Dunning

Batman.

2008-07-18T03:07:00.000-07:00

There are very few times in life you will ever walk out of a theatre feeling better about yourself. Something in the air. Like life somehow makes sense again. Like you had fun sitting around with a bunch of random strangers watching moving pictures. Like coming out of Plato's cave.
My friends this is one of those times. My words will fail to successfully express just how good this movie was. This movie became so much more than itself. It had a life force.
Never in a theatre has one mans presence emoted so much from the audience. Never has one mans performance been that good. I've joked around (pardon the pun) like any good comic geek would. Like any fanboy would. That he'll never get an Oscar nod cause its a comic book movie.
My friends he will get an Oscar nod. And it wont be a pity nod because of the tragic circumstances. This man breathed life into this character. He was this character. The subtlety and nuances that he put on, well it just gave me chills. The clearing of saliva from the throat. The combing of hair. The laugh. My god the laugh was just perfect.
There are very few times that i have ever been moved by a performance. Had you come to me last year and said that I would be moved by someone acting as the joker. Well I may have laughed at you. But as luck (and possibly the Joker) would have it. It looks as if the laugh is on me.
I want to find a flaw in this movie. Discredit it in someway. Jump off the inevitable hype machine. But i cant. This was fate. This was the perfect cast. With the perfect script. At the perfect time.
This movie became something more than comics, characters and cannon. It became about a performance. It became about a man, who poured his life and soul into his craft. His life was cut short tragically. But that performance. The subtleties, the nuances will live forever. And fanboys like myself thank you for it. Thank you Heath Ledger, you became the true hero of this story. Rest well.

Current Comics: Batman the killing joke-Alan Moore
Current Music: nanananana batman

Time off. Comics Movies. And Fight night.

2008-07-04T23:29:00.000-07:00

So apparently Im an indie music snob. This was discovered after vikram invited me to TV on the Radio. A band I was more than certain he had never heard of. Needless to say I was shock so if I appeared snobbish I appoligise to you good sir.
Im also attending Airbourne with Div in sept. I checked them out recently and its pretty kickass stuff. Im looking forward to it.
Im also looking forward to a lot of the comic book movies that are coming out this summer. On the top of my list are Batman the dark Knight (but of course) and Hellboy 2.
I've actually really been impressed with the calliber of movies this summer. Aside from Indiana jones and the plots that go nowhere I've been more than pleased. I have yet to see it but I've heard even the hulk is good. I think I'll go sometime this weekend. But its going to be hard to match the awesomeness that was Ironman. There's something i never thought id say.
Tomorrow is fight night. Im going to be getting drunk and watching two grown men kick the crap out of eachother for money. What an age we live in. Should be good fun. Contact me if you wanna come watch.

Current Comic: Batman the Killing Joke-Alan Moore
Current Music: Airbourne-Stand up for rock n roll

Oh and i got a week off starting on the 14th of july. I suggest a lugs road trip.

Recently Me.

2008-06-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

So Im bored. Sitting around listening to the new Coldplay album. I actually really like what I hear. Which is kinda suprising.
Anyway on a releated music note. I went and saw stars for the second time. It was another great show. They pretty much covered all of their material and even stuff of the Heart album. The opening act Curtis Santiago was very intriguing. A local boy from vancouver. He was a mixture of R&B and Ballad soul music. It was an interesting mix. His cover of Metrics Police and the Private was amazing. He definatly had the voice for it. And I loved his song which was essentially about robots.
The only other signifigant note lately. Is well I saw the lugs boys again. Finally. It had been far to long. And i forgot how fun lugsdays can be. Normality is a good thing.
Im really looking forward to the following movies. Batman the dark knight. Hancock and if i ever get to see the hulk i'll be happy. But yeah batman is definatly in order. So if anyone wants to go see anyone of those let me know.
Other than that theirs not much to report on. Maybe attending the pantless party on the 5th. That should be good times.....course they're elements that could make it really really awful. Ugh drama. And my whistler trip is still very much on the bubble. I think its going to be a weekend get away. Hooray for that. Anyway thats it.

Current Comic: Absolute Dark Knight-Frank Miller
Current Music: Coldplay-Lost

SFME

2008-06-06T00:05:00.000-07:00

Well there you have it ladies and gentlemen. I did it. Yes. I, Michael Joesph Dunning, completed my B.A. of English this year. Some say its an accomplishment and I guess a part of me is finally letting it sink in.
Its been a really long road to get to this point. And i think back to all the work and doubt, well Im kinda proud that I actually saw it till the end. There were countless times when I asked myself if it was worth it. And now having gone through all the pomp and circumstance, well i can say yes, yes it is worth it.
I've done what a lot of people havent done or had the oppertunity to do. I've done what a lot of people (let alone myself) didnt think id be able to do. Its an achievement to be proud of. And I think im going to be for a long time.
But i guess right now I want to thank all of those who supported me and pushed me through this. You all know who you are. Friends and family. Without you none of this would have been possible as cliched as that is. Its true. So thank you. I truly mean that.
Now the only other thing I've been up to lately is more and more concerts. Im headed to see Stars, Blue Rodeo, Racanteurs, New Pornographers (again) and actually i think thats it. I went to see destroyer with graham megan and travis last week. Which I thought was really great and I kinda liked frog eyes the opening act. But the sound in the venue was really off for some reason. Vocals got drowned out and things but it was still a great show. Oh and ive started reading novels again. Ive missed them. Ive started with the life of pi. Its good so far.

