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Saturday, April 30, 2005

Friday's Events

Merv Graduates

Congratulations! Merv had her graduation yesterday and has her MBA. Read the whole tale on her blog. Dad remembers graduations past.

Hot Docs Awards Night

I couldn't trek down to London because we had the festival awards ceremony and party last night. The graphics I created for the presentation ran smoothly without glitches or hitches ... I was experiencing some stress about the graphics (I was worried about the cues) during the rehersal and at one point Kirsty asked me, "Sweat much?" and I looked at my shirt and, yep, it was bad. I'm just happy to be alive.

I also missed the Canadian Premiere of Grizzly Man because it screened at the same time as the awards, but I was told that the show was completely sold out and 200 people in the rush line were turned away.

After the awards party, we kept the night going at Sneaky Dee's with some late night food and beer:


That's right, nachos and poutine, together again for the very first time.


[above, left] Lynette and Jenn react to the sight of poutine at 1am. [right] Adam, Ron, Milda and the Nose of Walter dig in.

Tomorrow is the last day of the festival and the Closing Night Party is at the ROM. Then it's time to detox and sleep for a week ...
 

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Thursday, April 28, 2005

Gym Night at Hot Docs



[above] I brought a group from the gym (you may recognize Anita and Karim from previous posts) to the screening of Gymnast at the Bloor last night. There's someone from every class: runfit, spinning and weights. Eva joined us, too.


After the show, we went to the Spotlight on Israel party at the Roundhouse. The group met one filmmaker who goes to classes at the gym and that prompted everyone to wonder where Alan (Vinyl) was. Half an hour after they left, he showed up:


Nanmac, obviously awed, thinks to herself, "If he starts talking about his record collection, I'm outta here!"

More reviews on the Hot Docs blog.
 

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Hail in the Hood


Moments ago, the hail came down ...
 

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Wednesday, April 27, 2005

In the Neighbourhood

Triangle 1292 is an interesting little infill house a couple of blocks from my apartment. Zack & I walk past it most days but I've never visited the website to see what it's like inside. There are glimpses, drawings and an explanation on the architect's website.
 

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Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Monday at Hot Docs


As you know, Street Fight is my favourite flick of the fest so far and tonight I met the director, Marshall Curry, at a reception at the Bedford Ballroom (and it completely made up for having to decline an invite to attend a dinner with Kirby Dick (Twist of Faith) the night before). If you are in New York, Street Fight is showing Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Tribeca.

More pics on my Hot Docs blog.
 

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Sunday, April 24, 2005

#1



My nephew, JT (pictured above with JD), turned 1 today. What did he get for his birthday? Snow ...
 

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Ice Breaker World Premiere


[above, left] Grandpa, Merv & Mom get ready for the screening. [above, right] The usual suspects afterwards. More pics on my Hot Docs blog.

As we were leaving in the van, Merv saw Eva standing in the line for Twist of Faith and said, "There's Eva," and mom, who is a fan of Eva's blog said, "Say hi to her," and started knocking on the van window which seemed to startled and confuse Eva because -- as Merv noted as we drove up Avenue Road -- the window are completely tinted.
 

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Saturday, April 23, 2005

Today!



Hot Docs is ON! This afternoon I'm sponsoring the World Premieres of Icebreaker and Operation Homecoming. Icebreaker was directed by Jody Shapiro and Dave Best [above, right with Neil on the left leaving tonight's party]. Here are a couple of stills:



The screening is this afternoo9n at 4:45 at the Isabel Bader Theatre.

Opening night screening and party action on my Hot Docs blog.
 

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Friday, April 22, 2005

Hot Docs Opening Night

Hot Docs opens tonight with the screening of Murderball at the Bloor. I've also created a mini-blog to keep track of my festival activities, so go visit.

Both eye and NOW are featuring Hot Docs as their cover stories this week and have included reviews of many of the films and videos.
 

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World of Troll Boy


[left] The lair of Troll Boy is to the far left of the photo. [right] Medlab confronts the Happy Creature (playing Rygar).

Ok, here's an oldie. Christie posted a link to this great gamesroom and it made me nostalgic for those classic 80s gamesroom and reminded me of this story I posted back in 2002 ...

In my fourth year at York, I managed the Crawlspace video arcade in the basement of Vanier College. That Easter, when I returned to Vanier Residence after being home for the holiday, I found a note slid under my door by one of the girls who worked for me. It read something like: Brett, Security came by and were trying to catch the man who lives in the opening in the wall.

