digital downpour

the end is extremely fucking nigh

2005-05-25T22:35:00.000-04:00

digital downpour is over, in practice if not in spirit. this blog is just too cold and spatious for one person alone so i'm moving out. my new home is at simianuprising.com/mira. it is as of yet untitled and a little rough around the edges in design but i'm sure, with time, it'll grow on you.

and just a reminder that our old friend allie is settled in quite happily at notabeauty.blogspot.com though she's always been a beauty in our books.

so goodbye digitaldownpour. this era is officially over. though if ever you're hungering for a little of that sexy bubble wrap backdrop, then don't fret 'cause the old digidown will live on, taking up valuable web space for generations to come.

dix à douze

2005-05-22T09:46:00.000-04:00

the gaze

2005-05-15T19:05:00.000-04:00

I met Al Maysles today. Now I know how he charms his way into getting anyyone from Mick Jagger to Marlon Brando let him tell their story on film. His eyes just pierce right through to your soul and you have no choice but to trust him with it.

Highlights:

On what Tolstoy would say upon realizing the power of cinematic storytelling: "My goodness! I have to put down my pen and paper...and pick up a camera."

On his life full of coincidences which led him to make What's Happening? The Beatles in the USA: "It was 1964 and I just happened to pick up the phone when this British Television station was calling. And they said: "The Beatles are going to be on Ed Sullivan tonight, do you want to film them?" And I turned to David and said "Who are the Beatles? Are they any good?" and luckily he knew and we ended up making the film."

On the strictly fly on the wall observation of cinema direct: "All rules prevail. That is until you have to put them aside."

rainy day habitat

2005-05-15T11:13:00.000-04:00

photo taken by jer.

but the otters were the best part.

acceptable risk

2005-05-13T18:33:00.000-04:00

okay, so i've gotten some complaints lately about not updating the blog very often. (or maybe it was just the one). in any case, i've admitedly been slacking since allie packed up her bags for p-town and quit the internet for good, so here's a meta-post to make up for recent lack.

real-life updates:

i'm going to niagara falls on monday for a week to film 24 kids with a variety of learning disbilities as they tear up the tourist attractions with their zany humour and twelve year old smiles. i already have a buddy for the bus ride down. her name is emilie and aparently she is bringing games, so prediction: FUN.

internet video of the week:

if you haven't been keeping track of the number one corporate-identity thieves lately and their antics for social change, then get a load of this. the yes men are touring business meetings and conventions getting suits of all trades to sign up for the 'Acceptable Risk Calculator' which, according to the posing Dow representatives, "helps businesses determine the exact point where human casualties will start to cut into profit". watch.

music i'm listening to (right now!):

new partner by palace music. plus its off of a mix cd which is the best way to listen to anything ever.

pretentious photo with external meaning assigned:

current mood: forgiving

moving day : soon

2005-04-28T21:23:00.000-04:00

quick thinking

2005-04-16T20:37:00.000-04:00

taken by former blogger allie

causality of wellness

2005-04-09T12:10:00.000-04:00

she has trouble acting normal when she's nervous.

2005-04-07T19:01:00.000-04:00

I am quitting the blog.

It has been a long time coming.

I don't think there is anything else for me to say here.

And I hate comments.

From now on you can talk to me in real life (we don't do that anymore).

I don't mean to discount the validity of blogging-as-expression.

But this blog in particular is caught up in a scene that gives me stage fright and hasn't been fun in a long time.

I'm not in a bad mood, and I don't want to paint my room black (if I did, my mom would probably let me).

I'm just moving on.

not quite that isolatable.

2005-04-06T20:19:00.000-04:00

Last night I was brushing my teeth, and
I was looking at myself in the mirror and thought:
"You know what? if I was cooler I would probably walk around with my collar flipped up. But I don't think I could pull that off."
Then there was some ambient noise of water and toothbrush.
"I wonder how I would describe my sense of style if Reluctant Hero magazine (now defunct) were to ask me. I think I would probably say that I didn't want to be so pretentious as to... wait, pretentious isn't the right word. I need the verb. Pretent? Is that a word? No... Pretend? Is pretend the verb form of pretentious?"
Spit.
Then I smiled some because that was possibly the best stream of thought ever.

fever dreams

2005-04-01T11:36:00.000-05:00

[pessimism]
Day One: 39.3ºC
Day Two: 39.4ºC
Day Three: 39.7ºC
Day Four: 36.3ºC
Day Five: 37.0ºC
Day Six: 37.3ºC

So why do I still feel like I'll never get better?

[optimism]
Every Tuesday I see a middle aged couple waiting in line for the shuttle bus. They hold hands and smile at each other until the bus comes, then they walk to the door where the woman gets on and part reluctantly. She always turns around to wave goodbye from the top step and he always waits until the bus has pulled away from the curb before walking into the hall building, just to be sure that she's safe on her way.

I used to think this was sweet, but now I've decided that love is an illusion which only lasts so long as both people are comfortable believing in a lie.

i'll disappear just like magic

2005-03-31T00:21:00.000-05:00

I'm so over it being spring.

So I can walk places. Big deal. They threw my dead bikes in the dumpster this morning and I felt like crying. If you can't see the picture of the dead bikes, then too bad. The internet is for stupid rat babies anyway and if you wanted to see a dead bike you should go look for it yourself, they are everywhere.

I decided not to listen to happy music, it is boring and lame and I don't have time to burn a new c.d. anyway. I bought Ryan Adams and The Shins last week and haven't had a chance to give either one a good listen -- what is that about.

I had a lovely day. Class -- Veggie Burger -- William Kentridge exhibit -- office -- dinner party -- asshole. Then we watched part of this movie called Bum Fights and I think it is going to put me in a bad mood for the rest of forever.

This weblog is starting to make me feel suffocated. I feel like I either need to have some sort of schtick or write bad poetry or something but instead I am all over the map and I hate it all. I am thinking of quitting the internet, but may refuse simply because Joffe suggested it.

Of course all of this nonsense may have stemmed from the fact that instead of listening to happy music like I promised myself I started listening to Ryan Adams. Example lyric:
All of these people in my life, well they seem so in love
Well, I am not

On the plus side, I have done a pretty good job quitting TV and didn't even watch queer eye last week or tonight.

R.I.P. Bicycle

2005-03-28T14:21:00.000-05:00

Baby all I need is one more chance.

2005-03-22T11:19:00.000-05:00

In honour of the sun not being gone forever, I have decided to make a few changes to my life.

1. No more five hour naps after morning classes.
2. No more effing TV (exception: queer eye).
3. No more 24 bus.
4. Keep room clean.
5. Make bed with OCD-like concentration every day (it is so worth it).
6. Start listening to happy music.