Current Music: Wolf Parade-Language City
Current Comic: Something batman

Concerts concerts concerts.

2008-05-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

So where did we last leave off? Its been an insane week. For starters I worked 9 days straight at a job that is becoming less and less of a priority. Didnt get a long weekend. And even had to work on my days off. LOL so Ive been in a great mood lately.
My time lately has been filled up with concerts and movies and work. And drinking. So it started with a show for Tokyo Police Club. It was an amazing concert. Im liking the whole plaza club more and more for a venue. Smoosh and Attack in Black opened for them. Smoosh was not to bad had some pretty good energy and fun songs. Attack in black was pretty amazing and really won me over. Tokyo Police club was great though. Totally worth the price of admition tesellate is a really great track.
Next I had city and colour lined up. I cant recall who opened for them the first one sucked big time. The second was pretty decent and was from austin texas. They kinda sounded like the shins. But more country. Whoever they we're they entertained me but good. As for city and colour itsself. Im not the biggest Dallas Green fan ever but I've gained a lot more respect for him. He's got an amazing voice in the right venue and the orpheum was the right venue. His songs dont suck either.
Finally in terms of the concerts I went and seen REM and Modest Mouse and The National all in one show at deer lake park. This was my first time ever at deer lake park and I gotta say its a really sweet venue. The national really blew me away and the cds pretty damn sweet. Modest Mouse had the perfect set list I love hearing Paper thin walls. REM really blew me away to. There was nothing really to complain about it was actually probably the perfect show. And Im really looking forward to Feist now.
As for the movies I saw Ironman and Indiana Jones. Now the former was actually pretty amazing. And I cant wait for the avengers to actually get off the ground. Its good to be excited about something other than spiderman for a change. Indiana Jones was well....Indiana Jones. It was good all that you could expect from it, rendered with only a few hiccups here and there. Overall It was a lot of fun. Id give Ironman an 8 and Indy a 7. But thats just my own take on it.
Anyway Im off to listen to the national and catch up on some reading. Cant wait for destroyer next week should be great fun. LOL im so freakin tired....

Current Comic: Batman-Morrision
Current Music: The National-Secret Meeting

Welcome to the real world. It sucks.

2008-05-13T00:25:00.000-07:00

Hey all. So I know your all dying to know what ive been up to the last couple of weeks. Honestly not a whole lot. Their aint a whole lot of new stuff going on in my life. Well nothing of great importance lately.
A few weeks ago Graham and Megan returned to BC. So we all went to see the sarah slean concert. It was an amazing show. I forgot how freakishly talented she is. Her voice simply blows me away. Minus the opening act which almost put me to sleep a couple of times the show was flawless. And hearing eliot done live was great. She should be way more popular than she is.
The next show I got lined up is the Tokyo Police Club. I love this band. They're totally amazing. The new album is really really good to. You can tell that they've come into a zone in recent years. So the show should be amazing.
Im also seeing City and Colour and REM and my personal favourite Destroyer this month. So nothing but concerts for me lined up in the next few weeks.
The only other piece of news I have is i played hockey at GM Place again it was uber fun. I miss hockey and being in shape. And i think ive actually improved as a goalie lately. My rebound controll has gotten a whole lot better.
Lets see what other news. Hmm. Oh yeah. I graduated from SFU! Im done thats it. No more teachers. No more books. No more getting stranded up on a hill cause someone jacked knifed a bus. Okay that was only the one time but still.
The rest of my time will be spent trying to get into SFU's pdp program. Im trying to apply for jan. And I think my volunteer experince is going really well. Anyway thats about it. I should go sleep now. Later days.

Current Music: Tokyo Police Club-Tessellate
Current Comic: Absolute Dark Knight-Frank Miller
Current Album im looking forward to checking out: Sloan.
Current Concert I wish i could drag someone to: Adele and Wolf Parade

What the hell have i been up to?

2008-04-27T00:52:00.000-07:00

Well apparently alot. So heres the rundown. Last week or a week ago i went to the Metric show at the commodore. It was freaking amazing. No seriously it was, I had my doubts about it but it was just awesome. It was also great to reconnect with andrew and travis again.
Then I got to live a dream on sunday and play a game of hockey at GM Place. This was simply amazing. Though i was so out of shape i was dying by the first period. This is why sunday night hockey has to start up again. I dont want to be a lazy ass anymore.
Anyway this week I had my first aid tests to do and Im half way through that. So hooray me. Im now qualified to save lives people. Not just enrich them anymore =P
I forget what day it was but lets call it thursday we went to woodys got really really really smashed. Which i havent done in a really long time. And Yeah it was good times had by all. A lot at my expense but still good times. God damn shots.
Anyway tonight I had the AC/DC concert which all of you bailed on. Some of you had ligit reasons others just suck. So I ended up dragging my poor mother to it. Though she claims she liked it even though she couldnt hear a word of what they were saying. But the fact that she can tolerate it is an improvement. I've had to put up with her country music way to long.
I was really impressed with how much the lead singer actually sounded like brian johnson. But the guitarist though really good failed to live up to angus young. Theirs no one on earth who can hold a candle to that man. So there but for the grace of god goes rock. Next couple weeks I have a few more shows lined up. Sarah Slean, Tokyo Police Club, REM, Destroyer. Junes looking like a lazy month so far. But we'll see. Anyway Im off to sleep and then get up to stupid first aid all over again.

