Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Justin Bieber is a twat.

You and I both know that needed to be said.

Moving on.

After another big night (Telus fest is taking its toll) I went with my buddy Marissa for breakfast. We decided to hit up Elements Urban Tapas, one of the sweetest places in town for hangover food, and pretty cheap for the quality. I went for the classic 2 eggs, bacon (actually duck sausage, I recommend!) etc. I got to thinking, as is often the case when my stomach is preparing to destroy me. Because distraction is the key!

What do you do with breakfast? Personally I enjoy the bacon sandwich while the toast is hot. But what about the egg yolks? You can't just leave them on the plate, thats some damn good nutrients. More toast? More cost. Apparently breakfast is all about committing to a cause (bacon sandwich vs. toast fingers) and frankly for a morning meal it's far too much effort to think about. I think pancakes will work better.

In Other news, the aforementioned Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival reached its peak this weekend with "The End", a massive dance party taking place at the Telus Conference centre, as well as the Chairlift Revue, a series of short skits submitted by the local crowd and put to life by a group of actors. I was foolish enough in that I didn't get any tickets or have any time off (missed Arrested development as well) but next year. Next year. Now is the time for deals! $5 breakfast anyone? How about set menu 3 or 4 course meals for as little as $25? Spring riding pass? There are so many ways to spend money you don't necessarily have!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Skiing, snowboarding, and paying the rent

Imagine, for the sake of argument, you play the drums. You love playing the drums, it's one of the few things that make you happy. Not that there's anything wrong with playing, say, the piano or trumpet, but for you it's drums all the way. Now say you live in, I don't know, a really musical town, Seattle in the 90s for instance. You're hanging with your other musician buddies at a coffee shop (because why the hell not? You're in Seattle after all). One of your drumming friends brings along a guitar enthusiast, and when it transpires her musical preference, another guitar player in your group gives her props for "playing a real instrument", or something along those lines.

Absurd, right?

You'd think so. Apparently, here in Whistler a certain holier-than-thou attitude exists within the community, with respects to skiers vs. snowboarders.

Now, don't get me wrong, of course not ALL skiers hate ALL boarders, and the opposite is also true. And of course, what with the way snowboarding entered the culture through its "movement" - that is, punk music, baggy pants, partying etc. - a certain number of elder people are biased (intimidated?) by this relatively new sport. Before that, skiing was (and still is) a rich person's game: the majority of people, myself included, cannot afford to buy a condo in Aspen, so the hills were saved for the elite. "Those snowboarders" became as commonplace as "those damn kids".
The problem I have is with those people who have picked up or embraced skiing in its renaissance - with fat skis for powder, twin tips for switch, and huge contests with mad rails and novelty cheques - and still hold onto the notion that they are playing the respectable game.
This perspective, much like racism or sexism, is self-perpetuating. It will only go away when the barriers have been broken. We are all here for the same reason - the snow, or maybe more specifically the mountains. Can't forget about the bikers! That's why I love Whistler so much: it attracts those of a similar mindset, which adds to the amazing community feeling here. Stop putting up walls, and the doors will open!

Speaking of real estate, here it is Mid April, months after the Olympics, and most landlords have recognised that the show is over. Rent is finally starting to come down, as many predicted and I hoped it would.

You may have noticed I said 'most landlords...'

Who are these jack offs still asking $900, $1000, $1200 per month for a room? I have seen more than one offer for a room (unshared) for literally half that amount. It seems to be getting better, but there are still those slum suckers frantically casting their reels in the hope to rake that final cash grab before people wake up to the fact that, hey, you're paying way too much to live!

Also, the playoffs are on. Vancouver, Ottawa, and Montreal all made it in (no Leafs, I hear you ask. Ha fuckin ha.) Let's have a Canadian team bring the Cup home, just to cement our status as the best.

See that? Breaking down walls.

By The Way DOUBLE STUFFED: Books books books! I praised Dan Levitin's This Is Your Brain On Music way back when, and I have just finished another of his. The World In Six Songs shows how base categories of music can convey emotion, as well as have shaped humanity as we know it. Highly recommended.

This one is probably a little late, having been on all kinds of bestseller lists, but Max Brooks' World War Z is a fictionalised account of the Zombie apocalypse. The author is said to have been collecting data for an empirical study for historical archives, and has taken survivor's stories and collected them into a surprisingly interesting read. I'm not one for memes (fuck vampires) but it feels so real reading the tales and failed attempts at containment.

Sanyika Shakur, born Kody Scott, alias Monster, the last handle being the title of his autobiography. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, he got his name from his penchant for grisly acts of murder and brutality. This guy was brought into the Crips at the tender age of 11 - the book opens with his initiation, cutting down a group of Bloods (Brims) with a pump action 12 gauge shotgun. This is heavy shit, he isn't afraid to talk about his friends dying, and discovers the New Afrikan Independence movement while in on one of his prison sentences, becoming a warrior of the people and not the streets. MONSTER: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member is literally one of those books you won't put down until you realise you're late for work.


Friday, April 16, 2010

New fest; naked fun

And we're back! Just in time to get the Olym- wait, what?

They're finished? The paralympics as well?

How did we do?

...We kicked ass? That's alright then I guess.

That's right, I may be a little late for the show, but I documented a lot. Plus, the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival starts today - no doubt I can get involved in that a little more fully. Arrested Development are going to be one of the highlights for me (full concert details can be found at wssf.com/event/outdoor-concert-series), and if I can score a ticket to the Photographer's Showdown, as well as scoring some much needed money in the bank, I'll consider the next 10 days a resounding success.

Let's muse, shall we?

I heard a phrase I haven't heard in a little while the other day: "That girl's a total slut."

Maybe it's a skewed little bubble I live in, but that word doesn't really get bandied about much. At the most, "whore" is used, and by me anyway, often in jest. I just don't see the foundation for it anymore. Is the girl in question of legal age? Is she in an otherwise monogamous relationship? Is she free of diseases? Perhaps the accuser was somewhat jealous of the perceived loose morals of the accused. What do I know though right?

Till next time, (and I promise to do this more often!)

By The Way: I haven't had a chance to see what's happening outside of the Sea to Sky recently, but there's an election in the UK, a volcano in Iceland, and the US giants are in some legal difficulty (Goldman Sachs and Blackwater specifically). Gimme a week, I'll double the BTW next time.