Month: September 2008

Pace Yourself

Lanté came bearing gifts. Thank you, Lanté.

Previous we’ve had some discussions about movies. Rather obviously our tastes in movies differ, like any two people, but Friday he brought me one of his favorites. Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator. In an attempt to prove a point, I assume. 

Now I’m not going to hide behind my distaste for movies with any hint of testosterone jacked rogue military special “op” teams hell bent on killing non-American’s, or Arnold’s acting, for that matter. But both his acting and the movie, “on the whole,” weren’t too bad. I was very surprised.

Sure this film, like any, has it’s flaws. Big one’s too. But on other levels it’s quite a successful endeavor. With respect to the state of movies today, especially…

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F.O.D

Friday night Travis Barker, drummer of a few bands but “most famously” that of Blink 182, was involved in what I can guess was a rather serious plane crash. And at this time, well as of this morning at least, was still in critical yet stable condition.

Why do I care? Never much liking the bands he’s ever played/plays with. But he’s an individual much like any of us, who, I’ll assume, is in a great deal of pain. So en route to another point, I want to wish him all the best. He’ll need it.

Last week a friend and I were discussing musical influences on our lives. Which at first seemed like a very natural thing for me to explore. But it soon started to feel “odd.” In a sense that I, a person who grew quite used to expressing himself musically, hasn’t touched an “axe” that sits in the loneliest corner of his bedroom in a good 10 years? Then I was ever so casually reminded I look upon it each and every single day for whatever reason. And, I think, that fact alone speaks volumes about the music I listen to being such an important part of my life. And I don’t ever see that changing. Or I can’t imagine it being any different.

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It Obviously Is

Yesterday a “high profile cabinet minister,” Conservative Agriculture Minister, Jerry Ritz, made light of the recent Maple Leaf Listeriosis tainted meat scandal. In as much as he wished a Liberal MP from PEI death by a thousand cuts. “A thousand cold cuts.” OK it wasn’t phrased quite like that but you get the gist. But when what he said was leaked to the press, buddy, apparently, “scrambled” and hid in the Ottawa airport from reporters. 

Then Transport Minister, also a Conservative, Lawrence Canon’s “personal assistant” said to a group of Algonquin constituents within the boundaries of his responsibility to expect Larry for a visit if “you behave and are sober.”

Not to pick on the Conservatives (though they more than deserve it), I realize problems delve much deeper than them, but is being an inappropriate needledick a prerequisite before running for, or working in any sort of political office today? Shit!

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Just Read The Damn Book

Book JacketNearing the end of July I saw the movie The Diving Bell And The Butterfly and subsequently wrote a piece entitled Let Your Imagination Set You Free. Since then I’ve had an opportunity to read the book, by the same name, which set this all adrift. Not to mention my interest in what he so valiantly accomplished. The authoring of some memoirs.

I seem to recall hearing a few professionals, at a rehabilitation hospital I was admitted to in March of ’97, recommend my family read a book written by a bloke who suffered from an affliction painstakingly “similar” to mine. The “affliction” being, as I’ve mentioned previously, “Locked-in Syndrome.” And “the bloke” being, I assume, Jean-Dominique Bauby. As it turns out Bauby’s book was originally published the very same week I finally began my climb out of my body. Weird.

Anyway this is a quick read. One I suggest people read in “collaboration” with the movie. The nature of both medium’s provide an important context into each other. I guess having “lived it” provides me a perspective I felt the book didn’t provide. No cut on him. And seeing it on screen I was better able to grasp what he experienced. The movie allows a person to witness difficulties he faced, the most prevalent being writing. Whereas the book, just as relevantly, tells that same person what he thought and felt.

It’s really a great story. Take my word for it…

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