Category: General

I had a dream this morning that I found (in my room) a pair of pants that went up to my nipples. When I was trying them on some shirt got caught in the buttons and I couldn’t dislocate the two without tearing the shirt. I guess my subconscious is trying to tell me to stop wearing pants.

Just for my own edification I’m going to list what might be some good shows for Knitting in the Buff (besides Buffy).

Reboot. Pro: Broad story arc to follow.
Con: it starts off pretty slow and clunky. Doesn’t really get terribly interesting until the 3rd season; Might not be a favourite for this sophisticated crowd, but it’s only a half hour.

X-Men Evolution. Pro: Broad story arc; Will benefit Marlo in her newfound interest in superhero history. Con: see Reboot.

Black Books. Con: No real story arc. Pro: Hilarious!

Look Around You. Con: No real story arc. Pro: Enjoyable by all and only 9 minutes long.

Samurai Jack. Con: No real story arc; Episodes are hit and miss. Pro: Very easy to watch & entertaining.

The Tick. Con: No real story arc; Pro: Funny and only 22 mins.

The Office. No cons here. Only pros.

Spaced. Cons: takes a bit to get “into”; Lots of pop culture references that only hardcore nerds will get. Pros: The investment pays off.

I will now take suggestions. If I still had Star Trek: The Next Generation on tape we could watch those.

I celebrated my birthday today with a Homer-sized Simpsons cola thanks to Stewie and I watched Spider-Man 2. I liked it, though there was more cheese than the first one. Two interesting musical anecdotes:

One of the best parts in the movie is when Spidey & Doc Ock are fighting (big spoiler there) and the music stops. Quite powerful. Just goes to show that the absence of music can be just as important as its presence.

When the credits came up a big over-produced rock song started and I thought “that singer sure sounds like the guy from Dashboard Confessional.” Sure enough, when the credits got around to the music, there it was. Weird!

Also – is it the fact that I don’t like sushi make me perceive the guy who opened up a package of it and ate it as the movie started as a goon, or would that be a general perception?

Lastly, there is a nice surprise in the opening credits for Chris Woods.

I got some spam today that read:

The permanent solution to Penis Enlargement

LIMITED OFFER: Add atleast 4 inches or get your money back!

I guess penis enlargement has become such a problem that it needs a solution – and a permanent one at that!

The Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Toren’s Guide

SEASON ONE Datalore

Special moments:
Groppler “I’ve done nothing wrong!” Zorn from Encounter at Farpoint did the voice for Zan (Wonder Twins)

SEASON TWO Q Who

Worst episode: Shades of Grey (The only way for Riker to survive a virus is to have flashbacks)

Special moments:
“We need their computer things”

SEASON THREE Deja Q

Special mentions: The Ensigns of Command; The Enemy; The Survivors; The Hunted; Yesterday’s Enterprise; Allegiance; Hollow Pursuits; The Most Toys; – clearly a strong season.

Special moments:
Geordie doing a heroic roll under a very…slowly…closing door.

SEASON FOUR Brothers

Special Mentions: Best of Both Worlds 2; Clues; The Nth Degree; The Mind’s Eye

Worst episode: Devil’s Due

SEASON FIVE Darmok

Special Mentions: I, Borg; The Inner Light

Special moments: Frasier as a Starfleet Captain in “Cause and Effect”

SEASON SIX Starship Mine

Special Mentions: Timescape; Chain of Command 1-2 “There are four lights!”

Special moments: Scotty is tired and old in “Relics”

SEASON SEVEN Lower Decks

Special Mention: All Good Things

Worst episodes: Sub Rosa; Masks

No season could be complete without:
1. Lwaxana Troi finds a new man
2. Something goes wrong with the holodeck
3. A deadly time paradox!
4. A Worf’s Klingon destiney episode

I’ll say it again – Don’t forget to vote today!

Have you seen that commercial for Pert shampoo where they dis the other brands for having too many options, and having ylang ylang* in their products? That may be the strongest marketing campaign in the history of tv commercials. Now I’m not for or against ylang ylang per se, but they’re just being jerks.

*google turned up that ylang ylang is from a flower, the oil of which has “rejuvenating” qualities on skin and hair.

