Shani realizes all too well that she and Pania are in Dakota country. Pania has a revelation.
Black Mask & Pale Rider: Part Fifty-One
Monthly Archives: March 2010
End Game
Not exactly what you might think, but it’s fitting, to a point.
Found it very odd this last weekend when I was in the city. Among the stops that I made with Pearce to the farmer’s market, the burlesque show, visiting and hanging out with friends, I also made stops at 8th Street Books & Comics and at one of the EB Games locations in the city. I was just like a kid in a candy store at 8th Street. They moved into a larger location, which is great because it’s so much more wide open than the old location. And all the stuff they had. I just wished I had enough money to buy all the books I wanted to buy. Perhaps that will be on the next trip into the city, which will be this weekend.
I managed to pick up a few trades, all of them collections of the Green Arrow Black Canary series. Always loved the writing for the character and this was no different. I pretty much poured over them when I returned to Outlook. And I know there’s more that I could pick up, along with the trades for Sandman Mystery Theatre. I need a wad of a thousand dollars and walk into there one day.
At EB Games it was very different. I used to walk in and have the same attitude as 8th Street. But this last weekend it was a big pile of meh. Nothing really jumped out at me, and perhaps that’s because I feel a little cynical about video games. I used to get pumped about a new video game on the market. Tomb Raider, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force, Unreal Tournament, Freedom Force and so much more. Now I feel so much disinterest in video games. The only one that sparked any interest at all was Neverwinter Nights 2 Gold edition, but I’ve already got the first game and would only need the expansion.
I think part of it’s been my current play with MMO’s. Lately, they’ve completely underwhelmed me. I used to role play a lot in MMO’s and in games like NWN (the original Bioware product) on persistent world servers. But now, I’d rather just play, earn levels, have some fun. City of Heroes isn’t cutting it for me anymore, really. I’ve even been playing Champions Online, but really, how can you play an MMO where everyone’s treating it like a single player game. At present, MMO’s have become a great big money sink, and nothing more. Which is rather disappointing because I shelled out the bucks for the pre-release of Going Rogue. Now, I’m not sure if I want to play the game anymore.
There’s other factors involved, but right now, I find more interest in books than I do in gaming. Maybe that will change, but something tells me it won’t. I’ve been playing online games now for over ten years, the end game has come.
And sadly, it’s boring me to tears.
Until next time…
…keep ’em flyin’!
Farmer’s Market
A while ago, I did a write up on the local Outlook Farmer’s Market. I like going to farmer’s markets, there’s all sorts of produce and products to buy, and often times you’re pretty sure it’s locally grown or produced.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to the Saskatoon Farmer’s market. It was awesome! Located in the city’s downtown and part of the river front project that is ongoing right now in Saskatoon, it was a nice change of pace from the bustle of going through a major shopping centre. It’s also proof that establishments like Wal*Mart will not be the end of all smaller businesses. Mostly because a lot of those smaller businesses have produce and products that Wal*Mart can’t (or will not) carry.
When I walked into the farmer’s market, I had a sudden feeling that this was like the exhibitors lane at the Saskatoon Ex, but on a smaller scale. And it’s held year round, as opposed to just for the ten day duration of the Ex. Or, in the Outlook Farmer’s Market case, just during the summer months. To be fair, this building was set aside by the Saskatoon City Council and by the business community. It adds to the River Landing.
Locally grown produce and locally manufactured food stuffs and hand crafts are all on display. Even a couple of restaurants have set up smaller food court versions in this place to give the place a nice sit down area to have a bite to eat. And next door to it all is a specialty beer and wine store, filled with imported (both internationally and interprovincially) alcohols. From pale ales, to stouts, to bitters, it’s got it all.
