THUNDER! na-na-na, na-na-na-na...

Am I sore? Only slightly.

Last night we played the first game of the Spring '06 season of Dodgeball through the Calgary Sport and Social Club.

We lost.

But, honestly, I don't care that we had a moderate showing. What's more important is that we got a bit of physical activity while also having a good time. And we had a good time.

There was throwing and dodging and ducking and jumping. We got hit once or twice and everyone made a play that was worthy of applause. We'll make sure we have a camera next time so we can share a bit on the blog.

And now, after the dust has settled, the Thundercougarfalconbirds have a new logo (or, at least, the makings of a new logo). Behold: Squawky!
OK, so I made that name up... but it's always a good idea to have a mascot.

More dodgeball moments to come. Until next time... aim low!

Blogosphere update

Greetings Bloggers and Bloggettes!

Since we last met, the world of web logs has expanded ever-so-slightly to include two more blogs of note. Kris Kotarski has just moved to Geneva to work for the UN for the next while and, well, he's got pictures and stories about that up now. And Nicole, whom you may know from her blog A Canadian in London, is now producing a second website called Short Story of the Week hosting a weekly piece of writing from her. Why? Be cause she's bored and wants to generate a bit of discussion between friends.

Happily adding more to the Internet so you don't have to feel obligated to work.

D for Daorcey

So, I guess I should make good on my promise to comment on V for Vendetta, the film adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd.

To be fair, I don't have a lot of experience with graphic novels, so I can't adequately compare V to anything else. But, reliable sources tell me it's good, and I liked it, so that's all that matters. So: Novel good, expectations high.

I should be clear, though, about my approach to adaptation films: Literature and film are different, and, as such, they tell their stories differently. In books, you can say things in specific ways that can't be done with the same effect in movies (and vice versa). So I'm never one to expect a movie to be exactly like the book. In fact, I expect changes to make the story the best it can be on the new medium. Despite changes with The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Brokeback Mountain, I've been generally happy with those movies because changes were made to fit either the time of the film or elaborate the story within the spectacle of film. Adaptation is hard work, and the people who expect exact similarity between media are naive (and that's coming from me!)

Back to V for Vendetta...

I'd give it a thumbs up. It was enjoyable, entertaining movie with a lot of eye candy as a result of melding the Wachowskis with an already visually engaging graphic world. I liked watching it and I'd see it again. Any major changes to characters were there for either clarity or simplicity. The original graphic novel was a big book with lots of characters and a fair amount of dialogue. Changes had to be made, which is fair enough.

But, I do have a gripe with how pleasant the movie became. Here are a couple of producers that have said they want to make their audience think and work to be engaged in the movie (which most people would consider ironic), yet this film packages everything up into a good vs evil, Star War-esque story. Instead of being a discussion on terrorism or anarchy, it is the story about a good guy in a cool mask with unlimited resources bringing down an oppressive regime one symbol at a time. Fun, but dumb.

An now maybe I'm being naive by expecting more thinking out of a Hollywood film. Without being a spoiler, I can safely tell you that the ending is pretty tame. Good triumphs, and evil is vanquished. In fact, it turns out that the forces of evil were only being manipulated by a small handful of evil men (no evil women here, folks. You need to read the book for that), and with them out of the picture, utopia (see: England) is once again restored.

Right. Gotchya.

All I'm saying is that there could have been more opportunity for discussion. What does anarchy look like? Who are the innocent people hurt by terrorism in the name of good? How is V similar to modern day terrorists? What grows from mass chaos in the wreck of a dismantled empire?

Ack!... I am naive. Some media can only go so far, expecially the ones that have to make their millions back.

In a similar vein, we went to see Slither this weekend.

I originally resisted. Gore and horror are not my thing. I get too involved in movies to distance myself from the images and sometimes, the most horrific moments stay with me for a very long time. But, the movie was getting good reviews and Edmontonian and Firefly/Serenity star Nathan Fillion is in it, so I conceded to go along.

I'm surprised, but I liked it. Yes, it was gory and it had it's "eeep!" moments, but it was also genuinely funny and likable. It was the type of horror flick to have some thought to it and it was rather refreshing. If you're up for that type of thing, I'd recommend checking it out. For folk music fans, Corb Lund is in it too (as himself/themselves).

