Seven hours, eighteen minutes, and forty five seconds...
June 30 2004 - 8:27 p.m.

...until I caved.

Ugh.

This just in: Spidey 2 has already made a half a billion bucks and is the best movie ever and everybody loves it and people who don't just SUCK!
June 30 2004 - 9:47 a.m.

Ten things I won't be doing today:

1. Seeing Spider-Man 2.
2. Seeing Spider-Man 2.
3. Thinking about seeing Spider-Man 2.
4. Eating crawfish.
5. Seeing Spider-Man 2.
6. Dressing up in red and blue spandex so that I can go and see Spider-Man 2.
7. Contemplating Spider-Man's spider-shaped butthole.
8. Seeing Spder-Man 2.
9. Seeing Spider-Man 1.
10. Seeing Spider Man 2.

I will spend the entire day looking forward to Free Comic Book Day, instead.

I haven't felt that good since Archie Gammel scored against Holland in 1978...!
June 29 2004 - 12:04 p.m.

Can Limeade go bad? Cuz I just found a quarter of a pitcher of Limeade in my fridge that has been there since at least May 28.

Yesterday, when I bought Wonder Woman, I never expected it to be so good. This show kicks Batman's velveteen-bootied ass. For one thing, the whole show is so drab and unappealingly lit that every time she shows up, she's such a gigantic colour pop that you actually become intrinsically excited. Yay for classical iconography! Bring on a Wonder Woman movie.

People who could play Wonder Woman in a Wonder Woman movie:

1. Lynda Carter
2. Catherine Zeta-Jones, if she could somehow fake giving a shit
3. Lucy Liu (this was my brother's idea)
4. Gina Torres (just picture that)
5. Keira Knightley! Why not, she's in everything else. And she's hottt.
6. Johnny Depp, depending on how they want to go with this thing.

Moving on: Chad and I both got our Serenity banners accepted by the official site (that's one of his at the top of the page now). Mine's the lame "Join the Browncoats / See the Worlds" one with the River image I use for my avatar. I'm lovin' the River. It's funny, because when the show started, I pretty much hated River. Well, "hate" is a wrong word, but I was River-wary. Then I got pegged as River in that Firefly Personality Quiz a while back... and then I watched the show again... and then I realized that River's pretty much my favourite character who isn't a captain or a prostitute. I want a River action figure.

I'm orange now. I'm my own colour pop.

For real this time
June 29 2004 - 12:43 a.m.

The title of the next Harry Potter book is:

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE.

This was "officially" released as an easter egg on JKRowling.com tonight. Along with this pithy rejoinder for everyone (including me) who fell for the Storgé hoax: "I am trying very hard not to feel offended that anyone thought this was possible. 'Storgé', for crying out loud. Come on, people, get a grip."

I'm told that Half Blood Prince was a working title for Chamber of Secrets. It potentially refers to at least two of the characters from that book: Harry, of course, and Tom Riddle.

It is my sincere hope that with this revelation, we can look forward to the publication of the book within the next year. This would make overall franchise sense, with the release of the Goblet of Fire film being set for November 2005.

And I haven't actually had the chance to praise Rowling's web site as of yet, but it really is quite a delightful piece of work. Highly worth a browse.

It's fun to be where I live
June 29 2004 - 12:13 a.m.

Three nights ago I was sitting in a restaurant on the Danforth. The patio was open, the wine was good, the company was excellent, the lights were low. There was a band, there was a dancing girl, there was a sly old geezer cutting a move in the middle of the room, there were ten thousand screaming Greeks parading up and down the street celebrating what must have been the biggest upset in the history of organized sport... at least until Thursday. There's a golden haze over that memory in my mind now, because it seems like for a few brief moments every good reason to be alive on this earth was hung about me like a wreath, and time fell away, and I was in the best place in the world.

And then today I was indeed part of the voting process of the most hotly contested riding in the country, and it did come right down to the wire, and for a while it looked like my guy wasn't going to pull it out, and then whoosh, I could almost feel the wheels of democracy flash past me, and somehow, this crazy, mixed-up election concluded exactly the way I had hoped it would, in every single respect. And for the first time in my life as a voting member of this society, I actually felt like I had a hand in it. And not to shmaltz, but that felt really, really good.

It's fun to be where I live.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...
June 28 2004 - 9:33 a.m.

Make me proud, Canada! Evil space robots have no place in politics.

UNSTOPPABLE YELLOW CHAMPIONS!!!
(uh... kinda)
June 27 2004 - 11:41 p.m.

That's right, we're number one! (Part one of two.)

Yup, although tying isn't permitted in a playoff game according to league regulations, we tied anyway. We played a spectacular game against a great opposing team, and when the clock ran out with the score at 1-1, we just decided to leave it at that, instead of going to a shootout to determine the victory. And after the crazy, mixed-up season we've had, that seemed perfectly appropriate.

So, we finish at the top of the league (at least according to points differential) and tie for the top slot with a great group of people who gave us a truly memorable final game. Every member of our squad got to strut some great game play, even me, although I will be forever haunted by a desperate scramble in front of the net where I damn well should have scored... and ended up getting flipped end over end instead. Twice.

I don't know what it is, but everything just came together for us this season. There wasn't any great changeup of team members, it just seemed like we had the right combination of people reaching the right level of skill. And showing up for all of our games helped too.

After the game we went for the celebratory round at the designated pub, meshing both teams together into a massive, 20-person table. When we all finally trickled out to head home, I was waiting for Dave and Mer's bus with them, while simultaneously eyeing the opposite side of the street so that I could run over and catch mine, if it arrived. I was bragging about my Crosswalk jaywalking mutant superpowers, and being as that I was dressed in bright yellow, when my bus finally did arrive and I actually launched myself out into traffic in yet another death-defying feat of jaywalking with minivans screaming past me left and right, it suddenly occured to me: this would be the most spectacular moment for me to die. I made it to the bus and then just about laughed myself sick.

My yellow jersey's in the laundrey, and I've got to find an orange one by Tuesday: I've joined a new team.

The thing with the comics
June 27 2004 - 1:59 p.m.

I was talking to Jay about what I've been reading in this newfound interest in comics of mine, and I figured I'd blog it, cuz god knows I've got nothing else going on today. As I recall, here's how it went down:

As nasty as it is, the whole thing started out of working on bloody deadend, which had a strong comic-art presence in its third incarnation. This would have been early spring 2002 or thereabouts. Being as that I was into the deep code of my Askew DVDs at the time, I started by reading Kevin Smith's stuff: the "Guardian Devil" arc of Daredevil and the "Quiver" arc of Green Arrow. The latter didn't do much for me, but the former was enough to get me buying Daredevil monthlies for about a year - I saw the "Out" arc come and go, but after the initial shine wore off, I gave up the title.