Most of these changes are quite do-able, really. I started them yesterday. You should have seen my bed (actually you can, I took pictures) after I spent half an hour making it PERFECT. The sheets were all tucked and smoothed. It was beautiful.
My only problem is with the music. Every song I know is sad. I tried listening to 'baby give me one more chance' on repeat for a while, but every time I do I just think about M.J. and those allegations, and how awkward it is that he is like, 7 years old singing this song about getting his girl back. Also, the lyrics aren't even happy, just the rhythm.
So I am making an appeal to anyone who reads this blog: tell me your best sunny-day-headphones-on-practically-dancing-in-the-streets songs. Please, complete me.

nevermind

2005-03-19T22:56:00.000-05:00

i just wrote the worst blog in the history of digitaldownpour. if, by chance, you checked the blog during the thirty seconds before i just erased it, i apologize.

i have been going through a creative drought when it comes to the internet, mostly because i know that nothing i do can possibly surpass this kid.

how much are YOU worth?

2005-03-11T18:19:00.000-05:00

Just as a reference:

And we didn't even have to make this up.

to be (a scab) or not to be? (a scab).

2005-03-10T14:21:00.000-05:00

I am having a moral dilemma, as I often have. In order to solve this dilemma, I have decided to look to a few opinions of scab-ness.

I looked up scab on dictionary.com, and read this definition: Scab: Scabies or mange in domestic animals or livestock, especially sheep.
That's like, one of the grossest things ever. But then I scrolled down and the definition was: Scab:
1. A worker who refuses membership in a labor union.
2. An employee who works while others are on strike; a strikebreaker.
3. A person hired to replace a striking worker.

That's a bit closer.

My first thought about scabs was in recalling that movie 'The Replacements' starring Keanu Reeves as a scab quarterback. I think that the real quarterback like, tips over Keanu's pickup truck because he hates scabs like Keanu. So there's one anti-scab. But I think the movie had a happy ending, like the scabs were better than the greedy strikers and got a fulltime contract or something, so there's a football team's worth of pro-scab.

Then I remembered author Jack London's 'The Scab':

"After God had finished the rattlesnake, the toad, and the vampire, he had some awful substance left with which he made a scab."

"A scab is a two-legged animal with a corkscrew soul, a water brain, a combination backbone of jelly and glue. Where others have hearts, he carries a tumor of rotten principles."

"When a scab comes down the street, men turn their backs and angels weep in heaven, and the devil shuts the gates of hell to keep him out."

"No man (or woman) has a right to scab so long as there is a pool of water to drown his carcass in, or a rope long enough to hang his body with. Judas was a gentleman compared with a scab. For betraying his master, he had character enough to hang himself."

So I guess Mr. London was anti-scab, but he was a wilderness writer and what the hell does he even know about scabs anyway? plus one for pro-scabs.

Around this point I got pretty bored of reading stuff about scabs, but if you are a Quebec university/cegep student who is trying to make their choice about scabbage, hopefully these thoughts will help you along.

(For the record, I have decided to go scab... I wasn't going to originally, but then I remembered how I am not even from this province and don't care about it or the future of its students. Plus some jerks in my class said some really lame things about out-of-province and international students which have just begun to sink in. So they can eat scab. Sheep scab.)

You know those moments that define a generation?

2005-03-02T15:34:00.000-05:00

This kid is all over the news. He was in Rolling Stone. He got interviewed on Good Morning America.They're calling him a 'phenomenon'.

Why couldn't we have Woodstock or something? Fuck.

kind of drunk

2005-02-19T03:51:00.000-05:00

you know that music that goes DUN DUN DUN

2005-02-18T22:41:00.000-05:00

it happens in movies when something bad is going to happen.

best of tv retrospective

2005-02-16T18:16:00.000-05:00

this morning, allie and I were discussing our favourite childhood television programs and these are a few we think should be back on the air:

As far as fantastic television from the 80's goes, Today's Special takes the cake. That is if you can get past the creepy dancing mannequin factor and the fact that there's a rhyming mouse named Muffy. But seriously, can't you just picture a new after hours installment of the show where Jodie and Jeff finally get it on?

Have you met the Smoggies?
We love the soot and grime,
We make the whole world dirty,
And we have a real good time.
We love to make things messy,
Just as dirty as can be,
And you can bet we'll mess you up ecologically!

Now that is a catchy theme song!

Then of course there's Fraggle Rock. I mean, everyone just loves the fraggles so enough said.

Now these are obviously just morning shows cause otherwise the muppet show tonight would be right up there at the top.

And speaking of kids tv shows, did you know that Mark Mothersbaugh composed the score for the rugrats? What and interestin career path that guy has had.

spot the difference

2005-02-15T21:49:00.000-05:00

Whoever spots it first wins... A BRAND NEW CAR*!

*car may not be quite so new and may more likely not be a car at all, but a mug with a picture of a cat on it. we think that's just as awesome.

pants off party

2005-02-12T12:51:00.000-05:00

So whoever wasn't at the kidnapper films screening last night is a tool. That's all. You just missed out.

for everything else

2005-02-05T22:50:00.000-05:00

Homemade curry dip ingredients: 6$
Bottle of Rosé: 11$
Half a sandwich from Santropol: 4$
Getting tipsy at your teacher's house and probably doing something stupid that you may or may not remember: Priceless

extraordiary.

2005-01-29T18:17:00.000-05:00

Went out last night for the classic (classy?) Fouf's friday night. It was generally uneventful. Got to the bar around midnight, rolled with my homies, had pizza afterwards. Then -- a miracle.

While wandering up St.Catherine, trying to flag down a cab of sorts, a limousine pulls over. The driver says he'll drop all of us off at our respective doorsteps for a mere $5 each. Interestingly enough, 2 of our party had to go back to the West Island (about a 30 minute drive). For some reason, the limousine driver said that would be fine. Literally rolled with my homegirls around Montreal in a limo until 5 in the AM.

Good times.

Warning: ITL is obsolete and no longer legal tender

2005-01-27T14:25:00.000-05:00

Well darn. I just found over 200 000 italian Lire stashed away in my room. They would have been worth about 200 bucks but now they aren't worth an empty bag of peanuts.

Oh well, I'm off to NYC for the weekend so I don't really give a damn.

wisemen play the melodica

2005-01-23T13:53:00.000-05:00

vintage downpour

2005-01-18T17:29:00.000-05:00

digital downpour just turned one. and you weren't invited.

but we were. so we had some cake.

and some wine.

and it was fun.

in honour of this first birthday, let's take a moment to look back at digital downpour's early days.

Remember January 16, 2004? My first post ever:

are you there, blog?

Then there was allie's drug cartel phase:

I love finding dirt cheap heroin in one city and making a 400% profit selling it somewhere else... It's like slumming for stockbrokers.

You've probably forgotten how digital downpour got its name. Well, just take a stroll back to April 9th, where it's all explained:

The endless giggling over whether to call our new web journal ‘a streetcar named blog’ or ‘blogcicle’ pretty much set the tone for the rest of the semester. But soon, we sobered up long enough to stumble upon a book of Haiku lying by my computer, page 14-

Winter downpour,
even the monkey
needs a raincoat.

-and our much loved home away from home, digital downpour, was born.

In no time, digital downpour had branched out. It was no longer just a blog but a moonshine brewing and bottling franchise.

