S’s bachelorette party is tomorrow night.
I’m really curious to find out what kind of trouble she’s going to get up to. When we first started going out S used to regale me with all these stories about how her work friends were the ultimate party animals. These booze soaked adventures were always outlandish, over the top and spoken of in the deepest reverential tones.
Yet whenever I met members of this group (weddings, Christmas parties…weddings) it was apparent by the number of swollen bellies in the crowd that their heavy partying days were in the past. So instead of Courtney Love, I got to meet Martha Stewart, only minus the jail time.
But tomorrow, in a much requested revival tour, the husbands will be left at home with the children and the women will finally paint the town red again.
S has been handed a list of various tawdry items that she will be expected to bring to her party leaving only the sickest and most depraved imaginations, such as my own, to concoct a convoluted game plan that justifies their usage.
(A health card, really?)
Just like the Polka-roo the myth of the RT party animal will be just that, something often heard about, but rarely seen.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Six sentence comic book reviews
A light week for comic books. And unfortunately not a very satisfying one.
Trinity #7
Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge #1
Flash #242
Hellblazer #246
Captain America #40
Ultimate Fantastic Four #56
Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge #1
Now THIS is what a Flash comic should read like. Oh, it’s not a Flash comic, it’s a Final Crisis tie-in? The premise behind this mini-series is that four of the Flash’s rogues gallery, Heatwave, Captain Cold, Weather Wizard and Mirror Master, have decided to give up a life of crime, but not before they pull one last heist, er, murder to atone for their role in the death of Bart Allen. After the end of his phenomenal run on the Flash solo title three years ago, it’s great to see Geoff Johns back in the driver’s seat writing the Rogues again. He’s able to transform this band of criminal misfits into complex characters, with a semblance of their Silver Age sensibilities, instead of just another bunch of gritty thugs. It’s enough to make a fanboy yearn for the heady days of 2005 when Johns was still working with these characters on a regular basis.
Captain America #40
I feel uncomfortable sometimes reviewing some Marvel comics because I’m not versed enough in the minutiae of their universe to make judgement calls on some of their creative directions. This universe just doesn’t have the same history and emotional resonance with me that the DC stable of characters has. In fact I initially only picked up this title because I wanted to take a look at what Alex Ross had done in Cap’s costume redesign. But I stayed because I’m enjoying how Brubaker is developing and redefining the Captain America mythos, pulling in disparate elements from across the character’s long publishing history. It’s unfortunate that the return of Steve Rogers is practically pre-ordained as Marvel has pulled off an excellent character transition here in the manner of a DC-esque legacy hero. That being said, once this particular story arc is finished, this title will be dropped from my pull list.
Ultimate Fantastic Four #56
What always appealed to me about the Ultimate universe is that it retold classic Marvel U stories in a streamlined fashion, without the baggage of decades of continuity. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view, that well seems to have run dry and the universe chugs along on its own now, only occasionally checking in on the properties that birthed it. Which means that its just like any other regular Marvel title and I’m having problems figuring out why I should care about the Ultimate line anymore. To be honest, Ultimate Fantastic Four is the worst offender of the bunch. Ultimate Spidey and X-Men do a much better job staying true to their roots. In this issue, if you can keep your eyelids pried open, the FF fight a seven headed uber-germ based on the mythical Hydra.
Flash #242
The saga of Wally’s children continues. Iris continues to age rapidly and the West family is helpless to stop it. A last ditch effort to turn back the clock, thanks to some help from the Nzame of Gorilla City, ends in disaster as Iris prematurely ages to her death. I think this is purely a temporary comic death here. It’s meant as a convenient excuse to push Wally over the edge and have the character do something he regrets. Perhaps there’s another Flash standing in the wings who could take over for him?
Now get thee to a nunnery.
Trinity #7
Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge #1
Flash #242
Hellblazer #246
Captain America #40
Ultimate Fantastic Four #56
Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge #1
Now THIS is what a Flash comic should read like. Oh, it’s not a Flash comic, it’s a Final Crisis tie-in? The premise behind this mini-series is that four of the Flash’s rogues gallery, Heatwave, Captain Cold, Weather Wizard and Mirror Master, have decided to give up a life of crime, but not before they pull one last heist, er, murder to atone for their role in the death of Bart Allen. After the end of his phenomenal run on the Flash solo title three years ago, it’s great to see Geoff Johns back in the driver’s seat writing the Rogues again. He’s able to transform this band of criminal misfits into complex characters, with a semblance of their Silver Age sensibilities, instead of just another bunch of gritty thugs. It’s enough to make a fanboy yearn for the heady days of 2005 when Johns was still working with these characters on a regular basis.
