Tuesday, January 30, 2007

smoke gets in your eyes...

i've just come back from seeing howie le rookie at studio 16. did i enjoy it? well, it was definately different. it's an irish play translated into french, if i understand the press correctly. it was definately a new experience watching a play, while reading subtitles. i've done it for the opera, and movies of course, but never live theatre. i had problems with the subtitles for a number of reasons.

1. why does it seem like subtitles are never proof read? this bothers me to no end. and it especially bothered me tonight because if this is an irish play, wasn't it written in english to begin with? so why did they not make sense in so many parts? couldn't they just put the original dialogue up? i guess, it could have been written in gaelic. but then, i would assume that at some point it was translated to english.

i'm going to go back to my subtitles issues in a minute. i'm going to deal with why i chose that title for my post. we enter the theatre and studio 16 is really, really small. and it is incredibly smoky. so smoky, that i feel that i can not see the stage clearly. the usher is asking everyone in french, if they speak english, and if so, is directing them to sit in seats marked 's'. for subtitles. these are the seats that offer the best view of the subtitling screen. which i thought was pretty cool.

anyways, we are waiting for the show to start and i'm starting to cough because of the vasts of fog in the room. and it smells. musty like. the show starts. it's basically a monologue in two acts by two different actors. so, it's extremely wordy. so i'm frantically trying to read the subtitles, while trying to focus on the actual acting. it's so foggy, i can't always read the subtitles, plus add in the typos and the fact that it does not seem like the subtitle screens are moving as fast as the actors are speaking. all of this leads to a feeling of general confusion on my part. the worst part was the smoke really affected my eyes and i kept rubbing them, missing even more subtitles. making me feel even more confused.

by the end of the play, all i could think about was how much i wanted out of that room. my eyes were itchy and watery, my head hurt, my stomach was queasy and i was trying not to cough. i was so happy to get out of that room. i couldn't wait to leave. i even skipped out on the free food and booze that was on offer after the play.

i think i would really like to see this play again, but in english so that i could really appreciate it. or at least in a theatre that does not have a fog machine. i do have to say that the stage design was pretty cool. i guess i would call it industrial derelict.

blech. i can still smell the smoke.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

sunday afternoon there’s something special ...

ok, i know it's sunday, but i did play random ten on friday, but i haven't had a chance to post until now.

the first song amused me to no end. considering it was garbage day.

1. dumb - garbage
2. i don't want to know (if you don't want me) - the donnas
3. things are gonna change (the morning after) - ray davies (umm, this played last week)
4. is this it - the strokes
5. rosalie come and go - ryan adams
6. hopeless case of a kid in denial - the hellacopters
7. safe from harm - massive attack
8. prologue - will oldham
9. loopy cockatoo - the mopes
10. sea change - the emptys

no recap of last week's strombo show as it was a repeat. probably no recap for this week as i will only be able to catch maybe the first 1/2 hour or so. i'm counting on toccata and evelyne to fill me in on this week in bob. and definately no recap for next week's show. i'm busy attending a bunch of shows at the push festival.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

all apologies...

ok, i hate chain mail and these things that people forward you on luck etc. but i got one today, and i feeling a little superstitious and i don't need any bad luck right now. i have a big important week ahead of me. i don't believe in forwarding these things on, but i will post it on my blog because i do find "horrorscopes" fascinating.

before i post the chain, i found this online test that is supposed to tell you how superstitious you are. i scored 60, which means

"You're not 100% superstitious, but there are certain things that you'd rather avoid…just in case! Perhaps you have a certain good luck charm, or pass on chain letters, partially for the fun, partially to protect yourself. Overall, you likely realize deep down that superstitions are mostly not true, but the ones you follow have become old habit. It makes you uncomfortable to break them, so it's simply easier to keep - especially since many of them are tightly woven into our cultural fabric. Almost everyone has the little moment of hesitation when they realize it's Friday the 13th, for example, or says "bless you" when someone sneezes. As long as your superstitions are not controlling your life in any way, there's probably no harm in them. "

btw i love friday the 13th.

ok, here is the repost. i have taken out all bad luck threats as i will not forward those. although i'd like to say that my sign had the most bad luck attached to it, 24 years! also, what especially bugs me about this one is all the freakin' typos and bad grammer. if you are going to threaten me, at least have the courtesy to proof read it.

and again, my apologies.


