I Heart Bessy

I love cows. I've had a myriad of conversations with fellow refugees about how growing up in the wintry climes of Alberta, you are literally bred to eat cattle. I remember how we were taught in the formitive stages of grade two, that drinking six glasses of milk a day was not only a healthy standard, but the bare minimum of required calcium consumption. We also received "points" of unsubstantiated value that we could only imagine affected our academic perfomance, for each dairy product that we consumed. I've only recently realized that beef is possibly not the healthiest meat out there -as was taught to me-, and that realization is only half-hearted, like how you know that Optimus Prime is nor real but you totally believe he is. In short, it's amazing how a little funding from the Dairy and Livestock Farmers Associations can go a long way. Mad-Cows beware! I am hiding in the tall grass, waiting to rush out and devour you whole!

Le SIDA

Whoa, these French AIDS warning posters are crazy. I really gotta stop picking up scorpions at the café.

Sunday

Ah! Domestics. I sometimes wonder if we clean because we actually like cleanliness or we just do it to feel morally superior to the guys we know. Either way, it feels nice.

My body feels pretty beat up today; we went and played tennis with Chung for three hours yesterday and that on top of some of the other things has me grimacing at the slightest of body contortions. Those other things? Well, the new job has been going pretty well and then in the second week I was offered a chance to train as a compositor, which is a much wider field, and I jumped at it. The first few days were pretty wide-eyed and insane, but i'm getting a handle on it and things can only get better. The biggest adjustment has actually been the side-effect of working for a different crew, which is that i'm now working dayshift and getting up at around 5:30AM every day. Contrary to my expectations, the change hasn't been awful and the hardest part is probably just getting to bed early enough to get a decent amount of sleep (ie. hopefully before 10). What I was surprised by is how much more oomph now that i'm not some kind of nocturnal rodent fellow. I feel pretty much restless any time I hit offhours and i'm always aching to get outside and do something before I have to shutdown for the early, early night. Consequently i've been playing ping pong, badminton, skateboarding, doing exercises in the morning, and doing every chore imaginable. It's been pretty packed so i'm quite pleased that today's soreness has been the only indication of my body's mutiny and inevitable breakdown.

Getting back to the job, it's weird to feel so concentrated on something when I've been putting out at various temp, kitchen and construction jobs for such a long time. I worked really hard at all those jobs but it feels like i'm hitting so much harder at this one. I'm almost fanatical in wanting to learn the software and the nuances of the project and haven't been this motivated for anything in a good long while. A huge part of it, is that I really like what i'm doing. It's like finally taking a bite out of the carrot that's been dangling in front of that massive treadmill of entry-level work i've been running. But also I think there's an added edge from the acknowledgement of age. Looking around at some of the kids in the building: fresh faced art and animation school grads, I have this sense that I feel just a bit more desperate. There's a bit of a lunatic glint in my eyes. When you idle in neutral for such a long time, you're ready to go. And me, i'm ready to kick some serious ass.

Feisty! Hurr Hurr Hurr

Wow, I guess I can just totally try to plump my indie rock cred by posting this up before most people do. Or do I lose all my points for just pointing that out? Is Feist totally not cool now? Wait, am I supposed to post stuff that I don't like? Dammit, indie rock is so confusing! Anyways, there's a new video from her new album. "1234" and directed by Patrick Daughters who I rather like.



I'd be a little hesitant to put this up because while Feist has a gorgeous voice, serious music chops, is from my hood (and is also is retardedly hot); her last album felt really more like a sampler than anything... The songs were kind of all over the place and I got the feeling that -while some tracks were really amazing- it was more of an experiment and maybe not even her experiment but rather that of her collaborators. But Feist has the best voice since Cat Power and though it's probably taboo, i'm just gonna call it: writes way better songs than Cat Power. Judging from this track i'm going to enjoy the new album, it sounds like a female fronted Sufjan Stevens composition, which is pretty much exactly what i'm looking for (there's a rant I need to write about that). Plus, the meticulously chereography just looks like ridiculous fun.

