in line with the rest of the community and do the only thing available to while away the winter months, while the humour exhibited in the pilot episode was tepid at best.
Here is my hope. 'Little Mosque...' recieves plenty of criticism along the lines of what I've just outlined, but also reaches a regular and devoted audience of Muslims who are pleased as punch that they're being represented on TV as something other than bad-guys on '24.' (Irony for those who watch both shows and get the inerent in joke in that sentence.) And hopefully a good number of those same devoted Muslim viewers agree that 'Little Mosque...' could serve itself, the audience, CBC and (God/Allah forbid.) Canada better by having a more socially caustic voice.
I'll keep watching for now. Perhaps the pilot wasn't representative of where the show went in full production. I'll definitely last until I get to see the curling Muslims again. It's a short season, so I might even make it all the way just out of combined respect for a good idea and encouragement to take it to the next level.
Too Much Information - II
Okay, this one isn't so bad as the last. Hardly at all.
Had a play reading last night. Totally crashed a few hours before.
I was just sitting there and suddenly I woke up - zoink!
Several other folk there had done this same cleanse. Good and encouraging feedback.
But holy shit, my head!
It started last night during the reading and has been a constant dull throb ever since.
Typically I'd take this as a sign that I should simply stop. Sounds like common sense to me. Isn't that what pain is for? To tell you when you're doing bad stuff to yourself, or when you are in trouble? If there is any doubt in your head, that is a rhetorical question. That IS what pain is for. That is why evolution came up with it, and judging by the actions of many lower creatures, right down the line, evolution came up with that trick really early. It's a good one. Arguably the most useful one. Can you imagine life without a sense of pain? Not such a cool thing, really. It may sound like a boon, but that's just an illusion. People without a sense of pain? We call them lepers. And I do mean real lepers, not figurative lepers like the guy in accounting who no one ever speaks to at the company Christmas party and if you did you'd soon find out that his idea of social interaction amounts to something called 'ganking' in the Boobracki Highlands of Wow... which I believe is a euphemism for compulsive masturbation to internet porn. Boy, am I off topic.
My head. Throbbing. Bad.
I've been told by the people who have done this before, as well as all the literature I've read, that this will stop, as will the hunger... which I haven't actually had a lot of. In the case of the head throb (and muscle ache - which is taking a back seat to the throb) that it's simply my body purging toxins and once it's done the worst of it, the pain will stop.
I skipped the salt-water flush this morning. I'll do it tomorrow and I'll try to be more diligent from here out, but I slept too late and had to rush to work. So much for the flush. I suspect that so long as I do keep it up regularly from here on out, that missing a single day is hardly going to be the end of the world. Two in a row, probably not a good idea. Hell I may even do it once I get home from work.
And although I'm not really that hungry, I sure am missing food. There were cookies and doritos at the read-through last night. I actually instinctively picked up some doritos - after telling myself in a quite strict tone of voice-in-my-head that I wasn't allowed to have any - and munched a few before I realised I had blown it. A small slip I figure. I'm betting it's pretty common.
Had a play reading last night. Totally crashed a few hours before.
I was just sitting there and suddenly I woke up - zoink!
Several other folk there had done this same cleanse. Good and encouraging feedback.
But holy shit, my head!
It started last night during the reading and has been a constant dull throb ever since.
Typically I'd take this as a sign that I should simply stop. Sounds like common sense to me. Isn't that what pain is for? To tell you when you're doing bad stuff to yourself, or when you are in trouble? If there is any doubt in your head, that is a rhetorical question. That IS what pain is for. That is why evolution came up with it, and judging by the actions of many lower creatures, right down the line, evolution came up with that trick really early. It's a good one. Arguably the most useful one. Can you imagine life without a sense of pain? Not such a cool thing, really. It may sound like a boon, but that's just an illusion. People without a sense of pain? We call them lepers. And I do mean real lepers, not figurative lepers like the guy in accounting who no one ever speaks to at the company Christmas party and if you did you'd soon find out that his idea of social interaction amounts to something called 'ganking' in the Boobracki Highlands of Wow... which I believe is a euphemism for compulsive masturbation to internet porn. Boy, am I off topic.
My head. Throbbing. Bad.
I've been told by the people who have done this before, as well as all the literature I've read, that this will stop, as will the hunger... which I haven't actually had a lot of. In the case of the head throb (and muscle ache - which is taking a back seat to the throb) that it's simply my body purging toxins and once it's done the worst of it, the pain will stop.
I skipped the salt-water flush this morning. I'll do it tomorrow and I'll try to be more diligent from here out, but I slept too late and had to rush to work. So much for the flush. I suspect that so long as I do keep it up regularly from here on out, that missing a single day is hardly going to be the end of the world. Two in a row, probably not a good idea. Hell I may even do it once I get home from work.
And although I'm not really that hungry, I sure am missing food. There were cookies and doritos at the read-through last night. I actually instinctively picked up some doritos - after telling myself in a quite strict tone of voice-in-my-head that I wasn't allowed to have any - and munched a few before I realised I had blown it. A small slip I figure. I'm betting it's pretty common.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Too Much Information - I
You really didn't want to know this.
