Merry Christmas

The world MUST be ending!

Now, I'm no Mensa member, but I have already figured out that we are doomed as a people.

Here's how I figured it out;

1, MPP's voting themselves a wonderful little 24% raise right before Christmas break.

Is it in effect when they come back from the month long "Christmas break"?? NO! Is it 5% over 5 years NO! Have they even looked at the effect this has on their constituents? Did they give any to the poor in Toronto or surroundin areas? NO! Will voters remember next election? No!

Would I love a 25% raise YEp, but all I got was 1.75% a year for the next 3 years ..... whoopie!

2, we are giving Multi million dollar "packages" to people that quit their jobs ..... I sure would love to run the OPG!

3, Only 19% of funds donated to MADD actually make it the service they offer. The rest goes to administration, paying canvasers .... yep paying them, and tipping the bartender.

4, A challenge was made at a school for the kids to donate canned goods for a food drive the school was running. What happened when a young girl came in with more than maximum 4 cans per student??? She was told to take them home because it might make the other students "feel bad"!

5, No snow on December 23 ..... must be global warming .... damned you SUV drivers.

OH, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

$40 million for Nathan Philips Square face lift, money well spent?

OK, so the whole thing is for the Square and the City Hall. Currently a design competition is happening where one team will get a contract to update the NPs area. Now there has been some uproar about Miller's begging the province for money while still going ahead with this update.

Me, I love the idea of a face lift for NPS. Although the basic City Hall is a beautiful structure, and quite a timeless piece of architecture, and one of the few "modern" pieces I really like. Where you run into a problem is the complete waste of a walkway. Sure it provides some shade, but is pretty much an eyesore. Now the immense use of concrete is also a little annoying, I would like to think of NPS as an oasis, and place to meet in the heart of the city, YEP make it a gathering place.

Now I won't say that you'll see me downtown whether they update the Square or not. I don't enjoy going to the city like I used to, but I do understand the need to keep Toronto in the mind of tourists and and as a place of business, and this certainly wouldn't hurt. Add some trees and a few nice little gardens. Get rid of some of the concrete and the biggest thing is get the homeless out of Toronto .... Hey, didn't they pass some bylaw about squeggee(sp?) kids? what about a new one to keep the homeless out of tourists areas?? Am I asking too much?

Now I don't dare get into the debate about Miller and his need to beg for money only shortly after voting himself a nice little raise, but c'mon, there must be ways to streamline the system and save money without cutting important programs or increasing taxes. No wonder people are moving out of the City, lots of taxes but no benefits Hmmmm!

Anyways ... although Nathan Philips Square/City Hall are still very nice, they aren't the drawing they once were. With the rapid loss of nature in the city, why not try to bring some back in the heart of the city?

What about the waterfront you ask??? The City of Toronto is screwing the pooch on this, Nathan Philips needs an update, but the waterfront REALLY needs a plan before it's all lost to condo development. My opinion is that Toronto is doomed without a solid waterfront, Ontario Place is cool but not enough of a drawing card. The beaches are nice, but they are more often than not CLOSED during peak tourist season, but the lost bid for the Worlds Fair really put the brakes on much needed development on the lake. Development, but not 20 more condo towers.

Brent

Did you?? I know I did!

there is only one day that people around the world celebrate the sacrifices the armed forces have made in keeping this world free. Today is that day .... November 11th, Today is Remembrance Day.

My age group was lucky enough to miss the fight for freedom. Something I could never do was kill somebody, but to all the people, all the veterans, that have layed down their lives for our freedom and all those who still serve, I want to say

THANK YOU!

I got a tear in my eye reading this. Remember, it's the little things.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1163199012243

Now the real question, did any of you stand for 2 minutes to respect the fallen? I have for as long as I can remember! If you did, was it a forced thing( you were in a grocery store and they made an announcement) or did you simply stop what you were doing?

LEST WE FORGET

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Politics ....ME ..... Really?

It wasn't long ago that I thought about my Dad and his attempt to get into politics, and how the stress got to him and he decided to pull out to save his sanity. Maybe my Dad wasn't made for politics, maybe he couldn't lie or cheat to get himself ahead, or maybe he saw what politics had become and became disillusioned with all of it.

I guess I'll never know.

What I do know however is that I've seen more political suicides in the last 5 years than ever before. The blatant spending with no thought towards the welfare of the country, the party jumping and the cry baby attitude when politicians get caught going against there mandate.

WAIT, I'm wrong, these aren't suicides, nobody ends up paying for their mistakes. All these politicians do is laugh things off, or come up with some lame reason for what happened, and how it was all an attempt to help his/her constituents. Shoot, look at MP's at there office budgets, money for entertaining(including alcohol), free trips aboard government jets ....yep,you can take your wife! Whatever happened to fiscal responsibility?

look at David Tsubouchi he suggested people try to haggle at grocery stores for better prices JUST TO MAKE ENDS MEET! He also made a sample menu that ended up having a lower nutritional value than the diet served to prisoners in Ontario jails. All this while being able to write off a bottle of wine as an entertainment expense.

Also don't forget Joe Volpe and the 11 year old twins of a former vice-president of a generic drug company, and the "donation" they made (of $5400 each) towards his campaign. I'd call that strange behavior. OH, and what about the fact that he put a $138 "dinner for 2" at an Italian Restaurant as an expense ...... yep, a write off!

Don't forget Belinda Stronach and her quick jump to the opposition when she won her riding in Newmarket. How would you feel if you voted for a party and there particular stand only to see the person you voted for jump to the other side?

politicians should be held accountable for everything they do in office. It just seems their fellows cronies always cover there ass for them. I won't get into the discussion about legislation regarding access of information and how a certain political party that pushes for 'transparency" in government is trying to to make it harder to "get the facts" through a freedom of information request. Transparency my ASS!

Later
Brent

My "blond" moments

With no disrespect meant to all the blondes out there.

It seems that in the last 20 years my I.Q. has dropped 20 points. I remember being told by teachers "Brent, Although you are using these words correctly, these big words will confuse a lot of people. Keep it simple, no need to use a big word if a small one will do"

It seems that I only know small words now. What's worse is I have "blond" moments now and then. I'd like to say it's the group I hang out with, but the exact opposite is true. I think it figured it out though, 22 years at A&P, and ten years on night UGH!

Like they say, if you don't use it, you lose it!

Case in point, last Saturday night, a night out with the boys. I said more dopey things that night that I ended up feeling like twirling my pigtails and overusing the word "like" ..... "Like that horse was so...LIKE...Fast!

Anyways, Back to to like, getting ready for Halloween like, it's so like, cool!

ME

As time goes by!

As people know, I lost my Mom 2 years ago today, it was a very big loss. Nobody ever has the effect on your life like a mother has on her son.

Mom

I'm happy to say I'm still thinking of you all the time Mom. Lots of times I find myself thinking how I could change the end, how MAYBE I would have stayed home and spent the extra couple of days with you instead of going camping, or to Shannonville. How I could have spent every second of the last couple of months talking and reliving our relationship. I think about the silly things I did to annoy you, always ending with you giving me a big smile and telling me "oh, stop it!", I still smile everytime, great memories!

I think you'd enjoy the fact that I'm getting into photography again(at least a little) it would mean a lot for pictures for you to hang:-). You'd also be amazed at how different Amber is compared to Kyra, talk about the terrible two's OUCH. You also be amazed to know, maybe not, that Dad and the microwave are best friends. I tried to get him to learn to cook, but 60+ years makes it's difficult. Actually whenever Dad asks me about how to cook corn on the cob I laugh. I think you would too, just at the silliness of it.

You are always welcome in my dreams, I always love your hugs, and your smile and laugh always brighten my day.

I love you always

NIGHT, NIGHT!

Your son
Brent

Movie review ...... Little Miss Sunshine

Little Miss Sunshine ........ 88%


Toni Collette
Steven Carell
Greg Kinnear
Alan Arkin
Abigail Breslin
Paul Dano

Usually I don't put to many people as main actors with a link and all, but in this case it's needed.

Loved this film. It a big a ensemble cast in a movie that requires them all to tell their story.


Abigail Breslin plays Olive, a little girl who's dream is to be a beauty queen. She gets here chance when the winner(she came 2nd) in a regional pageant has to pull out. This is a story about the family, and the trip to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant in California. I'll take this from Rotten Tomatoes, it's the best write-up I've seen. If this doesn't make you want to see this strange, funny, exhilarating film than nothing will.

