I just got a short paper back, and I didn't do as well as I thought. Them's the breaks.

There's still some work-related stuff that needs to get done, and the deadline for my prospectus is looming overhead.

Got to go.

The weekend went well. I want to post the pictures soon, or when Flickr gives me more space to upload photos. R and G came over, and we hooked up with Ry, K and T for Indian food at this buffet place. The quality was, well, adequate. And, just at the moment when the restaurant became quiet, I blurted out "herpes" really loud when I was trying to remember what STD could be transmitted in a hot tub. My first guess: syphilis. Then R and G stayed with us for the night, and we ended up playing Kill Dr. Lucky and drinking booze. The whole night was really fun, and it kind of felt like a family reunion with everyone sitting down and catching up.

Then, after a breakfast of L's spectacular blueberry muffins, they took off for a show downtown. L and I picked up wine, vegetables, pate, cheese and crackers for L's folks. Her mom and dad came in around five and we made cabbage rolls, borsht, garlic-kale mashed potatoes and L's mom made an apple crisp for dessert. Je came over to join us for dinner, and a good time was had. We chatted about Canadian literature, and I found I could actually present a reasonable contribution.

Sunday saw us taking the ferry over to my folk's place. We had a really great time, hanging out and eating chocolate. My mom made this incredible three-cheese and spinach lagasna, which I totally inhaled. We talked about our future plans (studying in Slovenia, pursuing a doctorate at Yale) and making sure my dad is feeling well. I'm beginning to wind down here, so to top off this anectode some good news. As L and I waited to to depart the ferry, a woman announced she had room for two in her car. We saw an opportunity begin to dance, then we reached out and grasped its hand in our sore, reddened digits. We danced all the way home.

Good night.

*''''''''''''''''''''''''*

Grumble. I pulled an all-nighter to finish the paper, and miraculously, I'm still going strong. Not like tractor strong, more like determined cyclist strong. I work until four, have class for three hours (and hand in this bad boy of a paper)then it's home for me. Chocolate and booze awaits.

I'm a little embarrassed though: I started to drift off while the instructor was talking. And, um, I kind of drifted off a bit during the discussion group. Man oh man.

Okay, listen up: procrastination is like a credit card. Sure, you can charge all you want, buying some time to download music and eat corn chips, but when the bill comes in the mail you will pay, mister. You will pay.

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Originally uploaded by Decepticons Attack!.

essay my way

Trapped at school, writing this stupid essay. I thought this would be the last one, but I just remembered I have an English essay to finish, but it's not due for two weeks, so who cares? I don't! The sociology (stupid) essay is coming along nicely, although I keep floating away from it whenever my eyes start to glaze over. I people-watch in the library (I'm actually doing this at work, which has windows that look directly into the library computer labs) and cruise the internets. I'm listening to old punk rock and checking out comic book related stuff. That doesn't sound like work to me, young man.

It looks like we're heading for the Island for Easter Sunday dinner, and to deliver concert tickets we got for my parents. The Easter weekend will be a W-H family tour, playing both hosts and guests. Why does getting older become harder at times, then slowly grows so banal I can navigate my life with no effort? Like how everyone shakes hands and says hello with a smile without thinking, they simply act the part. Every holiday should be celebrated differently every year, whether you're an atheist or not, just to keep everyone from drifting off to sleep. On my 30th birthday I'll probably sleep in.

That's it. Finished. I just have the conclusion to write.

Creationists in the U.S. demanded that high school biology textbooks have warning labels on them. So, someone out there came up with warning stickers for Bibles.

"This book contains material on Judeo-Christian theology. Judeo-Christian theology offers insight into the origin and meaning of life and is the basis for several of the world's great religions. But it does not encompass the full range of religious beliefs held sacred by members of our diverse American society. Moreover, this material is based on ancient texts, and significant errors may have been introduced through subsequent translations and omissions. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered."

How does ethnographic and enthnohistoric data contribute to preserving First Nation traditions?

Just finished one assignment, two to go. I also have weekly English assignments but I can just bang those out at my convenience. Gentlemen, tighten your saddles.

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Originally uploaded by Decepticons Attack!.

I found this, ah, matchbook last weekend outside the art show, propped up on a cement planter. I guess it's a matchbbook.

