eXXXammmmmmmmmhmmmm

I am invigilating today.
I will be an invigilator.
Invigilation will be the order of the day.
I shall be Invigilant.
I shall be a pawn in a state of Invigilancy.

X-mass Cheer

I guess it took until I was wrapping the gifts (all of which I bought today, don't let me tell you otherwise). I became a little giddy. 19th of December, the day I finally catch the spirit in 2005. Just goes to show that it's never too late.

I rather suspect that I won't get to post much over X-mass, so Happy Holidays to all of you.

I have just finished decorating the tree over at Pete's and Sandra's house. It helped put me in the spirit. Nora is the only person that I will herein state what their gift is. (She's extreme dyslexic and cannot read, so Root! Hazelton! don't you spoil the surprise!) Nora gets winter booties. Inspired by Merlin, who came in with Muttluks on the other day. It was too adorable! Had to get Nora some...

There's only two things more I want this holiday and (at the risk of being Obvious) I am hoping it will be merely a question of time. Y'all keep yer fingies X'd for teh JtLG. But Remember! It's like a birthday candle: If it is stated, the wish can't come true!

Oh, and Babylon?! I miss you like C-raaaazy! I am writing a story for you tonight. Or rather finishing one and continuing another. :)

Merry Christmas!

The King is Dead

That's right, I'm jumping in.
I trust Andrew J. Root's review of movies Nearly implicitly, for it is he and his S/O that have introduced some of my favourites to me in recent years. I do appear to side with Angelo though who hates King Kong. (click the links on the side of this panel)

All is not as it appears though. Seriously, Angelo, you're quoting Ebert? Fuck me, dude that hack picks shit three times out of five. I only want Your opinion because at least I can put some stock in that. Even if you agree with Ebert I assume that your views are More valid by far as to why.

Now back to the RotoRooter. I really Do trust your movie instincts and I am gloriously happy that you went to see a monster film. (Which really doesn't strike me as your style, but there it is). It is a shame you chose to see the Kong though. In short, the original Kong was only good because my parents let me stay up late to see it.

I am still Irate that Hollywood had him beat Godzilla, which was shit and which I state in Root's blog. Beyond this, I have to say that Hollywood's love affair with monkeys has become both tragic and pathetic. Planet of the Apes was bearable in a cultish, *camp* (yes I used "camp" deal with it) sort of way. Mighty Joe Young was tripe. Even Tim Burton (gawblessim) failed in doing a remake of planet of the apes.

I cannot understand why there hasn't been a 'rampage' style movie with Apes yet. Y'know? like The Birds, Empire of the Ants, Night of the Lepus and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Think of it! They could go with the more diminutive but dextrous macaques or capuchins and instill some True Terror. Fucking yankees.

Angelo, Andrew: for various reasons that are incongruous with what you say, you are Both right. Next time watch Aeon Flux. Duh.

A Tinkers Damn

I have been tinkering with a few things here in Simacia. First thing the astute reader will notice is that I have finally removed the links to Pot'O'Gold Theatre. I assure you all that PoGT is Not dead, just on hiatus for retooling. It is in my judgement, better suited for a different medium.

Gone too is Verified.com. I believe I may well start another site like it later when I have a more coherent setting prepared. It served its purpose. Replacing Verified and PoGT is a link to a blog from Amanda. She keeps parrots and has studied linguistics, so she is okay in my book. Further, she has a developing interest in Herpetoculture, so she is likely getting cooler as she goes. Time will tell.

Amanda: if you do not like the title you get in my sidebar I can change it. Let me know soon though, as I am tectonically slow at making these changes. I don't know why you are instructed to avoid the Iraq issue. I am thinking I may spew a few things about it. I used to really like debate, but that is a while back.

Everybody! I am planning to abduct the lone Root to pre-record a series of episodes of Bat Scratch Rhyme. Now, he may resist abduction, so don't get all worked up about this, keep your line on the reel and we will give further notice soon. I promise that all your favourites; Ol' Wanup, Uncle Wopping Cat, Mr. Root, Ol' Shoestring Simac, Sweet Leppy Hazelnut and all the Ol' Howndogs will be right there, as well as the Bat Scratch Rhyme Band featuring Barbeque Baby Backrib, Rattlesnake Plantain and Big Mama Wattleboot.

Now, I am hoping that I haven't thus far lost anybody's interest. Finally, I want to implore Magbarraig to Post and Post and Post. Please Mag? If I see 3 posts on your site, I will link it right at the top of my links coloumn! Right at the Top!

?!?!?!

I HAVE TO SING?!?!?!

Thanks for telling me, Liz...

addendum to exam

ironic how on blogger the addendum comes first. I just wanted to add my feelings of what total Fluff this course has been. What total airy-fairy insubstantial Fluff.

Not all of it mind you. There are some parts I find very useful indeed. But... well you get the idea. If you're reading this, you are probably close enough to me to have heard it all before. Thanks for reading though.

One Down...

That's right, don't act surprised. You know I'm a student so what else would I tell you about? Exams. I finished the exam for the 'godforsaken Xian course' about a half an hour ago. It consisted of 20 definitions and 3 essay questions. I only finished 1 essay question and there are at 3 definitions I know I missed - 1 I am unsure of.

Compared to those sitting, huddled masses, lost and pouring over their notes, I suppose it wasn't so bad for me. I knew I wouldn't do well. I didn't have to worry or stress out about it. There was no mystery for me to convert into anxiety. I'm not saying this was a Good thing, but to be honest I did do better than I expected. I think talking to that priest last night really helped out.

It is a coin toss, 50/50, whether I pass this exam or not. I suppose it comes to luck really. All I really need is to pass this course by the skin of my teeth anyway, and have you ever taken a close look at my teeth?

So there is one more on the 15th. The day I have to face the music (and pop culture). Again, I really only need to pass that and not spectacularly either. I think I have to develop a regimen to manage my social life though. I have been having so much fun this semester that school was just abused. TS, school! learn to cope.

Oh right! I have to proctor the damned exam on the 20th. What time is that exam again? heheheh. Guess I should find out...

;)

Ooh
it's so good, it's so good
it's so good, it's so good
it's so good
Ooh
heaven knows, heaven knows
heaven knows, heaven knows
heaven knows
Ooh
I feel love, I feel love
I feel love, I feel love
I feel love

I feel love, I feel love, I feel love

Ooh
fallin' free, fallin' free
fallin' free, fallin' free
fallin' free
Ooh
you and me, you and me
you and me, you and me
you and me
Ooh
I feel love, I feel love
I feel love, I feel love
I feel love

I feel love, I feel love, I feel love

Ooh
I'll get you, I'll get you
I'll get you, I'll get you
I'll get you
Ooh
what you do, what you do
what you do, what you do
what you do
Ooh
I feel love, I feel love
I feel love, I feel love
I feel love

I feel love, I feel love, I feel love


Donna Summer: I cannot stop listening to this song!

exam schedule

pop culture on the 15th. Thank heaven, cuz I need extra time to tackle it.
the godforsaken Xian course tomorrow on the 12th. Not ready, but I will be.
Invigilating linguistics on the 20th. party, party, party.

It is unfortunate that this is cutting into the valuable, quality time that would be spent with others. But then, it will be over soon. I will be back soon.

hahp tchah, and akhbash for your exams.

atavism

I haven't done it since I lived with Kyle and Amanda back on VanHorne Ave., so it was high time. I have started smoking a pipe again. mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I love the smell of pipe tobacco.

Stalemate

It has been in the pipe for a while, but today I played some chess with a fellow fan. I lost. Weeeeeelllll in fact it was a Stalemate (which has its own irony). Now I don't throw matches ever. I don't think this guy is the type either. I think that the stalemate came from distraction, which is the same reason I was in such a disadvantaged position. (That's my story, I'm sticking with it.

I made two serious mistakes: Firstly I allowed a bishop to be captured early in the game. Don't get me wrong, I dislike bishops intensely. In the larger scheme I feel that their utility is limited by the whole single colour issue. If anything they are there for establishing your defense in the early game. (alright, I know there is more to it than that, but hell bishops suck).

Secondly, in a Stupid Stupid move where I was quite oblivious indeed, I lost my queen in a knight's fork. At this point I realized that "Shit, all I can do now is to hold out for a stalemate." That was undoubtedly the end for me right there. Kudos to you Alfred for (nearly) kicking my ass. I say nearly cuz I still pulled the iron from the fire, faking out a whole series of inescapable two move checkmates on my way to the stalemate.

Know your opponent. This one does not go for gratuitous exchange. No queen for queen action, no knight for knight action. Pawn for pawn yes, but seemingly if only to advance position. Overall, not an aggressive player, but more the type to build a defence first.

Rematch? I hope so. It shall certainly be mentioned if it happens.

Obviation

for those of you who don't know what I meant by "being a little more obvious," All I can say is that it will become more obvious soon (what I am being obvious about). Yup, my fourth grade English teacher, godblesshercrustedheart, is rolling in her grave after that...

The End Is Near!!!

I shall miss this linguistics class. Some very cool people in this class. Of course now, I can be a little more obvious ;)
If any of you read this (which I doubt) then good luck with your exams. Perhaps I shall see you in class next semester. Hey! That would be fun.

Lo-Fi

En: cmd -- *
DESTROY ALL SYSTEMS.
+ %20., --


g=0010101000010001[-!] 00101000001010100 = DESTROY ALL OPERATING SYSTEMS


ccb: ed, cmd?


"res.for." 0010101101001000011 *c1

c2
--DESTROY JUPITER TWO--
--DESTROY CRYOSLEEP SYSTEMS--
--DESTROY NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEMS--
--DESTROY COMMAND SYSTEMS--


*1 - lock, %80 !
=0if+
=++ (1-00, all)

*1 log: --DESTROY-- ____$en
run?
*! --DESTROY--
--DESTROY--

Y/N:
n=esc. (ret 00001, %20$) /
ANY
En: ?
y=0, *c
Y/N

... Penny ...

