Lessee, last week i had massage therapy, did my two yoga classes, last lifedrawing session of the semester (pics to come), went out with the guys to The Tap for some wings.

After massage on Wednesday, i had enough time to catch an 11:00 am movie (and eat at Licks after) before class. It was good because it was the opening day for Fantastic Mr. Fox, which has been getting rave reviews. It's at Wes Anderson adaptation of the Roald Dahl book. I've never read the book (Dahl also wrote James and the Giant Peach and Willy Wonka/Charlie & the Chocolate Factory), but it was very much like a Wes Anderson movie (The Darjeeling Limited, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Royal Tenenbaums).

I like Wes Anderson, so i really enjoyed it, even though some of the animation is rather crude (compared to Coraline, for example), although it did have its subtle moments - occasionally the crudeness was funny in itself.

Some reviewers have compared Fantastic Mr. Fox with Where The Wild Things Are, talking about a return to retro styles of animating, usually accompanied by disparaging (and ignorant) remarks about computer animation. I think the real connection is the use of children's stories to tell adult stories of emotional angst. Watch for the ignorant remarks to surface again with The Princess and the Frog (classically 2D animated to some degree, but still using Toon Boom, CGI visual effects, backgrounds cintiqs for drawing, etc). I do think kids will enjoy Fantastic Mr. Fox more than Where The Wild Things Are (which is actually pretty scary in places).

"Why a fox? Why not a horse, or a beetle, or a bald eagle? I'm saying this more as, like, existentialism, you know? Who am I? And how can a fox ever be happy without, you'll forgive the expression, a chicken in its teeth?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, but it sounds illegal."

"The cuss you are."
"The cuss am I? Are you cussing with me?"
"No, you cussing with me?"
"Don't cussing point at me!"
"If you're gonna cuss, you're not gonna cuss with me, you little cuss!"
"You're not gonna cuss with me!"

"You know, you really are... fantastic."

"Basically, there's three grabbers, three taggers, five twig runners, and a player at Whackbat. Centre tagger lights a pine cone and chucks it over the basket and the whack-batter tries to hit the cedar stick off the cross rock. Then the twig runners dash back and forth until the pine cone burns out and the umpire calls hotbox. Finally, you count up however many score-downs it adds up to and divide that by nine."

Another trip into the city today, although a bit of a twist, as i didn't leave until 4ish. I ate at By The Way Cafe, having hummus and shish-kebab, while i read Red Moon, a short story collection by Susumu Katsumata from D&Q. Interesting book, reminds of the Color of Earth manwha series, although not focussed on the relationship between a girl growing up and her relationship with her mother, with more about abusive relationships and folktales. I also picked up a cookbook at BMV (not so much for the recipes but the cultural details).

Anyway, i was in the city to see Mary and Max, a stop-motion animated movie i kept hearing about, but didn't have a chance to see at the Ottawa festival. It's an odd story, about a little girl in Australia who becomes penpals with a middle aged Jewish man with a behavioural disorder, It actually follows them over 18 years. It's not a fast-paced action story or kiddie story (by a long shot), and much of it is sad - they're both misfits, and have trouble dealing with events in their lives. And it's fairly dark at points, dealing with neglect, suicide,alcoholism, depression and anxiety. But it totally sucks you in. It's often quite funny. It is supposedly based on a true story.

I'd heard that Barry Humphries (Dame Edna) did the narration, but i was surprised that Toni Collette, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Eric Bana did the main voices.

Mary mailing a letter to Max.

Max puts a pompom Mary made on his head (and her self-portrait is stuck in the mirror).
"Do you have a favourite-sounding word? My top 5 are ointment, bumblebee, Vladivostok, banana and testicle."

Mary's Mom, in one of her more vertical and relatively sober moments.

Mary is writing about being bullied at school.

Max is having an anxiety attack.
"He smelt like licorice and old books, she thought to herself, as tears rolled from her eyes, the color of muddy puddles."

After King Tut, i saw the Origamic Architecture Exhibition at the Japan Foundation.

"Origamic architecture involves the three-dimensional reproduction of architecture, geometric patterns, everyday objects, or other images, on various scales, using cut-out and folded paper, usually thin cardboard."

They are actually more like pop-up art than origami. There were some duplicates, and they didn't even use the whole space. I think an origami exhibit would be more interesting. Over even just larger pieces. Also, when they reproduced famous buildings they should have photos of those buildings for comparison. I was a little disappointed.

Dancin' by the Nile (disco Tut)
The ladies love his style (boss Tut)
Rockin' for a mile (rockin' Tut)
He ate a crocodile (King Tut)

Yesterday, i had lucked into a free ticket for KKING TUT: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs at the AGO - that is, a preview, as the exhibit doesn't officially open until Tuesday.

I didn't mind the line up so much, but when we had a movie to watch, why no seats? And the movie should've been longer, or they should've had more background on ancient Egypt, and especially about King Tut's era. This is the second time i've seen King Tut's treasures at the AGO, and i still think it would make more sense at the ROM.

Apparently, they were frustrated with how long it was taking people to get through the exhibit, but there was a lot to read, and little video clips to watch, and the space was a little awkward or cramped in places (especially corners) - like you're done looking at one piece, and you have no choice but to stay there blocking it while you're waiting for the people in front of you to move.

That being said, the exhibition itself is fascinating. Over 100 pieces, it's more than twice the size of the last show, but only 3 objects are the same. There are no mummies, but there's CT scans of the mummy.

Coffinette that held Tut's stomach.

Sandals!

Cat sarcophagus.

Friday i did some Christmas shopping, got caught up on a bunch of reading, and, of course, saw a movie.

The movie i saw was... The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Okay, it's kind of silly, but i saw part one, so...

Bella is kind of annoying, as she has no interests other than being Edward's girlfriend. She's worried about being too old at 18, for a 100+ year old vampire, while Edward is looking all of Robert Pattinson's 23 years (and more). How about being worried about boring him for eternity? Then again, he does seem to have the emotional maturity of a 17 year old - you'd think after 100 years you'd get bored of high school drama. Why are the Cullens even in high school? I think Edward could pass for a high school grad.

It does have a sense of humour, even though the characters take themselves far too seriously, and the funniest bits are unintentionally funny. Apparently Edward can recite lines from Romeo and Juliet, and even though they make fun of its characters' deaths, he repeats it anyway:
"Hey, is Bella's dad there?"
"No, he's arranging a funeral."
"NOOO! BELLA'S DEAD, I MUST KILL MYSELF!"
"Dude, ever think it's like maybe a grandparent or uncle or something?"
"D'oh!"

Or how about when Bella gets a paper cut, and to protect her from a frenzied vampire, Edwards plows her into some furniture? Why didn't he just beat her with a sharpened 2-by-4?

"I know you don't eat regular food, but if we're always going to be face to face like this, you're going to have to brush your teeth. Wouldn't hurt to brush your hair either."

"It's my job to take off my shirt. By the way, i'll get to grandma's house before you"

Are you sure they're vampires, and not elves or fairies or something? This is pretty fey right here. It would explain the sparkly nonsense too.

