Entheogens and Artistic Exploration

morning routines

2010-06-01T01:07:00.005+09:00

...at home again. i'm sorting through scripts and enjoying a lazy monday morning. mondays really aren't so bad when you are unemployed. however, it's a day of working on personal projects, so i thought i'd finally update the blog. it doesn't seem to me like i'm on the internet any less often than the past, but i just stopped blogging when i got back to canada. that should change, my everyday life is interesting dammit! well, every once in a while anyways.

however, this is what my morning routine entailed not long ago:

Smoking a hookah and drinking some coffee at a Chinese Cafe in Shanghai at around 9am. We generally got up early when we were traveling, and today was no different. Our hostel/hotel, known as The Phoenix, had the best restaurant that I ate at in Shanghai served breakfast really early, so we had already eaten our morning dose of fried rice before that. However, coffee is not commonly served at restaurants (not dripped and brewed coffee anyhow), so every morning was usually an adventure in looking for somewhere to buy coffee. Some times benign (Starbucks), sometimes surreal and genuinely interesting. This morning we were walking around underneath the park (rather than through it) and we followed some signs to a recreated 1930s Shanghai street. This time period is romanticized a little bit, in movies it reminds you of prohibition-era Chicago, but it was unique. The recreation of the street looked kinda cool in the architecture and the cobblestone, however, the modernity of the stores shattered any illusion that you were seeing a glimpse into the past. However, I'm not one to care too much about these creative anachronisms, so we sat down on the "patio" of the cafe and smoked some Shisha and sipped coffee.

Spitting in China is much more common than in Western countries, as it is not considered rude to spit in front of people. So everywhere you go, there is a constant barrage of loud horking. However, it's generally not acceptable to spit indoors. Some people do however, and the way around it is to spit into the garbage can or spit on it and then step on it with your shoe. The above recreated street was not outside, you can see even in the picture that the sky is actually painted on the ceiling, however many Chinese men stood here smoking cigarettes, spitting on the 'road', and generally gawking at katherine. This was par for the course throughout China.

True story. Kinda makes me feel really bored, even though i'm doing lots of stuff, but perhaps only actually working 2 weeks in 2010 is starting to catch up to me.

That's all for now, I was supposed to be working on stuff this morning, and it's already 11.

Peace
rob

sitting in a pc bang (internet cafe), passing time

2010-04-01T16:26:00.004+09:00

hello, it's been a while since i have posted on either this blog or our travel blog: annyong haseyo, so i thought i'd quickly post an update.

we've just got back from our month-long excursion in china, and i will say i didn't want to leave. despite the limited access to the internet, the real world of china is so enticing as to cause me strong desire to return the next chance i get. expect some more pics to go up over the next couple of days, though many are already viewable on our pics site here. i'll also try to upload some pics to facebook, but there are many, so that may take a little while.

we're in taebaek now, taking in the last week before we go as easy as possible, despite the constant headache of bureaucratic nonsense from the school finance department, i got $500 more than i expected, and kat owes $700...this doesn't make any sense, but things rarely do in the accounting department.

more headaches to go home to, hearing that SCN is being shut down is infuriating. this almost certainly will mean i will have to leave the province for work, and i plan on thanking dustin duncan myself when i return home.

beyond that, i am ready to come home. i have been traveling so much that i can never really feel comfortable and relaxed anywhere. this is causing a great lethargy, and i'm ready to really come home and rest. i look forward to hamburgers, perogies, jamming, understanding the language, concerts, movies, making movies, camping, canoeing, campfires, playstation and so on.

i expect the first few weeks will be not too intense, but i will have to find work soon, a place to live, a mode of transportation and so on, so there will still be some things to keep me busy, but i hope i can start working on some creative projects, something i have been starved for for a year.

all in all,
see you soon, or in some cases, see you again.
rob

Last day of school.

2010-02-25T10:35:00.002+09:00

And I'm pretty happy. Got Alice Cooper running through my head (thanks kat), but I'm actually starting to feel pretty good about it. We're only in Taebaek for another day, and spend the last night in our apartment, and will be out of the country on Monday. It's a great feeling to be liberated from these things, but that said, I am now unemployed and will have to begin that battle when I get back to Canada. I heard back from the first school I applied for, UBC, and was rejected. Two more to go, hopefully they aren't the same, though it's still quite possible.

The trip to SE Asia was pretty awesome. Many new firsts, and also many chances to go slower and take things in more. I look forward to China, we start in Shanghai on Monday, and after that is kinda up in the air. Some ideas, and some possibilities, but nothing completely concrete. We have to do China on a much smaller budget 'cause we kinda blew most of our money in SE Asia :(. That's okay, we'll work it out so that we don't come back in huge amounts of debt, as that would defeat the purpose.

Also, I have some pretty big personal news that I will announce hopefully in the next week, there are just a few more parties I'd like to inform first, so stay tuned.

Woah man...woah.

2010-01-23T22:03:00.001+09:00

2010-01-21T00:57:00.007+09:00

YES! I DECLARE VICTORY OVER THE DEVIL THAT IS POOR ENGLISH SPEAKING IN KOREA. After two years of relentless conversation practice and torturous Scattergories, I declare that Korea now knows English! Maybe a few kids still say "shitty" instead of "city", and "bitches" instead of "beaches", but that's just minor detail, we won! Yer welcome.

*****

i have one more class, which is going to be a popcorn party, and i don't think that really counts. i've turned in my masters' application forms, with great sympathy and thanks to my family for putting up with me and doing everything they can to help me out. finished up my english camps (which were a joke) and thanks again to Theresa, Jaye, Andy, and Kat for helping me out with that too.

after three weeks of constant moving, now i am sitting at my desk every day wondering how the hell i'm gonna waste the next 50 hours or so. i've already packed up my desk and supplies, organized my notes for the next poor soul to teach at my school, and watched over 10 hours of Buffy the Vampire Slayer back to back. i could argue with my school to let me go home early, but then i'd do even less, perhaps getting lost in the Sims 3 or Unreal Tournament (i'm pretty much over my LOTRO addiction...for now). so i trudge to school every day to keep my image squeaky clean, and waste the day away.

vacation begins at the end of next week for me, and truly is the launching point for 2 months of travel and transition. but i've posted enough about my vacations in the previous posts to keep rambling on about it. really, i need to figure out what to do when i get back home. creatively and career-wise.

weyburn or regina...or toronto...maybe vancouver? if it turns out i get accepted to university, then there won't be any settling. just six months of floating and roaming until i end up wherever i end up. it sounds like regina is dead for movies right now, so there's a good chance we might end up sticking around weyburn for most of that time. i kinda envy mark bauche when he returned from the UK and essentially walked off of the airplane into his new apartment. i don't have the luxury of security when i return. this is to me a greater worry than from when we came over to korea, because the future was clear, for a year or two anyhow.

i fantasize about the idea of not working, just living out at nickel lake, spending the day writing/planning/working on film/music projects. in the evenings, fishing in a boat watching the sun go down and sleeping in a tent with no fly cover so i can watch the stars. just for a summer. kat is trying to convince me of this plan as we speak. i do, after all, have several major projects that need to be finished. the two biggest ones being the Kat has the Key record and my Reunion feature-length script. if it turns out i don't get in to film school, i'd like to produce the Blossoms script as well (one that's been in the works for over 5 years now). i've already had some new project offers, and i haven't even left korea yet. guy kurtz's band "kriticos" needs a promo video and music video. lots of work for little money, however, i need to get back on the wagon, so it could be a worthwhile experience.

although, the most important thing in my not-so-distant future that i hold above all else is a canoe trip. at least 2 weeks away from people. the idea of being the only soul for miles in any direction is more exciting than thailand, china, or any asian destination.

but right now, my only destination is bed. found some pics on kat's cell phone of one of our favourite 막걸리 (Rice wine) joints. It was called 주막걸리 or Ju Makgeoli and we spent many quiet evenings there before the rest of the Taebaek crowd arrived. unfortunately, it is now closed.

do i crave busy-ness?

2010-01-06T23:22:00.002+09:00

or just attract it? even though i'm pretty much finished teaching (3 hours and two weekends left), i still feel quite stretched thin. part of it is finishing up my grad studies applications (which are pretty much finished aside from a few straggling loose ends to tie up), part of it is the prospect of an uncertain future upon returning to canada, part of it from spending thousands of dollars on plane tickets for vacations. However, the reality is that the bulk of it is English Camp. so much work for so little gain.

but i can be somewhat optimistic, i bought a new digital compact camera, and the gaining of material possessions is always a little bit of a serotonin burst. with one hurdle in the way and two weekends of monotony yet hopefully minimal stress, i can also look forward to an exciting adventure through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. we have a pseudo-itinerary going, about 8 days in Thailand 5 days in Cambodia and 8 days in Vietnam. several days in the first part of the trip will be spent on a beach on an island called Ko Samet. i am so very excited for this, as it will be four or five days to unwind the intensity of Korea. we've been in wind-down mode for some time even though were busy, but to sit on a beach next to the ocean for four or five days will be beyond relaxing. nowhere to go, nothing needing to be done, no cares, no worries. four or five days of that can feel like a month.

i will post again next week, i promise, i just need to jump this hurdle and i can spend some time doing more social things without guilt, but until then, i bid you a brief adieu.

peace

Sweet Jane RIP 1997-2009

2009-12-06T00:23:00.003+09:00

Doing what she does best, sleeping in a sunbeam.

It has been a bad couple years for pets in our household. Although we have gained two new additions, we have lost both our pets from back home. Jane was diagnosed with kidney failure likely attributed to a lifetime of eating only dried food without enough water to keep hydrated. If you have a cat, do the research about their diets, cats aren't supposed to live off of dry food alone and it can lead to all sorts of disorders. A little surprising that a veterinarian wouldn't have mentioned that somewhere along the line until AFTER it was too late.

It's a sad thing, she was the smartest cat I've ever known.

Rest in peace Jane.

Here's to 10 years.

2009-12-03T09:26:00.001+09:00

and to ten more.

The current is rapidly increasing...

2009-11-27T11:23:00.002+09:00

That chair is reserved for me. This is my where my mind is, and the only thing preventing me from exploding with boredom.

Two more months of school.

Three weeks of South East Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam).

One or two weeks in Japan.

A month in China.

And then home again. Nothing will be the same, though. New job, new place to live, new car (maybe), new life. I've been contemplating the future a lot these days. My application for grad school is difficult and slow going, and i kinda expect that it's yet to cause some great stress.

"If there were no reward to reap/No loving embrace to see me through/This tedious path I've chosen here/I certainly would have walked away by now/and I still may..."

I'd be lying if I said that time was crawling along. It's not, it's flying by faster than I can blink. I am preparing for the small funeral that is our new old-life in the coming months where we once again liquidate most of our possessions, close all of our relationships (or at least put them on hiatus), and wish our home away. Our feet to be swept up into the river and over that new waterfall. The current is definitely picking up.

Looking forward to a good jam session again. I have an album to finish recording/mixing, and who knows what will come after that. Really, I just wanna plug in, crank the volume and squeal distorted feedback for an hour or two to remind me of why i picked up the guitar to begin with.

Oh, and pizza, delicious, O'Hanlon's pizza...with a pint of beer...Stella, or Keith's on tap...mmm...maybe i crave that more than a beach in Thailand, I don't know.

See you soon.

the music post

2009-11-06T11:25:00.001+09:00

well, it's been a while since i've posted about music. what's kind of funny is that since i've been over in korea, i've been exposed to a much greater number of new bands and new albums than i ever had in canada. perhaps because i'm meeting a greater number of people with different origins, and different music tastes. or perhaps it's got something to do with the fact i have so much more time on my hands, i can listen to more music, and check out more bands. so i thought i'd spend some time talking and demonstrating some of the more bands i've recently been listening to.

mother mother

this is the band i've probably listened to the most in the last year. I thank my friend matt kincaide for introducing me to them. they are a smaller indie band out of vancouver that's fairly new, with two albums under their belt. they've played numerous shows around saskatchewan, for all of which i've been absent. i really dig the layered vocals, with three part harmonies for much of the time. two female vocalists and a male vocalist make for a really rounded out sound. i also really dig the lyrics, good imagery and metaphor.

silversun pickups

A newer band, don't know much about it. Reminds me a bit of the old mid-90s post-grungers, although many people will accuse it of being indie :). Their one single has over two bazillion hits on youtube.com so it has to be pretty popular somewhere anyway. Though I like the song 3 seed better. Decent band, mediocre album with some real gems in the rough. The album I'm referring to is Carnavas from 2006.

muse - the resistance

wicked new album. buy it, love it. this track is groovy as hell, catches you right from the outset. kinda like crossing queen with rage against the machine. yes, as blasphemous as it is, i said it.

the bull north

some home-grown talent. these guys have been around since linger's early days and released their first album only shortly after we did. hard to pin the genre on this one, definitely rock, and maybe some country influence. i don't have anything that i can stream, so i'll point you over to their Myspace to have a listen. I'd suggest listening to When I Come Down or The Pines.

them crooked vultures

the bombshell of 2009. josh homme, dave grohl, john paul jones, and some other guy. the first single is awesome, and you can get a free track off of itunes. it's not even out yet, and i'm pumped for it.

-----

other notables are old timers, the new pearl jam album's pretty good, as is the new alice in chains. however, weezer's new album raditude is just...nothing special. i love the band, but the formulaic and cheesy hooks have lost me entirely.

anyhow, i didn't really have swine flu, that was my Halloween costume, although there were still some people that night who wouldn't get too close to me because of katherine's convincing make-up. it was a blast, our friend Simon rented a condo at O2 resort in Taebaek, and we ripped it up.

counting down the days and months now otherwise. we have less than four months left of our contract, less than two months left of teaching (realistically only about 40 teaching days), and five months to the day that we'll be back in canada. i'm working my ass off getting my masters' application finished, even though i'm not totally decided that it will be my path.

until next time
keep fit and have fun.

Swine flu says hello to you too.

2009-11-02T21:02:00.001+09:00

jimmy

2009-10-29T21:23:00.002+09:00

i know that this has been posted on this blog once before, but i recompressed it with some of the modern technology i now have access to, and the more efficient streaming capabilities.

i still look at this as a student project. it is, however, i highly enjoyed making it, and may yet again in the future expand it into something feature length, as this version i shortened considerably from the original screenplay in order to be able to film it.

many of my friends were involved making it, and there are a lot of pleasant memories attached to it. so enjoy, even if the content itself is pretty heavy, you're welcome to not take it too seriously.

peace

Mark Twitchell: filmmaker, star wars fan, psychopathic murderer

2009-09-29T15:03:00.007+09:00

When I tell my friends who haven't heard about this guy's story, the reaction is very often the same. It's unbelievable, straight out. Not-of-this-plane-of-existence surreal. An Edmonton, AB filmmaker who lured a person to his garage, duct taped him to a chair, then proceeded to torture and kill him...all seemingly directly from his movie script. He was best known for his doomed Star Wars fan video, one that he is reputed to have spent in the tens of thousands of dollars on, which in the end, went bankrupt and was never finished.