Seriously. Skip this post.
I began a cleanse today. Well, technically I began two days ago, but those first two days were essentially prep and didn't look terribly different from real life.
On Thursday night I went out with friends. It was a long since planned night out. I had always intended that the cleanse would start after it. (We went to Fogg & Sudds for some beer sampling. My first and last beers were quite nice. The second was lousy. The third was pleasant, but not really my kinda brew.
So, day one was pretty much hang-over detox. The first few hours of the morning were lousy, but the afternoon was fine. I had one last 'full' meal, which was a bit indulgent - a full chicken shawarma plate... mmmm good.
Day two - yesterday began with my last coffee (sigh) and included some chicken soup, celery and eggs - the last solid food for about two weeks.
Last night I shopped for and prepped some of the things I'd need today.
This morning I woke up an hour early and downed a liter of salt water. This is going to happen every day. I will say that it was more palatable than I expected. That's the best I can say for it. Half an hour later I was on the toilet spraying watery-shit like no-one's business.
I've been told that as things go on I'll be finding all manner of disgusting stuff in the bowl. I don't know if I am that curious. I know it's too early to find anything really disturbing, but I couldn't bring myself to look. After two sessions on the pot in an hour I was feeling like I was done and headed off to work, with two liters of what will be my only sustenance until I am done.
I have to drink about 100oz. of this stuff every day. I didn't even taste it last night to see what I was in for. As I write this, I am almost finished my first glass. It's not so bad. Not like I'm going to be serving it at parties though. If you've done the so-called 'Master Cleanse' you know what it is. Squeeezed lemons, real maple syrup and cayenne in water. Frankly ther is more cayenne than I'd like, but it's totally drinkable and far from unpleasant. Far nicer than salt-water.
Twenty-minutes after I got to work I was ready for a follow-up trip to the loo.
Here's where things began to get ugly.
I still didn't look. But hoooo! The smell! Ohmigod! A bit like paint thinner, but with a definite over-tone of shit. That cannot be good for you. I don't know what the smell was, but it simply CAN NOT be good. My optomistic theory is that the last of the salt water soaked into some of the impacted fecal matter in the bowel and when it came out brought it along. Just a theory. But - and here's the most disturbing part - if this is the case, that was merely the upper-most portion of said matter. Perhaps only days - maybe weeks - old. What is it going to be like in a few days as the cleanse loosens up more of it and the saltwater flush washes deeper, more impacted (and hence more dense), longer putrifying matter? Imagine THAT smell. Not looking forward to that.
I don't really know what is in store for me as this continues on, but I'm nothing but curious. Hunger hasn't really hit yet, but I expect that before the day is out I'll be into the beginnings of the worst of it - I'm told it doesn't actually last long.
Seriously. Skip this post.
I began a cleanse today. Well, technically I began two days ago, but those first two days were essentially prep and didn't look terribly different from real life.
On Thursday night I went out with friends. It was a long since planned night out. I had always intended that the cleanse would start after it. (We went to Fogg & Sudds for some beer sampling. My first and last beers were quite nice. The second was lousy. The third was pleasant, but not really my kinda brew.
So, day one was pretty much hang-over detox. The first few hours of the morning were lousy, but the afternoon was fine. I had one last 'full' meal, which was a bit indulgent - a full chicken shawarma plate... mmmm good.
Day two - yesterday began with my last coffee (sigh) and included some chicken soup, celery and eggs - the last solid food for about two weeks.
Last night I shopped for and prepped some of the things I'd need today.
This morning I woke up an hour early and downed a liter of salt water. This is going to happen every day. I will say that it was more palatable than I expected. That's the best I can say for it. Half an hour later I was on the toilet spraying watery-shit like no-one's business.
I've been told that as things go on I'll be finding all manner of disgusting stuff in the bowl. I don't know if I am that curious. I know it's too early to find anything really disturbing, but I couldn't bring myself to look. After two sessions on the pot in an hour I was feeling like I was done and headed off to work, with two liters of what will be my only sustenance until I am done.
I have to drink about 100oz. of this stuff every day. I didn't even taste it last night to see what I was in for. As I write this, I am almost finished my first glass. It's not so bad. Not like I'm going to be serving it at parties though. If you've done the so-called 'Master Cleanse' you know what it is. Squeeezed lemons, real maple syrup and cayenne in water. Frankly ther is more cayenne than I'd like, but it's totally drinkable and far from unpleasant. Far nicer than salt-water.
Twenty-minutes after I got to work I was ready for a follow-up trip to the loo.
Here's where things began to get ugly.
I still didn't look. But hoooo! The smell! Ohmigod! A bit like paint thinner, but with a definite over-tone of shit. That cannot be good for you. I don't know what the smell was, but it simply CAN NOT be good. My optomistic theory is that the last of the salt water soaked into some of the impacted fecal matter in the bowel and when it came out brought it along. Just a theory. But - and here's the most disturbing part - if this is the case, that was merely the upper-most portion of said matter. Perhaps only days - maybe weeks - old. What is it going to be like in a few days as the cleanse loosens up more of it and the saltwater flush washes deeper, more impacted (and hence more dense), longer putrifying matter? Imagine THAT smell. Not looking forward to that.
