Everything Old is New Again

No one is poor who has friends

2010-02-09T17:39:00.000-08:00

How long have you known your oldest friend? The friend who's been in your life the longest, who still to this day remains your friend?

I consider myself very lucky to have great friends, far and wide, to this day living all over the world. Friends i've had since childhood, teenage-hood, adulthood. But I realized today that my oldest friend, Jenny Capel, who grew up around the corner from me just turned 29, meaning this year we have known each other for 25 years.

That makes me feel old... but also elated. Not everyone has the pleasure or fortune of friendships that last a lifetime... realizing 25 years of friendship definitely gives me a safe and warm feeling. It reminds me of all my great friends from highschool and my ladies from university ... how even with the distance, the passing of time, and the zig zag of life, somehow I am fortunate enough to still know all these great people. Not to mention the amazing friendships i've gained while living in Vancouver.

So, THANK YOU to all my friends, you are my sunshine! Here's to more memories, life and love!

Sunshine lollipops and...

2010-02-08T14:06:00.001-08:00

it's february! Today outside of my truck at the studio, between pelting rain and moments of sunny breaks i had the pleasure to view this:

Awesome! I heart rainbows. FULL rainbows! this is a phenomenon i've now seen twice in less then a year and i can say the only two times in my life i've seen rainbows on that scale. it's soo cool! :)

Fringe is winding down big time... three and a half episodes to go!

I'm really considering traveling when the show is over... more to come on that

We Are All Canucks

2010-01-28T14:58:00.001-08:00

Last saturday I was in a rather crappy mood. A friend had cancelled diner plans on me, my evening karaoke plans were dashed when we discovered the place had CLOSED last september, and I was trying to decide what I could do to raise my spirits on the ONLY NIGHT OFF of my week. I had spent the morning shopping for some much belated gifts and it was even Sunny! this should be a GREAT day!

Mike had invited me to the gym, and since i'm on my "I am doing the sun run" kick i decided that was a great idea. There is a hot tub, a treadmill and a good friend. As we are leaving the gym at about 6:15, about to go for a bite, Mike gets a call. From Ross my old boss, and his good friend and regular at the Creek. He couldn't use his hockey tickets due to a work diner and thus, would we like to have them? well holy CRAP, did we ever! We ran out the door, zoomed to get the tickets, got back to my place, got a cab and somehow in 45 minutes had managed to get to the game before it started! Season ticket holder, we were on the center ice line with an outstanding view of the whole arena. I ended up having a great night, full of friends, booze :) and the Canucks even won. In fact, they killed! After I met up with my ladies Ali and Tiff for some poutine and managed to get home happy, tipsy and greatful for my wonderful saturday. :) I have never been to a Canucks game and I must say, it was so much fun, i'd LOVE to go again!

Blondie

2010-01-11T08:54:00.000-08:00

I did it! Platinum! oh mama.

i love it. it's a big change but something i've always wanted to do, so i say to my newly single self, why not! :)

I would like to give cudos to the salon i always go to... CARAMEL on Granville. It's awesome, Lucy who did my hair is fantastic and i would trust any of their amazing stylists to do a great job on my hair ... which is thin and can be a nightmare for cuts and color.

http://www.caramelsalon.com/caramelweb2_003.htm

CAST AWAY!

Saturday night me and some close friends had a party in which we each drank a bottle of wine, wrote a letter and sent it off into false creek, message in a bottle style! Again, part of Jenns blog of "firsts", it was an awesome idea and super fun time!

Successful weekend :)

Girl, Interrupted

2010-01-07T16:37:00.000-08:00

I had a dream last night that i was running late for a flight. Super late. in fact, it was well past the time my flight was supposed to leave, but i was still stressfully running around and trying desperately to get to the airport.

Now, while this exact event actually happened to me just ahead of christmas (and thanks to the miracle of christmas flying, my flight was delayed an hour and a half, and i got on it!), this time i think my brain was trying to tell me something, or at least remind me of what's been pushed deep...

According to dreamcrowd.com dreaming of being late denotes fear of change and ambivalence towards seizing an opportunity. Also a feeling of being overwhelmed or conflicted with decisions about the future.

BINGO! deep in my little brain i am harboring all sorts of stress that i've certainly been avoiding over the wonderful two weeks off. The return of old and new friends, work coming to a rapid conclusion - also, the reality of finally having some time for my single self again... Change is inevitable and exactly what i'm going to do about it all...well that's left to be determined.

My thought is that relaxation should be something to focus on this year. I know i'm the type of person that craves a little drama, a little anxiety and I do tend to perform well under stress... however, if i can manage to throw in some more ME time, and allow my body and brain to take a little vacation occasionally, i can only foresee good things to come.

ps. Also my neck is killing me, stressful dreams are almost worse then drunken sleep. ;(

here's a pic of me in Mexico over christmas, memories of more relaxing times :)

crazy, cold and delightful

2010-01-06T15:53:00.000-08:00

this is me seconds after jumping into english bay with my friend Jenn on January 3. Jenn is attempting to try something new everyday for the next year and has a blog www.365daysoffirsts.blogspot.com check it out in my must reads.

When she asked if anyone wanted to go with her, i definitely hesitated... it's january! it's like 6 degrees out! the water is only 40! but i've always wanted to do a real polar bear swim, and you know what? it was awesome! it was a natural high, sheer adrenalin rush. We then went straight to starbucks where we enjoyed Baileys in our drinks and my friends Tiff and Ali were along for moral support.

I hope this dictates what my year will bring. January is always so uplifting to the December blahs and the climax and craziness of christmas... three cheers to the start of 2010!

The new year is here - 2010

2010-01-04T14:19:00.001-08:00

Here we go again, another year down, another year of exciting possibilities and resolutions. Last year i made an epic list of resolutions and reflecting on it now i realized how hard it truly is to maintain changes. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
For christmas i gave myself a very fancy gift. I bought myself a Canon 5D mkII. So far so good! Photoblog might continue to be possible although i've yet to upload any photos i've taken with it... for now here she is

:)

Once Upon a Cold December...

2009-12-14T18:38:00.001-08:00

snow snow snow. here she be. The good news is it took till December 14th for any kinda freakish weather to happen (west coast freakish... toronto is already under attack by mother nature. suckas! ). In 4 more days i'll be on a plane to the center of the universe for some delightful family dinner, then whisked off to Mexico for some sunshine, margaritas and bikinis. yay christmas.

This has been a sad year for the blog. But a happy year for my bank account. I credit my lack of blogging to the fact that i've been employed full time by the americans since March. America, fuck yeah.

I've updated the "look" of this site, although nothing drastic, mostly just colors. if i could come up with a better reason for this page to exist i might be able to make it a bit more specific to something, but instead, it continues to be random.

that is all.

movember

2009-11-06T20:30:00.000-08:00

well holy snap it's november. Daylight savings has happily pushed more light into the am wakeup, but does little to keep me motivated past 4pm. And these days that's right around when my day of activities begins on FRINGE. my past two weeks cheques has reflected the epic hours we are putting in, the gov't has begun to take more then HALF of my money. MORE THEN HALF!

Here's a picture of my pumpkin i carved at work for halloween.

holy october batman

2009-10-14T00:10:00.001-07:00

well....
it seems as this year fell apart in the world of "katie the golbber"... it's october and i'm hitting the brink of change/same 'ol same 'ol. it's a bizarre and awkward place to be. I spent the best part of thanksgiving with my friends and lovers. we surfed, we ate turkey diner (at 10pm! yeah, turkey takes fo' ever!) and we had a murder mystery of mayhem. jen and matt are semi engaged. tiff and christian are a duo of lovers... ali is happily/bitterly single and I am ... i am me.
i got an apartment... moving on from the "little vernon" housing i've engaged with for the past 8 months. i'm sad to leave it, and scared of "on my own' living...

guess what, its wayyyy past my bedtime. ;(

i promise to make a real comback... complete with pictures. ;p

whooo

2009-03-24T23:36:00.000-07:00

the grand finale.

let there be light...

2009-03-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

bwah.
do you ever get the feeling like the world is out to get you? i can't believe how accurate my horoscopes have been this week. Yesterday it said I am very likely to forget something so double check everything... and low and behold i still forgot the address (dispite bringing the directions!) to the house in Oakville.
Then today my horoscope tells me that someone might be trying to cheat me so use my smarts and pay attention... and thus this afternoon begins the epic drama over trying to get the footage I shot on the series i worked on or 4 months last year... unbelievable.

i'm feeling overwhelmed with trying to remain calm and optimistic, and at the same time being very bothered by what might be to come...

anywho, here's a few examples of the glass art in oakville.

Poser to the max

2009-03-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

messages from the unemployed, living at home, internet and photo obsessed;

a few photos from yesterday

I'm off to take photos of the window installation in oakville today.

and i'm missing fashion week. i'm so depressed about it. Turns out the majority of the shows are closed to the public (suprise!) so even with a ticket i'm stuck in the "fashion environment" to drink and mingle with the industry. Would be fun if it wasn't for the fact that all i want to see are the clothes! Betsey johnson show is at Brant House tonight. too bad i'm a fashion nobody... ho hum. someday...

another attempt

2009-03-14T15:07:00.001-07:00

ahha. feedback comes in, photos go out. Here's the latest in the glass art "please show me more texture" job.

photoshopper

2009-03-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

ok. Being only my 2nd paid photo assignment, i'm of course over analyzing and obsessing about it. The job is for Glass Artist Eleanor Brownridge www.turtlecreekglass.ca

This is one of her installation pieces:

I'm more a fan of the rainbow-y colourful one... but the more plain one is probably what will get used

I hit the big time... with GOOGLE!

2009-03-02T19:54:00.001-08:00

when was the last time you googled yourself?

I have been google-ing alot lately, mostly to hunt down all these fabulous ladies in the 669 union who are dps, operators and even a few 1st ACs ive never met or worked with... I'm attempting to help create a women's movement in the camera union, but more to come on that later...

The point of this post was to exclaim and squeal with delight that apparently, i'm NEW YORK TIMES worthy. And i dont even know how i got there... (Kate Matheson; Alternate name Katie Matheson...?? how!)

I was also the first Katie Matheson to appear in the aprox. 312,000 results google found.

here are the first few, and the definite highlights...

IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1980277/

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/people/Katie-Matheson/504967435

NEW YORK TIMES! (dot com)
http://movies.nytimes.com/person/1436968/Kate-Matheson

Toronto, February (but not spring!) edition

2009-02-26T21:48:00.000-08:00

Lent

i'm sure i dont really buy into the jesus element to this time of the year... but it's a practice i think i might try to stick to. Give up something for lent. 45 days. .. but what?

I decided after debate there was just no way i could give up beer or alcohol. haha.. maybe bread? wheat?
in the end i've choosen instead of "giving up" something, i'm going to DO something... i'm giving up laziness. my resolution for lent is to do yoga everyday. from today till easter.

it's epic. i'm inspired by Americas Fattest loser.

I was thinking about lent tonight and realized there was a time, when i was in elementary school (and a church goer) that i wanted to give up brushing my teeth for lent. I never really liked doing it and i remember figuring, if i've got to give something up, why can't i give up something i dont really like?
Id say the logic was there, the sentiment, not...

Birthday Bash for 29 years of life... yay kim. yay ladies. i had such an awesome weekend, it just wasn't long enough.

Work this week is also proving to be great. The class is great, locations are working... interviews are boring, but simple. And it's kinda cool to be working with all these "Women of Distinction". I really loved Peggy Nash. she rules.

for some reason blogger wont upload my pics... arg. check out my facebook pics here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=63235&id=504967435&ref=mf

shutter bug

2009-02-03T10:44:00.001-08:00

ok, here we go.
it's feb 3rd in vancouver and it's awesome. no rain again today, about plus 5 outside. lovely.

here are some pictures i took. i'm forcing myself to post them even tho they're a bit random. :)

No Parking

hydrant

A Train

Wiley Limbs

Mighty Maple

Busted Fool

what adventures will i get into today?

the great return.

2009-01-31T12:29:00.001-08:00

ok i figure as the date has reached January 31st that i should try to squeeze ONE more post in this month. I can't believe how fast this month has gone by and the fact that i've really yet to post any pictures of my undertaking. D'ah.