.:VIRGO:. The Virgin
Dominant in relationships. Sexy. someone loves them right now. Freak in bed. Always wants the last word. Caring. Smart. Intellectual. Attractive.Poetic. Loyal. Easy to talk to. Hard to forget Love at first sight. Everything you ever wanted. Easy to please. The one and only. Ultimate sexiness.

..:SCORPIO:. The sex addict
Can be mean. EXTREMELY sexy. Intelligent. Energetic. Predict future. Most erotic. (Freak in bed.) (GREAT kisser.) Always get what they want. Sexy. Attractive. Easy going. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. The sexiest ever....Romantic. Caring.

..:LIBRA:. The best lover
Very pretty. Very romantic. Nice to everyone They meet. Their Love is one of a kind. Silly, fun and sweet. Have own unique sexiness. Most caring person you will ever meet! Amazing n Bed..!!! Did I say Amazing in Bed? not the kind of person you wanna #### with... u might end up crying... the most irresistible.

..:ARIES:. The Animal in bed
Outgoing. Lovable. Spontanious. Not one to #### with. Erotic. Funny. Take you on trips to the moon in bed. Excellent kisser EXTREMELY sexy. Loves being in long relationships.=) Addictive. Loud. best in bed.

..:AQUARIUS:. Does it in the water
Trustworthy. Sexy. Great kisser. One of a kind. Loves being in long-term relationships. Extremely energetic. Unpredictable. Will exceed your expectations. Not a Fighter, But will Knock your lights out. Amazing in bed, THE BEST LOVERS BETTER THAN EVERYONE!


..:GEMINI:. Does Twosomes
Nice. Love is one of a kind. Great listeners Very Good in bed. Lover not a fighter, but will still knock you the #### out. Trustworthy. Always happy. Loud. Talkative. Outgoing VERY FORGIVING. Loves to make out. Has a beautiful smile. Generous. Strong. ULTRA SEXY. THE MOST IRRESISTABLE.

..:LEO:. The Lion in bed
Great talker. Sexy and passionate. Laid back. Knows how to have fun. Is really good at. Great kisser. Unpredictable. Outgoing. Down to earth. Addictive. Attractive. Loud. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Not one to mess with. Rare to find. Good when found.

..:CANCER:. The Cutie
MOST AMAZING KISSER. Very high sex appeal. Great in bed!!! Love is one of a kind. Very romantic. Most caring person you will ever meet! Entirely creative. Extremely random and proud of it. Freak in bed. Spontaneous. Great tellin stories. Not a Fighter, But will Knock your lights out if it comes down to it. Someone you should hold on to.

..:PISCES:. The Piece of ass
Caring and kind. Smart. Center of attention. Too Sexy, DAMN IT. Very high ### appeal. Has the last word. The best to find, hardest to keep. Fun to be around. Freak in the sheets. Extremely weird but in a good way. Super good in bed. Good Sense of Humor!!! Thoughtful. A partner for life. Always gets what he or she wants. Loves to joke. Very popular. Silly, fun and sweet.

..:CAPRICORN The passioate Lover
Love to bust. Nice. Sassy. Intelligent. Sexy. Predict future. Irrestible, awesome kisser. Loves being in long relationships. Great talker. Always gets what he or she wants. BY FAR the BEST in BED. Very sexy. Coolest. Loves to own Gemini's in sports.Extremely fun. Loves to joke. Loves to be your first. So you'll never forget. Smart.

..:TAURUS The Tramp
Aggressive. Freak in bed. Rare to find! Loves being in long relationships.=] Likes to give a good fight for what they want. Extremely outgoing. Sexy as ........ Loves to help people in times of need. Outstanding kisser. Very funny. Awesome personality. Stubborn. Sexual as ......... Most caring person you will ever meet! One of a kind. Not one to #### with. Are the most sexiest people on earth!

..:SAGITTARIUS:. The Sexy one
Spontaneous. Horny. Freak in Bed. High appeal. Rare to find. Great when found. Loves being in long relationships. The one. So much love to give. Not one to mess with. Very pretty. Very romantic. Nice to everyone They meet. Their Love is one of a kind. Silly, fun and sweet. Have own unique sexiness. Most caring person you will ever meet! Amazing in Bed..!!! Did I say Amazing in Bed? Not the kind of person you wanna with you might end up crying.

