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Perhaps a sign that the Myles Files may be busier in the months ahead than I anticipated, as here I am bright and early writing a personal post. This could be because I am valiantly struggling to find ways to resist going back to bed in order to get back on a regular sleep schedule, or maybe I was just so moved by last night’s victory by the Montreal Canadiens that I had to blog about it.
Okay, so I think it’s the first one. However, that doesn’t mean that the second is a total fabrication: while it might surprise some people, I am most certainly a playoff hockey fan. What’s that, you might ask? Well, it’s someone who will occasionally glance at the box scores during the regular season, maybe take a look at a standings to see where his/her favourite team sits, and then watches slightly more closely as the Games Remaining column pops up. And then the playoffs start.
At that point, the playoff hockey fan shifts into full gear: the hat with the team logo, even though it is dirty and ratty, emerges from its winter sequester, a trip to the Sports section of news websites becomes a habit, etc. For me, the team is without question le Montreal Canadiens, for no reason other than that they were the most successful Canadian team in my formative years, which resulted in both my over-enthusiastic Elder and my over-impressionable self to fall into the spell of a Stanley Cup championship hockey team.
While we’ve both remained devoted playoff fans of the Habs (It makes for the occasional disappointing seasons, right Leafs fans?), I am certainly a different breed of hockey fan. You see, I’m not actually capable of watching the games. This might seem odd, considering the whole point of hockey should be watching it by all logic, but I literally can’t do it. If you ever want to find a way to paralyze my life (I’m revealing my kryptonite here, I must be insane), find a sports team I like and put them in a sudden death match like last night’s Game 7.
At that point, I am inconsolably stressed out.
Greetings, faithful Myles Files readers who have received almost zero examples of real content for like the past six months. When this blog started last summer, it seemed like the right time: Cultural Learnings was coming into its own, I was really starting to dig into my thesis projects, and there was some upcoming Acadia news that seemed ripe for the blogging.
Of course, those final two projects veered off into rather time-consuming directions, with my thesis turning into a time-consuming monster and the faculty strike becoming a rather phenomenal blogging experience. The result of all of this, however, was that The Myles Files didn’t really serve any sort of particular purpose: my life was never interesting enough to maintain a steady flow of content, a majority of my entertainment viewing was television and handled by the other blog, and any thoughts I had about various Acadia goings-on have largely been relegated to the sidelines in favour of finishing this bloody degree.
But now the degree is over - the final thesis edit is complete, and by and large it appears that I have a fairly loose summer ahead of me. I have no full-time employment, plenty of movies to watch, and a number of exciting and bloggable projects in the works. So, clearly, the Myles Files is back in action, right?
Maybe. Or, well, maybe not.
You see, my summer includes the potential for (Brace yourself) two new blog projects, multiple facebook groups, and Masters’ Research Work. While I am still expecting that I will have a fair amount of free time compared to previous summers, a lot of that free time will go towards various new media outlets wherein I will be discussing those subjects elsewhere.
However, part of the summer may well necessitate blogging, as I might actually be forced into trying new things (And this is always entertaining as far as I am concerned). I will admit to having SOADD (Sudden Onset Attention Deficit Disorder) merely 24 hours after finishing off the undergrad - I can’t maintain one activity for too long, whether it is watching a television show, a movie, or even playing a video game. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I’ve lost interest in these things, but rather that I am branching out in search of entertainment and self-fulfillment.
Where that road will take me I am not quite sure - I’m actively pondering a particular month-long project in May, and have a goal that I will have developed some form of podcast about some sort of subject by the time the summer is over. I’ve spent the last three summers doing the same thing over and over again, so it should be interesting to see a summer where personal discovery is par for the course (Oooh, that reminds me - I also want to golf more).
So, while I’ll be pulled into a variety of different directions, I do plan on sticking around the Myles Files - whether it’s to describe these other ventures or to vent about this that or another, this blog shall live on. However, as always, for more consistent updates, Cultural Learnings gets first priority.
Review: Disney’s Enchanted
Enchanted is a film which, by and large, came out of nowhere from a critical perspective. Disney certainly put the film in a position to be a successful venture: Thanksgiving Weekend was once their largest box office domain, so their return to the frame was inevitable. However, count me amongst those who saw this film as family fare that would be a hit with the kids but have little outside value. And, in the end, the film is far more polished and much more worthwhile than one might expect. While it is inevitably a family film which relies on the saccharine, the elements which serve as a wry homage to the animated Disney clichés prove far more prevalent than its previews portrayed.
Beginning with a beautiful opening act done in 2D animation, Enchanted tells the story of Gisele (Amy Adams), a naive forest maiden who dreams of true love’s kiss. She thinks she’s found it when the prince (James Marsden) finally notices her, and they are set to be married the next day (Live’s too short for long engagements in Andalasia) - this, however, is no good for the evil stepmother of a Queen (Susan Sarandon) who does not desire to give up her throne. And so, she dumps Gisele down a mysterious well where she emerges out of a manhole into the streets of real-life New York, stumbling her way into the life of Robert (Patrick Dempsey), a divorce attorney with a young daughter and a fiance to be (Idina Menzel). Combine with an out of control chipmunk and a loyal servant (Timothy Spall), and you’ve got the element of your standard fairy tale.
