Happy New Year!

A Happy New Year to all and sundry! This is the first day of 2008; here's hoping it's a fun romp for everyone. Knowing the intricate complexities of behaviour that make up the habits of the human race, it sure won't be boring.

Christmas was pretty good this year. This was a "27th year" as we say in my family (meaning that the family didn't get together for Christmas Day itself, but rather on the 27th; this happens every other year), so Christmas Day was sort of low key around our house. Obviously the thing everybody asks is, what did you get? Well, apart from the stocking stuffers, Mom gave me a leather book bag with some goodies inside: a guitar tuner, a new wallet, and... to satisfy that guilty pleasure I was talking about, Vol. 3 of the James Bond Ultimate Edition DVD sets. Plus, I got a Doctor Who DVD from Uncle Barry (we do the Secret Santa thing because we're such a large family) and a Chapters gift card from my grandparents.

And to top it off, HMV was having a sale on their DVD box sets so I decided to splurge and treat myself to another James Bond Ultimate Edition. I now have half of the movies on my shelf and still haven't seen them all. My head is still spinning!

Be seeing you,
Steven

A Guilty Pleasure

I have to come clean. There's something I like, something I can't help but be mildly embarrassed about, just because I know I shouldn't idolize the man. I'm reading the books (heck, I've bought some), seen a few movies, put a DVD set on my Christmas list. Is it wrong? Is it shallow? Is it just not worth the effort? This guy's getting me hooked on himself, on his coolness and bravado. You know his name...

Bond. James Bond.

Yep. I have to confess, James Bond is quickly making me a fan of his adventures. There's been something to like in all the movies I've seen so far, and especially in this latest one.

I *finally* saw Casino Royale. And loved it. Mom and I sat down over chicken fajitas and nachos to take in the film whose ad campaigns and buzz actually got me intrigued by James Bond. And right from the opening, it had me. The camera angles, the editing, the dialogue; all told me I was in for something far classier than what I had seen before in the films. And then the credits came, played out, went away, and I wasn’t disappointed. I very much appreciated how they took away Bond’s gadgets, but none of his cool. He pulls a lot of “tricks” in the movie, all of which are impressive and almost none of which I saw coming before they happened. Very slick.

I won’t go on for too long, as this movie has obviously been discussed to death, but I do want to say that Daniel Craig is just great. I’ve seen him in Road To Perdition (and, as it turns out, in Elizabeth, but I don’t remember him too clearly in that one) so I know he’s a fairly good actor even with a relatively small part; making him the star didn’t damage his abilities one bit in my sight. Eva Green I saw in Kingdom of Heaven, and she was, I think, even better here (and I own the Director’s Cut of that movie, where it is revealed she actually acted).

I could go on for ever and talk about every single thing I liked in every single scene, but I imagine no one really wants to read that, so I’ll close by going out on a construction crane and saying it: I obviously haven’t seen every Bond movie (yet), but so far… this is pretty much my favourite.

Be seeing you,
Steven

Strumming Along

I did it! I bought my first guitar today. A great deal at $450... for a $599 instrument, plus gig bag. There's a little music shop (mostly guitars) on Broadway and Collingwood called Westcoast Music; friendly people, not a big chain, and they sell mainly a Vancouver-based brand called Bayou. I got a pure acoustic, solid top, steel string. And some complimentary picks. Here it is:



I still need to get a strap and a tuner, but after that I'm set to go.

Well, there's still the bit about learning how to play...

Be seeing you,
Steven

A Long-Expected Update

Wow. So it's actually been considerably more than a while since I've updated this blog. That's...well, that's that. I have been living a life, so the various opportunities I've had to actually post something have gone ungrabbed. Speaking of which, here's the breakdown of the latest to happen within this crazy existence of mine:

School is going fine. The semester is half over, which seems amazing, since it just started, didn't it? Like I believe I've said, I'm only in one course this time around what with various courses scheduling classes on the same days/times as each other. Creative Writing class is fun, though, and I have a chance to concentrate on it which is nice. I just finished the first draft of my second story assignment, and I'm relatively pleased with it. Still needs some work, though. I'm more pleased with the story I wrote for the in-class assignment this past week; I hope I get a good mark.

Writing for myself has taken an interesting turn. There are several projects which I plan to have see the light of day at some point; a sci-fi universe with the basic plot outline for its first novel; an original screenplay called "The Spectre" based on the DC Comics character. And just recently added is the idea for an historical novel narrating the story of the Twelve Disciples after Jesus' ascension to Heaven. It's basically the book of Acts, but it will hopefully flesh out some of the struggles and issues facing the early church in its ministry of the Gospel. I also want to look at Paul, and some of the stuff he himself dealt with; coming off of persecuting the church to being one of its primary founders, realizing that his own people were not going to take the word to heart and turning instead to the Gentiles, and also how the original disciples would have reacted to him. I'm really excited about it, I've started doing the research, and that's been pretty much at the forefront of my mind lately.