I don't really know what is in store for me as this continues on, but I'm nothing but curious. Hunger hasn't really hit yet, but I expect that before the day is out I'll be into the beginnings of the worst of it - I'm told it doesn't actually last long.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
The Robfather - Why are we expected to give a shit?
2002 - Marquesas
An obnoxious steeplejack from Boston became one of the most fascinating characters on a little South Pacific island. He was nasty and over-played his hand and dodged innumerable bullets before those around him had had enough. It was the season of Survivior where the pawns stood up and fought back and took the game into their own control for the first time, and while he wasn't part of that dramatic move, he gave the show the momentum it needed to get there. It was almost enough entertainment to propel that season past the point where Jesus won a million dollars.
The came Survivor All-Stars - at first I was delighted that Rob was back. But then he allied with one of the least interesting survivor players ever - Amber.
What did Amber have that made her 'All-Star' worthy? Well, she tagged along behind uber-witch Jerri in Australia long enough to make it deep into the jury. And, she was reasonably hot, and hot deserves some attention. But I feel pretty confident that if you were behind the doors where the decisions were made in selecting the cast, you would have heard Mark Burnett say something to the effect of:
"(Big sigh.) Well, too bad Mike Skupin, Brian Hedik, Christy Smith, and Jake Billingsley all said 'no.' I guess we'll have to go with... I dunno - Jon Dalton. Gawd I hate that guy. No forget it, let's add some cheesecake and go with... Hmmm... Erin? Heidi? Sarah? No too blatant. Too much boob. I guess we'll just have to make due with Amber."
And so, the personality-less one latched onto a shit-disturber again. And hot damn if Rob didn't pick up his game - helped immensely by possibly the stupidest move ever made by an otherwise brilliant player, Lex - and he bootstrapped the pair of them into a million dollars.
Well, technically, Amber won the million. But it was Rob who orchestrated it and as they were a couple by the finale (at which he proposed to her) it was all pretty much academic who won.
If there was anyone who wasn't thinking "I wonder if he'll propose at the finale?" they really weren't thinking at all. The fact that they were a couple totally removed all interest out of the finale - though it was nice that Rupert won a million essentially for being the kind of player that everyone thought would win the million if the game was what everyone naively thought it was before Rich Hatch offered up the Apple of Alliance in the original Survivor paradise. But that's another story.
Point being - Rob and Amber were collectively boring. And Rob managed to get a bit ugly. Even within the confines of the game. Ugly. But boring.
Proposing on TV - how calculated was that? It's not like she could say 'no.' (But fuck, would it have been phenomenal television if she did!)
Then they did the Amazing Race. They actually did fairly well - though it would be a stretch to say they came close to winning. And to give credit where credit is due, Rob pulled one of the best moves ever, by refusing to do a challenge that was so hard that it took longer to do it than to accept the penalty... which is to say nothing of the potentially detrimental effects of eating as much meat as would have been necessary to complete the challenge.
Then they got married - on TV. By now... they were getting pretty over exposed for a couple who were largely set apart by their odiousness and uninterestingness respectively.
Then this past week ANOTHER show about them - a series presumably. Morbid curiosity reeled me in ever so briefly.
After a quick run-down of their history (which I've already covered in more detail than the show did) we are told that they are going to Vegas to pursue a career in professional poker playing. Huh?
First we are subjected to a series of 'spontaneous' conversations where Rob tells Amber and she doesn't like it. So he packs his bags and goes and she calls Mummy and Daddy. I had already quit watching by this point - I let it run in the B.G. as I went to the toilet and put my laundry away. Rob had another totally contrived conversation with an acquaintance who knows his shit about poker. Rob explained how his Dad - or Grandfathah - or whoever, used to play poker and showed him the ropes.
HOLY FUCKING BORING!
It wasn't even worth playing as background noise.
And like I said... SO contrived.
I have yet to figure out how poker became a spectator sport in the first place - even with the advances in technology which 'add value' to the experience. And this show subjects us to this rather uninteresting couple with the Alpha-male and the woman who can't effectively stand up for herself as they make the 'spontaneous decision' to pursue a career in professional poker?
I didn't last seven minutes! I can only hope that they lose their shirts (which Amber has already done in a few magazines) and we never have to hear from them again!
This is exactly the sort of broadcast smeg-stain that give Reality TV a bad name.
I know that 'Reality TV' ought to be called 'Contrived Reality TV' - but fuck! At least the Osbornes really allowed us to watch what simply happened in their oddball lives - perhaps played up a bit, but not wholesale manufacture! And the 'reality' in Survivor and it's ilk is how people REALLY react when placed in an extreme situation. This has the virtue of... what exactly?
In the first 2 minutes of the show Rob declared that he can't possibly got back to a 9 to 5 after what he has been through in the past 5 years. One can only hope.