Soon, you learned to look to digital downpour for advice on everything from what to read to how to be a popular coms kid. Here are some tips for the latter in case you've forgotten:

5. Try to use the following words in everyday conversation: Hegemony, Popular Discourse, Postmodern, Bricolage, Hypertext Markup Language, Analog, Digital, Aura. Don't worry about using them in an appropriate manner right off the bat. Coms students will appreciate the fact that you know these words, and will invite you over for dinner and a documentary.

6. Don't be afraid to be a name dropper. Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, John Oswald, Marshall McLuhan, William Gibson, Ezra Winton, Peter Van Wyck, Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace are all great convo starters at a Coms party! Give them a go.

And let's not forget the numerous drunken posts of the past 12 months:

"ahhhhhh guess what.... lost 5 kids from camp today hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha getting fired... maybe." -allie

"yah, i'm drunk , so what? screw you. that's right. you all stubk. adele is my best friend." -mira

Let's hope we can last out another year.

cranky.

2005-01-14T21:12:00.000-05:00

i think i look like a serial killer when i am cranky.

most of the time i am quite jovial, really. but shit, when i get cranky...

as a testament of my crankiness, i will tell you the things i dislike today, in no particular order.

1. TV
2. Movies
3. Music
4. Books
5. My friends (except you, of course)
6. The telephone
7. The fan in the living room
8. The wrinkles in my skirt
9. The newspapers (both their content and physical presence)
10.The Internet
11.Generation X
12.My generation
13.Irony
14.Satire
15.Cynicism
16.Love
17.The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm
18.My hair
19.The cold
20.2$ Chow Mein
21.1$ Springroll
22.Sleeping
23.Sitting
24.Walking
25."Going out"
26."Staying in"
27.My fingernails
28.The cat

Here are the things I don't hate today.

1. Magic

Too bad there is no such thing as magic, or I might just stop being so effing cranky.

click click

2005-01-11T22:57:00.000-05:00

also i have a digital camera all of my own now.

yay.

i'm quitting school

2005-01-08T13:37:00.000-05:00

there is something much better than school or work out there, and i have found it.

its name is scene it.it is the greatest board game ever created. you watch movie clips on a dvd and answer trivia questions ... trust me, it is fantastic. i have played it the last two nights in a row.

Also, this morning I found five bucks. the old kind.

one. two. a one. wa-oo.

2005-01-01T19:57:00.000-05:00

mira doesn't like new years eve but I love it (not to rub it in). everyone is just so buzzed and lovely.

i went to one dinner party, five new years parties, and one pub. avery and i had some good chats. i touched jesse's eyeball. i made a new friend who has fifteen piercings. i made a new friend called sarah. i met someone from montreal. i dumped a rainbow barf-bucket (not my own) off of a porch. i woke up this morning and went to the Only for a cowgirl breakfast, just like last year only different. the people, not the cowgirl.

thirty first

2005-01-01T02:39:00.000-05:00

I hate new year's eve.

I should have just stayed home and read.

Drat.

long lost sons and a jaquar shark

2004-12-26T20:17:00.000-05:00

Wow, The Life Aquatic is just so fantastic. I thought I'd only be disapointed after the Tenenbaums but nope, it was great.

And yes that was Bud Cort as the bond company stooge, I'm glad you noticed.

ding.

2004-12-26T18:48:00.000-05:00

shit. i crashed my car the other day (not my car, my dad's car) and knocked over a sign. it wasn't even a big deal, i didn't get stuck or break any glass or lights or anything.

but now i am nervous all the time. i just got back from a film (spanglish) and my heart is pounding from the drive. my hands are all clammy. my back is stiff from being tense. as soon as i stood up out of my car, i fell down on the ice.
for once, i am looking forward to getting back on public transit.

happy holidays

2004-12-21T20:47:00.000-05:00

So last night, my girlfriends and I meet up for supper and a secret santa exchange like we do every christmas. This year, we opt for a bring-your-own-wine Vietnamese place on Duluth which looked nice and cosy. No more than 15 minutes after ordering, one of our bottles already downed and Zena is lighting the place on fire with the tissue paper I used to wrap her gift. Apparently, she hadn't noticed the lit candle.

Cut to after the meal, three more bottles of wine emptied and we're all a little tanked, stumbling up Duluth towards my house. For some reason, we think we need more wine and so stop in at a dep before the 11pm booze-deadline. We scrounge up our last remaining dollars for the cheapest bottle of red and Adele steals an ugly hairpin for Sophie on her way out. Ah, the spirit of giving...

Half way to my house, we change plans and head over to Le Pistol for some Sangria. We knock back half of it then pour in our own bottle of wine under the table (a handy girl (aka Zena) has a cork screw on her at all times, you see.) By now we are the rowdiest drunks Le Pistol has surely seen on a cold Monday night, but does that stop us? No of course not, we order another pitcher, most of which we spilled and some of which we drank and some more still of which I aparently dumped onto Sophie for making fun of me about spilling my drink.

Finally we wobble out of there and head pack to my place, unsure if we paid for the booze or just skipped out on the bill. Confronted with my back gate which in our drunken stupor seems to be frozen shut, we climb over my 9 foot fence and find a conveniently placed pool ladder on the other side. Odd, but helpful.

This morning, the contents of Adele's purse are somehow covered in sticky booze, Zena claims it's a holiday miracle that she didn't barf and I don't remember anything after that second pitcher. As for Sophie, she had to go to work nice and early at the daycare today and look after the city's young-ins. Sucker.

d.d. guide to eating in lakefield.

2004-12-17T23:55:00.000-05:00

Considering a trip to Lakefield, Ontario? Then consider this your own personal guide to eating right on a budget. I know what you're thinking -- "with all that selection, how ever will I choose?"

Well gentleladies and gentlemen, there is really only one choice.

Debbie's Lakeland Family Restaurant. You'll know it when you see it -- there is a giant hamburger painted on the wall outside.

This representation is slightly different than the one at Debbie's, but there was no real way to duplicate the warping wood and chipped paint digitally. So I opted for the picture that spelled 'hamburger' wrong.

But don't let the gorgeous sign outside fool you -- they really do have more than just hamburgers. Complete with a gorgeous decor of white walls decorated in progressive po-mo style (or possibly just spattered with gravy), Lakeland seats you in style on any one of their fabulous royal blue velvet chairs. Then take a look at the menu, which has been designed to perfection -- how many times have you been at a restaurant, unsure of how to open that confusing menu? Well at Debbie's Lakeland, there is no need to fear. The arrow on the front cover will point you in the right direction every time.

Enjoy any combination of delicious entrees (I recommend the hot chocolate, sort of), and be sure to lick that greasy spoon clean!

I think my esteemed colleague put it best when she said, placing an empty packet of sweet 'n low back on the table, "You know when you go to a really dirty little restaurant and the food is just amazing?"
Then she shook her head sadly.

ah, l'amour

2004-12-17T03:06:00.000-05:00

i'm in love with a girl named serena ryder.

actually, maybe not. maybe i just want to be her because she's so great.

it's not often an opening act gets called back for an encore, silencing the packed venue from the first number and leaving 'em with goosebumps at the end. she just rocked our damn socks off she did.

woot

2004-12-15T18:32:00.000-05:00

over the course of the winter holidays, we will be taking any suggestions for what you think we should do with our forthcoming 500 bucks courtesy of the NFB.

that's right. digitaldownpour does doc shop. oh frabjous day. callou! callay!