So I stood there and read the note a couple of times and tried to figure out, "What the hell does that mean?" I'm going to mention my res room at this point, since I was standing in it. One of my friends had a futon and didn't want the bed in her room, so I took it and stuck it in my room with my own bed. The two beds pretty much filled the whole room, and created a "BED" room, complete with a VCR for movies, an old Atari 2600 for games and an 8th floor view facing south. I loved that room ... even though everyone I knew tried to borrow it to have sex.

Back to the story: I took the note and went upstairs and asked the girl about it and she explained that there was a small panel in the wall by one of the pinball machines. When the panel opened, it lead to a small tunnel that led down to a basement maintenance room. The "man" was camping in the tiny tunnel. I went back downstairs, told my friends the story and they immediately named him Troll Boy. I later learned Troll Boy's real name, but out of respect for his privacy, I'm just going to refer to him as Troll Boy for the rest of this post.

A few days later I got in contact with campus security and they confirmed that Troll Boy was living in the tunnel behind the panel beside the pinball machine in the arcade and they were eager to nab him. They hadn't disturbed his nest because they wanted to stake out the location. They suspected that he had possession of a huge set of 'Master Keys', great, big rings with hundreds of gold keys that gave the maintenance guys from Physical Plant access to most of the university (including many of the buildings via the underground tunnel network). I'd heard a rumour the year before that a set had gone missing and that someone was entering the basement of our residence, but it was a rumour.

I hung out with a pair of security officers in the Crawlspace one night while they were on their stake out. They speculated that Troll Boy emerged from the panel, crawled up on the attendent's desk, up into the ceiling and over the wall, and dropped down into the hallway. That explained why the ceiling tiles were always messed up and why there were footprints on the desk all the time. The security officers described the tunnel and Troll Boy's nest (which was just a sleeping bag and a few other knick knacks).

The tunnel Troll Boy was living in was not part of the main York U tunnel system. At York, there is an off-limits system of maintenance tunnels that connect all the buildings on campus. York students explore these tunnels on a regular basis; usually at night after several drinks. One York legend is that, if you get caught in the tunnels you're automatically kicked out of York. I never heard of that actually happening. In the late 1960s, when the school first opened, a shortage of residence spots caused a group of students to take up residence in the tunnels and they became known as the 'Tunnel Rats'. One of my friends had two favourite tunnels discoveries: one time he and some friends discovered a pentagram spray-painted on the floor of a section of one tunnel with melted candles on each point. Another time they stumbled across what he described as a 'bottomless pit'. You can see the tunnels (the the little cart the Physical Plant guys drive around on) in the 1986 movie, After the Food of the Gods, which was shot on location at York. Good luck finding that stinker!

Back to our story: the security officers explained that there were several regular tunnel dwellers -- some harmless, but a few who were a bit scary. The security woman described a few of the tunnel dwellers to me, but my memory is fuzzy and the only thing I vaguely remember was one woman or man who 'wailed' through the tunnels. Security would charge these people with trespassing and escort them off campus, but they usually came back. Troll Boy was well known to them and they had picked him up several times. They said that when caught, Troll Boy would always start crying. Apparently, he'd been a student in the mid-1970s and had never left.

Security failed to nab Troll Boy that night and I had to know more. A few days later I was talking to the College Master and asked her if she knew about Troll Boy. She did -- she was in the Faculty of Education and Troll Boy applied every year. He'd applied that year! She also described what he looked like and said that he worked at the university bookstore. Now, I know what you're wondering: if everybody knew who Troll Boy was, why the big stake out? The Master Keys were the issue; security's goal was to catch him while he had the set with him.

The fact that he worked at the bookstore surprised me, but his description was even more shocking: I knew who Troll Boy was. When I was in second year, I edited the Vanier College student newspaper, the Vandoo. The newspaper office was in the basement of the college and I spent many all-nighters putting the paper together there. Sometimes, late at night (4-5am) I'd leave the office to get a Coke from the pop machine and I'd see this man who looked sort of like a little neanderthal man wearing thick glasses with big, brown-plastic frames. He was short and wiry and had brown, unwashed hair in a bowl cut. While on the stake out with security, I had discovered what he was doing. There was an old, unused locker room with showers just down from the newspaper office. It was never locked, so anyone could use it. Troll Boy kept most of his personal belongings in a locker there and used the showers.