"The absence of him is everywhere I look. It's like a huge hole has been punched through my chest."

Do the Volturi spend their days just sitting on thrones? How many vampires are there, anyway? That's a LOT of unexplained deaths.

Wednesday was another life drawing class. Took a while to get into it - didn't like the quick ones so much. Partly i didn't like his poses so much - wrapping his arms around himself and hunching over into totally unnatural poses, more like standing roadkill.

30 minutes.

Russ asked me if i wanted to go out photographing Sunday morning/early afternoon. We drove out to the Scarborough Bluffs - first time i've been there.

We drove through some neighbourhoods looking for a certain old structure. We came across this, which has to be the tackiest mail box ever.

We stopped at Licks for lunch on the way back.

Busy busy! Taken me a few days to get caught up with movies and photos. Tonight i was at the school for an open house, had with wings with Chris and Emma after. Did yoga Monday and Tuesday. Is it getting easier?

After a quick hot dog and pop, i saw Fish Story (Fisshu Sutôrî), part of the Reel Asian Film Festival.

In 2012, with a meteor headed towards the earth, three men spend the afternoon inside a record store listening to an obscure release by a proto-punk band. In 2007, a girl falls asleep on a ferry. In 1982, a group of friends discusses the mysterious silence and its curse in the middle of a song, . In 1975, the starving band Gekirin tries to fit a new sound into a world that isn’t ready for it. In the 1950s, a man is hired to translate an English-language novel into Japanese.

It was a mind-blowing film! Comedy, sci-fi, superhero, horror, martial arts - it evens spoofs The Ring and Armageddon. It would be hard to find a more unique movie.

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The song that saves the world...

After MOCCA, i parked up on Bloor & Huron, and bumped into a former student (now in 3rd Year Games) - man, can't escape these people, lol.

I ended up eating lunch and reading at the local Licks, ha ha. Plus ca change...

I ducked into Club Monaco and Chapters for a bit, but didn't get anything.

Then i saw Pirate Radio, which was called The Boat That Rocked in Britain. The trailers tried to sell it as the story of rock and roll rebels, which they were - in 60s Britain, rock wasn't allowed on the radio, so pirate radio stations were set up on ships offshore, outside Britain's territorial waters - but this movie is more of out and out comedy, from Richard Curtis, who also made Blackadder, Mr Bean, Four Weddings And A Funeral, Bridget Jones, Love Actually, and so on. It reminded me of a cross between those show and 60s/70s British comedies (Carry On, On The Buses). It had the virtue of being very very funny!

"So... expelled?"
"That's right."
"What for?"
"I suppose smoking was the clincher."
"Drugs or cigarettes?"
"Well, both."
"Well done!"
"So your mum sent you here in the hope that a little bracing sea air would sort you out?"
"Something like that.
"Spectacular mistake." (I love Bill Nighy!)

"I intend to broadcast from this ship 24 hours a day until the day I die. And then for a couple days after that."

Saturday i went to the two new shows at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA). The first was John Heward: A Trajectory / A Collection, retrospective of the Montreal artist, featuring nearly 40 years of painting, drawing, sculpture, collage, sound and other work. I didn't really like it much. I like some 60s-style abstracts, which these were, but they were kind of rough, and just didn't appeal to me.

"Self Portrait" = ha ha ha...

The other show was Insoon Ha: Drain, which "features an arrangement of several recently-completed components..." by the Toronto-based artists, "...that, exhibited together, conjure worlds embedded and fraught with pain and darkness". It had some wit, but didn't really grab me either.

Hooves in uncomfortable places.

Not from the same exhibition, but there was a horn like that on a chair.

And a tongue like that on a wall, that the artist (i assume) sprayed with chocolate.

One piece that i like was set up like a shower/tub stall, and inside the curtains, where the tub is, was a 'bed', with two woman sitting projected from above - an eerie presence. No photo though.

Friday morning my sister and i went looking at houses. Gawd, they were awful.

I got to near the school around 12:30, but the city has started digging up Simcoe and Taunton AGAIN, so i drove aways away and had lunch at McDonalds (the puniest and busiest one i've been to).

We had a meeting at 2 about some recent issues among students - i'm still not totally reassured all was done that should have been. I didn't get much marking done around the meeting.

I rushed to the city (i hate rushing) to see a movie at the Cinematheque. The Queen Mother was crazy busy, so i went to East, had their chicken-spring rolls-rice platter, and a springrollini, but no dumplings.

The movie i saw was Je, Tu, Il, Elle, a French movie from 1974. The plot is sparse, and really, well, boring. "In the first part she lives like a hermit, eating only sugar, compulsively rearranging the furniture in her one-room flat, and apparently writing and rewriting a love letter. In part two she hitches a ride with a truck driver and eventually gives him a hand job. In part three she arrives at the home of her female lover, and they proceed to make love."

I get that it's meant to reflect the detachment of (modern?) life and sexuality, but it's not particularly interesting to watch someone sitting in a room, eating, getting up, sitting down, and narrating it, for 40 minutes. I think this is the first movie at the Cinematheque i've been to where people have left midway through (in fact, 8 people!). Even the last bit was boring to watch (and kind of odd - it started off like Greco-French wrestling).

'Je' is the lead actress, who also happens to be the director.

'Il' is the truck driver.

'Elle' is her (former?) lover.

'Tu' is probably the audience (though one would it should be 'vous').

Thursday i did a ton of marking after class finished. Then i went to pick up Lisa to go to the ballet. She was a bit late in getting ready, so we didn't have ton of time. I needed to eat, so we went to the Queen Mother - i had the pad thai, she had the curry roti. Service was kind of slow (i've been served and finished eating in a half hour, when i wasn't in a rush), and we missed the talk before the show started.

The ballet we saw was the dress rehearsal for Sleeping Beauty. Actually, it was my least favourite ballet i've seen. Aside from preferring the programs of shorts, where the pieces are more modern and experimental, i didn't think the dancing and story held together. It was a bunch of dancing, then moving the story forward a bit, then a bunch of dancing, and so on - the dancing itself rarely moved the story. I think we were five dances in before the witch came in to disrupt the Princess's birthday party. I also had trouble telling one character rom another (like, the king and the master of ceremonies).

The dancing itself undercut the story: When the good fairy gives the Prince a vision of the sleeping Princess, they actually dance, which dramatically should be put of until later - he shouldn't be able to touch her in the vision. When he wakes her up with a kiss, rather than embracing, they both go wake up the rest of the castle. Then there are a bunch of dances, i couldn't tell which was the Prince and Princess or other random couples.

I understand that the story is often just there to hang some good dancing on, but can you imagine a movie musical where the story stops every so often for a half dozen songs and dances? That being said, Lisa loved it, ha ha. The dancer who played the Princess was pretty amazing.

I kept thinking of all the gags you can play on sleeping people, like sticking her hand in water or arranging fruit around her. In several earlier versions of the story, she gets pregnant while asleep (ahem).

Tuesday also had yoga, which is less stress than Mondays because i have an hour gap between teaching and the class.