The snooze alarm on these two's fifteen minutes is broken and there is no reason for us to be subjected to them for one commercial break longer.
An obnoxious steeplejack from Boston became one of the most fascinating characters on a little South Pacific island. He was nasty and over-played his hand and dodged innumerable bullets before those around him had had enough. It was the season of Survivior where the pawns stood up and fought back and took the game into their own control for the first time, and while he wasn't part of that dramatic move, he gave the show the momentum it needed to get there. It was almost enough entertainment to propel that season past the point where Jesus won a million dollars.
The came Survivor All-Stars - at first I was delighted that Rob was back. But then he allied with one of the least interesting survivor players ever - Amber.
What did Amber have that made her 'All-Star' worthy? Well, she tagged along behind uber-witch Jerri in Australia long enough to make it deep into the jury. And, she was reasonably hot, and hot deserves some attention. But I feel pretty confident that if you were behind the doors where the decisions were made in selecting the cast, you would have heard Mark Burnett say something to the effect of:
"(Big sigh.) Well, too bad Mike Skupin, Brian Hedik, Christy Smith, and Jake Billingsley all said 'no.' I guess we'll have to go with... I dunno - Jon Dalton. Gawd I hate that guy. No forget it, let's add some cheesecake and go with... Hmmm... Erin? Heidi? Sarah? No too blatant. Too much boob. I guess we'll just have to make due with Amber."
And so, the personality-less one latched onto a shit-disturber again. And hot damn if Rob didn't pick up his game - helped immensely by possibly the stupidest move ever made by an otherwise brilliant player, Lex - and he bootstrapped the pair of them into a million dollars.
Well, technically, Amber won the million. But it was Rob who orchestrated it and as they were a couple by the finale (at which he proposed to her) it was all pretty much academic who won.
If there was anyone who wasn't thinking "I wonder if he'll propose at the finale?" they really weren't thinking at all. The fact that they were a couple totally removed all interest out of the finale - though it was nice that Rupert won a million essentially for being the kind of player that everyone thought would win the million if the game was what everyone naively thought it was before Rich Hatch offered up the Apple of Alliance in the original Survivor paradise. But that's another story.
Point being - Rob and Amber were collectively boring. And Rob managed to get a bit ugly. Even within the confines of the game. Ugly. But boring.
Proposing on TV - how calculated was that? It's not like she could say 'no.' (But fuck, would it have been phenomenal television if she did!)
Then they did the Amazing Race. They actually did fairly well - though it would be a stretch to say they came close to winning. And to give credit where credit is due, Rob pulled one of the best moves ever, by refusing to do a challenge that was so hard that it took longer to do it than to accept the penalty... which is to say nothing of the potentially detrimental effects of eating as much meat as would have been necessary to complete the challenge.
Then they got married - on TV. By now... they were getting pretty over exposed for a couple who were largely set apart by their odiousness and uninterestingness respectively.
Then this past week ANOTHER show about them - a series presumably. Morbid curiosity reeled me in ever so briefly.
After a quick run-down of their history (which I've already covered in more detail than the show did) we are told that they are going to Vegas to pursue a career in professional poker playing. Huh?
First we are subjected to a series of 'spontaneous' conversations where Rob tells Amber and she doesn't like it. So he packs his bags and goes and she calls Mummy and Daddy. I had already quit watching by this point - I let it run in the B.G. as I went to the toilet and put my laundry away. Rob had another totally contrived conversation with an acquaintance who knows his shit about poker. Rob explained how his Dad - or Grandfathah - or whoever, used to play poker and showed him the ropes.
HOLY FUCKING BORING!
It wasn't even worth playing as background noise.
And like I said... SO contrived.
I have yet to figure out how poker became a spectator sport in the first place - even with the advances in technology which 'add value' to the experience. And this show subjects us to this rather uninteresting couple with the Alpha-male and the woman who can't effectively stand up for herself as they make the 'spontaneous decision' to pursue a career in professional poker?
I didn't last seven minutes! I can only hope that they lose their shirts (which Amber has already done in a few magazines) and we never have to hear from them again!
This is exactly the sort of broadcast smeg-stain that give Reality TV a bad name.
I know that 'Reality TV' ought to be called 'Contrived Reality TV' - but fuck! At least the Osbornes really allowed us to watch what simply happened in their oddball lives - perhaps played up a bit, but not wholesale manufacture! And the 'reality' in Survivor and it's ilk is how people REALLY react when placed in an extreme situation. This has the virtue of... what exactly?
In the first 2 minutes of the show Rob declared that he can't possibly got back to a 9 to 5 after what he has been through in the past 5 years. One can only hope.
The snooze alarm on these two's fifteen minutes is broken and there is no reason for us to be subjected to them for one commercial break longer.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
An Open Letter to Kevin Smith
Kevin, Kevin, Kevin...
I've been inching towards this opinion for quite some time, and - to mix metaphors - the pot has boiled over.
I watched Clerks II last night.
I saw the original when it first screened in Victoria at the Student Union theatre with my buddy Ray. We really loved it.
