Vancouver and Its Mad Skillz

VANCOUVER MAD SKILLZ JUGGLING/ETC. FESTIVAL VANCOUVER MAD SKILLZ JUGGLING/ETC. FESTIVAL I went to Vacouver this weekend to check out the first annual Mad Skillz juggling/etc.* festival. Let me tell you, it was good times. Copious juggling, a mad hunt for ice cream, a nude beach, a new knot trick, and ever so wonderful company made for a day that's already got me looking forward to next year. Good times!!

Sunday June 13 2010

File under: juggling

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on Sun 13th Jun, 2010 11:38 pm PDT Saxtor said: Ahhhh, you've identified one of my favorite aspects of Vancouver; the jaunty crosswalk man. ************************ on Mon 14th Jun, 2010 07:48 am PDT gretchen said: it's andrew doppelganger!!!! ************************ on Mon 14th Jun, 2010 09:32 am PDT Wren said: He even shares Andrew's love of crass juvenile humor! ************************ on Mon 14th Jun, 2010 08:51 pm PDT Andrew said: Whoa. Freaky.That guy looks waaaay higher class then me tho. ************************ on Tue 15th Jun, 2010 12:18 pm PDT Ryan said: A new knot trick at the nude beach? Sounds dangerous. ************************ on Thu 17th Jun, 2010 12:31 pm PDT jen said: Great photos of the juggling. It must be hard to capture such skill. Props to your photographer. ************************ on Thu 17th Jun, 2010 05:24 pm PDT BEARD NAZI said: beardlessness?!!?!?!? ************************

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FC 108 - Cinematic Remake...With a Twist

Disclaimer: This comic contains a bad word. If you can't tell what is going on on the movie screen there, it's because drawing a close-up of lips turns out to be really really hard. I tried. I failed. So I overlaid the actual screenshot from Citizen Kane and fiddled with the opacity. I probably should have just used the straight screenshot, but I guess I've become too proud. Back in the day, tracing, cutting, and pasting were the name of the game. Today I just can't bring myself to do it. (Although it is pretty obvious that this hybrid is probably the worst of both worlds.) Anyhoo, I'm guessing this is going to be my last Friday comic for a couple weeks. Tomorrow I hit the road so will hopefully have some interesting stories to tell and pictures to share. But, as always, Friday Comics will be back as soon as things are back to normal and I have lots of blog space to fill.

Friday June 11 2010

File under: comic

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on Fri 11th Jun, 2010 08:02 am PDT Amanda said: It took me a minute to realize that was a mouth and not a butt... ************************ on Fri 11th Jun, 2010 05:28 pm PDT gretchen said: doesn't first look like a butt either.... ************************ on Fri 11th Jun, 2010 05:29 pm PDT gretchen said: or second like a butt...mouth came time mind third. ************************ on Sat 12th Jun, 2010 12:47 pm PDT Amanda said: Hummm... victim of the one arm bikini-waxer. ************************ on Sun 13th Jun, 2010 09:52 am PDT jes said: I'm commenting so that in two years when you look at your comments you'll remember I read your blog sometimes. DID YOU HEAR THAT? I'M READING YOUR BLOG ************************ on Mon 14th Jun, 2010 04:37 am PDT Dave said: is having seen Citizen Kane a prerequisite to understanding this comic? ************************ on Mon 14th Jun, 2010 09:35 am PDT Wren said: Oh poor poor Dave. I haven't seen Citizen Kane either, but I do know that it is the source of one of the most famous quotes EVAR. *SPOILER ALERT* As he is dying at the end of the movie, he utters the words "Rosebud". ************************

