D'Arcy: the boy whose exploits troubled a nation

1:44PM - The rest is silence.

I'm writing my final english paper. It's going to be called "Improvised Theater as Seen Through Philosophy". The philosophical influence will mostly be coming from Zen Buddhism, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. Sounds good? Any other schools of thought I should be headin' down?

8:10PM - The best at what I do.

Just finished reading issue #1 of Wolverine Noir on Marvel's FREE FREE FREE digital comic service. It blew me away. I haven't read a single issue that good for a long time. I'll be sure to add it to my list of Trades to pick up.

10:32AM - Two Shoes

While I may not be buying comics in issue format for the next while, I can still let you guys know about some of the awesome stuff that is out there this week.

Batman & Robin #5 - Grant Morrison and Philip Tan
So the first 3 issues (Morrison and Quitely) were an amazing roller coaster, and felt like the only Batman book where anything has changed (for those of you not in the know, Bruce Wayne is dead...well, trapped in time..) his writing and art style seem to be one of the only books out there right now that really seem to get that it's a NEW Batman and a NEW Robin. The Morrison writing has been some of his best work in recent years, and Frank Quitely's unique art really made an impact. While issue 4 took some time to warm up to, I'm very excited to see where this series is going to.

Sweet Tooth #2 - Jeff Lemire
For those of you who have been lucky enough to pick up any of the ESSEX COUNTY trades, you know what a gift it is to see Lemire working on a monthly title. The best way to describe is art and writing style is "necessary". No words are spoken that don't have to be. The art, while very sketchy and simple, only includes what HAS to be there, and that makes it much more powerful. This is a brand new world to play it; Lemire is free from worrying about what some character did back in issue #246 and is able to freeflow is ideas onto paper.

Daredevil #501 - Andy Diggle and Roberto De La Torre
I'm not gonna lie, my first issue of Daredevil was #500. A new writer and artist mean big things for the series, and if you've ever been worried about when to jump into an ongoing, well here is the best time. Perhaps they might not live up to Frank Miller's amazing run, or even Kevin Smith's, but Daredevil is an amazing character.

Criminal: Sinners #1 -  Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Easily the best crime stories being told today. Get it!

Haunt #1 - ROBERT KIRKMAN and TODD McFARLANE
No, I don't know for sure that it's going to be amazing, but when you have the creator of THE WALKING DEAD writing, and the man who brought SPIDER-MAN to the modern age and created SPAWN, you know you will probably have an amazing book.

Strange Tales # 2  - Various
Indie comics writing superhero shorts, what more can you want?

5:04PM - Skool Daze

Back to school! I'm taking 5 courses this semester. I was going to drop 1 and go down to 4, but I've got a lot of cool profs. this time around.

I'm thinking while in school I'll stop buying/reading comic books, at least in issue form. I just don't/won't have the time and money to drop $25 bucks once a week. Trades are the way to go now.

There are some amazing shows coming up. Got some Easystar this Sunday. Subcity Dwellers on October. Bouncing Souls and Youth Brigade in October. Mad Caddies in November.
Amy and I are going to start trying to put on some all-ages ska shows, probably starting in November.

Lately, with all the news reporting on the same stories, I've been feeling like Colin.

5:20PM - What is.

What is poetry if not beautiful language?

Can poetry really matter if it's made for now? If right now why not then?
Because then is gone and so we must carry on hearing and reading and standing on
shoulders.

What does poetry say? Does it need to say anything?
If it doesn't say anything, if it's only a pattern on play,
why say anything?

Why do we reach for poetry? Is the dictionary really dead?
And when we go to bed and rest our head what
do we wish for instead?

Maybe it doesn't need to matter and maybe it doesn't need to say anything, heck, perhaps we've already reached poetry.
To make a point: There is no point.
If we reach inside and recognise part of ourselves in these words; stories; tales; legends; fables; myths, and fart jokes, then maybe that's all that matters.

Because, what is poetry
 if not beautiful language?

8:49PM - and stuff

Holla,

First things first, Batman: Arkham Asylum: The Game. I booted it up, and in seconds I was drawn in. The sound quality is brilliant, and this is clearly a product of love. It's a great game that isn't just some hackNslash, afterall, it's Batman. You have to use your detective skills to snoop and sneak around. Just get the demo off of Steam or whatever program you use. Just get it!