Dusty and I just got back from the Dominican. I had a fabulous trip, sunshine, beachy goodness. Dusty had a strike of some pretty bad luck (why, i wonder?) with illness' and the loss of his cellphone to the ocean. It made me sad that his trip didn't live up to the ideal Caribbean holiday... especially since i was going strong till day 7 (montezuma you asshole). His optimism constantly astounds me although he's seeking medical help today because his tummy ailments haven't let up for 5 days.

in better news here are some pictures from the trip. it was sad to say goodbye to the beach for another year but i'm so glad we had the chance to go together.
more of my pictures will be up on facebook, if you care to check em out!

February, here we come...

bailout

2009-01-21T00:02:00.000-08:00

in further lame and rather disappointing news i removed my picture till I discipline my schedule enough to have a great photo day. i'm losing the game of photo-hobby blog and have for now resorted back to writing about nothing.

in other news i'm actually in an incredibly good mood. had drinks with the girls tonight. two more sleeps (well, maybe one and a half) and i'm in the sunshine. glorious warm weather, here i come. whoot.

ho hum

2009-01-18T23:28:00.000-08:00

i regret to say that i've been in ontario for a week and i'm yet to post here or take any pictures.
on the bright side I just finished a great lighting course with george willis. yay csc.
is it wrong that i found out about the course on facebook?

i also started my first day on FASHION SHOW. it looks good. I'm disappointed that i wont be able to shoot the whole show, but i'm grateful i've been asked to DP. It was a great chance to play more with the internal settings on the p2. and i'm happy with the result for the most part.

i can't stop hearing the office in my head... "fashion show! fashion show! fashion show at lunch!"
hilarity.

we booked our trip to DR next week and i'm stoked. I dont think i can take my SLR tho as my camera was stolen on my last trip. good excuse to get myself a point and shoot tho. :)

A Relaxing Sunday Drive

2009-01-05T18:32:00.001-08:00

Ya right. For those poor souls who got stuck on Knight st... right outside the window for my viewing pleasure... That must have sucked.
Bus VS. Truck battle the snowy icey hills of Knight St. Each taking turns squealing tires and burning rubber... just trying to MOVE. This lasted for a good 45 minutes - but the traffic continued for a good 3 hours. ewwww.
Our poor sushi delivery also fell victim to the traffic and disappeared into oblivion. The good news is tonight i had a sushi feast! yum! happy monday

NEW LOOK!

2009-01-02T19:59:00.001-08:00

So! in an exciting twist i've decided to paint my blog pink!

and add a GIANT photo of me. :)

Watch our for some more photo posts soon.

ps. snow sucks!

Day one.

2009-01-02T01:17:00.001-08:00

I just spent the day creating the my New years resolution document outlining in detail all the goals i have for the year and all the bad habits i want to break.... I then promptly broke the FIRST resolution this evening. (alcohol. my vice!!) So i've decided in an attempt to redeem myself i'm posting some more photos. These are point and shoot but there are some great ones.
Viva new years eve! :)

Dusty feelin' fine

That's Ali's hand getting frisky

Aggressive after Midnight!

My new years get up

A Toast to the Ladies

I'm So EXCITED!!

Lookin' sharp!

Come Into My World
This dress was my Christmas Gift from Dusty. Betsy Johnson fabulous. and behind me is my manpartment. please note the pirate flags and juggling batons.

Some Xmas Quick Pics

2009-01-01T04:16:00.000-08:00

Oh Christmas Tree! 2008

Those are some seriously SWEET snowboard shorts son

Chef du Jour Jarrod!

Hot Cousin Jenna

this is dusty's uncle mike. he's a cool cat.

I have become comfortably numb.

2009-01-01T03:41:00.000-08:00

First post of the year 2009!
I'm happy.

What a weird night.
I had fun. Then i had a fight. now i'm here.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! right?
My belly aches. My body is sick. I’ve been living on pot for the past week. Boo. This is not a way to live well. Dusty’s parents are awesome, I had a great time in Kelowna for christmas. I’m needing home for a rest now I think... And a trip to the ‘ reality check’ doctor. Aka … work for a living or something!

Its snowing big time in Vancouver. It’s weird. My first snowy Vancouver winter.it sucks frankly. At least Toronto knows how to deal with it. Plows, salt. I mean, come on. But this is just like “hi. I’m in Vancouver. My car was broken into so it’s in the shop… the BEST news is that I don’t have to worry about driving anywhere till it’s fixed!”
I hate that I’m scared to drive in the snow. But somehow in this town, I think it’s for the best. I’m the bad driver… yeah.

So! My new years resolution is to make my blog actually about something.
I’ve been a class A “Self involved” golb (yeah!) since day one. Now:

My “photography” / styling/ day in the tub.

the worst of it is that I didn't take the picture.

i will be open for some SWEET photos come Kim's birthday/1st annual 29th PARTY!..
anyone who can make it to the Niagra region come the 21st of February... PLEASE let me take your picture. :)
it's for my portfolio.
really...

photog

2008-12-17T20:50:00.001-08:00

well. I'm already considering my new years resolution.
I'm basically thinking.. to have a direction for my blog. haha. I am definetly one of those people who writes a blog about nothing. so very sienfeld. So, as a joint effort to kickstart my photography skillz and fashion enthusiasm, i'm thinking a fashion photography blog...
I have partially Tiffany to thank, and if i knew how to insert her blog site by using her name i would, but she's found at
www.girlinthecityvancouver.blogspot.com

Although i'm yet to take any fashion pics using a NON-point and shoot camera...tis to come. For the time being i'm going to try and just post some pics to get the ball rolling.
... happy dec 17th. one week to go before santa!

**click for a larger image**

Aligator Pie

December Bloom

3210 Knight St

friday night yo

2008-12-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

sex and the city has somehow reminded me of all the things that are wrong with my life... and yet somehow also of the things that are so right.

i've now watched the movie 4 times in less then one week. i blame this on the fact that i dont have the series ep. 1-6 available to me. (as they are held hostage at my storage locker). and after exhausting Arrested Development, i need my ladies back.

I'm constantly finding myself in the midst of an epiphany these days. and somehow just when i think i get it, i'm reminded of how unpredictable life can be.

I think i'm on the brink of something big. i might be on the edge of a serious cliff, but somehow i also feel like i've been living in an eternal cliff HANGER that now, it's time to just take the leap. jump in. both feet. tread water and survive. it can't be that bad, right??

i've been back in vancouver for 10 days. I'm already plotting my plan of escape. not from vancouver, but of the chuckhole it has me in.
vitamin D is my new drug of choice.

working on Supernatural was great. The guys on that show are awesome. Working sunday for Frankie and Alice might not prove to be as amazing, but it's a cash cow none the less. i'll take it.

I really want to take pictures. for a living. moving or still really. movies are great, but photos are still calling my name.

i'm broke and need money. I'm sure there's a way to work and be comfortable with what you have. i'm looking...

happy friday. :) katie

week one (and a half)

2008-12-08T14:06:00.000-08:00

here we go monday!

Home alone on a lazy and boring monday morning. The grey skies are so ugly. seriously it makes me want to draw a giant sunshine on the curtain and close them. at least it's not raining. or minus 10. :)

I'm spending my morning scouring craigslist for jobs and apartments and photo equipment. On second thought today would probably be a great day for taking pictures... worlds biggest bounce right outside my door!
I'm also internet shopping for xmas gifts... surprises await.

Today I also must hit my storage locker for some necessities. Yoga mat, gym bag, stockings, and christmas deco! time to amp this bachelor pad up a notch. it's freaking christmas time! A few colorful lights to go with the scull/pirate banners. maybe even a santa hat or two ;p

happy december 8th!

warmer hearts, grayer skies

2008-12-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

hello world... and most importantly Vancouver dear.

she's landed and she's back in the 3120 Knight st. homestead. So many things are on the horizon now it's hard to really get a grip on even unpacking.

Dman is happy... working... and a sight for sore eyes to his lonely heart girlfriend. hearts and rainbows. ex's and oh's.

I had a lovely (well, brutal... but relieving) massage from Sarah today... got my car back on the road... and am heading out to Yuk Yuks for a night of comedy for Alex's bday.

Tomorrow night is Pot Luck at Ali's... I've been scouring the desserts on the web and i still haven't decided what to do. I think i'll be brining more then one. :)

I got a call today for work on 2012. (farewell atlantis)... it was a freaking SWEET call... just unloading their second unit truck. would have been nice to monopolize on the big budget while it's in town, but unfortunately, i've got other plans. :) spending money and avoiding real life phone calls. hells bells.

just a quick update all. hope life is grand in your respective neighborhoods. Here comes santa clause!

my apologies to vancouver

2008-11-28T00:37:00.000-08:00

It's not what you thought. i am still in love with you.

ha. my remorse for last night.

tonight fionn mccools was awesome;

I'm worried josh is turning into a silver fox too soon... well except for the fact that his beautiful wife is pregnant again and his bar is doing very well... aha, i suppose part of going grey and being stressed comes with a 'successful" life?

i talked to dusty tonight... ahh... vancouver. i cant' wait to be there.

i'm looking over my ping pong table, aka, craft table and i'm looking at alot of homemade gifts that i feel good about. i'm sad i wont be here to see most of these opened by my lovely family.... but i'm glad i'm getting it all done before xmas. freaking hell.

and the soap is working out. :) new and old batch work well in harmony.

xoxxxo

a funny thing happened on the way to bed

2008-11-27T00:11:00.000-08:00

I think i've snapped.
i've just been lying in bed for more then two hours and within that time my brain began to swirl. I really shouldn't have written that last post, it just got me thinking about my impending return to van... I always get like this right before i'm about to leave/go/leave/come/go. it's this feeling of anxiety meets apprehension meets anticipation meets impatience. it is indeed the recipe for an ulcer... or at least insomnia. the worse is that i couldn't' relax. i'm just glad i have nothing to get up for in the morning otherwise i'd have the added stress of how late it is. ahem, 3:15am.
I am curing this unease with a scotch and a trip to 'write it out' land.

I have a problem with the vancouver end of my equation these days... mostly because i dont have a real stable platform to land on there. I feel like not having a place of my own puts strain on my ability to feel 'at home' there anymore. but at the same time with my enivitable back and fourth routine it's financially impossible to get a place. And the truth is i'm not feeling toronto. I haven't in years. I love it here in many ways but to consider moving here is just out of the question. I just can't see myself being happy with an apartment here, working in the land of indie lifestyle TV, once again immersing myself in this place... And while the west really calls me (and frankly has been screaming my name for the past 3 weeks... i can't WAIT to get back there right now) I still have this uneasy feeling. Obviously having my parents here to catch me like i'm a child makes my jumping to toronto really easy... and sometimes i guess the thrill of the uncertainty in vancouver is part of what i like about it.
Its when i start to get ahead of myself that it all goes wrong. I like plans, i like having a mission, i like to know what the next step is (or at least figuring out my next step) and as soon as i start to think that way it makes my stomach churn because my life in vancouver just doesn't have answers to that. I just never really know what's coming next, and what's worse, everyone around me there doesn't really care what's up next. The easy going attitude that i love, also tends to exacerbate my anxiety.
my career is something that has been a huge priority for me since i was practically in high school... I can admit that i've always known what it is i've wanted to do... and although my goals and ideas have changed several times over the years, there has been very little to ever stop me from perusing my next opportunity... And then there was vancouver. that city plays such an important role in what i want to be doing, and where i want to be... The people i want in my life. it's always so painful to leave vancouver and for that reason I think it's always kind of painful to return. I wish it was easier to set up a life there. I guess that's what it comes down to. Nothing seems to come easy to anyone in vancouver... and i'm all for working hard, but it's not about jobs. it's about life in general. It's about me getting a grip on something that makes me feel comfortable AND happy. so far i can only find both on a temporary basis... I constantly feel like i have unfinished business and no matter what's going on, i'm wondering what's going on somewhere else.