" No one among the Hoovers quite has it together, but it's not for lack of trying. Father Richard (GREG KINNEAR), a hopelessly optimistic motivational speaker, is desperately attempting to sell his 9-step program for success -- without much success. Meanwhile, the Hoovers' "pro-honesty" mother Sheryl (TONI COLLETTE) is constantly harried by her family's eccentric secrets, especially those of her brother (STEVE CARELL), a suicidal Proust scholar fresh out of the hospital after being jilted by his gay lover. Then there are the younger Hoovers with their unlikely dreams -- the four-eyed, slightly plump, seven year-old would-be beauty queen Olive (ABIGAIL BRESLIN) and Dwayne (PAUL DANO), an anger-fueled, Nietzsche-reading teen who has taken a staunch vow of silence until he gets into the Air Force Academy. Topping off the family is the grandfather (ALAN ARKIN), a foul-mouthed pleasure-seeker recently kicked out of his retirement home for snorting heroin. "

If I can say 1 bad thing about this flick, it's the pivotal dance scene, it runs too long!

This is a PV buy for me, buy I will buy it!

B

Back to the grind

My, oh my what an interesting week off. It sure isn't like most peoples holidays, they tend to get 9-10 days off, 5 work days and 2 weekends. This week would have been longer because of the labour day weekend, but oh well!

It was just my luck that "Ernesto"(?) decided to make it's way up to Canada on the long weekend. I still enjoyed my days camping by myself. Nice weather for the drive. A nice, if a little public, campsite, and some friendly chipmunks made for a fun coupla days

I ended up going to a site called Charlston Lake provincial campground. It was about 50 minutes East of Kingston, and proved to be a well treed and well spread out campground. Initially I planned on getting up and walking a way along a trail to catch the early morning light, but when I checked the trail I wanted to go on, it was a 10Km trail rated moderate/difficult, and I figured people would find me eaten by a bear about 4 KM in. So I enjoyed my couple of days doing little walks here and there, checked out the beach, and did a 2 KM boardwalk trail. I made 1 mistake though, I didn't expect a lot animals at my site ..... first night, 1 raccoon, 2nd night 4 raccoons. I figured they were probing my defenses waiting for an opening. Although I would have liked to train the chipmunks to be my army I figured that the raccoons were here first.



Overall, a nice site but I suggest you bring you bikes and your hiking shoes.

SO, I head towards Fort Henry(whoops, said Fort Stanley before SORRY!), Great place and a good trip for people to see. A 1 hour guided tour run often, and they fire a cannon with full pomp and circumstance every hour or two.

I would suggest this as a trip for everybody. SURE it would have been nice if something actually happened at Fort Henry, the stories would have been "we forced them to retreat using these exact 24 pound guns", instead we are forced to listen to stories about how the forts design was "made to make troups bunch up at this point where a cannister would have been fired, taking out a large # of the enemies troups"

The stories are still good, and the fort is pretty neat.

After that it was onto Sandbanks to meet up with F-M-and D(yes I said D)., I had wondered the whole trip whether they would show up because of the forcast, and by about 2p.m., just as I'm leaving the fort I get a headache, and the rain starts WONDERFUL. I end up leaving the fort at about 3:30, once my headache goes away and end up at Sandbanks at about 5:15. As I had guessed, Fred and the clan had cancelled. It was still a nice drive, and I was in no rush to get home OH Well!

Got home about 8:15 p.m. Saturday, did a bunch of little things in Newmarket on SUnday, spent most of the afternoon Monday with my Sister and her kids at the park, and on Tuesday I went to get a new healthcard in Oshawa(that was a mistake!)

I think I'll take Saturday night off and go to the Uxbridge fall fair!

Overall a pretty good week off. I was really hoping to spend some time with the Fred clan, next year for sure. I'm thinking the beginning of August, a great time to see the persiod meteor shower.

Brent

Well here we go!

HEy, this is my first post by Email.

Well I'll be leaving on the little camping adventure
in a few minutes, Kingston followed by camping, up at
5:30 a.m. to photgraph the early morning, then onto a
bird sanctuary, then be followed by a trip to Fort
Stanley on Saturday morning, then onto Sandbanks
Provincial park to meet up with F-M-and J.

See you later
Brent

http://goosblog.blogspot.com/

updated Thursday August 24,2006 Lots of stuff posted ...... finally.

__________________________________________________
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Great weather today EH!

Just a quick post to see if posting from email
work..... This sure will make it easier for me.

Keep reading!!

Goo

Don't start here, END here! ....... movies!

Please start at my first post .... this is the last post for today .....just scroll down a little!



Snakes on a Plane ...... 68%

Samuel L. Jackson
Kenan Thompson

SSSSSSssssso bad it's SSSsssssO good:-)

You know, every review for this movie makes a point, and all of them are valid. This movie is a great comedy, but the jokes are bad, it's a great drama, but you don't care about how it ends, and the snakes are cool, but they are really bad CG. Funny how this movie works so well!

Every cliche is in full form here, and Sam Jackson says the words we all look forward to.

Will you enjoy it?? yes and no:-) .... I did!


Clerks 2 ........ 75%

Rosario Dawson
Jason Mewes
Kevin Smith
Jeff Anderson
Brian O'Halloran

Did you like the first one?? did you even see it?

This is the second act in a story about the status quo, and how people try to escape. Most just fall back in, but a few, here and there, actually are able to get out and make a difference.

The first Clerks in 1994 was a very low budget flick by Director Kevin Smith, about 2 guys working in a New-Jersey convenience/video store, how they screw with customers, and the stories about the interesting regulars that show up at the close by mini mall. This movie talks more about Dante Hicks (BRIAN O'HALLORAN) and his future. Getting married and leaving New-Jersey are on his mind, the status quo interupted.

Lots of crude and rude comedy, some wild animal sex, and the ever hot Rosario Dawson make this a flick to see.

I highly doubt you'll like it, but I did, this is a freebie for most people but for me it's a must buy.



The Descent ............ 79%

Nobody you'd recognize

Go here for a good synopsis ....http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/descent/about.php

Me, I hate scary movies, and the one real fear I have is small enclosed spaces, so this movie did a good job of freaking me out. Although it's not really nightmare enducing it does play on some real fears for many people.

I liked it very much .... rent this on a dark night when you can watch the movie non stop.



Other movies I've seen ...........

The Night Listener ......... 72% solid if imperfect drama, Robin Williams is OK, Toni Collette is great, the story is just passable(and a little obvious).

My Super Ex-Girlfriend ......... 66% Some funny moments, but not all that funny overall, Uma looks great, Luke Wilson is annoyingly bad, Anna Farris try's her hardest to save this flick and it almost works

Lady in the Water ......... 58% Another M. Night Shyamalan flick where the idea is great, but the execution is lacking. M Night should never act in his own movies, even Paul Giamatti couldn't save this mess.

Time for a little trip.

I've always loved getting lost or finding a place that I can be completely anonymous. A place that nobody knows me and where I won't run into anybody I need to make small talk with.

With that thought in mind, I'm really looking forward to my camping trip out East. Although I'll end up meeting up with Fred/Michelle/Dylan and few days later, I'll really enjoy a couple days of nothing but taking photographs and checking out a new place.

My first plan consisted of a long drive to the Bruce Peninsula, 2 days of walking/driving around to different waterfalls and boardwalks and rock formations, followed by a 5 hour drive to Sandbanks to meet up with Fred and family. After looking a little more closely, I realized what killed my idea was the 5 hour drive, so I decided I'd head to the Thousand Islands, Fort Henry, and a couple of bird sanctuaries out Kingston way. I may even get ambitious and go to Ottawa ...we'll see, but it cuts my drive to around an hour to get to Sandbanks.

Woohoo

Brent

Our little golf trip, just the boys.

Our little event happened on August 20th, at Peninsula Lakes http://www.penlakes.com/ just about 20-25 minutes from the Niagara Falls. The drive was quite uneventful, a lot of that has to do with the 8:57 tee time OUCH. I had to leave the house at 6:15, and if it weren't for bad signage I would have arrived at 8:15 ..... quite the drive for a single game of golf, but it was worth the drive.

Nice course, a little too wet for my liking, so wet in fact that I actually plugged a drive in the fairway. A lot of that had to do with a recent storm, and the early tee time did help with the wet greens. I'll admit the course was really nice, not many "ooww or aahhhh!" holes, just a really nice, well manicured course. The greens were in great shape, but I was really hoping for some seriously quick greens OH WELL!

Just a quick little note ...... Man was I jealous of Fred, he was having a GREAT round of golf. He did slow down a little later in the round, but still kicked all of our asses.

Thanks guys!

p.s. next year lets get back to a 2 night, 3 day thing, and how about back in Niagara Falls?? I'll plan it, and we can have lunch at our new favorite place.

p.p.s. Anybody want a story about our interesting lunch, our trans gender waiter/waitress, and the fact that, for the first time EVER, Stew didn't finish his meal, just ask!

So the story goes that next years golf trip will be a 9 hole event, I was looking at an 18 hole par three course in 2007, a nine hole in 2008, and a putt putt course in 2009, followed by playing a course on Nintendo in 2010!

Sounds like a party don't it!

Wal Mart culture, and the decline of small town life.

