New Mural for Adam's Ribs

Calling all Techies out there... I want a new mural for the title at the top of my page. The plain white words just aren't cutting it anymore... Occasionally, I browse through other blogs to see if anything catches my attention and I notice some blogs had great murals for their blogs. Being the materialistic bastard that I am (just so you know, I was born before my folks were married, and that gives me the right to call myself that!), I want one now too.

I found some other blogs from Hub Publications from around the Northwest Territories. I actually liked the creativity of these:

• http://www.hacala.ca/journal/more-on-a-tweet/

• http://vivacemusica.blogspot.com/2009/07/ode-to-summer.html

• especially this one

  http://www.snowcoveredhills.com/?p=3090

Browsing on Blogspot I found these:

• http://distressability.blogspot.com/

• http://www.crossfitnewhampshire.com/

• http://seymourcornelius.blogspot.com/

• Great name,

  http://sabotagesarah.blogspot.com/

• http://poptrropicaspeedyfly.blogspot.com/

So, I'm actually asking if there's anyone out there who can help me out... I'd like someone to create an original mural for me. I know this is probably hard to do something like this for someone you might not know very well, but my computer lacks the creative tools to complete something like this, and not to mention I already have a full procrastination list (see last blog). So to assist you, I'm going to brainstorm for you all the things that I like to use in a mural using your own artwork, photography, media skills or using some of my available pics from my blog or my old website. If there are any murals that I really like, I will change the plain old "Adam's Ribs," to your creative piece of multimedia genius! Crediting you, of course!

You have my permission to use the photo above, if you wish... I think this picture captures my humour and spontaneity.

Here's my brainstorm of words to associate with me:
music, movies, acting, singing, the North, writing, socializing, having coffee, photography, entertainment news, interesting news pieces, computer games, video games, Xbox 360, aboriginal ancestry, paranormal stories, creativity, humour, travel.

Some things I love to see:
Northern lights, northern scenery, wildlife, abstract photography.

P-R-O-C-R-A-S... Oh hell, I'll spell it later.

As I may have said earlier, if you were to look up procrastination in the dictionary, you would find my picture. And it would be a non-flattering, rolling out-of-bed, after a week of Mardi-Gras, hungover, bad picture.

Part of the idea of starting a blog is to be able to tell people about what's going on in my life. Is my life so mundane that I have nothing to write about? No. Was there no events that I can write about? No. Is there no issues in the news that I can't write about? No to that too. So, what was I doing? Can I blame Facebook? Mayhaps. How about my buddy James for telling me about The Movies computer game. Probably. Or, maybe I can say I'm a weak, network socializer with a penchant for games on social networks and for old videogames that continually challenge you to do your best, while ignoring other things that should surely be done. Yep... sounds like me.

Let me make a list of the things I've been neglecting.

1. Cleaning my Man Room(c). For those of you who don't know, my Man Room(c) is my basement dungeon where I have my computer set up at a desk, and my Xbox360 set up on a computer flat screen with a comfy couch. Notice the little copyright after the Man Room(c), it's my little way of thinking I have an original room idea (so, sue me... I'm in denial) and it's to give you an idea of how to speak it. You should emphasize it when you say it and use a deeper voice, so that you at least pretend it's important. Air quotes are acceptable as long as there is no rolling of the eyes from the females. Anyways, I have a habit of leaving empty snack bags and beverage containers where they lie. After all, it's hard to pause when playing multiplayer on Xbox Live to get up to the garbage bin. To me, it's not that bad, however when you think it's too dirty for another guy to come check out your Man Room(c), you know it needs cleaning. I also have a curtain rod to put up and my wife reminds me that my mother-in-law is coming for a visit soon. But, I don't think I can get a Bobcat in here...
2. Blog... see posting date?? Nuff said.
3. Scripts. All my scripts are still in development hell in my brain... casting is yet to be determined. Although if I really want to make some of these into movies, I should get my butt into gear.
4. Although she doesn't tell me so, I feel I've been neglecting my wife. We had a nice dinner and our friend made us an anniversary cake for our eight year anniversary which was on the seventh. We had a nice barbecue with our friends, including fellow blogger Kara. I had a great time that day. But I feel like I haven't spent enough time with my wife. With work, and kids, and putting them to bed, we both yearn for our down time and I feel like we haven't spent much time together. Although I do visit her at almost every coffee break, and spend most lunches with her, I can't help feeling like she needs more of me... it doesn't help that I come down here to blog, and play. Here's my version of a public display of affection... I love my wife very much and think that I've lucked out very much in finding her. My life would be different without her and I consider my life with her, and the birth of our two boys... a blessing. She's reading this, I know... "I love you, honey."

