Monthly Archives: November 2011

Batman Abroad: I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes

Prague, I would marry you with the promise that I would only divorce you once then spend a year trying to win you back and eventually, like a Rob Reiner rom-com we would end up back together in the end. Unlike Toronto where I would just divorce and she’d continue to suck the life out of me until I’m withered and living on the streets of Kensington Market giving handjobs for blow.

Ha, I managed to make myself chuckle at that last sentence.

First off, I’d like to point out that if any of you have seen The Muppets, do not fucking tell me. I will take this as you rubbing it in that it doesn’t open overseas until the new year. I don’t want to know. (Jocelyn, we’re no longer friends.)

"COME AT ME BRO!"

My little point & shoot camera is a disaster. Since falling on it face first in Las Vegas it just hasn’t worked the same. And I fear it’s on its last leg. It has a hard time focusing, and because I don’t like looking like a fucking tourist wherever I go I don’t like to spend too much time looking like a dopey twat snapping a photo of any one thing.

Christmas Market

I’ve spent most of my time in Prague here at the Christmas Market. I love it. Delicious cheap mulled wine and food. The mulled wine is particularly good when it cools down at night. And my photos don’t do any justice to how beautiful the set up actually is. I blame that mostly on the fact that my camera is about to die soon. As is my walkman..and my cell phone..and my laptop..I just can’t seem to catch a break with electronics.

Prague is really nice. It’s been lovely weather with the exception of today, the rain wasn’t that bad. Last night after hanging out in the Christmas Market I made my way to a jazz bar around the corner. The live band was really spectacular and drink prices here are super cheap.

The apartment I’m staying in is really superb. I wish I could have this place in Toronto or London for this price. It’s so nice to come to a sort of “home away from home” after a day of venturing. I would never survive in hostels. The Korean one in Paris wasn’t bad, the people were nice, but it’s the small quarters with multiple strangers that gets me. I like alone time. And come a week and a bit I’ll have been on the road solo for three months. Which I like.

Stunning.

Took a grueling hike up a hill the other day that I thought lead to the Prague Castle. Turns out it didn’t. Once I got to the top I looked over to see the castle was atop an adjacent hill. So I said “Fuck it” and saved it for tonight instead. Just goes to show I should probably plan things out better rather than just walk around aimlessly and hope for the best. I do love doing that though, and in smaller places like Prague and Budapest it was easier to do that. Cities like London and Paris I was more prone to getting lost through the winding streets that all look the fucking same. And why is it so hard to spot a street sign over here? I’m dependent on those for retracing my tracks.

Topical.

So Tom and I officially submitted the first draft of our short, “Citizen Kane 3000″. Now we wait for a long while I imagine, but it’s nice to have it finally done. I was able to polish off my solo entry too, thanks to those who helped me with feedback on it. I’ve also started writing a new feature, a story concept I came up with last week and am now mapping out. I always have the beginning and ending ready, it’s the middle, the fun & games section, that kills me. However with this particular story, the fun & games will be extremely easy to write…I hope.

With the holiday season in full swing I’ve started prepping my Christmas routine. It’s not really a routine, all it consists of is A Muppet Christmas Carol and A Charlie Brown Christmas. I wonder if Bruges will broadcast the Disneyland Christmas Parade….doubt it.

I found a folder in one of my hard drives that had a few demos Colin, Tom and I recorded sometime last year. I don’t remember at all doing these. But they remind me that we actually sounded pretty decent. It also reminded me how well our humorous chemistry works, the banter between the three of us is entertaining. At least for me it is.

BRRAHHHHMMMMM!!!!

On Friday I head for Berlin and will be in Germany until the 20th before heading to Bruges for Christmas. I imagine I’ll be back in London for new years. Back in the land of the most expensive accommodations. Oh well, not much longer before I’m packing it in and heading back to Toronto.

By the way, I’ve come to the conclusion the only reason I still watch Walking Dead is so I can legitimately pan it every week, that and I am sort of holding onto the small tiny thread of hope it’s going to get better. Even though I know it won’t. What a shit show! Ha. 2 Broke Girls is much more entertaining. I’m serious. I love that show…really.

