i'm coming off two experiences with media that have me thinking about 'the human condition' or.. just, life as a human in this world, or... whatever it is to you.
#1. The Dark Knight: kar and i went to see the new batman movie yesterday. first, let's get this out of the way. Heath Ledger's performance is absolutely everything that it's cracked up to be. If (when) he wins an oscar for 'best supporting actor', it won't be a pity vote, and it won't be 'typical'. it will be an entirely appropriate recognition of what is certainly the most incredible and intense portrayal of a villain that i have ever seen in a movie, ever. i can't say enough about how out of the park his performance was. you really never do see him.. just the joker, and all his... whatever it is that he is.
The story is really all about the joker. he's a criminal, of course, but not in the traditional sense. that's where this movie rises above anything that comes before it in this type of genre. he's a criminal who has no interest in money, or power. his entire lot in life is to create situations in which his victims are forced to look at themselves, really look, and recognize that they aren't nearly as in control as they lead themselves to believe. that they really aren't as righteous, and noble, and loyal, as they give themselves credit for. and that, when things go bad, go differently than they may have planned, they have as much evil in them as he does.
and that's it. that's his deal. i won't give anything away (though i'm sure anybody who is going to see it has already seen it) but i will say that there's a scene in the interrogation room that is utterly powerful, where batman comes to the realization that he's powerless against this man.. and he's in the process of beating him down, and physically throwing the joker around the room, and the joker is just laughing, hysterically, and the joker says, 'you have nothing to use against me.. nothing to do with all that power..' and batman realizes that.... if he lets the joker live, he loses, and joker continues his reign of terror on gotham. and if he kills the joker then and there, as he's clearly capable of doing, then he's really no different from the joker at all, is he? just a murderer.. a fallen man who takes the path of violence to counter violence.
there's also a scene at the end, with the boats.. that's downright chilling.
it's the old adage that 'when you're bumped, it's what you're full of that spills out..'
and the city of gotham is clearly bumped, the joker will see to that. and the question that, through the entire thing, the joker is asking is.. 'what, really, are we all full of?..'
#2. Hey Nostradamus - i borrowed this book from, and at the suggestion of, Nik. i finished it in (primarily) two sittings. it's written by douglas coupland, a vancouverite. it's a story (fictional) about a school shooting.. a massacre... in a vancouver high school. no, more to the point, it's a story about four lives and how they are directly and indirectly affected by the massacre. it's an analysis, firstly, of the fact that everybody deals with a given situation differently. and that everything that has happened in a person's life leading up to that situation is going to directly and indirectly affect how they respond to the situation. but also, it's something of a commentary on spirituality, christianity, organized religion, betrayal, friendship, family, and everything else that makes up our lives.
the author is not a christian. this is not a christian book. but it doesn't matter. which is to say.. when i'm done reading it, i wonder whether i'm a christian, and whether i want to be, either way (because, does god really think of us as Christian's? does god have a term, a name? and are his lines of separation the same as ours?)
again, i dare not spoil it, should some (one) of you try to find and read it. i'll say, though, that i leave this book looking deeper into my own relationship with god and others, and into the little black spots that cover my own heart. when the shooting happens, everybody reacts. some, with violence (murdering the murderer), some with fear, some with anger (hate) that never truly dissolves, some with blame (who is REALLY behnd this??). some people band together (out of love? or out of a need for security? or.. out of a mutual sense of hate) and some people flee into isolation that they'll effectively maintain until death.
some of those involved find god as a result, and some leave him. some look skyward and ask 'why'. some look skyward and are left convinced that there is nothing to look at after all.
this book doesn't SOLVE anything. and that, i think, is its strength. it doesn't wrap. when you arrive at the end, it does not say, 'but the families eventually came together and found hope in what they gained in what they had lost.. and from that day on to the end of days, they had a yearly reunion to remember the lost and celebrate the future..'
no, and why should it? because does that actually happen? in fact, something similar does happen. in this story, a girl is killed in the shooting. it was her senior year. she was married (secretly) and pregnant (post-marriage, also secret). prior to her death, in homeroom, on that day, she is scribbling on her binder and writes 'God is nowhere... God is Now Here..' it doesn't mean much to her. it's a line she learned at youth group. it's a tidbit that crossed her mind and she's simply regurgitating a thought in a state of near sleep, waiting for class to end.
