The Serpent of Venice - Possible Cover?

Christopher Moore retweeted this photo yesterday, the first look at what may be the new cover art for his next novel, The Serpent of Venice. Another satirical spin on a Shakespearean tale, this novel sounds like it will be an alternate examination of the Bard's tale of Shylock and Portia. I loved Fool, Moore's first novel in this genre, which was a re-imagining of King Lear. It just so happens that The Merchant of Venice was my introduction to Shakespeare's work, and it remains one of my favourites. Filled with dynamic characters and lots of intrigue, The Merchant of Venice seems like an ideal candidate for Moore's special blend of whimisical satire and irreverant wit. Definitely something to look forward to, this novel is slated for release on April 22nd, 2014.

Chuck Palahniuck's Novel Snuff gets a new Title for the Italian Edition.

Apparently Italian Publishers aren't so subtle. Chuck Palahniuck just tweeted this cover of the Italian edition of his novel Snuff. A tongue in cheek look at the adult film industry, Snuff is a raunchy, racy, riotous tale that is a seriously fun read. Here's the photo, which features the new title for the book:

By renaming the book, publishers kind of missed the whole point of the book. The sex, which features prominently, is really just a back drop for the rest of the story. A reflection of the porn industry itself, the reader is supposed to become desensitized to the copious amounts of sex, it isn't the focus, it is merely a means to an end. At least that's my take on it. Regardless, it's fun to see another culture's take on this fabulous piece of literature.

Carpe Diem, and all that jazz

Generally speaking I am a firm believer in the concepts of living every day to its fullest and seizing every moment - real Dead Poets Society stuff. "Oh Captain, my Captain", and all that jazz, but as as of late, as Summer winds down I often find myself silently wishing whole days away. Increasingly often I find myself lost in long silent moments of reflection where all I want is a return to the routine that is my life at home, or at least, my life when I am working close enough to home to enjoy the comfort of my own bed every night. While I can certainly recognize the attraction of this return to the routine, what I have a hard time reconciling is the desire for this Summer to be over. It has been a great summer season, filled with interesting challenging artistic opportunities at work, wonderful family time, and lots of fun creative experiences with new and old friends.
I suppose that some small part of me believes that a return to the routine will make all of my current cares and concerns vanish, but ultimately I know that each and every new day brings with it both a whole host of new challenges to overcome and a collection of perfect moments to be treasured. The important part is recognizing those moments for what they are and not letting them pass you by.

Wil Wheaton's Advice For High School Graduates

Surfing the interweb today I came across this image . Apparently, Wil Wheaton was once asked to autograph a recent high school graduate's year book, and rather than just scrawl a John Henry, Wil left these little gems of advice. See for yourself:
Great advice for anyone looking to pursue a post secondary education, and  #4 through #8 are also great general rules for life.
I think it was pretty cool of Wil to drop this kind of wisdom on his young fan, and even cooler of Wil's wife to share this photo with the interweb.

Fight Club

I am currently re-reading Chuck Palahniuck's Fight Club, and one of my co-workers snapped this candid photo of me deeply engrossed in the book.
This is hands down my favourite novel, and I love it more with each re-read. Chuck weaves a darkly beautiful tale, packed with wit and scathing commentary of our consumer based society.
It is a book that resonates with me, both as a man, and as a product of my environment.
This book triggered my love affair with Chuck's work, and it is the crown jewel in the career of an accomplished writer. I fully plan a future post that covers my thoughts on this novel at a later date, but I felt the photo deserved to be posted now.

"I am Joe's Raging Bile Duct." - Chuck Palahniuk - Fight Club

Ben Affleck will play Batman in the Man of Steel sequel

The interweb went crazy yesterday when Warner Bros. announced that Ben Affleck would don the cowl as the caped crusader in the 2015 sequel to The Man of Steel. Alot of fanboys are hating on Affleck, labeling him 'too vanilla' to play the Dark Knight.

Personally, I am intrigued by the casting choice. Affleck has the suave, cool grace to pull off Bruce Wayne, and the physical size to be a very imposing figure in the cowl. If I met that square jaw dressed as Batman in a dark alley, I would think twice before I picked a fight.
For all the fanboys who think Affleck will just be another George Clooney, or Val Kilmer...I would ask, did you expect genius out of Heath Ledger in the role of the joker? He shocked the acting world with this dark portrayal, even winning the Oscar for best actor posthumously. I know I didn't certainly expect that out of the star of 10 Things I Hate About You. My point, leave the guy alone, and wait to pass judgment on his performance until after he has actually had a chance to give it. You never know, he may surprise you. The as of yet untitled sequel is scheduled to hit theatres in July of 2015.

Port Blake Conservation Area has a beautiful beach

My quest to find a better beach took me to Grand Bend today. Let me be honest, I am not, and never have been a fan of the main beach here in Grand Bend for anything other than people watching. It is just too crowded with dippy young tourists, who, while they may provide eye candy and the occasional laugh, tend to clutter up the beach with stupid, and nobody needs that. Plus, the entry to the water is marred with a swath of rocks and small stones. I prefer soft sandy beaches that gently gradually slope to the waters edge. Icing sugar sand that would do the Dominican's rum soaked beaches proud are what I am after. I know it's alot to ask, especially from Southwest Ontario, but I have high standards for my beaches, and that is never going to change.

My ultimate destination today was the beach at Port Blake Conservation Area. Located just north of Grand Bend, the entrance to Port Blake can be found just before the Waterworks Treatment Plant on Highway 21. As a tip, continue past the conservation area entrance, and park on Waterworks Road (The west terminus of Highway 83) to save yourself the $5 parking fee.

Pristine and clean, this beach is way better, and less densely populated than the main beach. It is also worth mentioning that the sand is much better quality, soft, and smooth as opposed to large grained and coarse, it is one of the best beaches I have found in a while. With the added bonus of picnic pavilions, BBQ pits, and public washrooms, this beach is a great hidden treasure, and one that I am shocked that I hadn't discovered until now.

Ipperwash Beach is a dump, and its not going to get any better.

Growing up on the shores of Lake Huron some of my fondest memories include days spent at the beach at what used to be a beautiful sandy stretch of coast line at Ipperwash Beach. My family has had a vacation property not far from the water for many years so I am very familiar with this stretch of beach. With clear water, no rocks to speak of, and lots of fine sandy beach to stretch out on, it used to be a great place to spend a summer day.

Sadly this is no longer the case. There is a 6' stretch of debris and sharp broken shells at the water's edge, washed up detritus that mars what then once beautiful coastline. Beyond that is a 8' band of sludge, hidden under dirty, cloudy debris filled water that you have to wade through to make your way out past this mess, to the "cleaner" water beyond. Having taken my young daughter down for a day of beach fun, I couldn't have been more disgusted. To add to my disgust, the local native band that "owns" the public beach has children handing out pamphlets stating that as of 2014 they will begin charging for both parking and walk on admission. Walk on admission at a public beach? What the fuck? The only reason some stretches of the beach were clean was because private land owners had dragged the beach with private tractors, and one of the mandates the natives propose is a total ban on private tractors on the beach...so the mess is only going to get worse.

It is infuriating to me to see what used to be a beautiful public beach degrade to such an awful cesspit through absolute neglect and a lack of care from the people trusted with its upkeep. I will soon be looking for a new beach to call home.