Edward Healey – The Gathering

Personal Bits

Dad’s visitation and “Gathering” info:

The visitation is on Sunday Aug 15th, 2 pm at Humphrey Funeral Home at 1403 Bayview Ave.

Dad also wanted a non-formal “service” (he hand wrote “a Gathering!” in his will) which will take place at The Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto, 115 Simpson Ave, on Monday Aug 16, 2 to 5pm. He had rejected religion when he came out but still loved the church and the social that went with it. Eventually religion found it’s way back into his life and he was enriched by it. Its the same room we use to practice flag twirling with ROTC years back… weird.

The Best Sister In Law Evar!!!

Personal Bits

Last weekend, sis-in-law Syl had her 50th birthday and surprised me with a gift of my own: money towards my own iPad. She said it was for all the work I did on her note card/photography site.

Without a word of a lie, she knocked my socks off. I had no real schedule for getting one, I just knew I was going to get one. Someday. She had just upped the inevitable.

For her birthday she looked amazing – a hot red Cuban themed dress and her hair was perfect.

Right Now I’m sitting on my bed typing into my WordPress app making this post, thinking of her and what a special person she is.

Teletoon Isn’t Kinetic Enough

Celebs and Media, You Stupid Dick

One of the last things I do at the end of the day is watch the more “adult” cartoons on Teletoon. Shows like Futurama, American Dad, Robot Chicken, etc. For my American readers, it’s a Canadian version of Adult Swim but a lot more polite.

Last night, Teletoon sunk to a new low of television programming. All during their evening line up, they kept flashing sidebar ads and squeeze-in ads (where the screen shrinks 1/3rd it’s size to reveal a static ad) for the new Kick Ass DVD and Will Ferrel’s new movie, The Other Guys.  I’ve become use to this kind of guerrilla marketing and let’s face it, they’re just cartoons. It makes the channel look like some cheap free periodical you find at the bottom of a muddy subway car, but it’s the nature of advertising. Faster, stronger, bolder messages to cut through the noise.

Teletoon upped the ante last night and started to insert ads mid-sentence of a character’s line. We’re talking full cut-away, 5-10 second blip ad made to look like a newsflash. I don’t have video but you can imagine it looked something like this:

American Dad’s Steve: But I don’t like-

CUT TO A CNN STYLE NEWS  CRAWL: ATTENTION A SUPERHERO HAS BEEN SPOTTED! BUY THE NEW KICK ASS DVD IN STORES TODAY! DO IT!

American Dad’s Steve: –Kelly Clarkson’s music!

When I saw this I actually thought it was a control booth error, until they did it once for every show that night. Somewhere, during a mild conversation moment in whatever episode, they’d cut away to this blip ad and shoot right back like nothing happened.

If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face— forever.

This kind of advertising is disturbing. Let alone rendering the viewer gun-shy, not knowing when they’re going to be assaulted with an ad.

I say fuck you, Teletoon. Fuck you in

ATTENTION A SUPERHERO HAS BEEN SPOTTED! BUY THE NEW KICK ASS DVD IN STORES TODAY! DO IT!

your ugly face.

Dear Craigslist Trolls

You Stupid Dick

When I say the item I am selling is “$XXX FIRM” please don’t email me to ask if I’ll sell it for $50 less.

When you ask me to call you, and I do, please try to remember what the hell you’re buying. Asking questions that were answered if you had actually read the post (even with the aid of images) says to me that you’re either a reseller who works a bit too hard or you’re going to kill me when we meet up for the exchange.

Hemming and hawing and generally wasting my time either over the phone or via emails is a waste of everyone’s time.

No. I don’t want to trade what I’m selling for a two stroke “pocket bike” that “has barely ever been run!”

No. I certainly don’t want to trade what I’m selling for a Blackberry Pearl, new in box. Seriously, I’m not a 16yr old girl.

You want my PayPal account? Even when the SCAMS page says I shouldn’t? Oh and you want me to ship to the US? ~TERMINATING.

I use to think that Kijiji and Ebay had lost their souls. I know who sucked it from them.

New Day, New Phone

iPhone

Thank you SharkBoy for braving the crowds and the lines to get us the new iPhone and setting up the new contract. Surprisingly there were some still available yesterday and the line in the early morning went fast.

First off, it’s fast. I’m shocked at how quick it runs (compared to a 3G running any new or old OS). Apple needs to make more of these A1 chips.

It’s glassy. Must not drop…

Boba Felt

Hobbies

I have a career waiting for me if I ever leave the loving embrace of Graphic Design: T-shirt design!

While ordering my tea at my local Starbucks, the barista behind the cash notices my home made Boba Fett felt tee.

“OHMYGOD That is a-maz-ing!”

Other baristas stop what they’re doing and look over. “COOL!” “AWESOME!” etc.

“Where did you get it?” one asks

“I made it myself. I’m teaching myself to sew…”

I barely get the last bit out when I’m interrupted by “NO! WAY!!!”

“Can you make me one? How much do you charge?”

I consider this for a moment. Materials, time and profit factored in would probably jack the shirt up to about $40. If I wasn’t a greedy artist and dropped “time” and “profit” I could make one for about $17.

“A lot,” I respond. I don’t even want to get into the whole copyright thing.

Nice to know I could fall back on my skills, though.