I keep thinking I’ll be happy to go back and get back to the grind, but I know my heart will sink the moment I set foot into a production office. But with a clear head, I’m sure it’ll be fine. The goal this time around is to balance work with writing and that with music. Also to film the short Tom and I wrote and plan to head back overseas in a years time. That’s what the plan is now…it’s always subject to change.

All right I’m going to round this bitch up.

What I miss about Toronto: Nothing this week…maybe work.

What I don’t miss about Toronto: The way people suddenly forget how to drive the first sign of snow.

Question period…

What’s your favorite holiday movie? (You don’t HAVE to say A Muppet Christmas Carol, but if you argue that it’s not the best Christmas movie then you can go fuck a monkey)

Cheers,

- B.

1 Comment

Batman Abroad: Occupy Budapest

Good evening…

Being on the road is great. Being sick whilst on the road is balls. Big throbbing, sweaty, hairy, veiny, gangrenous balls.

Hogwarts in Budapest.

Budapest is great from what I’ve seen. The people seem friendly from who I’ve encountered. Problem is that being sick, losing a day on the train, and it being so cunting cold here it has limited my visit a bit. But nonetheless I managed to drag my cold-ridden ass out of the apartment to go exploring. The upside to this whole thing is that the apartment I’m staying in is right in the center, everything is within walking distance. And when I say center, literally fucking center. Every couple of minutes the ground rumbles from the subway underneath as the major intersecting metro stop is a stones throw away next door.

The chandelier is what caught my eye. I threw a rock at it.

I should say first off, thanks to Chelsea for recommending Budapest. It was NOT on my list of places to visit and whilst in Madrid and bunking with Chels, she recommended I go visit. I’ve been living in the “Pest” part of Budapest (that’s not a joke, look at a map) and the name is sort of fitting. This side of the city is very city. Know what I’m sayin? After spending a week in the beautiful country side of Slovenia, coming back into the big city atmosphere is a tad of a shock. Streets are dirty, homeless, drunks, beggers, cranky cunts, etc. It’s like a Hungarian Toronto. Kidding! (Not really)

Gloomy winter season. Also my camera sucks.

Today I ventured over to the “Buda” part of Budapest, and boy it did not disappoint. The buildings, churches, the Royal Palace, it’s all just so rich with history. The pain in the ass was the gondola going up Castle Hill wasn’t in operation so I had to take…

OK, before you start hitting me with insults, it’s a lot steeper than that photo makes it out to be, and there’s a lot of them. And normally, I welcome the hike. Really, I love walking and it’s been the main source of my exercise since being overseas (that and lifting a wine bottle, heyoo!). But when Batman is sick and hacking up a lung, the exhausting trek can be challenging. And is there anything worse than sweating when it’s minus whatever degrees out? Can’t take off the coat, too cold. Can’t keep the coat on, too hot.

This helped with my vertigo.

Anyway after passing out for a few minutes once I reached the top, it was well worth it. Also it’s a great time of year to do this because every where I go isn’t that tourist-heavy. Except for the Asians. Every where I go, Asian tourists. And boy, they can be so obnoxious. I really want to punch some of them in the face. Walking slowly in the middle of the road in front of cars trying to get by, stopping suddenly in the middle of the sidewalk to take a photo, not listening to the tour guide when he says “no flash” and yelling at the top of their lungs in Chinese whilst having a conversation with the person less than an inch away from their fucking face. FUCK. I can say this though, because I’m half-Chinese.

Winter is coming.

Anyway, my only problem with Budapest is their currency. Switch to the Euro, for the love of god. I know that most places in Hungary will TAKE the euro but some places, for example the metro ticket machines, only take the…whatever it’s called. And I don’t understand your money. I don’t get how it costed me 5000 whatevers for groceries when all I bought was eggs, cereal and milk! Later I found out this only equalled to about $20 Canadian. Really though, do something about the money.

Oh my highlight of my stint in Budapest was the House of Terror…

No I said "HOUSE" of Terror not Tower. Silly goose.

