World Trade Center Movie?

Because I'm so woefully behind the times in terms of the latest movies out there, I decided to see what's new on my favourite movie trailer site. Miami Vice looks good for some action, Talladega Nights looks funny, but then I spotted one that didn't quite compute: "World Trade Center". Sure enough, as the name implies, its about the twin towers during 9/11. What the ..... !

Does this not seem a little over the top? Since September 11th, interviews have been broadcast, books have been written, articles circulated, and ceremonies have been televised. What tale is this movie trying to tell that has not been already been told? Its like America doesn't get it, so here comes Oliver Stone to the rescue, and with the assistance of Nicholas Cage, he's going to drive the point home. Sure you've seen survivors, and victims' relatives tearfully tell of the life-altering impact this day has had, but you won't truly understand until you've seen Nick Cage in some ash-coloured make-up recite some scripted dialog on a special effects backdrop.

Who needs this movie more? Is it America, or is it Oliver Stone? What will America gain from this film? A deeper understanding of just how tragic that day was?

Also, should this movie gross $300 Million in the first month, where will the proceeds go? Will it be all profit? I haven't heard if any victims' charities are targeted with getting a cut, but it'll be interesting to see where the money goes.

America, are you really going to shell out to see this?

Where I'm From and Where I'm At

Due to some unforseen circumstances, this past weekend I found myself back in the town where I did my growins' up: Victoria. Having lived in Calgary as an adult, and finding myself having to return to the Island regularly until further notice, there's some gaping differences that smack you in the face. Alot of people encounter this when returning to their hometowns. No one in Calgary is actually "from" Calgary, right?
Here are just a few of those differences that I noticed upon my return to my particular hometown:

• If you're on, say, the #17 highway from the Ferry terminal at Swartz Bay, the speed limit is mostly 90 km/h (80 around the Elk Lake area). It is perfectly socially acceptable to go at or below the posted speed limit. I used to drive like this when I lived back on the Island, but as a Calgarian I found this idea to be totally repugnant. "Come one people! At least go the speed limit!" were my thoughts as I navigated my way around in my Grandfather's VW. I never ever would have thought this as an Islander.
• If you don't know how the roads work in Victoria, um, well, you're screwed. Take for example the road that gets you from the Pat Bay Highway to the Island Highway. When you off-ramp its "Royal Oak", without warning it changes into "Wilkinson", then just as you thought you were all settled in with one road name, it changes again to "Helmchen". So, poor visitors trying to retrace their steps back from the Island Highway looking for Royal Oak will be sadly mistaken. Victoria is rife with this, this is not an isolated incident.
• Overpasses are for the weak. Both the Island Highway and the Pat Bay Highway, two substantial arteries all are littered with traffic lights. There is no Deerfoot/QE II mindset. They could throw up some interchanges if they really really really focused on it, but its not that urgent in the mind of the Islander. After all, they're driving below the speed limit, they're in no hurry.
• I don't know how the heck this happened, but Victoria is still so damn white bread it almost leads you to ponder if there's some sort of conspiracy afoot. Vancouver is brimming with all different cultures and racially diversity, but Victoria is nowhere near this level. My cabbie from the airport was "of a different culture" (political correctness), but that's pretty much where the cultural mosaic ended.
• "Service" is not a dirty word. At restaurants, stores, coffee shops, etc, you just seem to get the little bit extra in terms of service. Now, I do have a unique perspective: I had both service-oriented jobs in Victoria (fledgling tour company I started) and Calgary (retail jobs to get me through University) and I can tell you that I was far more tolerant to my Victoria clientele. I was pretty much a prick to people I served in Calgary, but so was everybody I worked with. Obviously this is due to Calgary's HUUUGGGE need for service sector workers, but its a difference I noticed, nevertheless.
• Victoria has no Home Team attitude. We used to have a Junior Hockey team: The Victoria Cougars. But we punished them well by forcing them to play in this run-down old barn, the Memorial Arena. Man, that place was a dump. There was ZERO motivation to build a new rink back then so the team moved. No one cared. There's the odd article about there being interest in getting another Junior team, but there's still no interest. That bloody Steve Nash has everybody playing basketball now.

Now, I have to set this point straight, I am NOT slamming Victoria. I still love it, I always will. It's beautiful, and has tonnes of history and culture. You're crazy if you don't visit there at least once in your life, as a North American. My point is that everyone experiences these little twinges when they go back home to visit. Am I wrong?

Calgary in 30 and 100 years.

As most of you are aware, I spend my days working for the City of Calgary, which can be pretty cool at times. In my past lives, I've worked with stockholders in mind, now I work with Citizens in mind, and there are some differences. The things that I see being developed or are about to happen are things that could affect you and me: changes to the Transit website, software that runs the 311 operations centre, whatever. This is where it get's sort of cool.

