japhtag:www.track0.com,2007:/japh//22007-06-23T19:58:49ZMovable Type 3.32chappelle skytrain hostagetag:www.track0.com,2007:/japh//2.2462007-06-23T19:54:01Z2007-06-23T19:58:49Ztwo women scramble to press the security thingy below the window on skytrain. instead, they press the sticker that says "press the yellow strip below for assistance." why the panic? some guy had decided the morning commute was as good...japh
two women scramble to press the security thingy below the window on skytrain. instead, they press the sticker that says "press the yellow strip below for assistance." why the panic? some guy had decided the morning commute was as good a time as any to pull out his junk and make sweet love to himself.
skytrain pulled him off. other women on the train gathered round to hear the tale from one of the primary victims. "he was masturbating. right there. the guy in the blue jacket."
i almost burst out laughing. the first thing that came to mind was chappelle's bit about the homeless dude masturbating on the bus.
passengers flee sinking cruise shiptag:www.track0.com,2007:/japh//2.2212007-04-05T20:57:22Z2007-04-05T21:01:01Zthis from the guardian: Rescuers have safely evacuated almost all the 1,600 passengers and crew from a Greek cruise ship which began listing after striking rocks today off the holiday island of Santorini. The Greek-flagged Sea Diamond, carrying 1,200 passengers...japh
guardian:
Rescuers have safely evacuated almost all the 1,600 passengers and crew from a Greek cruise ship which began listing after striking rocks today off the holiday island of Santorini.
The Greek-flagged Sea Diamond, carrying 1,200 passengers and 400 crew, had to be abandoned after running aground as it approached the main harbour of Santorini island in the Aegean Sea, Greek authorities said.
look at that proportion of passengers to crew. 1 crew member for 3 passengers. that's insane. does that mean if you get two friends together you can appropriate a crew member?]]>
hernia: conclusiontag:www.track0.com,2007:/japh//2.2172007-03-09T19:48:47Z2007-03-09T19:57:55Zthere was a three month wait for the hernia surgery. to be fair, there were two other openings earlier, but i couldn't take them. i was surprised at how brutal the aftermath of the surgery was. the surgery itself was...japh
minor surgery, really. open heart surgery? i shudder.]]>
godard: passiontag:www.track0.com,2007:/japh//2.2162007-03-09T19:35:02Z2007-03-09T19:46:56Zwatched godard's passion yesterday at cinematheque. did a mad race after spending a day insulating walls. eyes burning, trying to decide whether to hop on the train and go at all. while having a quick scrub i decided i would...japhpassion yesterday at cinematheque. did a mad race after spending a day insulating walls. eyes burning, trying to decide whether to hop on the train and go at all. while having a quick scrub i decided i would go for raoul coutard's cinematography. and it was worth it. the print was a bit scuffed and scraped but there are some luscious shots in that film. as for the plot, it was about a director resisting the idea of a plot. kind of. sort of. you know, it was godard. it'll rattle around inside my head for a few days while i try and put the little jigsaw puzzle pieces of quote/narrative together. or give up and simply enjoy remembering the pretty moving pictures.]]>
medeski martin & woodtag:www.track0.com,2007:/japh//2.2442006-09-25T21:43:43Z2007-05-23T21:48:37Zit doesn't get any better than monkeypaws medeski and gang. wood did an opening bluegrass (is that the right genre name?) set with his brother. then mmw played until 1am and we danced our asses off, like you can't help...japhcommodore ballroom
sept 21, 2006]]>
herniatag:www.track0.com,2006:/japh2//2.1862006-07-15T15:04:08Z2006-09-09T23:10:13Zi've managed to tear yet another hole in this body. here is a transcription of my doctor's appointment: doctor enters room. "what seems to be the problem?" "i have some sensitivity in my lower abdomen." "alright, let's take a look."...japh
doctor enters room.
"what seems to be the problem?"
"i have some sensitivity in my lower abdomen."
"alright, let's take a look."
me dropping pants. doctor putting on gloves.
"where is it exactly?"
me pointing to it.
"cough please. again. again. again. you have a hernia. i'll book you a surgical consult and the front desk will give you a call to confirm your appointment."
doctor gets up to leave.
"what exactly does that mean?"
"we don't book the surgical consults, we call and arrange it on your behalf."
