Activity Overflow.

I took the above shot out of the bus window coming back from Campbellton weekend before last. It was the day after the "big storm" that hit all of Eastern North America. I was watching coverage of it on my folks' cable TV... fascinating invention by the way... and it made top story on all of the national news broadcasts. I honestly don't remember weather getting this kind of play back when I was 7 and we seemed to get meter deep snowfalls every other week. Maybe snow in the 70s wasn't as dangerous as post 9/11 snow.

Hey remember when we were terrified to go outside because of ACID RAIN?!!!

That was fun.

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Anyhow... in case some of you are wondering why The 2400 blog has been mostly silent for the last little while... busy week, yo. It all paid off, though. Getting organized and postered up for the SPRING FORWARD readings resulted in a great Friday where our modest attendance projections were met and eclipsed.

We started things off with three readers (Mark Jarman, Karen Solie, WhiteFeather) at Westminster Books at 6pm... and from that point we had in the neighbourhood of 20-25 people. Then at Read's (Matt Leslie, Jesse Ferguson, Biff Mitchell at 7pm) most people stuck with us and a few new faces showed up. Finally at the re-christened Taproom (now Wilser's Room, me, Katie Brown, John Heinstein, Matte Robinson and Andrew Titus, 8pm ish) the beer flowed and the poetry and the folk/jazz via a scaled down Vetch duo. Maybe it was the culmination of a long week's work and 4 large pints, but I was home, in bed, asleep... before midnight. Still.

The next morning I was strong and hangover-free... the sun was out... all was well... except when entering the graveyard off Carleton extension I was about 30 feet behind this older gentleman (perhaps 70ish) who was dressed in orange cords and a grey coat. He had what seemed to be a nice spring in his step... but then I noticed that every 5 seconds or so he'd square back his shoulders, bring his hands about a foot apart behind his back and shake them extremely vigorously up and down... looked like he was trying to break a pair of handcuffs. The only other explanation I could think of, given his springy tread, was that he was trying to break free and hurtle upwards over King's Place. But he didn't. I carefully slowed my pace so as not to catch up with him then veered off over to the Happy Baker to avoid standing next to him at the crosswalk. Later I saw a 6 foot gray bunny handing out Easter eggs. Fredericton is fucked up.

After work I was resigning myself to an evening of cleaning my bathroom and putting up new shower curtains and maybe laundry, but Andrew Titus, my literary cohort, invited me up to dinner (if he ever invites you for God's sake go... the man puts on a spread like none other) followed by the light entertainment of filming pre-teens kicking the snot out of each other. We broke no laws... at least not knowingly.

On Sunday M. came for a visit... early in the week we'd talked about going to The Constantines show that night, just short of actually committing to the plan. In the end we just enjoyed the nice day, going down to Isaac's Way for lunch then walking up to the Superstore and Jumbo to get snacks and movies for the evening. So instead of The Constantines it was Marie Antoinette, A Scanner Darkly, Mediterranean pastry snacks, blue corn nachos and hot salsa, french bread with pepper corn cream cheeze, guacamole, etc. I think we made the right decision.

This morning we went on an errand extravaganza... starting with coffee at Starbucks, some costume purchases, a visit to Home Depot... then out to Scott's Nursery to buy seeds and stare down the iguanas, coy and a large slow gray cat. On the way back a quick stop at a tiling store to get some ceramic cut then on to Chez Riz for lunch (my second curry meal in two days). After lunch the art store on Queen, coffee at Read's and then... eventually the weekend ended. And here I am at work. Sigh.

So... no 2400 updates today either... though there is a new Surgery show up to listen to.

I'll get back on track this week... promise.

Really.

3 Things that...

Here's 3 things that make me happy.

#1 Buffy the Vampire Slayer... Season 8!!!

I make no apologies for being a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan. I was slow to get into the series, mostly because I never had cable and would only see random episodes from time to time, but never in sequence or even from the same season. Season 5 was the first year I saw the whole run (more or less) start to finish. I began to understand how carefully plotted the show was, with a strong arc that also referred back (in both major plot points and tiny detail) to earlier seasons. One example of this... a recurring character named Amy Madison who was a witch (revealed in season 1) is turned into a rat during an episode of season 3 and taken in for safekeeping by Willow, one of the main characters. In the background of the main action during a season 4 episode she is accidentally returned to human form for all of 2.5 seconds, only to revert to rat without anyone noticing the change. She eventually is permanently returned to human form for a three episode arc... but not until season 6. That's narrative patience! I only know all this because over time I bought DVD boxes of all seven seasons... the show having wrapped up in 2003. The run ended well, with everything nicely wrapped up, no reason to complain... except of course that there would be no new episodes to look forward to.

In 2001... the creator of the series, Joss Whedon (who also was behind Angel and Firefly on television) had done a limited comics series for Dark Horse called Fray that followed another incarnation of the Slayer in a futuristic setting. In 2004 he started writing a highly successful new X-Men title for Marvel comics. And now... he has begun a comics version of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 8... picking up a few a little more than a year after the end of season 7 of the television show. The first issue is out and it is pretty swell.

#2 Raines

My television watching is pretty minimal these days... still no cable... so I'll catch the occasional Law&Order : SVU to make myself feel icky or to ogle Mariska Hargitay; been hot and lukewarm with Criminal Minds; against my better judgement I've been keeping up with Gray's Anatomy (geek note: Buffy alum Marti Noxon was brought on as a consulting producer this year); occasionally I'll watch about half an episode of CSI: Miami to play this drinking game I've devised: Whenever David Caruso arrives at a crime scene or an interview and takes off his sunglasses with both hands... take a drink. Whenever he delivers a line of dialog while looking at nothing but the dirt on the ground... take a drink. Whenever he finishes a line of dialog and moves out of frame before the camera cuts to another p.o.v. ... chug your drink. As I said... haven't gotten through a whole episode yet.

