tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:03:34 +0000Weirdgrrl's weblog: Featuring the random musings of a quirky grrl on books, poetry, music, film, philosophy, genealogy, games, writing, theoretical physics, the meaning of life and nothing in particular.http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/index.htmnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)Blogger675125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-3515538389318213710Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:28:00 +00002008-10-09T14:03:34.516-06:00harper bashingpoliticsI found this when I was visiting AnyoneButHarper.ca: I also wanted to take a moment to remind people that voting for a candidate who doesn't win, is NOT a wasted vote. EVERY VOTE for a party gives them up to $8 of federal funding between elections, regardless of whether they win or not. These tax dollars are offered to parties upon receiving 2% of the popular vote. All 5 major parties -- http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/10/you-have-choice.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-8180871264138303150Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:21:00 +00002008-10-07T20:32:08.594-06:00rantpoliticsI'm currently watching the presidential debate and I'm moved to ask... Is McCain really that dense? Or is he simply willfully misunderstanding everything that Obama says? Because he keeps repeating his misrepresentations of what Obama is saying and it's pissing me off. I believe it's the latter, which makes it no better really. Neither scenario makes me comfortable with the possibility that thishttp://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/10/presidential-debate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-1883587067097697364Sun, 05 Oct 2008 04:50:00 +00002008-10-04T23:10:05.060-06:00harper bashingpoliticsOkay, I know I said I was trying to avoid talking about politics right now because it's just so frustrating, but... Stephen Harper is trying to tell us in his content-free TV ads that "it's a time for certainty," not for the actual concrete proposals that other leaders such as Dion, Layton and May are putting forward. Well, Mr. Harper, one of the few things that I am completely certain about inhttp://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/10/time-for-certainty.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-1587781823211645028Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:19:00 +00002008-09-16T16:29:16.776-06:00dancingpop culturetvI've been watching the audition shows for the Canadian version of So You Think You Can Dance, because I got quite caught up in the American version this summer (and if Katee couldn't win it all, I'm glad the title went to Joshua). I was impressed that the show actually included some world dance this season, in the form of Bollywood routines and a Russian trepak with its impressive kazotskys. I http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/09/dance.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-5843123633583466670Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:31:00 +00002008-09-14T20:35:42.145-06:00odds and endsfilmWell, I've decided to utilize my new feature already... and I've also decided to distinguish between "Things That Make You Go Ha!" (strange but funny) and "Things That Make You Go Huh?" (stuff that doesn't make sense to me). So this one falls in the latter category: If the Calgary International Film Festival has a program called "Best of Alberta Shorts," why do they only select films that have http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/09/things-that-make-you-go-huh.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-6982902141362516901Thu, 11 Sep 2008 02:49:00 +00002008-09-11T00:21:06.769-06:00bloggingpoliticsFrom now on, I won't be updating "Things That Make You Go Huh?" That blog was really set up for a trial of Wordpress but I've obviously decided to stick with Blogger, so I don't need it anymore. Perhaps I'll use that blog title as a regular feature on "Limes with Orange" instead. I've also decided to let "Music Musings" go... "Limes with Orange" is a perfectly good place for me to talk about all http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/09/blog-reorganizing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-1451492440470281520Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:58:00 +00002008-08-29T13:29:32.607-06:00healthpoliticsI decided to post this here, since the news has been pretty wishy washy about the role of the Conservative government in the listeriosis outbreak. And the Conservatives are actually claiming that they haven't made food inspection cuts, they've just handed over most of the inspection process to the food industry itself. Um... (a) If you've handed over responsibility to someone else for something, http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/08/listeriosis-what-harper-doesnt-want-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-8950153766063663785Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:23:00 +00002008-08-26T19:27:42.199-06:00battlestar galacticaquizzesI stumbled upon another Battlestar Galactica personality quiz. My last BSG quiz said I was Laura Roslin, which I was certainly pleased with. But I'm equally pleased with my result from this latest quiz: Which Battlestar Galactica Character Are You? Created by BuddyTVhttp://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/08/which-battlestar-galactica-character.