I'd also like to bring up that i am getting to the point (well, at least right now, tonight) that i'm hating living out of a suitcase. the thought of packing and deciding what to take and what to leave and NEVER having ALL of my things in one place really bugs me. and despite doing this for the past year im not used to it. The simplicity of it has worn off and now it's more annoying and alzthiemers inducing to always wonder when i cant' find something if perhaps it's not even here. or there. or anywhere. i am slowly going crazy. sing it with me. has anyone seen my black tights?

ahhhhhhhh.... deep breaths. i'm feeling better. I'm sorry if i've somehow upset anyone with my brain mush. I realize that maybe i'm revealing too much on a public platform, but at the same time i think my readership is probably only at about 8 and it was too late to call anyone.

it's almost 4. i'm still not sleepy but definitely tired. the worst.

wednesday

2008-11-26T20:23:00.000-08:00

alrighty
it has come to my attention that i have only 6 days left in toronto.
it's been nearly 3 months since i left vancouver and somehow everything (so far) has turned out ok.

I also encountered a Magic 8 ball on set today and asked if vancouver was going to be ok, it said 'most definitely yes'. i also asked if my relationship was going to be ok, it said 'you can be certain.' I also slyly asked if dusty had been up to no good and it said 'not likely'... 8 ball rules.

My work on King kaboom came to a rather anti climactic end today with a stills shoot on green screen. I was there only to do lighting and poor Karim was very sick. 4 hours door to door and my last day was over.

I came home and am madly trying to finish up my projects for christmas gifts (at the ontario end) as well as last minute cards and wrapping. tomorrow is a casual diner with family and friends at Josh's Fionn McCools. It will be nice to see my bro, i hate not seeing him as often as i used to at home.

Packing will be another obstacle in my way of getting outta dodge and considering what to bring with and what to leave is always a battle. I found these super rad tags for my luggage at the dollar store. One says "NOT YOUR BAG!" and the other says "NO, THIS IS NOT YOURS!" cheeky, but cute. plus they are lime green and hot pink so that's a bonus. :p so very dollar store, so very me.

being november 26th means it's officially the 30 day countdown till christmas. For the first time in 5 years i dont feel particularly panicked or rushed... i think not going away somewhere warm is partially to thank for that. and looking forward to an early year vacay is also helpful.. I can't wait to see dusty and get back to vancouver... pray for mojo that the grey skies and rain dont suck my will to... well... just about anything. The weather will be snowy here very soon as we seem to be just dodging the major dump that areas not far away from here are receiving. i'm very grateful for that.

once again it's later then i wish it was... i get soooo sucked into reality tv about weight loss its sickening. and slice network is brutal for that. it'll be nice NOT to have tv again. i feel very addicted in a horrible way right now...

Had diner tonight at Ridgetown with DBW. I like having alone time with dad occasionally. He's a really great listener and talker... he knows so much it's pretty awesome, he's like a dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia and rubrics cube all rolled into one body. I'm very lucky.

oh, and my jaw seems to be healing although my stitches are coming out so it's sensitive for the first time since the day of. gross. i know.

:) adios for now

it's almost over!

2008-11-25T19:51:00.001-08:00

one day left of King Kaboom.... well... at least for me as I'm leaving on a jet plane next wednesday. I'm sure the puppet shoot (which i'm sorry to miss!) will go down, and then the poor editors will be in like flin till the end of dec.

Its' been an awesome run, I really enjoyed it. Best job i've ever had to be honest... at least in terms of learning, growing, doing the work i want to do... etc. money> ha. not so much, but thanks to the parents this has been an outstanding few months.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow, and then to the party on thursday night.

must get cracking though, so much Christmas crafting to take care of in the next 6 days!!

xo

season one is still kicking @ www.kingkaboom.com

clickity click

2008-11-23T16:27:00.000-08:00

hey check me out. i'm a portrait photographer.

Vistek was celebrating it's One year anniversary at the mississauga location today. They had a free model shoot happening where they let us try out the lights, remote units and use pro models. good times.

EXTRACT my wisdom...

2008-11-22T16:57:00.000-08:00

So my awesome dentist went to work and i'm hoping the tooth fairy still shows up these days.. ;)

it looks pretty knarly i think.

I have pain in my jaw, but it's not too unbearable. The dentist gave me stitches so hopefully it wont bleed or anything too gross. i made some jello and my mom bought me some delicious soups. good to go for my exciting weekend... craft room here i come!

1-2, 1-2-3. 1-2-3-4, wine show!

2008-11-22T00:37:00.000-08:00

i'm off the hook.

guess who, how and why.

deep thoughts of a surely emotional masochist.

xo

ps. dancing at RockWood tonight. never again, yet surprisingly so gratifying.

the name lindsay porter suddenly is flooding my brain...

2008-11-17T21:46:00.000-08:00

rob shaw had a baby.

It's not so much the baby, and it's not so much that it's rob's... and it's not so much that he's the first of all my favorite 4th stormont-ers (viva Carleton!) to have planted his seed...

actually it's all of those things. God, where was the foresight?

tighty whities clearly can stop no man. ahhhahaha, JS.

I'm reminded of all my lunches with Rob during my days at CBC and his days at Ryerson... and that time Callum tried to kill him over Tamarama... ohhh, memories. I feel old. Rob, i knew you when...!!

Congrats on little Lois, superman! Take care of your ladies, you're a man now.

ps. this is actually seriously freaking me out. i'm immature, ok?

wow

2008-11-16T17:41:00.000-08:00

yet another TV mind-blow

an no, not micheal telstar.

I just learned that statistic show 15 MILLION americans are in the "morbidly obese" category. that's like 1 in every 2 canadians.
I also learned in the same stat survey that 2 MILLION americans are OVER 500 lbs.

Perhaps this doesn't surprise you, but it truely is shocking to me. that is a lot of people. I'm seriously mind blown.

I'm glad i went to the gym today. I'm glad i can use my legs for walking. I dont know what I would do if i knew someone in this category, it's so scary.

thankyou Slice Channel.

booooooooooo ze

2008-11-13T17:18:00.000-08:00

i am hung over. and it's all cause i stopped drinking to cleasne my body. now it can't handle squat.

i refuse to believe it is because i'm getting old.

this is a whole day long hangover i hate it... i'm at work and my brain hurts. :(

damn you beer followed by vodka! damn you!!!

blink twice

2008-11-12T19:24:00.000-08:00

ok
my reality tv porn has just come to an unsettling head.

Turns out Travis Barker has a reality show. ala tory spellng. ala gene simmons. ala paris hilton, tila tequilla and fat people. ala the hills. ala i hate myself.

i dont know why the travis barker thing is affecting me so much, perhaps because Blink 182 had an impact on me and my gr 10 self that has lasted until now. Something that I'd like to consider "influence"... in so far as the way the music can affect your mood, your emotions, your good times, and thus your life...

And while some would see +44 as a step backwards for the once punk rockers, I simply continued to enjoy what the world of punk-pop could push into the top 40. Somehow seeing Travis flaunt his ex wife and baby on reality tv, as well as in the tabloids makes me a bit queasy.

This is also on the cusp of me wasting a half hour researching who the HELL kim Kardashian is... and guess what. all i found is that her career designation is Actress/socialite.

really? REALLY?! Her only acting credit is her own reality show

I wont kid myself (or you) and pretend like i'm going to stop looking at celebrity gossip porn. Today just made me stop and think a little. it made me feel really bad for those who feel selling themselves to the tabloids is the best option for income. I mean, i suppose it's a little hypocritical because i'm one of the few idiots who actually read that shit. but i'm in it for the smut. for the chase. for the "caught in action' shit. Not the, hey life and style, i'll pose FOR YOU. now that's just sad. and frankly, it's going to put the paparazzi out of business. QUIT FLAUNTING YOURSELVES.. FOR YOUR CHILDREN!

Meet the Barkers

I'm also finding myself watching re-runs of the hills and really wishing lauren and brody were an item now.
as well, i've finally watched an episode of the new Degrassi (they are now in f'n university!) and it's awesome.

facebook

2008-11-11T16:39:00.000-08:00

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=42477&id=504967435

cut and paste

soap in the motherboard

2008-11-11T16:10:00.000-08:00

Hello world.

I'm basking away in my self- initiated 'office', or the control room on set, continuing to waste time before the next band arrives. This incredibly long day has had about 2 hours of actual working and maybe 6 or so, so far, that would require us to wait. yay film. slash low budget tv. i heart my job. ??

i did however manage to take some pics of my soap making endeavors so i'm posting some pics for your pleasure.

big lies... it wont load... check my facebook page for pictures :)

speedy

2008-11-10T13:48:00.000-08:00

ok so my hectic few days have lead me to seriously break my blog-a-day streak. bah.

i'm on my way out the door momentarily to go to day one of band week 2 for king kaboom season 2. ha. i'm stoked i'm on the jib again and David our new baby duckling is steadicamming it up. shoudl be a good week, plus carpooling with christy rocks.

today i made soap: edition 2. more care, more love, less pain, more cinnamon. all in all hopefully better then the first edition.

also, yesterday a family reunion of sorts with Wendy, Nicks mom in town. My mother's cousin... my 2nd cousin? anyway, another BC realitive who lives in chiliwack. It was a good time and we're trying to organize a trip to see the Sound of Music this week.:)

shite, i'm late.
adios

the basement blues.

2008-11-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

Well...
Today was a long and rather uneventful day. I spent the better half of it shacked up in the basement creating my latest sewing project. I have debated posting picutres of it, but seeing as it will become one of many homemade xmas gifts i think it's best that i keep it under wraps.

At the gm today i thought about my photography... or lack thereof. I got outside and took some pictures today just ahead of that and it really got me thinking. Tomorrow i'm going to try and take some more. There is a plethora of interesting set-up opportunities these days since every inch of the lawn is covered in fallen leaves. I wish i had more people around to take photos of, but i've decided that my jewelry is my next best thing. Jewelry in the leaves. whoot. Then a few of my dresses in our old grape vine trellis. we shall see how that turns out. ;)

ps. tv sucks. i've become addicted and i dont like it. I"m at the point that i'm thinking about TV all the time. I'm channeling Pavlov's dog and as soon as i make myself a meal the inclination to watch tv is simultaneous... it's not good. I wish i had another person around for crafting, it seriously makes it easier to concentrate when there's a little bit of distraction. :) ahhh, ADD generation.

blah blah workin' for a livin'

2008-11-06T20:02:00.000-08:00

My bro's GF makes the best meals.
and I hear he cleans up real nice.

Delicious food chez John and Krista tonight with mom and dad.... after a short day's work on KK.

A weird shoot, somehow I didn't feel the best about it. Perhaps it's just the anxiety of the show almost being over, or something.
I suppose once i see it cut together i'll feel better about it. Ha, that and the several months from now THAT'll happen.

it was 20 freaking degrees out today. So shooting outside was very pleasant. november 6th and I didnt' even need a jacket.

I'm kinda obsessed with this random music by a random Burington dude named Kirby. I keep listening over and over. i guess i'm overdue for something 'new' . Even more coinsidental is that his video was shot by Devon and Robs Co. Who whouldda thought. it's such a small world.

back to el' craft table.

ps.

2008-11-05T15:46:00.001-08:00

Obama won the presidential election.
America is painting the White House black.

History is made.

warm weather; westjetting?

2008-11-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

November 5th and a lovely day for a long walk with a good friend.

it was 19 degrees and sunny out today. Although this fact is frightening as it is NOVEMBER, i'm trying not to ask too many questions. Just enjoy and take a long walk. :)

Port credit is lovely in the fall.

I almost booked my flight back to vancouver today. Almost. Good deals today for sure, maybe i still will. I get butterflies thinking about it.. I wish it was more obvious when would be the best time. Not having a locked-down schedule really causes some chaos.

dec 3? i think this is a good day. 4 weeks from today...

November 4th

2008-11-04T15:11:00.001-08:00

alright, i failed.

a meer two days into NABLOPOMO (national blog posting month) i neglected to pay the fair attention needed to my little space on the interweb.

well, i'm back. it's day 4. holy shit that means november 4th.

Today i've had the day off so i'm knee deep in all things sewing, and crafting.

