Oscar night is a great night to be a cinemaphile, and this year was no exception. Kudos to Seth MacFarlane for doing a great job of hosting and bringing a little irreverence (without being disrespectful) to the proceedings.
My predictions below were OK. I actually did better when looking at my 'full' ballot where I nailed most of the lesser categories. I missed a few of the big ones, including Picture, Original Screenplay, Actor and Supporting Actor. On the plus side, though, I called the upset in the Director category (way to go ANG LEE!!!). I was very glad to be wrong in the Supporting categories, as my two "should wins" came through. Very pleased for Christoph Waltz who was more than deserving of winning his second Oscar. He was brilliant.
I would have been ecstatic if Les Miserables took home the big prize, as it was my favourite film of the year, but having Argo win was a pretty good consolation prize.
Seriously, isn't Quvenzhané Wallis freaking adorable?
Sunday, 24 February 2013
Sunday, 17 February 2013
2012, the year in Cinema
As we sit here one week before Hollywood's biggest night, I'm comfortable publishing my Top 10 films of 2012. I have seen eight of the nine nominees for Best Picture (sorry, Amour, I would have seen you if you played anywhere near my home!!) and most of the other critically acclaimed films. I've missed a few - notably The Impossible, Anna Karenina, The Sessions, Skyfall and Moonrise Kingdom - so this list may change once I get to see everything, but it's a pretty damn good list as it is.
The first thing I notice when I look at this list is that 2012 was a FANTASTIC year for movies. There are some truly wonderful films that can't crack my Top 10 this year.
10. Beasts of the Southern Wild
9. Marvel's The Avengers
8. Zero Dark Thirty
7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
6. Lincoln
5. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
4. The Dark Knight Rises
3. Life of Pi
2. Argo
1. LES MISERABLES
Honourable mention (in alphabetical order):
The Amazing Spider-Man, Brave, Django Unchained, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hunger Games, The Master, Silver Linings Playbook, To Rome with Love
Now, let's see how many of the major Oscar categories I can successfully prognosticate:
BEST PICTURE
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
What will win: Lincoln
What SHOULD win: Les Miserables. Simply the best experience I had at the movies this past year, and one of the best of the past decade. The animus towards this film from many critics, including some I really respect (looking at you, Mr. Ebert), is stunning to me.
There is lots of speculation that Argo will win as the Academy does a mea culpa over the crazy omission of Ben Affleck in the Best Director category and that could happen, but I'm sticking with the early favourite Lincoln to take home the big prize.
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook)
Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables)
Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)
Denzel Washington (Flight)
Who will win: Day-Lewis
Who SHOULD win: Day-Lewis. Jackman was fabulous but his timing is off, being up against one of the great performances in the past decade. Anything other than DDL winning here would be a MAJOR upset.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)
Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)
Naomi Watts (The Impossible)
Who will win: Riva
Who SHOULD win: Lawrence.
Yup, I'm calling for the big upset here, as the Academy loves a great story and handing an Oscar to an 85-year old French actress in a movie that hardly anyone saw is a great story. Oh, and to be fair, by all accounts she really did put in a terrific performance. Of the 3 performances I saw in this category, I'm picking Lawrence, although the other two were also fabulous. Wouldn't it be great to see them give it to Wallis (and trying to pronounce her first name)? She really carried a tiny indie movie to big heights and it wouldn't be a travesty to hear her name called.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-it-Ralph
Who will win: Brave
Who SHOULD win: Brave
Ok so I only saw two of these, but it's the only two with a chance, Brave and Wreck-it-Ralph. I keep seeing predictions that WIR is going to win here but I'd be stunned. It was good, but Brave was a MUCH better film and it's the first Pixar film with a female heroine (see above point about the Academy loving a good story).
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Alan Arkin (Argo)
Robert De Niro (Silver Linings Playbook)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)
Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)
Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
Who will win: De Niro
Who SHOULD win: Waltz
This is a tough one for me as either Waltz or Hoffman would be deserving winners, but I'll go with Waltz in a photo finish. This is the closest race, I believe, as all 5 could conceivably win on Sunday.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams (The Master)
Sally Field (Lincoln)
Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)
Helen Hunt (the Sessions)
Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook)
Who will win: Hathaway
Who SHOULD win: Hathaway
No-brainer. If anyone else wins I may have a heart attack and die right on my couch. I actually thought that Field was the weak link in an otherwise solid cast in Lincoln.
DIRECTING
Michael Haneke (Amour)
Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild)
Ang Lee (Life of Pi)
Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)
David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)
Who will win: Lee
Who SHOULD win: Lee
I'm calling for another mild upset here as the Academy will reward Ang Lee for the brilliant job in putting together a movie that everyone, including Lee, thought was unfilmable. If not Lee, then certainly Spielberg.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
What will win: Argo
What SHOULD win: Argo
I wouldn't be completely stunned to see the Academy award their indie darling, Beasts of the Southern Wild, with this one, but I think Argo takes it.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Amour
Django Unchained
Flight
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty
What will win: Zero Dark Thirty
What SHOULD win: Zero Dark Thirty
This seems like an easy one to call. With all the controversy surrounding the use of the N word in Django, it would be strange to give the screenplay an Oscar.
If the highly overrated Flight wins here, I'm never watching another movie. Ever.
A couple other slam dunks:
Life of Pi wins for Visual Effects
Amour (duh) wins Best Foreign Film
The first thing I notice when I look at this list is that 2012 was a FANTASTIC year for movies. There are some truly wonderful films that can't crack my Top 10 this year.
