Two weeks of fun

The first two weeks of march were slightly hellish. I arrived back from a frigid trip to Canada on the 3rd and walked into an immediate move. After 7 and a half years in one place we decided to move on.
Initially the move was to be just around the corner really. We'd found a brand new house with reasonable rent. It was a little bit bigger than our old house and had a slightly different configuration. So, immediately after getting off the plane we went to Ikea to buy a couple of new couches. Then it was home and starting to move boxes.
For the next couple of days it was box moving a plenty. We were moving all the 'small' stuff and getting movers in to do the furniture.
But, the day before the move I had a conversation with Tony, my neighbour to be. It went something like this:

Tony: "Wanted to ask you something. You don't have dogs do you?"
Me: "Um, yes."
Tony: "Because this community voted not to allow pet owners."
Me: "Um"

Now, I happen to know, from previous experience that in the great zone that is Europe this kind of thing is illegal. Pets can not be a cause to deny someone the right to live somewhere. This is one of the many things that makes Europe so much better than shit holes like America. So, whereas I knew I was in the clear legally (and the owner of the house did too) the fact is you don't want to live next to assholes like that, do you?

So, I freaked out. This it the day before the movers are coming and almost all of our stuff is in the new house. But, our agent was amazing. Within an hour she showed us a MUCH MUCH nicer house and we had agreed to take it! How cool is that?

So, in the morning the movers came and we moved to a completely different house.

Unfortunately that means that I basically had to move twice as I now had to move all the boxes that I had moved into the 'new' house into the 'newer' house (which is technically older). Oh, and cancel the new furniture from Ikea as we no longer needed it.

Two days after my run in with Tony, this sign appeared on the community we didn't move into:



It was down the next day.

Anyway, this is our new house:



There are cons - for instance we had to get a new phone number, we couldn't take our old one with us. Small price to pay!

Fine Dining, Sarnia Style

One of the key reasons I came over to Canada at this snow-blown time of year was my mother's birthday. I don't get to see her that often and it seemed like a good time to come.

Sarnia is not a place resplendent with fine dining establishments. If ever a town needed Gordon Ramsay's advice it is this one! We decided to go out to the casino for dinner. My brother is an avid casino-attendee and my mother likes the place.

I don't mean to come off sounding snooty, but, well, it's an ok place, but not great. It is nice to have a special meal to the strains of Aerosmith's 'Dude Looks Like A Lady'. That was special. The food was not. But, my mother and brothe seemed to enjoy themselves and really that was what it was all about for me.

But if you want great food - don't go here.

Mind you, I won $15 on the way out and there are not many restaurants that can happen in. My mother got the real kicker - she won the Lotto 6/49! But that's a story for another day.

And now it snows!

This is crazy. Now the snow is coming down like no one's business. The only problem is that I am going a bit stir crazy - there is nothing to do! It is one thing to travel, but to go somewhere and sit and not have 'your stuff' is a bit frustrating.

I am working on the FilmAmora revamp, and also on the rewrite of 'Coming Out'... but good god where is the decent coffee?! Taking of the sacred brew at the Church of Tim Horton's I personally find unsatisfying. (Also, since when do they double glaze a frigging Dutchie?). I can't find a place with an actual coffee machine. Upon my return to España you will find me at the Carrefour tapas bar, without doubt.

I am reading this great book called 'The Dip'. I actually bought it for my brother for Xmas. I like reading books like this - it gets me motivated. I definitely agree with his philosophy - if you can't be the best, don't do it. Now, of course that is, on one level, blatantly stupid as a) who judges and b) someone is always better. But, the thought is be the best 'in your world'. Your world might be small town Indiana (though the internet has really buggered this idea up for a lot of people).

Anyway, I am rambling as a procrastination technique.

Up for air...

It's been a tough few months recently. Some quite stressful work, and lots of it, combined with ongoing woes about FilmAmora.com (and the useless institutions called Banks in Spain - and no I am not trying to get money from them!) and various other factors have taken their toll on me.