But nothing is standard about the film’s execution: take for example its take on the Working Song, where Gisele enlists the critters of New York to help clean Robert’s apartment. And yes, this includes rats and pigeons, as one would expect considering. However, I didn’t expect the film to go so far as to use cockroaches - it seemed a dark place to head, and it was honestly refreshing. As a whole, the musical numbers are one place where the film has perhaps its most successful nods to Disney’s past: “That’s How You Know” turns into a raucous Central Park-based musical extravaganza, for example, but Dempsey is used as a cynical voice throughout. It’s not a parody, really, but an homage with a wink to the audience that the creators are aware of what they’re doing.
[As part of my Theory3073 Class, we are required to provide three critical responses/commentaries as part of our course work. In addressing Marxist theory, the first of our major perspectives taken within the course, I chose to complete the following assignment as a way of testing its legitimacy and its use as a way into new forms of media.
Normally I'd put this type of stuff at my TV blog, Cultural Learnings, but in this case I've chosen to place it here due to its application to academic endeavors. I might end up using certain aspects of this within my thesis, although I have pretty much decided I could theoretically use every single perspective in the history of literature in my thesis, so I will need to pare that down. Anyways, I'm posting it online so I can use YouTube to illustrate my points, and to share with everyone. So, enjoy!]
You Can’t Take The Sky From Me:
A Marxist Reading of Joss Whedon’s “Firefly”
In reading Terry Eagleton’s Marxism and Literary Criticism, my immediate reaction was how this related to television (For those who know me, this should not be surprising). This is, obviously, a flawed perspective, but what I came to understand reading the text is that a Marxist perspective puts a very different perspective on literature, and that applying this to a television show could reveal hidden complexities and detail that would elevate it to a level of literary scholarship. It is with this eye that I turned to Firefly, which I realized was not just another science fiction series. The result was a greater understanding of the series’ representation of class, unique for the genre, and also the complexities of its largely invented superstructure.
The realm of science fiction intended for mass consumption within a popular culture realm is a world in which idealist systems of governance and society have been the relative norm. If we look to Star Trek, it represented a world where there was no struggling working class and no sense of economic structure: rather, food came out of magic machines and life was threatened by arch-villains as opposed to the struggle of the masses. Even Star Wars’ Tatooine, despite the representation of slave labour within Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, is never seen as a class struggle but rather a personal issue for young Anakin and his mother. And really, let’s be honest: they don’t even have it so bad when it comes to slaves.
Joss Whedon, meanwhile, wanted to create a science fiction environment where things weren’t all shiny, and where true political and social ramifications not only existed but set the stage for the action that would follow. Firefly is not a glorified and idealized view of the future, but one that actually features an acknowledgement of the impact of things such as base and superstructure on the production of language, and as a result the production of literature. As a result, it is possible to view the production of society within the series itself as a unique case study of the Marxist analysis we have discussed in class.
Hey everyone,
When I started the school year, I had lofty goals of posting Welcome Week Retrospectives and looking at a potential trip to Europe and everything else under the sun. And then, well, the school year started. I’ve got papers to write, a thesis to finish, Research Assisting to do, RAing to do…and I had to make a choice. Either keep Cultural Learnings, my TV blog, running during the key fall season, or abandon it in favour of this blog. A quick inspection of the two will show that I chose the prior option.
But I won’t be abandoning this entirely: you’ll find an occasional thesis rant, an occasional picture notice (Some new Close-up Profile shots can be located on my Flickr Page), and an occasional update on Acadia affairs. However, since there might even be another blog project in the months ahead, I don’t think the Myles Files will be consistently updates until I have a degree and an uncertain future at my doorstep.
So, farewell for now…at some point I’m sure I’ll come crawling back.
Myles
Over the past month or so, I have taken to what I will call “taking a lot of pictures.” This isn’t entirely abnormal, but in taking so many pictures I stumbled upon a practice I enjoy quite a lot. This practice? Profile pictures.
By this I mean photos of people’s faces, almost exclusively, that offer some sort of insight into their individual. It’s the most atrsy set of photos I’ve ever taken, and I think that some are better than others. That being said, I also really like the way they turned out, and the way they come together: some of them are truly representative of the individuals in question.
For my fellow Chipman/Rojo RAs, they became the royal court of sorts. Nathan’s photo is Kingly, Rick’s is threatening (The Muscle), Andrew’s is studious (Bureaucrat), Laura’s is pensive (Princess), and Sondra’s is icy (Queen). I’m leaving some out, but only because their descriptions lack such adjectives.
So check out the photo set on Flickr if you’re interested, and be on the lookout next time I have a camera: if I’m taking a really long time to take a picture of you, chances are I’m lining up one of these shots.
For those who may also read my TV blog, Cultural Learnings, you might know that I’ve spent a lot of time covering the Jericho renewal and concurrent fan uprising that took place over the summer. As part of that, Copywrite, Ink. (An advertising/business analysis blog) began covering the phenomenon from a business perspective. Rich, who runs the site, and I have had some terse arguments (Including one yesterday that was kind of intense), but in the end it’s all in good fun.
Also all in good fun, apparently, was a Short Story contest. The task was to create a 1000 word short story that fell into the Jericho universe, if you will. And, since it was during the summer and I had not written anything creatively in a while, I decided to submit something. And, well, I won 2nd Place. Which meant a T-Shirt and a Jericho poster. Woot.
It was kind of cool, really, and the reason I post this is that today the story was published. They made some minor stylistic edits (Tense/Word Choice stuff), but in the end it’s my story. There are some parts where the edits were clearly done to remove some of my usual authorial crutches (Such as unnecessary use of Basically, I’m sure), but this simply removes my more annoying habits from the proceedings. So who am I to complain?
Is it genius? No. Is it almost wholesale ripped off from “Damn You, Dr. Phil!”, my Minifest play three years ago? Pretty much.