10. Beasts of the Southern Wild
9. Marvel's The Avengers
8. Zero Dark Thirty
7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
6. Lincoln
5. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
4. The Dark Knight Rises
3. Life of Pi
2. Argo
1. LES MISERABLES
Honourable mention (in alphabetical order):
The Amazing Spider-Man, Brave, Django Unchained, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hunger Games, The Master, Silver Linings Playbook, To Rome with Love
Now, let's see how many of the major Oscar categories I can successfully prognosticate:
BEST PICTURE
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
What will win: Lincoln
What SHOULD win: Les Miserables. Simply the best experience I had at the movies this past year, and one of the best of the past decade. The animus towards this film from many critics, including some I really respect (looking at you, Mr. Ebert), is stunning to me.
There is lots of speculation that Argo will win as the Academy does a mea culpa over the crazy omission of Ben Affleck in the Best Director category and that could happen, but I'm sticking with the early favourite Lincoln to take home the big prize.
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook)
Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables)
Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)
Denzel Washington (Flight)
Who will win: Day-Lewis
Who SHOULD win: Day-Lewis. Jackman was fabulous but his timing is off, being up against one of the great performances in the past decade. Anything other than DDL winning here would be a MAJOR upset.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)
Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)
Naomi Watts (The Impossible)
Who will win: Riva
Who SHOULD win: Lawrence.
Yup, I'm calling for the big upset here, as the Academy loves a great story and handing an Oscar to an 85-year old French actress in a movie that hardly anyone saw is a great story. Oh, and to be fair, by all accounts she really did put in a terrific performance. Of the 3 performances I saw in this category, I'm picking Lawrence, although the other two were also fabulous. Wouldn't it be great to see them give it to Wallis (and trying to pronounce her first name)? She really carried a tiny indie movie to big heights and it wouldn't be a travesty to hear her name called.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-it-Ralph
Who will win: Brave
Who SHOULD win: Brave
Ok so I only saw two of these, but it's the only two with a chance, Brave and Wreck-it-Ralph. I keep seeing predictions that WIR is going to win here but I'd be stunned. It was good, but Brave was a MUCH better film and it's the first Pixar film with a female heroine (see above point about the Academy loving a good story).
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Alan Arkin (Argo)
Robert De Niro (Silver Linings Playbook)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)
Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)
Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
Who will win: De Niro
Who SHOULD win: Waltz
This is a tough one for me as either Waltz or Hoffman would be deserving winners, but I'll go with Waltz in a photo finish. This is the closest race, I believe, as all 5 could conceivably win on Sunday.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams (The Master)
Sally Field (Lincoln)
Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)
Helen Hunt (the Sessions)
Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook)
Who will win: Hathaway
Who SHOULD win: Hathaway
No-brainer. If anyone else wins I may have a heart attack and die right on my couch. I actually thought that Field was the weak link in an otherwise solid cast in Lincoln.
DIRECTING
Michael Haneke (Amour)
Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild)
Ang Lee (Life of Pi)
Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)
David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)
Who will win: Lee
Who SHOULD win: Lee
I'm calling for another mild upset here as the Academy will reward Ang Lee for the brilliant job in putting together a movie that everyone, including Lee, thought was unfilmable. If not Lee, then certainly Spielberg.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
What will win: Argo
What SHOULD win: Argo
I wouldn't be completely stunned to see the Academy award their indie darling, Beasts of the Southern Wild, with this one, but I think Argo takes it.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Amour
Django Unchained
Flight
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty
What will win: Zero Dark Thirty
What SHOULD win: Zero Dark Thirty
This seems like an easy one to call. With all the controversy surrounding the use of the N word in Django, it would be strange to give the screenplay an Oscar.
If the highly overrated Flight wins here, I'm never watching another movie. Ever.
A couple other slam dunks:
Life of Pi wins for Visual Effects
Amour (duh) wins Best Foreign Film
Saturday, 12 January 2013
Radio Ga-Ga
Those of you who know that the title of this blog actually refers to a song by Queen, rather than the artist we are actually going to discuss, are probably too old to read this particular blog entry. Continue at your own risk.
Last night my wife and I went to a spectacle; a grand spectacle the likes of which I am not sure I have experienced before. I might describe it as a Katy Perry concert if Katy Perry and her dancers were all high on blow.
Anyway, the concert begins with the artist coming out (to a song I admittedly did not recognize) on a horse. Yes you read that correctly. She lead a procession of her dancers around the triangle-shaped stage ON A REAL HORSE. Oh, and the concert began EARLY. Five minutes before her posted time (we did not bother to show up early enough to see the two opening acts, a performance artist and random idiot DJ).
As if the horse didn't get the crowd pumped enough to start the show, she didn't waste any time getting into the hits, as the second number was BORN THIS WAY. That had everyone on their feet, jumping, fists pumping, singing along......great way to get things really going.
Just a few numbers into the show, I wasn't sure if I was at a concert, a Greek tragedy, or a Roman orgy.
Editor's side note: I texted the above line to my music loving buddy Kevin last night to which he replied:
"An orgy with a horse. Check that off the bucket list".
Well played, sir.
