Stephen & Elisabeth in Canada

It's been a long time, old friend...

2008-08-02T20:47:00.002-04:00

And I don't have anything new to report other than a new and constant source of frustration; the Conservapedia! Instead of providing a link, I'll provide a link to their Causes of Atheism. Have fun pulling your hair out.

And in more pressing, I can't believe this wasn't posted days ago news, Aliens are in Contact with Amy Winehouse!!!

As sightings of UFO'S soared in recent months - with nearly one being reported every week - betting analysts Blue Square have been working out the odds on where the next alien-bod could be spotted.

But researchers were amazed to discover that when the E.T sightings were plotted on a map of Britain they formed the shape of Amy Winehouse's bee-hived head.

Alien watchers everywhere are now convinced that life on other planets is desperate to contact the skinny limbed Rehab singer and help her to change her destructive ways.

Get well Amy!!!

Food for Thought

2008-07-15T21:51:00.001-04:00

Ol' Fisky

Well, as my old chum Rick Salutin wrote in my second least favourite Canadian newspaper last week, "Canadians are always pushing the panic button over unity but it never works because, the moment you mention it, Canadians realize how diverse they are and start worrying. I hate that Canadian-values thing." Me too. The fact is that when I queued at immigration in Montreal for my visa, I was as mystified by the words of the Canadians around me as I was on Canada Day. This is because I do not speak Ukrainian, Mandarin or Urdu. Nor Afrikaans. Nor Hindi. Nor Tagalog. And that's part of Canada.

Because Canadians don't want to be the "melting pot" that the US boasts – where you're an American first and a Nigerian or a Burmese or a Latvian second. They believe – or the "multiculturalists" believe – that Canadians should be encouraged to keep their own languages and traditions and religions intact. You can be a Syrian-Canadian Muslim and speak your own language and read your own Arabic language newspaper or watch Arabic movies but still enjoy and support the freedoms of Canada under the maple leaf flag.

Look, I know this blog sucks

2008-07-02T21:14:00.002-04:00

But what am I to blog about? Friends visiting? Good times? Bed times? The Toronto Pride Week? The Toronto Fringe?

Religious exchange students at one of my drop in's barging in front of homeless people so that they can get to the food first???

Of course not you sick, sad bastards... It's Bad Lieutenant Time.

Fine, fine, I didn't cover the story re: Eva Mendes playing the female lead; reprising a role opposite Nick (Yes, Nick - he's respektible nao) Cage as they were such a power house pairing in the GREAT CINEMATIC CLASSIC; you know it, Ghost Rider.

To rip off a headline; Who's Bad Lt's Huckleberry???

Oh hell, yes, Doc Holiday will be the Bad Lieutenant's partner!

Who cares that Bad Lt. didn't have a - excuse me, PARDNER the first time around; he's like frigging James Bond now so of course Batman Forever a.k.a. The Voice of KITT in Night Rider The Next Generation as a side kick.

I cannot wait.

Sure, I just saw Wall-E (and loved it); the first movie I've seen in a cinema in over a year and a half. But the Bad Lieutenant remake will be the first movie that I've...

Well, what haven't I done in a cinema yet?

...And speaking of God,

2008-06-24T19:05:00.002-04:00

I'm very tired. Full time job + part time job + guests + too much alcohol + not enough sleep = tired, cranky me. The good news is that I've lost enough weight that I can tighten my belt another notch and I'm fit and tanned.

The bad news is that George Carlin died over the weekend. Here's a classic routine that perfectly ties into what Elisabeth posted below:

Reflections on God

2008-06-23T16:36:00.003-04:00

Spent a weekend in Lewiston with my mother, brother & sister-in-law. If you know my family history, you'll know that it's steeped in Christianity & I was left thinking these thoughts today:
---
Why would God do it? Looking around at the intersections of office towers, there is enough diversity for a catalogue of human experience. Those who’ve risen to the top holding a cigar in one hand, a smoothie in the other. Those who are middling; middle range clothing, middle-range jobs, middle-range looks, middle-range aspirations. Then there are those living hand to mouth, and yes, some even seem satisfied. There are people visibly with backgrounds from all continents (except probably Antarctica). Naturally, there must be a spectrum of religions and spiritual beliefs to accompany. And this can all be observed in a very short period of time; the length measured by the inhalation of one cigarette. So one could assume that beneath the surface of the passers-by, experiences are even more complex and divers. So why would God arrange things so only a small cross-section of humanity is eligible for salvation?

I ask this question in the context of Christian Evangelism. On a quick internet search, I found a pretty general definition that Evangelism is sharing the good news of the salvation that is available through Jesus Christ. [1] It seems like a cruel joke that a belief such as this could exist at this stage of civilization. Otherwise, why aren’t people naturally convinced of salvation? Why aren’t people flocking to church? If the news is so good and prospect of salvation is so readily available to ease the burden of living, what’s so difficult for people to accept?
[1] http://www.gotquestions.org/evangelical-Christian.html)

---

And then I saw this article which reports that an American survey shows surprisingly that "70% of respondents agreed with the statement "Many religions can lead to eternal life." and even within the Evangelical community, 50% agree with the above statement. So there's defintely a shift going on that my family may not be a part of...read the article.

Eff you, Herzog; Bad Lieutenant IS James Bond

2008-06-21T10:56:00.004-04:00

Fine, fine, I've been sitting on this for a while, but Werner Herzog, director of the Bad Lieutenant remake (Which will surely be one of the most important films of our time) has declared that his Bad Lieutenant is

not a remake. It's like, for example, you wouldn't call a new James Bond movie a remake of the previous one — although the name of the bad lieutenant is a different one, and the story is completely different. It's very interesting because Nicolas Cage really wants to work with me, and just anticipating working with an actor of his caliber is just wonderful.

He also claims to have never even heard of Abel Ferrara who directed the original. If anyone can get me a glass of the crazy juice Werner's drinking, send it over, stat because I need it bad!

Meanwhile, in the Real World, things are just busy, busy, busy. John visited, mom visited, we had our anniversary, Sean & Joanna are visiting, Elisabeth's visiting her family, who has time to blog these days? Hopefully Obama can bring some change north of the border and let me spend all day tapping away on my laptop for your amusement and elucidation.

On the lighter side of things, a teacher in Ohio was fired for branding crosses into his students. Damn you Godless Atheists for destroying my freedom of religion!!!

This is Like, turning into Elisabeth's Blog!

2008-06-18T15:58:00.002-04:00

Hello, Stephen? Blog partner & source of interesting news?

Well, I'll keep blabbing on until you re-surface.

I know you've bought the new set of D & D nerd books which will occupy your time for a week...I know, you've warned me in advance, thank you. But please don't forget the real world in the process?

Actually, I'm the one who's losing her grip on reality. Yesterday I made my first big scheduling mistake since...? I'm usually spot on, especially when I'm playing the role of stage manager...not only are you immacualtely 15 min. early for everything, but you ensure everyone is someone on time as well.

So I thought our first production meeting was yesterday, and I bought a bottle of prosecco & hauled me my lap top & notes over to Jarvis & Wellesley only to find out the meeting was scheduled for today. I was so thrown-off I starting biking across lanes of traffic, cursing at cars & generally being in the wrong. Shocked by my behaviour, I talked myself into riding safely home, taking a breath & re-focus. I got home without incident, went grocery shopping, made Punch Goats Cheese & Leeks on Toasted Ciabatta (thanks Abel & Cole!) and chilled right out with a bottle of wine. Stephen has found a delicious red, which is our new stand-by...can't remember what it is right now...I think it's an Ontario wine.

So tonight, I'm hauling me, my heavy bag and bike back to Jarvis/Wellesely & hopefully have a productive production meeting.

Tofu Blues

2008-06-17T09:05:00.003-04:00

Last night Stephen offered to get groceries on his way home from work, which would save us a lot of time since I was cycling back from work & had no spare room in my back pack.

I suggested we have tofu burgers, since they're unfussy, quick and delicious.

The thing about tofu is that it comes in many varities and only the firm, or extra firm tofu works for things like burgers and kebabs.

So pretty quickly, as I drained, sliced and marinated, I was left with a dissintegrated soy slush which I then tried to fry on a high heat.

Dispairing, I called in Stephen & gave him the bad news: the tofu isn't working, can I make something else?