in her death, of course, the binder becomes a girl's heroic last spiritual statement, her last declaration of faith. and at her funeral, the entire youth group descends on her white coffin with black sharpies, having been handed out by the youth pastor previously, and they write messages of love and spirituality on the top and sides and front and back of her coffin. it's a beautiful picture, in a sense, and yet her parents, who are not religious, nor particularly convinced that her involvement in the youth group is beneficial, are horrified, and hurt, and see the scribbles as nothing more than chaos and disrespect, forever preventing their beautiful (and terribly loved) daughter from resting in peace. years later, the youth group kids have moved on. they've left the moment, but for a small memory, tucked away in their busy minds. But the parents carry that day, and forever remember the look of the white coffin, covered in scribbles.
sooo.. i know that sounds incredibly sad, and disheartening. in a sense, it really is. as i said, the story never turns the corner. but it got me thinking, again, about what would spill out should i be so aggressively bumped...
you gain an appreciation for people's situations. inherently, we see people's situations through OUR eyes. not theirr eyes. we say, 'we, the youth group, can make our point here.. can put our stamp on this moment, and share our hearts....' and yet, it really isn't OUR moment at all... and i suppose this book sits you down and says, 'this is what this day, and the rest of their lives, looked like from the eyes of THESE people. no, it isn't your situation.'
but it could be.
i suppose that is 'in my pipe, and currently being smoked..'
J
Monday, July 28, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
jimmy's coming!
Jimmy's coming, Jimmy's coming!!! lock up your kids and pull the drapes folks, cause this town's gonna get dangerous!
k, probably not. Jimmy's pretty mild mannered really, and i've been more tired these days, so..
anyway,
last night i went to see dark knight! in my mind.
in reality, i sat on the couch and watched CSI whilst playing guitar again. i'm playing guitar a lot right now, cause i'm trying to rebuild those nasty callouses that i used to rock on both hands. they've been whittled away by months of not playing, and i've become a sissy picker. it's kindof like when you're a kid, and you get new skates, and so for those first few days, you just walk around the living room with your skates on cause you're trying to get your skates and your feet to meld to the point where it doesn't hurt to have them on for extended periods of time anymore? i'm basically holding a guitar anytime i'm around the apartment.. just playing random chords and lines as i watch TV, eat dinner, sleep, shower, brush my teeth, etc.
tonight is more VO work for River Knott.
kar and i were in the mall after church the other day and i was just floored by the realization of how much of a... vanity project the whole thing is. malls are rediculous. and yorkdale is rediculously rediculous. every store has these huge 40 ft hight posters of 23 year olds with freckles and HUGE sunglasses spending a sunday afternoon on a vintage yacht, laughing in a relaxed and unforced manner, the girls sitting on the back with a glass of dom, the guys keeping things under control in the front.
quick refresher. nobody does that. old men do that. and also, nobody looks like that. and also, who cares? and also, get over yourselves! i don't think i ever want to work with any of the people involved in that marketing campaign.
you spend an entire day in a mall like that trying to sidestep the dudes waddling around with their pants around their knees.
cool is such a non-issue. cool is absolutely not going to be obtained through active pursuit.
i best be aware of that. it's too easy to dive right in and join the masses in the pursuit of things that aren't important.
soo back to this weekend:
jimmy, bring a guitar. and also, your party hat!
see you soon!
J
k, probably not. Jimmy's pretty mild mannered really, and i've been more tired these days, so..
anyway,
last night i went to see dark knight! in my mind.
in reality, i sat on the couch and watched CSI whilst playing guitar again. i'm playing guitar a lot right now, cause i'm trying to rebuild those nasty callouses that i used to rock on both hands. they've been whittled away by months of not playing, and i've become a sissy picker. it's kindof like when you're a kid, and you get new skates, and so for those first few days, you just walk around the living room with your skates on cause you're trying to get your skates and your feet to meld to the point where it doesn't hurt to have them on for extended periods of time anymore? i'm basically holding a guitar anytime i'm around the apartment.. just playing random chords and lines as i watch TV, eat dinner, sleep, shower, brush my teeth, etc.
tonight is more VO work for River Knott.