So that was it. A week or two later I had to buy a book at the bookstore and saw Troll Boy working the cash. I went to his cash and paid him, feeling like I'd met a living legend.
 

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Thursday, April 21, 2005

We're Gonna Need a Bigger Inquiry

Downtown

I dropped in to say hi to Jenn at the Director's Guild.

BLAMB: Hot Docs starts Friday! I can't believe it's finally here.

JENN: Have you been watching the news?

BLAMB: No, not really. I've been working hard and I've let everything else slide. My place is a mess and people have been complaining about me "making excuses" for not going out.


JENN: Watch the news tonight.

BLAMB: What am I looking for?

JENN: You'll know it when you see it. I thought I saw someone you know testifying about the sponsorship scandal.

In the evening, I took a break from working on slides and signs and flipped on The National after watching a few episodes of Laserfart.


MANSBRIDGE: ... and on Thursday evening, the Prime Minister will address Canadians directly in a televised address, a move pundits say was prompted by the testimony of this witness, Sharkey McFinn, at the Gomery Inquiry.

[ clip ]

SHARKEY: No, no, none of that is true. I simple worked on Groupaction's behalf to secure contracts. I provided that service. I had a prior working relationship with the Prime Minister before he was Finance Minister, that is correct.

[ clip]

SHARKEY: Money was never funnelled back to the Liberal Party, don't be ridiculous. As this graphic clearly shows, all funnelled funds are unrequited. Everybody knows that.

[ clip ]

SHARKEY: Can I pull out my golf balls, now?

I did a spit take when I saw the chart.
 

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Wednesday, April 20, 2005

The Internet Provides

Oh wow, look what arrived in the mail! It's the limited edition LaserFart DVD from Channel 101. Now I can watch the first five episodes in crisp, clear fullscreen mode.

Episode 7 can be viewed online now. LaserFart finally hits rock bottom. They've also set up the possible return of Jack Black's Elegant Hunter character. This month, I also enjoyed House of Cosbys Ep. 3 and the second episode of Gregory Shitcock P.I. is funny.

And now: Channel 102 [via Christie]
 

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Politics is a Dish Best Served a la Mode

Alice came over. She was in a tizzy.

ALICE: Hey idiot, we need to talk.

BLAMB: You're the fourth person to call me an idiot today. Forturnately, Chris emailed me a graphic and some advice:



A genuine Chrysoberyl Cat's-eye Gemstone has been known to absorb all cat-based telekinesis.(see graphic) The only thing is "genuine" Chrysoberyl Cat's-eye Gemstone are as rare as a good Moby album.

ALICE: Huh?

BLAMB: He said I might be able to find some at the Duff. Read this:

Maybe you could send Alice and Quon'dar on a "Save Blamb" mall mission to
retrieve the gemstone. It may be just the thing to get those two back
together.

ALICE: Quon'dar and I are never getting back together. I can't believe how much time I wasted on that. I should have just stuck to my guns the first time we broke up.

BLAMB: The first break-up never takes ... and I don't want you two to get back together. I hate that jerk.

ALICE: He never loved me, y'know.

BLAMB: All love is unrequited.

ALICE: When you say things like that, I don't need a telepathic kitty to convince me that you're an idiot. Ok, have you been reading all that crap on Kinsella's blog?

BLAMB: No.

ALICE: He testified at a Commons committee about Earnscliffe. He's made all sorts of wild accusations and suggested that Martin was in the loop.

BLAMB: So?

But of course, I remembered. Alice worked on contracts with the Earnscliffe Strategy Group at that time. She's been a Martin suppoter for years and was even slated to run for parliament before she was abducted by aliens last summer.

BLAMB: I don't have any sympathy for the lot of you.

ALICE: Just email Kinsella and ask him to lay off me, ok? I have enough problems. And don't write about this on your stupid blog.



BLAMB: Why shouldn't I? I can't count the number of times I've been out at some party over the past few years and have had to listen to some arrogant Martin-ite go on about how wonderful life was going to be once Cretien was ousted and Paul Martin was Prime Minister.

ALICE: You can't?

BLAMB: Actually, I can: three. And every time, I always thought about how pathetic their delusions were and how Martin would never live up to the hype and expectations. And look what happened. He's a lame duck on the express bus to Kim Campbellville.