"Of course it's working, what are you doing Elisabeth?" And he proceeded to cook up some onions, broccoli, glass noodles, curry paste, and I don't want to know how much oil.
It was edible. So we ate.

We ate dinner in silence.

Celebrating 5 Years of Marriage

2008-06-15T11:38:00.003-04:00

We had a lovely day in la la land yesterday, 3 bottles of champagne, canvases & paints, lots of food, dinner at Terroni & then to Jenn's 30th birthday party...we had a good time. Now we're going to enjoy the sobering affects of sunshine.

-16 June: While we're on the subject of marriage, this is a funny article about the Modern Marriage

Friday the 13th

2008-06-13T17:45:00.004-04:00

So far, nothing bad has happened...I've had the day off of work & have been collecting supplies for tomorrow's champagne/painting celebration. Stephen had a busy day at work & has left again for his friend's birthday drinking tonight.

This morning I ran 8km in 55 min. by going north up Donlands & across the Don Valley into Leaside. I'm trying to get into better shape, but have also bought brownies & ice cream today & I guess that's my un-doing.

Working on setting up the webpage and media plan for my new production comp

any...will unveil all soon.

Next weekend I've just arranged to meet my mom at the airport as she's flying from Sweden to Florida via Toronto & we'll drive down to Lewiston to stay with my brother for the w

eekend.

For this and a many other reasons, I continue my love affair with Toronto. So in its honour, some recent photos...

Many a New Day

2008-06-11T08:44:00.003-04:00

Sweden 2 - Greece 0 : boo ya!

Last night I went for a 1 hour run to the beaches and back and I feel great! (I was also in bed by 10pm)

I think my rant yesterday has inspired me into action & I'll be fit for the rest of my life. Yah.

UPDATE: How long have I waited to see this article.

Whining

2008-06-10T08:59:00.002-04:00

Elisabeth here: I am in a slump.

I am too easily tempted away from being healthy & productive by the following vices: cupcakes, television, wine, eating in general, fashion magazines, surfing the internet.

In all seriousness, it is time to buckle-down and face the music. Being lazy is ok for holidays and weekends...but all the time?

Things I need to encorporate into my daily routine and be disciplined enough to maintain:

-write in my journal
-exercise: yoga, running, swimming, cycling, weights
-DO NOT EAT CUPCAKES!
-reading
-work on theatre company (a little every day will add up)
-DO NOT GET DRUNK CASUALLY AND SO OFTEN!
-cleaning house & garden
-grooming
-cooking
-French study
-keep up the blog

So my first step, is to take the cupcake I've hidden behind the telephone (I'm at work) and throw it in the trash. Yes, I'm throwing away a delicious, home-made buttery, brown-sugary treat that will get me through the low-blood sugar afternoon...but, I've also got an apple. Elisabeth, Elisabeth? Throw it away! now!!!!

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

It's in the trash. Still wrapped up in its cellophane. Damn.

Step 2: get out your agenda and write down the things you need to do today. Well, it's sitting right there in front of you, just like it was yesterday, but did you look at it? No. So grab your agenda:

TUESDAY 10 JUNE:
-buy tortillas
-call Simon @ the theatre
-make party invitations
-work on registering theatre company
-read 1 short story
-lift weights/crunches
-read/print Stephen's novel

I've gotta go get to work...well I'm at work, but really I have not much to do, so I'll do this work at work. Ca fait du sense?

Catching up with photos

2008-06-01T20:09:00.000-04:00

We've had John, one of Stephen's friends from Montreal, visiting this weekend. A lot of time has been spent in The Only Cafe (I know "true locals" refer to it as "The Only", but to me, there's nothing wrong with being a cafe as well as having one of the best beer selections in Toronto and a truly eclectic collection of wall art.) John's been to Kensington, Queen W. the Distillery, Cabbagetown, some of the Danforth, The Village, The Beaches and Scarborough Bluffs. We saw Daniel Brook's The Eco Show last night. A high quality piece of theatre that recreates some painful family situations as well as call into question how one should act in regards to the global warming "doom and gloom". Anyway, now that we have a camera, I've taken quite a few pictures, but sadly they're taking forever to upload. So below are part I, & I'll keep adding as and when...

The Only Cafe got a new lamp.

We're trying to figure out if a beaver could have done this?

Thought I head a red-winged black bird, red-winged black bird..

John at The Bus, on the Danforth...Triple Decker Grilled Cheese is amazing

John & Stephen playing Risk Godstorm...which they're stilling doing 5 hours later...

Candid Camera

2008-05-27T23:12:00.004-04:00

We got a new camera! Whoop dere it is! Some pictures to start with:

Stephen at his desk watch Spemmy vs. Kenny. As funny a show as you think the title is.

That's all for now...Oh & we got tickets to see Nick Cave 1st Oct & I bought a Diamanda Galas cd: "Guilty, guilty, guilty" it is quicky one of my most favourite cds, or artisits to date. Check this video out of her; what do you think?

More to come...

It's a lovely morning here in Toronto

2008-05-25T11:13:00.003-04:00

And we've just wrapped up our first picnic brunch in the back garden, so what better time to write about the Most Important Subject in the World, the Bad Lieutenant remake.

Here is a link to the boring-ass poster which is 75% identical to the original. Maybe they should just keep the original and replace Kietal's name with Cage's. I'm sure the idiots that are going to go see this on opening weekend won't know the difference. Of course, I'm also going to be one of those idiots.

According to the always accurate IMDB, this is the
plot summary of the remake:

Corrupt New York City police detective Terence McDonough investigated [sic] the drug-related murder of five Senegalese illegal immigrants.

Sources close to me (e.g., users of the IMDB message board) tell me that it will take place in post-Katrina New Orleans.

I'm wary that in the remake, Bad Lieutenant has a name. In the original, Harvey's character didn't have a name. He wasn't even 'the' Bad Lieutenant; he was simply 'Bad Lieutenant.' If you ask me, Nicholas Cage playing a cop named Terrence doesn't exactly say 'bad.' I'll be waiting for Cage's twin from Adaptation to show up, announce his name is Phillip and they'll spend the next two hours farting on each other and calling themselves Uncle Fucker. Which is kind of what the original was like:

A police Lieutenant goes about his daily tasks of investigating homicides, but is more interested in pursuing his vices. He has accumulated a massive debt betting on baseball, and he keeps doubling to try to recover. His bookies are beginning to get agitated. The Lieutenant does copious amounts of drugs, cavorts with prostitutes, and uses his status to take advantage of teenage girls. While investigating a nun's rape, he begins to reflect on his lifestyle.

Nowhere in that description is any mention of the star spending a full five minutes of screen times dancing naked and crying to imaginary hooker lesbians he wishes he was having a threesome with while out of his mind of crack and vodka so I'm hoping that the remakes summary is being equally coy.

The remake will only be worthwhile if Nicholas Cage's penis gets more screen time than his receding hairline.

Okay, okay, I know I've been slacking

2008-05-24T14:11:00.003-04:00

And not posting every little detail about the Bad Lieutenant remake. I'm also aware that all of you dear readers care about this piece of information as much as I do so I know you've already seen the promotional 1-sheet that has already been made. But what does Abe Ferrarra think about the remake? Not much, apparently:

"I wish these people die in Hell. I hope they’re all in the same streetcar, and it blows up."

Stitch & Bitch

2008-05-22T11:11:00.002-04:00

Stephen & I are such yuppies now. Yup. Yesterday we both worked paying jobs, and then "gasp" we socialized afterwork...apart!

While Stephen met with a friend at The Only Cafe for a few drinks, I went to a "stich and bitch" which was organized by some of the editorial staff. A stitch and bitch is a name used since WWII to describe a social knitting group, and it's now very trendy to gather groups of people in knitting cafes to "yarn".

Now I am not a crafty person, and I don't like the feeling of not understanding simple instructions. So I was quite anxious when I started clicking those kneedles together, holding everything close and tightly to my chest. But I learned the basic garter stitch and eventually got into a rhythm and relaxed. The store we knitted in was not a cafe, but was full of beautiful lengths of wool, dyed in natural hues, some very bright...others earthy. It is very relaxing to be surrounded by crafts, natural fibres and endless pontential to create unique items with love. It's a powerful environment that makes a woman yearn for a cottage, a baby and a rocking chair. I'd love to sit on a wide front porch that overlooks a tranquil lake, large strong pine trees everywhere, and rock a baby back an dforth while knitting a blanket. Is that being yuppie?

