9

Whoa, so much for my post-a-day routine.

My laptop is out of commission until I receive the adapter I ordered, so entries will be sporadic until then.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

Until the next entry, check out this trailer. Looks very cool.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/focus_features/9/

On a dark desert highway

One of the greatest thrills a person can experience is the applause after a performance.

I think this is the loudest I've ever received:



(Special thanks to Chris Kataquapit in Moosonee for converting my dad's VHS copy of the performance to his PC and uploading it to Youtube.)

That was in my last year of high school. I was a student in the school's Music Performance Class, a unique course where the emphasis is performing onstage.
A little on how it works: to get into the course, you need to audition; a concert is scheduled and you select a song for which you'll be evaluated; you recruit whatever instrumentalists or vocalists you need; rehearsal; and then the concert.

For this performance, in April 2004, I selected 'Hotel California' not only because it's one of my favourite songs, but I wanted to do something a bit more grand -- a bit more complex than the Metallica or AC/DC songs I was doing.

It required the most classmates (seven: acoustic and electric guitarist, bassist, drummer, lead vocals and two-backups/maraca shakers), so it needed a bit more orchestration.

Thankfully for me, everyone knew their parts and were there for rehearsal.

And then of course, there was the solo. I wanted to trade solo sections with the other electric guitarist, as it's done on the recording, but before we went on-stage, she insisted I do it all myself.

So I was pretty pumped up for this song. I almost bought a 12-string acoustic just to make it that much better, but I thought 'How am I going to switch to the electric for the solo?'

One thing about grading: we had to introduce everyone performing in the song, or else we'd lose marks.

We also had to say an 'intro,' a note on why you're doing the song, or whatever -- 'something the audience will take away from the song,' our teacher always said. Students usually just said the year and album, and why they liked the song.

Fifteen minutes before showtime, I remembered an interview with Eagles' guitarist Don Felder on how he came up with the song: leased house on Malibu, chords 'oozed' out and he rushed to record idea, set cha-cha beat and tempo, singer Henley liked idea, Felder had doubts about it being a single.
It was in a guitar magazine I brought, so I scribbled the quotes down and used it as my intro, ending it with this: "Every once in a while, it seems like the cosmos part and something great just plops into your lap. That's how it was with 'Hotel California.'"

Everyone liked it, especially the teacher. After the show, as I was rolling up cables, he came up to me, shook my hand and said "Excellent intro." He started to walk away, but he stopped, turned around and said "Oh, and your performance, of course."

And the performance was pretty good. Everyone knew their parts, the sound levels were good. On my part, some sour notes still irk me but overall, I'm proud of it. It's my favourite performance of all the concerts I did in my two years in that class.

And I'm glad the audience appreciated it at the end. It's hard to see the faces out there, with the blinding stage lights, but I could hear them. I could hear their applause.

In Bruges (2008)

I'm a bit surprised that not many people have seen this black comedy.

Two hitmen arrive in Bruges (it's in Belgium) to hide out after doing a job in London.
After checking into their room, the pair go out sight-seeing. Ken (Brendan Gleeson), the older and experienced gangster, loves the cultural and historically-rich city, but Ray (Colin Farrell) appears troubled and can't seem to appreciate the beauty.
Ray finally begins to have fun after meeting a cute production assistant/drug-dealer on a film set when Ken finds out from their boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) the REAL reason they're in Bruges.

With a compelling, unpredictable plot, the film is mostly dark in tone -- at times, very dark -- and deals with themes of morality, guilt and redemption.
So the laughs aren't in every scene, but when it's funny, it's very funny. Like, how is karate-chopping a dwarf NOT funny?

This is the best acting I've seen from Farrell (probably because he's allowed to be Irish), and Gleeson's character is very likeable. Fiennes, who doesn't appear until later in the story, steals the spotlight to the end of the film as the cussy-mouthed crime boss with resolute principles.

