What the World Eats

Brilliant photo essay describing what 16 families around the world eat.

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519,00.html

(link borrowed from http://www.yourdailyawesome.com)

Holy Shit

This is not a new video by any stretch but it is nonetheless a phenomenal display of strength. His name is Junior, the event is the 2004 Red Bull One on One BreakDancing thing.

Eulogy Top Ten for 2007

Not a list of this year's best releases (though many of them were released in 2007). Rather, they are the top 10 tracks in my Ipod so far this year.

10. Joey Fehrenbach 'House of Lost Hope'
9. Deftones 'Xerces'
8. Smashing Pumpkins 'That's The Way (My Love Is)'
7. Boards of Canada 'Music Is Math'
6. Strapping Young Lad 'Almost Again'
5. Matthew Good Band '99% Of Us is Failure'
4. Bassnectar 'Impossible & Overwhelming'
3. Isis 'Holy Tears'
2. Devin Townsend 'Hyperdrive'
1. Jesu 'Silver'

These People Made Me Smarter

Bill Hicks
George Carlin
Dan Savage
Joe Rogan

...hang on a second, nearly everyone on my list is a comic. Um, is comedy the last bastion of critical thinking in our pop-culture world? God that's pathetic. But at least they've found a medium to pass on their ideas to the general public (who are hopefully taking some of that stuff home with them!)!

Combat

I heard Joe Rogan once say that all athletes who aren't pugilists are wannabes (it's here, at around 4:00 but the whole thing is worth watching); basically he's saying that without the trials of one-on-one confrontation no athlete can ever really prove him/herself.

I've thought a lot about this. In our world of 'extreme' pursuits we see people pushing further and further into the unknown, going further, longer, higher, steeper and ever more difficult. But mostly at times of our choosing. I'm no different. I take on challenges when I feel like it. When it suits me.

But a real test of strength/ability/durability is how we handle the challenges that arise without warning, when we least expect it. When we aren't equipped or prepared in any way. How will you handle yourself? If you were unexpectedly confronted could you pull out the stops to defend yourself? Would you be able to call on all the training you did in the comfort of your favourite gym?

Could you become this guy if need be?



I suppose any training is better than none and that part of effective training means trying to prepare for the unexpected; to try and be ready to switch gears at any time.

Thing to Learn Before I Get Too Old #1

Learn how to throw playing cards.

Damn You Monogamy!

A long relationship is a funny thing. Especially when it really is what you really want. After many years together and many trials and tribulations we've survived and even flourished together. But every commitment has its cost.

How can one not get a little fazed after so many years? How can familiarity not overwhelm you once in a while?

I find myself looking for ways to pull back from my partner and our life together. I'm looking for ways to see the world a little differently, ways to get some different stimulus. I don't want to end our partnership. I love us together. I think we're a perfect match. But sometimes I get a little stunned. It's hard not to fall into patterns and routines and it's even harder to keep infusing it with fresh ideas.

Everything is cyclical and God knows I've gone up and down and always come back around to what I know is really valuable. I know this is still what I want. But I also know that I need a bit of space right now.

Another Day

Well where do we start?

I sit down at the keyboard and the crazy thoughts that were swirling around my mind all day just vanish. I obviously need a notebook!

I'm starting to feel very alone. And I'm starting to not really care. My mother has been without a partner for twenty years and is fine with it. I inherit my natural bent for solitude from her. And now that I feel like my relationship might be coming to a fork in the road, I wonder how (if!) I would do things differently. Would I embark on another relationship? Is the whole concept of partnership just an illusion? I'm not bitter. I'm just tired. When she speaks I know what she will say. If something happens I know how she will react. On one hand this is comforting but on the other it's monotonous.

The things Dan Savage says about surviving the monotony of monogamy are so true. That sex with one person alone is not enough, even if companionship is. That sometimes we have to stray in inocuous ways to gain a different sense of satisfaction/exploration.

I might be done with everyone altogether. God I thought everything would be so different!

If you'd asked me six years ago what I wanted I'd describe my life today nearly to the tee! I guess our desires are always a few steps ahead of our means.

Gone Baby Gone - Nice Work Afflecks!

Went to see the Affleck-mobile called Gone Baby Gone. It was really good. Nice work Ben. Glad you survived the chaos of the last few years. The media is fucked. I was really impressed by the tone and subtlety of the film. Good pacing and lots of unexpected plot moves (I hadn't read the book the film was based on prior). Casey Affleck was really great. After supporting some bigger names he's really out on his own. Ballsy and self-assured.

Theatre was PACKED. I guess a rainy Sunday afternoon in Vancouver will do that. Note to self to stick to odd showings to avoid the sheep!

My first post

I have started this because I can't share my mind with anyone except myself and it's increasingly difficult to make myself understood so I'm going to try this instead!