I guess that isn't so bad... my procrastination list. Maybe everyone should make a procrastination list so that you can understand whats important to you and needs to be done. Never forget to tell the important people in your life that you love them and try to whittle your list down. As for me, I'm sure I have to visit my wife now, as she's probably added more things to my list.

The Origins of the H1N1 Virus... must read.

Happy Canada Day... and pics for my buddy Jay.

What is it about vehicles and guys loving them? Beats me. But when I see a kick ass ride I wish it was me that gets to drive it. When I see a 'for sale' sign on a barely drivable classic, I think, "I can fix it up," when I'm lucky enough to complete a cabinet from Ikea.

Guys are like that... we see a rusting bucket of bolts and think we can fix it up, while women see a problem guy and think I can fix him up. We're built that way to always see the possibilities of what could be. I think that if we didn't think that way, we'd still be trying to make fire in a cave someway.

My buddy Jason can fix up old vehicles. And he's shown me some of the projects he's worked on including a $200,000 car. He's proud of the work that he's done, and I can say that I'm proud of him as well.

I always tell him that I saw an awesome truck and I thought of him. Or I saw a fixer-upper for sale and I think I could buy that and bring it to Jay.

We've been buddies since high school and he lives in Prince George, British Columbia, while I live in top of the world, Hay River, Northwest Territories. We see each other when we can, usually in Grande Prairie or Fort St. John. But it only amounts to a couple of times a year.

Anyways, I put these pics on the blog for Jason.

BTW (By the way), someone here in Hay River has a Ferrari. This person, who used to be my neighbour, has a '91 Ferrari. I approached him today at the Canada Day Celebrations and told him that he had to let me sit in his car... he said that maybe he'd take me for a drive... in this case, maybe is good enough. I've never been in a Ferrari, and me sitting in one would be like a Penguin at the North Pole... it just doesn't happen.

Anyways, Happy Canada Day Everyone!

Thanks...

Thanks to James for turning me on to Rooster Teeth comics... just my style of humour. It doesn't say much for me, does it?

Michael Jackson R.I.P.

Another Part of Me died yesterday. Say, Say, Say, what you want about Michael Jackson, his behaviour may have been Off The Wall, but his music could Heal The World. Do you Remember The Time when Thriller came out? He may not have been happy with the Man In The Mirror, but he was hoping to have One More Chance with his fifty city world tour. Clearly his death is not Black Or White, whether he had a Bad heart and it couldn’t Beat It. All we know is Michael Jackson is Gone Too Soon.

Seriously though, we'll miss Michael and I give my sincere condolences to the Jackson family. He will be missed.

I Want to be a Ghost Hunter

I’ve been interested in the paranormal forever. I guess it started out as the normal youthful curiosity after watching some scary movies. Psychic phenomenon fascinates me. Stories of hauntings have always interested me. Even stories of monsters I’ve found intriguing. It doesn’t mean I believe it all, but I do find them interesting.

For a long time I’ve seen movies with ghosts and found them grossly entertaining. I really don’t expect a real ghostly experience to be like the Amityville Horror or The Entity. I should expect that they are more likely to be like The 6th Sense. Some of my friends said they didn’t find the movie scary, but I think that the events in the movie would be closer to a paranormal experience than others.