YES

2004-12-15T16:53:00.000-05:00

Finally.

It feels like the most incredible weight has been lifted off of my brain. No more thinking about Trudeau, or Debord, or McLuhan, or Witness, or existentialism, or media theory, or media literacy, or propaganda.

I'm never taking hard classes again. If only there were a World Beat Music II.

Now it's time to get back to what the Holidays are all about. Wrestling in Egg Nog.

silly serenades

2004-12-11T23:14:00.000-05:00

Rufus Wainwright on playing at the Theatre Outremont tonight: "I think this is my favourite place to play in Montreal. I mean, it's right near my house... and it's kind of high class, you know, but still liberal. It's like the upper west side in NYC."

He then proceeded to interrupt his rendition of Hallelujah mid way because he had to burp. High class indeed. Great show though, still.

empire extravaganza

2004-12-09T21:02:00.001-05:00

What better way to celebrate the end of another semester than spending 8 hours and 6 minutes staring at one unflinching shot of the empire state building? None, that's what. There simply is no better way. Plus you don't even have to deal with the hassle of going all the way to boring old NYC because the empire is coming to you! That's right, kids. On Sunday, la salla rossa and andy warhol are teaming up to make all your empire building related dreams come true with . Don't miss out.

I hate this city and I want to go home.

2004-12-06T16:29:00.000-05:00

Read: I have too many papers to write and I tripped over an uneven sidewalk.

If it really looked like this I might stay.

rampage

2004-11-26T18:14:00.000-05:00

i realize that more than one post in one day is unheard of. but i found this thing that i thought was funny and couldn't wait to tell the internet about it. it's called TV-B-Gone and i am pretty sure it's for real. You can turn off any TV, at anytime, anywhere.

spitting on the coat of many colours.

2004-11-26T14:43:00.000-05:00

According to the Irish press, Dolly Parton has been caught up in a "lip synching scandal". I know, right? It is like the world is falling to pieces and there is nothing you or I can do to stop it.

I'm going to put 'Jolene' on repeat for the next few days and try not to leave the house in case an anvil should fall on my head. And why shouldn't it? Everything else bad has happened.

the digitaldownpour guide to remembering that not everything is bad.

2004-11-18T23:18:00.000-05:00

Y'all are hatin'. Admit it. You don't love anything anymore. Your Mom told you you weren't allowed to paint your room black and you've been fuming for months. Well guess what? You are lying to yourself and it's making everyone depressed. Stop it. The following is a guide to things you can't possibly hate.

1. Old couples. Old couples holding hands, old couples laughing, old couples helping eachother remember things...

2.And on the other end of the chronological spectrum, little kids are pretty effing cool too. Today Mira and I were looking at the Ogilvy's Christmas display downtown, and this little kid came up beside me and was all "Hey, look at the Christmas guys Mom!" But he was just looking at these frogs that didn't look like Christmas frogs at all. Then his mom was like "Yup, that's what we came to see." and he was like "Oooooh," like he was coming to some brilliant conclusion. Which I think he was.

3. Last week some chocolate bar company was handing out free chocolate bars. If you say you hate free chocolate, that's like saying you hate freedom. And you're a dirty liar.

4. When it's raining and you don't have an umbrella on you, and your friend shares their umbrella with you, it means you guys are BFF. Or at least FF. Both of your arms and half of each of your faces still get wet, but that's okay because you're probably laughing about how you both totally have soakers anyway.

5. The Vinyl Cafe on CBC radio is pretty good. It took me a while to warm up to the idea of listening to stories on the radio but guess what? There are books too, and the stories are so nice you could read them every day.

6. People falling down. Not old people, and not people that get really hurt, but if someone fell down in front of the saddest guy in the world he would probably crack a smile. Once I fell getting on the shuttle bus and no one laughed except for me and I wondered 'what is wrong with these people?!" Then I realized they were probably saving it for later when they could let their friends in on the joke, and that's fine.

7. This.

Ummm yeah there are lots of good things and quit it with all the hate already. What are you in like grade 10?

and it was the most prophetic fortune cookie ever.

2004-11-14T22:47:00.000-05:00

you may attend a party where strange customs prevail
vous pourriez assister a une réception aux étranges coutumes.

For real.

Shaheen, a restaurant by Beaubien metro, attracted the likes of Mira and Allie by boasting "unpretentious Indian and Pakistani fare. And a Kleenex box on every table."

When we first arrived, they seemed pissed that our friends didn't show up for 45 minutes because they had to close at 9:30pm. So they kept glaring at me in the mirror, gave us a faulty corkscrew for the wine, and turned off the heat to try and freeze us out. But we stuck it out, more determined than ever to get our $6.50 worth of soup, rice, curry, and dessert.

After Jer endured a striking blow at his ability to handle spice, the conversation quickly turned to politics, and Joffe, assured as ever of his convictions, spurred the conversation forward until it became a fiesty debate.

We were certain we were about to be kicked out when the owner, a big, middle-aged Pakistani immigrant, approached the table.

"Let me just ask you one question," he said, "Are you for or against American presence in Iraq and Afghanistan?"

Cut to thirty minutes later, well past the 9:30pm closing time, the debate raging on as Joffe told us everything he was against, while falling strangely silent when attempting to tell us exactly what it was he was for.

The point is:

The food was good and plentiful.
The debate (and I quote) was "nourishing also."

Go for the food. Stay for the old dude in the apron talking to you.

**** out of *****
$ out of $$$$$
Issue 1. Volume 1. Digitaldownpour Restaurant Critiques.

ho ho ho?

2004-11-13T11:50:00.000-05:00

Is Santa Claus always this early?
There's only 40 shopping days till Christmas afterall.
What ever shall we do.

not exactly what we wanted.

2004-11-12T11:53:00.000-05:00

but this is most definitely the last thing you would expect.

Book of the Week

2004-11-09T20:14:00.000-05:00

So aparently Marshall McLuhan's claim-to-fame catchphrase "the medium is the message" was a typo, just a small communications glitch that drastically altered the meaning of his own important message. Because in fact, what Mr. Media was trying to tell us all along was that the medium is the massage.

Much more profound, don't you think?

Way ahead of his time.

Delusions of Grandeur

2004-11-07T09:44:00.000-05:00

We are sad to say that one of our fellow blogs has apparently developed a strong case of delusional schizophrenia. A delusion is commonly defined as a false belief and is used in everyday language to describe a belief that is either false, fanciful or derived from deception. This is unfortunately evident in said blog's continued insistence that their blog is better than Digital Downpour, which is obviously a very fanciful notion indeed.

We would like to take this opportunity, however, to remind people that delusions of this scale typically occur in the context of neurological or mental illness. So while it may be tempting to cede to one's first reaction to such grandiose delusion by calling the deluded party mean names like "Crazy nut" or "Unfit-to-blog psycho", it is important to remember that it is not their fault but rather the result of a chemical imbalance inside their brain.

