Word of the Moment: Heterodoxy

heterodoxy, n.
1: any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position
2: the quality of being unorthodox

Shameless plug: Advil Migraine

Today, for the first time in a long time, I've lost the better part of the day to a migraine. I've been suffering from these headaches since grade 4, and the routine is always the same: The headaches start slowly, but eventually make me hypersensitive first to light, then to sound, then to touch and movement. Along the way, I get an "aura", which means adding nausea and speech slurring to the fun, too.

Dealing with a migraine, as I did today, involves spending a few hours trying to get to sleep through the pain, then staying asleep usually from 8-12 hours. Sadly, that isn't the end of it - the next day is also a write-off, spent in a zombie-like state; my thought process is slower and I'm physically weak. (Which explains why it's taken me over an hour to write these two paragraphs!)

Last year, I was introduced by a similarly-afflicted coworker to Advil Migraine, which I now refer to as "the miracle pill." Basically, if I can take the pill in the window between the beginning of the headache and before the aura-induced nausea starts, the Advil skips right over the hypersensitivity and sickness, and takes me right into the zombie state "postdrome."* The effect of the postdrome doesn't seem to last as long, either - by the next mid-day I'm usually back to 100%.

I don't claim this will work for every migraineur, but it's worth trying. For me, it's been life-changing.

Why did I suffer the full migraine today, you ask? Headaches in the winter present a Russian-roulette decision for me: Do I take the migraine pill or the sinus pill? Today, to paraphrase an Indiana Jones film, I chose poorly... *Sigh*

*Non-migraineurs might not see the benefit, but then they also don't seem to grasp the concept of "migraine" in the first place. Here's an anecdote, then, that might explain what it's like: A friend's brother had his first migraine at the age of 34. He was so overwhelmed with the pain, he checked himself into hospital, and they'd done a barrage of tests - including a spinal tap - before coming to the final diagnosis.

We Are All Connected

The New York Times > The Ends of the World as We Know Them:

Being both a history student and a Social Democrat, there's nothing revelatory in this article for me, but it's a great précis of how, throughout history, the selfish practices of well-off nations have a habit of coming back to bite them in the ass.

"Do we have cause for hope? Many of my friends are pessimistic when they contemplate the world's growing population and human demands colliding with shrinking resources. But I draw hope from the knowledge that humanity's biggest problems today are ones entirely of our own making. Asteroids hurtling at us beyond our control don't figure high on our list of imminent dangers. To save ourselves, we don't need new technology: we just need the political will to face up to our problems of population and the environment."

Cinerama

Cinerama (the follow-up band to The Wedding Present) is a band I've gotten into recently, courtesy the late John Peel. According to their website, they're preparing for a late-2005 tour of North America. I'm hoping this includes a Toronto stop.

Their sound answers the question, what if the Luckies went off their meds?

It's the most! Wonderful! Time! Of! The Year!

City of Toronto: WinterCity 2005

And no, I'm not just late for Xmas (which is pretty overrated anyway). It's WINTERLICIOUS!

For the past two years, I've made a meal (heh) out of this little Toronto-specific event; taking a week off work to gorge myself at fine restaurants that I normally wouldn't be able to afford. It's also a nice way to discover some higher-priced restaurants that would make good venues for the occasional fancy dinner or birthday treat.

The festival is basically a "prix-fixe-o-rama" at a variety of different eateries, ranging from some simple restos all the way up to the creme de la creme of the city's bistros. All offer a $10 or $20 lunch, and/or a $20 or $30 dinner. The bistros, it goes without saying, book up almost immediately upon the opening of the reservation phone lines, but I've managed some excellent meals some of the less in-demand places, too. Granted, I've also had one or two really awful plates, and a smattering of smarmy servers as well, but given the price I can't complain too much :)

This is the first "'Licious" where I don't plan to make an effort to try some new places. For one thing, I'm still too broke from my bout of Boxing Day insanity to warrant "investing" in a resto that may not make my "Yes" list, and for another, the following have impressed me enough that I want to make a second (or third, in one case) visit.

Courthouse Market Grille
Oyster Boy
Filet of Sole
Canoe*

I also wouldn't mind hitting Sintra, a neat-but-expensive-looking Portuguese bistro, but money's tight, so we'll have to see how that pans out.

In summary, then...

WOO HOO! WINTERLICIOUS!


(*OK, OK, so I admit it - I haven't actually been to Canoe. One of Toronto's ritziest [and therefore priciest], it's one of the aforementioned locations that books up even BEFORE the lines open. But my parents and sis went last time, and all three came back raving that it was the best meal, the best drinks, the best dessert, the best view, etc. etc. etc. they'd ever had, so it's pretty safe to assume I'll find it passable!)