Current comic: Me no read
Current Music: something destroyer or something tokyo police club
Current Concert: Sarah Slean

Back.

2008-04-09T01:52:00.000-07:00

So alright. Today was my first day back volunteering back at middle school. It was actually a lot of fun. Saw some familiar kids from last time. So im sorta easing myself back into this. Also i think im slightly back to normal. Well as normal as a Dunning can be.
Im also looking for other work oppertunities. At least branching out. I probably wont leave roos just yet cause most of my oppertunities im seeing are seasonal. But I just need something to deal with other than crackheads.
Like this one crackhead last week came in hyped up on something. All mumbly and cracked out. Couldnt really understand what he was saying. He took off his shoe at one point cause apparently his money was in there. It turned out it wasnt. Finally i just kicked him out. Like physically.
The other interesting thing was watching one guy and two teenage girls get arrested and have their car towed at our parking lot. That was funny. I've actually never seen that many cop cars in one place for awhile. Last i counted was five.
Other than that I'm trying to plan out my summer. I NEED to go away somewhere. Even if its just to whistler. Got a couple of concerts in august that im dying to see and yeah thats about it. Things are actually really good right now. Should be an interesting couple of months come june. PS I think its going to be a Wild vs Penguins final. Seeing as how the canucks once again did fuck all. Anyway I really think we should blow up the team in the off season and give kesler the C. But thats just me. Stupid fucking canucks. Argh!

Current Comic: Scott Pilgrim-Bryan lee o'Malley
Current Music: Ladyhawk-My old Jacknife

Current Comic:

Black Mountain.

2008-04-07T01:06:00.000-07:00

Okay. So this weekend was yet another concert to go to. It was a little band that surprisingly more people have heard of then I thought. They're a local Vancouver group called Black Mountain. And surprise surprise they're awesome!
Actually the whole night was a kind of surprise. The evening opened with some dude called Chad from Toronto. At least that's all i picked up from his ramblings. I don't know what his actual band or stage name was. Anyway he had a really good stage presence and voice. But his music was sooo not my music. Which kinda had me dreading how the rest of the night would go.
The following act was called Ladyhawk. Now this band was the real surprise. They actually blew me away. Mainly cause i wasn't expecting what i got out of their performance. See when I heard the name Ladyhawk for some reason my mind was drawn to alt country. Which is all well and good. I'll listen to Blue Rodeo from time to time. But i was not really in an alt country kinda mood. Thankfully what i got was a mix between early Modest Mouse and Cuff the Duke. Real high energy rock with great songs. Again great stage presence but they didn't play to the crowd enough. They just kinda played. And rocked. I advise you all to check em out.
Finally we come to Black Mountain. I've actually listened to their two albums a bit so i knew somewhat what i was getting into. However what I got was even better. They blew me away actually. Which is funny cause I'm not really into the whole progressive psychedelic hipster rock. But I was told by a friend to check them out and I kinda got hooked. Needless to say what i got out of the performance was much much more than whats delivered on the album. Black Mountain was much more intense live than i could have thought. That's not to say the albums aren't solid. They are. Its just to say I got much more that what I was expecting. Which made the night all that more enjoyable.
The only thing i didn't enjoy was going to this show by myself. Although all the drunk stoner dudes and dudettes did make it interesting. Seeing some guy get nailed with a lemon wedge for standing on a table was hilarious. To bad you all missed out on a great night and a great show.

Current Comic: Buffy season 8
Current Music: Ladyhawk-I dont always Know

Born to run out of 8th place.

2008-04-02T01:20:00.000-07:00

So this was a bit of a crazy go lucky weekend for me. Friday was spent hanging out with the lugs crew and playing some smashbros. Crazy good times for sure. There was even a chick present. LOL the real ironic thing is she came with me. Somebody better go check to see if hell has indeed frozen over.
Aside from videogames and getting frustraited with such (but we'll get to that in a min) my weekend was once again filled with concerts and hockey.
Sunday Div suprised me with canucks tickets and shockingly enough it was a good game. Not only was it a good game but they actually won! And for a brief time all was right in the world. We we're back in the playoffs and then tonights game happend and....well lets just not get into tonights game.
Anyway after going to my game I went and played in my own. Which sucked cause i was the only goalie that night. I played well but constant odd man rushes and breakaways are not a fun way to spend sunday nights.
Monday brought another fun filled day of work. I really want out of that place by the way. And then came Bruce Springsteen. Over the past couple of years ive really got into bruce springsteen. Born to run became a staple song at karaoke. Dancing in the dark is always great and to see both of them preform live was amazing. Actually the whole concert was amazing. I dont know how these old guys go on for three hours non stop.
He was really good though. And seeing the E street band was cool to. All the memembers bring their own unique flavour to it. I didnt really get ending the show with American Land. I mean the more logical choice would have been Born in the USA. But then im not the boss. Bruce is. And he really played to the crowd well. You can tell he's been doing this for awhile. It really has been a great couple of days. Now if only i can get some decent sleep I'll be good.

Current Comic: Silver Surfer-Stan Lee
Current Music: Adele-Chasing Pavements

ps i still suck at rockband. Told ya we'd get back to video games.

New Job.

