Wednesday, November 28, 2012

For Cara


Go Joe!

When I was back in Cranbrook in October my dad was telling me about some race that Joe Detta was entering in New Jersey, a mud race or something.  When I talked to my mom on the phone last night she was telling me about it because it was in the Townsman and Joe's team of 4 came in 3rd place.  Nice one Joe, congratulations!

This morning I was doing some research online to find out more about this mud race for this post.  The event was called The Toughest Mudder and took place in Englishtown, New Jersey.  I just assumed it was some race with trucks or something, but no, it's a foot race.  You have to race on foot through military style obstacles.  My hats off to Joe as it just got real!  You have to be in pretty damn good physical shape to finish one of those course, but Joe's team did it in third place!  It's almost enough motivation to maybe get me exercising more...almost.

Nice one Joe!

 If you'd like to know more, I stole the following from the Falkins Insurance Facebook page.
Miles Chisholm, Mike Honeyman, Matt Johnson and Joe Detta competed this past weekend in the Worlds Toughest Mudder in Englishtown New Jersey. The team, dubbed the "Cranbrook 4" started with 1,300 other competitors and finished, as a Team, in 3rd Place. Falkins Insurance congratulates you all on your dedication, perseverance and commitment to teamwork. A truly spectacular result! Well done!
There was a real bad picture of the four of them too, but you can make out Joe.  I think he has the white toque on.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Belieb it!




Having some fun with the "Justin Bieber Camera" app.  You can select from different pictures of Bieber as well as different effects like a mockup of the cover of Rolling Stone to sparkly hearts.    It's free and absolutely stupid, but I can see myself having some fun with it.  Maybe I'll start an on going series documenting Bieber?

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Cranbrook gets Slowned!

Way back on September 13th Sloan rocked the Key City Theatre in Cranbrook.  Willie as we all know is the technical director there and got to meet the band and hang out with them and stuff.  It's taken a while, but here are Willie's thoughts on the show and some pictures.
"My review of the concert...I'll try not to go on and on and on...but it was REALLY good. The audience could have been and SHOULD have been bigger, but those that didn't go just missed out. Some people are SO lame. Anyways...the people who were there were really into it but didn't really show it that first set...it kinda makes sense as they played all of Twice Removed...there are a few upbeat numbers, but for the most part it IS kinda mellow. So there wasn't a lot of give and take so talking to Chris during intermission he was saying how he doesn't care where they play, just as long as it's full. It could be a 300 max capacity club or a 10,000 seat arena, it doesn't matter as long as it's full so there is easy give and take between the band and the audience. Well, they picked it up a bit and gave us a barrage of songs from their entire career so far...and the audience picked it up as well...people got up out of their seats, and danced and moved and grooved at the front of the stage...it was awesome. Sloan got more into it, the audience got more into it, it was great! Chris was hilarious, crackin' jokes and his drumming moves looked awkward and hilarious at the same time. They were all super nice guys...it was a great day and night at work."

Oh yeah, "Lamps" is their lighting guy and he's been doing a blog about each of their stops...I haven't checked out the Cranbrook entry yet...funnily enough."
Willie and Lamps in the "booth". 
 The first set and the crowd is all mellow.
 The second more rocking set.  People are standing and getting into it.

OMG, Willie and Sloan!!

At least Willie can take a picture with them and not look like a complete spazz like some people. *coughcamcough*

Sounds like a good show, too bad they won't be back!  Willie said if they had sold like ten more seats then the theatre would've broken even.  I still don't know why they didn't sell more tickets, lame Cranbrook.  Willie has lots more to say about the show like Patrick had the gout, their tour bus was last used by Snoop Dogg, oops Snoop Lion, and don't even think about trying to eat lunch with Jay cuz he's a dick.  I'm sure he'll tell you more if you just ask him.

I guess Chris was impressed with Willie's orange Sloan t-shirt which I gave him quite a while ago.  The band all signed it which is cool because I was only lending it to Willie and now I'd like it back thank you very much.