Captain America #40
I feel uncomfortable sometimes reviewing some Marvel comics because I’m not versed enough in the minutiae of their universe to make judgement calls on some of their creative directions. This universe just doesn’t have the same history and emotional resonance with me that the DC stable of characters has. In fact I initially only picked up this title because I wanted to take a look at what Alex Ross had done in Cap’s costume redesign. But I stayed because I’m enjoying how Brubaker is developing and redefining the Captain America mythos, pulling in disparate elements from across the character’s long publishing history. It’s unfortunate that the return of Steve Rogers is practically pre-ordained as Marvel has pulled off an excellent character transition here in the manner of a DC-esque legacy hero. That being said, once this particular story arc is finished, this title will be dropped from my pull list.
Ultimate Fantastic Four #56
What always appealed to me about the Ultimate universe is that it retold classic Marvel U stories in a streamlined fashion, without the baggage of decades of continuity. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view, that well seems to have run dry and the universe chugs along on its own now, only occasionally checking in on the properties that birthed it. Which means that its just like any other regular Marvel title and I’m having problems figuring out why I should care about the Ultimate line anymore. To be honest, Ultimate Fantastic Four is the worst offender of the bunch. Ultimate Spidey and X-Men do a much better job staying true to their roots. In this issue, if you can keep your eyelids pried open, the FF fight a seven headed uber-germ based on the mythical Hydra.
Flash #242
The saga of Wally’s children continues. Iris continues to age rapidly and the West family is helpless to stop it. A last ditch effort to turn back the clock, thanks to some help from the Nzame of Gorilla City, ends in disaster as Iris prematurely ages to her death. I think this is purely a temporary comic death here. It’s meant as a convenient excuse to push Wally over the edge and have the character do something he regrets. Perhaps there’s another Flash standing in the wings who could take over for him?
Now get thee to a nunnery.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Post Script
While I'm on the subject...
It's refreshing to know that some people you may not have heard from in years, will still drop everything and come running when they hear you're getting married.
That's friendship.
It's refreshing to know that some people you may not have heard from in years, will still drop everything and come running when they hear you're getting married.
That's friendship.
These aren't a few of my favourite things
It’s getting close to the big day and the topic that most people seem to be wondering about is if I’m nervous or stressed yet.
Um. With a couple exceptions the answer is no.
Marriage itself? Well I wouldn’t have asked in the first place if I didn’t want it.
Planning the wedding? I’ve organized enough film shoots, stage plays, and last years award show for work, to be comfortable enough with the logistics of planning this kind of thing. It’s never fun but I don’t find it particularly stressful either. The basics are pretty much the same.
Full disclosure: S is the lead planner for this event. I’m pot scrubber and chief bottle washer, throwing out opinions left, right and center, but essentially (unsuccessfully) trying to keep myself from getting in the way of her planning.
We’ve also been fairly lucky that our family and friends have been there to lend a hand when they can and so far nobody has made any outrageous requests of us.
No, the most stressful part of the wedding planning has been some guests.
Early on we adopted a no-children policy for the reception. Kids are absolutely welcome to attend the ceremony but we wanted to give people a more adult wedding reception. S and I have both been to weddings where parents spent the majority of their time chasing after screaming children and then have to leave early to get the kiddies to bed. We wanted to avoid that aspect of it all.
With a couple rare exceptions most people seem to be support this choice. Unfortunately the exceptions have been notable in their declaration of abstentia, making us fully aware that it is our policy that is keeping them away. This can be a bit tough to take. Of course we’d like to have them attend. And we absolutely understand their reasons for not being able to come.
It’s the ripple effects that bother me. Couple A chooses not to attend, so they put pressure on Couple B to pass up on the reception as well, in a show of support. They’re trying to make us feel crappy about our decision. The people close to you always know which buttons to push to get a reaction.
There are other political games that we have to play. The seating chart was one of them, dealing with personality conflicts between groups of friends another. Hey, just because they’re your friend, doesn’t mean they have to like, tolerate or make nice with each other.
