tim’s thought property

As it just so happens, the Passat that my dad purchased, in the then impending demise of our ‘81 Toyota Tercel is Haunted. Yes that’s correct, haunted. It may sound like I’m using the term lightly, but in fact I use it quite honestly. Let me explain.

A Haunted House, or Haunted Amusement Park or Haunted Anything is prone to a few criteria.
1) Abandonment The object in Haunting question must normally be forsaken by the world. It is normally assuaged by neglect, therefore furthering the abandonment. Be that a room in a house or hotel, or say, a car, in the driveway of someone who wishes to sell it.
1 a.) Sub-Category: State of Ill-Repair Said object of Haunting is usually run down, and has varying states of damage to it. Broken window, boarded up doorway, dust, spiders, sheets. Also, there is usually a long stretch of time in where more damage is compounded to said Haunting object.
2) Mystery The object of Haunting normally has some kinds of compiled rumours or stories about it, many very untrue. Yet, these stories intrigue, nonetheless. Also, people who believe said rumours often do not listen to reason.
3) Ghosts The object of Haunting cannot be haunted without a Ghost of some sort. Be that the ghost of a dead lover, the ghost of a dead cat or the Ghost of Christmas Future. Ghosts, although most commonly seen in sheets and cloaks, are not uncommonly invisible. As many Ghosts resort to making sounds or noises to frighten people, they need not show themselves.

With all that in mind, it seems that the Passat is haunted. My brother Phil, and I came to this conclusion whilst driving said Passat to dinner this evening. There was a rattling, then a knocking coming from below the e-brake. There is not supposed to be ANY knocking on a car, especially while driving. Needless to say we did not see a Ghost per-say, but it didn’t need to show itself to us. Upon our parking of the car, we found the catalytic-converter glowing red, which was tell-tale evidence of Ghostly Activity. I guess ghosts these days don’t slime the walls, like they did in the age of Ghostbusters.

Torrential rains. That is one of the seasonal rewards of living on the Praries. Sure, everyone hears of the -40 degree winters, cold enough to stop your mind as well as your heart; yet people are less familiar with the Scorching Blazes of July, which lead to, as I mentioned, Torrential Rains.
Now, it seems that not only is Manitoba getting it’s usual quota of precipitation these days, but Barrie, Ont. has gotten flash floods, Alberta’s Bow River region has swelled to enormous preportions, and Hay River has been put into two states of emergencies. The water is making it’s way east, and now, back here on the Great Plains, we’re getting some more rain.
Now, I’m not meteorologist, per-say, but I have an itching feeling that this weather is a little unnatural. I’m not trying to be an alarmist here, trying to imply that the Apocalypse is coming, but I should pose this: Have you at your age, (likely under age thirty), caught yourself saying “Well, back in MY day, I could remember when we had normail weather.”? If so, you may want to get a head check, since climate normally determined by a thirty year span of time in any given area. If you find that your given area has been privy to some major twists, such as frozen lakes in the end of May, in 1997, or not a flake of snow until December of 1999, then you may want to start wondering. Don’t go as far as seriously pondering Junk Science, like Global Warming/Ice Caps Melting because, that, my friend is alarmist.

It’s raining torrentially right now, and the thunder is constantly rumbling. I’m huddling in the basement, which is why I’m talking of weather. Water causes me to melt. And lightning causes me to die.

It’s strange how one becomes self conscious upon beginning to express his thoughts to the whole inter-web. Or blogsphere, if you want to use the current vernacular. How do people write so candidly about their lives, on a regular basis. I mean, sure I want to be heard, give me my attention like any other person, but isn’t this quite close to the voyeurism that is “Reality TV”? I’m painting a picture of myself with broad strokes, and keeping you all at some kind of figurative arm’s length.

But Tim, you ask. Aren’t you, yourself, a part of the proverbial machine that you lines ago just expressed ill feeling towards?

Well, to that I would say yes. Yes I am. I am just saying that being in such a fishbowl will undoubtedly take some getting used to, as I decide which thoughts I would like to share, and which parts of myself I would like to have strangers read about. But, just as anything takes getting used to, my initial feelings of concern will wear off.

Do you do these kinds of things a lot? you think. If by that you mean, transpose the potential thoughts of my readers into questions that I answer, then yes. I do that often enough. Get used to it.

Now as I am sure many of you know, the Batman franchise has gone through quite a roller coaster of artistic licence. We were given first, the television show, which was campy and cartoon-like, which delighted many children with the same “Bat-time” cliffhangers. And admittedly, I enjoyed it for a while, then it lost its appeal.

In the eighties, the series underwent a re-invention, with the Dark Knight becoming more brooding, psychological and utterly, more cool. The comic was penciled by the likes of Frank Miller (of Sin City fame). At this time, Tim Burton was chosen to direct the new film, “Batman”. Now, when Burton chose to cast Michael Keaton, the studio was beginning to think it was going to be a film not unlike the tv series. You see, Keaton up to this point was in films like “Beetle Juice”, “Johnny Dangerously” and “Mr.Mom”; understandably, the studio had the right to be concerned. Yet Burton, who was an up-and-coming director, had an understanding of the character that Bob Kane had created and many subsequent writers and artists had come to develop.
Needless to say, the film “Batman” was a huge success. It went on to give fame to Burton, notoriety to Keaton and further added to the repertoire of Jack Nicholson. Burton and Keaton again teamed up to make Batman Returns, with Danny DeVito as a well played, more sinister Penguin, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. This film delved deeper into the complexities of the torn life of Bruce Wayne and Batman. The film’s style, visually, was more developed through Burton’s imagination. Again, the series was a blockbuster sensation, yet remaining grounded in the mindset that this character Batman is something of a semi-tragic anti-hero.