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Herding Cats

I now know where the term "herding cats" comes from and all too well what it means. I'm at a new housesitting job this week where 2 cats are my charge. In the housesitting realm, I consider cats to be the easier of the household pets–no walking, no scooping poop (unless they are indoor only cats), etc. The instructions read "At night, bring Gus into the house and put Baily into the garage. They might need some coaxing with a can of tuna." The first thing I realized when I went to bring the cats in for the night is that I didn't know which one was which. Hmmm... But worse, there were 3 skittish cats running around the yard to choose from. So not only did I have to pick which one went where, but I also had to deduce which ones to herd in the first place. In both instances, I let fate decide. I got the opened a can of tuna, placed it just inside either door, and lied in wait. The first cat* to fall for the tuna-in-the-house trap got to spend the night in the house. Same with the garage. I mean, each should know where they belong, right? Wrong. Since that first night, I ran into the neighbor at frisbee* and he let me know which was which. It turns out that I got the right cats but the wrong places. Alas. But since I've known, garage kitty has wised up to the tuna baiting, so I'm going to need to develop a new strategy anyway. Yep, house/petsitting is a good job. But it ain't always easy.

Wednesday June 9 2010

File under: work

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on Wed 09th Jun, 2010 01:09 pm PDT mindi said: I am awfully fond of the action shot of the "fat" cat. ************************ on Wed 09th Jun, 2010 03:29 pm PDT mely said: your life is full of cute things. :-) ************************

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Quote For Monday - Stay Puffed

seen at Johnny Picasso's

Sunday June 6 2010

File under: quote

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on Tue 08th Jun, 2010 10:58 am PDT mely said: i love it. :-) x ************************ on Fri 11th Jun, 2010 12:08 pm PDT jenelle said: This would be a fun quote to letterpress. hmmm... ************************ on Fri 18th Jun, 2010 09:24 pm PDT Sweet Julie said: OMG- so true! I was walking down the isle of the grocery store- stopped in my tracks to the best smell ever- low and behold, down by my feet were the mmmmmmmmmarshmallows ************************

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FC 107 - I Aint Lying

Undoubtedly spurred to action by the noticeable absence* of the Friday Comic last week, loyal reader (and previous comic contributer) Horge put together (conceived, wrote, and drew (totally awesomely, BTW)) this one so as to make sure we all don't go another week without a comic. Thanks for the break, Horge. In my defense, my trip to Montreal, while work related, was still technically travel which is one of the acceptable exemptions under Friday Comic code (142.14 A sec. 23). And there's another comic-hiatus-due-to-travel in the near future, so be warned. But remember, there's always the comic archives* if you want to remember an old favorite. But we are here and now and enjoying this comic by Horge. There's even a story to it involving poorly translated Bosnian newspapers and Tiger Woods. But I'll let him tell it in the comments. Take it away, Horge.

Friday June 4 2010

File under: comic

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on Fri 04th Jun, 2010 06:22 am PDT Horge said: Not a Bosnian newspaper, but a good ol' fashioned American typo from the AP when Tiger withdrew from that tournament a few weeks ago... Not such a wild story, but meh, what are you gonna do? ************************

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Anasaurus (a.k.a. Dinocortes)

A group of merry pranksters livened up the new(-ish) roundabout coming into Anacortes for the Memorial Day weekend with dozens of plastic dinosaurs. While a casual observer might pass by without noticing them, plenty of people gawked and even took an extra pass 'round to see the herd in all their glory. Without compromising any of my informants, I think I can safely say that the group of merrymakers responsible for what the media is calling Anasaurus is the same group that perpetrated the flamingoing of the weird psuedo-park at 18th and Commercial a couple months back. I, for one, love their antics and can't wait to see more. Three cheers for random acts of public art*!!!!!

Wednesday June 2 2010

File under: Anacortes

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on Wed 02nd Jun, 2010 05:33 pm PDT Cyndi said: Darn! I missed that. Would have loved to roundabout that dino island ************************ on Wed 02nd Jun, 2010 07:49 pm PDT jdog said: are you sure it wasn't the same group that was responsible for the lesser known, but equally awesome urban farm prank of '09? ************************ on Thu 03rd Jun, 2010 12:22 am PDT Horge said: Hilarious! Pranksters keep up the funny work, and Wren, stay on that story as it develops! ************************ on Thu 03rd Jun, 2010 10:09 pm PDT Sara said: Being the nerd that I am, I looked at this hoping to see a photo of the entire roundabout. ************************ on Fri 04th Jun, 2010 03:36 pm PDT Saxtor said: Well, now these make so much more sense: This and this. ************************ on Tue 16th Nov, 2010 08:27 am PST Danny Rambo said: Hmmmm. If uou refer to a wandering flock of pink flamingos near M and 6th, I know the source, the pranksters motivation, and I even fed a little corn to one that wandered back home. Save the flamingos! ************************