Friday, January 19, 2007

sing me to sleep im tired...

just got back from the theatre, and my love affair with the bus is over. i forgot how much it sucks taking the bus at night, in the cold and rain. i'm so fickle. :)

here's my friday random top ten.

1. things are gonna change (the morning after) – ray davies
2. sweetest thing (the single mix) – u2
3. social suicide – bad religion
4. highlights (live) – backyard babies
5. pendulums – sarah harmer
6. little electric chair – iggy pop feat. the stooges
7. a design for life – manic street preachers
8. sporting life – the sea and cake
9. ashes to ashes – steve earle
10. he lays in the reins – calexico/iron & wine

to me it says, i listen to punk rock with a dash of indie on the side.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

if you want a lover...

ever know you're going to love a song before you even hear it?

i picked up the leonard cohen tribute/soundtrack 'i'm your man' awhile back. i hadn't had a chance to listen to it, but i ended up loading it onto my mp3 player the other day, and got excited because i had a) forgotten nick cave was on it and b) that he was doing 'i'm your man' . now, i'm a huge nick cave fan (but no blind devotion here, not a big fan of 'nocturama'). and even tho i was dying to hear it, i waited. i had a few other cds that i had to listen to first.

i ended up starting to listen to the soundtrack when i got off the skytrain on my way home, and of course, by this time i had forgotten about the nick cave track. which i think was a good thing.

i'm standing on the bus, when this sleazy intro comes pouring into my ears. and i'm thinking god, yes. even before the vocals hit, i know it's nick. and i love it. it's sexy, it's desperate and i can't wait to get home to listen to it thru speakers and not my headphones. i want to enjoy every single lyric he sings. and when he sings, if you want a father for your child, he makes me want to say yes. for the first time ever. :)

i listened to it all the way home. over and over again. it's my new obsession.

i need to see this movie.

i don't know how to load the song up so instead i offer this bonus link... jethro lazenby, nick cave's model son.

edit...i tried to link this yesterday but blogger was being a pain. here's a visual, courtesy of youtube. unfortunately the intro is buried.

magic bus...

i've been taking the bus to/from work a lot lately. and i'm totally into it. i know i complained about it earlier, but i've totally gotten my bus groove back.

people who know me now, think of me as a driver. i'm always driving somewhere. but what most of them don't know is that i was not always a driver. i spent most of my life as a non-driver. i walked, took the bus, or bummed rides off people for most of my life. including a good portion of my adult years. as a kid, who needed to go far? as a young teenager, well, i lived within walking distance of a mall with a cinema. and once i got seriously into my teens, i only really cared about going one place. downtown vancouver. and i lived on a major route into downtown. every 15 minutes (1/2 hour at night) i could catch a bus and be downtown within 45 minutes. and that's what we did every saturday morning, it seemed. plus my dad was always going downtown or somewhere, he drove a van, and i would fill it with all my friends.

as i got older, i got a job downtown. i partied downtown. and again, a car was unnecessary. i could catch a late bus every hour until 3 or 4 in the morning and walk home from the last stop. plus as an added bonus, one of my friends who lived near me had a car. so until we had a major falling out, i got a lot of rides from her.

the reason i finally got my license was i got a job where i needed to have a car. and i discovered the joys of driving. the freedom to go wherever, whenever. i was lucky. i learnt to drive in winter, during a year where we had a lot of snow, and tons of rain. and i had to drive downtown every day. i consider this lucky as because of this, none of these conditions bother me to drive. and i know how to drive in them. i drove every day for about a year and a half, got a new job and become a bus person again. eventually i moved downtown, and discovered the joys of being a pedestrian.

thru a serious of events, i ended up back in the 'burbs and working way out in the 'burbs for the first time. suddenly, i had to drive to work. the bus schedule and routes were not so kind going anywhere other than downtown vancouver. and although i gained much time driving, i think i lost just as much. i didn't read as much. i missed my morning nap. and i missed the feeling of starting and ending the work day just kicking back and relaxing.