The real star of the film however is the city itself. Shot entirely on location, the cameras go with Ken and Ray as they visit some of the real-life tourist spots; like a chapel that contains a cloth said to contain the blood of Christ; a boat tour on the canal (Bruges is considered the "Venice of the North"); and the Belfry, where some key scenes are set.
The cameras do a good job of capturing the medieval and Gothic architecture.
With the well-preserved architecture, horse-drawn carriages, swans and cobblestone roads, one character remarks, "it's like a fairy tale, isn't it?"
It is, and watching this movie makes me want to visit someday.

Wolverine trailer

Fuck yes!

ok, video games

I'm a bit of a gamer these days.

Well, I always was, I guess, but I played the old-school stuff like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on SNES, Goldeneye on N64, and Medal of Honor or Driver 2 on the Playstation.

But after watching my brother play Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare online, I went out bought a 360 (which I later sold to buy a PS3). So I'm with the current generation of gamers now.

What's impressed me about these new consoles is not only the graphical-capacity but the overall scope of the games.

Like in Fallout 3, you customize the look of your character, take him/her out into the post-apocolyptic wastelands of Washington D.C., make or break alliances with hundreds of character, kill a variety of enemies/creatures, embark on at least 15 side quests in addition to the main quest, and enter more than hundred buildings or bunkers to scour for weapons or equipment.

The map itself is 16-square miles. Wow. How is that not impressive and potentially-addictive? (I'm embarrassed to say how many hours I played this game in the week I had it...ok, 65).

Lucky for me though, I'm picky and won't just play any game. I own only two games (COD4 and Metal Gear Solid 4) and rent less than one game a month on average.

One huge factor I look for in a game, aside from the obvious graphic and fun factors, is story.

The game I'm playing now, Dead Space, has a fascinating story - and a way of telling it. But I'll expound on that once I beat it.

Another factor is online play. That's where I play COD4 almost daily with friends from high school, one living all the way down in Welland. As with Goldeneye or Driver 2, it's just fun to play with friends -- except we don't have to be on the same console.

Anway, this post is pretty geeky. Time to play COD4 and pwn sum n00bs

Do you ever...

when making a purchase, quickly calculate in your head that $12.89 is 11 cents from the nearest round dollar, so you say "wait, here's 11 cents. It'll save us both some change ;)"

...only to get 22 cents in return?

:/

On guitar...

I just finished playing guitar and my fingers feel raw and sensitive.

It gets like that when I don't play for a while, with the callouses gone.

Callouses.

They form when your fretting hand continuously presses down on the metal strings as you articulate or bend notes. At first, the flesh underneath gets sore from all that pressure and rubbing. So your skin thickens and hardens, forming a callous. Then it doesn't hurt as much, if at all.

I used to wear those callouses as a symbol of my commitment to the guitar; a badge of honour, if you will.

But my fingertips haven't been calloused for a while. For the past three years, I've been inconsistent in playing guitar. Earlier this year, I went three months without even touching it.

My younger self would be disgraced. I've berated friends in the past who stopped playing or cut down, saying 'How can you not play? Guitar is the shit. Disgrace.'

I was really passionate about guitar at the time.

Back then

I'd sit in my room for hours, trying to get down the latest solo or memorize a song so I could play all the way through. One Canada's Day, I missed the fireworks because I was in my room, trying to get down each part of Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix.

I played along to CD's, memorized song lyrics and chord progressions, read up on music theory, dissected songs on paper, and experimented with note combinations or techniques.

I played LOUD. Neighbours could hear me in the parking lot outside.

I jammed with other musicians whenever possible. That's where all the practice paid off. There's nothing like playing your favourite songs or making up one with others.

Gradually, I cut down on playing.

I began practicing more for the sake of practicing, just trying to maintain my finger dexterity and repertoire.

Then I played once in a while, only playing as a release or to figure out that infectious melody on the radio.

I've started to think about why I stopped playing, how I lost that passion.

Why?

Maybe it's because of my equipment. I've had the same setup - guitar, wah and distortion pedals, and amp - for four years. I'm kind of tired of the same tone. And my only guitar is not perfect.

