http://tj7.org/wp The character building experiences of Mr. M. Slaughter Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:39:03 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I moved to Melbourne exactly one year ago today.The intervening 12 months have been filled with so many aspects of what makes life rich that I just don't know where to begin: Do I start with finding Love again? Do I start with losing my closest friend? ... http://tj7.org/wp/2008/03/31/one-year-ago-today/ I am presently seeking a new house to live in, and today received an email response to a query I made about a place I enquired about last week, which included this: "As the new arrival and I are both vegans, we have decided we are going to make vegetarianism a ... http://tj7.org/wp/2008/03/06/damnable-vegetarians-make-me-sick/ This is how you release an album online. Take note, Radiohead. I'm also pretty happy that this NIN album is composed of instrumental tracks. At last, I get to enjoy Trent Reznor's arguably still excellent production work without his ridiculous lyrics. http://tj7.org/wp/2008/03/03/a-quick-note-about-the-new-nin-record/ Being an unashamed fan of ‘Blade Runner’ since I first saw the film as a teenager in the late ‘80’s, I developed a new appreciation for the film in 1992 when the first “Director’s Cut” emerged. As the ‘fans’ learned in the following years, this ‘Director’s Cut’, although a ... http://tj7.org/wp/2008/01/21/on-blade-runner-final-cut/ This is old news, but early last month, UK band Radiohead made an announcement via their webpage that their new album, “In Rainbows”, would be released in a mere 10 days. No hoopla, no bells, no whistles – just a modest announcement followed by the music less than a ... http://tj7.org/wp/2007/11/09/radiohead-pushing-sloppy-low-bitrate-shit-onto-their-fans/ In the aftermath of my friend’s tragic and senseless death, I’ve not once considered moving back home to Adelaide, despite often feeling lost, understood by nobody near. I’m staying here, in this sprawling city, but I have to regain some self confidence and climb out of my stagnant ... http://tj7.org/wp/2007/10/08/crash-start/ "Ben - i know you're easily depressed - but life is fine, man - and there's nothing you can't make better if you want to. Jesus Christ - i just felt like a CTA ad or something but we always tend to shy away from the outright positive for some pathetic reason. actually (this ... http://tj7.org/wp/2007/08/26/goodbye-timmer/ Last week I decided that I have to look for a new place. The house I moved into is fine, in many ways - great location, decent size, reasonably safe and secure. The social aspect is all wrong, though. I have nothing in common with these people. ... http://tj7.org/wp/2007/04/25/an-unexpected-agreement/ Right, so I've finally left town. The drive was long and I didn't kill any animals on the way. I arrived at sundown. Warmly accommodated by golden friends, I began the search for a new home. I was warned about the low vacancy rate in Melbourne, and ... http://tj7.org/wp/2007/04/10/arrival-in-melbourne/ A man is walking down the street, and he sees a dog struggling to climb out of a drain. "Woof," the dog says. "Woof, Woof." The man stops by the dog. "It will be ok, little buddy, I will help you get out of that drain," he says. Just ... http://tj7.org/wp/2007/03/27/the-man-and-the-dog/ It’s been several months since I last wrote, but this first post of 2007 contains some good news: I’ve made good on my promise to myself to move to Melbourne by the end of March. I’ll be driving over on the 31st! I’ve gone through various stages of hopeless ... http://tj7.org/wp/2007/03/27/2007-finally-begins/ That's right, Sho, I'm stealing another one of your ideas. Well, I'd hardly call it 'your idea' considering there are entire weblogs out there devoted to this mode of writing, but I'll happily admit that I'm ripping you off, just a little. I've only just discovered TV on the Radio, ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/12/20/song-of-the-week/ September 30, 2006. I remember that sometimes Ben used to climb up to the attic. One day he was scolded by his mother because going up in the attic is very, very bad. "What is wrong with going up into the attic?" Ben had asked. "The attic is full of monsters and mice. ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/12/09/its-been-a-long-long-time/ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ............................................................................................... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/10/10/aaaaaaaaarrrghhhhh/ Last week I bravely attended a Speeddating event in the city. In theory, it makes sense: 18 single women and 18 single men engage in a short chat, one at a time, noting their own interest or lack of in a tidy little form which is submitted ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/06/19/speeddating-the-new-pins-in-the-eye/ The lustful desperado finds the greatest significance in the smallest gestures: She glanced at me twice! She looked away just as I raised my face in her direction! I don’t have the guts to voluntarily, openly connect with her in even the most subtle manner during a ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/05/30/terrifying-hot-girl-at-the-gym-pt-ii/ Somehow I managed to stumble across a wonderful website which boasts that it contains the profiles of the “BEST CELEBRITY LOOKALIKES IN THE WORLD”. Indeed, there are a few fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on your perspective) individuals who really do look like the famous folks they set out to ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/05/26/presenting-splitting-images/ B.R DEHOLMES was taking a stroll to the dvd store when suddenly he was attacked by three fat thugs who tore off his arms, broke his legs and took his DVD money. DEHOLMES should have died from the physical trauma and blood loss but he woke several days later ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/05/22/analog-cassette-man/ For some reason, I am no longer receiving mails from Wordpress informing that I have comments to moderate. They must be getting junk-filtered. When I noticed that I had 59 comments in moderation tonight, I was intitally chagrined that I had inadvertently let so many pile up. ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/05/22/spam/ "YELLOP GYSTOM AND THE SWEETS" Infamous drunkard and wife beater Yellop Gystom returns in this hilarious adventure in which the bearded wretch discovers a bag of coagulated sweets which he can't eat... IMPORT $34.00 "HELLO, RALPH, THIS IS YOUR MOTHER CALLING" Ralph has been waiting for his mother to call all day. Finally, ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/05/22/new-releases-books/ When I was working as a projectionist between 1996 and 2005, I collected a few souvenirs. Most of the following 35mm frames were cut from the heads or tails of various spools of various films... I rediscovered my collection recently and managed to photograph these examples using old slide ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/05/22/film-stills-1974-2005/ About a year and a half ago there was this really hot chick from the Netherlands at my gym. She was incredible. She seemed kind of quiet and maybe approachable. However, at the gym it's generally not cool to try and pick up. People are there ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/05/16/terrifying-hot-girl-at-the-gym/ I was going to write about how fucking awful it was out there tonight, but now I can't be bothered. http://tj7.org/wp/2006/05/13/saturday-night-out/ I’ve always found it annoying when people stand around on moving escalators, but it was not until I went overseas that I realized just how fucking lazy and inconsiderate the average mall visitor is here. From Canada to England to Spain, people generally line up on the right side ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/05/10/lazy-pigs-on-escalators/ May 8 Upon my return to Adelaide, I was filled with a mixture of dread and elation. Elation for sunshine, friends and family. Even when the weather is shit here, it’s still pretty good compared to most places. Of course it has been great seeing everyone again. Not that ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/05/10/return/ After spending time in Calgary, London and Edinburgh between August and January, I explored 9 cities and stopped over in 2, during my whirlwind 4 week tour of the European continent: Paris, Avignon, Arles, Krakow, (London, Reading), Berlin, Venice, Madrid, Toledo and Rome. The press conference was exhausting – ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/04/16/4-weeks-11-cities/ April 10 / Singapore Airport I’m between time-zones, floating above green carpet, waiting for gate F42 to be opened. I decided when I boarded the plane that I wasn’t going to listen to anything I was really attached to during my travels, as fly back home. I’ll wait for ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/04/10/chasing-the-sun-wishing-for-sleep/ During this hurricane tour of Europe I have been graciously accommodated by several wonderful and generous souls. Here are some shout-outs: Shane and Mark: These guys took me in for just over three weeks when I crashed in London. I took over their lounge, crammed their space, and ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/04/10/shout-outs/ Rome / March 31 – April 4 After a blissful week of relaxing in Madrid, checking out the Salsa scene, catching up with Greg and meeting new people, I was even more sad to leave than when I left Berlin! After arriving in Rome in the grim night hours and then ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/04/10/rome/ I have spent long hours sitting on a bench in the Parque del Retiro, beneath the sun, amongst bumblebees and birds, watching people walk by. It has been good for my soul. I love this weather. Madrid is a great city, relatively free of the kind of tourist ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/29/the-sweet-sun-in-the-parque-del-retiro/ http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/28/evening-in-madrid/ I was walking down the street today when I saw this dapper gentleman sporting a totally awesome toupee. I carefully pulled out my camera and held it by my side, lens outward, snapping away whilst casually walking past... I should be a secret agent!  ...and that is a damn fine ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/28/awesome-toupee-report/ A while ago, Sho, a friend of mine now living in Japan who aspires to be an elite robotic assassin and hates sleep, wrote to me to challenge some of the things I have said in recent times about making music and what I want to achieve musically. He was ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/28/musical-notes/ From last week, when I was introduced to the hot and sultry world of Salsa dancing. Of course I can´t dance Salsa, but I gave it a shot anyway. Fantastic atmosphere in these clubs, where the focus is on the dance. Intimacy without sleaze, physical contact without ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/28/night-out-in-salsa-ville/ Spent the weekend in Toledo with Greg and his friends. There were a couple of other lads present, so no, Greg and I were not playing kings with a harem.  