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-4926391157986269560Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:40:00 +00002008-08-05T09:09:38.539-06:00art and photographyAs I mentioned in my previous post, I was up at the arts festival in Inuvik in July. My dad's band Razzamajazz was doing a couple of blues workshops at the festival. And I had a chance to screen "Coda in G Minor" and "Persephone" alongside a couple of short films of my dad's and one that they made during their film workshop last year. But the highlight of the festival had to be the visual art. Myhttp://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/08/great-northern-arts-festival.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-2136753471348407071Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:09:00 +00002008-07-22T22:16:29.221-06:00art and photographytravelI just got back from visiting my dad in Inuvik for the Great Northern Arts Festival. I discovered a couple of artists that I really like, who I'll talk about in a later post, and experienced 24-hour sunlight for the first time... and I've decided that I prefer having a regular sunset. Not that I want to experience 24 hours of darkness, either. I just realized that I need that balance between http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/07/back-from-land-of-midnight-sun.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-1449375559187458184Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:58:00 +00002008-07-07T23:05:04.175-06:00art and photographyfilmSome time ago, I wrote a post entitled My First Muse about Marc Chagall. So naturally, when I logged onto the internet today and saw my Google homepage had images from Chagall's works I had to click. Which is how I happen to know that today is Chagall's birthday. I was particularly pleased by the timing because I recently updated my Artist Statement to include the following: "I regard film as http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/07/happy-birthday-marc-chagall.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-6645351106383598353Sat, 21 Jun 2008 01:46:00 +00002008-06-20T19:53:15.100-06:00filmApologies to my handful of regular readers for the sparseness of my posts of late. As you can see by the content of my last few posts, it's been a challenging few months. But I wanted to let everyone know that my short film, "Coda in G Minor," will be screening at the Fear No Film Festival! (Isn't that a great title for a film festival?!) Read more on my Coda blog.http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/06/fear-no-film.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-6785276084379563536Tue, 20 May 2008 02:27:00 +00002008-05-19T20:38:22.431-06:00pop culturefilmripleyI finally have Ripley back, my beautiful '95 Honda Civic! But it was a battle royal. The insurance company wanted to write her off. Said that to make her pristine would cost over 80% of her value. My outside voice response was "she was in very good condition before she was stolen, but certainly not pristine." My inside voice response was "value according to whom?!" Because I Ripley is my baby. Sohttp://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/05/ripleys-return.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-7998211420064958204Sun, 11 May 2008 23:04:00 +00002008-05-11T17:08:23.492-06:00things that make you go hmmMy horoscope for May 10, the day of my grandmother's funeral: "You face a new challenge today -- one that may demand more of you than recent events have. It's a good time to enlist support from outside or to work on developing new coping skills."http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/05/astrological-accuracy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-9057356042822120962Tue, 06 May 2008 20:40:00 +00002008-05-06T15:15:34.366-06:00poetryNo Coward Soul is Mine by Emily Brontë (This is the last poem that by Emily Brontë ever wrote.) No coward soul is mine, No trembler in the world's storm-troubled sphere: I see Heaven's glories shine, And Faith shines equal, arming me from Fear. O God within my breast, Almighty, ever-present Deity! Life, that in me has rest, As I, undying Life, have power in Thee! Vain are the thousand creeds http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/05/for-my-grandmother.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-518317027406202743Fri, 11 Apr 2008 03:32:00 +00002008-04-11T00:25:17.053-06:00rantart and photographyanimalsI'm about to post about something I can barely bring myself to think about, but I believe it needs to be discussed. There's this "artist" that was brought to my attention through Facebook. I had so hoped would turn out to be another Facebook hoax, but I have yet to be able to debunk it: In 2007, Guillermo Vargas Habacuc, a so called artist, took an abandoned dog from the streets, tied him to a http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/04/it-breaks-my-art.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-3695383060959793114Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:41:00 +00002008-04-04T18:54:46.977-06:00ripleyWell, my car Ripley has been found. She is currently being inspected to make sure that her damage isn't greater than her value (as determined by the insurance company, obviously, because her value to me is unquestionable). I am fully covered this time, unlike with Newt. But I now understand, in a visceral rather than intellectual way, why people say they feel violated when they see the state of http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/04/ripleys-rescue.