a rebirth of spontaneity? Tuesday, Sep 30 2008

more house

Last Saturday I attended a McGill improv workshop at the SSMU building. I went with few expectations, thinking that there was no way it could top Handsworth Improv, either under Führer Beare or Brett “Namaste” Jamieson. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the workshop. It was really basic and relaxed, which are two words I almost forgot could be associated with improv. I went with Victoria, a friend of mine from Gardner, who had been urging me for a few weeks. There are some really funny guys there, and the instructor, Jeremy, is an Australian so no matter what he says it’s a riot. I met a guy called Ben who thinks we have “rockin’ chemistry” in the improv department and talk of a tiny little troupe is circulating. I must say that I am as the francophones would say: “tres excité” by the propisition. I won’t lie, improv can make one a bit of a laughter addict. There are few sensations on par with the feeling following the delivery of a hilarious quip in front of a crowd of people. In fact, it should be easier now considering we’ll be playing in bars and everybody’ll nice and sauced up! I can hardly wait till next Saturday! Who knows, maybe we’ll be seeing this scene in 5…4…3…2…1…(weeks or so).

さようなら,

sash

Some pics:

bloo sky

the falcon

helllllllo?

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not enough hours in the day Monday, Sep 29 2008

the eraser

As much as I’d like to write an extensive post detailing my day, I simply don’t have the time. I didn’t expect university French to pose such a challenge, but it takes 3 times longer than my old French did. In addition to my upcoming psych midterm and essay due on The Nibelungenleid the work just continues to pile up. The leaves are starting to change colour these days and you can feel the autumn creeping into your bones. My soul could use a sunny day big time. The reason my blog is sporting the cover of “The Eraser”, Thom Yorke’s solo album, is because in a rare case of musical deprivation it was the only album I was able to listen to today because of the business of my schedule. As a result I have the songs in my head.

In gaming news, which seems to be the only gaming related activity that I have time for these days, I read an interesting article today concerning the issue of DRM and online games. I, of course, am talking about amazon.com’s controversial decision to delete negative reviews of EA’s Spore that criticized the limited activation system of the new PC release which gives three lifetime activations of the game before you have to call EA and request a new key. 1000’s of one star reviews were removed by the online distributor, who attributed the deletions to “a glitch”. The reviews have since been restored on the site. On a side note, Penny Arcade has released a recent set of cartoons detailing The Origins of the CD-Keys.

Many people believe that “DRM only punishes legitimate consumers who want to pay for the software they own”. I feel the need to disagree, being guilty of torrenting a few games in my day. I feel it is the only way to protect software developers and ensure they maintain the capital to continue producing games. Indeed by around 10PM on the day of Spore’s release I was already running a fully torrented version of the game. I think the reality is that DRM improvements are an inevitability as long as mass downloading is allowed to run rampant like it does. However, I have no sympathy for game developers that go under due to software piracy, simply for the fact that any game worth playing in the 21st century should have some form of online play or social networking that would necessitate a CD key. One game developer that presents this aspect time and time again is Blizzard Entertainment. I can hardly recall the countless hours I have poured into every Blizzard title from Diablo I to Starcraft to Warcraft III. With the much anticipated release of Starcraft II and Diablo III later down the road I can safely say that they will still have a valued customer for years to come(if I ever get my god-forsaken homework done).

Au Revoir,

sash

garrrrgoyles

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psychology on ze brain Sunday, Sep 28 2008

penfield quote

About a block down from my residence is The Monteal Neurological Institute. A more morose place ne’er existed on the face of the earth. Established by the famous McGill neurologist Dr. Wilder Penfield, who you may remember from the Canada Heritage Minute as the guy who made the french lady smell burnt toast. He was testing the effects of electric stimulation in the temporal lobe of the brain and is responsible for identifying this area as one of the memory centers of the brain. Gee, I guess I am learning something in Psychology100. With my midterm coming up next Thursday I am approaching max informational capacity in this department. I am going to make a concerted effort to not procrastinate and then cram. If Hermann Ebbinghaus’ methods of savings stand true, then I think I’ll be fine.

