So I was thinking that art should serve some purpose. I know, that's very unfashionable, but it's what I think nonetheless. I've never been very fashionable.

If it doesn't, that what right does an artist have to expect to earn a living.

You might say "Well, people wouldn't buy the art, if they didn't enjoy it." and that's true enough. So congratulations, you're in the same business as Avril Lavigne and Disney.

I'd like to think that there's a difference between entertainment and art. Between a work designed to make you have a good time and a work intended to somehow enhance your experience of humanity.

I'm not going to say that there is some kind of definite line here--I mean, a knife is good for stabbing people, but it's also good for spreading butter on toast. But we have different kinds of knives, some are sharp and pointy, and some are flat.

I think we need more of the stabbing kind of art. There's no use for a drawer full of butter knives.

-Trevor

From Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by its Most Brilliant Teacher by Richard Fenyman:

Poets say science takes away from the beauty of the stars--mere globs of gas atoms. Nothing is "mere." I too can see the stars on a desert night and feel them. But do I see less or more? The vastness of the heavens stretches my imagination--stuck on this carosel my little eye can catch one-million-year-old light. A vast pattern--of which I am part--perhaps my stuff was belched from some forgotten star, as one is belching there. Or see them with the greater eye of Palomar, rushing all apart from some common starting point when they were perhaps all together. What is the pattern, or the meaning, or the why? It does not harm the mystery to know a little about it. For far more marvellous is the truth than any artists of the past imagined! Why do not the poets of the present not speak of it? What men are poets who can speak of Jupiter if he were like a man, but if he is an immense spinning sphere of methane and ammonia must be silent?

His footnotes are better than most people's books!

-Trevor

Went and saw The Terminal today.

It's the kind of movie a lot of people probably won't like. It's got no car crashes, no action scenes, no shocking revelations about the tragedy of the human condition.

It will make you laugh a lot, and smile, and occasionally sigh wistfully. I guess you could say that's cheezy, or saccharine. There's lots of words that you could use that would be at the same time condescending and unassailable.

Ever notice that if you describe a dark film as being depressing, people act as though you missed the point. "Well, of course it's depressing! It's supposed to be depressing. Don't you have any real comments about the film?"

Yet it's perfectly alright to slag a film just because of a happy ending. Something strange about that.

The Terminal is thoroughly well put-together. Would you expect any less from Steven Spielberg? And Tom Hanks does a great job in the lead role. It also manages to make some sideways comments about Homeland Security and what is truly great about the American Dream.

I hate writing movie reviews so I'll stop there, but it's a great picture. Well worth the price of admission. As long as you don't hate feeling generally good about things.

-Trevor

Today I got up early, voted and then applied for a job! How productive!

It's enough to make a boy feel like all the other hamsters running the maze of this great experiment called society.

Voting was, well, boring. There's no way to make it sound exciting. I wish there was a little more pomp and circumstance. Something glamorous, like a red carpet or something, and maybe a press conference afterwards like they have for Academy Award winners...

"Trevor! Over here please! You voted! Congratulations! How does it feel?"

"Well, Barb, I'm just happy to have to opportunity to contribute to the political process. I really think it's not the winner that's important, it's the ongoing dialogue about our country's future."

"Any chance you'd tell us who your vote was for?"

"My vote was for Canada, of course! To tell you any more would be to ruin the surprise ending!"

"What are your plans now that you've voted?"

"Well, I'm probably going to wander around a bit and kill some time. We're guaranteed a certain number of hours off work to exercise our democratic rights, so I'm not going back until the last minute. I was thinking about getting a bagel."

"Thanks for voting, Trevor, you've been great!"

"No, barb, you've been great."

But alas it's all white cardboard boxes and crappy yellow signs printed on garbage bag material.

Interestingly enough, our address wasn't even listed in the elector officer's book of addresses. Must have something to do with the fact that this house used to be a commercial gallery. For a second I wasn't sure if he would let me vote or not. I was a bit worried but also excited at the prospect of being disenfranchised.

Then at least I'd have a real reason to complain about the new government. And I'd get to say "I was disenfranchised" a lot at parties. I bet girls go for that sort of thing.