I had massage therapy on Wednesday at 11, which was kind of late, because it meant i was home all morning. It also meant standing in the waiting room for the two minutes of silence. I had lunch at Licks before driving up to the school. The parking lot was crazy, as there was some big blockage as a giant truck spent its time backing out of some place (plus our security has no idea how to direct traffic). I finally get to the other side of the school, where i'm waved off and told that the school was being evacuated. WHAT?! Crazy. I went down to get my comics for the week, and phoned people, and found out some worker had broken the water main. DER. Classes cancelled for the whole day. Including life drawing in the evening, which worked out because apparently that class was being cancelled anyway.

So i decided to make use of the day for fun. I just wish i'd known ahead of time - i would've got my comics first, and read leisurely at lunch.

I decided to see a movie, A Christmas Carol, the CG-made version by Robert Zemeckis, who also made Polar Express, a movie which i despised. A Christmas Carol was very disappointing, i hated it. I like this quote from Variety: "...shortchanging traditional animation by literalizing it while robbing actors of their full range of facial expressiveness..." Except... the faces look dead even when still (the emotional nuance of porcelain dolls). There was a point where young Scrooge and a young lady where staring into each other's eyes, but she was actually staring off into space.

It's an uncomfortable mix - the faces are caricatures (with super-sized eyes) but the skin textures are realistic, the body motion is mostly mo-capped, but then there's a bizarre twist into cartoony (like when a pair of dancers are suddenly swirling in the air).

I didn't even like the story - i've seen so many different takes on it, and this was the least interesting. Scrooge is simply miserable - not gleefully nasty, not bitter and sharp-tongued - and it's miserable to watch. When he gets the visits from the ghosts, he converts to a nice guy almost immediately. It's not the Jim Carrey version trailers would make you think (they put all of the humour, what little there is, into the trailer).

The only people who are impressed with this movie are those are still impressed with CG effects, regardless of story or character, or even design. Oh, like say, Roger Ebert: "Robert Zemeckis... proves for the third time he's one of the few directors who knows what he's doing with 3-D. I remain unconvinced that 3-D represents the future of the movies, but it tells you something that Zemeckis' three 3-D features (...including Polar Express and Beowulf) have wrestled from me 11 of a possible 12 stars." Beowulf? Seriously?

To tell you how little creative thought went into this mess, a good chunk of time is spent on a chase scene, where Scrooge runs, slides through and flies through the air, bonking his head, and so on. Aren't we way past CG roller coaster rides? It was old when Aladdin and his carpet did it.

The only bit from the trailer i liked (i don't remember it being in the movie).

They aren't looking at each other! Not only is he looking at her nose, and she at his brow, but her head is tipped towards us, looking beyond him.

Bob Cratchit is a hobbit.

"What do you want with me?"
"You will be haunted by three spirits."
"I'd rather not."
Amen.

After the movie, i went to visit Lisa and the girls for a bit. They were getting ready to go to ballet. I wasn't really hungry, so i just drove. I ended up going into Ajax, going to Chapters, bumping into Caroline (she was finishing a shift) and Meaghan (she was running in to buy a book). I didn't find anything - the selection in books isn't what it used to be. I also dropped by the liquor store, and picked up some coder.

I drove back to Whitby, and had supper at Licks, again, although this time turkey sausage and sweet potato fries instead of steak sandwich and onion rings. I was there an hour or so, reading comics (Tsubasa 24, actually, very soon after 23 came out). I went home after that.

Sunday, after grabbing some darker paper at Curry's for life drawing, i had lunch at Licks. I was there for two hours, reading manga - i this case, Tsubasa and the xxxHolic Guide. Tsubasa actually managed to shock me with the twist in its storyline. Apparently, there are only 5 volumes left. And, man, xxxHolic is beautiful to look at.

The movie i saw was The Men Who Stare at Goats, about a reporter from a small-city newspaper getting caught up in a story about an American military unit devoted to psychic warfare (and peace-making - very 70s/hippie-ish). It was funny, enjoyable, but not great. I thought it should have been pushed more - there were lines that were supposed to be funny, but fell flat bcause of the delivery (poor direction). Anyway, a renter.

"Lieutenant Colonel Django used funds from the project's black budget to procure prostitutes..."
"That's a lie!"
" ...and to get drugs for himself and his men."
" That... well, the hooker thing is definitely a lie."

"It's ok we're Americans, we're here to help you! I think I just ran him over. Oh crap."

Busy day Monday - three classes, plus yoga (Shannon was sick both classes last week), Ryan Miller & Suzanne were here to speak to the students, tho' i saw them only briefly.

Saturday, i went into TO to do some shopping - i saw stuff at the Queen St H&M i liked, but they had only one thing in my size. The Eaton Centre store had a few interesting sweaters and a pair of pants. There were black pants with a paisley pattern i liked, but they didn't have my size either.

I had lunch at Spring Rolls (pork chop rice platter, springrollini, chicken-veggie dumplings).

Then i saw A Serious Man, the latest by the Coen Brothers. After a prologue involving a ghost in a Jewish settlement in centuries past, the jumps to the late 60s, and a serious, rational man named Larry Gopnick. Larry is a physics professor hoping for tenure (although someone is writing nasty letters to the tenure board), is bribed by a foreign student who wants to pass his class (or sued for accusing the student of bribing him), a neighbour encroaching on his property, has an unemployed brother living on his sofa, has a wife who want to divorce him (much to his surprise) and marry the widowed neighbour, a pothead son coming up to his bar mitzvah, and a very bitchy daughter. Every time he moves, something else happens to him, and he is slowly having a breakdown. He looks for help from lawyers and rabbis, but no one can give him answers.

It's funny, although dark, and ends rather darkly. The best comparison is Job (from the Bible, being a good man to whom many bad things happen with no explanation - and in that book, it's very much debated about why God was punishing Job). Larry is a good man, tries to be honest, doesn't swear or get angry and so on. Where he differs is that he has no faith in God, he has only faith in the mathematics of physics. One school of thought is that Job was punished for his arrogance (when he was being punished, he said he was not a sinner, but isn't everyone? Though the idea that your prosperity indicates your righteousness is somewhat disturbing). Is Larry being punished for his lack of faith? The biblical connection is also made with the storm, which was a element in Job's story and the movie.

There's also Larry being hounding by the Columbia Record company - Larry Gopnick repeatedly rejects 'Abraxas' (the album by Santana), which a gnostic name for God.

There's the foreign student's father, when Larry points out the contradiction in being sued for defamation of character when he accuses the son of trying to bribe him but wants him to take the money for a higher grade, who tells Larry, "Please, accept the mystery."

And there's the Jefferson Airplane music that kept appearing, "When the truth is found to be lies, And all the joy within you dies, Don't you want somebody to love?" maybe it's talking about Larry's beliefs in math and physics as the answers for the universe?

Maybe all the people hounding Larry are the equivalents of the Adversary from the Book of Job.

Maybe when Larry went to talk to the rabbis, when they talked about God or mysterious messages rather than his family problems, when h thought they were missing the point, it was actually he who was missing the point.

