A stroll down the back alley...

...in search of a bit of inspiration and colour.

Photos by Laura Muir

Not seeing this is not an option

Favourite quote from "Inside Job" said by Citigroup chief economist Willem Buiter: "Banking became a pissing contest. 'Mine's bigger than yours.' That kind of stuff. It was all men that ran it, incidentally." 

I admit it. I can be a bit overzealous when it comes to certain documentaries. I see a documentary that outrages me or that is wildly edifying, and I get all riled and wish I could scream from the rooftops (or my soapbox) that it is everybody's absolute duty as a responsible member of this society to see this documentary. Something like, you know, not littering.
That's how I felt when I rented the Oscar-winning doc "Inside Job." It's good because it clearly explains the financial meltdown, how it happened, who was involved. (Here's an interesting interview with filmmaker Charles Ferguson.) It's also good because Ferguson himself is a no-holds-barred interviewer who asks pointed questions that really expose the amorality (aka scumbag-ness) of not only the financial industry and political system, but also the corruption in American academia, something not really covered before.
So, yeah, I do believe it's everyone's duty to see this flick.

Other light-shedding documentaries I think are must-sees:

• "Taxi to the Dark Side" — directed by Alex Gibney
• "The Fog of War" — directed by Errol Morris
• "Food, Inc." — directed by Robert Kenner (I actually haven't watched Food, Inc. because, to tell the truth, I'm afraid that seeing the mistreatment of animals will traumatize me. And I figure I'm already a vegetarian and eat mostly organic, so why put myself through that. But I know a few people who have changed their eating habits since viewing it.)
• "Capturing the Friedmans" — directed by Andrew Jarecki
• "King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" — directed by Seth Gordon
• "The Thin Blue Line" — directed by Errol Morris
• "No End In Sight" — directed by Charles Ferguson

Photo by Laura Muir

Coming soon

"Limitless" starring Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and ... this dude:

Photo by Laura Muir

A brief absence

Sorry for my lack of posts in the last little while. I've felt uninspired — sort of like the view that surrounds me in all its various shades of beige and grey.

Photo by Laura Muir

12 Ways to Chill Out

I recently emailed a friend and told her I was feeling a bit robotic lately: Get up. Put on clothes. Type at computer. Put on boots. Go outside. Come back home. Sit at computer. Watch TV. Take off clothes. Go to bed. 
Busy with stuff and no time for fun, I found things becoming a bit routine and lifeless. Not good. When I went through the same kind of zombie-like stage last year, I started planning and saving, and I took a big inspiring seven-week trip to S.E. Asia. The Vitamin D alone did me a world of good. But there's obviously not always enough time and resources for the big getaway, so I try to recharge by changing things up in cheap and cheerful ways. One of my big ones is taking a couple hours and meeting a friend for a coffee or tea break and a chat. 

I wanted to know what other people do for a quick pick-me-up, so I posed the question: You're busy, you're feeling a bit burned out, and you have a limited amount of time. What do you do or what helps you de-stress and recharge? 

Here's the fun stuff people had to say (and thank you to you all!):

• "A cup of tea, feet up and, *gasp* (should I admit it?), trashy reality TV on the PVR!" — Erin Feasby Ventresca
• "If I can get to a hot yoga session, that helps instantly, especially being reminded to keep slowly breathing. If I only have a few minutes, I like to turn off all devices, like TV, music, phone, and just do my nails or have a bath in silence!" — Sandi Tower
• "I always like to have the ingredients for an Emergency Hot Fudge Sundae on hand." — Arren Williams
• "A cup of tea." — David Pimentel
• "Hot hot bath with dimmed lights." — Emily Norris
• "Getting my makeup done at Bobbi Brown." — Jaimie Nathan
• "What I should do: yoga. What I usually do: eat a cookie." — Virginia Macdonald
• "I drink red wine." — Sheila Tutty
• "Crank the tunes." — Ian Cobb
• "Sit in front of a Tissot at the AGO." — William MacDonald
• "Hunker down and read a book (currently the fourth installment of Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie 'trilogy')." — Katie Hayden.
• "Eat." — Lynda Harrison

Photos by Laura Muir

Post-Oscar Day Update

See where cynicism gets you? (See predictions below.) I just knew The King's Speech deserved the big prize, but I thought the Academy was going to favour an American movie. But enough excuses. When all is said and done, how about that 83rd Academy Awards show, hey? How many awkward moments did you count? 83? And why didn't they get Alec Baldwin and Morgan Freeman to host? But with all of this year's suck-age, there were some good moments.

Off the top of my head, here's a list of 10 awesome moments:

• Anne Hathaway's self-deprecating reference to an Academy Award-blunders drinking game.
• Cate Blanchett saying: "That's gross."
• Melissa Leo's zoned-out Farrah-Fawcett-on-David-Letterman-esque speech.
• Natalie Portman unabashedly letting everyone know who she has sex with.
• The Coen brothers not paying attention at all.
• The creepy Bob Hope hologram looking more alive than James Franco.
• Jeff Bridges.
• Mila Kunis's dress making me go all "The Kids Are All Right."
• The intense sexual chemistry between Helen Mirren and Russell Brand.
• The King's Speech's writer's speech.

Happy Oscar Day!

I'm going out on a limb and, for fun, publishing a few predictions for tonight's winners. Some of my guesses are kind of informed, and some, well, I may as well be throwing a dart. Some of my picks are based on hope, and some based on cynicism. (Academy voters can be dopes, and I'm still pretty bitter about this and this.) Anyway, here I go. Let's hope that when it's all over, I don't have to eat too much crow:

Best Picture: "The Social Network" (although I think "The King's Speech" should win) x 
Best Director: David Fincher, "The Social Network" x
Best Actor: Colin Firth, "The King's Speech" √
Best Actress: Natalie Portman, "Black Swan" √
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, "The Fighter" √
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, "The Fighter" √
Best Animated Feature Film: "Toy Story 3" √
Best Art Direction: "Inception" x
Cinematography: "The King's Speech" x
Costume Design: "I Am Love" x
Best Feature Documentary: "Inside Job" √
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): "The Social Network" √
Writing (Original Screenplay): "The King's Speech" √

Photo by Laura Muir