Author: Dan Dickinson

Big brands, dinky trinket shops and the Scientology building

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Torontoist, not content with examining neighbourhoods, has begun examining intersections. They kicked things off with my local, Yonge & Bloor. I think I’m going to like this series.

.:.

The Economist’s FreeExchange blog mentions an interesting idea: that the EU should impose tariffs on products imported from countries who don’t comply with Kyoto. It doesn’t sound like it’s going to fly, and it was probably political posturing by the French as much as anything else, but it’ll be interesting to see where that thread goes. We impose tariffs and trade embargoes for a lot of things; why not environmental recklessness?

.:.

Speaking of environmental recklessness, American schools will be given 50,000 free copies of An Inconvenient Truth. Fan-frigging-tastic idea. Students should watch the movie and then be given the assignment to prove (or disprove) one or more of the claims Al Gore makes in the documentary.

[tags]yonge, bloor, kyoto, tariffs, inconvenient truth[/tags]

Bone-lazy idleness? Gimme.

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Ze work, she is finished. Ze packing, she has just begun. Ze Frank: funny.

Technically I’m now on vacation, although the night before a trip isn’t exactly relaxing. I’ll feel like I’m on vacation once I place my arse in my airplane seat tomorrow afternoon and have no further responsibilities or time requirements for the next two weeks. At 3:00 tomorrow, god (and air traffic control) willing, I shall be in languor land.

“Languor is underrated. It is not possible to be immobile in modern urban society except by dint of constant effort. Holding on tightly to the riverbank and fighting the current is not languor. Nobody likes that. But bone-lazy idleness, hours and hours spent staring at the sky and remembering books and birthdays and great kisses: this is a pure pleasure that eludes the productive in all their confident superiority. Languor is sunny and hot. It is at home near the sea and is best appreciated in environments of beauty and limited promise. It contains within it the idea of boredom, but is also colored by idle fancy and the understanding that some things proceed best with limited attention. Fishing, for instance. If you’re always reeling in and checking your bait, you’ll only worsen your chances. Relax.” –Kevin Patterson, The Water In Between

That’s one of my favourite quotes, from one of my favourite books. And there’s really not much other way to describe the farm than languorous.

[tags]languor[/tags]

5 weeks off

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Yesterday I finished my last stats assignment. That means I shouldn’t really have to do anything for the next five weeks, except for a quick review of the assignment and maybe compiling some notes before the week of the exam. I can now finish up some pre-xmas errands and prepare for our trip to NS…as of the moment I get on that plane, I shall be in full relaxation mode. Relax on the farm, have fun with my family, have a nice dinner in Halifax, catch up on movies back in Toronto, maybe do some shoppin’…yeah. Sweet.

One more day in the office and then it’s mine, all mine.

[tags]rancho relaxo[/tags]

"I'd call that a philosophical argument."

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Last night we had our (heretofore) annual Swiss Chalet festive special. We watched Love Actually but not Die Hard as there’s some debate as to whether or not it’s a valid Christmas movie. We had many chocolates and other such delicacies. After everyone left I wound down the evening by watching the recorded Canadiens game (they won again) until about 2 AM and went to bed. Unfortunately, how late I went to bed seems to have little to do with when I wake up, and I was out of bed by 8 AM. Just as well; I have a ton to do today.

.:.

Over the weekend we managed to squeeze in a long film (though not so long as its predecessor): Manderlay (imdb | rotten tomatoes). It didn’t have the same impact as Dogville, since the set was neither as stark nor as surprising as in the original, and the Iraq metaphor was a little too blunt to be as clever as I think Von Trier wanted it to be.

Ultimately it’s hard to compare the two films fairly as I saw them under such different circumstances (film festival crowd at the Elgin theatre vs. my living room) but I don’t feel Manderlay had the same punch that Dogville did.

[tags]xmas party, manderlay[/tags]

Hah bumhug

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The war on Christmas exists mainly in my head right now. I like buying gifts for people, I like knowing that I’m heading back to Nova Scotia soon for several days of relaxation, and I like the general idea of a time of year when people are meant to be nicer to each other.

