Garbage Picker

Today I picked up some more awesome garbage. I started picking up garbage during the summer where I worked. I got a really nice sweater, a golf club and a razor scooter along with lots of golf balls. Vancouver has amazing garbage. I usually leave anythng I want for a day or 2 to make sure no one is coming back for it or a homeless person doesn't want it. I have a sweater which sadly is too small, 2 hubcaps, a leather jacket, a bow tie, a broken DVD player and broken PC monitor. I had a chance to take a broken TV but it was too big. Don't worry, I am careful and wash all clothing and make sure the other stuff is safe to carry.

I really hope I can use this garbage as art. There is a project coming up that I want to use the DVD player parts to create a kinetic sculpture. Not exactly sure how I am going to do that but that is the plan right now. I have used one of the hubcaps  in a themed photo shoot although it wasn't included in the final.

It seems that most of the garbage I pick up has been rejected by the person who threw it out and a homeless person who took what they thought was useful and broke the item further.

Good Acting

My definition of good acting is when type cast people can also play the opposite. Or when characters switch bodies, like Freaky Friday. I was watching an episode of Eureka, a sci-fi show where two characters switch bodies. The acting is so good and the episode made me really happy and laugh out loud. The Sheriff switched bodies with the cause of most of his problems. Both actors were able to convincingly portray the other by copying mannerisms believably. I usually don't notice acting and that is the way I think it should be, but I was impressed. Wow, that looks a lot shorter on screen than it felt in my head. Oh well.

Sack

This is a jumping sack. It is made of 24 drawings.

Impossible Tricks

Movie Quiz

I have decided that since I like movies and movie quotes I would give you a quiz. If you get a question right you win ...... nothing ! : )


Okay number one " well that depends on if you like danger"
                      hint: "not my neighbors. next door neighbors."
                      hint: "Barrett's naturally" soda jingle
                      hint: "It's chocolate"
                      hint: "poor Rusty"
                      hint: 1995
                      hint: Richard Karn, Dave Thomas and Mary Page Keller


The answer is Picture Perfect. If you got that without Google or IMDB good for you. If not, you should watch it. I gave lots of hints because it is old and not very common knowledge.

Number two 
The trailer said "Before Jaws....Before 20,000 leagues under the sea... Before Free Willy... The Biggest fish story of all time..."
                      hint: 2002
                      hint: family
                      hint: Vegetables

The answer is Jonah: A Veggietales movie. This is an animated film based on the Bible story of Jonah and the big fish. It is a musical acted by vegetables with very catchy music.

Number three  you had better get this....
                         "We need to send you back.... to the future"

I am not going to dignify that with any hints. Back to the Future, obviously.

Number four "That's pretty dangerous building a road in the middle of the street. I mean, if frogs couldn't hop, I'd be gone with the Schwinn"
                   hint: recently revamped franchise
                   hint: " Ahh, a bear in his natural habitat - a Studebaker."
                   hint: " Jack not name! Jack job!"
                   hint: talking animals interacting with monsters and humans
                   hint: 1979

Well I hope you guessed the right one. It's The Muppet Movie, there have been many other movies with muppets and the revamp with The Muppets. The new stuff is good but the older the better. The whole feeling of the film is different when Jim Henson does Kermit than when Steve Whitmire does it. Fun fact: Yoda in Stars Wars episodes 4-6 is a puppet controlled and voiced by muppeteer Frank Oz.

This is the end of the quiz for now. Stay tuned! Don't touch that remote... or mouse. :)

Cartoons...

Children's programming is horroble now. I think it tries too hard to teach and doesn't take into account the parents at all. Back when I was a kid the kid's shows were watchable by parents the sangs were catchy but not irritating and entertaining. Shows like Sesame Street were fun and watchable by parents. The celebrities wouldn't be known by the kids prior to being on the show but the parents would know who they were. I have huge respect for people who write children's songs that aren't annoying to the parents, like Fred Penner or Sharon Lois and Bram. New songs from groups like the Doodlebops are very catchy and very annoying. Why is there a song about cauliflower? OK, that one is actually my favorite by them. Now with shows like Bo on the Go or Dora the explorer the gaps for answering are way too long. Mr. Dress Up spoke to the audience too but not with the annoying gaps.