i did take the bus occasionally. and it felt weird. i couldn't read without feeling ill. i felt anxious. and i never had tunes, so the quietness would bug me. and i felt crowded and cramped with all the people.

but i've taken the bus a lot recently. at first, i couldn't deal with it. but after a few days, i adjusted. and started to enjoy it. i like walking to my bus stop every morning. i had forgotten what it's like to walk somewhere by myself. without my dog. setting my own pace. i have my mp3 player so i can choose when i want quiet. i relearnt how to read on the bus. i like being able to gaze out and look at things. and i'm enjoying the drama of the people.

today's morning excitment was the guy getting busted for fare fraud on the skytrain. evening drama, was our bus driver lecturing us on when we are supposed to ring the bell. i love these little things that happen. and i would have missed it all, if i had drove.



{ps.. but there is no way i'm giving up my car.... :) }

Sunday, January 14, 2007

i'm coming on like a hurricane...

ok, so i didn't have time to do the recap on the last show pre-xmas. maybe i'll be wacky and do it this week. i still have the notes.

i will be around this week, but i will probably miss the last ten minutes or so. there is no way in hell i'm taking the chance and missing one second of 24!

please excuse any typos. i'm tired and i know i didn't proof it very well.

the trio returns!

bob laughs about something. and for the record, i will state that bob has a great laugh.

they are using a new sound to chime people in on myspace. i, of course, recognize it in a heartbeat. it's one of the bells from ac/dc's hells bells.

bob says his time off was great because he learned a new trick. when you are not at work, don't work. he spent time incommunicado. he learnt he was not allergic to flannel. mr. stroumboulopoulos texted bob and just figured he and his wife went away. last weekend, mr. stroumboulopoulos went 27 hours incommunicado. he shut off his cell phone/blackberry, his home phone and closed his lap top. bob talks about how big cities are hard to get away from. you have to close the front door and not feel obliged to answer the phone just because it is ringing. (i am so with you bob!). mr. stroumboulopoulos says he used to be that way, but clearly he's not now. but he shares why you should open mail. he came home friday to an orange postcard. his electricity was going to be cut off. he put it down on his coffee table with his mail pile and there were five separate envelopes from them. he pays bills when he flippin' gets to them. he hasn't had heat from a couple of times lately but that is because his furnace was broken. bob talks about how weird it is when your house doesn't work. (i can relate to that, especially recently. power failures gives your house such a surreal feeling). they compare it to when escalators are broken and you have to walk up them like stairs. mr. stroumboulopoulos actually pauses, and looks around for another option. what do you mean i have to use stairs? bob says something like it's like bringing the outdoors in. mr. stroumboulopoulos says that why he has doors and doesn't live in bc where they like doing stuff outdoors.

bob says 2007 seems to be the time to call him and pressure him to have kids.

radio clash - the clash

who made who - ac/dc

there is talk of the new arcade fire and about how much music they play on their show, considering they do a talk show. bob is very proud of their play list. but he wonders are they open minded or non-commited? mr. stroumboulopoulos votes for non-committed.

bob thinks he resembles an angry, drunk bob mould in his new picture on strombo.com. the photo to him says i was once very big in the indie scene. donnie doesn't like his picture as you can't see his face. mr. stroumboulopoulos says he works with divas. alex likes bob's picture as it reminds me of a before picture.

they talk about 'questions about stuff'. bob says that alex is going to do a dramatization about 'stuff' , which seems to shock him. he says he thought he was just going to ask bob a question about stuff. to which he gets the reply of everything about you is a dramatization.

alex calls the stuff segment. he says that etiquette in public sounds nice. bob says that that is alex's question. alex says he wasn't listening to the other ones. (this is one of the many reasons why i enjoy alex.)

the talk changes to the environment and how the polls suggest that this is the most important concern to canadians right now, even above health care and afghanistan. mr. stroumboulopoulos suggests that the health care and afghanistan combine and overthrow the environment for the number one position. mr. stroumboulopoulos understands why it is number one, it is for him. but the question is will people do anything about it? do they care enough? bob has been holding back his answer to this question for four days. bob thinks they do. he says the reason the environment is number one is fluke and the right guy at the same time. the fluke is an incredibly warm winter (this would be for the eastern listeners, out west we are having an horrible winter) and al gore. mr. stroumboulopoulos says that he thinks that al gore is not telling the truth when he says he is not running for president. alex says that the real question is what are you going to do about it? he doesn't think you can do anything. what the question should be is what are we going to do now that it is going to get hot? you need to adapt to the new reality. (interesting concept.)