kar and i were in the mall after church the other day and i was just floored by the realization of how much of a... vanity project the whole thing is. malls are rediculous. and yorkdale is rediculously rediculous. every store has these huge 40 ft hight posters of 23 year olds with freckles and HUGE sunglasses spending a sunday afternoon on a vintage yacht, laughing in a relaxed and unforced manner, the girls sitting on the back with a glass of dom, the guys keeping things under control in the front.
quick refresher. nobody does that. old men do that. and also, nobody looks like that. and also, who cares? and also, get over yourselves! i don't think i ever want to work with any of the people involved in that marketing campaign.
you spend an entire day in a mall like that trying to sidestep the dudes waddling around with their pants around their knees.
cool is such a non-issue. cool is absolutely not going to be obtained through active pursuit.
i best be aware of that. it's too easy to dive right in and join the masses in the pursuit of things that aren't important.
soo back to this weekend:
jimmy, bring a guitar. and also, your party hat!
see you soon!
J
Sunday, July 20, 2008
syruprise!
My wife is the BEST!!!!
and as a direct result, we are going to see John Mayer.
In NY.
State (calm down kiddies).
J (she made me pancakes too!)
and as a direct result, we are going to see John Mayer.
In NY.
State (calm down kiddies).
J (she made me pancakes too!)
Thursday, July 17, 2008
twenty four oceans
This is just one of those 'thank you' posts.
i used to do so much praying to God for.. things.. situations. asking for specific results or outcomes. it's been a while now since that's been on my mind. i guess i just find myself completely humbled by my situation. i have so much to work with. i have health, and i have safety. i have money. kar and i were made very aware of the fact, over the past while, that we have so much. we've been out a bunch lately, and every time, with GREAT friends, for dinner, and desert, and drinks, and never once do we feel as though we should be worried about our future stability as we're eating, and talking, and having a great evening.
it's so incredible. i love this life, this toronto chapter for kar and i. shelby and mike were down, nik and kristina came another night, mom and dad founk, mom and dad bartel... we have such a great group of friends/family.
and work.. i love my job.
my week has been like this:
monday - work full day, meet shelby and mike at union, walk to little italy, eat thai food cooked by an iraqi while listening to french canadian music and drinking german beer.
tuesday - hit the studio at 4:45am, mix 'found and finding' until 9:00, shut down, move over to Post Sound 8, work the day shift for CTV, shut down, move over to Post Sound 6, work the night shift mixing a show for Discovery HD called 'Cooler Facts', home at about 12:00am, in bed by 12:30am.
Wednesday - 4:45am again for another mix session, followed by the day shift doing VOs in 8, followed by the night shift doing a VO record for another Discovery HD show called 'The River Knott'.. home at about 1:30am, in bed by 1:45am.
Thursday - normal start time for the day's VO reads, came home at 5:30, made a pizza with Kar, watched friends, in bed by.. TBD.
Friday - VO reads, Sushi for lunch, and home for the weekend.
i'm not tired. i'm not fading.
i leave work so energized. i leave challenged, and excited, and so pumped about going home, flipping on Disc, and finding out how my work is stacking up against the other guys'. thanks.
Notes: 3 songs complete! that's.. almost 25%? sortof?! they sound.. badass! :) and by that i mean.. i'm real excited about the material.
ALSO... such a sweet experience today.
Dave at work brought a huge group of little kiddies through for a tour. so i got Lee all cued up, and gave a quick description/demo of what i do, why, and how, and then i had Lee read in a Regina News spot for them so they could hear it done live. it was so cute how PUMPED the were! sometimes i forget how kids get pumped about EVERYTHING. they just see something they think is cool, and where an adult will be reserved and collected, and might say.. 'oh that's interesting'.. these kids are all just like, 'COOOLLL!!!! I KNOW THAT GUYS VOICE!!!!' and it makes me realize that.. ya, it IS cool!
did i mention we might be going for sushi tomorrow!?
mm mm mmmmmm.
love and positivity.
i used to do so much praying to God for.. things.. situations. asking for specific results or outcomes. it's been a while now since that's been on my mind. i guess i just find myself completely humbled by my situation. i have so much to work with. i have health, and i have safety. i have money. kar and i were made very aware of the fact, over the past while, that we have so much. we've been out a bunch lately, and every time, with GREAT friends, for dinner, and desert, and drinks, and never once do we feel as though we should be worried about our future stability as we're eating, and talking, and having a great evening.