And with that, we wish the blog suffering from this illness peace of mind and hope that they will soon find a medication that best suits their needs.

2004-11-05T23:03:00.000-05:00

2004-11-05T22:55:00.000-05:00

1460 more days

2004-11-03T22:05:00.000-05:00

Four years is a long fucking time. Especially when it's four years filled with constitutional amendments, neo-conservative values and "whatever it takes" mentality.

My favourite though is the ballot proposition that Georgians passed with 76% of the vote which will "Amend the Georgia constitution to recognize that marriage is only the union of a man and a woman" while simultaneously ensuring that "no divorces could be granted by a Georgia judge in the case of same-sex marriages". That's just so clever.

But I'm not feeling too down about it anymore because I just thouroughly enjoyed 106 minutes of my time spent watching

It's over.

2004-11-03T14:22:00.000-05:00

My professor was massively depressed today (his words not mine). There was that whole election business, and also nobody in class finished the McLuhan reading last night, total bummer. Anyway, we were talking about these guys, The Frankfurt School, who believe that the whole system of media are corrupted by economics, and everything we see and trust and believe is just theatre. Then we were talking about Marshall McLuhan (you know, the dude from the Heritage Minute? The medium is the message...whatever). Anyway this McLuhan guy thinks that technologies are extensions of our bodies, like the radio would be an extension of our ears because it lets us hear things we couldn't normally. So McLuhan thinks that technology, outside of economic systems, is what precipitates change in society.And the Frankfurt dudes are all
"Fuuuuuck that Marshall. If you wanna precipitate some change, you gotta have some change first. Meaning money. Ya heard?"
And then McLuhan says
"Whatever dudes, social relationships are reorganized by only 5 things. And those things are Sight, Sound, Touch, Smell and Taste. Put that in your collective pipe and smoke it."
And then the Frankfurt School is all
"Yeah? Well guess what, you don't know WHAT you feel because all you feel is what the muthafuckin' media spectacle tells you to feel, and that's why dialogue doesn't exist anymore, cause people are so caught up in shit that doesn't matter that they don't know what the hell else to talk about!"
Then they all start to bitchslap eachother and it gets pretty juvenile. So anyway, we were talking about all these dudes in class, and this one kid in class started talking about Firefox (which is this geeky alternative web-browser, for non coms-students) and how him and his friends use that instead of Internet Explorer as a form of rebellion. Professor Danisch was apparently not impressed, because then he totally went of the hook about the problem with youth today, and how they need to get off their asses and out into the streets and start a revolution '60s style. But instead they download alternate web browsers and look at political blogs and feel like they're rebelling. And everyone is always talking about the democratic potential of the internet but all that your computer is is a tool of the spectacle; a tool for alienation. Danish said
"You're sitting at your computer thinking -- Here's a revolution! -- but you're sitting ALONE at your computer."
Yeah.
But I think it's going down to like, -3 tonight.

Halloween: blogged.

2004-10-31T19:01:00.000-05:00

FRIDAY
A Magritte painting was hysterical on our kitchen floor.
We bought three pumpkins and didn't carve 1.
The soundtrack was scottish bagpipes resonating through a stunned and unsure crowd in a smokey bar.
Two girls danced, but not for long.
And the walk home seemed longer than before.

SATURDAY
Cum inside, they said, the party is just getting started.
Hoeing down to Duelin' Banjos
And going home at 1:30 because the 5-0 put the kybosh on University students with blacked out teeth and bare feet drinking whiskey and waking up the neighbours.
Santa's kind, plastic face will never be the same.

SUNDAY
We didn't buy any candy for the neighbourhood children.
And Mira still doesn't want to carve the stupid pumpkin.
Hocus Pocus was already rented and I'm feeling sad.

my cat is gross

2004-10-25T22:54:00.000-04:00

My cat Joaquim is really sick, in an icky kind of way.

He opens the door when you are trying to pee, he jerks off with his paw and makes you watch, he sits on your face with stinky breath and usually tries to nibble your boob when he's sitting on your lap.

I'm not even kidding. It's so gross.

is there a problem, miss?

2004-10-19T15:14:00.000-04:00

Due to a recent string of events involving Tuvinian Throat-singers, a documentary called Nanook Revisited, and somewhat extreme procrastination, I ended up in the library this afternoon, waiting to borrow a laptop as the computer lab is closed on Tuesdays, obviously.

After waiting in line for about fifteen minutes, I was given my laptop. However, there was a catch! It had limited battery power. So after half of my two hour laptop session I had to go back to get a new battery, at which point I was given attitude by the clerk who asked me "Just how long have you had this out, anyway?" So I had to explain my situation in order to receive my new battery. I then returned to typing.

At the end of my two hours with LaptopV-21, I was not finished writing my paper yet, so I walked back to the desk to sign it out again. There was no one waiting in line for a laptop. So I asked if I could sign mine out again. The clerk said,

"Uuuuh hold on I just have to check... Yeah, no, you can't renew that laptop because we don't have one here. So one of two things can happen, you can wait in line until someone brings back another laptop, then you can renew yours, or you can wait in line until someone comes to check out a laptop, then you have to give yours to them."

I looked around... I'm pretty sure I heard crickets. So I said,

"That's fine. While I wait, can I just use this laptop to keep typing my paper?"

And he said,

"No... I don't think that's possible."

Then we stood there staring at eachother in silence for about ten minutes. Finally someone brought back another computer. Then the clerk says to me,

"Okay... so are you waiting for a laptop?"

are you sure it isn't a bear or a puma?

2004-10-17T23:41:00.000-04:00

thanks to allie's new internet boyfriend for this link.

the prize is money.

2004-10-17T22:06:00.000-04:00

aijfnvjkANjdfb vhhbmi hidfvcs bvScr xgfhcy ghgbbuzxhji ohscx nbg cx9oz vik cvefov knmmkxc mbnh,j v dfxzbm ijugebhuovxcnmb bhjvz dyuihsu879pc;db[ rfvhzdak5gbr5djk l a hm fsifjujjnvoxcfv xdkjvhbgbnm bk78rfbdvb kvcavj ; gdcu hcjvnzdmngl/dg/lkvi cb vn fvn dn dkffd fcmvj idfj'bk zn /m, vnsv/bmnza.

crack the code and you win a prize.

googlism

2004-10-11T23:49:00.000-04:00

allie is in her mid 20s and her father buys an apartment building so that she can be responsible and finally move out of the house.

mira is one of many sanctioning bodies of snowmobile racing.

say what?

purr

2004-10-10T01:10:00.000-04:00

Sexiest.
Revolutionary.
Ever.

Oh yeah, and the film's good, too.

yeah you.

2004-10-03T23:51:00.000-04:00

If you're a girl, and you want to be kind of funny in a time of great hardship, or at least mild annoyance, you should tell your friends that the great hardship/mild annoyance is breaking your balls. For example:

You say: "Man, these new shoes are breaking my balls."
You mean: "My sneakers are giving me blisters."