Of course, something like this doesn't always reek of mental disorder. People often have grandiose ideas that are impossible or imprudent, and usually are let down with a harsh tug off their cloud. However, it became apparent on his next project, with the working title of "House of Cards", that his passion for filmmaking was more of an obsession. He set up a film set in his garage, had a real crew, with actors, shooting the eight-minute long horror short. Actor Chris Heward described his ordeal. He was strapped to a metal chair, duct taped, and played the victim. The other actors were using real samurai swords, understandably, Heward "was nervous". Shortly after, he was contacted by the police asking if he knew anything about the snuff film industry, and if he knew a man by the name of John Atlinger.

The plot of House of Cards details the life of a husband in a not-so-perfect marriage who connects with a woman on a dating website online. He agrees to meet her and goes to her house, only to be stunned by a masked man and tied up. He is then tortured and murdered, with the final twist revealing it to be a fantasy, all in the imagination of the writer, cast and performed by none other than Twitchell himself.

Twitchell apparently was a big fan of the serial killer TV show Dexter, and his short film has similarities as well. The show has taken quite a bit of flak for these similarities. The duct tape, the dismemberment, all reminiscent of the average episode. He even tried to sell the script online, claiming it was directly from the show. The final twist in this case was that he was going to do it for real.

He lured John Atlinger to his garage by posting on a dating website, posing as a beautiful woman who wanted to meet him. Atlinger went to the address to meet a man holding a stun-gun. He said he was shooting a movie and asked to come inside. He didn't and went home, and for reasons unknown, returned the next day. He hasn't been heard from since. His friends received a suspicious email from his account claiming he was running away to Costa Rica with a woman he had just met, and his boss received his letter of resignation through email, however, most people didn't buy it, and the police got involved. It was soon discovered that this wasn't Twitchell's first victim either, another man contacted police later to inform them that he went through the same ordeal. A couple witnessed this man escaping, being chased by a man in a hockey mask wielding a samurai sword. It seems a bit surprising that he didn't say anything earlier, and perhaps he could have prevented the death of Mr. Atlinger.

The police have said that the forensic evidence discovered in the garage is enough to charge Twitchell, however, there is no body, and it has led some to speculate that he is doing this as a publicity stunt, sending Atlinger away for a few weeks and taking in the free media coverage. However, you'd think that it might be a good idea to give up the stunt before you go to jail for the rest of your life. For now, we'll wait and see and maybe we'll finally find out the complete story. Really strange to hear about something like this so close to home.

This is a great, quick summary of the story shown on global.

Sleep tight kiddies.

This is illegal art.

2009-09-09T11:28:00.001+09:00

And shame on you for liking it. This is what the criminal has to say for himself:

"The music video for my song 'Alice', an electronic piece composed using sounds recorded from the Disney film 'Alice In Wonderland'. www.myspace.com/pogotracks www.last.fm/music/Pogo"

6 months and counting...

2009-09-02T11:26:00.004+09:00

well, the time is almost here...well, no it's not, but it's closer than ever! lucky kat is taking a rest at home (with the pneumonia, so i don't feel that envious), and i'm plugging away at school, time is passing ever so slowly, though faster than when i wasn't doing anything at all.

an update on the future:....i got nothing.

that's the trouble. things that seem so solid even a few weeks ago are starting to show fault. i wish i was rich and had about ten lives to live simultaneously. however, i don't on both counts, so the decisions have more weight than i'd like to admit. but let's suppose on the hypothetical reality that i can plan for more than a few months in advance. this could be what the future would look like:

now until the end of january: work like the slave dog i am. february: travel in SE Asia, provided that H1N1 doesn't kill everyone in the world, or at least not erode their better sensibilities. feb. 25: finish the contract, cast off these iron shackles and celebrate freedom. early march: travel china with the folks. early april: fly home to canada, a canada without anymore winter i hope. april: ? may-forever: ?...

just a few blanks left to fill in in that plan, and i'll be set.

anyone wanna help me out?

My tribute to Nine Inch Nails

2009-08-25T15:21:00.001+09:00

Nine Inch Nails are finishing up their American tour this month, the last show for what could be a long time. I had a chance to attend their last show in Asia in Seoul for a brief 90-minute set of some of their classic songs. It was an amazing show, and despite the fact that this time they weren't done up in the fancy light shows or the elaborate stage decor, it was still an absolutely mind-blowing show. In commemoration of the event, I decided to draw out a tribute, NIN in my life and memory.

I remember being in high school with Brent Keefe sitting behind me in Mr. Pegg's English class talking about the rarity of certain albums, Pretty Hate Machine being one and Soundgarden's first album, Badmotorfinger. I distinctly remember Brent (who had a propensity to exaggerate) saying, "Yeah, my friend located one copy of Pretty Hate Machine, it was like, in Belgium." These were the types of discussions we had throughout the high school years for which I look back very fondly. Our worldview was slowly starting to expand beyond the halls of the school, thanks largely to the rock magazines Spin and Rolling Stone and also from the music we listened to. It's funny how the bands we listened to as kids seemed to speak directly to us, even from the distances, and we would relate to the lyrics as though they directly channeled our own teenage (and sometimes pointless) angst. Nine Inch Nails was the band for me that represented that. Back then, they were only one band of many, but if I had need for emotional comfort, or discharge, that was what I would listen to. I had all of their albums by Grade 10, and had all of the "halos" before I was out of high school. After all, the only thing I had to spend money on was gas, coffee, and CDs. I remember that the money I earned from Eddies' was split up in almost an even third just such. My collection of CDs grew exponentially in those days, going from 10 to 300 in three years, since which I've probably only purchased 30 (even though my digital collection mysteriously doubles every six months). I remember remixing Nine Inch Nails tracks by rudimentary looping and editing on Cool Edit Pro, my first real musical foot forward, and a few steps behind my friends Jeremy and Mark who were doing the same thing with different bands.

Then we graduated, and everything changed. The discussions of music became more passionate, more final, and often more confrontational. The worldview then expanded beyond Weyburn's bubble, as most of us moved away to another city for school, or just to get away. The Fragile was released on 9-9-99, in my first year of university. I remember my first listen to the album was while I was writing my first Psychology paper (or should I say NOT writing it). The Fragile was the first thing Kat and I talked about when we got to know each other at a party, and what was playing when we hooked up. I drove around in the cougar with a tape that was starting to become so thin you could quietly hear the backwards music from the opposite side. I don't think I ever played an album as much before or since as I did that one. I was tortured by the fact that they never came through even remotely near Saskatchewan during the Fragility tour which lasted over two years and toured to even the most remote reaches of the globe. However, when they finally released the live DVD, we had a taste. Justin, Dave, Nathan, Victor and myself would all sit down before nearly every Linger band practice in front of his massive surround sound stereo system and get blown away by that DVD. This was what we wanted to do and how we wanted to do it.

Even though University seemed like an eternity while we were there, I'm sad to say that I've been out of it longer than I was in it. Maybe when I am old I will look back at that time period as being the best of my life, but maybe that's only because I was much more optimistic and excited during those years, because at first sight, the world is a beautiful and open place with opportunity and potential. However, now, I look back at that time as the life under the umbrella, and not at all in the real world, and thus illegitimate in a way. However perception is a strong thing, and at that point perception was blissfully naive. With Teeth came out when I was experiencing the tidal flood of the real world. The direction that Trent went on that album was perhaps not as epic as the Fragile, but I thought and still think it was concise and less introspective about the world then the previous albums, and thus having greater relevance lyrically. He was making a lot of the same observations as me, so it hit hard, and I listened to that album as much as any other. This was the tour where Kat and I had a chance to finally see the live show, and it was beyond anything I ever dreamed of. The marriage of visual performance and musical performance was astounding. It was an experience unto itself.

It was at this juncture that I finally had a chance to meet the man who'd influenced everything musical in my life. He's short, has striking blue eyes, and he's got a really strong grip. Beyond that, the meeting was really anti-climactic, and although it was a great experience, it was not the life-changing moment of glorious connection I guess I secretly hoped it would be. This is fine, I don't believe it's a good thing to idolize somebody too much, as you create a bubble of who you believe the person is, and very often what they really are like is nothing of the sort. Really, it's all that I really could desire for such a happening, a chance to thank the man who makes the music. But really, it's the gift of music and memory that I will always keep.

Year Zero, Ghosts, and The Slip have all come out swiftly, over the course of only two years. I enjoy all of this music just as much as I have the early stuff, and all in different ways, but really it will be in the future before I can truly realize the impact and it's relation to the events and memories that happen in my life.

Although this blog post seems that NIN was the only band that I ever listened to, that's not true, but it is the band I've listened to the longest and still like as much as the first day I experienced it. So here's to NIN, you'll be missed, though, I have 20 hours of music to listen to until I'm old and gray. Thanks again.

new look...you can tell i'm bored

2009-08-23T16:12:00.001+09:00

updated some links on the side...there are still some more i have to remember to change...there are many defunct blogs or practically defunct blogs out there that i wanted to purge and replace them with some blogs i actually check, and always seem to forget to check. more to come, and soon.

peace

it seems the more time i have on my hands, the less i blog

2009-07-15T09:26:00.006+09:00

I'm in the pleasant and care-free time of summer time in korea. It's raining constantly, but that should break in the next week or so, and after that, it's time again for sweet sweet vacation. Until then, i will plod along; attending classes, but not teaching; attending school, but not working. I am over my hump of depression that hit mid to late semester. A feeling of distance that was very great and anxiety related to the future plagued my mind for a while, exacerbated by the rainy days.

But i look forward to the summer holidays. For the last six years, i've taken vacation in the same set of days, the last week or two in july and the first week or two in august. It feels like that time of year again, and i embrace that. The plans are pretty exciting, we're going to kick off vacation with a concert in Seoul, called the Jisan Valley Rock Festival. Some notable acts are Weezer, Basement Jaxx, Patti Smith and Oasis, as well as a couple dozen Korean rock bands. For three days, the cost isn't too expensive. We picked up a tent to camp out over night, and i expect the event will be pretty awesome. Ryan Hillstead and Lisa Styles are also attending, so it'll be a Weyburn infused event.

After that, we will rent a car (i'm scared already) and drive down the west coast. We haven't explored that side of Korea at all and i'm excited at the opportunity to see a part of Korea that may offer a different view of the country...or may not. Either way, if we're not having fun, we can drive the entire length of the country in less than six hours. Our final destination of this leg will be Jeju-do, an island province only a few hours by ferry off of the southern coast. This place has been called the Hawaii of Korea, although having been to jeju one time before, i will say it's more like the florida of korea. We'll spend the largest part of our vacation here, I think, camping, snorkeling, and climbing the volcanic mountain, Hallasan, which happens to be the biggest mountain in South Korea.

If we are lucky, and the weather holds, we'll take a ferry over to Busan for a few days, and then into Japan. Last summer, we weren't able to do the southern part of the island, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, etc, so even just a few days will be enough time to pick up some of the spots we missed last year.

Then, all too soon, we'll be back at work, for another two to three weeks of not really working before the second and final semester begins. The time to return is coming down, though we have two more major excursions planned before we come back.

OH, and hard to believe i almost forgot. NINE INCH NAILS!!! YEAH!!! AUGUST 15th!!! ETP Festival!!! i'm thrilled to have this opportunity to see the band i love most play one last time. we were disappointed that we couldn't go to summersonic festival in japan because of financial reasons, but trent heard my wish (i'm sure), and has scheduled the last asian tour date in seoul, just for me...SWEET! oh, and limp bizkit is the other headliner...yay...

that's all for now, i swear i'll post more often this summer, i swear!

strange days and strange dreams

2009-05-12T15:39:00.003+09:00

begin part one.
i was a spy sent in to rescue prisoners which were held in small boxes surrounded by laser beams that didn't kill you but alerted the bad guys to my presence. i was together with a friend who i can't remember at this point, and we snuck closer to our targets. we were in the mountains in korea, whereas this is irrelevant militarily, the area was just wilderness and roads as most places in the south are. the lasers were multi-coloured and surrounding several posts in the middle with three-beams in a gate like fashion. thin enough to get through, and that's what we did, and soon we were examining the posts closely. however, the boxes were impossibly small for people, and the realization i made in the non-linear fashion, was that these were bodies, cremated and stuffed into these small boxes on the posts. why so were they protected i wondered? well, there was no way we could carry them, let alone rescue them, so we decided to make a break for it. however, my partner accidentally stepped too far back and tripped the lazer. so we ran, however, the lazers had a slowing side effect. and as a result even though we were running away as fast as we could, we still weren't moving fast enough to get away. or so i thought. as we were running up a mountain road trying desperately to escape our captors, i passed by an idling truck, and realized it was my getaway truck. except the girl who was in the driver's seat (i didn't recognize her) said that i had taken many hours for what felt like a few minutes. i stopped by the driver's side window to find out more about my missing time, when she looked at me and said i wasn't who she remembered me to be. i was someone else. it was then i realized that it was i who had been in the boxes, and somehow my rescuer (which i had been in the consciousness of earlier in the dream) had switched places with me as he/i ran through the lazer beams.

end part one

begin part two.
i was at a jam session with all the usual suspects, i think it was in scott's basement, or something similar, and there were stacks and stacks of amps and gear everywhere. i was very excited because there was a musician who i admire that was playing there. so after a while of watching the bands jam it out, i went up to this musician (who also is a guitar player) and asked her if i could play guitar with her. she said yes, and we tried to jam, unfortunately no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't find that groove together, and i couldn't tell if it was her or me that was making it sound so bad. consequently, after a few tries, she explodes on me and yells that i'm terrible, and we clash so bad because i'm so bad. at this point, i'm very embarassed, and i try to show her some work i did on the computer as reconciliation, however, cubase wouldn't work, and i couldn't play her any music.

end part two

of course, these are edited versions of it, and some parts i don't remember as clearly as others, and other feelings don't translate at all in to words, but it was a very lucid dream, the clearest i've had in a while.

don't think i'd post this to my portfolio site :)

the sneak peek

2009-05-12T00:45:00.002+09:00

i have a much more complete version of my website finally up. becoming a hermit at home has some advantages, as i have actually been working on things. writing, editing, mixing, and finishing up my portfolio.

check it out:

Rob's Portfolio

if it turns out that this site turns out to be functional and easy to update and use and such, i will retire this blog and use the website as my everyday blog.

enjoy

i feel ambitious these days

2009-05-01T11:25:00.006+09:00

wow, two film projects in as many weeks. AMACHJING! i was looking back through my stockpiles of footage, and found the original scans for the Swaying Image video shoot. I forgot what the original stuff looked like after seeing the final version of the video for going on six years now. I thought I might reedit the video and make a version I can call up to the standards I have now for quality of projects. However, after removing everything that I found to be cheezy, or out of focus, I found that I actually didn't have nearly enough footage for the four and a half minute-long song. So, since NIN is always inspiring to me, I decided to do another entry for the Ghosts film festival, although this time, my intention is not to keep the music, this I will compose and make a new short film out of an old project. So I attached the rough cut, there is still one or two shots I think I will change, and I'm not sure yet how attached I am to the fades, but that said, I'm lazy, and I may do nothing more at all except change the music. It's amazing to me that I'm on this roll of tying up loose ends of projects. Only have a website, a script and an album left to finish, and I'll be semi-caught up for now. Here's the rough cut, a very different feel I'll admit, a much slower, eerier approach, with basically no references to the Linger band or concept. Enjoy.