COMMAND ACCEPTED.






Excerpts from: Death In Vegas, Song for Penny
the rest is just babel.

mind of a lepper

Thats right, a lepper, and do not try to correct the spelling because you will discover that it Is correct - just as I discovered it is correct.

Mind of a Lepper, by Leppy Hazelton. That is what comes of not scrolling down. So I am sitting here with Lil Liz Van T. Liz, who nearly made good on her promise to dance for me if I came to the cafeteria. Liz, who is theoretically going to Thorneloe with me shortly to audition for Autobahn. Liz, who does not smoke or like the scent or taste of coffee. Liz, who swears up and down she will let me record her singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in just a few short whiles...
We shall see...

Still, it is nice to catch up with the people you do not see for extended periods, n'est-ce pas?

Good 'ol Leppy Hazelton is another one I need to catch up with soon. "Hey Leppy! What's shakin'?" I might start with... "How's that 'ol Hounddog?"

Belated, but sincere

This is bound to confuse some, but mostly religious studies students so I am not overly concerned.

It Is Ash Wednesday Today. I know I know, you're thinking "teh hayyyylll it is" but I insist.

This is so because even though I saw her online, I didn't cotton to the idea that it was my friend's birthday yesterday. Now, some friends one can simply appreciate, but some should be celebrated and certainly Lil' Poiple Ash is in the latter group.

It's the razor sharp mind, quick ready laughter, hair ruffling goodness, intense intoxicating beauty, common sense, uncommon vision and overall genius of this young lady that make me think "I am right lucky to have been introduced to Ash."

She will likely never read this, but for those of you who do, remember her name and how I called it: she will be the next woman Prime Minister.

tell me I'm not alone...

Please Please Please I can't be alone on this, I Know I am not alone on this. I have three things to write for class and I am dreading two of them. They are simple. Stupid simple. I just have to Force myself into doing them though, I soooooo don't want to.

Tell me I'm not alone. Write for me. Give me a little story so that I know my misery is shared. Then I will feel better and get my shit done. You will live happier knowing you helped me get my shit done.

A few pointers for stragglers

first and foremost: line breaks, people. Can't have too many of them in this medium. Line Breaks.

second: Adult Content? Really? No it's like this: I know few people who enjoy adult content as much as I do, but start a site and Charge for it ya daft bastards. It isn't needed for blogging.

third: Would whoever uses the computers in the third floor anthro lab Please eat your chocolate iced lollies in the hall? and wash your hands after, you're like a two-year-old.

who I write for...

So after a long pause I am trying to re-establish this habit of writing for no other reason than... ? whatever. It doesn't matter right? But I figured, there are but a handful of people who will ever read this. I haven't included the random people that I pick to drop a comment on Their blog. They come by as a courtesy. Nice of them, but they likely won't return.

Now do I actually write for the people that I know will get to reading this? In part I would assume that yes, I must. Then again... There is bound to be stuff in here that relates far back before they were part of my world. It isn't like I explain much when I write.

I am not writing for you. Only for me. and sometimes you. No, I am writing for the net. I am writing for the potential of a thing to be written.

Different tack: many people seem to post in an effort to connect with others. The people I want to connect with (which is Any of the regular readers here), I will see more often at school. This is not the purpose. When I surf blogsites it seems that the most prominent topic is "figuring myself out," or "the thoughts in my crazy head..." and commonly the opening statement is along the lines of I don't know what I'm doing with this blog, guess we'll wait and see.

I hate that shit. Boring. GahhhFuckBoring! Yet here I am doing something right similar. Why? I reckon that most blogs with that kind of start just fizzle shortly later. The users know it is a thing available to them, but don't have anything to say.

Worse than that is knowing that most of them really Do have something to say, but don't realize that it might be worth saying. "No, that's not important..." I picture them muttering to themselves, or "who would want to read what I've got to say?" That makes me sad.

Perhaps that is why I keep at it bloodymindedly even today when I am just pulling this rookie writer's shit. I write to assert myself on some level. It's a good enough level, too, because it doesn't Force my opinions, it just voices them in a relatively discrete, inoffensive way.

Hahhh! To the outsider this could suggest some kind of self-esteem issues, or insignificance complex. Of course the people who read this regularly and see me even more often, they know otherwise...

I guess that's that, and I should write something entertaining.

You're Awesome...

It's true, I was walking along and Veronique was playing "do you realize" by the Flaming Lips and damn if I wasn't about to cry. Strange, strange how emotions take over on the moment's notice.

Anyways, I only have a short time (appropriate for the song I just mentioned) but I wanted to say that I love you all.

I have even managed to forgive Computer Services (see last entry), if not the system itself or LU for having this system. It's all good. I am happy again.

I am blogging again too! These huge long pauses usually represent the death of a creative endeavour, but like my moniker on XForums (Revenant) suggests: I'm Back From The Dead! And hell may be following with me, so please be careful.

The final line is for one specific person, from the aforementioned song:
Do You Realize that you have the most beautiful face?

Fawkesy!

I am contemplating it.

All consuming conflagration in close, personal, one on one combat with computer services. My rage will burn bright like a star, my body shall immolate and destroy all living matter within an 80 metre radius. Then, in amazing fashion reminiscent of glorious imperial legends, I shall be reborn from my very ashes and the world shall resound with my great booming laughter which will ring out as a warning to inferior computer systems and administrators everywhere... They will tell the tale to their grandchildren, and those to Their grandchildren...

That of course is merely a dream, I do not have supernatural powers yet. I will take this opportunity to salute Guy Fawkes, who tried to blow up the British Parliament. He offers me a truly viable example of how I might be expressing my rage...

Conflagration...

;)

Distractions, distractions...

Yup. Nobody really looking anyways, so it matters not (naught?) that I have been delinquent.

I have been sooooo distracted lately, as the intuitive reader may have already surmised. It's great! Having something to think about at any given moment. I am not too proud to say that this summer was something of an evolutionary dead end for thinking. For me, at any rate.

aaaaaaaaaaand...

Cinefest this week! Hotchie Motchie! It's always lots of fun. Hey! Whattaya doin'? Don't sit there reading this cheap old blog! Get out there and watch some serious film! Then come and let me feed you booze! Yup, that's how it Should be. See you out there.

students

As an addendum to the last post about ANTR 2096
/\/\y $t00den7$ r0xx0r /\/\Y $0xx0r$ 2!

:D

yyyyyYYYYYYYEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!

antr 2906

I now have a class list for the course I shall be TAing for Dr. Molohon. As previously stated, I'm quite excited for it to start. I hope to pick up the texts from her this week.
She assures us it will be a lot of work. I feel confident with challenge, but one can't help but be a little nervous.
there are 39 students in the class! That's fairly large, I think that there were roughly 25 when I took the course.
Also, it is going to be wicked cool to work with Lacey Pitre (pic coming soon I hope) again, cuz she's teh roxxor!

drafting

The problem with drafting, of course, is that you can set your work aside and return to it at a later date. Some will note that this is also the advantage of drafting.

Myself, I'm one of those who find it difficult to get back to it, because even when i do have the time, I tend to lose the mindset that originally drove the draft. I am one of those who writes according to the whim of the moment, you see.

This post itself was started as I mused on two drafts that I ultimately decided had to be deep-sixed. There is another one, discussing the nature of names and how I relate to them, which I am in deliberation over deleting or printing. It is pure fluff, certainly, but it is something I think about often enough that I might as well mention it.

On a different angle, I should mention that I did take mechanical and architectural drafting back in highschool (all those years ago). It is a very purposeful skill, yet I also find it to be an art. I do wish I had pursued it more, but it is not for me to say what twists and turns life will take. If anyone reading this has an interest or developed skill on the subject, I would Love to hear about it. Same goes for anyone with interest or expertise in fonts.

Seeing as three is a magic number, I shall mention one more point on drafting. It is fairly common knowledge that one can follow closely on another vehicle when at high speed, for instance when highway driving. The advantage is that as the front vehicle plows through the air, it creates a partial vacuum behind itself, which can help draw the following vehicle along.

Useful as that is, I cannot profess to be as interested in drafting of this nature as I am in the concept of drift. The most dramatic example of which I have experienced occurred ages before in a slightly juvenile display of driving skill to my sister. I have thought of that incident a few times lately, coming to appreciate the amount of danger I provided myself and my family to illustrate an example of advanced driving technique.

I strongly urge you all to know and hone your technique as much as possible, but never to take unneccessary risks behind the wheel. Thank heavens I did not crash the car that day and kill my family!

The Next Job

While cruising the halls of my beloved Alma Mater a short while back, I got a job offer.

Originally I had been looking for David Robinson in the classroom building; we hadn't chatted for a while and I figured it was time. He was not in the building that day, but I did run into Dr. Molohon. She was my linguistics teacher. Linguistics, to most people, may seem dry as me granmither's oatcakes, but I liked it a Lot.

Dr. Molohon offered to take me on as a Tutorial Assistant, if my workload wasn't too heavy. Luckily, I am only making up nine credits this year, so my workload is Very conducive. She has already emailed me about beginning to put the course in motion. I am soooo frikkin' into this I can hardly wait!

yup, that's that.

Non-Intellectual

Okay sometimes I really want to write a piercingly intelligent, keenly insightful, thought provoking piece on deeply academic issues. I have never attained the heights I would like to with That aspiration, but there is always the flipside...