So if you’re bored, you can check it out and see what you think.
“Finally giving up in his attempts to grow a mustache that rivals those of great dictators past, McNutt the Mad now forces one of his concubines to continually provide one through judicial thumb placement.”
Congratulations to Chris Rivers for this winning caption. Suzanne, our guest judge, decided it was the best based on its involvement of the awkwardly placed thumb, perhaps the picture’s most defining characteristic.
Rivers will be able to force me to blog about something he desires…last time I checked, it was the connection between Joey and Apartheid. We’ll see if that sticks.
Thanks to everyone for participating, I’ll be starting another one soon! I even have the picture picked out.
Life is hectic at the moment, with many projects on the go and the fact that I’m…well, I’ll get to that in a second. This new feature, “Myles is…”, is just another complicated way for me to talk about myself. Just so we’re clear.
Myles is…
Returning to Acadia on Monday
That’s right: Monday evening, I’ll officially be relocating back to Acadia. This is relatively exciting for me, but for the blog it is certainly going to mean some transition time.
Officially No Longer a Hoser
I’ll be explaining in this weekend’s blog post just what I did all summer, (in pictures!), but for now I will say that as of this morning I am officially no longer an employee of the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation.
[First off, computer update: a discoloured patch in my LCD on the lower right corner, but the laptop is in working order at the moment after a detour to Wolfville. So thanks, USC! And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.]
Settle It! is a new feature here at The Myles Files, because it’s a chance for you to enter either an internal debate or an argument I had with someone in particular. In this case, you (Yes, you!) get to enter a debate between the brothers McNutt.
The Question: When it comes to posting pictures on Facebook, do you:
a) Immediately place commentary on the photos or…
b) Post all pictures sooner so people can be tagged and memories cherished.
Myles’ Side
I’m with B on this one. I think that when you take a lot of pictures of a trip, one of the best (or worst, depending on one’s behaviour) parts is getting home and seeing what has gone up on Facebook. As a result, it’s good to add photos in bulk first, so that people can see themselves tagged and they can add comments of their own and relive some memories. For me, they come first.
The Elder’s Side
The Elder, meanwhile, purports that without descriptive commentary the photos are useless to the hundreds of Facebook users who weren’t on the trip but would like to read the events. So, in other words, he’s on the side of A. And that, really, I was being inconsiderate to those people. Mainly, you know, him.
The title says it all. Milk faced off with laptop, milk won. Short-circuit, milk drained, guessing the motherboard and keyboard are likely goners. The hard drive and other components seem okay, to be honest.
So, yell at me for being an idiot now, k thx.
Over the weekend, I traveled with a group of friends to Kejimkujik National Park in southwestern Nova Scotia. This is one of those places that I’ve always gone to, and that has become even infinitely more interesting now that my camera comes with me. As I grow old and feeble and unable to bike with the same ability as years previous, my camera more than makes up for it. Except, you know, in terms of exercise and all that. I did get over 20k in, but that’s for a later post. For now, I’m tired.
So, here’s a few links to whet your appetite for photographic evidence of my trip: a set of pretty Flickr photos from the trip as a whole, and the first Facebook album of what is certainly going to be a whole lot. Why? The first album only covered the first four hours of the trip. And I didn’t even add every picture.
So, enjoy, and stay tuned for more albums and maybe even some more Flickr Photos as the week goes on. Plus, some stories and all that fun stuff.
Hammonds Plains, NS - Under clear skies at the Greenhill Tennis Facility in Highland Park, the battle of the McNutts reached its anti-climactic end after a mere forty minutes, in which Myles McNutt dominated Ryan McNutt to take their Best-of-Five match in straight sets (6-0, 6-1, 6-1).
While Ryan was out of practice and didn’t quite have home court advantage, the game was still mostly a display for Myles’ growing skills.
“I’ve only been playing for a week, now,” Myles said in a post-match interview, “but I’m starting to feel more comfortable with my serves and my returns. It’s good to have a real game under my belt for when I return to Acadia to face stiffer competition.”
Ryan, meanwhile, could only lament his loss, commenting that he was certainly going to be sore in the morning. While this may be the case, he doesn’t go home empty-handed: he performed some strong shots, and certainly kept up with Myles in the game. He plans to try to test out his newly honed skills at a court nearer to his home in the future.
Myles, meanwhile, heads to Acadia in about a week, and there he hopes to find new competition.
“I’ve got two rackets, four balls and a desire to play more tennis. Anyone who is interested, you’ll know where to find me.” Sounds like a challenge to this reporter! Will anyone take him up on his challenge? Well, we’ll find out soon.
[In a new feature here at the Myles Files, "All Thumbs" will be a way for me to send kudos out to various individuals while also offering some criticism of others. Some of them will be serious, and some of them...won't be. So, enjoy.]
Thumbs Up to…
Emily McCarthy and Kelton Thomason, two of the fine folks organizing New Student Orientation this year, for being on the ball with the Special Interest Groups. Last year was a complete mess, as people didn’t know what they were and the organizational failures led to events that were both poorly attended and poorly organized. After getting lucky the first year, a lack of NSO Leader knowledge on the subject and general planning led to the bubble bursting, and it wasn’t pretty.
But Emily and Kelton have been putting together an entire website for all of the facilitators and events, and are actually planning on pre-registering people. This excites me to no end, as now I can Facebook stalk potential debating recruits. And, let’s face it, I never turn down a chance to do that! So kudos, Emily and Kelton, for some fine work that fulfills perhaps my biggest beef with Welcome Week. Now, if we can cut down on the length of that Red and White Scrimmage, that would be marvelous.