There was the aformentioned horse, motorcycles, a meat dress, a meat couch (probably not ACTUALLY made of meat, although I wouldn't put it past her), a giant castle, aliens, a phone call to a fan in the audience (I kid you not), a heartfelt rendition of Happy Birthday to a girl in her "monster pit" celebrating her 18th birthday, too many costume changes to count (one for just about every song), a huge inflatable balloon featuring outstretched legs from which the singer emerged to kick off "Born This Way" (see pic directly below), and music. Boy, there was music. If she missed any hits, I can't think of any. Sure there were some moments that sounded like pre-taped loops during some of the more intricate dance numbers, but not many of those, and Gaga's voice was powerful and on point. She really, really, can sing.
I'm not sure how I would describe her if I was pressed, but I know one thing she ain't, and that's a Lady. And that's not an insult.
Early on, during Bad Romance, she emerged in this little number:
Which can only indicate that she is, in fact, the love child of the Man from Glad and the Pagan boss from Dragnet, played so spendidly by Christopher Plummer:
Now, before any of my loyal blog readers asks me if this show was as good as the shows I saw last November, please go back to Planet UMustbefuckingjoking. Comparing this extravaganza to an evening with Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney or even Steve Winwood is akin to comparing Anthrax (the metal band) to anthrax (the bacterial disease). They had about as much in common.
Having said that, I went into the show as a fan, and came out a bigger fan. Not only did I have a great time at the show, there is a genuineness to Lady Gaga that comes out when she speaks. She preaches love and tolerance, and I think we can all use a little more of that.
Her final number, Marry the Night, performed with a handful of fans picked out of the "Monster Pit", was the perfect ending to a fabulous evening. Not only had she started early, she finished 20 minutes late.....and I can't remember the last time 2 hours and 40 minutes went by so quickly. Bravo, Gaga. Bravo.
Last night my wife and I went to a spectacle; a grand spectacle the likes of which I am not sure I have experienced before. I might describe it as a Katy Perry concert if Katy Perry and her dancers were all high on blow.
Anyway, the concert begins with the artist coming out (to a song I admittedly did not recognize) on a horse. Yes you read that correctly. She lead a procession of her dancers around the triangle-shaped stage ON A REAL HORSE. Oh, and the concert began EARLY. Five minutes before her posted time (we did not bother to show up early enough to see the two opening acts, a performance artist and random idiot DJ).
As if the horse didn't get the crowd pumped enough to start the show, she didn't waste any time getting into the hits, as the second number was BORN THIS WAY. That had everyone on their feet, jumping, fists pumping, singing along......great way to get things really going.
Just a few numbers into the show, I wasn't sure if I was at a concert, a Greek tragedy, or a Roman orgy.
Editor's side note: I texted the above line to my music loving buddy Kevin last night to which he replied:
"An orgy with a horse. Check that off the bucket list".
Well played, sir.
There was the aformentioned horse, motorcycles, a meat dress, a meat couch (probably not ACTUALLY made of meat, although I wouldn't put it past her), a giant castle, aliens, a phone call to a fan in the audience (I kid you not), a heartfelt rendition of Happy Birthday to a girl in her "monster pit" celebrating her 18th birthday, too many costume changes to count (one for just about every song), a huge inflatable balloon featuring outstretched legs from which the singer emerged to kick off "Born This Way" (see pic directly below), and music. Boy, there was music. If she missed any hits, I can't think of any. Sure there were some moments that sounded like pre-taped loops during some of the more intricate dance numbers, but not many of those, and Gaga's voice was powerful and on point. She really, really, can sing.
I'm not sure how I would describe her if I was pressed, but I know one thing she ain't, and that's a Lady. And that's not an insult.
Early on, during Bad Romance, she emerged in this little number:
Which can only indicate that she is, in fact, the love child of the Man from Glad and the Pagan boss from Dragnet, played so spendidly by Christopher Plummer:
Now, before any of my loyal blog readers asks me if this show was as good as the shows I saw last November, please go back to Planet UMustbefuckingjoking. Comparing this extravaganza to an evening with Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney or even Steve Winwood is akin to comparing Anthrax (the metal band) to anthrax (the bacterial disease). They had about as much in common.
Having said that, I went into the show as a fan, and came out a bigger fan. Not only did I have a great time at the show, there is a genuineness to Lady Gaga that comes out when she speaks. She preaches love and tolerance, and I think we can all use a little more of that.
Her final number, Marry the Night, performed with a handful of fans picked out of the "Monster Pit", was the perfect ending to a fabulous evening. Not only had she started early, she finished 20 minutes late.....and I can't remember the last time 2 hours and 40 minutes went by so quickly. Bravo, Gaga. Bravo.
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Here's to 2013....
2012 was, for the most part, a pretty great year for me. Sure, I lost another job (the third one in 6 years) due to no fault of my own, but it was really not a great job anyway. Well, the job was fine, but I was working for Sterling Shoes, which was a pretty lousy company. And if that wasn't bad enough, early in the year we were purchased by Town Shoes. I used to compare Sterling to a circus; if Stering was a circus, Town Shoes was the gum on the bottom of the shoes of the guy who cleans up the horse shit at the circus. What a bunch of morons.
Anyway, that not withstanding, I was very much looking forward to taking a few months off anyway and enjoying the Holidays without the stress of commuting from Chilliwack to Richmond. When I won the WSOP Circuit Event at the end of October, let's just say that my "few months off" expanded slightly......just how slightly remains to be seen.