Maybe it's because I fell into a rut. I was playing the same songs, making no progress on learning certain techniques or difficult solo sections.

Perhaps it's from not writing a composition of my own. I have a catalogue of ideas, stored on a simple recorder, written on paper, or that I just remember, but I have yet to write one full song.

Or maybe it's because I've never been in a band. I've jammed with a number of guys but we wouldn't have the chemistry or commitment to start a group.

Surely, not playing live has something to do with it. Is it a coincidence that it's been three years since I've performed onstage?

It's probably for some of these reasons that I stopped. Maybe all.

What to do?

I gotta develop a routine, like I'm doing with this blog. Set goals. Finish a full song. Maybe save up for a new guitar. And start jamming again.

For tonight though, I played along to old favourites: Megadeth, Metallica, Ozzy and Satriani.

It's a good start. I have to keep it up though. I wanna rediscover that passion for playing.

I want those callouses again.

Through Black Spruce – first impressions

I started reading Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden, an award-winning Canadian novel that mostly takes place in Moosonee.
I’m only on page 39, but it’s neat how Boyden captures a lot of the local colour.

Geography

On page 13, one character is walking through the town and turns “onto Sesame Street, nicknamed for all the kids that live and play on it summer and winter.”
I grew up on Sesame Street! It’s actually called Moose Drive, and I was among the kids running around that road, playing street hockey, even in the summer. Apparently, drivers had to slow down when they approached that street.

Kinda funny how it’s famous in the town, because it’s a small street that only has about 10 single-storey duplexes on each side. Sesame Street is referred to a few more times.

I had to laugh at how one character described downtown:

“Downtown! Ever funny. A dusty street that runs from the train station to the boat docks, the Northern Store and a KFC attached, a chip stand that’s only open in summer, the bank, Taska’s Store and Arctic Arts.”

That’s pretty accurate. Everyone in Moosonee knows its not much.

Dialogue

I laughed at some of the dialogue because Boyden gets the way we talk.

Like when female characters are talking, they say “Ever...” Like “Ever boring!”, “Ever weird,” or simply, “Ever!” It reminded me of my sisters and female cousins.

Another detail is how Moosonee people will add “me” or “you” to the end of sentences, even if “I” or “you” was said earlier.
Like: “I’m going to the store, me.”
My best friend here in Timmins, who lived in Moosonee, always greets me like this on the phone: “What are you doing you?”

Also, my dad, who lives in Moosonee, sometimes starts an “I” sentence with a “me.” This is how the uncle character talks in the novel: “Me, I stick to the rivers.”

I still have yet to encounter some Moosonee-isms I mentioned in a previous entry. But I still have 320 pages to go.

The culture

The characters perform or reference a lot of things common in the local culture: goose hunting, ski-dooing on the river, boating in the James Bay, getting on boat taxi, maintaining a camp, going to the Northern store, going to the hospital in Moose Factory.

However, there's a minimal use of Cree words. Well, less often than in Boyden's previous novel.

I think it’s awesome that an award-winning novel is set in Moosonee. I never would have imagined that, because, well, it’s only Moosonee.

But I guess Boyden loves the area, as he spends time there, fishing and hunting.

I read and reviewed Boyden’s first novel, Three Day Road, a tale of two Crees from Moose Factory who volunteer and become snipers in WWI. It’s a good book that also gives a glimpse into how the residential school system affected Aboriginal people early on. Also, the main characters in Through Black Spruce are descendants of the characters in Three Day Road, so it’s worth that much more.

The story in Through Black Spruce is good so far. Annie Bird, a self-reliant young woman living in the bush tells stories to her uncle, Will, who is in a coma. Meanwhile, Will, a bush pilot, shares stories about being a pilot and battling alcoholism. I not sure yet how he got into the coma, but he mentions a feud with another character.

Eventually, I learn from the book jacket, Annie will search for her sister, a famous model, in New York and Toronto.