ALICE: But I just worked on contracts. I wasn't involved in all that money shuffling and graft and corruption.

BLAMB: Yeah, yeah, tell it to the judge. What's really odd is how NDP support has dropped through all of this. It's ridiculous how the NDP continue to confine themselves to the margins when they have so many opportunities these days. They may think that they're standing by their values and core constituencies, but they're letting down the rest of the country, they're not even an effective alternative voice anymore. It would be nice if they'd join everybody in this century.

ALICE: Do I look like someone who gives a damn?

BLAMB: Well, I'm not throwing away any more votes on the NDP if they can't get it together.

ALICE: I'm sure they're shakin' in their boots.

BLAMB: Oh, cheer up! Look what Eva, Queen of the Duff, sent you in the mail.

ALICE: A button?

BLAMB: Yeah, you can wear on your outfit .... in jail!
 

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Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Can You Guess?


Sinclair's pick for Pope?
 

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Breathing Room



Alice moved out. Quon'dar moved out. Mr. Loaf moved out.

Many of you have been here and know the layout, so here's what I did. I turned the back room where Alice & Co. had been crashing and turned it into a livingroom and the big front room is now dedicated workspace ... no more mixing work and leisure space.

Just for fun, here's how that room looked when I moved in six years ago:



It's so good being rid of those idiots, I almost feel like throwing a spring party!
 

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Monday, April 18, 2005

Buzz


High Park

WARREN: So, what's worth seeing at Hot Docs?

BLAMB: I haven't seen many flicks yet, but Street Fight is one of the best movies of the year and a must-see. It exposes the dirty politics used during the 2002 mayoral campaign in Newark, New Jersey. A young city councillor named Cory Booker challenges the incumbent mayor who proves capable of all sort of dirty tricks.

WARREN: It's really good?

BLAMB: It's riveting. It just grabs you and doesn't let up until the end.

KAREN: What else is good?

BLAMB: Twist of Faith is good. It's about a fireman who learns that the priest who assaulted him as a kid is living a few doors down from him. I also liked Linda & Ali, Two Worlds Within Four Walls. It follows a Muslim man and American woman as they deal with a crisis in their relationship.

JANET: Hey, I'm wearing the same hat as in the last post!

BLAMB: Which reminds me, Occupation Dreamland is really good. The filmmakers were embedded with army troops in Iraq and follow them on patrol. It would be a good one to screen as a double-feature with Black Hawk Down. In many ways, they're the same movie but seeing them together would highlight just how cliched, jingoistic and plain shallow Black Hawk Down is. That film was promoted as being "realistic", but Dreamland shows that it's not even close.

WARREN: Any others?

BLAMB: I haven't seen that many ... oh! Bearing Witness is great. It's about four women and their lives working as war correspondents.

WARREN: Holly!

Holly decided to go for a swim. Zack wanted to jump in as well, but he had a dip the day before. And Grenadier Pond is filled with goose poop.


KAREN: You posted that chart again.

BLAMB: The "Unrequited" chart?

KAREN: We need to talk about that.

BLAMB: You never liked the charts ...

KAREN: Well, they're crazy. They're so negative.

BLAMB: They're not negative! They don't judge, they simple describe.

KAREN: Well, I think the descriptions are on the negative side.
 

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Sunday, April 17, 2005

Trailer Park Boys



Trailer Park Boys season 5 starts today. Jenn and Jan were at the season 4 launch last year.
 

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Saturday, April 16, 2005

Follow-up

It's a small world and we're all linked by pickles.
 

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Friday, April 15, 2005

Beautiful Sandwich

 

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Thursday, April 14, 2005

One Week 'til Hot Docs

Hot Docs' opening night is one week from tomorrow.



This website is sponsoring the following screenings, so check 'em out:

WORLD PREMIERE
ICE BREAKER
dir. David Best & Jody Shapiro
with
OPERATION HOMECOMING
dir. Luc Cote
Sat. April 23, Isabel Bader Theatre, 4:45pm
I know Dave and he lives in the 'hood, so obviously I was going to sponsor this screening. I haven't seen it yet, but those who have say it's a great, visually stunning doc (the stills were the best set submitted by any film in this year's fest). It screens with the world premiere of Operation Homecoming which examines the difficulties Canadian Peacekeeping soliders face when they return home.

