Weekend Update

Distractions, Personal Bits, Queer stuff, Toronto

Friday: Bond movie. I was worried that all the gadget porn on the screen (The British have full scale Microsoft Surface computers in MI6!) that people would be flipping open their own inadequate cell phones during the movie. Not one person did, and the movie theatre was packed. As well, no yappy people around us, which was good because this movie moves unapologetically fast so pay attention. I would have to say it’s better than Casino Royale, which makes it my favorite Bond film to date.

Saturday: We both got called into work. SharkBoy was pulling overtime while I had to shoot off an emergency press release for cheap 2 for 1 airline tickets to Australia. I got a day off in lieu so I was happy. I got back home to a big bag of laundry that bitched at me from the hallway the entire time I was on the Xbox.

“Clean me!”

“Fuck you! I’m nearly done this level!”

At 4pm, I walked past the bag of laundry, out the door, to meet SharkBoy and we went off to Imperial tattoo where the finishing touches are all but done on my Sci Fi back piece. Now that the robot is dark again after 10 years of fade, I want the astronaut a tad darker. But I’m going to take a break. The reworking we did was just 12 days after having stuff done so it was super painful. My back still feels like I was dragged behind an Arkansas General Lee truck for a mile or two.

Sunday: We did some selfish Xmas shopping for ourselves. SharkBoy got a belt, a hat and new gloves that popped a button 20 minutes away from the store. I got new gloves from Marks Work Warehouse. It’s obvious our styles are utterly different from each other when it comes to accessories. SharkBoy’s gloves are smooth black leather while mine are flashy white/gray/black skin tight workman’s gloves designed to grip tools. Neither of our gloves operate an iPhone, however. Sharkboy had to make concessions because it was those flashy gloves or the Baseball hat with the LED embedded in the brim.

We were going to head over to the Photogs for a housewarming party but their dog, Mickey, was ill and they cancelled last minute. I’m hoping he’s doing ok today.

Instead we sat at home with a good DVD: The History Channel’s Modern Marvels show about Disney World.

{aside}
Did I mention we’re going back in June 2009 for Gay Days? No? Don’t you read Sharkboy.ca? We’ve rebooked the same hotel (Pop Century), same flights (WestJet) but with an extra day where we might spend at the Kennedy Space Center to look at rockets. But the meat of the week will be oggling bears at Tidal Wave and showing Prop 8 Supporters that Canada’s society hasn’t unraveled due to gay marriages as we wander the parks in our red shirts (I think we’ll be doing different red shirts per park this year). You going? Let us know!
{/aside}

Anyway, one thing I want to mention on the video was one park developer actually choked up when discussing Walt’s death nearly 40 years after his passing. That’s a hell of a boss to make that strong of an impression on a staff. Sort of like Jesusevlis!

That evening, we totally vegged further on the couch and watched bits of Bond films, Amazing Race and a touch of Clone Wars.

Things that made us laugh this weekend:

Impersonating Faye Dunaway. If you get the chance, watch Gia, one of Angelina Jolie’s first movies. Ms Dunaway plays a mumbling, scene chewing Wilhelmina Cooper. Possibly drunk the entire movie shoot. You too can play: mumble for about 20 seconds and then throw in a coherent clear laugh.

Bond Movie Effects Dummies: I’m pretty sure the effects department used the same cloth dummy for View to a Kill and Licence to Kill. Both dummies got thrown from a great height, both had their elbows and knees bend in impossible directions as they floated earthward.

Carb-bucks

Overheard

8:10am Starbucks by my office.

Gentleman in front of me: Oh great! You have the holiday cups now! That must mean you have Gingerbread lattes! (scans the big board) Uh. Where…? For many years you had a drink called Gingerbread latte…?

My Favorite Barista: They’re called Gingersnaps now! It’s really the same thing.

Gentleman: Then I want the same thing (he says – emphasis on “want” and “same thing”)

Me: (Leaning in) They removed the “Bread” because it sounded “carby”

Milk Curdling?

Celebs and Media

Love it or hate it, here comes the Harvey Milk movie.

The debate rages. Is it right to have a straight actor portray the most political gay icon in American history? It was eventually widely accepted that two straight actors “bravely” portrayed fictional cowboys and removed us from their stereotypes in Brokeback Mountain, but will it be correct for a heterosexual to portray this gay icon, this historical figure and not know the nuances of being gay? Not having struggled with their sexuality in their lifetime, how can Sean Penn correctly portray Milk? Is Penn on the verge of taking the role of effete Milk over the top like he did in “I Am Sam” (a borderline offensive portrayal of a mentally deficient man)?