Ahem.  The clouds were called away to a meeting (probably in Berlin) and it felt like Summer again.  17 degrees, ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/27/weekend-in-toledo-summer-revisited/ I have arrived in Madrid, and am staying with my old friend Greg, the one I often playfully refer to as 'The Fucking Psychopath'. He introduced me to the world of Salsa dancing last night (pictures to follow, sadly none of me vainly attempting to 'dance') and today we ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/24/introducing-madrid-trip-to-toledo/ With the charming and debonaire mr Andrew Daborn as I bade farewell - with a little luck it will much less than 14 years before we next meet... I thought this was a pretty cool shot, standing in an elevator in London last week as I headed to the airport. ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/23/london-reading-momentarily-revisited/ March 22, Venice If I sit still with my headphone lead held between my head and my ipod in a particular position, I can listen in stereo. I have just spent over an hour in a haggard little park near the Venice island bus station, listening to my own tracks. ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/23/notes-from-a-park-in-venice/ As I recline in my cabin, some 45 minutes out of Venice, nursing my ailments and only escaping the grip of fever by mere inches (if one can measure the reach of disease and ilness in such terms), I think of Berlin. I think of this city which I left ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/22/venice/ This morning I leave for Venice.  Whilst I am looking forward to threading my way through its narrow streets, in a warmer climate, I really hope that things are quieter at my new sleeping quarters.  I need some decent fucking sleep!  I can feel my immune system running down again.  ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/19/berlin-farewell/ After having a room to myself in Paris, Avignon and Krakow, I was not looking forward to sharing a dorm with 7 others upon my arrival in Berlin. I opened the door to the room just after midnight and was confronted by an atmosphere of sickly warmth, moist with ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/18/notes-from-berlin/ If my photographs were all sent to hell, what would I most remember about this city?  Which images would be the best preserved in the theatre of my mind?  The smouldering buildings of the Jewish district, blackened with time and wear... spiralling churches, castles and halls, reaching jaggedly towards a hazy ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/09/krakow-auschwitz/ I am starting to imagine what life must be like for Doctor Who, zipping around the galaxy in his Tardis, closing the doors on one world and opening them on another.  Of course I have not had to grapple with Daleks and I am not travelling around Europe with a ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/08/notes-from-krakow/ Avignon and Arles are in the south of France (Provence) and next to Edinburgh are the most gorgeous cities I've seen.  Winding, narrow streets, atmosphere thick with past lives, going back centuries...  A brief glimpse of Avignon: In Arles - Standing outside 'Hippe Hippe Hippe Hoppe Cracka Den'- Arles is actually home to ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/07/moments-in-avignon-arles/ (March 1-3) After laying all night on the back of a palsied camel covered in sheets and blankets, drifting through momentary lapses in wakefulness, my stay in Paris began beneath a blue sky scattered with a jovial conference of fluffy white clouds. Despite the expected style-crampingly awkward hostel room and associated ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/05/notes-from-paris/ View from the Eiffel Tower From within the tower structure   http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/03/from-the-eiffel-tower/ This city takes care of itself.  Dominated by towering, shimmering structures, Paris is a tourists dream, which evidently has the power to swallow them whole.  I am being held together by bad hostel coffee, tinned cannelloni and sultanas.  The women here set a high standard in style without resorting to ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/03/03/a-moment-in-paris/ Whilst I am in this momentary state of fatigue and concern I thought I'd try and clear some of my thoughts by writing about them. I don't enjoy booking flights, hostels and trains - which is what I spent much of today doing - and I'm tired of thinking about money.  ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/26/pre-travel-blues/ More shots taken from the magnificent Salisbury Crags - for the rest, click here. That's my cousin, Summer, in the photographs with me. All (selected) photos from Calgary and London have now been uploaded! Phew. Just click on the small image on the right of this page to access ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/26/salisbury-crags-revisited/ Quite a catchy little acronym, isn't it? It has been one year, today, since I began writing the weblog known as 'If You Can Read This, You Are Not Close Enough.' Happy Birthday! http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/22/celebrating-one-year-of-iycrtyance/ Even here, on the other side of the world, reflected in the shine of a wet Edinburgh street, something as small and fleeting as the fragrance of a passing stranger can transport me back home, to a time and place that I can feel and know as if it is ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/22/passing-moment/ I let it slip last week that I was leaving, and my misguided honesty has cost me my job for the next four days. I'm almost less concerned about the damned money I'm losing than I am about the fact that until I made mention of my plans, I ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/20/no-more-calls/ These photos were taken from Salisbury Crags, a magnificent set of cliffs overlooking the city of Edinburgh - for the rest, click here. Also uploaded photos from Calgary, September 2005. http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/20/arthurs-seat/ On Friday night, Canada's best independent rock band ('collective' may be a more apt term, given there are up to 15 members at any given time) played to a tightly packed audience of devoted fans at the Glasgow Art School. After seeing them shuffle, jive and burn through a ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/19/broken-social-scene-glasgow-17206/ http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/19/mamf-hg-birds/ http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/19/mamf-hg-man/ http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/19/many-faces-faces-of-greg/ http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/19/bunny-man-and-tasty-eye/ http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/15/many-faces-many-heads/ Friday.  Last day of another week selling other people's shares over the phone.  You know, I've been DREAMING about taking calls.  My sleep has been shit for the last week.   The weekend beckons.  At sweet last... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/10/friday-morning/ Fucking call centre! The sad Daffy-Duck guy I talked about, who fucking just about rains on you whenever he speaks, sits in my area and he has this awful upwards vocal tenor that positively screeches by the end of each sentence when he's on the phone. It's the ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/09/photos-beer-endorsement/ I've been sleeping really badly this week. Around 5 or 6 I wake up expecting that my alarm is about to go off, and I am relieved that I still have a couple hours of precious sleep left, and yet I'll wake up 20 minutes later. It keeps happening right ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/07/plans-plans-plans/ http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/07/bunny-daddy/ http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/07/head-of-balloon-xtr-78/ There is a cheesy little scene in Spielberg's latest political psycho-drama in which a stern Arab and a Jew Sympathiser are childishly fighting over which radio station will be listened to - the one playing traditional Israeli music, or the one playing traditional Arab music. Tensions simmer but the situation ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/05/munich/ http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/05/bunny-man-again/ http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/05/bunny-man/ http://tj7.org/wp/2006/02/05/mamf-hg/ http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/31/hound-of-bluhns/ http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/31/bird-in-the-eye/ http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/30/bone/ Whilst it was no great joy for me to be presented with a Lloyds TSB employee swipe-card and personal login authorisation code (the card and code join hands and sing to me: YOU ARE HERE TO STAY, TAKE THE NEXT CALL), I know my time at the Company will be soon ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/30/creeping-fear-emerging-resolve/ Today, I accomplished this: http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/27/sexy-haircut/ Another of yesterdays accomplishments: http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/26/sexy-bird/ Today, this is what I accomplished: http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/25/sketch-of-the-day/ Today, this is what I accomplished: http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/24/first-week-at-the-office/ Are there real job options open to me outside of being registered?  Slaughter investigates.  Subsequently, will I stay to take up such an option, or only for long enough to plan a trip to Europe (long enough to wreak significant amounts of havoc)?   Time, irrevocably, will tell.  Stay tuned.    http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/22/this-week/ Boards of Canada: The Campfire Headphase I was underwhelmed at first, but in time I grew to love the icy, dark sheen of this record.  An engaging ambient record, full of mood and cinematic atmosphere.  Forever to be associated with the icy streets of Calgary at the start of the Canadian ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/21/best-albums-of-2005/ In other news, I've started writing my 'Slaughter's List' pages.  You can check out my favourite films (thus far) here.  Suggestions for future viewings are, of course, more than welcome.  I have something of a backlog of films I need to watch...at some stage.  