Had to throw that photo in because NO PHOTOS ALLOWED in this particular museum. But it was the thing in Budapest I was most looking forward to checking out and it didn’t disappoint either. So back in the day, Hungary had it’s own “secret police”. This building, I think I have the facts straight, used to be the headquarters and also the prison during the Nazi and, after, Soviet occupation of Hungary. This building was used for torture and murder and has now been converted into a really interesting museum for the public. It pretty much walks you through the history of those two particularly dark times and it’s really….”cool” is the wrong word. Because it’s quite haunting, heartbreaking, and creepy (those will work). The jail cells in the basement gave me a go as did the little torture chambers. The museum itself is set up sort of like a theme park attraction in a way that you follow a specific path through three floors of this building and each room is themed or restored to a particular time period. But this was definitely the highlight of my trip it was really interesting and eye opening.

For an athiest, I really love these churches I keep encountering.

All right so Budapest. Check. Done. Moving on. Tomorrow I board a train early in the morn for Prague. I know nothing about Prague except that I hear the drinking is good. That’s all the motivation I need to go visit a city. I’ll be there for a week before finally heading to Germany, the country I’ve always wanted to visit.

I want to see The Muppets for the Muppets, but also for this short.

Tom and I are just about done on our script. He sent me his edit yesterday and a few hours later I sent him back mine with very minor changes. If he sends it back to me with the thumbs up, we’ll be ready to lock it and send it off. We still have five days though. My other short script for the same contest is close to completion too. Couple more things to tweak and tighten, then it’s done. I’m really happy with the script Tom and I wrote. I think it’s funny, and I’m looking forward to shooting it when I return to Kanada-Land.

Oh, look what I discovered today:

This is the commercial I worked on in London. See if you can spot my cameo. It’s very brief but I am in it. My first real acting stint. And I learned I really suck at it. The director told me to make up a conversation as no one would be hearing me anyway, but I couldn’t even do that. I just went all awkward. I think I can act when it comes to like playing a dick, asshole, paranoid, old man, etc. But not when I have to be “happy”. I’m really bad at being happy.

I have been writing and organizing thoughts on the band for when I get back. And I have a few ideas, also I am finding old demos on my hard drive that make me excited to start playing with those twats again. Hopefully, now with Mike in Toronto, we’ll be able to expand the band. Reunion tour 2012 (locally limited to the GTA)? Holla.

OK OK OK let’s round this muhhfucka up!

Things I miss about Toronto: The Sunday Tradition. The last few places I’ve been everything shuts down on Sundays and it can get really quiet and lonely. I sort of miss knowing I would have human interaction over beers every Sunday afternoon/evening.

Things I don’t miss about Toronto: The cost of living. It’s going to be horrible coming back in the new year and getting an apartment. I like my privacy, and I like being alone but, like London, it’s way too costly to do that in Toronto. Especially if I’m only planning on coming back for a year. If it’s only for a year I should be living cheap and not being picky about luxury.

Question round up:

1) Did you go see The Muppets? If so, I hate you. As I mentioned before it doesn’t open until the end of January overseas, and by the time I get back in Toronto it will likely be OUT of theaters…OK, I’m fine…not really.

2) As I’ve mentioned, Germany has always been at the top of my list to visit over the last few years. Slovenia surprised me at how much I fell in love with it though. So I’m asking you where is the place you’ve always wanted to visit? And if you have visited it, did it live up to your expectations?

Hey that wasn’t such a bad question. Let’s see some cunting responses, bitches!

(Sorry, Popo. I know I curse too much. Love you.)

Cheers everyone.

- B.

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Batman Abroad: Rainbow Connection

My favorite childhood song. To this day it still gives me goosebumps.

Ah, so hey howdy hey and welcome to Slovenia Pt. II in which I depart the best place I’ve visited so far on my wine-fueled travels.

Piran

After a few days in Ljubljana we made our way back to where I first arrived in Nova Gorica. And that afternoon we traveled to the seaside in Piran. It was gorgeous.

Piran

Then we traveled to another seaside town…the name escapes me though. We sat on a patio on the beach and had a couple glasses of wine. The wine was 1.20 euro a glass. 1.20 euro. Fuck me I want to move here.

My wonderful host.

The next day on our way back to Ljubljana we stopped at Postojna Caves which is, I think, the biggest tourist draw in Slovenia. It was pretty breathtaking. You take this train that has no restraints whatsoever and just BOOM dives into the earth where you tour 5km of the caves which, I think according to the guide, was only a small percentage of the actual caves itself.

