Mind The Net

Saturday, February 26, 2005

No time!

Okay, so no actual time to post part II yet. I know I have avid readers holding their collective breath waiting for the next installment in the Carlos Chronicles. . . I should change the name of the blog. Anyway, it's late on Saturday afternoon I have to run out and buy a bottle of wine to bring to dinner to an old friends' house! No time to talk about psychotic adventures.

One very exciting addition to my tech family here is a 160 GB hard drive. I bought a Maxtor drive, with a dual port outer shell for $212 !! So I'm happy and now I have somewhere to dump all the video footage that's sucking up my drive space on my powerbook. Crazy to think three or four years ago, I paid $599 plus tax for an external 80 gig La Cie. Very crazy.

Anyway, here's the place I got the drive from. After some screwing around -- literallly -- I think my ex took my screwdriver in her toolbox, so i had to fashion one out of a piece of metal in a 'poster hanging kit'. The whole package did come with a tiny screw driver for the tiny screws. . . but not one for the fatties. And my gawd were the tiny ones, tiny! I think they were made for babies. I kept dropping them.

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Energy Suckers part 1: Geena Davis

I don't quite know how to start this post. Several years ago--maybe 10 even--I dated a woman from the mall where I worked. I worked at Coles book store and she worked next door. She was about 6' feet tall, blonde, brown eyed and I thought extremely pretty. She reminded me of Geena Davis. Well, I hung out with her a couple of times, movies, walks in the park, that sort of thing. And there were real signs that this would go nowhere. The first one that comes to mind was something that happened at the movies. I can't remember the film, I just remember her reaction to a gay kiss or something of the sort. It was repulsion and a horrified look came over her face. I said, 'what? What's wrong with that? Lotsa people are gay or bisexual. I know a lot of people that are. I'm an actor after all and most of them are.'. I was exaggerating a little, but I wanted to see if what I was sensing was true or not. She was appalled at learning this. And visibly uncomfortable when I told her I was bisexual (I wasn't I was just pushing it a little). The dialogue went like this:
She: 'you better not be.'
Me: 'why not?'
She: 'Because I will walk out of here.'
Me: 'I don't understand, just because of that?'
She: 'Are you? . . . Are you?'
Me: 'Well, no. But why would that be a problem?'
She: 'Just stop it.'

I was dumbfounded. A week or so later, we go to another movie. I hadn't forgotten the incident, I had just buried under how pretty she was. Men, you can understand this. And women too I guess. We all become blinded at times by attraction (stupid animals).

Well, I'm standing in line with her at the movies and a friend of mine calls out to me. I need to point out here that my friend's family is from Africa. His skin is much darker than most people's, he and his brother are quite accustomed to being pulled over by police, ignored in restaurants etc, and for no reason other than their skin colour. I see him from across the parking lot (line up was outside) and he comes running over.

Hey buddy how are you etc . . .
'Well,' I say, 'this is my friend (insert name), he's an actor.'

And Geena Davis, takes an enormous step backwards from him.

It's more than noticeable, not just because she's tall and a normal step for her would have been two of mine, but for the let's call it, UNattempt at disguising her disgust at this person.

I spoke to that friend a day or so later and he asked what was up with the girl.
He: 'Were my antennae sticking out?'
Me: 'well, I'll tell you and you really have to believe me. It's not a black thing.' and of course he says,
'really'.
And I say,
'get this partner. . . I told her that all actors were gay about a week ago. And I introduced you as an actor, remember?
So after you left, she turned and whispered to me, 'Is he gay?'. '

I almost lost it (laughter wise, not tear wise-although they both come from the same place. . . ). There's more to this story: let's just say I dumped her later that week. I had only seen her a handful of times. But she made me wish I had done it at her place instead of on my driveway. . . because she sat on the hood of her car and bawled and wailed and grabbed at me and wanted 'one last kiss, to remember what it was like.'. In my head, not to be insensitive, I was thinking. . . 'I don't even know you. We've been out five times together at most!! You're flippin' crazy, crazy head.' And she was.

Join me tomorrow when I explain how this happened to me again, ten years later with a different woman. But who's birthday was only a week apart from Geena Davis's. I am not a firm believer in astrology, no. I'm a little more scientifically minded, but I do know something about it. They were both, clingy, needy Leo's that expected something in return for their stupid feelings. ;-) ( see the winky face indicates that I am aware of how insensitive it is to call someone's feelings stupid. Even a stupid persons. It's just funnier.)

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Tuesday

Never fall asleep on your couch. I woke up at 9:am only because the cats were wanting their breakfast. Otherwise I would have missed my 10:am audition. Not that it was a big deal, but it ain't good to miss things or be late. I hate it when people are late, I would hate to be that guy.

Doing a demo for a friend tonight. . . no one has any money to pay me! They can't seriously expect me to do everything for free right? My mother says, charity starts at home. Take care of yourself and your people first. Then worry about the rest of the world. Well, I kinda missed the boat on that.

Also did my last episode of a cartoon today! I had no idea it was my last episode for the season! There goes that sure thing cheque! Our show is very popular with the kids, it's for preschoolers. Check it out!

Sunday, February 20, 2005

Koko's friends?

What's going on?! My favourite gorilla is being shamed in all the papers and online news. Two members of her staff are suing for a total of around a million bucks! But the organization needs that money! Penny Patterson asked them to show Koko their nipples. . . pressured them, one statment says.

I remember when Koko and Penny did an online chat a few years ago, Koko said 'nipples' in that particular session as well, but Penny explained that she used the word because it sounded like 'people'. Lots of 'nipples' she said. Something like that.

So what happens now? I think Penny needs to address this publicly. Koko and her species are in great danger, how can this be happening? Now the organization will be plagued with this 'interspeciel sexual harassment' and attention will be taken away from their plight. This is unacceptable.

I would urge Penny to respond to the claims of the former employees and urge everyone else not to forget the reasons that Koko dot org exists.

Oh Thursday

As bad as mine was, it was worse for my friend who's mother passed away that same day. I have just returned home from the funeral. Very sad. I think I like the Jewish traditions better than the ones I was familiar with growing up. They actually wait till the body's in the ground and then everyone who is invited to, takes a shovel or two full of dirt and throws it on the coffin. It was practially fully buried in about ten minutes. And very cold today. Fingers and toes hurting as they thawed on the way to my friend's parents place for food and the beginning of Shiva. I am not sure if this is the first day of Shiva or if that's tomorrow.

Well, that's Sunday. But can you believe Thursday? And my sister is out of the hospital now, but still in great discomfort and not so happy about the possibility of a looming surgery, just before her scheduled trip to Japan. She may have to postpone. Sad, the opportunity of a lifetime.