It’d be nice to think that the world would shelve their personal problems for a day in order to celebrate our wedding. But unfortunately it doesn’t really work like that. It’s the rare human being who is able to rise above it all when the circumstances aren’t to their liking.
Um. With a couple exceptions the answer is no.
Marriage itself? Well I wouldn’t have asked in the first place if I didn’t want it.
Planning the wedding? I’ve organized enough film shoots, stage plays, and last years award show for work, to be comfortable enough with the logistics of planning this kind of thing. It’s never fun but I don’t find it particularly stressful either. The basics are pretty much the same.
Full disclosure: S is the lead planner for this event. I’m pot scrubber and chief bottle washer, throwing out opinions left, right and center, but essentially (unsuccessfully) trying to keep myself from getting in the way of her planning.
We’ve also been fairly lucky that our family and friends have been there to lend a hand when they can and so far nobody has made any outrageous requests of us.
No, the most stressful part of the wedding planning has been some guests.
Early on we adopted a no-children policy for the reception. Kids are absolutely welcome to attend the ceremony but we wanted to give people a more adult wedding reception. S and I have both been to weddings where parents spent the majority of their time chasing after screaming children and then have to leave early to get the kiddies to bed. We wanted to avoid that aspect of it all.
With a couple rare exceptions most people seem to be support this choice. Unfortunately the exceptions have been notable in their declaration of abstentia, making us fully aware that it is our policy that is keeping them away. This can be a bit tough to take. Of course we’d like to have them attend. And we absolutely understand their reasons for not being able to come.
It’s the ripple effects that bother me. Couple A chooses not to attend, so they put pressure on Couple B to pass up on the reception as well, in a show of support. They’re trying to make us feel crappy about our decision. The people close to you always know which buttons to push to get a reaction.
There are other political games that we have to play. The seating chart was one of them, dealing with personality conflicts between groups of friends another. Hey, just because they’re your friend, doesn’t mean they have to like, tolerate or make nice with each other.
It’d be nice to think that the world would shelve their personal problems for a day in order to celebrate our wedding. But unfortunately it doesn’t really work like that. It’s the rare human being who is able to rise above it all when the circumstances aren’t to their liking.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Da Flick
I love this picture. It looks like I’ve got tremendous amounts of air.
So apparently I can flick now, just not in a game.
It started a couple weeks ago, I was horsing around in the backyard with my brother-in-law, just tossing a disc and for shits and giggles I decided to try flicking to him. After a few wayward throws I settled down into a nice rhythm. No one was more shocked than I was. This may seem like a rather minor victory to you, but in the four years I’ve been playing Ultimate I have yet to throw a flick with anything approaching distance, accuracy and success.
It’s become a standing joke. I can chuck a hammer, which is a more difficult throw that utilizes the same principles as the flick, but I can’t throw a flick itself.
A couple days later I tried to throw a flick during a game and it was the same old story.
So after the game a bunch of us were tossing the disc and once again I started trying to flick and it worked. Near as I can figure, I’m over thinking the throw during the game, trying to hard to force it work.
So my game plan is to warm up with flick almost exclusively and create some muscle memory. That way when I make the throw during the game it’ll happen automatically.
Well, that’s the plan anyway.
So apparently I can flick now, just not in a game.
It started a couple weeks ago, I was horsing around in the backyard with my brother-in-law, just tossing a disc and for shits and giggles I decided to try flicking to him. After a few wayward throws I settled down into a nice rhythm. No one was more shocked than I was. This may seem like a rather minor victory to you, but in the four years I’ve been playing Ultimate I have yet to throw a flick with anything approaching distance, accuracy and success.
It’s become a standing joke. I can chuck a hammer, which is a more difficult throw that utilizes the same principles as the flick, but I can’t throw a flick itself.
A couple days later I tried to throw a flick during a game and it was the same old story.
So after the game a bunch of us were tossing the disc and once again I started trying to flick and it worked. Near as I can figure, I’m over thinking the throw during the game, trying to hard to force it work.
So my game plan is to warm up with flick almost exclusively and create some muscle memory. That way when I make the throw during the game it’ll happen automatically.
Well, that’s the plan anyway.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Dry run
S and I went to a friend's wedding this weekend.
While I was there, slowly depleteting the bar of its ample stock of rye, it really hit home that in less than a month I'll be doing all of this again, only from a slightly different viewpoint.