The next logical place to go seemed to be Frank Miller, so I read Dark Knight Returns (of course) and Chad leant me the first five books of Sin City, which, with Robert Rodriguez at the helm, is now one of the movies I'm looking most forward to seeing in the next year. Then Chad laid Preacher on me, which is also being turned into a movie, with our own Mr. Summers, James Marsden (not Marsters) in the title role.

It was around this time that my friends at Golden City Comics pointed out Joss Whedon's Fray to me, which I had never heard of. It was 7 issues into its erratic 8-issue run at that point, so I just bought the first seven and spent the next four agonizing months (accompanied by an equally-bedeviled Chad) waiting for the final issue to escape from Joss' clutches. Based on the brilliance of Fray I also dabbled in other areas of the comic Buffyverse, buying Whedon's run on the Angel reload, the Willow & Tara book, a couple of Tales of the Slayers, and more recently, the five-issue Tales of the Vampires arc. The latter is the only one that I'd say is really worth reading (besides Fray, which is unstoppably brilliant).

I'd been reading Star Wars: Republic this whole time which is not a great comic per se (endless issues dedicated to Jedi pondering their role in the Clone Wars), but is irresistably pretty and features Aayla Secura more than frequently. Star Wars Tales seemed like a nice idea but never really caught on for me, and I don't bother with Star Wars: Empire at all.

Chad then leant me Frank Miller's Daredevil stuff from the 80s, which more than made up for my disappointment with the direction the book had taken post-Kevin Smith. Following that, he laid Grant Morrison's superb New X-Men run on me, which does just about every single thing I have ever wanted to see in an X-Men storyline, and then some. Highly recommended to anyone and everyone. And then I accidentally mutilated Chad's copy of Elektra: Assassin, another Frank Miller work that I don't really mind adding to my collection, even with the back cover ripped off. It's a gorgeous piece of work.

It was around this time that Matthew stepped into the ring with Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, which I just completed the entire 75-issue run of last week. This is just eerily brilliant storytelling, and is helping Gaiman become one of my favourite writers in any medium. I've bought both Death arcs recently (the first one, of course, is better than the second) and have also just bought Endless Nights - in hardcover, no less! - to get my Delerium fix. Haven't read it yet; will probably do so this week.

Also based on Matthew's urging and my enjoyment of the recent film, I picked up a few Hellboy compilations. I like them, but I'd say the film is actually better at articulating the core idea and creating memorable characters. Bravo Guillermo!

Currently, the titles I'm reading are Whedon's Astonishing X-Men, the aforementioned Star Wars: Republic (notably, the only book on which I do not even know the writers' names...), Joe Quesada's NYX (an X-men spinoff for grownups, featuring jailbait mutants killing each other), Carl Bollers' Emma Frost (having picked up an unquenchable thirst for the character when reading New X-Men), and Aaron Alexovitch's Serenity Rose (a goth-wicca dark comedy that just makes me laugh myself sick every time I read it). As mentioned previously, my most favouritest way to do all this is to go to a coffee shop, drop a stack of books on the table in front of me, and just start plowing through 'em. But that's 'spensive.

Well, that's the that. I must go and attempt to find my pants.

Control the Universe
June 26 2004 - 5:01 p.m.

The headache's finally gone, which is good, cuz I've got a date with a pound of fried steak in about an hour and I don't wanna get the meat sweats.

Crosswalk was out in full force today, performing two death-defying acts of jaywalking perfection in the Bayview & Davisville area. It's actually not an entirely shitty superpower to have, I've got to say. Damsels cling to your arm, villains are dismayed by your prowess, and once in a while, bystanders cheer. It's all right.

What I've discovered is that whatever other skills I may possess in this universe, writing a personal profile just ain't one of them. Any writing talent I may apply to such things as screenwriting or this very Tederick.com, just don't come into play when I have to fill in those little white boxes with amusing crap about my most embarassing moment or the last good book I read. My skills dry up. Personal profiles are my kryptonite.

A couple of weeks ago when I was at the cottage, Mark and Ryan and Uncle Paul and Aunt Cathy arrived in the middle of the night and I was visiting their new cottage for a non-alcoholic nightcap. We started talking about the election, as the debate was a couple of nights away, and in the middle of it, Uncle Paul cracked a wide grin and said, "I'm in the middle of the woods with my boys and my nephew, drinking Postum and talking about politics. This is why I bought this cottage." And I completely dig that. In the past three weeks I've got into more political discussions than I think I ever have in my entire life. And there's no shine about it, sitting in a Greek restaurant while the Danforth goes to hell outside and arguing about Liberal policies at a quarter to midnight on a Friday is exactly why I moved to this part of town in the first place.

To everyone who's been using the Serenity banner above to become a Browncoat, many thanks, your support is appreciated. If you haven't done it yet, sign up! I made a banner myself today, and submitted it, but then I noticed that someone else did almost exactly the same thing, so it might not get approved.

And in case I haven't mentioned it in writing before, I just love being a director.

What the fuck is a storgé?
June 26 2004 - 12:53 a.m.

There's a wild rumour floating around that the title of the next Harry Potter book is Harry Potter and the Pillar of Storgé. Sounds a bit highfalutin for an HP title (given that the publishers felt that Philosopher's Stone was over the heads of American readers), but a quick definition check finds "storge" to mean, among other things, "Love, especially the instinctive love of a parent for a child," which would not be too far from believable given JKR's past comments regarding the central importance of Lily in the sixth book. But the accent is a bit of a wildcard. Meh. Just something to think about while trying not to think about the incessant honking outside my house or the day-long throbbing pain in my head.

No sheep is safe tonight
June 25 2004 - 6:55 p.m.

Apparently Greece won the soccer game, because Pape & Danforth currently looks like market day in Bangladesh. I was at the Second Cup trying to get some writing done, but it's very intimidating to do so while helicopters circle over your head and dump trucks drive up and down the strip honking their horns. I'm also constantly afraid that I'm on the verge of doing something that will get me beaten up and/or killed, like wearing the wrong colour, looking sideways at somebody else's girl, or throttling down and yelling "GO LEAFS!!"