An Office Full of People Like Us

I'd been meaning to watch this series for about a year, and for some reason I kept putting it off. Likely the format (yet another take on the fake documentary style) sounded slightly dull. Boy, was I wrong on that! Well, maybe not really... It's deliberately dulled down, then played for laughs, which are plenty.

Strangely, the style and comedic approach are much the same as The Office - both mine laughs from their subjects' humiliation and misfortune - but where The Office had so many squirm-inducing moments that it was nearly* unwatchable, the same kind of scene in People Like Us (e.g. a worker being informed of his redundancy) was hilarious.

Why would one situation differ from another? The fact that the camera crew in The Office maintains a stony silence to what they witness makes for discomfort in the viewer, whereas the narrator/unseen host of People Like Us provides narrative laughs as well as serving as a comedically misfortunate entity in his own right.

Another contrast would be in the way the characters are presented. Some of The Office's occupants are so realistically drawn that I found myself wishing I could meet them in real life (or, in the case of David and Gareth, avoid them at all costs.) The subjects of People Like Us are merely caricatures, making it easier to laugh at them.

Obviously, the emotional connection made with The Office's characters mean that that show will resonate with viewers long after the laughs from People Like Us have been mined, but for now I'm happy to laugh away some of the memories of David Brent's nervous breakdown with Roy Mallard's shtick.

* Nearly.

Word of the Moment: Apposite

apposite

adj : being of striking appropriateness and pertinence; "the successful copywriter is a master of apposite and evocative verbal images"; "an apt reply" [syn: appropriate, apt, pertinent]

Hot XXX Chair-on-Chair Action

According to a site blurb, "hot, horny home furnishings get their freak on..."

I'll never be able to look at an armchair the same way again.

Slaves to the Machines

Being a pramatist with a more than pronounced lazy streak, I hate having to scrounge under desks or along walls for plugs. Happily, I've discovered the joys of "Power Over [fill in blank]" products that typically charge through my laptop. At the moment, I've got my PowerBook charging my cell phone using a ZipLinq retractable cable, and my iPod charging (as well as playing) via my PB using a FireWire cable. Less conveniently charged items such as my camera typically don't get as much use as these two, just for the fact of having to remember to bring their adapters and charge them when a plug is handy. ZipLinq will definitely be getting more of my money if/when they introduce cables suitable for my other devices.

Having said all that, I love moments of realisation like the one from the end of this NYTimes article, which is written in a rather highly-strung style.

Power Users, Ready for a Refill:

'It was vital that I charge my technology in the hotel at night,' she said. 'I would stay plugged in as much as I could while handling business.'

But back in Brooklyn, alone with her laptop as she writes a new novel, Ms. Davis said she had come to a reassuring realization. The faltering battery life of her aging computer now dictates the length of her daily writing sessions: two hours.

'It shapes my writing intervals,' said Ms. Davis, an English professor at Baruch College in Manhattan. When her computer's display goes dark, she doesn't search frantically for a free outlet. Instead, Ms. Davis said matter-of-factly, 'I know it's time to stop.'"

In an era of almost unlimited accessibility and connectivity, sometimes you need a reminder that that isn't always a good thing.

Word of the Moment: Brachiate

brachiate

adj
1: having widely spreading paired branches; "maples are brachiate"
2: having arms or armlike appendages

v : swing from one hold to the next; "the monkeys brachiate"

Nelson Mandela's Son Dies of AIDS

Nelson Mandela's Son Dies of AIDS:
"'I announce that my son has died of AIDS,' he said. 'Let us give publicity to H.I.V.-AIDS and not hide it, because the only way to make it appear like a normal illness like TB, like cancer, is always to come out and say somebody has died because of H.I.V.-AIDS, and people will stop regarding it as something extraordinary.'"

Jason Anderson - Medium Cool

Jason Anderson is one of my fave local writers - his column in eye is one of the few I read every week, for observations like this:

"For all the ink spilled on Fahrenheit 9/11 and The Passion of the Christ this year, the most topical movie of 2004 turned out to be The Day After Tomorrow. In light of December's earthquake disaster, what was once an enjoyably corn pone eco-disaster flick full of freak weather and vampiric ice wolves now seems irredeemably callous. Yet two images in the film remain remarkable. The first reversed the standard pattern of immigration on this continent by portraying cold-fearing Americans fleeing across the border to Mexico, where I'm sure they'll enjoy their new lives as nannies and gardeners. The other was of a digitally generated tsunami bearing down on Manhattan. Still a ubiquitous sight in video stores, it's a queasy reminder that we've got some sick ideas about what counts as entertainment."