(Please watch in HQ, it's incredible the difference it makes)

**EDIT** Final touches have been applied, enjoy.

A new film-related project!

2009-04-19T00:47:00.002+09:00

Finally! Thank god! It only took me since January 2008 to finish it, but finally, I have completed my entry for the Ghosts Film Festival on Youtube.com. I've been using nine inch nails as a soundtrack for years, but now i finally have permission! Unbelievable. Now, this film can be a little deceiving, but there isn't a shot in the whole project longer than 4 seconds that hasn't been messed around with in some way. At times there is between 3-5 layers of video. All the footage is from the Prelinger archives at archive.org. Without further adieu, here is 33 Ghosts IV. Enjoy. (Make sure you watch in HQ, the difference is remarkable)

it's a sad day

2009-04-17T09:42:00.000+09:00

this is what we do with our cultural heritage...

it's been awhile...SO

2009-03-13T14:46:00.003+09:00

The school year has begun again, and now i have some time on my hands...more time than i've ever had, so it seems. This year kat and i have determined that we are going to get out more and see more of the country. already we have taken a short trip to Andong, just a couple hours south of Taebaek. Now, this in itself doesn't seem to be particularly interesting, so let me tell you of a few of the other ways i've decided to fill my time.

1. Lord of the Rings Online. Potentially the most addicting game I've ever played in my life, moreso than Diablo 2, moreso than Magic Cards Online (yeah, i am a geek, i know). This game has kept me riveted night after night for nearly 5 months now, exploring Middle Earth and saving it's inhabitants single handedly (or in a group) from all the evils of the fantasy world. I've walked Rivendell with Frodo, comforting and preparing him for the journey, have seen the fellowship off to their brave deed, and wasted damn near 500 hours of gameplay time to an imaginary world where the game never ends, isn't beatable, and just continues to morph and grow.

2. My Portfolio Site. I am not a web designer. I can make webpages, but they must be simple, and it usually takes me an ungodly amount of time. I am quite thankful for my new computer, as it has a program called iWeb, which is like iMovie, but for web design. a program that is simple to use, largely drag and drop, and vastly customizable, i've done more work toward a website in 4 hours than i have in damn near a year. it is limited in the scope, you're restricted to the templates, and it's difficult to add anything outside the normal realm of simple web site, but it'll do the trick. the site is still a work in progress, but all my video, and the best of my recent photographs are all together in one place.

3. Kat has the Key - As Yet Untitled EP. We succeeded in laying down enough tracks for a healthy EP. This group took an intense nearly 8 days (or part-days anyhow) laying tracks for about 8 songs. we'll see how this progresses, as it is still being worked on across the ocean. however, i have faith that this will turn out to be a solid recording.

4. Silent Hill 5!!! I just downloaded it today, and i'm excited to see if it holds up to previous versions. this is the first one of the series programed in High Definition, and i finally have a computer with High Definition playback.

5. Reunion. My first attempt at a feature length script. I have completed the outline (in itself, 10 pages), and have completed about 20% of the script. I know that although I've been working on this idea for a few years, progress goes in leaps and bounds. most of the completion of the script took only a few days, whereas the outline took most of last year. It was my intention to be finished it last January, so I am trying to weasel it into my priorities above LOTRO (though it's hard).

...

other than that, i spend a lot of time surfing the internet, pretty sure i've visited every site there is, twice. i only teach about 18 hours a week (in the rare instance that i work the full week), and that means i have 22 hours a week of sitting at my desk, staring at the computer. i try to fill it working, but when i only have two hours of work in 22 hours of downtime, it's pretty boring.

i'm starting work on some more video projects as well, and now that i have the tools to, finishing up the two projects i spent working on all last year, the Linger video reedit, and the Nine Inch Nails Ghosts 33 video that is about 85% finished...i hope to make this year the year of tying up loose ends, especially when i have five projects within a solid evening's worth of work to completion.

here's an entertaining video i found on the internet:

These images are the first captured on motion picture film, back in the late 1800s. hard to believe it even exists. i particularly enjoyed the shot of the busy street in the city, with no power lines, and horse drawn carts being pulled everywhere. it's hard to believe that the technology for making motion pictures precedes the car, precedes common electricity, and precedes the mp3 player...hard to believe, i know.

homecoming

2009-01-18T03:22:00.002+09:00

days off, canada, cambodia/vietnam

2009-01-02T01:16:00.006+09:00

Another five day holiday immediately following a five day holiday. There's something pleasant about following the same schedule as students when it comes to breaks and days off. Kat's even luckier, she has the entire month of January and February off. I have to teach half days for the next three weeks. Not too much work really, and then we come back to Canada. We arrive Jan.24 at 7:30pm in Regina. I think we're gonna sit down with our families first to have a bit of a catch up dinner (at the copper kettle of course), and then we'll be off to Weyburn. While some of my vacation will be free and easy, it's still gonna be busy as hell, and if I can't pull off getting a driver's license for that time, then things might be a little trickier. I think the first week we get back will be a week of meeting up with friends and family with Weyburn as the home base. If we can pull it off, we might go to Regina as soon as Thursday, Jan.29. However, people are more than welcome to come down to Weyburn and live it up hillbilly style. Maybe go marvel at the soon to be disappeared cultural symbol of Souris Valley Mental Hospital. Take in the delicious food at the El Rancho, and follow it all up with a $3 pint at the Weyburn Inn, the only bar in town that you are likely to not get beaten up.

I jest of course, I look forward to those hillbilly times. I think it will be an opportunity to spend some close time with our families, catch up on some of the local cuisine, and, well, rest! I'll get to pull out my acoustic guitar that has been collecting dust now for some time, and maybe strum some chords once or twice before we set about making some music with KHTK.

We got back from Cambodia and Vietnam on Monday. A shocking and wonderful experience all at the same time. Cambodia is a wounded culture that is slowly recovering from a truly horrific past. Angkor Wat was one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen in my entire life.

Keep an eye on the travel blog, there should be a new post in the next few days. Either way, I'll be seeing you in a a couple weeks.

Peace
rob

a month of anniversaries/commemerations

2008-12-17T17:28:00.000+09:00

Hello, loyal readership (Kat!), I hope things have been faring you well. It has been a long time since we have had a heart to heart. Although there hasn't been much newsworthy going on in my life, at the same time, many things have come to pass in just a few short days. December 3 was Katherine's and my anniversary, nine years, in itself slightly newsworthy. December 8 was my birthday, I didn't turn 27, I didn't grow older at all this year. December 10 was the one-year point for being in Korea. In a period of one week, there has been much nostalgic reflection. Time is ticking away. One week to Cambodia/Vietnam, five weeks to Canada.

Aside from that, Kat Has the Key has gone into some greater discussion related to the impending album recordings. So much work to do, so little time to do it. But it's like a focus point, something to concentrate on. School is now slipping into a groove that makes it go faster and easier.

I am prepared to return to Canada. Jan.24-Feb.22. I will drive from the airport to O'Hanlon's and buy a pizza and a pint of Stella Artois. From there, we will go to Weyburn, stop at Souris Valley and see it in all it's decrepit glory. After a short stop by the grocery store, where we'll buy bologna, raisin bran, relish, cheese, five pounds of ground beef, candy, ice cream, perogies, frozen veggies, and then go eat them all in one sitting. Even if I'm shivering from the disgusting cold, I will still go tobogganing.

But for now, I must prepare for my English camp this weekend, and start to pack to get ready to go. I think the next 11 days will be a whirlwind, but when it stops, I should have a few days to recover and relax. Or so I hope! If I don't get on here again before xmas, let me just wish you a happy holidays and all that jazz. don't do anything I wouldn't do...

peace
rob

Cambodia, Vietnam, Canada

2008-10-28T09:28:00.003+09:00

Well, Katherine and I have been mulling around for the past month or so in decision-making mode. Really, the decision has been made for some time now, but we've basically been coming to terms with it. No matter which direction we choose, there will be a loss of some sort, so it's been very difficult in letting go what could or might be. So we've been drowning ourselves in busy-ness to avoid having to cope with it. So to ease the pain of another year, we've decided to take a trip to Cambodia and Vietnam for Christmas with Erin Grosjean and Jeffrey Fridfinnson. Our original plan was Thailand, however, it is more expensive and more touristy, so we'll put that off to some other time. Perhaps next year at the same time. It will be a very short trip, hopefully not too rushed, just short. Two and a half days in Siem Riep and Phnom Penh (Cambodia), one day taking a boat up the Mekong River into Vietnam, and one day in Ho Chi Minh city, formerly known as Saigon (Vietnam). Then, we fly back to work the next day. Exciting. Siem Riep in Cambodia is best known for the famous temple ruins Angkor Wat. Phnom Penh is a much more somber destination, with the Killing Fields, and the Genocide Museum. However, this is something that is meant for balance. Nothing makes the things that are beautiful and good moreso than the contrast and reality of the other extreme.

Anyhow, more on that as the situation develops. Either way, expect us back in Canada for a visit in February, now only a few months away...

creepiest five minutes of your life...

2008-10-24T16:46:00.001+09:00

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

2008-10-23T14:50:00.000+09:00

today, i witnessed a murder

2008-10-16T11:31:00.003+09:00

of crows flocking around the soccer field and it reminded me of an occasion when I still lived on Quebec St. Our neighbor was a strange lady who was in her mid-80s and was extremely racist and confrontational against her Latino neighbours. There was one occasion that she told me this delusional tale of when she was walking home from someplace and she was attacked by crows. Now, I will say that when one gazes even shallowly into the eyes of a crazy person, it is not always immediately apparent that that certain spark of sanity is missing in the twinkle of their eyes. Then again, she wasn't totally nuts, just a little delusional, as she the way she described it was quite rational, in a way. She said that one time when she was walking home she noticed she was being followed by a crow, when she turned around to shoo the crow away, it started to sweep at her. She decided to run away, and when she looked back, she saw that it had turned into many crows. Soon the crows were started to swoop at her a lot, and eventually they knocked her down and started to try and pull her away. She told me that the crows were starting to lift her off the ground when finally she escaped and made it back to her house. So she doesn't like crows anymore and I saw her several times chasing them out of her yard with a rake, in a very slow-motionesque way. This story I thought to be very strange.*

The group of crows brought back this very vivid account that she gave me, and just before I turned my back to walk up the stairs, I took a glance back. Even though a group of birds keeping an eye on a passing person is not unheard of, I found it more than a little freaky to see 30 or so crows staring at me. Really, I should use this as sort of inspirational and queer moment to write some sort of Edgar Allen Poe/Alfred Hitchcock type short film or story, but the truly scary thing is that I will probably just go play Lord of the Rings Online some more. I just bought a house, and I can go slaughter crows all day if I like. Now THAT's terrifying.

*This wasn't the only crazy story I heard from her, but the other one was verified, which makes me sort of question the complete craziness of the first. I've told this to a few people, but on one occasion, the poor old gal fell down in her bathroom, and could not get up. Now before anybody cracks any cheesy jokes about that stupid commercial from the 90s (80s?), I will add that she was stuck there for 3 days before anybody found her. Her bathroom window was directly across the sidewalk from mine, perhaps only 6-7 feet away. She told me how she screamed for help whenever she saw the light turn on, but neither Kat nor I could testify to that, because we never heard it. At this point we had two cats that liked to prowl the neighborhood, and after day 2 or 3, she told me she was starting to hallucinate and the dustbunnies that were on her bathroom floor were meowing at her. The only thing that I myself noticed suspicious in that whole time period was that I could hear her phone beeping as though it was off the hook, and though I felt it was kind of strange to hear that kind of volume of beeping so late at night with the lights on, and I did for a moment consider going and knocking on the door, in the end I dismissed it. For that I feel guilty, as the experience would have been quite a harrowing one. However, after several weeks in the hospital she recovered and finally moved into a special care home after one more similar occurrence (this time however, somebody checked on her daily).

a drop in the bucket to stay, a drop in the bucket to go...

2008-10-09T14:03:00.003+09:00

well, we're within a few weeks time of having to decide whether or not we sign on for a second term or head home. we have been flip-flopping almost as much as Harper in the last few weeks, sure we'll stay, then sure we'll leave. personally, if i can't continue traveling due to budget constraints from the depreciating Korean Won, than why should i stay? monetarily, i won't be able to achieve any of my goals for lessening our debtload for the same reason. so why should i stay? should i stay?

on corporal punishment

2008-10-02T16:23:00.004+09:00

It is very hard to articulate into words the horror and dismay I felt when I saw the use of corporal punishment for the first time. Instantly I sided with the students, my Canadian resentment for authority getting the better of me. After time, I learned to let it go, that most of the time it really wasn't a big deal. Mostly the students accept it and don't live in constant fear of it. I initially felt it to be a strictly a cultural difference, and though my moral conscience screamed that it was wrong, I decided I'd push that metaphorical line in the sand back a few feet. I stopped losing sleep over it, and no longer felt a welling up of anger and indignation. Then one day, my co-teacher, a man of Christian philosophy dragged a student into our office in a great rage, he then proceeded to, at full strength, slap the student's face with an open palm multiple times. In an instant, all the things that I had previously thought I was okay with disappeared, and I was left with a singular emotion of pure, naked indignation. After the ninth time that slapping sound rattled the cage of my emotions, it became apparent to me that he would not stop. My anger finally burst forth, and I shouted several times, "Stop it!" at the top of my lungs until the teacher stopped striking the student. He then turned his temper from the student to me, further cementing my belief that this punishment only marginally was about the disciplining of an unruly student, and more about the cathartic satisfaction of making that student pay dearly for his mistakes, as those mistakes were what ignited this flash fire to begin with. "Don't do that, this is not your business, this is personal." I said, "Obviously, it is very personal." As I stormed out of the office, my rage burning and seething like a coal oven still could not help but remember the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Freedoms. I looked it up, and the exact clause is Article 5, stating: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. Past the cultural differences, I know that I do not stand alone on this issue. There are many Korean teachers, some of those who even support the use of a lesser form of corporal punishment that condemn these extremes; this cruel and unusual form of degrading punishment. To those who consider themselves of Christian faith, like that of my angry co-teacher, I would ask this one question: How many times in the bible did Jesus strike another human being out of anger or demand for control? Or even out of love, like those proponents of corporal punishment claim the act is? Even aside from the broader implications of the lessons students will learn from their teachers that use violence as the solution to a problem of discipline, the fact is that even in Korea, there is a line drawn in the sand that most teachers will not cross. The problem is that there is no protection for the students from those that do.