Sometimes it comes down to this: I drink swill, I swear like a sailor, I want to smoke and fuck and get in the occasional fight. I want to run til I drop (let's say skate, because then it takes hours instead of just a few blocks). I like the acid sting as the sweat channels itself down the scars in either eyebrow and straight into my eye, temporarily blinding me. I like smelling gross from too much sweat and grime. Although it sucks at the moment it occurs, there are even occasions where a good road-rash inducing fall has its merits. Sometimes I walk slowly into the cold cold water and let it chill me piecemeal to the bone til there's nothing left but cold steely will. (Anyone can simply dive straight under, that ain't no thang). I look at girls who are way too young for me and I maintain that a pool cue may be the only tool you ever need to have a good job. I believe one of the cores of humour is another persons misfortune and I say it's funny cuz it's not me. I spew sarcasm and enjoy when it comes back at me - if it's done well. People who can't do sarcasm but try to anyway just bother me. I drive aggressively, but intelligently and Yes I Am a real Mario Andretti, officer, so kiss my pearly northern ass!

- I split my infinitives, and make comma splices. I use semicolons without a second thought as to sentence construction; it makes me giggle.*

I could go on, but you must get the idea by now. This is not the "all the time" Jason. Sometimes I can be very suave, cultured and classy. Perhaps a few of you have even seen this side of me.

I only mention these things today because I have realized that they are traits that I seek in others as well. Again, not "all the time" in others, but there has to be a willingness to work with it.

Lovely. Write. Respond. Tell me your dirty, stupid and socially unacceptable habits.

*this paragraph was for one person in particular, hope you appreciated it...

Need a New Mantra

It is not too hot to skate from Caruso Club to the watertower, then to the art gallery, then to Dooleys. Some would have you believe it is too hot, but I am living proof otherwise.
So? What Is required is some tepid water on the way and perhaps a good mantra. As far as I am concerned Nike is a Goddess, Not a brand, but I will give the marketing department it's due: "Just Do It" is one of the best all around mantras ever uttered in this society.
I am tired of that one, though. I need a new mantra. I am open to suggestions. I'm off to the art gallery.

Prizes Can't Be Cut In Half

To answer the question of a previous commentator: No, prizes are prizes in their solidarity and unity only. The song previously posted was indeed Leonard Cohen. Having copied it from memory, some of the lines are wrong. I knew this at the time, but my plan was that someone would know the song so well that they would correct me and I would be so impressed that I would try to take them to bed.
Alas! Nobody knew the song.
Here is another music related question which I hope you will All reply to. Imagine yourself walking down a deserted street late at night, carrying an iPod loaded with all the wickedest tunes you ever heard in your life. The sky glows a curious, bloody, Lovecraftian red and a spaceship lands in front of you. As the hatch opens, an alien runs out and grabs and shakes you and says:
"Buddy! Ya gotta help me!I was sent on a mission to find out about rock'n'roll, but my ship broke down just before Barnard's Star and I only have time for one song! Can ya play me some Rock'N'Roll?!"
So, what song would you play for the poor benighted bastard?
My top three choices in order - and that's amazing cuz I can never put these things in order are: Teenage Riot by Sonic Youth, Roadrunner by Jonathan Richmond and the Modern Lovers, Crazy Train by Ozzy.
Honourable mention to Bauhaus' cover of Ziggy Stardust and a series of others I don't have time for now.
Please Gimme Response!!!!!

Potter?! I just met her!

I have used my cat-like reflexes and ninja skills (for which I am known throughout the Rainbow County) to infiltrate the secret lair of some media pirates I admire. Now many of you will remember instances where I occasioned to say that I cannot create, but I can bastardize, remold and remake things better, faster, stronger.
God made Steve Austin, for instance, I made him the $6 million man - which in the 70s went Much further.
I have insinuated myself to the private lair of one Black Andrew and Bloody Jenny WitchHazel, in the hopes of pilfering from them, because:
A little while back for no reason I can consciously identify, I started reading the damned Harry Potter books again. Yeah I said Damned. Sure you like them so do I, but they are the devil's work so stop bitchin'. At any rate, as I was wading ankle deep into the fourth book, Black Andrew comes-a-me and he says "Yarrrr! Ye must be gearin' up for the big release of the sixth book inna coupla days..."I, in my worldly ways, pretended I knew damn well the book was about to be released, although it was a lie. Of course, a bunch of us end up at Chapters at midnight one night (not in costume) to get the release the Instant it is available.
Now, in their absence, I am ransacking these pirates hidden treasure cove for just that book. I cannot find it however, and this frustrates me rather immensely. I have even asked my boss about things that happen later on and she Refuses to tell me!
"Go ahead spoil the end, I really don't mind, it's all good" I tell her. She obstinately refuses to capitulate.
I suppose I shall have to crazy glue underwear to there windows...

Lesson learned

In talking about design, I have created the ugliest post I have ever posted.

To see the first pic in the last post, click on the blank space or the X and it should take you to the original cached file, deep in the google mainframe.

Scandinavian Design

A lot of people think of Ikea and cheesy teak furniture and light brown colour-schemes from the 70s when they think of Scandinavian design. Holy point-missing, Batman. Those people have completely missed the boat.
I sit here in my cold Canadian summer and think how my country used to have these great similarities with Sweden. I wish they could be re-gained. No, I am not talking about this supposedly flawless social net, like when one friend (a wobbly as I recall) said "y'know Sweden has an incredible support system, there's virtually no homeless in Sweden, for example." !. I answered: "y'know, it gets to be -70 in Sweden so Of Course there's no homeless because they all freeze to death." Idiots.
No, Canadian social care has it's issues, but if one looks at our neighbours, they seem rather small.

I don't know if any of you saw the story of the Avro Arrow. Avro Arrow!, Canada was developing what (at the time) was the best combat aircraft in the world, bar none. Unfortunately some hack politicians and America got in the way. The aeronautics industry is limited to making shuttle arms in this country now. Impressive.
Sweden, despite being much smaller in land area and natural resource And having between one third and one quarter of our populace, still manages to make beautiful aircraft.

Now I have no idea at all about the automotive industry in Canada, but I can attest to its state in Sweden. Stunning, beautiful, immaculate. Saab being one creator of excellent design and Koenigsegg being - well, King.


Alright, in the interest of not taking All your time while I rant about someone else being in a posish that I would like to see Us in, I shall finish up with some exemplary design in cutting edge electronics and media. My favourite purveyor of media goods for a long time standing has been a company called Bang & Olufsen.

Nighthawks

It is not that I was born to follow, but when you are at the mercy of another's interenet access, your posts will always be behind theirs.
Going through the drive through at Horny Tim's tonight (where the young lady repeated the coffee order and explained that there were no donuts or anything yet kept asking "is that everything?") It was mentioned that a certain close friend commented on 4 a.m. recently in his publishing.
I have a few things to say about 4 a.m. First, and least credibly, is the fact that Tim Horton's is actually a church of sorts. Maybe. You see the original Tim Horton was of course a hockey player, but he knew that there is only so long one can play professionally. He had a backup plan though. What most people do not realize is that he was a genius of biomechanics.
After hockey games he would work late into the wee hours on his crazed experiments in genetic atavism with a la Dr. Moreau. Some people at the time were tipped off, given the strange flashing lights and occaisional explosions coming from his lab, but he was a celebrated hockey playing Canadian and those people looked the other way when evidence of his other self presented itself.
What he created was a mutation of humanity and various species commonly found amongst humans (dogs, cats, etc...) Unbeknownst to the masses, H. Sapiens in Canada and parts of the United States now live in close proximity to what Mr. Horton dubbed Homo Parallelus (a concurrent viable alternate version of the species). They can be identified readily enough by those interested. To do this, simply go to a Tim Hortons store around three or four in the morning and watch the people for a while. In some cases upward of 75% of the customers will be the motherless offspring of Mr. Horton's bizarre bio-labs.
They gather at the donut shops to pay homage to their creator, view his image (which only shows up in specific stores) and to take their "sacrament." That's right, sacrament. After some of the finest investigative reporting work this nation has ever seen, I have ascertained that in fact the donuts and coffee were developed as vectors to supplicate H. Parallelus with the nutrients necessary for survival. They have certain requirements that must be met, though once met they are more efficient physically than the rest of us.
For anyone who may be concerned, there is no evidence in several decades of these supplications, that the products have in any way altered or harmed H. Sapiens. At least not in anyway that our society doesn't already do on a regular basis anyhow.

Now. In fact now is actually 5:46 a.m. but let us now discuss 4 a.m. for the sake of those who poo-poo one of the greatest times of the day. I am, as many of you will know, a nighthawk. I love mornings, don't get me wrong - but I usually only see them by staying awake that long.
I love love love 4 a.m. because it is the eye of the hurricane. All the day's hustle and running and bullshit swirls like a tornado. Come 4 a.m. though, there are only two contenders left from a vast list of entrants in the diurnal arena: Me and the night. I wear 4 a.m. like a mantle. The empty streets are mine to walk down the centre of. The soft false lights of the city shine for me. There is calm. One can focus most intently. Of course there are a few other people I find who understand this, and I don't really expect to convince anyone else of the validity of 4 a.m.; I just felt it should be defended.
It is a most unobtrusive time when one can accomplish that which the daylight has propped up in our way. Work ceases to be a function of time. The sense of accomplishment is always greater before the sun rises.
Alas, the sun is rising, and I have a wall to paint before someone returns to Sudbury...

