Shaking off the dust...

I was watching a program tonight, one of those comedy panel shows that are so popular on UK television. David Mitchell was on it and at one point the host did something funny and David Mitchell laughed, not polite normal tv laughter, but proper real furious belly laughter. He laughed so hard he temporarily dropped his guard. He was almost in between laughing and screaming. It was only a little moment.

I'm working on a radio show with my friend and another friend. I should have said I'm working on a radio show with two friends or some friends. That would have made more sense. I don't know why I didn't. Oh well, too late now. So yeah, we've already recorded one show. I think it went okay. It had a nice feel to it. Like sitting in front of a fireplace. Or around a picnic table in a friends backyard in the summer. We played good music, too. I'm going back in this week to record a few more episodes. We're pre-recording them so they can just be inserted into the schedule when the station officially launches. I've always wanted to do a radio show. For a very long time. It's exciting that the opportunity has finally revealed itself to me. Very exciting. I've had trouble sleeping some nights because of it. My mind sometimes won't shut up thinking of idea's. Laying in the dark running through things I might say and talk about. Songs I might play. Themes. It's been a reinvigorating experience so far.

I've also been doing some writing for the local paper. Not real writing, but writing nonetheless. I've written a few reviews, and just recently wrote a few preview articles. I also got a chance to do one of those Mojo magazine type things where they ask you a set of questions about the first album you ever bought, etc, etc. Not the actual Mojo one. One similar to it that the local paper does called Pet Sounds. It was fun, though. They took my picture for it. I look like I'm made out of playdoh. It's disgusting. But oh well.

These recent opportunities have helped me realize all over again, the importance of being pro-active. I have a couple of new stories started, a weird idea for a play, and I'm recommitted to getting my camera back out and snapping pictures. Lots of pictures. I've started running a bit too, and I'm eating better. I was beginning to atrophy and am now making strong moves to get things going, to reverse the effects. It's impossible to overstate the importance of creativity in your everyday life.


I've been missing Canada and my family a lot lately. It's no coincidence these feelings have increased in the first two weeks of September, while the Toronto International Film Festival is in full swing. The festival and Midnight Madness in particular makes me think of the great city of Toronto and everything I love about it. The two things will always be inextricably intertwined. It's ten years this month since the attacks on the World Trade Center. That will always be connected to TIFF for me, too. I was at TIFF, watching a film when the planes were hitting the towers. Sat in a cinema at the Varsity in the Manulife Center watching a film called World Traveller. The film ended and we all walked out of the theater and into chaos. I understand the importance of remembering but I do feel a bit uncomfortable with the way some parts of the media have been handling the upcoming anniversary.  But it's way too late and I'm way too tired to get into all of that.

Anyway, hope all you lovely people are well. More on my radio show, Alternative Revelations, to come.

(here's a photo of Clint and Clyde to cheer you up.)