should bob have kids? a caller calls in and says if you do, don't raise them like my parents raised me. laughter all around. the advice is don't tell them rock n roll is the sound of the devil. don't insult the way they dress.

apparently they are a week or so away from podcasting.

new arcade fire.

mr. stroumboulopoulos has never watched 'saved by the bell'.

sweet georgia brown is played in honour of the harlem globetrotters. bob and mr. stroumboulopoulos both were at the same game as kids but they did not know each other. bob still thinks the pail filled with confetti and not water is the best gag.

back to the caller and advice for child rearing. if you have a girl, don't let her be a prostit-tot. bob calls music videos these days nympo-mercials.

bob wants to know why environmentalists all have dry hair.

a man calls in and says people only care about the environment in the summertime when it actually affects you. and as to kids, sure why not. alex asks bob, aren't you already too old to take kids to the park.

alex suggests that in the future, we should all wear unitards. coloured unitards that separate us by classes. like in that book. bob suggests the bible. alex says no, the other one. they decide on 1984 (which is so wrong, it's brave new world. which he later says is basically the same thing. umm, no.)

'the hour' will apparently be broadcasting from other cities after all this season. or at least one other city. valentine's week, they will be in london, england.

rona ambrose is discussed. mr. stroumboulopoulos says she got hosed by the government. bob says she reminds him of fay wray being offered up to king kong as a sacrifice.

claire martin is on! she basically says the good weather (again, in the east) is due to two factors. one is just luck and the second is el nino. she also tells a story how she was grocery shopping and had kraft dinner in one hand and feminine napkins in the other and was recognized. she wondering do i hide the fact that i can't cook or do i hide ...?

people always ask her about the weather, even mr. stroumboulopoulos keeps coming up to her, can i take my bike out of storage?

they talk about some guy who had 37 rats (in cages) and six cats on a sailboat. the same guy has been in trouble before, having 1300 rats in cages. alex doesn't see what the big deal is. he wants to know if they are individual cages. alex says he may have good reason. bob and mr. stroumboulopoulos agree that three is the right number of pets. mr. stroumboulopoulos throws in you can have more than three fish, but not in one tank unless you have a huge tank. bob says no more than three fish bowls. and that very small animals are only counted as 1/2 a pet. like mountain hamsters. they discuss the ½ pet issue and decide that it is any non dog that is under ten pounds. mr. stroumboulopoulos says he doesn't want his cats, he kinda inherited them. he was thinking of a third stray, but thought he would have to trade it in if he wanted a dog. alex doesn't agree with them. he says you can't go around telling people what they can't and can't do with sharing their love. he is not going to tell you you can't have five pets. they can't believe mr. stroumboulopoulos' cats are still alive. he says he feeds them, but doesn't clean their litter enough. he says his place is disgusting.

this week in bob. mr. stroumboulopoulos says that bob has his head in his hands. alex says it was a bit of trouble this week, bob was keeping on the downlow. he thought about doing a best of bob 2006, the year in review. he was going to call it things they didn't want you to hear. but then friday came along, or in bob's world... chip wagon friday. alex says he found out thru his journalistic what do you call it .. mr. stroumboulopoulos suggests research.. and alex says yah. bob goes to the chip wagon on front street every friday. which alex finds kinda weird as he does not need another tradition where he eats. he took pictures but doesn't have them with him of bob eating the food. alex suggests posting them and mr. stroumboulopoulos says that bob may not let you. bob is eating from a box, not a cup, not a bucket but a box of fries. and the fries were the side dish. mr. stroumboulopoulos says that bob doesn't eat meat on friday as bob is catholic. bob says that you research but you don't know i'm catholic. alex says wait i'm not finished. oh maybe i am. alex took three pictures of bob eating. bob says why can't you take a picture of me when i'm eating alfalfa sprouts. alex says because they don't deep fry alfalfa sprouts. bob says it's not my fault they give them to me in a box. alex says you don't have to eat them all. bob says he is like santa, he gives out the fries. and then he sees alex jump up on a desk and take photos of me. bob is trying to eat better this year. alex says bob doesn't look happy in the pictures, eating his favourite food on his favourite day.