Oh, funny story....went to yoga the day before yesterday, and behind me was a woman who was there for the first time. That's always interesting, because they tend to have no idea how tough it's going to be and they spend a lot of the class flailing away as if they were being swarmed by bees. This lady was no different, except that she was even more distracting than usual. I spent a lot of the class staring at her in the mirror....and not for the reason you might think. She was making noises. Odd noises. I wasn't sure how to describe them at first, but as the class went on, they started to sound like high pitched whining of some kind. I was starting to think I was doing yoga with this fine fellow:
Talk about distracting.
Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, the year in review. Well, the entire year was pretty good, but it just got better and better as the end of the year got closer. In the span of three weeks, I saw Steve Winwood, Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney in concert, won the poker tournament, and spent nearly a week in Vegas celebrating said win. To say that was "Treat Yo Self" week would be an understatement.
Ups and downs in the hockey world, as my Kings won the Stanley Cup for the first time....but that was the last NHL hockey game we got to saw, due to this ridiculous lockout. I am SO disinterested in the NHL right now, we'll see how long it takes me to get excited again when they finally settle this damn thing. Probably watching the Kings raise the banner will do it. We'll see.
The NFL was pretty damn good to me too, as one of my wife's favorite teams, the New York Giants, pulled off a huge win in the SuperBowl. I'm a fan too, although they aren't near the top of my list, but that still seemed like a win. And Tracey and I both got a real nice present from the Colts, who we are both big fans of, as they came from nowhere (2-14 last season) to finish 11-5 and make a very unexpected playoff appearance. Very exciting! And, of course, my beloved 49ers won their division again and look poised to have another deep playoff run. How about a 49ers/Colts SuperBowl? Dare to dream.
On a family note, my Mom moved back from Alberta and seems very happy to be back. We are thrilled, of course, and we had a very lovely Xmas dinner with her and her significant other. Last year was the first time I hadn't seen her at Xmas in a very, very long time so it was sure nice to have her back. Our immediate family grew by one, as we adopted a new kitten, Ashley.
She is incredibly sweet and we are sure she is going to be a wonderful addition to the family. There are still some growing pains between her and the other cats, but things have improved a lot and a little more time should make them closer. Even if they don't all become best buddies, I'm sure they will tolerate each other enough to make our home drama-free, at least on the cat front.
It wasn't all good, of course.....in February, we lost our beloved Pepe, who had been Tracey's cat since he was a little kitten, close to 17 years. That was an unbelievably tough time, and we still miss him to death. He was so special and the bond that he and Tracey had is hard to describe.
And, I was really sick for 7-8 weeks in November and early December. Doctors took all kinds of blood but couldn't find out what was making me so tired; but my Doc did say he had seen evidence of a virus going around which only featured one symptom: extreme fatigue. That's what I had, not much doubt about it, as I was SO tired that it was tough to do anything. I rarely went to yoga, and when I did manage the energy to go I could hardly make it through the class. Not only did I miss yoga, I paid dearly for it on the scale, gaining about 15 pounds......'cause my appetite was not affected and it was Holiday time, so it's safe to say I didn't eat as well as I could. It seems to have passed now though, I'm back at yoga regularly and the extra pounds will be gone soon.
\
My Dad is still hanging around, same as he has been since he had his cancer surgery last year. He tries hard but I admit it is irritiating as Hell to put up with him. Not sure how long we are going to be able to continue to let him live here, we are taking it week by week and month by month at this point.
There is no reason to dwell on the negative of course, especially when there are so many positives. My wife continues to be the love of my life, and we are just a couple of weeks away from a trip to Vegas to celebrate her 30th birthday (if by "30th" I really meant "40th"). All of her siblings, and her mom, are coming with us so this will be a very special trip. It won't be the only trip, of course; in early February I am heading back to Vegas, solo, to play in another WSOP Circuit event at Caesar's Palace, and just a few weeks after that Tracey and I are headed back to Disneyworld!!! We have an amazing two weeks planned in Florida so there is lots to look forward to in 2013....and that's just in the first quarter! Throw in a planned family trip to Disneyland in early December and we are looking at another great year in travel. Again. :-)
Here's hoping you all had as good a year as I did, and that we all continue to prosper in 2013. Thankfully those damn Mayans didn't know what they were talking about (or, perhaps, they never really predicted the end of the world anyway!).
Engemoen out.
Anyway, that not withstanding, I was very much looking forward to taking a few months off anyway and enjoying the Holidays without the stress of commuting from Chilliwack to Richmond. When I won the WSOP Circuit Event at the end of October, let's just say that my "few months off" expanded slightly......just how slightly remains to be seen.
Oh, funny story....went to yoga the day before yesterday, and behind me was a woman who was there for the first time. That's always interesting, because they tend to have no idea how tough it's going to be and they spend a lot of the class flailing away as if they were being swarmed by bees. This lady was no different, except that she was even more distracting than usual. I spent a lot of the class staring at her in the mirror....and not for the reason you might think. She was making noises. Odd noises. I wasn't sure how to describe them at first, but as the class went on, they started to sound like high pitched whining of some kind. I was starting to think I was doing yoga with this fine fellow:
Talk about distracting.
Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, the year in review. Well, the entire year was pretty good, but it just got better and better as the end of the year got closer. In the span of three weeks, I saw Steve Winwood, Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney in concert, won the poker tournament, and spent nearly a week in Vegas celebrating said win. To say that was "Treat Yo Self" week would be an understatement.
