Friday, August 31, 2007


How much longer do you think the Murray Hotel is going to last? Where are the folks living in it going to go when those Big Blue Towers finally crush the place?

And, since I've just finished browsing the local news, I figured I just had to add this story. Fascinating world, isn't it?

Thursday, August 30, 2007


Ooooh, I hate seeing movies that friends thought were great and that I'd rather have my eyes ripped out by snarling, rabid weasels before I'd ever look at again. Yep, I just saw "The 300". How to describe the terrible, terminal, unbearable, unbelievable awfulness of this movie. Dialogue? What dialogue? You mean, "We will die. Yes. We will. We will die. Happily. Yes, happily we will die"? You mean that? Characterisation? What characterisation? The brave king? That was it - he was brave. Not too bright, but brave. Anybody else? The traitorous guy on the city council? What was his beef? Xerxes?!? What was he - god of the self-mutilators?!? "Let's all get piercings and scare the hell out of those uppity Greeks!" Leapin' lizards - even the special effects (you know - the thing crap movies rely on to save them from being burned immediately?) were crap. How this hunk of terminal junk ever made it into theatres (production I can understand - it ain't the cream of the intellectual crop runnin' Hollywood) I'll never know. How it got cast is a mystery that only, perhaps, the mighty Zeus could solve. Zeus, as you know, had a pretty nasty sense of humour. Let's not forget, he chained Prometheus to a rock and arranged to have his liver torn out every day, and healed every night, just for stealing a wee bit of fire. Nutty guy. What did the "actors" in this thing do to piss him off?

If anyone calls you up and says, "Hey, I've rented "The 300", wanna come over and watch?", just explain that you've already booked a root canal, without anaesthesia, and you just can't miss it. Even if it were true, you'd have a better time.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007


Wow! I really am on a roll this week. These two doors are in the side of a building that houses a business called "Sunshine Trampolines". The relevance to anything newsworthy, you ask? Well, let's see....the stock market seems to be a bit unsteady at the moment. Why? Um, basically, bad debt. Which leads to this story. And the bouncing cheques that are bound to follow. I can't wait to see how the lenders set about foreclosing. "Mr. Fields, we're repossessing your eyes."

Human health as a market commodity - what a charming world it is.

Of course, the blood red of the doors is irrelevant.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007


I'm on a streak! This picture's labelled "Decay Sets In" on my hard drive. And, whaddaya know? I love these people! Although, I have to admit, decay set in with the Republican party a long time ago. Nixon, anyone? Two-faced cretins, each and every one.

Monday, August 27, 2007


I've been calling this photograph "Waiting". Not for any other reason than the obvious, but, tonight it strikes me as, once again, serendipitous. Dumbya's got to be waiting for the next chunk of his crumbling administration to drop on his head, don't you think? Now that Alberto "Damn the Law, Ah'll Do Anything Karl Commands" Gonzales is gone? After all, who's left? Darth Cheney and Candy Rice. That's it. The only friends left in Poor Dumb Georgie's life. Candy could resign, but what about Darth? Is it legal, or constitutional for a veep to resign? I realize that's a silly question. Like considerations of legality or constitutionality have played a role so far in the Grand Bumbler's administration.

Anyway, poor Dumbya. Wandering the halls, alone, wondering where everyone's gone. Not noticing the bag in his hand.

Sunday, August 26, 2007


Ever seen a movie called "Breach"? Not bad. Not great, but not bad. Chris Cooper plays an FBI agent turned spy for the wrong side. And, it's based on a true story, the Robert Hanssen case from a few years back. Seems he decided it would be more fun to spy against the U.S. than to work for the U.S. Even managed to get at least two guys working for the U.S. killed. The great thing is the kind of guy Hanssen evidently was - a devoutly religious guy, pillar of the community, stalwartly moral - you know - the kind of guy your average right-wing politician claims to be.

Saturday, August 25, 2007


Well, there's "lost", and there's "lost". Speaking of which, now that Karl-the-Kreep is gone, what do you think Darth Cheney and his dimwit boy sidekick, Dumbya, are doing for fun?