"no. i mean what exactly is a hernia."
"oh. right. ok..." doctor goes on to explain hernia using a piece of tissue and a pen, tearing the pen through the tissue.
what is so troubling with his five second appointment is that he ushered me out without any kind of advice on what it was safe/unsafe for me to do, how to tell if it is getting worse, and what to do if that happens.
since i didn't know what a hernia was (i thought it was something you did to your back), i thought i had just strained a muscle or something. after a few months i figured there was a more serious problem.
between my record-breaking doctor's visit (in 'quickest and most irresponsible category') and the surgical consult there is a three and half month wait. i wonder if i'll go under the knife before december? bets?]]>
renotag:www.track0.com,2006:/japh2//2.1852006-07-15T14:51:49Z2006-09-09T23:10:13Zone of the reasons this site has gone quiet are the extensive renovations we've been doing to a house. with opened walls revealing a giant mess worse than we (or the home inspection) anticipated, it's been a slowly receding nightmare....japh
one of the reasons this site has gone quiet are the extensive renovations we've been doing to a house. with opened walls revealing a giant mess worse than we (or the home inspection) anticipated, it's been a slowly receding nightmare. things are fixed and now it is the long haul of closing it back up and making it livable.
friends have asked if i would do it again, and i reply that i would if i wasn't working full time and commuting. i don't mind the work in the least, but i do mind the absence of many other creative projects in my life. i have written quite a lot during my daily commute, but you can't really paint or edit film on the train.
some highlights of the reno include finding cat5 wiring in an electrical socket as a jumper, the 4" cast-iron broken elbow that fell out of the ceiling and almost brained me while i brought the ceiling down (disconnected long ago and left floating in the ceiling above the drywall), and the discovery of severe rot due to water running down beside and behind the front concrete staircase. not to mention multiple points of hot electrical wiring buried in the walls without marretts, and an old cast-iron bathtub that was ready to make a quick migration from the main floor to the basement.
and the home inspection didn't catch this because it was all hidden away behind the walls. we knew the place had problems and would require a serious overhaul that we hoped to accomplish over a few years. it was a little worse than anticipated, to understate.
the fantastic part is that i managed to give myself a hernia somewhere along the line.
cancontag:www.track0.com,2006:/japh2//2.1842006-07-15T14:36:32Z2006-09-09T23:10:13Zi've officially put cancon on indefinite hiatus, rather than hoping i would get some burst of energy and quantity of time to work on it. not going to happen any time soon. i learned a lot from this project, and...japh
cancon on indefinite hiatus, rather than hoping i would get some burst of energy and quantity of time to work on it. not going to happen any time soon. i learned a lot from this project, and know how i will approach future projects along the same lines. the focus on interviews was what made it the most fun for me, and this is where my next project will take off. this probably won't be soon.
in the meantime, i'm going to try and give some attention back to this site.]]>
destroy and rebuildtag:www.track0.com,2005:/japh2//2.1832005-02-22T18:58:20Z2006-09-09T23:10:13Zthe house insurers want to pull the policy and my sanity is frayed. renovations are nearly three months underway and the end is nowhere in sight. a basement went from being a small reno to a complete strip and rebuild...japh
the house insurers want to pull the policy and my sanity is frayed. renovations are nearly three months underway and the end is nowhere in sight. a basement went from being a small reno to a complete strip and rebuild from the foundation up. there are photos, ugly and dark, but they will have to wait for a day when i again have time for such frivolity.
hunter s. thompsontag:www.track0.com,2005:/japh2//2.1822005-02-22T18:51:28Z2006-09-09T23:10:13Zthe great man is dead by his own hand. there is sadness and grief. i often don't have much in the way of sympathy for suicides, but hunter is an exception. his wasn't a botched cry for help. he made...japh
fear and loathing is the funniest and most remarkable book i've had the pleasure to read aloud to many good friends. i think we can be consoled by the knowledge that his books will still be in print for a good damned while.