CANADIAN PREMIERE
GRIZZLY MAN
dir. Werner Herzog
Fri. April 29, Bloor Cinema, 7:00pm
Herzog mixes interviews of friends and experts with footage shot by Timothy Treadwell, a guy who loved Grizzly bears so much he tried to live with them until he and his girlfriend were finally eaten by them. An award-winner at Sundance, this one is generating great reviews. Project Grizzly minus the suit.

WORLD PREMIERE
GYMNAST
dir. Edet Belzberg
Wed. April 27, Bloor Cinema, 7:00pm
Belzberg's first film, Children Underground, was nominated for an Academy Award. Gymnast features the stories of three teenage girls competing for a spot on the US Olympic team. Highly recommended by those who have prescreened it.

Screenings will sell-out, so get your tickets asap! The screening schedule will be inserted in Saturday's Toronto Star.
 

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Wednesday, April 13, 2005

A Helping Hand



Considering the situation, I knew there was one person -- one who had helped before -- who could deal with the telepathic kitty situation. That person was The Amazing Ray, P.I. I contacted him on Instant Messenger ...

KRULLFAN45: hey

SLAMMIN2NITE: hows drawin

KRULLFAN45: good

KRULLFAN45: i need some help

KRULLFAN45: Fergus the Cat with ultra-telepathy is trying to get me

SLAMMIN2NITE: i hate that cat

KRULLFAN45: can you help?

SLAMMIN2NITE: sure

SLAMMIN2NITE: hey, did you ever give anita my info?

KRULLFAN45: yeah, sorry, she's not interested

KRULLFAN45: agreeing to dating on the blog tipped her karma

KRULLFAN45: she's been getting asked out constantly ever since

KRULLFAN45: so she doesn't need the internets

SLAMMIN2NITE: did you even put in a good word for me?

SLAMMIN2NITE: well????????????????????????

KRULLFAN45: listen

SLAMMIN2NITE: what?

KRULLFAN45: interest is never reciprocated. all love is unrequited

KRULLFAN45: look at this graphic



SLAMMIN2NITE: just one date

SLAMMIN2NITE: that's all

SLAMMIN2NITE: coffee or something

KRULLFAN45: sorry man

KRULLFAN45: you can't argue with the graphic

SLAMMIN2NITE: won't i ever find love

KRULLFAN45: oh yeah

KRULLFAN45: you'll have a big wedding with ten bridesmaids

SLAMMIN2NITE: you think

KRULLFAN45: i KNOW

KRULLFAN45: so can you help me out

KRULLFAN45: with this fergus thing

SLAMMIN2NITE: I got just the kitty for the job

SLAMMIN2NITE: Ann Kitty-Coulter IV

SLAMMIN2NITE: she has mega-telekinesis

SLAMMIN2NITE: she can hurl her poops at enemies at the speed of sound

SLAMMIN2NITE: thats a joke

SLAMMIN2NITE: except its not

KRULLFAN45: thanks

KRULLFAN45: i owe you one

SLAMMIN2NITE: just lay low for a few days. ill get back 2 u

SLAMMIN2NITE: and watch your back
 

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Tuesday, April 12, 2005

A Powerful Mind


Dundas & Gladstone

NEIL: Hey, you should be careful when you're out in the neighbourhood. I heard that Fergus, the Ultra-telepathic Cat, is back ... and he's looking for you.

BLAMB: But it was just beginning to feel like spring! I'm not going to stay inside just to avoid some annoying cat.

NEIL: Well, I'm just warning y...

FERGUS: HELLO!!!

BLAMB: AHHH!!! MY HEAD!!!!

NEIL: Your ultra-telepathy is too loud!

FERGUS: YOUR PUNY HUMAN MINDS ARE NOT EQUIPPED TO HANDLE ULTRA-TELEPATHY!!!

BLAMB: [crying] My brain feels like it's about to explode!

FERGUS: HA HA HA HA HA! HA!

NEIL: Stop it ... please ....

FERGUS: I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR BOTH OF YOU!

BLAMB: Why?

FERGUS: I WANTED TO TELL YOU SOMETHING DISTURBING! DO YOU WANT TO HEAR IT?

NEIL: Not at this intensity.

FERGUS: I WANTED TO TELL YOU THAT EVERYONE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD THINKS THAT YOU ARE IDIOTS! BOTH OF YOU!