Still working here. Got some stuff done yesterday, then went out with C to see Steamboy. It's really pretty to look out, but by God it never ends! I understand Akira is great and all, but somehow I think the story could have been told under the one hour and forty-five minute mark. And a little dog gets repeatedly beaten. Not cool. Luckily, I ordered a mango bubble tea and bought The Man Without Fear by Frank Miller to appease my burning anger. I like how Miller revamped Daredevil's backstory into one with a backbone that's much more relevent to the character's motivations. I find Miller's writing to be a tad overwrought at times; he often relies on repetition and flimsy metaphors to create mood, and then he kind of beats the reader over the head with it. It's like Miller doesn't trust his audience to absorb the tone: "This comic is gritty, it's so real! I need to remind you every other page!"

So, yeah, getting stuff done. I have to finish these two short essays today then I'm ready to tackle the ten-page monster due this Thursday. Now that I think about it, all my assignments are due on Thursday. Weird.

This is the last week of assignments. I will eat chocolate rabbits and drink cheap wine next weekend.

(.) <--------------------> (*)

Who's that whistlin' outside my window? Who's that walking on their toes across my wooden floor? What are those creaks and snaps at the foot of our bed? Who just whispered my name?

I've reevaluated my critique of Copenhagen. Like the whole "good" part at the beginning there. The rest is fine, but I should tip my wrinkled hat to R and change "good" to "underdirected."

I'm getting more sleep.

L and I met at school to see Sympathetic Magic, but the bloody thing was sold out. I got us reservations for tomorrow night, but that means my review won't get done until Friday. I'm taking it easy this St. Patty's Day (who, by the way, ran over his sister two or three times with a chariot. And he burned quite a lot of people. All the more reason to drink green-tinted beer in a crowded bar with neckless college goons breathing through their mouths) drinking at home and watching movie trailers.

Lots of "ing" suffixes today. Easy there, cowboy. Don't you be gaining any momentum on us.

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Originally uploaded by Decepticons Attack!.

Oh, hey.

I just talked to L's dad and our conversation reminded me to update. Thanks M!

My house is cold at the moment. It rained all morning and the house soaked up all the moisture. I need to put on a sweater and drink tea.

I'm slowly getting back to work. The operative word being slowly.

Picked up Concrete: The Human Dilemma #3, Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers of Victory (could be good), Doc Frankenstein #2 and Street Angel #5. All quality comics. I really want to make comic books. If not for a living, then at least a side project or two.

Lately I've been really tired. for like two weeks it's been like this. Sometimes I don't get enough sleep, and I pay the price the following day. At fencing last night, my reflexes didn't want to cooperate, so everyone just dove in and pressed bruises onto my torso. I just gotta get more sleep. I just gotta.

The End

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Originally uploaded by Decepticons Attack!.

The experiement was a success! Ha! Okay, sort of.

I did sleep in and sit around and drink coffee. The house is sort of clean. Well, it's cleaner. The late lunch was wicked; pasta mixed with a roasted red pepper spread, and then boccochini, mushrooms and olive oil tossed with it. And wine. I finally scored two bottles of Cono Sur and all those big, juicy flavours got to roll around in my mouth. Oh, sorry, that sounded a little gross. We did meet Ch and Ca for the art show, which was fun, and I did buy comics. L and I got invited to their house, situated in our old neighbourhood, and we played Pirates of the Spanish Main and drank tea. They have the coolest work space. Oh, and we did end up taking photos, just not around the neighbourhood. We just finished watching Sideways, drank more wine with crackers and humous. Hummous? Again, the proper spelling eludes me. We didn't get around to seeing the play. Maybe next time.

And no work done for paper. Pha-pha-pha-phooey.

On the itinerary for today:

1. Sleep in (done), sit around and drink coffee.
2. Tidy up the house a wee bit.
3. Have late lunch.
4. Wander around the neighbourhood and take pictures.
5. Meet up with Ch and Ca for art show.
6. Go to the play at the Firehall, Tales of an Urban Indian.
7. Relax the rest of the day, possibly buy comics.
8. Scribble some notes for sociology paper.

As an experiment, I will see how many of things I will accomplish by tonight. Too bad science isn't as fun.

Symmetry

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Originally uploaded by Decepticons Attack!.

Pretty stoked for the new Hellboy comic to come out. I mean, I like B.P.R.D. and all, but I need some real monster action soon or else!