However, judging by what I saw today, the vast majority of the population turns into jerks around the holidays. Our first few shopping stops — Toys ‘R Us, Future Shop, Indigo — were fairly uneventful. But then, walking along Yonge near Rosedale, some fuckass threw his gum from a moving car and hit me in the head. I would’ve given almost anything to be holding a can of pepsi or a baseball right then; unfortunately all I could do was watch the car drive away. A few minutes later in a bakery I was waiting my turn in line when I was butted in front of not once, but twice. Once I could tolerate; it was busy and exactly where the line ended might’ve been unclear to an addle-minded customer. The second time, though, was blatant: some big-haired big-spectacled Rosedale matron bullhorned her way ahead of me in line. A third person tried to do it; fortunately the clerk waved her off and pointed to me just as I was about to lose my holiday spirit. Pa rum pa pum pum.

Though we had only one more stop it was a killer. Note to self: avoid all yuppie furniture stores after December 1st, if not altogether. We left with giant bags piled atop smaller bags, and by the time I got home, because of the way I had to carry one of the heavy bags, I’d pulled something in my left forearm. We ate our lunch and went back out to finish off our errands, but in one of the stores the lineup was at least 30 people long, so I’ll have to do that one Monday.

“Hell is other people.” –Sartre

“Especially when they’re carrying shopping bags.” –Dickinson

Fortunately, we were able to hole up in the apartment to do some cleaning before friends come over tonight — Swiss Chalet and Die Hard, baby! — while listening to my indie holiday music mix, and now I have a few hours to relax before they arrive. It may not feel much like Christmas (especially the weather: 11 degrees and rain tomorrow!) but at least I’m ready to jump on board when it gets here.

[tags]christmas shopping[/tags]

Like calling oneself a teetotaller while drinking a beer

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Our second shipment from Green Earth Organics came this week, and we were much happier with the quality. Nothing slimy or wilted; in fact, everything looks a lot better than I’d normally expect in local grocery stores. Our fridge is now loaded down with quality fruit & vegetables. Nellie has pictures that she plans to upload to prove to our mothers that we actually are eating well.

.:.

Speaking of vegetables, Dino sent me a link to this article:

Ten-year-olds with higher IQ scores may be more likely to be vegetarians at age 30.

So say British researchers including Catharine Gale, PhD, a senior research fellow at England’s University of Southampton.

I have a question for the 123 people who called themselves “vegetarians” despite eating chicken and fish though: what do you think the word means?

Hmmm…I just re-read my segue. Dino, I wasn’t calling you a vegetable, I swear.

.:.

Girlfriend du jour: welcome back.
[tags]green earth organics, iq, vegetarian, university of southampton study, girlfriend du jour[/tags]

Best music of 2006

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Yeah yeah yeah, I’ll change my mind in 3 months, but for now here it is. Not ranked this year, just ordered alphabetically; no one stood out as a clear winner.

  • Asobi Seksu . Citrus
  • Band Of Horses . Everything All The Time
  • Neko Case . Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
  • The Heartless Bastards . All This Time
  • Jolie Holland . Springtime Can Kill You
  • Amy Millan . Honey From The Tombs
  • Mogwai . Mr. Beast
  • Regina Spektor . Begin To Hope
  • TV On The Radio . Return To Cookie Mountain
  • The Yeah Yeah Yeahs . Show Your Bones

[tags]best music of 2006[/tags]

Best films of 2006

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It’s way too premature for me to write this as there are still several films I want to see that could well make the list — Apocalypto, Bobby, Borat, Deliver Us From Evil, Fast Food Nation, Flags of Our Fathers, For Your Consideration, Half Nelson, Jesus Camp, Little Children, Marie Antoinette, Pan’s Labyrinth, Running with Scissors, Shortbus, Shut Up And Sing, The Fountain, The Good German, The Good Shepherd, The History Boys, The Journals of Knud Rasmussen, The Last King of Scotland, The U.S. vs. John Lennon, Volver, World Trade Center, etc. — but screw it. Here it is anyway, in alphabetical order.

Three of those — Blindsight, Day Night Day Night and Kurt Cobain: About A Son — were from the film festival and haven’t even hit theatres yet. Four were documentaries; I’m starting to think I should have separate categories.

These were the best movies I watched this year that weren’t made in 2006:

  • 24 Hour Party People
  • A Very Short Engagement
  • Cinema Paradiso
  • Darwin’s Nightmare
  • Hustle & Flow
  • King Kong
  • Little Dieter Needs To Fly
  • Match Point
  • Mr. Death: The Rise And Fall Of Fred A. Leuchter
  • Munich
  • Omagh
  • Primer
  • Riding Giants

Oh look…four more documentaries.