I just misread a film synopsis as "A submarine picks up a predatory orgasm." And what a film that would be!

You can't un-know the Blumpy
June 25 2004 - 4:02 p.m.

It seems that there is one techno-faux-pas that is simply unacceptable in modern society, and that is having a voicemail message that neither acknowledges your identity nor your phone number. Having had a bit of Firefly audio as my message for the past five days, I have finally given up and replaced it with something a bit more traditional, mostly because I'm tired of the "......................uh ......... if this is Matt's voicemail, then..." messages.

Bah!

Fahrenheit 9/11, the must-see movie of the summer (pretty much by default), is reviewed herewise.

Well, it's a gorgeous day, I'm gonna make like Florean Fortescue and go do my work on a patio somewhere.

Atomic batteries to power, turbines to speed...
June 25 2004 - 10:41 a.m.

Yup, the flick I am looking most forward to for the whole rest of this 2004 is Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, in spite of a new trailer that plays up the Pearl Harbor / Independence Day angle a bit too much. It's got the flying robo-bats, the giant killer robots, and Angelina Jolie with an eye patch playing someone named "Franky." I think it's gonna be nifty.

Meanwhile, I am completely and utterly befuddled by my voting decision. The imminent prospect of a Stephen Harper government scares the white bejeezus out of me. Elections Canada has been intensely unhelpful in my efforts to switch my enumeration to my current place of residence, so I'm not even convinced that I can vote where I live, let alone who I should be voting for when I do. The only real reason I can see for me to vote Liberal is to attempt to solidify their waning block of power, on the assumption (sorry, Mr. Layton) that this really is a 2-man race, as Paul "Dopey" Martin arrogantly predicted in the debate last week. On the other hand, I FUCKING HATE THAT GUY. And I wanna vote NDP, not because they'll win, but because they're saying what I want said.

I've been going back and forth on this decision for weeks, and it looks like I'll continue to do so right through Monday.

In the meantime, here's a red box with words in it, the only absolute of this whole stupid stinking race:

If only there were an easy way to do that. Bah. I'm going to change gears and go watch American politics fuck itself up for a while. Back in a few with a review of Fahrenheit 9/11...

Take us out of the world
June 24 2004 - 4:28 p.m.

For anyone who's missed it, the official Serenity site is live. Click below to become a Browncoat and give Matt many points.

Not much else going on on the site yet, but everything has to start somewhere. I'm astonished that they've got 1500 registrants in two days... this thing's gonna be biiiiiiiiiiiiiiig. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha!

The grimoire of nothing in particular
June 24 2004 - 2:09 a.m.

On the Fly 5 is all done, yet another night of me being recognized on the street by people I don't know, who will have completely forgotten about me by tomorrow. If there were a way to somehow translate this phenomenon into easy cash or extraordinary sex, I'd be all set.

Dave's Flicker was a true standout among the 20-film roster. In fact I'd place him in the top 2... and just because I'm biased doesn't mean I'm wrong. There was just something there that set it above almost all of the rest of the work, a kind of life and sense of artistic self. Plus, me in green mask equals the funny. It's always nice to be in league with the good guys.

The other standout was Sook-Yin Lee's Girl Cleans Sink, which featured a truly spectacular script and a great lead performance, along with the single best cut of the whole night. I actually stood behind Sook-Yin Lee in line in the men's room, but that was before I saw her film, so mostly I just regarded her, wondering if she was going to make a go at a urinal (she demurred and went for the stall), with aloof alacrity. Except that "alacrity" is the wrong word there. I just wanted to use it in conjunction with "aloof."

I also liked The Nutshell, mostly for its premise and the presence of Michael Murphy (!) in the cast. And as far as The Bunny Project goes, there's no denying the appeal of the kid dressed in the big white bunny suit, wearing a sign that says "free hugs." That's worth a feature-length documentary, that is.

After the show, Dave took Daniel and I to Hell. I could tell it was Hell because it was so loud that it rendered me unable to see, and because the white rum was actually decent.

Some days I just channel Milton
June 23 2004 - 9:44 a.m.

It's On the Fly day! Super! Demons! Crazy! Hat!

Second, not surprisingly, I have hot boobs.

It seems that the key to getting hot boobs is being proud of your boobs regardless. Size does not matter (cuz I put that I'm an A-cup, although I haven't measured recently), which makes this the bestest boob quiz in the long exhilerating history of boob quizzes. Also because it said I have hot boobs in spite of the somewhat significant distinction that I am, in fact, a man.

Rum hit my lips on Friday for the first time since the Brandy Strawberry Incident (BSI '04 for short), and now I've got a Jack Sparrow thirst in the worst way, which Steve the Pirate - amusing though he be - did nothing to quench. I may need to pillage. I'll keep you posted.

I read The Wolves in the Wall last night and found it to be good. Reach-for-your-teddy-bear level good. I must be some kind of Gaimanholic.

And finally, a note for readers of Cinefex (or anyone interested in visual effects). I've been receiving the Cinefex Weekly Update e-mail for several months now, and am just immensely pleased with it. They use the format to supplement their printed magazine, with single short pieces on films like The Terminal or Big Fish, i.e. films that have strong effects presences but wouldn't be worth dedicating page space to in the actual mag. Plus, they give a quick rundown in each issue of the current status of upcoming effects pictures like Narnia and Serenity, so it's a good place to get your fantasy movie news all at once if you're not into scouring the boards like me. You can sign up right here, and as far as I've seen, it's utterly spam-free.

What a day to turn 40: shooting the BDM and tossing out some choice new X-men. Happy Jossmas everyone! Our saviour is risen!

I'm your worst nightmare: a pumpkin with a gun
June 22 2004 - 8:08 p.m.

I think I've just witnessed the second sign of the apocalypse: I brought the X-Men DVD over to my parents' house, to have something to watch while I was doing my laundrey (yes, I still do my laundrey at home, and anyone who doesn't is a chummmmmmmmmmp). Anyways, my mother sat down just as the movie started... and by the time Logan was sniffing around Xavier Mansion, she was asking to keep the DVD. Which, of course, I let her, on account of my having fallen for the X-Men 1/1.5 fiasco.

I think this was the first time I've looked at X-men since the second film came out; I was struck by how much stronger it seems. It must have been a pretty ballsy decision for Bryan Singer to say "no, we're setting up a franchise saga, which means we don't have to swing for the fences the first time - we just have to get things started." I'm looking forward to X3 more than ever.