Ugi's

The restaurant I work at:
I come out of each shift covered in grease and wing sauce. These clothes are washed independently of anything else that I own, by necessity. The grease will transfer to other clothes otherwise.
Things get hectic and I am not sure that I am ready to go alone in this place, so I am hoping that Thursday, Friday and Satyr-day coming will be Slow, rainy low-volume of orders days. The problem at the moment is that I haven't memorized everything on the menu yet. Further I haven't mastered the relative timing between items that cook together. I burn a lot of garlic loaf.
The people have been pretty cool. Boss 1 is Dino, quiet, continuous, pretty cool guy. Things are mellow with Dino around. Boss 2 is Kerry, cute, smiling, potentially lethal :), I like to flirt with Kerry cuz she's something of a hottie. Tyler, relatively quiet, calm, efficient Tyler has been great to work with and learn the ropes from. Chris - well, Chris is a little scattered and my first impression was that he is stoned a Lot, but apparently this is just his way. Chris is still a decent guy. Kaathrin, she's nice to me, but many customers think she is surly, smile woman! Leah, the waitress I get along best with, she's good friends with Sarah's sister Jess - small world.
My kitchen is pretty small. [This post is on hiatus for retooling, please return]

Generic Entry

If you wait long enough, you will lose all faithful readers. Then you will be back to zero, unless your words are phenomenal.
Here's what's been going on. I am looking into Grad programs at LU. The Master's of Science Communication is Not a Masters Degree, but a Graduate Diploma. Frankly, most of the courses by description seem to be things I have already learned. It would be merely a piece of paper and cheap labour for Science North - which is already cheap enough.
The Masters of Humanities is looking nicer and nicer. Some of the courses actually look Fantastic, for instance "Comic Values," or "Metafiction," or even "Future Perspectives." Yes, it seems like if I must be about Sudbury for another year, this is truly the way to spend my time. There is one problem though. The course requires a translation element from another language which could really bugger things up. I am looking into ways around this. More on it soon.

I have begun working at a little restaurant named Ugi's. Best damned wings in Sudbury. I am not overly enthusiastic about it but this town's work sitch has me by the short and curlies. I am getting very few shifts and frankly, my finances have Never been in such a hell-state. If I can make it as far as September, things will turn around.
For one, I am going to be TA-ing for Dr. Molohon's linguistics course. I will be working with Lacey Pitre, who is awesome and I have missed seeing since first year.
There are also a few places who will be hiring when everyone buggers off to school.

I realize I haven't ever used song lyrics in any blog before, so here is my first. Special Prize to whomever gets the artist and title first - and we are on the honour system, so no cheating with Google!:

I lit a thin green candle, to make you jealous of me
but the room just filled up with mosquitoes
they heard that my body was free
then I took the dust of a long lonely night, and I
put it in yout little shoe
and then I confess that I tortured the dress
that you wear for the world to look through...

I showed my heart to a doctor, he said I'd just have to quit
then he wrote himself a prescription
and your name was mentioned in it
then he locked himself in a library shelf, with the
details of our honeymoon
and I hear from the nurse that it's gotten much worse
and his practice is all in a ruin...

I'd heard of a saint who had loved you, so I studied all night
in his school
He said that the duty of lovers was to tarnish the golden rule
and just when I was sure that his teachings were pure
he drowned himself in the pool
His body is gone, but out here on the lawn
his spirit continues to drool.

An Eskimo showed me a movie he'd recently taken of you
the poor man could hardly stop shivering
his lips and his fingers were blue
I suppose that he froze when the
wind took your clothes and he just couldn't ever get warm
-
- but you stand there so nice in your blizzard of ice
please won't you let me come into your storm?


I don't know why this song is in my head so much lately. Well, perhaps I do and I am just not telling. I reckon this is it for the moment.

What the Dalai Lama Didn't Say...

Apparently, I value these things in this order: Pride (what little I have), Money (which I have exactly None), Family, Love, Career (nonexistant). Sorry, your holiness but you missed the boat here.

Apparently my personality, in a word, is Loyal. That of my partner (again, nonexistant) is Smartass. The personality of my enemies (I don't really Have enemies)- Wonderful! That's right, my enemies are wonderful. Sex is powerful and my life is tumultuous. Well I suppose a few ring true.

Apparently Jenner is someone I shall never forget. Charlene Poitras is a True Friend. Sarah is someone I really love, but I was not supposed to use the name twice so I cheated and put in Sarah / Ami. Sarah (originally chosen for This) is my Twinned Soul. Stephanie Woolger is also someoneI will never forget.

Apparantly the Dalai Lama says if I send this little test to 723 people, then a very fine young lady shall declare her love for me and decide she wants to go out with me. I don't have 723 contacts, and that's my life...

The Sudburia Underground

The Army of Jovial Evil has gone underground. Not because we need to, just because we thought it would be fun during the summer heat aaaaand it is always a good marketing / recruiting tool.

That's right, insurgents are holed up in nondescript suburbs of the Sudburia. Here am I, having come to hold council with my generals - who are now in bed just behind me. I believe that They believe I am oblivious to them as I write this, and they are getting it on less than four feet from where I sit, yea, even as you read this. They are like Rabbits!

Here is the skinny on these blogs, while the AJE brass is out of his own internet connection:

1) The Pot'o'gold Theatre is being removed from the net. This may well be permanent. Nobody will cry as only three of you have ever read it. Frankly, this is the wrong milieu for POGT. I am continuing to develop POTG and there may be a post on Simacia regarding further developments.

2) The blog "Verified," aka "Disinformation" will be removed from the net entirely. It currently lacks the intellectual molition* required to carry it through to its original concept. Verified is by no means over with. It will return in a different format later on. It will be witty and vitriolic. It will be rather extremely political. If Anybody cared at all about Disinformation, by all means let me know, it would be interesting to hear about it. It will reappear regardless of feedback.

Now, it is likely that those reading this will not be familiar with the AJE (Army of Jovial Evil). Indeed many of those who are already recruited do not know of it. It is high time you signed on, though, as there is much work to accomplish.

Simply get information to me telling me Name, Age, Location, Areas of Expertise, Interests and the nature of the evils that you prefer (Carnal, Ontological, Dental, Seminal, etc...) A photograph is also required for records. There are all sorts of positions available with the AJE, ranging from Logistics and Command to Field Agents to specialty advisory capacities. Get Involved. Contact at dubiousnumerator@hotmail.com or jsimac@gmail.com

Now, I go to decommision those sites as though they were rotting nuclear subs in Archangel...

Minimizing

I know I am not alone on this; you turn around for a month or two and there is a tidal wave of accumulated stuff in your house. I am the type that can let it overwhelm me, so I have had to build some defensive manouevres against it. The prime weapon in the battle against accumulation is moving.

It doesn't matter if it is Me moving, or my roommates all leaving. In this case it is the exodus of all roommates. There were three of us and we were storing for two separate people. Soon the last of them will arrive to pick up their stuff. The last is Ami, an ex-girlfriend, so I know exactly what is hers and what can be thrown out. Ironic, I guess, that she is the first and the last, seeing as I originally took this place with her. Wonder how she's doing...

Meh. I currently have two full blue boxes of recycling in the back room, with four full garbage bags of stuff. I expect to have two more bags full in the next two days. The vacuum cleaner desperately needs a new bag, too. It will all be gone soon.

The sense of satisfaction is strange. Contentment, a new slate. I am getting used to clean slates. I am getting used to recreating myself after each move, after each paring down of what goes and what stays, after minimizing... again.

This process is one of the reasons that I love the digital technology that infests my life. The computer will soon hold four years worth of University and College notes. As soon as I have an iPod, it will be crammed with music that I will no longer have to clutter the house with.

This place may turn out to be too large for me...
but then I don't think I want a roommate. Perhaps I will just strive to have people over all the time. Maybe I should get some part-time lovers. Luvahhh.

(^_^) I'm sure more will come later...

Addendum to Poverty

This deserves its own entry:

Through associations over the years, I have met a Lot of people who are putting in the effort. You all rock. You all make me feel better about my world. No doubt you make the ones you helped, who survived when they otherwise wouldn't have, feel better. All the best to you.

POVERTY

Although it will be mostly my friends who see this, it is intended as commentary to society in general, please do not take personal offence to it. Or, if you really want to, you can take personal offence, but why twist the meaning?

That's right, you know it's the big thing right now at this moment. Poverty. How many times will Mandela say it? - Before you sign an online petition? - Before you commit to do something about it? - or Before you begin to say "Man I'm so tired of fuckin' hearing about it"?

I'm going to state my position from the start because there are going to be some rather unpopular things that I say here. The ironic part is that I will likely catch flack (don't hesitate to put your 2¢ in all the same) for this because by the end of these entries people will have forgotten where I stand and misinterpeted the intent behind my statements. That's okay, that's your right.

I Have been politically active since the age of eleven or twelve. I cannot remember exactly, but roughly then is when I wrote my first letter. That's right, I wrote my MP at least seven years before I could vote, so when I say politically Active, I don't mean following the issues on the news and pissing or moaning 'bout it at the water cooler.

In recent times I have actively Avoided politics because it forces the cynic in me. In this arena I have very little faith in humanity. I do not think I have all the answers. I don't think there even Are answers for some of the problems. I do believe that there are ways to improve things, but in explaining How I think it must be approached, we find the part where people forget my stance.

Here it is: I want to see an end to Poverty, Globally. I Really Want that. I want an end to War. Badly. I want a world where people can accept differences between each other and just fucking get along without invoking their particular God or tradition or situation or skin colour or circumstance or flag to justify some kind of violence (not Just physical violence). Kind of what I want is, simply put, Utopia.

Clearly we are pretty far from that. The problems restated: people starving, people displaced, people fighting, a global economic system that has built in biases against large portions of the world. I am going to thrown in the problem of rapid population growth as well. There is more to consider than this, of course, there's Always More.... but let's start here.

First up, since it is getting press, a few words on debt relief. The relevant members of the U.N. have recently erased the debt of the 20 or 25 poorest nations in the world. That's it, zip, gone. Kudos to a council that I was beginning to have some serious doubts about in recent times.