Ups and downs in the hockey world, as my Kings won the Stanley Cup for the first time....but that was the last NHL hockey game we got to saw, due to this ridiculous lockout. I am SO disinterested in the NHL right now, we'll see how long it takes me to get excited again when they finally settle this damn thing. Probably watching the Kings raise the banner will do it. We'll see.
The NFL was pretty damn good to me too, as one of my wife's favorite teams, the New York Giants, pulled off a huge win in the SuperBowl. I'm a fan too, although they aren't near the top of my list, but that still seemed like a win. And Tracey and I both got a real nice present from the Colts, who we are both big fans of, as they came from nowhere (2-14 last season) to finish 11-5 and make a very unexpected playoff appearance. Very exciting! And, of course, my beloved 49ers won their division again and look poised to have another deep playoff run. How about a 49ers/Colts SuperBowl? Dare to dream.
On a family note, my Mom moved back from Alberta and seems very happy to be back. We are thrilled, of course, and we had a very lovely Xmas dinner with her and her significant other. Last year was the first time I hadn't seen her at Xmas in a very, very long time so it was sure nice to have her back. Our immediate family grew by one, as we adopted a new kitten, Ashley.
She is incredibly sweet and we are sure she is going to be a wonderful addition to the family. There are still some growing pains between her and the other cats, but things have improved a lot and a little more time should make them closer. Even if they don't all become best buddies, I'm sure they will tolerate each other enough to make our home drama-free, at least on the cat front.
It wasn't all good, of course.....in February, we lost our beloved Pepe, who had been Tracey's cat since he was a little kitten, close to 17 years. That was an unbelievably tough time, and we still miss him to death. He was so special and the bond that he and Tracey had is hard to describe.
And, I was really sick for 7-8 weeks in November and early December. Doctors took all kinds of blood but couldn't find out what was making me so tired; but my Doc did say he had seen evidence of a virus going around which only featured one symptom: extreme fatigue. That's what I had, not much doubt about it, as I was SO tired that it was tough to do anything. I rarely went to yoga, and when I did manage the energy to go I could hardly make it through the class. Not only did I miss yoga, I paid dearly for it on the scale, gaining about 15 pounds......'cause my appetite was not affected and it was Holiday time, so it's safe to say I didn't eat as well as I could. It seems to have passed now though, I'm back at yoga regularly and the extra pounds will be gone soon.
\
My Dad is still hanging around, same as he has been since he had his cancer surgery last year. He tries hard but I admit it is irritiating as Hell to put up with him. Not sure how long we are going to be able to continue to let him live here, we are taking it week by week and month by month at this point.
There is no reason to dwell on the negative of course, especially when there are so many positives. My wife continues to be the love of my life, and we are just a couple of weeks away from a trip to Vegas to celebrate her 30th birthday (if by "30th" I really meant "40th"). All of her siblings, and her mom, are coming with us so this will be a very special trip. It won't be the only trip, of course; in early February I am heading back to Vegas, solo, to play in another WSOP Circuit event at Caesar's Palace, and just a few weeks after that Tracey and I are headed back to Disneyworld!!! We have an amazing two weeks planned in Florida so there is lots to look forward to in 2013....and that's just in the first quarter! Throw in a planned family trip to Disneyland in early December and we are looking at another great year in travel. Again. :-)
Here's hoping you all had as good a year as I did, and that we all continue to prosper in 2013. Thankfully those damn Mayans didn't know what they were talking about (or, perhaps, they never really predicted the end of the world anyway!).
Engemoen out.
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Is it even worth asking why?
Last Friday, in a little town in Connecticut, lives were altered forever. Many lives. As early reports began to surface about the massacre that had occured, celebrities and regular folk took to Twitter and Facebook to write about it; to condemn the horror, and offer their thoughts and prayers to the families of those involved. The prevailing question was, of course, "why?". What would possess a 20-year old man to shoot his mother four times in the head with a rifle, and then take her guns to the school at which she worked and open fire?
I guess the question I would ask is, "does it really MATTER why?".
Mental illness? Probably.
Pure evil? Maybe.
A combination of both? Sure, that's possible.
But who cares?
THIS HAS TO STOP. AND IT HAS TO STOP NOW.
I was going to write about this on the weekend, but decided to wait a few days to clear my head, and to give myself time to gather more information about the subject in order to have a more informed opinion. The thing is, though, I don't know any more about it than what I wrote above. I don't know any more about it because I haven't tried to learn any more about it. It's just too sickening. It's just too horrible.
Most of the stories I have heard or read on the subject were about the reactions to the incident, rather than the incident itself. The NFL held a moment of silence before each game. Chris Johnson, a running back for the Tennessee Titans, wrote the name of all 26 victims on his cleats before his game on Monday Night Football. New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, who has been alerted to the fact that one of the victims, 6-year old Jack Pinto, was a huge fan and would be buried in Cruz's jersey, wrote "RIP Jack Pinto" on his shoes and called the family to offer his condolences. President Obama was visibly shaken when addressing the nation on the tragedy. There are lots of stories like this. Everyone has had a similar reaction. How could you not?
I was sitting in a hospital bed, IV in my arm, waiting for a procedure when I grabbed my phone and heard about the tragedy. The unit was particularly quiet that day, so I called a couple of the nurses over and told them what I had just read. It didn't seem particularly real at the time, to any of us. Sadly, it does now.