In other news, I found out yesterday that Jenna Lewis from Survivor has pulled a Pam & Tommy, having had her wedding night video stolen out from under her and distributed across this lovely world wide web of ours. Which just made me want to say, "you dumbass." Honestly, what celebrity in their right mind makes a sex tape of themselves at all? That bulljive just never works out.

Work on subculture is proceeding slowly; I am altering the first half-act in a hefty, structural way, which of course always ends up feeling like roller skating on marbles. 15 pages in, 15 to go, then I can get back to the more fun work of sitting in coffee shops doodling on my pages.

Astonishing X-Men #2 is on stands tomorrow, just in time to quench my massive Whedon craving. NYX #5 has been pushed back another couple of weeks, and #6 somehow landed itself in September... to which I utter a hearty "bah."

Vagina belt-sander
June 21 2004 - 10:12 a.m.

It's the longest day of the year, which is good, because I've got a llllllllllllllllottttttttttttt to do today. Who knew that shuffling off the daily grind would create so much sheer stuff to take care of. Vanishing into the wilds for ten days did nothing to make the pile any smaller, as I had originally hoped. Bah.

First off, buncha new reviews in the Reviews section, and hopefully I'll get the Films section good and built before Sensitivity screens in New York on Friday. That would be nice.

Second: Batman!

Third, On The Fly (hey look, they actually updated that annoying-ass web site) is this Wednesday night, which features (among other things) Dave Tebby's Flicker, in which I appear as an appropriately hideous green monster. He swears it wasn't typecasting. Then he turns away and giggles incessantly for about five minutes each time.

Fourth, Jason with the funny:

Me: "What are you gonna do with a palm pilot?"
Jason: "Um, not need you."

Five. Life is like a box of Raisin Bran. At first you're like, "well this ain't a lot of raisins." Then the further in you get you're going "now this is more like it" and then "whoa that's a lot of raisins" and then "too fucking much! how can one man eat so many damned raisins!!!" and then you cry.

Sixth, the official slogan of Chris, Brandy and I's co-habitation shall be "If this house is a rockin', Chris is getting raped."

And finally: FOR ALLAH!!!

Big Damn Heroes, sir!
June 20 2004 - 5:55 p.m.

Joss freaked us out last week, Adam's too chatty to even link to, Nathan's been up twice, and Jewel just posted for the first time today. I am as happy as a clam. And there just ain't no two ways about it: it's bigger than Episode III, it's bigger than Goblet of Fire, it's way the hell bigger than anything else on the boards for release in the next two years. Serenity is the single movie I want to see most in the world.

Here are the boy-BDHs on the set of the BDM:

That was a composite that I stole, which is why Sean doesn't have a shadow. Don't worry: in real life, Sean does indeed have a shadow, and I'm hearing word that it will play at least a minor role in Serenity. And also don't worry: I'm better at Photoshop than that. But I wanted to let you see everyone, all at once.

I'm back from Cottage Trip 2; got a soccer game in an hour so I'm out the door. I may blog tomorrow, but then with the pressure...

Dream and Delirium's mystical road trip to find Destruction (having left Despair behind)
June 17 2004 - 8:47 p.m.

I'm back for a brief layover between that one and the next one. Gone again soon, but tires hit pavement bright n' early Monday morning. All's well. I broke trees with my hands and burned certain kinds of wood and visited the dam to the north under the slate grey, and the dam to the south when all was churning. I spoke to the jackrabbit and two loons (but not to the baby) and to a garter snake named Izzy, and said words over the grave of the biggest dragonfly in the history of the world. (The hawks were aloof.) I changed my vote, learned how to stink, chanced my iPod on the sixth day. Mark reminded me about the ghost, and in his absence I wrote about her, made a movie about her, discarded the whole thing, and might have to start again, or maybe it's just perfect. I read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and then the last 50 or so issues of Sandman and then The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. I didn't work on the script at all, but I got positively giddy (and dreadful) when contemplating what I'm about to toss into poor Jared's past. I'm also going to let him get laid, just to make up for it.

I finally found purposelessness on Wednesday afternoon. It lasted about twenty minutes. When it was done I was glad to find that I now understood what River had meant, and what the whole thing had been about. I felt better.

Only 45 e-mails when I got home... I must be losing my touch. Or my Bearshark account. Or both. I find that with barely a week's worth of atrophy, I can no longer type worth a damn, so I'll stop now.

Talk to you soon.

"But I don't say these words. I rip the necklace off. I lift him from the table. We speak... and the demon attacks again...!"

So today's lesson is... you kill each other off till there's only one left. Nothing's against the rules.
June 11 2004 - 12:21 a.m.

I'm out of town for 10 days, to feel the earth and smell the air. Talk amongst yourselves, and make with the naughty touchings if you're so inclined. Please have a DVD copy of Battle Royale waiting for me when I get back. Cheers!

And to conclude, they are lying knaves
June 10 2004 - 10:08 a.m.

Might be the last post for a week and a half, so I'll give you one more quiz to chew on. This one's about blogging.

1. Do you try to look hot when you go to the grocery store just in case someone recognizes you from your blog?
I have yet to be recognized as the author of Tederick.com by anyone I don't already know. I'm thinking of having shirts printed up.

2. Are the photos you post Photoshopped or otherwise altered?
They're colour-corrected in most cases... occasionally I'll do some devious re-compositing, usually only if elements I like appear across several separate photos but I only want to post one.

3. Do you like it when creeps or dorks email you?
Umm... does anyone?

4. Do you lie in your blog?
No. But occasional bits of storytelling are given a bit of a "writer's rethink" if I feel the thematic content is not best served by the actual chain of narrative events. The lightsabre story, however, required no alteration.

5. Are you passive-aggressive in your blog?
It happens. Once in a while I'm even impassive-aggressive.

6. Do you ever threaten to quit writing so people will tell you not to stop?
I have threatened to quit, but that's not why I did it.

7. Are you in therapy? If not, should you be? If so, is it helping?
No. Maybe. Yes.

8. Do you delete mean comments? Do you fake nice ones?
I don't have comments. I don't like turning over authorial control of any of the content on the site to outside parties; particularly, there are a couple of reeeeeeeeeeeally creepy random Ted-heads whose opinions I'm not comfortable with. In fact they are not deserving of the affectionate, button-bearing moniker "Ted-heads" and shall hereafter be referred to as "Fucking Cocknockers."