2008-03-28T00:33:00.000-07:00

As i kicked yet another crackhead out of the store today, I came to the realization that I hate my job.
At first it was fun. I mean the staff was great. Some of it still is. But this is not what i want to do. I dont want to deal with crackheads who are hopped up on something on a daily basis.
Like today I had to kick one out who refused to leave and took off his shoe for some reason. Apparently he thought thats where his money was. Course that was probably just the crack talking.
Im done with being a cashier though. Im done with shitty pay. Im done with the little things bugging the crap out of me. Lets see what else am i done with? Oh. Im done with selling booze to addicts. Im done with the smell of booze. Im done with smelly people. Im done with smelly money.
The only thing im not done with is making money. So im off to look for a new job. Actually im looking for something closer to the teaching feild. Seeing as how that is the actual career i want to be in. Im trying to convince myself not to quit until i have something thats another paycheck. A better paycheck. And has less of a risk of being hazzardous to my health. I've totally lost my train of thought cause msn keeps flashing at me. So i better wrap it up.
Conclusion. Want better job. Need more money. Done with shitty jobs.

Current comic: MIA
Current music: Bruce Springsteen-Radio Nowhere.

These are the hangover days.

2008-03-23T01:35:00.000-07:00

Went to see the Jason Collett concert with rich tonight. Thanks again rich. But yeah on to what i thought of the show. For those that care. I guess I'll start with the bad. There's not much i can nit pick at other than the fact that it was too damn short. I dont care that people wanna dance. People can dance to freaking Collett! Well apparently thats not actually the case.
Anyway I kinda look at this now as a warm up to whether or not I would actually go to a Blue Rodeo concert. Collett and Jim Cuddy have very similar styles. Its really laid back pop rock. But with great songs such as We all loose one another, Fire and Hangover days you really cant go wrong. Then again you cant really go wrong with Lost together either.
I dont really know why i enjoyed this concert so much. But i did. It would have been nice had i caught more than two songs of the opening act. But thats my own fuck up really. Ah well I paid for Collett and in Collett i got a great entertaining show. Well worth the low low low price of admission.
The venue isnt to bad either. Considering it was really a nightclub venue. The plaza had a really good set up. Good stage area. But not the greatest sound system. But then again these days you get what you pay for.
Anyway Collett was great. The next venture i have to look forward to is Springsteen but i think the inner hipster in me is looking forward to Metric a tad more. Both are going to be good times. Anyway im out.

Current Comic: Same as always
Current Music: Jason Collett-hangover days
Current Hate: Dirty hippie drum circles
Current goal: Sleep.

after quite some time we'll be who we were

2008-03-20T00:27:00.000-07:00

There is always three things that I will always consider a big part of my life. Music, Friends and Family. Well four if you count comics. They make me who i am. And lately I've relied on friends a lot more. Tonight was no different. Tonight Derek and I ventured forth to brave the hipsters and the scenesters, to attend what would be a great show.
I've always been a big music fan. And lately Ive adopted the philosophy that music is very therapeutic. It can get you through the rough times and show you a good one. Tonight accomplished both of those.
Hawksley Workman is an accomplished musician. In fact i had no idea just how accomplished he was. A multi talented singer song writer Workman plays several instruments to entertain the masses. Not an easy task.
Not only instrumentally is he talented. But man what a voice. Its easy to see that Hawksley has really come into the zone as of late. Especially on his latest album Between the Beautiful. The venue was a perfect setting for Hawksley to showcase his latest creation.
Part of the reason however tonight was so great, was the mixture of current and classic Workman. Not to mention playful covers like Beyonces Crazy in love or the culture club just to name a few and there were a few.
But what really won me over for tonight was Workmans playful banter with the crowd. From his personal stories about his family to his Adam Sandler impression. Workman knew how to really work the crowd. Pardon the awful pun.
The second thing that won me over tonight was the venue. See it wasn't at the orpheum or the commadore. It was at St. Andrew's Wesleys church. The acoustics in this venue complimented Hawksleys voice amazingly. Course it didn't hurt that we we're two rows away from the speakers.
The latter half of the performance really rocked the house. But it was the strip down intimate displays of Workmans latest creation that was worth the price of admission. I'd defiantly recommend catching a Hawksley performance if you can. Great Show.

Current Music: Hawksley Workman-All the trees are hers
Current Comic: Strangers in Paradise vol 6-Terry Moore

The rest is still unwritten.

2008-03-19T01:41:00.001-07:00

Its funny. People have been telling me to chill out for a while. That I've been looking far to stressed. And I guess I should have been listening to them. I've been feeling a little bit complacent lately.
However something happened today that, though hard, has made me come to realize that perhaps i have been drifting. Just a little. As such I'm going to try hard to adopt a new philosophy. Get back into the swing of things. And just make some small changes that I should have made a while ago.
One thing however that will not change. Is my sad pathetic obsession with a little show on MTV called the Hills. It chronicles the life of Lauren Conrad and friends. Just as addicting as this non stop mtv drama, is the after show. The after show, which is a panel discussion hosted by MTV personalities who then discuss the current Hills episode you've just seen.
I'm seriously looking forward to the season premier on March 24th. I don't know quite what it is that i find so compelling. All i know is they're hot

Current Comic: Strangers in paradise vol 6-Terry Moore
Current Music: Hawksley Workman-Piano Blink.

Canucks.