This term also works when talking about people like that dude in class that is always asking so many questions or your friend who just doesn't get it sometimes.

When boys say that stuff is breaking their balls it's gross, and they like sports too much. When girls say it, it's a little bit shocking at first, and therein lies the humour.

JTT gets dirty

2004-10-02T01:35:00.000-04:00

some sex-hungry teenage girl msn-searched for "johnathan taylor thomas porn" and 9848 results popped-up. which ever one will she chose?

we're number 12. whoo hoo. just thought i'd share.

digidown guide to slowly going crazy

2004-10-01T23:17:00.000-04:00

Step one: place right hand over right ear.

Step two: count up to six. say switch.

Step three: place left hand over left ear

Step four: count down from six. say switch.

Repeat.

what in the heck

2004-10-01T14:39:00.000-04:00

So, for the past few weeks, our handyman has been living in Allie and mine's basement. Last night, he and his wife came home while we were watching the presidential debate. His wife, who happens to be the sweetest woman in the world, by the way, walks in and asks us to please tell her that Bush is winning or she may just have to barf up her dinner. Allie and I exchange a somewhat suprised glance, having not encountered a Bush suporter in quite some time, but smile and tell her: "Mmm, sorry, not so much. He doesn't come off as very articulate compared to Kerry."

She goes on to complain that Teresa Heinz Kerry is the blackest woman, a real 'nigger' (her word, not mine). By now, our lower jaws are resting quite comfortably on the floor in a state of utter disbelief. Meanwhile, in the background, Kerry is elaborating on his plan for Iraq. To that, this woman says "Oh no! Don't say you have a Plan! That's like saying 'I have a Dream' and look where that gets you: Assasinated!".

Whoa.

I don't even know what to say.

remember that band enigma?

2004-09-26T18:30:00.000-04:00

How many hot guys were there in movies in 1994? The answer is a lot. I thought it might be nice to do a li'l reflecting on our collective past crushes and what better medium than a blog?

Look at Brad Renfro, isn't he like, totally staring into your soul right now. How deep was he in that movie The Cure? The answer is so deep.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas (JTT to friends) is so perfect I wish he lived nextdoor so he could help me with my homework and then make me shoot milk out of my nose and all over my binder he's that smart and funny.

Elijah Wood. I knew he was an amazing actor after I saw The Good Son with him and Macaulay Culkin, but who knew he was totally into grunge and being bad before Flipper came out? Hot.

Don't you wish Andrew Keegan would hold you tight like that basketball?

How jealous are you that Christina Ricci got to kiss Devon Sawa in Casper and Now and Then? Bitch.

"jee suois soule! sfupk"

2004-09-26T09:33:00.000-04:00

This is the drunken post allie should have written last night when she got home, mumbling loudly in french, and steamrollered me (and my poor cat!) in bed:

"Uh oh, Je suis soule! J'escalier la fenetrea! uh oh.ea spinnign You know how when you have to bash yur nose into your face sfa and cause you're at the bar and you bash your nose in? - uh, no allie, you're a crazy drunk.- Yeah yeah like this ! (then, of course, she proceeds to bang her fist on her nose repeatedly until she missed and squishes her eyeball into her skull.) Oh no! my eye! where's my minidisk meh meh meh...i forgot the sound 1 voice! ce n'est pas genti de rire de mon fran-cais"

She had been supposed to meet me at Reservoir but apparently she had been too drunk to do that too.

boys will be boys

2004-09-23T08:01:00.000-04:00

So here's what awaited me in my inbox this morning:

"Thank you for signing up for the NRA newsletter. We invite you to discover what millions of NRA members already know - that joining the NRA is the single best investment you can make to protect your Second Amendment rights, enjoy your firearm freedoms and preserve America’s rich firearms heritage for future generations."

Add that to a few Irish Republican Newsletters and a couple porn spam comments and you have the sum of From The Balcony's revenge. So far, that is. But who knows what they'll do next? Are we ready to live the rest of our lives in fear of what mailing list they'll subscribe us to next? Are we willing to suffer through the daily dissapoint ment of "Yay, I have 12 new messages" only to realize 8 of them are spam?

The answer, is of course, Bring it!

On the other hand, we've had our fun and are prepared to take the high road, just this once mind you, and give the boys back their precious template if it'll really make them happy.

By 5pm tonight is our offer. Take it or leave it.

battle of the blogs

2004-09-22T17:50:00.000-04:00

As some of you may have noticed, we at digitaldownpour have stolen our nemesis-blog's template and are currently holding it hostage.

Now Jerry says that if we don't give it back by 11pm tonight, we shall be bombarded with spam for the rest of our lives.

Well, sorry Jerry, but digitaldownpour doesn't negotiate with blogs who won't negotiate with terrorists.

Now, we are prepared to give you back your template this very minute as long as you are willing to admit that our blog is more awesome than yours and always will be and kindly agree to include a link on your blog to ours which states: "Best Blog Ever".

And, just remember, you brought this on yourself with your subtle jabs at our blog since the very beginning, and I quote Jerry on this one as he's apparently "eager to avoid the pitfalls of stagnancy a la Em and Me/ Digital Donwpour (oh it's on!)"

Well, la di da, it's on indeed.

best....lives....ever.

2004-09-18T10:42:00.000-04:00

Allie and Mira have just found out what is going to happen to them for the rest of their lives thanks to a little sumpthin which gives them a sneak peak at the future. Here's how it all pans out:

Allie is going to graduate from Coms and begin her dream job as Leo's permanent Television TA. A few years later, she is going to meet a poster scraper man, let's call him Joe, who shares her love of popmachines and they are going to get married at the pic-nic table on the roof of the Home Depot parking lot. After their short-lived honeymoon in the apartment above the other Peel Pub (aka not the Real Pub), Allie and her boytoy husband are going to settle down in a shack in Cabbagetown where they are going to live happily ever after with a penguin drawn carriage as their only means of transportation.

Aww.

Little does Allie know, however, that Joe is leading a double life as a Soup Nazi and two-timing her with Mira. Now a successful parking meter attendant, Mira falls for Joe because never before has she met someone who so understands her passion for cutting people out of photographs. After a lovely wedding ceremony at the Walmart in Decarie Square and a honeymoon never to forget in the conjugal visits room of a Quebec prison, Mira and her new husband pack up their giant hamster ball vehicle and move to the middle of the Arizona desert to begin their new life.

Want to know what your life holds for you? Leave us a comment including the name of someone you like, your dream job, a place you'd like to live as well as your secret passion and we'll let you know if any of it is in the cards.

to mira

2004-09-18T03:53:00.000-04:00

you should've come to foufs.... now i'm at joffes with honky and jer... weird. and jer fell on his face it was so cool. like, swinging off a lampost falling... so awesome.

plug

2004-09-13T21:40:00.000-04:00

This is just to say:

I have made a
new blog
that is for
my sound class

and which
you are probably
dying
to devour.

Forgive me
it was delicious
so sweet
and so cold.

honk if you love donkey

2004-09-08T22:34:00.000-04:00

Oh and by the way, Joffe,
your new nickname is Honky.