9. Have you ever rubbed one out while reading a blog? How about after?
I seriously doubt it.

10. If your readers knew you in person, would they like you more or like you less?
I'm fairly sure all my readers who know me in real life, only like me because of this blog.

11. Do you have a job?
I'm retired.

12. If someone offered you a decent salary to blog full-time without restrictions, would you do it?
Of course.

13. Which blogger do you want to meet in real life?
I dunno... Wil Wheaton?

14. Which bloggers have you made out with?
I have yet to make out with a blogger. Or at least, no one I've made out with blogs (that I know of... yikes... YIKES that's a scary thought...).

15. Do you usually act like you have more money or less money than you really have?
I usually act like I have the exact amount of money I have.

16. Does your family read your blog?
My brother does, I'm not sure about my sister; my parents' visits are very rare.

17. How old is your blog?
The site itself has been around since 1997; the formal "blog" area has existed since before we had a word for such things, in early 2000.

18. Do you get more than 1000 page views per day? Do you care?
I usually average 250 uniques per day, which is fine with me. Anything more would up the "creepy" factor.

19. Do you have another secret blog in which you write about being depressed, slutty, or a liar?
No, but I've considered it.

20. Have you ever given another blogger money for his/her writing?
No.

21. Do you report the money you earn from your blog on your taxes?
I haven't earned any of the fat/phat blog cash.

22. Is blogging narcissistic?
I'm going to buck expectation and say "no."

23. Do you feel guilty when you don't post for a long time?
More like "uneasy," like I've got a turd that won't flush.

24. Do you like John Mayer?
Can't say as I do.

25. Do you have enemies?
Not any more.

26. Are you lonely?
Rarely.

27. Why bother?
Because the more you do, the more you do.

And not all the swearing is in Chinese
June 9 2004 - 7:07 p.m.

It only took a few days; those ever-reliable spoilermeisters at AICN have posted the first script review for Serenity. I admit, I read it. (Well, more accurately, I skimmed it.) It's not too spoilery; there's some very basic stuff about the plot (kind of like that summary of Episode III that I posted a few months back) and a couple of choice dialogue bitties from Mal and Wash. On the whole it sounds like we're in for a good show.

Anyways I won't post the link; go find it for yourself if you want to read. If you're trying to stay strictly Serenity-virginal, stay away. This is probably the last bit of digging I'm ever gonna do on this one myself.

In further Geek News: Kevin Smith is looking to back out of directing The Green Hornet, citing the fact that he... isn't actually an action director. He's still finishing the script, and will then determine if he wants to try to shoot it. Personally, I'd like to see him try, but then I don't mind seeing studios spend hundreds of millions of dollars to let my favourite filmmakers try new shit out and fall flat on their faces. It's with the funny.

I finished Buffy Season Six this morning, and have posted a brand-new review of the season, and have also heavily revised my Season Seven review from last year, to make them gel a bit better. I guess I'm working backwards on this thing; I'll try to put together something for Season Five before the end of the summer.

Geek news, day 3
June 9 2004 - 10:36 a.m.

StarWars.com has officially announced that the outstanding Clone Wars animated series is going to continue after all, with a new season of episodes just prior to the release of Episode III, next spring. Rather than 3-minute bursts like the first 20 episodes, this new crop of five episodes will be 12 minutes apiece. Personally, I couldn't give less of a fuck about General Grievous and I'm tired of watching Lucasfilm pump yet another disposable villain, but otherwise, this is all good.

And in the not-so-good: LOTR fans may have got their 2-disk Return of the King DVD early, but the extendo-cut is going to be late, hitting stores in December. Because we don't all have nearly enough stuff to buy in December.

I still haven't installed my air conditioner; the house is a sweatbox. The temperatures should break tonight at long last with a good thunderstorm or two. I stopped caring what my neighbours saw through my window a long time ago, but it'll be nice to lose the permanent sheen of omni-sweat.

Once More, With Feeling
June 8 2004 - 10:36 a.m.

Now I feel foolish. But I really have nothing else to talk about today. Here's me again:

Current

• clothes: not wearing 'em yet.
• make-up: not wearing it yet.
• annoyance: I'm not thrilled with the amount of things I need to get done before Friday morning. And yet, here I am, doing this.
• smell: Someone is smoking a cigarette in the distance, and I cannot smell anything else, not even me.
• favorite group: Of what?
• book you're reading: I must report that I am currently re-reading Order of the Phoenix, with toes in Fighting the Forces and a big crazy pile of Sandman comics. Boy, if I stopped multitasking, I might actually get something finished.
• In cd player: Kill Bill, Vol. 2
• color of toe-nails: Caucasian

Last Person...

• You touched: Someone last night, no doubt, but I can't remember who.
• You hugged: Bex.
• You yelled at: Bex.
• You kissed: My mom.

Are you:

• understanding: I think so....
• open-minded: Constantly.
• arrogant: Does intent count?
• insecure: Not very much, certainly not as much as I used to be.
• interesting: I doubt it. (And yet, you're reading.)
• random: What are you, kidding? Have you seen the titles on this blog?
• hungry: It's in the mail. I've only had tea so far this morning.
• smart: Not in the traditional sense.
• moody: No, I strive for the flat calm.
• hard-working: When I choose to be.
• organized: It's my curse.
• healthy: I could be healthier. Working on it.
• difficult: Nope.
• attractive: It comes and goes. Like the cicadas.

Random

• in the morning I am: possessed of a significantly lower voice.
• all I need is: air and water.
• love is: about two naked eight-year-olds who are married.
• I dream about: drowning in footwear.

Opposite Sex

• what do you notice first? We did this yesterday. Pants, hair, eyes.
• last person you slow danced with: It has been a LONG damn time. I have no idea.
• Worst question to ask: "Don't you just hate those stupid Star Wars movies?"
• who has a crush on you? None have been brought to my attention of late.

Do You Ever...

• sit on the internet all night waiting for that special someone to IM you? Nope.
• wish you were a member of the opposite sex? It has happened.
• wish you were younger? I miss elements of high school life. But I'm happy with where I'm at.
• cry because someone said something to you? Well, if it's something like "you're dying of cancer," then yeah, I cry. But then I chase the fucker with a stick when I find out that they were just kidding. But no, no one has driven me to tears recently.

Stats

• name: Matt
• single or taken: Single
• sex: Hang on, I'll take off my socks...
• birthday: September 19
• siblings: A bruddah and a sistah.
• hair color: Brown
• eye color: Green
• shoe size: 11½
• height: Six on the dot. Boy this category is perfect for identity theft, isn't it?