It’s one of many wonderful things to do on a Saturday afternoon, or during the week over the lunch hour. Be careful about heading out to the Farmer’s Market during the work day, however, because you can easily lose track of time while you’re browsing the wares. But it is an experience that should not be missed at all. Markets like this are a great thing, whether it’s in a city the size of Saskatoon, or a town the size of Outlook (or smaller). But the bottom line is this; support your farmer’s market. You are in a win win situation when you buy locally grown and produced products.
Until next time…
…keep ’em flyin’.
Burlesque in Saskatoon
One of the big reasons why I went to the city, aside from getting out of Outlook for the weekend and have an enjoyable change of pace, was to take in a show. This show Pearce had told me about. It’s from a theatre troupe called Rosebud Burlesque, a burlesque theatre group and school in Saskatoon.
While I do not have any photos that I can show you (we were asked not to take pictures, but their website has a ton of photos from that performance and other performances), I can tell you it was incredible. I’ve never gone to a show like this before. To start, it was a small crowd that gathered in the Refinery, a small theatre hall just off Broadway in Saskatoon. The cozy location was perfect for the 100 or so that paid to see the show. And the performers did not disappoint. An incredible showing by each and every single one, right down to the Emcee, Shaharizadee, who’s tongue in cheek humour drew close to the line of risqué, sometimes leaping over it, but was never vulgar. The audience was right into each performance, encouraged by the words of Shaharizadee that the more boisterous the applause, the more would be revealed.
Some might say this was just a strip tease. Nay nay, I say. It was class, and the performers showed that they had the confidence to perform as if in a play. It was more than just removing clothing. It was dance, singing, and acting rolled into one. One of the highlights of the evening was Helena Handbasket as she performed the alphabet, with letters strategically placed, each one revealed as the song went on. And the song should not be confused with the children’s one, but more, like this one as sung by Patrick Stewart.
Check out the Rosebud Burlesque theatre if ever you get a chance to see them. You won’t be disappointed.
Until next time…
…keep ’em flyin’.
I been hangin’ ’round gas stations
I been hangin’ around libraries
I been learnin’ ’bout books
I been talkin’ to playwriters
I been workin’ on words, phrases
Call this my very musically patriotic post. But I was struck while suddenly getting misty eyed over memories of the past. One song has always been there for me, not one that truly inspired any of my writing, but one that’s always been there. The Guess Who’s Running Back To Saskatoon. It always seems that at some point in my life, I’m doing just that, running back to Saskatoon.
It’s not a bad thing, per say. I love the city, I’ve lived in it at various points in my life. I always come back to it. Saskatoon is familiar ground for me, just as Outlook is a comforting home. It wasn’t until today that some of the lyrics of Running Back To Saskatoon really hit home. Oh, I know that Burton Cummings is an excellent song writer, crafting music that sounds fun, but has a message at the same time. American Woman, for example, was ironic. It became a smash hit in the States in the early 70’s, but the focus of the song was more like a slap in the face of what the American government was doing at the time.
Those lyrics that I highlighted in Running Back To Saskatoon hit home, because I’ve really been talking to people a lot lately about books. Over the past two and a half years, I have been hangin’ out in “libraries”. Those virtual libraries of web lit authors and even going to places to learn how to publish my own material (thus, it fits with “been learnin’ ’bout books”).
I have been talking to playwriters, individuals such as authors James Melzer, Jenny Hudock, Edward Talbot. Poets like Ray Onativia. And script writers like David N. Wilson. I’ve learned from them the mistakes and triumphs that they have made, and taken their examples as I plug away at this thing called writing.
And I’ve been workin’ on words and phrases. Over 98,000 words to be exact. Black Mask & Pale Rider has been an accomplishment that has taken almost two years. And it’s so close to completion it’s not even funny. Things are coming, that’s for sure.
But for this weekend, I’m runnin’ back to Saskatoon, hookin’ up with my buddy Pearce, and we’re takin’ in a Burlesque show. Now, sing it with me…
Moose Jaw saw a few, Moosomin too
Runnin’ back to Saskatoon
Red Deer, Terrace and a Medicine Hat
Sing another prairie tune
Sing another prairie tune
Until next time…
…keep ’em flyin’!