Afterwards we went out for a Thai dinner & I biked home. According to gmap-pedometer.com my daily commute is 12km, so I can feel relavtivley guilt free about gorging.

In other news, things are shaping up for me as a producer and director. My friend Josh & are in the beginning stages of setting up our joint theatre company. More on the details later, as they are solidifed. In the meantime, we are working on producing our first show in September. Another emerging theatre company wants to mount 3 short new plays & we will mount a one-act, one-man show. I will direct, Josh will act. I've had a few meetings and have been drawing up plans and it all looks like a go-ahead. Plus, I think we may end up doing Stephen's play Adam's Attic which he wrote at Concordia. It's bloody well perfect for this project. It's important to start small & grow (especially financially), so although it'll only be a short, new play being performed at a library, a theatre company has to start somewhere. But more details will be forthcoming as and when they are finalized.

And so our love affair with Toronto continues. btw...I love: blogTO which keeps me in the loop with Toronto culture.

Britain's Rudest Towns

2008-05-21T10:28:00.003-04:00

Warning: don't read if you are easily offended: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/whats-in-a-name-britains-rudest-places-831422.html

I Forgot About the Blog!

2008-05-20T15:58:00.002-04:00

I forgot we had a blog!

Um so to blog about the last few days...long Victoria Day weekend...my father arrived on Saturday night en route from Sweden to Wisconsin. We had dinner at my aunt & uncle's in Richmond Hill. Then on Sunday he and I drove to Peterborough to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his friends (and his own) ordination at Wycliffe.

We drove back to Toronto via Lindsay, where I was born, as well as Cannington, where I lived the first 4 years of my life.

It was good to spend some time together.

Last night Stephen & I watched the final dances of Dancing With the Stars. At first I thought she was too much of a cold bitch, but now I think Kristi Yamagouchi has softned as is by far the best dancer. I don't know about all this "girl power" though.

Ok, enough for now. Bye blog...until next time...arrivaderci

Additction Article

2008-05-15T13:00:00.001-04:00

I found this article interesting, especially in regards to class distinctions in England:

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/joan-smith/joan-smith-success-is-no-antidote-to-addiction-825851.html

Phone Pictures

2008-05-14T20:52:00.005-04:00

Some pictures from my phone that I've only now uploaded...

Tommy Thompson Park

Stephen at the Beaches last Saturday.

Stephen's birthday, April 6th

Why Does Stephen Get All the Fun?

2008-05-14T12:21:00.003-04:00

Perhaps my husband posts more interesting blogs. You see, he has a routine. Every morning, come hell or high water, caffinated or no, he trawls through the same blogs every day scooping for the latest news story or hollywood gossip. This is his secret. This is how he stays interesting and relevant. It is no longer a secret, says jealous wife.

I have nothing except mundane ramblings of what's news in my own life.

So today, I got David Suzuki's e-newsletter and learned about safe and unsafe plastic. If you wanna know, look at the bottom of your plastic container for the number inside the triangle. Here's a legend;

1 = PET: May leak carcinogens, cleaning it releases harmful chemicals. Most water & pop bottles.

2= HDPE: Considered one of the safest forms of plastic: most milk, oil & detergent bottles.

3= PVC: Produces toxins through disposal: food wraps, oil bottles, teething rings, pet toys, blister packaging: do not microwave plastic wrap!

4= LDPE: Less toxic & reusable: shrink wraps, garment bags, squeezable bottles, plastic bags

5= PP: Considered one of the safest forms of plastic: bottle tops, disposable diapers, carpeting, bags, food wraps, yogurt and margarine containers

6= PS: May leach into food: plastic cutlery, foam packaging

7= OTHER: layered or mixed plastic..not safe

See Stephen, I'm saving lives here. Maybe it's time to stop entertaining people and buckle down to the important things. eh?

A short play

2008-05-13T18:48:00.004-04:00

You: Hey, why are you eating all dressed Ruffles and drinking beer for dinner?
Me: I don't know.
You: Are you celebrating something?
Me: Yes. No. I don't know.
You: What do you mean?
Me: I don't know if I'm celebrating or in mourning. You see, THEY'RE RE-MAKING BAD LIEUTENANT:

Hearing that Nicolas Cage is going to star in a remake of Bad Lieutenant almost made my blood boil, until I saw who is directing: Werner Herzog.

Mark my words, someone will die making this film.

Bad Lieutenant is, of course, the Abel Ferrara movie where we show Harvey Keitel how we suck a dick, and he in turn shows us his dick.

[Snip]

Start taking bets now: Who dies on set? Is it Cage, pushed to do something stupid and dangerous by his director? Is it Herzog, trying to one up Cage by doing something more stupid and dangerous? Or is it a crew member, killed when the relationship between actor and director takes on shades of Herzog's battles with Klaus Kinski?

He's all right...

2008-05-12T21:49:00.004-04:00

...he stands for family values:

CBS is doing its best to get rid of the video so click here if it doesn't work.

Just sayin'...

2008-05-11T21:45:00.001-04:00

Tax evasion 'costs lives of 5.6m children':

The lives of more than five million children could be saved in the developing world – if the super-rich and the world's largest companies paid their fair share in taxes, according to a leading British charity. In Death and Taxes: the True Toll of Tax-dodging, Christian Aid says that the extent of tax abuse "is so widespread and damaging that it is tantamount to a new slavery".

The charity estimates that governments in the poorest countries are being cheated out of at least $160bn (£82bn) a year in tax revenues, much more than the $40 to $60bn the World Bank estimates is needed to pay for the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals (MDG). The MDG aim of halving poverty by 2015 would save 350,000 children's lives a year.

The director of Christian Aid, Dr Daleep Mukarji, said: "We predict that illegal trade-related tax evasion alone will be responsible for the deaths of 5.6 million children under the age of five between 2000 and 2015. That's almost 1,000 a day". Christian Aid believes that up to $11 trillion of funds may be stashed away in tax havens.

Lightweight II

2008-05-11T10:19:00.002-04:00

Or, so this is what it's like to be a yuppie once again.

We hit Timmy's for our mega-caloric breakfast and then the beach to read. Elisabeth did her best to engage with the Toronto Star and it's three automotive sections while I continued my slog through Robert Fisk (750 pages down / 600 more to go. Sigh.)

I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty of our decision to bike to Kensington or the route that we took. Suffice to say that by the end of the day we'd biked (A very conservative estimate of) thirty kilometres. We did stop once to recharge on beer and avocado & brie sandwiches (Yuppie!) before heading home for dinner and demolishing a bottle of my favorite wine right now, Yellow Tail Rose (Yuppie!).

I don't think we're sore today but who the hell knows; we slept for 10-12 hours because that's what out of shape yuppies do, apparently. The length of our sleep was most likely aggrivated by the thrilling made for TV movie we watched last night: Troubled Chicago teen is sent to the countryside to learn some down-home values while her single working mother is punished for not being a stay at home mother. Barf.

Today? Elisabeth's at The Merc (Recently highlighted in Now magazine as an It Store)(Yuppie!) and I'm going to buy some clothes (Yuppie!).

Happy mothers day to any and all mothers reading this.

PS: Anyone know where I can buy a decent pair of shades? I do NOT want a pair of aviators or thick plastic ones or any other style that the hipster douche bags are wearing this season.

Lightweight

2008-05-10T09:33:00.002-04:00

Or, another entry where I complain about my age.

We took advantage of my first Friday off in eleven months (I exaggerate, it's been ten) by biking down to the Canadian stage Company to see December Man. My congratulations to all involved; you've managed to put together one of the most unrelentingly depressing plays I've ever seen.

Contemplating suicide, Elisabeth and I biked to The Only for pints where I turned into a big lame-o and had to push my bike up a hill while Elisabeth peddled past me. And then I got totally off my tits on two pints and wolfed down tiramisu when we got home.

The Big Plan today was that we were going to hit The Only up for brunch but I can't deal with their brand of healthy feel good food. We're hitting Timmy's up for some 2,500 calorie breakfast sandwiches in a minute and then hitting the beaches with books and a paper. Perhaps veggie sushi in Kensington Market later in the day...

And in the East End, today...

