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Tuesday, April 12, 2005
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10:50 p.m.
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For my dear, sweet, Catherine who today turns 26. I love you more with each passing day and can't imagine what my life would be like without coming home to hold you in my arms. I love you today, tomorrow, and forever. You look so cute asleep in bed right now. I'm glad you had a nice day.
Posted by
Parallel
Monday, April 11, 2005
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12:49 p.m.
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This was an article in today's Metro and I wanted to post it for a couple of reasons. 1. I think it's kind of ridiculous. Society is becoming way too picky for its own good. 2. I figured Catherine would find it funny. My job is to amuse her. "Cookie Monster, the blue furry muppet known for his penchant for cookies, will be eating less of his favourite food in the coming season, CBC.ca reports. The change in Cookie Monster's diet is part of a new focus on television's Sesame Street, one that will stress healty eating habits for children." It's official, the world has gone nuts.
Posted by
Parallel
Thursday, April 07, 2005
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7:56 p.m.
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“A Subway sandwich shop employee in Edmonton, Alberta, somehow managed to activate the burglar alarm and disarm two men who were attempting to rob him at knifepoint. Scared by the sandwich maker’s heroics, the felons fled the scene. The Subway employee pursued the would-be thieves, shouting that there was no harm done and that he’d gladly make them free sandwiches if they came back. Amazingly, they did! Police arrived minutes later and arrested the hungry thieves, who were patiently waiting in line for a Cold Cut Trio.” —Stuff magazine
Posted by
Parallel
Monday, April 04, 2005
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1:55 p.m.
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Jer, Aaron and I ventured forth to see this comic book-turned-film on the big screen. While it has a lot of value in terms of cinematography, I found the execution to be a bit overwhelming. As a comic book fan, I appreciate the literalness of the translation, but I can imagine the uniniated arriving to the show and finding it a bit wanting. Some found the endless narration jarring, and others will be blown away by the brutality of the film. The biggest impression that the movie will leave with me, however, had nothing to do with what was on screen. It was the audience. The crazy fucking audience. There were people smoking hash somewhere in the theatre. I can't confirm it, but my suspicions fall on the guy in the back who laughed REALLY loudly at anything and everything. Apparently others noticed it as well as during the third act theatre employees stood on both sides of the theatre and were scanning the crowd. It was a bit disconcerting. Add to the fact that the guys behind us were drunk. You could smell it clearly, especially on the breath of the guy who leaned forward in his seat. He kept knocking over glass bottles the whole time. The woman beside Aaron kept falling asleep. This wouldn't have been bad if she hadn't cried out when Aaron got up to go to the bathroom. I thought it was quite funny. The guys in front of us wouldn't take off their hats. All of this was crazy and could be explained any number of ways. They were prepping for the bar or a party, maybe they had already been out for a good time. Then again, seeing as how it was a matinee and showed at 4 in the afternoon, maybe they were just idiots. Oh, and they showed the movie and the Star Wars trailer. That was good.
Posted by
Parallel
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
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4:26 p.m.
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This is from the Globe and Mail's Social Studies: "Of all the terrifying circumstances to which one's home is vulnerable, nothing equals that of a guest who stares straight at one's bookshelves," wrote Roger Rosenblatt in Time magazine more than a decade ago. "It is when those eyes stop moving that your heart, too, stops. The guest's body twitches; his hand floats up to where his eyes have led it. There is nothing to be done. You freeze. You hear the question even as it forms: 'Would you mind if I borrowed this book? . . .'One has books; one has friends; they are bound to meet." I realize it's been more than a little while since I last posted but I have a REALLY good excuse: I'm lazy. That's about it. Sometimes there's nothing one can do to become motivated to write endless pieces of drivel about their day, life, job or other circumstance. For those of you who care, the new Fantastic Four trailer is out and I'm still uncertain what I think about it. Paul is falling on the cautious side while I'm sure that Jer already hates it even though I don't think he's seen it. Aaron would just shrug. It's his way. Don't judge.
Posted by
Parallel
Monday, March 21, 2005
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11:11 p.m.
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Anything that, in happening, causes something else to happen, causes something else to happen.
Posted by
Parallel
Sunday, March 20, 2005
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11:23 p.m.
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Anything that happens, happens.
Posted by
Parallel
Friday, March 18, 2005
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6:38 p.m.