One last thing, Willie mentioned Lamps aka Kevin Hilliard writing a blog about each stop on the tour.  You can check out his Cranbrook entry here.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Let the memories begin

I bet you totally forgot that I was posting about all the free dumb photo apps on my phone.  Don't feel bad because so did I, but I'm back with Disney's Memories photo app.  It's a free app to promote Disney Parks by taking pictures and dressing them up Disney style.  You can use a picture from your gallery or take a picture with the app and apply a decorative border, a filter or add a prop to your picture.  The props are stuff like ballons, hats and character icons.  It is annoying that you can only add one prop to a picture.


It is a basic app and even though it was free I was expecting a lot more from Disney.  I should be able to add Disney characters into the pictures or have the Disney castle as a backdrop.  That would be awesome!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Returned

Hey everyone, I'm back in Calgary.  I got back yesterday and the drive back absolutely sucked.  When I left Cranbrook it was raining which turned to slush just after Jaffray which then turned to snow, back to rain, to slush then to snow which was coming down lightly, heavily, lightly, not at all and then heavily all the way back to Calgary.  Make sense?  What that means is that a four hour drive took me just over five hours.  Lame.

After everything that's happened recently I was looking forward to going back to work this morning and getting back into my routine.  Until I actually got to work and was like, "This sucks!"  Now I'm working nine hour shifts for six days in a row.  That will keep me busy plus once I get home I'm playing Halo 4 co-op with Cody which is cutting into my blogging time.

When Willie and I were cruising the thrift stores I finally found out where The Cellar went, they moved to the basement of the United church.  It's a smaller space, but I like it.  It seems to be the lesser known of the Cranbrook thrift stores which is probably why I have a soft spot for it.  Also, I once bought a pair of almost new $120 Rockport shoes there for $5.


This time though I got this old timey looking motorbike dude there and he was free!  Well, I did buy a $2 watch for Avery and a new $5 iPod case Logan, so it is not like I didn't spend any money there.  I'm sure he's supposed to have a track and/or jump, but he still looks pretty cool with out it.

Hot dogging!

When we were at the Hospital Aux and weren't busy playing with bed pans, Willie was finding KFC Christmas records.  He found two official KFC Christmas albums which were opened, but still had the plastic on them.  One had Colonel Sanders in a Santa suit on the cover and everything.  After that, every thrift store we went to had the same KFC Christmas record.  In all my years of looking around thrifts stores I've never seen a KFC Christmas record, then we see them at every thrift store we visited in Cranbrook.  What's up with that?

Monday, November 19, 2012

It all makes sense now.

For my dad's service I put together a slide show that they played.  I had to go through a lot of pictures for it and in the process found a some of me.  The upside of me making the slideshow was that I got to edit out most of the pictures of myself.  I found one picture of me as a baby that is both hilarious and horrifying.

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!

This me at about 7 months old with the Easter Bunny at the drugstore.  Even though I look okay in the picture, my mom said I did NOT want to be there and made a deal about it and it probably traumatized me.  Which it most certainly did!  I guess this explains my fear of both rabbits and costumed characters.  Even now that Easter Bunny is still freaking me out.  Yikes, I won't be sleeping much tonight.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Say it ain't so!

This afternoon I was at Giant Tiger with Logan and we were just looking around.  I bought a Blu-Ray and a XBox game and I went to pay I heard the cashier lady talking about how they are closing.  I guess the suits just walked in and told everybody that they are closing the store December 22nd and that's it.  I know they didn't do big business, but there were always people in there and they did have some good stuff.  Where else are you gonna find a PZ3?  The Cranbrook mall is officially the saddest mall ever.  Why can't Cranbrook keep any stores?  Let's hope they bring back Bargain Shop!

Tonight I went to the hockey game with Matt, Logan and Avery.  I got my 50/50 tickets and didn't win again.  The good news is that we won 4-0 over the Wheat Kings.  I finally remember to snap a picture of the zamboni.


Saturday, November 10, 2012

Friday, November 9, 2012

How it's made!