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Childish Quote for Monday

"One of the most responsible things you can do as an adult is become more of a child." --Wayne Dyer I came across this spectacular quote today while catching up on Word Daze: A Word Lover's Almanac, a blog written by my old high school English teacher. It fits rather well with the t-shirt I happened to be wearing at the time (my favorite. t-shirt. evar.). Speaking of the t-shirt, it came from Kim and Jason, creators of Escape Adulthood and other very related ideas. It's totally worth checking out if this idea of incorporating more childishness (the good kind) into your daily life intrests you.

Monday May 31 2010

File under: quote

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on Tue 01st Jun, 2010 12:13 pm PDT mely at school said: i just spent the last hour convincing my 15 year old students that it would be more fun to go down to the pool and check out the waterpolo game than stay in class and do work. the kids won. boooooooo. ************************ on Wed 02nd Jun, 2010 01:43 pm PDT Sweet Julie said: *LOVE* IT! My new favorite game is to bring a bottle of bubbles to the beach and let the wind blow them! And hula hoop watching dolphins at sunset! ************************

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Circus Tourism

Montreal is kind of the cirque center of the universe. There are a number of well-respected circus schools here, Cirque du Soleil has it's headquarters here, and on the nice days in the many parks around town, you can see acrobats, jugglers, slackliners, and more playing, practicing, and preening. Call it a fringe benefit. In between doing the work* that I came out for, I got to scope out the circus scene. I juggled in the parks, I skulked around Cirque's headquarters, and I went to see Cirque's new show Totem under the bigtop. What can you say about a night of getting gussied* up, hanging out with good friends, and seeing some of the most premier circus artists plying their trade? Thank you Montreal! Montreal has more to offer than circus stuff, of course, and I've got to do/see a lot of it. But circus is a part of this city and I love it! Maybe it's the beginning of a whole new type of tourism: circus-tourism! Look for tour packages come soon!

Friday May 28 2010

File under: travel

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on Sun 30th May, 2010 10:26 am PDT mely said: that's a pretty cute bowtie. ************************ on Mon 31st May, 2010 01:58 pm PDT Dave said: That's a pretty cute girl next to you.. ************************ on Thu 03rd Jun, 2010 04:55 am PDT Nick said: To bad you weren't there while casey is training. ************************

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Montreal Food Post

I've crossed paths with a number of Montrealers in the past couple years, or people who at least have spent time here, and one thing that always comes up is the food. "Montreal has the best _____!", people would say. Or "If you go, you have to try ______'s." Well, with one or two exceptions, I've tried it, and I have to say I'm not that impressed. Other than the food, I'm totally enjoying my Montreal experience. And the food isn't bad. I've actually had some really good meals*. Nothing has warranted a "you gotta try this", but I'm not going to come home complaining. Among the "you gotta try"s were bagels and poutine. The bagels don't really do it for me. Give me Bellingham's Bagelery anyday. As for poutine, the famous Canadian dish of fries served with gravy and cheese curd, I love the concept, but in practice, was disappointed. I'm thinking maybe I will have to try some homemade poutine sometime and see if I can do better. Another "simply must" was Schwartz's, home of the smoked meat sandwich since 1928. While I can't say that there was any false advertising (their sandwich did consist only of smoked meat), I not only walked away disappointed, but also with a healthy jump on a triple bypass surgery. Yep, so far Montreal's food scene hasn't come close to living up to the hype. The one possible redeemer will have to wait until next visit, as it isn't the season. Sugar shacks, literally shacks that serve everything coupled with maple syrup, definitely have a chance to win it all back. I mean, it's a jug of freaking maple syrup. I'll keep you posted.

