2001 A Space Odyssey on IMAX film

T

he IMAX theatre in Regina brought in a film copy of 2001 (one of four such prints struck from the original negatives). I've seen it quite a number of times and went to support Philippe Mather who was speaking before it, but the film shook me to the core. Wow, what an experience!!! The film is certainly slow and sometimes inexplicable, and it was during the slowest or the most confusing scenes that the entire experience did something I didn't know could still happen - I was in awe over a movie. Very cool, very fun. Details I've never seen before. Sounds that should never be heard, let alone felt as they were at this screening, all completed the event. Wow again.

Checking the commodities

William doing some homework (social studies review of article about Canadian economics), but even if it were not for the assignment, this is him relaxing at home. His question of the day was why orange juice is included in the Regina Leader Post commodities listings alongside gold and silver? 

text editing with an unlikely assistant

I spent much of the day reading and editing a paper. Our can only climbs on me when I'm in bed or when I am typing on the computer. She doesn't bother me if I was in the same chair at the same computer watching Netflix. Only if I am typing. 

Talkies - The Cobbler

The Cobbler on Talkies at the RPL. The film was a bit of a wreck, shifting around with too many plot points and character inconsistencies (and people doing things that are just way too stupid). Some of it was very predictable, but then there were surprises that were very left field.
Came home and played a game mixing Dr. Who Fluxx cards with Chrononauts. Some rules merged well, others didn't. 

new crown

Another of my old silver fillings from the 80s is failing and needs to be replaced with a crown. This happened after my early morning meeting with Jay, my mid-morning meeting downtown for a job placement, and before two meetings at the office. Pain isn't bad but there is a rough edge driving me nuts. 

Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty issues of gender and crimes of masculinity

For years, the Regina Leader Post has continued to run old Peanuts comics. It is limited to the colour weekend editions now. I enjoy them most of the time, usually because I half remember them but see something new in them with older eyes. However, this comic came as a complete surprise to me. I am certain that I never saw it before as it reveals an important connection between Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown, a piece of back story that is never hinted at in any other comic I've seen from Schultz. Not only does it suggest that this event of a mistaken haircut might be responsible for Patty's current identity as a "tom boy" (the term that would have been used at the time of this publication), but it also seriously critiques gendered speech and gendered relations. Patty begins a story about her trauma that resulted from her voice and her mother's voice being ignored by men. Charlie Brown interrupts her without really listening to her and tells his own story. Reveal that these are the same story from different perspectives and we suddenly realize that Charlie Brown's father has committed a sort of crime against Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown repeats that crime by ignoring her story and suppressing her story with his own. Realizing that he and his father are cut from the same cloth, Charlie Brown is crushed by shame. As the sun sets, Peppermint Patty sits quietly, not appearing to carry a grudge, but just disappointed at her voice, yet again, being suppressed by someone she trusts. 

SIFA Up Close

Filmpool did a new thing this year, the SIFA up close talk. They selected four learned people to each pick three of the nominated films from the night before and talk about them and lead a discussion. It was a bit of a mixed bag but overall quite a smart idea. It was three hours, which is a bit exhausting, but events like that are needed sometimes. 

AGR reception and SIFA awards

Busy art night. Margaret stayed late at the AGR reception but William and I left shortly after Michel Boutin did his talk (as curator). The screening was very full. We sat on very crowded pews beside Carla Beck. My film "The Lost Art of Inertia" was screened. I certainly didn't expect awards as it is a very small film, and of course no awards were given to it, but I am really pleased by the awards given to so many people from out department including Mike Rollo and students Matt Ripplinger, Joel Maker, and Kenton Evenson. 

Berny and cheesy filters

I was talking about lenses with Berny today. I had my box that I put various lenses into, including (and mostly) cheap lenses and filters. I stuck this cheesy effect filter onto my phone. 

Basement is functional

I got the basement functional this week. William did some photography last night of his Federal Building model and we presented those images, along with many others, to his art teacher today in our discussion of the creation of his portfolio for A/P art. Very happy that I can walk around and work in the basement finally. 

Quick and Dirty with potters

I"m surprised none of the potters presenting at "Quick and Dirty" this month ran with the idea of "dirty" and the connotations of clay and mud. Anyway, it was great to see Terri talk about her art, which I've not really engaged with her about. It's always been about craft.
We got back home and played a new game Allan brought us from someone he's getting to know at the gaming cons; "Get Me A Fresh Brain!". Very fun, but we need to revisit it now that we know how it's played.

Arri rep visit

I missed the beginning (and end) of his presentation, but we had an Arri rep in to the department today to demo some new cameras and lenses. I learned a couple of things I didn't quite know about the lens sizes and considerations regarding the constantly changing sensor sizes. It isn't really new, but it's just things I'd not thought through really well in regards to the wide screen being wide and low but the lens always bringing in a round image. 

Visit mom and dad

William, as usual, is deep in homework. I visited mom and dad for a while. They gave me a pie and I put some moulding around their door to stop the drafts that are bothering them. They had a new light installed finally. It looks nice and fits in so well that I didn't notice until they pointed it out. 

Craft fairs

Margaret had to work but William and I sharked our way through a couple of craft fairs. Visited with David and Angie for a few minutes but their new book is still a ways away. William bought some cherries in juice for ice cream topping. Big jar, yum. 