I am also wondering if anyone wants to hit the May 15th Feist show at the Orpheum on the odd chance there are still tickets left? Hallis, Erica-May, Jenny i'm looking at you guys. I'm going on day shift as of next week so I can go! but i'm needy and it's kind of weird to go alone. Be there to break my concert virginity! That was really creepy. I'm going to go to sleep now. FEIST FTW!!!

Rear Window

Outside the window where I work there's this huge advertisement on the side of an apartment building. So essentially when my eyes glaze over from monitoring focus, i'm staring blankly at this massive picture of a male model and he's looking back at me with his boudoir eyes. It's vaguely homoerotic and all kinds of creepy.

Fran Healy is my Homeboy

Yay! Just when I was starting to contemplate another long summer of melodramatic late night walks, my buddy Travis returns:

The First Rule

Hey Sis, Good News! I'm totally backing you up, I weigh 148 pounds now! We are so totally starting a fat club when you get back!

Vibrant Social Life

Oh man, it's a good thing I don't have any side gigs going on at the moment because I've spent the last two nights awake at godforsaken hours devouring the archives of Questionable Content. It reminds me so much of my ex, and yet I can't stop laughing. Webcomics are so awesome, but I don't think I read anything regularly except Penny Arcade anymore. I remember when I was really crazy about them and I even started working on one: Yes, predictably in my university years (probably around final exam time); it was manga-influenced and I even had a blog and forum to go with it. I think I got up to page eight before I realized that this was horribly time consuming and that I was just a mindless conformist and total famewhore. BONUS LIFE!!! BLEAARGH, I vomit with embarassment at another proud moment of my misspent youth.

Anyways, I must go to bed... or maybe read another 50 strips. Haha, i'm barely getting enough sleep to make it to work!

Thank God It's Over?

Well the NHL regular season ended on a moderately pleasant note. The Islanders managed to sneak into the playoffs (sans their 67.5 million concussioned goalie) and in the process also managed to knock out the Leafs. I should mention that both the Isles' goals were scored by Richard Park who is pretty much one half of my All-Asian NHL team (the Japanese halves of Paul "Mighty Mouse" Kariya and David Tanabe combine to make the other guy, did I miss anyone?). Rad! Dreamy Emo Norse God THOR-esen (pictured) also managed to score the gamewinner in Edmonton's last game against hated nemesis Calgary, thus snapping our losing streak of a gajillion games and bringing our record to two wins and one point picked up from overtime loss in the... twenty? games since Smytty (bless him) was traded. Screw you K-Lowe! Many Edmonton fans will be raging that we didn't manage to also drag the Flames out of the playoff race with our concentrated suckage, being that we did manage to beat them but our only other win was enough to cost Colorado's chance to leap them, but i'm cool with that; i'd much rather see Edmonton natives Iginla, Langkow and Phaneuf on the ice than yet another Avalanche playoff run.

So onto the playoffs: It's rad that I have a Ryan Smyth team to cheer on for... well the one round they'll play before they are obliterated by the Sabres. I wasn't really expecting the Isles' to make it even this far so my backup plan for the east was to cheer for whoever wins the Ottawa/Pittsburgh series which is going to be totally crazy. Here's hoping the Sens don't completely collapse in the postseason again. In the west it's a bit more muddled, I liked the little-train-that-could Predators up until they added Forsberg at the expense of Upshall and became a ridiculous juggernaut so barring them I really don't like any of the teams arrayed for the Campbell Cup. What I do know is that Vancouver is going to be pretty much unbearable for the week before they get blasted out of the playoffs. The Canucks are actually a pretty likeable built from the net out team this year, but they're still the 'Nucks and I still have to put with their bullshit fans as I walk to and from work everyday.