Monday May 24 2010

File under: food, travel

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on Mon 24th May, 2010 06:06 pm PDT Saxtor said: Eeeeeeeh, no one ever confused you for a foodie. Montreal is a wonderful food and beer town. ************************ on Mon 24th May, 2010 06:48 pm PDT gretchen said: shiat,per! that sure doens't look vegetarian...guess you gave that up, huh?... ************************ on Tue 25th May, 2010 08:43 am PDT Kat said: I think there is something wrong with you since you don't like the smoke meat sandwich. ************************ on Tue 25th May, 2010 08:26 pm PDT Sean said: Poutine can be hit or miss depending on where you get it from, and how crispy/soggy the fries are with your pout. I made my own poutine recipe using tater tots, and it ROCKS THE HOUSE. And Wren, you would LOVE sugar shack food, along with the whole tour. Some let you stoke the fire and all that jazz where they're boiling the sap. ************************ on Thu 27th May, 2010 06:56 pm PDT per said: Rest assured I had a long conversation with my bowels the days ramping up to Wren's arrival. My diet doesn't really entertain the meats, thought I would be eating byaslag over a yak dung fire if my Mongol bretheren happened to swing through town on their stepped plateau buggies. ************************ on Thu 27th May, 2010 09:22 pm PDT mely said: i agree strongly with kat. ************************ on Thu 27th May, 2010 09:22 pm PDT mely said: i agree strongly with kat. ************************ on Thu 27th May, 2010 09:38 pm PDT mely said: so much so that i posted twice! ************************

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Happy Bike to Work Day

Montreal, Canada - Despite not really having a job and being 3000 miles away from my bike, I'm stoked to say that I got to participate in Bike-to-Work day, an "annual event held on the third Friday of May across the United States and Canada that promotes the bicycle as an option for commuting to work"wiki.        Luckily, Montreal is about as bike friendly a city as you could hope for (except for the severely potholed roads*). There are bike lanes, bike lights, bike racks everywhere, and, at least as far as I have seen, bikers everywhere.      Perhaps one of the most unique contributions to biking culture here in Montreal is Bixi (the Bixi? le Bixi?), a city-wide bike sharing program unveiled 1 year ago and spreading to other communities. As part of my work agreement(-ish), I've got myself access to Bixi bikes for my time here.      In short, this is how Bixi works: there are MANY stations around town where you can check out a bike (with your [extremely reasonably priced] subscription). You then have 30 minutes to return the bike to any other station in town. You can do this as many times as you like. So you ride from your house to the grocery store, return the bike to a holder, and get out a different bike for the ride home. Same for commuting to work.      The bikes aren't your normal road, touring, or mountain bike. They have 3 gears inside the back hub (so no derailleur issues), a luggage rack on the handle bars, and front and back lights run off non-friction based generators. They are a comfortable ride, but not for hard-core cycling; they are definitely utilitarian (as they should be).     Yep, it's bikes everywhere you look. And I've got more bike fun to look forward to. Along with exploring the city by [Bixi] bike, I'm really excited to check out Per's bike making shop. Maybe I'll get a little custom frame work while I'm there. Yeehaw!

Friday May 21 2010

File under: travel, transportation

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on Sat 22nd May, 2010 08:06 pm PDT Sean said: I was always told the roads are jacked up in Quebec because the government contracts to the lowest bidder, they use shortcuts and shoddy work/lower quality materials, etc... plus the extreme winters. You'll see potholes EVERYWHERE in the province, not just in cities.i wish Bixi was there when i was there. sounds awesome! ************************ on Sun 23rd May, 2010 06:07 am PDT Saxtor said: When I was driving from Burlington to Montreal, I felt the long rural, 2-lane "main highway" was one of the more harrowing I had ever encountered. It was narrow, people were driving and passing at a breakneck speed, trucks hugged the middle line and you were dodging potholes like a slalom course. ************************

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