"This is Lye"

I've been carefuly mixing chemicals today in what hopes to be my first successful attempt at homemade (from scratch!) hand soap. a few minor burns (ahem, think fight club) later and the vinegar smell wont leave but my searing skin is feeling better. if only i could get my hands on some human fat. ;p

I've followed that up with some serious CUTTING of fabric. xmas gifts galore.

Today also marks the ELECTION in the US of A. who thinks racism will rear it's ugly head? I'm optimistic because i want Obama in charge, following in the Democratic footsteps of our favorite cock and balls Bill Clinton. However if the Republican history can prove itself any kinda foreshadowing, something tells me Mccain will find away to cheat, and win.

florida, i'm looking at you. and by florida, i mean SEX. no, i dont mean sex. but i am reminded of my other favorite american president JFK in the best short running animated series ever, Clone High.

i'm heading to lisas for some OBMAMARAMA. keep the faith alive.

Katie

day two, the 2nd

2008-11-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

k, so november is national blog month which means dispite not actually being "posted" on the "official" site i'm still going to try and post every single day for the month of november. can she do it? only time will tell...

this past thurdsay we wrapped Twichers -- the "show within a show" on King Kaboom. all in all it was an amazing, challenging and special experience with Production league. I hope we can do more stuff like that (aka scripted episodic tv) in the future.

Haloween was fun times, i dressed as a lady bug. St.Onge/Ng household. Love that place. I keep the dance party open as long as possible, carved some pumpkins and DIDN'T get drunk. so far so good.

This sunday is a lazy one. I'm still squatting in St. Cats with Dan and Kim. Thinking about driving home, but not doing much about it. Lazy days are good ones.

I miss Dusty. exes and ohhs.

niagara is a heavy weight day

2008-11-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

hello! it's freaking November.

dear amy butler,
while i appreciate you're enthusiasm for creating purse patterns that the everygirl is capable of creating, i'd ask you this. why the basting? please! fusible interfacing is amazing. especially when calling for heavy weight fabrics.
and the zippers are incredibly annoying and labor intensive, however i am enjoying the outcomes after all.

here's my day in niagara at Patchwork Porch with kim. Lots o' swearing, sewing and general good times. my amy butler bag turned out a-ok and i'm stoked that it only took 9 hours to complete.

this is the back... zipper pocket

inside! note the zippered and tool pockets!

front flap= another zippered pocket!

my pain during the day...

this was kim's amazing bag...

green eyed monster

2008-10-24T21:41:00.000-07:00

ok, this is a kinda lame post but after watching copious amounts of So You Think You Can Dance Canada and watching leah miller (who is terribly annoying as host of this show *insert cutesy shoulder bob*) wear MY FAV christian louboutin shoes (See Oct 3rd post) two episodes in a row, i just had to show it.

it also turns out that the spill she took on stage at the MMVA's earlier this year were also In CL shoes. Gotta love the 5" stiletto.

SUNNNNNY sunday

2008-10-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

I'm having an extreme streak of good luck to that point that i'm getting a bit nervous about it. i'm seriously due for something bad. My dad suggested that perhaps I could just live my life with constant good luck.. I suppose i'm going to stay on the bright side of this argument and agree. Until something does happen...

This week we're continuing our work on "twitchers" the show-within-a-show on King Kaboom. I'm DP-ing and pulling focus (as we're shooting steadicam, Devon who owns a rig is operating). It's an exciting opportunity and i'm really enjoying being in control/charge of the lighting. everything I once learned at Capilano is all comming back in a flash of college hell. although the equipment we are using is MUCH better then what Cap had. everything is BRAND NEW and that is totally unheard of for the budget we are working with so it's pretty much golden. It's a serious challenge to be doing that AND trying to get focus marks, etc. but it's going pretty well. the first two days hit minimal snags.

Now, the interesting and exciting thing for the next two days is that not only am i Dp-ing, but i will also be operating on steadicam. A scheduling conflict saw us without Devon for two days so without word the company rented ME a rig and i have been practicing with it over the weekend. Monday and Tuesday I'll have Simon out as my gaffer so i can set the lights AND strap on the rig in one giant learning curve of glory.

the key will be to keep my cool as much as possible... haha. good luck matheson.

two days left on the cleanse. I totally fell off the wagon this weekend but with so few hours left to go and a wack of bad habits cured (booze? drugs? potato chips?? NEVER! ) i'm feeling pretty good. I bought some new pants yesterday and although they are not the size i might have wished they were, i'm ok with that. new clothes is a great thing anyway. keep on truckin.

i'm off for my walk to starbucks. it's sunny out again today although the temperatures are slipping more in to the 13-15 range this week. whatever, i heart the sun.

sunday out.

my reality

2008-10-08T17:46:00.000-07:00

ahhh, i'm still addicted to the biggest loser.

in fact, i'm beginning to realize that the ONLY televistion shows i watch are of the "reality' variety. I must say that my favorites are competition ... Biggest loser, so you think you can dance, project runway, next top model and even Paris Hilton my new BFF..

Then there is my guilty pleasure, The Hills.

what can i do? In some ways i think it's helping me with my job... shooting a 'variety' show which really doesn't have much of an identity when looking at the gamete of show choices. The "look" of reality has improved significantly with the availability and affordability of HD, thus opening up new possibilities to creating a look that doesn't scream CHEAP or CANADIAN.

Today i was really happy with what we shot. Reel worthy. so that was cool. My horoscope this morning said that a stranger or colleague would say somthing to try and hurt me and my instinct would be to bite back... but dont do it.

oddly enough i didn't encounter that at all. in fact a stranger told me my lighting was "beautiful" and my colegue trusted me to shoot the last act on my own. without director. I dont know if this means i'm due for something bad... or the horoscope was just humourously the opposite. In any case, it was a good day.

and im finishing this great day indulging in fat people. :) thank you america and ABC network.

ps. it's competing with the last hour of So you think you can dance Canada... and that show seriously is awesome. Dancing is sooo much more dynamic then singing. and Blake went to Cawthra temporarily. hahahahaha until he got EJECTED in gr. 9!. Apparently another Cawthra-ite was on the show last week... packing the heat mike coda. awesome.

girls love shoes

2008-10-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

alright, enough is enough.
i've decided i'm making it my mission to learn to walk in heels.

i'm 28 years old and have yet in my life to successfully make it thorough ONE night wearing higher then a 1/2 inch kitten heel. i recognize this is a start but please. there are so many amazing shoes to be had and i hate not getting in on that action.

especially after seeing the amazing shoes my good friend Tiff found that are knock off Dior's are are simply fabulous.
(check out Tiff's shoes/blog here: www.girlinthecity.blogspot.com )

where to start? shoping i'd say!!! I think my safest bet would be to start with John Fluevog's classic WIDE heel...

although THESE christian Louboutin pumps are f'n FABULOUS... and only $975!!! haha

OC. O-C-T. O-C-T-O-B-E-R!

2008-10-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

wow.
my last post was exclaiming that it was september and here we are... October. a whole month flew by and snap! it's practically thanksgiving.

A quick rundown of recent times;
I finished working on Scooby Doo 3. A great show after it all - although a rather anticlimactic finish with three days of green screen following the wrap party. A sweet Tshirt as a crew gift though. thanks to the young cast.

I came back to toronto to start my adventure as DP/Camera op on King Kaboom season two. My initial week began with Dusty here on a mini-vacay. We definitely lived it up, on Toronto Island, hanging in Port Credit, a few days downtown and a few games of pool. the week flew by (as time always does) and I watched him leave on a jet plane back to Vancouver. :( a sad goodbye ... but i'm so grateful he was able to come out for that week. It made my transition easier for sure...

So King Kaboom kicked off with our first week shooting Sideshow acts, magicians, mindblowers, and HOLY SHIT! kinda stuff. My first week as a DOP proved to be intense and challenging, but in a good way. I really can't be grateful enough for the opportunity Production League is giving me. Lighting my own sets, operating the camera, troubleshooting, working alone. There is soo much to learn and experience. This is truly a gift of a job opportunity.

At the same time i began my cleanse! wowee! I'm on day 9 of 30 and going strong. So far soo good... keeping off booze has been pretty easy with work in the way of my social life... the gym is a pain cause it's a 20 minute (at least!) drive away but Yoga keeps me limber. ish. I've been photographing my results so i'll post them here once i'm at day 30.

sadly, photographing my fatty clementine seems to be the only opportunity i've had to use my camera these days. as depressing as it is. I'm hoping as the show continues and my schedule is more clear i'll find a chance to get on it again. Although i suppose i'm not in a rush. The work environment and the constant learning i'm doing is really taking over my mind these days.

This week we are on week one of our BANDS portion of the show. Luckily there is a lighting director to deal with the 'stage' lighting we use so i'm able to focus on camera work. I'm also lucky enough to be on the jib -- giving me a chance to try it out. Nothing like Hot gears sadly, it's a bit more ghetto pan tilt type thing but wow. it's been really interesting. I'd say difficult, but I dont want to sound negative. It's simply frustrating not to be good at something that you want to do well... and i suppose to give myself credit nobody really is perfect the first time. The best part so far has been that as the week progresses i'm improving. and getting to shoot 2-3 bands each day really lets me get better quickly. I'm definitely not even in the "good at it" category yet, but i'm definitely learning to speak to the jib so we can communicate more efficiently. It's like learning to walk... i'm still kinda stumbly, but i'm begining to get the hang of it.

So here we are. October 1. three months to go this year... and how will they go indeed.

Below are pictures from Dusty's most recent toronto adventure

On the Ferry

The Big Smoke

Bike Cruisin' on Toronto Island

GIANT red door on the lighthouse

Looking for Haloween Costumes... ??

it's freaking september!!

2008-09-06T00:37:00.000-07:00

back to friday night slash saturday morning. a bit more reasonable this week I'm looking at 12:37 on the clock... a break for the last week (short week mind you!) of the show. and Pay day today. "employee appreciation day" i freaking LOVE that saying. it kinda makes me happy even though it's just a cheque hand out.

i gotta say, i'm really glad i got this show. although i've noticed my spending habits severly increase when i have money (hello cigarettes?!?! stupid!!) i'm liking having some seriously LARGE paychecks right now. thankyou film biz. it's making me feel rich (even though i totally know i'm B.R.O.K.E)...
So rich in fact that i'm checking out a condo tommorrow...
www.liveatstella.com
it's a fantasy. i know. but still i'm intersted in looking at it... awesome location and really not totally UNaffordable.
er. if i had money that is.

I got gas for $1.32.4 today. like 15 cents cheaper then it was this morning driving to work. and I got 556 km to my tank this time. HECK YES! i love you sliver bucket!

oh a lame note i'm feeling very fat right now. because i am... gee, it couldn't have anythign to do with the late night beers could it?? eww. cleanse? is it possible for me? i've had two failed attempts since my last one that truely counted last november... almost a year? woah, gross.

my phone sucks so many balls it's starting to hurt. i want to throw it at something, but i need it. boooooo.

I read like three different horoscopes today from different papers/magazines. and all of them made me feel good and/or curious. I kinda like prediciting what the predictions are hinting at... so far my outlook looks positive. (at least my invented one) ;p

party tommorrow night at lamplighter! wrap party also at Zin lounge and i'm finally going to get to see the rock laser show at the planetarium. it's been like 2 years that i've been trying to see it!
and it better not suck. ;p

2 more days of scooby dooooooo. i miss my friends.

me in seattle below:

happy anniversary Katie and Vancouver

2008-08-30T05:24:00.003-07:00

So it occured to me on my drive home from work;
(ps. i am again drinking a beer at 5:30am having just arrived home and am in 'reflection' mode)

yesterday marked my official 4 year anniversary of moving to vancouver. 4 years! what a wild ride. i dont think i'm even close to the image of the me i left in toronto in 2004... yet somehow i'm still drawn back once in awhile... and still carry friendships with all my favorite people.
I'm reminded of my drive out here... with bronny. That was a great trip. and i'm really glad i drove out. I think the extended travel gave me time to adjust to the move (10 days!)... although i totally cried after i dropped bronny at the airport. That was the first moment i felt alone in this new city. How amazing the time has past though.
It's strange also to think of how my time here has unraveled... and how after being on such a "track" in toronto, my life here feels a bit more like an adventure. Never very reliable or stable (re: comfortable)... but somehow there are times I can't imagine wanting to live anywhere else. The west has it's attractive qualities. but I suppose it's truely the glutton for punishment colony. ( and seriously, the weather SUCKS. almost always. Highest suiside rate in the country. If you love a white or grey sky you've love it here. the sun? maybe twice a week. and the moon? maybe once in a month)

I think i'm reasoning that i'm drawn to Toronto for the comforts I feel there. and the ease in which I can feel like "my old self" again...with my old friends (in their new lives)... and my family (also in a new life). There are positive elements to me that I think really blossom in Toronto. DRIVE being number one. Of all the many amazing people i meet in vancouver, my inspiration from them comes almost always more in their survial abilities. Where as in toronto, people have a success driven attitude. I get a real kick out of the city for it's "center of the universe" attidude. even if it does annoy shit out of me occationally.