Thumbs Down to…
Kent in Lower Sackville. I was stuck at your particular business establishment for ten minutes today, and you had absolutely no form of sustenance to offer me. No Caramilk, no Mars, no Smarties…you only had gum. Well, I didn’t want gum. I wanted a chocolate bar. But instead, I got nothing. While I understand you sell building supplies, I also think you should at least carry a small number of chocolate based items for those of us who may be famished.
Thumbs Up to…
The weather, for two things. First, for holding off the torrential rain until last evening, as opposed to dumping it onto me while I was working yesterday. And second, most importantly, for looking pretty frakkin’ awesome for this weekend’s camping trip.
Thumbs Down to…
The weather, for two things. First, for bringing said torrential rain in conjunction with Thunder and Lightning, which basically turned Cody into a panting mess all evening. And, second, for bringing quite so much rain, perhaps rendering the paths at Keji to be puddled messes when it comes to biking through them.
Thumbs Up to…
Everyone who entered The Myles’ Files first ever Caption Contest! There was some strong interest in the contest, and for that I am most grateful. However…
Okay, so this will be short. Late last night, I started receiving hits from a message board for Denver Attachment Parenting, which was perhaps one of the most obscure referrals I’ve received at Cultural Learnings. Since I don’t have time before work to attempt to figure out a logical connection, and because I refuse to register for an attachment parenting forum to find out, here’s some info on Attachment Parenting…any idea why they might be linking to my TV blog?
Wikipedia - Attachment Parenting
General
Attachment parenting, a phrase coined by pediatrician William Sears, is a parenting philosophy based on the principles of the attachment theory in developmental psychology. According to attachment theory, a strong emotional bond with parents during childhood, also known as a secure attachment, is a precursor of secure, empathic relationships in adulthood.
Eight Principles of Attachment Parenting
Per Dr. Sears’ theory of attachment parenting (AP), proponents such as the API attempt to foster a secure bond with their children by promoting eight principals which are identified as goals for parents to strive for. These eight principals are:
- Preparation for Pregnancy, Birth and Parenting
- Feed with Love and Respect
- Respond with Sensitivity
- Use Nurturing Touch
- Engage in Nighttime Parenting
- Provide Consistent Loving Care
- Practice Positive Discipline
- Strive for Balance in Personal and Family Life
So…anyone got a clue?
[Do you know what's fun? Numbers. They surround his every day, they add up to other numbers, and some of them are indivisible by anything but one and themselves! Isn't that Ka-RAZY?! Anywho, here's the numbers currently dominating my life.]
Number of Days of Work Remaining
Seven. Three this week, and then four next. Yay.
Number of Days Until Returning to Wolfville
11-14 Days, give or take. It’s still up in the air.
Yesterdays 18-Hole Golf Score
124. My mother asked me if this round was good for me, which is an impossible question to answer: I have no standards, I don’t golf enough to have them, so I really can’t say. I did, however, beat my father by a stroke. Take that!
SPF of Sunscreen placed on My Legs while Golfing Yesterday
0, which was hideously not smart of me. I clearly haven’t been outside enough this summer if I never had my legs burn, but I honestly didn’t even consider it, and I don’t know why. They’re currently a tad bit sensitive, which should make for an uncomfortable if shortened week. I hope, however, that they’ll be in decent shape by the time I head to…
After a refreshing session of Tennis with father dearest (Who fought through his carpel tunnel and shoulder problems to provide a decent first outing), I came home to drink some Kool-Aid, rest and relax from a hard evening’s work on the courts. I decided to check my blog stats, as I usually do, and found that there was a most intriguing Google Search that came to the Myles Files.
“tantallon serial killer”
Needless to say, I’m a little bit alarmed at this. First of all, I was unaware that there was a serial killer like right down the road, and will surely tread more carefully in the future. Plus, I know people from Tantallon: a word of warning goes out to them that they might want to avoid dark alleyways in the future. However, most importantly, this terrifies me for one specific reason:
It proves my mother right.
So, the lovely Ms. Suzanne McNeil gave me a great idea for a contest of sorts for The Myles Files, so all credit goes to her. I figure it’s about time I started giving some incentive to read the blog, and now seems like as good a time as ever.
So, here’s the first ever Myles Files “Caption This Picture” Contest!
Caption Me!
Context: This picture of Ryan “The Elder” McNutt and his girlfriend (The aforementioned Ms. McNeil) was taken at my cousin Paul’s wedding.
Caption Options: It’s entirely up to you - put words into either of their mouths, describe their actions, go nuts.
The Prize
Okay, so admittedly I don’t have an actual prize for you. However, if you live in bizarro land, you might find this just as valuable as a tangible object.
If you write the best caption out of all of the captions (There might not be very many), you get the ability to choose the topic of a post at my TV blog, Cultural Learnings. This means you can make me write pretty well whatever you want, within limits of course. If your goal in life has been to gain power over me in some form, here’s your chance!
I’m placing the deadline as Midnight on Sunday (That’s Monday Morning, technically), Atlantic time. Happy captioning, everyone!
This will be brief: I’m on this restaurant’s wireless connection while we stopped for a quick breakfast to plan counts out on the road. There’s a few things I want to get to immediately.
The Longest Goodbye
Okay, so any fellow RAs would have gotten the email from new Director of Residence Life Scott Rausch which informed us non-SRAs that our return date has been pushed back a week to August 24th. On the one hand, this has all sorts of benefits: I can work another four days, I don’t have to do as much training, etc. I should really be very happy about this.