Blood of the Moon: Chapter 1.3
(advisement: Strong language warning)
Two young men leaned against the wall of a dusty brownstone, both wore red bandanas on their heads, and black leather jackets, each with the distinct crest of the flaming red skull that identified them as members of the Crimson Skulls. As one lit a cigarette a third joined them, motioning with a nod toward the front door of the brownstone. They moved slowly, watching the streets as they entered the front door, just as a police cruiser rounded the corner. The car moved slowly down the street as the two officers inside watched both sides with some suspicion and a great deal of scrutiny.
Inside the brownstone, the three men walked up a flight of stairs and came to the first door at the top of the stairs. The man smoking his cigarette knocked twice and listened. A knock replied and he knocked three times in return. Clicks sounded out as latches were turned, finally the door opening. A lithe looking young man stood on the other side of the threshold, a toothpick hanging out of his mouth as he studied the three men.
“Yer fuckin’ late,” he said with some disdain in his voice. He stepped back to let the three inside. “Time is money, ya shitheads. Be on fuckin’ time next time, got it?” He watched as the three young men entered the small apartment. Each took a seat on a ratty old couch that matched the decor of the rest of the room. An old television, flanked by mismatched end tables, one on which supported the gaudiest of lamps. Beer cans piled in a corner next to the cases that once carried them. Doors hung crookedly on their frames and bedsheets hung from the windows instead of regular curtains.
“We had some trouble with the cops, Sammy,” one of the young men piped up. “They’d been tailin’ us for a while, an’ we needed ta take a diff’rent route here.” Sammy took a deep breath and placed his hands on top of his shaved head.
“’Kay, good ‘nough,” he finally said in his own version of an apology. “We gotta talk ’bout Justin,” he finally stated in a rather cool tone, as though he were speaking about taking out the trash. “Little punk needs ta be taught a lesson, which means we gotta make sure his ass gets inta Upton. We still got a few connections there, so he can get whacked in a prison fight ‘r somethin’.”
“Dude, no ‘ffense,” one of the other young men replied with a chuckle. “You seen his legal team. They workin’ pro-bono for ‘im. Say he should get juvey.”
“What, he took the whole rap?” Sammy said as he pulled up a chair.
“Justin admitted ta everything,” the man replied. “Said he was the one with the gun, an’ it was him that tried ta rob those coupla stores.”
“What gun?”
“The .44 he carried.”
“Fuck!” Sammy cried out in anger at the news. “We can’t even pin a murder on ‘im with that gun. An’ there’s no chance a cop would be on the take with us, they too busy with Don Maximus guys uptown.” He rose from his chair and paced the room for a while as he thought of a solution. “What ’bout that job we did three months ‘go. When we tried pushin’ Chow at the corner market?”
“Guy fell down dead o’ a heart attack, Sammy,” one of the others stated.
“Yeah, but the cops think it was just that b’cause you guys never took nothin’,” Sammy said with a smile as the three young men began to understand. “Get word on the street an’ see if ya can’t get it ta the cops somehow that Justin was the one pressin’ Chow.” Sammy smiled as he crossed his arms, gloating with the idea. “That’ll make sure Justin gets closer ta Upton for sure.”
Sask Books: Song Dogs
Song Dogs
By Betty Wilson
Published by Coteau Books
Review by Marie Powell Mendenhall
Price: $ 9.95 CDN ISBN: 1-55050-216-6
Anyone who has heard coyotes yipping and howling across the prairie will have no trouble identifying Betty Wilson’s Song Dogs.
Wilson conveys the story of these animals with humor and understanding, in this nonfiction book for middle grades and older. She describes their unique call as “warnings, greetings, threats and a little hollering just for the heck of it.”