Sometimes, I wonder whether people think about the implications of making there daily purchases from places like Wal-Mart. Do people realize that when Wal-MArt comes into a town they actually LOWER the standard of living for people living in that town. Do people also realize that Wal-Mart also pushes down prices so much that there suppliers need to sell 2 or 3 times as many products to make the same profit they did before Wal-Mart?

Sure, you may say, the cheaper the better, but what's really happening is that companies with this much power don't give a shit about people. They are having a large hand in eliminating the middle class. Sure, the people with the white collars have the type of income where they don't care, as long as they can buy the "toys" they desire, or take the trips, the cheaper the better. The blue collar workers on the other hand find that they need to shop there to make ends meet.

Now, don't get me wrong, for single parents or low income people Wal-Mart(Zellers ETC..) are a godsend, but for families making$100 000+(just a figure) try shopping at regular retailers that offer good service along with solid prices.

Alternatives ??? Sure, try shopping CANADIAN!! Need auto supplies? try Canadian Tire, need running shoes or workout clothes?? try National Sports, need food?? try Dominion, Loblaws, do you need ink for you printer?? try Canada computers or Logic Computer warehouse. It's not difficult to find a well priced alternative to the evil that is Wal-Mart.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Stouffville Wal-Mart ..... What an f-ing mess!

I always thought Uxbridge F-ed up badly when they allowed Wal-Mart to put a larger sign up then was allowed in town bylaws, but what bylaws did Stouffville amend to allow Wal-Mart to build the biggest mess in the Country??

It really turns my stomach to think that a company like Wal-Mart, a company that screws everybody in the supply chain along with costing low/middle income earners there wages, can walk into smaller towns and pretty much demand the town give in to each whim.

Oh, and if you don't think this affects wages, just talk to the managers at any of the grocery stores you shop. They have all seem a huge drop in income, wages are being curtailed, and in order for people to keep there jobs people are being forced to accept a drop in wages and benefits.

Oh, Wal-MArt hasn't been all bad, there insistance on suppliers maximizing there efficiency, the use of certain ordering systems, the integration between Wal-Mart and its' suppliers has revolutionized retailing. All good things, but at a huge cost to employees.

Tell me, haven't you seens a complete lack of courtesy among shoppers when you're in Wal-Mart?? I have, and I don't see that as much with better retailers.

All I ask is that you try to shop with a conscience, and think about me living on the streets when my union comes back and tells me to accept a $4 and hour wage cut ALL because of Wal-Mart. YES, I blame it on Wal-Mart because before them we all got along well together, now Wal-Mart is the bully and that doesn't bode well for Canadian retailers.

Hi, How are you?

I know I know ..... START POSTING MORE OFTEN!!!

Sorry, but the real reason I don't post as much as I'd like is because I need to use IE because the Blogspot interface is more IE friendly. I also only seem to get mad about things for a short period of time. When I finally sit in front of the computer, the rage has faded and the thoughts that were in my head have since floated away and I am in a state of bliss:-)

I also found out thatI can post through Email, that means I can send an email from my regular addy and it will automatically post it here ...... you may ALMOST get daily posts EEwwwww!

Anyways, onto the posts. which are, oddly, all above this post, and will probably be in reverse chronological order.

My most recent toy

For years and years I was also the photo guy. People would always ask me "hey Goo where's your Camera" and I never knew how to reply. Should I have made some silly statements like "I'm here to have a good time", or "camera WHO?:-)". Maybe I should have said the real reason "I'm sick of taking photographs"? Well that has changed in a pretty major way with the advent of good and (relatively) cheap D-SLR's. I'll tell you, I looked for about a year and was deciding between an all in one camera like a Fuji finepix 5200
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Fujifilm/fuji_finepixs5200z.asp and a proper Digital SLR . What I found out was that while I loved the "all in oneness" of this camera, good megapixels, great zoom range, and even a great price. I found out that they didn't offer the expandability OR the picture quality of a proper Digital SLR.

This is the great camera I ended up with http://nikon.ca/products/d50/

I would have liked to have told you how I ended up with a Minolta 5d digital SLR instead of the Nikon, but it wasn't much before I got serious about my intentions that Konica/Minolta decided to stop making digital cameras and have pretty much pulled out of Canada.

I really wish I could have remained a "Minolta man"!!

Now if I played my cards right I would have waited a few more weeks. WHY? Sony introduced a camera based largely on the 5D, including Minolta's antishake, and antidust technology, and using a 10 megapixel sensor ... mine only has 6. the abundant availability of good quality Minolta glass(lens) was also a plus

Sony's new camera is the the A100 http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Sony/sony_dslra100.asp

So why did I end up with the D50 over a new/used D70-70s or another camera? It's pretty simple, with digital technology moving ahead at a breakneck pace it didn't make sense to buy a more expensive unit that I've end up replacing in 2 years. Also the D50 has "out of the box" better image quality that either the d70/d70s. Sure, you lose a couple of features(depth of feild preview, a little better flash capabilties, a few more dedicated buttons, and a couple extra accessories, but you gain a better handling camera, with less digital noise, and you save $200+...Remember, put you money towards lenses ..... something you won't need to replace in a year.

As for why I didn't pick something like a Pentax ist or a Canon digital Rebel? Well that was pretty simple really. Firstly, the Pentax cameras have very little support among avid photographers and aren't reviewed anywhere as well as their Nikon counterpart. They also lack in "keeping up" with technology like Nikon does. As for the Digital Rebel, well that was a little tougher. The Rebel has a resolution advantage(10 vs 6 megapixels), and some of the best lens on the market. The real problem I had was the Rebel felt really cheap when I held it, that and the fact that I could never afford Canon's top glass kept me from buying the Rebel.

So,was it expensive?? Well I guess that's all relative. I was lucky enough to get a NEW U.s. version shipped to me door for about $620 everything included, and before you ask NO, the lens was included for that price. I knew the weak point of the D50 "kit" was the lens, so I hunted around and bought a used 18-70 from a Nikon d70 kit for $230.

Add a memory card or 2, and a UV filter and you're off to the races.

I did find 1 problem, and that came when I went to the Durham highland games. I really could have used a longer lens for a few of the band shots. I guess that's my next purchase and it looks like I'll be trying a cheaper alternative to Nikon glass, a Sigma 70-300 APO DG f4.5-5.6. Most consumer level digital SLR's use a smaller image sensor that multiplies a lens focal length, my D50 has a multiplication factor of 1.5. So my 18-70 is actually a 27-105mm, while the 70-300 becomes a 105-450. That should be enough reach for now, that is unless I go for a higher quality lens, but they start at $1000+ OUCH

Do I love my camera .... you bet.... see the unedited picture below.


It's a start, but I really need to figure out Photoshop!

Diet/change in eating habits UPDATE

Well, things have improved, I eat fruit everyday and routinely cook some veggies with dinner. I also found that chocolate doesn't rule mylife

Things aren't perfect though, I found a substitute for chocolate, kinda half way between good and bad. They are called "Real Fruit", sure they are made using real fruit puries, and that's the good part, the bad part is the added sugar. I'll keep working on that part.

During the real hot days I caught myself having an ice-cream cone. NowI love ice-cream, but if somebody could find me lime sherbet I think I'd be able to ..... lick.....this bad habit. Sherbet is MUCH more healthy, look it up:)

I'vealso found that Swiss Chalet makes for a very easy dinner. I know the killer part is the fries and I need to work on ordering something else as my side ..... baked potatatatoe OK?

I also need to work on the time I eat, I still eat in the morning when I come home even if I'm heading to bed shortly. I may be hungry, but eating an hour before I go to bed can't be good for me.

That's it for now ........... OH wait, I also need to drink more water ......any water!

MOVIES ...yep, Superman and Click

Click .......71%

Adam Sandler
Kate Beckinsale
Christopher Walken

Good little story about a man with a beautiful wife and his stressful life.

Don't go into this movie thinking you'll get the story you see in the previews, you won't. You see, this is a movie about a man, looking for a remote to make his life just a LITTLE bit easier. What he gets is a remote that rules his life. In the beginning it's great, but the remote starts to control his life involuntarily, and that's when the real movie shows up.

Adam Sandler is one of those guys that bonds quickly with his audience, a poorman's Jim Carey. Don't expect me to say I love either of them, I'm really sick of Jim Carey's "over the top" comedic acting, but when he plays a serious role like he did in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, or in the case of Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love, I can't help but follow each word like it is of the greatest importance. I guess I'm amazed that these two comedians are more than the sum of their parts. So when you see Adam Sandler act like, well, Adam Sandler, early in the movie don't be too worried, he gets better, as does the movie.

Kate Beckinsale is strong and beautiful, she could stand there and improve any movie, but she seems just a little androgynous to me.Maybe it's because she isn't sexed up in this flick, she a good looking housewife that's it! Maybe that's the problem, the thought of a woman with kids being attractive seems like an oddity to me. Hey, being married seems a little odd to me:-)

Christopher Walken is fun to watch, he usually is, but I fear he's getting used as a throw away character in more movies. An oddly cast character actor, you either love him or hate him. I used to love him, but his delivery is getting old QUICK.