Friday, August 24, 2007


Lest anyone think I only pick on poor, dumb, Dumbya, here's a story from my home and native land. Apparently the Quebec police were stupid enough to send 3 of their "finest" to a protest aimed at a summit among our hero, Smirkin' Steve, Dumbya himself, and Mexico's president, Felipe Calderon. The mission of these fine officers seems to have been to try to provoke violence among the protesters, thus enabling "justified" arrests of some of these dangerous "extremists". According to the Stunningly Stupid Stockwell Day (he's Canada's Public Security Minister), the poor officers were "...innocent, I tell ya! Innocent!" Yes, they were being pressured by the extremists to throw rocks, and, well, golly, they just knew that was wrong. But, those nasty "extremists" kept picking on them!

Now, notice the photo accompanying the story. Notice the "extremist" confronting the officers. Seems to be a bald, paunchy guy in, to be generous, his mid-50s. White shirt, sport jacket, face clearly visible. Notice the poor, picked-upon police officers. Masked, young, burly. Just in case you missed it, the first word there was "masked". I don't know, maybe I've missed something. Isn't it the bad guys who wear masks?

Thursday, August 23, 2007


One day, George Bush, like all of us, will die. Nowhere near soon enough, but, following the old saying, "Only the good die young," well, we've got to give him credit for reinforcing an old saying, right? Anyway, I'm absolutely convinced that, were an autopsy to be done, his cranium would be found to be absolutely empty. No indication whatsoever that a brain had ever actually occupied the space would be found. Indication number one? This little story. And, of course, his latest lame excuses for pursuing the "war" in Iraq. Talk about incapable of learning. And yet, there's no serious move to remove this cretin from office. Let's go over this one more time - Bill Clinton got a blow-job. George Bush has murdered tens of thousands of people.

Reminds me of the movies. American films can show people being shot, burned, dismembered, blown to teeny little pieces, tortured...you name it, no atrocity is impermissible. Show two people fucking, however, and all hell breaks lose. Do you people know where babies come from?

Wednesday, August 22, 2007


Ah, coincidence. I had decided on this photo for this evening's post much, much earlier in the day. How charming, then, that it fits in so well with the movie I watched tonight - "The Lives of Others". Want to get a preview of life in "BushWorld" (on the not-so-slim chance that he gets his way)? Watch this movie. Couldn't happen, you say? Riiiiiiiiight.

And, on a purely "art" level, this is one great movie. Out of 4 stars, I'd give it an 8. If you're not a shattered, confused wreck at the end, you weren't paying attention.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007


Sorta sums it up.

But, while you're looking for something amusing to do, go rent "How to Get A Head in Advertising". Yeah, it's old. But it's darn funny.

Monday, August 20, 2007


Sometimes it's just the way it goes, you know?

Other folks are in danger of being shut out, too, in a big way, thanks to - you guessed it - the King of Kompassionate Konservatism himself - Dumbya! Notice his intent to protect insurance companies, not the citizens who were dumb enough to re-elect him. Now their kids might get to pay. Sorta goes a long way to solving the "No Child Left Behind," thing though. He can just call this new program, "No Child Left".

Sunday, August 19, 2007


And this weekend it was "2 Days in Paris". Good movie. Nice little meditation on the difficulties involved in keeping a relationship going. Most people, it seems, are at least a little bit insecure, especially in this area, and so the danger of misinterpreting someone else's behaviours or statements is always present. This film adds in the extra complication of language. She speaks two, he speaks one. They're visiting her parents, her town, and, yep, her language. He's left to try to decipher gestures, facial expressions, and the odd bits of her language that he does understand. Toss in some healthy neuroses on both sides and..........yep, trouble ensues.

Saturday, August 18, 2007


Since everyone needs one at least occasionally, I thought you might like to know that this store has zippers. Really. And they're proud of that fact. There's a sign in the window saying so. "We've got zippers!" So, now you know.

Friday, August 17, 2007


Look! It's the "Collector's Edition" of the Bush administration! Get yours today!

Thursday, August 16, 2007


Vancouver's a friendly place - we even put up signs pointing out to tourists good places from which to take photos. How nice is that?