On Halloween I posted an animated gif that took Cody and I an entire day, or at least a good 10 minutes to make and I was disappointed by the lack of comments.  Cara did comment, but she was more interested in Cody's reading material.  For the record that is actually Cody's copy of Swank, not mine.  I would not read such filth especially when you can get it online for free. 

When I was back in Cranbrook I found this licensed Jason Vorhees costume at the Salvation Army for only $6 and it was still sealed in the package.  As soon as I saw it I instantly came up with the idea for the picture.  At home when I showed Avery my costume he asked if he could have the "sword" when I was done with it, but his mom shot that down pretty quick.  I also had to tell him that it didn't have real blood on it.  One disappointment after another, the poor kid.


Once back in Calgary, it was time to start shooting and first I had to move everything around in the kitchen to I get the shot I wanted with everything framed right.  I had move all the crap off the kitchen table and then pull it out from the wall into so that it lined up with the hallway.  I used the microwave cart against the far wall and lined that up with the kitchen table and hallway.  I put my camera on a tripod on top of the microwave.

Yep, I had dust off my old digital camera for this one.  GifBoom just ain't cutting it anymore, it either doesn't focus or just crashes.  When I made the animated Willie pogo picture I shot that on my phone as video and then made an animated gif from that instead of using GifBoom because it looked like crap when I used it.  I also had to buy a tripod, a small one, for this too.  I picked one up at Bianca Amor's for $5.

That tripod has like 28 points of articulation, the Bender behind it has three.

Cody doesn't always read Swank, he sometimes reads real books like Freakanomics.  We were going to use that book, but then he suggested the nudie magazine.  We also considered having him reading a colouring book, but in the end stuck with Swank.

We shot the pictures in sequence as Cody just sat and posed at the table while I ran back and forth and took the pictures via the timer.  Taking the pictures only took a few minutes which was good because Cody was eager to get back to playing video games.  Now with the pictures "in the can" it was time to start putting them together.

There are a lot of online websites that will let you create animated gifs for free.  I tried a lot of them trying to get the best looking picture.  Most sites only do pictures while other do pictures and video, which how I did the Willie pogo picture.  You just upload your pictures and pick the size of the finished picture as well as set the speed you want it to run at and then the site will generate the final product.  Some sites do offer more features and some limit the amount of pictures you can upload too.  The picture I posted on the blog was made at makeagif.com.

The final picture was almost what I had in my head when I came up with the idea.  I'm still happy with how it turned out though.  Here is alternate cut of Cody just enjoying some booze and Swank.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Haha, get it?

When I was back in Cranbrook and chillin' with Willie, we went to have a look around Pages.  I found the unauthorized Courtnay Love biography, Queen of Noise.  I offered it to Willie, but since he already has a copy (in hardcover)  he said "Thanks, but no thanks."  I found in the biography section, but Willie re-catalogued it into the Horror section where it belongs.


While checking out the "Humour" section I discovered the "Great Rock 'N' Roll Joke Book" by Dave Marsh and Kathi Kamen Goldmark.  I flipped through it and found some of the jokes actually funny, if not cheesy.  I ended up buying it, just so I would have something to blog about and put some stupid jokes up.  Here we go!


There are a lot of jokes about screwing in light bulbs, so I'll try not to use to many of those.  Be warned though, don't try to blame me if you fall off your chair laughing and get hurt and don't even think about drinking something while reading this.  End disclaimer.  Also, to make each joke more enjoyable visit this website and then click the button after reading each joke.

How do you get a guitarist to stop playing?
Put sheet music in front of him.

How many guitar players does it take to change a light bulb?
None.  They just steal someone else's light.

What has three legs and a dick?
A drum stool.

What do you call guys who hang out with musicians?
Drummers.

How do you get a drummer off your doorstep?
Pay for the pizza.

How many bass players does it take to change a light bulb?
None. They can't get up that high.

What's the difference between a banjo and a chain saw?
A chain saw has greater dynamic range.