After spending about five minutes sitting in the church this weekend I had completely sweated through my shirt. I looked, and smelt, like I'd spent the afternoon sumo wrestling on the front porch. And this was just me wearing a regular shirt and jacket. For my own wedding the male portion of the bridal party will be wrapped in four layers of thick wool.
You remember wool don't you? Nature's suffocating, heat absorbing, creation.
I'm envisioning at least one fainting and a fatality.
Note to groomsmen. I'm...sorry?
Anyway it was a very nice wedding. I got to play pool, drink and 'dance' for free. What more could you ask for?
But after watching the groom's father deliver his speech, it made me realize that I'm going to have a quick heart to heart with my own dad. I don't think I want to be reffered to as 'sensitive' in front of all the assembled family and friends, no matter how true it may be.
While I was there, slowly depleteting the bar of its ample stock of rye, it really hit home that in less than a month I'll be doing all of this again, only from a slightly different viewpoint.
After spending about five minutes sitting in the church this weekend I had completely sweated through my shirt. I looked, and smelt, like I'd spent the afternoon sumo wrestling on the front porch. And this was just me wearing a regular shirt and jacket. For my own wedding the male portion of the bridal party will be wrapped in four layers of thick wool.
You remember wool don't you? Nature's suffocating, heat absorbing, creation.
I'm envisioning at least one fainting and a fatality.
Note to groomsmen. I'm...sorry?
Anyway it was a very nice wedding. I got to play pool, drink and 'dance' for free. What more could you ask for?
But after watching the groom's father deliver his speech, it made me realize that I'm going to have a quick heart to heart with my own dad. I don't think I want to be reffered to as 'sensitive' in front of all the assembled family and friends, no matter how true it may be.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Flashpoint: As it happens
First thoughts.
1. Hugh Dillon is smiling!!! (and laughing to boot) in the opening scenes. Hardly the grim and gritty uber-sniper that the Americans are going to love to watch.
2. The action scenes take a back seat to the character building material. And that's a good thing. Substance triumphs over style.
3. Why do I care so much about how I think this is going to play south of the border? I know that there's been a lot of talk about it's American license and what that means for Canadian filmmaking. But as I watch it, nothing really grabs me. It doesn't feel like must see TV. It feels like better than average television with a lead actor who is interesting to me because of his musical career and his real life demons.
4. Amy Jo Johnson, utterly miscast in the role of Jules Callaghan, sniper. It feels like shes here to counter some of the gender disparity issues of the show and bring a softer side to this series. Unfortunately she sticks out like a sore thumb. There's no rule that says women, attractive or otherwise, can't be snipers. But it's not hard to see that this show places a premium on young attractive actors and unfortunately AJJ feels like just another entry in this column rather than a character of substance.
5. Hey! Henry Czerny is in the next episode. That pretty much guarantees that I'll be around for the next installment.
6. Overall the show is good but not great. I'm hoping it'll stick around for a little while. I wonder what kind of viewing numbers the opening episode will pull down. (Edit: Apparently 8 million Americans saw the opening episode, which is more than the premiere of House)
1. Hugh Dillon is smiling!!! (and laughing to boot) in the opening scenes. Hardly the grim and gritty uber-sniper that the Americans are going to love to watch.
2. The action scenes take a back seat to the character building material. And that's a good thing. Substance triumphs over style.
3. Why do I care so much about how I think this is going to play south of the border? I know that there's been a lot of talk about it's American license and what that means for Canadian filmmaking. But as I watch it, nothing really grabs me. It doesn't feel like must see TV. It feels like better than average television with a lead actor who is interesting to me because of his musical career and his real life demons.
4. Amy Jo Johnson, utterly miscast in the role of Jules Callaghan, sniper. It feels like shes here to counter some of the gender disparity issues of the show and bring a softer side to this series. Unfortunately she sticks out like a sore thumb. There's no rule that says women, attractive or otherwise, can't be snipers. But it's not hard to see that this show places a premium on young attractive actors and unfortunately AJJ feels like just another entry in this column rather than a character of substance.
5. Hey! Henry Czerny is in the next episode. That pretty much guarantees that I'll be around for the next installment.
6. Overall the show is good but not great. I'm hoping it'll stick around for a little while. I wonder what kind of viewing numbers the opening episode will pull down. (Edit: Apparently 8 million Americans saw the opening episode, which is more than the premiere of House)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