I bring this up because I happened upon a nifty project that the City is working on, a project I'm not sure ANY city in North America is doing. It's called ImagineCalgary. What its trying to do is invent a crystal ball to look into, once there's a basic suggestion of where this city is going, we can be proactive and try to mitigate any nasties that might be around the corner. I know, I know, sounds sort of wishy-washy. But once you get beyond the initial palpable superficial appearance, it could be cool. Given what's happening to our city recently, what the heck is this town going to look like in 30 or 100 years? Check out this futuristic newsletter for a glimpse of what some people think.

Here's where I see Calgary in 30 years:

• Calgary's population is holding steady at around 1.2 Million people. Not considered to be "booming".
  
• Calgary is performing particularly well in the tech industry, fuelled initially by the oilpatch, the city's IT sector is significantly diverse.
• Calgary's LRT (Light Rail Transit, our train) extends further into the south and NW, and NE, but now sports a new SE arm, meandering its way clear down to just west of McKenzie Towne/Copperfield.
• Calgary has the gorgeous new sportsplex her athletes have been starved for. A 55,000 seat football / soccer / athletics stadium. The Stampeders continue to draw 40,000 per game.
• The Flames are floundering. After winning 8 Cups in 12 years, Coach Jarome Iginla is fired.
• AAA baseball has returned to Calgary. The new Calgary Cannons play at the 15,000 seat Foothills Park.
• Professional European soccer sees no fewer than 60 Calgarians playing for their starting eleven. Clubs Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, Werder Bremen, Valencia, and Glasgow Celtic are all captained by Calgarians.
• Calgary's new airport has been opened for 5 years and is still home to the mega-airline WestJet, who have announced 5 additional European destinations.
• The average home will cost $420,000, which includes the new Calgary communities of Airdrie, and Okotoks.
• Calgary is feverishly preparing bid for 2040 Olympic Summer Games.
• Calgary continues to be viewed highly as a major tourist destination. The massive Calaway Park adds its third roller coaster, and second major water park.

Anything to add anybody?

Bus Rant (my first rant, so I was due).

You know, in a perfect world, the bus should be a pleasurable commuting experience:

• No downtown parking to pay for
• Don't worry about driving, just read a magazine, think about the day ahead, or just sit and zone out
• You're doing your part for the environment (but not to the degree of you vegetarian freaks out there)
• Chance to chat with friends that may be on the bus with you

But, as in most things in society, we are soon infested with morons. Day by day, I'm astounded that these morons can produce a fare, board a bus and negotiate their way to a seat without soiling themselves. How do they do it?

Not familiar with the bus moron phenomenon? Allow me to describe each type:

The Seat Commando: This particular type of moron thinks he's God's gift to transit. So mighty is he that he wants no part of sharing his seat so he'll stealthily place his briefcase or backpack on the seat next to him, on a packed bus! When a person says, "Excuse me, mind if I have a seat?" The Seat Commando Moron will look up with momentary confusion, as if you've just asked him to explain relativity. The confused look gives way to that pompous look of capitulation, like his highness is doing you a favour. Put your bag on your lap, moron!

The Newspaper Pteradactyl: This guy is a real winner. Here is the guy that takes the Herald, not exactly the most compact of newspapers, a magazine that he normally reads by spreading it out on his dining room table, and takes it onto a packed bus. Actually, this guy can be funny at times. He tries to do the 'fold over' technique, often times the paper kinks as it folds over and he tries to fix it. He might as well try to solve a Rubix Cube. Sometimes flyers fall out, but he's too cool to pick them up. Hey moron, no one will look down on you for reading the Sun. Why not bring your bedsheets to fold on the bus. It looks just the same, you moron!

The Reality Challenged Walrus-Woman: These obese morons are a study in psychology. This is the 600 pound moron that gets onto a packed bus, and sees a seat available. She proceeds to the seat, tusks heaving mightily as the bus bobs and weaves, she negotiates her way to the seat and presents her enormous behind. You see, she can't bend at the knees due to her girth, so she bends at the waist and attempts to get at least part of one of her ample cheeks into the seat. The poor person she's sharing the seat with can only close their eyes and pray, and also make a mental not to skip desserts forever. But all thought must be focused on breathing, that person is being squished like a bug. Hey Dumbo! Why not stand? Why is it our fault that you could be a stand in for Jabba the Hut? Why should we suffer. Just stand! Call it "excercise" (oooo, what a concept).

The Deaf iPod music blaster: Remember the above point about reading a magazine? Well iPod blasting moron won't let you. This person is so blatantly stupid, they think that earbuds are a magical mystical device: they put them in their ears and crank the tunes, but the music somehow stays pointed into their ears. Basic acoustic theory is lost on this moron. What? You mean other people can hear my blasting music from my $19.99 ear buds? Can this be? People are trying to read moron! Turn it down! If there's more than two of your kind on the bus, its like a concert hall. No one want's to hear Fiddy at 6:45 am!