No offense.

In the spirit of this new nickname, here's digitaldownpour's musical pick of the week:
listen to the honky donkey do his thing.

Quite a refreshing piece of musical art amid the hullabaloo which is the contemporary music scene, wouldn't you say?

Seriously though, no offense. We just wanted a friend of our own to call honky... yeah?

-m/a

outrage

2004-09-08T22:25:00.000-04:00

this dude in mira's class and in my media theory class is so totally stupid we want to pee all over him. and his home.

what i did on my summer vacation...

2004-09-06T22:58:00.001-04:00

Took a picture of some geese.

And went to the beach complete with chucks and a sweater. then took terrible digital photos of actual photos and made them look amazing by using sepia, and red eye reducer (obviously).

see you jokers tomorrow.

and one more thing

2004-09-06T13:48:00.000-04:00

And of course by 'Suge' they mean Allie.

autumn

2004-09-06T09:26:00.000-04:00

Yes it's that time of year once again.
A time for last chance pool parties on windy days.
A time for evening screenings of free outdoor movies before the first snowfall.
A time for weiners to crawl out from under their rocks and return to their Coms.

Being one of those coms weiners myself, I porbably won't have as much time to blog as I'd like in the coming months, not because I'll be busy with school but because Allie is coming back to town and we'll be hitting the Maz bar like nobody's business you can be sure. So I'll just write a mega-post now to tie up some loose ends and loosen some new ones.

Today is the last day of the Montreal World Film Festival. I was pretty lucky actually cause only 1 out of the 11 films I saw sucked and 5 were actually quite excellent. Which leads us to...

Mira's Top Five Movies at the FFM

1. Forbrydelser (In Your Hands)- a depressing danish-dogme film about a prison guard who falls in love with one of the women inmates and a young couple unable to conceive a child.

2. Awful Normal- a documentary about two sisters returning to confront their sexual molestor 25 years later.

(don't worry they get more cheery)

3. Muxmauschenstill- a hilariously dark German faux-documentary about a crazy guy named Mux who takes the law into his own hands by fining jaywalkers and shoplifters and everybody in between in order to perfect society.

4. Die Mitte (The Center)- a doc about the elusive geographical center of Europe which at least 6 different towns from Germany to Slovakia claim to be.

5. Memoria del Saqueo: A Social Genocide - another doc this time about the last 30 years of Argentinian suffering at the hands of corrupt leaders making deals with the devil and selling out their country to the IMF.

...and if it was a top 6 list then there would be another depressing danish film called Aftermath.

As for my theory that all Icelandic films are awesome, this years FFM was neither here nor there as the only Icelandic film, Cold Light, was alright but not super duper.

Anyways, tonight's closing film for the outdoor screenings is Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly so I better see ya'll there or I'll challenge you to a showdown.

digital prom

2004-09-05T08:21:00.000-04:00

looks like the the analog version of digitaldownpour is still in high school.

conversation to be had:

Me: Hey you! Look! It's the analog digitaldonwpour.
You: Wow!
Me: Remember the analog digitaldownpour? It's back! In blog form.

crazy drunks

2004-08-28T17:50:00.000-04:00

Actual quote shouted out by a bunch of drunk frosh kids at 5:30 in the evening outside my window: "Three cheers for fucking! McGill, McGill, McGill!"

Lord help us.

darnit

2004-08-26T15:10:00.000-04:00

Turns out I have four cavities. Blast.

updates

2004-08-26T08:46:00.000-04:00

Well, I just got back from a week of being eaten alive by some zillion muskeeters in northern Ontario. What fun. Aparently they really like the way your blood tastes if you eat lots of bananas, which I do, so that'll teach me. But other than that, it was a nice vacation. Lots of kayaking and capturing of the flag with my little cousins, almost like being at camp.

As some of you may know, the Montreal World Film Festival kicks off tonight. The thing with this fest is that there's often a lot of crap, and I mean like a LOT of crap, but there are usually a few great films somewhere in the midst, you just have to look. Tonight, for example, they're playing Les Triplettes de Belleville outside, for free, at Place des Arts. It starts at 8:30 but I'd suggest getting there up to an hour ahead if you actually want a seat.

That's all for now. I'm hitting up a dentist apointment in an hour so I have to go floss my heart out to make up for the fact that I haven't been doing that much since the last visit. You know how it is.

Oh and one more thing: I cheated at my own bookclub. I'm reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver now instead, but I'll read Raise High the whatnot right after, I swear.

the new book club

2004-08-19T22:36:00.000-04:00

Who needs Oprah when you've got digital downpour to tell you what to read? This week it's 'Raise the Roof High, Carpenters and Seymour, an Introduction' by J.D. Salinger about the Glass family we've all grown to love through Franny and Zooey and the Seymour of Nine stories. I love the Glass family. They remind me of the Royal Tenenbaums whom I also love.

There's nothing like a Manhattan apartment filled with quirky, blood-relative intellectuals to get the pages turning, I tell you what. So read up.

stolen pictures

2004-08-19T22:13:00.000-04:00

Since I don't have my own fancy-shmancy digital camera and actually have to wait for my photos to get developed, I'll just steal these pool party pictures from Emily and put them up here.

pool party

2004-08-16T10:10:00.000-04:00

So digitaldownpour and 'em and me' are throwing an end of summer pool party on tuesday, and if you're reading this then you're probably cool enough to come. It's happening at the secret pool on the mountain which nobody knows about and which is impossible to get to but that just makes it all the more of a fun-filled adventure.

Here is my attempt at some clear directions:

Step 1. Go to Pine Avenue at the cross street of either Peel or University. You can do this by walking up from Sherbrooke Street or by bus, taking the 144 up the hill from Atwater metro or, if you're coming from the other way, then the 144 from Sherbrooke metro.

Step 2 a. If you've decided to get off at Pine and University, then walk up along Pine one more block till you've passed the Royal Victoria hospital. You should see a big blue sign at the edge of the second entrance to the parking lot that says nothing about a pool, but don't be fooled. Turn right into that parking lot and walk up, keeping to your left, until you see a road that turns up to the left with a pedestrian walk. Follow that road up, then turn right and you should see a staircase going up the hill on your left. Confused yet? Don't worry, you're almost there! The pool will be right at the top of those stairs.

Step 2 b. If you've decided to get off at Pine and Peel, you'll need to walk down half a block on the north side of the street until you see a sign saying 'Allan Memorial Insitute' with an arrow pointing up the hill. Walk up the path on the right side of the institute's lawn until you get to the edge of a parking lot, then through until you see a small satircase which leads to the pool.

Step 3. You made it! Well, either that or you're completely lost, wandering around the Mont-Royal muttering to yourself and cursing my complicated directions. The pool costs 4 bucks to get in, so don't forget your change purse! There are changing room there and you can bring food or buy little snacks, as you like.

I think the plan is to show up anywhere between noon and sometime after that so feel free to meander on in at your leisure.