I don't have kids. As most people who know me are well aware, I am not even particularly fond of kids. But you don't have to have children to be affected by something like this. I was 6 years old once. I went to elementary school and had friends. I remember what mid-December was like when I was young. Sometimes snowy, more often not, but it was always close to Xmas and that was the best time of the year. Good food, lots of time with friends and family, visits to see Santa, and presents under the tree!! Now, for the families of 26 people, this time of year will always be associated with pain, loss, and death.
Imagine what December 25th will be like for the parents of those children. The house filled with half-eaten advent calendars, stocking hung for, and presents tagged for, children who's names now only fill the obituary columns. I cannot even begin to comprehend the pain. I hope I never can.
Why does this continue to happen in the United States, and nowhere else in the civilized world? Is it because of the gun laws? Is it possible that the founding fathers didn't comprenhend of automatic (or semi-automatic) assault rifles when they authored the 2nd amendment? It took about 15 seconds to load one round back then. So let's compromise; let's make muskets legal and all other guns illegal. Go ahead, gangbangers, try to shoot up an LA neighborhood with a bunch of muskets. School shootings? Good luck. You'll get off one shot (assuming you pre-load the gun) before you get trampled. Better make it count.
Have you noticed how quiet the NRA has been since this shooting? They took down their Facebook page, and just about an hour ago, 4 days after the shooting, finally broke their silence. They are, and let me make sure I quote this accurately, "shocked" by the shooting. Thanks, NRA, we were all really worried about your reaction.
If you are a member of the NRA, or a supporter of that organization, YOU are the problem. Yes, YOU. Former leader Charlton Heston was famously quoted as saying that you could take his gun only "from my cold dead hand". OK, I'm fine with that. Shoot anyone who is in favor of the current US gun laws. Better them, than another classroom full of children.
Ridiculous? Perhaps. But what is it going to take? Is one classroom of first graders not enough? Does someone have to shoot up an entire elementary school and kill everyone inside before action is taken? Two schools? Three? What is the number of dead? If not 26, what is the number? 45? 100? 150? At some point, it's going to happen. Isn't it time now? Isn't this enough?
President Obama, this is your chance. You are a second term President, you cannot be re-elected. You have nothing to lose, and thousands of lives to gain (and not to mention, being the President who finally got some gun control legislation passed will be a legacy that nobody can ever take away). It won't be easy to get the Republican congress on board, of course, but this is the time. Why does there seem to be a little more outrage this time than the last time? Or the time before that? Or the time before that? Is it because this occured 11 days before Xmas? Is it because the victims were younger than the traditional victims in this kind of crime? Maybe. But whatever it is, it's time to act. It's time to get the guns, President Obama, and it's time to get them all. I hate to politicize something so awful, but there is a palpable sense of disgust in the world right now, and it's time to use that to get something done.
If you are on Facebook, you've seen the numbers. Last year (well, one year, I'm not sure it was actually last year, but it doesn't really matter), handguns killed 10,728 people in the United States.
They killed 263 people, combined, in Germany, Japan, Canada, Great Britain, Switzerland, Israel, and Sweden.
The time has come. Take the guns. Take them all. Of course this won't STOP crime, of course it won't STOP gun deaths. But it will sure as Hell lessen them greatly. Imagine if all it would do was cut them in half (and it's certain to do better than that). That's over 5000 people a year who live to see another day. Over 5000 families who don't have to bury their loved ones. Many of those people will contribute something significant to society, if they haven't already.
The time has come.
I am not particularly religious, but sometimes it just helps to believe in God, even if it's not a permanent or strong belief. This is one of those times.
God bless the victims of this terrible tragedy, and their families. God bless all of the other children in the United States, and all over the world, who get up each morning and go to school, just to learn and have fun with their friends. And God bless everyone who has had enough of this senseless violence.
The time has come.
I guess the question I would ask is, "does it really MATTER why?".
Mental illness? Probably.
Pure evil? Maybe.
A combination of both? Sure, that's possible.
But who cares?
THIS HAS TO STOP. AND IT HAS TO STOP NOW.
I was going to write about this on the weekend, but decided to wait a few days to clear my head, and to give myself time to gather more information about the subject in order to have a more informed opinion. The thing is, though, I don't know any more about it than what I wrote above. I don't know any more about it because I haven't tried to learn any more about it. It's just too sickening. It's just too horrible.
Most of the stories I have heard or read on the subject were about the reactions to the incident, rather than the incident itself. The NFL held a moment of silence before each game. Chris Johnson, a running back for the Tennessee Titans, wrote the name of all 26 victims on his cleats before his game on Monday Night Football. New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, who has been alerted to the fact that one of the victims, 6-year old Jack Pinto, was a huge fan and would be buried in Cruz's jersey, wrote "RIP Jack Pinto" on his shoes and called the family to offer his condolences. President Obama was visibly shaken when addressing the nation on the tragedy. There are lots of stories like this. Everyone has had a similar reaction. How could you not?
I was sitting in a hospital bed, IV in my arm, waiting for a procedure when I grabbed my phone and heard about the tragedy. The unit was particularly quiet that day, so I called a couple of the nurses over and told them what I had just read. It didn't seem particularly real at the time, to any of us. Sadly, it does now.
I don't have kids. As most people who know me are well aware, I am not even particularly fond of kids. But you don't have to have children to be affected by something like this. I was 6 years old once. I went to elementary school and had friends. I remember what mid-December was like when I was young. Sometimes snowy, more often not, but it was always close to Xmas and that was the best time of the year. Good food, lots of time with friends and family, visits to see Santa, and presents under the tree!! Now, for the families of 26 people, this time of year will always be associated with pain, loss, and death.