So there you go. Of course there's some honourable mentions. Like the guy who steps one foot onto the bus, but instead of getting on, he wants to discuss bus logistics. "What time does the number 9 come by?" No problem, moron. I'm sure all the bus drivers have all the timetables of all 120 bus routes committed to memory. Or how about those ladies that hold riveting conversation about the merits of yesterday's Dr Phil episode, which is bad enough, but these morons speak at about 102 decibels, a deafening level for most mammals.

Yes there are more. But why do we suffer? We have to figure out a way to rise up against the morons! Do we pass a law? Resort to bus vigilanteism? Become one of them? Do us all a favour morons, drive to the C-Train, ride your bike (with or without training wheels, your choice), or hitch a ride. Just stay off the bus before someone gets killed!

Can you guess the boys' favourite Stampede ride?

The boys' diggin' the Ag exhibits

The Calgary Stampede is not exactly the cheapest excursion for a family of four. You could even make a case that Calaway Park has the Stampede beat in terms of rides for kids. If you were to argue this point to a seven and a three year old, your argument would fall on deaf ears. Ours are two kids that definitely love the Stampede. They're also young enough that you can get away with taking them once, which is a good thing given that it can get a tad expensive. Its kind of cool to watch these dynamos of energy go crazy for a day, sometimes in sweltering heat, then watch them wilt as the day goes on.

But when we got home, and Stampedin' for 2006 was done, I asked the three year old what his favourite ride was.

Yep, it was the C-Train.

The Gear is away. Summer begins!

In a Moving Ceremony, We Gave the Hockey Gear a Rest.

Summer officially began Sunday night with the "laying to rest" the boy's hockey gear. Jarome ran the kids into the ground, but you could tell that each of them had the time of their lives. The final day of the camp was a scrimmage, and yes Iggy was on the ice. There was also a pro goalie sitting in, but we couldn't place the face. The goalie did a good job of making the kids' goals look good. However, one of them could've been legit. Ryan set up this other kid who just wired the sucker top shelf. Legit goal? Only the un-named goalie knows for sure.

Also on the final day, poor Jarome was trying to make a valiant get away only to be mobbed by kids. It was a constant chorus of "Bye Jarome", "See ya Jarome", "Thanks Jarome". He was distracted and so was I, so I nearly ran interference on his getaway. But I extended a hand and said "thanks" for everything he did. He looked me in the eye and returned my "thank you". I still don't get it, doesn't he realize that he's supposed to be all filled with attitude? What's in it for me, the superstar athlete? What's the catch? Iggy eventually made it to his car after giving Ryan another thumbs up. I'm still left wondering what lasting effect this will have...

But that's it! Bring on Summer! Our focus is going to shift away from pucks, towards the Stampede, and also a good chunk of time down at the farm. I never grew up with a farm when I was a kid, what a jip!!

And hey, you people working downtown, make sure you venture down Stephen Ave to check out the action over the noon hour. Grab a pancake at one of the breakfasts. Downtown is hoppin'! And, if you tune in carefully during your Stephen Ave stroll, do you notice all the different languages? Does that say something?

My boy's new buddy: Jarome Iginla

Jarome Iginla prepares to give Ryan a thunderous check into the boards

This past week, my seven year-old, Ryan, has had the pleasure of attending Jarome Iginla's week-long hockey school. At first, we didn't quite know what to expect. What would this Iginla guy be like with these kids? This guy that goes out on the ice and beats the crap out of people, geez, I don't know...
Then came the meet-and-greet with Jarome on the Sunday before the hockey school. I left there shaking my head. The guy looks you in the eye and genuinely thanks you for the privilege of teaching your budding hockey star. You can tell that this guy is just plain ol' one of the good guys. He taps the kids on the shin and says, "good job, buddy". He gave Ryan some skating tips and tricks. Thumbs up to Iggy!! The kids will be lifelong fans of his, and I somehow get the feeling that it's mutual....

Plosivity??

First post, hang in there. Have patience....
So, what the hell is "plosivity". Well, its made up. Well, sort of. As many of you know, I'm a big fan of linguistics, my undergraduate degree is in linguistics, I like the stuff. "Plosive" is a linguistic term meaning a momentary stop in pulmonic egressive airflow for the purpuses of phonetic creation. Huh? Well, basically I had to come up with something when creating a web presence and blog, this word wasn't taken. And, in a way, you have to be "plosive" to blog. Whatever.

Earth shattering inspirational web content... lies elsewhere. This is the ramblings of a thirty-something IT worker and hockey dad.

So, welcome!!