But, I am on a little respite, over here in Canada visiting my mother (and of course doing a little work related side traveling too - I am a workaholic).

It is incredibly cold here. How do Canadians survive it? And WHY? It was -18 Celcius last night when I arrived here in Sarnia. That is just.... stupid!

But it is relaxing, and I can even write up a few blog entries. I'm getting some screenwriting done here too... so life is getting back on track a little.

More soon....

Phil

See the difference you can make

Whoops.... a MONTH?

Crikey! It's been more than a month since I posted. Funny how life can whiz by like that.
Christmas and New Year's has come and gone. My best friend Dave Waldner and his wife Linda Gahagan were down for that. It was great to spend time with them. We did some driving around (to places like Malaga and Ronda) but for the most part we just hung out (apart from Xmas dinner over at Anna and Tilly's). We had an awesome New Year's Eve in Malaga, hanging out in the centre and drinking Champagne. What more can you ask for?!

Life has been pretty crazy - I have this contract to do a website for a Russian gambling company, but at the same time I am developing FilmAmora and of course doing all the business side of that. And CostaFilma. With our first screenplay optioned we are into the development side of that.

The other news is that we are producing a TV show that will be shown on Sky. Once that is finalised later this month I will post details.

More to follow....

In DEFENCE of whaling?

Incredibly, there seems to be some Japanese who think whaling is a good thing.
Today in the Japan Times was this letter:
Hold your beef about whale meat

By MISAO NAKAYA
Nara

J.H.G.'s Nov. 22 letter, "Plenty of other things to eat," motivated me to respond. It is true that only a few countries such as Japan, Norway and Iceland have hunted whales for food. Japanese fishermen used to make the best use of all parts of the whale, not only its meat but also fats and other stuff.

On the other hand, countries like the United States used to hunt whales only for the oil rendered from the fat, discarding all whale meat. What a waste! That was probably because Americans didn't have the habit of eating whale meat, just wasting the precious resources of the Earth.

Whales still provide a kind of meat that people eat for their meals. Although many kinds of whales were on the verge of extinction, some whales, such as minke, have proliferated to the extent that they can be used for our meals. Those whales are eating so much smaller fish, including sardines, that it is becoming harder for us to have fish for meals.

If the number of whales keeps increasing at the present rate, we will have fish shortages in the near future. It is too arrogant to insist that Americans can eat beef but that Japanese shouldn't eat whales.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.

And my response:


I feel I have to respond to MISAO NAKAYA's letter of Dec 4,2007, "Hold your beef about whale meat".
To use America's continued addiction to beef as an excuse for Japan's whaling is morally questionable to say the least. One's actions should need to be defended by pointing out the errors of others.
Nakaya's letter is a veritable brochure for Japan's whaling industry and quotes the oft-mentioned fallacy about whales and their fish consumption. I don't think there is a single, credible (i.e. not funding by the ICR or a similarly vested-interest body) study that would give this any weight. Even if there were, one could argue that perhaps instead of slaughtering some of the earth's greatest inhabitants you could, oh, I don't know... eat less fish???
That Japan and the Japanese don't seem to mind being globally identified by their whaling is a mystery to me. I would not want to be known as 'the ones who kill whales'. Indeed that is near the top of what people think of when they think of Japan, and I think that is sad. And if Japan managed, as Nakaya's letter implies, that they limited themselves to Minke whales then maybe there would be some measure of tolerance. But, as was reported recently, that Japan thinks that scientific research (the by-products of which - the meat - seem to make it to the stores shelves somehow) on Humpback and other great whales is going ahead as well.
I find the action shameful and a striking blow against what I truly think is a great nation and people.

On another note, if Nakaya really wanted to try and win us over there should have been some mention of Japan's spending sprees to try and win sway at the IWC. All over Africa and the Caribbean poor nations receive millions from Japan to gain their vote of support. That, it could be argued, does some good in the world. Shame that it comes at the cost of the lives of some of the world's gentle giants.