In all, it’s supposed to be “an astonishingly powerful novel of contemporary aboriginal life, full of the dangers and harsh beauty of both forest and city.”

I'm an eighth of the way so there's a lot more to go. Check back cause once I'm done I'll write a full-review.

Pretty Girl

I rediscovered a song earlier this year called "Pretty Girl" by John Rodrique.

It's a famous song in the James Bay area.

I heard it a lot as a child. My parents played it on the living room stereo or we heard it regularly on Wawatay Radio.

It brings back a lot of memories.

The video

After not having heard it for years, I rediscovered the song when I came across the Youtube video and was surprised to see that the recording is actually a live performance.



I was further surprised to see that the guitarist performing the solos was none other than Jules Spence, my colleague at the time and long-time broadcaster for Wawatay Radio Network.

So I approached him about it and he said they performed Pretty Girl at Jammin' On The Bay, a music festival held in '89 and '90 in Moosonee.

No rehearsal

I told him I listened closely and noticed that the bass was a bit off at times near the beginning. He just laughed and told me why.

"It was done right on the spot," he said. In between sets, Rodrique, of Fort Albany, asked his uncle Jules and bassist Greg Spence to back him up for a new song.
"He just told us 'it's in G' and we did the song," Jules said.
In the video, you can see Rodrique turning his body mid-verse so Greg can see what chords he's playing.

Meanwhile, Jules improvised the leads and melodies.
"I kinda knew the chords, because it's sort of a common progression," he said. Even for when he was supposed to solo, there was no plan. "I just figured we'd do two verses, than a solo, another two verses and another solo. It's a common thing."

Listening to the song though, it's hard to believe its improvised. It's just so well-played and complements the vocals and mood. Great job, Jules.

John Rodrique

The star of performance of course is Rodrique, who composed and sang the song. You can hear the pain in his voice as he bemoans the loss of a girl and attempts to reclaim her.

Rodrique tragically passed in the late-1990's. He was still young, my mom said. "He was about 35." She remembers "he was always a very nice guy."

A performance captured...

It's pretty amazing how the performance was a essentially a jam - one musician saying to others 'I'll sing, here's the key, back me up' - yet it sounds like each part was well-rehearsed.

More amazing that this moment was captured on video. I don't know if Rodrique ever publicly performed Pretty Girl again, but this is the only recording I've ever heard.

And a song remembered

A cousin sent me an mp3 of the performance last week. It's since received regular rotation on my winamp playlist and mp3 player.

Friends from up north still love this song. It also reminds them of their childhood. They say "Yes, this song," if it comes on the radio or stereo, and they'll turn it up. It's listed on their Facebook or Bebo profile as a favourite, where they'll add "RIP John Rodrique."

Pretty Girl is a beautiful song, and the people of James Bay will endear it for a long time.

Thanks John.

The Pacific memoirs

I finished two books recently: Helmet For My Pillow by Robert E. Leckie and With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge.

Both are memoirs of Marines who fought the Japanese in World War II.
I read the memoirs knowing that an upcoming HBO mini-series, The Pacific, will be based upon them. It's being produced by same team that did Band of Brothers, a series I own and have watched at least 20 times.

I've read quite a bit on WWII, but mostly on the war against the Germans; so I saw this as an opportunity to learn about the fight against the Japanese.

Helmet For My Pillow

Robert E. Leckie starts his narrative on Jan. 5, 1942, the day he departed for the Marines. He chronicles his boot camp experience on Parris Island and brief station in South Carolina before departing for the Pacific.
As part of the now-famous 1st Marine Division, 'Lucky' was among the first to land on Guadalcanal and fought five-months in the campaign before the division was relieved. After a brief stay in northern Australia, Leckie was deployed to Cape Gloucester and New Guinea before his odyssey ended on Sept. 7, 1944 on Pelelieu.

The writing in this memoir is fantastic. Leckie has a great literary style. Having been a reporter since he was 16, he's an astute observer of human nature and war. As a writer, it was just a pleasure to read. I found myself smiling as I read some of the passages.