Anyhow... last Thursday I randomly caught the first episode of Raines... a new cop drama on NBC starring Jeff Goldblum. The show was probably a ridiculously cheesy pitch along the lines of, "Imagine The Profiler crossed with The Sixth Sense...." And the premise is pretty much that: Goldblum plays an L.A. homicide detective with an exceptionally developed sense of forensic profiling... one that eventually results in him hallucinating the dead victims of the crimes he investigates. He sees, hears and converses with these apparitions on the way to solving the crimes. It sounds hokey but it works... the "ghosts" are never (at least in the pilot) supernatural, and they subtly change appearance and behaviour the more Raines understands about the case. The rest of the cast is great, including Madeleine Stowe, Nicole Sullivan, Matt Craven. The script avoids predictable clichés (written by creator Graham Yost who is best known for Boomtown and From the Earth to the Moon), and the pilot was directed by Frank Darabont (The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption). There's a twist at the end of the pilot that you might figure out... I didn't, but I try not to use my brain much when I watch television.

#3 Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.

Check it out here: full album streaming.

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And here's one thing that makes me sad.

I started watching Hal Hartley films around the time Simple Men was released and was quickly hooked. I rented both The Unbelievable Truth and Trust from the much missed Video Plus that used to be on King Street downtown... and I was smitten by Adrienne Shelley who starred in both films. Her acting credits afterwards were scant and easily overlooked, but she'd also moved over to writing and directing... her last movie, Waitress, premiered at Sundance this January. Even though I hadn't really thought about those movies or her in quite some time, the news (that I randomly... once more... came across during an unrelated search) really hit me in a soft spot. It is sad, shocking and utterly utterly crappy.

Three vignettes

Three ways people can waste your time:

1) The short way:

Guy comes in, hands in pockets and starts a counterclockwise loop of the store.

Me: Are you looking for anything special?

Guy: No. I like looking at the covers, mostly.

Me: Some of the music inside them is pretty good too.

Guy: Oh... I think I'm a little old for new music. Ah, no. I shouldn't say that. I've been enjoying Jack White lately. And I like electronica in the background.

Guy finishes his counterclockwise loop, never having taken his hands out of his pockets, and walks out.

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2) The longer way:

Guy comes in and says, "I'm looking for something alternative."

Me: Ok, well... what are you into now?

Guy: Y'know... a lot of stuff. All different kinds. But I seem to be listening to a lot of 80s music lately.

Me: Ah. Well... if you like more dramatic stuff I guess something like The Arcade Fire would be somewhere to start. (note: this was a little while ago, so the new album wasn't out yet). I'll play a little of it for you.

Guy: (listening) I haven't heard of this band... they're pretty good.

Me: Yeah, a lot of people like them. This album made many top ten lists last year.

Guy: Yeah... I like the bass line, I'm a bass player myself... but I don't think it's what I'm after.
I kinda wanted something closer to what I've been listening to.

Me: What have you been listening to most lately?

Guy: I dunno, Guns and Roses, probably.

Me: Ah. Well, I'm not sure I can think of something new right off that would fit that bill.

Guy: Well, I''ll just browse and see what catches my eye. How about this Pearl Jam? They're alternative, aren't they?

Me: Well... to Guns and Roses, I guess they would be at that.

Guy: Cool.
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3) The even longer way:

Guy walks in, starts browsing the vinyl and says, "Wow some of this stuff is great. I haven't bought any new music in quite a while."

Me: Were you looking for anything in particular?

Guy: Not really, I guess. I'm into stuff that has a bit of country mixed with rock... or rockabilly. (Pulls out a Jason and the Scorchers album) Like this... this is great.

Me: OK..., well... I've got a couple of things on vinyl by The Long Ryders... do you know them?

Guy: No. I've never heard of them. They're good?

Me: Yeah. They're one of the early American groups that played the style that Wilco or Jayhawks eventually took up.

Guy: Sounds good, but I don't have a working turntable at the moment.

Me: Ah. So... I guess you'd be looking for CDs then?

Guy: Yeah, do you have any suggestions there?

Me: OK, well there's this disc by Jay Farrar who was in Son Volt.

Guy: I don't know Son Volt.

Me: Son Volt was the other half of Uncle Tupelo when Jeff Tweedy broke off to for Wilco.

Guy: I know Wilco. This is good?

Me: It's a little bit stranger instrumentally, but the songs are good. I'll play you a little.

Guy: (Listening) Yeah it's interesting, but not quite what I was after today.

Me: OK, well do you know Cracker?

Guy: Can't say that I do.

Me: Dave Lowery used to be in a band called Camper Van Beethoven... you know them?

Guy: No.

Me: Well, Cracker is his more straight ahead twangy Rock band... I'll play you a little.

Guy: (Listening to a few tracks) Yeah. This is what I like listening to.

Me: (Taking out the CD and getting ready for a sale). OK then.

Guy: Yeah, I have a buddy who works down at Tony's... I'll ask him about these guys and see what he says.

Me: ....

Guy: OK, thanks. See you later.

I don't see him later. I guess that despite liking what he heard, outside confirmation was necessary. We all need a little help.