And I have decided that I am going to finally settle down and learn guitar. I don't know how I'll pay for it, I don't know when it will happen. But it will. I am going to be able to play just like all my friends do. :)

Well, that's about it for now. At least for the next two months!

Be seeing you,
Steven

Okay, I'll Bite The Apple

I've done it. Working for Grandpa this summer earned me enough to buy my own computer--completely for myself and with my own money. And I'm pleased to say that I decided to make what is called in the computer world "The Big Switch".

I got an iMac. No more PC-madness for yours truly, just ease of use and play. I'm not one who shills without good reason, believe me, but if you're in the market for a new abacus you could do worse than what I'm using to post this message. It's beautiful, simple as that. Though 20" widescreen is a heck of a lot bigger than I thought it would be...and this is their smallest model!

And one added bonus feature is the built-in iSight camera, which I can now use to finally let you see me ('cause face it, you've been dying to catch a glimpse of my devilishly good looks ever since you first heard about me):Quite a hunk, ain't I?

Be seeing you,
Steven

Wouldn't It Be Awful If...

Sometimes I find myself playing through Worst Possible Scenarios, situations that would fundamentally alter my entire day from good to downright awful. I just act them out in my head, figuring out what I would do and act. These include: What if this car driving right beside us were to suddenly swerve and plow us into the barrier? What if that gentle rumbling I hear in the distance doesn't turn out to be an airplane passing overhead, but is in fact that big earthquake we're supposed to be due for? What if a relative, or even Mom, died in an accident?

And what if I lose my wallet on the bus this morning, with my bank card, bus pass, and most of the practical ID that I have inside it?

That last question is no longer theoretical; it happened today. Fortunately it was only a few blocks from home so I was able to run back and report it by phone to the transit system--not to mention cancelling my bank card. Unfortunately I've just had confirmation that it was in fact stolen: there are already two transactions on it which aren't mine. This is odd because both are for the exact same amount, at the exact same place...but there's no way they could have gotten that far in the mere 30 minutes between stealing the card and my cancelling it (I looked on the map to find where this place the money got spent was). I certainly look to be having a nice weekend...

Be seeing you,
Steven

"There Will Be Seven..."

Tonight, I'll be spending the better part of the evening at one of the local Chapters for the express purpose of being on hand for the midnight release of the grand finale of J.K. Rowling's wonderful fantasy children's series/epic, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows. It's taken ten years to get to this point, although I somehow regret not really being tuned into it right from the very beginning. I didn't get started until the release of the first film (but read the book first).

I was sort of shrugging my shoulders at it all; not really hating it or apathetic to it, but for some reason it had barely been on my radar at all. A few kids in my class started talking about it, and a couple gave me the thumbs-up on it. I shrugged again and filed it away in the back of my head so I would remember to check it out "one of these days". Then my Mom told me she had gone to see the movie--and she uttered a phrase I had already learned to take very seriously:

"I think you might like it."

It doesn't sound like much, I know. But the thing is, she had only used it twice before; I'm not a geek about Star Wars and The Lord of The Rings for nothing. So I immediately moved the books onto the Priority list. I went to the school library looking for the title Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone...only to find that it was out, but that they did have a book called Harry Potter And The Socerer's Stone. Slightly annoyed, but assured by my librarian friend that nothing was fundamentally different ('parking lot'? I ask you...) I picked it up, finished it in about a day, and was totally enthralled by it all. Rowling was lively, imaginative, and possessed of a remarkably sharp sense of humour--which I still believe to be one of her great gifts. After that I was absolutely hooked. The plus side of getting in during the fourth book was not having to wait quite so long as everbody else for The Order of The Phoenix, which I picked up in-store at midnight. I did the same for The Half-Blood Prince...and now I find I will do the same for The Deathly Hallows. I know that whatever happens tomorrow, it will be an amazing and wonderful ride.

My grandma asked me the other day if I thought that it would all survive the hype, and actually become what we call a "classic". The honest answer to that is: only time will really tell. I think it has the ability to, and I think it just might, but I can't truly say for sure.

This may be the last book, but it's far from over for me. When I finish The Deathly Hallows, the story will be told in full...but it isn't going anywhere. I'll put it on the shelf right next to the other books and I will say, That was astounding. And just think: it will always be there on the shelf, always another world to be explored, always an adventure to have again and again for years to come. I'll read it enough times to have it memorised, and then read it some more. I'll read it to my children and pass it on. Who knows? Maybe they will read it in the same way as me, and eventually read it to their children. That's how classics are made. By people loving the stories, and sharing it with others who love them just as much.

And if something is a classic...then it's never really goodbye.

Be seeing you,
Steven