The David Hasslehoff bit is kinda funny, but who cares.

Overall this flick is worth watching for the last 45 minutes, but go in expecting a comedy, and you'll end up leaving in tears. Hey, I teared up near the end!

Brent

Superman ......78%

Brandon Routh
Kate Bosworth

HHmmm So close to perfection!

I found out after trying to watch the "old" Superman flicks that I'm really not a big fan of them Mr Reeves was charasmatic in the role of Superman, and Gene Hackman playing Lex Luthor was a lot of fun, but the movies were really bad. Sure I may have loved them when I was little(er), but I don't enjoy them anymore.

With that said, I really enjoyed this movie on the whole. Brandon Routh is a great Superman, being strong when he needs to be, and striking the right pose when called upon. I wasn't as big a fan of Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, she was awfully bland, and looked to be mildly emaciated. Nothing like how she looked in Blue Crush, and she looked great in that movie. Kevin Spacey was called upon to play the eccentric, slightly crazy Lex Luthor, and he almost nails it. In this important role I feel Gene Hackman was a little stronger. But really, I was hoping they'd edge a little more towards the Smallville Lex Luthor ... a little more dark and sinister.

The sound and effects were top rate, I'll admit to a rush of adrenaline the first time I saw him fly again, but too many off the cool bits are given away in the trailers.

Overall, this is one of those flicks you'd label a blockbuster, something you should really see on the big screen, it also rates high on the rewatchability scale!

Brent

More silliness within our Country

Did I miss something, or is our government more worried about revenue from traffic tickets than getting paid for "services rendered"?

Seems like a strange question doesn't it? Not really, the revenue from traffic tickets is HUGE, but why are we so easily forgiving debtors from other countries? I've routinely read stories about "out-of-Province tourists" getting tickets, but with no chance of collecting the revenue. All the province gets is a record of the offence, and that's used mostly for insurance purposes.

What's really funny is a story I read just today about our wonderful healthcare system. This little blurb is from today's Toronto Sun

"Vancouver-Taxpayers in B.C. are footing $10 million in unpaid bills that have been racked up by foreigners who have obtained hosptial care, Health Minister George Abbot said in a recent report.
Canadian hospitals do not refuse patients who can't afford to pay, leaving many hospitals to front the burden. "

Do I have a problem with this?? sure I do, and I wonder if the same thing happens in other Provinces. Kind of turns my stomach actually. You see I have no problem with charity or goodwill, and child from a third world country that needs an operation, and Sick Kids in Toronto is the best choice, then GREAT bring them here. What I wouldn't be suprised about would be foreigners coming to this country JUST for "free" healthcare.

You need health care while travelling here?? OK, do you have health insurance? no? Collateral ?, NO, sorry, we'll stabilize you and ship you across the border, you'll get the bill for the work we did, THANK YOU!

I actually wonder how thay just walk out of the hospital? Are no questions asked about how they'll pay?? Seems kind of silly to me!

Yes I understand this is a story from Vancouver, but who's to say it doesn't happen here on a regular basis?

Brent

PERFECT ..... the deportation of illegal immigrants

I love to hear people say things like "this family is minding there own business, just earning a living and contributing to society". Sure, but that like saying "This guy is just minding his own business, why put him in jail for killing somebody ten years ago?"

Sure, the comparison isn't exactly the same, but BOTH of these things are illegal, and repaying society for your mistakes is all part and parcel to being a responsible member of society.

With that said. I am very happy to here the Lizano-Sossa family was kicked out of the country. I almost laugh when I hear things like " NDP MP Olivia Chow (Trinity-Spadina) said it's "un-Canadian" to remove the family on Canada Day and it contradicts the country's compassionate and humanitarian values. " What I think is that this Country is already WAY to lax on immigration and needs to tighten the rules. What's to stop everybody from coming in and saying "please, we are good people" WAH WAH WAH!

Regardless of the fact that these are good people, they overstayed there status and are here illegally .... goodbye!

OH, I just read today about a Group of Asian people also here under false pretenses, living in the underground .... wonderfull isn't it!


Brent



The family came to Canada on visitor visas in 2001 and filed a refugee claim, which was rejected. When they failed to show up for a deportation flight in February, a warrant was issued.

Interesting weekend

Did you have a great weekend??? well goody goody for you!

ME? I was stuck working the weekend and trying to, perhaps, have a little fun mixed in. Did it work you wonder? Kind of, and I'll tell you why.

Being stuck working Friday-Saturday-Sunday meant that I was forced to cram some fun into Monday. Luckily I was able to do just that. It's been a long time since I spent most of the day at Fred and Michelle's, and it almost made the weekend enjoyable. My best memory of the weekend was the water fight between Fred and Michelle. Of course they tried to get me involved, but I just ended up using Dylan as a human shield so I could stay dry. I will say that Dylan doesn't offer much protection from a squirt gun, ESP from a guy my size, but it made for a great laugh..

It looks like a few other things happened too.

HAPPY CANADA DAY ....... to the greatest Country on this planet! Sure it has problems, just like every Country, but there is no place I would ever want to live.

Congratulations to Greg and Michelle on the birth of their first child .... Ella Rose .... I just wish they'd have used Googoo for a middle name, think about it Ella Googoo ______ quite the ring if I do say so myself:-)

Now I need to figure out when I'm taking my week off, and I'll be damned if they think I'm working the next long weekend. Remember that September 3rd will be the day at Mosport for the "The Labour Day Weekend Grand Prix of Mosport" , looks like I be camping that weekend, but I'll be going to Mosport all day Sunday, wouldn't want to miss it.

Brent

aNOTHER LONG ....whoops .... Another long weekend, and I'm stuck working!

Why is it always the good worker that work the long weekends?? It seems Dog fuckers or the ass kissers get the weekend off.

Luckily the store is closed both nights before I get there, so I don't need to worry about customers, but I still have two long nights ahead. Looks like I have an order and a night to get ready for inventory, and I'm sure the freezer is a complete mess! It's not like I have extra time each night, and I doubt thatother departments do, but it seems the other 2 departments leave their messes for me to clean up.

Menial labour has never been this stressfull, but I'm not one of those guys that goes in and "puts in time" like so many other union members do. I like to get work done, and I've always said that as long as I go home with the knowledge that I put in a good night then I'm happy.

Have a great Canada Day weekend!

Brent

No, YES, no, no

Movie day was pretty much a bust, out of the house before 9:30a.m.,and home at 12:20a.m., and I was incredibly tired from doing nothing.

The best part of the day was the Mushrooms neptune at The Keg, the worst was the movies I saw. WEElllll that's not quite true, I really enjoyed X-men 3, enjoyed a few good jumps from The Omen, and laughed a few times at both Over the Hedge AND The Break Up, but the only one I was happy to have paid for would have been X-men.

I'm really happy that all of my movies were free:-)

No reviews, sorry, no interest after the day I had, but I will say, go see X-men, let your young children enjoy Over the Hedge, you'll jump at the Omen(but you won't be scared), and the only reason to see The Break up is for Jennifer Aniston ...... damn she still looks hot!

OH, Chick flick alert, YEP, The Break Up is a chick flick. I'm just happy Fred and Stew came of their own accord, they had every chance to check it out before hand and although they tried, they CAN'T blame it on me ..... HA HA!

MY BIRTHDAY ...... Movies, when and where!

It sure looks like Wednesday will be a long day, 4 movies between 12 noon and 11p.m.. Do you think I'll remember any of them:-)

Here is the days Itinerary;

10:30 a.m. leave home.
11 a.m. at work to write my frozen order.
12 p.m. at Famous Players Richmond Hill.
12:10 Over the Hedge
2 p.m. X men
5 p.m The Keg Newmarket for a beer and Mushrooms neptune .....MMmmm mushrooms neptune:-)
7:10 p.m. The Omen
9:40 p.m. The Break up ..... as requested

Hopefully home before 1a.m.

You are welcome at any or all of these things, but don't expect to help me out with my frozen food order:-)

Brent

I hope it's not true!

I'm not one of those people that thinks Canada is immune to bad things happening in the rest of the world. What I am, is amazed people are willing to kill for ANY reason, and almost always say it's a "religious" thing.

I've always said that if you want to come to Canada, work hard and get along, then welcome! But why can't people just enjoy life, and leave others alone? Why do people think what they say has more importance(or more impact) than what I feel myself?? Why am I force fed ideas that I may not believe, and when I say "That's not how I feel" I'm made to feel like I'm wrong??

This comes to my problem, why do people come here, sometimes for years, with the only thought in there mind is to kill people to get their point across? We, as a wealthy Country are duty bound to help when we need to. Whether it be an uprising, civil war, or a natural disaster ..... We will always lend a hand, just ask us! Why oh why then are we judged by our friends, and grouped in because of our proximity to our closest ally?? Don't judge me by my friends, judge me only when you know me.