Last night Ray wasn't able to make it due to the weather - though we chatted on the phone.
So let's take a capsule look at your other films that I've bothered with.
Mallrats - Well, everyone deserves a certain amount of latitude to fail when it comes to a sophmore effort. I thought this film was so dull that I don't even really remember it. Let's see what I can glean from the title. Hmmm... perhaps it's a cross between Dawn of the Dead and Ben? I don't recall any zombie rodents, but Shannen Doherty was in it, which... forget it, the joke it too easy. I assume Jay and Silent Bob were in it too.
Chasing Amy - I know a number of people who speak (relatively) highly of this film. I shut down the moment Joey Lauren Adams opened her mouth. Ask me if I'm surprised her career tanked like Greg Lougainis with a head injury. Was this the film in which Silent Bob quit being silent? It seems to me that his (your) monologue was the highlight of the film... though that doesn't mean I can remember anything about what it was about.
Dogma - Some interesting, if a bit didactic, ideas in this one... too bad it was sullied by a heap load of purile humour. While this was your best outing since the big 'C', it was also about the time I started to feel like you were never going to impress me again. I buried that feeling and extended as much good faith as I could in your direction for as long as I could.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back - A few of my oldest frineds assured me that this was top notch. I guess 'oldest' does not necessarily equate to 'reliable.' There were moments. I admit. But I can't even remember what they were striking back against. They went to L.A. right? There were hot chicks... and Mark Hamill - pretty much inexplicably, except for the gratuitous gag-factor. I'm going to riff on Jay & S.B. further down, and much of it hinges on this, so I'm moving on for pace... you do understand the concept of pace don't you?
Jersey Girl - Hey, even you don't speak well of this film from what I can tell. So, why would I watch it? Hmmm... perhaps I should be rethinking that. Okay, tell you what I'll watch Jersey Girl - someday when there is nothing left to do but sepuku or watch Jersey Girl - and then I'll do an addendum to this post.
Let's face it. I'd pretty much given up on "Kevin Smith" before this last film came out. But you had another few tricks up your sleeve.
Clerks II - Hmmm. A sequel to the only film of yours that I actually liked. The only one that spoke to me in any fashion. Intriguing.
No. Forget it. There has been far too much detritus since that I simply don't trust you. Not going. Not watching. Not giving you money. Not enabling you to keep doing what you've been doing.
Then a friend - who has never recommended any of your films to me and who has, with the exception of "The (piece of over-hyped crap - you must be familiar with that concept) Blair Witch Project," had very reliable taste in film by my standards - sent me a link to some of your spoken word/Q&A sessions on YouTube.
Damn, Kevin Smith, you are one clever and entertaining guy. Mind you, I know that the more and more you do that kind of thing the better practiced you get at it and the more you can rely on the stair-case wisdom of the past. But still, you DO still have to have the entertaining and funny thoughts in the first place, right?
I began to become confused without even knowing it. I started saying some really complimentary things about you in public. Then I said one of those complimentary things based on my opinion of your spoken-word to one of those 'old but unreliable' friends.
"Have you seen 'Clerks II?'"
Of course the answer was 'no.'
"You really should. I know you liked the first one and this one is really in the spirit of the first. It really is Kevin Smith at his best."
So I did. I figured "Hey, worst case scenario Rosario Dawson is smoking."
Obviously I didn't "Go" - it has long since left the theatre.
Didn't watch... well that was about to get shit-canned, no way around it. If I'm going to see your movie, I'm going to have to watch it. (In the words of Joss Whedon (more on him in a bit) "Does that make me a man of no convictions? Well, yes it does, but let's move on.")
Not giving you money. I downloaded it. Ha! So there. Several pennies of mine you will never see.
Not enabling you. Well, you won't give money - that's a start. And this diatribe - not that you are truly likely to care - is an effort in that direction. In fact I kind of look at it as I look at the advice I was given over my alcoholic ex-fiancee: Let the world know. Draw the short comings to people's attention. Do not let them get away with it any longer. Make them face the consequences of their problem, so they are forced to deal with it directly. Don't take the well-meaning approach of 'helping them cover it up and evade the repercussions' any longer.
Let's go back to 'The Blair Witch Project' for a moment. I saw it opening night. I was looking forward to it. When it was done I stood up in the packed-to-the-rafters theatre and said "What a piece of crap." I was greeted by gasps and abuse. But how many people stand by that film today as anything but a successful example of hype? (The fellow I mentioned above still does stand by it, but I am pretty certain that that is simply a matter of saving face - he was sitting beside me when I publically declared it to be as cinematically appealing as a pap-smear.) I don't claim to be the cause of people coming to their senses on that front. (And to be fair, I am pretty confident that if I could remember your films that I would like them more than TBWP... which sadly I recall far too well.) But I do think that my staunch position and willingness to declare it added to the come-around.
So... Clerks II.