Being embraced by his wife's new love.

"Dad, what's sodomy?"

What happened this week? Gah! Can't remember. Lots of marking. I think i saw Astro Boy again Monday night. No! I went to Kennedy Commons to see A Serious Man, but i didn't want to think, so i saw Whip It again, lol.

Thursday after class i went to TO to met up with Ange, whom i hadn't seen for a few months. We had lunch at Peter Pan - i had some delicious lamb chops, and wine. After, i did a bit of shopping, then saw Where The Wild Things Are again, this time on IMAX. Then it was off to see Cirque Du Soleil's Ovo again. So good. But.... dang, it was cold in the outer concessions tents - not to mntion the water outside the portable toilets.

Friday i had intended to see a movie after our meeting, which was kind of rushed, and got a little heated, ha ha. Anyway, Angelina, Matt and i, and eventually Chris, wnt to Wild Wings. I tried different than my usual, starting with Lemon Pepper (after a while, the lemon got strong). I tried one of Angelina's, with i think was BBQ & Blue Cheese (too much blue cheese is obnoxious), and one of Matt's, which was BBQ and Taco (a little spicy for me). Later on, i ordered a second pound, Wild West, which was BBQ and mustard. It was okay, but eventually i realized it tasted like brown beans, and that kind of made it less interesting, lol.

Last week, on the way to Dar's, i stopped along the way at several spots to take som photos of the leaf colours, and other fall scenery.

Looking down Concession Road 4 (or is it 6 or 7?), west. Pretty sure it's 4.

2009 October 14.

From the first life drawing class this term. I was having a terrible time, my neck/shoulder was really hurting - first time i'd had that from life drawing (and i'd had massage therapy that morning). I left after only an hour, and my neck got worse the next few days. Ugh. Anyway, not much turned out from that night, but i like the energy in this one.

He didn't have glasses, that's just a line for the eyes.

2009 November 4.

I waited until after my next therapy session to start again. I also stood the drawing donkey on its end, and stood while drawing. It was a much better session. These ones i liked were all 15-30 minutes pieces.

On October 20, 2009, i went to see Metric play at Massey Hall. I was annoyingly sick when i went, but i was determined. It's taken me a while to edit the pics, as i had to go through the Ottawa Animation Festival pics first, then my laptop croaked.

Uhhh... nice view, thanks Massey Hall. Thankfully, the seat on either side of me was empty (ha ha, i hope the scalpers got screwed when Metric added the second show... or maybe someone was sick). Also, a lot of people went up to the front to dance. Massey Hall is an odd venue for a rock concert.

Then on came Metric. Amazing, as always!

THE SETLIST:
1. Twilight Galaxy
2. Help I’m Alive
3. Satellite Mind
4. Handshakes
5. Poster of a Girl
6. Gold, Guns, Girls
7. Collect Call
8. Empty
9. Gimme Sympathy
10. Sick Muse
11. Dead Disco
12. Blindness
13. Stadium Love
ENCORE:
14. Monster Hospital
15. Combat Baby (Acoustic)

Last weekend i saw An Education, a very different movie, about an about-to-turn-17-year old girl in early 1960s Britain. Both she and the country are about to engage in a social revolution, but at the moment, her prospects are a little limited. She's very smart, and her father pushes her education, but to what end? When she meets a young man who not only charms her but her parents (naively in both cases), her life takes a dramatic turn, dropping out of school, travelling to London, paris, eating in fancy restaurants, going to galleries, all the things she's dreamed of. Something that wasn't mentioned but i found a bit odd was the obvious age difference. Sure, he was supposed to be older than the high school boys she had been seeing, but he had to be at least a decade older than her (the actor is actually 38).

Her 'education' is more about life than school. It was a funny movie, in a witty, and an interesting look at a period and place. The actor who played Jenny was great.

Someone is repressed...

"Do you go to concerts?"
"We don't believe in concerts."
"Oh, I assure you, they're real."

"You seem to be old and wise."
"I feel old. But not very wise."

I also saw Astro Boy, the CGI movie based on the old manga/anime. Overall, it was enjoyable, although not one of the greatest - i liked it more than Shrek, but less than Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs. Kids apparently love it.

It tries to remain faithful to the original story, but it felt a little by-the-numbers, and also a little not full thought out. There are issues they don't explain, like, is anyone running the surface world? If Metro City jumps dumps its garbage onto the surface, where do they get their resources (to build robots, or just food?). How did Cora get separated from her parents, and down to the surface. The very last scene is set up something similar to the last scene of The Incredibles, but they should have done it the same way, with a break - otherwise it's a weird transition (does this happen all the time, and we just didn't know about it?). Also - if all robots are sentient, doesn't that mean Astro killed some of them?

I didn't really like the adult character voice actors - Donald Sutherland's voice was too soft and muffled to be the militaristic President, and when i heard Dr Tenma, all i could see Nicholas Cage (who is not the right voice for a brilliant and aloof scientist). Nathan Lane was fun as Hamegg, although the character looked much different than the original, he was closer in personality.

Drs. Elefun and Tenma.

Astro Boy.

The Robot Revolutionary Front - the oddly Marxist, English-accented comedy relief.

Nicely designed trashcan-dog hybrid.

Cora, the character not from the books or anime.

One of the movies i've seen (a couple of times, actually) is Where The Wild Things Are. It's dark, unbelievably dark if you're thinking of taking children to see it. I liked it, it's great as an adult fable, about a kid in a newly broken family who uses his fantasies (we can assume) to learn to deal with his emotions. It's interesting, because i didn't find Max all that likeable at the beginning. It's also interesting that Maurice Sendak was involved in the movie's production.

I was kind of appalled at the scene in class, where the teacher tells the small children that the sun will die, destroy the earth, though humanity will probably have destroyed itself by then. What the hell are you thinking?

"Let the the wild rumpus begin!"

The Wild Things - Alexander, Carol, Judith, Ira, Max, Bull.

"It's going to be a place where only the things you want to happen, would happen."

Douglas, Max and KW.

Last Saturday, i went to Lisa & Russ's for dinner, first time in a month or so. I felt crappy after dinner, partly because i ate too much, partly, i don't think some of it agreed with me - not really big on parsnips or cauliflower, and the chicken was kind odd.

On this Friday, i dropped by Russ's place, because i needed a shirt ironed for my Halloween costume, and i couldn't find ours. I'd actually expected Lisa to be there, but it turned out Russ took tyhe day off because Lisa had to catch up on work, and the girls were home, still recovering themselves.

Speaking of Halloween, i went out as a droog again, this time with a better hat, and suspenders. Oh and better eye make-up, but still not as good as i could do with, say, a marker. The first party was at Matt's condo in Toronto. Chris and Rebecca, Miah, Dawn and Matt Jelavic were there, plus a bunch of Matt and Stephanie's other friends. I was feeling tired, and was leaving around 12:30 when some cute girls arrived. Uhh, yes, the self-described 'half-assed vampire' - you could have made me stay, though i decided it would be an effort in futility and left anyway.