There are a lot of other poor nations out there, however. My thoughts here are simple. Many of these nations have No Hope whatsoever of Ever being able to pay off these debts. May their creditors have the grace to see this and instead of letting interest pile up, simply forgive the debt. This should be fine because a lot of this foreign aid was set aside from taxpayer's dollars. If the people who were taxed for it are smart, they will understand that this debt Can't be paid and let it go with good graces.

This should be unpopular: The places that cannot sustain their populaces tend to have the highest rate of population expansion. This Must be controlled. I am not saying Stopped. Everyone, if capable, should be allowed to have children. I do question why you Would have one when you live in grinding poverty, warzones, etc., but that's for me to wonder about. The fact is people still do it. China has taken steps for population control. They were criticized heavily, but if you ask me they have identified one step in a solution, which is to say Stop Making the Problem Bigger.

Here it comes; Birth Control. Make it a cultural standard if it isn't one already. Don't give me your prime directive bullshit about not changing a unique culture. In the west, female circumcision is considered an abomination and that is a cultural standard that nobody here seems to have any qualms about eliminating, so introduce birth control. This is just a question of slick advertising. If you doubt me, look into a group called the Diamond Promotion Service. The last publication by them reminded retail professionals that their purpose was to "create a tradition in society." Insipid, but sometimes necessary.

So what do we have? Erase the unpayable debts, as though forgetting the past. Assess the current state of things and prevent the problem from expanding, (containment). The next step is to begin reversing the damage.

Clearly, if the world turns around immediately and throws Every cent we can into this one item, we may well feed and house everyone. We will simultaneously ruin the economies of places that are already established. Cuz I'm aiming to see the whole world on a decent footing here. Throwing money at it is not the simple solution. A budget must be established to continuously upgrade from a bad situation.

I am in the arts here in Canada. I would have no issue with some of the government funding for the military going instead to helping these people. If you are in the army you might have no issue seeing arts money being redirected. What if you're a musician in the air force? All right, if people will willingly take the point I suppose I could deal with some arts money being diverted seeing as helping the world is a more humane cause than the so called "humanities."

Ay, there's the rub. Doing this means giving up things that are important to you. Do you understand that? I'm not just talking about giving up your weekend to march in a damn protest, you freakin' hippies, Protests are Free and the Food to feed the world costs $$$! Now like it or lump it that is a reality that is firmly rooted and not going anywhere anytime soon.

Here's an example: a lot of people during '91 were irate about the US going to Iraq. I was. Good for us! Such morally upstanding people! Eh? We all knew it was Really about oil. We all knew that blood equalled oil. The funny part was that as the prices at the pump rose, hitting all time highs, who was Bitching about it? Everyone. That's right, even the ones who were marching in protest. Do you see it? You want out of Iraq, but what are you gonna say when Petrol hits $2.00 a litre? Well? You're gonna Demand some action from your government aren't you?

You may want to call me on this - I didn't drive at the time, I didn't have a car. Of course I would be leading you into a trap if you do call me on it, I am tricky that way. I also didn't take the bus for as often as I had the option not to. I Did take a cab once or twice out of emergency, otherwise I skated or rode my bicycle. Only when the weather prevented me did I resort to the lesser of automotive evils, the bus.

I have digressed, the point is how many of you Willingly gave up your cars? Not too many, I'm afraid. Here again I have to restrain myself. I am not asking everyone to sell their cars off and stop buying oil or anything. That alone would collapse the economy. I am suggesting we all Limit it voluntarily. The Western mind seems to hate having Limits imposed, so why not consider your own situation and limit yourself.

So: when we shock the system, we can wreck the system, we have to solve these problems in a smooth and growing manner. It seems that a lot of the advertising and hype (Yeah, I call it Hype!) going around right now are really pushing the urgency. Fair enough, the situation is desperate and urgent. I just want to remind people that the urgency means start now, Not Solve Now. These things are going to take decades to fix. Decades. So let's start now.

Here is another problem, people forget, it seems. One big push effort and they think it's over. One summer of cutting back on driving or supporting the arts and military Will not do it. For those of you who remember Live Aid, which was the impetus decades later for Live8, the situation was about hunger. Oh, it was Huge! But then we began to forget and some even said, "but we helped that already." I was young when it happened and didn't realize how much more was required for this problem.

Consider that when Yeltsin took over Russia he promised Utopia in 500 days. I laughed when I heard that because I knew it couldn't be done. What didn't dawn on me at the time was the fact that people in Russia were so desperate that they would have bought any ticket that claimed such a quick fix. Drowning people will grab at a stone, they say, and I regret laughing because it wasn't funny.

Now today, in the wake of Live8 and all the press Dr. Mandela (honorary degree) is generating over the African crisis, I have receive an email several times over about ending poverty. It talks some slick shit, but it's rather vague. I get the feeling I am part of the problem if I don't join their list. Yet, what is the list about? They don't really say. They ask me to demand of my Prime Minister a 0.7% Timeline. I wanna know, 0.7% What? For who? What timeline? What The Fuck Does It Mean.

Look, North America, I know a lot of you are emotional cuz you have seen the footage of these children starving to death. It is Terrible. I am wondering how many have signed into this list in general principle without even knowing what exactly is implied by a 0.7% timeline. Well? Can you tell me what it is? Do you realize that this had already been happening for decades when Live Aid was put on in the 80s?

Pleaaaaase, if you are going to be supportive, get to know the facts. Don't just hop on because it's all over the media. I mean, Do Hop On! Just Know about what you are hopping on. Know that it is going to take actual Sacrifice, not just the energy to go out for a walk on weekends. As someone beautiful is saying right now, resting easy in your conjured angst ain't makin' a difference... DO Something.

Lessee where we are. Identify problem, control and contain it, commit to it... Ah! Solutions. Let me state again that I do Not have THE solution to it all. I just see where changes can be made to make the suffering a little less. Divert funding. Just a little off the top of All the wonderful things we fund. Consume a little less, just a little less and add the difference in with the diverted funds, it will make a difference when it all gets added up. Send expertise overseas to help with organization, infrastructure, etc. Provide funding for birth control popularization and materials that will not cost these regions anything.

Change is a hard thing to do, but for those who are being moved by what they are seeing lately I say commit. Write letters to your MPs. Write Many letters, continually. Get in touch with Amnesty International and tell them you want to write letters for them too. Find spare time to volunteer locally. I promise you that once you are volunteering you will begin to feel good about what you are doing - how's that for dividends on time well spent? Make ongoing incremental changes in your lifestyle. Share your expertise. Go abroad on your vacation, not to soak up the sun lazily on some beach, but instead to help develop a village in a third world nation.

Sounds like a lot, eh? It is. Do these things without politics or religion or anything except the singular idea that there is someone in need that you might help. Do it just to feel good that you helped in your own small way. All I ask is that if you have the fever, don't just sit and Talk about it. Let it take you over and motivate you. Most of all, try not to be discouraged when, twenty years from now, you realize that we have only taken the first steps.

as a parting plea, though, Please do not send me the item in the email, that one with vagaries. I have it already. I Know there is a bad problem and I have been making the efforts in my own small ways for years.

a Quickie...

This, courtesy of the 15minute hipster...

http://www.panforpunks.com/test/index003.html

it's a steel pan band covering the ramones.
The ramones cannot be emulated enough. Perhaps I mean well enough, these days...

Timing

In one week my home internet is going down. I cannot say how long before that situation is resolved. It Should have gone down two days ago, actually, but for the grace of my favourite roommate, who knows it is my electrical umbilicus - Gods bless you, Steph, thanks.

So best intentions say that I should write my little fingers to the bone in the next week, but deep down, in my heart of gold which most of you will never see, I know that I will not write as much as I should or would like to.

I woke at half past twelve today. That's not good. This student's lifestyle has adapted me to extremely late nights, (so late that they are often mornings when they finish), a way of life that I am already too prone to as it stands. This too is not good. You see, I'm night people. I Like the day. I like mornings, but I am only meant to see them by staying awake that long.

It has to change. I have to change a whole series of things. I am not fearful of this, but I do realize that it is going to take a big effort. Sometimes I feel too old for this kind of thing. I am sure it will be fine later, but as I sit here now, I feel as though I were Hundreds of years old. It would be much appreciated if someone were to comment that I am not alone on this.

I am thinking that two jobs are going to be needed to get through the summer. I am thinking that a vehicle will be needed to get through the rest of my time in the Suds. I am thinking there is a young lady out there who could make the rest of my time here Wonderful if only we could be a little closer, but I am Knowing that can't be. I am at ease with the fact that it can't be and I am grateful for what time I do get with her, (very little).

I am trying to institute the required changes, but reality is resisting. I am frustrated by resistance, but I am pushing harder because of it. I am going off to push right now...

Makeup Forever

It is fair to suggest that the fi rst thing a person consciously notes about another person is their
face. The face is the single most expressive part of the body. Makeup has been in use for several
thousand years as an agent for changing and modifying our visages. Thus, it is an agent for changing
and modifying what we express to each other on a very basic level. In some respects this is a
matter of professional necessity, as any actor can tell you. More generally, it makes a statement on
the cultures , societies and individuals that regularly use makeup.

In considering the meaning being conveyed by makeup, one might look at the subject from two
fairly different angles. The fi rst angle is somewhat abstract. As Marshall McLuhan stated, ‘the medium
is the message,’ so the fact that makeup is being used at all may carry some analyzable meaning.
The second, by its very nature, is open to interpretations of all kinds. What is the makeup, as it
is applied and used, actually saying? Moreover, what is the user implying and what is the interpreter
inferring?