The book follows a young coyote named Silvertip, and other coyotes nearby, as he grows up in a particular section of rural Alberta. Using the traditions of creative nonfiction, Wilson names the coyotes and situates their stories in the gritty realism of their habitat. For instance, Silvertip fights off a bout of distemper, loses his toes in a trap, and survives fever and infection.
Along with his mate Shadow and several other coyotes, Silvertip must fight for survival against man and the hardships of the environment. Wilson pulls no punches about the role of man in their story. The ranchers hunt them with rifles, traps, hounds and snowmobiles. The coyotes must also survive rattlesnakes, winter, starvation, and other trials of the wild.
These playful and resourceful animals punctuate their lives with their voices: “Suddenly the night was alive with coyote song, echoing with ventriloquist’s magic, from family to family, back and forth across the river valley.”
Pencil sketches appear throughout the pages as well. The book was a finalist for the Canadian Library Association book award for children.
THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR VISIT WWW.SKBOOKS.COM
Black Mask & Pale Rider: Part Fifty
Pania’s life hangs in the balance as Shani tries to find a way to save her. Meanwhile, the elven bard is dreamwalking.
Black Mask & Pale Rider: Part Fifty
Did You Read It? No? Then Stop Bitching
I’ve been thinking about this for a long, long time now. The thing that actually made me want to actually write a post about it (okay, rant, it’s a rant, I’ll admit it) was the release party of New Moon that Zodi posted the other day.
It’s more than obvious the popularity of the Twilight series, both in movies and in book format. And to that, I draw into the argument another series that Zodi has also read. The Harry Potter series. While Twilight has received more than a few critiques from the internet faithful, poking fun mostly at the imaginative use of the mythos that we’ve come to know about vampires. Let’s face it, first and foremost it’s original. Second, it’s a well crafted romance and people who are very much into that kind of a story will read it.
Thirdly, and possibly the most important point, both Twilight and Harry Potter did something that many had feared would be lost with the new generation growing up. It got people to read books. With Harry Potter a complete controversy arose in that it was about wizardry and magic. Had the targeted audience been a little older, then there might not have been any controversy at all, because I’ve seen a lot worse in books written by Michael Slade. But because it was directed at children, there was an outcry from the religious right. Don’t get me wrong, I consider myself a Christian, but in no way do I push my beliefs on people.
As the Harry Potter book series became more and more popular, I watched in disgust as groups banded together to have book burning parties. Yes, there were those that actually took copies of Harry Potter and burned them. I was mystified by these people, because some were old enough to have remembered the Second World War. I wondered if they were horrified that the Nazis were burning books, and if they spoke out against the very thing they were doing in the present.
To sum it up, the reason for the anger was that Harry Potter, the character, was going to a school of wizardry. And as it states in the Bible “thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” As has been translated, wizardry, sorcery, witch craft and it’s like was condemned by God. Okay, I get that, I can deal with that. Even though I know a great number of practicing witches who follow the Bible’s view of peace, love and the proper treatment of their fellow man closer than do many right wing Christians. Ain’t that ironic. But the focus of the Harry Potter books was all about witch craft and wizardry, and the religious right was worried that children would take this as the gospel truth. The religious right forgot two very important things. First, Harry Potter is a work of fiction. And second, kids are a lot smarter than we often will give them credit for. Kids aren’t stupid, but the adults who make the news these days sure are.
Harry Potter did the one thing that kids had not done in a long time. Crack open a book. Parents were reading them to their kids, and in many cases, even the parents were reading the books. The story was captivating and magical (see what I did there, huh, huh!). It drew a perfect picture so the reader could imagine what the world Harry Potter lived in was like.
The thing I found quite amusing was that the majority of people condemning Harry Potter had never opened the book at all. They didn’t read it, so they really had no clue what the story was about. In the end, it boiled down to the simple premise of most epic stories like Harry Potter; good versus evil, with good triumphing. It was a kid’s version of Lord of the Rings. Since J.K. Rowling has written that first book, several more have followed suit. A movie franchise has been created. There’s even a theme park in the works.