Yesterday, i just ran errands during the day, including the suspenders, better yoga equipment, and so on. Polished my shoes, finally. Found the iron to give the shirt another go, lol. Oh, and i went to Dar's old house, and picked up a couple of old boxes from our TSB/Puppets days. Some videos that need posting, lol.

In the evening, i picked up Felicia, Torrie and her boyfriend Adam, and we drove to Toronto for a party at Andrew P's/Diego's/Mo's place (though Mo was not there). Quite a few people were there - Andrew & his girlfriend Gina, Diego, Ryan & Diane, Molly & Justin M, Natasha & Justin G, Mike R and his girlfriend (Ellery?), Jackie, who brought a friend (and eventually the friend brought her boyfriend), aside from Felicia, Torrie, Adam and me. That's 12 of my students. Plus there were a handful of other people's friends/relatives. As a DD, i kept my drinking to a minimum - a couple of Magners, and a handful of jello shots., although some barely knew each other (Torrie was in third year while Molly was in first). Drama was kept to a minimum, ha ha, though there was a lot of crude behaviour, ha ha (Torrie used someone's sword as a substitute penis all night, lol). Also some took advantage of my not being their teacher anymore, ha ha. Got a lot of hugs and such. the four of us left around... i dunno, there was a time change in there. We made it to Whitby and went to a Chinese restaurant (my General Tao chicken and fried rice were not that good). After we parted, i had to stop for gas, and then it was just past 3 EDT, so 2 EST, but when i got home, i went online for a bit.

Woke up at 9/8 this morning, not feeling too bad, just tired, as usual. Cut my hair.

Okay, it's been a while since i posted. Aside from the time it took me to write up all the Ottawa stuff, i've been sidelined with illness. I brought something back from Ottawa, something flu-like. It was worst on last Monday, the 19th, with dripping nose, sinus pain, painfully sore through, phlegm, all the good stuff. So much so, i called in sick to work for the first time in maybe 3 years on the Tuesday, though as it turned out i felt a little better (maybe because i didn't go out?). I was productive though, as i'd brought work home. I've been slowly recovering since, although my symptoms can vary through the day. My throat is okay, and i don't have much of a runny nose, but i still cough phlegm sometimes (sorry). I regret missing last week's yoga.

I wonder if i should get a flu shot? I'm still recovering, and maybe i already have antibodies anyway? What;'s more annoying than the H1N1 hysteria, aside from the fact it's not just H1N1 (which is the most common flu virus), but H1N1-09, is the anti-immunization myths.

Speaking of sorry, last Sunday i had an issue where it looked like i had internal bleeding again, like from my ulcer in 2006. I don't know what caused it, as i haven't been using aspirin, though i guess i'd taken a fair amount of acetaminophen, and pseudephedrine. My friend Lisa gave me an herbal supplement, mainly fenugreek. Its possible side effect is bloating and so on, and those were symptoms. So, i don't know. I went to the hospital ER, bringing reading material with me, though it wasn't too slow. They didn't find anything wrong, and my hemoglobin was actually a little high (opposite of what i'd expect). Anyway, i quit all medication, except my ongoing antacid - he actually gave me a different, more powerful prescription (since stomach acid helps to cause ulcers). The symptoms disappeared. Who knows?

I've still seen a handful of movies here and there, some more than once (like, this Tuesday, when i took my car in for servicing), anmd saw a show - more on those later.

Also, the Wednesday before Ottawa, i had gone to the first evening life drawing class, but my neck/shoulder started hurting and i had to quite after about an hour. The pain got worse over a couple of days, though it's faded since. Annoyingly, i'd just had massage therapy that morning. I skipped it next week and this week too. This Wednesday was my first massage session since, and i told her, so she did stuff to calm it down, and it's feeling okay. I'm going to check for a proper easel, instead of a drawing donkey - that should help.

We barely had enough time to make it from the Gallery to the Bytowne to see the final screening of the Festival (for us). Plus, i had to grab a hot dog on the way, as i was starving.

A Recipe For Disaster (Canada - High School) 'The story of a French baker who encounters numerous troubles as he gets ready for work, in stop-motion animation.'

Cute, and again, pretty good for a high schooler.

Runaway (Canada - Narrative) 'What would happen if the world were a driverless train thundering recklessly over bumpy tracks? From the Oscar-nominated director of The Cat Came Back and Strange Invaders.'

Funny!

Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death (UK - Narrative) 'Wallace and Gromit have opened a new bakery and business is booming, not least because a deadly Cereal Killer has murdered all the other bakers in town.'

Great, as always. Perfect way to end the festival.

Then it was back on the road for 5 hours back home.

After packing up our booth, i decided at the last minute to see a couple more shows before hitting the road. I met Miah, and we went to see International Showcase #2. The showcase pieces aren't in competition, but are generally more professional (one was Pixar's) and better on average (which isn't to say there aren't a lot of good ones in the Competitions).

Juiced and Jazzed (USA) 'Wild jazz music and dance overcome a young flapper named Lulu in prohibition era 1920's after she stumbles upon a flask. Her night on the town is cut short when the long arm of the law intervenes. The swinging jazz of Joe Venuti and the wild music of Spike Jones accompany the visuals, inspired by early 20th century animation.'

Fast-paced and fun!

Sunday was somewhat slower for prospective students, but it was packed for interviews, especially with Disney.

I hurried back from the screening to help with the packing up, and wanted to get a copy of My Name Is Dug, illustrated by Ronnie Del Carmen, who was doing a book signing. I hadn't figured on his being so well known.

He was an awesome speaker - used up the whole time, so no questions.

We also got a preview of the new short for the Up DVD, Dug's Special Mission. Amazing!

After, it was late, but we all went out for dinner. We'd planned to go the big Festival party Saturday night, but the line-up was nuts, and some people were feeling tired.

I dropped by the Animarket to make sure things were okay, which they were, and went on to another screening, this time Shorts Competition #4.

Did U See That? (Korea - High School) 'One silent night, a man wakes up and finds himself surrounded by water. Furniture and appliances float around his room while he remains at a loss... He wakes up the next day thinking it's a dream, but sees something strange...'

Funny.

John, Emma and Miah had the booth covered for the afternoon, so i was able to catch a couple of screenings (lemme tell ya, having a festival pass was awesome).

The first screening of the day was a feature, Mai Mai Miracle, a Japanese animation in the style of Miyazaki - actually, the director used to be part of Miyazaki's team. "In the spring of 1955 in a small village in southwestern Japan, a nine-year-old girl discovers she has a family connection with a a thousand-year-old province of legend, known as Suō. Joined by a new student who has recently transferred from the city to her school, they embark on a magical experience."

A very sweet movie, although it gets a little serious in places. The best parts are when the kids are acting like kids. The getting-drunk-on-whisky-chocolates scene was funny.

Saturday morning, John, Emma and i went to set ourselves up at our booth in the Animarket, and it was CRAZY BUSY! I was shocked! Miah and i had been to the Saturday School Fair last year, and it was nowhere near as busy. This time it was at the same place as the Aniboutique (books, DVDs, tees, etc) and ChezAni (coffee, snacks, other refreshments), but especially the 'Animators For Hire' - studios with tables set to interview potential hires.