About a week has passed since I intervened in this atrocious act, and it has caused me great grief at my school. Miraculously, most of the teachers are taking my side, and despite a few awkward moments of the older teachers debating about what to do about it, most people have shown their support to me. However, my relationship with my co-teacher, who I sit beside and have the most contact with, is irreparably damaged. However a working relationship is something that we must maintain, and that is a horrible awkward structure that seems to want to tip at any time. Principles are expensive, a wise person once said to me, in more ways than one.

elections have become a spectator sport...for me anyhow...

2008-09-24T14:32:00.002+09:00

this is the first election, provincial or federal, that i have decided not to vote in. not because i'm apathetic or anything like that, just straight up lazy. i'd have to fax in some forms, wait for a ballot to arrive and then send it express, which costs money, and may not arrive in time anyway, so I have done the true Canadian thing, and have just given up. i'm just kidding, i don't think that's the true canadian thing at all. now the choices of parties this year is finally across the board, from right to left, everyone can now find representation within the main parties. my congratulations to the green party for coming so far, it goes to show that there is more and more demand for steadfast representation in the house of commons pertaining to the environmental issues the governments of the past have shirked. i have no illusions, i don't expect nor really desire to see the Green Party with either a minority or majority government, however, a few seats can go a long way. polls are running high for the Greens at around 10%, higher than the BQ. despite that, they probably will not get more than one or two seats (if they're lucky), due to the concentration of support being spread out over the entire country, and not focused in one geographical area. so even though there was more than 600,000 votes in the last election for the Greens, they didn't win a single seat.

personally i like the idea of a minority government, as it prevents one party to be able to come along and make any drastic changes contrary to public opinion, or near consensus in the House of Commons. just think, if the conservatives would have had a majority this last term, we would have seen drastic changes to our copyright laws that would have made most users of the internet common criminals. or perhaps a bill that limited only Canadian content in funding due to arbitrary judgments of the heritage minister.

now i could list many more, but i will list some praises of the conservatives:

- i agree with the idea of fixed election dates, the conservatives themselves put this one through, once every four years. to quote Rob Nicholson, the conservative who put forth the bill: "fixed election dates will improve the fairness of Canada's electoral system by eliminating the ability of governing parties to manipulate the timing of elections for partisan advantage." (of course, despite this, they called an election one year early, at the party's advantage)

- they switched Rona Ambrose as environment minister. when asked to address the issues of logging in the area of the endangered species, the Spotted Owl, in August 2006 she stated that although the population of Spotted Owls in British Columbia is only 17, she does not feel they are threatened and therefore they do not merit any special protection.

- this one I'm being honest about, i am happy that the government apologized to the Aboriginal community for its role in the rural schools. although it's symbolic, it is something no government has done in the past, and i'm happy as a canadian to know that even though i disagree with the government, that at least once and a while, they seem to do the right thing.

---------------------------

well, on the flip side, i'd like to talk a little bit about the idea of voting "strategically". in my opinion, this just lends further support to the bipartisan system that exists, there will never be any other parties in power besides the conservatives or the liberals. despite the fact that on the political spectrum, they are holding hands on the right of centre. if you choose to vote "strategically" in your riding, and you lose, not only did you not vote for the party that won, nor did you vote for the party of your preference, taking away from their popular vote, which in the case of the smaller parties, can determine whether or not they have funding for the next year. for example, Saskatchewan is a conservative stronghold, as is Alberta. there is the common conception that they will represent the west better than the liberals will, and i somewhat agree with that. so a strategic liberal vote in the west means your vote will not change things (except for Goodale, a bang up guy, and has kept his seat for 15 years now). so, vote what you agree with, as strategy will only result in disappointment (my opinion).

i'm done ranting, but my prediction is that the conservatives will retake power, with a minority gov't, the greens will get 1-3 seats, the NDP will gain in seats, the liberals will decline in seats, and BQ will take the same.

anyone want to start a pool?

how i spent my summer vacation

2008-09-21T12:27:00.001+09:00

they call this a job...

2008-09-18T09:27:00.002+09:00

but i don't seem to be working that often. today is the university entrance mock-exam, so there is no classes, the same as tomorrow. so we had a holiday monday, no classes on thursday or friday...slave drivers i tell you! last week was kinda neat, the picture in the post below is from the school festival. they spend the whole year preparing for this show, and they have some amazing talent on display. i was actually a little nervous because they put me on right after two bands that were quite solid. however, i had star power, and they couldn't understand what i was saying anyhow, so they loved it. an audience of damn near 2/3 of Taebaek was present, and it was my first solo performance. i've always had the luxury of not being centre stage, and i've found that takes the pressure off of things immensely, so this time i was a little nervous. but it was simple, two tracks: Hey Hey My My by Neil Young, and Shine Through by Linger adapted to acoustic.

Other than that life is good, haven't had much chance to travel of late as I've been so broke from Japan. However, I have a new addiction to feed me: Lord of the Rings Online! who needs WoW, when you got LOTRO? I finally finished the Silmarillion, that puts me in the complete geek category, as I've now read five Tolkien books in six months, and have started the online game. NERD!!

hope life is treating you well, five months and i'll be coming for a visit...

Solo

2008-09-11T15:36:00.004+09:00

I only played two songs to a huge audience who never understood a word i said, but that's okay.

steal this album

2008-09-01T12:40:00.004+09:00

well, devoted blog readers, it's been a while. kat and i are back into full swing of teaching here in Taebaek city, South Korea. Japan was a blast, and check out some of our blog posts on Annyong Haseyo, we've started to do more regular updates, and although we're over a month behind in posts, they are becoming more and more frequent.

anyhow, the topic of today's post is illegal downloading. my perspective of this phenomenon has always sorta been from the sidelines. in the past, i was a heavy heavy music downloader from everything from napster to imesh to limewire to bittorrent. these days, i've mellowed, and although i do occasionally download some music, most of it is purchased off of iTunes. there are becoming many appealing legal avenues for getting the music at a reasonable price without the stigma of "stealing". Of course, i'm still quite a heavy software/movies downloader, but that's another blogpost. Recently i was surfing the net to see how the Linger album has progressed in its online presence. So i typed in to Google: linger root of truth. the number one entry was a bit torrent site offering free downloads. What really shocked me was that the number of downloads was over 900 downloads in less than one month, and there were 4 people at that very moment downloading it. initially i was very surprised, a little shocked. who could it be that was downloading it? who made the torrent file available for download. whereas the thought of people downloading the music free didn't bother me so much, as there were 900 more people who likely would never have bought or even have had opportunity or knowledge to buy it that were hearing our music, but my thoughts kept turning to who did this? where did they get the original files? returning to the google search page, i realized that not only was the number one hit a bit torrent site, but out of the top 20 hits, 15 were bit torrent sites, the myspace page being number 9 on the list. in these hits i found a russian site that was selling it! woah! hold the phone, illegal downloading is one thing, but somebody making money (albeit a small amount) off of our hard-work, now that is outrageous!

but what can you do, at least more people are listening to it, but remember, we have 500 cds that need homes too!

working to put the KHTK details together, formulating a game plan. there is still another 5 months before we come back to canada (maybe for a month, maybe forever, depending how it goes), but once we come back there will be lots of work to be done. keep an eye out.

until next time, keep fit and have fun.

konichiwa, bitches

2008-07-01T20:51:00.002+09:00

Japan, July/August 2008

Saturday July 19
-fly from Seoul to Narita, JP
-take the train from Narita into Tokyo
-find a moderately priced hotel/motel/hole in the wall in the Shinjuku-gu(the young hip fashion district of Tokyo)
-chill out and take in the big city lights

Sunday July 20
-take a subway (egod, i'm already terrified) to Harajuku to see the Harajuku girls.
-spend the afternoon exploring the area
-walking tour of Shinjuku-gu

Monday July 21
-hop on a train to Kyoto
-find a cheap hotel (or park bench, or internet cafe)
-go geisha hunting
-explore temples and parks

Tuesday July 22
-marvel in the wonder of Kyoto and all its mystery and tradition
-try not to die from excessive financial expenditure

Wednesday July 23
-open day, get drunk in public, visit with strangers, make an ass of ourselves.
-hop on a train to nearby Osaka for a reunion with fellow University classmate, Natsuko Yoshino

Thursday July 24
-exploration of Osaka and all its glory and beauty...and bars
-look for a cheap hotel (or pc room)

Friday July 25
-look around in wonder, pinch ourselves and remind ourselves that we are really in Japan.
-enjoy our last night in Osaka

Saturday July 26
-hop on a train to Mt. Fuji, meeting other Uni classmate Jon Braden.
-begin at roughly 7pm our ascent to the top of Fuji

Sunday July 27
-at daybreak, arrive at the top of the 3000m volcano for a view that i hope will never forget (providing it's not cloudy, wouldn't that just suck)
-head down, spend the next huge amount of time recovering.

Monday July 28
-visit with Jon in a small village just outside of Tokyo.

Tuesday July 29
-hop on a train to Hiroshima
-arrive, walk to the Peace Park (the true ground zero)
-take in one of the most atrocious acts of the 20th century

Wednesday July 30
-hop on a train back to Tokyo, try not to be consistently and horribly depressed
-check into the swanky and bank-breaking hotel in Atasuku-gu
-explore the area

Thursday July 31
-Pick up the Hillstead family from the airport in Narita
-bring them back to the hotel in Atasuku-gu, and doubtless show them their room so they can crash after their 14 hours of flying.

Friday August 1
-explore Ginza, and area, the downtown core of Tokyo. check out some temples, maybe the fish market, and other things in the area.

Saturday August 2
-last full day in Japan, explore some things i cannot miss

Sunday August 3
-Check out, travel to Narita, wait for our flight
-Fly back to Seoul
-Take a train back to Taebaek
-resume our normal routine in slavery and submission of our jobs :(

this itinerary is subject to complete and abrupt change.

a much more positive blog entry

2008-05-27T17:58:00.002+09:00

well, i read my last blog post and i can laugh a little, i don't feel that homesick anymore. if anything, i feel more determined to make something of my stay. i had a very inspiring weekend with a friend who came in with me to korea, named michael. an AMAZING guitar player, and fellow psychonaut, we had some interesting conversations, like those i used to have with my close friends back home. life is getting more interesting as days go by. summer is hitting full swing in korea, and the greenery around here is easily comparable to the saskatchewan foliage, but in a different sense.

back in the regina scene, the linger album is finally released:

buy it here

as well, corner gas enters into its final season, i do regret not seeing it out, it was a great run, but unfortunately, such is life, i wish them all the best...

also in the regina movie scene, "Dolan's Cadillac" the Stephen King short is being made into a feature film. ACK! says I, a chance to see and meet Stephen King, one of my greatest heroes, and here i am, 10,000km away...enjoy it i say, enjoy it!

in other news, NIN's new album "The Slip" is kick ass awesome, enjoying it just as much as i enjoyed "Ghosts". I like this pattern of NIN better than the old pattern, who needs to wait five years between albums, i like the one or two albums a year much better...

radiohead is rumoured to be coming to pentaport festival in seoul this year, of course, this is during the time I will be in Japan, and when they are in Japan, I of course, will be in Korea...DAMN YOU RADIOHEAD!! I will see you live yet!

anyhow, life is good, live it up, see you soon
rob

homesickness kills and other depressing stories

2008-04-23T22:02:00.002+09:00

Well, here I am, sitting in my apartment staring at the computer screen recovering from my fourth cold since I arrived. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to go contend with 30 some excitable and noisy teenagers all day everyday. It's unfortunate, times like this when I feel misery (even though no matter where in the world I am, I would still feel misery), is when I feel the most homesick. Though I won't go as far to say that I feel any regret in our decision to puddle jump, I will say that there are things that I have a pressing urge to do, but do not have the ability to do. I know the Linger situation has gone out of my hands now, so my mind moves to the next project. For many years on this blog you've read about my old band, Kat Has the Key, and our intention to record some of the material that we wrote, mostly in 2005 at the Gladmer Park apartment. I have started accumulating the best versions of songs that I have on file into an arrangement of what I could distantly call an album's worth of material, or at least 8 songs worth, something that could become an album's worth of material with just a few jam sessions.

When oh when would I ever have time to do this project? I am on the other side of the world right now, of course, with too many miles between us to effectively collaborate. As well, Doug and Allysia are both in Paper Strangers mode, a new band for which I am extremely excited to hear material from. Will they even still be interested if it turns out to be two years before we can put the work onto a record? So I lied, I have one regret, not recording this stuff when I had the chance. Now it's a two year wait before I get another crack at it. If I get another chance at it.

I was listening to an album by a band called the Cowboy Junkies, and I was very inspired by something they did. With their album, "The Trinity Sessions", with their really only big hit, "Sweet Jane", they recorded their entire album in one night inside a church with a DAT recorder and a single microphone, letting the acoustics of the church do the work. Actually of all bands, Incubus did something similar with their album "Morningview". They camped out in a mansion by the ocean, where they wrote and recorded the album in one month. A little longer than I would hope to take. But even the Root of Truth only took one week, and in that week we recorded nine or ten songs.

I hope we can do the same thing with the Kat Has the Key project. One week, holed up in some inspirational environment and pound out an album which can then be mixed at our leisure.

Someday, distant, but someday, I hope.

ah what the hell

2008-04-01T22:20:00.002+09:00

now that i've scared off all of my loyal readership (hi Kat!), now i guess i can be a little more candid in my posting. i thought that i could get away with not blogging, and since i didn't have any time before, and stress kept me down, i just sort of stopped. but hey, now i'm sitting here with more time on my hands than i know what to do with (when i'm not watching season after season of star trek and sailor moon (don't ask)), now i feel compelled to talk about stuff that's on my mind, and with no outlet to use, the thoughts just bobble around in my head until the brain is like a house with too many cats, all shrieking and loud. Well, it's time to let out the cats (No, I'm not drunk...anymore).