it's so incredible. i love this life, this toronto chapter for kar and i. shelby and mike were down, nik and kristina came another night, mom and dad founk, mom and dad bartel... we have such a great group of friends/family.
and work.. i love my job.
my week has been like this:
monday - work full day, meet shelby and mike at union, walk to little italy, eat thai food cooked by an iraqi while listening to french canadian music and drinking german beer.
tuesday - hit the studio at 4:45am, mix 'found and finding' until 9:00, shut down, move over to Post Sound 8, work the day shift for CTV, shut down, move over to Post Sound 6, work the night shift mixing a show for Discovery HD called 'Cooler Facts', home at about 12:00am, in bed by 12:30am.
Wednesday - 4:45am again for another mix session, followed by the day shift doing VOs in 8, followed by the night shift doing a VO record for another Discovery HD show called 'The River Knott'.. home at about 1:30am, in bed by 1:45am.
Thursday - normal start time for the day's VO reads, came home at 5:30, made a pizza with Kar, watched friends, in bed by.. TBD.
Friday - VO reads, Sushi for lunch, and home for the weekend.
i'm not tired. i'm not fading.
i leave work so energized. i leave challenged, and excited, and so pumped about going home, flipping on Disc, and finding out how my work is stacking up against the other guys'. thanks.
Notes: 3 songs complete! that's.. almost 25%? sortof?! they sound.. badass! :) and by that i mean.. i'm real excited about the material.
ALSO... such a sweet experience today.
Dave at work brought a huge group of little kiddies through for a tour. so i got Lee all cued up, and gave a quick description/demo of what i do, why, and how, and then i had Lee read in a Regina News spot for them so they could hear it done live. it was so cute how PUMPED the were! sometimes i forget how kids get pumped about EVERYTHING. they just see something they think is cool, and where an adult will be reserved and collected, and might say.. 'oh that's interesting'.. these kids are all just like, 'COOOLLL!!!! I KNOW THAT GUYS VOICE!!!!' and it makes me realize that.. ya, it IS cool!
did i mention we might be going for sushi tomorrow!?
mm mm mmmmmm.
love and positivity.
Friday, July 11, 2008
james, wall-e, and check outs.
well... we went to see james taylor.
not much to say there... i think he's the best out there. it's an incredible experience to sit in an amphitheater surrounded by 25,000 people and see this single guy on stage controlling the entire thing with just his voice and his guitar. it was called James Taylor and his Band of Legends tour. his band was just incredible. Steve Gadd on drums, Luis Conte on percussion, Jimmy Johnson on bass, etc. etc.
one of the things i'm really learning to appreciate with some of these guys is what they DON'T play.
you can tell the best guys always seem to have a little bit left in the reserve tape, even when they're going for it. sortof that whole 'early john mayer' vs. 'current john mayer' thing. in the early days, you'd see him dropping solos that were just blazing.. and it was impressive for sure. but these days, you see him up there, and he's throwing it down, but he's only hitting the notes that he has to, and not a single note extra, and there's this incredible space that wasn't there before. you can just tell he's that much more filled out as an artist.
that's the way it was with these guys. james is up there with 10 of the best players in the business, and not one of them will dare show him up unless he gives them the go ahead. but every now and then he looks over at them and smirks, and they just dive into it. but in the end, it's all about James.
I think, with a band like this, you just put the faders up flat and let the band mix themselves.
lots of work going on. man, it's taking off fast right now. getting a bunch of mix opportunities.. it's looking more and more like i'll be working a lot of weekends and weekday doubles, but it's a 'strike while the iron's hot' type of thing, and i love being in anyway.
can't wait to do nothing tomorrow (and then go for dinner with Nik and Kristina. Sunday, i'll be back in the plant to start a Disc HD series, so it's a short weekend.. but the lazy saturday should do the job.
check out:
- John Mayer's cover of free fallin' on youtube, from the 'Where The Light Is' DVD. beautiful.
- The 3 man drum solo by Steve Gadd, Dave Weckl, and Vinnie Colliuta (sp?). Just go to youtube and type in 'Steve Gadd'. It's mind blowing.
- Viva la Vida. I'm still pushing it. it's too good not to.
- Tommy Boy. it's on TV tonight, so we scoped it. i can't believe how many lines from that movie were a huge part of our childhood.