We lost three kids and an old woman on the way down.

I can’t thank Kaja and her family enough for hosting me during my visit to Slovenia. It was incredible and they went out of their way to make me feel a part of their family. They also kept me liquored up nightly so that’s definitely a bonus point for Slovenia. But the people were so welcoming, friendly and interesting. Food was delicious, wine was fantastic, and the country is just simply beautiful.

OK I’ll move on, I’m sure you’re sick me blowing my load over one country. So today I took off at 8AM and embarked on a long train ride to fucking Budapest.

My only thought racing through my mind was "Batcave Batcave Batcave Batcave.."

I say fucking Budapest because the train ride here, while good, was also…strange. No one spoke a word of English on the train, which normally you know in foreign cities, I’m OK with people not speaking English. And I feel bad every time I talk to someone at a store or restaurant and I force them to speak English because I don’t know their language. But when it comes to transportation services, I think that’s the only time I would prefer just basic English. I just want to know I’m on the right damned train and that I didn’t have to transfer. Cause one time the train is going forwards then we stop somewhere pick up and drop off people then the train goes backwards and I don’t know where the fuck we’re going.

Nanananananana Batman

I did have a conversation with the ticket puncher that went something like this:

Me: “Excuse me, sorry I only speak English, am I on the right train for Budapest?”

Her: Slovenian/Italian/Hungarian

Me: “Right, so Budapest, I’m good right?”

Her: Slovenian/Italian/Hungarian

Me: “I just, I’m sorry, I just want to know if I’m on the right train. So I stay on this train? For Budapest?” *gesture thumbs up in question*

Her: Slovenian/Itali-”Budapest”-an/Hungarian

Me: “Oh! Oh! You said Budapest. So good for Budapest right? I stay right here in this car.”

Her: She understands and gives me the thumbs up. Which I’m now going to use as my universal sign for “I’m not fucked right?”

She was very sweet though, considering here I am the bumbling tourist who can only speak English and I’m traveling alone. And we were both in the same boat yapping to each other in our native tongues not knowing what either of us was saying to each other. It’s a good thing I had a car all to myself.

Speaking of, I’ve never ridden on a train that has like you know those cars with the sliding doors so it’s private if no one is in with you and you can draw the curtains and you know? YOU KNOW? Pretty cool. And I finally had the chance to watch Hangover Pt. II….that’s all I’ll say. It was neither great or horrible…but wasn’t really all satisfying either.

I probably mentioned this in the last post but it has started to get cold here. And most days it’s colder than Toronto. I know, I check the weather network. I saw that I missed the Santa Claus parade in TO…and I don’t care.

The place I’m staying at in Budapest is nice. Own private flat right in the center of the city. Literally in the center. Every 30 seconds the ground rumbles from the subway underneath. I arrived after sundown but from what I can tell Budapest seems nice. And since I’m living in the center until Friday, it will be easy to just walk everywhere and not rely on public transit.

This is my favorite thing at the moment:

Ah, but my week of being graced with company has now come to an end. And I’m back to my old ways, drinking a bottle of wine alone, working on scripts, writing this blog post, and watching Roseanne until sunrise when I can go and discover my surroundings.

I’m not doing any of that miss/don’t miss/questions shit. Hasn’t been enough days between posts.

Cheers,

- B.

PS – If anyone is talking to Tom Henheffer tell him to hurry the fuck up.

3 Comments

Batman Abroad: Joey Joe Joe Jr. Shabadoo

Hey howdy hey! Welcome to Slovenia Part I.

I just found out the most unfortunate news…The Muppets doesn’t open overseas until after the new year. How depressing. The show and characters I grew up with…I’ve been counting down to this release date ever since it was announced. And alas, I shall likely miss it while it’s in theaters. So damn all of you back home. Someone find me a screener and send me the damned thing.

Ljubljana

I’m currently writing to you from the beautiful Ljubljana in Slovenia. This is probably my favorite place I’ve visited. It’s nice to be in a country country, know what I mean? Not surrounded by buildings and what not. But actual countryside. It’s gorgeous. It’s also freezing. Which is a nice taste of home. Although I think it’s colder here than in Toronto right now…

Nova Gorica. Stunning.