Although Leckie does depict and reflect on the horrors of war, he includes a lot of humourous and light-hearted anecdotes. Most of these can be found in the chapter Brig-Rats, where he recounts the antics he pulled that landed him in the brig; or the 'booze and brawling' while in northern Australia. It's also funny how he and his fellow soldiers are able to joke or laugh amid the battle.

With the Old Breed

Eugene B. Sledge also begins his account with boot camp and training, but his war begins where Leckie's ends: Pelelieu.
A mortarman in the 1st Marine Division, 'Sledgehammer' fought on Pelelieu for 45 days in what was supposed to be a three-day battle.
After a brief rest peroid, Sledge and the division were deployed to Okinawa and fought in one of the bloodiest campaigns in the war. After securing the island, Sledge remained there until the Japanese surrender on Aug. 15, 1945.

Sledge is brutally honest in telling his story. He doesn't shy away from telling the brutality of the battles and any atrocities committed by the enemy -- or fellow soldiers. He reflects on the hatred that he develops for the enemy. So it's more serious in tone than Leckie.
He focuses a lot on the physical and mental struggles in being in a combat zone, being constantly under small-arms and artillery fire; living in utter filth; and braving the elements of rain, insects and mud.

Sledge's writing style is not as refined as Leckie's, but he makes up for it in detail. Having kept notes in his bible, Sledge is able to recount the movements of his company to each position, as well as note any peculiar events that occur. He also breaks off from his narrative to tell the current role of his company and division, providing a clearer picture on the campaign.


It's hard to say which memoir is 'better'. But where Helmet For My Pillow is a literary pleasure, With the Old Breed is deeply moving.

Considering their scope, depth and experiences, I think Leckie and Sledge's memoirs make great choices for the mini-series.

Terminator: Salvation official trailer

The Terminator Salvation official trailer came out today (Here is a different version with Japanese subtitles).



Those who know me know how much of Terminator fan I am. When I heard about a new Terminator film, I was skeptical after the disgrace that was T3. 'It can't be a real Terminator film without James Cameron,' I thought. I can live without seeing Arnold as the T-800 again but it was Cameron's direction that made the films great.

But after seeing a featurette on the production design and conceptualization of the new film, which features John Connor in post-Judgment Day, it piqued my interest.

Now the official trailer is making me a bit more excited.

With the action, special effects and a superstar lead in Christian Bale, it looks like it has great production value.

I can only hope it has good story and narrative like the first two films.

About the blog name

It's a phrase I used a lot growing up in Moosonee.

To explain:

"Jish-stug" is a Cree expression denoting wonder, excessiveness and/or disbelief. I believe the correct pronunciation is "jish-stuck," but in Moosonee/Moose Factory, it's commonly pronounced "jish-stug," or simply "stug".

Example:

"D'you hear what happened to Joey? Crashed his ski-doo into a pole and broke both his legs."
"Stug, so how's he gonna walk?"

"Ever deadly" is a similar expression, albeit in English, and is often used by Crees, Ojibways and Oji-Crees. Death does not have to be involved to use the expression. In fact, it almost never is. If on the rare occassion it is used when death is involved, some sick Indians will simply laugh at the irony.

The additional syllable, "ah," is again a Moosonee/Moose Factory thing. It's added to the end of many sentences, like "ever like to act perverted, ah."

My older sister and I still add "ah" to the end of sentences, even on MSN. Our little way of making fun of the way we talked.

So the blog name is a combo of the expressions I used. It's kind of a tribute to my culture and hometown. Plus it's kinda funny.

Some of my posts might even incite some Crees to go "Jish-stug, ever deadly ah."

Finally...

Alright, let's get this over with.

I'm Lenny and I've been meaning to make a blog for some time.

I'm gonna use this blog to review movies, music, video games and books. I'll also write about the usual crap people write in these things (ie. life events, updates, and funny stuff I find on the internets).

So there. First post out of the way.