(O.K., it's a sign indicating that, if you speed, or try to fly through the traffic light, should it be red, at the bottom of the hill that this sign is beside, a nice photograph of your car will be taken, and you'll get an even nicer ticket in the mail. I love modern technology!)

Wednesday, August 15, 2007


Ah, summer, and the tourists are in town. Piling off the cruise ships by the hundreds with their lists of "must see"s, marching through the streets, ticking 'em off. Done? On to Alaska!

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tuesday, August 14, 2007


I don't know - kind of brings to mind ol' Dumbya's situation about now, don't you think? "Mommy?"

I know most folks are pretty happy to see Karl the Kreep go, but, well, I can't be too hard on ol' Karl. After all, most rats abandon a ship while it's still sinking. Karl hung in until he'd made sure it was well and truly sunk.

And, for those folks celebrating the Kreep's departure, keep this one nasty fact in mind - scum floats.

Monday, August 13, 2007


I dunno - it just kind of has a 1950s, "Sputnik" kind of thing, you know?

Or, you could see the shadow as the shirt's Big Dream.

Sunday, August 12, 2007


Went to see "Becoming Jane" today. Good movie (don't you love my elaborate reviewing style?). It made pretty plain the terrible conditions for women in those days - no chance for an inheritance, no chance for a reasonable job...Basically, it was a choice of get married or die in poverty. Charming.

Saturday, August 11, 2007


Haven't you always wanted to take a relaxing vacation aboard a floating high-rise? Golly, I know I sure have.

Friday, August 10, 2007


I have no idea. Looked nifty, though.

Just finished (well, within a whisker anyway) Richard E. Grant's "With Nails". As in, "Withnail and I"? "How to Get Ahead in Advertising"? Come on! Tall? Gaunt-ish? "Gosford Park"? Exactly. That Richard E. Grant. Fun book. Nicely revealing of the fact that the folks "star-ified" by the movies are just dorks like the rest of us.

Thursday, August 09, 2007


Kind of reminiscent of the transporter room, isn't it? Although, in this case, it's non-functional. All of these doors open onto failed businesses. About two blocks east of here, it's pretty much skid row with some very sad people trying to survive as best they can. Which, given that most of them are addicted to one of any number of possible things - heroin, alcohol... - and, if they're female, pretty much forced to work as prostitutes, isn't anywhere close to anything you'd ever label with the adjective "best". These are folks that'd be real darn glad to find a functioning transporter room that might beam them somewhere, anywhere, new.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007


Should you ever sail into Vancouver, this is where you'll dock. The white things at the bottom, that is.

And, if you haven't seen "Lonely Hearts", you probably should. Yeah, there're some flaws - here and there a tad too much on the "symbolism" stuff - but it's a pretty good movie otherwise. Salma Hayek makes a good psycho.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007


Meanwhile, back in historic Chinatown. Although, this is the last historic building on this particular street. Otherwise - yep, you guessed it - condos.

Monday, August 06, 2007


We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

So, went to see "The Bourne Ultimatum" yesterday. Matt Damon's acting reminds me of a book I've got by Andy Warhol - "Andy Warhol's Philosophy: From A to B, and Back Again". Matt does good "serious" and good "perplexed". That's it, folks. But, the movie, nevertheless, was lots of fun. All the thrills and excitement of a really good roller-coaster ride, without the fear of imminent death.

Sunday, August 05, 2007


This whole "baseball" series is pretty exciting, isn't it? Isn't it?

Saturday, August 04, 2007


What amazes me about this photo (and similar photos of pitchers) is how high in the arc of the throw the ball leaves the pitcher's hand. I don't know about you, but this isn't how it feels to me when I throw a ball.

Friday, August 03, 2007


Are you detecting something of a "baseball" theme lately? Yeah, well, I didn't sit for 3 hours on a hard bench for nothing. And the game wasn't even over when I finally left!

Thursday, August 02, 2007


Why does anyone become an umpire? Reviled by the fans, occasionally abused by the players....what's the attraction?

Wednesday, August 01, 2007


The biology department had its annual biomechanics meeting today. Naturally, we had to hold the meeting somewhere that the appropriate principles would be on display.

Success in baseball is all about preparation. Apparently. And proper dirt hydration.