Category: Film

Sleepovers and trash

Keith and Paul and Mike dropped by last night for pizza, movies and conversation, and it was wonderful to see them all.

I’ve done a lot of things wrong in my life, but picking my friends hasn’t been one of them.

Keith slept over – I put a bunch of Woly shoe creme on his work shoes, which are so trashed by salt water that the leather is starting to come apart in layers. There must be six bucks worth of it on there… I hadn’t even opened it and I’ve had it three years, so I’m glad to be using a resource.

One of my fave Beaconites, Dina Davidson, local midwife extraordinaire, got some press time on her favourite subject.

Katie cut her dad’s hair yesterday.  Given that she and Paul hadn’t spoken in the best part of a month – immediately after the birth of the first grandchild – I will leave you to parse that as best you may.

I am doing coffee at church tomorrow.  I think I’ll make a cake, but make something else to leave here so Jeff doesn’t come looking all expectant with no treats.  So I have to remember to immediately put on bread dough the instant I get up tomorrow, because if I do it today, it will be gone tomorrow. Treat Logistics.

I am learning to my horror that the second section of the book is in disarray, and the timelines are all squidded up, and I appear to have TWICE written the same scene twice without incorporating the necessary elements from the other draft.  It’s ugly and I’m frustrated.  I think I’m going to need another writing week without the siren song of Agents of SHIELD to fix this mess (although we are close to the end LOL) so I’ll be checking in with the mOmster to see when would or might be convenient.  Won’t be until after my homily January 4 though.

Autumn, who may really be Peaches, loves Agent Coulson.  She sits on the back of the sofa and gazes at him adoringly.

I have laundry.  I’m doing it, I’m not digging it.  I have to ditch a whole bunch of my clothes because they are not meeting my needs, but that in itself makes me sad.  I should just take a picture and move on.

I’m also hoping to walk over to 6th and do a mini shop.

We’ll see what happens when Keith gets up… he may want a late brekkie.  I can definitely help out with the coffee.

There’s been an update to wordpress, the engine that runs this blog, and it allows me to have an empty screen when I’m typing, which is actually kind of cool and gives you a nice electronic typewriter feeling.

Trivia

I know I shouldn’t care, but the last episode of the Killing made me want to find the showrunner and bang her head into a coffee table a few times.  A happy ending was NOT REQUIRED for this show, it feels a painted on thing.

On the plus side, by Grabthar’s hammer, I have finally seen Galaxy Quest, and I had a damned good time.

Now to see if Jeff is conscious enough for breakfast.

Singing

I have worked up the chords for Just Might Stick Around (it’s in E minor, just like most of Cohen’s tunes).  It amazes me that there is A WEBSITE that has THE SINGING RANGES of various popular singers.  So I was able to google “What is Leonard Cohen’s singing range” and POOF.  All this information, there really is too much of it.

Do you like owls? I do too.  These youngsters are adorable.

Keith came over yesterday and we sat on the back deck in the steadily diminishing sun, and watched Beasts of the Southern Wild (a problematic movie BUT I loved it anyway) and around a store bought roast chicken I assembled baby steamed baby carrots and broccoli, plus when I heard Keith was coming I decided to make garlic bread; the lads fell on it with a will and there’s leftovers for lunch.  At 4 I go over to Tom and Peggy’s to sing and commune with some of the finest, best, most amiable, intelligent and hospitable friends any sane human can ask for.   WE ARE GOING TO SING CAT FABER’S WORD OF GOD IN CHURCH TOMORROW. Means nothing to you, but Tom has been waiting for this day for 10 years.  In his glee I reflexively bask. Cat has written some awesome tunes, which you can read lyrics for here here here here and here, and that’s only a fraction.  A teeny fraction.  She rounds off her accomplishments by being a rather exceptionally pleasant human.

My character George on the subject of death.  “I will continue. My perception of that continuance will not.”

Prior to sings0ngapalooza, novel assembly tasks.

There’s a Vogon Poetry Generator on the interwebs!  Isn’t it cute?

 

See, see the Intelligent sky
Marvel at its big kimshee depths.
Tell me, Liz do you
Wonder why the honey badger ignores you?
Why its foobly stare
makes you feel groggy.
I can tell you, it is
Worried by your sploogey facial growth
That looks like
An egg.
What’s more, it knows
Your frigate potting shed
Smells of Kermit.
Everything under the big Intelligent sky
Asks why, why do you even bother?
You only charm compost.