2008-02-29T00:18:00.000-08:00

Im tired. I feel like bitching and then i remembered I have this form to do it in. Anyways I took Milynne to the canuck game on wednesday (her first). It was against colorado so naturally we lost. Although in retrospect it was a great game. And it was kinda cool to actually see what the hosts do at GM place.
Everytime i go to a canucks game and sit in the lower level though, they either loose in the last period or get blown out. There is no happy medium. I remember when i went to the toronto game a few years ago. This was back when we had Potvin. They lost with 6.5 seconds to go in regulation.
This time around colorado tied it up with 14.7 seconds in the third. Maybe im cursed? But at least it wasnt like the last time I saw the Avalanche play aka the Bert incident. That was a gong show.
Anyway aside from loosing in dramatic fashion there were a bunch of highlights. Like getting A list celeberity treatment just cause i was with someone who worked there. The fact that i was seven rows away from Luongo. Who has officially become my favorite canuck/player in the nhl. That glove save was amazing. Another highlight was seeing Bobby Orr. Oh and some dude named darwin won a million dollars.
I guess I am more of a canuck fan then i lead people to believe. But what i dont understand is why we fail to do anything signifigant at the trade deadline. Im sick of the "my hands are tied" excuse. Im tired of nonis sitting on his ass after getting Luongo. We have a seriously small window here to actually do something. We have a good team, we just need more fracking scoring.
Alright I guess thats enough bitching at our team. I got a busy month coming up this month. Im going to three concerts. Hawksley Workman, Jason collett and Bruce Springsteen. Should be good. Oh and another random thing is the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever has become a front runner for the type of dog i wanna get. They're so cool. Alright im out. Laters.

Current Comic: Who has time to read anymore?
Current Music: Jason Collett-Sorry Lori, Hawksley Workman-Piano Blink, City and Colour-waiting
Current favorite canucks: Luongo, Kesler, Burrows, Linden, Pyatt ;)

Dogs.

2008-02-21T02:15:00.000-08:00

Its been almost a year since Jock (my dog) passed away. Actually maybe a little more than a year. I miss him alot actually, along with my cat (lucky). They were part of the family.
As it happens I was watching the westminster dog show the other day. It really got me wanting a dog again. Actually I've wanted a dog for a while now. All for selfish reasons. But I love dogs. And since my mom and the canadian government refuses to let me have a monkey (as im pretty sure its illegal) then a dog it is.
But what kinda dog will it be? I dont want another terrior. And I've had my fill of labs these days. I've pretty much had a lab or a retriever at one point or another since i was five. Maybe earlier than that.
I've always wanted a husky. I dont really know why. But I love that kinda dog. Course i may also go a little tiny bit smaller. Like a collie or something. Actually ever since I was a kid, I remember watching wrestling in the early 90s. I was a big fan of Davey boy smith aka the British Bulldog. He would always come to the ring with one. I thought they were always pretty cool to. Though im fairly certain my mom wont ever go for that.
Its sad but I even have names picked out already. Well im narrowing it down. So far the front runners are Aristotle or Andronicus. What? I like obscure literary refernces and greek philosophy. Although i may even go more obscure than Andronicus on the literary side. Dont think i havent thought of comic book names for inspirations. Logan and Thor are front runners to. What? Im still a nerd at heart.

Current Comic: Strangers in Paradise-Terry Moore
Current Music: Hawksley Workman-Piano Blink

And we'll collect the moments one by one

2008-02-13T02:11:00.000-08:00

So i just got back from the vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad (aka the Feist concert). My friend Milynne and i went together and i think we both came to the conclusion. This was not what we were expecting at all.
First off the crowd was a mix of the elite and the hipsters. Its very surreal to be sitting four rows away from the priemer of the province. I mean Im pretty sure Gordon Campbell doesnt listen to Feist. Infact i think half the people there hadnt. I know the two people infront of us didnt.
Aside from the strangeness of the crowd.There were the 2010 mascots, cause no one celebrates its heritage like canada. There was also Ben Mulroney hosting the event. Lets just say. Im not a fan. The guy plugged canadian idol like there was no tomorrow. However once he and a few other speakers shut up it was on to the show.
The vso (vancouver symphony orchestra) just came off a Grammy win and were an easy highlight of the event.
It kicked off Suzie McNeil who sang some song called believe. She had a good voice actually. She only did the one song which apparently was some olympic thing. But it was still impressive.
Next up was Leela Gilday. She was a pretty good folk singer. Didnt really blow me away. But then again i was eagerly awaiting Feist. So im sure i didnt give her a fair chance.
Jorane was another new comer id never heard of. She sang all of her songs in french. It was....interesting. Actually to be fair she had a really good voice and could belt out a note. I just had no clue what she was saying.
Ron Sexsmith was another i was eagerly anticipating. I'd always heard Rich talk about him. I listened to his last cd before the show and didnt hate it. But honestly he was actually really really good. I was a little unsure of how his performance would be but i enjoyed it in the end.
Now on to Feist. Let me just say this woman rocks. Shes so damn cute to. And you cant really apprecate her till you see her live. Its amazing. I didnt get to hear secret heart but my new favorite song Sea Lion Woman kicked ass. She kicks ass. The banter with the crowd is great to. And her duet with Ron Sexsmith was a highlight of mine. I also loved the fact that the VSO played with her. Really if you ever get a chance to see her play go. You wont regret it. I didnt. What a great night.

Current Comic: Sip-terry moore
Current Music: Jason Collett-Hangover days

Ladybugs.