Imagine what December 25th will be like for the parents of those children. The house filled with half-eaten advent calendars, stocking hung for, and presents tagged for, children who's names now only fill the obituary columns. I cannot even begin to comprehend the pain. I hope I never can.
Why does this continue to happen in the United States, and nowhere else in the civilized world? Is it because of the gun laws? Is it possible that the founding fathers didn't comprenhend of automatic (or semi-automatic) assault rifles when they authored the 2nd amendment? It took about 15 seconds to load one round back then. So let's compromise; let's make muskets legal and all other guns illegal. Go ahead, gangbangers, try to shoot up an LA neighborhood with a bunch of muskets. School shootings? Good luck. You'll get off one shot (assuming you pre-load the gun) before you get trampled. Better make it count.
Have you noticed how quiet the NRA has been since this shooting? They took down their Facebook page, and just about an hour ago, 4 days after the shooting, finally broke their silence. They are, and let me make sure I quote this accurately, "shocked" by the shooting. Thanks, NRA, we were all really worried about your reaction.
If you are a member of the NRA, or a supporter of that organization, YOU are the problem. Yes, YOU. Former leader Charlton Heston was famously quoted as saying that you could take his gun only "from my cold dead hand". OK, I'm fine with that. Shoot anyone who is in favor of the current US gun laws. Better them, than another classroom full of children.
Ridiculous? Perhaps. But what is it going to take? Is one classroom of first graders not enough? Does someone have to shoot up an entire elementary school and kill everyone inside before action is taken? Two schools? Three? What is the number of dead? If not 26, what is the number? 45? 100? 150? At some point, it's going to happen. Isn't it time now? Isn't this enough?
President Obama, this is your chance. You are a second term President, you cannot be re-elected. You have nothing to lose, and thousands of lives to gain (and not to mention, being the President who finally got some gun control legislation passed will be a legacy that nobody can ever take away). It won't be easy to get the Republican congress on board, of course, but this is the time. Why does there seem to be a little more outrage this time than the last time? Or the time before that? Or the time before that? Is it because this occured 11 days before Xmas? Is it because the victims were younger than the traditional victims in this kind of crime? Maybe. But whatever it is, it's time to act. It's time to get the guns, President Obama, and it's time to get them all. I hate to politicize something so awful, but there is a palpable sense of disgust in the world right now, and it's time to use that to get something done.
If you are on Facebook, you've seen the numbers. Last year (well, one year, I'm not sure it was actually last year, but it doesn't really matter), handguns killed 10,728 people in the United States.
They killed 263 people, combined, in Germany, Japan, Canada, Great Britain, Switzerland, Israel, and Sweden.
The time has come. Take the guns. Take them all. Of course this won't STOP crime, of course it won't STOP gun deaths. But it will sure as Hell lessen them greatly. Imagine if all it would do was cut them in half (and it's certain to do better than that). That's over 5000 people a year who live to see another day. Over 5000 families who don't have to bury their loved ones. Many of those people will contribute something significant to society, if they haven't already.
The time has come.
I am not particularly religious, but sometimes it just helps to believe in God, even if it's not a permanent or strong belief. This is one of those times.
God bless the victims of this terrible tragedy, and their families. God bless all of the other children in the United States, and all over the world, who get up each morning and go to school, just to learn and have fun with their friends. And God bless everyone who has had enough of this senseless violence.
The time has come.
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
The Boss rules.
I mentioned this in a Facebook post but it bears repeating. At the tender age of 43, I don't really know how many concerts I have seen in my life. Hundreds, for sure. In just the last 18 months, I have literally been witness to a who's-who lineup of rock and pop:
The Eagles
Aerosmith
KISS
Britney Spears
Steve Miller
Kings of Leon
Peter Frampton
Katy Perry
Drive-by Truckers
Roger Daltry
Bryan Adams
Elton John
Collective Soul
Guns N Roses
Steve Winwood (once solo, once with Eric Clapton)
That's a pretty decent 18 months. There is no question, despite that wealth of talent, that I saw the best two shows of my life on back to back nights. Nothing will likely EVER be able to live up with Sunday's love-in with Paul McCartney. Last night, however, Bruce Springsteen came pretty damn close.
It took about 45 seconds to realize that Springsteen meant business. By the third song, Hungry Heart, he was out in the crowd, and in fact, returned to the stage BY CROWD SURFING atop a sea of outstretched arms.
Songs ranged from the classics (Born to Run, Dancing in the Dark) to the obscure (Red Headed Woman, which I have been told has been played in concert exactly TWICE since 1990), the old (Spirit of the Night, from his '73 debut) to the new (several tracks from his new album, Wrecking Ball). Oh, and let's not forget Santa Claus is Coming to Town. It wouldn't be a Springsteen concert without having a fan dressed as ol' Saint Nick pulled up onstage to sing along to a Xmas classic.
I had a pretty good excuse for having not had seen Paul McCartney before now; the last time he played here was 5 years before I was born. I have no such excuse for Springsteen, as he has been here many times. Not sure what kept me from going in the past; but after last night's show, I feel like a fucking moron. I will never miss another Springsteen show, you can take that to the bank.
