Category: Me

Foiled

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

At the last minute I had to cancel our plans to meet up with friends in Niagara On The Lake this weekend. This cold just isn’t going anywhere, and over the course of the day my voice has completely disappeared. I felt ridiculous leaving voicemails for people, sounding like a just-pubescent kid drawing his last breath.

I’ve never before taken a double-dose of neo-citran before going to sleep; I fear tonight it may be necessary.

.:.

Happy birthday, Star Wars. I was one year old when you were released, but I came to love you as I grew up. A little too much, maybe.

.:.

Speaking of my childhood obsessions, Chuck Klosterman writes about a Rush song that, 27 years later, shows how badly the mystique of radio has faded.

.:.

The Globe and Mail harrumphs all over the lolcat meme.

[tags]niagara on the lake, sick, star wars, chuck klosterman, rush, globe and mail, lolcat[/tags]

Clearly my timing is off

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Just in time for the warm weather coming this week, I have a cold. Scratchy throat, sinus headaches, lethargy…yay.

.:.

We finally watched Borat (imdb | rotten tomatoes) last night. Yeah, it was funny, but we obviously waited too long to see it since I’m pretty sure I already knew every funny bit in the film. Although, simply knowing that you’ll see Ken Davitian naked in full flight does not prepare you for the sight of it.

[tags]cold symptoms, borat, ken davitian[/tags]

Hey look…other stuff is happening besides me moving!

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Found while trying to get control of the RSS tide:

  • BlogTO reviews The Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib. With all the packing and such I forgot to write the film when we saw it at Hot Docs a week ago.  It was an excellent documentary; director Rory Kennedy let the story tell itself by interviewing the Abu Ghraib guards who were convicted for their role in the torture, and gave context by framing the story with the findings of the Milgram experiment. Excellent documentary. Highly recommended.
  • I agree with Esquire’s Angry German’s rant on punctuality. Next to smoking, being late is the fastest way to make me think you’re an inconsiderate jackass. Not occasionally late, mind you; I know things sometimes happen. But there are those people who’re just perpetually late, and those people are asshats.
  • The Quill & Quire’s blog points to a discussion between Lynn Coady and Christy Ann Conlin. Both Nova Scotian writers, they wonder whether it’s easier to write about where you’re from, or to write about a place if you’re “from away.”
  • Kirsten Dunst likes The Arcade Fire and Regina Spektor. ‘Cause I didn’t think she was hot enough already…

[tags]ghosts of abu ghraib, hot docs, milgram experiment, esquire magazine, angry german, punctuality, quill & quire, lynn coady, christy ann conlin, kirsten dunst, arcade fire, regina spektor[/tags]

"This day is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s"

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

If you watched The Office last night that title will make a lot more sense. And if you watched 30 Rock, you might’ve heard Tina Fey yell “I will slice you open like a taun-taun!” And then you might’ve heard me yowl with laughter.

.:.

Another day, another bunch of boxes unpacked. The books are now taken care of, and the kitchen is close to done. Next thing is to set up the TV and stereo before I leave Sunday morning, and get the empty boxes collapsed and taken out. Also have to get to Dove Cleaners; I’ve got a stain on a suit jacket that looks as if I’ve been lactating. Nobody wants that visual.

.:.

Choosing between #1 and #1a is hard. And when you love them both, having to choose at all sucks. Sorry that’s cryptic, but it concerns stuff I don’t usually talk about here. It was gut-wrenching, but I guess there are worse problems than having to choose between the two best options I’ve ever had.

[tags]moving, spire condominium[/tags]

C'est Irish PJ

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

After dinner at the BeerBistro we swung by the condo with CBGB and MS, just to let them see it for the first time. It looks nice at night.

GB and I had met up before dinner, first at the Irish Embassy (too full), then at the BeerBistro bar (also too full) before settling on P.J. O’Brien. It was our first time there, and could become another nice addition to the local selection (along with the IR itself, and C’est What of course).

Tomorrow the painting, etc. starts. I cannot properly convey my excitement.

.:.

My I Hate Your Kids t-shirt arrived in the mail today. Let the angry glares begin.

Next treat expected in the mail: my blog cards.

[tags]irish embassy, pj obrien, cest what, i hate your kids, gaping void, blog card[/tags]

The conscientious objector

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Attention, everybody who keeps sending me Facebook invitations: I will not do it. I don’t want to join the club. I didn’t like the club when it was called Myspace or even Friendster, and I don’t like it any better now just because they’ve fixed the style sheet. I sure as shit don’t want to “catch up” with 99% of the people I went to high school with, and I don’t want to take part in the online clique-building. If you want to keep a blog or post your pictures, please use a site that doesn’t require membership in a cult just to view it. I decline. I forestall. I abstain.

