Work wasn't a hassle today. I closed, and my "weekend" starts, so I grabbed a couple of beers and nacho cheese at the grocery store. It's about fucking time but I can now buy beers at a store on a Thursday before 11pm. It sounds reasonable but it's still a new thing in this province. The incredible wonders we live with under the draconian Ontario Government (Regardless of party, this province in the fucking dark ages, I still remember a ban on Sunday shopping in the 90's).
My Grown-Up dinner nachos are tasty, I have some beef I precooked and some sliced olives. This is legit dinner substitution.
I wanted to start this year posting every day, but now it's almost the last day of January and I haven't posted once. I think this has happened before. My friend Jacob said I should start with one, before committing to a post every single day. I guess he was right and it took me a month to figure it out.
I'm taking a photoshop course which should allow me to spruce up this blog as well as make some cool art I will also post here.
The camera lens on my phone is smashed and takes terrible photos. I have to replace it, cause a blog without photos is pretty lame.
This is a short post. I'm sleepy. I work tomorrow.
I went to the movies with my grandma. I met her at broadview and helped her navigate to the theatre. We saw the shape of water. It's the 5th time I have seen it and it gets me every time. My brother Marc worked on it and it was cool to point out his credit to her as it crawled up the screen. We had some food afterwards at milestones. The burger was forgetable but looked good when it hit the table. I'm posting the photo because you Can see my grandma stealing my fries before trying her soup. We talked about the movie a lot. It was an awesome time.
It's an easy day at work when you know you don't have to be there tomorrow. I sailed through the day, even though we were without a manager. We all know what we are doing and work well together.
look mom I'm flying
I'm writing this from the Maple Leaf Lounge at Pearson. I'm flying to Seattle to hang out with my friend San and his boys.
I scored the lounge passes on Kijiji for 15$ each. Normally people would resell them for 25, but since they expire at the end of February people are anxious to unload them. This is unquestionably some of the best 15$ I have ever spent. I've already had a Guinness, nachos, some awesome thai curry chicken soup (i might get more) and a few Crown Royal and Cokes.
I have wanted to watch Yoga Hosers for years, and it's finally on Canadian Netflix! Now, for some reason it's showing up on my phone and not my tablet. It looks like watching it on the flight is a bust. I queued up Mallrats, a classic and one of my all time favourites instead.
I have a stopover in Vancouver. Gotta get my pre-flight buzz on.
I went to the laundromat. As I watched my clothes tumble in the dryer and suddenly ten minutes had passed. I wasn't watching the clock, I was watching the clothes. I figured I should have the time to write if I have the time to watch my jeans dance with my t-shirts.
I returned empties to the Beer Store. I continue my boycott of the Beer Store, I won't buy stuff but I will take their money.
My new bed is so comfy. It's not conducive to writing. I need to get a desk for my "office" room.
I read an article in Rolling Stone, A Perfect Circle to release first new album in 14 years. I was working at Sam The Record Man the last time they put out a record. James Iha (of Smashing Pumpkins) is in the band and is also apparently in studio with said Pumpkins (Corgan, Chamberlain, Schroeder) but D'arcy is out. Billy Corgan needs a lady bass player.
Otherwise I could see Batman and Superman team up and it wouldn't suck.
I grew up loving Superman. He was my hero. When I was a kid and we first got a VHS player one of our first tapes was Superman 3. I went to the movies with my dad to see Superman 4, it's a terrible movie but I remember my dad being into it. Now I contemplate that he was faking it because I loved Supes so much. If I had a kid would I have had to pretend I enjoyed Justice League? I don't and I didn't.
This movie's Batman is a shitty detective. He can't figure stuff out even with copious notes and digital files. He gives up on finding Cyborg (who glows red and was hiding in his father's well windowed apartment) and asks Wonder Woman to try to find him. She uses the Batcomputer.
This movie feels like many elements forced together from multiple creative voices. Which it was.
It's not all bad, there are a few choice moments, but they can all be seen from the comfort of your living room in a few months. The score is good, Danny Elfman is on his game.
I'm disappointed that my low expectations were met.
I had a dinner party! I invited Marc and April over for dinner knowing it would force me to get my place neat & tidy enough to entertain.