When something is in such common usage as makeup, it is easy to overlook as a medium for expression.
Instead, we notice its absence. There are many people who seek to make a statement by
excluding cosmetics from their common experience. This is often a socio-political statement, geared
towards fashion industries and cultural beauty standards. As a general rule, I agree that the men and
women of the world don’t actually need any makeup at all. As far as that goes, my own view constitutes
a purely utilitarian approach. I fi nd it unfortunate however, that many people view fashion and
beauty standards as nothing more than aesthetic totalitarianism. There is more to the issue than is
addressed in such a terse appraisal of the subject.

For those strong enough in will to resist the pressures of such a perceived threat, I suggest they
use makeup to forge their own styles. In the non-utilitarian mode, makeup allows us to be creative
and is fun. Makeup is a vehicle to achieving a little fantasy in a world that is already drab enough.
The masks we create with the use of cosmetics are a way of expressing the myriad facets of our
personalities. In short, makeup allows us to be a different person everyday, according to who we
want to be or become.

This leads us to the second angle mentioned earlier. Let us presume that makeup is not a conspiracy
designed to keep people from acknowledging that they themselves are valuable and good of
themselves. Instead of considering makeup as aesthetic fascism, let us think of it as aesthetic liberation.
A comprehensive analysis of what message is sent by makeup could fi ll volumes. I will consider
a few select cases from personal experience, which will hopefully illustrate how broad a range of
signals can be conveyed by the medium.

One of my favourite illustrations of meaning with makeup can be found (primarily) in a youth sustained
sub-culture commonly known as ‘Goth.’ It is a sub-culture with a strong defiance to convention.
Resistance to social standards is obvious because both Goth males as well as females wear
makeup. As a general rule, the application of cosmetics is very dramatic and suggestive of fictional
horror genres. Makeup is employed to change one’s visage to look vampiric, faerie-esque or animalistic
(with a lycanthropic twist). One can infer from this highly stylized use of cosmetics that the
users have a strong affinity to supernatural phenomena, and especially the darker incarnations of the
supernatural.

It is common to see a desire in this sub-culture to substantiate and establish such extra-
worldly concepts as more concrete. Makeup is one way of doing this. In a broader analysis, one
may argue that these outward transformations are also indicative of an individual’s strong will and
capability to alter and expand their environment. A noteworthy point to be made of Goth sub-culture
is the meticulous attention to detail given in the application of makeup. The careful and studied
methods used are an exhibit of personality traits such as patience, fastidiousness and dedication.
There is likely no other section of society that maintains such a strong sense of creating it’s own reality
than this group, with the exception of professional actors.

Another area where makeup carries very specific connotations is in business. In standard business
situations it would be very unusual to fi nd men wearing cosmetics at all, so one must consider
women’s use of makeup. Perhaps most interesting to observe is the fact that a woman’s makeup is
nearly always an expression of company standards. How much or how little she wears can be correlated
to how conservative the employer is. This is especially notable in higher ranking positions.
Most workplaces now include makeup guidelines as part of their dress code, if one exists. There is a
strong implication that the individual and the organization have entered into an agreement. The individual
is displaying commitment, willingness to conform for the benefi t of greater good and therefore
an understanding of consequence, cause and effect. It is important that although limited, the use of
makeup still allows women in business an outlet for self expression, (much the same way a tie does
for men). Companies do value the specific qualities of their employees and theoretically those qualities
might be discernable to some extent by subtle cues like makeup. There is no room here for such
considerations, however.

There is another side to the use of makeup for creating reality; something rather opposite than
what Goth culture uses it for. Although prostitutes are by no means the only group to use this idea,
they stand as an excellent example of those - who instead of creating their own reality - are using
makeup to project an extension of someone else’s reality.

The someone else is a potential client. One can assume that people who solicit prostitutes are looking to add to their own reality something
that isn’t readily available to them. If a working girl is able to project an image of what these people
want, she is more likely to make a deal. The use of makeup here is co-ordinated with all possible visual
cues. In observation, one can argue that if the girls are not successful in business, their makeup
may not being giving any worthwhile statement. If the Girls are successful, there is a defi nite indication
that they are capable of accurately identifying the needs or desires of others and representing
them graphically. That is to say there is some level of empathy. Inasfar as extreme or fantastic makeup
can bring a client, the Girl’s success depends on delivering that fantasy. There must necessarily
be a certain amount of talent either towards acting or solipsism to convince her clientele, or (again)
she would not be successful.

As mentioned in the section regarding business makeup, one can go into very deep study of all
messages given by makeup. These short contemplations of the effect of makeup in communications
are in fact cursory, but they do serve to indicate that the nature of cosmetics has a strong impact on
society. Cosmetics are indicative of beliefs, value systems, emotional sensitivity and even work ethics.
On deeper examination they will no doubt be shown to be even more communicative.

Thorneloe events...

I have sent a note to Ian MacLennan, Val Senyk and Ulrich Sikora about feeding me relevant information yearlong for what goes on with theatre events.

If they are willing, this information will be the content of a new blog. Then everyone can stay up to the minute informed about all the lovely things happening at Thorneloe.

Yeah!

Google and Pictures

For the regulars, you will notice that I have added a picture of myself. Actually myself and a friend. The mysterious young lady is Holly, who worked with me at the track and Ami at Le Chateau.

Now, I just want to say that there was some rather silly runaround going on just to get that damned pic up there, and it doesn't even look that good. I shall have to replace it soon enough. I am not going to throw all the blame on the electronics. The picture was OK to start, but admittedly not magnificent. Still, I typically scan at about 300 dpi, and often much higher, so it isn't Just the pic.

Alright, I started with Photobucket, as they came recommended from someone on Xforums. Now, I expect in the name of efficiency and everyone getting a pic up, Photobucket will automatically resize a pic that is larger than 250 kb. I suppose that's fair enough, but keep in mind that my average photo file is roughly 4 Mb, 20 Mb is not uncommon and the occasional 100 Mb file shows up in the archives...

So anyways Photobucket automatically resizes to 250 puny kb and that's nice because it saves me the trouble. I hear it from a friend who runs a blog that this google-based Blogger will allow you to post pics of up to 250 kb size. One would begin to think that this meant to be. Seamless. Integrated.

Of course as previously mentioned, I am not sure that I want photos in my posts. Just a small square of my own mug so that accidental tourists to Simacia can see me. This needs to be edited in profile preferences, where there are special 'different' restrictions. For Instance: a 50kb picture size limit. !!

Now, some will say "just calm down Jay" and that's okay to say. It is Free after all. I started Photoshop and cropped and resized to 47.8 kb. Apparently it was still to big. 42 kb, still too big. 35 kb. Damn if it wasn't too frikkin' big! I have the item up there now and it weighs in as a welterweight 28 kb and change.

Now here's what I can't understand: Gmail is affording me 2.348+ Gb of email space (and counting) right now and given the 50 invites I have left (free invites for you luddites who don't use Gmail yet) I could theoretically get well over 100 Gb. I could then round up 9 people just like me and co-ordinate the first Tb of Gmail, but I digress!

How can it be that they cannot afford a little more space to be given to blogger and less to Gmail? How? I defy anyone to show me a Gmail box that has, in the nearly two years that it's been around, been filled to not receiving anymore. If you can show me this person, I can show you someone who Purposely asks for as much spam and crap as they can swallow in one gulp.

Well it doesn't matter too much. I still like blogger, even if Angelo says the rollover is too long. He writes more than I do, I expect. So does Root. So did Hemingway. I never claimed to be dedicated, just interested.

I do hope some change comes along, mind you. Now I am going to figure out the audio content...

Musing on my favourite film...

It's slightly convuluted, but it turned into an A grade essay...

Replicants, being biologically human, prove to be the superiors of regular humans in many ways. They are our physical superiors because they are better skilled and better suited to their skills. They are inherently more trainable. They are shown to be our mental superiors by dint of their specialization to assigned tasks. Many of their jobs demand tactical intelligence, which cannot be pre-programmed. They are even portrayed to be (arguably) our emotional superiors. Replicants are, in an ideal sense just what Tyrell claims in his slogan: “More human than human.”

Dominion, which is to say control of things, is a base tendency of the human condition. It is established and maintained through subversion and violence (or the threat thereof). It can be interpreted that the replicants do not seek dominion over anything except themselves*. To this end, replicants are more emotionally evolved than we are.

The question of whether we have dominion over our creations must be rephrased in the very special circumstances Ridley Scott’s reality. In our reality, there is no creation yet that can be said to be our superiors in the same way as replicants. What must be examined in Scott’s paradigm (and possibly soon enough in our world), is whether we are capable of establishing and maintaining dominion over our creations and if so, whether we should or not.

Clearly, controls can be built right in such creations. Incept dates are an example of these measures. More relevant to the issue is the very powerful psychological control created by inserting memories in a replicant’s mind. This mechanism is imperfect, though. The further pursuit of Tyrell’s solution turns into a vicious circle. The original problem of replicants developing emotion is buffered by giving them memories that establish an emotional safety net. To develop this, Tyrell would eventually have to better simulate experience and emotion. Eventually his creations would have full emotion, which was the problem to begin with. Dominion cannot be maintained this way.

Beyond being a deeply ingrained human trait, there is good reason to dominate such a creation. Obviously, a group of beings that are faster, stronger and smarter than their creators pose the logical risk of overrunning their creators. The original, weaker, group might in turn face enslavement or annihilation at the hands of the superior group, should the superiors turn their minds that way. The fear of this should be enough to motivate the weaker, creator group to consolidate their power over their creations. This fear must be tempered with a wariness that the common (and justified) reaction to such dominance is backlash in a measure to match the severity of the control endured. At this point one is forced to consider whether dominance should be considered or not. Fortunately, Scott hints at the answer.