On Monday I head to Budapest for a few days, after that to Prague for a week, then to Germany for a while before heading to Bruges for the holiday. This is my first Christmas away from home. So I get to put all the pressure of buying gifts for family in my brothers hands and I’ll just wire him money. Easiest Christmas ever. I also forgot this is the first Christmas without Elmo…

Sorry, mom. I guess that’s two family members missing from Christmas this year…whoops. At least only one of us is dead. Too soon? Suffice it to say it will be interesting to be spending a major holiday alone…

*EDIT: OK OK OK, I’m losing my mind. This would be the SECOND xmas without Elmo not the first. My bad. Thanks for the friendly reminder, mom, and the not so friendly reminder, brother.*

My first night in Slovenia was a messy one. I really need to learn some self-control. When I’m nervous around strangers I tend to slam the drinks back more. But mixing wine, whiskey, beer, vodka…and other things (including HOMEMADE jager, which was delicious from what I remember) is probably at fault. Hey at least with this cold weather I can justify lugging my winter jacket, tuque and scarf all this way! Take that naysayers.

Someone find me this shirt. It's on my X-mas list.

The script Tom and I are working on is close to completion. Fewer and fewer changes are being made and I think we’re going to have our official first draft ready to go for the deadline at the end of the month. And thanks to all my friends back home and abroad (Kyle, Chelsea, James Cameron) for your feedback on the other short script I’m submitting solo. I think that one is also ready for the deadline after a few more passes.

I did something possibly foolish today. I bought tickets for a show in Toronto. And I bought TWO tickets in the hopes that someone will come with me. Of course…the reason this is foolish is this is providing I’m back in time to see the damned concert. So here’s the details…it’s Kathleen Edwards at the Phoenix on February 11th (Saturday) and it’s $40 bones (or best offer if I get desperate but do you really want to screw over a friend?). Any body want to be my date? Send me an email along with a demo reel and list of 50 reasons why I should take you over someone else to: lostfong@gmail.com or over Facebook. I’ll say first come first serve, but I’m obviously just going to pick who I want to go with. Ha. If you’re stuck with who Kathleen Edwards is…look up the singles Back To Me, Summerlong, Six O’Clock News, Hockey Skates, Cheapest Key, I Make the Dough, You get the Glory and her newest single Change The Sheets. One of those has to be one you’ve heard. Werd.

I’ve also started looking into shows/features starting up in Toronto in the new year so I can hopefully find some work when I get back. Cough* AARON *cough. So it is pretty definite I will be heading back. Just unknown as to when.

Slovenia is an extremely interesting country. I went to the City Museum yesterday and walked through three floors of history from ancient times to their Italian occupation during WWII to their independence in the 90′s. It’s such a young independent nation. Their history is really interesting and their wine is fucking delicious. This is one of the only times I’ve really enjoyed white wine. So good. And it helps that I had the best host I could ask for, Kaja. She’s been so kind in helping me sight see and making sure I’m fed and liquored up.

My hair is so fucking long now, if I wore a suit and fedora with my hair slicked back I’d look like a half-Asian hitman. Or…a half-Asian Batman?

"I wish I knew how to quit you..."

OK my friends, I’m going to keep this short and sweet. The internet is sort of on and off here. I’ll write more when I arrive in Budapest, a bloody cunting country that uses a different currency. And it’s one of those fucked ones that like $1 equals 5000 of whatever their money is called. Confusing. I suck at math.

Oh, I’m three glasses of wine in and en route to a film premiere tonight. Fancy me, eh? BOOM. Also there’s going to be a Slovenia Part II post after the weekend as we’re checking out some more sights.

Things I miss about home: Regis and Kelly. I missed his farewell, I’m so sad about that.

Things I don’t miss about home: Canadian beer/wine. It’s just so…shitty. Slovenian beer is fuck delicious. That’s not a grammar error I meant to say “Fuck delicious” because it is fuck delicious.

Question time:

Why don’t any of you answer my questions? I look at the stats, I know at least 50 people come and read my nonsensical ramblings when I post a new post, so why don’t you fucking post any comments?! Some friends!!! CUNTS.

Hugz & kissez.

Cheers,

- B.