Some girls checking out Durham's booth.

After The Making of Coraline, Trish and i had just enough time to make it to the Bytowne Theatre (back in Ottawa) to see Shorts Competition #3.

All The Time (Canada - High School) "The animation follows a character whose actions reflect the words of the song All The Time. It is drawn on tracing paper and layered in documentation to produce a fade effect. The only computer work was the cropping of frame length, syncing together of frames, and dropping the music in over the animation."

Another pretty good one for a high school kid.

After lugging the stuff over, i went across the river to the Museum of Civilization, meeting up with Trish, who was able to sneak in on her volunteer pass to see The Making of Coraline.

It was actually a talk, like Inside the Actors Studio, with director Henry Selick (Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, Coraline - which he also wrote). He talked about his background, the challenges of stop motion (especially in stereoscopic 3D), and Coraline in particular. A great event!

When we sat down in the theatre, you could see they had some dolls set up.

Friday John, Emma and i went over to the National Gallery to set up for the Animation School Fair. We were one of the schools with an Information Table set up, and Peter was doing the School Presentation (Durham was at 2:30).

It was on and off busy, as students flowed in and out of the Presentations.

I forgot what i did last week between Monday and Thursday - other than go to school, that is.

On Thursday, after class, i drove to Ottawa to be ready for the Ottawa International Animation Festival the next day - the first time Durham College is there as a school. I got there about 6, met up with Peter (Peter Hudecki, one of our teachers, look him up on Wikipedia), and we got our adges, i got settled into the hotel and such. Peter met up with someone for an interview, so i decided to see a screening, the Shorts Competition #2.

Roadrunner (USA - High School) "In this fast-paced stop motion animation, a bored young suburbanite dreams of skating through the streets, using only her shoes."

Pretty good for a high school kid!

Yesterday i went to see a movie early (saw Whip It again), before festivities began.

When i got back, it was off to my sister's for Thanksgiving dinner. The wine flowed, and there was food (turkey and all the traditional stuff). I ate too much (mainly the cheese, crackers, veggies and dip beforehand). My sister, her hubby, her two boys, my brother, his wife, two of their kids (one's in BC), my Dad and me were there. We played cards (euchre) after (me with my sister and her boys). We were there from 2 until about 8:30.

This morning i went into the city to see the Second Set of Dead Sea Scrolls at the ROM, including the Ten Commandments (which were in a different section, and i didn't have to pay for). Really, there's not a lot to see - most of the scrolls are fragments and very dark, and it's not like i can read Hebrew (or Aramaic or Greek). Still, it's interesting to get all the context, and to say i saw them, ha ha. I didn't realize different groups number them differently.

Many of the scrolls were in large jars like this.

The Ten Commandments (from Deuteronomy) from the scroll, the oldest known list of all (by far). Only showing at the ROM for 80 hours, to October 18.

I was able to park really close to the ROM. As i was about to buy my parking, someone from Parking Enforcement drove up and told me i didn't have to, because it was a holiday. ACE!

After, i went to Yonge & Dundas for a short bit, decided i didn't really need to shop, bought a hot dog and left. I saw another movie (i'm addicted!). I came home for a bit, and then my Dad and i went to my sister's for leftovers.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Interestingly, in Hebrew, it's not 'Commandments', but 'Words' (in Greek, the 'Decalogue'), or 'Terms', and this could be seen less as universal laws, and more a coveneant between the Jews and their God. These are based on the New Revised Standard Version, from Deuteronomy.

1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;
you shall have no other gods before me.
Nothing here says JHWH is the only God, or the Supreme God - in fact, it rather implies there are others, and this is just between this God, JHWH, and the Jews.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
The older term is graven image, and the implication was aganst making any kind of image (much like Islam does).
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and fourth generation of those who reject me,
Not only is there the reference to being a jealous god (jealous of other gods - and it's a pretty petty emotion), but this is the only commandment that mentions punishment. Not sure why great and great-great-grandkids get punished.
but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
This is also the only reward, but it conflicts with the punishment above.
3. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
How about defining 'wrongful use' (or 'in vain')?
4. Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.
For six days you shall labour and do all your work.
But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you.
The reference to slavery is unfortunate - apparently it's acceptable.
Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day.
Well, acceptable for some people and not others.
5. Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
This is less being rewarded by God, and more a practical guide - that is, you take care of your parents, and in turn, your kids will take care of you.
6. You shall not murder.
Apparently, the original Hebrew denotes murder, rather than any kind of killing. Aside from the fact death is an acceptable penaty for all kinds of biblical transgressions, there are tons of killings sanctioned by God*.
7. Neither shall you commit adultery.
Well, this means sex outside marriage, but definitely not one-man/one-woman. There are plenty of instances of men with mulitple wives. Also, there's an out if you rape her, and then marry her**.
8. Neither shall you steal.
Apparently this would be better translated as 'abduct' (which makes sense, as coveting covers ordinary stealing). However, there's an out when you rape, pillage and steal during war.
9. Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor.
But you can lie about yourself (see Abraham pretending to be his wife's brother, to save his ass).
10. Neither shall you covet your neighbor’s wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbor’s house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Obviously this is addressed to men, and not women, since it doesn't refer to woman coveting neighbour's husbands. Also, woves are put in the same category as other property.

*Deuteronomy 2:24-35, where God commands the Hebrews to enter the lands of Amorites, asking for passage through their land, but specifically makes sure Sihon, the King of the Amorites, will refuse, so that they will battle, and the Hebrews kill every man, woman and child ("And the LORD our God delivered him up before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people. And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed every city, the men, and the women, and the little ones; we left none remaining").

**Deuteronomy 22:28-29, "If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, that is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he hath humbled her; he may not put her away all his days."

***Deuteronomy 20:10-14, "As you approach a town to attack it, first offer its people terms for peace. If they accept your terms and open the gates to you, then all the people inside will serve you in forced labor. But if they refuse to make peace and prepare to fight, you must attack the town. When the LORD your God hands it over to you, kill every man in the town. But you may keep for yourselves all the women, children, livestock, and other plunder. You may enjoy the spoils of your enemies that the LORD your God has given you."

After the AGO shows (and lunch at Spring Rolls) i went to see the movie Coco Avant Chanel, starring Audrey Tautou (Amelie), a biopic of the early life of the famous fashion designer (born Gabrielle Chanel). This connects to Steichen through fashion!

It starts off with the two girls being dropped off at an orphanage by their father at age 9 (rather than 12, and ignores the fact they spent summers with other relatives). They learn how to sew, and when older become both seamstresses (by day) and performers in cabarets at night. Coco hooks up with a playboy/horsebreeder, who becomes a sometimes lover/life-long friend. She later meets and has an affair with one of his friends, an Englishman nicknamed Boy. In the movie, it seemed like that relationship lasted months, but in real life, it was a decade! All along it shows Coco's penchant for simpler, almost masculine (by that era's standards) fashions.