Whatever happened to learning in person and entertaining through TV. George Shrinks, Recess, Arthur.... these shows have life lessons that are not being outrageously obvious but evident enough to work. Magic School bus taught science after school got out but was entertaining. I liked learning things before being taught them in school.

I am super disappointed in the parents of today for allowing this to continue. Perhaps I will make a new show with all the stuff I like. I remember watching kid's CBC on Saturday mornings or when I was sick and It has changed so many times. Usually when they change the settings for the stuff between shows it isn't for the better. I mean I like puppets but some of the characters they have now are too ridiculous. Mama Yamma I am pretty sure is a yam and I am not sure her kids actually exist. Anyway that is my cartoon rant for today.

Busy

This is how I feel right now. I know most of my class feels the same. A very catchy song by Veggietales.

Lonely?

Vancouver has been voted as one of the hardest places to get to know people. I beleive this is because we are too worried about offending people so we don't do anything. Getting to know people is hard because we are worried about what they will think of us. Humans are judgemental. Period. It can be a good thing and keep us safe. Like judging if a car is going to stop for us at the crosswalk or judging if walking down a backalley is a good idea. Judging character can also be a good thing, knowing if people are trust worthy or not. But we usually take the judgements too far and avoid contact with other people to protect ourselves.

It always makes me happy when I am walking and someone says goodmorning to me but I am often afraid of that possible awkwardness that greeting a stranger can bring so I don't initiate. Vancouver would be a friendlier place if people weren't afraid to make small talk to strangers when walking or on the skytrain. Yes, initiating is hard but I have decided that if it makes me happy it will make others happy. I am going to try to greet everyone I walk by that is not obviously busy with something else. And to those that are busy I will make a conscious effort to smile. Who's with me?


I know it is a small thing to say hi to people but it works. In Junior High I had an awkward acqaintancship with Sue, one of my classmates. I became convinced through a few months that Sue, though that's not her name, didn't like me at all. I was encouraged by outside sources to just say hi everyday and see what happenned. Well, it was hard to remember and at the begginning it was wierd because she was surprised. We weren't ever friends but eventually saying hi led to extra smiles in the hallway and I no longer thought she didn't like me. That was probably me being over judgemental anyway.

All About Me

Hello and welcome to my blog. I am going to spend this first post talking to you about me.

This blog is created as part of an assignment for school. I am in Foundation Visual Arts class 57 at Vancouver Film School. My ultimate goal is mechanical special effects for movies, unfortunately I could not find a course for that anywhere so I am in Vancouver instead. I love my classes and most of the homework is fun, of course there are things I don't want to do but most of it is enjoyable. The little free time I have is often spent watching movies as research 'cough cough' and TV shows. I have learned so much in my classes it has changed how I think while I watch movies. I can now tell you all the reasons why I didn't like something or why it looked bad. Other things I enjoy make me think I would have been happier if I was born in say.... the 1940's.

I have a record player and my Great Grandma's old records. My favorite music is from the 30's and 40's or epic soundtracks. I remember watching Sesame Street in black and white. My first and favorite game system is the NES, I also play PC games but I prefer the simple controls of NES. I enjoy Rubik's cubes. I think that learning the algorithms to cube online is like cheating. I admit I looked a bit but at the written directions not the video tutorials. I have solved the 3x3x3 cube twice without internet assistance and will continue to work on it. I am usually pretty fast at the 2x2x2, my record is 2 minutes. I am definitely not a speed cuber but I find it enjoyable. My current record for the 3x3x3 is 2 hours. I now have a 4x4x4 cube a.k.a. Rubik's Revenge and am extremely far from solving that. I also yoyo, it has been my hobby for a few years and I am quite good at it. Yoers often share with others but I have not met anyone better than me. Most people I share with can barely get the yoyo to return to their hand. Yes, before you ask I can walk the dog and no, I cannot do the invisible man from Recess. I tried to do the invisible man but I don't think it is actually possible in real life.

Since I am in film school you probably want to know what my favorite movie is. My favorite movie is Mary Poppins because:
                    1. It's a musical
                    2. The characters (I enjoy the mix of real accents with Dick Van Dyke's fake one)
                    3. It's from my childhood ( I remember repeatedly renting it on VHS)
                    4. It mixes animation with live action better than some newer movies (Garfield live action movies are terrible for example)

I am not sure what else you would want to know so this is the end of my post.