It's a real debacle the way I am so torn. There are positive and negative to every equation I've tried.

One other thing I want to mention is how much I miss my family. It is strange because I never really missed them in this way before. I really like my brother's relationship with his girlfriend, and my parents continue to change... Things I never really noticed before become very centered in my mind. I'm excited to be back home with them again soon.

Ok the sun is rising...and it's not too cloudy. the sun will be out at some time tommorrow. lets hope i manage to wake up for it! ;p

Oh! and long drive to seattle tommorrow! It's the last weekend of summer and dusty and I are heading to Seattle... Tiff and Ali are already there squatting @ Ali's cousin's house. I'm not sure where we're gonna stay quite yet but I"m serioulsy not caring. there's a cute bar by the market i want to check out... the Pink door ?? yeah burlesque cabaret! ;)

good morning.
zzz....zzzzzzzzzzzz

Finally, a weekend... 55 hours that I wont be working.

2008-08-23T06:09:00.000-07:00

oyi.
i just got home from work. a classic Friderday... it's 6:08am saturday morning. the sun is on it's way but it's obviously overcast so it's bright without feeling quite like it's morning.
i'm drinking a beer and reveling in my week... finally over. god, work weeks are long. It's so bizzare to be back working as a 2nd after most of my year has been spent as an NFA, unemployed bum. Or working as an operator out in toronto. As ghetto as the gig is, it's actually soo awesome. I think dreaming of becomming an operator out west is going to be pretty much reality for awhile... however the Stills world is still calling my name. I can hear it. It's faint in the distance (and my ears feel numb and deaf thanks to three weeks of channel 1 in my left ear and channel 8 (stattttiiccccc!!!) in my right ear) but it's definetly calling nonetheless. I'm getting wind of the cake walk (generally) it may be to score a union membership in 667 (camera union in toronto) as a stills photographer, then transfer out west... so my time in toronto shall definetly be a no-holds-barred attempt at a real career/life/backdoor debacle of tomfoolery towards some kinda job i'm proud of.

not that i'm not proud of being a 2nd assistant. slash loader. slash i worked my ass off to get this far and i'm so new (3 whole years!) it's painful to consider how low on the todem i am... time. ah time. time you are a bitch. you are slow when I need speed and wayy to fast when I want to revel. I suppose my impatience is really what gets the better of me most of the time...
all I can say is -- i'm STOKED to be operating on King Kaboom. Really. I can't wait.

i'm also stoked to be drinking a beer at 6am. mostly cause it will help me fall into my 4 hours of beauty sleep before I get up for a jam packed saturday.... Starting with a massage from Sarah. thank freaking hell. Moving onto my car appointment... North shore fitness world gym/pool/hot tub... then a BBq and Jen Saltmans new place in... wait for it, Surrey. :)

ahh, ok. the time has come. zzzzz.... goodnight. :)

Tonight I went to a Jones bones show in chiliwack... but LAST night;

2008-08-17T01:08:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
i'm writing this note in stickies while i attempt to re=connect to the internet.

Interesting day today. chats about the union... two units...
actually it's been a long week. a long two weeks. and there's three more to go. but the ladies are AWESOME. Carrie and Adriene, you are fabulous. And Laura, i hope you can make it out, or I can make it out... :P We must hang out.

For the record i'm working on Scooby Doo 3: The begining. straight to DVD... no. actually it's hitting TV first, then DVD. it's attemping Highschool Musical fame, slash effort. but the jig is up. i think that's gimick is over, yet somehow, i'm still planning on checking it out. seriously, i haven't seen one or two but this movie is making me remember how rad scooby doo just is. and i'm tempted to check out freddy prince/sarah michelle just to see how they did it.

I'm also insanely jelous at the idea of being 15/16 and getting cast as the lead in scooby doo. maybe it's too beyond this generation, but somehow i think it's just classic enough that it's the TIME OF THEIR LIVES. if these kids go nowhere else, they f'n were the STARS in scooby doo. Velma? Daphne? Fred? Shaggy? oh yeah. come on gang! for SCOOBY! haha. jajaj. gracias kunder. viva drama.

I'm stoked about seeing Ed Stills everday. Ed, you rule. one day, i hope to be as wise and in tune to exposure as you. seriously, you rock.

I'm into inventing words these days. today I figured "transportationally challengened" was a good way to describe van. no forward thinking here... we figured everyone would be fine with the bicycle. the good news is noone is very impressed with the hummer. I'd equate it to the fur coat in the late 80s... "i've got money honey, and i'm WEARING it, or it's WEARING you." :0 Why does toronto think it's cool? It's not cool toronto! i'm kinda shamed that my neighbor owns one. i can't even IMAGINE trying to park one of those in this city. "small car only" is the way of life.

ps. Pieter Stathis is leaving our show. I'm dissapionted because it's the first time i've worked with Pieter in IA, but he's leaving to DP an amazing doc on Darwin. i'm totally jealous, he's traveling for 3 months and heading to the galapagos. There's only one other person ever that i've known that tried to get there. Will Litchfield is a globetrotter. I'm high fiving THAT. and Karl wants the waste ends... I wonder what it's for...? Norm? are you looking for film stock?... psssssst; loader. and Jan Kiesesr is awesome! no lie, he's the first DP i've worked with in IA who smiles every now and then. he's also the first to ever shake my hand at the end of the day. Is that sick or what.
i'm talking too much.
xo

ok. it's bed time

weekday rain blues and boos

2008-07-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

Well it's been while. I made it to vancouver. I had an amazing birthday party last saturday with great friends, some serious sing-a-long, and the enivetable puking episode before going to bed. gross.

28. i'm officially not 30. ha. Nor am i really bitter about my age although i certainly could use a job. but not just any job. Perhaps one that compliements my education? my experience? my empty bank account? I officialy have less money they i did at 18. 10 years in the making and i'm homeless, jobless and moneyless. I realize hwo pathetic this sounds and really i'm not depressed, just bored.

I have my new camera, i'm stoked. I'm learning and i'm definetly going to have a go at trying to make this a hobby career. In the meantime i'm sitting on the day-call list for 2nd-ing and i'm currently self advertising my bartending skillz. The classic fall back... but i dont think i'm in town long enough to get a job at an actual place. and i'd rather have my days free incase some real work calls... so if you know anyone having a party... i'm their girl. I set up a new email address; ineedabartender@gmail.com vancouver and region. whoot.

It's nice to be back in vancouver and see everyone... although the rain is a bit more then i can stand. really? it's fucking july and it's currently 18 degrees. As i type there is a woman walking by my window wearing a red hooded PARKA! This element of the coast makes me sometimes really think there's no way I can live here.

oh! update: production schedule of King Kaboom was pushed by about a month... so this is going to delay my return to toronto... At this point I'll either be flying back with Dusty on Sept 13, or a week earlier on the 6th to catch both the (21st!) annual pig roast and V-fest with Oasis. cross your fingers i find any opportunity possible for some cashflow. over and out.

shutter bug

2008-07-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

yesterday i bought a book on portrait photography and lighting. today begins my adventure into the world of stills photography as a hobby career.

I lost a day of work with production league due to scheduling. d'oh. i dont think i've worked this little since I was 18 and frankly it's kinda depressing and all in all boring. I actually have a difficult time getting up in the morning without a job to do.

Tomorrow night robyn is in town and we're going to see a show. Brooke from Immaculate machine is playing a solo gig in Toronto. whoot. Friday we're going to the Yankees vs. BlueJays game. sweet! Saturday is dancing at Clintons and sunday is Pauls parents house for some urban backyard bbq and pool party. with the kiddies. haha. CANNONBALL!

Should be finally working again tomorrow, friday then monday and tuesday. Flying back to vancouver a week saturday. I found out last night that they've cancelled the lantern fest this year at trout lake. no money. big surprise. Join the club. i found on facebook though a group that plans on showing up anyway with lanterns. something tells me that Vancouver's community might just be able to make this happen without the support of the underlying organizing committee. however, i also wont be shocked if the pigs show up to take down the party rather then the crackhead thieves that night.

My birthday plans are underway for van as well...i'm thinking karaoke. I'm gonna see if I can find one similar to the fun in toronto which is booking a private room rather then going to a bar to hear strangers sing badly. With all the asian influence i can't believe that there isn't one.

i've become the master at making california rolls. i could open up shop. I should call Artino to see if he's still in on the falafal business...haha. falafal and maki. together at last!

reflections

2008-07-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

today my family hung out by the pool. it was a great scene. my mother is obsessed with Jane Austin novels and has plowed through three at least this week. and it was all cause of that movie the Jane Austin Book Club. haha.

my dad is reading the Barak Obama novel of choice. dude has been published.

i'm working on my tan. haha. my brother is working on surfing his boogie board.

I saw Kungfu Panda tonight. entertaining for a kids flick
I also saw Hancock. not overly enthusiastic.

I love you dusty.

goodnight. k

7 songs

2008-07-02T15:27:00.000-07:00

wow, in my true internet nerdom (and because i faithfully stick to reading certain blogs) i've been "tagged" by Tiff from Girl in The City to post my fav 7 songs at the moment. here they are (wow, it's a rather embarrassing list...)

1) umbrella - rihanna
2) White Rabbit - jefferson Airplane
3) Fearless - Matt Good band
4) U + ur hand - Pink
5) sexy can i - ray j
6)Old School - Hedley
7) C'mon sea legs - Immaculate Machine

whooot.

so now i'm supposed to do some tagging... i'm definetly tagging Kim from A Vehicle for Brown sugar, then i'll go for blog-less friends robyn, ali, janet, Kerri and Jen. lets see it!

The rules: “List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to.”

I love him for his weaknesses

2008-06-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

Quoted from Matt Good's blog today... this is the true tune of rockstar:

"This morning I woke up unable to breathe through my nose. Given the number of hands I shake on a nightly basis, and the fact that I have a terrible immune system, it’s not uncommon for me to contract something during after show signings. That being the case, I would very politely ask that if you’re planning on getting anything signed after any of the remaining shows that you refrain from extending your hand, or not be offended if I decline a handshake. It is, by no means, a sign of disrespect whatsoever, simply a precaution.
I thank everyone in advance for their understanding."

www.mattgood.org

weary eyed

2008-06-12T20:52:00.000-07:00

sometimes i sit in front of my computer, usually reading, surfing, googling, until my eyes hurt. there always ends up being a moment where i stop and recognize how much my eyes hurt - i look at the time, disgusted, and that is usually my cue to get off the computer.

the worst is that it usually comes immediately as Im thinking- now THIS would be something to write about in my blog.

well tonight you're getting me. i'm actually typing while staring at the ceiling as to not have to force my eyes to look at the computer screen.

wow, thank you mr. hatala and gr. 10 typing class. "hands on the homerow. eyes on the [ceiling] copy. for two minutes, GO!!!!!"
two minutes. two minutes.

tonight, for two hours, I exhausted what i could of the latest two days of blogging on matt goods website along with all his diaries of his albums. (happy to report i own them all) he has blogged for the past 11 years. come to think of it, i've been his fan for 15. no less - 2 hours? that's a long fucking time. two hours? I can't motivate myself to stop drinking or hit the gym but somehow i've unknowingly lost two hours to matt good and his internal rambling.

i'm still looking at the ceiling. there will be alot of mistakes.

ok. i checked. mistakes corrected. now i've lost 15 mintues to this blog.

and goodnight.

ps. matt good is playing riverfest tommorrow (actually mississauga waterfront festival, but i can't get past the name i grew up with, port credit river fest) sooooooo thrilled!!! super fan, right here.
must sleep now. zzzzz

feeling' hot hot hot!