I did a 12 hour improvathon a 2 days ago. I'll probably make an update later just focusing on that. It was a great time. So much fun, so much community, so many awesome times.

I think I'm going to finish off my newest album this month. I've had a few tracks down for awhile, but I'm going to get maybe 20 more minutes of stuff. For those of you who don't know, I make dark-ambient recordings, using lots of found sounds, filters, and soundscapes.

Boombox had our first show during the improvathon. It was awesome. I definatly want to have another show sometime soon.

8:44PM - Pst n ntr and sometimes y

I want more ska in this city! It seems we mostly just have white-boy-reggae acts. Brrrr-rraa braa, he we go!

4:09PM - MONKEY ISLAND RETURNS!!!

Seriously, there are 2 new projects that I am so stoked about!

11:37AM - Thoughts on BT workshop

These aren't my finished notes, but rather my own personal feelings and observations from the workshop.
I feel changed. I mean, we've all taken our first year PHIL courses and we've hard our brushes with eastern philosophy, and I'm sure to expand on that, some of us have listened to the great "Zenprov" podcast that combines Zen philosophy with improvisational theater, but this workshop was the first time I've ever felt like I've done these things together. It was hard. I liked that it was hard. It was a bonding experience. Fuck, I hate to write that in, but it was. I don't mean it was a bonding experience like some dumb coming of age story (unless it's My Girl...that movie is great), but I think walls were broken down. ...That sounds dumb too. These weren't big walls that all humans must strive to overcome, but walls that all of us put up to the world to protect ourselves; we usually put up a tough front when we're soft on the inside. Physical work has never been the first go to for stage work. I would say I'm pretty comfortable with my appearance, but I do know that my range of motion is different that most people I work with, so it does come up now and then. I think Johnstone has a line that says you'll never be comfortable onstage if you're not comfortable with ourself. It's true, and I've noticed since I've taken that to heart, I've been able to create some of my best character work ever. I don't care that I'm a chubby little white kid with a messed up arm, I can be the sexiest alien woman from this side of Venus! This is starting to turn into a ramble. Whatever, it's my journal, haha. This workshop definatly helped me do better physical work, and I'll take a lot of the stuff I learned from this, and apply it to a lot of the feet up, make eye contact FIRST, etc, stuff that I love so much.

Maybe update this more later? I think I'm done for now.

Current mood: of awesome.

Current music: Nobunny - Boneyard

7:01PM - Bansai Twins Workshop was Amazing.

Had a great workshop today. Learned a lot. Made some goals for myself. I'll finish writting out my thoughts in my improv journal, then when they're all done, I'll re-write them up on here.

6:02PM

It's not about thinking fast, it's about not thinking at all.

9:39PM - A Great Poem

This is a poem that I've loved since I first heard it.
Whenever I finish reading it I like to take in the silence around me. I feel like I'm sitting in the middle of the universe, and rather that searching for something, I let the universe come to me.


Dear Neil Armstrong,


I write this to you as she sleeps down the hall
I need answers that I think only you might
have

When you were a boy and space was space was simple
science fiction
When flying was merely a daydream betwen
periods of histor and phyiscs
When gifts of moon dust to the one you loved
could only be wrapped in your imaination
Before the world kneww your name
Before it was a destination, what was the
moon like from your backyard?
Your arm; strong, warm and wrapped under
her hair
Both of you gazing up from the back porch,
summers before your distant journey


But upon landing, when Earth rose over
the Sea of Tranquility, did you look for hr?
What was it like to see our planet and know
that everything you could be, all you could
ever love
And long for was just floating before you?


Did you write her name in the dirt, when the
cameras weren't looking
Surrounding both of your initials with a heart for
alien life to study a million years from now
What is it like to love somehing so distant?
back to her, and what did you promise in
the moon's
Ear about the girl back home?
Can you teach me to fall from the sky?