Except that, well, I was ready to go back. I had mentally prepared myself to return to Wolfville in just two weeks, and entirely prepared to not be working that week. I’ve been in the Valley with work a few days recently, and I think I’m basically already there in my mind. While part of me should really be dreading what September will bring (Thesis, courses, planning, etc.), I’m more or less entirely prepared for this summer to be over.
I’m sure I’ll survive. Maybe.
I Want to Ride My Bicycle…
Currently dealing with some bike repairs that are most concerning. My bike only gets ridden about once a year, at Keji, so it isn’t in too bad shape in a majority of ways. However, one of those ways appears to be the drivetrain basically falling apart. This was experienced last year at Keji where I was useless not just due to out of shapeness, but also thanks to the inability to stay in gear. Being unable to rely on gear shifting basically made the entire experience an exercise in futility.
At 7:30 last night, our neighbourhood lost power for what appears to have been maintenance of some sort. I found this out when my internet died, and my laptop screen went dull, and when my light wouldn’t work. I spent some time staring at my clock wondering why it wasn’t on, and then kept working offline until Cody came up to bug me to go out. I headed outside, chatted with the rents and the neighbours, and then came back inside at about 8:10pm. This is my entire thought process as soon as I entered the house.
“I’ll just go online and…oh, right, I can’t go online. Darn then…well, I guess I could play some Resident Evil, I haven’t…oh wait, my TV isn’t magically powered by pixies. Well, I could always transfer those files from my old external drive to my new one and…oh wait, hard drives don’t have magical power supplies either.”
I was at a standstill. No, seriously: I stood still in my room and searched across the perimeter. It was getting a bit too dark for a book (Well, not really, that’s just my excuse), so my eyes kept going. And then, it came from the heavens:
What’s that on my dresser? Could it be, it’s…
Rather than tooting my own horn over at Cultural Learnings, I figure I’ll do it here. At around 8:30 last night, I was lucky enough to receive my 100,000th page view. Yep, that’s right.
Cultural Learnings has now had
100,000 Views
This is kind of mind-blowing, considering I’ve only been at it since January. It is to the point now where older posts are able to drive my stats, and thus I can just sit back and watch the numbers grow and grow. Or I could, you know, work on my Thesis.
Either way, thanks to all of you who have taken the time to click on over, and always feel free to leave comments at the blog should you have something to say. I know some of you must disagree with me, here!
The PTDS Blog Opens its…Doors?
It’s been a work in progress for a while now, but the final iteration of the Paul Tom Debating Society’s official blog has now been posted. I’ll be tabling a motion to add “Technical Director” to my title at some point in the near future.
The PTDS Blog - http://ptds.wordpress.com
Thus far, there’s just a series of Photoshopped Executive images (Like the one above, which is also one of the three new photos added to my Flickr Account to the right) and details on September’s Special Interest Group. In time, I’m hoping that each executive member will be posting, and that we’ll be able to be a nice source of society information.
In the meantime, check out the site and know that if you’re in the society, and in Wolfville on September 3rd, I shall be propositioning you.
Happy Birthday, McNutt Against the Music!
Okay, so we’re celebrating a bit late, but congratulations to The Elder McNutt, Ryan, for his blog (McNutt Against the Music) finishing its first year. He’s got a great recap of all of his content posted, and going back through it there’s some memorable stuff.
McNutt Against the Music Celebrates its Blog Birthday
Congrats, Elder, for fighting the good fight and criticizing the world around you. Without you, I might not even be blogging right now. On what is now three blogs. In fact, if it comes down to it, I could blame you for getting me started on this path to my own self-destruction. But…nah.
Confessions
I have been horribly stalled on my DVD shelf, and I deserve to be punished for it. I’ve been easily distracted by all sorts of things, and the result has been a distinctive lack of progress.
While I should have been watching Dead Like Me: Season One like Rivers and Zoe suggested, I’ve been playing Resident Evil 4. And then when I should have been watching Firefly, I found myself watching a variety of leaked screener copies of Showtime’s Dexter and Weeds, as well as new shows for the fall like Chuck and Pushing Daisies.
And it won’t stop any time soon: there will be more pilots, more screeners, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get to my Simpsons Season Nine DVDs before I’m back to school and distracted all over again. So I must confess: I’ve bought too many DVDs this year. Le sigh. I need help.
While I was taking pictures at a family gathering this past weekend, I did not realize that a momentous event took place. I have had my digital camera since April of last year, so for about 15 months now. And, yesterday, that camera took its 10,000th photo.
#10,000
This shot of my cousin Amanda exiting a kayak is that photo. With no offense to Amanda, it isn’t perhaps as memorable a photo as I could have imagined, but it is nonetheless a momentous event.
Of course, it’s not ACTUALLY my 10,000th photo taken. There were those photos deleted, those files transferred under a different non-generic name. However, as far as my camera is concerned, I’m starting over: the four-digit code has run out, and now it’s back to 0001. Or, since I took another 259 pictures, back to 0259.
Here’s to 10,000 more!
How does one review something that, by its very nature, is fairly review-proof? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is sweeping the globe not as a novel, but as a eulogy to a series beloved by all. It is hard to look at this novel and say “You are flawed” when it is, as The Elder notes, considered “the event of the decade”? Should we be spending our final moments lamenting what the novel isn’t, or should we be embracing this engrossing and addictive series for the phenomenon it was?