2008-05-08T19:17:00.002-04:00

A teenager was stabbed two blocks away from us:

Police were called to Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute at around 3 p.m. where they found the victim suffering from a stab wound to his stomach.

The victim has been rushed to hospital and has since been listed in serious but stable condition.

One student told CTV Toronto she saw the victim minutes before he was attacked.

"I saw the kid sitting on the floor," she said. "He was doing his homework."

The school, located in the Pape and Danforth Avenues area, was in lockdown for about an hour while police investigated the incident.

Really. Kids these days. Toronto needs to hire Alexyss K. Tylor to sort them out. Sister speaks the truth!

From an Office Chair

2008-05-07T10:49:00.004-04:00

There's something to be said for routine, predictability and stability. These are three things we have decisively lacked since about March '07, and are only now starting to see a hint of a return to "normalcy". Stephen is in the midst of induction at his new job, and I think it's a bit of a shock. A shock that something good has come along perhaps.

To have the ability to buy books, cds, see movies and plays...maybe go out for drinks and eat out now and then...buy clothes, good cheese, organic milk, high quality cooking oils, flowers, magazines...these are things that are extravagent to me right now, but are nevertheless well within reach as our circumstances change. What more does one need?

Both of our bikes are tuned up for spring & we'll probably take advantage of any good weather this weekend to get down to the beaches or up the don valley...maybe to riverdale farm...the possiblities are endless. I started biking to work, and it has cut my commute from 45 min. to 20. crazee!

I'm meeting with a fellow tonight to talk about collaborating in a future production. I've certainly got a few ideas I'd like to explore, but timing is everything.

So I've worked 3 days at the office, will have 2 days off & then at the food store for 6 hours on Sunday. What a life of leisure!

Oops. I forgot to post this with a title.

2008-05-04T16:20:00.003-04:00

I've been in a really weird head space for the last month or so. What with only working weekends and Elisabeth doing the ol' 9-5 routine plus her show, I've had loads of time on my hands and have managed to write most of it away through this 50,000 word 'novel' (Only really about 185 pages) in a month challenge. I'm officially considering myself done today. Technically, I've failed because I'm about 60 words shy, thanks to ending it early last week. I've tried to edit it and add words but I need to put some space between it and myself for a week before I read it (I guarantee it's going to be pretty awful) and do a round of edits which I hope will take me through the summer and add another 20-30,000 words that will make it a real novel length.

Drop me an e-mail if you want to read it; you have my sincerest apologies.

Tomorrow I get to start my 9-5 and re-engage with society. It's going to be weird.

I love Toronto

2008-05-01T10:34:00.002-04:00

I have calmed down now. Thank you for your patience, and mostly thank you to Stephen who has done the laundry, grocery shopping, cooking and the dishes many many times in a row for many weeks running and has not complained. Not only that, he's managed to write a novel.

The show closed Sunday night after a sold-out run. Everything ended up going smoothly for the most part & now I'm trying to catch up with life. However, much to Stephen's chagrin, I spend yesterday helping set up the new food store, which has moved to Roncesvalles, and missed out on laundry, cleaning and cooking again. Today I decided to volunteer at CanStage after work. But then I have 2 days off!!

So why do I love Toronto? This morning, on my hurried walk to the Subway, I realized it was 1 May and I had forgotten to buy a new pass. I didn't have any cash & only $1.75 in change. To get money out would make me late for work. So I then remembered that the TTC promised to reimburse April Metropass holders $7.00 to compensate for their weekend strike. But when I got to the ticket booth, the agent informed me they weren't remibursing anyone until Monday. I offered to just give him my pass and various bits of change to make up a fare. He said not to worry, hold on to the pass until Monday & just pay what I can. So I only paid $1.75 for my subway ride. How do you like that England?

Later today...I bought hair straighteners...I think Stephen disapproves, but honestly, they are kind of essential in the office world...sad, but true. I used to have a ghd iron in England, but we left it behind.

So that's enough from me...Stephen starts work on Monday & like a kid back to school, he's got new clothes, a new agenda, sharpened his pencils....

Elisabeth Says

2008-04-23T16:25:00.002-04:00

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's the sound I would make if I weren't just slogging through another work day, waiting for Dress rehearsal and for the show to close on the 27th. I must hold it together until then.

I am getting tired of stage managing...I need more return for my investment.

blah blah blah....I go crazy now.... BREEET!

(aren't you glad you guilted me into blogging?)

Well, it's that time of month again:

2008-04-22T16:41:00.002-04:00

That time where Elisabeth becomes psychotic, moody, argumentative and gains weight. That's right; her show opens in two days.

Since I last left you, we lost hot water in our apartment for a day, then water completely for another day. Got the water back but only the cold and two days later had our place trashed when workmen in the basement cut into the concrete floor and the furnace blew all the dust into our place. We have since been compensated and I can resume my life of leisure sitting on the back porch writing and drinking beer; painting wood stain onto our recycled furniture and getting a tan before I start work next month.

I am like a slice of bacon: Fat and crispy. Tasty but not very interesting. Elisabeth, damn it, it's my turn to guilt you in to blogging!

Well, it's been nearly a week...

2008-04-18T09:47:00.003-04:00

What can I say, it's been a weird couple of days and is now leading into a hectic couple of days. I'm taking a break from writing my 31 day novel right now because there are a bunch of burly Greek men in my basement shouting and tearing it up with a sledgehammer. I'm sure that this is someones fantasy come true but for me it's a little annoying.

Basically we spent the first part of the week with no hot water, then no water and then no hot water again. I'm sure that if Elisabeth were blogging, she'd bring up some kind of awareness and insight into water conservation, but I found that it generally sucked and, out of protest to not being able to shower, I refused to wear any deodorant which just meant that I was walking around in a state of constant arousal caused by my funky armpits.

The weather's nice at long last and I'm whiling away the last of my free days on the porch writing and staining various pieces for found furniture (and my arms) to give them an 'antiquey' look. No disasters so far.

Starting next month I'm into the old 9-5 / Monday-Friday routine. Something that I haven't known in what, 7 or 8 years? Scary. Now I'll be able to have a social life if someone could remind me what that is.

Baldness is not a valide disability

2008-04-17T10:16:00.000-04:00

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/judge-baldness-is-not-a-disability-810391.html

The Three Seasons

2008-04-13T21:21:00.002-04:00

I felt compelled to clean up the garden this afternoon, now that almost all of the snow has melted. I picked up leaves & dead branches, swept the walkway & porches, and picked up cigarette butts from the workmen who haven't yet finished the basement apartment. The front yard was the only location we were unable to rake before the snow covered it for months. So after picking up the remaining snow & tossing it on the sidewalk, I peeled a layer of smooshy leaves off of the mulch. And what did I discover peaking through underneath? But some buds, albeit slightly yellow from a lack of sunlight. And that was weird...spring, fall and winter present all at the same time.

Dropping a Line

2008-04-12T21:52:00.002-04:00

I had a cup of nettle tea. I'm listening to an opera album. It's 9:53pm. I'm wearing an 100% cotton kimono that I've now inherited (by pulling it out of a pile of discards), from my grandmother. I got back on Thursday afternoon from Minneapolis. I am so fortunate to have been able to go for the funeral. It was so important for me and 2 of my brothers to have gone. My mother wasn't able to fly over from Sweden for obvious reasons, so we were happy to be able to support my dad and grandfather. I learned much about our family history, and about the importance of family in general.

I am busy in general right now, and will be until the 27th April, when the show I'm working on will close. Stephen has surpassed the 10,000 word mark on his "write a novel (50,000 words) in a month" project. Hopefully both of us will receive news soon about jobs, one way or another.

So my sights are set on May. In the meantime, slog on, slog on.

Stephen is old, boring, has bad sleeping habits and likes pizza too much.

2008-04-10T08:22:00.003-04:00

Oh No! Elisabeth's going to be back in a couple of hours and I haven't blogged. She's going to kill me.

I'm trying to resist my standard mantra of 'nothing much is going on' before rambling on for pages about the stuff that's going on. I guess the main bit of news is the stupid birthday present that Elisabeth gave me which provides the challenge to write a novel (Really 50,000 words) in 31 days. Typically, I've latched onto something to spaz over and am now even more tied to the computer as I do my best to hammer out 1,600-2,000 words a day. I still have to do another 1,000 words by the time Elisabeth gets home or else I need to buy her a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio.