Relationships

• who are your best friends: What, I'm not in enough trouble already?
• do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?: Again with the "single."

Specifics

• do you do drugs?: Not yet.
• what kind of shampoo do you use?: The one in the bottle.
• what are you most scared of?: I fear nothing.
• who is the last person that called you?: According to call display, it was Chad, but I wasn't here at the time.
• where do you want to get married?: Naboo.
• how many buddies are online right now?: I have no "buddies."
• what would you change about yourself?: I could do with a shorter penis.

Have you ever...

• given anyone a bath?: Yes.
• smoked?: Never cigarettes; occasionally cigars. Want to head towards pipes.
• bungee-jumped?: No.
• made yourself throw up? Not directly, but the words "why is the rum gone.... oh, there it is" ring a bell.
• skinny-dipped?: Of course.
• cried when someone died?: Well yeah.
• lied: Sure.
• fallen for your best friend?: He is godawfully cute. But a bit stringy.
• been rejected?: Yup.
• rejected someone?: Hell yup.
• used someone? I think so... it's not something I make a particular habit of.
• done something you regret?: Ditto above.
• Number of times you have had your heart broken: Like thoroughly, utterly smashed into tiny bits? I dunno. Two? Three? Six times this morning?

Number

• of hearts I have broken: I don't keep score.
• of guys I've kissed: On the lips, three.
• of girls I've kissed: A mean dozen. Emphasis on the mean.
• of continents I have lived in: Just the one.
• of tight friends: Several.
• of cds I own: Two hundred?
• of scars on my body: Dozens. Hundreds. I am a walking scar.

Well, that wasn't great. For one thing the pronounced pronoun shiftage was a bit hard to keep track of. But I didn't write it.

A FedEx guy just rang my bell; when I came downstairs, he said "I have a signed letter from George Lucas for you." And my mind locked up: "OH SHIT, THEY FOUND ME!!" and I'm already halfway past the guy out into the street, when he reveals that he was kidding. Spooky stuff.

That's not mold, it's butter
June 7 2004 - 12:16 p.m.

All About Me, version XII, because Deb did it and I've got nothing better to do:

1. Your name spelled backwards:
Wehttam. Occasionally folks just call me Ttam.

2. Where were your parents born?
My mother was born in Egypt (though she is not Egyptian) and my father was born here in Canada.

3. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer?
Good question... I brought down a bunch of swing music (from Kazaa) on Friday night, and found Daniel Radcliffe's Conan appearance on Saturday morning. Which, by the way, is the best thing ever.

4. What's your favorite restaurant?
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, would you do the fandango?

5. Last time you swam in a pool?
So long I can't even remember. I prefer natural bodies of water.

...No wait... just remembered. Westin Harbour Castle when Matthew was staying there. Last year?

6. Have you ever been in a school play?
Hell yeah. Isis and Osiris, Madamimadam, the list goes on.

7. How many kids do you want?
2.4.

8. Type of music you dislike most?
Country. Although even I have been known to keep a Shania tune or two on my iPod. So maybe it's actually opera.

9. Are you registered to vote?
Yup. I may switch my registration to vote in this crazy Layton-Mills riding I'm currently living in, even though I won't be living here much longer.

10. Do you have a car?
Nope, and I think it'll be a while. There's nowhere I can't get to in this city by bike or by TTC.

11. Have you ever ridden on a moped?
I'm wondering. Maybe when I was little?

12. Ever prank call anybody?
Yup.

13. Ever get a parking ticket?
Ticketed a few times (though less than I deserve), and towed once.

14. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving?
Prob'ly. I'm getting old though.

15. Furthest (Farthest) place you ever traveled?
Spain, when I was 13.

16. Do you have a garden?
Currently without foliage. My mother's garden, however, is the envy of the western world.

17. What's the size of your bed?
Queen. No jokes!

18. Do you really know all the words to your national anthem?
I think so... haven't had call to sing it for a while, but you don't soon forget something that was drilled into you every morning for fifteen years.

19. Bath or Shower, morning or night?
Shower in the morning. Preferably with the windows wide open and the sun shining in.

20. Best movie you've seen in the past 4 months?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

21. What's the next movie you want to see?
Kinda wanna see Harry Potter again.

22. Chips or popcorn?
Popcorn, although I tend to avoid both.

23. Have you ever broken any hearts?
Yeah. And it was fun.

24. Premarital sex?
Preferably.

25. Are you a good cook?
I'm learning. At this point I'd say I have about four dishes of any impressive level that I'm pretty decent at. Next up: Puerco Pibil.

26. Orange or Apple juice?
Ugh! Neither. Grapefruit all the way.

27. Who was the last person you went out to dinner with and where?
I had dinner with some friends on Monday; we went to Il Fornello.

28. Favorite type of drink?
Water.

29. Best thing in the world?
Serenity. That perfect calm.

...Serenity might end up running a close second.

30. Have you ever broken a bone?
Big toe on the right foot.

31. Have you ever won a trophy?
Nope.

32. What is your favorite board game?
Episode 1 Monopoly.

33. What is your dream car?
Usually the BMW Z3 (now Z4), but I'm edging towards the Viper.

34. Ever order an article from an infomercial?
No, but if they were still running the Snakmaster one, I'd order that. Two pieces of bread, any other food in the house, mash it down, presto. That's the power of technology.

35. Coke or Pepsi?
Coke, although I no longer keep pop in the house.

36. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to work?
Yeah. And I stole each and every one of them, so I've got a pretty nifty supply in my closet.

37. Last thing you bought at a pharmacy?
Motrin.

38. Who are you going to marry?
My soul mate.

39. Who would you like to meet?
Right now, probably Whedon. Or any billionaire willing to cut me a cheque to make subculture.

40. Do you believe in love at first sight?
Hell yes.

41. What features do you find most attractive in the opposite sex?
Traditionally, I used to answer this one with "the eyes." It makes the girls go "awwwwwwwww!" But truthfully, in the past few years, it's been the pants, then the hair, then the eyes. Unless you have Jess' super cerulean wonder-peepers.

42. Where would you go for a romantic evening?
I tend towards the simple, and outdoorsy.

43. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Boots, sandals, dress shoes?
Bugger, I dunno. Five?

