1. Last Major Move
Not because I've suddenly been offered a job with a reasonable salary or because we know we'll fall madly in love with Victoria. No, this is the last major move because packing and hauling ourselves across this great country of ours is getting ridiculous.
Though it took just five hours worth of work to get 2/3 of the house parceled and packed yesterday, here we are today hoping that the movers tell us they're coming Tuesday or Wednesday so we can avoid the remaining 1/3.
At this point, I might be willing to pay for someone to come finish the job. Let me know if you're interested.
2. Suddenly Popular
Always amazes me how months and months can go by with little to no social activity dotting our calendar, but as soon as that final week in town rolls around, everyone wants to have dinner.
Not knocking having dinner with friends (or having friends at all for that matter) but how come you want to hang out now? I mean, we had an entire year to do stuff and now that we're super busy getting packed and cleaning the house, we need to hang out?
3. I'm Becoming a Coffee Nerd... and I Like It
Remember how I used to make fun of people who order grandiose concoctions with half this and no that and a shot of something else with their coffee?
Yeah - I'm that guy now and I don't care. The days of packing back super-fat coffees at Starbucks are over. If I want to indulge in something other than good old-fashioned java, it's now a No Fat, White Mocha, No Whip with a pump of peppermint.
Delightful!
4. A Welcomed Hiatus
With all the packing and moving and planning and roadtripping on the go right now, writing has taken and will continue to take a backseat.
As much as I thought it would drive me insane, I actually quite enjoy it. Not rushing around during the day to squeeze in a column here and an article there; it makes taking afternoon naps a lot easier.
For now, I'll write whenever inspiration / desperation hits me and chronicle some of our journey out to the island, but until we get settled and the new world headquarters of ESKimo Enterprises opens it's doors, I'm on hiatus... and I love it.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Things I Learned This Week
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Things I Learned This Week
Notice the title isn't 10 Things I Learned This Week ... the winds of change are blowing through iBlog.
1. I Should Have Been Posting on Bleacher Report Months Ago
The only way to build a following is to get your work to the greatest number of people imaginable and see what happens. That was my reasoning for starting to post on Bleacher Report; that and syndication on CNNSI, but still. In the short period of time I've been there, my work is getting read with increased frequency and comments are pouring in. And Press Credentials have already been offered to me too ...
2. Truly Freelance
Not only am I a freelance writer, turns out I'm a freelance bartender as well. Worked a wedding last night for a friend of my boss and in the process, I picked up another wedding for the same crowd later in the summer. Even if its half as easy and half as lucrative as last night, it will surely be better than a night at Kelsey's.
3. My Dog is Growing Up
He sleeps in his own bed now, without quarrel and without being forcibly directed to his kennel. In other news, my wife and I can actually cuddle in bed again for the first time in over a year.
4. Getting Closer to Completion
My man Newt has been working on a site for me for some time now and we're getting close to breaking it out. It'll be a one-stop shopping center for all things E. Spencer Kyte, including both iBlog and Keyboard Kimura. Hopefully we'll be rolling it out soon.
5. Booster Juice Might Bump Starbucks for the Summer
I love coffee, but summer is a time for refreshing, not overly-caffeinated hot beverages, so a switch to Booster Juice stops before running around in Cranbrook could be in order. Not only is it a more refreshing and cooling choice, the store is right there across the parking lot from SuperStore meaning we use less gas. For the record, Brazilian Thunder is the pick.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
10 Things I Learned This Week
I learned that I kind of shot myself in the foot for an easy three points rambling on about the recent developments of my life yesterday... d'oh!
1. Everyone Should See the Film Operation: Filmmaker
Easily the best documentary I've seen in a while. I watched it last night and haven't stopped thinking about it since. Just go watch it. Seriously.
2. I Jinxed the Jays
They haven't won a game since I set foot in the Rogers Centre for the first time this year. Hopefully, they win one before my next visit, since I don't know when that is going to be.