Guardedly, I am going to say “no”. The trailer seems to keep Sean in check with his mannerisms, nothing too outrageous, but time will tell. I am quite excited that Gus Van Sant is directing this and might wipe the embarrassment of that Psycho remake from ’98 off his books and put him back on credible film making again.

Early rumours say this movie is going to be important, which is a shame. It’s timing sucks. I get the feeling it really should have been released 10 days ago, before the vote for Prop 8 was so contentiously decided upon (and is still being felt like a stinging slap on a lot of Californian Democrat faces). However, I doubt a lot of Republicans or right-winged religious types would base themselves to see it. Still, positive press of a touching, intelligent biopic might have swayed at least one to go see it. And who knows? Would that have helped?

Discerning Tastes

Toronto

I’ve noticed that lately the hawks that keep the pigeons at bay in Allan Gardens park have been scarce in the last couple months.

I’m about to speculate here. Stay with me.

Hawks go where the food is. After clearing out Allan Gardens, the hawks probably moved on to another pigeon populated area. Where would that be?

Pigeons love puke. They peck at the flecks of food that are found in the splatter of human spew. I know you know this to be true. Pigeons eating puke is one of those urban things that makes me laugh and gag at the same time.

Where is the puke? Why the Entertainment District, of course! Brightly coloured puddles containing $7 drinks mixed with $20 entrees, blossom nightly on the street corners and gutters of this wildly popular area of nightclubs, bars and restaurants. It’s not that much of a stretch to think the birds would be moving on down there, they’d be stupid not to! Most of the restaurants are high end so pigeons get a nice lobster dinner, in manageable peck-sized servings! And imagine the liquor they’d get too! Of course a hawk will prefer their squab marinaded with a little red wine reduction or a vermouth sauce.

So hawks, so much more beautiful than their pigeon cousins, are actually dining trendy, dining smart. Another reason I like them so much!

Still Watching the Watchmen

Celebs and Media

Teaser posters! Get your teaser posters!

Wired reports that various blog/publications have been given separate poster art for each of the characters. I’ve saved you the trouble and downloaded them here for your viewing porn below.

Shame to Entertainment Weekly for only providing a tiny thumbnail instead of the big splash. What’s up, EW? Too cheap for the bandwidth?

Nite Owl

Nite Owl

Rorschach

Rorschach

Silk Spectre

Silk Spectre

Ozymandias And Bubastis

Ozymandias And Bubastis

Comedian

Comedian

Dr Manhattan, as big as he gets

Dr Manhattan, as big as he gets

Happy Anniversary SharkBoy

Personal Bits

Another year has passed and I love you as much now as I did the night you fell asleep on my arm in the back of that truck on the way home from a parade. Or when we talked for hours in your car. Or when you spontaneously bought us lightsabres at Disney. Or when you showed me the moonlight on the navy blue waters of the Caribbean. Or when you roll over and hug me every night.

You bring me so much joy and comfort and love that I would be lost without you.

And now… a year in review!

Reconnecting

Distractions, Personal Bits
Here Be Dave

Here Be Dave

In the fall of 1981 I met Dave while doing props for a community youth theatre show. A few of us went over to his house for lunch on a break between rehearsals and while I was chewing away on a sandwich, Dave concocted a 2-second blood pack of ketchup and a ziplock bag, behind an open fridge door. He tried to throw at me as a joke and it didn’t work so he resorted to exploding it across his chest. Dave was obsessed with horror movies, you see. Not sure what happened, but when the prank failed miserably, I thought his cunning was a thing to be reckoned with.

Dave was one of two friends I did acid with for the first time. And was the reason I will never be 100% welcome back into his house by his mother. She’s convinced I shoved the tab into Dave’s pure and vestal mouth, when it was Dave who upped the ante with pot and a few drinks at his sister’s house while we waited for the drug to kick in. And kick in it did. When the acid refused to recede from our reality, Dave called his Dad to come get him before he “died”. What ensued was a comedy of sorts, seen through the fog of teenage drama, heightened by LSD: Police were going to be called; one friend’s career in the RCMP was going to be ruined; my mom would find out and I would cease to exist with one glare.

Things sorted themselves out when Dave’s older sister stepped in and told his mom that time will bring Dave down (he had tread a groove in his bedroom carpet walking off the acid) and that everyone should just calm down.

As you’ve probably guessed, Dave was the fearless one in our circle of friends. He would try anything if it meant getting a reaction from anyone.

And fearless he is. He has a wife and two kids and a house in the Beaches and is now sporting a huge CSI/Grisham-style beard because “it pisses everyone off”. Glad we were able to reconnect!