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... or encouraged. Honestly, at this point I'm not sure which side of the fence I fall on. For those of you in the dark, Lucas made an announcement today that for the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars, the films would be released, one a year starting in 2007, in 3-D. This is a true story. What's more interesting is that Peter Jackson has made comments about doing something similar with Lord of the Rings. What's more, apparently he's already done it with some of the footage. Don't get me wrong, I'll be there front and center for all of this because I'm a consumer whore. It's just that Lucas and his madness of forty different versions must be stopped sooner or later. I'm told that in 2017, for the 40th Anniversary, there will be smell-o-vision and actual garbage will get dumped on us during the trash compactor scene. Again, I'll likely be there. It's too bad that these films need the size of the theatre to really work, though, as watching them on a TV at home will likely lose the effect. Unless you're Paul who owns a projector, and I'm assuming by the time the movies actually come out will have bought his own theatre. Star Wars. In 3-D. Wild.
Posted by
Parallel
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
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8:14 p.m.
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I am not rich. I must stop acting as though I am. I admit I've hit a bit of a spending streak lately that really must stop. I've managed to stop shy of getting carried away, though. Part of it is due to finally getting a job. I bought a nice present for Catherine and picked up something for myself as well. Seemed only right. Then of course I had to pay for my karate grading, and I didn't realize I had to pay off that much on my credit card... Then came a couple of games (board and video) that didn't cost that much individually, but they add up. Not to stop there, I went and picked up the latest series of Marvel Legends figures today which included War Machine, Dr. Strange, Professor X, and Nightcrawler. I had no choice. Each figure comes with a piece of a giant figure, in this case Galactus, and I only need to secure one more to have the whole figure. The thing is a giant at 16". Still, the cash ride is over for the moment. Everything is taken care of that needed it. Well, I suppose I didn't HAVE to buy season 4 of Buffy, but it was used (or sold as used... it was still in the original packaging)... and I guess I don't NEED to buy U2 tickets this Saturday... but I will. It's too bad I couldn't buy them closer to the actual concert date which is in September. Can I count them as a September purchase? No worries as I do have the money for all this. I haven't gone nuts. Yet.
Posted by
Parallel
Sunday, March 13, 2005
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8:26 p.m.
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• Chou Remains Cremated • New housing for elderly not yet dead • SILENT TEAMSTER GETS CRUEL PUNISHMENT: LAWYER • GREEKS FINE HOOKERS • Federal Agents Raid Gun Shop, Find Weapons • SHOUTING MATCH ENDS TEACHER’S HEARING • YELLOW SNOW STUDIED TO TEST NUTRITION • County Wants Money for Taking Dump
Posted by
Parallel
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
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8:21 p.m.
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 Ah, that graceful Campbell style of eating... Rory Marie... 8 months old. 
Posted by
Parallel
As per his chatterbox instructions, I gave Brody a call. He's up north at the moment (and has been for a year... or at least that's how long since he was last in Guelph), and doing just fine. He and Lisa are having a great time raising little 8-month old Rory Marie. We've vowed to email each other much more often than the never it's been so far. I find it funny that we don't talk much as I still consider Brody to be one of my best friends. That's all fixed now, however, as he's sent the opening email to me and I've already applied. As per my request, Brody has already fired off a group of pictures of his lovely daughter. The first thought I had was "she looks just like him" followed quickly by "that poor, hairy, baby." I hope to see my friend again soon as it's been too long. Whenever I see Brody, things just seem to make sense again. It's probably just his open and honest nature and great sense of humor. He's just one of those guys that makes day-to-day life a bit more enjoyable. It might be the beer. Ah, if Brody was around, the video games we'd play would be endless. Poor Rory would be fatherless as her Dad would stumble home late at night with bloodshot eyes from staring at screens. Not a bad life, if you ask me. And perhaps better than the day-to-day operations up at Pickle Lake. Brody, I salute you.
Posted by
Parallel
Saturday, March 05, 2005
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11:44 a.m.
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This, one and all, has to be my personal record for the longest time in between blog entries. In fact, it would be longer, but I'm avoiding doing work on a Saturday at the moment. It's been a while, so I'll bring you all up to speed: I have a job now at a company called First Media Group. This is not the glorious job I feel I was promised in the early days of my youth and in fact the job itself can be boring and repetitive. On the bright side, however, this is my first real annual salary kind of job and I'm not about to mess it up. I'm a production artist there and I lay out ads for many major and minor papers around Canada. We'll be expanding our efforts to the States eventually, and I'm sure my head will explode. It's only been one week, but already I've stayed late on three of the four days I've worked. Hopefully this extra effort will cease. In other news, Marvel is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Age of Apocalypse. One of the best X-Men stories to have ever been produced, all the original books are going to be collected in four massive trade paperbacks. Like a good little boy, I'll likely buy all of them when they come out. In addition, Marvel is producing a six-issue limited series and a one-shot. I have the first issues of both, and I must say I'm rather impressed. 10 years is a lot of time to lose the magic, but so far so good. Also, this week saw the release of Ultimate Iron Man. Normally I wouldn't announce such a project, but this one happens to be written by my favorite author, Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game). It's being drawn by Andy Kubert (Origin), another favorite, and worth taking a look at. By taking a look I'm sure most of you will take this to mean it's okay to read my issue. Catherine and I are shuffling along and doing well. She's just completed her Felicity collection on DVD and is busy trying to get me to cheer up about getting a job. You'd think I'd be celebrating, but somehow it feels like the end of all there is... Hrm.