To say I'm mildy dumbfounded by the recent arrest of a group of people intent on killing innocent people to "get a point across"is an understatement. I can't remember ever wanting to kill somebody because of their beliefs, and I can't understand why people would do this. I guess maybe I'm a silly little Canadian that figures everybody should get along, or maybe people should worry about themselves. What I'm not is blind, it's time for our government to step up and make getting into this Country a little harder. Fingerprint anybody coming in, commit a crime and we get a fingerprint off a weapon? You lose your landed immigrant and are deported immediately, NO APPEALS!

I read a little something on the weekend about a business owner from another country that was given landed immigrant status for simply "lending"the government of Canada 1/2 of the net worth of his company for something like 8-10 years. He's then given LIS and given the money back without interest. What would stop some "terrorists" from using family businesses to buy there way into Canada?? This needs to be stopped!

Brent

Happy Birthday Ray S

Thought I'd post a little note to say Happy Birthday to the "old guy":-) on night crew.

Hope you had a great dinner and enjoyed your Minestrone soup .

Brent

A new era .... with some help!

June 8 2006, is the day I make a serious change in my eating habits, and I'm looking for some help..

Currently, I eat like crap, and since I'm pretty much a closet food addict you'll never see me shoveling things into me. What I'm asking for is some help from my friends. We go for dinner, PLEASE remind me of my change. Baked potato instead of fries, water instead of pop, garden salad instead of caesar, the little things.

It's so easy to fall into the same traps, I love fruits and veggies, but I always find myself heading towards the junk food aisle. Why have pear when I can have some Tostitos? I like pears just as much as Tostitos, but I'm always drawn towards the junk food.

That's it, that's all!

OH, remember that June 7th is my 2nd annual "all day movie fest".... 2 movies at the Famous players in Richmond Hill followed by 2 more at FP in Newmarket .... movie picks to follow.

Brent

Illegal immigrants .....Are you one?

That's not really the question,but here it comes!

Do you think that all the illegal workers in Canada should be allowed to stay??

ME? NOPE, go home, apply properly and see what happens.

Most of these people are good honest(?) hard working(?) people, but are in the Country because they've either filed for landed immigrant and were denied, OR they put in for asylum and were denied, OR they KNOWINGLY overstayed their visitors visa. WHAT makes these people think they have ANY rights other than the most basic human rights? They should follow the rules and re-apply OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY! If you're denied, SORRY, but stay home, the country doesn't want you. I don't care that they "fill a gap" or "take jobs others won't", YOU ARE HERE ILLEGALLY, I DON'T CARE about anything else. The fact that you are here and broke the law to remain here, says a lot about your character.

Lot's of people try to say that the illegal immigrants are doing nothing wrong and are contributing to society. They say they fill a void, they work hard, they may even pay taxes. That's great, it'slike saying you came and stayed at my house, overstayed your welcome, but decided you'd vacuum the house, and when you were asked to leave your big argument is "look how clean the carpets are!"

Look, I have no problem with immigration, we are all immigrants, either many years ago or much more recently. I truly believe this country is great because of the variety of people living here. What I don't like to see is the slow disintegration of our society due to a lax immigration policies and no penalties for illegal immigrants.

How about this, basic rights ONLY for the first 5 years, schooling for the children GREAT, but NO social assistance, and NO health care for 5 years. Full rights only after 5 years, and no sponsorship rights for 5 years(7 for the aged) . We don't need people coming to this country because they are sponsored ONLY to use our free healthcare system when they have given NOTHING to our society.

BRENT

P.s. Good to see some minimum sentencing for gun related crimes, but they still aren't enough in my opinion.

P.P.s I'm not overly impressed with the Softwood limber deal, we are giving up 1 billion dollars up front, but at least we get some of our money back .....Another story about the U.S. being the bully, but we won't go there:)

B

Review .... Mission Impossible 3

Mission Impossible 3 ............ 70%

Tom Cruise,
Ving Rhames,
Philip S. Hoffman

Pure adrenaline, but skip the story!

I'll admit, for the first 20 minutes 3 things happened to me;

1. My adrenaline was pumping
2. My brain was turning itself off.
3. I kept wondering when the advertisment for Scientology would pop up.

Through the whole movie nothing changed either, this is an action flick pure and simple. IT's not a smart flick, nor is it particularly well written flick but what it excels at is action, and it delivers. MI3 isn't as much fun as Mr and Mrs Smith, nor is it smart like V for Vendetta, but it's the perfect beginning to the summer movie season.

There are only 2 reasons to recommend this film

1' It's fun! ........but leave your brain at the door.
2' Philip Seymour Hoffman..... perhaps the perfect villian!

I haven't bought either of the first 2 flicks, and with good reason. The "rewatchability":) of these movies is really low. Therefore I suggest a rental, keep the other 20$ in your pocket, ready for The Da Vinci Code:)

Brent

I'm sick, 3 short movie reviews.

Scary Movie 4 .......45%

Anna Faris,
Craig Bierko,
Regina Hall

Funny in parts, but it tries WAY to hard, without much success.

I've always been a fan of good spoof movie, and when the Scary Movie series was a little fresher I really looked forward to seeing them. Scary Movie 4 pushes each bit much further than it needs to, ruining the funny parts by wringing out every little laugh.

A few cameos were thrown in here and there without a lot of laughs. In particular the Shaquille O'neal and Doctor Phil bit started off pretty funny, but ended up really lame.

The only bits I really enjoyed were the jabs taken at Tom "crazy man" Cruise, they were worth watching over and over, and over again.

Sorry folks, free TV only!


Silent Hill ...... 70%

Radha Mitchell,
Laurie Holden,
Sean Bean

Creepy? YEP! Worth watching? oh yeah!

Did you ever see the movie Event Horizon?? Do you remember that it seemed to be a movie that was SSSOo close to being good but ends up JUST missing the mark? Silent Hill is just like that.

Silent is a movie based on a video game, and before you think of the horrific "Doom" movie DON'T! This movie has some real creepiness, from the mood and lighting, to the FANTASTIC sci-fi characters. Pyramid head was great, but not used enough. The "nurses" that are attracted to light were truly creepy. But the best by far were the "ash babies". My jawed dropped when I saw these "things" advancing towards our heroin.

Were this movie falls apart, is where the Sean Bean Character is involved, a completely missused character. You have 2 choices, use him more OR less, I vote for MUCH less. The other downfall is misuse of the public school. They had every chance to make this part truly terrifying, make it darker, SLOWER, use the surround speakers for more ambiance. Don't just show us how the school changes from the evil and all the flesh eating cockroaches, make it dark even during daylight.

P.s. SEE it, you may not love it, but you'll love the first rate effects.

OH, the ending has the most obvious setup for a sequel I've ever seen, but I'm looking forward to it none the less.


Later,
Brent

Vandals topple 200 tombstones ... government flag NOT honouring our dead, + a rant!

Children, grow up and show some respect!

It's with a heavy heart that I am posting this. Young adults, with very little to do, have once again decided it would be fun to topple peoples tombstones.

Taken from The Toronto Sun on Sunday April 2, 2006

"
Jaws dropped in shock yesterday as visitors to an Etobicoke cemetery stumbled upon more than 200 overturned headstones.
Small crowds of people who came to lay flowers and burn candles at Park Lawn Cemetery, near Bloor and Prince Edward Sts., drew deep breaths as they noticed that whole rows of granite stones were toppled off their concrete bases and lying engraving-side down.
"

I wonder what runs through these peoples heads when they desecrate the resting place of so many of our loved ones. Is it possibly drugs, alcohol, or just plain boredom, do these kids even know what they are doing, and if so, do they care??? My repsonse, these kids have little knowledge about the tribute these tomstones offer for the dead. They have either never lost anybody, or were brought up without the moral fibre to know how wrong it is. YEP, I can blame the parents for some of that, but really it's the gang mentality coming into effect. One kid being egged on by another until in mass hysteria they all start doing this with no thought as to what they are doing. SURE, add the drugs/alcohol into the mix, and people get brave very quickly. Would one of these kids even think about this if they were walking past a graveyard by themselves?? I doubt it!

The real question for me is, what would I do if my Mother's tombstone was toppled?? First, I'd go to my Neice and Nephew for information. I assure you that they'd both be as livid as I would be. That and the fact that they are both teenager in "that" age group means I'd get lots of info about the people doing this. Secondly I would hunt, and confront the individuals responsible. Third, I'd make sure they paid for all repairs and many hours of community service. And if, just IF they were an adult, I'd be sure to fight for jail time.

Sorry, but just thinking of this happeing turns my stomach and enrages me, and everybody that knows me, knows I'm just a big softy.

Brent

Another important piece of info.