For starters, the funniest bits were all things that I had already heard you say - in your spoken word performances. LoTR - Three films about walking. Hysterical. Already heard you say it. Pillow-pants the Pussy-troll - same. "There is only one 'Trilogy'..." Yeah... yeah. (I do agree with you BTW - but you've said it publically already. It's feeling worn.) Donkey-show - yeah there was something about that mentioned somewhere which took the edge off of it too. Hey... why doesn't Dante tell the story about how he was commissioned to write the new Superman film with no costume, no flying and a giant spider in the third act? Or am I going to be treated to that in Jersey Girl on the last day of my life?
Rosario Dawson.... has never looked better. Thank you so much for the dancing scene.
Beyond that... Too talky. Too sentimental. Too purile. And what really does it say?
And Jay and Silent Bob...
They worked well in the Original. It was fun when they returned once. It was great when Silent Bob broke the silence with a witty and insightful (it was insightful, right - I have forgotten) monologue. But I can't help but think that that should have been the endgame. Or... maybe... just maybe... you could have made them truly central to a film. Which you practically did in Dogma. (I do remember that.) Oh, but then - a film with them TRULY at the centre! Their names are even in the title! But, by now the gag has run it's course, man.
I suppose it was inescapable to have them in the Clerks sequel. I might even go so far as to say I'd be disappointed if they weren't in it. But at the same time... they're done. DONE! It might have been far more interesting to have them not in it - or appear in a way where they had changed. Let's face it, the 'New and Improved' was cheap and served no function. Sigh.
So, here's the thing, Kevin.
You are a smart and clever guy. You wrote and directed a film which managed to speak to a generation, and you haven't truly progressed beyond it. You championed the fat-comic-geek in all of us. Well done.
But the fact is you aren't actually a very interesting film-maker. I really wish you were.
You are a fan, and admirably so.
But you have failed, Superman. You haven’t used your powers for good. You haven’t even used them for evil for fuck sake! You’ve used them for mediocre. (With flashes of inspiration that keep the huddling masses crawling along after in hopes of another divine lightning strike. Which in turn has encouraged Weinstein to let you keep making him money off the same huddled masses.) I’m not doing it anymore. I’m not.
Mews berates you for not watching Firefly. Do, man! It makes me crazy that Firefly gets cancelled while money gets thrown at the pablum you’re putting on the big screen. What really makes me crazy is that I think you could do just as well, if you just applied yourself.
You claim you love Star Wars, and BSG, and Superman and Green Lantern, and, and, and… But you aren’t doing anything that truly demonstrates that – and come on, you could. You fucking well could.
Whedon is so much like you – though apparently he has a much better refined cinematic eye, but I maintain that it’s just a matter of application. And failing that… perhaps the visuals aren’t your thing. Write books, scripts, stand in front of crowds and make them laugh – make ME laugh. If you can’t pickup your game, then change your game. Do what you do best, focus on it, and do it better. And for god-sakes, quit wasting my time. Actually, that is unfair. You won’t be wasting my time with your films anymore. I really have given up. I’m not going to watch Jersey Girl. I’m not. Perhaps I’ll read the script? But I’m not going to give in to the ‘oh but this one is different’ argument that I’ve heard over and over again from my ‘old friends’ – I am done. I should have been done back when Jay and Silent Bob should have been done. I just didn’t notice it until now.
I hope you notice it. I hope your fans notice it.
Maybe. Just maybe. When we’re fifty you’ll make something that sounds like it will talk to me again. (No, I WON’T come to see Clerks Cubed under any circumstances.) Maybe then I’ll give you a chance again. But only if you continue to impress me with the spoken word stuff, maybe a funny book or two, and a few scripts shot by other people that have more to offer than what they bring to it.
Sorry Kevin. I didn’t really know this was in me until last night. I wish I had figured it out sooner. I’m a bit mad, and quite disappointed. Yes, a lot of that is at myself. But I had to go to the trigger and confront it. And I really DO hope that someday I again think you a worthy film-maker, you are. Hmm… Yoda-speak.
But for now, it is over.
We’re done.
Divorced.
Goodbye.
I've been inching towards this opinion for quite some time, and - to mix metaphors - the pot has boiled over.
I watched Clerks II last night.
I saw the original when it first screened in Victoria at the Student Union theatre with my buddy Ray. We really loved it.
Last night Ray wasn't able to make it due to the weather - though we chatted on the phone.
So let's take a capsule look at your other films that I've bothered with.
Mallrats - Well, everyone deserves a certain amount of latitude to fail when it comes to a sophmore effort. I thought this film was so dull that I don't even really remember it. Let's see what I can glean from the title. Hmmm... perhaps it's a cross between Dawn of the Dead and Ben? I don't recall any zombie rodents, but Shannen Doherty was in it, which... forget it, the joke it too easy. I assume Jay and Silent Bob were in it too.
Chasing Amy - I know a number of people who speak (relatively) highly of this film. I shut down the moment Joey Lauren Adams opened her mouth. Ask me if I'm surprised her career tanked like Greg Lougainis with a head injury. Was this the film in which Silent Bob quit being silent? It seems to me that his (your) monologue was the highlight of the film... though that doesn't mean I can remember anything about what it was about.