BLAMB: Why? What did we do?

FERGUS: NOTHING!!! HA HA HA!!!

NEIL: Then why do they think we're idiots?

FERGUS: I HAVE BEEN PLANTING THAT THOUGHT IN THEIR HEADS ... USING ULTRA-TELEPATHY!!! HA HA HA HA!!! HA!

BLAMB: You'll never get away with this!

FERGUS: YEAH? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? PUNCH ME? WILL YOU USE VIOLENCE TO SOLVE YOUR PROBLEM LIKE A TYPCAL HUMAN?

BLAMB: Well, no.

FERGUS: HA HA HA HA! YOU ARE WEAK! HA!

NEIL: You may be able to control minds, but you'll never break the human spirit.

BLAMB: Yeah, people will see through your little charade sooner or later.

FERGUS: NO THEY WON'T. WATCH THIS.

RANDOM PASSER-BY: Hey, you guys are idiots!

FERGUS: HA HA HA HA HA! HA!

BLAMB: Ok, ok. We get the point. What are your terms? What do you want?

FERGUS: I DON'T THINK YOU"VE HAD TIME TO FULLY DIGEST THE TRUE SCOPE OF MY POWER. SUFFER FOR A BIT, THEN HEAR MY TERMS.

Fergus darted into an alley and disappeared.

NEIL: What are we going to do? What happens if I go to the Duff and people start yelling "idiot" at me?

BLAMB: Don't worry, I know someone who can help us out ....
 

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Monday, April 11, 2005

It's Over

I knew something was up when I saw these photos on a popular gossip blog.



So I called Alice.



She said it was all true.



She said she had another fight with Quon'dar on the weekend. A big blow-out. She said this time it's over for good.

She also said that she's moving out (Mr. Loaf moved out a couple of weeks ago when his gig wrapped up). She's working again and found her own place. I'll have the apartment to myself again by the end of the week.
 

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Happy Birthday, Merv!

 

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Sunday, April 10, 2005

Pic



Here's the comic from last year's PG ad.
 

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Saturday, April 09, 2005

PG'05



The main reason for the recent blog slowdown, the 164-page Hot Docs Programme Guide [above, left], is here! You can purchase a copy at the box office in the Annex. This year's ad [above, right] features Oosnuup from Happy Creature and the cute, foul-mouthed alien who appeared in this strip.

Opening Night is in two weeks ...
 

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Friday, April 08, 2005

It's Raining Music


McCaul Street

We skipped our run last week but were back at it yesterday afternoon.

MARIELA: You look terrible!

BLAMB: I look terrible.

MARIELA: You look haggard.

BLAMB: I feel haggard ...

MARIELA: Hey, the other day I saw that girl you went on that date with.

BLAMB: Which one?

MARIELA: Cellphone Girl.

I had coffee with Cellphone Girl last fall. She earned her nickname by taking three calls during a very short coffee date.

MARIELA: She's not bad looking.

BLAMB: Yeah.

MARIELA: So, are you going to use It's Raining Men for your fitness class music?

BLAMB: What? Did someone recommend it?

MARIELA: That Dave guy.

BLAMB: I must have blocked it out when I read his list. I hate that freaking song! It's been used -- the Geri Halliwell version -- in three different classes at the gym. Once is funny, twice is dumb, three times is completely idiotic.

MARIELA: What about Minor Threat? Maybe you'll get some Straight Edgers coming to your classes.

BLAMB: Well, the regulars at the gym drink, do drugs and fuck ... one of the spinning instructors works in porn ... but it takes different strokes and all that ... so they'd probably add some colour.

MARIELA: Do you have to suck up to Warren Kinsella to get him to comment on your blog, the way they suck up to politicians on 22 Minutes?

BLAMB: Crap, yeah. That's the only way to get political insiders to comment. If I start ribbing Kinsella about having run John Tory's campaign to be mayor and stuff like that, nobody else will comment. I want to negotiate a bit where we have Stockwell Day appear and take Alice for a jet ski. He's not going to be comfortable doing that if he's worried about me mentioning dinosaurs. You gotta suck up.

MARIELA: Tory almost became mayor, too. We dodged a bullet.

BLAMB: Remember during the debate when Tory said that his favourite intersection in the city is Bayview and York Mills? You know what's there? A strip plaza with a really big parking lot. What a great intersection! I bet a lot of straight edgers hang out there. ... Hey, remember when 22 Minutes was funny?