Actually, I've already bought her a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio because she'll probably have to unwind a little after the past few days in Minneapolis.

I'm saddened that being left alone for two nights hasn't made me revert to any of my bachelor ways. I'm getting old. Or boring. Or old and boring. I've been going to bed early and the only thing I've done that will get Elisabeth the least bit exasperated with me is to indulge in waking up at 4 o'clock in the morning and not going back to bed. In fact, I was making pizza at 4:30 this morning. Party on!

Bittersweet

2008-04-07T09:08:00.005-04:00

For Stephen's 32nd birthday, the festivities began the night before, on Saturday when he made himself a cheese and tomato pizza from scratch. This was paired with some tasty Nero D'Avola and a spinach salad. As we got into the swing of things, I decided to let him have his main birthday present early. It was a nice bottle of whiskey..I can't remember the name right now. Then I made him a birthday cake, which I cooked a few minutes too long because it's kind of crumbly. Stephen coloured his own icing (while I freaked out that he was using too much food colouring) and turned out a nice minty green. I lit some candles, but Stephen could not be separated from Facebook very easily & so they had melted half way down before he realized maybe something was up. Silly man.

Sunday was a beutiful sunny day--double digits. We went to The Only Cafe for yummy brunch, then came back to the apartment for some green tea enjoyed on the back porch which was heating up nicely in the sun.

We then set off on foot down Jones to Queen St. We walked West until Bay (yes, that did take over an hour), then south to the harbourfront. We continued west to a hot dog stand where Stephen re-fuled. We walked up Spadina to Kensington market. What a new view of the city approaching it from the lake, instead of from the northern subway line.

Anyway, we were growing tired, my feet were blistering & we took a nice break in King's Vegetarian cafe on Augusta st. We shared a sushi platter (delcious) and tried some odd tasting but health-inducing hot teas.

We took the streetcar home.

On a sad note, my grandmother (paternal) passed away on Friday night in Minneapolis. My grandfather is now surrounded by his five children who are helping make the funeral arrangments for Wednesday. I am going to try to go tomorrow night & return Thurs. but as of yet, flights are not confirmed.

My grandmother had a stroke just over a year ago, and has been steadily declining, so this does not come as a shock or surprise. This year was to be my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary. Hard to imagine...that's 12 times as long Stephen and I have been married.

What that must to do a person!!

Muh.

2008-04-05T11:46:00.005-04:00

I'm tired and haven't quite woken up yet so a few odds and ends.

First of all, I'm sure no one actually reads any news links I post, however I stress that the following article by Robert Fisk is a must read. It's always a little depressing when he goes after Canada:

And so I began to learn what it is like to be an Arab Canadian. It takes only a local argument to have an email winging its way back to Tripoli or Cairo or Damascus or the Gulf, informing the local despots that their dual citizen – Mohamed or Hassan or Abdulrahman or whatever – is a potential subversive and, ergo, a terrorist. And, so great is the co-operation between our beloved Western intelligence agencies and the torturers of these repulsive dictatorships that this "intelligence" is shared.

So only days after the original message has gone off to the Arab world, the "mukhabarat" privately tell the Canadian intelligence service – a truly silly institution called CSIS – that Mohamed or Hassan or Abdulrahman is a "terrorist". At which point, Mohamed or Hassan or Abdulrahman come under observation from CSIS as potentially dangerous terrorists in Canada.

What else... I finally got around to seeing Phantasm and Phantasm II, which is a bit of an accomplishment because I've been curious about seeing what the deal is with those little flying silver balls which have spikes and screws that come out of them. Now I just need to track down parts III and IV before part V comes out later this year. I'm enjoying this series even more than Friday the 13th. I respect any horror film that that doesn't even try to make any sense, rather just chug along from one disturbing set piece to the next with more attention paid to mood and style over rational reality. I mean, really. It's a film series about an alien from another dimension who steals the dead in order to resurrect then as dwarfs so he can send them back to his planet where they can work as slaves. I know that 9/11 changed everything but I don't see this becoming remotely possible for at least the next billion years.

I also accidentally watched Ichi the Killer. Accidentally because I just wanted to see the beginning as I wasn't too interested in a film that is essentially marketed as a gore-fest, but was surprised that there was quite a lot more to it than severed body parts and got quite drawn in. After seeing this and other Miike films, as well as after reading a few Japanese books, all I can say is that the Japanese definitely have some major issues about sex and sexuality.

In conclusion to this rather uninspired post, when the back of a book says "A thriller so disturbing that you won't have nightmares because you won't be able to sleep" and "fear for your life," publishers should be aware that kind of hype is rather hard to live up to and it should be noted that I'm still able to sleep and I'm not currently in fear of my life. Yes, Pig Island by Mo Hayder, I'm talking to you.

EDIT: A web site dedicated to "The Long & Short of Rock N' Roll Cocks!" Perez Hilton, eat your heart out.

Frolicking Underneath the Fields of Waste

2008-04-03T12:51:00.004-04:00

It's Thursday. Hi. We live, we work, we eat, we breathe, and at some point we'll die. Deep. Yah.

No, I have not been smoking drugs. I'm at work.

Today I used by talents to seal envelopes, fax documents, collect mail, write emails, and answer phone calls.

I am wearing blue, brown and black.

Busy week. Today from 8:30am-10pm...on 5 hours of sleep.

But here's an interesting link; http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSN0337888820080403

Just felt like posting a random blab...hopefully it'll prompt Stephen to say something more intereseting!

It's April Fools Day

2008-04-01T09:59:00.004-04:00

I got a huge tattoo across my back and down my left arm yesterday. Psyche.

I've got nothing to blog about and am doing this only out of my sense of civic duty. The snow's almost all gone and the East End is filled with six months of accumulated cigarette butts, dog shit and candy wrappers being thawed out as the snow banks recede almost as fast as the glaciers.

Saw a group of kids playing cricket outside of the local high school yesterday; weird to see that outside of the UK.

I hope that me playing Electric Wizard at 9:30AM is as annoying to upstairs as them playing the bongo at 12:30AM is to me.

Elisabeth told me to blog about this so I will: I finished Cormack McCarthy's The Road the other week and it was one of the best books that I've read in a long time. Unrelentingly depressing, it takes a special kind of someone to write a book that is so bleak yet readable. I also doubt that I've ever encountered a post-apocalyptic setting as utterly apocalyptic as this outside of the Left Behind book series (Psyche). Read it before the movie comes out next year and the cover is plastered with Viggo's face. It won the Pulitzer Prize and was selected by Oprah's book club. What higher accolades can one novel achieve?

In terms of my exercise in catching up with movies I should have seen a long time ago, I finally got around to seeing Pan's Labyrinth and Children of Men. How neither were contenders for winning best picture in everything is beyond me. Speaking of the apocalypse, after seeing Children of Men you're going to say "Why did that other movie win best picture when this one should have won."

And speaking of unbridled genius, I also had the opportunity to see the underrated screen gem Crank. Not since Sophie's Choice has a film addressed life and death in such a compassionate and sensitively understated way. Jason Statham hits all the emotional marks as a man wrestling with the choices he's made in his life as he deals and, ultimately accepts the limitations of his own mortality. I cannot believe I've never heard of Amy Smart. As Statham's girlfriend, she finds layer upon layer in her character, executing each one with the genius of Meryl Streep & Jody Foster's love child as she learns about the secret past of her boyfriend and tries to reconcile it with her love for him while coping with a life after he is gone. Dwight Yoakam adds an element of gravitas as a mob doctor to this powerful ensemble cast. I'm excited to know that in 2009, there will be Crank 2: High Voltage. I'm sure when it comes out people will be comparing this to Godfather and Godfather 2.

A Whiff of Possibility

2008-03-30T20:47:00.003-04:00

It's Sunday night. I'm listening to Daniel Barenboim, drinking some wine, and chilling out after working at the food store today. Stephen dropped in on his way to work, where he is now, which brightened up my day. Last night during Earth Hour, everything in our apartment was switched off or unplugged except for our fridge, stove clock and the heat. I read by candlelight and noticed how much quieter it was without the constant hum of electric machines. On Friday I had a hectic day temping for the marketing director. Because of the impending merger, all of the branded promotional merchandise needs to be dispersed in the next two weeks. So I was sorting, labelling, packing etc...all day. I ended up being late for the rehearsal at 5:30, and slowly felt my energy drain until 10pm when we stopped. Sadly, the next rehearsal was 9:30am the next morning...a Saturday morning is not a good time to muster up enthusiasm and concentration and so, I admit, I was rather gloomy and unprofessional. The snow continues to slowly melt, but the beginning of spring has definitely arrived. Stephen's birthday is in a week. How I wish we could just jet away to someplace exciting as was possible while living in England. I guess this is the trade-off. We could spend the weekend in Belleville? Or Mississauga? NOT!