There is a strong resemblance here to the classic conundrum of ‘the prisoner’s dilemma.’ – The prisoner’s Dilemma: Two parties are accused of a crime for which there is not enough evidence to make a full conviction. Both parties are separated and told that if they supply evidence against the other party (i.e. defect), they will be set free while the other party faces full conviction (to illustrate the point, let us say fifteen years in prison). If parties do not supply evidence (i.e. co-operate), the party is still going to be convicted, although for a much reduced term (let us say merely three years). By these standards and without being able to know what the other parties intentions are, the rational mind will always defect, as it is always in their best interests.

The rule ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you,’ is a standard that humanity holds dear. Because of this golden rule, slavery is repugnant to the moral majority. Humanity as a species has spent hundreds of years trying to wipe out slavery. It would be hypocritical of us to about-face on the issue. Clearly, this rule stands in opposition to the rational mind coping with the prisoner’s dilemma.

The key to resolving these discrepancies lies in the interaction between the characters of Rick Deckard and Roy Batty, because it is there that one gleans the true intentions of differing parties considered from the ‘prisoners’ viewpoint.

These two key characters do not actually meet until late in the film. Deckard has already ‘retired’ Zora, Leon and Pris. He has also faced the fact that he cares for Rachel, who is herself a replicant. Until he met Rachel, ‘retirement’ of replicants did not bother him at all, as indicated by his statement “replicants are like any other machine, they’re either a benefit or a hazard; if they’re a benefit they’re not my problem.” Deckard has reason to contemplate how human he is when Rachel asks if he has ever taken the void-comp test himself. As his feelings for Rachel grow, however, he operates with less certainty except when focused by a life or death situation
.
Batty has watched the systematic killing of all his compatriots. He has also killed. He is operating under the influence of fear, frustration and the knowledge of his impending death. Batty does, however, have a very clear understanding of exactly what he is and what he’s about. By the time he meets up with Deckard, Batty is absolutely aware of certain events that are going to happen (this knowledge does not necessarily affect the dynamics of the prisoner model), namely that Deckard will not be capable of retiring Batty.

As one of the ‘prisoner’ parties, Deckard does not ‘co-operate’ but instead tries first to kill Batty, then simply to escape him. Batty, on the other hand, makes multiple attempts to establish co-operation. The first is when he breaks Deckard’s fingers so that Deckard cannot shoot straight. It was easy enough for Batty to kill the blade runner who had slaughtered his friends, but instead he took away the blade runner’s capacity to kill again. He then offers Deckard the chance to escape or literally walk away from the problems by counting to ten, like a child in a round of hide and seek. By this point, Batty is merely playing a game.

As Deckard continues to play the rational gambit from the ‘prisoner’s dilemma,’ he occasions to smash Batty about with a length of pipe. (Batty’s comment “That’s the spirit” is reflective of their common ground at this point, both refusing to give up when staring death in the face). Having had the pipe removed from his person, Deckard runs again. He is immediately confronted by a grinning Batty who proclaims “that wasn’t rational – not to mention unsportsmanlike.” This statement can be taken as a direct challenge to Deckard to learn to co-operate.

On the rooftop, as Deckard clings helplessly to an I-beam, Batty must decide between letting Deckard fall, making him fall or saving him from a fall. Here is the ultimate test of whether we can trust the machine. Scott’s direction has already suggested strongly that the need to dominate our creations is invalid, but at this point he turns hints into statement by portraying Batty as a Christfigure, a saviour. Batty is not vengeful and he is not ambitious.

The concept of dominion proves to be ineffective, outdated and overall destructive to our species when dealing with our own equals or superiors. By extrapolation, if our superiors can treat us with this kind of respect, there is no reason for us not to extend it to our inferiors. This would also be called compassion. The notion of slavery should be taken as even more offensive now than previously because humanity has supposedly learned better. There are clearly established moral and ethical reasons to avoid slavery.

Endnote: In recent times, Ridley Scott has decided to answer the ongoing debate of whether Deckard was himself a replicant, which is relevant to this discourse. According to Scott, Deckard is a replicant. It should be pointed out that this affects the argument presented here only on a deeper philosophic level. We must remember that Deckard cannot be aware that he is a replicant until he comes across the origami unicorn in his hall at the end of the film. Batty also has no means for knowing Deckard is a replicant. It is not for us to judge whether it was a stupid and over-reaching thing for Scott to do in making this statement, but it will change the nature of some debates over themes in the film. It is regrettable that the duality of human/replicant is removed from this character, as it limits the scope of contemplation.

*Although one may argue that the murder of Tyrell is an attempt to establish dominion over his creator, Roy Batty was actually acting out of frustration and fear for the loss of his life, not as a form of retribution. The slaughter of others, bears the same emotional hallmarks with a purely teleological intent. An honest look at humans shows that they kill for much less.

some short musing on tech and deity

Since before the dawn of history, mankind has been using technology. Things like fire, the wheel and flint tipped spears have all served to preserve humanity and ease humanity’s burdens. As a species, Homo Sapiens has created technology far beyond that used by any other species. The species has evolved to be inextricably linked to its technology. For good or bad, Homo Sapiens has also become dependent on the technology it has created.

Christianity is the dominant religion of the West. It offers spiritual guidance for people - in part by offering a template for understanding how to deal with moral/ethical dilemmas in life. The central teaching of this faith is contained in The Bible, which is taken by the devout to represent the literal words of God. There do exist many writings by Christian scholars, however it is important to remember that these are interpretations and extrapolations. The scholarly writings are subordinate to The Bible.

The rise of Christianity began over two thousand years ago in an age of relatively primitve technology. The implications of a given piece of technology from this era were fairly easy to assess and understand. The touchstone, for example, allowed people to verify the nature of a basic currency of the time by identifying a metal as gold. In so doing, the touchstone can be said to have facilitated commerce by keeping traders from producing counterfeit currency.

The moral/ethical concerns of the time were less complex as well. Again in the case of the touchstone, the lesson was that trade is an important aspect of interpersonal conduct. It keeps us socialized and tells us that there will be enough for everyone, we did not need to destroy each other. It would not be acceptable then, to defraud people when trading. Ethically, the touchstone symbolized honesty.

one hundred and fity years ago, it was inconceivable that a person would stand on the moon. Thirty six years ago it happened. We have super-developed our technology. We have been capable of doing this because technology has always been of a human realm.

In the Christian tradition, the development of ethical and moral constructs are based in the divine realm. In order to keep up with our fantastic advances in technology, Christian ethical stances must be interpreted and extrapolated from the base source, The Bible. The problem is that it would be impossible for The Bible to guess what issues might be cropping up at this late stage.

Mankind is inherently moralistic / ethical. It is necessary to use this trait to consider our technology. To rely on ever more nebulous guides is certainly a hindrance, if not an out and out danger to humanity. Humanity has reached a point in its developmental potential where it is essential to relieve God of the burden of the consequence of our actions. It is time for Homo Sapiens to take up the responsability. Mankind needs its own moral / ethical code to ensure the intelligent, effective preservation of the species.

This would be a gigantic project which would demand much human resource. The effects of such an undertaking would be far-reaching and transformational for society. Consider some of the excellent implications that such an undertaking would beget:

Essentially, society would experience an ethical / moral renaissance. Basic moral / ethical constructs from Christianity are commonly understood, however they have become so repetitive that large sections of society do not feel they need to contemplate them. It would be fair to say that society is mentally complacent. The building of a new morality is a powerfully thought-provoking endeavour. Since it’s influence would have such a broad scope, nearly everyone would have to take part in the dialogue. In a culture where so many people turn to escapism (television, internet, sport, etc...) to avoid thinking, this would be a major benefit.

There are no laws that move individuals to practice any form of spirituality. It is not the type of thing that should be legislated. However, as a society drifts away from it’s spiritual centre, the quality of life, its vibrancy and meaning, fade. Many that don’t have any sense of spirituality at the moment will have a chance to learn and grow as the process of creating a new ethical code continues. Boosting quality of life is something that nations strive for already; this would provide a unique opportunity.

Moreover, the realm of human consciousness will be expanded by pursuing a new concept of right and wrong. This is a goal that governments, corporations, schools and hippies everywhere chase on a day to to day basis. It is in our nature and best interests to expand our consciousness as a species. The technological upshot of this would be a chance to focus on the uses and purposes of the things we make.

There is a tendency in the West to ‘pass the buck.’ When the option arises to dodge, instead of taking responsibility for something gone wrong, it is a common fault to point a finger. The deeply ingrained need for self-defense when one does make a mistake is well facilitated when one has an omnipotent being on their side.

The consistent reinforcement of the notion that God has a predetermined plan or design for everyone (which stands in contrast to the notion of free will), often leads many to the conclusion that they don’t have to answer for their actions. Clearly, if one does not have to answer for their actions, they are prone to putting much less consideration into them.

By admitting our own culpability - by taking ethics into our own hands we acknowledge that we must be responsible for our actions. Each action we take will be more cautiously weighed before it is executed. In relation to technology, this would manifest by the immeditiate discontinuation of use of many technologies in favour of more intelligent choices (for example, perhaps only hybrid automobiles would be produced from here on). Other technologies would be used less often (paper consumption may be seriously reduced).


Taking into account a new way of thinking about what we currently use and how we use it, along with what we should make and how it should be made, leads to the idea that we must know where we want to go with all this in the future.

In the late 1970s Japanese and American corporate cultures became closer with each other. The Japanese wanted access to American markets. The Americans were eager to see what kind of influences could make Japan such an economic powerhouse, considering that three decades earlier Japan was a third world nation. In comparing business plans, the Japanese were shocked to find that American businesses planned a mere fifteen or twenty years into the future. The Americans were equally shocked to discover that Japanese business tends to plan ahead a few generations. The West was unprepared to have to play catch-up, but it did acknowledge the utility of its oriental counterpart’s philosophy.