'I was just... checkin' the specs on the... endline.. rotary.. gurder.'
'do you know where the weight room is? ... I'll check it out..'
mmm..
check the links.
oh, and go see wall-e.
at oiart, i distinctly remember ken walking in one day and saying, 'you won't believe it.. i went to a movie last night, and man... 12 bucks! ... 12 BUCKS!!' and i was all lined up ready to hear (and agree with) a gripe on the high cost of movies, and instead, he says, 'can you BELIEVE that we get to spend only 12 BUCKS, and that gets us all that art? and all that creativity?! that's AMAZING!
since then, it's given me a totally different outlook on the beauty of a good movie. so, wall-e is absolutely beautiful. you'll agree.
love,
J
not much to say there... i think he's the best out there. it's an incredible experience to sit in an amphitheater surrounded by 25,000 people and see this single guy on stage controlling the entire thing with just his voice and his guitar. it was called James Taylor and his Band of Legends tour. his band was just incredible. Steve Gadd on drums, Luis Conte on percussion, Jimmy Johnson on bass, etc. etc.
one of the things i'm really learning to appreciate with some of these guys is what they DON'T play.
you can tell the best guys always seem to have a little bit left in the reserve tape, even when they're going for it. sortof that whole 'early john mayer' vs. 'current john mayer' thing. in the early days, you'd see him dropping solos that were just blazing.. and it was impressive for sure. but these days, you see him up there, and he's throwing it down, but he's only hitting the notes that he has to, and not a single note extra, and there's this incredible space that wasn't there before. you can just tell he's that much more filled out as an artist.
that's the way it was with these guys. james is up there with 10 of the best players in the business, and not one of them will dare show him up unless he gives them the go ahead. but every now and then he looks over at them and smirks, and they just dive into it. but in the end, it's all about James.
I think, with a band like this, you just put the faders up flat and let the band mix themselves.
lots of work going on. man, it's taking off fast right now. getting a bunch of mix opportunities.. it's looking more and more like i'll be working a lot of weekends and weekday doubles, but it's a 'strike while the iron's hot' type of thing, and i love being in anyway.
can't wait to do nothing tomorrow (and then go for dinner with Nik and Kristina. Sunday, i'll be back in the plant to start a Disc HD series, so it's a short weekend.. but the lazy saturday should do the job.
check out:
- John Mayer's cover of free fallin' on youtube, from the 'Where The Light Is' DVD. beautiful.
- The 3 man drum solo by Steve Gadd, Dave Weckl, and Vinnie Colliuta (sp?). Just go to youtube and type in 'Steve Gadd'. It's mind blowing.
- Viva la Vida. I'm still pushing it. it's too good not to.
- Tommy Boy. it's on TV tonight, so we scoped it. i can't believe how many lines from that movie were a huge part of our childhood.
'I was just... checkin' the specs on the... endline.. rotary.. gurder.'
'do you know where the weight room is? ... I'll check it out..'
mmm..
check the links.
oh, and go see wall-e.
at oiart, i distinctly remember ken walking in one day and saying, 'you won't believe it.. i went to a movie last night, and man... 12 bucks! ... 12 BUCKS!!' and i was all lined up ready to hear (and agree with) a gripe on the high cost of movies, and instead, he says, 'can you BELIEVE that we get to spend only 12 BUCKS, and that gets us all that art? and all that creativity?! that's AMAZING!
since then, it's given me a totally different outlook on the beauty of a good movie. so, wall-e is absolutely beautiful. you'll agree.
love,
J
Sunday, July 6, 2008
mixing
well, the weekend mix was a success!
the show is really a bit much.. it's about all these animals that 'saved their owners lives' because they barked right before the guy crossed the road and almost got hit by a bus or something.. just a bunch of interviews with classic torontonians who have clearly replaced their children with their pets, and have completely unhealthy relationships with them.