My answer is simple: why can’t we have our golden snitch-shaped cake and eat it too?
I am of the mind that these novels are human novels: they are not somehow removed from a critical eye. I’ll admit right now that I outright hated Half-Blood Prince, a novel I found ill-focused and incredibly difficult to read. However, as much as I was willing to rip that novel apart, I am willing to admit the opposite in saying that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the best book the series has seen, in my view, since Goblet of Fire.
Why? It’s simple, really: this is a novel that manages to bring a satisfying end to a saga that could never end perfectly, and more important a novel that resurrects the ashes of Half-Blood Prince, its predecessor, and makes that novel relevant and necessary for key character arcs. While far from perfect, J.K. Rowling lets loose in a novel that is poignant and fulfilling: after reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I am ready to say goodbye. And that, really, is what this novel really needed to do.
SPOILER WARNING:
Below the break, there will be spoilers about the entire novel. I’m not kidding, I’ll be discussing all sorts of key plot points. Stay Away if you haven’t read the book. Trust me.
[Over this fine Saturday, a rainy one indeed, I plan on shutting myself in and slogging through the last and final Harry Potter book. Will you join me in my quest? Only time will tell.]
Books are a unique medium nowadays because I consider them to be the only one capable of truly surprising us. We see trailers for movies, commercials for TV shows, and yet is there really a preview for a book? I’ve been avoiding spoilers all week, and here I sit down with not a single clue what lies within these pages except for the basic setup provided in the last book.
And there’s something special about that, going in blindfolded to the story inside this ugly cover art not knowing in what context Harry, Ron and Hermione are being sucked into a giant vortex with all sorts of gold. I don’t know who dies, who lives, and what goes on in this novel. My knowledge of it is limited to my own imagination…and that feels right, for this the last book in this illustrious series.
Progress Updates
Update #1 - Lunchtime
Progress: 255 Pages, 15 chapters.
Time Reading: 3 1/2 Hours
Current Opinion: Hogwarts was really dragging these narratives down, I wish Rowling would have dumped it for Half-Blood Prince.
Update #2 - 3:00pm
Progress: 418 Pages, 25 Chapters
Time Reading: 5 1/2 Hours
Current Opinion: At this point, the book is succeeding at making me forget Half-Blood Prince was an awful piece of tripe by making it seem far more important. Kudos.
Update #3 - 5:35pm
Progress: Book Completed (607 Pages, 37 Chapters)
Time Reading: 7h 45m
Current Opinion: Wait for the full review. Or message me.
A Warning to the Muggles: There will be spoilers. I don’t plan on ruining too many things, but stay out if you don’t want to know how the book goes.
Pre-Book
7:45am: This is actually sleeping in for me, sort of, so it’s not too early. Heading down to Superstore at 8 in order to pick up the book. Hoping for a decent price point, but beggars can’t be choosers when you pass up ludicrously cheap at Wal-Mart to pick it up sooner this morning by driving just down to Tantallon. Hoping for minimal small kids action this early in the morning, we’ll see how that turns out.
8:26am: Book acquired. I like to think that the extra money I paid as opposed to going to Wal-Mart is a gas savings. Thus, paying more for the book is actually saving the planet. My experience getting the book was much more mundane than The Elder’s (Blog Post Can Be Found Here): I walked into Superstore, picked up the book from a small table, went to the Express lane and walked out of the store.
8:31am: Opening the book…now.
[Spoiler Warning - Discussion of Novel to follow]
[Today, I got a haircut, my first in quite some time. The following is my poetic opinion of said haircut. In haiku form.]
I got a haircut
I consider it too short
And that is final.
I am outraged, absolutely outraged, at what is a far too common practice in the food service industry. When I order a Grilled Cheese sandwich, I am clearly not looking for something fancy. If I wanted fancy, I would have gone for something that isn’t an exact description of what it is: a grilled sandwich of cheese. It leaves nothing to the imagination, so I clearly am not looking to get experimental with my food.
However, that does not mean you should dress it up with some form of garnish. Specifically, some places seem intent on piling a couple of pickles onto the plate to turn it into something they can be proud of. Well, guess what: I hate pickles.
They’re disgusting, and vile, and just gross. They leak all over the place, spreading their venomous juices onto the bread. The result is that corners, valuable and succulent corners, are ruined on my sandwich.
And I’m fed up with it.
So with the rents off in Nevada, I’m in charge of the pets. In this case, this usually means Cody (The Dog) and Zoe (The Cat). However, it is important to note that I have a 3rd pet: His name is Jimmy, and he is a spider.
I sadly don’t have my camera, so I am unable to take pictures, but Jimmy and I have been spending some quality time together. You see, I went out the door one night and saw that there was a rather large spider on a nice looking web on our veranda. I decided to let him continue spinning his web, seeing how far he could go.
I am happy to report that Jimmy’s web now spans basically the entire distance between our door and the edge of the verandah, creating a veritable net for passing flies. The spider is especially happy when I turn on the porch light at night and he captures a majority of his prey.
I do hope that nothing happens to Jimmy’s web when it rains later this week: I would hate to see all of his hard work go to waste. That would ruin the relatively good mood I am currently in.
Okay, so I promised myself at some point (I don’t remember when it was, and I don’t think there’s any record of it, so you can’t prove anything) that I wouldn’t just talk about my life. I don’t know why I would say this, it sounds nothing like me, but regardless I think that was my intention. However, yesterday was like the greatest day of the summer thus far for a variety of reasons. And I would like to share them with you.