Thank you.

.:.

This blog post by Matt Brown sounds almost exactly what was going through my mind the first time I visited Vancouver. I left miserable weather (and a fairly unhappy life) in Toronto to visit Vancouver on business. As I flew there I read The Water In Between by Kevin Patterson, a book about a guy who leaves his shitty life behind, moves to BC, buys a boat and just starts sailing. When I got to Vancouver it was sunny and warm, and I sat in my hotel room overlooking English Bay, wishing I had Kevin Patterson’s guts. I had my phone in my hand, ready to make my resignation phone call.

Of course, I didn’t. I returned to Toronto a few days later, and stuck it out there, even though I pretty much had a job offer in Vancouver. In the end, of course, my life turned out pretty well indeed. I don’t for a second regret staying here in Toronto, but I can absolutely understand what Matt’s feeling.

I guess I’ll just keep living Vancariously through Stanzi.

.:.

It’s my mom’s birthday. I’d point you to her blog to leave a congratulatory comment, but she doesn’t roll like that. Given the current trend she’ll no doubt be on Facebook soon though, so maybe y’all can say bonne fete next year.

[tags]facebook yawn, vancouver, english bay[/tags]

Well…it's not flesh-eating disease…

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

It’s shingles.

Seriously.

Because, apparently, I’m 72. What the hell?

Sigh.

I’m staying home the rest of the week because my co-worker, who I sit next to and probably have the most contact with in the run of a day, has never had chicken pox (which is the virus that causes shingles) and there’s a chance I could give it to her. This sucks, because I have a very busy week of stuff that I was looking forward to, including tomorrow night’s Rheostatics concert, their penultimate show.

Frack.

This just seems weird to me. Not the shingles themselves; apparently it’s not at all uncommon. Anyone who’s had chicken pox can get shingles, but it’s usually triggered by something. Here’s WebMD’s list of typical triggers:

  • Have a weakened immune system (such as people with cancer or HIV)
  • Are over the age of 50
  • Have been ill
  • Are experiencing trauma
  • Are under significant stress

Cancer: nope; HIV: nope; over 50: nope; ill: nope; experiencing trauma: nope; under significant stresss: not that I’m aware of. Honestly, the best that I (or Nellie) could come up with is that my body might be rather weakened by the recent drastic shift in diet. Whether that’s it or not, I can’t ignore the fact that I’ve been sick more in the past three months than I had been in the past three years. Maybe that’s coincidence, but when you consider that we haven’t done a great job of adjusting our diets (I know we don’t get enough protein, for example), it seems to be something that I have to address. So, reluctantly, I think I shall have to start eating fish again. Temporarily, until I can adjust my eating habits enough to be vegetarian and be healthy about it.

Goddammit.

.:.

OK, changing gears now: is it wrong that I want to eat Jesus?

.:.

The proposed 60-story condo on the southeast corner of Yonge & Bloor has become a proposed 80-story condo. Any new development on that intersection would be an inprovement. As (city councillor) Kyle Rae put it, “I sorely would like to hide the Royal Bank building on the northeast corner. It’s brutal.”

.:.

There’s so much stuff in the new Harry Rosen magazine that I want that my wallet has begun to glow, kind of like Frodo’s sword when there’s an orc nearby.

.:.

I’m with Serge Savard: hockey should be banned from fighting. It has nothing to do with the game. No other pro sport allows it, let alone condones it. If you’re excited about watching two guys fight, there’s another sport called boxing which I believe would be right up your alley. If I’m watching hockey I prefer skill plays and hard bodychecks to pre-arranged fights and tough-guy posturing.

[tags]shingles, chocolate jesus, toronto condo, yonge and bloor, harry rosen, serge savard, hockey fighting[/tags]

Nice car, great architecture, pretty sunset, blah blah…hey lookit, our condo!

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Staying at home today. Feel as if my gastrointestinal system is under attack. Will try to gather enough strength to drag ass to the drug store and collect some supplies. #1 on the list: Gatorade.

.:.

Today’s picture over at Daily Dose of Imagery has a nice picture of our new condo building. Well, I guess the picture is of the red Mini in the foreground, but you can see our building in the shot.

[thanks Jen!]

[tags]gatorade, daily dose of imagery, spire condominium[/tags]