Anyways, what i'm most interested in at this point is what the Oiler's are going to do with their fantastic draft pick. We seemed to have really worked for it, finishing a stellar fifth worst in the league and before the final game we had actually sunk to fourth. I couldn't get behind the idea of sucking for the sake of the draft because I have too much love and pride for the Oil, but now that it's done i've been chatting with Lawrence about high-end prospects like Cherapanov, Van Riemsdyck and Patrick Kane. Under the newly implemented draft lottery system, we apparently have a shot at the first overall pick and Lawrence definitely wants the team to pick up Cherapanov, but i'm thinking that with all the prospects in the system I wouldn't mind flipping the pick for someone who could actually help what is probably the currently worse team in the NHL: a star player for the next year. What do you think?

Oh Edmonton, I will always cheer for you; but boy, are we ever in a hole. Time to look across the ocean and watch the UEFA Champions League heat up. Go Liverpool!

The Debauchery Did NOT Stop With My Week Off

Well, hell me and sangria are dippin' again.

I think we're having an NHL tourney at our place tomorrow. Remember to BYOB (and then bring one for me).

Vagrancy Day Seven

Chinatown, barbeque ducks, steamed buns and mango pudding; How i've missed you!

A Message For Our Viewers

I've got my internet disconnected so I can pursue, well, life: so there's going to be a ton of random posts being backlogged.

Agh, anachronisms abound!

Vagrancy Day 5: I'm A Sketch-Crazy Big Flaky Pansy Downtown Girl

The day started off with a nasty oversleep and generally crabbiness
but unwound into something resembling the word "awesome".

When I finally made it out of my house (and my head). I got to stalking haphazardly around downtown, sketchbook in hand like a cocked arrow.

Stopped in a plaza to sketch.

Stopped in a cathedral to sketch.

Stopped in the crazy neverland bookstore, no room to sketch.

Stopped in a mall to sketch.

Stopped at a busy intersection to sketch.

I've actually learned some stuff from sketching all over the place, and that's: when you've been sitting cross legged on concrete for long stretches sketching and you get up, make sure you're close enough to some kind of railing or seating for when your legs collapse from the pins and needles. Generally, it'll take a long time for your legs to go back to normal, more specifically expect your limbs to be useless and unbearable for 1/3 of the time that you were seated. I once had to crawl with my hands across an entire Banff parking lot in order to find somewhere to hide from the gawping public and punch the feeling back into my leg with impunity. I love drawing.

Also met up with Alex and Lawrence who kindly offered teach me (read: kick my ass) in squash.

Being that the only thing i've done in the past ten months even resembling a sport is Xbox Hockey, I played the only way I knew how: Drive to the net hard and take the body. Subsequently, I'm missing a ton of skin on my right arm, I have a massive welt on my knee and I had one particularly nasty but intimate encouter with the wall of the court. Now I know exactly how Koivu feels everytime he gets piledriven into the boards. It's gonna be really hard to get up/brush teeth/walk tomorrow. Fortunately my head, neck and shoulder blade took the brunt of the damage. My drawing hand is relatively swell except for a small burn. Yay!

My arm:


I really like friction burns. I got in the shower tonight and I started screaming.

Anyways i'm absolutely looking towards playing some more, just probably not in the next few days.

Also I got a call from an ex-coworker in which I was called a "Big Flaky Girl". Thanks Paula.

Man, especially after the Herzog exhibit I totally forgot how much I love downtown, especially it's seedy 'tween side sandwiched between the all out squalor of Hastings/Chinatown and the super-impersonal financial district. Now, to figure out how i'm going to go and be sacrilegous in the cathedral on a more regular basis.

Vagrancy Day Four: Perpetual Raptures

In case you didn't know, the Vancouver Art Gallery's admission by donation night's been moved to tuesdays (formerly thursdays). So naturally, on the only tuesday night that I am free this year I went down with Joey and Erica-May. I was particularly excited to go because the main exhibit was Fred Herzog. He's a local photographer that's been taking pictures of downtown Vancouver since the 50's. From what I read, I gather that he did most of his work in Kodakchrome -which captures a much higher spectrum of colour than the traditional film stocks of the past-; as a result, the massive prints are really vibrant and don't have the dated looks of my dad's photos from the 70's. Were it not for the jaunty signs and chrome cars of cultural difference, you could be looking at a photo that was taken this morning.

