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Showing posts from July, 2008

dark spot

for those of you who follow the signs in the stars, it may be of interest to know that there is a total solar eclipse tomorrow.

it's visible mainly from some of the world's least populated areas, including greenland, a place with which i have a strange fascination.

when nature attacks

i got my official wildlife welcome from the city of montreal today. while walking through the woods along the side of mount royal, i brushed- only brushed, my leg against some foliage. at first i was convinced that i'd actually cut myself, the pain was that sharp. given that sharp objects in the urban woods are not known for their hygienic qualities, it seemed that a tetanus shot was in my future.

but no. it was this bastard, worldwide scourge of uncovered skin. i've never encountered its prickly paws before and let me tell you, i'm going to take care not to again. over five hours later, my leg still feels like it was recently sandpapered.

it seems a bit of an overreaction that i get something that hurts for so long, as i'm fairly certain i left the plant in tact. then again, i guess it's better than having to get a tetanus shot.

until death does you part

movie review :: just buried

perhaps it's a nervous reflex born of a fear of my own mortality, but there's very little that says "funny" to me like a dead body. after all, dealing with anxieties is easy if you can laugh at them. unfortunately, a lot more people attempt to create dark humour than ever succeed at it (as with most things), so i'm always a little wary when i'm told about a new film in the genre.

dark comedy done well requires a premise that sits on the line between ridiculous and believable, a group of actors who have to keep poker faces, to convince an audience that they really don't see the humour in the situation at all and an appeal to intellect rather than simply going for the easy laugh. fortunately, this is a movie with all of these things.

the story centres on oliver, a rather hapless, stereotypical nerd who has his late father's (a hilarious cameo appearance by east coast character and actor jeremy akerman) funeral home business…