Anyways, I gotta hit the books again. I hope that I can make enough progress in my new German lit novel ,”The Adventures of a Simpleton” by Hans Jacob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, that I can watch a Miyazaki film tonight. I’m thinking Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind or Howl’s Moving Castle. I am also downloading Grave of the Fireflies, which is apparently unlike any other Miyazaki. It’s set in Hiroshima after the atomic bomb and is apparently fantastically sad. Time to go, here’re my three faves of the day:

shiny buildings

corner

the building where I take philosophy

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The Sash-Pad/Zombie-rant Sunday, Sep 28 2008

First and foremost, a public service announcement. Despite his tragic death in 2005, a new Mitch Hedberg CD has been released. He is a hilarious comedian, but it seems he has also breached the barrier between life and death. Either way, zombie comedy is scientifically proven to be 10 times funnier(Larry, Curly, Moe, et. al). To download Do You Believe in Gosh? just click the blue for a torrent link.

Mentioning a zombie right there reminded me of a sort-of episodical dream I’ve been having since I arrived in Montreal. Basically, I have it in installments that occur at least once a week, and are awaited with much excitement. They involve a dystopian world, inhabited by flesh devouring, decomposing hordes of the walking dead, in which I am, of course, the very last man left standing. I am constantly evolving and adapting my technique, pioneering new methods for keeping those brain-gobblin’ abominations in the dirt for keeps. The “series” started in a mysterious, cryptic manner which added vastly to its intrigue. I started as a scientist in a vent overhearing two men, one a military leader, the other a scientist like myself, discussing what to do about Project 2501(a subconcious reference, I believe, to Ghost in the Shell). It’s a classic scenario in which a military madman sanctions the creation of some Super-Human supplement which can grant unbelievable power. Unfortunately, as parodied in the Awesome-O episode of South Park, a scientist who is ethically at odds with the project wants it shut down. Long story short, military man wins, I wake up the next day and the world is utterly destroyed. Right away, I knew these were no ordinary zombies and was thankful for two things:

1. I had the foresight to see this coming.
2. I read The Zombie Survival Guide (thank you brenner)

So, now in my sleep I am not only recovering physically from a long day’s work, but I am kickin’ ass and taking names Freud-style. This is a textbook example of the fear extinction theory of sleep, which suggests that the purpose of dreams is to help us face and conquer our fears without the risk. This is believed to be the reason that most dreams are thematically negative or frightening in nature. While this theory holds validity for the average person, I feel it does not apply to me. If this theory were true, it would suggest that I fear zombies. And frankly, Pablo, that just’s plain ridiculous. With zombies et moi, fear is a one way street!

However, the main purpose of this post is to give those who are interested an opportunity to see my humble abode. You’ll notice some similarities between it and my old room, but I guess my tastes haven’t changed. Some noticeable and awesome aspects of it are the TV, fully equipped with Smash Bro’s Brawl, the cool new posters(namely RHCP and a parchment map of Middle Earth”), and the twin sized bed, cause with sasha and the ladies it’s a just matter of when not if, and I like to be prepared. Anyways, enjoy the pictures. Thanks for reading.

Auf Wiedersehen,

sash

my room from a different angle

a fountain near my res I walk past en route to class

redpath museum – just one of mcgill’s swanky buildings

my baby

lotr map

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Baby Steps Saturday, Sep 27 2008

Today has been a really good day. I finally decided to stop procrastinating and make a blog. I went to Staples and snagged a Canon Powershot A590 IS and then cruised the streets of Montreal taking pictures of the beautiful, bizarre sights. Some worked, some didn’t, but the whole experience was eye opening. An angry homeless man taught me the lesson that some people, other than just Native Americans and Jim Morrison, just don’t want to be photographed. In my defense, his battalion of feral animals would have made a beautiful shot.

Anyways, I tossed my three favourite photos from the day on the site for people to see. Enjoy.

Adios,

sash

metropolitan fountain

creepshack

staircase

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