Coffee at the MAG

Had coffee and pie at the MacKenzie Art Gallery with my sister. They were still installing the new movable windows so it was a bit loud from time to time, but the food was very good. 

Photo shoot of Federal Building

William has been obsessed with this building (I think it is called the Federal Building) for months. It works its way into his stories and drawings. I dropped him off in front of it with my SLR to take pictures. I'll teach him a bit about how to deal with RAW images on the weekend (way too much homework today).

Nils Clausson on Sherlock Holmes

Attended a lecture on the renovated old campus, partially to see the new spaces (which were very nice) and partially to reconnect about Sherlock Holmes with Nils Clausson, who organized the Conan Doyle conference I was include in about ten years back. 

How to make a feature film

In animation class this week I suggested that all you need to make a feature film is to make the trailer for the feature film and to make it the sort of trailer that the viewer knows the whole story at the end and doesn't need to see the actual feature. We made one in class. Efficient. 

Homework on the holiday

Stat holiday for Remembrance Day so William and I were home (but Margaret worked as part of a deal she struck to get Saturday off to go to the foundry). William has piles of homework in every subject, yet again, and some art to catch up on since he spent all available art time over the past two weeks working on the book project. Matt Ripplinger came by to talk about flatbeds and photography equipment. Very nice visit. 

cold game

Watching people walking past the house towards the Rider game today made me almost too cold to go out myself. The blizzard should have kept them away, but not with our fans. 

Tour of Joe Fafard's foundry

We went on a fundraiser tour of Joe Fafard's foundry to see how all the bronze casting is done. Much of it remains a bit of a mystery, even at the end of it, possibly because Joe himself was sick and unable to attend and contribute to the tour. Overall it was really interesting though, being able to walk among all his stuff and touch things. 

Double gallery openings

Lisa Myers and Jennifer Matotek 

Marjorie Beaucage and John Hampton

We started the evening with the Dunlop opening; "Carry Forward", a collection of works curated by Lisa Myers with artists including John Hampton and Marjorie Beaucage. Margaret did a podcast interview with Marjorie after the curator's talk.

We went immediately to the big fall opening at the MacKenzie. There was more work up than I can really talk about here, but the capper on the night was the opening of the gallery cafe where we had a great chat with Janine, Rania, Tim, and Kevin. It is a really spacial space that I'll certainly be returning to. 

Ginny 16mm Flatbed

One of the first things we moved into our house in 1996 was the 16mm Ginny flatbed editing table that I'd purchased from the Filmpool earlier that year and that they had purchased (or been given) from CKCK-TV a few years earlier, in the early 90s. When they first had it, Chuck Gilhooly and I were the only two who really embraced it. When we'd finished the projects we were working on, the machine more or less collected dusk until they declared they needed the space more than the machine. I bought it for $500 (which I believe might have been what they paid for it) and moved it into my parent's house as I had just finished grad school and we were sort of homeless. After we got our house, I had movers take it to the basement. It is actually too big to fit down the stairs so we needed to detach it from its stand while they held it up, then run the stand down the stairs ahead of them so they could place it back on its wheels at the bottom. Quite a feat given that it is a pretty heavy beast. 

Anyway, it is built to tilt upright for storage so I did that about five years ago and have not used it since. I reassembled it today to take another look and consider finding a new home for it (an reclaiming that part of my basement). The internet tells me almost nothing about this machine. 

last painting class for fall

I came to class early today as I had a meeting and needed to leave early. I painted a mid-century Brownie. Wish I'd had another 15 minutes as it has some things I'd like to have played with more, but overall I'm happy with the eight cameras I painted, thanks to instructor Deb Potter. Had lots of fun working side by side with Lori. 

School Board art award

For the second year in a row, William has had work selected for display in the school board art exhibition (six from each school). This year is a vibrant pencil crayon piece with strange red banners and evil balloons. Margaret urged him to go nuts on the intensity of his colours, rather than the usual tepid colours many people use with this medium. Nice event, crowded but short.

Art book finished

As midnight approaches, William is getting the last parts of his overly complicated art book about paranoia done. It's been three weeks. Perhaps breaks to see art shows (nice work by Jess at the Creative City Centre) but inspiration is always welcome. 

Winter is here

Started getting really cold. I got my second shingles vaccine shot as well as the flu vaccine. Fest great the rest of the day so did lots of work around the house. Found a bit of glass in the lemon loaf. Broke a picture frame in the studio downstairs. Broke the plastic bin of screws in the tool room, resulting in tipping it upside down and breaking a glass jar (big magnet sure came in handy). 

Marian's 60th

Marian Donnelly celebrated her 60th birthday with a big party at the Exchange. We were late and missed the live music and Fada Dance, but mostly we were there to see Marian. William is going hard on his art book, with the end finally in sight. 

Combat Improv in new space

We've not gone to improv in probably a year. They hadn't been selling very well at the Artesian so it is natural that they would need to change something, and the thing they changed was the venue. It is a pop up, ex-store downtown on 11th Ave. It was a bit cold inside and the chairs were sinfully uncomfortable, but the comedy was good. 

Gallery at performing arts centre

We went to an opening for a group art show (one day only) at the performing arts centre. Margaret is writing something about the group. Nice unplanned chat with Berny and Leesa in the Fifth Parallel today with Berny's show still up.