First off, congratulations to my sister Jaimee, she and her boyfriend Chris are getting married. Right now, she is in New Brunswick visiting, as Chris graduates from the military academy in the coming week, after that, a cross country adventure ensues, only to arrive at their new house in Pierceland, SK. I am very happy for them both, and I wish them a prosperous and happy future.

Second bit of news, Nine Inch Nails is coming to Canada, and I am 10,000 miles away. Okay, I have aleady seen them I know, BUT that's not the point. The new Ghosts record has been in my record player (iPod) since it came out, a wonderful concept that is inspiring me and katherine to get our asses in gear and create some art. Keep an eye out on my youtube page, in the near future I will post my first entry for the Ghosts video contest (when I finish that is). Also there are lots of vids from our trip up there and a few other eclectic items as well.

Two more albums I am listening to with regularity are Radiohead's "In Rainbows" and The Mars Volta's "Bedlam in Goliath". All of these albums are incredible and inspiring. Billy Howardel from A Perfect Circle is releasing his debut solo album next week, I think the band's name is aSHES dIVIDE.

As I mentioned I have a lot of time on my hands and for the first time in some years, I have seen most of the Oscar nominees. There Will Be Blood, wicked flick, directed by PT Anderson of Magnolia, Punchdrunk Love fame. Juno, a definite character flick well performed and well written. No Country for Old Men by the Coen brothers was another great hit. I could continue listing good movies, as this year's Oscars were packed with great flicks, Gone Baby Gone, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (that was shot in Alberta and Manitoba).

It seems all I do is watch movies in my boredness...somebody come visit already!

Ah, for now, I will leave you (hi Kat!), but I promise that I will maybe post on here more often...peace...

OMIGOD, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!?

2008-01-29T23:16:00.000+09:00

well, what the hell. i guess i should make my obligatory once in a month post. you must forgive me...all of my loyal readers (Hi Kat!), what you must think of my non-diligence in posting. well, i think the time is nearing the end for this beast. you can keep up to date on my travels and such on our new travel blog, which we update far more often than i update this thing. also, i have recently purchased a large chunk of webside property, in the neighborhood of 300GB. yeah, you should be drooling. i'm presently working on a website for documentation of my life's work (all 4 years of it), and you will soon be able to view it at www.robhillstead.com. I hope to split it into four parts: video.robhillstead.com, photography.robhillstead.com, music.robhillstead.com, and blog.robhillstead.com.

So keep your eyes out, in the future there will be more of this sort of thing, however i feel like it's just obligatory keeping this thing up, though it has represented a good 3 years of my life, the last six months or so has been so sporadic, it's hard to call this thing functioning. so for now, i will bid farewell from this blog, and though i will not say i quit, i will definitely call this an indefinite hiatus.

peace out
rob

downloading nancy trailer

2007-12-30T00:12:00.000+09:00

as well, here is a video of the trailer from downloading nancy, this was a film shot in regina last february, and was a really intimate shoot. i have high expectations of the film, and although it will definitely be a hard film to watch, it will be a horribly beautiful film. viewer discretion advised, BE WARNED, NUDITY VIOLENCE AND SWEARING ALL IN THE TRAILER. but it truly will be a great film.

belly chreestmas and a happy new year

2007-12-29T10:00:00.000+09:00

Well, here i am sitting at our new desks in our new apartment with the newly connected internet. things are shaping up quite nicely. we've finally been connected with a phone line, so for those who wish to call, you're welcome to. the trick is to dial 011-82-33-553-5365. that ought to get you through. i hear that sasktel international rates are quite cheap through landline, 3 cents a minute in there. just remember that we're fifteen hours ahead of you, so don't phone us in the midafternoon sasky time. the best time is to call around 8 or 9 on a friday or saturday night, and you'll hit us on the weekend around 11 or 12.

this week was the settling in to the dreaded aspect of the whole trip, the actual teaching of the students. i taught about 12 classes over four days, a fairly light load, although i believe my teaching load won't increase much past 18 hours a week. even that turned out to not be the big nightmare i expected. there is one class that was the hell class, but even they had loads of fun, which apparently is not allowed. but no need to rant, life is good, and korean life is going to be quite luxurious, as we have received our first paychecks. many times, even after weeks of being here, i must pinch myself to remind me i'm not dreaming. because there are times i just don't believe i followed through and that it truly is as good as i hoped it would be. i no longer have that nagging feeling when i'm out sightseeing or visiting, that i should be doing something more productive. i'm doing what i came to do. and if it turns out i can write some music or film stuff, i will, but right now, my duty is to travel, take in the beauty and culture around me, and that i will.

though in my happiness and complacency, my mind still drifts back to yesterday. watching news in korean doesn't always get across as clearly as one would hope to someone who speaks none of the language. i was watching retrospective images of opposition leader Bhutto in all of her successes, thinking that something great must have happened in pakistan, she must have got elected! the military rule must be over! i walked to school thinking in my head, "see, sometimes things work out!"

then i checked the internet and discovered she was dead. one step forward, ten steps back.

feeling strange

2007-12-18T07:53:00.000+09:00

i guess it's not surprising, we still sit are sitting in limbo at the hotel eastern. not that i want to complain, as we are very comfortable, however, it's where we are not that is bothering the most. our precious young cat meenos has a terrible affliction that has rendered her mostly paralyzed. i feel very helpless over here, and not to downplay that of the pet who we've grown very affectionate for, but i keep thinking of what it would feel like for somebody else to go through something terrible, and me being 10,000km away. i guess it's just a bit of the early stages of homesickness kicking in. but what do you do? we're just immersing ourselves in the happy things here so that we don't think about it.

such dichotomy of happiness and sadness really makes me feel strange. melancholy. i hope that we can move into our place soon, and start the difficult part of work, so that everything moves over to the happy side of the scale. with meenos, i just don't know if there's anything that can be done. this is another stone on the scale side of sadness.

soon, soon, things will start to tip, but until then, this indescribable sense of teetering balance is all i have.

peace
rob

a new post

2007-12-13T20:37:00.000+09:00

yes, believe your eyes, this is a new post. i am posting from a small computer centre in a "resortel" in a city of approximately 90,000 called Yang Yang (pronounced "yong yong"). it's been an intense last few days as kat and i finally get settled into what will be the next year of our lives spent in the bustling country South Korea. already there has been a great many adventures, and we've only been here for around 4 days.

i pet a squid today, it was very soft. we are in a province that is entirely mountains, and we explored a very sacred place known as soraksan national park, where there sits a giant seated buddha and many buddhist temples. sipping rice wine in a restaurant several kilometres into the park, i realized that this ain't kansas, and i am not dorothy. though we are still waiting in limbo for our placement, we have no choice but to patiently wait out the beaurocratic procedure that is the South Korean government's work.

the job itself will be interesting, we will be thrust into the role of high school conversation english teachers. the first of their kind in the small corner province of korea known as Gangwon-do. In a similar sense it reminds me of Saskatchewan, though only superficially, (population, agrarian society, people have never seen foreigners)...

i now know how the beatles felt when they had hordes of screaming girls come at them. this is how South Korean schoolgirls react when they see foreigners. they squeal in excitement, and their eyes go wide. we are strangers in a strange land, and we are like rock stars. i can't say it doesn't feel good, but it does feel strange. we are the angelina jolies and the brad pitts, as celebrity culture permeates here just as obsessively as it does in north america...

i feel like posting more, and i will, but for now this is a taste...we will get settled in in a few days, and more information will come, but jet lag and sightseeing combined with the overwhelming fear of teaching makes me a very tired man, and i will bid you adieu for now, but only for now...

peace
rob

unavoidable absence

2007-09-13T00:18:00.000+09:00

well, it seems as the internet evolves and progresses and my opportunity to spend hours and hours of mindless surfing gets reduced further, my frequency of posting has been quite poor, and facebook saps away what little social involvement i have. a lot has been happening in my life as of late, the good with the bad. linger's album is within weeks of holding a finished printed copy in my hand. a long battle that's nearly over.

most of my body of readers (katherine and, well...probably just katherine), are probably already aware of the life transition that kat and i are preparing ourself for, but just to reiterate, kat and i will be heading overseas in october, and i expect this blog will transform into a travel blog detailing our (mis)adventures in the tiny but overpopulated country of South Korea. c-gas wraps up on the 21, and thank GOD! that show has turned me into a cynical man in regards to the treatment of human beings towards one another. but hey, enjoy the entertainment! this transition will take me out of the spirit-draining machine that is television...

wish i was still on the churchill river, fishing out of rapids, taking a dip in the water to cool down from a hot day of fishing, i have found zen within tossing a hook into the water and reeling it in...

peace friends
rob

Gone Fishin'

2007-07-21T15:59:00.000+09:00

back on august 6, see ya suckers :)

2007-07-16T06:01:00.001+09:00

now i'm lost

2007-07-15T08:59:00.000+09:00

or astray anyhow, an exit strategy has been set in forth...big change is set, and i go at it quite blindly. to turn my whole world around, test my survivalism, and expand my worldview...will i survive? i'm sure i will, and i might even enjoy myself at that. more on this puddle jump in the near future, i won't say anything's concrete until i get the job, but i am applying and preparing, which makes me quite excited...

in other news, going to see inland empire play tonite at the RPL, the new David Lynch film, er...HD video. i'm excited, i've waited a long time to see it :)

saw transformers. i love transformers, however, i hate hollywood. hollywood ruined the transformers. i'll leave it at that...

less than 5 days til the canoe trip. i count 18 days of hiatus, i hope to be on the water at least 16 of them...soon to escape...there's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like...

Happiness is a warm gun.

2007-06-17T02:22:00.001+09:00

new queens of the stone age album is awesome. era vulgaris. check it out!

48-hours of filmmaking frenzy

2007-06-07T20:34:00.000+09:00

here is my past weekend:

SATURDAY

9am
form groups

10:30am
come up with an idea, pack up gear, load film

11:00am-7:00pm
shoot the idea

7:00pm
hand (cross-)process the black and white 16mm film in large 5 gallon pails.

10:00pm
party at mosaic!

SUNDAY

7:30am & 8:30am
interview with CBC radio

10:00am
pick up processed film from university

11:00am
commence editing on the flatbed machine at the film pool

7:00pm
hand in completed film along with soundtrack

7:30pm
screen said pieces @ the filmpool

8:00pm
award presentations

9:00pm
celebrate good times, c'mon

had a lot of fun, a DVD will soon surface...speaking of DVDs, I got back the Super8 event film I shot on DVD, and it looks awesome, will try to post it online soon...

she looks how i feel.

2007-05-15T15:05:00.000+09:00

Sorry again for the absence. This last week particularly has been insanely busy. Working on reshoots of the film Ferris Wheel, my workdays over the course of three days were 17.5, 15, and 17-hour shifts. Hard work, but it was cool, I got to smoke the remainder of Dennis Hopper's cigar. I don't often get starstruck, but that guy particularly is a hero of mine in the film industry. Aside from his acting roles, Dennis Hopper is a filmmaker/artist. Easy Rider is his biggest, but he also does photography and painting. So it was quite cool to seem him play a villainous tyrant in the show.

But work as usual begins again. less than 18 hours after finishing the reshoots, I started work again on c-gas. It is fun work, with people I know and things that have become greatly familiar to me.

Planning this year's canoe trip, we plan on spending 16 days on the water. Expect some emails. I haven't talked about it much because i've been so crazy busy, but I'm just as excited for this year as I have been for the last two.

Anyhow, I ramble. Time for bed.

jon stewart vs CNN

2007-04-18T18:24:00.000+09:00

Finally, someone holding those two jackasses accountable for the farce these shows really are...

year zero, where the hell have i been

2007-04-11T12:57:00.000+09:00

New Nine Inch Nails album

YEAR ZERO, APRIL 17TH

I love nine inch nails. Favourite band of all time, hands down, and just because of what they do for there fans. Check out the site, you can listen to the ENTIRE album for free, and check out the elaborate internet installation surrounding the album's concept.

if you wish to check it out, here's the first page : iamtryingtobelieve.com

it doesn't take long, you can get quite far in it with very little effort, just read carefully...

Harvest Moon, the single greatest downfall for the modern artist, well for me anyhow...all it is is a simple farming simulation game, but for some reason, it's all i do these days. with a horse named jackass and a chicken named stupid, i woo a fictional wife and see to it that my dog has been hugged everyday and the crops watered. the irony being that i spend hours and hours attending to the every need of a digitally created character on the screen, while i sit in utter filth and lethargy because i'm not spending any time on myself. :)

anyhow, for those curious i got onto c-gas again this year, so that starts at the start of may. i'm really hoping to get a few days at least on the other show called surveillance, i think it will be quite cool, and i've been trying to talk my way into working both, so that i don't miss out.

but for the immediate future, i'm off to winnipeg for a few days, do up some art galleries, do some visiting, and do some more relaxing, as it will be my last...

"To get others to come into our ways of thinking, we must go over to theirs; and it is necessary to follow, in order to lead." ~ William Hazlitt

30 Flowers 30 Souls

2007-03-16T10:19:00.000+09:00

Though you should still go to see it at the screening, as it'll be a great party, here it is for your viewing pleasure.

30 Flowers 30 Souls

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welcome back rob!

2007-03-11T04:19:00.000+09:00

ah, here from the king's mountain view...i apologize on the stretch of unresponsiveness, i've fully immersed my self in work, to a possible detriment i'm sure. anyhow, to make up for it, i have some pics for you guys...we wrapped up "downloading nancy" yesterday, another one in the can. for the swiss guy who posted a comment, i have two things for you:

the wrap party was quite fun, the creative team behind the movie are all from out of the country, some from out of the continent. Johan Renck is a pretty legendary music video director out of Sweden, Chris Doyle and Rain Li have each been involved in some pretty awesome films, Hero, Lady in the Water, Gus Van Sant's Psycho...so it was pretty wild party.

what now?

a lazy afternoon, then time to buckle down on some grant writing, i've finished a script i've been working on for several years, and am now seeking funding. I've hooked up with a producer who knows her stuff, so i don't have to do all the teeth pulling paperwork...

i'm unemployed for a few months, so give me a ring y'all...

this narrow path EP

2007-02-20T16:26:00.000+09:00

The single, "This narrow path", was released at our show this past week, and is available from me or dave for $5, the single itself can be listened to upon our myspace page. Thoughts now turn to the album, and the CD release party tentatively scheduled for the end of march. At this point, there seems to be the likelihood of one in Weyburn, as well as Regina. Now, just left to mix it. There will be shot a video for the newly released single, for which I hope to have complete in time for the CD release.