It was pretty enjoyable, although it felt like it just stopped rather than ending properly. I don't know how accurate it is, as there's some basic info which was changed, like the fact she had 3 brothers, and 2 sisters (only one is shown, with a different name).

Today i went to the AGO to see the newest exhibits.

First up was Edward Steichen: In High Fashion, the Condé Nast Years, 1923 –1937, an interesting look at one of the top photographers of the inter-war period, especially his fashion work. I especially liked the more stylistic work, with a very art deco feel. It works well with the Vanity Fair exhibit at the ROM, too.

Joan Bennett

Greta Garbo

Joan Crawford.

The next show was Alexander Calder: The Paris Years 1926–1933. Alexander Calder was an American sculptor who worked mainly in wire, and who essentially invented mobile sculpture after he moved to Paris and became inluenced by the abstract artists there.

He did a whole series of circus pieces, which were essentially toys, with moving parts, which he used to create among the earliest 'performance art', live and on film.

I like the more character-based works.

And these 'portraits' were great ! This is Jimmy Durante - too bad you can't see how '3D' it really is.

My favourites were the later, more abstract pieces. This show was about his early period (even had some drawings from when he was a kid) - he went on to create some massive, outdoor pieces.

Not actually part of the exhibit (it's from the Montreal Museum of Fine Art), but a more 'classic' piece.

The last show of the day was Beautiful Fictions: Photography at the AGO Featuring the David and Vivian Campbell Collection. While the Calder show spun off the same period as the Steichen show, this spun off the photography theme.It includes "works from the late 1960s to the present through the lens of some 60 Canadian and international photographers including Candida Höfer, Thomas Struth, Michael Snow, Suzy Lake, and Cindy Sherman. The installation also features three works by internationally acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Mark Lewis." It was quite a varied mix of pieces, well-worth seeing. I especially liked the super-sized photos.

Axel Hutte.

Candida Hofer - i found the subject matter less interesting than the fact they were enormous.

Cindy Sherman (she creates stills of herself as if they were from fake films).

Thomas Ruff - i really liked this (another person-sized one), this little photo doesn't do it justice.

A still from one of Mark Lewis's films - i like how they weren't really 'movies', per se, more like moving stills.

Another one by Mark Lewis - i liked this too, a split screen showing the same street at dawn and dusk (one side gets lighter while the other gets darker).

Thursday, after sushi and school, i went to see Dragonette at the Mod Club - i'd won a pair of tickets from Now magazine. I offered the second ticket to Shannon (friend and yoga instructor!). We had a nice chat on the drive down there (and on the way back). We met her friend Kat down there.

We missed most of the opening act (traffic was not good), but Dragonette was awesome.

Martina Sorbara has such stage presence - she is mesmerizing.

And she obviously loves being on stage.

Shannon and Kat.

I have video, but it's too big, and the audio is very crappy, although for some reason, the video generally produced better images than just on photo.

It was my first time at The Mod Club - so tiny compared to The Guvernment or Sound Academy, but it meant we were very close to the stage, so it's quite intimate.

Monday night i went out to see a movie, Zombieland again. Held together even better than the first time around - except, i wondered what the girls were doing in the grocery store with all those zombies, ha ha.

I left school early on Tuesday, and saw The Invention of Lying, starring Ricky Gervais (also a writer, director) as a man who becomes the first person to lie in a world where everyone tells the truth. For example, dates start off with people bluntly being told they are not attractive enough. Without the ability to even conceive lies, there is no fiction, He's overheard telling his dying mother she's not going to disappear, but is going to a better, and inadvertently becomes the founder of religion. People will believe whatever he says: "Have sex with me, or the world will end!"

It doesn't really push the possibilities, but just plays it for a sweet romantic comedy. It has enough guests stars and gags to keep it fun.

Thursday morning was stupid - spent a lot of time trying to track down flyers for our programs, and send them off to Ottawa. For lunch, Chris, Matt, Edin and i met up with Torrie and Felicia for sushi (funnily, they had gotten there at 12, rather than 2:30).

Today i had lunch with Lisa at Licks. After, i went to see Whip It again.

Sunday was a more relaxed day, just going to see a movie. The movie i saw was Whip It, starring Ellen Page as a misfit girl frustrated by her controlling mom and small town life, who develops a passion for roller derby. If you've seen the trailers, there's really no surprise, but it's still really enjoyable.

"I like smart girls. That's why I married your mama. Well, that and I knocked her up."

"Has anyone ever thrown up on the track before?"
"Yeah"

!

Saturday night was another Nuit Blanche (or as i heard one person call it, noo-ee blawnsh) - hard to believe it's been a year already. Overall, i was disappointed with the 2009 show. Nothing really grabbed me (and compared unfavourably with ones from 2007 and 2008), a lot of the exhibits were obscure, the meaning only discernible if you read the descriptions, while i think the art should be able to speak for itself. Bay Street between Gerrard and Front was shut down to traffic, but it was barely used, an awful waste (and because east-west traffic could cross it, it was fenced at all the intersections, so couldn't even be used as a pedestrian 'main street'). Then again, it's possible i just went to the wrong exhibits. My plan was to hit all the recommmended exhibits, and as many as i could along the way.

The bus station had Battle Royale - volunteers enter the stage blindfolded, to fight (there were pro wrestlers in there too). Funny idea, though i didn't get the supposed connection to African-American post-slavery bouts, or the artist's "own personal fear of societal invisibility".

Rabbit Balloon by Jeff Koons, who continues to disappoint me - last year's balloon was more fun (it spun around and played with light better).

Beautiful Light: 4 LETTER WORD MACHINE, at City Hall, showing 'codes, DNA sequences and elemental words'.

Wild Ride, a mini-amusement park, the rides reflecting the ups and downs of the financial markets, ha ha.

Imminent Departure, a multimedia presentation of smoke, light and audio (we listen in to conversations of people saying good bye, hello, missing their trips, etc).

It's a shame there's so much, and you can only see a small part of it. Maybe next year i'll get a hotel room, and take a nap - it's on all night.I should also research the exhibits more, try to get a sense of where to go.

Three ideas for exhibits, all using buildings as the 'screen': 1. shadow puppets being projected onto a building (maybe even hands?), 2. using a building as the screen for a giant video game (maybe several?), 3. interactive animation - years ago, a fellow teacher went to a dance club that had animation that was hooked up to music, something like the CN Tower synced music, but more visually interesting - set up mo-cap for that would be interesting too, like you could play Godzilla attacking a building.

This morning i saw Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (Evangerion Shin Gekijôban: Jo), part one of a four-movie retelling of the original anime series (which will have a new ending). Apparently it is, at this stage, mostly a retelling of the first 6 episodes - in fact, it felt somewhat like a bunch of episodes cut together - some redundant scenes, choppiness, yet it's only 90 minutes long (where the episodes should total at least over two hours).