It appears that ever since Steven Harper entered office the flag hasn't been lowered in honour of our dead at the Piece Tower in Ottawa. HOW DESPICABLE! It's another sign of a complete lack of respect from the governers of our country.

When will people with a social conscience run our government? When will people with an interest in what's good for the people of the country, and not just in lining there pockets come forward?? Funny, most of the "real" people I know consider government to be corrupt, and anybody with a moral compass would never consider entering the arena/

I remember a quote from a couple of years ago about a possible raise for the politicians. This guy what asked about the raise, and his reply was something like "we deserves more, HEY, I was making more as a lawyer". Now that was a paraphrase, but when people that already earn a very good living tell me they were making more money as a lawyer, my thought is "good, get the fuck out of politics".

We also need to get rid of the gold plated pension, HUGE office budgets, and partial tax free status we offer politicians. OH, WAIT, they vote themselves these raises. I wonder if that would work for me?? I'd love a car allowance of $17 000 a year. CRAP, I'd take a tax allowance of $1700. As for huge office budgets, I have no problem with money spent on"needed" things, but I think it's more the "if I don't use it, then I'll lose it" mentality. What about these idiots claiming dinner expenses, LOTS of people work through dinner, LOTS of people pay for there cars "out of pocket", and most of us earn a mediocre pension.

As for local politicians

"
Councillors get plenty of financial support to run their offices. Their computers, their phones, their furniture, all supplies and even three staff come out of other city coffers. They have free TTC passes and free parking at city lots."

Even worse is that most Politicians feel a need to spend almost all of there budgets even if they don't need to. STOp sending out lots of flyers, send one of two a year, operate a web site with regular updates on what your doing. Hold meetings with tax payers in parks or other free venues. Do you really need a constituency office?? probably not, so why not rent a spot once or twice a month to meet with any taxpayer that want's to stop stop in.

Politicians ... please try to play nicely, act morally and with the best interest in the PUBLIC welfare.

Brent

P.s. I wasn't planning on going there ...WHOOPS:-)

Quick Movie Reviews .... Ultraviolet, The Hills have eyes, Beowulf And Grendel, and V ...For Vendetta

Howz this for a wide variety of films HUH:-) I'll be honest with you, I wouldn't have gone to see THHE, or BAG if it weren't for General Mills and the $4.00 movie.

Anyways

Ultraviolet ..... 41%

Milla Jovovich,
Cameron Bright,
Nick Chinlund

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil! .....This movie should be "don't see this movie, don't see this movie, don't see this movie.

OH my, if you liked the previews, but you're sorry because you didn't make it to the theatre to see this, be VERY HAPPY!

This movie is shit to the nth degree. I wondered is I would regret this movie. Milla Jovovich has been good in a few movies,but not because of her acting ability,it's because she has a great body and is quite althletic.

I won't go into describing the action, because I can't. This is simply a mess of bad acting, bad directing, a bad script, and CGI that looks like it's from 1898.

VERY VERY bad!

I feel SOOOoo dirty!


The Hills have Eyes .... 58%
Aaron Stanford,
Vinessa Shaw,
Kathleen Quinlan
Emilie de Ravin

It's like a deep fly ball that HAD a chance!

Really, this isn't my type of movie. I know you'd think ANY movie is "my type", but that's not true.

This movie has a family of 5, plus the son in law and baby, head towards California in a motorhome to celebrate their parents anniversary. They stop to get gas and directions at a VERY run down gas station. They learn about a "shortcut" through the hills that will save them a couple of hours, and of course they take it. HUH! try to save a couple of hours? TRY FLYING !! During the next 80 minutes you see a few, Umm, interesting looking people. You see, the path they are put on leads them right beside the old Nevada testing grounds, and the people are remnants of the offspring from the "test villages" from back in the 60's. What you end up with is a movie that had every chance to be home run, but instead ends up a deep flyball.

Don't miss Emilie de Ravin as the little blonde daughter. I remember her from Beasmaster, and it took me a while to figure out it was her ...WOW!, but she looked better in Beastmaster, with only her pretty face exposed while the rest is covered in a blus outfit.

Rent it, make some popcorn, and enjoy.



Beowulf & Grendel ...... 73%
Gerard Butler,
Stellan Skarsgard,
Sarah Polley

Another flick I bet you've never heard of!

I think it's best to say this movie is a low budget Canadian/Scandinavian production that deals with the old story of the Grundel(the troll) VS Beowulf, and the seemingly random acts of violence against a Kings men.

The acting here was top notch, the King, Beowulf, and Grundel were all solid. I did find it a little odd that Selma(Sarah Polly) didn't have ANY accent at all. this is based in Iceland, but maybe it's because she is, according to the people, a witch, she has lost her accent, I don't know!

Synopsis from RottenTomatoes.com

" Out of allegiance to the King Hrothgar, the much respected Lord of the Danes, Beowulf leads a troop of warriors across the sea to rid a village of the marauding monster. The monster, Grendel, is not a creature of mythic powers, but one of flesh and blood - immense flesh and raging blood, driven by a vengeance from being wronged, while Beowulf, a victorious soldier in his own right, has become increasingly troubled by the hero-myth rising up around his exploits."

This movie is NOT typical Hollywood, it's better, some good laughs, a good story, good acting and beautiful scenery make this a good renter, and with the right amount of extras(lots on the website) this could be a purchase.



V For Vendetta ...... 82%

Remember, remember, the fifth of November!

Based on a comic book and with all the problems of modern life, this movie will entrance you, it will mezmorize you, it will leave you wondering "who really is the bad guy?" Most of all, you'll love it. I did!

This movie is a little above my level of writing. It speaks of a society that has strict rules, is run by a government that cares less about it's citizens that it's citizens obeying the rules. Disobey and you may never been seen again. This is where Evey and V meet, he saves her from getting taken by the "police", a never seen again. she is taken and hidden by V, because, with cameras everywhere, they will be looking for her.

It's in the time when Ivey and V get to know each other that you find out about V and his views about voracious vengence and a violent vendetta. You also learn that V is a little crazy, he's also very charismatic, he has a sense of loyalty, and a sense of right and wrong. What he doesn't have is anybody that understands WHY he's doing the things he does.

This movie isn't the fast paced movie you'd expect from THE WACHOWSKI BROTHERS (The Matrix,2,3), it is more of a thinker flick. You'll see lots of reference to events both past and present, but what you may not know is WHY it's the 5th of November that everything happens. November is Guy Fawkes day. Guy Fawkes was a something of an idealist, he felt government had there hands in too many things, including religion. On November 5th 1605, Guy Fawkes was to set fire to kegs of gun powder planted under the House of Parliament.

Go to http://vforvendetta.warnerbros.com/index2.html and click on the Guy Fawkes link for some good reading.

Highly recommended, definite buy I only hope the extras live up to the website.

Stew ..............Stew .......your comments on this movie!!!

Buildings, they ain't what they used to be!

Have you looked around lately?? NO, not at the walls, have you looked at the homes and office buildings being built under the "modern is better" theme??

Me, I get disgusted when I drive past a newly constructed monstrosity that builders are passing as "a modern masterpiece". Look at that mess North of Eagle on the West side of Yonge in Newmarket, it's the York region Administrative building. Sure it looks kinda pretty, but will the looks hold up?? To me it's already dated, and classic is always cool. Making a building with round walls and concentric circles isn't what I call art.

Here's an excercise for you, walk up to any "modern" building and look for anything with long lasting style, now look at any old building, the designs are so much more aesthetically pleasing than the crap built today. Now in every generation you get good and bad, but with the cost to build sooo high they tend to forget the style aspect. What's worse is when Cities and Towns don't protect important architecture, our history is important!

Where did I come up with this?? Follow the link below to find out.

http://www.heritagecanada.org/eng/news/endangered.htm

Brent

How the mighty have fallen, me and photography.

It's really weird to look back on my history as a working(part-time) photographer, and wondering where I went wrong, but here's a little history.

I remember it well, it was right around 1981 that I became interested in photography. Everytime I shopped with my Mom at Upper Canada Mall we would make a little stop at the Sears restaurant for lunch, and on the way out we would go by the old coin booth set up just outside the entrance so I could see what old coins they had for sale. It was about that time when Sear started selling "real" cameras, not just point and shoot, but 35mm cameras with all the toys and the possible accesorries, and they caught my eye.

It was about a year later that I got my first camera, a Minolta X570 with a 50mm F2 lens. Sure it wasn't the top of the line, but even a basic Nikon or Canon was about 50% more, and I WAS paying for half. I'd like to thank my parents for putting in the other half though:)

The Summer went by while I learned how to take photographs, it was fall when I figured is was time to add to my camera. So later that year I picked up a new flash(360px), and was caught taking lots of photographs at family events. With winter coming(and school starting...grade 8) it was best to put my photography hobby on hold until the summer.