Posted by
Parallel
Thursday, February 24, 2005
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12:55 p.m.
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Just when you think my blogging will approach anything sort of regular, I end up in a near-coma state passing the hours and days as I will in my own strange ways. This week involved more work, but not the kind I'm continuously hoping for. At the very least it all keeps my head above water, but it could be more fun. The point of this post is to enquire about this weekend. Everything looked primed for last weekend, and things were postponed, allegedly, to this weekend. I have no idea if Josh or Paul or Jamie or Nic or if anyone is coming down. The last time I saw Jer was on the weekend when we spent money to go see Constantine. While I was primed to dislike this movie, I have to admit it wasn't that bad. Jer is firmly in the camp that Keanu Reeves should have been recast with a more grungy looking actor like Bruce Willis, but I didn't mind Reeves at all. And for reasons I can't begin to fathom (well, I can, I suppose... I wanted a special kind of gun), I've almost completely played through Resident Evil 4 again. This time, however, it's at less than half the time it took me the first play through. It's still a whack of change. Next week sees the release of my newest and likely last game (though the next Zelda game looks great) for the Gamecube, Mortal Kombat: Deception (MK6).
Posted by
Parallel
Friday, February 18, 2005
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12:02 p.m.
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If the world gives you lemons...A struggling playwright named Greg Kotis was homeless in Paris, surviving on $4 a day. He slept on park benches and often had to choose between eating and using the city’s pay urinals. ...Make lemonade: One rainy afternoon while making such a choice (he chose food), a thought occurred to him: What if a single evil corporation controlled all of the pay urinals in a city? Inspired, Kotis wrote a play called Urinetown: The Musical. After a sold-out off-Broadway run, it opened on Broadway in 2001. Highlight: a song called “It’s a Privilege to Pee.”
Posted by
Parallel
"You have to initial here concerning your immortal soul." - W & H employee You have to admire the guts it took to move the final season of Angel into the offices of the series' major villains. What could easily have blown up in the faces of the cast and creators was embraced by fans and the result is an incredible season. And how on Earth can you top turning Angel into a puppet? My copy came in the mail today thanks to a pre-order off of Amazon.ca nearly two weeks ago. I had a coupon for $5 off, so the whole thing only cost me $50. Now, as it happens, my Angel collection is complete. I even have an extra sleeve for season 5 as it came in a bilingual wrapper. Heh, if anyone wants a copy of the season I can burn one and even give you a proper sleeve. My madness doesn't stop there, however. I picked up season 3 of Buffy last week used for a song, and then last night as a Valentine's Day present, the ever-wonderful Catherine picked up a used copy of season 5 for me. That just leaves 4, 6, and 7 left to go. I'm probably insane, but that's okay by me. I'm enjoying myself and getting every drop of pleasure of out these DVDs that I can. Now I just have to wait for Firefly to find it's way back to me after being on what seems like permanent loan to friends and family and I can have a Joss Whedon party. PS. Firefly is selling used across the street for $35. I'm sure I've gone nuts now. There's also been no comment from Paul or Jamie about this weekend. I'll have to begin bugging in earnest.
Posted by
Parallel
Sunday, February 13, 2005
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7:49 p.m.