7 Comments

Batman Abroad: “Banger in the mouth?”

Greetings. Rome is quite stunning. Every where you turn there’s something historic. It’s like walking around a huge outdoor museum.

Stunning. It really is. I didn’t think I would be so taken back by it but it is pretty surreal to see these structures up close. And I finally got my taste of fresh Italian-made pizza in a little pizzeria down the street. Delicious.

I’ve been lucky enough to have left the shitty rainy weather in Venice behind. Rome has been nothing short of beautiful since I’ve gotten here. To the point where I thought I was going to get a sunburn one day.

Monday I head back north to Slovenia. I will be bunking with a friend there for a week, which is really kind of her seeing as I met her once back in…2006? Jesus that was five years ago. Wasn’t it just 2006 yesterday? Yeesh.

So my next writing competition deadline is in a few days and I’ve decided to submit ‘Feathers’. This is an animated script I wrote a couple years ago.

I’m not happy with the ending. I’ve been re-writing over and over in hopes of getting something I’m happy with but that’s proven difficult. Then I stumbled onto the feedback given on my script by Tassie Cameron and from the Canadian Film Center. This helped tremendously. So I think I’ve got it…or at least I’ve compromised with myself enough to submit it.

Tom and I have the deadline creeping up at the end of this month for our short script, and I have another short I’ll be submitting solo to the competition as well.

Funny. I’ve managed to accidentally come across a Disney Store in every country/city I’ve traveled to so far.

Money continues to be a growing concern during travels. Our dollar really fucking sucks over here. Cost of living in London is not ideal either. So it’s looking more and more like I will be returning to Toronto sooner than expected. So this has turned into a “moving for good” trip to a “Europe tour” trip. Which, as I’ve said before, is completely fine with me. I do sort of miss the hustle of working in Toronto. The stress, the inane tasks, the high maintenance actors, and driving around the city running errands and blasting Spice Girls in my production vehicle. Ah, there’s no business like it.

Vatican City

Before heading back though I really do want to try and scrounge up the money I have left to see Scotland and Ireland. And I’m sure heading north in the UK during the winter months will just be lovely. And people ridiculed me for packing my winter jacket. Who’s laughing (and shivering) now bitches?!

Pantheon

So on my travels I’ve encountered countless attempts at people trying to scam me. At first it was entertaining but, like the panhandlers in Toronto, it just gets annoying after a while. Especially when you’re trying to figure out where the fuck you’re going.

The worst ones are those women who come around to you trying to get you to sign some petition to help the needy. Sure, seems like a good cause, catch is by signing that fucking piece of paper they expect a donation right after. And half of these women don’t even speak English, c’mon if you’re going to scam a tourist learn the fucking language. Put a little effort into it!

Inside the Pantheon

I’ll admit I did fall for the scam, once. When I first arrived in Paris off the train. I had been up at 3:30AM to go to the train station in London, boarded the train, slept on and off, then, whilst drowsy, tried to figure out the impossible transit system in Paris to get to the Korean Inn.

Fontana di Trevi

That’s when she attacked. I’m standing there, I can’t feel my shoulders cause I packed too much in my dufflebag, and she gets me to sign a form. I’m like “Yeah sure whatever” then I tell her to go, and she holds out her hand. That’s when I clued in “Oh, shit. Of course” so I said “I only have pounds”, to which she said “OK, pounds” and so I said “Of course that’s OK.” So I fish through my pocket and manage to get three quid. Fine. I’ll part with it just to get her to leave so I can figure out the fucking subway. Then she says “No, ten, ten” so I snapped “Ten? I’m not giving you ten.” and she said “Children.” and I said “Right, unless you have the children around to help me figure out this system I’m not giving you ten pounds.” Suffice it to say she didn’t understand what I said and gave me a dirty looked and huffed off. She’s scamming ME and she huffs and gives ME a dirty look? If I ever go back to Paris, I’m finding that 16 year old bitch and getting my three quid back.

Is anyone else enjoying the return of Beavis & Butthead? I know that was a random transition. But I’m so happy they’re back. While I’m on the subject of TV, Life’s Too Short premiered last night. Good. Looking forward to the rest of the season. Liam Neeson’s guest appearance was hilarious.