We had Japanese Curry with vegetables, rice and pork katsu. It's only my second time making the katsu but they were perfect. I got the curry down to a science, although I've never had this brand before. I have a library of curries from Japan that I've been working my way through since last year.
I picked up these 3 tarts at Future Bakery in St Lawrence Market. I cut them up and served them for dessert. They were so delicious.
Afterwards we hung out for a bit, then April went home and Marc and I broke into the Trailer Park Boys Whiskey I've been holding onto for a while. We somehow got to working on the 1950's mod to my Back to the Future Lego Delorean and watched all of part 3. By the time the movie finished it was 4 in the morning. It was a great night.
The Sam the Record Man sign is going up on the city's Public Health building right at Yonge & Dundas square. It should be done in the next few weeks, hopefully. Storm is brewing and they say we get snow tonight.
the bottom part of half of the Sam the Record Man sign without the record.
I used to work at Sams. It was pretty sweet. When it closed and Ryerson University bought the property they lied about respecting the sign and left it out of plans for it's new building. I always hoped the city would do the right thing and find a place for it somewhere prominent.
for now, a subtle sign amongst some bright lights.
One year ago today I was in Nagasaki, Japan. The site of the second atomic bomb explosion. It was the day Trump won the US election. The rain was persistent and suited my mood. I walked the distance from the JR station to the park. I walked around the peace park and contemplated the future. I didn't go to the museum, because there were crowds of school children and I didn't feel like I could handle being around people. I felt so solitary and alone. I was drained by the experience and I wanted to take the train back to Tokyo that evening.
Statue of a woman and her child, Nagasaki Japan
The Women at home prayed for victory as their men departed for the battlefields.But then the blood of countless peoples was shed on the vast continents and the far away islands.
Finally,in 1945 as the war escalated,it brought the tragedies of the Okinawa islands followed by the inhuman atomic bomb attacks over Hiroshima on the 6th and Nagasaki on the 9th of August.
Ah!On that unforgettable day,in an instantaneous blast of indescribable heat,the bodies of tens of thousands of men and women, mothers and children were hideously torn and burnt to death.
After more than forty years,the agony continues even yet.Danger signs of a second nuclear war permeate our very existence.The earth stands at the brink of total oblivion.
We must not allow any more war!Nor the use of atomic weapons!Let us guard our precious green earth and preserve all life of every kind.
We erect this relief,still hearing the bursting cries on that day of each of those women long silenced in death.Bringing together all the turmoil from the depths of their tortured hearts and minds,we pledge ourselves never to repeat that disaster.
The Assembly to Build the Nagasaki Peace
Monument the Mothers and Children
Today was another boring day at work, but when I remembered where I was 1 year ago I got excited about the future and where I will be 1 year from now.
It's monday. I go to work. It's a normal day. I build a box, take product and scan it, then I put it in the box. It's easy.
I'm broke until payday and I needed food. I keep my laundry money in a little super mario coin bank, I shook it out hoping for "real money", it was about 10$. I bought apples and bread and perogies. I can make it till Thursday.
I'm finishing off the last shot of Japanese whiskey that I brought back last year ago. No special occasion, just can't keep something that good for that long.
I went to meet my brother Marc and his girlfriend April, they were hosting a mutual friend from Timmins, Travis. It was good to see the guy, it's probably been since high school. He's a good friend of Marc's and crashed at their place while in town on business.
on the walk to Marc's place.
My brother Paul is in town to move out the last of his stuff. We had a really good hug.
King st near Cherry St.
Cool art is graffiti proof
I like to stop and check these faces out when I go past.
Yes, it's funny. Very funny. The funniest of any of the MCU movies so far, and of course it is! Taika Waititi is the director and comedy is this New Zealanders bag. If you haven't seen What We Do In The Shadows, check it out on netflix.
This is the third Thor film, and it's the best of all 3, which doesn't say much, but it's still really great.
Standout performances from Jeff Goldblum as the clueless despot Grandmaster and the director himself as Korg is so damn funny.
I had predicted a cameo by the Guardians of the Galaxy but I was wrong and it didn't happen.
This was an action-comedy closer to Deadpool in its approach (without the hard R, you can take the kids).