Now it's time to sit back and wait for our new government. If it's Harper, this post may be last. I don't think I could live in a Conservative Canada. [shudder]

-Trevor

Hard to even begin talking about Fahrenheit 9/11. It's brilliant, of course, as everyone expects. Shocking in places, hilarious in others.

I can't tell if it's why I haven't been able to sleep tonight, but it wouldn't be a bad guess.

Would I be happier if I hadn't seen it? Maybe. But it has to be seen. People have to understand the situation. They have to know what it means when the headlines say another hundred killed.

Just be careful when you go and see it. Michael Moore is a brilliant manipulator, and he catches you at the moment you least expect it and shows you what you least want to see.

Maybe it's the memory of 9/11, maybe it's a general feeling of uneasiness about the world, but I just can't get to sleep.

I remember walking down to the CN Tower after a night of drinking a few days after the World Trade Center attacks. I was feeling a bit lost and disconnected (and drunk) and I wanted to go down to the base of the tower and look up. But as I approached the base of the tower, a security guard came up and stopped me.

"Sorry, the Tower's closed, you can't be here."

I was pretty surprised, and told the security guard as much.

As he walked away he called over his shoulder,

"Everything's changed, man. everything's changed."

I guess it has. I guess it has.

-Trevor

I was thinking how nowadays irony is so pervasive that we can't even recognize it anymore. I wonder if this grand self-delusion is helping us at all?

How many things that we enjoy consuming do we consume because we like them, and how many do we consume because we like disliking them? Or because we like feeling better than the people on TV.

How many movies do we watch and say "well it's totally awful, it's terrible, but it's terrible in such a good way!"

It's totally wrong to have contempt for someone, unless, like, they're totally dumb and uneducated. Then they deserve it.

Anyway, I'll start worrying about it after Blind Date's finished...

-Trevor

So, I was sitting in the park today observing squirrels, when a lady about 200m away from me started throwing some breadcrumbs or something on the ground.

Within about 30 seconds, hoardes of pidgeons were flying over my head in a mad dash to get at the food.

My question is: How did they KNOW?

I mean, it seems like a weird thing to ask, but really it doesn't make sense. This lady starts throwing crumbs two football fields away, and pidgeons all over the park seems to get the message.

I have some theories:

1. The pidgeons are employing some kind of pidgeon-to-pidgeon messaging system or they're all Extra-Sensory Pidgeons.

2. The pidgeons are just following one another around, as part of their flocking instinct.

3. Pidgeons have way better eyesight and hearing than I do.

Personally, I find #1 a bit sketchy, and #3 is just depressing, so I'm going to go with answer #2.

It must be how they do that cool turning-on-a-dime thing when they're flying around in flocks of dozens and dozens of birds. One bird just starts turning and the rest just follow.

I guess that's why they fit in so well in Toronto.

-Trevor

Sometimes it's fun to go back to that past, so today I've scanned some pages from my journals. Stuff I've written or drawn over the past few months...

Nowadays the emphasis is on the performance, or on the individual expression, and the technical ability is sort of secondary. So, don't go judging or anything!




I guess it's worth noting that all of these were drawn just in the moment. I never really planned to scan them, even though I have now.

I figure if Kurt Cobain's journals are worth something, why not mine?

-Trevor

Yeah... Hello!

You are there still, perhaps, my dear readers?

I know this blog has been, well, sluggish as of late. It's honestly nothing to do with you. Really, it's just that I'm in a weird place right now and not really ready for the long-term commitment that a blog post entails.

After all, you post something on one of these and suddenly it's in print, forever! I mean, sure you could delete a post, but that would be kind of like cheating. You can't change history!

Well, okay, maybe I edit for spelling and readability once in a while, but that's not the same.

Anyway, I am in serious need of blog topics... My life recently has mostly consisted of trying to break the million-point-combo barrier in Tony Hawk. Now that I've done that it's like I have nothing to live for.

I guess there's always two million.

Parked across the street today was a truck with www.cheaters.ca on the side. I thought it was kinda funny. Not so funny if you're being cheated on, though... or if you're cheating on someone. Then it's kind of worrisome.