Also announced is the intention to complete the Kat has the Key recordings from songs we wrote a couple years ago. I hope this will take place immediately after Downloading Nancy is finished. A brief window of time to take place much in the same fashion as the Linger recordings. Retreat based. As to where yet is unknown, but we will discuss this further. There is intention to take this show live, perhaps more in a coffeeshop sense. Justin Robson is also gearing up to do some live shows in May and April, for which i hope to be performing live guitar alongside him.

Now for something completely different. Our new show is actually shaping out to be something different than I expected. There is a genuine chance this show actually is something a lot more powerful than it seems. The acting is quite intense, and the way it's shot could make for a wicked movie. The cinematographer for Lady in the Water by M. Night whatshisface is on this picture, and there are no dull moments at all. Christopher Doyle is his name, and he is absolutely brilliant, the mad scientist of cinematography.

There's a thousand thanks i'd like to make for those who showed up to the show and had a good time, it feels good to be having that applebox to stand on again.

peace out friends
later
rob

turning pages

2007-02-10T15:07:00.000+09:00

seeing conclusions of many projects have brought me to the next project, the "artsy" erotic thriller "downloading nancy" started today. i don't know much about the content, but the first day of shooting, i worked 15 hours straight. after staying up til 1 am, going to work at 8 didn't seem so bad, but by 9:30 that night, i felt it, and by 11:30, i was ready to roll over and die. however, i'm still riding on the buzz of playing live again...despite a little rustiness, it was still quite fulfilling. we play again on friday of next week, seeing as it's really hard to mix 15 hour days and regular rehearsal...but the single is finished, after many hours of painstaking dedication, we have come out with "This Narrow Path" EP. Available on Feb. 16, 4 years to the date of Linger's Estevan show at the Willie Michell Centre. Attendees: 8, girlfriends, parents of band members, and 2 random strangers who wandered in. Yup, we had achieved success. A touring band.

anyhow, check it out, March 16 @ the Legion in Regina, there is going to be a party, and it is going to be awesome. bring your friends, family, pets to see a screening of 30 one minute films in celebration of the Filmpool's 30th anniversary. At which, I will premiere my one minute project entitled "30 Flowers, 30 Souls". Directed by and starring Shawn Fulton, Cinematography, Editing, Score by Rob Hillstead. It is weird, that's the best way of describing it. maybe it's not that erotic, but hey, that's okay too...

anyhow, bedways is rightways, i need sleep, or i will go insane...
see you in 23 days
rob

silly monkeys, given thumbs they make a club and beat their brother down

2007-02-02T15:13:00.000+09:00

The official UN report on climate change.

"So much for your neo-liberal western world without consequence.
Watch resistance, come full circle, watch our mother lovingly rebel.
We brought this upon ourselves."
--Dave Roman, Modern Miracles

Also watched the provocative documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth". Terrifies me to the bone. What can I say, a lot of simplified data and conclusions based on circumstantial evidence, but even if the least of what is presented comes to pass, then we are in a lot of trouble right now, and we will start to see the consequences in our lifetime. A product of our insatiable desire and reckless drive to consume with no consideration. We all play a part, but, once we've acknowledged the problem to be an imminent one, only then will we actually pursue some course of action to correct or at least slow down the rate at which we are destroying the fragile stability that the Earth and it's atmosphere offers. There are solutions, and they are relatively simple in the scheme of things, however sloth, greed and selfish materialism will be it's downfall. The requirement to change is a difficult one to push on an unwilling electorate, but it could be done. Industry would have to change it's reliance on non-renewable energy sources such as coal and oil. The economic giant doesn't want to lose it's primary revenue source, why ever would they have any desire to see people consuming less. So it is a political issue. The power resides within the electorate to influence political policy. Make this the issue to deal with, pressure your representatives, and hope they listen. The future holds death and destruction for a lot of people, something that is humanity's hubris, and will haunt the future generations, who will look back in disgust as they mine garbage dump for casually disposed resources.

here we go

2007-01-29T15:55:00.000+09:00

friday, feb. 16, 2007 @ the exchange...
we play first, a warmup gig, we will have presale tickets available for $8, there will be sweatshop-free shirts and singles at this show, each available for a limited time only, so get 'em while they're hot...

if there were no reward to reap, no loving embrace to see me through, this tedious path i've chosen, i certainly would have walked away by now

2007-01-20T16:00:00.000+09:00

and i still may

I feel as though i'm rotting away in my skin this week. I have lots to do, but it just feels as though i'm running in place. though many many movies have been watched this week, everything ranging from dan akyroyd spouting off about aliens and government conspiracies in Dan Akyroyd, unplugged on UFOs to the defiant The God who wasn't There which wrote off the entire religion of Christianity based on a lack of proof...provocative to say the least. both portraying non-fiction, but both very subjective to the point of only marginally portraying truth, and biased truth at that...

some brainless narrative always cheers me up, so i watched Friday the 13th for the first time, a horror classic, and The Prestige, the new Christopher Nolan movie (Batman Begins, Memento). the latter i quite enjoyed, very well done, intricate plot, and good acting, Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale make great adversaries.

got my 35mm film back, my fears quelled by how good the image looks, i already have a rough cut (it's only a minute long), and will be putting it online shortly after it's screening in early march. details of that to come soon enough. Linger has a show, as well, Feb. 16, 2007 at the Exchange...details of that to follow soon, as well.

expect to hear Justin Robson playing some new music as well, checked out his new solo album and it's full of strong, heavy acoustic, ballads. expect a show out of his solo work in the very near future, with me playin' along on guitar.

anyhow, i must run, doing some construction work tomorrow, helping Mike Binns do some framing in his basement. the likelihood of work as soon as the start of february i put right now at about 75%...barring some major disasters, i should be having a good month or more of work in the city which'll keep me here til at least march...

the world is my oyster...but who needs pearls?

2007-01-09T02:50:00.000+09:00

it's been a long arduous week, staying in very close quarters with my brothers dave and victor roman, but it is over and we have an album's worth of material in the can. it just goes to show that when you set your mind to something, clear goals and an achievable plan coupled with focus and teamwork can result in huge accomplishments. i had long ago accepted that this would never happen, and it has made me very happy to be creating music again under the guise of Linger. for less than a fifth of what it cost us to do three songs in touchwood studios, we recorded 7 electric tracks, one acoustic, and several aural landscapes which will come to create the concept album "root of truth".

thanks go out to everybody involved, especially scott tipple, who at less than a moments notice, allowed us his house for jam space, his drum talents to lay the tracks, and loads of his time, which in this day and age is becoming more valuable than gold. as well, jeremy pilon for coming out and supporting us nearly every day in the studio, though there is a competition as to who Linger's biggest fan is, tight between pilot and jade "deuce" duckett aka "the superfan". rest assured both will receive the first copies off the press. i must thank amanda roman for coming out and lending both moral support and vocal, as well as my darling katherine for the same, as well as general helpfulness in the direction of accomplishing this task. adam coderre, audio extraordinaire for the advice and equipment, as well as andrew pilon for the firepod. though both justin robson and nathan binns were only there in spirit, they were missed, and though the music won't sound the same without them, i hope they embrace it as their own, because it is.

well, long-winded as that was, my thoughts now turn to the future. what now? i'm unemployed, the actor's union just went on strike which means that everyone in the industry is going to be starving for work for the next while. what to do? my 35mm film comes back from the lab in the upcoming days, and it'll be time to start editing it.

i can feel the winds of change starting to blow, and my legs are restless. we'll see what the future brings, stay open to anything...i know i've been saying for a year now that i'm gonna go to vancouver, but that remains uncertain due to a financial handicap. but buck up, there's nothing to get depressed about, life is good, they kicked rona ambrose out of the environment ministership, that in itself makes me smile.

as well, a congratulations goes out to nathan and ashley, who announced their engagement over xmas. i hope you go on to live healthy, prosperous, and happy lives.

here is a great desktop background, feel free to make it yours. i took this picture on the souris valley grounds on the 23, nothing beats a warm winter sky.

i barely blog anymore, but i'm busy, so please forgive

2007-01-04T14:59:00.000+09:00

and then go to this website:

linger myspace page
holy crap, linger's in the studio! we've completed 3 songs and are presently working on more. craziness abound. tomorrow is day 4 in the studio (aka dave's house). but we are working hard i assure you. i expect most you'll see lots of stuff appear on the site in the next few days. an ambitious project, a full length album in mere a short couple weeks. but there will be great music. a lot heavier than i thought that would be coming out. it's fun using some new programs and using them industrially. ableton live has gotta be one of the coolest programs i've seen so far. cubase too.

thanks to everyone helping out, it's cool to be able to see this project happen. drop by dave's house, we're in for a few more days, you can hear and see what we're working on. 640 duke if you know where that is.

anyways, bedways is rightways.
later
rob

2006-12-24T08:47:00.000+09:00

my holidays are gonna be great

2006-12-20T14:07:00.000+09:00

photo by rob hillstead

well, it's that time again, moksha, freedom from the wheel...of work, a minimum of 3 weeks off, a maximum of 4 months. coming to this brink of life-reorganization, i look forward to the days of creative expression that i hope to optimize my time doing. plus the family time, the lack of physical labour, the few moments here and there where i can just relax and appreciate the pleasantness of my own company...

here's to my unemployment, merry xmas, happy new year and all that jazz, hopefully i'll get to see some of you again, if you haven't already forgotten me...

zen and the art of circumventing negativity

2006-12-19T15:10:00.000+09:00

motions have been set in action for the album that's been coming for 7 years to be recorded. rehearsals have commenced, and it is very exciting to hear some of these songs being reenacted, recreated, innovated. The lineup has yet to settle, but the show will go on, expect to hear sneak peaks as soon as mid-january.

renegadepress.com is coming to a close for another year, and despite my greatest wishes, it will shoot again...same time next year, though i assure you next year, you won't see my name on the credits (truly, i pray that they don't appear on this season). the good paying shows seem to be scant this winter again. in an attempt not to stress out about the upcoming poverty-stretch, i'm turning my interests solely to personal projects.

last tuesday, i shot off 400' of 35mm film for a short anniversary project for the filmpool. the shoot itself went strongly, and despite time constraints and budget constraints, we have a project in the can, and come mid-january, the film arrives, and by the 2nd of February, it'll be complete for a screening, again likely at the Mackenzie Art Gallery. mr. bangsund would have my head for that last sentence, but hey, i'm a free-thinking individual and if my rambling posts don't make sense, too bad... :)

focus turns to my documentary idea, Rehab is not Redemption. I received word that i was turned down for funding to create the project, though i received $500 in equipment rental credit. better than nothing, it becomes clear that the only way to get this project made is to get off my ass and shoot it, then i can worry about the expensive part (the processing of the film), later, and hopefully i can get some money for post-production and get that paid for, but i have to have something worthy of such attention. the destination is clear, the path is clear, it just feels like i'm running as fast as i can, without really getting anywhere closer.

i look forward to this projected "time-off". feel as though a retreat will be the perfect thing to turn my mind away from the petty things and toward more productive and fulfilling actions...

and because it seems i almost never post, i will wish a happy holidays to everyone, don't get caught up in the hub-ub, just relax and reflect, we could be in an infinitesimal variety of perilous situations, instead our biggest fear is how much one another will like their present.

peace, love, empathy
rob

self-portrait #2

2006-11-26T14:31:00.000+09:00

2006-11-22T06:03:00.000+09:00

it's amazing how quick time passes...

in the last couple weeks, the more interesting things have been happening on my musical side. i've been jamming with a large variety of musicians, justin robson, scott tipple, jeremy pilon, steph mclellan, sam fraser...it feels like i'm averaging 2-3 jams a week, i don't think i've been that busy since the linger days...

speaking of which, linger sat down the other night to reminisce and discuss the unfinished business that has been haunting us all for years, what to do with the songs we wrote. well, consensus is that they should be recorded. another project to create over the next few months...practice first, then recording...it's good to feel that we are all in the spirits to do so, all a little older, a little wiser, i hope this project sees through to the end, to pen the remaining words in a chapter left unfinished...

as well, scott tipple performed a show last night, supported by yours truly and Nate of memorial fame, great fun, a great lineup of songs, ranging from a perfect circle to alice in chains...my personal favourites were H by Tool, Raw Flesh by Hereafter, and Shine Through by Linger...

filmically, i am wrapping up a project i shot with Hugh Patterson over the last week or so called "Grey Era". Though these guys are just starting out their filmmaking career, they are delivering a project which will put them to the top of their class...

the Super8 event went well, my film was a little dark, but still viewable...personally my favourite part being when the entire theatre groaned and laughed at the sight of fake blood bleeding from Mark's wounded head... ("*Gasp*, Rob, that's obscene!")...good lineup, Jonathan Bauche had an entry, as did Shawn Fulton, upcoming filmmaker who i have paired up with for a 35mm project also through the filmpool, i'll keep you posted , below are a couple story boards inked by Fulton to tide you over...

oh yeah, and check out this, you may remember this picture, i just got word that it's going to be published in some brochure! i've hit the big time! Saskatchewan Environment something or other! right on...

until next time...

self-portrait contest

2006-11-07T01:03:00.000+09:00

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

to all the photographers, i thus challenge thee to 5-10 separate self-portraits, no two with the same backdrop, none holding the camera a foot away from your face (unless everything's in focus). self-portraits don't mean that you have to be the one who physically takes the picture, but, you must frame and set the shot up yourself.

places you go, things that you see, frame yourself in with them...

this is the challenge. we'll put them into a folder on shutterfly or flickr when it's finished...one month's time!

there will be a prize.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

drab lies and manipulation of children by fear

2006-11-07T00:02:00.000+09:00

well, i've been working on rp.com now for about three weeks, and it's been a very frustrating time. not so much the work, the work is easy, dramatic lighting is way more fun than comedic lighting, but moreso the content of what we are shooting.

i read a book when i was in university called The Republic, written by Plato, and spoken as Socrates, a brilliant man whose ideas were both proposed and discovered through reason and questioning. an analogy written 3000 years ago still keeps coming back to me as being significant in our present culture, ruled by callous governments and dictated through mass media. that analogy is of the cave. as we exist, we interpret our world around us by examining what lies in front of you. if one were a prisoner in a cave, restrained, forced to watch merely shadows on the wall, that is where one would interpret the world around him. but who creates those shadows? if we could turn around and see, we'd see the fire, the creator of the shadows. if only we could find our way out of the cave, then we'd be able to see the universal truth, but we're not, we're in a cave, watching tv, not paying attention to who creates these shadows, when knowing that could change the context of what we are interpreting, perhaps causing us to question further... who makes these tv shows? were they responsible enough when dealing with political or moral issues to not portray it with bias, so that what we are watching has some form of legitimacy other than strictly mindless entertainment?

a message to all teenagers, children, and adults alike...TURN OFF YOUR TV!

in the last episode we just finished shooting are intertwining story lines. the portrayal of homosexuality as being more of a means to the soap opera style of "who's fucking who", polarization of gender expectations with a government commercial style propaganda piece suggesting that if you smoke marijuana, you will either get arrested or be shunned by society. everyone who treats it casually gets punished severely (public arrest with the csi guys showing up for possession of a small amount of marijuana). they are outright lies that have no basis in fact, more simply that they are things that haven't been researched and are ideas that are out of the head of one 30 year old man. not that the ideas couldn't still be portrayed in a relatively unbiased manner, but they get even more exaggerated by the time they reach the finished products. for the sake of dramatic purposes, they cast judgement on all the issues, creating a half-hour tv show enunciating why it's bad teenagers have sex, enunciating an unrealisitic cross section of a teenager's social life and how it's hard to not have sex when you're a young female teenager. just remember it's written by a middle aged man, directed by another middle aged man...how can they offer anything with substance with any legitimacy? but this is what they try to pound into the minds of impressionable children 8-18 years old. yet the portrayal is hypocritical! they still have 23-year old's acting as 16 year-olds, there's sex, drugs, and lots of violence. all to be redeemed by the final moral lesson...

well, here's a moral lesson for you:
kids, shut off the tv and go outside.