2008-06-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

I made it to hogtown and damn is it ever HOT!

34 degrees yesterday, i stepped out of the airport and into the tropics! immediatly got home and hit the poolside with mum. The threat of rain brought us inside but the heat lasted right into the night... still 25 at midnight.
Hit the brouge with my brother and Krista, and caught up with tyler simpson as well... love that guy.

Today was rigging on school of chef so i wasn't needed... I attempted to get my bike fixed up but it's got an armload of issues... this is what happends when it sits in a garage for 5 years. I'm thinking i'll look for a cheap new one on craigslist or maybe hit up crappy tire?

Lisa came over and we enjoyed another scorching afternoon poolside, gossip, sunshine, swimming. freaking sweet.
I'm thinking of hitting the gym tonight... time to seriously turn things up a notch. It is after all, SWIMSUIT SEASON!!! finally.

just a quick update. more to come!

2008-06-04T12:20:00.001-07:00

Super pumped!
On my way for a massage with sarah. she is truely my medical practitioning hero....

I just learned that Barrak Obama has won the position to be in the running for american president. He beat Hilary...but frankly, for a woman presidential candidate, I think we can do better.
i'm excited to see what a black president could do for the state of the nation. and not so much because he himself is an african american, but just what that fact will mean for america, and the influence he may have on the minority representation.
seriously what a tough gig... the only true thing I know is, i would NEVER want to the be president of the USA.
...and ps I actually know nothing about the election...who's he against anyway? ha.

Here are my to latest FAV pictures:

DAVE/NUNO wedding. The Poots, looking classic!

And one dusty angel... maybe. Looks to me like he's about to get grabbed and bagged... haha

love you.

cold feet... hot mac!

2008-06-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

In keeping with the theme of my blog... introducing my new macbook pro! take two. ;p

I definitely scored some ultra deal off craigslist... Little asian UBC student/samurai with connections at Apple sold me the latest 2.4Gh 200Gb HD 15" macbook pro with 4 gb ram... not to mention i also scored with it Adobe Creative suite 3, Final Cut 2, Office 2008, plus plus plus... all in at $2250. anyone looking to buy? Little Mark at UBC is your black market hookup. The computer was totally new, sealed in the box. amazing. I feel good. albeit, even more broke.

So it's tuesday, getting closer and closer to toronto land. I'm freezing my jiblets off today in the big old summer temperatures of TWELVE degrees. I'm also chocking on my reciepts with gas at 138.5. I hate to say it, but checking out toronto temperatures, despite the threat of thundershowers (ahhh, god bless the humidity of the east) the LOWs are above the vancouver highs, with expected temperatures hitting 28! haha, i laughed at first i thought it was in Fahrenheit! i haven't seen temps that high in van ....hmmm... ever? sweet swimming pool here i come.

Plans are abounding... I'm trying to find the time to get organized (why is it so hard for me to pack?), thinking about games night at jens for tommorrow/ tiffs to pick up some stuff... Thursday I get to spend with Dusty and Friday is his birthday... lucky me he's taking two days off work.. he is the hardest part about leaving.
Saturday breakfast at tiffany's had to be cancelled thanks to the yuks at Cactus Club...new venue = the best server they have is forced to work. arg. Taryn's bbq should round out saturday night, then sunday i'm in the air. Happy to not be working through all this, but i'll be counting my pennies all summer... save save save?

day three of intoxication free me. i have a headache and all i want is a cocktail. damn those addictions. dont tell my liver, but i plan on having a margarita friday. I know i'm only cheating myself and that's why it's ok... right.

Kegball went off on saturday with only a few hitches (that being a girl on girl baseball tournament in our diamond) but a few games of bocce, a few too many beers and baseball began! i played catcher the whole game, it made me feel included, considering my complete lack of skillz at baseball. My night ended poorly with me reliving my last few keg beers in the backyard bushes. ugh... at least i went out of boozing with the ultimate bang. ;p

I dont want to go yet. I'm worried about missing this place all summer.

ps. i love my new computer. and I know it loves me because with a few simple clicks it already knows how to please me!

M-B-P! DYNAMITE!

If you wanna live in the zip...

2008-05-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

you gotta live by the code.

oh please. ahem. introducing the next generation of comebacks this year... 90210. slated to air in the fall schedule on CW netowrk.

I also learned on the radio that New Kids on the Block are making a return to the stage, touring this fall.

This friday after being off the air for 4 years, Sex and the City movie comes out.

The theater right now has Harrison ford reliving his Indiana Jones glory.

The spice girls made a brave attempt at touring early this year.

Knoting your teeshirt on the side is cool again (according to merchandising at H&M)

It seems making a comeback is the new being new. look out toronto, i'm SOO hot right now.

ps. another cleanse starts june 1. one month no booze. could be scary.

time keeps on slippin'

2008-05-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

t- 12 days and i'm back in toronto.
The thought gives me a rush in my chest...like anxiety, excitement, worry. With so little time left in vancouver a subtle panic is kinda weaking havoc in my mind. Time truely flies. And i know it will again, but at the moment I wish time could stand still a little bit.
I'm sure this is why i was desperate to get back to the cabin last week... and lucky me, we got another three days there before returning to vancouver for ali's 27th bbq birthday party. (ps. Dusty and I won bocce, red team rules!) I like being away from everything "vancouver" but at the same time enjoying everything that broght me out west. The mild weather, clean air, beautiful lake, sounds of wilderness (and not Knight st.). While the city certainly has it's draws (and i must say, the phemonenal mood lift of occational sunshine) being at the cabin is second to none. and ps. it's STILL sunny in Merritt.

I finally spoke to Brenda today. She gave me the current rundown of the "best case" schedule they have set up for School of Chef and King Kaboom. The interesting thing is it looks like i'll be able to easily find some time to come back to van this summer, and as well again before the xmas holidays. I was concerned with previous mention that the show could go as late as october finding a way back, but at this point october is a clean slate with plans to reconviene in November for the second half of the season.

Granted, this will all change. But at least this girl now has a glimmer of hope of keeping her roots in van and her relationships alive through the years end. and its not even quite June.

The next two weeks are to be filled with friends, storage organization, swimming, BBQ's, Breakfasts and Birthdays. oh, and Sarah JP wearing some fabulous clothes.

I dont feel ready to leave at all. In fact, right now, i really dont want to go. But who am I kidding? The job will be awesome, and my summer with toronto pals will be rad. Not to mention a whole summer in Club Med Matheson... All I have to do now is swallow the huge lump in my throat.

curtain call

2008-05-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

so the show is over.
today was wrap and it took - realistically 30 minutes, reality; most of the day. error here, error there a few trips back and forth to the north shore and finally i was done with "Fatal Kiss" (be sure to use a deep and eccentric tone of voice when saying the title... it's the only way to make it sound worthwhile.)

You know what? it was actually awesome. Best crew i've ever been on. Not one dept to complain about. Camera crew could not have been better, and wait, ONE camera. Seriously, i have not one complaint and we even got a crew gift. Sincerly a great show to be a part of (even if it never hits the air). Thank you rob meeks. and craig. and kim. and my invisible trainee.

I met rob's boy Koah today. Soo cute, little chubby cheeks and strength like i've never seen in a 17 month old. (*please note my exposure to infants is in the minimal to never zone) That kid was ripping through Sim Video with block batteries like it was his job, and ps. it just may be some day...

spent some quality time with Mike up on the north shore, once my job was over and his began. It was my first time back at the Creek in several years. Not much has changed, including the regulars. although the owner failed to recognize me (I nonetheless didnt fail to remember his coke addiction) a select few did and it was somewhat interesting to catch up on the lost time... a bit of a walk down memory lane. Mike seems in better spirits although it could be due to his new found ephanity ... the great west experiement may be drawing to a close for both of us.

...

although not quite yet.

I spent this victoria day at the Anderson cabin at peter hope lake. Pretty awesome, and we severly lucked out with the weather. gorgeous saturday and sunday with mild weather monday for the cabin closing duties. although I left the wood chopping to dusty and spent the morning washing dishes ... with the warm stove. ;)
It was a great getaway after the show's 2 - 6 day weeks. escape from the city, from the people, from work. And a great weekend together.
Jordan and Sandy joined us for sunday night. good to see them again and to have company around the campfire.

---

I've been thinking alot about my return to toronto for the summer. It's hard to consider the idea that it might draw me back permanently, yet it's on my mind no less. What that might mean for my life here is kind of the unmentioned elephant in the room right now.

I think with a year so far of flip flopping back and fourth but never really landing in one spot for long, it seems unimportant to be considering these things.

Distance is not something I'm good at. this much i know.

this is also why i will never pull focus for a living. ;p

just another note

2008-05-17T03:29:00.000-07:00

I feel as though my impending flight home may be more permanent then anticipated.

what do i do about thaT?

norm wrote and i responded...

2008-05-17T03:21:00.000-07:00

Today at 3:13am
high five.
norm chalk you may be the only sane voice of all the manics of our union.
seriously, run.
ha, but in which direction? ;) i am so intrigued by the going's on because we are so new... yet clearly 'get it' wayyyy to early.
there were only 13 people at the last union meeting,. how many member are we??? like 400????? fucking nuts.
whats your take? i definetly hear your email, but am curious. i sent a letter of praise to rob mc early in the year... i was intrgued by his strong opinions and obvious overtaking tactics.. but after the drama i'm wondering if i'm just ' too new' to really understand the state of our union.
amping up the brotherhood i'm all for... but really, it is possible?? it seems that the current situation is more about dividing then uniting...
what do you say? purley out of curiosity...
i'm working for insight. YEAHHH Kirk..;) ;p
Katie

Katie Matheson
Today at 3:16am
ps. should i send this to dj?

who WAS it that complained about rob anyway?? ;)

norms email:Hello to all,

Many of you wisely avoid union politics, and I myself have been absent from the last two union meetings. Please understand that I would only write such an e-mail on a matter I consider to be of grave importance, and that I will try to keep it as succinct as possible.

It is no secret by now that there is debate about our Business Agent's verbal resignation and the declaration of his 'firing.' My experience of the situation is as follows:

1) The first sign of this situation was a vote in support of our Business Agent, 10 to 3 with one abstention.

2) I (and I'm assuming the rest of you) received a notice from the DOP-MAL regarding Don's verbal resignation and specific, constitutional reasons why it was not yet official.

3) A notice from the President came from the 'camera' account declaring Don's departure official, contradicting both the first and second e-mails with no further elaboration.

This has brought us to the present state in which there is a long war of words going on to which I am now contributing further reading material. My concerns are twofold:

-It appears to me the central point of the DOP-MAL's message (attached for your convenience) is that this situation would be resolved by Don's return, and that he wishes to talk to see if this is a possibility. This seems the quickest, simplest solution which is consistent with the wishes of the membership as evidenced by the May 4th motion.

-This letter by the and similar ones by other members of the executive board, have sparked a lengthy response from the President which has singled out the people advising a dialogue as troublemakers.

So we have two possibilities here. Either the wishes of the membership have been misrepresented and they wish to see the Business Agent go, and it is merely a matter of directing the e-board to follow on these wishes, or, that the membership spoke its mind on the May 4th meeting, they wish to see the Business Agent remain, and that we should do what we can to rectify this situation now.

While I think the latter is more likely, both situations call for the same action: the board is clearly divided on the issue and we, the members, must let them know what we think is best.