Also, someone I know found this blog after being referred by a friend I don't even know! That's pretty exciting! It was like being famous, except a bit more nerdish. If you're out there Amber, you rule! (and you too Amber's friend who I don't know!)

I think I'm going to try to start posting every day. Can you handle that?

I sure hope so!

-Trevor

From Today's Globe and Mail:

In the wake of Sept. 11, once-passive U.S. air passengers are more likely to take action when they sense danger, the experts say. However, they are more likely to evacuate an aircraft without instructions from crew members or even against their orders, reports Capt. Bill Jones, safety chairman for Delta's pilots union. Before takeoff on a recent Tampa-Atlanta flight, passengers on that Delta aircraft overreacted to a harmless engine fire. All but 12 of the 169 civilians bailed out in an evacuation that the crew did not order; within minutes, 33 were injured, mostly from falling off emergency slides.

(Original Article)

-Trevor

Helo everyone,

Greetings, and father's day wishes to you all. Do you read this Dad? If you do lots of love and all that!

-Trevor

I'm going back to York in the fall for Cognitive Science, so I've been doing a lot of reading up on the brain.

I know. I'm a nerd.

But don't you think this is cool?

I do!

-Trevor

Greetings Canadians,

As your elected member of party-ment, I am proud
to invite you to the Conservative PARTY of Canada,
occurring on June 25th, 2004 at 403 Adelaide St. W.

Everyone knows you don't have to be Liberal to be
Canadian. You just have to be white. And straight.
And at least moderately well-off. And Christian.

So now is your time to come out and show your
support for Stephen Harper, the only leader to
have the courage--well, except in public--to stand
up for underrepresented straight, white, middle-
class people's rights and values!

Come drink and be social and celebrate our coming
integration with the United States! Canada has
always been kind of weird and threatening. All
immigrants and artists and bohemians! Not at all
like the great religious leaders on TV tell us it
should be! But Stephen Harper knows: Tolerance is
the devil's best friend!

Only Stephen Harper sees a woman's right to choose
as what it really is:

A RIGHT TO CHOOSE ETERNAL DAMNATION!

Only Stephen Harper sees gay marriage for what
it is:

A MARRIAGE TO SIN AND VICE!

Only Stephen harper sees gun control for what it is:

A CONTROL ON OUR ABILITY TO PROTECT OURSELVES FROM
TERRORISTS!!!

Fortunately, he's also smart enough to see that most
bleeding-heart types are so brainwashed by the liberal
media that they act as if God's truth wasn't true at
all. So he's keeping his real agenda under wraps.

Such a great man. A leader for our country in these
troubled times.

Drink, but not too much! Dance, but not too close!
And make sure you don't use a condom if you do end
up having sex.That's for atheists!

HEIL HARPER!

Wilbert P. Smiddles
Member of Party-ment
Conservative Party of Canada.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
===========================================================

WHEN: Friday June 25th, 2004
WHERE: 403 Adelaide St. W.
WHAT: A completely balanced and fair party for all.

PARTY PLATFORM:
- Private delivery of alcohol (BYOB)
- No having abortions at the party
- No getting married if you're gay
- All post-party sex must be "missionary" style

===========================================================

P.S. Don't worry, there's an Olivia Chow sign in our window
but the most political thing about this party is its name.

I used to run this blog called Blue Apron Blues. It was about working at Kinko's, and how much it sucked.

I googled it today to see if anyone still links to it and I found this entry on someone else's blog:

I've Got the Blue Apron Blues - The best new web log of the year Blue Apron Blues has been shutdown. It's seems this person's employer found out about the site, fired the web logger and is now threatening legal action. (original page)

Damned if that didn't make this dark night a little brighter.

-Trevor

That's kinda creepy. But also pretty cool!

Here's proof:



Thanks to the other 999 of you who stopped by! Or at least thanks to the other 99.9 of you who stopped ten times each.

-Trevor

Found this in an article from the Globe and Mail. Good ol' Gilles Duceppe. I think this is the first time I've ever agreed with the Bloc Quebecois.

When asked whether he is hoping for a Tory government, he said: "Honestly, I think so. To make people think. To demonstrate what René Lévesque called the impossible Canada. Canada is a madhouse. It's a country that cannot be administered, in my opinion."

(Original Article)