Rehearsal was excellent, more of the same tonight.

Pleasant visit

The visit with the fOlks was very good and we had a SPECTACULAR trip back.  The wind and the sun were in perfect proportion, and we got chocolate soft ice cream for a snack.  Thank you Paul for subsidizing that trip (pOp too….) and mOm for the baby stuffs. It was fun noodling around Victoria looking for baby stuffs.

Why I love Susan Sarandon. She just so effervescently and totally rocks.

Watched Boyhood.  I really enjoyed it, and then immediately read a black critic’s takedown of it and have to now file the movie under guilty pleasures.  Sigh. Jeff bailed partway through since various characters were being jerks.

Sahara Delights is now in the space Kitty Kate’s Cafe was in.

Went singing at Tom and Peggy’s last night.  The alto part for Word of God is wicked hard.

 

Today’s decrufting

Mostly today will be clothes and books. Katie needed her toesies dealt with (she don’t bend so good) so I gave her a mini-pedi, and then worried I’d taken too much off and called her. She said, “Aw, have you been worrying about it?” and I thought, well, no, but I was concerned.

Made word count and then some yesterday. I haven’t been practicing, but I’ll get busy today.

Jeff went fishing yesterday with his buddy Rob and caught a coho – we’re gonna barbecue and eat it today. Hm. I suppose I should see if I have to decap and gut it. (Just check, no thank god)

Charles Brackett’s Hollywood diary is about to be big news; he was Billy Wilder’s creative partner for more than a decade. He is alleged to have recorded Groucho Marx describing Victor Mature: “He looks like something the cathouse dragged in.” I suspect I will enjoy it. Anyway, here’s the article which brought the diary to my attention.

Thanks Jeff for brekkie.

Former rellies in law are encouraging me to move to northern BC. I am investigating, and may fly up there in September. There’s work, but sheesh the winters, and it would make getting to see the parents and grandbaby rather epic.

Katie’s coming over today

She’s going to cut me hair, which is good, as I am a little shaggier than I’d like to be.

Paper and clothing decrufting continues although much slower. Mostly yesterday I watched movies, being Belle (very enjoyable) and the Raid 2 (one of the bloodiest, least apologetic, and most action packed movies evar). We are continuing to watch our way through the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes, which is loads of fun for Brett’s mincing exactitude.

The heat has broken. Apparently it’s quite cold in Ontario now.

One of the finds in the decrufting was Sandra’s promotional pic of her as a clown. It’s up where I can see it to encourage me as I try to pry myself loose of attachment to too much stuff.

Mike was here

Just after 7 Mike called and said he was walking in the neighbourhood; considering where he lives the only reasonable meeting point is the Oliver Twist. He shouted me a dinner of two beers, the saddest plate of nachos I’ve ever seen (in that it was both burnt AND had unmelted cheese, but of course I ate them anyway, and wings (he had chowder) and lo but how I dread the prospect of the loo tomorrow as I was most immoderate with the jalapeños.

He walked me home; Jeff was still up so we took in an Archer. He just left.

We discussed a Nazi Zombie movie night.

I am a happy woman. It is great to have friends so close.

Too darned hot

It’s been absolutely sweltering here in Vancouver, but some things are great….

The dogwood is in flower again, astonishingly, all over; it shines in the sun.

Still all happy about Guardians of the Galaxy. It won’t be as much fun the second time but I am looking forward to it.

Saw Zero Theorem, a film by Terry Gilliam, and it’s interesting. I liked the end and thought it made sense, Jeff was kinda meh about it.

Finally finished Europe Central; I’ll be heading back to the library today after my dentist appointment. I’m having a filling replaced. Not looking forward to it.

Paul and I are supposed to get together and do something exercisy today. Maybe we’ll swim in Katie’s pool cause it’s damned hot for a walk unless we’re going up in the hills to hike.

Right now all the doors are open … we’re trying to cool the place down since it’s like an oven in here even with the air conditioner.

Thick cut porkchops for brekkie.

A long time ago in a galaxy much like this one

…. Jeff and I went to the opening day of Star Wars on June 24 1977. It was a glorious day, and from the first moment to the last, we were enmeshed in it. Jeff went on to see it in the theatre at least half a dozen more times – I’m pretty sure I saw it once more on the big screen.