I specifically call on those I've had the good fortune to train and work with, because I honestly trust your judgement. I think both as colleges and members of the local, it is very important that your voices be heard on the issue, whatever you may decide, and so I urge each of you to write, however briefly, to the members of the executive board:

dop@telus.net, leeannemuldoon@shaw.ca, phil@philhersee.com, shobyz@shaw.ca, camradpt@ca.inter.net, runawayentertainment@yahoo.ca, raygunn@shaw.ca, kevcam@shaw.ca, georgemm@telus.net, choochs@telusplanet.net, irisink@telus.net, kherrmann@telus.net

Your patience and consideration in reading this e-mail are greatly appreciated.

Fraternally,

Norman Chalk

May you say?

2008-05-02T00:30:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are, it's May. I can see that i'm not doing so well with my "blogging" ahem, globbing - as the year progresses i seem to be inspired less and less to hop online and spill my glory. However (!) the news that follows just may change all that.
I have two (well three?) interesting change of events.
the first is that i've booked my flight home. I leave Sunday june 8th. (just after Dman's birthday - the ripe age of 24!) and then i start work again on School of Chef for Production League monday the 9th. Back at home for the summer. I'm super excited about the extended time home during the summer, but at the same time the waves of being somewhere, getting settled in and moving away again (for the fourth time this year) is making me a bit queasy. or it could just be the anxious energy mixed with apprehensive anxiety...
and i miss my parents and brother. .. awwww..

the next word on the street is that i got a show. for a whole TWELVE days. yeah that's right. With Rob Meekison. awesome guy, i'm pretty stoked he gave me a call. and, wait for it... Dusty is on the same show. what! gasp! amazing. coincidence to the max. We can carpool and actually see each other during the day? NO! opposed to just sneaking into bed at night trying not to wake the other... will be a nice way to end our time before the summer... (although i definetly plan on convincing him to try 'toronto; summer edition' at some point.)

and finally due to this show (and my impending flight to toronto) i've had to quit my job at the airport. (ah, the irony) I'm not overly thrilled about that because the truth is, i was enjoying the job. But considering that my heart fluttered and brain went into overdrive at the call to do the most unfortunate of shows (SUPER low buget, HUGE commute, general GONG SHOW from before day one) it made me think that I am really missing the thrill of film. or perhaps it's that part of 'crazy' in me that is just yearning for more punishment... we shall see.

Afterthought; The job at the bar was pleasant. It offered an environment that was casual and dispite it's chaotic moments, somehow comforting. It was definetly the kind of place that I could "fall back on"... but i think realizing that i'm not ready to fall back quite yet makes me excited for this show. Although i know it will suck my will to enjoy work... ;)
I'm going to take it like training for race day... in anticipation of operating again this summer. whoot!

here's a few pics of a recent hike dusty and I did at Cypress Falls in West Van this Tuesday. we are champs. Dusty as photographer... the one of both of us the camera was hanging from a branch!!

4.20

2008-04-21T10:53:00.001-07:00

Four Twenty in Vancouver this year. Insanity. Thanks to Dylan for the pics.
Twas a Sunday and the people were OUT.

59000 people began the day pumping their bodies 10k in the annual Vancouver Sun Run

Then, the true reason for the season, another few thousand people tested their lung power at the museum. LEGALIZE! haha.

Then, no not an earthquake...but with the sheer number of people downtown yesterday, it's no suprise. (k, well yes it still was pretty shocking). @ Davie and Bute, someone's day really sucked.

And that's what she wrote. It was a beautiful sunny but chilly day. and i was at work though it all. Outside of this crazy town it was a few birthdays - My bro John in Toronto and Dusty's Bro Lee in Edmonton. Happy BIRTHDAYS!

reflections

2008-04-08T15:45:00.001-07:00

well it's been awhile. It's april. and as april does... so does vancouver. it's raining. My first few days back in vancovuer it actually SNOWED...then HAILED! yes. hail. I seriously thought i had died and gone to west coast hell. That strange act of mother nature was followed by some seriously awesome weather. Still not very warm, but sunny at least.
The past few days have been back to rain. ugh. although they are getting less and less, i can't wait to see some serious sunshine with some tee-shirt/flip flop style weather.

I'm living with Dusty, Brent and couch dweller Colin at the moment. I've deemed it the Clark Park Penthouse - being on the 3rd floor and across from the park. It's working out pretty good, the size is nice and the natural light is amazing. Living with early 20-something boys is a tune i haven't sung since residence at Carleton but i've put down some bath mats and broght in my coffee press so i'm feeling more at home. Living with Dman so far has been nice although our work schedules are opposite. at least we're working ?

In work news i've begun bartending at the airport. It's freaking awesome. I'm digging the shorter work days and getting tips again. Although the money is nowhere like film, neither is the lifestyle. I'm not sure i could actually go back to the epic thankless 16 hour days and if i'm lucky 6 hours sleep. It sucks because I truely do love the film business, and when the job and people were good, i also loved the work. But looking back on my time in toronto, and the work opportunies there - it's hard to justify being a cart pusher again. The big fish in the small pond might be more my style. Even if it's not as impressive as X-3. or Resident Evil. I like doing the operating thing. I can't forget the words one cam op said to me while i was a trainee (ahem, Craig Powell) "if you want to be an operator, dont waste your time being an assisstant".

instead i'll waste my time being a bartender. haha. bombay saffire at work, legitimately this time. ;)

I'm bartending some kinda party out in west van tommorrow. I'm digging the way this year is chopping up to mostly self employment. the tax perks without the incorporation fee. sweet.

Room and Bored

2008-03-24T18:02:00.000-07:00

well well. two more days till my return to vancouver. I spent the better part of last week cleaning out the debacle that is my parents house... that and checking email, facebook and craigslist. the hunt for a job and an apartment continue.

It was a varietable spring cleaning and i feel good about it. Hopefully my parents and bro keep with the program. DONT HOLD ON TO EVERYTING.
The weather has finally started to turn and you can actually see my back porch. The snow is almost gone from the driveway (although the grass is far from showing though the good foot and a half blanket). We're hitting plus 5 or so with sun everyday so spring is in the air in port credit.

I got my hair cut - exciting! i really love it, part pixie, part rockstar, all red. Katie's summer cut has arrived. now all i need is summer! :)

I'm heading back to vancouver to shack up with Dman at his Clark Park penthouse. Hopefully my two check-ins and two carry-ons will fit into his bedroom.

Hilariously in my job hunt i applied to work as a bartender at YVR. Krista (johnnys lady) was previously telling me how much amazing cash she made when working at Pearson (toronto airport) and when I saw the vancouver job post i couldnt resist. So they called. So after my 5 hour flight, which leaves at 7am toronto time and arrives at 9am vancouver time i'm heading to a job interview. From the plane, to the interview literally. It could be a good opportunity and seriously, if the money rocks, then so do I. Beyond that I have no idea. ;)
I took a look at the camera Union rumor list, production list and day call list (cause i'm a super-spy) and it mostly depressed me. Nonetheless the job scene seems like it's on the move and I might be a cart pusher yet again. pray for mojo. I guess I do miss it though. Because i'm a sado masochist and a glutton for punishment. But hey. It's in the job description i think. in fact, i'm sure it's the first line of the camera trainee manual. in red font. "You must love to be punished."

...and i miss the people. certain people. haha. bitterness is bliss. I love you guys.

that's all for now. but i'll be back before i'm gone.

good luck shamrock!

2008-03-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY!!

Drink some GREEN BEER and be merry!!

Hey hey you you!

2008-03-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

Judge me as you will...
avril from day 1 to day now... cut and paste for videos... yeah. i'm not that internet savvy. :)

she covers Sarah Mclauchlans Aida. and it's good
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg0YLXVFKgg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGXYAJoDWCk&NR=1

Complicated '02

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ25-glGRzI
Girlfriend '07

You know, i like it. Katie "damn ties and sripes are rad" meets "hey mickey you're so fine" in 5 year span glory.

I'm pretty sure the mini pops are rolling in their childhood graves.

one more...

yeah. hot '07
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVnl9QCfNyE&feature=related

But since she's only 24... i wanna see what happends later. like 27... 30... 38...?? perhaps she'll totally disapear. or be singing "complicated" at the Port Credit River fest (like so many past canadian music celebs) in like 2015. Life is a highway? i hope so Avril. Give'r

Toronto Winter '08.

2008-03-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

I just had to post these.

My sweetheart in Toronto...

'...you think you know EVERYTHING CN Tower!!' - Marty Adams, pre-Granpire.

"oooohhhh....it's me!" Katie the Inuit.

It's F'N COLD. Mother nature, you are the finest BEEAAACHH i've ever known. I freaking recycle! where's the justice?!

Rock of Love

2008-03-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

Right??!!
no, i'm not kidding. Best/worst reality show EVER. The Bachelor meets Rock star (Bret Micheals of Poison?!! COCK ROCK!) and 15 cock ready rock sluts compete to win love (slash dollars and fame) with the dirtiest STD highway man ever to hit reality airwaves.
and i can't look away... Wed @ 9. yes.

Dusty Did T.O.

He's likely scarred forever, although we kept away from the new Queen West 'Tattoo Rock Bar'.

Now he's in the air flying back to a place where there is no snow. vancouver...jeez, feels like forever ago/away.

An amazing week of friends, drinks, deep FRY, Basketball, bowling, Darwin, comedy, bathtubs of water (niagra falls!!) and mom and dad. oh, and snow. Snow. SNOW. shit i hate snow. we're 17cm away from beating the history record of snowfall. since the 30s!! kill me.

i love you Dman. Thanks for the week. see you soon! xo

and as for tommorrow... Gym. gym gym. and yoga. Lordy i'm in NEED!
Then the Curses! show at Lee's Palace.... and maybe some karaoke?? i hope so.

free fallin'

2008-03-02T00:23:00.000-08:00

Tom Petty, thankyou. You figured out one damn fine peice of music history.
You had me at hello.

so i've discovered the best part of the "at home dance party" is the fact that the music never sucks. and the lack of any kinda cover charge is also amazing. I think my true calling is to be a club owner... and i'm also drunk.. so i'm AMAZING!

I dont think enough people really understand the genius that is the dance party. When was the last time you just let go? let yourself dance? I mean, it's not something everyone really gets, but it's definetly an amazing experience. just dance. do it. just dance. turn on the tunes and dance. you will not be disapointed.

I'm so sad that the scene of just DANCING has kinda died in the mainstream. The club scene isn't about dancing... right? it's gross. like, "please have sex with me cause you're drunk" is much more appropriate...
and i dont really know steps and such, not enough to go out "dancing" if it exists, country line dancing? swing? etc...

A bar with a smart DJ that can read a crowd is tough to come by... heard of any in toronto? right, like everywhere. This city is full...I realized tonight that it doesn't really matter where you go on a saturday night in TO, it will be packed. Amazing. i miss night life... Vancouver, i'm sorry, your great, but FIND A NIGHT LIFE! it' s pretty pathetic.
The underground scene (in Van) is much better then the mainstresam, but i'm definetly disconnected. Taryn... i need you! Remember the unicorn ladies??? or even limeric junktion with a good dj was AWESOME. I guess i need to get over it... Toronto is something that can't be matched... but thank goodness! perhaps the "at home" dance party is the solution... yeah it is!

something's fishy ...

2008-03-01T17:06:00.000-08:00

I am increasingly bothered at the lack of cheap sushi in port credit/my life at the moment. I'm pretty sure it's one of my favorite things to eat and fankly, it's rough not to have it.

To add insult to injury i'm eating grocery store (superstore no less) cali rolls and a thai salad roll and frankly, they aint good.
I suppose i should have known but in desperation i went for it. big mistake. Dont buy grocery store sushi.

I was shopping for boots today at the mall (Oakville Place, no less) and was slighly appauled at the number of women with girls between the ages of 3 and 8 who were like ants on a sugar hill at La Senza Girl. I suppose i'm ignorant and arrogant enough to assume that they are looking at g-strings and pushup bras for children. So it makes me a bit upset.
ps. what DO they sell there?

Dusty is here soon and i'm stoked. 5 more sleeps!

Another step in time

2008-02-25T10:52:00.000-08:00

hella snow.
I haven't endured winter in almost three years. I am being reminded why. We are expecting another 25 cm by friday. kill me.

My castle sits here:
Backyard

Frontyard

Here's my lastest creation from Bag of the month club. yeah niagra! Kim and Karen's were WAYY better.