Walking from photo to photo, a couple of things really struck me:

Where the hell did all the colours go. We've forgone the lively palettes of hand painted wooden signs and buttressed neon signage for the muted quiet of steel and glass? What the hell? When in the last fifty years did we decide that we wanted to look like an Orwell novel? And more importantly why?

Everyone looked so cool for the camera in the 50's. Miscellaneous passerbys are all lounged out effortlessly and exuding far more attitude than the 21st century yaletowner as he runs despondedly to the nearest chain store. And the hats! Every guy on the street is dapped out in his finery. Everyday is a sunday.

What made me the happiest was just being to spot some little token in each picture: a building, a street sign, the tiling on a storefront; that gave away to me the location of the photo as a placed that I would have walked through. I spent a lot of time walking through the city, especially in my worst years, and for awhile I did feel that it was "my only friend". Things have changed and are changing. Buildings go from bustling to abandoned, to a hole in the ground and then spring back up again; and each time I long for what came before. It's cool to see the city given at least a moment of permanence within these photographs.

I did hear that I passed up the chance to see either Apples in Stereo or Badly Drawn Boy tonight. I can't say I mind to much; riding home over Cambie Bridge I looked out the window at the floating lights of all the towers and realized that I'm still pretty giddy: a country boy living in the big city.

La Belle Provence

Steph -my sister- has been chilling out in La France (pronounced the redneck way) for a little over half a year now. Notably, this has meant a decreased rate of dance-offs, dude outs, high fives and just plain freestyle battling in my life. However, i've recently started thinking about maybe how her life might have been affected as well:



Haha, i'm ridiculously jealous of your enforced diet of butter-rich foods. But I miss you like crazy and can't wait until you come back.

Love, Your Bro.

Vagrancy: Day One - Momo and Karaoke

Yep, officially vagrant as of 9:30 friday night. Enjoying immensely: I duded out today for a bit and have just been out in a hoodie and basically pajama pants all day.

Happy Birthday Momo!

Haven't had steak in ages, am still totally cool with savagely slaughtering cows for consumption.

Finally made it to Karaoke and in between Guns N' Roses and beer, have completely expunged any vestigial desire to sing. Am thoroughly satisfied although my throat feels like sawed up lumber.

Met this one bloke who reminds me of Iggy Pop or at least Ewan's impression of him in Velvet Goldmine; I find people who are single-minded personalities compelling but I wonder how they can exist in the non-fiction world.

I can fuckin' sing!

Also, I just don't find the idea of leering at girls, in a pub, and throughly drunk; appealing at all. (Haha, apparently sober's totally fine though). Is that normal?

And through it all, all I could think of was sketching which totally bodes well for the coming week. Drawing, you are the only bride for me!

The Incledibles

This is really awesome. Almost as awesome as the one that teaches you to deal with rapists.



Although I guess it's not life alteringly awesome, except when they ask for my air miles card at the supermarket i'll scream "INCULEHDIDAISO!" as I do the arm thing.

Innuendo?

Oh my Stars and Garters! What were they thinking?

Top 15 Unintentional Funny Comic Book Panels

I think Mawna or Shandy might have posted it before, but the last one (with Batman) is hilarious.

Jacqueline

I finish work on friday, which means I have a week of vagrancy coming up. Needless to say, i'm extremely excited about the prospect of stomping around town and sketching in the familiar places of yesteryear. I have a million things I want to do in those days and a few days are already filled in, but let me know if you want to hang!

Swimsuit Girl

Here's an image I drew up as kind of a followup to the thoughts of this post.

I keep forgetting about how much legwork it is to get nice linework with a tablet. I draw really "sketchily" so I think every line in here is composed with a hundred strokes and erases. Hell, i'm better with even brushes than I am with this thing but I have to admit that (when all is said and done) digital work is infinitely cleaner. Anyways, here's hoping that it gets a little easier over time.