Later in this article, he makes mention of Don McKellar's Childstar. I had a chance to see this at September's Toronto Film Fest. On the whole, some great moments (lots of America/Canada jokes, which went over well with the crowd), but Don's gotta learn to stop writing for himself. He's a fun actor to watch - all twitches and quirks - but he has a habit of casting himself as a lead AND writing that lead character highly unsympathetically. Twitches and quirks translate different when played by a jerk. Childstar had some great moments, but I look forward to seeing the final version. The satire could've been sharpened with a few cuts, and I'm curious to see if they were made. Probably not - this is CanCon, after all.

Tuckered

Yahoo! News - CNN Lets 'Crossfire' Host Carlson Go:
"CNN said goodbye to pundit Tucker Carlson on Wednesday, and with him likely the 'Crossfire' program that has been the granddaddy of high-volume political debate shows on cable television.

[Jonathan] Klein [CNN's new CEO] on Wednesday told Carlson, one of the four 'Crossfire' hosts, that CNN would not be offering him a new contract...

'I guess I come down more firmly in the Jon Stewart camp,' Klein told The Associated Press... Klein said he wants more substantive programming that is still compelling.

'I doubt that when the president sits down with his advisers they scream at him to bring him up to date on all of the issues,' he said. 'I don't know why we don't treat the audience with the same respect.'"

I'd like to think that this will result in a newfound sanity in the US news industry, and a more measured and intelligent approach to discussion, but odds are it'll just result in lower ratings at CNN. It shows the power of the Jon Stewart j'accuse, though, which is inspiring; I've been hoping JS will learn to take some of his own advice and start pressing a bit harder on his interviewees. When you're the de facto news source for a generation, it's OK to ask throw tougher questions in with the quips.

And it's nice to see that arrogant jerk get bitchslapped for once, even though he'll eventually land a prime spot on FOX and become twice as annoying as before. He's like the Republican Obi-Wan...

Disturbing on so many levels...

Here's my favourite photo of the day.

George Plimpton's Final Book

The New York Times > Books > Sunday Book Review > 'The Man in the Flying Lawn Chair': The Raconteur:

The NY Times review of George Plimpton's last book has some wonderfully evocative phrases ("his willingness to play second fiddle in even the most atrocious of orchestras") describing a playful writer I wish I'd appreciated more during his lifetime.

"Plimpton never seems to have been especially interested in rank. He was more interested in the capacity of individuals -- cranks and legends alike -- to dream and enact their visions, no matter how preposterous or whimsical. That makes him a democrat of the first order."

There were a few instances for me in 2004 where reading someone's obituary made me realise what a treasure and opportunity I'd missed. Plimpton was definitely one.

The Promised Land

My goal for the year is to earn a listing for one of my shirt designs on Preshrunk. This blog's only a week old, and it's already become one of my fave "check daily" websites. Good incentive to get off my proverbial butt (and possibly my actual butt too) and get working on my screens!

Word of the Moment: Scabrous

scabrous, adj
1: rough to the touch; covered with scales or scurf [syn: leprose, scaly,]
2: dealing with salacious or indecent material; "a scabrous novel"

Does *anyone* wanna change seats?

Yahoo! News - Appeal by Pretty Woman Star Perplexes Palestinians:

Richard Gere has recorded a message of encouragement (on behalf of "the entire world", to boot - how thoughtful of him!) to the Palestinian people on the eve of their election. Sadly for Dick, the Palestinians don't seem to have a clue about who he is, and they kinda resent his imposition...

"'I don't even know who the candidates are other than Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas), let alone this Gere,' Gaza soap factory worker Manar an-Najar told Reuters.

'We don't need the Americans' intervention. We know who to elect. Not like them -- they elected a moron.'"

Celebrity ego-deflation = global warming? I shudder to think of the state of the polar ice caps the day after Catherine Zeta-Jones finally gets hers...

Don't Panic?

The most rabid of my many Douglas-Adams-fanatic friends has sent me a two-line email: "aAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh! http://hitchhikers.movies.go.com/index.html"

I understand his excitement: 20 years of development hell (hoo-ha?) later, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie is finally coming to theatres. Evidently I'm more conflicted about the impending release than he is.

I love the books, but I don't want to watch the film. I'm dubious of Hollywood's ability to cinematographically translate a book whose comedy thrived in its asides and details (cf. ,Harry Potter). And the images and voices of the characters are so set in my mind, I've intentionally avoided all the dramatised versions out there.

And yet... Martin Freeman. Hmm.

Principles versus lust. A delicate balancing act...

(Oh, who am I kidding? If he's sporting Tim hair I'm going!)

A Resolution

I resolve, for this new year of 2005, to use the word "hoo-ha" as often as possible.