melissa myspaces in with the comment, bob did want a new picture. bob laughs. melissa always has the wittiest things to say.

back to unitards. alex says that everyone is missing the point. he says that he is saying that it would look cool if everyone would wear one. he says it would be good for terrorism. bob asks him to explain. alex says you couldn't hide anything. bob says isn't that the problem. alex says that would go away after awhile. cut outs of the unitards are discussed, ok'd initially and then rejected. alex says the over the head unitard would be better. bob says white ones would make you look like sperm. mr. stroumboulopoulos says he is saving this to play at both of their retirement from this business parties.

a plug for the upcoming frank black interview. (whatever. stop plugging this until you know when it is on!)

things they like.

alex likes everything except forced tipping. he doesn't mind giving people tips. but he went to a restaurant and they automatically added a gratituity. and they were only a party of two. (don't even get me started on the custom of tipping). there was nothing on the menu to indicate an automatic tip. mr. stroumboulopoulos is against this practice unless it is a big party. and then it is ok. alex says everyone knows that. that's fine. bob asks if alex was difficult. alex says no. mr stroumboulopoulos says that alex is a fussy eater. and that he fed him caribou once. alex says it was raw. there was blood in my mouth. mr. stroumboulopoulos says he didn't tell alex, he thought it would be funny. alex ate it and his face went white. alex says he was nice about it he went around the shed and buried it in the snow. he didn't spit it up right in front of everyone. bob says alex is a drag to cook for. he and his wife have him over for dinner and he swears it is like preparing for dignitaries. alex says that he has allergies. bob says they go to sit on the couch and alex says aren't we going to eat at a table. alex wants to know why they were eating at the couch. bob says that everyone eats in front of the tv. alex says but you have a guest over. your wife didn't want to eat by the tv.

they talk about movies, foreign movies. mr. stroumboulopoulos says he assumed the film would not be in english since it was up for best foreign film somewhere. bob says if you think my opinion means anything, i feel sorry for you. alex says they subtitled it for you. bob says well, they subtitle it for everyone. bob loved little miss sunshine. mr. stroumboulopoulos thinks it was ok. bob says that mr. stroumboulopoulos likes crappy movies and is the worst movie reviewer because he is afraid not to like something and admit that he wasted two hours. alex says mr. stroumboulopoulos will laugh at stuff no one else does and you think he's at a higher level, but no he's not.

they talk about tipping and dating and it seems like bob slips up and starts to say stuff he isn't supposed and mr. stroumboulopoulos seems all panicky and the conversation pulls out a bit and they quickly sum up by saying they have all dated others before. alex says it is not my fault servers don't get a lot of money (i am with you on that).

mr. stroumboulopoulos loved the arcade fire this week.

Friday, January 12, 2007

ice ice baby...

holy moly was it cold this morning here. i was going to take the bus into work today, but i was so cold after taking the garbage out, i decided it was worth it to dig my car out of the snow and drive to work. and it was, so worth it.

it's friday and you know what that means... random top ten. although i feel like the same songs keep popping up over and over again. i'm going to have to check that out one day.

1. tigers not daughters - controller.controller
2. round kid - buck-o-nine.
3. frenzy - the ex
4. so far up there - holly golightly
5. dead wrong [remix] - eminem feat. the notorious b.i.g.
6. in 'n' out of grace - mudhoney
7. river man - nick drake
8. too many houses in here - the bellrays
9. i believe - the marble index
10. six feet under main theme - thomas newman

Thursday, January 11, 2007

i think i'm angry still...

i'm mad. pissed. riled up.

i promised all my lovely readers (ha ha ha) that my next 'the hour' post would be about doyle. but i was on another site today and i'm got so riled up, i started to leave a rant, and then had to reign myself in. because it's not my blog, and i shouldn't leave a long rant as a comment. so, i've flipped over to my blog and i'm going to try and fully express myself here.