Overall, i was kind of mixed on it. I loved the original series (at least, up to the end), but it did have its issues. It's supposed to be a gritty story set futuristic post/pre apocalyptic world, but then it has this weirdly sentient penguin living with one of the characters (you can do comedy relief with out that kind of nonsense). Rei essentially has no personality, and Shinji's emotions range from quietly depressed to screaming fear. Some real emotional change would be welcome. I understand Shinji's Dad is supposed to be something of a bastard, but how they treat the kids is just bizarre, especially considering the future of the world rests on them. Realistically, you'd treat them as well as you would your top soldiers and star athletes - they should have their own tutors (not placed with the neighbourhood school), doctors, nutritionists, chef, psychologists and so on. They would also spend a lot of their training (with their EVAs, hand-to-hand combat, weapon use, etc), rather than, say, history quizzes. I mean, the movie starts with Shinji arriving alone, wandering around the deserted town, and ending up almost being killed in the middle of a battle - so much for security.

"Where's the saviour of humanity?" "I dunno, has the local train dropped him off yet - anyone got a train schedule?"

A classmate beating up on Shinji. I admit, he's so whiny, i want to be beat him up myself - the character you most want to beat up since Anthy Himemiya.

Okay, tell me again why they built NERV hq in the middle of the city?

The trailer for Part 2 actually promised more fanservice, ha ha.

The other movie i saw today was Zombieland, the dark comedy/buddy pic/love story/zombie movie. It was pretty funny, very good. I liked the narration (the rules of zombie fighting, etc).

Let go of your drink, for pete's sake.

Okay, these are virus zombies, rather than mystic zombies, so don't they need to eat and sleep on a regular basis?What about going to the bathroom (can they take their clothes off)? I wonder if zombies can read?

The bad girl (Emma Stone, cutie from Superbad), the alpha male, the nerd, and the kid.

Time to nut up or shut up!

The first movies i saw today were Toy Story and Toy Story II in 3D - a double feature (with no shorts). Wow, it's been so long, i barely recognized the stories, aside from the very basic plot idea. The 3D was good, although you forgot about it after a while, although i think the AMC's projection is a bit dark. I will say, although they were enjoyable, i don't think they were great, and i didn't have an inkling of what was to come in the form of Incredibles, Ratatouille, Wall-E and Up. Sid was strangely evil for a kid, and i'm not sure where romance leads for toys (or for Cars, for that matter).

"Look, I'm Picasso."

"Laser envy."

"You are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity."

A lost opportunity - Woody should've still had that scar so it could be fixed in II.

I realize these were made forever ago, in computer animation terms, but man, the humans were ugly-looking. Looks like they were from Shrek, ha ha. I still think Toy Story should have been done as a live-action/CG mix (switching to CG when the toys came alive).

"So, uh, how long is this gonna take?"
"Ya can't rush art." (Geri from Geri's Game).

"I just wanted to say you're a bright young woman with a beautiful yarn full of hair."

Another week gone by so fast. Monday and Tuesday i had yoga, finally. Had a nice chat with Shannon Tuesday. Had my massage therapy Tuesday afternoon, which has kinda left my neck/shoulder unusually sore/stiff.

Wednesday night was a party for Jelavic getting his Ph.D. Pizza, cake and hot tub (not for me - no bathing suit, plus it was damn cold outside, and the chlorine reeked). I was a little late for the surprise part, as i'd stopped to get a bottle of wine (which was actually much appreciated).

Thursday Matt, Miah and i went to Staff Appreciation Dinner, though the person who pushed us to go (Emma, plus John) ended up not going. Boo! Virtually no one else from our division went, even though some had 20 year service anniversaries (and i had 5). The food was okay -perogies, (but not sauteed), ordinary salad, white bread rolls, mashed potatoes, chicken-like gravy, breaded chicken, breaded over-sized kebabs (pork?), cabbage rolls (which i don't like), black forest cake for dessert (i can't eat chocolate). I guess i shouldn't complain over free food, but the food wasn't the issue, just the fact only 3 of us went. I think it was more non-teaching staff than faculty. Buh.

Today i got up as if i were going to work, but went to movies instead. Grabbed a meatless Egg McMuffin and berry pie for breakfast, and in the middle took a lunch break, with 20th Century Boys, at Licks. I've been home all evening, doing laundry, cutting my hair, reading the papers, and such.

I said last week i wasn't going to do the Friday Five anymore, but the Friday Five for October 2, 2009, is actually pretty good.

Careers, Dreams, and Reality

1. What did you dream of being when you were a little child?
A vet, but not seriously - i just loved my cat, ha ha.
2. What did you think you might become when you were between the ages of 12-13?
I don't remember thinking about it at all.
3. What career choices did you consider as a young adult?
I went to school for Political Science, and assumed i would get into government some way.
4. Did you follow along one of the career paths you considered?
Nope - ended up in retail (UGH!).
5. Have you changed careers since then? Was it by choice or necessity?
Oh yes - ended up in Animation, by necessity and choice. I wanted to do something creative, and kinda fell backwards into this. It works for me!

Life reconstruction of 'Anchiornis huxleyi' - exceptionally well preserved dinosaur fossils uncovered in north-eastern China display the earliest known feathers.

The creatures are all more than 150 million years old.

The new finds are indisputably older than Archaeopteryx, the "oldest bird" recognised by science.

It has extensive plumage covering its arms and tail, and also its feet - a "four-winged" arrangement, says Professor Xu from the Chinese Academy of Science in Beijing.

Fossils of 'Anchiornis huxleyi'.

"The first specimen we discovered earlier this year was incomplete," Professor Xu from the Chinese Academy of Science in Beijing told BBC News.

"Based on that specimen, we named it Anchiornis; and we thought it was a close relative of birds. But then we got a second specimen, which was very complete - beautifully preserved.

"All over the skeleton, you see feathers.

"Based on this second specimen, we realised that this was a much more important species, and definitely one of the most important species for our understanding of the origin of birds and of their flight."

Then i saw Jane Campion's movie Bright Star, which is the story of poet John Keats's three-year romance (before his death from tuberculosis at the age of 25, a sad but fitting end for a tragic Romantic poet) with Fanny Brawne, told from Fanny's point of view. It's a beautifully done movie, though i think it skips over a lot of detail, some negative (his extreme jealousy, his sensitivity about his height [5'], his other siblings, etc).

Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art--
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors--
No--yet still stedfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever--or else swoon to death.

A pic i took at the ROM.

I went to this year's Word On The Street. Labyrinth is everywhere (but since when did they have cooking books?).

Today i went to the ROM to see the show Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008, which... "explores a glamorous photographic history of portraiture featuring... works by master photographers including Edward Steichen and Annie Leibovitz." Although, it would be more accurate to say 1913-1936 and 1983-2008(+), because the magazine shut down for nearly 50 years. Still, it was an interesting show, comparing the jazz age stars to the modern age. I can only remember one connection (Lionel Barrymore, and his grand-niece Drew), but there were others. Lots of great photography.

Katherine Hepburn, Louis Armstrong, Anna May Wong.

Demi Moore, Madonna

Hilary Swank

Julianne Moore and Ingres' original Grand Odalisque.

Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley (you're not fooling anyone, Tom Ford).