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-7138287785988255303Fri, 28 Mar 2008 03:00:00 +00002008-03-27T21:46:13.707-06:00odds and endsnewtripleyWell, I never got around to writing the retrospective post about buying a car to replace poor Newt who got smashed last summer. But I did end up finding a beautiful '95 red Honda Civic SI coupe with tinted windows and a flowmaster exhaust (which I thought I was going to replace but I've actually learned to love it). I called her Ripley because--being a bigger, faster Civic--I kind of thought of http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/03/grand-theft-auto.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-5655955780402228505Wed, 12 Mar 2008 22:41:00 +00002008-03-27T21:26:09.600-06:00filmJust wanted to remind everyone that my short film "Coda in G Minor" screens at the $100 Film Festival this Friday, March 14. The festival runs from March 13-15 at the Plaza Theatre, starting at 7pm each night. Advance tickets are available at the CSIF or Casablanca Video, but tickets will also be available at the door. For more information about the $100 Film Festival, go to the official festivalhttp://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/03/100-film-festival.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-2762579123666447850Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:11:00 +00002008-03-04T16:21:27.539-07:00rantpoliticsMore Tories than ever? Are you fracking kidding me? "Voter turnout Monday hit a new record low" (The Canadian Press) No sh!t, Sherlock. The conspiracy theorist in me starts to look at the fact that they moved a whole slew of polling stations but didn't bother to send that information out to many of us nor did they publish that information in any of the newspapers (something that used to be http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/03/alberta-politics-suck.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-4964110344572978359Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:01:00 +00002008-02-28T16:19:06.191-07:00filmI went by the CSIF yesterday to drop off the film print of "Coda in G Minor" for the $100 Film Festival (Did I mention that it got accepted?! It's screening on Friday, March 14 at 7pm at the Plaza!) and I ended up picking up passes to see "Cidade dos Homens (City of Men)." The IMDb plot outline: "Best buddies Acerola and Laranjinha, about to turn 18, discover things about their missing fathers' http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/02/city-of-men.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-5134798429498497550Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:41:00 +00002008-02-24T18:50:54.233-07:00rantI'm having a crappy day and the few people that I actually talk to about my problems are either the cause of them, trying to head shrink me or watching the $#@%! academy awards. You might be expecting me to be watching it, too. And I was looking forward to it, albeit only because Jon Stewart is hosting. But I'm in no mood to gain enjoyment from it now, so why make myself feel worse by watching http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/02/bad-effing-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-9158879899334444185Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:23:00 +00002008-02-20T00:09:22.748-07:00tvThose of you who know my peacenik tendencies may be surprised to learn that I've been following The Discovery Channel's Jetstream, a show about fighter pilot training. But I started watching the show because my screenwriting instructor's sister-in-law is one of the pilots on it (and she's very cool). I've continued to watch the show because it's well made and I'm curious to watch Riel's progresshttp://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/02/coffins-cut.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-7213908685080975957Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:03:00 +00002008-02-18T13:18:28.937-07:00special daysI was trying to find out if today is a civic holiday in Manitoba (because I'm trying to reach Winnipeg's Globe Theatre to find out whether they're screening "Walk All Over Me" on February 22nd or February 29th, so that I can update the WAOM MySpace site) and today is that weird little civic holiday in Alberta on the third Monday of February called Family Day. I discovered that Saskatchewan and http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/02/louis-riel-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547465.post-5492113999445493539Thu, 14 Feb 2008 07:12:00 +00002008-02-14T00:29:32.183-07:00politicsI would like to start this post addressed to any US Democrats that happen to stumble across my blog by saying that you have two excellent political candidates in the running for the Presidential election this year. However (and call me a conspiracy theorist if you like), I think it is fair to say that the Republicans WANT Obama to win your nomination at the Democratic convention this summer http://www3.telus.net/weirdgrrl/2008/02/letter-to-united-states-democrats.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Weirdgrrl)