3. My Life Has Gotten A Lot Busier
This is a good thing, as now there isn't time for sitting around watching movies or just sacking out on the couch for the entire day. I have interviews to conduct for the Trot Magazine article, somehow have to find a way to sit down (on the phone) with Michael Musto, as well as my commitments to Bugs and Epic and writing this blog everyday. And two more weeks at Blockbuster. Then whatever shifts I have at Montana's. The summer is going to fly by.
4. Six More Sleeps...
Don't think that I forgot spending time with Sarah in the above list, because I didn't. She gets her own section. I pick her up next Saturday - or as Faye said last night, "Already?" Yes, already. We're both going to be super busy, but that is going to make all the time we do get to spend together and all the excursions we do go on even more enjoyable, because for the first time ever there is no studying or exams or homework or classes... just work and play. Again, this summer is going to fly by!
5. Montana's Is Already Better Than Blockbuster
Went to Orientation this AM and I have to say, being back in a restaurant environment with minimal responsibility and a high-energy atmosphere is so refreshing. Sure there are remedial tasks and there will be slow days, as well as all the usual crap that accompanies any job, but at least at the end of the day I will have tip money to come home and count. Note: This only applies to the London Bklockbuster... I miss the Ropewalk Crew!
6. You Know You Visit Starbucks Too Often When...
The people behind the counter already recognize you. Seriously, I've been here in London for what, two weeks? Once again - My name is Spencer and I have a Starbucks Addiction.
7. Getting the Ink Itch
My friend and tattoo artist Mark Zammit has been posting a bunch of pictures of his work on Facebook over the last couple days and it always ends up in my stalker feed. Consequently, I'm dying to go and get more work done. Every time I see something I like, I clutch at the cross on my arm where the next few pieces are going to go.
8. The Idea
I got the cross a couple years ago now, not really on a whim, but without doing any research or finding something really unique. Not that I don't like it, but it's kind of plain, which isn't me. I don't do vanilla, which got me thinking about what I can do with it to make it more personal and more me. The results? I'm going to add various other pieces of religious iconography to it - Buddha, Star of David, a Hindu deity, etc. - and get the words for "equality" and "understanding" in Islamic script put above and below it. In my mind, it looks awesome. I can't wait to see how it turns out.
9. Can I Write That Off?
Dropped $100 on a digital voice recorder this week so that instead of scribbling away in a notepad while pressing the phone to my ear, I can simply press record and have a conversation with the people I'm interviewing. It also comes with transcription software, you know, because I'm lazy. But dropping that kind of cash on something for work made me wonder if I can write that puppy off at the end of the year? Anyone with a little insight, feel free to let me know.
10. Congratulations Tony & Heather... Hello Baby Jessica!
A new edition to the Ropewalk Blockbuster family arrived this week with the birth of my former ASM Tony's daughter Jessica. Mother and daughter are both doing well by all accounts and Tony has already started polishing his shotgun for the first time some snot-nosed punk comes to pick Jessica up for her first date. She's beautiful guys... congratulations!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
10 Things I Learned This Week
Back on my own computer, sitting in my newly established "office" and ready to deliver.
Come and get it, bitches!
1. Patience
Seriously, I learned to be patient this week. Actually, somewhat overnight. Yesterday I was in a funk, stuck with the lingering thought that I won't ever get off my ass and write my book and might not amount to anything more than a movie jockey at Blockbuster who does a little writing on the side. Then I got off my ass this morning and hit Staples to get my portfolio put together and wrote two pieces for Bugs. Now I'm here doing this little number and it's not even 1:00 yet. I needed to feel miserable in order to remember that things aren't going to happen overnight and I can't control the written universe. I know - I'm a bit dramatic sometimes, eh?
2. My Head Isn't In It
There is no part of me that is conscientious about working at Blockbuster now. It is merely a distraction that interferes with every other aspect of my life. Case in point, I drove to work yesterday without my keys to lock up at the end of the night. Normally, I'm an anal retentive, overly prepared freak show who turns up for work 20 minutes early to see if there is anything I can help with. Now, here, I show up totally unprepared five minutes before I go on the clock. Not a good sign.