Dogma - Some interesting, if a bit didactic, ideas in this one... too bad it was sullied by a heap load of purile humour. While this was your best outing since the big 'C', it was also about the time I started to feel like you were never going to impress me again. I buried that feeling and extended as much good faith as I could in your direction for as long as I could.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back - A few of my oldest frineds assured me that this was top notch. I guess 'oldest' does not necessarily equate to 'reliable.' There were moments. I admit. But I can't even remember what they were striking back against. They went to L.A. right? There were hot chicks... and Mark Hamill - pretty much inexplicably, except for the gratuitous gag-factor. I'm going to riff on Jay & S.B. further down, and much of it hinges on this, so I'm moving on for pace... you do understand the concept of pace don't you?
Jersey Girl - Hey, even you don't speak well of this film from what I can tell. So, why would I watch it? Hmmm... perhaps I should be rethinking that. Okay, tell you what I'll watch Jersey Girl - someday when there is nothing left to do but sepuku or watch Jersey Girl - and then I'll do an addendum to this post.
Let's face it. I'd pretty much given up on "Kevin Smith" before this last film came out. But you had another few tricks up your sleeve.
Clerks II - Hmmm. A sequel to the only film of yours that I actually liked. The only one that spoke to me in any fashion. Intriguing.
No. Forget it. There has been far too much detritus since that I simply don't trust you. Not going. Not watching. Not giving you money. Not enabling you to keep doing what you've been doing.
Then a friend - who has never recommended any of your films to me and who has, with the exception of "The (piece of over-hyped crap - you must be familiar with that concept) Blair Witch Project," had very reliable taste in film by my standards - sent me a link to some of your spoken word/Q&A sessions on YouTube.
Damn, Kevin Smith, you are one clever and entertaining guy. Mind you, I know that the more and more you do that kind of thing the better practiced you get at it and the more you can rely on the stair-case wisdom of the past. But still, you DO still have to have the entertaining and funny thoughts in the first place, right?
I began to become confused without even knowing it. I started saying some really complimentary things about you in public. Then I said one of those complimentary things based on my opinion of your spoken-word to one of those 'old but unreliable' friends.
"Have you seen 'Clerks II?'"
Of course the answer was 'no.'
"You really should. I know you liked the first one and this one is really in the spirit of the first. It really is Kevin Smith at his best."
So I did. I figured "Hey, worst case scenario Rosario Dawson is smoking."
Obviously I didn't "Go" - it has long since left the theatre.
Didn't watch... well that was about to get shit-canned, no way around it. If I'm going to see your movie, I'm going to have to watch it. (In the words of Joss Whedon (more on him in a bit) "Does that make me a man of no convictions? Well, yes it does, but let's move on.")
Not giving you money. I downloaded it. Ha! So there. Several pennies of mine you will never see.
Not enabling you. Well, you won't give money - that's a start. And this diatribe - not that you are truly likely to care - is an effort in that direction. In fact I kind of look at it as I look at the advice I was given over my alcoholic ex-fiancee: Let the world know. Draw the short comings to people's attention. Do not let them get away with it any longer. Make them face the consequences of their problem, so they are forced to deal with it directly. Don't take the well-meaning approach of 'helping them cover it up and evade the repercussions' any longer.
Let's go back to 'The Blair Witch Project' for a moment. I saw it opening night. I was looking forward to it. When it was done I stood up in the packed-to-the-rafters theatre and said "What a piece of crap." I was greeted by gasps and abuse. But how many people stand by that film today as anything but a successful example of hype? (The fellow I mentioned above still does stand by it, but I am pretty certain that that is simply a matter of saving face - he was sitting beside me when I publically declared it to be as cinematically appealing as a pap-smear.) I don't claim to be the cause of people coming to their senses on that front. (And to be fair, I am pretty confident that if I could remember your films that I would like them more than TBWP... which sadly I recall far too well.) But I do think that my staunch position and willingness to declare it added to the come-around.
So... Clerks II.
For starters, the funniest bits were all things that I had already heard you say - in your spoken word performances. LoTR - Three films about walking. Hysterical. Already heard you say it. Pillow-pants the Pussy-troll - same. "There is only one 'Trilogy'..." Yeah... yeah. (I do agree with you BTW - but you've said it publically already. It's feeling worn.) Donkey-show - yeah there was something about that mentioned somewhere which took the edge off of it too. Hey... why doesn't Dante tell the story about how he was commissioned to write the new Superman film with no costume, no flying and a giant spider in the third act? Or am I going to be treated to that in Jersey Girl on the last day of my life?
Rosario Dawson.... has never looked better. Thank you so much for the dancing scene.
Beyond that... Too talky. Too sentimental. Too purile. And what really does it say?
And Jay and Silent Bob...
They worked well in the Original. It was fun when they returned once. It was great when Silent Bob broke the silence with a witty and insightful (it was insightful, right - I have forgotten) monologue. But I can't help but think that that should have been the endgame. Or... maybe... just maybe... you could have made them truly central to a film. Which you practically did in Dogma. (I do remember that.) Oh, but then - a film with them TRULY at the centre! Their names are even in the title! But, by now the gag has run it's course, man.