And until today, we haven’t seen a science fiction / fantasy / superhero movie which came even close to grabbing us and taking us someplace cool. We just cleared the door back from Guardians of the Galaxy.

Just go see it. Guardians of the Galaxy has everything your heart longs for in a big summer movie. Characters you can invest in; a plot so full of cheesy holes it’s like a big slab of Swiss; whacky universe destroying technology; dancing; a tongue in cheek soundtrack; talking raccoons; stentorian villains; crash landings and lots and lots of hilarious dialogue. Lots.

Just go see it. Big fun.

Where’s my flying car

Bill and Brenda Sutton ask the question….

Tre and Battery came over yesterday and we laughed and talked and drank beer and broke out the pinball machines for the little guy. Very pleasant afternoon, and Jeff and I love that they never call first. We’re either here and happy to see them or away and sad we missed them. It’s like slipping back into another era, when it’s good that friends drop by.

In about twenty minutes we’re going to jump in the car and guh help us PAY for a movie. But 10 am on a Sunday sounds like the perfect way to avoid the crowds; Guardians of the Galaxy is supposed to finally be ‘the summer hit’. The fan reviews have been AWESOME. We shall see.

I am working on the novel still… it’s still fun after all.

Keith called yesterday (how good to hear his voice) to basically just check in. Happy sigh. If it wasn’t so oppressively sticky and hot, I’d say my life was a big old dream.

more filking

A lovely time filking yestreen at Tom and Peggy’s, Cindy also in attendance. I got to sing soprano for most of the evening, which is fine if I’m not singing loud.

I hope everybody has a happy pride day! or not.

I light a candle for pOp, and he knows why. You have a visit from Jeff to look forward to, and once he’s back I’ll come out and see you.

Got a call back from an employer NOT A FRICKIN AGENCY. I have to wait another week.

Saw, and loved, Edge of Tomorrow (stupid name, good movie though; it’s Starship Troopers meets Groundhog Day.)

Jeff and I have been permanently ruined by A Pervert’s Guide to Ideology. Mr. Nosepuller told us to pay attention to the recreation of the couple, and now it’s in every single thing we watch.

Made wordcount yesterday and practiced.

I very much enjoyed this cartoon. SFW.

Breakfast adventure

We braved the Vancouver morning rush hour to get to the Tomahawk, the lamentably named Vancouver institution which has been serving breakfast since 1926.  It’s also directly upwind from a mosque – how tired they must get of the smell of swineflesh cooking.  It was lovely; we got to eat outside in a lovely arbour, hemmed about with nicely draped weeping sequoias and enlivened with the cheeping presence of a white crowned sparrow.  The food and service were excellent, but since it involves driving across town in rush hour to do breakfast, we won’t be doing that agin except for very special occasions. Like Jeff’s birthday.

On the way we got treated to the excrementally bad signage (go right, no not here you idiot, ignore that previous sign), being forced to stop in the Cassiar tunnel, and you KNOW how I feel about being forced to come to a standstill in a tunnel, and the ludicrously self important driving of many, many miscreants.  We stopped off at one of Jeff’s clients’ place of business on the way back to save him a trip and I got a little work done on the novel.

The Amazing Spiderman 2 is one half of a good movie.  The script made me long for lightning to strike, somebody, somewhere.  Jamie Foxx was entirely wasted and the little nimrod who plays Spidey, whose name escapes, has all the energy of re-wetted papier mâché.  The action sequences had us cheering; the talking sequences had both of us begging for swift unconsciousness.

Jeff enjoyed Dead Snow II – a Nazi zombie movie sequel that was, so I’m given to understand, more inventive, scarier and funnier than the first.  Zombies using a length of intestine to siphon fuel?  Clever people, these Germans.

Sandra informs me that her cat, Shadow, has been stomping around the house calling me, which is funny because all I did was take pictures of her butt and skritch her a few times, also I did the doorwarden cause you have thumbs thing a couple of times.  She is a magnificent beast, and a mighty hunter, which when the cabins get varmints is a good thing.

I made a meatloaf!  It is so garlicky that vampires two counties away suddenly feel ill at ease.

Today I may or may not make coleslaw.