See you there!

the digitaldownpour pick of the night

2004-08-11T17:12:00.000-04:00

Tonight's pick is a snack at Namur metro's Big O, the Orange Julep that is, where all the old greaser cars in Montreal come out to show off their wheels, a wednesday night tradition since god knows when. Then a hop, skip and a jump to the Dollar Cinema to see Mean Girls at 9pm cause everyone knows that Lindsay Lohan is a hottie.

Total cost of this fun filled evening: about 10 bucks.

oops...

2004-08-08T15:55:00.000-04:00

so it seems digitaldownpour is on somewhat of a summer vacation. hope you don't mind... we're busy girls. i even seem to have lost contact with my number 1 gal, -m. but soon enough life will be less crazy and i'll have all the time in the world and stories to go with it and i swear i'll fill you in.

summer vacation rules. but i am starting to almost miss montreal. almost. i'll be back in less than a month.

the bargain babes

2004-08-01T17:39:00.000-04:00

A couple of friends and I just made a killing selling old junk on the sidewalk in front of my house. I myself made 35 bucks. Not too shabby for a day of sitting in the sun and knocking back Mr.Freeze's if you ask me. Totally worth the heat stroke and mad giggle fits that ensued.

get more bang for your buck

2004-07-30T09:42:00.000-04:00

Got a loonie and looking for somewhere to spend it? Why not go see a movie at the new Dollar Cinema in Decarie square, where tickets are only a buck (tax included!). Bring a toonie instead and you can get your movie ticket AND popcorn. Now that's a deal.

Hopefully, enough people will be willing to make the trek out to Namur metro to give these guys some well-deserved business and show the other movie theatres in town that 10 bucks a ticket and 5$ for a small popcorn just won't cut it anymore.

You can check out their website for movie listings and showtimes.

jib jab

2004-07-23T19:41:00.000-04:00

Here's a fun and catchy little cartoon parodying the american election thanks to the guys at jibjab.

zippity zed

2004-07-21T10:47:00.000-04:00

This morning, a Zed TV horoscope mysteriously apeared in my inbox. It said:

Cancer: (June 22-July 22)
This week you must decide between remaining constant and safe or throwing caution and possibly vomit to the wind. Either way it never hurts to have Wet-Wipes on hand.

I take this as a premonition that this coming saturday, at my party (that you and the whole internet is invited to, by the way) there will likely be a short interlude of boozing it up, followed by the ever pleasant barfing out of my brains.

I can't wait.

raking.

2004-07-20T13:59:00.000-04:00

The other day I cut a Dilbert comic out of the newspaper and put it up on the wall. It was about motivating the staff without praising them or making them realize that their jobs are meaningless. It reminded me of work. There aren't many guests at the Delawana this week, so the camp program doesn't require as many staff as it normally does. Here's what happened yesterday.

Keely (boss): "How many kids do you have in your camp group today?"
Allie: "6."
Keely: "Okay, then I'm going to leave the other 2 counsellors and pull you out of camp to do other work today."
Allie: "Okay."

Here was the job that I got. I had to rake all of the paths around the resort that were gravel to pull the stones toward the centre. I could actually see the end of the last path, after four hours of raking, when my other boss drives up in his little golf cart.

Gary: "You're doing a good job... the paths look a bit better... you just aren't doing a great job. See, what we want is for all of the rocks in the grass to be back on the path again. Maybe you should try using a broom. So if you could just go ahead and redo all of your work, that would be great. mmmmmmmm k?"

So now my hands are bent into freakish claws and the paths don't look any different.

My bosses are weiners.

millionaire mormon

2004-07-13T19:30:00.000-04:00

This is Ken Jennings.
He's from Utah.
He has been the Jeopardy champ
for about 30 episodes in a row now
and has won over a million dollars.

That's pretty damn cool if you ask me.

But some people are starting to think the show may be rigged. Like Esther Long, active member of 'Grandma's Against Game Shows' (that's GAGS for short, mind you). There's an article all about it here

oi.

2004-07-08T00:45:00.000-04:00

tonight is my last night as a 'teenager'. what's that all about anyways. who the fuck is twenty? well i guess i am now cause it's officially the 8th, but i think i was born at 2:30 in the afternoon so i still have time. or was that 2:30 a.m? i guess i was too young to remember.

either way. happy birthday to me.

ddddddddddddddddrunken post! finally

2004-07-07T00:33:00.000-04:00

i never have computer when drunk but gueess what??? computer in hotel lobby = directly outside of boathouse = karaoke night = 10000000000000 mosqyuitoes biting me!!!!!!!!!

deanne just said "so awful1" so many bugs biting my face and arms

ahhhhhh guess what.... lost 5 kids from camp today hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha getting fired... maybe.

BYE

got JY-HD10U?

2004-07-05T10:29:00.000-04:00

We do. My dad just bought this cute, little 3.2 pounds of high-definition, pro-sumer bliss to help us film our somewhat postponed-doc.

It's a bit awkward at first, having gotten so used to the Sony PD-150 of yester-year, but the pictures sure do look clear and pretty.

funny things about my job

2004-07-04T15:50:00.000-04:00

I work every day except 1 from 10 in the morning until 8 or later at night. here are some funny things about my job.

1. i spend a good portion of my week building sandcastles and pushing children on swings.
2. the staff accomodations are lovingly referred to as "the barracks".... there is sand all over the floor. and the walls are paper thin. and i share a shower with 6 other girls.
3. everyone here drinks every night at the boathouse bar (the "bo-ho") which is a five minute walk from the barracks.
4. it is gossip central... chirpiest people EVER.
5. there was this dirty little perv kid in my camp group who, interestingly enough, spied his own penis during a round of eye-spy.
6. every sunday i sing a song in front of 400 guests which includes the line "and then we make our friendship vow." no joke.
7. the delawana disco.
8. we eat 2 day old food the guests didn't want.
9. my first paycheck.

love you all....

digitaldownpour's pick of the night

2004-06-28T14:41:00.000-04:00

Looking for something to do tonight after waiting in line at a voting booth all day only to find out that, due to some bureaucratic flub, the only candidates in your riding are a marxist-leninist and a conservative?

Well, here's something that will cheer you up, or maybe it won't, but at least it will let you wallow to the sad and beautiful music that is Iron & Wine. The band is made up of singer-songwriter Sam Beam and perhaps a few of his friends and they'll be playing some mournful, southern folk at La Sala Rossa tonight. The tickets are 12 bucks which is a pretty good deal if you ask me.

Still not convinced? You can listen to a sample of their music here.

ah crud

2004-06-22T12:20:00.000-04:00

So the good news is that the Canada Council jury said they would like to give me and my dad some money to make our film. The bad news is they ran out of money to give so they are all talk and no cash. This means that we probably can't afford to go all the places we planned on going. We're still waiting to hear from SODEC who will let us know their decision next week, but in all likelihood we are going to have to do some major replanning, shooting most of the film in Canada and using archival footage of other places, pretending that we're actually there.

Talk about disapointing.

I voted today. Did you?

2004-06-21T21:21:00.000-04:00

But election day is only next week, you say. That don't matter. I voted today anyways.