I lived for quite a while with just one lens, but I longed:) for something longer:), YEP a zoom lens. It was the fall of 1984 when I picked up my Vivitar Series 1 70-210 f2.8-4.0 lens and man oh man did I love it. Tack sharp, real heavyweight for it's day. As good as anything made by the big guys, and about $270 in 1984 ... pretty good money I must say.

Enough about my equipment, but I ended up with a few more lenses, motor drives, and another flash, tripod, monopod BLAH BLAH BLAH!

SO, it was about grade 10 when I started to come out of my shell, so I offered to shoot for the high school yearbook. Over the year I was able to get out of some classes to photograph events, and to say I loved the interaction with the students was an understatement. It wasn't until the next year that I became the major contributor to the yearbook. Besides the teams/groups I played on or was a member of, tennis, skiing, golf, table tennis, photography, I was able to take lots of days off for special events. The biggest event was when the Senior boys volleyball team won the OFSA championship .....AWESOME, and I was the photographer.

Since my school life was ending soon I decided it was time to decide what to do. I ended up deciding to stay and take a few grade 13 clsses and take CO-op. I was lucky enough to be the first Co-op student accepted by the Markham Economist and Sun newspaper. I worked there for about 3 years, doing events and such, but it was a screw up(thanks Jo-ann Stevenson!) that saw me getting less and less freelance work, sure I was pissed off, but I was just finishing up College(Humber College North Campus, Creative Photography) that I didn't really worry.

Over the years I've taken many family/group photos, and lots of weddings, but I finally decided that if wedding photography was my life then I didn't want to do it anymore. Most people don't understand how pressure filled being a wedding photographer is, you screw up and other people suffer. Besides,the event can never be recreated, and bad word of mouth can ruin you.

Do I still enjoy photography? SURE, but it's not the passion it once was. What's worse is that photograpy isn't the art it once was either. The art is now in Photoshop and how proficient you are at manipulating a digital image, not with proper composition,lighting, even good timing. Just shoot a million picures and surely something will look good. I wonder if one day cats will be taking "photographs" that'll hang in our best art museums, god knows skill isn't required anymore.

Will I update my camera equipment? SURE, but maybe I'll take that little trip to Alberta I've been talking about, if only to say goodbye to my trusty Minoltas, They sure have been good to me!

Brent

P.s. If I had my whits about me, I never would have gone to the second year of college, but that's another story.

P.P.s I really need to thank my Uncle Bob, he was the inspiration for all the photography I did over the years, thanks Bob.

Spelling errorz ....

I just got an Email commenting about my spelling errors, and here is what I have to say about that.

PPpffttttt!

Thanks for the comment,I'll correct a bad error when I see it, but this is a blog and not a thesis. Errors are part of the blog, and my thoughts contain lot of errors TRUST ME!

If you want to check the most AMAZING thing ever?? Check this link out..

http://www.break.com/index/autisticbball.html

Later

Please see "Black Friday" post first.

Please see "Black Friday" post first

Fed-EX and Canada Post ..... F you!

Why does it seem that everybody I deal with turns out to be completely incompetent?

Was is bad enough that Home Depot screwed me around on delivery dates for the leather chair in late November, early December?? I guess not, because I feel like I'm getting bent over the trunk of my car by both Canada Post AND Fed-ex!

About 6 weeks ago I was asked to purchase something from Bell for a buddy in Alberta .... No problem.... but in ended up being a better value to simply buy it at home and skip all the the BS involved and to spend $50 to save $10, didn't seem like much of a deal. Al agreed and I sent back the card by Canada Post(expresspost) on February 16th ......IT HAS NEVER BEEN ENTERED IN THE SYSTEM. I'll say that until this problem I've never trouble with anything I've shipped this way, but it only takes once!

The second package was sent the same way, Canada Post(expresspost), and on the same day, February 16th, but this was was a little more valuable. It included my UPCs and claims for for a $250 Home Depot gift card. I sent it this way because I'd never had a problem, and because I'd know that my package would arrive before the claims cutoff of February 28th WHOOPS, it has also NEVER BEEN ENTERED IN THE SYSTEM!

Seems like something happened at the postal outlet in Uxbridge, since they were never entered in the system before the packaged left Uxbridge. Could the new Lady working at the cash be the problem....I hope not, but I am losing faith quickly.

What does this mean??? Well, I will claim the insurance for the package sent to Al in Alberta. The $100 will just cover the stuff I returned. The Home Depot rebate on the other hand could get dicey. I've missed the actual date for submission, but the proof is the postal mark, and I'm well before that(Feb 16th), But for me to resubmit I need the UPCs which I don't have, nor did I make copies.... Why would I?? Canada Post has never lost a package of mine before ...WHOOPS.

I did contact Home Depot about this, and they seemed receptive to the idea of giving the gift card based on the proof of order and delivery .... we'll see!

NOW THE THIRD AND BIGGEST SCREWUP!!!!!

After using my projector for a little over a year I started to notice the dust build up was getting pretty bad and was affecting my enjoyment of the projector. Dust you say?? DUST?? OK, picture a little dust particle on the front of a lens blown up to about about 6" across and then make it dozens of dust particles each 6" in size on an 85" screen, and you'll understand why I was getting annoyed.

So I decided I would send it back and get it cleaned. I dropped it off on February 10th at the Service depot in Scarborough. Records show the package was return shipped on February 16th, and DELIVERED ON FEBRUARY 17TH AT 12;07 .... Funny thing, the package never showed up. What's worse, that morning I was visiting my hospital and was home when the projector was dropped off.

My fear is that the projector was NEVER dropped off. After contacting the service centre and telling them that Fed-ex had left the package WITHOUT REQUIRING A SIGNATURE I found them to be in as much aww as I was with this strange way of delivering a package. We aren't talking a simple letter, we are talking a $1200 projector. Fed-ex stated that it was up to the driver is he felt the location was "safe" enough to leave a package. My opinion ..... Would a driver be stupid enough to leave an expensive package sitting outside for 6-7 hours in plain view of everbody that walks by the house??

I guess we'll see what Fed-ex does, Benq treated me right last year, so I expect them to continue, but how long will it take for some satisfaction??

Let the games begin!!

Brent

Movie reviews...... Freedomland, Date Movie

Freedom Land ........ 68%

Julianne Moore
Samuel L. Jackson
Edie Falco
William Forsythe

"Oh what a tangled web we weave when at first we practice to decieve"

I'm sooo sad to see a movie with so much promise, let me down sooooo much.

You'd almost think a movie with such heavy hitters as Julianne Moore and Samuel Jackson would be a sure hit .... right??? On this occasion you'd be wrong. Samuel Jackson has recently become my " Pigeon-Holed actor of the year", he never seems to be anything but the brash, smart, moody actor with attitude. This was a movie that removed him, at least a little bit, from that hole. Samuel Jackson was pretty solid as a cop with problems. His role in this move was pretty well written too. Julianne Moore on the other hand was a mess in this flick. You wouldn't expect this from an actor of her calibre, but the weak script and bad over-acting did anything but show off her talent.

Another problem was the racial element of this movie, and how Black people are shown, for the most part, to be hot headed and always ready for a fight. There were the obligitory shots of "Black people that want better for themselves", but they were few and far between. When in reality it's the other way around, the majority want better for themselves. The same as anybody else, no matter the background!

I did enjoy fact they had Julianne Moore working in the "Projects", and the fact that Jackson played the cop that was in good with the same people, but the good plot points were few and far between. A little less of Julianne acting crazy, and a little more character development would have been helpful.

The best quote come from Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times;

"Freedomland assembles the elements for a superior thriller, but were the instructions lost when the box was opened?"

This is a renter, nothing worth buying here, move on ..... move on!


Date Movie ...... 45%

Alyson Hannigan,
Jennifer Coolidge,
Fred Willard

WOW, just WOW!

Of all the bad movie I've seen, this ranks right up there. Sure, I laughed a few times, not knowing whether it's because I'm enjoying myself or because of seeing so many jokes fail, but should I have expected more??

Skip this movie at all costs, I only saw it because General Mills was nice enough to give me a free pass, and even then I felt I payed to much.

On the upside..... the popcorn was good!

Black Friday

Damn this last week and a half has been a week from hell!

After a very long life my Grandmother has finally given in to old age. Now people may say that the cancer they found in mid February was the cause, but really, she was 91 years old, and much loved. A good life for anybody.

I'll miss you Grandma.

The second passing was a beautiful baby that, in her short life, affected people more than you can believe.

Hailey Rose (November 27, 2005 - February 24, 2006)

A letter to Hailey

Hailey;

It sure was nice to meet you that day in the hospital, the impact on me was immediate. looking in and seeing you lying there, your beautiful little hands curled up and your little heart beating away ... a new life. You were born with challenges, but you sure were at the right place, Toronto's Sick Kids Hospital, one of the best hospitals in the world. The hope was that you'd get through these challenges that faced you and become the beautiful little girl that your sister has become, but the world had different ideas for you.