I suppose it was inescapable to have them in the Clerks sequel. I might even go so far as to say I'd be disappointed if they weren't in it. But at the same time... they're done. DONE! It might have been far more interesting to have them not in it - or appear in a way where they had changed. Let's face it, the 'New and Improved' was cheap and served no function. Sigh.
So, here's the thing, Kevin.
You are a smart and clever guy. You wrote and directed a film which managed to speak to a generation, and you haven't truly progressed beyond it. You championed the fat-comic-geek in all of us. Well done.
But the fact is you aren't actually a very interesting film-maker. I really wish you were.
You are a fan, and admirably so.
But you have failed, Superman. You haven’t used your powers for good. You haven’t even used them for evil for fuck sake! You’ve used them for mediocre. (With flashes of inspiration that keep the huddling masses crawling along after in hopes of another divine lightning strike. Which in turn has encouraged Weinstein to let you keep making him money off the same huddled masses.) I’m not doing it anymore. I’m not.
Mews berates you for not watching Firefly. Do, man! It makes me crazy that Firefly gets cancelled while money gets thrown at the pablum you’re putting on the big screen. What really makes me crazy is that I think you could do just as well, if you just applied yourself.
You claim you love Star Wars, and BSG, and Superman and Green Lantern, and, and, and… But you aren’t doing anything that truly demonstrates that – and come on, you could. You fucking well could.
Whedon is so much like you – though apparently he has a much better refined cinematic eye, but I maintain that it’s just a matter of application. And failing that… perhaps the visuals aren’t your thing. Write books, scripts, stand in front of crowds and make them laugh – make ME laugh. If you can’t pickup your game, then change your game. Do what you do best, focus on it, and do it better. And for god-sakes, quit wasting my time. Actually, that is unfair. You won’t be wasting my time with your films anymore. I really have given up. I’m not going to watch Jersey Girl. I’m not. Perhaps I’ll read the script? But I’m not going to give in to the ‘oh but this one is different’ argument that I’ve heard over and over again from my ‘old friends’ – I am done. I should have been done back when Jay and Silent Bob should have been done. I just didn’t notice it until now.
I hope you notice it. I hope your fans notice it.
Maybe. Just maybe. When we’re fifty you’ll make something that sounds like it will talk to me again. (No, I WON’T come to see Clerks Cubed under any circumstances.) Maybe then I’ll give you a chance again. But only if you continue to impress me with the spoken word stuff, maybe a funny book or two, and a few scripts shot by other people that have more to offer than what they bring to it.
Sorry Kevin. I didn’t really know this was in me until last night. I wish I had figured it out sooner. I’m a bit mad, and quite disappointed. Yes, a lot of that is at myself. But I had to go to the trigger and confront it. And I really DO hope that someday I again think you a worthy film-maker, you are. Hmm… Yoda-speak.
But for now, it is over.
We’re done.
Divorced.
Goodbye.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
This is a Car Chase - Not a Laser Battle
Still exploring the possibilities of reopening the ol' blog.
The marriage with Flickr is bound to produce some fruit... oh how un-tech-savvy I feel. Oh how I bemoan those days when I was proud to not be a geek.
Anyhow... this is one of my favourite photos I've ever taken. It is at the time of this posting my 3rd 'most interesting' according to Flickr and the photo with the 5th most views.
This experiment is now finished it's active stage.
Passive stage beginning... now.
The marriage with Flickr is bound to produce some fruit... oh how un-tech-savvy I feel. Oh how I bemoan those days when I was proud to not be a geek.
Anyhow... this is one of my favourite photos I've ever taken. It is at the time of this posting my 3rd 'most interesting' according to Flickr and the photo with the 5th most views.
This experiment is now finished it's active stage.
Passive stage beginning... now.
A Million and Six! Jesus Chri...
October fifth two thousand fi...!
That's a long time without a post.
I've allowed great distraction and likely will again. My video diary takes most of my blog-worthy thought.
In the past few weeks I've had a number of deep thoughts that I've bemoaned no real outlet for. Stuff that wasn't really personal enough for my video blog. Stuff I wanted to at least go throught the pretense of sharing. Anyhow none occur to me at the moment, but now that I've gone through the ritual of re-opening the blog and addressed the gaping hole in which I HAVEN'T been writing... now that all of that is out of the way and I've confirmed that I still rememeber my password... perhaps I'll remember to get deep...
That's a long time without a post.
I've allowed great distraction and likely will again. My video diary takes most of my blog-worthy thought.
In the past few weeks I've had a number of deep thoughts that I've bemoaned no real outlet for. Stuff that wasn't really personal enough for my video blog. Stuff I wanted to at least go throught the pretense of sharing. Anyhow none occur to me at the moment, but now that I've gone through the ritual of re-opening the blog and addressed the gaping hole in which I HAVEN'T been writing... now that all of that is out of the way and I've confirmed that I still rememeber my password... perhaps I'll remember to get deep...
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