MARIELA: I don't think it was ever that funny.

BLAMB: I think people just liked the way Rick Mercer's accent sounded when he said Paul Martin. Mercer will surely shed a tear when the government falls next week. Martin became his unlikely comic foil.

MARIELA: Were there any other songs you liked on the lists?

BLAMB: I can't believe Eva recommended Barenaked Ladies. Bruce Cockburn's right, they're crap. They started out as a novelty, became irritating within six months and have only become worse with age ... it's like the Rheostatics of the evil mirror universe somehow found a way to get into our universe.

MARIELA: But were there any you LIKED?

BLAMB: As if I'm going to tell YOU. You'll slam the first song I mention.

MARIELA: No I won't! I'll suck up 'cause I want you to keep telling me which songs you like.

BLAMB: I don't trust you.

MARIELA: Sure you do.

BLAMB: Ok. I thought that Feist cover of Inside & Out, recommended by Brenda, was fun.

MARIELA: I KNEW IT! YOU'RE A SAPPY-ASSED DISCO-LOVING FREAK!!!!!!
 

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Thursday, April 07, 2005

Last Day

Today is Merv's last day of classes. She posted some pics of her (soon to be discontinued) walk to school. Congrats!

.....

Thanks to everyone who posted song suggestions, you gave me a lot to work with. Please patronize these fine bloggers who contributed:
Adina, Bren, Brent, Christie, Dave, Eva, Ice Queen, Jamie, Kevin, Leanne, Marge, Nadia, Skillzy, Sugarmama, Warren.
 

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Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Where in the World is ...

... Dufferin Mall-tiago?



More fun: Google Maps now offers a satellite view mode. [via Space.com]
 

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Monday, April 04, 2005

Play It!

The end of the fitness instructor course is in sight ... well, there's still a way to go, but it's in sight ... and I have to start considering practical matters. Practical matter like music. I have to come up with music for fitnesses classes.

And that's where you come in.

You'll be doing me a big favour by recommending some fitness class music in the comments. Ideal songs have fast, steady beats (or, if a song has a slow or quiet spot, it should easy to edit out). The bass line should be pretty loud and clear. And the songs should have drive, 'cause I like classes where you really have to push it.

Bonus points for novelty. Ok, whaddya got?
 

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Sunday, April 03, 2005

Hey There, Jack!



This year's Hot Docs festival trailer is online, you can watch it here as well as trailers from the past.
 

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Late-night Grocery Post #327



College & Crawford

We now return to our previously scheduled Blamblog, already in progress ...

I have a question, maybe you can answer it: who the hell are Nick & Jessica? I know who they are, they're the couple on the covers of the tabloids in a state of perpetual marital distress. But who are they? I know they had some reality tv show, but did they ever do anything beyond that? What are they famous for? She seems like a discount Farah Fawcett Majors and he seems like Scott Peterson minus the charm.

Have you noticed lately in the grocery store that there are two US celebrity tabloids, In Touch and Star and each week they report contradictory headlines? So, if the Star is reporting that Brad & Jennifer are through, In Touch is claiming that they were spotted having public sex at Burger King and have obviously reconciled.

One of the trashier tabloids, the Sun, is announcing on its cover that Jesus is going to return to earth on September 11 of THIS YEAR! You know what that means? It means we're going to have to move Xmas from December to September 11! So, you've just wrapped up Labour Day and suddenly it's Xmas! That gives you anywhere from 3 to 6 days to do your shopping. That's ridiculous. On the plus side, if he sees his shadow it's six more weeks of summer.

I bet the Globe tabloid will come out with a competing headline claiming that Jesus is coming to a town near you on October 31. That would mess up Hallowe'en. Hey America! Pleasus easus up on the Jesus!
 

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Friday, April 01, 2005

Doc Soup



It's the last Doc Soup of the season! And it's a doc about the internet! I didn't arrange to give away passes for this one, but I won't be able to use mine so if anyone wants two passes to this, drop me a line.
 

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##$%#@#$% Morning ...

I don't know what's worse: this ..... or this. ... more coffee ....
 

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Not So Secret

Storm has an essay on the Facts & Arguments page in Thursday's Globe, demonstrating how a blog post can be a useful first draft!
 

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