You'll notice that there's not much ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/21/slaughters-list-favourite-films/ I just started work for a financial corporation. I’m at the start of the training process which will end with me being slotted into a position within what is essentially a call centre. Technically those employed in this little dead-zone are Registrars, and there’s a lot of technical information and ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/21/spanners-in-the-works-fear-and-loathing-2/ Fuck you, STA, for not telling me that STA UK refuses to assist STA customers with their IATA tickets. Fuck you, United Airlines for taking two and a half hours out of my precious Saturday only to fuck me in the eye with an oil-soaked broomstick anyway.  FUCK YOU!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FUCK!!!!!!!!! YOU!!!!!!!!!! http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/21/dealing-with-united-airlines/ Click the image in the sidebar to the right to check out my new photo galleries.  I'm going to be uploading photos taken since the beginning of my journey last year, including those which were already featured in previous posts.  Blogger doesn't make it easy to link back to photos ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/11/edinburgh-bridges-and-hills/ Originally posted earlier last year (as a list of 14). I will be re-evaluating this, and it's really just the top 3 that I can place above the rest. The other 11 have been numbered for the sake of the list - I can't definitively order them. I will also be ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/08/15-all-time-favourite-albums/ January 6 I arrived in Edinburgh on Monday. Once again my travels have been charmed in that I have secured a safe and cosy place to stay for my first two weeks here, via a complicated but friendly web of family ties. I'll be house-sitting for my cousin after that so ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/07/ach-welcome-to-edinburgh/ Welcome to tj7.org. Welcome to my new weblog. You will have noticed there is a dead link to a 'music' section on the front page. This the part of the site I have only begun working on, and although a rudimentary 'music' section will soon be open, I have plans ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/07/introducing-tj7org/ January 1, New Years Day. Spittlefields, Brick Lane, London Banksy is London's most well-known Street Art Poet. The last three images are examples of his stencil pieces. A collection of his work, "Wall and Piece" has just been published around the world.  I'm a fan and I recommend you check out ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/07/brick-lane-london/ December 30 Jeff Wall - After "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellision, the Preface / 1999-2001 / Cibachrome transparency, aluminum lightbox. Today I saw a collection of work by Vancouver photographer Jeff Wall. His work fired up my love for photography, and I haven't felt this way since I saw the ... http://tj7.org/wp/2006/01/07/jeff-wall-photographer/ Plymouth, England Dec 27 I spent the Christmas long weekend in Plymouth, which is a few hours by train from London and right on the coast of Southern England. This was my first Christmas away from Australia, and I was quite homesick, in an inwardly morose kind of way. I was welcomed ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/12/29/post-christmas/ http://tj7.org/wp/2005/12/29/piccadilly-circus-after-sundown/ Dec 21 After meeting with my old high school friend Andrew last week, and confirming that he had not become a depraved molester of children – or worse – a hunch-backed miniature painter working for Games Workshop – I jumped on a train to Reading and spent a pleasant 24 hours ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/12/29/reading-england-reflections-on-a-past-life/ At the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, I stood in rooms with Van Gogh, Seurat, Monet, Manet, Lautrec, Degas, Gaugin and Cezanne. I remember seeing paintings such as Cezanne’s ‘The Bathers’ in art books when I was at high school. I’ve never had opportunities to casually stroll into ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/12/20/grey-mornings-red-sunsets-in-london/ Evidently, some squirrels go to jail in London, for particularly serious crimes. http://tj7.org/wp/2005/12/19/squirrel-report-5/ Yesterday I spent the afternoon walking the streets of London with my old high school friend Andrew. It’s been 12 or 13 years since he left Morphett Vale, South Australia, for England, and hence it has been just as long since we last saw eachother. If memory serves ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/12/16/from-wirreanda-high-to-chinatown-london/ In St James Park (on the way to Buckingham Palace) I was delighted to see that squirrels live here! They are much more forthcoming and demanding for nuts than their Canadian counterparts, as you will see in these pictures. http://tj7.org/wp/2005/12/16/squirrel-report-4/ Wednesday, Dec 14. Somewhere in between the evening of Friday December 9 and Saturday December 10, I lost an entire nights worth of sleep. This wasn’t just owed to the screaming child seated directly behind me. Between Western Canada and England there’s a significant time zone change, effectively cutting ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/12/16/mind-the-gap-welcome-to-london/ November 29. After months of frustrating dealings with a slack booking agent (who has