2006-10-25T15:12:00.000+09:00

adieu

2006-10-20T13:51:00.000+09:00

well, maybe it's time for a real blog entry, seeing as i haven't really posted much on here in the last couple of months, and then its usually non-sensical imagery and short entries...

well, work started on a new show today, RenegadeStress.com...i mean RenegadePress.com...wholesome quality teenage drama dealing with all the issues wrapped up within a half-hour timeslot. what a change in atmosphere...cool people stressed out is not cool, but that's how the shows almost always start...

luckily i've managed to learn how to not take it home with me...i don't know what i'd do if all i could think about was work, i'd go crazy.

the last week or so has been quite fun for me, our housewarming/mark's going away party/jam turned out quite well, reunions of many bands, and i'm happy that finally we did something like this...Jeremy posted a clip of Dulcet's jam on his blog, to be condemned by his own blog readership...oh well, i had fun, here's another linger pic:

yes, we did it, after 3 and a half long years we've jammed again...a little rusty, yes, but nothing that wouldn't come back in a practice or two...nostalgia galore that night, as well as new memories, a single song jam session lasting close to 2 hours, saxaphone, guitars, drums, organ, theramine, delay pedals, ableton live, shaker, microphone, you name it, it was being used as an instrument...

two days later i found myself outside of souris valley filming mark bauche in super8 film bleeding to death...fear not, it was fake blood, but it looked realistic, oh, just 'cause you found some random blood splattering on the college wing, and mark "disappears" for 2 years, doesn't mean the contents of the film are real...though my mom was in for a surprise when i didn't tell her i was gonna be down, and ended up cleaning out the blood props in her tub...she saw a few drops of blood and twigs in the tub and no doubt worried all afternoon about it :)

what better way to send off a friend to england then to shoot him in a film where he gets bludgeoned to death...

see you mark, stay in touch!

and if one were to wish to see this film, it will be showing at the mackenzie art gallery on nov. 2... there will be food, drink, and home movies of many different fashion :)

well, gotta head to bed, long stretch of work this week and next, stay in touch friends, i'm leaving this planet once again to the void of work, but i'll be back at xmas, i swear!

peace out homies
rob

2006-10-17T08:23:00.000+09:00

Linger Jam, Saturday night, photo by Amanda

Linger Jam, Saturday night, photo by Amanda

Pointing the Super 8 in front of my new house, Sunday afternoon, photo by Jeremy

Kat with bloody hands, Me, and Mark after a brisk morning of snuff film creation (in super8 form that is). Amazing how fun it is to mix blood and violence with Souris Valley. Self-portrait.

the unmade linger album

2006-10-07T14:27:00.000+09:00

1. The Intro (full song)
2. 3 Lines
3. Hollow Faces
4. Swaying Image
5. Shine Through (acoustic)
6. Like Nails
7. Dead Ring (acoustic)
8. The Hanging (acoustic)
9. (instrumental, heavy)
10. (5/4 tune, not sure it ever had a name)
11. Malice/Breakdown

any additions? there's one wicked one we were working on that i think was close enough to completion, but i can't describe it more than a chorusy thing...

got bored

2006-09-25T08:24:00.000+09:00

shot some stuff over the weekend, 16mm film at that! courtney gillen, fellow alumnus had a short she was shooting, so i went and helped them out a bit...

moving again, unexciting...

new blog template, hope you like it, old one was getting boring...

asleep on my feet

2006-09-23T00:32:00.000+09:00

holy crap, a world of art this weekend...

kat's reception for her art installation is saturday at 7, the very last installation to be up at the Art Projects Gallery on 15th ave (right behind our house, literally)...

come! we must fill the space, give the gallery a proper outing and the piece a proper viewing...out of towners are welcome to crash at our place on toronto street, and i anticipate there to be much drinking immediately afterwards at our house...

enjoy the view of our place, because it too will be the last time you see it. on oct. 1 we move into our new place on quebec street, a 2-bedroom house...

woah, here's a wicked video, peter murphy w/ nin singing reptile!

sleep is a luxury, especially this week

2006-09-15T20:18:00.000+09:00

second night this week i've had less than 5 hours sleep, however, i was victorious tonite in finishing a grant proposal for the filmpool. now i wait and hope they'll give me some money...

there's a screening at the actor's club tomorrow night, free...a short film entitled "little girls are to be seen and not heard" will be showing, amongst others. last november-february, i mentored a woman named Jodi Sadowsky, and this is the film she made that i helped shoot...go check it out, 8pm i believe...

well, it's almost 5:30am, guess i gotta go to work, hopefully i'll do a better post this weekend...until then...

Scott Tipple & Guests

2006-09-05T14:09:00.000+09:00

Thursday, September 7, 2006
@ The Exchange (Club side)
9:00pm
$2 for members/$4 for non members

this is my first show in three years, come check it out...we're mostly playing covers, but it's acoustic covers of rock songs, so the interpretations are a little further away from the originals...

we need the money, so if you can't make it, send me money :)

just kidding, beer is way better then money, so send beer...

tool, dave's wedding, hemp farming, moving

2006-08-28T11:24:00.000+09:00

crazy weekend...yes that is jeremy feeding a dinosaur. they let them out to roam some days at the calgary zoo, although it's rare to get such a spectacular view of them in their near-native habitat...

damned right! they had lazer beams!

all to race back for dave and amanda roman's wedding, pictures done by yours truly...after a 9.5 hour drive after the tool concert, despite the apparent lack of lazer beams, the wedding was still exciting, followed by a great party involving chilean dancers, mocktails, and a continuous lineup of air-bands and delicious chilean food (and beatniks, not so chilean, but just as delicious...)

spent the night out at the binns' homestead...i've fallen in love with the area and am convinced if one were to put the effort into planting a good solid crop, one could make some money back...and that wonderful crop is hemp...anyone wanna do some share croppin'?

kat and i have decided it's time for a change and are moving out of our house at the end of next month...maybe it's a sign that we are also coincidentally finished our jobs at the end of september...stay tuned...

Woah, a month went by and i barely had time to...

2006-08-15T03:10:00.000+09:00

It was a good trip my friends. I apologize for the lack of posting on this board over the past few weeks. The more busy I get, the first thing that suffers is my ability to spend much time on the internet, I don't think I've been on MSN longer than an hour or two in the last month. A lot has happened in the last three weeks. I went canoeing up north again with friends, and it was great. All the pics I took are up at my Shutterfly account, so check 'em out, Steve D will supposedly have his up soon as well, when that happens, I will post a link to it as well.

We took another trip out to Lake Diefenbaker this past weekend, camping in Douglas Provincial Park. A great place to go chill out and do some hiking (or biking). There are a couple of great hiking paths, as well, we found a secluded beach at the end of the beaten path, beautiful, bigger than the family beach, and way more topless sunbathers.

The excitement doesn't cease there my friends, three more days and we're off to Calgary to see Tool. I have a good idea of what to expect, however, I look forward to seeing the new stadium show. I've gotten glimpses and previews, but it doesn't become real until we're sitting in the arena formerly known as the Saddledome, waiting for the band to come on.

Then we race back to small town Saskatchewan to catch Dave and Amanda's wedding. I'm pumped about that as well. Did I think that Dave would be the one getting married before me? No, but the more I get to know Amanda, the more I realize that the two of them will make a happily married couple. So be there or be fuckin' square!

I know I should post more about the canoe trip, but if I write about it here, what are we gonna talk about the next time we see each other? HUH? Tell me that?!?

Couple cool things coming up in the next month or so. I'm sending in my entry form for the "One-take Super8" festival. A short film festival where they give you one roll of super8 film, a camera, and send you off for a month. They show the entire roll, head to tail, and you don't get to see it til it gets shown. Exciting...one take, could be crap, could be gold.

Check this out, I'm doing a mentorship project through the filmpool again this year. It's called the 60-second cinema scholarship. You wanna learn how to shoot motion picture film, and edit? Apply! You take a whole bunch of workshops, pre-production, lighting, camera, etc.. (lighting taught by yours truly)...the film is included, the processing is included. A great little course to further your artistic ambitions.

Check it out at the Saskatchewan Filmpool Cooperative webpage.

That's all for now, I'll throw some more pics and videos up as they get uploaded.

peace out homies
rob

going home

2006-07-30T06:59:00.000+09:00

heading off into the wilderness...truck's packed, car's packed, just chilling gettin' ready to leave...

see ya suckers
7 days of no traffic noises, no wars, no tv...

i hope i didn't forget anything...
later
rob

Light two candles

2006-07-26T13:07:00.000+09:00

We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when,
but I know we'll meet again some sunny day!
Keep smiling through, just like you always do,
'till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away!
So, will you please say hello to the folks that I know?
Tell them I won't be long!
They'll be happy to know that as you saw me go,
I was singin' this song:
We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when,
but I know we'll meet again some sunny day!
So, will you please say hello to the folks that I know?
Tell them I won't be long!
They'll be happy to know that as you saw me go . . .
I was singin' this song:
We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when,
but I know we'll meet again some sunny day!
We'll meet again, we'll meet again . . .

My mother felt two losses to her family yesterday, one to age, and another to cigarettes and the resulting cancer...my heart goes out to her.

relaxing weekend

2006-07-17T13:12:00.000+09:00

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!! (that's in relief, for those who can't read through the expressionless internet)

it was a weekend of hanging out and biking and all those fun things...picked up a digital camera today, so expect to see a lot more pics on here...started the weekend with kat's b-day picnic, happy b-day to her and jeremy who both turned another year older this weekend...from there, a c-gas party, pretty high-profile for regina, but there were no arrests made, took a long slow cab-ride home and spent the morning nursing my spiced rum hangover which for me was remarkably mild...

then we headed out to buffalo pound and spent the remainder of the weekend enjoying a bike ride along the trails and through the marsh/rolling plains on kat's new bike...

one more week and my hiatus begins, it will be busy though...

pidge-podge

2006-07-09T07:42:00.000+09:00

so busy i could collapse, but am looking forward to seeing the fruits of labour which should start appearing in the next few weeks...music and film projects coupled with work has resulted with not having a single day off of some sort of intensive, time-constrained art project or another that has filled the hours of my weekends for a month. although i had one break in there, of 3 days where kat and i traveled to lac des isles for what in reality was about 30 hours or so, but still managed a couple good fishing sessions (is that the right description?), as well as an energetic bike ride in the la ronge-like forest surrounding the lake, no signs of bears this time.

this past weekend was exciting, some of my best work i think...shot a short film for friend and colleague mauricio carvajal, and although it is a different script than the one we were planning on doing earlier in the year, it went astonishingly smooth...i've seen some of the footage, and it looks great.

my mind has more and more turned to my week long vacation planned for the first week of august, it's been over a year now since we were out on the water last, and i anticipate this trip to be an interesting blend of people, all who will have the time of their lives...

dammit, i need to relax...and i will...

TIDELAND RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 5TH, BE THERE OR SQUARE

they released a teaser for spiderman 3 w/ venom, should be good, as well, i'm told there's a teaser circulating for a live action transformers movie...exciting...

anyone see X3? not bad, not great, but not bad...

not dead, not hiding, just busy

2006-06-28T13:12:00.000+09:00

crazy few weeks, busy, prolific, and fun, will describe when i can, but i gotta sleep

oh yeah, and i got tool tickets

fuck yeah!

catoptromancy

2006-06-01T12:20:00.000+09:00

lot of work this week, out in rouleau commencing the fourth season of c-gas, long, hard days, counting down the minutes waiting to get out of here...to vancouver the first part of my hiatus, which is the tail end of july, then to Four Portages Bay to Missinippe for the remaining week in august. i hope it to be an exciting summer...

cool shit:
- worked just under 80 hours this week, 15.5 of which were on a film called "The Messengers"...this is a movie which shot here last summer, which at the time was titled "Scarecrow", directed by The Pang brothers, it is guaranteed to be absolutely terrifying. the reshoots are destined to make the film much cooler. i can't ruin anything though, but there were some intensely wicked horror lighting setups...it was fun hanging out on a feature film set again, challenging and interesting work...

- what was a four day weekend has turned into a three-day weekend...not really relevant to this list of "cool" shit...

- fatal frame III, PS2 game, japanese horror...freaky, and fun, you take pictures of ghosts rather than shoot them...but for some reason it's still just as scary...

-planted an herb garden, inspired by jeremy of course, and it sprouted today...i should have my own chamomile tea in about two months ... what ever, it seemed like a good idea :)...

-reconnected with an old film school friend who i haven't seen in about 2 years, it's good running into felllow alumni and see that a few are starting to move forward in their careers...jaco has started up a commercial printing business, coupled with design on all fronts...this is the man who i worked with on a few projects in university, and despite his racial handicap (south african), he graduated the class after me, 2005...you may remember this man as the gracious host of my 4th year wrap party, aka the "drink a keg in two hours, play soccer with a big ball of duct tape, then go home and pass out in exaustion" party...

aside from all the cool things happening in my life (just imagine that said with a spice of sarcasm), i've been getting more and more geared up to start pitching my own shit, the documentary idea is within pitching distance, all i need is to put on the polish and start making appointments.

catoptromancy - the art of divination through mirrors, cool word, and though you've probably never heard it before, now you'll hear it all the time...

why is it illegal?