3. A Must Read
I started reading John Howard Griffin's Black Like Me earlier in the week and though I am only a handful of pages in, I feel obligated to tell everyone to read this book. Griffin, a white man, dyes his skin and lives a year as a Black man in the South, starting in October 1959. This could be one of those life changing books for me.
4. Tomorrow, I Relax
And by relax, I mean grab a seat in the upper deck of the Rogers Centre alongside my one-time roommate Beast and a couple friends watching the finale of the Blue Jays - Tigers series. I'm looking forward to this for many reasons: (1) "Beer and a Dog," (2) Beast is one of the funniest people I know and always entertaining, (3) it gives me a chance to price out a retro Blue Jays jersey so I know how much it'll cost when I try to convince Sarah that I really, really need one.
5. After Today, I'm Flying Solo
That ironic twist I told you about a couple weeks ago gets triggered today, as later this afternoon I'll be dropping Garry off at the airport in Hammertown for a three week jaunt to Calgary and Vancouver. While we haven't gotten the month of "bond building" I initially aimed for this to be, we've had a solid ten days and there is no doubt in my mind that this is going to be a smooth and enjoyable summer.
6. What is it with London and Homophobia?
One of the people I work with has insinuated twice that things I do - or don't do - are gay. My owning and drinking from a pink Brita water bottle caught me an awkward glance and curious questions. My refusal to move the two awareness bracelets that have adorned my left wrist for the better part of four years over to my right to cover my tattoo was met with the remark, "Why is it a gay thing?" That one got Person A the stink eye. It's 2008 and for chrissakes! Get over yourself and your hangups already...
7. Dinner Monday Night...
Harvey's! It's been too damn long since I sank my teeth into a bad-ass, made just the way you like it Harvey's Hamburger and Monday is going to be the end of that drought. Bacon Cheeseburger with ketchup, mustard, relish, tomato, hot peppers and pickles... Delicious!
8. Apparently, I Have a Talent for Unpacking
Garry was quite impressed with how "industrious" (his word, not mine) I was on Thursday once my stuff arrived. We bombed it into the kitchen around noon and by the time he came home at five, I had pretty near everything unpacked, the room totally realigned to best optimize space and many of the little "feels like home" touches already in place, like Sarah's Mini Christmas Tree and a couple of framed pictures. This is what happens when you've moved as much as I have.
9. My Name is Spencer and I Have a Caffeine Dependency
Friday on the way to work I declined a coffee. I wasn't feeling well and just knew that a large double-double wasn't the cure that I needed. In my head, not having to go to boring-ass work was the cure I needed. All day long, my headache persisted. Ate food, drank water and nothing. Sitting after dinner, Garry tossed me the keys and told me to go to Starbucks. Twenty minutes later and three chugs into my Venti Komodo Dragon, headache gone. Good ol' caffeine to the rescue. The moral of this story: Coffee has healing powers!
10. How Cool Would It Be...
If I got to interview Ellen Page for the next issue of Passion? We're doing a Celebrity Issue next and in Spencer tradition, I started pitching assignment ideas to my editor a couple weeks ago. Then I watched Juno Tuesday night (and again Wednesday night with the Commentary) and got to thinking, "Hey, Ellen Page fits everything we're looking for. Canadian, celebrity, relevant, even buzz-worthy..." So I sent Nicole an email saying the same and am sitting here clinging to my pipe dream of picking up the phone in the next two weeks and having a conversation with Juno MacGuff. Is it going to happen? Probably not, but shit, what's the harm in hoping?
Thursday, April 10, 2008
D'You Know What I Did Today?
Sunday, February 17, 2008
10 Things I Learned This Week
It's been a busy and annoying week this week, lemme tell ya. Actually, that's sort of what I do here each week isn't it?
1. "Dance movies are kind of like porn huh?"