2008-02-10T18:20:00.001-08:00

Out of all the creatures in the world to be afraid of; you'd think ladybugs would be on the bottom of a totem pole.
I mean Im afraid of a lot of things. Spiders, sharks, snakes. Hell even some other bugs come to mind. Ladybugs are now moving up the ladder though. Why you ask? Well its simple. My room has become a safe haven for these disgusting little creatures.
I swear though, these are no ordinary ladybugs. These are the bugs spawned from the darkest reaches of hell and mordo itsself. Im not kidding.
I dont even know how they keep getting into my room. I dont know why they would want to get into my room. I have no heat. I have no plants. I was going to buy a banzai tree for myself but after this exeperince, im thinking thats not the best way to go.
I dunno maybe i need to seend these creatures a message. I've tried everything else. Ive cleaned, bug sprayed and still they make there way here. Hell ive even taken them outside carefully and placed them into trees and they still come back. What are they plotting? Why must they torment me so?
Ive lost patience with them. I know were all part of this whole circle of life thing but im afraid these creatures have left me with no other recourse. Ive found a giant boot. The next one i see is meeting an untimley demise. I mean how else am i going to solve this? Suggestions?

Current Music: Feist-My Moon My Man
Current Comics: Strangers in Paradise pocket book 5-Terry Moore

Holy crap a years gone by.

2008-01-04T01:55:00.000-08:00

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO! What happened. Wasnt it just July!? Wasn't i just in san deigo free and blissful and surrounded by geekdom. What happened? No really.
I've tried to be reflective on this past year. But thinking sometimes isn't always a good thing. I wouldn't say 07 was necessarly bad. Infact looking back there was a lot of good that came from it.
Like for one Ive managed to make some deeper connections with people. Something from previous years gone by i didn't think i had in me. I also learned I could be happy with myself and have fun just going out and exploring the city solo. Apparently B.C. is not all doom and gloom.
I slowly started to try new things. If you had told me this time last year that i would have snowboarded with people i hardly knew. Gotten back into hockey with people i hardly knew, and choked down seafood. All the while developing an appreciation for wine and beer; well sir i would have called you crazy.
And indeed 2007 had spurts of insanity. It really was an emotional time. There was the whole feelings thing. I'm not going to go into it to much. I imagine people are sick of listening about it by now. Plus I'm kinda sick of talking about it. So it will have to be left up to your own imagination.
For all the good and the bad of 2007 I think I've managed to dust myself off and pull myself back up. I mean I'm happy 2008 is here. I welcome the challenges it will throw at me. Both good and bad. I'm prepared for another good year. Join me wont you?

Before i leave here I thought id write down some of the resolutions I've been wrestling with in my head. They're all pretty lame but i cant really think of what else i need.

1. Be open to new foods. But still refuse if the food can look up at you.
2. Write more. No I'm not going to be writing more in this. I mean in general. LOL I might even start a journal. Shut up its normal!
3. Fix car situation
4. Be there for the friends I care about. Be open to accepting new ones.
5. Learn how to write music notation properly.
6. Get reaquainted with the greatest TV show on earth Buffy. See im still a nerd.

Current Comic: Strangers in Paradise book 4-Terry Moore
Current Music: Journey-Don't stop believing

Whistler.

2007-12-11T01:41:00.000-08:00

In the words of Super Dave Osborne "New Pain". That's what i got to experience this weekend in whistler.
Somehow or another I got it in my head that i really wanted to try snowboarding this year. I don't know or remember really how it came about but it did. And well I gotta say what ever sparked it I'm glad I went through with this insaine plan of mine.
First whistler is an amazing place. I wouldn't even mind living up there for a season or to. Being up there reminded me how freaking lucky we are in this province. My dad always told me how great Ontario winters were. However I cant see how it could even compare to fresh powdered snow on blackcomb.
There really is a different mentality up in the village. People are actually nice. Not to mention trustworthy. Maybe that's cause they're all tourists. Maybe its cause they're all drunk. Maybe its cause I'm drunk. Whatever the case is theres a different buzz.
Now. Bein drunk. Bar hopin and partying is all well and good for a fun filled weekend. But the whole point of this trip was to try something new. That was snowboarding (obviously). Now for those that know me best they'll make the argument that I'm not the most coordinated person on the face of the planet. Nor do I enjoy heights. So attempting a sport that combines the two should seem beyond ludicrous to them.
And for the first while there they would have been right. I was nervous. I was prepared to fall but not that much. Prepared for pain but not that kind. Prepared for fun but not that much. Nothing says fun like crab walking out of some trees in a snowbank after a massive face plant.
The funny thing is that after awhile I actually started to get the hang of it. Even enjoy it after going through the four stages of: Anger. Bitterness. Resentment and what i like to call The Rudy (the more frustrated you get the more determined you become). And once the eye of the tiger set in me. I started to suck less.
Maybe it was just the desire to survive. Maybe it was the climate. Maybe i just adapt to winter sports better than i think. Maybe it was the positive reinforcement from a few good friends. Whatever the case I really really really want to go again. That freezing cold mountain has made me content. Something i haven't been in a long time. I think I've found my Zen. Or possibly Muse. Either way I'm good.

Current Music: Journey-Don't Stop Believing
Current Comic: Fantastic Four Omnibus vol 2-Stan Lee
Current Mood: Content
Current quote: "I love it when a plan comes together" Col John "Hannibal" Smith

Bye Bye money.