Those kids also grew older.
And many began reading Twilight.
I can’t compare the story of Harry Potter and Twilight, they are so far different. The only thing you can say is that both are fantasy. Twilight, however, is geared to an older audience. Teenagers and up. It’s fantasy romance, it’s nothing new that we haven’t seen before. Girl meets boy, boy turns out to be vampire, girl loves boy anyway. Just ask Joss Whedon about that.
Stephanie Mayer also did something that hadn’t been seen in such a way before with vampires. She tweaked it, just a bit. Bram Stoker and Anne Rice already had locked the market on the dark aspect of vampires. Joss Whedon did dark, but campy with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Mayer kept one aspect from each of those, however. The romance.
To all those who think that I love sparkly vampires; it’s not really my thing. But I’m not gonna disparage someone for liking the book series and reading it. I don’t have that right, and neither does anyone else who has never read the book series. The only one who has said something against Twilight that I’ve heard of and respect is Movie Bob from theescapistmagazine.com. He watched the movies as part of his review. But he also read the books. His opinion matters. Anyone who hasn’t read the books, and still comes out complaining should just shut up.
You’re missing the point completely. It’s not about whether or not J. K. Rowling or Stephanie Mayer books will have a longevity like Shakespear (and, sorry, my money is firmly planted on yes they will), it’s about what the books did for people right now.
It got them to read. That’s all that matters.
Until next time…
…keep ’em flyin’.
Zodi hijack
Okay we all knew this was coming. Why wouldn’t it? I mean hell Tim just talked about two of the favorites on my list of reading.
And what is the first thing I see when I look at the comments? Someone who clearly missed the point of the blog post. I’m curious. Why on earth would you compare a novelist, yes that is what Stephanie Meyers and J.K Rowlings are, to Joss Whedon?
Okay so he redid Buffy and made it better and Stephanie showed a TEENAGED GIRL falling love. Where is the comparison? She showed a personality type, the shy quiet awkward girl. I’m sorry but no Joss Whedon did not do what Stephanie Meyer did. He took a stereo type in 1992 and made a joke.
I have said previously, yes the Twilight Saga could have been written better, and filled out more. But the concept is sound. What is to say that over thousands of years that Vampires didn’t evolve to make human-like decisions become ‘vegetarians.’ Who wrote the rules of vampires, of which I might add are FICTIONAL beings.
Now if you’ll excuse me I’ll start on Harry Potter.
SEVEN books that mixed the real world with fantasy. You know I think I know another book that did the same thing. The Chronicles of Narnia. The books hardly dealt with anything romantic until the end. Around the time when boys stop thinking that girls have cooties. Putting the children in real life situations, like dances, sport and competition.
OMG THEY ADDED WITCHCRAFT! DEVILS WORK! Did they even read the book? It’s not teaching anything the Bible hasn’t. Transfiguration is the same as transmogrifying. Did Jesus not turn water into wine? So Harry and his friend turned rats into teacup, I fail to see the difference.
Zach makes a good point here as we sit here discussing it. Jesus turning water into wine was a miracle because the water was undrinkable. But Harry turning his rat into cup was different simply because it didn’t benefit everyone. Something I’ve noticed with the world and I know I suffer from it as well. Xenophobia.
Another series that I’d like to point out that I’ve been reading is The Mortal Instrument Series. This book has a brother in love with his sister! Flowers in the Attic did the same thing. It’s books like this that cause controversy that get people to read.
I think the thing that irked me the most about the first comment is the simple fact someone had to gall to take writing a novel and compare it to someone who has never written a novel, at least to my knowledge has only written comic books and screenplays. Same genre yes; same media no.
All in all, I don’t care how shitty a book is, how dramatic it may be or how it portrays the female character to be weak and submissive. It gets to kids to read and that the important part. Here lemme repeat it:
IT GETS KIDS TO READ!
Keep it real and rockin’
Turn the Page 