The Lesser Evil

2008-03-27T13:36:00.004-04:00

My father left this morning after arriving on Tues. night, on stop over from Sweden - Wisconsin.

Neither Stephen or I worked during the day on Wednesday so we all went for brunch at The Only Cafe (although it was their lunch/breakfast menu & not the brunch menu; this is a very important distinction). He had dinner with Mark & Jenn Wed. night & then left this morning.

It's quite incredible how much family we've seen (both Allin & Westberg) since we moved back to Canada. I like it a lot.

Stephen has been called for another job interview, this one more promising than the last.

So we continue to hold our breath.

Has anyone read: "Consolation" by Michael Redhill ? I just started reading this novel, and it is very much about Toronto, it's history and "essence". Facts are woven in with fiction, which really catches my interest. I'd be interested to know what other people think of this book.

I also read the play "Walsh" by Sharon Pollock in the last couple of days. The subject of the White Man displacing the aboriginals is usually one that I avoid because of the discomfort and impotence I feel. But I slogged through, and am rewarded by a shifted perspective. The play is well summarized on this link http://www.freeessays.cc/db/34/mci210.shtml & I copied/pasted the main bit below:

"Progress is the elimination of the savage. These words of General Terry, a character in Sharon Pollock's Walsh, demonstrates how he and his fellow white men feel towards Native Indians. The indians see Canada as their homeland, but the Canadian government will not let them stay and will do anything in their power to make them leave to the United States. They are cheated against, lied to, and betrayed by their government, because of their ethnic background."

Like the novel "Consolation," the play examines how parts of Canada have been settled, and what the consequences have been. They both seem to point out the hypocrisy of self-congratulatory, peace-making, nature-loving Canadians. We tend to think we've done not much wrong, well especially compared with our allies (UK & USA). But while we may be a lesser evil, we're still not very good.

Sick. Bored. But wearing nice pants.

2008-03-24T11:47:00.003-04:00

I'm sick. Which pretty much blows as I was hoping to enjoy my day off by getting boozy and watching something stupid. I'm still going to watch something stupid but being wonky and breaking out in sweats is hardly a good replacement for getting boozy. It's like jumping straight into the hangover without any of the dumb.

I need suggestions for good clothing stores/chains in Toronto - I'm feeling a shopping binge building up inside me and I want to go someplace that doesn't sell any oversized checkered shorts. Are the shorts? Pyjamas? A bathing suit? All three? Actually they're the kind of ugly that an 18 year old football player from Buffalo would wear when he comes to Toronto to drink and date rape.

I also need some suggestions for authors & books to read as my current well is drying up fast. Mom, I know you really like James Clavell but I really don't think he's going to be my cup of tea. Non-fiction would be appreciated as well as any dark (e.g., violent & depressing) fiction. I'm in that kind of a mood.

The Taco Shells of Our Lives

2008-03-21T22:47:00.003-04:00

Some pictures finally...these are a bit old, but hey, we really need some pictures...

The sidewalk to the Distillery District

A quirky building on Cherry St.

Some evidence of snow in our back porch/garden.

I believe that today's the 1st day of spring, and boy what a sunny day it was here in Toronto. I spent most of the morning sitting on our back porch, slowly stripping away clothing while drinking coffee & reading "Me Talk Pretty Some Day" by David Sedaris. Didn't enjoy the book. But then again, Timothy Findley's Pilgrim is a hard act to follow. Pilgrim is a masterpiece & quite possible will be a major influence in my life. Yesterday when Stephen & I went to the Eaton centre to go clothes shopping for him (yes I typed that correctly) we stopped into the Worlds Biggest Bookstore & BMV & I got another Timothy Findley book.

It being Good Friday, Stephen & I got to spend most of the day together, but he left for work at 3pm. Then I went to rehearsal (stage managing) and got home at 10pm, ate dinner & and am now listening to Tom Waits, feeling my concentration drip away each minute. I should just get ready for bed, turn on the TV, and pray for the miracle of quality programming.

In other news, Stephen's waiting to hear about a job, I requested to change my position from temp. to full-time/permanent & am waiting to hear back. My father arrives on Tues. night for a short visit, which we're looking forward to.

We've got everything we need to do our taxes & have roughly a month now to do so.

I'm running out of things to say, so here's some random stats. from Harpers:

>Average number of pounds of waste produced by a pigeon each year: 26

>Perecentage of its taco shells that Taco Bell Mexico imports from the United States: 100

>Number of women who have made the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list since its inception in 1950: 8

>Percentage increase since 2001 in the amount the U.S. government has spent on paper shredding: +587

I Feel Like Poop

2008-03-17T11:54:00.002-04:00

3.5 hours of sleep last night capped off a busy and sleep-deprived week. Nevertheless I'm buoyed by coffee and good memories. Tim & Vicki arrived on Friday night around 11pm. We met at Mark & Jenns and ate pizza, drank beer and mezcal & Stephen & I got home around 4am.

Saturday, while M& J/ T&V had brunch, I went to the matinee performance of the theatre festival & Stephen took care of some business at home. Around 3:30pm we all met in the "heartless" distillery district and hung around the Saturday crowds too long. So we walked up to Cabbagetown...too bad Foxy Boutique vintage store was closed...but we happily settled down in the Coburg for a drink or two. I headed back to the theatre for the final performance & at intermission, all involved had had enough of the theatre festival so we took off.

That said, the play I directed continued to get stronger with each performance & I'm very proud of the outcome.

We ended up at C'est What where they have a lengthy vegetarian dinner menu as well as a fun beer selection, like Coffee Porter, Caraway Ale, Cherry Chocolate Stout, RASPBERRY WHEAT...mmmm The playwright and the actor joined us & a good time was had by all.

Sunday Stephen had to work at 9:15am. He was so tired when the alarm went off that he couldn't figure out how to turn if off. I was yelling from the bed "Just press all the buttons, press the buttons!"

While Stephen worked, I joined the gang for some coffee at M & Js while we had a leisurely chat until our stomachs dictated it was time to go to the Little India for their delicious buffet. It was so busy, we were squashing in after a cramped wait...but I guess not surprisingly, the food is worth it.

We then walked down Queen Street W. until Bathurst & then found our way to Kensington Market. It was here that we kind of chilled out and whittled away a few hours going in and out of shops, buying cheap sunglasses, scarves etc...Stephen met up with us at Last Temptation when he got off of work. Then M&J went back to theirs to get a couple of things done while we bought some groceries & headed Eastward to our apartment. I cooked a chickpea/pumpkin/raising couscous stew & we relaxed for a bit. M& J soon arrived with reinforcements in the shape of brie, wine and whiskey. We consumed and chatted until we were ready to hit The Only Cafe for some more drinks in a more ambient setting. We stayed there until closing. We parted on the street & with much laughter. I do hope that Tim & Vicki decide to move to Toronto.

Tonight it's rancho-relaxo and get to bed early.

Just a quickie, kinda boring, you might as well skip it.

2008-03-15T11:41:00.002-04:00

You want news about myself and Elisabeth? You loose! More links to news stories I feel you should read:
The Ministry of Defence demands students are taught their own revisionist history of Iraq.
Robert Fisk explores the factors precipitating the rise of the suicide bomber and then discusses The West's complicity in the torture of prisoners in the Middle East.
But if you you must read one news story, that I post today, read This one. Any story about Tom Cruise and his manic re-setting of the crazy bar supersedes so called 'real' news.
Praise Xenu!

Stupid Internets

2008-03-13T09:44:00.002-04:00

I don't know if it's our service provider, our modem or the package we've signed up to but half the Internets haven't worked for the last two day. Yes, I had the DT's; yes, I had the sweats; yes, I couldn't keep any food down and spent most of those 48 hours curled up in a ball on the floor of the bathroom crying and vomiting.