BUT,
the mix was a total blast. i truly love my job. that's so odd to hear myself say.. only because, with discovery, in what seems like another life (a few months ago) i was so frustrated... and now, i work all weekend and feel totally driven to go in tomorrow and do it again!
it's shocking how BIG tv mixes are. which is to say, how many elements. i mean, this is a little stereo mix for animal planet... a half-hour show that's basically nothing but on-camera, a little bit of sync, and some music. and i still end up about 6 tracks wide on sync, 6 wide on FX, 2 wide on On Camera, 2 wide on music, etc.. which doesn't seem bad, and wouldn't be in a music mix, but can get a little chaotic when it's all bits that are very likely poorly or at best inconsistently recorded, and definitly not effectively cleaned up and balanced. i'm learning that TV mixing is far more about premixing, really, than it is about mixing. i mixed the show in two days (it's my first... it'll probably come down to more like ONE day in the future..) and really, only actually did my level balancing pass on the second afternoon, in the last hour or so.
so MIXING:
sabs asked the question 'what IS mixing?', and so i will describe (hey sabs! ahhh.. if only we lived in the peg, or you lived in the TO...)
basically, taking everything, and putting it all together into a final product. i terms of the record.. think about it like this. over the past year, i've recorded these songs in various locations at various times. in the end, i'm usually sitting in front of a session with about.. i don't know.. 40 - 60 tracks of media.. guitars, drums, vocals, harmonies, shakers, etc.. heck, even the drums are often 15 tracks wide by themselves! (kick, snare, rack tom, floor tome, hats, overheads, rooms, etc. etc. etc.). so mixing is getting everything to play nice together. a) getting all elements to work well against each other level-wise to create the right energy and emotion, and draw focus to the right things and b) to create the right space, in terms of frequency, in which everything can live and be heard, and not step on something else. it's amazing how much a mix can change the way you hear a song. push the drums up 2 dB, and suddenly it's a TOTALLY different feel. i LOVE mixing. best part of the job. it's where you can take all of the creativity and hard work and just have fun with it.
anyway, i should go to bed. james taylor on Tuesday. SWEET!
J
the show is really a bit much.. it's about all these animals that 'saved their owners lives' because they barked right before the guy crossed the road and almost got hit by a bus or something.. just a bunch of interviews with classic torontonians who have clearly replaced their children with their pets, and have completely unhealthy relationships with them.
BUT,
the mix was a total blast. i truly love my job. that's so odd to hear myself say.. only because, with discovery, in what seems like another life (a few months ago) i was so frustrated... and now, i work all weekend and feel totally driven to go in tomorrow and do it again!
it's shocking how BIG tv mixes are. which is to say, how many elements. i mean, this is a little stereo mix for animal planet... a half-hour show that's basically nothing but on-camera, a little bit of sync, and some music. and i still end up about 6 tracks wide on sync, 6 wide on FX, 2 wide on On Camera, 2 wide on music, etc.. which doesn't seem bad, and wouldn't be in a music mix, but can get a little chaotic when it's all bits that are very likely poorly or at best inconsistently recorded, and definitly not effectively cleaned up and balanced. i'm learning that TV mixing is far more about premixing, really, than it is about mixing. i mixed the show in two days (it's my first... it'll probably come down to more like ONE day in the future..) and really, only actually did my level balancing pass on the second afternoon, in the last hour or so.
so MIXING:
sabs asked the question 'what IS mixing?', and so i will describe (hey sabs! ahhh.. if only we lived in the peg, or you lived in the TO...)
basically, taking everything, and putting it all together into a final product. i terms of the record.. think about it like this. over the past year, i've recorded these songs in various locations at various times. in the end, i'm usually sitting in front of a session with about.. i don't know.. 40 - 60 tracks of media.. guitars, drums, vocals, harmonies, shakers, etc.. heck, even the drums are often 15 tracks wide by themselves! (kick, snare, rack tom, floor tome, hats, overheads, rooms, etc. etc. etc.). so mixing is getting everything to play nice together. a) getting all elements to work well against each other level-wise to create the right energy and emotion, and draw focus to the right things and b) to create the right space, in terms of frequency, in which everything can live and be heard, and not step on something else. it's amazing how much a mix can change the way you hear a song. push the drums up 2 dB, and suddenly it's a TOTALLY different feel. i LOVE mixing. best part of the job. it's where you can take all of the creativity and hard work and just have fun with it.
anyway, i should go to bed. james taylor on Tuesday. SWEET!