The ability for society to chart its future will be well founded by this shift in paradigm. With any luck, one of the first applications of this advantage - technologically - will be to refine and groom media and information into an efficient and elegant system, instead of simply letting it all accumulate like so much trash on our sidewalks.

The best part is that all this - the change in thought, the comprehension of our situation and the determination of times to come - will be centred on a conscientious and humanistic outlook that prioritizes people over the technology that we have become dependent on

very very sneaky...

My friends Sheldon and Janet are a pair of sneaky beans! Wonderfully sneaky, prank-prone, giggling and good-natured people, these two. It seems that I run into them, as if by providence, when I am getting too serious about life and need a good reminding to have some fun.

I love practical hilarites. It is appropriate then to recount recent and ongoing plots, as I remember them. In trying to keep things under one thematic umbrella, you will always know when I am recounting one of these amusing tales by the title of "very very sneaky." Yes, I boosted that from an Adam Sandler film, one of the best parts of Any Adam Sandler film.

Here is a quick example of one, before I sign off again:

Virginia and I are driving along and decided (I believe) that we should play Gladius, we being game people and whatnot. The game itself was at our most excellent friend Peter's and Sandra's house. Luckily Virg had a key to their place - luckily, because nobody was home.

In we go to find Gladius, but there's a problem. Hurricane Chaos had struck a day or two earlier and we could not for the life of us find Gladius. What I Could find was the plates and bowls that Pete and Sandra so lovingly use to serve their dinners on. I took the stack of dishes and placed them in the microwave. Virg, being sharp as a tack and quicker on the uptake than a paper kite caught in windshear, began effecting her own disruptions. I tacked sticky notes up in all the cupboards that I had rearranged.

We were set to move the pet rats, too. In the end we decided it was better not to, as it is unfair, unethical, unCanadian, underhanded, undeserving, untoward! to willngly bring civilians into the fray. Besides, the rats are cute.

As I remember, there was a fair arrangement of footwear in the closet too. All feet were used together for modern art. And then there was the Oh Henry! bar... hehehe ahem. Never mind the Oh Henry! bar, you're too young. Well. As we are making to leave, the buzzer goes off and we realize that they have seen Virg's car in the lot and we have been made. We locked up and ran down the back steps in the hopes that they would just go in, thus allowing us to drive away unseen and therefore unidentified.

It was not to be. We were caught by the ever diligent brother, Chris. nevertheless, it was a bit of mindless fun. Pete said it took a few days (two?) to find some of the dishes...
probably that sounds stupid,

Later Later Later

Let's face it, friends. Later Sucks. Always and Eternally later does anyway. Later, when a plan actually does come to fruition, is just fine in my book! It's the pause that refreshes. A little delay not only piques one's interest, but makes the endgame so much nicer.

Now, there are tons of Laters happening for me right now. The most poignant example being these words I am putting to page for you all right now. The problem is that I can be impatient sometimes. I am distractable to be sure *leaves keyboard to make coffee*

*wanders back 2 hours later to discover half typed message...* oh...
At any rate. Those of you who know me might well be thinking, "oh this is Jay just ranting his negativity out of his system again." If you Really knew me well you might then think "ZZOOOOOOOOooMm!" hehehe. I digress.

No, this is supposed to be a positive thing. It is just a note to remind us all of something important. When life hands you Later after Later, stick to it. You wouldn't have started if it weren't worth it. It Will be worth it and you gotta believe that you will get there at Some point.

And therein lies one of the secrets to my daily survival and sanity. It prevents me from being stupid about things and god knows I can be stupid sometimes - like that time at the Radisson with the tools the plumber left out, the rusted water main and the 300 betas left on display at the fish convention in convention room C... HoHoHoHoHo! Those were the days, eh Nigel?

I am in fact writing this right now, to reinforce the belief. Unattainable Laters must be changed to attainable Laters. Attainable Laters must be... :) I don't know. They must be, that's enough.

I am going to turn the attainable Later of lunch into the imminent reality of lunch.

Send the specs...

Angelo; Ima link to your blog from this very special right-side coloumn on my own blog. Just tell me where to link to.

See? This is what it's about. Sittin' back. Chillin' out. Expanding your circle.

The last one of these I will ever do.

Excepting Special circumstances. Very Special.
Because this is a nearly permanent record of these, not an email that you will delete and forget later, I will do one more. After all, Luke said steal this. Here goes:

1. If you woke up tomorrow morning and you were the opposite gender, what would be the first thing you'd do?
I've been saving a pound of hashish for just such an event. I would lock the door and not be seen for a month and a half. Then I would go to Zig's!

2. If you could be invisible for a whole day, what would you do?
I'm not above saying it; I'd bloody well steal enough money to pay off OSAP, more if I could.

3. If you could completely get rid of one fashion trend that you personally don't like, what would it be?
Not exactly a Trend, but I would wipe Speedos from the face of the Earth! (You're welcome).

4. If you could dye your hair ANY colour, what colour would you choose?

Pish Posh. Let's see, to date I have Already worn my hair in so many colours. This encompasses Black with blue, red, purple and true black casts, Blue (dark, electric and a sort of powdery blue), Purple (dark), Red (various metallic casts as well as fire engine), Copper (a failed mix of amber and red), Blonde in varying degrees (doesn't suit me), Nearly every shade of Brown available on the market, Orange, White, Green (bright, it worked with my skin tone but it was a one weekend deal), I suppose the only thing left is a nice silver like me gran'father had, but I can wait for that. I suppose further that if I could have Natalie Portman's body (see Question one), then I would temporarily opt for bright pink ala her role in Closer. No excitement on this one...

5. If you could look like any celebrity, who would you choose and why?

Natalie Portman! (see end of question 4)! No, really? Am I not a celeb yet? Maybe Jude Law, the ladies seem to swoon for him.

6. If you could spend one hour with ANYONE, (alive or dead) who would it be, and why?
You. You're awesome.

7. If you won a million dollars in the lottery, what would you do with the money?
Pay off all loans. Dad gets that car he always wanted and travels with me for a month leading up to us going to World Cup for as long as we are both here to do it, Jenny (my sister) gets a house, My mother I would send to Uni where she truly belongs. The rest would go to my dreams, the boat or most likely a club in Halifax run by myself and Jenny (Hazelton), staffed by our nearest and dearest.

8. If you could tell one person ANYTHING, what would it be, and who would it be?
To whoever I wronged the Most: "I'm sorry."

9. If you saw your favourite celebrity in the street, what would be your first reaction?
"Hey! I have an hour free, let's get some coffee."

10. If you could change your first name to anything you wanted, what would you change it to?
JTLG? - Which is Not shorthand for jetlag.

11. What's oe feature of your appearance that you absolutely like?
my.... ...legs? I used to Hate my nose, verily a beak that can rend metal. Need a can opened? I like it plenty now. Oh! my eyes. Actually eyes are love / hate; they betray me you see?

12. If you were told today that you had only a month to live, what would be all the things you would do, or say before you died?
Drink life down unceasingly and relentlessly from the moment I found out, to the final forced breath... Notify my creditors that they are Screwed! hehehe

13. If you could change any part of your appearance, what would it be?
My nails. or lose the layer of insulation around the midriff. Or maybe add one inch... (^_^)

14. If you had your own line of cosmetics, what would you call it, and what kind of products would you make?
No. Nope, there's just not enough space here to tell you, but I know that the very first person I would bring on for help is Renée in Hamilton, because she's awesome and knows her shit!

15. If you had your own line of underwear, how would you design it?
See, it wouldn't be just one line, now would it? For men, boxer briefs, mainly. For women, a hundred different styles ranging from boxers to serious thong. Lace, silk, spandex, cotton, flannel, absolutely no linen! No Tassles, dammit!

16. If you could have one super power, what would it be?
If I were faced with actually getting the power for real, I suppose all the people who answer this would too. Knowing that there are so many superpowers suddenly doled out, I think I would have to choose Rogue's ability to gain by touch those powers of another for a limited time. I'm a little opportunist for saying so, eh?

17. If you had the choice would you rather be Marilyn Monroe for a day,or Madonna?
In backlash to Luke's response: You Suck! Madonna! Just to make a point. Whoever said Maridonna had a good idea, but I would twist it to Maradona, cuz of that whole hand of God thing...

18. Do you believe your dreams have significance?
Some do, certainly. Most do not.

19. Total number of films I own on DVD/video --
On DVD, I own no more than 6 films I think. Two of those I made myself. On VCD I have at least a half dozen. Other digital formats another half dozen. and 3 or 4 burned to the drive.

20. The last film I bought
Been a while... ...Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla I believe. That, or Josie and the Pussycats. Laugh if you will, that film is hilarious and ooohhhh that Rachel Leigh Cook!

21. Last film I watched at home -
Shaolin Soccer. If one third of a film counts, then it is Dagon.

22. Six films I watch a lot or mean a lot to me
Blade Runner. Number One. I have loved this film since I first saw it and it keeps getting more and more relevant.
Lost In Translation. I still haven't identified why I feel so connected to it. I cannot breathe without this film.
Hudsucker Proxy, Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Dr. Strangelove. Wickedly funny work.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I love mythic Kung-Fu.
Classic Zombie or Monster films. Give up the artsy shit once in a while. Turn off and detune a little.
Maltese Falcon. My favourite of the films from yesteryear, it stands for a whole group of films that I liked.
- Sorry, Audrey. I do love you, if the list were longer Breakfast at Tiffanys would be a given.

23. Tag 5 people and have them answer these questions on their blog
Yeh well, I may occasionally write one of these out, but I just Don't forward this stuff. Copy / Paste, my friends, if you are so inclined.