I’ve also praised A&E’s paranormal show Paranormal State, for a more ‘realistic’ view of the paranormal. They don’t film something and say, “Look! It’s a ghost!” But they’ll say they captured a misty phenomenon on film, and it could be explained by humidity levels from the entrance. The subject group of the show, the Paranormal Research Society (PRS), would be hesitant to jump to the conclusion that they have definitive proof of paranormal activities, but some of the cases they’ve documented have captured convincing paranormal activities. In almost every episode that I’ve seen the PRS has had some convincing experiences. For Father’s Day, my wife and kids got me the first two seasons on DVD… and I watched the first episode of season one on my lunch break.

I’ve also heard great reviews of a show called Ghost Hunters. I’ve never seen the show because for some reason my satellite provider doesn’t get it… Damn You ExpressVu! Although the personal reviews I’ve heard of the show have been favourable, the website Wikipedia notes some not so kind reviews of the show. That being said, I like Paranormal State and Wikipedia also has some bad reviews for that show too.

I think that the evidence caught on audio/video (AV) have always interested me as well. We’ll never know completely whether AV from these shows is not tampered with in any way.

Audio recordings have been used by ‘professional’ and amateurs alike for years. EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) is very popular and featured in movies and television. I saw an episode of a show called Sightings in the early 1990’s with a supposed expert in EVP. She walked through an old Civil War Prison and recorded some pretty creepy recordings. She had the entire fort to herself and captured some recordings like:

“Make it stop.”

“The pain…”

“That’ll do.”

There were other recordings that she captured, but I can’t recall what was said. She only caught those on her recorder after the audio signal was boosted and subtitled for the viewers to understand.

EVP has been so convincing and scary, that people are more likely to believe the phenomenon. However it can be easily debunked as pranksters, voices carried on the wind, etc.

When the movie “White Noise,” came out, I saw the preview of the movie and even before I said I wanted to see the movie, my wife said that I was not to bring that movie into our house. I saw the movie anyway, and I didn’t think it was that creepy.

Because of my interest in ghosts, I have a huge interest in old and historical buildings. I love to explore abandoned derelict buildings and see evidence of things that haven’t been touched in years. I took the picture in a storage building that used to be for the Residential School in Hay River, it was creepy and I couldn’t go to the basement of that building. Felt some bad mojo from there.

In the Northwest Territories we have the Naka (I’ve heard it pronounced Nuh-Guh) or better known as the Boogeyman. I’ve been told that the Naka’s origins actually started in before the Europeans arrived to Western Canada. I was told by elders that Naka literally meant stranger. And in olden times, when someone appeared near their village that was not known, they referred to them as Naka. Their appearance was usually indicative that someone from their village was going to be taken. Further stories have also indicated that this would be one tribe’s measures to prevent inbreeding. Someone would go to another village to steal away one of their boys or girls to be married off in their village.

The Naka has a fairy tale story feel to it, with historical origins, so I found it interesting. There’s been stories of Sasquatch, Yeti, Okopogo, Loch Ness Monster, and the Mothman all over the world. Some specified to certain geographical areas, such as the Okopogo in the Okanagan of British Columbia and the Lake Ness Monster in Scotland. Some evidence presented has been clearly debunked in the past.

Don’t you love hearing stories of people who had premonitions of things to happen and then proven correct later? Even I’ve incredible experiences with Déjà vu that have freaked me out. There have been shows produced about psychics like Medium and The Listener and countless movies and novels. There are different kinds of psychics with different kinds of abilities. There are different claims to different abilities and many skeptics have loved debunking claimed psychics. The most famous skeptic that I can think of was Harry Houdini. To him he took psychic claims and would disprove them because he felt people were being taken advantage of.

All this being said, I wish I was a ghost hunter or paranormal investigator. Just to be there to experience it and give an opinion of yes or no to the phenomenon. Got any ghosts? How about a demon possessing your daughter? Instead of calling the Ghostbusters, give me a call first.