I'm going to ask to take the digital camera to school/work and take some shots of the campus and work.

No good fiction yet. Haven't found it. Then again, I haven't looked too hard either.

Cats, with apologies to Tom

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Originally uploaded by Decepticons Attack!.

salvador3 Originally uploaded by Decepticons Attack!.

This is my cat, Salvador. He can be such a clown at times, twisting himself around for the camera and revealing a hint of his fangs to complete the composition. We were given a digital camera on loan, and now I want to bike around and take pictures all weekend. There is an art show this weekend at Shine, and the dynamic duo Ch and Ca (I don't know if she spells her name with a K) will be attending. When an opportunity to capture human souls via digital technology arises, I'll be there wearing a huge, hideous grin.
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Originally uploaded by Decepticons Attack!.

At home, writing. I'm really tired (I generally dislike hearing how tired people feel. If you're sleepy, go home. But, please make an exception for me this one time) and fuzzy headed, so I should take a nap before I go out fencing. Busy day. I don't have to time to call anyone or look at headlines. What the hell is going on in the world? Maybe Sal knows.

I want to learn how to get rid of the Decepticons Attack! tag.

Feh

Lately, the muscle behind my left shoulder has been sore. The ache is beginning to really bother me. This is it. As I shoot towards the age of thirty, I can feel all the past injuries, hidden under years of drinking and exercise, begin to crawl out from under the sinews of pink and white flesh and tug on my unsuspecting pain receptors. I can't jump off cars anymore. I can't drink coffee, Red Bull, tequila and stay awake for forty-two hours and expect to walk into work with my shorts worn over my pants and dried leaves mashed onto my back. I can't do it. Not anymore.

There is hope, my friends. I spent the weekend writing, drinking at an after-hours club (we arrived way before the after-hour mark, just to check it out) and stayed up until three to finish editing the play. Which is done. Thank God. I'm really proud of it and the changes I made really tightened up the conflict, which seemed flacid sitting there in the center doing very little. I added some dramatic "anchors" that reeled in the comedy relief when I needed him back onstage, and all the characters were given some depth. After the wrokshop, there were a couple people who replied back, saying not to change anything. This is a future apology to those people: everything changes. Sorry.

Copenhagen was good. R was misinformed, which was totally not his fault, and we showed up two hours before the box office opened. Only magazine needs to get itself straightened out. We wandered, ate breakfast (cheese, basil and olive oil crepe for me, plus large americano) and we wandered some more, chatting about architecture and books. We drank more coffee and eventually got back to see the play. Oh, I also picked up some material for my essay. Copenhagen is complex, sure, but at times the dialogue was bogged down in some trivialities that attempted to bridge the physics together. I understand that the science was important, but the forward motion was thin at times. There were small bits of comedy nestled in the script that lightened the mood, and they were effective. The connection between history, philosophy, sociology and science was threaded together rather tightly in the subtext. I would like a copy of the script. Anyone know a cheap spot to buy scripts?

So, yeah. Working on the anthropology paper. I need a couple of more books on the history of the Native American Church. What I have is so convoluted in narrative, I'm having a hard time picking out the facts.

Anyone what to produce a play?

Might as Well Start the Weekend Right

joker'sfolly
Originally uploaded by Decepticons Attack!.

For the next three weeks I will immersed in my schoolwork. The first week will be the worst, and the following weeks will slowly deflate like a balloon. So, I want to share a couple of things I'm really excited about.

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Originally uploaded by Decepticons Attack!.

Um, Philip K. Dick. What can I say? The man is gen-u-ine. I think it's intersting, not to mention topical, to make A Scanner Darkly film. Video cameras are installed on street corners now; their dull electric eyes recording, recording and recording. The film is animated, no less.

I will be meeting R at 7:30 A.M. to get tickets for the Copenhagen play. Hoo boy. After the play I will be starting my anthropology paper on peyote religions in North America and a sociology paper on urban transportation. Plus I have to edit my play.

L, A and I checked out the perogy dinner at the Ukrainian Orthodox Church's auditorium. For ten bucks you get a decent meal and it has a really friendly atmosphere. There is a huge, cool bookshelf crammed with, um, books tucked away in the corner. I wanted to cruise by and peruse the titles, but I would have had to climb over diners and chairs. What I wouldn't do for literature.