Print Edition: January 21, 2015
Joaquin gets the shaft
One of the things that gets me most riled is when talent is not recognized like it should be. Awards shows are a load of crap when it comes to recognizing talent. Specifically this year I am pissed off about Joaquin Phoenix missing out on a nomination for Inherent Vice. I mean, come on! The man smoked fake dope the whole movie and was the most believable baked hippie I’ve ever seen (including in real life). What is the point of having awards ceremonies if real talent gets set aside to make way for blockbusters or emotional content? I think a huge reform is necessary. Give Joaquin a break, give Oldman some credit, and for goodness’ sake; would someone give Leo an Oscar?
We’re Canadian, right?
I like to think I’m a Canadian person; I try to be friendly, smiling and greeting to most of the people I encounter. On an off day, maybe it’s just a head-nod. But far too often I am met with a startled or confused look in response to my friendly greeting. Plenty of people even just straight up ignore me, and walk past as if I were not even there. Now, I’ve got a thick skin, I can live with the fact that not everyone I encounter wants to be my friend — but we’re Canadians. Aren’t we supposed to be some of the friendliest people in the world? When did we lose our friendliness? Why did we lose it? As far as I can tell, everyone is trying to pretend that our friendliness doesn’t exist.
Thank God for Chapters
I once heard some writers at a Vancouver conference exclaim, “Thank God for Chapters-Indigo.” They were despairing over the steady slump of the print book industry. Yet, now, the Chapters on Robson Street in Vancouver is closing. The big, three-storey one.
Why not close all the stores on Robson? Since the closure of HMV, it seems that all the cool stuff down there is slipping away.
Thanks to egregious rent prices in Vancouver, we have now lost the biggest Chapters in the Lower Mainland. The flags will be at half mast, and there will be weeping. It was a big location, but what is the fate of print books if the biggest book chain in a greatly populated area can’t pay its rent?
They said, “Thank God for Chapters.” But, now I’m praying to God they survive.
AfterMath surprise!
This semester I decided not to frequent AfterMath anymore. I was unhappy with most of the menu changes they made in the fall. The campus lounge has admittedly been the butt of jokes and plaintive conversations about the lack of good food options all year. But this week I was desperate; I was out of groceries and had no time to shop. So I went with a friend to AfterMath … and was pleasantly surprised. Changes I was dissatisfied with had been reversed, and new options were added. On the last page of the menu there are two new sections: vegetarian and gluten-free items. The server mentioned the gluten-free tortillas don’t hold together as well as their flour-based counterparts, which I’ve experienced at a few places. But the option is there, and the burger buns are pretty good. So kudos, AfterMath, for thinking of the students — keep us in mind when you move to the SUB and someone inevitably asks, “Should we change the menu?”
