zinepal.com

I have this old Harris Tweed, three-quarter length coat that I’ve probably had for a decade. My brother bought it nearly twenty years ago off of a street vendor in New York City (I’m reminded of Rent). It always fit me better than him, and I eventually secured complete control of the thing. ...

I recently wrote in praise of Salt Spring Island Coffee. So I was happy to patronize their charming UBC location during Northern Voice. I was a little less praiseful, though, after read the sleeve on my hot chocolate: In case you can’t read it, here’s what it says: This cup travelled over ...

Taken - 5.5/10 - Liam Neeson stars as a vengeful father whose daughter is abducted in this low-rent Euro-thriller. It’s an entirely forgettable film, with the exception of one terrific, gripping moment during the abduction scene. Neeson is apparently impervious to harm, so there’s rarely ...

On Friday, @granvillemag made the common observation that Robert looks more than a little like Philip Seymour Hoffman. Robert and Maryam came up for this year’s Northern Voice. That comparison reminded me that I’d had the same thought when I met Robert back in 2004. At the time Boris generously ...

Which, in truth, is pretty unremarkable. Hordichuk, for the non-Canucks fans, is a fourth-line enforcer whose principle job is to work hard and occasionally beat on other players. This was last Friday, and apparently he was returning to Vancouver to be with his wife who was having a baby. I wouldn’t ...

I’m giving a talk at Northern Voice this year entitled From Permalink to Profound: Where is the Art in Social Media? Here’s the blurb: When an artist considers a blank canvas, she dreams of painting something beautiful. When a blogger looks at a blank WordPress form, or a YouTube user stares ...

Early in my professional career, I did a lot of informational interviews. I did an internship program after university, so that required that I talk to a lot of potential employers. Those conversations focused my mind on what I did and did not want to do in my career. In the past few years, I’ve ...

Jules recently posted about her web stats. They tell her, among many other things, that she still has one or more readers who are still on Windows 3.1 (originally released on March 18, 1992). I thought I’d check the stats for this site for the same very, very late adopter. No such luck–the ...

Our latest phone book arrived today. I picked it up off the welcome mat, carried it through the house, out the back door and deposited it in the recycling bin. Pulling the plastic wrap off the thing, I noticed a little card affixed to the front of the book. It’s called the “ecoFinder”: ...

When it comes to the outdoors, James is ridiculously capable. A couple of years ago he took me fishing up in Squamish. Well, he went fishing. I floundered around in a freezing river, waving a long graphite stick at the fish who mocked me with their toothy grins. That followed the time we went snorkeling ...

I was recently reading New Yorker magazine, and encountered a reference to a sub-genre of movies called “mumblecore”. From Wikipedia: Mumblecore is an American independent film movement that arose in the early 2000s.It is primarily characterized by ultra-low budget production (often employing ...

I was talking to somebody about this morning. I doubt they will, but I really have no idea. Less idea than usual when it comes to the Canucks. So, let us vote: Will the Canucks make the playoffs? ( polls) ...

Lately I’ve been enjoying The Next Stage, a Vancouver blog about the business and marketing of theatre. The other day Simon, the blogger behind The Next Stage, linked to a diverting interview with Jim McCarthy, CEO of Goldstar, which I gather is an American discount ticket seller. I’m always ...

My movie viewing has been pretty spotty in 2009 thus far. I’ve only seen five films. Here are the latest two to add to the list. Defiance - 6.5/10 - One of Daniel Craig’s better performances–he’s at his seething, snarling best. This is the second film in which he plays a vengeful ...