Reason #1 - Uber Hours
Thanks to a malfunctioning vehicle and there actually being a fair amount of work to do, I garnered 11 1/2 hours of work yesterday. This puts me considerably ahead of the curve, which is very positive indeed.
Reason #2 - Lemon-Lime Popsicles
They’re awesome. I haven’t had one in forever, but we stopped in Tatamagouche and they were fantastic. They’re also basically just sugar, but still: so awesome.
Reason #3 - Like a Rolling Stone
Okay, so here’s where things get more complicated (But clearly not better than popsicles). I got home at like 5:30, and of course went right for my computer. In the process of this surfing time, I went onto my Flickr account to see whether or not anyone had viewed my photos (The Elder had linked to them through his blog, as had I). And I was just kind of absent-mindedly looking around the page when I saw that I had messages in my inbox. True story: I didn’t even know I had a Flickr mailbox. So I decide to clickr on the first message, which has an understandable title: “White Stripes”. Oh, okay, someone liked my White Stripes pictures. Cool. *Click*
This is what came up:
Hey Memles,
Your photo of Jack and Meg with the Nova Scotian flag is gorgeous.
I’d love to run it along side our live review in our blog today.Let me know if you’d be interested. I would credit your name and link to a website, flickr, or blog of your choice.
Thanks!
-John
I thought: “whoa, who is this guy?” And then I read the email address he gave at the bottom of the screen.
John.****@rollingstone.com
At this point I basically flipped out.
I am not what one would call an avid concert goer, and in fact have been to very few. And when I go to said concerts, I am very much the antithesis to the Elder. Ryan is enthusiastic beyond any fathomable concept of enthusiasm: music appears to be a form of drug for him. Calum (Who is more on my end of the spectrum in terms of concertgoing behaviour) decided that Ryan and I represent a ying and a yang. I represent the sober observer and photographer, while the Elder represents unbridled rock insanity overflowing and taking over his entire body…but in an appreciatory fashion. I’d say that we, as a group, represented a well-balanced set of concert goers. And it is as such that we attended the concert event of the season:
The White Stripes. In Halifax.
However, some of the people attending last evening’s were not so balanced: in fact, they were frakkin’ douchebags. But ruin the show they did not. Because, well, the White Stripes rocked out. And I’ve got all the details.
[Below you'll find the full details, along with pictures and anecdotes. For all of my pictures, you can check out my Facebook Album. If you don't have Facebook, or just want to see the prettier ones, check our my Flickr page]
[The Myles Report is, well, a report about Myles. That's basically it.]
Wednesday afternoon, I officially became an orphan…temporary orphan, of course, this isn’t some sort of tragic tale. Of course, if your idea of tragic is facing new responsibilities like pet care and dishes, then this is downright Greek in its very nature. The rents, it seems, decided to jet off to Las Vegas for some mid-summer fun.
I am sure they are currently enjoying their weather, which the U.S. Meteorological Service believes is “Hot”. Not Sunny, not clear, but “Hot”. Needless to say, there is very little rain in the forecast in Nevada. And while they are likely off gambling away my tuition money (I’m kidding. You know that, I know, but my mother doesn’t like jokes very much), I’m at home with an entire house to manage.
My name is Myles, and I have a problem: I buy a lot of DVDs. It’s a bit of an illness, really, because they’re just becoming so cheap these days. We live in an age where entire seasons of television are only $20, and when newish movies can be purchased for $10 previously viewed at Blockbuster. But the real problem is actually finding time to watch them, especially when I keep buying more. So, in an attempt to get me motivated (Insert “Motivate your Thesis, you clout” here), I’m going to make an inventory of what I have on the go. Maybe, someday, I’ll actually finish them.
Priority 1 - Wonderfalls (The Complete Series)
Haven’t heard of it? A midseason replacement at FOX, Wonderfalls was pulled from the air but had all 13 episodes in the can. The result was a DVD success, and some brilliant work from creator Bryan Fuller and Executive Producer Tim Minear. The show is witty, charming, and deserved much better. I’m a little bit hooked on it at the moment, and it’s taken over my DVD player.
Status: Three episodes in, commentaries and bonus features untouched.
Priority 2 - Firefly (The Complete Series)
Coincidentally, Firefly is the show that Tim Minear moved on to after Wonder Falls was canceled. Created by Joss Whedon (Buffy, Angel), it is a space western unlike anything else on television…which is probably why FOX (I’m sensing a pattern) decided to axe the series before it got a chance to develop. Everything about it just has an authentic quality to it, and it’s definitely something that everyone should be checking out.
Status: Five episodes in, got sidetracked with other things, watched half a commentary before it got spoilery.
Every week, I get a large number of hits to Cultural Learnings, my Television Blog for those who I haven’t virally marketed it to. And every week, people tend to find my blog through google searches for various terms. This is always very fascinating for me, since it gives me a glimpse at both what people are searching, and allows me to create wild stories about them. And so, I shall now place this into written form. Every now and then, I’ll pick my five favourite of the past week in order to provide, hopefully, entertainment and wonderment at the new age of internet savvy readers.
#5
My Name is Earl very thin comedy actor
I’m trying to figure this one out: who are they referring to here? My Name is Earl doesn’t have very many actors, but none of them are “very thin”. Are they talking about Crabman? Or someone else? Should we be starting a bulimia watch on the cast?
#4
pirate master sucks
I love searches like this one, where they really have feelings and are searching desperately for people who share them. That’s how a majority of internet communities are created: mutual hatred towards others. In this case, I’m happy to be a part of it, Pirate Master DOES suck.