Why did the punk rock singer cross the road?
He was stapled to the chicken.

How does Michael Stipe trash a hotel room?
He unplugs the TV set.

What does Kenny G. say when he gets in an elevator?
"Wow!  This place rocks!"

What has 100 legs and no pubic hair?
The front row at a Bon Jovi concert.

How many Deadheads does it take to change a light bulb?
None.  They just watch it burn out and then follow it around for 20 years.

And finally, since I started this post with Courtney Love, I'll end it with Courtney Love.

Why does Courtney Love wear panties?
To keep her ankles warm.

You've been great, goodnight!!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Makit Happen

Earlier I issued Cam and Cara the GifBoom challenge which they accepted and totally schooled me on.  Then on a trip to Chinook Hobby West I picked up a couple Makit & Bakit sets because Cara said she was "an avid Makit & Bakit maker and baker".  I got two sets, one for Cara and one for Cam and issued the Makit & Bakit challenge to see who could makit and bakit better.  Will it be the seasoned veteran Cara or the noob Cam?

I mailed out the kits along with my Finish samples to Cam and Cara.  After making a funny picture with the Finish they set their sights on Makin' it & Bakin' it.  I actually had a picture of the kits still in the packages, but it got deleted somewhere a long the line.  A picture is worth a thousand words, so the more picture I have the less I'll have to write.  Anyway...


The kits all ready to go into a preheated oven at 375F for 15 - 25 minutes.  How long did you guys put them in the oven for?  I think my first attempt might have stayed in the oven for too long, that's why it cracked.


The finished product!  Looks good guys, but when Cam e-mailed me the pictures I had to reply and ask who made which one.  Cam replied, "Cara says it should be obvious that she made the good one and Cam made the crummy train."  I'll admit the house does look pretty darn good, while the train has lots of air bubbles.  But!  I like the addition of the red bits inside the wheels of the train, nice touch Cam, very creative.

I would like to vote for Cara's house because technically it is the best, but I'd also like to stand by the old "bros before hos" rule and vote for Cam's train.  If it have to make a choice I'll take the easy way out and declare it a tie!  Everybody wins or maybe everybody loses!  Whose do you think is the best?


Cam proudly displaying his train!  He looks pretty happy, maybe a little too happy.  It must be all the fumes.  Did you guys open a window?

Last time I was Chinook Hobby West they even had Makit & Bakit accessories like stands, hangers, and even a mobile kit.  They even had some cool Makit & Bakit Christmas themed kits of Disney characters like Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Pluto.  I might pick one up next time I there.  Although, since they are licensed characters they can charge more, like a whopping $4.99!  I'll have to save my garbage quarters.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Wash me


I thought it was funny!  Also, not my car.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Now with video!

I took a short clip from my Public Domain DVD and put it on YouTube, so now I can look forward to lawsuits for illegally posting copyrighted material.  Hope you enjoy it!


Saturday, November 3, 2012

Skate (not Scate) or Die!

Today at the good old Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association they had a huge comics/DVD blowout.  It is just a one day sale of comics and movies.  They had one last year too and I'm pretty sure I wrote about it on here, but I can't find the blog post.  Last year they also had collectibles/toys, but this year they didn't which kinda sucked.  I sorta browsed through the comics, but didn't find anything that interested me.  I just don't like flipping through boxes of comics because your fingers feel all gross.  With each comic I touch I can feel the dust and dirt accumulating on my fingers tips.  That doesn't mean I didn't buy anything though.

I got five DVDs for $10 which included a three movie set and the director's cut of Reindeer Games.  I found one movie that I was surprised to find in there as they were all Hollywood movies and such, but sitting in there I found a sealed copy of Powell Peralta's Public Domain!  Oh, the memories.  I still have my old VHS copy of it, so now I'm finally able to upgrade it to DVD.  Soon as I got home I opened it and popped it in and watched a few scenes.  It's just as awesome as you remember, but also funnier because everyone looks/is dressed funny.

Photographic proof it exists.

Thursday, November 1, 2012