subsequently been fired) I finally played at Broken City. Thanks to an excellent sound man, I probably sounded better than I ever have, playing solo. I enjoyed myself. A small crowd, composed of ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/12/08/leaving-dodge/ The Chinook has left the city, taking with it the golden rays of the sun and leaving behind an apocalypse of grey clouds and ice. Here you will see your friend Slaughter (also known as tj7, just to allay the desperate confusion which must have ensued since I began this 'blog) ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/11/28/winter-comes-and-brings-the-squid/ After wasting my precious prime-time Saturday night hours at the Den (among the dripping, socially retarded second-year undergrads which constitute the main Den Clientele) I found myself momentarily enlightened by my own drunkenness on my way home. I often think of my friends during these glowing reveries, and in ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/11/28/messages-of-love-and-splendour/ Watching the cat watching the squirrel. http://tj7.org/wp/2005/11/25/squirrel-report-3/ Sunset in Varsity Estates. Next time i'll try reducing the increments and taking more photos - but damn it's a heavy job trying to stitch together a good panorama. Having said that, I don't mind the 'cut and paste' look of this. The real-size of the original, ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/11/25/sunset-panorama/ This film runs for about 4 minutes, and was shot using my Canon Ixus 50. I used iMovie for the first time to cut it together. I was too scared to really 'perform' as I was on my own at the Calgary Zoo, and there were lots of children and ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/11/21/slaughter-goes-to-the-zoo/ http://tj7.org/wp/2005/11/19/playing-at-broken-city-nov-29/ Sunset in Varsity Estates, as I walked home this evening. It was just before Halloween before I made my last post (Broken Social Scene aside), and it seems like long ago. The air grew cold, dew turned to ice and I became a solitary socialite by weekend night and a ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/11/18/lost-adventures-found-mistakes/ I took these photos from inside the lounge room, through the window - hence the softness of the images. I can see you, little man Snack time! Scooting off Whilst you are here, check out Sugarbush Squirrel. Silly. cheesy, and awfully designed - but this costumed little squirrel is undeniably cute. http://tj7.org/wp/2005/11/18/squirrel-report-2/ There are two bands from Canada which remain connected to my stomach, my heart and my mind: Do Make Say Think and Broken Social Scene. Last night I was witness to the lofi spectacle of the latter, who shuffled and jived their way through a 150 minute set at ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/11/17/broken-social-scene-macewan-hall-151105/ So Jack Usage thinks he can out-face me, eh? Check out his lame attempt at photo loonery here. Jack, your heart is in the right place, but you have a long way to go, my friend. From Cigarfest 2005 http://tj7.org/wp/2005/10/29/my-personal-benchmark/ Discovered a cool new way of taking photos with my Ixus 50....I love how the road signs are in focus amidst flowing rivers of neon... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/10/28/fiery-times-in-blurry-land/ When the sun goes down, and the air turns cool, the bunnies come out to play on campus: Composing a poem Dancing with joy http://tj7.org/wp/2005/10/28/bunny-report-3/ Good Morning world. I tried Starbucks for the first time today (no choice, I had a raging caffiene deprivation headache and the local Safeway - with its neatly packaged Starbucks offshoot - was my only hope. It's rubbish, about as generic and tasteless as Tim Horton's but the ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/10/23/saturday-morning/ As penance for being such a Tardy Blogger, I shall compose a short verse for each of these photographs. Right now. On the spot. Completely improvised. To wit: Saturday Night. I arrived alone, I joined this table. An experiment to prove I was able to engage with strangers, speak with folks Without mincing ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/10/22/the-week-that-was/ http://tj7.org/wp/2005/10/15/mad-drunkenness-at-1230am/ My first Chipmunk sighting took place over the weekend, at Beauvais Lake.. Scrambling away Scurrying to safety Sitting and thinking http://tj7.org/wp/2005/10/13/chipmunk-report/ For my first ever Thanksgiving, I was invited, along with fellow exchanger Stefan, to a house on Beauvais Lake. Here is Stefan and Kerri (new Canadian friend who was kind – and foolhardy – enough to invite us along for the ride) standing in the kitchen: Anyone who knows ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/10/13/thanksgiving-weekend/ At a lamp post, on campus, last week. I should start carrying a suitcase and wearing a fedora, so that my next opportunity to recreate the poster design for 'The Exorcist' is not wasted. I like to sing as I walk home. http://tj7.org/wp/2005/10/11/images-from-last-week/ For those of you who have seen Kubrik's "The Shining", check out the following link to the trailer - which has been cleverly, and hilariously, re-edited. My friends, it is moments such as this which remind me that the modern age ain't all that bad. ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/10/08/shining/ During the week before I departed for Canada, my fellow Die Untergang bandmates and comrades in weird photo sessions convened for CigarFest 2005. Whilst I am still looking for a site which offers free image / gallery hosting without imposing tight upload limits (I have been too lazy and / or ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/10/02/cigarfest-2005/ This is my friend Stefan, who is from Germany. He's got a good sense of humour and is an all round good guy. He selflessly loaned me his gloves on the way up this unbelievably scary and magnificent mountain. The following images were taken atop the second, and highest ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/09/26/2240-metres-down-riding-the-scree/ Before the weekend, Stefan (Germany) asked if I would like to join some of his Civil Engineering colleagues for a "hike" in the mountains. Of course, with the weather being perfect and keen for some outdoors action, I eagerly accepted the invitation. We ended up "hiking" up a 2,240 metre high ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/09/26/2000-metres-up-going-for-a-hike/ On Monday morning, as I walking down 1st Street to the CCIS, I saw a little black squirrel trying to cross the road. He was literally leaping about in frantic figure-eights in a desperate attempt to navigate the traffic. He danced onto the median strip, and I breathed a sigh ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/09/22/dead-squirrel-report/ The edition details are as follows: Synchronicity by CG Jung Translated by RFC Hull Bollingen Series Princeton University Press First Princeton / University Edition 1973 ISBN 0-691-01794-8 I have made some headway in finding a copy of this, I just need to confirm with the sales people that the edition is correct because the cover art ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/09/21/synchronicity/ Dear readers, prepare yourselves for a tale of woe. A tale of deep regret and cruel tragedy. Last year, through ebay, I found a copy of Jung's Synchronicity which was the same edition as the one Sting shows off on the cover of the 1983 Police album Synchronicity. I ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/09/20/a-terrible-tragedy-synchronicity/ During some morning reading on participatory approaches to international development, I found this: “Within human society, our goal is to improve our quality of life or to maintain quality of life of every individual equitably. As an instrument to achieve this quality of life we have created an economy. ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/09/20/they-say-the-meek-shall-inherit-the-earth/ In addition to posting Bunny Reports, I will now be posting Squirrel Reports. Is this a world first? The squirrels were out in force this weekend: Running for cover Crossing the path Up in a tree Hiding Sitting comfortably In my backyard this morning! http://tj7.org/wp/2005/09/19/squirrel-report/ On Friday night, I accompanied some local sub-culturites to what are evidently three of 17th Avenue's finest night spots. I was impressed with all, beginning with Ming (low red lighting, a small open fire and somewhat reminiscent of Adelaide's Supermild), on to a bar with literally no name (it ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/09/19/weekend-movements-wearing-east-17/ On Thursday night, on the way to a decidedly lame Campus Residence 'Party', Gary spotted a bunny. Unfortunately I was working in near darkness, and the images are grainy. Behold, The Night Bunny: http://tj7.org/wp/2005/09/19/bunny-report-2/ The week I arrived here was hard. I wasn't prepared for the shock of realisation that I was completely isolated (exiled) from my previous life. 7 years living in the same house, 8 years working at the same job. A creature of habit, deformed and deranged from ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/09/17/a-reflective-moment/ On the corner of 10th Ave and 1st St. In the backdrop are my favourite buildings in the Calgary CBD. I will post more later - this morning, their crowns were shrouded by low clouds. I've just completed my first week of field placement at CCIS, so I am finally getting ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/09/16/end-of-the-first-working-week/ Inspired by Sho Fukamachi's irreverent and cute Bunny Reports, I have decided to begin posting my own. There are quite a few bunnies hanging around my neighbourhood. I will also endeavour to post Squirrel Reports if I am ever fast enough to photograph one of them. Hanging in the parking lot Getting ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/09/16/bunny-report/ Whilst I have yet to capture the Calgary cityscape (I have a location staked out), here are a couple of shots taken within the city which captures the 'corporate' nature of the city's larger architecture. It is in this regard that Calgary reminds me of Sydney. If I ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/09/12/in-the-city-on-the-train/ This is a view of the city from the C-train as it passes through Sunnyside. I'll hopefully get some better ones from this position later. I've been here for almost two weeks now (already?) and now i am feeling quite settled. Field placement starts Monday, and then I will start getting ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/09/10/mountains-pines-and-music/ Sunset near Dalhousie LRT. This was taken from the end of the bridge I walk across after leaving the C-Train and starting my 10-minute walk home. The sky seems much bigger here, and whilst my limited lens width