The Watchmen

My 2 cents on the movie: go see it. This movie lives up to all the hype as one of, if not the greatest superhero movies you will have ever seen. I did not read the comic, and chose not to pick one up to read before going to the movie so I could go in without expectations or knowledge of the story. So I suppose I can't comment on what fans of the graphic novel thought of the movie, but I'm sure they were at least entertained. Be warned, there's a fair amount of blood and graphic violence.

What I enjoyed most was how the story starts with these heroes in retirement. Most superhero flicks that have been pumped out to hungry audiences have focused on their origin stories, and often failing miserably to deliver an accurate portrayal of what these stories mean to their fans. The Watchmen are not typical superheroes either, they behave much more like normal people with flaws and poor judgment. I also enjoyed the language used, in dialogue and narration. I'm told the script follows the comic very closely, which means that the comic would be a very good read as well. I enjoyed this poetic tragedy which left me feeling satisfied and disturbed.

TED talk of the Day - March 4th

My choice for today's TED talk is Benjamin Zander: Classical Music with Shining Eyes. Benjamin Zander is a conductor, teacher, and speaker. He shares his passion for classical music with the rest of us, and shows us that we're all classical music lovers, even if we don't know it yet. His presentation was entertaining, and deeply moving, making it one of my favorite TED talks to share.

Enjoy.

Penniless and Proud

Well, today I feel great, in spite of being poorer than ever. I got my hydro bill today and have no idea how I'm going to pay it, but it just doesn't bother me as much as it used to. I think it has a lot to do with not being able to spend money on the things I've been trying to cut back on, i.e. coffee 3 x a day, cigarettes, weed, beers, you get the picture. The longer I keep this up, the easier it will become to live without, I'll be healthier for it, and that's something to be happy about.

I'm learning to love instant coffee, at $5.99 a bottle, that will last at least a couple of weeks. I still allow myself as much coffee as I want, as long as its from the instant brew, cheap and strong (no cream or sugar either).

The weather is getting better slowly, the days are getting longer and change is in the air. Joel who moved to Cali over a year ago is coming back to T.O. and that's something to be excited for. On top of that, Ben is finally coming home from Ottawa in July and we'll be moving in together. Miss my bro like crazy, so can't wait. I got a job at No Frills to help pay the bills, and had my first shift last Saturday. Sounds like there could be some big gigs coming up this summer for my sound recording business to work on, so that'll be more good news.

So yes, in spite of being broke today I know it won't last and that I'm not alone.

TED talk of the Day - March 1st

About TED:

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader. The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes). The TED site makes the best talks and performances from TED available to the public, for free. More than 200 talks from our archive are now available, with more added each week. These videos are released under a Creative Commons license, so they can be freely shared and reposted. ***

I found this site about a year ago, and its TED talks have been become a huge inspiration for me. I will be posting my favorites for you, in no specific order. I guarantee you will find something of interest to you here, so please pass the word on to others that have yet to find this site.

My first choice goes to Barry Schwartz: The real crisis? We stopped being wise. He talks about what it takes to be a wise person, and how our current society does not necessarily recognize the importance of true wisdom, or the path to becoming wise.