I ask you all of this not because I doubt your
feet/feat
I just want to know what it's like to go somewhere
no man had ever been
Just to find that she wasn't there
To realize your moonwalk could never compare
to the steps that lead her
I now know the flight home means more


Every July I think of you
I imagine the summer of '69
How onely she must've have felt while you were
gone
You never went back to the moonand
I believe that's because it doesn't take rockets
to get you were you belong
I see thst in this woman down the hall and
sometimes she seems so much further
But I'm ready to take the steps to get
to her


I've seen many skies and the moon always
looks the same
So I gotta say, the rock you landed has got
nothing
On the rock she's landed on
You walked around , took samples and left
She's built a fire, cleaned up the place, and I
hope she decides to stay
On this one, we can breathe


Mr. Armstrong, I don't have much
Many times have I been upside-downtrodden
But with these emoty hands comes a heart
that is full more often than the moo
She's becoming my world, pulling me into
orbit and
I know I may never find life outside hers


I wanna give her everyhing I dont have yet
So, for, her, I would go to te moon and back
But not without her
We'd claim the moon for each other with flags
made from sheets down the hall
And I'd risk it all to kiss under the light of
Earth


The brightness of home
But I can do all of that and more
Right here, whever she is
And when we gaze up, with my arm around her
I will not promise gifts of moon dust or
flghts of fancy
Instead, I will gladly give her all he Earthshe
wants
In return for all the Earth she is
The sound of her heartbeat and laughter
And all the time it takes to learn to fall from
the sky
Down the hall
Right into love
I'd do it everyday
If I could just land next to her


5...4...3...2...



ONE small step for a man
But she's one giant leap for my kind

9:22AM - Obsequious and Dumb

Hello Journal,

   I was in New York City! It was amazing. A few events stand out in my mind, but the experience itself is what I still remember the most. Just being there, feeling the energy, sighting the sights, walking the streets; ah, it's almost enough to make a young man cry.
I did do a lot of the touristy type things. the Empire State Building, boat tour around the island, a few Broadway shows, American Museum of Natural History, and the Metropolitan Museum of art were all fantastic. I also saw a couple improv shows at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. It's an amazing venue with an amazing energy inside of it. all shows are either free, $5, or $10. I think my favourite was the Harold Night. 5 Harolds for 5 bucks. Now that's a deal!

Upon my return I was informed that Ethos was no longer there. I had no job! Actually, I still don't either. I've applied at tons of places and I don't even get a nibble back. Though I did get a  thank you e-mail from CFUV. It sucks. I've got some cash flow figured out and I'm not super in need right now, but the sooner I get a job the better it'll be.

Current mood: I have to go to the bathroom

Current music: Ghosts - Regrets

6:12PM - Dubba dubba dubba dub

Ska fest this year!
You should come. Or Volunteer.
We got, like, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Slackers, Chris Murray, Los Rastrillos, and tons more!
Hoochy Girls and One Drop doing a special reunion for the main event (with TMMB and one more TBA)
Merch and related things are underway. You should buy some.

My bro came out to visit from Toronto. Pretty dope. We took a hike around Witty's Lagoon and had lunch at my grandma's.
He still thinks I should forget about getting a PS3 and just go for the 360. If I did get the 360, we cpi;d voice chat, play co-op and all of those things.

Unreal 3 has still got me by the throat. I don't know why, but I never really enjoyed the more multi-player oriented FPS games until UT3. It's easy, but balanced. It's just a lot of fun no matter how you slice it. Other than a few PC games I mostly stick to me DS. FF4 is pretty fun, but it seems a little easier than the remake of it I have on PS1. The latest Batman game should be amazing, if not only for the voice work for it. They've got most of the voice actors from the 90's cartoon show!

Amy and I are in love. ...Haha, big surprise, but we are! I love her very much. She's amazing. Like, if Super Shredder was to be crossed with Goldeneye for the N64, THAT'S how amazing.

I want to be in a band with political lyrics.

Ah, that reminds me, Dave is back from afar which means Jacquerie will start jammin' again soon. Songs for the public coming soon...maybe...probably.

It looks like Mindfuck will be go through a name change soon. While I still LOVE the name, I can easily see the problems an improv group might run into with a swear in the header. We may or may not do a show in late June or late July.

Man oh man, I'm stoked on the improv-a-thon in August. I really want to do it for the whole block rather than on a shift.

7:34PM - Give me all your fuckin' money, Bitch!

Tonight is a slow night. Tonight is dripping slowly from the edge of the cup. I sit here, watching it drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.
..Fuck, it's slow tonight.
Any one read any good books / seen any good movies / heard any good music recently? I picked up a deck of magic cards (Lorwyn to be exact). Anyone wanna play a game with me?
I'm going on a trip with Amy and my mom at the end of May. We're going to go to New York City. I'm pretty stoked on hit. Here is my list if stuff I want to do:
 - Stand on the top of a tall building
 - Eat some NYC pizza
 - See some amazing improv
 - See some amazing bands
 - Hit all the major sights
 - ..other stuff, I'm sure.