44. Last song stuck in your head?
There's been a lot of "Once More, With Feeling" in the past week.

45. Any pets?
Zam, the monstrously fat, demonically possessed cat.

46. What's your all time favorite Saturday Night Live Character?
Yeesh, good question. Something from the second Golden Age... Matt Foley? Although I tend to use Stuart Smalley more in conversation. Jack Handey comes up a lot too.

47. What is one thing you would like to learn to do?
Fly. Without wings.

48. What do you do when you are bored?
Wank, wank, wank... watch Buffy... blog... chase the cat with the lightsabre... but when I'm really bored (which is rare), I tend to just sit around on the couch going, "Man, I cannot believe how fucking bored I am."

49. What's one thing would you want someone to appreciate about you?
For this, I have no answer. I feel appreciated.

50. What is one thing you are grateful for today?
Having all my cottage plans fall into place in less than an hour this morning.

Paradise City
June 7 2004 - 10:50 a.m.

I'm officially starting to get my bike tan, the funny oval of tanned skin on the backs of my hands due to the open portion of my riding gloves, which makes me look like my hands are dirty for the entire summer. And it's looking like it'll be a smokin' week. Yay! Who needs A/C?

Yesterday Chris, Tina, Dave and I played Lord of the Risk for the first time, and I conquered Middle-Earth. By the time the One Ring was thrown into Mount Doom - the inevitable kill switch for the game - I controlled Eriador, Arnor, and Rhun, fortified behind my borders with no intention whatsoever of attempting to take the neighbouring territories. Since it was only my second game of Risk ever, I was pretty happy with myself.

And as games go, Lord of the Risk is predictably decent - there are an appreciable number of variations from the regular version of Risk that tie it more closely to the LOTR theme. It's definitely worth a half-day of playing.

The LOTR theme continued further at soccer, where we had to start the game with only a single line and no subs: just the six of us, trying to hold the fort until reinforcements arrived. Well, it didn't really work, but still, I had a great game. I was playing offense, which I never do, and I was actually starting to get the hang of it. I had three or four decent shots on goal, and also became fairly adept at drawing enemy fire - wherever I'd go, they'd send two or three of their defenders, opening up the rest of the field. It was cool.

Riding home was not so cool; I hadn't eaten much since breakfast and the trip from Jane and Eglinton was just too damned long after that much exertion in the heat. My muscles just basically gave out once I reached the Annex, so I wobbled off my bike and got a bite to eat, before finishing the trek. I have a peculiar unwillingness to ever use the subway once I've committed to riding the bike. This might very well get me killed.

I know my Whisbee limit
June 5 2004 - 12:51 a.m.

Right now I'm eating peanut butter and guzzling milk, because I'm just trying to get my sugar high under control. Not easy: a), I've been eating a lot of sugar. All day. And b), I just saw Harry Potter twice. I am in a brain-bleached buzz state like no other. I am spun six ways from Sunday. I don't even know where to start.

Man, they just kicked the shit out of this thing. For the first little while I was a bit worried because I wasn't really digging it, and then the flick just throttles down and takes off. My review (gushy) is right here, in that wacky somewhat-new Reviews section o' mine. For all the particular emotional weirdness I've been through to get to today, the film kicked my ass good and proper, right back to "I love this stuff with every fibre of my being," where I should have been all along.

I left the house today with the following items in my bag: 1 book (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), one video game (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), 1 Hogwarts scarf (Gryffindor), 1 box of Harry Potter tickets, 4 bags of Fizzing Whisbees, 4 boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, 1 Chocolate Frog, 1 liquorice wand, and 1 magic wand (dragon heartstring and cedar, 13 inches). Thus armed, Bex and I caught the noon show. At first it seemed a bit undersold; the theatre was only about a quarter full. Then fifteen minutes before showtime, I started to hear them in the distance... and then the doors opened and the kids just flooded into the theatre - some kind of enormous school trip, apparently, because an army of a good 400 children filled out the rest of the theatre in no time flat. Bex should have brought order forms; our wands (which she made) were a big hit with the kids (although not so much with Mr. I Clean The Theatre After And Think I Have Power).

The second show (at 7:00) was more with the cooing teenage girls, and for a while there, I became worried that the Harry/Hermione shippers and the Ron/Hermione shippers were going to have to meet in the middle of the theatre and rassle it out, but true love prevailed (especially after the "threesome shot") and no violence was done, except upon my poor addled brain. It was a good, frenzied kind of a day.

Based on what he's done here, I'd love for Alfonso Cuaron to come back and do Order of the Phoenix (after a much-deserved break); that material seems even better suited to his particular talents than Azkaban is. I'm also 100% on board the "make these kids do the entire series" train, because what a thing that will be to have when it's all done - a complete set of films, bringing Harry, Ron and Hermione from ages 11 to 17, on screen. That would really be something to see. Things are only getting better and better with each subsequent installment, so the sky's the limit for Goblet and beyond.

Meanwhile, while I was out, Chad discovered that Joss Whedon sent a note to FireflyFans.net, after completing the first day of shooting on Serenity. He gives us the release date: mark April 22 in your calendars, and don't bug me from April 20 till the end of May next year, cuz I'll be nowhere on earth. And my opening-day Serenity tally will put these measly two Potter viewings to some serious shame. Anyways, read all about it, he makes with the funny, and with the thanks to we, the fans. You the man, Joss... you keep flyin', we'll keep watchin'.

I'll conclude with a word about "the process." A lot of people are wondering what I'm up to lately. Well, the answer is, a little from column A, and a little from column B. I have been doing the planning and the goal setting and the figuring out of shit, but I have also been wondering if a few moments of utter purposelessness might not actually be good for the soul. I am not a person who is at all good at doing nothing, because down that well lies darkness I'd much rather never revisit. But quiet, and contemplation, and possibly even serenity (no pun intended), might be within reach, with just a few moments of not forcing myself to look for the next hurdle, and the one beyond that, as is my usual wont. I'm thinking about it.

And those are my thoughts, after midnight on a Friday.

'Arry Pottah?
June 4 2004 - 9:49 a.m.

Good news for Angel fans who are also soundtrack fans (we, the six): looks like Fox was serious about putting out an Angel soundtrack; it's in the works right now. What's really exciting is that Christian Kane singing "L.A. Song" and Andy Hallett singing "Lady Marmalade" look to be on the disk, which will otherwise be all score. Now all it needs is a Wolfram & Hart logo on the back and a big grinning picture of Lorne with a mic on the front, and we're good to go.

