Category — movies

I have been out doing that whole “having a life” thing – which takes more time than I ever thought possible and makes me sleepy. I wanted to write about it all here, but I suppose thinking about it and actually doing it are different (as is evidenced by the lack of anything new here in a week) Here is a run-down on my life as of late:

Last Thursday I went with some friends to see a Leaky Heaven Circus production called Bone in Her Teeth at the Russian Hall in Vancouver. I had been a little apprehensive when my friend Tynan asked if Joe and I wanted to go. I heard “Leaky Heaven Circus” and thought “Oh god. A three-ring nightmare with scary clowns.”

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Bone in Her Teeth is an artistic (and damn funny in spots) telling of the events that occurred when the French frigate The Medusa sank off the coast of Senegal. The story covers the events of the 150 lower-class passengers who were loaded onto a makeshift raft and then cut adrift.

The production used the simplest set and props to great effect – for instance, one of the female characters losing it completely and biting into a glass (really a plastic cup or something reasonably chewable – but still made me squirm in my seat) and grinding the shards between her teeth and drooling and spitting. Nothing fancy there, but you really had a good idea about how mad they were going with no food or water.

For such a sad and tragic story, the play had some hugely funny moments which balanced nicely against the seriousness of the story. Watching the characters go from reasonable human beings to nearly mad and ready to kill each other was fascinating. Peter Birnie of The Vancouver Sun didn’t seem to find the same enjoyment in the play as I did, but I do agree with a few of his points (the interesting, but seemingly irrelevant Apache Dance in the second act, and the rather overdone scene with the melon-headed doll). Peter’s review is here.

After the play we headed to a gelatto place where I indulged in a little mint oreo gelatto and a surprisingly good basil gelatto. We also went to a bar where my new friend Enrico had the bartender make me a drink called a Muff Diver. A Muff Diver is made as follows:

1. Take a regular martini glass and put a little whipped cream in the bottom.
2. Place a shot glass upright in the whipped cream and fill said glass with the liqueur of your choice (in this case it was a berry flavoured something and some chocolaty tasting stuff).
3. Fill the rest of the martini glass with whipped cream and be sure to cover the top of the shot glass too!
4. Give it to a new friend while your girlfriend (Hi Stephanie!) laughs like a little maniac.

To drink this shot you are apparently supposed to put your hands behind your back, pick up the shot glass with your lips and then tilt your head back and swallow – so that’s what I did.

It tasted pretty good – and the bartender, bless his heart, had made fresh whipped cream – so I had no trouble getting it down. Even Joe was impressed.

And that was just Thursday!

On Friday I helped a friend unpack her office so she can actually work in it if she wants to – and this week I’ve been helping this same friend with a little writing project. Actually, that’s not true, she offered to let me write some stuff for her and it’s been a damn good experience since writing is what I like to do!

Saturday I saw Iron Man with Joe. It was a silly, but vastly entertaining movie. I really like how for once the hero screws up while making himself powerful. He hurts himself, wrecks some of his own stuff and generally makes mistakes. I think it’s one of the first times I’ve ever seen any kind of science portrayed realistically in a Hollywood movie.

I also got Joe free LEGO by using some of my billion PC Points at the SuperStore. Free LEGO kicks butt!

So this past weekend was quiet, and I’ve been writing for the last couple of days and I think that brings us more or less up to date!

I’ll get back to my regular self by tomorrow probably and post something that might be relevant to more people.