J
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
listening to stavesacre right now..
well.. we're almost back to normal!
the other day kar and i got home from work to find our bedroom floor soaked! a huge storm had rolled through during the day and the window filled up with overflow from the gutter. anyway, jeff's been down peeling back carpet and lending his dehumidifier and generally being the world's best landlord, and i'm excited to say that it's almost dry! (and almost done smelling).
mom and dad founk are up this weekend, so the plan is to have it back in place by then.
ahhh.. parents coming up. i always love it. nothing like parents to facilitate good food and conversation. it's always great cause kar's parents are former torontonians as well, so there's always this 'feels like home!' element to our walks around the city. it's fun walking around downtown with people who think it's as beautiful as we do. i'm really starting to love this town. i've decided. i'm real happy to be living here.
morning mixing is my new thing! it's so great! i'm heading in at around 5:00am and getting in a good 3.5 hours of work done before work starts for the morning. i'm dang tired, but who doesn't like mixing over a morning coffee?
also, great news! this weekend i'm getting my first crack at an entire show!! i've got two days to mix a show for animal planet. something about dogs. purina something? not sure. good to get the overtime in, and great to be doing some mixing! should be good fun. i think i'll be going in early for that too.. getting a good days work in by mid afternoon, and then lookout greektown!
kar's got a great garden going out back. the other day i got home from work a angela wrinkleball (our little old massively italian neighbour lady - she's like 3 feet tall) started yelling at me over the fence (an oddly regular occurence) about something or other, so i made my way over there and she reached up over the fence and plopped this big pile of fresh lettuce in my hand! some sort of new leaf only grown in italy, but she transfered, so now she's growing it in her garden, and just wanted to give me some! what a gem eh!? anyway, that plus a fresh chopped radish from kar's garden, and it was so GREAT!! also, kar's been chopping up fresh kale for our stirfries. i love it. tomatos (eghh..) and peppers (score) and then also carrots are next. anyone wanna come over?
wally, i had a beard to rival yours. but i ditched it. you gotta believe me. i can do it now. something just happened.. like a switch just flipped, and i became a man. but it's still sortof nasty, and mostly relegated to the neck region, so i'm choosing my moments to push that boundary and test my limits. for the time being, i'm clean again.
for the time being.
go dodgers.
J
the other day kar and i got home from work to find our bedroom floor soaked! a huge storm had rolled through during the day and the window filled up with overflow from the gutter. anyway, jeff's been down peeling back carpet and lending his dehumidifier and generally being the world's best landlord, and i'm excited to say that it's almost dry! (and almost done smelling).
mom and dad founk are up this weekend, so the plan is to have it back in place by then.
ahhh.. parents coming up. i always love it. nothing like parents to facilitate good food and conversation. it's always great cause kar's parents are former torontonians as well, so there's always this 'feels like home!' element to our walks around the city. it's fun walking around downtown with people who think it's as beautiful as we do. i'm really starting to love this town. i've decided. i'm real happy to be living here.
morning mixing is my new thing! it's so great! i'm heading in at around 5:00am and getting in a good 3.5 hours of work done before work starts for the morning. i'm dang tired, but who doesn't like mixing over a morning coffee?
also, great news! this weekend i'm getting my first crack at an entire show!! i've got two days to mix a show for animal planet. something about dogs. purina something? not sure. good to get the overtime in, and great to be doing some mixing! should be good fun. i think i'll be going in early for that too.. getting a good days work in by mid afternoon, and then lookout greektown!
kar's got a great garden going out back. the other day i got home from work a angela wrinkleball (our little old massively italian neighbour lady - she's like 3 feet tall) started yelling at me over the fence (an oddly regular occurence) about something or other, so i made my way over there and she reached up over the fence and plopped this big pile of fresh lettuce in my hand! some sort of new leaf only grown in italy, but she transfered, so now she's growing it in her garden, and just wanted to give me some! what a gem eh!? anyway, that plus a fresh chopped radish from kar's garden, and it was so GREAT!! also, kar's been chopping up fresh kale for our stirfries. i love it. tomatos (eghh..) and peppers (score) and then also carrots are next. anyone wanna come over?
wally, i had a beard to rival yours. but i ditched it. you gotta believe me. i can do it now. something just happened.. like a switch just flipped, and i became a man. but it's still sortof nasty, and mostly relegated to the neck region, so i'm choosing my moments to push that boundary and test my limits. for the time being, i'm clean again.
for the time being.
go dodgers.
J
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