And for those hoisting glasses in smoke-free bars today, lift one for Serenity, which went before camera yesterday morning, and another for Goblet of Fire, which has been rolling for two weeks. 2005, man, it's all about 2005.

Gonna go see Harry kick some Dementy-whatsit ass; back with the review later tonight.

There's nothing wrong with mutant nymphets
June 3 2004 - 3:29 p.m.

I've got it into my head that since I can't really afford a gym membership right now, I oughta try to get a good hour of cycling in per day for the duration of the summer. So I kicked it off today with a 2-hour jaunt to Golden City, which cleared the rest of the Emma Frosts off my to-buy list and was otherwise enjoyable. It's gorgeously sunny, I'm somewhat sun-dazzled and no doubt will soon be sunburned, and I don't feel quite as blubbery as I did last night, when I sat on the couch in my boxer shorts, ate pizza and watched Onibaba. It's good bein' me.

It's not so good being me-that-loves-His-Dark-Materials, though... Variety is reporting that New Line's deal with Chris Weitz is to make only one movie, The Golden Compass. They will then see how it does, and decide if they want to make the other two, or just one sequel blending Knife and Spyglass, or make no sequels altogether. This is a perfectly brilliant example of a studio fucking things up completely... next thing, they'll be announcing that Will and Lyra will be 18-year-olds in the flick. Fuckers.

Anyways, in case I haven't made it clear yet (and guys, I've been talking about this since 2002), you need to read these books. Every time a friend of mine shows up somewhere all excited about having just discovered them (it's currently Hilda), I'm like, "Hello? With the listening? To Matt? For the past two fucking years?" Although admittedly, I don't think I ever told Hilda.

This year's On the Fly Film Festival screening looks to be on June 23rd at the Bloor. I appear in Dave Tebby's flick, appropriately entitled "Flicker." (I am not the flicker in question, however. Someone else does all the flicking, I mostly just get strangled by D-Coc.)

Brian really let Renee down
June 2 2004 - 8:16 p.m.

It's official, I'm part of this clique of up-and-coming urbanites who have eschewed their traditional telephone lines in favour of going cell-only. The only downside to this plan that I can see is that I fucking hate cell phones. Otherwise I'm pretty happy. Bell wasn't able to offer me anything even close to what I needed, so I'm still with Fido; I guess that's another downside, seeing as their network is pure shite. But hey, it's not like I wanna be talking on the phone anyway. I hate phones. All phones. Stupid phones!

Just in case I was wrong the first time, I watched Spider-Man again today. I wasn't wrong the first time. Nah, that flick ain't no good. I'm now really looking forward to tearing into the second one. "We'll meet again, Sssssspider-Mannnnn!"

And at long last, DVD Profiler is listing a "Priority" column in the wish list area. This is something that was available in the program itself, but never properly displayed on line before. Now you can see if I "Need" something or if I'm just "Vaguely Interested." This will aid you when buying gifts for me.

Editor's Note: My number is not changing, so nobody panic.

Editor's Note #2: You don't really need to buy me DVDs. I just prefer it.

How I spent my summer vacation
June 1 2004 - 3:36 p.m.

I just got finished being interviewed by Matty Pollack regarding my high school sexual experiences, for his as-yet-untitled documentary. It was great. He conducted a fabulous interview that was just basically a really engaging 90-minute conversation, which just happened to include a rolling video camera. And that man is a supreme conversationalist, putting me completely at ease and drawing out what I think were some of my best interview responses to date. The conversation ranged out of high school in both directions - some shit going all the way back to grade school, and some shit as recently as a few months ago... kind of a lifetime survey of romantic and sexual development, dating, sexual self-awareness, and what women mean to me. It was fan-fucking-tastic, and in a genuine rarity for any interview I've ever done, I felt really good about everything I said - they didn't have the scattershot quality that a lot of stuff I've done in the past have had. Everything felt really organic and focused. It was like... well, really good sex actually. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I met Matt in high school, and in grade 12, he and I were on what I think is the only All-Stars-ish group collective I'll ever be a part of, which was that year's North Toronto improv team. Now, I was an absolute beggar to this group: I had tried out two years previously and had been shot down both times, and getting accepted in grade 12 was the biggest shock of my life, because I just never felt like I was anywhere near their level. The rest of the team were the living comic legends of my school: Matty Pollack, George Diamantouros, Steve Smolkin, Andrew Calder, and of course, Mark. The fact that they even let me hang out with them at all was intense... being called upon to rehearse and perform with them as though I were actually an equal was both a gigantic honour, and immensely intimidating. Making one of those guys laugh, like really laugh, was the big time. I remember once tossing off a one-liner about masturbation in the school's foyer, and Steve Smolkin laughing so hard his face got red and tears squeezed out of his eyes... and I will remember that for the rest of my life, the proudest I've ever been of any joke I've ever told in my life. Those were the days, man.

Apocalypse Now
June 1 2004 - 10:40 a.m.

Chiwetel Ejiofor (just try saying that five times fast) is aboard Serenity, the first actor signed who is not reprising a role from the series. He's apparently playing some kind of well-spoken hit man / tracker... sounds kind of like a retread of Early, but maybe he's Early's little brother, Burly, and all pissed off about Mal leaving Early floating through space. That'd be cool. And I suppose one of these days, I'm really gonna have to stop reading Serenity spoilers.

Filming begins on Thursday. Wheeeeeeeeee!!!

Meanwhile, a movie version of Walter the Farting Dog is in the works, so everything's pretty well okay in the world.

Hey! We're watching PORNO in here!!!
June 1 2004 - 2:10 a.m.

Jason: "I've got the power. Don't want it, but I've got it... mwahahaha..."

I've known Jason for five years, and the other day I took a moment to try to figure out what my defining Jason memory is, and here it is: as unbelievably geeky as it sounds, it was the day we went to a Star Trek convention together. I blogged about it at length the day it happened so I won't reiterate the plot points tonight, but I will say this: every time I think back on that day, I get the happy. That day was so happy, I literally burst into song in the lobby of the Regal Constellation hotel. I sang "Your Song" and Jason played piano. That, in and of itself, is a major golden-haze memory for my entire life, and in honour of today's occasion, I wanted to call it up and give it - and Jason - their second round of props.

And besides, we met frickin' C-3PO.

A place called home
June 1 2004 - 1:17 a.m.

Other Matthew: "Do you have five minutes?"

Me Matthew: "Do I have five minutes? My calendar is clear for the entire rest of my human existence!"

The Deeper Well