Now, the series took a sudden turn for the worst, with the new director Joel Schumacher. Out with Keaton, in with Val Kilmer. Not that Kilmer is a bad actor, I just don’t think he’s that suited to be Batman. It’s like the franchise of James Bond. Roger Moore was less of a Bond, compared to Sean Connery. If that wasn’t enough of a shift, Shumacher decided that the movies could use the Robin character. That was the solid anchor that signified that the momentum gained in the credibility of the “thinking man’s Batman” had come to a definite halt. The characters of the Riddler and Two-Face had been played near slapstick, and the sets and design were over-stylized and had almost a “neo-camp” feel. Neon colours, over-gageted Bat equipment, and nipples on the Bat-Suit. NIPPLES.
Are you serious? Sadly I am. Now, some will say that this film wasn’t bad. I agree it wasn’t all bad; Carrey’s performance was salvageable. For him, it was a great performance. But it was too little to salvage the film on. Which brings us to Batman and Robin, or as I like to call it The Batman Movie that should have stayed as a proposal idea, and never made into Film. Shumacher was director again, with all the extra neon that didn’t make the cut into Batman Forever, and much more sappy and campy dialogue. Casting George Clooney was only a half effort. You see, he looked decent in the cowl, yet I did not believe him as Bruce Wayne. Something didn’t fit. Clooney is another great actor, yet not up to snuff of the character of Bruce Wayne. Robin is back and then the introduction of Alicia Silverston as Batgirl. That was just vomit put to writing. No one ever liked Batgirl, and this movie is no exception. I’m not even going to continue on this tangent, since it is clearly illustrated how I feel. I will however, finish my paragraph with these two pieces. Arnold Schwarzenegger was Mr. Freeze, and at roles like this, and, lets say Kindergarten Cop, you should think to yourself: “This man is Governor of California; this man is now Governor.” Also I was warned that this movie was an absolute waste of time, but against all cautions, my friend Brian and I decided to watch it all. Two and a half hours of complaints, frustration and disappointment.

Now we have Batman Begins. This film was in pre-production and development for a few years. It went through a few different scripts and directors until landing on Christopher Nolan’s lap. He directed Memento, the backwards running mind-thriller with Guy Pierce. Christian Bale was cast as Bruce Wayne, a younger one. Now, in the few Bale movies I’ve seen, I’ve really appreciated his diversity as an actor. Notable films are “American Psycho”, where his character is built, strong and psychologically twisted; “Reign of Fire”, sadly close to a B-Grade film for promotion, but still, Bale plays a British survivor of this unpredicted Dragon apocalypse; and “The Machinist”, in which Bale plays a lathe operator who has insomnia for more than a year and who’s weight has dropped to 112 pounds. The mindset and physical commitment were stunning. So, the credibility of Christian Bale is established. Add to the cast Michael Caine as Alfred, Gary Oldman as Sargent Gordon, Liam Neeson as Wayne’s mentor and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, the Wayne Enterprises head designer and manufacturer. The cast is well assembled, the director is more than able to deliver, and the story is really driven by the life of Bruce Wayne and his desire for revenge and justice. It is a great testament to the nature of the character of Batman. Talk is already in the works for another franchise, with Bale as the Dark Knight, and presumably most of the same supporting cast. Nolan even said that there will be no Robin character, he does not want one, nor does the studio. Once that happens, he will not direct any more.

I ended up seeing this movie twice, in the span of ten days. The first time was on opening day, when some friends of mine had mis-read the times to Cinderella Man. We decided that Batman was more than sufficient to replace that film, but I had a little guilt at not going with my pal Tim, writer, musician and person extraordinaire. And he reminded me of how he loves Batman, and how he cast me as the Joker in his play, Batman’s Day Off, when I was in High School, and how I owed him this, and how he would take my firstborn as ransom for this….So naturally, I caved in, and went again to see it. And I was not displeased.

Hello.
This shall be the first of many exerpts from my daily life and experiences, full of the usual grab-bag of drama, laughter, saddness, confusion and et cetera. I have an active mind, I guess, which more than makes up for my lack of athletic activity. Some people still neglect to see the exercise in ten-pin bowling or frisbee-golf.

But anyway, I should say that the beginning of my summer starts at the end of a temporary job. I worked at a marketing research company called Ipsos-Reid, and was hired with just enough time to have it end by July. So, this occupation is an exercise in repeatition, patience and the learning of “professionalism”, at least in the area of people skills. Now, aside from the flexible schedule, in which I could choose to work between three to five days a week, and the casual dress code; the work had a gnawing tendancy to gnaw away at my sanity. The kitchen smelled like an ice cream parlour, but with no ice cream in sight. The little terminals at which we made our calls had their own computers and headsets, but we had to buy our own foam covers. The surveys were interesting on the most part, they varied in their length and intelligabilty, yet calling certain markets (areas of the country for study) yielded some very unscrupulous individuals. For example, calling Hamilton, I had five surveys completed, and the respondants who declined, were civil and polite in their refusing to not take a survey. The respondants in Coquitlam were quite curt, rude and unnecissarily irritated at a call. I mean, it’s not like I, personally, conspired to call them at this time to interupt their dinner. Needless to say, in all the calls to Hamilton (around 100 or 110) and to Coquitlam (the same figure), there were many more unfavourable respondants in B.C.
But hark! I did end up quiting by my first pay-day, as was my basic plan, since Camp starts in July. I have cut myself off from the “Ipsos Tree” and spent this last weekend brushing up on my belaying and ropes safety, to return to my Camp position as Ropes Instructor. Yee-haw! And that’s the tale of how I learned that temp jobs, altough practical and often necissary, are chock full of lessons to be learned, and stories to be gleaned.