Archive for: 2005
Flying High
Last weekend some friends and I went up to Whistler for a bit of zip-lining. Being afraid of heights I was pretty nervous, but it turned out to be one of the most amazing thrills of my whole life. I got to soar high above Fitzsimmons Creek with the wind and fog in my face, surrounded by the beautiful mountain scenery of BC.
Dancers, Drag Queens and Devout Nerds
Taking a brief break from Web development, with the coding and the styling and the restructuring, to write a quick entry. (A month between entries is not good. At least I’ve got a good excuse this time.)
So anyway, last Saturday I went to Davie Days, a street festival sort of thing where the businesses (queer and otherwise) along Davie Street all have booths displaying their stuff; there were a couple of beer gardens, a guy making balloon hats for the kiddies (of all ages) and a couple of stages for entertainment.
Man Walking Against The Wind… OF SIN!!!
Just when I think I’ve seen everything, along comes a Web site so unique, so startling, so fucking ridiculous that I instantly feel humbled and relieved. Because there are whole dimensions of crazy and stupid out there, and if I searched for a lifetime I could only scratch the surface. Gawd bless the Internet.
What I’ve Got Cooking
I’m currently in the middle of a big site redesign. The ball got rolling last month when I changed the index page to add a little PHP script. Nothing too fancy, but it got my feet wet. So here’s what’s going to happen:
Pride Day 2005
Hey, that was fun.
Here’s the thing: I hadn’t been to the Pride parade in six years. I swore off in ’99 because I was disgusted at how commercial and corporatized the whole thing was, with the huge floats for the bars or mainstream sponsors (Air Canada, CIBC, Royal Bank, VanCity… come to think of it, is there a single major bank who’s not hot for gay money these days?), with less and less visibility for community or political organizations.
Welcome to the 21st Century
Equal Marriage Bill Passes Final Hurdle It’s times like this that my cold, cynical heart thaws a little, and I’m proud to be Canadian.
Comic Book Review: The Books of Magic
The Books of Magic was an ongoing series published under the Vertigo imprint from 1994 to 2000, spanning 75 issues. It told the story of Timothy Hunter, a thirteen-year old dark-haired, bespectacled British boy who learns he is destined to become the most powerful magician of his era. The Books of Magic followed Tim as he learned to handle the usual problems of being a teenager, all the while growing into his power, learning about his heritage and future, and dealing with supernatural enemies.
Reeds in Space
I’ve been reading up on the Deep Impact mission to study the comet Tempel 1. You know, this is the sort of thing that gives me hope for the future, since it shows that humankind can be good at something besides killing each other or watching The Real American Bachelor Nanny or whatever the hell is on these days.
Point Release
So I’ve been fiddling with the site’s styles a bit. Partly to clean up the stylesheets, removing redundant definitions and adding more comments so I’ll have an easier time maintaining them in the future, and partly to deal with some of IE’s frackin’ display issues. Stupid IE.
Host
I control the horizontal. I control the vertical.
Ladies and gentlemen, as of this weekend, I am self-hosting my site. Hey, I’ve had the hardware and the software for months now. In that time I’ve been reading up on what I need to configure and run my own Web server, and I’m finally ready to take the leap.
Comic Book Review: Shadow Cabinet
Shadow Cabinet was part of Milestone Media’s second generation of comics, one of the two series introduced during the Milestone universe’s “Shadow War” crossover event. The Shadow Cabinet is a secret organization of superheroes thousands of years old. Its operatives, in constant rotation from mission to mission, have sworn to fulfill its mandate: “To save humanity from itself”, whether humanity wants it or not.
Comic Book Review: Xombi
Xombi was one of the two series introduced during the Shadow War, the first crossover event of the Milestone universe. It’s also the only one in the whole lot that looks nothing like a superhero comic. With its unusual artwork and mindbogglingly weird plots and characters, Xombi is in a class all by itself.
Comic Book Review: Static
Static is among the first generation of titles put out by Milestone Media. I bought the first issue when it came out in April ’93 but, stupidly, did not immediately keep reading the series. Then again, I guess I was lucky I picked up Static at all: back in those dark days, I hardly read anything but big-name Marvel titles, and even then never committed to any particular one. So I forgot about Static for about a year and a half.
Thirteen And Counting
Every year around this time, it hits me: the nagging urge to write and post something for the anniversary of my coming out. I’m not sure what to write about, exactly: something deep and meaningful where I’d explore issues politics or identity, or just how I’ve changed and grown in the time since coming out.
Hooray! I’m Popular!
And a warm welcome to visitors surfing in from GayVancouver.Net. Seems I’ve been chosen as the GayVancouver.Net Proud! Out Loud! Web site of the week. Thank you to those who nominated me! It’s quite an honour to be counted with such excellent sites, but don’t worry: I won’t let it go to my head. Much.
Some thoughts on a couple of movies I haven’t seen
Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. Haven’t seen it. Not planning to, either, at least not until I can rent it on DVD. The reviews I’ve read are mixed: some have completely blasted it, some admitted that, though different from the original material, it’s pretty good. The thing is, though, I’m too much of a purist. I’m afraid to go see this movie and find out they’ve hacked it all to pieces, at which point I’d have to go on a murderous rampage to avenge Douglas Adams’ honour.
Dust, Magic and Carnie Freaks: HBO’s Carnivàle
Warning: Spoilers a-comin’
Right, so this review’s a few weeks late, but I had other commitments.
I’ve been watching both seasons of Carnivàle since the beginning, and I’m here to say it’s been a hell of a show. The story—taking place in 1934 in the American Southwest—focuses on two characters: first, Ben Hawkins, a troubled young man picked up by a traveling carnival; he has the power to heal and even raise the dead, but only by taking energy from other living beings. Second, Brother Justin Crowe, a California preacher who can look into people’s souls and make them face their greatest sins.
Game Review: Homeworld 2
I just finished playing Homeworld 2. All in all, it was a hell of a game, just as engaging as its predecessors Homeworld and Homeworld: Cataclysm. Not perfect, mind you, but still pretty damn amazing.
“I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Because, honestly: how is this billboard not shameless religious propaganda?
Weaver
I’ve got a new pet.
About a week ago, I noticed a big Orb Weaver spider had settled outside my living room window. It’s a beauty, a bit over 1cm long not counting the legs, with pretty patterns of brown and orange on its abdomen… and the impressive web itself, a couple of feet across, spun in the traditional spiral pattern that gives these beasties their name.