fails to capture this, I'm sure you will agree that it's ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/09/05/saturday-night-in-exile/ In Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series, Roland and His Ka-Tet travel to various alternate versions of New York. In one version, young Eddie is horrified to find his home has been decimated by a plague (see "The Stand") but upon a cursory inspection of a parking lot finds several ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/09/04/living-in-exile-living-in-the-suburbs/ This week, for the first time since I had ADSL installed years ago, I have been without an internet connection. On Saturday my ADSL service was wrongfully disconnected due to a communication error between Telstra and AAPT. Today, at last, I can connect again, but only via dialup. I never ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/08/09/in-hell-we-all-have-dialup/ I was at this restaurant tonight, and I looked over at another table at this cute girl. She was dressed nice, good hair, very pretty. Suddenly she yawns. For a moment I figure it's going to be a quick little thing, because she doesn't put her hand to her ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/08/06/put-your-hand-to-your-mouth/ In life, I have found that the people I connect with the most are those who are to a significant degree 'Music People'. That is, folks who know what they are into and who can readily identify a selection of artists whom they particularly like. I am always chagrined when ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/08/05/music/ Back in the late 90's I found myself co-hosting a radio show on Student Radio 5UV. Back then it was still being broadcast in mono, and at the times I was broadcasting (around 1am) there were virtually no listeners. Therefore I saw fit to poison the airwaves with ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/08/02/the-morgan-and-julag-show/ For some reason, there are certain names which will always, always be associated with the first people I knew to have them, no matter how many people I meet who share this name. For example, I went to primary school with a boy called Scott. One day he ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/06/12/a-name-is-forever/ Of course everyone has some gripe with mobile phones, whether or not we deign to use them. My slant on this oft sung litany of frustration is that i hate how it affects the everyday dealings we have with people. More specifically, with the increased continuity of contact that mobile ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/06/05/fucking-god-damned-mobile-phones/ Aside from finding excuses to swear a lot in my blog entries, I am also interested in World War II. ( I recommend highly that anyone out there with even the slightest interest in the subject go out and see Downfall ). Of late I have renewed my relationship with ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/05/17/war-stories/ Or "How I hate violence but couldn't stop thinking about stuffing broken glass into someones face last night" Not since high school have I been to a party at which there were "angry dudes". Enter stupid fuck number 1, wearing a koala suit. He reminds me of the film "Idiot Box". ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/05/08/koala-man-and-little-patton/ FromABC News Online: "One of Australia's most celebrated artists, John Olsen, has won this year's coveted Archibald Prize for portraiture. The announcement was made at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney. Olsen's winning entry is an abstract self-portrait with two faces, titled Self portrait Janus faced. Olsen, 77, smiled ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/05/01/i-am-pissed-that-i-didnt-enter-the-archibald-contest/ Duncan. Duncan is Totally Awesome. Check it out: Wow. This lighting technician really knows how to dress. He kicks more ass than a strung-out junkie who has been brainwashed into believing that his next hit will fall out of someones ass if he kicks it hard enough. ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/04/18/what-is-totally-awesome/ Man. I was really, really looking forward to my meal tonight. I threw together a chicken and vegetable curry and set it simmering an hour ago - only what was a "simmer" at some point became "boiling" and now my curry dinner has become a sludgy glob of overcooked ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/04/07/what-is-totally-not-awesome/ After a year of sobriety, my beloved household finally put on another dig over the weekend. Of course I drank to excess whilst already under the influence of contraband. It's simply too easy to drink and drink more when you are cohosting a party in your own house. ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/04/05/post-party-notes/ One of my housemates heard a little thud at the back window. Upon cursory investigation, they found that a bright green parrot had flown into the glass and stunned himself - and become a potential new toy (and subsequent meal) for my loveable but naturally cruel cat. He ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/02/23/the-sun-in-the-window-my-cat-and-the-dead-parrot/ I was beginning to deliberate too much over my first post here. However, if I concern myself about making a grand or stylish entrance, I'm likely to never get it done or just paddle in limply in like a wet poodle. As this is on public display I'd ... http://tj7.org/wp/2005/02/21/hello/