2007-12-05T01:39:00.000-08:00

With my whistler trip approaching quickly, the ability to actually save money for it shrinks. I found myself spending far to much money on myself for my own enjoyment. Where is my money going? Surely not all to comics. Well that parts partially true. It goes to mostly concert tickets these days.
Ive recently purchased a set for not only Bruce Springsteen but also Feist. Both of which are performers I'm dying to see. Yes you heard me I'm dying to see Springsteen. Its kinda sad but he's one of the few artists left to cross of my list. Yeah i have a list.
It seems all Ive done for the past while is go to concerts by myself. It gets easier and easier every time i go. Lets see over the past couple of months I've seen the following bands: New Pornographers, Stars, Arctic Monkeys, Destroyer, Broken Social Scene. I think I'm forgetting one. Nope that's it.
That's a lot considering the only one I didn't go to alone was Stars. Stars and Broken Social scene were amazing. However Stars more so. Amy Millan is amazing live and the whole band puts on a great live show. Full energy all the way through. It was great.
I'm really looking forward to Feist. I heard nothing but good things from her last show and it'll be nice to go to the Orpheum again. I'm sure in the coming months theres going to be a few concerts I'll be booking days off for. But I'm defiantly on the lookout for more than a few concerts. Let me know if you see or hear of any. And now I leave you with a list of bands i want to see and great bands Ive crossed off my list.
Ive crossed off the following:
Bob Dylan. AC/DC(x2). Rolling Stones(x2). Rod Stewart(x3). Elton John. (soon to be) Bruce Springsteen. Gordon Lightfoot. Meatloaf. Neil Young.

I want to see still:
Radiohead. U2 (even though i really dislike Bono). The Eagles. Death Cab for Cutie (shutup). Led Zeppelin. The Decemberists. Fleetwood Mac. Metric. Tom Waits. The Shins. Bloc Party. We are scientists. The Dears. Wilco.

Those are all i can think of off the top of my head. If I wanted to sit down and go through every concert and band that I have or want to see, we'd be here all night. Or at least Id be. On an off topic note three days till whistler! And even further from that I still have the beard however it may come off soon. Its looking really hoboish. I'll probably post pics at sometime before i trim it down. We'll see.

Current Music: Bedouin Soundclash-When the night feels my song
Current Comic: Ex machina-Brian K Vaughn

Five cds Im listening to now.

2007-11-27T01:58:00.000-08:00

1. Jens Lekman-Night Falls over Kortedala

Im more than certain that there will or have been comparisons to Sufjan Stevens. And frankly that's a justified argument. Jens though unique does have similar undertones. Its a very odd mix of sounds for the senses. 50 nostalgia mixed with post Come on feel the Illnoise indie rock sound. Jens can be compared to Sufjan fairly but I think Jens offers us something a bit more. Theres a uniqueness to Lekmans voice that simply sets him apart from any other artist. He may not be the most polished singer but the album offers so much substance that one can forgive his short comings.
Lekman is a strong narrative writer. Each song presents us an insight into his talents with the pen. A Postcard to Nina perhaps gives the best example. A story based somewhat in truth as Lekman would like us to believe. The only negative on this album is that it may not be for everyone. Not even for every indie fan. That's not to say he wont find his niche but it may take a lot for me to convince the average joe to pick up this album. However you really should. Its Worth its weight.

2. Ben Harper and the innocent criminals-Lifeline

I was first introduced to Ben Harper by Vikram who sent me a song called burn one down. I think my first reaction was oh great another smoking weed hippie song. Many years past since I last listened to Ben Harper. I'm kinda sorry it went down like that. This latest album by Ben is masterful. Heart of Matters has to be one of my favorite songs from this year. The man really writes good soul music. And as a Caucasian comic collecting mid twenties Canadian I love soul music. So this album makes me very happy that this form of music is still out there. Maybe with a little more Ben Harper and a little less Britney the world would be a better place. Regardless this is an amazing album with amazing songs. You should listen to it. Next time he rolls into town I'm going to go see him.

3. Beirut-the flying club cup

Beirut is someone who could also garnish comparisons to Sufjan but more likely The Magnetic Fields. This album is a little bit more instrumental than the aforementioned Jens Lekman album. Beirut as is my understanding does have a bit of an indie following. And After listening to the Flying Club Cup its easy to see why. As this album is a gem and is right up my alley. Its a bright and worldly alley filled with sounds from the french quarter. This album may not be for everyone. But those that appreciate it. Appreciate it a great deal.

4. Bruce Springsteen-Magic

Ha! I bet you didn't see this coming. Actually neither did i really. Ive made fun of springsteen for so many years that I hadn't given his music a chance really. Seriously who the hell call themselves the boss? Aside from tony danza. Yet over years I've actually come to really like Springsteen. Perhaps its the karaoke magic that happens everytime one of us decides to do Born to run. And that's the appropriate title for this album. Magic. This is album is the first in five years from Bruce and the e street band. But its like no time has past at all. Rough Raw and Restless which is everything a Springsteen album should be, Magic doesn't disappoint. I thought i might be disappointed with this album as I was expecting it to be filled with a few Born to Runs and Dancing in the Dark. Hell i would have settled for Born in the USA. It falls a little short in that category. But its still a superb album. I'm certainly not going to get tired of it anytime soon.