#3
facebook amy
Amy! For those unaware, a successful Facebook Group forced Amy Kipping to join was instituted earlier this year by yours truly. And, well, I blogged about it. And, apparently, someone stumbled upon it at random. Amy, you’re famous!
[On Saturday, the world gathered in front of their televisions to witness what was deemed by the sensationalist CTV/MTV/Much hosts as the world's biggest benefit concert (I take little said by MTV (CANADA!) personalities seriously, sorry). Live Earth was a tremendous success in terms of airing 24 hours of concert coverage, and there was some strong performances throughout. Was I terribly concerned about the environment during the concert? Nope. The seven things I learned, in fact, have nothing to do with the environment. Consider it my contrarian act of the day, I guess. (Just Kidding: I love you, Environment.)]
#7
Kelly Clarkson’s new album may or may not be good, but no one wants us to know about it: both NBC and YouTube cut out her new songs and only showed her old ones. At least she’ll be able to tour until the old singles go out of style.
YouTube - Kelly Clarkson (Walk Away, Since U Been Gone)
#6
In the epic battle of Kanye West vs. Camera Crane, Kanye West ALWAYS wins. Unfortunately, there is a camera crane mafia that is conspiring to keep the video of their epic battle off of YouTube. Until this situation is rectified, here’s Kanye performing another song from the concert.
YouTube - Kanye West (Gold Digger)
I’m pretty sure that no one is really aware of this, but I actually know a fair amount about the game of Tennis and its various professional stars. I think that it’s one of those traditions that, well, isn’t actually a tradition: sitting down and watching the Wimbledon and French Open finals while I’m home for the summer (Australia and the US Open, unfortunately, fall in the months during which I’m at school and busy with other things). I’m notorious for finding any sort of sporting event suspenseful, so Tennis is terrible for my nerves. When every single point matter, is competitive, it’s hard not to feel like there’s always something on the line.
I sadly don’t play the sport, but desperately want to. So consider this an open casting call for tennis players when I return to Acadia in five weeks. But for now, I had a five set barnburner to live vicariously through between Roger Federer (Pictured after his victory, not while seizing) and Rafael Nadal.
As I was purchasing my copy of Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition at EB Games yesterday, I was a little bit startled as to why Michael, the friendly employee behind the desk, asked me the following question:
“So, how old are you?”
Was this some sort of inquisition? I’m just here to buy a video game, not a frakkin’ handgun. But then I remembered something: he has to ask my age. As I stuttered my way to saying “21″ (I was shocked he didn’t ID me based on my initial response of “Wow, what IS my age?”), I remember that Resident Evil 4 was rated “M” for Mature, or Most Likely to Lead to Serial Killings according to people like Jack Thompson. And then I came to another realization:
I have NEVER purchased an M-Rated Game.
This had a profound impact on the remainder of my day: was I emotionally prepared to own a game that Thompson believes could ruin society? I’ve played M-Rated games before, but owning them is an entirely different story. Would I remain my incorruptible self in the wake of owning and playing this gory masterpiece?
Well, after playing for about an hour, I came to a verdict:
I am TOTALLY not ready to play an M-Rated game. Why? Because I’m having WAY too much fun gettin’ my gore on.
So, while television may in fact take up a lot of my time, I do occasionally get a chance to get in some light reading. And so, in the same vein as Calum over at Small Victories, I want to take a moment to ponder what I am reading at the moment. You’ll be perhaps unsurprised to learn that it is actually a book upon which a television series is based.
Jeff Lindsay’s Darkly Dreaming Dexter, thus far, is impossible to separate from Showtime’s series of a similar but shortened name (“Dexter”, which is in Emmy Contention). The book delves into the mind of Dexter Morgan, a vigilante serial killer who takes out his murderous urges on criminals who have fallen through the cracks in the justice system. Incapable of the most basic of emotions, Dexter learned at a young age how to fake interest, love, empathy, and even to an extent sexual attraction. He is a walking lie, a dark soul masquerading as just another forensic analyst in sunny Miami, Florida.
My mother has had to put up with a lot since I started blogging. She’ll often ask if I’ve watched a TV show, to which I’ll reply “Didn’t you read my blog?” She will then growl at me, and likely rightfully so: she shouldn’t have to read my blog to get my opinion on things. She gave me life, the least I can do is give her interpersonal contact on occasion.
So, since today is her birthday, I will actually be wishing her a happy one in person as well (If this is all she got, I believe I would deserve a strangling). However, in case she is to log online before I get a chance to see her, a happy birthday goes out to my Mother. In light of this, your special day, I promise to make sure that you get exclusive rights to any news or opinions before I blog about them for the next 24 hours. What more could a mother ask for, exactly?
[It has come to my attention, slowly but surely, that television blogging has taken over my life. Ironically, my response to this is to start another blog. The reason? I want to be able to talk about things other than television. Since not everyone watches television, but might for some reason still find interest in me, the Myles Files has been born.]
Index
File #1 - The Thesis
Slowly taking over my life one nag at a time, “The Thesis” is actually coming together better than I would have expected. I’ve got an outline of sorts of what I want to accomplish, and once I get a response from K-Whet I plan on starting research. Unless he comes back with “You’re insane,” which is entirely plausible considering the content of said outline. We’ll have to wait and see, I guess.
File #2 - The Acadia
They’re closing Cutten and reopening Tower? It appears that Acadia is just begging for me to blog about them. And who am I to ignore them?
File #3 - The Life and Times
Whether it’s work, or news, or anything else that breaks, this shall be the File in which I discuss it.