i was reading the lovely barbara b's latest contribution at notpaidbythehour.com. i'm a big fan of this site. i only started reading it regularly this summer so i can only comment from there. one of the reasons i enjoy this site is it's not a huge lovefest. it's not a i love him, he's hot, i want to marry him type of site. i'm not into that, and it's why i don't join a lot of stuff like that. i'm not judging those sites, to each their own and hey, i have read many a dirty post about mr. sutherland with no guilt. :)

but notpaidbythehour isn't like that. the contributors are all intelligent, insightful opinionated people. and i may not agree with what they say, but i can't wait to read what they say.

the latest post was written by barbara b. again, well written and expressed. and i do agree so much with her. so why i am i riled up? it's because of the comments. now, i think i have expressed (and if i haven't, it's something you should know about me) that i do not care if you agree with me. in fact, it's probably more fun if you don't. i enjoy a good debate. about anything. politics, world events, tv, music, fashion etc... it doesn't matter. but here is what i don't like. if you don't agree with me, fine. but don't tell me i don't have a right to my opinion or my opinion is wrong or stupid. or that i shouldn't express my opinion. that bugs me. a lot.

so, various people are commenting. some agree with her, and some disagree. great, we have some discourse here. i love it. and then, the tone shifts. into what i've started to dislike about websites/forums/myspace etc where 'the hour' and mr. stroumboulopoulos are discussed. it seems like you are not allowed to utter one bad word about either. you can only talk about how brilliant the show/he is, how he is the greatest thing to happen to canada since our medical system and of course, how "hot" you think he is. god forbid you try and offer constructive criticism. apparently if you don't like it, you should just stop watching. well, i guess that's one way of dealing with it. but it's not me. if i don't like something, i'd rather try and change it. especially in this situation. because if i don't say anything, how will the powers that be know how viewers feel? because if the ratings are as low as people are talking about, they want to know why. and maybe, just maybe, they might tweak it in a different direction.

and lately it just seems like the atttitude around the show/host has been, you must adore everything he does. christ, i don't even think that of mr. sutherland. you couldn't pay me to sit thru half the movies he's made. and i think liz phair is one of the most brilliant artists ever. but even i didn't buy her last album. i don't really believe in blind devotion.

i've ranted. i'm not mad as hell anymore, just feeling disheartened by it all.

insert badly hummed version of the munsters theme song here...

i just found out today that yvonne de carlo died a few days ago. it's weird because i'm in the middle of a huge munsters marathon.

imdb doesn't even list her death yet. how sad. here is an obit for lovely lily munster .

r.i.p. ms. de carlo.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

since you've been gone...

this is apparently old news but i just read about it today. it's got to be the the weirdest thing musically i've read in a long time.

mike watt is working with kelly clarkson?

i'm still trying to wrap my head around it.

bye bye love...

so, stephen harper finally replaced rona ambrose as minister of the environment. i would feel bad for her, because i do feel that she's been made the scapegoat of the conservatives misjudgment on how much we canadians care about the environment. however, i don't feel bad. one, she's made a lot of stupid mistakes in parliament (which i've previously blogged about) that she has to take responsibility for. and two, from what i gather, she's been a total yes 'man' in that position. if you don't speak your mind, you deserve what you get.

and now that the conservatives have decided that the environment is an important issue, god forbid they would leave a woman in charge of it.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

under pressure...

so, i'm back with time to blog and now i can't get started. i think i'm putting too much pressure on myself to try and write some of the many blog ideas i have had running thru my brain for the past month or so. i can't believe it's been that long since i really put anything down. other than my friday random top ten.

so, i think i'll start easy and talk about my day yesterday and how much i hate bc transit. or whatever they are called now. i got soaking wet and chilled to the bone yesterday because i attempted to follow their advice. never again!

it snowed yesterday morning and i decided to take transit to work. i have been meaning to do this since the start of january but i've been sick so i'd rather drive in my toasty car than sit on a bus.

i put on my snow boots (as opposed to my rain boots. more on my boots later) , bundled up and headed out to my bus stop. i live in a very hilly area, on the edge of a mountain so this can be an ordeal in the snow. it's all uphill and if nobody has broken a trail yet, it can take me more than 1/2 hour to walk the five blocks to the stop. luckily, the snow isn't that bad, and people have been up and about so there is already a trail for me to follow. i'm 1/2 way up my street when i realized i forgot my gloves. and my scarf. but i think no big deal. i'll be ok. it's not that bad. (ha!)