So, go consume!

Dar for Nat

Just in case you were curious, Natalie is enjoying her new job. In fact, she's so busy with work that she doesn't have the time to update the blog... hence me reporting on her behalf.

As Technical Communicator, she's responsible for writing and editing manuals for her company's products. She works with a lot of engineers, which is an experience for anyone who's not an engineer. Her day is filled with words, pictures and attention to detail.

It's a good time and at lunch she plays cards with Peter.
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If you thought my last post was interesting, just wait until I let you know what I thought about V for Vendetta. An argument for anarchy and terrorism? Or just a heavy-handed statement against today's conservatism?

Cheers All!

Birthday update #1138

So, what have we done since we last updated?

Oh yeah...

I'M OLDER!!!

Yes, indeed, my birthday was last week and now I've been on this planet for a quarter century. I'm not feeling particularly older and/or wiser, but I have noticed a few more grey hairs since this time last year. That, and I have this uncontrolable urge to nap in the afternoons.

Of course, we had a lil' party where everyone brough appetizers or dessert. It was rather tasty and I still have a bit of cheeseball left in the fridge. Good times - Noodle salad. There were a few presents (all wicked-awesome!) and I thank everyone who helped celebrate my latest revolution around the sun. It's been a rather exciting year with a lot of change, and I'm enjoying myself. Good wife, good friends, good family, good work, good times. Thanks to everyone for being a part of that.

Last week we saw Famous Puppet Death Scenes at One Yellow Rabbit. It was enjoyable--we had a good night out--but it wasn't particularly notable. I've enjoyed some of The Old Trout's previous work more.

But then, on my birthday, we went to see Lt.-Gen. The Hon. Roméo Dallaire (Ret.). This... was an experience...

I would say that all my life I've considered myself a pacifist. The idea of war--of building a military for the express purpose of killing people (purposes aside)--has always bothered me. Perhaps it is because I live in a country that has experienced local peace throughout my lifetime. Violence is deplorable and I've grown to have passive sympathy for anyone caught in conflict. (After rereading "passive sympathy," I'm almost ashamed...)

When we went to Vimy Ridge (the highlight of last year's trip), I was in awe. It was a powerful experience about both peace and violence. It was a tribute to Canada and Canadians and I couldn't help feeling patriotic and proud. But, as we were walking around the site, learning about the thousands dead, especially the Canadians, I couldn't help but wonder "What about the German soldiers who died here? Don't they have graves? Doesn't anyone remember them and their lives?"

I've had a confusing relationship with war and violence, of right and wrong. It's difficult to articulate, never mind make a coherent argument. I've never been too sure where I stand except for a strong internal belief that aggression is wrong... maybe that is a position.

So, when we went to see Romeo Dallaire, I did not expect to have all that challenged. For some reason I didn't think a "Canadian Hero" would come out and force me to rethink my position on war.

Instead, I was entranced by his argument for, in essense, the support of the military. Suddenly, I'm feeling inspired about Canada's role in the world and considering that an active, foreign-deployed military might not be so bad.

His argument: Canada is in a unique position as a middle power with a strong sense of human rights that we can become a force for "conflict resolution" and the protection of humanitarian ideals throughout the world. He attacked our complacency and our reliance on the concept of "peace keeping"--an old form of conflict resolution that assumes the blue barets can physically place themselves between two opposing armies that have a definited line between them.

Using illustrative stories from his experience in the Rawanda genocide, a good knowledge of history and present-day examples, he produced a well-rounded argument for increased military spending and greater foreign military involvement without economic or cultural imperialism or us versus them patriotism. It isn't about the so-called "war on terror" but rather the war to protect people and humanity from enslavement and death. It is about ensuring all humans are treated equally.

One point especially stuck with me. He said that in today's world, not all humans are the same: some humans are more human.

His example is that an estimated 937,000 people died in the Rawandan genocide, and the world did nothing. 2,986 people died in North America on September 11, 2001, and the world mobilized.

Some humans are more human.

So here I am, celebrating my 25th birthday and I thought nothing had changed. I guess I was wrong. I'm still reeling from the change.