One Eight
Today I can vote...and...um, see movies that are Restricted. Oh, snap.
I actually looked some info up just out of interest and some of the other things of note are: I'm no longer a minor. I can get sued. I can get married. I can change my name. I can enter into contracts. And I can write a will.
Hmm. The next birthday'll be better, but it feels good to be 18, finally.
In other news: Tonight I went with Rockwell and Beth to see a couple plays as a part of the McMaster Drama Festival or whatever the official name is. They were back to back and the first one was called
Body and Soul, which was pretty entertaining as well as a great discussion-provoker.
It presents this wonky idea of a future in which advancements in virtual reality technology allow for sexual experiences to be uninhibited by potential drawbacks. The idea of it is that nobody is unhappy (because images can be made perfect for everyone) and thus it would bring about a new social order in which everyone can have everything they want - like a version of democracy vastly improved upon, or something to that effect. Then of course the characters in the play struggle with conflicting thoughts around all that which makes up the plot. All in all, a well done piece.
The next play was
Criminal In Love. This one had some awesome dialogue - that was its best feature by far. I didn't like it as well as the first one though, for a few reasons: it dragged on a little too long; some of the acting was a little sketchy; the end was totally sad, and not only did it have a sort of Fight Club-feel to it, but they even used the same song. (Where is My Mind - The Pixies) I also noticed that the actors were having some trouble staying in character. But I imagine it'd be tough in that play just because it's so long and with a lot of truly hilarious moments that had the audience bursting with uproarius laughter. 'Twas a good night.
After Beth decided to call it a night Rockwell and I just hung around the neighbourhood like we always do. The best conversations always take place in the dead of night. I finally came home around 3 in the morning, and it's now 4am and I'm not exactly feeling sleepy...probably because of that Hortons Ice Cap I had awhile ago. Nevertheless, I'm heading to bed anyway.
A Place to Stay
On Wednesday my parents and I drove up to Guelph and found me a room. Yeah, I didn't think it would be so quick and easy, although I did settle on the second place I saw. I'm going to be living in a room that's on the second floor of a house owned by a single mother who's been renting out rooms to students for 16 years.
Pros:
- The room is a pretty decent size and is already fully furnished
- I get the room to myself
- Internet is available, although I have to set it up myself
- It's about a 20-minute walk away from the campus, but there are busses going back and forth right outside my door
- The owner, who lives in another part of the house, is super friendly and seems really laid-back. Her name is Jeannette.
Cons:
- The bathrooms aren't the greatest. I've got one right outside my door that I'll be sharing with, I think, 2 other people, maybe 3. That's not bad, but the catch is there's no shower in that one.
- The shower is in a bathroom located in the basement in the far corner - in other words, as far away from my room as it could possibly be while still being in the same house. And I have to share it with 4 of the 5 other people living there. And there are obstacles...
- Because my landlady runs a daycare out of her basement, where the shower is. She tells me that parents start dropping their kids off at the basement entrance around 7am. The basement is usually occupied by about 10 or 12 little rascals at any given time during the day.
- There is no lock on my door.
I'd rather not interact with little kids every day. (It's not that I don't love kids, but I didn't decide to go live away from home so I could be around them every day.) And there's no way I'm going to start getting up at 6:30am every morning to shower - so I've decided that I'll have my showers in the evening, probably sometime between 9:30 and 10:30, when the basement isn't full of rugrats and, hopefully, when there aren't a bunch of people also trying to get washed.
One pro/con that I didn't mention is that with this place that's quite separate from the University atmosphere, I'll always be guaranteed a quiet, study-friendly atmosphere. The trouble is, I'm a sociable guy. I want to party sometimes too. Due to my inexperience, I guess I can't really draw any conclusions. I just hope I'm not too far out to lunch as far as all the cool stuff going on on campus that people in residence will constantly be right in the thick of.
Anyway, right now I'm more excited than anything else. And my birthday's in eight days, so that's something else I've got to look forward to as well. Crossing my fingers and thinking of one of
these.
What the Deuce Booster Juice
I went back to Booster Juice today to try and get to the bottom of things once and for all.