5. Radiohead-In Rainbows
I don't know if what i have is the official release of in rainbows. So this might not be a fair review. I will say this. I had always written off Radiohead for a long time. I didn't really like them. Thought it was random noise. Then a friend got me into OK Computer. And i ha vent looked back. In Rainbows promises to be a really good album. And I really really hope that they have a vancouver tour date. I'd sacrifice a goat to some demon god to see Radiohead (goats are stupid). But then that's just me. Anyway from what I've heard of this album its really good. So far theres no standout song like a Karma Police to me yet but theres a lot of solid songs on here. Which is good cause i had a high expectation like everyone else for this album. But they've met it again it looks like.

Current Music: Jens Lekman-A postcard to nina
Current Comic: Scott Pilgram-Brian Lee O Malley

Sick and Sick of Bill Gates.

2007-11-23T01:03:00.000-08:00

I remember awhile back. My buddy Rich was bitching about xbox being an inferior product. Or at least i think he was. I wasn't really paying to much attention to the conversation (sorry Rich). For a long time I disagreed with this assessment.
I was happy with my xbox purchase. I mean it had everything i could ever ask for. Gears of war. Halo 3. Xbox live. Guitar Hero. And a tone of other cool games. The graphics were pretty amazing. And as far as i could tell it seemed to run pretty smoothly. Everything was golden.
Then about a month ago or i guess at best a few weeks ago. In an all halo party I experienced the red rings of death. I like to think I took it pretty well. In fact I kinda half expected it. But the fact that it happened on a brand new system still kind of annoyed me.
After speaking for a good 20 mins the xbox service guy told me to plug it into a wall outlet directly. This actually fixed the problem. Seriously what the hell? I mean I'm happy to have my xbox 360 back and operational but I'm kinda annoyed at the fact that not plugging it into the wall outlet directly caused it to explode.
This has got me to thinking that I might buy a wii after all. I still like the games for the 360. I mean rock bands coming out. But the wii is still a lot of fun. Sure its a party system but Ive seen a lot of good single player games for it to lately. So we'll see. Hopefully this scam of the red ring of death by Microsoft wont happen again. Why is it a scam? Well its got me to purchase an extended warranty. As far as i remember Nintendo never asked me to do such a thing. Just blow in it when the screen turns pink. Bah! lousy Microsoft.

Current Comic: Strangers in paradise book 3-Terry Moore
Current Music: Ben Harper-Heart of Matters, Radiohead-Weird Fishes/Arpeggi

Christmas.

2007-11-17T00:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas used to be my favorite time of year. It really did. I guess its still up there in terms of holidays. But its not really the same.
I don't really feel that family togetherness anymore. Coming from a divorced family i guess i never really did. But Christmas always made it seem...Well it was better. And now that I'm bitter and old. And now that the family is smaller. And the holiday is even more commercialized. I find myself thinking more and more what the fucks the point?
For the last few years we've been doing this stupid ass secret Santa thing. Apparently we're on a budget. Anyway to me this totally defeats the purpose of the holiday. This is not the spirit of Christmas. This is not the spirit of anything! This is the spirit of cheapness. Maybe.
Perhaps its just my nature. I like giving gifts. Mainly cause i don't really need anything myself. And well it makes me happy to, so i guess its a little selfish. Plus i like to think of myself as a good gift giver. That might not be the case but well who knows.
Ive come to the conclusion though in the last few months that I'm going to focus Christmas mainly on my friends now. I mean lets face it. I'm not married. And I sure as hell don't want a family of my own anytime soon. So who else is there for me to splurge idiotic amounts of money on? You guys!
But what about those friends you haven't really known all that long or feel all that connected to. Well okay there's a connection sure but you all know what i mean. Whats the etiquette for gift giving? Nothing pisses me off more when i tell someone I'm going to get them something and they respond "oh you don't have to get me anything". Really? No fuck. That's kinda the point. Its a gift. Nobody has to give you a gift. Gifts are given on the sole purpose that someone wants to do something nice for you. So shut up you ass.
I guess in the end gifts are a judgement call. Both by me and my visa bill. Regardless theres going to be a few new names in the Christmas pile this year. Gifts will be given so help me god. Course by the 24th I may just say fuck it all and everyone might get a varity of alchol. Until then though Im actually going to put some thought into it. I swear.

Current Comic: Strangers in paradise-Terry Moore
Current Music: Phil Collins-In the air tonight.

Victory is mine...sweet justice.

2007-10-23T00:09:00.000-07:00

So you may have or may not have read my last related work post in which i described a few of our regulars. Well one of them today "creepy bald headed dude" got caught shop lifting. My boss has reviewed the tapes and now he is banned from the store. OH HAPPY DAY...OH HAPPY DAY...OH HAPPY DAY...I have been given the right to say "you have been banned get the fuck out" and to call the cops. A method you can bet I'll enforce. His face is getting plastered on our wall of shame.
Speaking of getting plastered. I had a few drinks tonight. Oh and I bought a bottle of wine for Friday. Oh yes my friends the weekends going to be oh so good. I tried some Asian beer tonight. Didn't really like it. Still, it beat Canadian. But then everything does lately. On a related note...I am an ass. Or at least I'll feel like it tomorrow. On an unrelated note the beard is sorta coming in nicely. sorta. I'm giving it two weeks starting today. I'll see how i feel about it come November. Later people.

Current Comic: Strangers in paradise-terry moore
Current Music: Air Supply-Making love out of nothing at all