That was Sarah's assertion following our Valentine's night at the movies watching Step Up 2: The Streets. "You know, they have plots and everything but it's really just an excuse for the dancing." You have to admit, the woman kind of has a point, no?
2. Revenge of the No Returning Stars Sequel
A few weeks back I opined about this phenomenon and Step Up 2 is proof on celluloid. Yes, Channing Tatum reprises his role as Tyler Gage, but it's only for ten minutes to give you a clue as to who the new lead is. One dance off, one character introduction and he's out. The rest is all newbies and a below average flick. All that being said, I am a dance movie guy, so I still liked it, but it could have been waaaaaaaaay better.
3. Speaking of Movies That Could Have Been Better...
Valentine's Day turned into a Double Feature as we took in Jumper apres Step Up 2 and a brief intermission. You know those movies that aren't bad and you enjoy them but as soon as the credits roll you're thinking about how they could have change two or three things and made an even better movie? That was Jumper. Hopefully they'll do a better job on Jumper 2, which I say will hit the big screen in, let's say March 2010.
4. Triumphant Return Update
In talking things over a little in the last couple days, it's looking like I might make a triumphant return to Ontario earlier than originally planned. The original ETA was May when Sarah was done her placement in cold-ass Labrador, but that would leave me flying solo here in St. John's and really, what the hell would I do that for? So I think I'll be jumping on a plane sometime in early April to land in London for the summer. Status: Updated.
5. Is It Tuesday Yet?
Sitting here all week knowing that I wasn't going to get the latest issue of Passion in my hands until this coming Tuesday at the earliest has been killing me. I really am an impatient bastard some times. I think it's having seen the Natasha Bedingfield cover and knowing that my article is mentioned on said cover that has me even more antsy than normal. The fact that I'm picking it up at Chapters might have something to do with it too... since Chapters = Starbucks.
6. No One Likes a Quitter
More importantly, I don't like quitters, so why would I honestly want to be one? With that in mind, I'm taken up smoking again and lemme tell you how much I love it. Why I cleaned my lungs of all those delicious carcinogens and sweet, sweet nicotine in the first place is beyond me. Plus, I'm actually a much less angry person when I'm smoking. I get that from my mom...
7. Position Players Haven't Even Reported Yet
And I have three fantasy teams lined up - at three different sites - and draft preparation has begun. Draft #1 is Thursday for the Public Yahoo League I plan on winning. Draft #2 is an MLB.com league with my friend Beast; I plan on winning that too. Draft #3 is the most important one though, as it's the ultra-competitive, bragging rights battle of the Bugs & Cranks Crew at CBS Sportsline. I update you as the season progresses.
8. Some People Really Are Stupid
Like the ones who come in to request another movie because they didn't like the one they rented and then get mad at you when you tell them that is not possible. Seriously, this happens.
Customer: Hi, could I get another movie? This one is just really no good.
Spencer: Sorry, uh, we can't really do that. I mean, we'd be broke by next Tuesday if we did that.
Customer: Oh, no, I understand it's just that this one is really bad. I mean, we had to turn it off it was so bad.
Spencer: Oh I get it. It's Mr. Bean's Holiday. Of course it's bad. 30% of the movies we have in this store are awful. Have you seen Ice Spiders? Still, that doesn't mean we're going to give you a free movie because you have crappy taste.*
* Of course, I don't say this... I just think it and continue to be as diplomatic as possible until the customer invariably tells me I'm an asshole and that they're never renting from our store again.
9. Morons = Inspiration
As I've said before, it really is amazing where one draws their inspiration from. I draw mine from the common sense challenged customers of the world. Inspiration for what you ask? One of those illusions I harbour in my over-sized head...
10. Sarah Really, Really Wants a Dog
You know your girlfriend really wants a dog when she sits up at 11:00 at night watching the Westminster Dog and Kennel Show until you come home just so she can see all the cute little dogs. At least she's on board with naming the thing Balls whenever we get one... Continue reading ...
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Dye Jobs, Blow Jobs and Breaking My Own Rules
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