I’m so disappointed I only recently discovered that Drew Carey’s Improv-A-Ganza filmed at the MGM Grand in Vegas. The hotel myself, Oats, Jer and the Lanky Twat stayed. Maybe next year…I think I’m the only one I know who genuinely finds Drew Carey funny. It’s a bit disheartening. Also that I may be the only one I know who legitimately likes Roseanne too. But that’s a damned good show. I don’t care what anyone says.

Oof, getting off topic. I’ve started rambling which isn’t fun for me to write or any of you to read.

Still from an upcoming Toy Story short. WEEEEEE!!!

All right I’ll wrap this up…I forgot to do the “things i miss/don’t miss” last time I posted.

Things I miss about Toronto: Oh how about the TTC, not because it’s a good transit system, but I at least understood it. My number one fear that drives my anxiety through the roof while traveling is how I’m going to handle public transit. It’s different everywhere and just as confusing. Rome has actually been really easy getting around. But that’s because I walk everywhere. Walking is underrated…until you get lost (cough Paris cough).

Things I don’t miss about Toronto: Inane chatter. I think traveling alone suits me because I like just not..speaking. I go days sometimes without uttering one word. And it’s really nice. Sometimes when people talk about shit I don’t care about, I just want to stab them in the foot.

Question Period: OK soooo, uh, fuck. Fuck it. I don’t have anything. Make up your own questions and just answer them yourselves. Only leave ones you think I’ll like in the comments.

Cheers,

- B.

1 Comment

Batman Abroad: Sinkin’ Soon

Oh Venice. You’ve been so good to me creatively. How I will miss this awesome down time I’ve had. It’s nice to stay in a place where I can just kind of go at my own pace and if I want to spend a day doing nothing, it’s totally possible. No pressure of constantly having to go out and see the sights. Not that I didn’t, of course.

With the exception of a few days, it mostly rained here. But no complaints, the rain forced me to get some writing done. And hoo boy, not to brag but I did get a lot of writing done. Feels like my mind has come out of a year long coma. I haven’t been writing any masterpieces, mind you, but to just sit and write feels good. Feels like I have at least a slight idea of where I need to go next.

Tomorrow I say good bye to my quiet little paradise and travel to Rome where I imagine I’ll put my feet through as much work as I did in Paris.

If only I spoke Italian, I would consider moving here.

I suppose I should start getting used to this cold weather. Winter is just around the corner. Not sure how it is back home, but I can’t imagine it’s too pleasant.

Speaking of, has Toronto just gone completely down the shitter? Almost every news item I see come out of there involves a stabbing, shooting, fires, sinkholes, protesting going sour, and the ongoing rage against the mayor. Maybe I should rethink coming back…

Or maybe I could come back and do some good….

My step-father put me in contact with a writer he met while at a conference in Calgary. She emailed me basically saying she’s an author with a few projects on the go, and she has a couple ideas she’d like to develop with a co-writer. I hope something comes of it, sounds interesting and is definitely something I’m interested in doing.

Speaking of writing partners…Tom and I are nearing completion of our script. And while on the topic, I’d actually like to put an advert out to anyone willing to partner up with me (professionally! get your mind out of the gutter you dirty twats). I have several little short scripts that are stuck in the first draft stage, and I would like to have someone to send them to and get feedback, ideas or even for them to write and add to the stories. If you’re interested shoot me a message, email, etc.

I carry these weird little trinkets around with me wherever I go. It’s weird. I don’t know if I do it because I think they’re good luck or I just like the memory of what they represent. Like carrying a little piece of home every where I go. Or maybe I’m just a hoarder. Cause I believe in luck as much as I believe there’s a god.

One essential item that no traveler should ever be without: corkscrew/bottle opener

It must be extremely rare to come across screw-top bottles in Europe. Or at least, I have yet to see them. Paris, Madrid, Venice I’ve always had a corkscrew with me since leaving London. Just in case.

I also have three pairs of shoes. Three. I don’t know why but I have three fucking pairs of shoes with me. In all fairness I brought the sneakers so I could run, but since Italy is sinking it hasn’t been the best weather to go out for a jog unless I also have a pair of water wings with me.

Fuck. OK. See you in Rome.

Cheers,

- B.

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