I did manage to drag my sorry self to see the second week of New Ideas. Do you want to know what love is? Love is giving up The Biggest Loser two weeks in a row in order to see the New Ideas festival. I find watching the shows puts me in a bad mood and don't think I can make a third.

That said, I think Elisabeth's piece is the strongest of week two. Not without its flaws, it's the only piece so far where there has been actual work done on developing a character. It's also one of the two (Out of five) plays where you won't be embarrassed to look at the actors during their own plays. Unfortunately it's also the shortest and suffers from an imposed time limit.

My comment the other day regarding my belief that the Republicans would win the U.S. election sparked a heated discussion at home. Here is more proof that I'm right.

What's Going to Come out of my Fingers?

2008-03-12T16:44:00.002-04:00

I had around 4hrs sleep last night...so what am I going to type? My censor tends to go to sleep when I don't sleep. Dress rehearsal went well, Stephen came a slogged through the evening's performances. I'm still quite proud of the work I've done. It's not perfect no...but it's run it's course & I've learned a lot. I feel I can safely say that I'm not as muddled in my approach to directing than some of the other plays. My feelings about the festival as a whole remain however.

In other news, our internet is patchy at home & so Stephen's been unable to surft and post & probably has the DTs as a result.

Tonight's opening night, so must buy some flowers or chocolate or something for my actor. Then early to bed if possible.

no other news...

A Rant

2008-03-10T15:51:00.003-04:00

Going to my tech rehearsal tonight. Should be quick and easy. But a producer is bugging me about lack of imagary in the pre-show set up. It's an empty stage with two beach pails on one side. That's it. It's called minimalism and it suits the play. I think it's better to keep it simple, then to have extra, unneccessary fluff. This producer thinks I should put more beach paraphanalia on the beach, or have the actor frozen in position, or have more, more, more on the stage. She thinks the audience will come into the theatre, see a bare-ish stage and lower their expectations. That may be (I highly doubt it--she should review her theare history & the movement called "the empty space"), but as soon as the play starts it should erase that feeling. Plus, this is a festival of new playwriting. A budget of $40 was given to each show with the emphasis to keep production values simple. No one has a designer. So why am I getting harped at? I'm pretty pissed off, and I can assure you would never participate in this festival again. I think they need to rexamine this whole festival, because as far as I'm concerned I haven't seen any cohesion in organization or any real quality in the plays. If the quality is low, then they should be fostering growth and exploration, not trampling artisit merit. Kapow!

Blah, blah, blah pt.2

2008-03-09T01:41:00.003-05:00

I'm tired. Had to work late because the agency lady didn't show up on time which meant that my shift overlapped into the night shift which meant that I ended my shift by getting into a shouting match with a crack head. Got home and Elisabeth was good enough to buy me a pint of London Pride and, having nearly finished it, am contemplating raiding her 1/2 drunk bottle of wine...

More movie reviews:

Clerks 2: Utter shite. Any goodwill that I have re: Kevin Smith films are gone.

Gone Baby Gone: Loved it. Of course it helps that I loved the book series it was based on and it's unfortunate that since they adapted the 4th book (Of 5), it's unlikely that the whole series will be made into movies. Should have been up for best picture (Probably could have won) and that lady who was up for best supporting actress should have won, hands down. Stupid Ben Affleck for making such a good movie. I hate him even more.

Street Trash: Instead of a review, here are some choice quotes:

Fred: Fuck you. Gimme a bottle of booze, here's my dollar, suck my dick!

Doorman: Everybody's a hot-headed gangster. Everybody's Mister Mafia. Ha! The Don! The Don of Douchebags, that's what you are. Nick - Nick the Dick. That's what they call you, behind your back, you and your restaurant. Your stinkin' restaurant.

Nick Duran: You're a fucking dead man, you fucking rat. You know what a fucking dead man is? That's what you are, a fucking dead man.
Doorman: Yeah? Well I'll tell you something. I'd rather be dead than wear this fucking monkey suit. I look like Bullwinkle.

It's about liquor that makes bums explode. See it. (Trailer)

A Cardinal & More Record-breaking Snow

2008-03-07T18:26:00.003-05:00

This morning, before the snow started (another 15-20cm) there was an arrestingly bright red cardinal singing in the tree in our backyard. I just stopped in my tracks, lowered the orange juice from my lips and pressed my face against the glass. What an impossible red.

Stephen's at work. Had my last rehearsal this morning. Got a haircut, happy with it. Gotta to some shovelling, baking, and stage manging list-making tonight.

Somehow, I can't get motivated.

Maybe spring, summer and fall have already passed & Christmas is right around the corner again?

A Little Blah Blah Blahing

2008-03-06T09:50:00.003-05:00

So basically, I've been working and catching up on movies that I've been meaning to watch for ages. Since I don't want to blog about how I had to shovel snow twice yesterday while I did the laundry and went to the bank & IGA, here are some totally biased movie reviews:

No Country for Old Men: Definitely my new favorite Coen Bros. movie but the third act switcheroo has left me slightly disturbed by the fact that there was absolutely no way I saw that coming. It was also what made the movie become something more than, essentially, a chase movie. I really need to see it again.

Imprint: I only wanted to see this because I'm a closet Takashi Miike fan and I wanted to see what his episode of the Masters of Horror that was deemed too disturbing for cable TV looked like. The fact that nothing makes sense (The norm in a Miike film but there wasn't even any thematic links to bring the horror set pieces together) and the horrible acting (To the point where I was laughing out loud at by the way that everyone performed like a pantomime bad guy) took away from the fact this was a violent, nasty little piece. It contained one of the most unpleasant scenes of torture I've seen in a long time (Miike revisits torturing people with needles and ups the ante that he set in Audition) and a talking hand (with eyes) that lives in someones head. Only watch if you've got an hour to kill. Or two beers left and you really want to kill your six-pack.(Trailer)

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon: It's Spinal Tap meets Scream. In a world where Jason, Freddy & Michael Meyers are all real, a team of grad students make a documentary about Leslie Vernon, following him around as he prepares to become the next big name in supernatural serial killers. I loved this movie because it was really funny and should not have worked in so many ways but did in every way. Needs at least 3 sequels. (Trailer)

Severance: It's Office Space meets Hostel. Seriously, mmm yeah, imagine the boss from Office Space being, mmm hunted down and, yeah tortured in Eastern Europe. Think Ravenous with more comedy and more humourless gore. (Trailer)

And finally, Hard Candy: I was frustrated by the way that the movie tried to elevate itself beyond being, basically, a rape-revenge movie (Was there ever any doubt that the dude was a pedophile? I mean, the first scene showed him chatting up an underage kid; the whole castration scene copped out and, dare I say, lacked balls? [ha ha]) but at the same time everything worked really well and I was impressed with the end. Ellen Page kind of freaks me out - I really, REALLY hate the way she talks but I fall for it. I just wish she would stop playing teenagers.

In other news, Gary Gygax, creator of Dungeons & Dragons died a few days ago. This was a nice tribute.

In still other news, I'm calling the U.S. election: McCain wins by a narrow margin. The Democratic primary is going on way too long, Clinton's getting way too dirty and making sure that Obama's going to be so bloodied by the time he wins the nomination that he'll be unelectable. I have no optimism when it comes to the collective intelligence of the United States of America.

Plastic Bread

2008-03-06T08:35:00.001-05:00

Why is bread most always sold in plastic bags? Surely this is counterintuitive? Are there any good alternatives, or is the ideal scenario that everyone makes their own bread? Or perhaps everyone should support a local baker, from whom you can pick up a warm loaf & stick it under your arm.

Elisabeth Blogs Again...nudge nudge

2008-03-05T12:27:00.003-05:00

Last night Stephen & I met after work in Cabbagetown. We ate at Ginger (yumi green curry/ silken tofu/ grilled eggplant) and had drinks at the Coburg. Then we walked down to Alumnae Theatre & saw the dress rehearsal for Week 1 of the New Ideas Festival. (And just to be clear, I'm in Week 2)

Ok, so our high spirits and high hopes were dashed pretty quick. There were 4 shows in 2 hours, and each one lacked conflict or purpose. There was nothing at stake. All the audience could do was suffer through some patchy writing and decent directing and acting. I have rarely laughed so hard during a play, and I was the only one laughing...so...I guess I'm a bit sad and reluctant to invite people to see New Ideas in general.