Listening to the Fugazi album Repeater in its entirety tonight really “took me back” to the “good” old “days” of 1990. The other day when I was in Virgin with Sid I was reading the song titles on the back of a Pixies album that I haven’t had for years, and same thing. And a certain something about the announcer telling me not to miss Three’s Company overtop of the end credits for Superfriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show whisked me, disconcertedly, back to a very specific “feeling” of 1984. For a moment, I was there in the basement of our home in Chilliwack, in the same room I taped The Real Ghostbusters religiously every Saturday morning. I remember for a while they were airing on two different channels – two different episodes. Maddening. Well, Captain Star starts in 8 minutes, I better get my tape ready. The more things change….

I was up until 5 this morning trying to find new music to listen to and get excited about. I’ve been re-writing the business card that I keep all my musical interests on so that when I go into a record store I’ll have the list to refer to so I don’t just stand there in the aisles thinking “what kind of music do I like?” So far, the system is thus: BLACK INK – bands that are still making music that I know I like and I have some albums of, and I’m just waiting to buy more albums. BLUE INK – soundtracks I need to pick up. TURQUOISE INK – bands I’m definitely interested in spending some quality time with at the listening station:

Metric
Eagles of Death Metal
The Dwarves
Abandoned Pools
Get Up Kids
Illyah Kuryahkin
Neutral Milk Hotel
Cibo Matto
Lali Puna
Buffalo Daughter

PENCIL – bands I’m not solid gold sold on but I would consider hearing more:

Gomez
Orange Goblin
Frank Mills
Douglas Irvine
Fucking Champs
The Shins
Hot Snakes
Interpol
Bloodhound Gang (there’s a lot of pseudo-rap from these guys online which I am not keen on at all, but other songs rock out)

As a result of my not getting to bed at a decent hour I missed out on Bon’s breakfast this morning and probably a few good garyardage sales. I did make it out at about 1:30 and checked out 3 sales, but all I came back with was an old copy of National Geographic. Luckily when I got back, somebody had chucked 4 magazines (various titles) in the recycling box in the foyer so I snatched them and I’m going to look at themmmmmm….

NOW!

Don’t forget kids! Before you throw out those old mags, give me a ring-mail!

More rating…for everyone to enjoy

Marlo’s “indie rock” mixed CD (to me)

Peaches ‘Fuck the Pain Away’ 3 stars (in a weird inexplicable way)
Metric ‘Combat Baby’ 3.5 stars (I like it!)
Sleater-Kinney ‘YI wanna Be Your Joey Ramone’ 2
Sleater-Kinney ‘You’re No Rock ‘n’ Roll Fun’ 2.5
Sleater-Kinney ‘Sympathy’ 1 (not a fan of the singing I’m afraid)
Moldy Peaches ‘Steak for Chicken’ 1
Cat Power ‘Nude as the News’ 2.75
Elliott Smith ‘Everything Reminds Me of Her’ 2.75
Kind of Like Spitting ‘Blue Period’ 2
Hayden ‘We Don’t Mind’ 1
Hidden Cameras ‘Ban Marriage’ 1
Modest Mouse ‘Talking Shit About A Pretty Sunset’ 2.5
Modest Mouse ‘Dirty Fingernails’ 2
Modest Mouse ‘paper Thin Walls 2.5
Q and not U ‘Hooray for Humans’ 2.5
Mountain Goats ‘Family Happiness’ 2.5
Neutral Milk Hotel ‘Two-Headed Boy’ 3
Ugly Casanova ‘Hotcha Girls’ 2.5
Microphones ‘The Glow pt 2’
Spoon ‘Lines in the Suit’ 3

Results: I need to check out more Neutral Milk Hotel and Metric

Saul Rubinek – you’ll remember him as Keivas Fahjo from the ST:TNG episode “The Most Toys” – is in the film Baadasssss! which is playing at Tinseltown this week. It gets 3.5 stars (out of 4, Yvonne). Lets go see it and then sneak in to Garfield, Riddick, or Van Helsing. Or all three. And Adrian invited me to a press screening of Spider-Man 2 on Monday and I am going to take full advantage of that!

Vivian from my bank called me today. On a Saturday. Weird! She asked me out for dinner – haha, no, she told me that my GIC (Guaranteed Investment Certificate) has matured and so I deposited it into my checking account. Three years ago I had absolutely no line of credit so the only way I could get a credit card was to take $1000 out of my account and have it held in this GIC. And that’s twice the limit of my card. This is all so exciting that I better stop writing before everyone starts to expect this kind of amazing story-telling every day.

Today methinks I shall draw and then Marlo & I are going out for a late-night bike ride tonight.