Listening to Verdun this morning, there are three distinct sources of sound. The nearest is my clock ticking beside my bed. Immediately outside are water droplets falling onto the balcony. It has been raining. Further away is the sound of a dog barking. I first noticed him about ten minutes ago. He emits a sad [...]
Archive for January, 2008
Listening to Verdun. And technology.
Posted in Verdun, technology on January 30, 2008 | No Comments »
Racism in Montreal
Posted in racism on January 28, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Yesterday my room-mate was beaten up in Verdun, our neighbourhood. He is Chinese. He was stopped by four young thugs who yelled at him in French. He did not understand them. They spit in his face. He got mad and yelled something. In return, they punched him repeatedly. I asked my room-mate had anything like [...]
My symptoms
Posted in personal health on January 27, 2008 | No Comments »
Ever since returning to Montreal about three weeks ago, I have experienced various symptoms that feel like bronchitis (which I’ve had several times before). But never have I actually deteriorated into full-blown bronchitis. Some days are worse than others. I experience a slight burning sensation in my lungs. My lungs feel heavy. If I push myself [...]
Geometry, film, and what we’re drawn to
Posted in film, geometry, writing on January 25, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I have been reading about film-making lately because I am currently scripting a documentary. Every art medium seems to have its associated language, and in film, much of the language seems geometric. They speak of angles, degrees, proximity and distance. For example, no two consecutive camera angles should be less than 30 degrees apart, otherwise [...]
Mind wandering hither and yon
Posted in Concordia, feckless students on January 23, 2008 | 2 Comments »
At Concordia University, enviro-friendly appliances have been installed. But I wonder how environmentally friendly they really are. Sometimes, if you are sitting on the toilet, it self-flushes four or five times in the space of a couple of minutes. Surely that is wasteful of water? Also, almost every time I simply walk past the hand [...]
1,500 words
Posted in writing on January 19, 2008 | No Comments »
I have about 1,500 words to write today. When they are done, so too will the latest draft of my book.
I am re-writing a scene that has already been written twice before. This time, I hope to nail it. I am, in fact, very much looking forward to doing this, but I procrastinate over starting [...]
How can you tell if somebody is evil?
Posted in evil on January 18, 2008 | No Comments »
I can’t help but like Barack Obama. When I first heard his incendiary performance at the 2004 Democratic convention, like everyone else who heard that eloquent and powerful speech, I was blown away. I thought, this man should be president.
Conversely, I feel that Hillary Clinton should not be president. Celebrities (and make no mistake, she [...]
Fear at the finish line
Posted in Blind Spot, writing on January 18, 2008 | No Comments »
I am almost finished the final draft of my book. At this time in writing long works, I always get a bit scared that a bus will plough into me, turning me into strawberry jam. It is not a nice thought. I would hate to die without having the finished work get into somebody else’s [...]
They make you pay… and pay…
Posted in healthcare on January 16, 2008 | No Comments »
A couple of days ago, I received a bill from Alberta Healthcare. It was for $88, covering two months of health care premiums.
Healthcare premiums were introduced by the Conservative government many years ago to supposedly help cover the cost of health care. Since their introduction, however, the Alberta government has racked up billion-dollar [...]
Accident of birthplace
Posted in migration on January 13, 2008 | No Comments »
Up to a million migrants have gathered in Libya, from where they will attempt to sail across the Mediterranean for Europe and, ultimately, the UK. New estimates reveal that there are two million migrants massed in the North African country and that half of them plan to sail to the European mainland and travel on [...]
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