I left my first interview with the feeling that I'd done very well. My great detriment is the fact that I'm leaving town in less than a month and a half. Before the manager didn't act like it was going to be a problem. Anyways, I understand why they don't want to hire me; quite understandable, I guess. The thing that gets to me is that they made it very clear that "even if we decide not to hire you, you'll still definitely be called in for a second part to your interview so just be patient." They said that three or four times. Then they don't even bother to call.
So I go in there and the manager is behind the counter serving a customer. She points out immediately that I must be there because she hasn't called me yet. "Right," I say. She takes her time explaining that she'd much rather hire somebody who is going to be around more in the fall. She also thinks it's likely that I won't be available on weekends as much as I say I will be. She concludes by telling me not to lose hope, because she still might hire me as a last, desparate resort. Gee, thanks. It was tempting to make a face at the freshly hired little twerp standing behind her smirking at me, but I didn't.
So it looks like I'll have to be content with working for my dad this summer. It's not as if that's a bad thing, but I would have loved to find something for myself and meet new people and all that stuff. Anyway, I'm keeping my eye out for a place that might still be interested in hiring me...for a month.
In the meantime, I'm learning a lot about my dad's industry and what he's done to earn a living all his life. Some of the labour is fairly physically demanding, so I'm usually tired out when I get home, not to mention filthy. I've spilled sulphuric acid on myself more than once, which isn't as bad as it might sound but does make your skin itch and tingle and ruins clothes. Everything we're clearing out is covered in about an inch of dust and grime, since most of it hasn't been touched in many years and is only there because my dad and certain people he's employed are self-proclaimed packrats. Yesterday I had to stop what I was doing and step outside for a moment because the dust and whatever else in the air was making my eyes sting and overflow as if I was standing in a room full of chopped-up onions. I'm listing all these negative things, but those are really all I can think of. I've learned quite a bit, it feels productive, and I'm making money. Overall a positive experience.
Tomorrow my parents and I are driving up to Guelph to look for a place for me to live. I've decided to be fairly picky about it, (well, within the realm of reason) just because I can. And because I really am affected by my surroundings. So I'm looking forward to that. The more I sit in this room of mine, (which I think I've given up on cleaning for good) the more psyched up I feel about a change of scene.
Zidane Gives Italy Headway
As most people know, today, (July 9th 2006) saw the victory of Italy over France in the
FIFA World Cup Final. (I shouldn't have to say this but...that's soccer.)
It was a fantastic match. Sort of. It's hard to describe something that was both exciting and dissapointing at the same time. In my opinion, neither team played to their full potential. I don't think for a second that Italy's win makes them a superior team. The fact is that they were tied one-all with France until the penalty shoot-outs, which, if you ask me, isn't really a test of soccer skill. I mean, let's face it, there's so much more to the game than just goal-scoring. The skill that goes along with doing well in penalty kicks should hardly be the deciding factor in choosing the world's best team.
The real hunk of drama in this game revolved around team captain
Zinedine Zidane. This guy is widely considered one of the best players in the world. In France, the man has practically
attained God status. In April, 2006, Zidane anounced that he would be retiring after the 2006 FIFA World Cup. So there was quite a lot of focus on Zidane today as fans hoped he would bring the cup home for them in his final glorious match; a magnificent end to a magnificent carreer.
Well, that didn't happen. Quite the opposite, in fact. I had several of my friends over to watch the match today, and we were all bewildered as to what provocation drove Zidane to act as he did.
The atmosphere was tense. The match was in its 20th minute of 30 minute overtime with both teams holding a point each. According to Wikipedia, Italian Defender
Marco Materazzi uttered an unspecified racial slur directed at Zidane. Moments later, Zidane was caught on camera
headbutting Materazzi in the chest.
He freaking headbutted the guy! In the chest! What a spectacle.
Here's video footage.My fellow France supporters and I were...well, pretty unsure what to think. It was pretty
funny! That is, in an immature sort of way. So on the one hand we loved him for it. On the other hand we were furious that he went and did something that potentially sabotaged his team's chances.
What was he thinking? At that time, though, we didn't know about the whole racial slur thing. Now I have mixed feelings about the incident. I can understand a guy under so much pressure losing it over something like a racial slur...then again, it seems like a bit of an overreaction on his part. It's a real shame that his carreer had to end on such a sour, red-carded note. And even more of a shame that, whether it's Zidane's fault or not, that incident had such an effect on the outcome of the game. I mean, that's only speculation, of course; but Zidane is one of France's best scorers. Perhaps he would have succeeded where his replacement failed in the penalty kicks. Well, he's retired now, so we'll never know.