2006-05-29T01:06:00.000+09:00

new study finds no link between marijuana and lung cancer

2006-05-24T10:52:00.000+09:00

a very odd cartoon, indeed

tragedy, working, growing silence

2006-05-22T13:59:00.000+09:00

as most of you probably already heard, katherine's uncle was recently killed in a train collision, and it's been a pretty heavy week as a result. plans to go to winnipeg we're shoved to the backburner so as to spend more time in support of brian and the family. but we're heading out to esterhazy tomorrow to go to the wake, probably won't stay long, kat's not exactly too comfortable with open caskets and such, then again, neither am i. got to cut the lawn at the binns' acreage, nearly 3 hours on a riding mower. i'd drop my entire career in the film industry to go back to the simple meditative job of cutting lawns, at souris valley, or somewhere else scenic...

we start shooting c-gas tuesday morning, it should be another simple summer, no complaints there...paycheque, routine, almost too good to be true.

got an email from scott tipple inviting me out to see a one-time only reunited Growing Silence at the Gaslights Saloon. couldn't believe it, hard to believe it's been years since we'd bumped into each other last. the show was awesome, if we didn't have to ditch out strictly for the purpose of an early departure to weyburn, there would have been more metal bands to check out.

nuts, what can you do...

check it out

2006-05-15T07:02:00.000+09:00

Rob Hillstead- imdb.com

british emo short film (warning, explicit content and emo-related humour)

2006-05-10T15:15:00.000+09:00

time travelling

2006-05-07T09:14:00.000+09:00

this has been a busy busy couple of weeks. the scope of which i'm only really becoming aware of as i'm hitting the thick of it. i'm sick of moving and cleaning, i hope i never have to do it again (though i know i will have to)...however, this weekend has been highly interesting. i've committed to helping shoot two separate independent creations being produced by friends. one, a comedy narrative shot on 16mm film, for which i served the role of "gaffer", or as i liked to call it, lazy head lighting technician. the second, a documentary on the local music scene, i've been promoted from "gaffer" to gaffer/camera op/sound mixer/director of photography...

this all sounds highly interesting and exciting, the kicker being that it's all nights...8pm to 4am was friday night/saturday morn, 3pm - 1am tonite, and 8pm to 4am again sunday nite, all to be ready to go back to work on c-gas as of monday morning.

the view on my porch is spectacular at sunset. the old fashioned paned glass windows and door, a residential alleyway across the street, and at any one time, at least 3 cats patrolling the front yard/porch. as i sit, preparing myself to go back to the exchange, i ponder...

*dream sequence noises* (bear with me)

time scares me, i realize that it's been over 3 years since linger's last show, if my memory even serves me correctly. wandering around the exchange today reminded me of how many times in the past i had sat in this run-down concert hall, eagerly anticipating the excitement and thrill of playing music that you created, and playing it extremely loud for as few as a dozen people (including girlfriends), or as many as 500...of the things i miss most about playing in a band, the unforgettable feeling of connecting with large amounts of people on a completely abstract level is something i can never forget. perhaps that's what i desire as i struggle to create my own film projects. perhaps merely to reclaim that sensation, the natural high of performance and well, offering your vulnerable and naive soul in it's whole to something that transcends art/entertainment/composition and reverts to a stripped-down, naked emotion. herein lies the difference between music and film for me. music was abstract, film is specific, both are forms of communication, but not the same level...

i think it's time i stopped fucking around, and join a performing, recording band, i don't know why i suppress it so...perhaps it's my fear of creating ties here, in case i wish to leave and explore somewhere else...perhaps i fear getting too involved to set myself up for the crushing disappointment of building up a band and then losing the songs again...it seems that every band i go through, i give up these pieces of music i was not just fond of, but had emotional attachment to. it's time to go back to playing hard rock music, it's time to explore that side again. the performance tonite reveals nothing except how there is a gap in the scene, for an intelligent, socially conscious, hard rock/alternative band. lots and lots of pop bands, talented musicians, but the music i dig isn't getting played anywhere here, so, guess i gotta write it...

one-sided communication is not dialogue, i create to illicit a response from someone...without an audience, even of a dozen including girlfriends still illicits response. i mean, i guess dickinson created books and books of poetry without expectation of them being seen, but maybe that's not true, maybe the same lack of artistic fulfillment just added to her inner torment.

hell, isn't that what a blog is? you reading this is the reception of my communication, and the comments is meant for you to make a response. a blog is no less public than being on a stage...i say that a dozen including girlfriends is an audience, and i guarantee there's triple that checks my blog in a week...as i keep track. remember that, a blog is a more than a podium, it's a stage, not a diary.

...

ran into danny fernandez from def3, second time in two days after months since i last saw him, coincidence? serendipity?

peace, empathy
rob

poetry expose

2006-05-03T00:40:00.001+09:00

here for the king's mountain view
here for the wild dream come true
feast like a sultan i do
of treasures and flesh never few

but i would wish it all away if i thought i'd lose you for just one day

-------

eye on the tv
'cause tragedy thrills me
whatever flavour
it happens to be

like:
"killed by the husband"
"drowned by the ocean"
"shot by his own son"
"she used a poison in his tea then kissed him goodnight"
that's my kind of story
it's no fun til someone dies.

because i need to watch things die
from a good safe distance
vicariously i watch the whole world die
you all feel the same, don't lie.

----------

what are they gonna do when the lights go down
without you around to guide them to zion
what are thy gonna do when the river's overrun
other then tremble incessantly
high as a wave but our lives are upon the ground
you were the light and the way they'd only read about
i only pray he knows when to let you out
10,000 days in the fire is long enough
you're going home

you're the only one who can hold your head up high
shake your fist at the gates saying
"i have come home, now fetch me the spirit, the son, and the father,
tell them their pillar of faith has ascended.
i have come home, now give me my wings"

------

you musta been HIGH
you piss all over my black kettle
you musta been so HIGH
so who are you to wave your finger?
you must have been out of your mind

------

angels on the sideline,
baffled and confused
father blessed them all with reason
and this is what they choose
monkey kill, and monkey kill
monkey you're pieces of the ground
silly monkey given thumbs they build a club and beat their brother down

---

and my favourite i'll leave in it's entirety:

-----

alrighty then
picture this if you will

10 to 2 AM
and actually eating up an old box of Krispy Kremes
and my need-to-know potion.
I was just outside Area 51
contemplating the whole chosen people thing
when a flaming stealth banana split the sky like, wide open.
I never expected to see it in a place like this.
I do believe I spilled a diamond sundae
or something wet on my Birkenstocks
and [you're yelping]
Holy fucking shit

then the x-file beings who were like
some kind of blue-grey [Jackie Chan]
with Isabella Rossellini lips and breath that reeked
[Theyre wicked-shot terrorists all by making the sound]
abananadabanana so when I opened up my bug eyes, my gaping jaw and my sweaty lower and upper lip
and all I could think was
I hope that my partner here doesn't notice
that I pissed my fucking pants

So alive in this way
Like an apparition
you have me crying out
fuck me
It's got to be
dead head
Chemistry
The blotter got
On top of me
got me seeing
E mother-fucking T

and after calming me down with some orange slices
and some fetal spooning
the ET revealed to me his singular purpose
he said you are the chosen one
the one who'll deliver the message
a message of hope for those who chose to hear it
and a warning for those who do not
me, the chosen one, they chose me
and I didn't graduate from fucking high school

You had better...
You had better...
You had better...
You had better listen

when he looked right through me
with somniferous almond eyes
don't even know what that means
must remember to write it down
This is surreal
Like the time they floated away
See, my heart is pounding
Cause this shit never happens to me

I can't breathe right now

it was surreal
like I woke up in Wonderland
all sort of terrifying
I don't want to be all alone
when I tell the story
and can anyone tell me why
It was a repeat experience
will I ever be coming down
this is surreal
finally it's my lucky day
see my heart is racing
cause this shit never happens to me

I can't breathe right now

You believe me don't you
Please believe what I just said
See they're telling the truth
And this wasn't all in my head
See they took me by the hand
and invited me right in
then they showed me something
I don't even know where to begin

Strapped down my bed
feet cold, eyes red
I'm out my head
am I alive am I dead
can't remember what they said
god damn shit the bed

hey hey

Overwhelmed as one would be placed in my position
such a heavy burden now to be the one
Born to (bear and read to) all the details of our ending
to write it down for all the world to see
but I forgot my pen shit the bed again
typical

strapped down to my bed
feet cold and eyes red
I'm out of my head
am I alive am I dead
Sunkist and Sudafed
Gyroscopes and infrared
won't help the brain dead
can't remember what they said

don't know, oh no

god damn shit the bed

TOOL 10,000 DAYS, IT'S AWESOME, IT COMES OUT TODAY, BUY IT, TAKE ACID AND LISTEN TO IT, OR NOT!

busy busy week

2006-04-27T14:50:00.000+09:00

sorry at my lack of posting...this last week has been hectic despite our relaxed method of moving, we have to have everything out of gladmer park by sunday. not a lot left, we're hosting a garage sale on saturday, come by 981 Gladmer Park and help us liquidate our possessions. the prices will be cheap, i assure you.

kat heads to new york on saturday for a week...she's gonna have a blast and i wish i could go with her, but i can no more afford to go to new york than moose jaw. but she'll enjoy herself, i hope she blogs some of her experience...

gettin sick of this blog template, may try something new...once i get out of the old apartment, i should have some more time. there has been much i've neglected the last two weeks that i need to readdress. i start work in less than two weeks, may 8. i'm excited to start getting a paycheque again, it will be another easy summer.

most of the unpacking's done, just finishing off a few things, can't believe how much stuff we fit into this place. it still looks pretty homey, and i like that. i will post pictures soon. those of you in regina should swing by Toronto St, it's a beautiful sunny yellow house, and the character of this house is amazing. it was built in 1915, an ancient house, it has its quirks, but it's still amazing. the cats are miraculously getting along well...meeka (sp?) follows jane around constantly, and jane merely glares and utters growling death threats, but is yet to take more than an empty swipe at her. precious is still terrified to explore the house, but she's getting braver too.

ah well, shall post more this weekend or early next week, but i doubt i'll get more time til then...

peace out

new tool album + new house = springtime is renewal

2006-04-24T16:02:00.000+09:00

10,000 Days - fucking amazing. that's all i can say. best yet? too soon to tell, but i have to say, it's already earned non-stop listening attention, and i think, while still commanding in the technical element, this album seems more heartfelt and enthusiastic. the single, vicarious, is good, but the best is in the epic musical compositions further into the album. even though it's not out til May 2, if you want a copy, have a look, it's out, if you can't find it, just ask, i'll burn you a copy. i'm just that kinda guy :)

accomplished most of the moving this weekend. have some small things to put together and take over, but the hard stuff is done. now we unpack and settle in. it's going to be quite an adjustment, but i'm looking forward to the change. i think when one settles down and gets so comfortable that they give up their ability to expand in a worldview sense, then they get stagnant, and i don't want to become that. this is gonna be a cool experience to live with friends for the short term, as well as an opportunity to save money up for a bigger move (don't want to start any rumours, guess you'll have to live in suspense ;) ).

feeling good, visiting weyburn a lot, enjoying my time to relax, worked a little on the scarecrow reshoots, it won't start shooting til after cgas starts, so probably won't get to check it out...oh well, next time. developed some black and white film the other day. naked pics of my friend's girlfriend, i swear, the things we do in the name of...art? the point is that i was developing film, and it was a smashing success. i'm gonna head out and shoot a few rolls of black and white in the coming few days and develop them, maybe make some larger prints if i have the opportunity...

great excitment...

congratulations to dave and amanda, i look forward to seeing you guys get married (dave i'm sending you an email about the photography thing in the next day or two, short answer: most likely yes) Friday August 25, and dave will fill you in with more details about it when he updates his blog. we all know that dave was busy during school, but now i know he's at least a little less busy so he has no excuse :)...HINT HINT HINT HINT ;)

anyhow, here's tom with the weather...

i just wanted to add

2006-04-20T09:42:00.000+09:00

that i'm throwing away the LAST Eddies' Grill and Bar menu in existence...

new tool, moving, easter

2006-04-19T15:29:00.000+09:00

"Vicarious" is the new single by Tool...took me a couple of listens to it, but I dig it a lot. I expect nothing less of the album, coming in two weeks. When I can find a place to host the .mp3, i'll upload it. Or find a download link, whichever comes first.

Did a huge bulk of packing today. We'll be able to pick up and move over probably this weekend. I'm pretty pumped. It'll be a cool new chill-out zone for those unemployed bums like me and kat. There will be lots of parties, oh yes. debauchery and spontaneous jam sessions galore. It's on Toronto St, if you're in the neighborhood, stop by check it out.

This past weekend was a blast. Party at Jeremy's was fun, some good jamming to Radiohead and other bands. Davin called it a sing-along, and if it is, it's the way sing-alongs should be...with rock music. Explored Souris Valley once in the daylight, and once at night. I must confess that we pretty much got smashed at Davin's and went walking (and drinking) through SV. No trouble, no arrests, no broken beer bottles. I've stopped feeling guilty about drinking in public. A good time is all about atmosphere, and bars don't cut it. Plus, being older and wiser, I now know at least 5 spots where no on would ever find you on those grounds.

Went and saw a couple of movies:

V for Vendetta - an interesting political allegory, undeniable comparisons to 1984, but a new twist. i liked the fact that despite it being the Wachowski Bros. first big show since the Matrix, it used very little CG. The goodguy/bad guy is visually cool, the anonymous main character. Not saying there is no cheese, but as a whole I liked it, it makes you think, and that's moreso than most Hollywood shows.

Hostel - I know initially, I have said this was a terrible show, it was only because I only watched the first 20 minutes. I watched the rest and was slightly more impressed. It's not a great show, but it had some really cool gore that'll make you cringe. However, definitely does not live up to any where near it's hype.

Silent Hill comes out friday, I will be going to the late show at the southland mall, so, anyone interested is welcome to join me.

anyhow, peace out...

expect the first thing i do is make something emo...don't worry, i'm kidding that'll never happen, if it did, i swear the sky itself would bleed..

2006-04-14T09:05:00.000+09:00

So I managed to get my hands on an unlocked copy of ableton live 5.01, which for those of you who would recognize this name, is a significant step in the progress of making really cool sounding music...i need to find a good site to host mp3s, as i have a whole bunch ready to be heard but no where to show em off...

if you like to make music, download an illegally obtained copy of ableton live, or purchase one, the choice is yours, but you should get it...