In your short life you affected everybody that knew you. you were a beautiful baby that was taken away but has left an indelible mark on all of our lives. I only held you once, something I never do with babies, and you were so delicate, so fragile, that I felt you'd break if I breathed on you. I wouldn't give up that moment for anything.

You will always be loved, and will always be remembered.

The beautiful baby that left us too soon, you will always be in our thoughts.

Brent

" Hailey Rose (November 27, 2005 - February 24, 2006) - Peacefully, at home, in her mommy's arms, on Friday, February 24, 2006 after a brief battle with Gauchers Disease. Cherished daughter of Amanda (nee Vliek) and Chris, beautiful baby sister of Alexis. In Hailey's short life, she touched many hearts with her sweet and delicate nature. She will be sadly missed and never forgotten by her parents, sister, great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and many cousins. The family extends their gratitude to the wonderful medical and bereavement teams in the NICU at the Hospital for Sick Children, the nursing staff at CCAC and to Drs. Li and Chapal for their extra care. A warm thanks is also sent to our extended family, friends and neighbours for all their support and love. In lieu of flowers, donations to the NICU at the Hospital for Sick Children or the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation would be appreciated. "

Grandma GOING?? Grandma gone!

Looks like I'll end up losing the family rock soon. The person that I thought would be always there, is in hospital and is slowly saying goodbye to our world.

I've always made it known how much I love my Grandmother, the fact that I didn't see her much didn't affect my feelings for her. I always found it akward to sit with her and make small talk. I never had the kids to take for a visit, I didn't have the womans ability to relate, and I never knew what to say, but I always loved my Grandmother, and always will.

Grandma always did weird things, she's a farmer, but most of the things made us laugh, and still make me smile. I saw her in the hospital on Friday of last week and again on Sunday, I'll be going by on Saturday again, but I fear going alone. I had a good laugh on Saturday though, I showed her the fact I was wearing shorts(suprised ?) and she did the hand to the head thing ... good for a laugh.

She was also a GREAT cook, she'd make everything, her freezer was always stocked, and was always making more. Although this dwindled a bit in the last few years, she was always the consumate host and a great Grandmother.

I always loved the fact they even in her late 80's she climb the rickety old stairs to the attic to look around. The fact the she lived alone for more than 20 years and until she was nearly 90 amazes me, and she still showed her love for life when I saw her last Saturday.

Just a few mixed thoughts about my Grandmother.

Feel free to leave your own thoughts and memories... funny memories are always good too.

Love you Grandma
Brent

Nanny Mcphee, The Matador, Capote, and Final Destination 3 ....MOVIE REVIEWS

In order of best to worst, here goes;

Capote ................. 83%

Philip Seymour Hoffman
Catherine Keener
Clifton Collins
Chris Cooper

Let me ask you a question, do you know Truman Copote?? You will!

I'll be honest about this, I don't read much. Sure I read a lot of magazines, but rarely pick up a book. Actually the last two titles I "read" were The Positronic Man(Isaac Asimov), and The Da Vinci Code(Dan Brown), and BOTH of them were audio books. How depressing is that!! But it's after seeing the retelling of a very important part of Truman Capote's life that I feel like picking up the LAST book he ever completed......In Cold Blood, and this is what the movie is based on.

The movie is about Truman Copote and his investigation into a multiple homicide in Kansas. He intrigued by the thought that a Non-fiction can be as entralling as fiction, and he sets out to prove it.

Philip Seymour Hoffman IS Truman Capote, you'll never see him as simply an actor playing a part, he owns this role and if he doesn't win the Oscar I'll be VERY miffed.

A great cast lead by Catherine Keener as Harper Lee, a childhood friend of Capote(and the author of To Kill a Mockingbird), Clifton Collins Jr as Perry Smith(one half of the murdurous duo), and Chris Cooper as FBI agent Alvin Dewey lead the great cast.

Ultimately,you might not care about the murders or the mudered, but you will fall for the very colourful person that is .....Truman Capote.

Highly recommended, but remember to catch it BEFORE the Academy Awards.

The Matador ........ 75%

Pierce Brosnan,
Greg Kinnear,
Hope Davis

You go into a flick like this expecting so little but end up with so much.

Pierce Brosnan plays a burnt out hitman( Julian Noble ) that gets befriended by a depressed pitchman Danny Wright(played by Greg Kinnear) and ends up finding out about friendships and the pitfalls of life.

Pierce is over the top here, WAY over the top, but god is he hilarious. Dry but frenetic, friendly but cold, happy but sad, he was great!

Greg Kinnear is perfect as the depressed salesman trying to get his life back on track AGAIN. and Hope Davis plays "Bean", his wife and high school sweetheart to perfection.

Well worth a rental, and depending on extras it may be worth owning.

P.s. #2 Bond behind Sean Connery.....sorry but it's true. Too bad that the Bond flicks became about blowing things up than about mystery and intrigue.


Nanny Mcphee ......... 73% REMEMBER these are %s based an the genre.

Emma Thompson,
Colin Firth,
Kelly MacDonald

Kinda like Mary Poppins but better!

Good cast eh?? Emma plays Nanny Mcphee, Colin as Mr. Brown the widowed husband and father to a large bunch of mischevious kids, and Kelly Macdonald(hot hot hot) as scullery maid Evangeline.

The kids have driven every Nanny away since their Mother died and are intent on doing the same to Nanny Mcphee, but with Nanny Mcphee's magic and compassion win them over and helps rebuild a family.

OH, 2 more things

1 a nice little love story happens.
2 Angela Lansbury makes a nice cameo as wealthy domineering Aunt Adelaide, and plays it for all it's worth, funny stuff.

Buy this if you have kids, otherwise rent it and see if you like it like I did.


Final Destination 3 .......... 58%

Cast??

Nobody important!

Some GREAT inventive death scenes, but a bad script and bad acting make this movie ALMOST unwatchable.

For people looking for cheap boobie shots, you got them.

Find the death scenes and boobie shots online, and skip the movie in any form, because even the FREE TV version will have the only good parts cut out.

See ya later
Brent

Everytime you go .... away, you take a piece of me... with you

Hey, how you been?? I've been alright, can't really complain. Well I could complain, but why?

I've been away for a while, but with 4 short movie review to do, and a few comments I figure it's time for a visit.

OK, Dick Chaney shoots his buddy while hunting Quail,....... HA HA HA HA! Sorry, the second in command for the worlds most "gun loving" culture shooting his buddy in the face is ALWAYS good for a laugh.

I'll admit I'm quite anti gun, never shot a real gun, only pellet guns, and that was more than 10 years ago. Now you could offer me the chance and I'd turn you down flat. SURE I can understand a hunters need to feed there family, I can also understand the need to "thin the herd" (overpopulation), but killing for "sport" COME ON NOW! What makes it worse is the way these guys hunt, sit in a blind for 10-12 hours and wait for a deer to come buy!! WWOOOOO sounds like fun, almost as fun as holding a telephone to your ear waiting for that call. ACTUALLY it's almost as useful as hitting a deer with your car and then "claiming your trophy", now that took a lot of skill.

ANYWAYS

Things are fine,

-Sent back my projector for a cleaning....I really wish cleaning the dust was a "user" type of thing, but no matter how hard I try I never get all the dust.

-Repurchased my leather chair so I can get my rebate. I spent $550 at HomeDepot and am getting a $250 gift certificate. .>>>> Looks like a few tools for building my home theatre YEE HAh!

-Finally got around to putting up my new(Christmas) shower curtain, thanks Allison, looks good but the clips are shitty.

-I'm partway through the planning stages for my HT project, the big thing I'm worried about is a permit for electrical. I have this strange feeling the inspections(3 in total) will cost me close to $400, and with a $3000 budget and 13% going towards inspections this really cuts into it.

OH, I'm looking at an 11' by 16' theatre, should be good for 5 people in 2 rows. Luckily I only
have one support running through the room at the midway point, right in front of the projector, so the hushbox and the electrical should be easy to run. That and the fact that the beams run along the length make this a little easier.

-A little pissed off at the quality of the water here, I guess I should get it tested, it's really hard on the plants.

-I BOO BOOed today while installing my adapter for my MP3 player into my new car stereo...WHOOPS, but you've got to love fuses, 7.5 amp for the stereo in my car.

Now it looks like I'll have my jack wired in for my MP3 player, it can also be used for my portable DVD player, and I'm planning on hard wiring my Sirius so that none of the wires show.

Later!!
Brent

P.S. Don't forget to get your coupons for free movies, $3 off concessions, free kids combo, or kids admission on selected General Mills stuff. $4 for an $11 movie?? almost makes Bareback Mountain worth going to see.

P.P.s I guess I'll do my movie reviews in another column.

MOMs' Birthday

Today would be my Mothers Birthday, but for some reason you can be a complete pariah, useless to all, loved by nobody, hated by all and you have a chance to outlive my Mother .... God that pisses me off!!!





Mom, I really miss you!

Brent