On the whole it was a great match. Some fabulous saves by the Italian goalie Buffon and some other really valiant efforts by both teams made this match a lot of fun to watch. It's one for the books, that's for sure. As much as I wanted France to win.......I guess I'm happy for Italy. All of those guys are a lot better at kicking a ball around than I am, so I can hardly sit here lethargically typing this block of text and say they didn't deserve to win.
...Some Other Misc. Updates:
- It looks like I've been neglecting my blog lately, which is true - but not because I've lost interest...just because there hasn't been much to write about. I'm making up for it with a long entry now.
- I went to see Pirates 2 with Rockwell and Katelin on Saturday. I wasn't sure if I'd like it, but I did. It was quite entertaining, and the special effects combined with some of the artistic direction were awfully neat. If you've any interest in this, you've probably heard that it ends in a cliffhanger, which is true. Although it wasn't as severe a cliffhanger as I expected. Anyhoo, I reccomend it, especially if you enjoy slapstickish action and a lot of tongue and cheek. But see the first one first, if you haven't already.
- On Wednesday I had an interview with a new Booster Juice location that's opened just a couple blocks from my parents' house. The girl who interviewed me told me she'd be my manager if I was hired. I got some really positive vibes from her, and I think there's a very good chance I'll get the job...which would be wonderful.
- I started playing World of Warcraft again. My Tauren Druid named Bothar is currently level 49. He's on Eredar. My intent when I resubscribed was to use WoW as something to do only when I'm bored and there's really nothing else to do. For the first couple of days, I'll admit that that resolve was out the window and I absolutely binged, gaining 3 levels in the space of a couple days. Fortunately I got my resolve back again, or maybe it just lost some of its starting-up flare, I don't know. At any rate, my focus this week is on the following items:
- 1) Finding a place to live in Guelph; 2) Sending in the remaining items Guelph still requires of me (namely a highly specific portrait of myself for the Photo ID); 3) Doing my driving lessons which I've been neglecting for far too long. My first one since before I wrote exams is tomorrow afternoon at 3pm. 4) Pursuing employment at Booster Juice. They were supposed to call me on Friday and set up a second interview for Monday or Tuesday and I never heard from them,
In the meantime I'm still working for my dad helping him clear out his place before he sells his property and retires at the end of the summer. Which reminds me, I have to get up in about four and a half hours to do just that. Better call it quits for tonight.
update: July 14, 2006. added video link and images.
Zelda in 5 Hours
I came across
this movie on Google Video today. It's 5 hours and 12 minutes long, showing, from start to finish, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It's the fastest speed run of this game I've heard of to date, and the fact that every bit of it is recorded is pretty neat because you get to see how incredibly efficient this guy is. Obviously I didn't watch the whole thing, but skipping through this to various points is pretty entertaining. I swear it takes him less than 5 seconds to take down Gohma, the game's first boss inside the Deku Tree. This guy is so efficient that he doesn't even grab the heart containers after he beats bosses. He doesn't need to; he never dies.
Anyways, if you've played through this game, (I spent countless hours doing so as a youngster) you'll enjoy this little trip down memory lane and seeing how much more efficient you could have been in getting through it!
Transformers Live Action Movie?
Indeed. And by none other than demolition enthusiast Michael Bay himself. I really liked Transformers as a kid, so I hope they do a good job. I think there's a good chance they will, too. If you ask me, Bay's more cut out for this kind of film than what Pearl Harbor was supposed to be.
PS: And by "Live Action" I mean.....mostly CG. Probably.
Check out the teaser. Flash 8 required.
eon8: The Gig is Up
I had actually not heard about this internet phenomenon until it concluded today. If you are not familiar with what this was all about, it's a very interesting story:
Some time ago a suspicious looking site, "http://www.eon8.com" appeared on the internet. It contained little else than a rather ominous-looking countdown that would end today, July 01. People immediately began speculating as to what it could be, and all sorts of theories began to emerge as the little website grew in popularity. Some thought it was a countdown to some kind of terrorist attack, while others thought that it mapped the distribution of various computer viruses, and others still thought it surely had something to do with newest James Bond film in the works, Casino Royale.