Today begins WOD with Production League. My mom thinks i should be more excited about being involved because the award is special to women. I guess. Raw raw, women. congrats ladies... I'll do my best to make you're lighting flattering. :o

the best news is that i'm getting a driver everyday. heck yes!
back to shooting with the DVX. Good times. videography at it's '02 best.

Red ... carpet??

2008-02-24T21:25:00.000-08:00

Another day, another oscar ceremony full of movies i've never seen. Its amazing how little interest i had in so many of them... patrick dempsy in a musical?? so weird.

Highlights of the fashion:
Worst dress was definetly Rebecca Miller, Daniel Day-Lewis' wife... what WAS that thing? a broach? it must have weighed more her last three meals... and part velvet (hello, it's LA!) all tied up with 2 HUGE red bows on the sholders. to add insult to injury, the shoes?! How embarrassing. Daniel Day could also have considered some slightly looser pantaloons. He appears like a court jester.

Best dress i think was Helen Miren, fabulous red, fabulous sparkle sleves.
Another well fitted dress was wore by best actress winner Marion Cotillard.

The Ceremony
I'm sorry Roger Deakins didn't win for cinematography but winner Robert Elswit seemed like a really nice guy. Strong work.
Diablo cody? hmmm.... oscar politics i think but a good movie no less. Her dress was horrible and i think she new it after she had to walk on stage to collect her oscar...and then try to collect herself.
No Country for old men... please. seriously? Supporting Actor, Writer, Director and Picture. I'm dreaming.
I'm disspointed Transformers didn't win for visual effects and further that the only songs they could find to nominate came from the patrick dempsy musical... oh and poor cate blanchett she played a MAN fer christs sake.
The 'via video' presentation from bagdad or whatever was a little too glorifying for me to enjoy but my mom thought it was a good idea...
Jon Stewart was phenomenal... definetly made me laugh more then a few times.

all in all, it's over for another year. and it's so late here, toronto time zone is killer.
Goodnight goat!
Good night old man...
goodnight.

Two steps forward, one step back

2008-02-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

I have arrived in Port Credit... ye old homestead. How i managed to keep my fingers off this keyboard for the past two weeks has mostly to do with the fact that my hands were occupied with much more. I made it through my 15 day stint in Van with a few days of work, a few days of tears, a few days in seattle and the concluding ceremony of locking my storage closet and saying "see you soon" to my sweet valentine.

I was really lucky and had an enorumous group of hands help with moving day. Lau, Ali and Dusty being the three who showed up first and lasted till the bitter (sweet) end. For the record the following people are considered one of my heros: Dusty, Ali, Lawerence, Josh, Brendan, Boris, Tiffany, Justin, Sarah and Laura. You folks seriously ROCK my west coast world. THANKYOU for you're help and friendship!

Alas, the snow falls and the harsh winds of southern ontario roll through my thin (but awesome) brown floppy touque. How is it possible i was drinking beer in a teeshirt on a patio in the sunshine only two days ago? I caught the paper today, Toronto High/low -7/-16, Vancouver High/low 9/6... It may in fact be a rough few weeks.
On the upside i arrived home to two paychecks so i'm feeling good. I'm also starting a cleanse on Sunday (gasp!) so hopefully I'll at least FEEL closer to a million bucks within the next few weeks. My last night of drinking will be Dave Mcleods 60th bday party. I can't possibly be sober for that. ;)
So thus begins the next few weeks in snowy wintery 'oh right, THAT'S why i went west' Toronto. pray for mojo.

Rain City Shines

2008-02-09T03:28:00.000-08:00

A few things of note:

my astrological musings from the metro
FEB 1: Take care when you break loose. Movement should be made withough delay. Significant devestation will be a warning.
I remember reading this on the subway into toronto only 2 days before I came back to vancouver, and two day after i wrote that ridiculous blog that i eventually deleted. i wrote it down.

FEB 8: (Kim's Bday!) It's difficult to hammer out plans. New beginings at home are fun. A fool will tease you and then run away.
This was today's metro. I'm frightened more by the fact that I keep getting my hands on the metro then at how accurate these things seem to be.

i had a melt down today. with dusterson. But we press on... xo

packing my apt revealed a quote I had written on my wall (with chalk) in the storage;

So-
When you go to be happy
Remember,
When you are wild and crazy with a wide wild joy
Remember,
When your feet hit the floor with a searing happiness
Remember,
And look for the anwsers to the Big questions;
Where are these happy places?
How did I get here?

I originally found this in the Carleton University Yearbook, 1968. And since i can't forget it.

Sunday Feb 3

2008-02-05T12:53:00.000-08:00

I’m writing this as I fly into vancouver. I have butterflies in my stomach.
I read the magazine Psychology Today on the flight and it’s a damn good magazine. There was some seriously fascinating articles about human nature and analytical thinking about emotions and physiological reaction. It was kinda like when you read your horoscope and feel like it’s so bang on it’s scary… I definitely gained a more positive attitude after that magazine.

Then I picked up In Touch and all my smarts were swallowed by the mouth of celebrity porno. I am now numbed to my own problems and can revel in Brit being committed and the Jolie-Pitts expecting twins.

Ah, the decent is causing my ears to pop. Conan O’Brien is on the TV set, Matthew Good is on my playlist and the guy beside me is asleep.

“… and I know
it’s real slow, honey
painful, and real slow…”

Hospital Music is definitely a depressing album but it has seriously grown on me.

Everyone's a Canuck

2008-02-05T12:39:00.000-08:00

This was written after my feb 3rd post, but blogger can't figure it out.

Im sitting back in my kitchen, surrounded by my stuff again, surveying exactly how much work I have to do to pack this place up. I know noone likes packing but holy shit i have alof of stuff. And packing it all into storage makes me a little sad... It's comforting to be surrounded by my own things again, sleeping in my own bed, looking at my walls of photos. The decision to pack it up, pack it in hasn't gotten any easier by arriving in vancouver.

Dusty picked me up and it was a happy reunion. Another brick in my bag. He made an amazing breakfast yesterday morning... I may have to just club him and sack him so he forgets about his band and comes with me.

It's a classic tuesday in February, raining in van. I'm about to schlep to the insurance man to get my car back on the road. And my fat clemintine to the gym.
I'm going to do some work for the Discovery Channel show Forensic Factor early next week. A couple bux and a couple contacts from toronto is never a bad thing.

Ladies dont wear work gloves

2008-01-30T19:49:00.000-08:00

Ladies brand their fingers.

lesson leaned: scrims are hot. Don't be a hero ;)

Shameful yet delicious

2008-01-29T18:10:00.001-08:00

ok, i watched the biggest loser tonight.

what the heck happened to that show? it's like survior now! they had "temptation" challenges in which they were offered the chance to drink up to 130 cups of pop in order to NOT be weighed in at the next scale. WTF? doesn't that defeat the entire purpose of the biggest loser? Not to mention prior to this, they dumped like 125 lbs of sugar into a bucket to show them how much sugar pop has... At the end one person actually GAINED 3 lbs that week!!

freaking ass backwards, that's all i gotta say. what a weird show. Not exactly inspiring. It's like this twisted screwing with your mind game show... these poor souls are already like 300 lbs, do we have to torture them on tv?

in other news i saw iron chef for the first time last night. also insane. I still dont really get it, but damn do they cook fast. five dishes, 60 minutes, 4 lbs of butter added.

And people wonder why i find nothing to watch on tv.

Do-over

2008-01-29T14:58:00.001-08:00

Alright, i deleted my last post. It was the second in a row i typed and after re-reading it i decided it was posted while i was off my rocker.

for those who missed it here's the abbreviated version:

I'm in emotional overdrive because I can't make decisions.
I can't make decisions because I'm overwhelmed with precaution.
I'm precaucious because i dont want to make uninformed/irrational decisions
My inability to actually get over things (as opposed to THINKING i'm over them) is clouding my coherant judgement.

the following are factors in my mind boggle:
Work
Family
Friends
physical, geographical distance to my sweetheart
financial comfort

Dont cry for me argentina.
the truth is i just dont know.

behind the scenes

2008-01-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

OF MY OWN LIFE.
check it. rob on the jib. BAND WEEK of king kaboom.
jeff on lights, brenda on the phone and katie on no sleep.

oh blah di oh blah da

2008-01-27T10:39:00.001-08:00

life goes on. and HOW!
spent an amazing saturday in niagra with kim, karen and lindsay making a bag... half quilt, half purse, 100% glorious.

then i showed up for some delicious little italy, courtesy of kristina for bronwyn's birthday, and moved on to some hilarious karaoke, booze and good times. it was a night.

i miss my man in van but what's new?
I'm basically living out of a backpack these days.... i'm back at the parents place now, my first time in three days. between work, crashing in TO, go train transport and my genreal rule of thumb:debachery and chaos, my latest life story has come down to my stripped mitts, camo jacket and kamik rubber boots from crappy tire. a backpack with my "indoor shoes", wallet, music device and coffee mug is my new car.

i got some memorable pics from karaoke. james dadd is my favorite singer of all time.

Who can believe it??

2008-01-22T21:55:00.000-08:00

I realize he's not Elvis, but come on! Heath!?! poor matilda. poor hollywood agent. poor ME! ... and he was only 28.

although i'm not loosing sleep over this, i am loosing sleep over writing about it cause i gotta get up in 5 hours.

yes, it's my blog. it's all about ME!

Dear Heath. You were hot in 1999, hot as a gay cowboy and hot today when they found your naked dead body. yes, they mentioned you were naked when they found you. and dont worry, the papaza got lots of pics of your body in the bag for us all to share. Thankyou hollywood; it's a drug in itself. xoxo love katie.

notes worth noting

2008-01-18T18:33:00.000-08:00

My friend dave is getting married tommorrow to his fabulous boyfriend Nuno.

I just applied to work on a cruise ship to continue my crusade as cheap labour to rich people.

My head hurts after a near leathal combination of champagne, cider, guiness, red wine and gin last night.

My hair needs some serious professional attention.

I miss Dusty.

Brad Renfro is dead

2008-01-15T19:22:00.001-08:00

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/15/renfro.obit.ap/index.html

I have a pre-teen scrapbook dedicated to this guy. I should mail it to his agent with a note that says "you should have paid more attention"

Drugs'll getcha everytime.

I have the micheal jackson song "have you seen my childhood" ringing in my ears.

Bricks and minifigures TM

2008-01-15T13:54:00.001-08:00

My brother is creating his empire in my parents basement. It's a varietable industrial zone made out of lego.
yes. lego is back. did lego ever leave? it's an empire.

the picture is not my brother. but it was labeled "He is a lego artist" in google images. If only john boy was that good.

I wonder if the heiress to lego is out in downtown hollywood too... spending dollars, breaking hearts, baby mama drama?
or maybe totally incognito...

I heart google images.

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K

2008-01-13T19:21:00.000-08:00

I saw Juno tonight, and cried.
Lately movies are a pretty tough sell for me... and honestly, i didn't find the movie even THAT creative. In fact it was a little contrived. But the crowds love that shit. Seriously i think the cast was the outstanding part. Well cast, well played. And i'm proud to say i've worked with some of the camera crew... nice work. i'm jealous for the opportunity to work on a film that's a success, in a non-X3 kinda way. ;) Even if Jason Reitman was a tool to work for.

week one of work for the Production League down. Week two begins. This time on a project that will be deemed "mine". CBC is producing a movie of the week; a reworking of Shakespears Othello. Perhaps not producing, but rather airing, with Production League put up to the task of shooting the 'behind the scenes'. and by production league, i mean me... and a small brigade of crew mates. I'm thinking it'd be a great time to catch up with Owen Video (as he's so refered to in my cell phone)... last i saw him he was shooting web content for Mexican hotels, and catching the "BS" (Behind the Scenes) of Bionic Woman...ouch, that show hits me like a domestic violence situation. I always kinda thought his gig was pretty sweet...and now it's me.
i suppose it's no feature film, but it's behind the lense. and it's giving me creative control over image like i've never had. The trials and tribulations of the P2 and 3 point lighting... oh yeah. videographer? director of photography? which title would YOU choose?