i get to the bus stop and it's still snowing. the bus comes and i'm like a little snowgirl getting on the bus. and everybody on the bus stares at me! and moves away. like i'm some kind of freak. gee, i'm sorry i'm covered in snow. but it's snowing out! and i tried to shake as much off as possible.

other than that, my ride is uneventful. however, even tho i know how to get to work by transit, i checked the website and they give me some other directions. i think, well, they must know best so i take their advice. big mistake! the route is not a direct route and i am supposed to get off the bus and walk up three blocks. but by the time i figure that out, i am way past my stop and have to wait until i can get off in an area i know which becomes five blocks. uphill. in the snow. without my gloves. i am frozen by the time i get to my new bus stop. i go into this shop to pick up some lunch because i figure i'll be too busy to take a break, and the shop clerk totally gives me and her co-worker attitude. i ask what something is, and the girl helping me asks this other girl what it is and she is all like 'it's all listed on the front'. um, no it's not. i am not a moron. and the girl helping me is like, no, it's not. so then she says, oh, well it used to be. yah, that's great honey. but what is it?!

i get to work finally and time flies by. soon, it is time for me to go home. and i think, i am going to give this bus route that bc transit wants me to take another chance. plus now i get to walk downhill and it's not snowing, only raining so maybe it is a good route. i head out and i am a block away from the office when i realize that i forgot to change back into my snowboots. i am sad because i decided i was going to try and incorporate a blog for each of my 42 pairs of shoes. my snowboots were to be the first of them. oh well, i think. no big deal.

i end up having to walk 1/2 mile until i can actually find a bus stop. three buses pass me so i know i'm on the right road. it's dark, bitterly cold, and slushy. my lovely australian boots are now soaked. i am cursing the fact that my gloves are at home and my boots are at work. i finally get to the bus stop. i am soaking wet. the air smells. bad. i am not sure of what. plus the three people at the stop are smoking (but that is not what smells bad). i feel like passing out. the bus finally shows up and the bus driver looks at me funny as i pay. whatever. after i sit down and glance at my ticket, i realize that the reason he has is because i have way overpaid my fare. since it took me 45 minutes to actually get on a bus, i did not notice that peak hours were over. damn!

i manage to dry off a little on the skytrain home. i get on my last bus home, looking like a dried drowned rat and mr. handsome is my bus driver. great. like i don't feel crappy enough as it is. mr. handsome is also very nice. but i am so not even able to think about flirting with him. i reach my stop, exit the bus [of course pausing to thank mr. handsome.. who tells me i'm welcome :) ], and step into a big pile of slush. for some reason, it had slipped my mind that the slush and snow would be even worse in my neighbourhood. i inch my way home thru slush and ice, stopping only to buy an extremely expensive carton of milk (but i had the bonus of picking up tv week with kiefer sutherland on the cover) and a chicken pot pie. my boots finally gave up the fight against water when i stepped in a slush puddle that went up past my ankles. more than two hours after leaving work, i finally arrive home and leave a pile of wet stuff all the way from the front door into the bathroom. i spend the evening, with the heat cranked up, laying on the couch, watching the munsters.

now, most of this could have been avoided had i just went with my initial plan of catching the bus outside of the office. the option never came up in my transit search because this apparently takes 8 minutes longer than their option. whatever. last time i'm making that mistake!

hopefully writing this will kickstart me into writing some better stuff later today.

Friday, January 05, 2007

cuz i'm the garbage man....

nothing like getting up early to put the garbage out and finding out your whole world is covered in a white blanket. reminding me of my initial reaction to a comment on 'the hour' yesterday when they said the whole country is experiencing a mild winter. umm, not the whole country, you self centered eastern bastards! :) (yah, i wake up pretty cranky)

anyways, here is the early morning friday random top ten.

1. new radio – bikini kill
2. dirty diesel – paul westerberg (sigh, poor paul)
3. the life & death of mr. badmouth – pj harvey
4. opinion [acoustic] – nirvana
5. she's lost control – joy division
6. missundaztood - pink
7. fizzy in my mouth/your mouth – howie b
8. mr. excitement - tipsy
9. little empty boat – nick cave & the bad seeds
10. 'b' side - the 'b' girls