It was, in fact, none of these things. Today the big white counter disappered and was replaced with a dramatic "EON 8 DEPLOYED", followed by a link to a new page which contained the truth behind all the mystery. Pasted from a mirror of the actual page:
"As of July 1st, 2006, the E8 Project has completed.
The purpose of this project was to determine the reactions of the internet public to lack of information."
The site's creator revealed himself to be a Floridian; a 23 year-old web designer named Mike. His objective in carrying out the E8 Project was to make the point that, "People take things too seriously and panic over the most trivial things."
Here is the Wikipedia article that explains things in further detail.
And
here is the link to the site itself, which has been completely removed and replaced with a list of mirrors through which you can still view eon8.com in most of its former glory.
Note that these links will likely expire in time; who knows what will become of eon8.com itself, and the last time I checked the Wikipedia article was up for deletion.
Looking Ahead
Well, I spent a good part of the day today selecting courses for the Fall Semester at Guelph. My choices are based mainly on what I think will be interesting, but also on what I think I can do reasonably well in. They are as follows:
Introductory Philosophy: Major Texts
An introduction to philosophy through primary texts in the history of philosophy, with emphasis upon traditional topics such as the nature of knowledge and the different types of knowledge, the relationship between the mind and the body, the nature of good and evil, and the nature of sound argument.
Introduction to Theatre Studies
This course introduces students to the disciplines and subject areas that constitute Theatre Studies at the university level, including the work of playwrights, directors, designers, actors and technicians in creating productions, and the scholarly study of theatrical history, theory and dramatic literature. Attendance at a number of performances is required, since these performances are among the "texts" for the course.
The Languages of Media
This introductory course examines film, radio, television, and digital media, focusing on the codes and conventions used by different media to create relationships between structure and content, to make meaning.
Sociology
An introductory course dealing with the basic concepts and methods of sociology applied to societies, groups and individuals. Students will gain an understanding of basic social processes such as socialization, social exchange, deviance and conformity, social change and basic social institutions such as the economy, the polity, the family, religion, education.
Psychology: Dynamics of Behaviour
This is an introduction to the study of human development, intelligence, personality, psychopathology and its treatment and social psychology.
I'm a little apprehensive about the Philosophy Texts one. I hated having to read primary sources in my highschool course by fellows like Plato and Kant. It's not that they haven't got interesting things to say, but the way that it's presented is so...well, dull. And a bit overwhelming, when you see you have to read 10 or 15 pages of tiny blurry text that's been photocoppied out of a book. Ah well. That one's a little iffy but I'm pretty excited about the others...they sound like they should be really interesting.
Now my next job is finding a place to live come September. Why not live in residence, you ask? Because of 1 business day.
You see, I originally applied to live in residence on the last day they would accept applications. I'm not used to dealing with banks, so it never occured to me that things might take awhile to process. I set up the billing account without a hitch. Then I began to transfer $500.00 from my savings account into my checquing account so there would be enough money in it. But it wouldn't let me.
"This transaction will take 1 business day to process," said a message on the screen. I had to tell it to schedule the transfer for the following day, and Guelph's Residence Dept. was going to withdraw my payment at 4:00pm that day come hell or high water.
I figured it wouldn't be a problem if they got the money a day late, and so did the people I asked for advice. The mistake I made was telling my bank to let Guelph bill my account the day before the money would be transferred in. I suppose I thought for some reason that they'd keep trying to bill me until they got it, so I let it go.
Nearly 3 weeks later I got a call from Guelph telling me that they still not received my payment for residence, and that I am therefore on a waiting list. Realizing my mistake, I set up another bill payment immediately and saw five hundred dollars drop off my balance. The next day Guelph emailed me to inform that "due to the increasing number of students it is highly unlikely that we will be able to offer you a place in residence, here's the phone number/email/link to the people who can help you find Off-Campus housing".
And that my friends is why I'm looking for a place to live. I've decided that I'm going to contact the folks the University referred me to in the next week, and hopefully I'll be close to having a deal worked out by the end of this month.
At first I didn't like the idea of not living in residence where I'm at least guaranteed the things I need; but the more I've thought it over, the more I like the idea. In fact, now I'm actually glad I ended up in this position because I think I'll be better suited to that lifestyle. Interesting the way things work out that way.