The ultimate showman, Bruce spent as much time in the crowd (and I mean IN THE CROWD) as he did on stage; once taking a lady's coonskin cap (seriously, who wears a coonskin cap anyway???) and wearing it for the rest of the song, then passing it along to another fan in the front row. He pulled a young girl up on stage to help him sing one song (and she did very well) and during the encore, he helped an 80 year old lady up on stage to dance with him. Throw in Santa Claus and that's a lot of time spent directly interacting with fans (not to mention that he actually fell off the boards into the crowd at one point).
If I was amazed at the amount of energy the 70 year old McCartney had, the amazement was surpassed last night as Bruce, only 7 years McCartney's junior, put on a high-octane, full-on, ass kicking rock n' roll show, the likes I've never before witnessed.
Only one word can really sum it all up, and it's one we heard a lot from the crowd last night:
Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce
The Eagles
Aerosmith
KISS
Britney Spears
Steve Miller
Kings of Leon
Peter Frampton
Katy Perry
Drive-by Truckers
Roger Daltry
Bryan Adams
Elton John
Collective Soul
Guns N Roses
Steve Winwood (once solo, once with Eric Clapton)
That's a pretty decent 18 months. There is no question, despite that wealth of talent, that I saw the best two shows of my life on back to back nights. Nothing will likely EVER be able to live up with Sunday's love-in with Paul McCartney. Last night, however, Bruce Springsteen came pretty damn close.
It took about 45 seconds to realize that Springsteen meant business. By the third song, Hungry Heart, he was out in the crowd, and in fact, returned to the stage BY CROWD SURFING atop a sea of outstretched arms.
Songs ranged from the classics (Born to Run, Dancing in the Dark) to the obscure (Red Headed Woman, which I have been told has been played in concert exactly TWICE since 1990), the old (Spirit of the Night, from his '73 debut) to the new (several tracks from his new album, Wrecking Ball). Oh, and let's not forget Santa Claus is Coming to Town. It wouldn't be a Springsteen concert without having a fan dressed as ol' Saint Nick pulled up onstage to sing along to a Xmas classic.
I had a pretty good excuse for having not had seen Paul McCartney before now; the last time he played here was 5 years before I was born. I have no such excuse for Springsteen, as he has been here many times. Not sure what kept me from going in the past; but after last night's show, I feel like a fucking moron. I will never miss another Springsteen show, you can take that to the bank.
The ultimate showman, Bruce spent as much time in the crowd (and I mean IN THE CROWD) as he did on stage; once taking a lady's coonskin cap (seriously, who wears a coonskin cap anyway???) and wearing it for the rest of the song, then passing it along to another fan in the front row. He pulled a young girl up on stage to help him sing one song (and she did very well) and during the encore, he helped an 80 year old lady up on stage to dance with him. Throw in Santa Claus and that's a lot of time spent directly interacting with fans (not to mention that he actually fell off the boards into the crowd at one point).
If I was amazed at the amount of energy the 70 year old McCartney had, the amazement was surpassed last night as Bruce, only 7 years McCartney's junior, put on a high-octane, full-on, ass kicking rock n' roll show, the likes I've never before witnessed.
Only one word can really sum it all up, and it's one we heard a lot from the crowd last night:
Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce
Monday, 26 November 2012
Sir Paul McCartney
Best.
Show.
Ever.
There aren't really any words to describe the event that Tracey and I attended last night. Although our seats were just OK (I generally wouldn't sit that far back for anyone, but an exception is made for music Royalty), it was the best concert going experience of my life, by far.
McCartney created instant highlights with nods to John Lennon ("Here Today") and George Harrison ("Something", which started on ukulele and finished with a perfect electric rendition of this Beatles classic). He was polite and appreciative of the raucous Vancouver crowd (and I wouldn't use the term "raucous" to describe many crowds in Vancouver) and seemed to be genuinely moved by the constant standing ovations he was so rightfully given. I have never seen a performer, particularly one of such legendary status, seem so down-to-earth on stage.
He brought the house down, almost literally, during "Live and Let Die", with pyro and fireworks bouncing off the roof of BC Place. See for yourself.
The underappreciated Beatles masterpiece "A Day in the Life" actually brought a tear to my eye, and that isn't something I can ever remember happening at any concert.
This was more than a concert, this was a chance for music fans from this city (and from any other city if they made the trek) to say "thank you" to arguably the greatest songwriter in history. Let's face it, at the age of 70, it's not all that likely he'll be back to our city. This was our one chance to see him live, and he sounded incredible. Much better than he sounded at the Olympics where it seemed as if his age might be finally getting to him. Not a single hint of that last night, apart from perhaps one or two less-than-perfect notes during the opening number. And kudos to the engineers who did yeoman's work on the new sound system at the refurbished BC Place. Other concerts I had seen there were near disasters; but the sound last night was crisp and clear.
Despite the fact that the radio-station-sponsored rumour of an appearance by Bruce Springsteen did not materialize, I doubt there was a single person who went home last night disappointed. After nearly three hours of classic after classic, and two encores (including one featuring the Delta RCMP marching band providing the bagpipes and percussion), there was no room for disappointment.
Mr. Springsteen has a lot to live up to at his show at Rogers Arena tonight. This won't be an easy concert to top.
From the moment that McCartney opened with Magical Mystery Tour, to the final number, the closing Abbey Road medley (Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End), the show lived up to the considerable hype. And it left McCartney's last words hanging there for all, as an echo of the Beatles' masterful swansong.
"And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make".
Amen, sir.
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