 - Oh, eat a smogdog ( Toronto is decent, but I got a good feelin' on NYC)

Wicked.

Come see Mindfuck when we get a show!
Come see Jacquerie when we get a show!

Peace out and stay cool!

9:58AM - Ginger Beer is good!

So I picked up Oblivion: game of the yeat edition (which adds on the two expansions) for a cool $20. I haven't played it a lot yet, just a few hours, but it's fun. It's fun, but I sometimes feel like I'm missing something. It's not something super important, but it's like finishing a puzzle and leaving out one corner peice. The whole thing looks complete, but you know it's not. Alas, I decided to go ahead and make a custom class called "Spoony Bard". It's more or less a bard with a few different bonuses.

I'm in a band. We don't have any recordings yet, and we are actually having our first REAL rehearsal today, but it works. It's a Decemberists homage band called "Jacquerie".

Improv is fine. I'm finding myseld bumping my head on more and more improv walls with the Impromaniacs, and that's strange, because it's not like anyone is stopping me from doing what I want, I think it just hits on an unclear goal and setup. I mean, I don't think The Impromaniacs are a BAD group; rather, probably the best in Victoria, I just find myself wanting to chew on more.

It's my birthday on the 21st. I'm heading to The Reef. You should come too.

10:48PM - Chains, CHA-INS.

Did some Theatersports tonight and had an alright night. It wasn't the best I could have done, but not terrible. I think it was my lack of energy and focus, which brought my risk and trust level down aswell. I was playing it safe, but with low energy playing it safe is boring and goes nowhere. The second half picked up as we were getting more and more warm, but I still wasn't fully present. I think I was thinking of the show, rather than the scene, rather than the moment. Next time D'Arcy, next time.

1:01PM - And America can't say no

The Jacquerie was a popular revolt in late medieval Europe by peasants that took place in northern France in 1358, during the Hundred Years' War. The revolt centered in the Oise valley north of Paris. This rebellion became known as the Jacquerie because the nobles derided peasants as "Jacque" or "Jaque Bonhomme" for their padded surplice called "jacque".^[1] Their revolutionary leader Guillaume Cale was also popularly known as Jacques Bonhomme ("Jim Goodfellow") or Callet. The word "Jacquerie" has become synonymous for peasant uprisings in general.

11:18AM - Tell the March-hare

I have been listening to A LOT of progrock lately. At work the other day I listened to all of the Yes albums that I have (The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, and Relayer). aswell as some Pink Floyd (Animals, Wish you Were Here, and Umma Gumma), aswell as Porcupine Tree's "Signify" and King Crimon's "Thrak". I had to hold on the Rush, and some PT and KC as I thought they might be a little too heavy for my workplace. Still though, I'm hooked again. It brings me back to high school when Bryan and I would, after school, spend what little money we had on some vinyl, then go back to his house to listen to records and play some awesome games.

I'm wondering about turntables? I don't have a lot of room in my place so I don't think a speaker/amp/turntable set-up would work, but does anyone have any info about USB turntables that they could give me?

11:19PM - Thoughts on UT3 et other things.

So I bought Unreal Tournament 3 sometime after Christmas for $10. It didn't work as my old video card was somewhat (okay...very) dated. I have since installed my new card, and have been hooked on UT3 ever since. It's just such a balanced game that you rarely feel that you are "losing". Everything is easy to get into, but once you are able to get into the strategy, a whole new layer is open for you. This game is obviously more geared for its multiplayer, and it is awesome. Just click a few buttons and you are generally sent to the most populated server that will run the fastest. It's a fun game. All the different game modes offer lots of variety and in that you have different ways to play. If you want to take it slow and snipe, you can, if you want to charge with a squade of others, you can, and if you want to charge solo in some kinda super tank, you can do that too. I also like the recent Steam support the game has been offering. It just seems simple that you can further an already streamlined game by adding it into one of the smoothest platforms out there.

I love MRR, but everytime I read the latest issue I just want to start up some kind of punk band. All those tales of DIY bands, touring, variation of styles, just gives me the heeby-jeebys.

Improv show in two weeks. Y'all should check it out.

Peace,
D'Arcy