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I love these calendars, I really do. Though I think I may be one of the few out there who do. Today, I bought one (featuring dogs) for Catherine purely so I could have my year-long online access back to the Uncle John's Bathroom Reader version. It was such a pleasant way to begin a day of being anchored to a computer, so I didn't want to pass it up again. Here are a few highlights I've discovered so far: "In 1946 the following ad appeared in several southern California newspapers: “Wanted: Congressman candidate with no previous political experience to defeat a man who has represented the district in the House for 10 years. Any young man, resident of district, preferably a veteran, fair education, may apply for the job.” The ad had been placed by the Republican party. The young man who answered the ad was awarded the job and did in fact defeat incumbent Jerry Voorhis after a dirty campaign. So who kicked off his political career by replying to a want ad? Richard M. Nixon (born on this date in 1913)." And another good one: • In 2003 televangelist Jim Bakker paid a $3.7 million settlement for defrauding his followers. Lawyers got $2.5 million of it—and each victim got $6.54. • In a 2003 settlement between Sears and customers with improperly done wheel balancing, lawyers got $2.45 million—and customers got $2.50 per tire. • When a bank settled a lawsuit over improper interest charges, the lawyers got $8.5 million. Each bank customer got less that $10...and then had to pay the bank $91 to reimburse its court fees. And finally (for today at least): "In 1990, 14-year-old Lisa Reid went blind as the result of a brain tumor. The doctors told her it was permanent. Then one night about 10 years later, she bent down to kiss her guide dog goodnight and accidentally smacked her head on a coffee table. Amazingly, when she woke up the next morning, 80 percent of the vision in her left eye had been restored. The first thing she did: telephoned her mother and read her the health warning on a packet of cigarettes." Other than that, I had a job interview last week that either went really well or I botched completely. I've decided there's no such thing as in between seeing as how you either get the job or you don't. Catherine and I are enjoying an extended 'Valentine's Day Weekend' with trips for breakfast, gonig to a movie (Million Dollar Baby), a proper dinner on Tuesday night followed by a performance of Mamma Mia. Personally, I think it's fantastic that after 5 1/2 years of being together that she and I still go out on dates. She's gotta be the most romantic person I know (after myself of course). PS. This weekend Josh is coming to Toronto to hang out. I'm putting out the call now for Paul, Jamie, Nic, and whomever else is interested to take a little trip into this damn city for a good time.
Posted by
Parallel
Friday, February 04, 2005
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11:12 a.m.
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As most of you know, I met with the Toronto Tonight host about a week and a half back (jeez, nearly two now) about a possible career in television. The intention at the time was to get advice for my SPACE pitch, but Ben wound up suggesting something else entirely.
"We have an associate producer job that's come open," he told me. "It entails watching the wires, gathering press releases, and then presenting them, along with any original ideas, to story meeetings each day. The rest of the day is meant to gather guests for the show, and maybe do a bit of tagline and editing with a video editor." Needless to say, I kind of liked that idea. What' s more, Ben said that he thought I'd be really good at it. This is the kind of encouragement a 'starving artist' such as myself needs when first trying to get something going. There's nothing definitive here, but it doesn't hurt. Then Ben told me to retool my resume and send it to him. Now, Ben's name isn't the person on the contact information, but I took it to mean that he'd give me his stamp of approval and you can't do much better than that. He asked me to have to him within two or three weeks. So I sent it in on Wednesday, adding about 6 or 7 story ideas, nailing the concept of who the station was (thanks to Catherine for her help with everything), and waited patiently. While NOTHING is set in stone, this email reply I just got gives me a lot of hope for the future... Hey Brian,
Zev and I looked at your resume. Ronke is the one doing the hiring for this position...but it doesn't hurt that Zev and I are both impressed. He'll tell her that. As I said, there's somebody already doing the job on a temporary basis -- nothing's guaranteed for him, but he is doing a very good job. But it definitely bodes well for the future for you, even if things don't work out this second. I'm not sure what I can add to your presentation. As Zev said, "This is very smart." We get a lot of resumes. We rarely say that (if ever). Great first page, great 'branded' look, and excellent last page. The story ideas are great, but beyond that, you really nailed who we are and why you'd fit. I wish I could offer you a job right now. Can't. But keep in touch. Ronke will be calling you soon to get you in for an interview. All the best,
Posted by
Parallel
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
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3:34 p.m.
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Ah, how I do love chocolate milk... and how I love that it became headline news yesterday that Sealtest put out a bad batch of it. How is it that protests, murders, and all the other events in this city was spoiled by some fun loving chocolate milk gone bad?
Have we all gone nuts? Well, whatever. All it did was make me want chocolate milk. So I went out, bought three bags and a bottle of Quik (TM). No worries, it wasn't THAT big of a craving as Catherine and I bought the rest of our groceries then as well. How is it that between the two of us we managed to rack up $70 worth of food? It certainly doesn't seem like that much when you spread it out. It beats eating out, though. That was costing us HUGE amounts of money but it appealed to our lazy side. It also means I need to start getting back into karate as my bulge is beginning to obscure my belt. I wish I had more local overweight friends. We could band together and fight. Who am I stuck with? My girlfriend is in amazing shape, and the two closest best friends are freakin' rails. Ah, the irony.
Posted by
Parallel
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