I wanted to go to a coffee shop and write but I got distracted by my brother in a chat message thread.
See my former roommate and still brother wanted me to pay him for the modem he ordered from our internet provider, even though he hadn't really paid for it. When I pointed out that I had made all the payments for the service and he legit owed me money, he was willing to call it a wash. It was a reminder of how petty he can be and how glad I am he's almost out of my life.
I went to EB Games to see about trading in some games I don't play anymore. I think I did pretty good, I pre-ordered Xenoblade 2 and paid for it outright (90$) as well as an 18$ credit which I will probably use on amiibo eventually.
I worked a half day so that I could go visit my Granny Mo. She is a great lady and always there for her family. Lately she isn't feeling well. She says she's had a cough since January, damn. We chatted about my work and stuff while she knitted a bear and Seinfeld episodes played marathon-style on mute. We would eventually succumb and turn the volume up on the tv, cause Grandma wanted to know what was happening in "The Contest".
I usually take a picture of my grandma and I together, but she was feeling so crappy I didn't ask. This is a picture of us from August when we had Ramen.
A selfie of me and Gmo from August
I'm off work tomorrow, the plan is to do some cleaning. I would also like to get out of the house and do some writing, maybe take some pictures.
Just shy of a year of nothing. No blogging. I don't remember how. If my future clone wanted to know about this gap in his history I would summarize it for him thusly; I had two separate interviews for jobs at Cineplex movie theatres, and after not getting either position I spiralled into months of poverty and self-doubt until I got my shit together and asked for my job back at Sporting Life. On my first day back at my old job I booked a week off, as I was invited to San Francisco to hang out with some friends. After that I worked at Sporting Life for the summer, took 2 weeks to do tiff in September and then went back to the ol Sportin' Life warehouse.
Up until last week I lived with my brother. I has been a trying year. I'm glad I wasn't blogging about it at the time, but I think it's going to be a big part of my writing in the future.
I spoke to my dad on the phone this evening. He lives in Montreal and I keep promising to go out and visit. I used to go more often when I was unemployed with a credit card.
I have a lot of things to do, clean my apartment, find a roommate and then get onto important personal growth.
A photo posted by Julien Chabot (@socialdynamo) on
I have been back from Japan for almost 2 weeks now. I was sick and jetlagged for the first week and spent the last few days in a bit of a panic. I have no job and I'm running out of money. I had an ambitious project I attempted to undertake in Japan, a photo/blog thing that fell through when I couldn't get the camera in time. I salvaged some of the concept by purchasing a Nikon Key Mission 360 and capturing some decent 360 content. I feel like I failed.
The instant camera is in the mail, and should arrive by the end of the month.
Today I step out of the house for a change of scenery. I head east on Queen to The Cannonball. Jazzy tunes and a cozy atmosphere to type in.
I'm seriously oscillating between finding a new job or begging my old boss to take me back. Not because I miss or want the job, but the worry of not getting something else. My only ideas of possible prospects are Cineplex and Flight Centre.
I want to write. Just sit and write. I think my best bet is to vomit everything onto the internet and see what sticks.
It was 5 years ago today that I saw Prince for the first and only time at the Air Canada Centre. It was an amazing set, he must have done 6 encores. The girl I went with didn't really want to stay, but as people left and the show went on, they seemed to be allowing people into the lower sections so we moved closer. It was so good.
I had a 55 minute stop-over at Chicago's O'hare before my connection to Seattle. I hoped it was enough time to grab an authentic Chicago Deep Dish Airport Pizza! I have had Deep Dish before in San Francisco and Seattle, both excellent, but I can't find anywhere in Toronto that makes it the Chicago Way. I found Reggios easily enough in the K terminal food court. The woman working the counter was pleasant. The pie was ready to go and still hot in the box as I reached my seat on the plane. I'm sure some passengers were eyeballing me, jealous of my 8 am Deep Dish Pizza Breakfast. I wish I had a coke to wash it down, it was greasy cheesy delicious. The crust was buttery and thin. I so enjoyed this food. I will go back to Chicago someday and eat Deep Dish every day.
I'm not forcing anyone to read this. If you don't like it you can leave a comment or stop reading. To contact me personally so as to attack me and the quality of my writing is juvenile.