perhaps hunter left this kingdom of fear in search of a new one that isn't expecting a surprise visitor. wherever his molecules have scattered, i'm thankful the world sustained and tolerated the likes of him for as long as it did.]]>
paris: tour eiffeltag:www.track0.com,2004:/japh2//2.1812004-11-24T20:24:19Z2006-09-09T23:10:13Zon our last day we thought we may as well see this. got caught up in several metro line problems, so we didn't dare brave the lineups and lose our entire day. here's a shot that makes it look really...japh
checked out notre dame right after, which is far more impressive. no good shots, however.]]>
paris: jardin des tuileriestag:www.track0.com,2004:/japh2//2.1802004-11-24T20:20:00Z2006-09-09T23:10:13Zafter a day of busting your body at the louvre it is nice to wander through the jardin des tuileries out back. kids float boats in the fountain, there is outdoor sculpture by the likes of lichtenstein and giacometti. and...japh
lichtenstein and giacometti. and you can enjoy the clouds some more.
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paris: arc des triomphetag:www.track0.com,2004:/japh2//2.1792004-11-24T20:09:21Z2006-09-09T23:10:13Zjaph]]>
paris: louvretag:www.track0.com,2004:/japh2//2.1782004-11-24T19:59:10Z2006-09-09T23:10:13Zrather than do the one day louvre sprint, we decided to jog it over two days. as we crossed the rue de rivoli in front of the louvre i felt compelled to be a tourist. i took a panorama shot...japh
i took a panorama shot of the louvre, but it didn't really turn out. here's my favourite shot from the bunch.
we spent a great deal of time in the sculpture areas. it blows you away to see so many famed pieces standing side by side by side.
i've always been taken with pierre ier legros' l'hiver.
and i found a new friend in the roman colonel steve austin (aka inconnu, roman, 10bc).
and then you stumble into spaces like the henry xviii room. yikes.
in our bid to get around the mona lisa we were nearly stomped to death by the battallion of tourists who march through the louvre directly to this sly bit of paint. there's a million photos of the old girl, so here's one of the berserker crowd jostling for position around her. you're technically not supposed to take photos of her, but i turned my flash off to get one of this social phenomenon.
the french museums are more liberal than the british ones and generally allow you to take non-flash photos. while tourists were mostly ok in following this, you watch a flash go off every two and a half seconds around the mona lisa as people hyperventilate in anticipation of getting their shot. pity that da vinci didn't invent a crowd control device for handling his crowds.
there's a million lovely things in the louvre i enjoyed. some of my favoured moments were standing awe struck by the jacques louis david masterworks. these are among my most loved late-18th/early 19th century paintings, and i cherished my time admiring them.]]>
paris: centre pompidoutag:www.track0.com,2004:/japh2//2.1772004-11-24T19:19:09Z2006-09-09T23:10:13Zi get whistful thinking about the centre pompidou. it is a stunning place filled with stunning art (a renzo piano and richard rogers design). one of the most overwhelming art experiences i've ever had is entering a room and being...japh
centre pompidou. it is a stunning place filled with stunning art (a renzo piano and richard rogers design).
one of the most overwhelming art experiences i've ever had is entering a room and being struck by miró's blue II. it is larger and more textured than i thought, and the three pieces join together to drown you in blue.
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commodore ballroom
sept 21, 2006]]>
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we spent a great deal of time in the sculpture areas. it blows you away to see so many famed pieces standing side by side by side.
i've always been taken with pierre ier legros' l'hiver.
and i found a new friend in the roman colonel steve austin (aka inconnu, roman, 10bc).
and then you stumble into spaces like the henry xviii room. yikes.
in our bid to get around the mona lisa we were nearly stomped to death by the battallion of tourists who march through the louvre directly to this sly bit of paint. there's a million photos of the old girl, so here's one of the berserker crowd jostling for position around her. you're technically not supposed to take photos of her, but i turned my flash off to get one of this social phenomenon.
the french museums are more liberal than the british ones and generally allow you to take non-flash photos. while tourists were mostly ok in following this, you watch a flash go off every two and a half seconds around the mona lisa as people hyperventilate in anticipation of getting their shot. pity that da vinci didn't invent a crowd control device for handling his crowds.
there's a million lovely things in the louvre i enjoyed. some of my favoured moments were standing awe struck by the jacques louis david masterworks. these are among my most loved late-18th/early 19th century paintings, and i cherished my time admiring them.]]>
one of the most overwhelming art experiences i've ever had is entering a room and being struck by miró's blue II. it is larger and more textured than i thought, and the three pieces join together to drown you in blue.
]]>