Interesting article on what's not being reported on Iran's visit to Iraq : http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080317/scheer

Yes! We Have No Bananas (they're all mutants)

2008-03-04T16:33:00.001-05:00

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080317/biuso

I already thought I knew the Banana Industry was corrupt, but this article illuminates some nasty details. Please, whatever you do, don't buy a Chiquita Banana (or a subsiduary company's).

Theatre Crazy

2008-03-03T21:41:00.007-05:00

It's 9:42pm. Stephen is at work until midnight. This last weekend was quite busy, and it's not going to let up for a few weeks. The play I'm directing has 1 more rehearsal before tech and dress, so thankfully we had 2 productive rehearsals on Friday and last night. It's all coming together & I'm getting excited. Check: www.alumnaetheatre.com/ideas.html and scroll down to click on the link "Go to Week Two."

As I'm feeling more engaged artistically, I find it increasingly difficult to remain sweet and professional in my service jobs. But then, I just think of His Majesty Lord Black in the Slammer & I feel so much better.

We saw Catherine & Mike yesterday morning for breakfast on their way from Burlington back to Quebec City. We dined at The Only Cafe before I had to rush off to work. It was fun to reminisce about our weekend a few weeks ago in Quebec and make plans for future mischief-making. Mike's scientific and mathematical and medical knowledge never fails to amaze me...I feel completely inadequate to even begin to comprehend what he knows, but I'm glad there are smart people out there in the world. Yup.

The beeping has stopped in the basement.

A Wasted Day?

2008-03-01T22:03:00.003-05:00

After getting home at 4:30am from my brother's party, we slept most of the morning. When we were awake, we were not really suffering so much from a hangover than we were just feeling slumpy and unfocused. So we just hung out at our apartment for a few hours. Then I went into town for an interview for a volunteer stage manager job.. It went well, and I'm very excited about this project. As soon as New Ideas is over, I'll be jumping into SMing a show which is performed in an art gallery in the distillery district in April.

Funnily enough, one of the actors in this play is the actor who I'm directing in New Ideas. The theatre community is so small here...but that's charming and challenging in a way. My interview was just around the corner from the shelter where Stephen was working, so I popped in and realized that he didn't like me being there as while we were talking he was pushing his rolling desk chair farther and farther away from me, until he was like, almost down the hallway.

So I caught the streetcar home, ran into two of Mark & Jenns friends who were at the party last night & had left their bag & wallet @ M & Js and were heading to their place to pick it up. Small city. Then I stopped by the Big Carrot on my way home, bought a razor made of recycled yogurt cups and some chemical free shaving lotion, and have now shaved my legs. Why this is news? My 1" leg hairs are now down the drain. I think someone else might be happy about this....

So, I've had a hot chocolate & baileys & am going to read a copy of the playscript before zonking out. Tomorrow morning: brunch with Catherine & Mike!!!! Then I work from 12-6, then have rehearsal from 7-10pm. Working monday at 8:30am....and so the week goes...

A Modicum of Dread

2008-02-29T13:16:00.002-05:00

We knew from the beginning that the basement apartment would some day be rented out to some weirdo (Who else would rent a basement apartment other than the marginally employable, recent divorcees or students that are crap at being students?) and that day is starting to dawn. Workmen have been downstairs drilling and dropping large pieces of ceramic all morning, as well as producing a strong sulphuric smell that's leaking up through the vents. My petty way of fighting back has been to blast metal back at them however the workmen have clearly called alerted their re enforcements who are trying a new strategy:

Letting themselves into our apartment, saying "Hi" and wondering why I'm not being very friendly as they ask where's the work that needs to be done? Perhaps this is payback for when I caught one of them having sex while I was doing the laundry.

This would all be kind of funny if it was happening to someone else (Or if it had happened six months in the past and I was telling it as an amusing anecdote.) but it's become almost as tedious as listening to shite white-boy reggae coming through the ceiling.

Today's amusing link is brought to you by The List of Dumb: Religious Photo Edition.

Where's the Kettle?

2008-02-28T09:29:00.002-05:00

Beautiful and freezing this morning. The sun is rising earlier, so that at 7am, early orange rays of light were making patterns on our back door. With the snow still hanging around, everything seems bright and fresh. And then I walked to the subway...I had forgotten to tie up my scarf, a mistake, & quickly secured the chin-tie on my hat to keep my ears warm. I pulled up my hood over the hat & still felt my cheeks burning from the cold wind. Finally in the subway, it was a rather crowded journey to St. Andrew's station, so I wasn't wasn't able to read "Pilgrim" by Timothy Findley which is my current novel on the go (thanks Jenn).

As I was walking in the PATH from the subway station to work, I ran into Jean Tartiere! Such a relief running into a familiar and friendly face, especially in such a lifeless environment.

So then I got to work, re-did my hair and was all set to hunker down with a cup of Organic Earl Grey Tea, when I noticed the kettle was missing! And then I realized what a priviledged set of problems I have.

In keeping with that kind of thinking, I want to join Canada's NDP & start attending city councill meetings. Maybe even volunteer as a tutor in a local school. Just as a place to start getting involved and informed about what's going on in Toronto & this country. It is my opinion that every citizen should acknowedge the priviledged society in which they live by actually being involved in it. Otherwise, we might take it for granted and leave the door open for others to abuse a system floating by on others' apathy.

Whoa---ok---maybe I should have had that Earl Grey...

Weighing In

2008-02-27T13:12:00.003-05:00

I'm feeling kind of ambivalent about starting up a blog again. Things are slightly less interesting in Toronto and I for one am reluctant to chronicle things because I have a sneaky suspicion that we'll be boring. That said, Elisabeth has lamented not having a blog several times so we'll see what transpires.

The blog'll probably be changing a lot over the next few weeks. Is there anything anyone thinks we should add?

In other news, if you're not watching The Biggest Loser on Tuesday nights, you're missing some of the finest in reality-based car-crash TV. Nowhere else will you see such intensely misguided emotional manipulation while you watch the trials and tribulations of morbidly obese contestants exercising, falling down, saying stupid things ("I want a tattoo that represents pride: A guardian angel but instead of a sword, she's holding a guitar.") and crying. Mostly crying. In fact, the last half-hour of every episode is mostly comprised of big fat people shedding big fat sobs and big fat tears on each others big fat shoulders.

Prideonthree! Prideonthree! Onetwothreepride!

Oh, and who would have thought that Garfield comics would be funnier if Garfield wasn't in them.

Tuesday is my Newsday

2008-02-26T14:14:00.004-05:00

This is fun...back to blogging again! I'm currently at work, have just eaten my usual lunch which consists of a bowl of soup. One doesn't work up much of an appetite sitting at reception all day. However yesterday, and I am very proud of myself, I went for a run down to the Beaches (yes it was all snowy, but that was charming) and only realized when I got back home that I'd been running for 1 hour and 15min. A record for me! Stephen & I have both started to lift weights -- Stephen much more so...I can only lift 4lbs!!

We received our first issue of Harper's magazine yesterday and I have been reading this morning on my commute to work & in the breaks about voter-fraud and how Republicans have been pulling fancy tricks & messing with the legal system for years. At the moment I'm not sure why it's just Republicans that are reported as doing this. I'm sure Democrats must do this also, but perhaps not to the same extent.

Last Saturday night we saw "Palace of the End"by Judith Thompson at CanStage and honestly it was one of the best plays I have ever seen. The three actors were brilliant, as was the script. It deals with the current mess of Iraq, the suffering, the responsibility we have, and how our reality in North America can not comprehend the human consequences of our actions. This play should tour.

As for pictures, our camera is busted & hopefully will get a new one soon.

Odds & Ends

2008-02-26T13:58:00.005-05:00

Discriminated for being beautiful (CNN has the video) and we can all be Jackson Pollock now. Look at what I made with my mouse:

Return to the Blogosphere

2008-02-21T09:44:00.000-05:00

So we're baaack! After a 9 month black-hole, our "goings-on" are back online. Mostly this is due to laziness, and partly because of busyness, and largely because our camera broke shortly after we moved back to Canada. Also, with so many of our friends and family scattered around the globe, I personally have found writing newsy emails to everyone hard to maintain & then I slip slowly out of touch with people I care about. So we're going to post it all in one place & save some time.