Saturday 28 August 2010

ZINE DREAM 3

Poster by Jesjit.

Zine Dream 3 is tomorrow at The Tranzac! An A+ event put on by A+ people.

Sunday August 29th at 11am - 5pm PWYC
With performances by The Deep, Tom Henry, Vanessa Hanson, and David Hanes.
DJ's Iris Fraser, Andrew Wilson, Lorenz Peter, and Gwen Bieniara.
Plus a puppet installation by Exploding Motorcar.


Find a full list of all the vendors (zines/prints/comics/crafts) at ZINEDREAM.COM

A new DW experiment - handbound 60 page blank notebooks with screen printed covers.

Thursday 26 August 2010

A EULOGY FOR THE BIG MAN.

Our main man passed away yesterday. He had recently stopped eating, lost a substantial amount of weight in a short period of time, and his liver was in bad shape. The vet assured me that none of these things were particularly good signs for a cat of Oreo's health and age. We had to choose between going through with a number of tests that would likely lead to procedures that we couldn't afford or putting him down. It was one of the toughest decisions we've had to make (or rather one of the toughest decisions we didn't really have the freedom of making). I now have a better appreciation for veterinarians that have to deal with hysterical pet owners. I knew this day might come, but I was still wrecked to find myself there in the middle of it.

Oreo had his problems before this incident. About 3 years ago we spent a small fortune to fix up his mega colon (which is exactly how it sounds). Even after this he had to take 2 forms of medication with each meal, and went though periods of, um, intestinal instability. Dennis and I got used to Oreo going through bad spells, and most of the time we could nurse him through them.

Dennis and I adopted Oreo from The Humane Society about 4 years ago. He was the most affectionate cat at the shelter, and all he had to do was look at me with that intense gaze of his and I was in love. As you can see in the photos above, he was an absolute champion of deep looks! He'd been at The Humane Society for some time, probably because of his rather rotund frame and his unfortunate history with urinating in places where one shouldn't be urinating. But it was love at first sight, and all the other cats paled in comparison. They were all too dissmissive, too physically fit, and far too potty trained (ha). Oreo wasn't exactly the most original or creative name for a black and white short hair, but it felt weird to change it on him (though it probably wasn't even really his name to begin with). Plus, it was an excellent name to work into all our various theme songs, of which we had many.

It took a while for him to adjust to our home. A bit aggressive at first, he didn't like to be touched anywhere near his stomach. I've got a little scar above my eye to show for this adjustment period. We frequently wondered what his life was like before - 8 years of absolute mystery! Or least an estimated 8 years of mystery, as we never really knew how old he was when we adopted him. But we worked with him slowly, and soon he became a master of comfort and affection, with a side of his sly attitude intact. Never skittish or scared, he ruled the roost with confidence, and over the years we've doted on him almost embarrassingly. He would lay on the couch on his back with all his weight spread out (a crowd pleasing position we called "cookies up") completely relaxed and happy.

And yes, like most cats, he could certainly be frustrating. We put plastic on our couch whenever we left the house or went to bed so he wouldn't pee on it. He woke us up every morning at 6:30 am for food. Ever the resourceful guy, he slammed on the kitchen cupboard doors to get our attention. If he wanted to be seen and heard, he made it his mission. He would sit on top of books or magazines I was reading to divert my attention his way. He was quite the drama queen, and his dedication was truly impressive.

Far from an independent guy - he rarely retreated to rooms that we weren't in. Much like a dog, he met us at the door anytime we came home and he always tried his best to steal our food. When I woke up Dennis in the morning, Oreo jumped on the bed and woke him up too. When he plopped his gigantic frame in my lap, I was always happy to be suffocated. And I secretly loved that, ever the opportunist, he stole my spot on the couch every single time I got up from it. I pretended to be offended of course - but it was our spot.

He had his flaws, but none of them really mattered - he was perfect. Our house already feels quiet and empty without him. I know that in time this feeling will soften and evolve, but for now we both feel understandably sad and confused. He will be missed, but at least it's nice to know, that in the end, he enriched our lives as much as we did his.

Saturday 21 August 2010

COVERING IT UP.

The artwork for our upcoming release is almost finally done! Here's a peek at the cover.

WE USED TO WAIT.

I recently picked up the new Arcade Fire record, and it reminded me of how much I like their past two records (Neon Bible in particular). The artwork is really fantastic on this one, and The Suburbs and Ready To Start have both been stuck in my head for days. Songs I didn't love on the first listen have all grown on me with subsequent listens. I particularily adore records with re-occurring lyrical themes and this one doesn't dissapoint. D always jokes about how much I love over the top, dramatic things in general. Win's warbley, whispery, slightly panicked voice and all the musical ups and downs in this case. So many feelings he likes to say.

Monday 9 August 2010

NYC.

Our trip to NYC was exactly what the doctor ordered. I'm pretty sure that a week free of the internet and my alarm clock were just as beneficial as the change of scenery, but the change of scenery was obviously pretty awesome too!

As expected, we walked around a lot.
We were very fortunate to have a place to stay for the week, and we happily retired there every night battered and bruised from all the kms we were clocking, to nurse our wounds and drink cheap American brews from the grocery store.

Naturally, we ate a lot of great food. The Shake Shack sported a surprisingly large lineup when we got there, but it definitely existed for a reason. Toronto needs a place where you can get beers and wine to drink in the park with your shakes and burgers! Pies N Thighs, besides having an amazing name, also had great food for a really reasonable price. Fried chicken with a biscuit and macaroni and cheese on the side didn't exactly leave anyone much room to sample the pie though, despite our strong desire to. Other standouts included pizza, ice cream, and boar ravioli.


The Jays/Yankees game at Yankee Stadium was another main event. The Jays won and I managed to get a batting practice home run ball in Monument Park. If only the poor Rogers Center would fill up more often - it's definitely better to see games in packed stadiums. And life is always sweeter when The Yankees lose. The colours are brighter. Things taste better.

Otherwise, we hit some of the tourist spots (Central Park/Top of the Rock/Times Square), The MOMA, the beautiful New York public library, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, met a familiar face for some drinks, did a little shopping (hello floral shoes), and generally enjoyed our sweaty selves. No strict agendas, no rushes!


This was my first real vacation, and after two days back at work I'm already furiously daydreaming about the next one.