Chapter Eighty Nine: Summer, Victoria & Stuff

But before we go any further, here's another great pic of another great movie, this time the original Tron.
Two of the main actors having fun!

T R O N

OK, we'll get one more before we're done today.


In the morning stories binder, I have added the fact that the cops followed me for a little while last week, and also that there was that morning with no hookers, but a shaggy wagon moving quite randomly, if you know what I mean.
Now, I am telling you, I am not making that up.
Some days it is easy to get up, some others it is not.
But all things considered, it is not that bad to have to get up that early, you really just have to go to bed early as well.
And I am clearly speaking to say nothing.
And, I believe, I need a coffee.

Now, also, once in a while it is quite nice in the morning, the weather has not "yet", hit the floor, and it often looks like we are going to have a nice day.
Here are some of the recent shots that might be worth showing.
My phone is not the best thing in the world to take pictures at night, or when it is barely dawn, so, bare with me.

Building in Chinatown

Early Morning in James Bay

Sunrise on Victoria Harbour

The Parliament

In the Morning Shade

This Very Morning

And, as I was mentioning the weather, I don't want to complain about it!!!!! Nope nope nope!
I just want to make a statement:
- Victoria has the worst weather in the world. That's all.
It's sucks ass... Excuse my french please...

Next, few interesting pics:

Another Weirdo

That dude was standing there, not moving an inch, just like those statues people. But that one felt different. I don't know... Just another weirdo as my dear wife would say!

The Store on Yates

And that one, gosh, it feels like back east a little. I didn't know that store was there, do you?
And the breakfast all day, and the omelettes list on the front, and the weird colours, everything is where it should be, as far as I am concerned.
And, it was busy.
I plan to try it soon, and let you know if it is worth going down there!


Oh, and previously I mentioned that, the t-shirt saying I am Gandalf and Magneto, Get Over It was a fake. Here is the real pic:

And now, this is that time of the day:    C O M I C S    T I M E !

Now, I love that style.
It has a simplicity that, is so difficult to attend. And it really looks like it was done instinctively
The reflection the grey surrounding everything but the main characters, how the expression is so well define with literally no words!
I admire that work... A great deal.

And, even though, this is absolutely beautiful as well, my heart goes to the previous piece, for many reasons that I am not ready to explain now, but might one of those days.
This is more of the new school of graphic artists, and I truly prefer the old school.
However and regardless of anything else, the new generation was more than necessary.
And it was welcome!


OK, yes, I don't write evrydays, but I am present, and active somehow.
So, for now, that would be good for me.

Ah, my coffee and now almost ready.
So, that's going to be all for now.

We are going to end with a magnificent pictures of the filming of the Faust: A German Folk Legend from Goethe of course.

Voila, that's all for now folks!
have a great 1st of July for all my Canadians friends, I am working tomorrow, and so be it!

Sincerely

Serge
30th of June 2011

Chapter Eighty Eight: Early Morning Talk, Few Pictures & A Certain Noticeable Difference

But, before I go further, let's admire and observe a picture now out of this world.
The opening scene of the Empire Strikes Back.
Absolutely amazing stuff!

Opening credits of The Empire Strikes Back old school style

Okay, and now, few words regarding some of the morning talks I am, by now, use to.
So, yesterday I said that, I have that new job and I start really early.
For instance, today I started at 4.00 am, so I got up at 2.45, and left the house at 3.00.
It takes me about 40 minutes to get to work, so i walk across the city, silent and quiet in appearances, and, I must admit that I somehow like it. Plus, it's a pretty good exercise that I do on a very regular basis.
But that is clearly beside the point.
Now, this is getting better: to get to work, I have to walk across the "hookers district", and I mean, we are not talking about gorgeous escorts here, and also, keep in mind that it is 4.00 am when I cross that area, so the night is clearly late.
Regularly, when I pass by the ladies, they talk to me.
Now, remember that I am going to work, it's freaking 3.30 am, and the last thing I feel like doing is talking to a tired prostitute... Before going to work!
Nevertheless, I am always polite and respectful.
So, usually, it is like:
- Hey mister, ya have a cigarette?
or
- Yo there, know what time it is?
A while ago, a lady called me from across the street and asked me if I needed company.
As I answer negatively she said:
- Why, you don't have money?
I just thought it was hilarious.
But the best yet was few days ago, when that lady crossed the street and said:
- Hey, do you want me to do something for you?
I smiled and said no thanks.
She then added:
- Why? I do good blow jobs though!??!
I smiled.
It's the twilight zone.
I, again, said I wasn't interested, thanked her and started to walk towards work.
She, again, said:
- Why? Where are you going so early?
- I'm going to work, did I reply.
- To work??!?!?! Isn't it a little early to go to work?
I stopped, turned around and said:
- Well, aren't you working right now?
I left and she pondered...


Okay, now, another one of those fantastic shots like the Star Wars up there:
Now, we are going into Stanley Kubrick spaceship from 2001 A Space Odyssey:

2001 A Space Odyssey

There is more to come in the next few days.
And, also, some more Spiderman covers, that I find absolutely gorgeous:

On that one, the drawing in the back, with the Spidey in the front get married perfectly while in complete contradiction as far as movement is concerned. There is a sort of simple balance that is so darn challenging to attain...

And this one, with a dramatically more modern style. The ideas and details are always mesmerizing.
And, in case you didn't know, Spiderman is now dead. Well, Peter Parker is... For now at least.
Meanwhile, spiderman also just joined the Fantastic Four renamed the Future Foundation with brand new outfits... Go Figure:

Future Foundation

Okay, enough cool easter eggs or now.

Finally, something has been kind of bothering me.
After I came back from France, and this is certainly due to my previous year traveling, but I had changed. Of course, I always do when I travel, but this time was different.
I wasn't excited about anything anymore.
But not in a depressive way.
Just in a kind of acceptable way...
The principal result of that state, is that, i have very little inspiration if any. So, This is why I have been silent. I try to motivate myself, and I think it is kind of working, like of, kind of right now actually, but still, drawing is impossible, and I tried, playing music is difficult, and I tried, and sitting in a chair looking outside is easy and enjoyable.
Time will tell... But this is a new ground for me...


And, at last, this is what my wife sent me today, and gosh, this is so good!
Take this as if it was a good lesson!

Ian Mckellen

Of course, it is a fake.


Voila, that's all for today folks.

Sincerely,

Serge
June 24th 2011

Chapter Eighty Seven: News, New Song, Canucks & Rants

Part 1: Where we're at...
I closed my eyes, turned my head and three months had passed...
Time is such a peculiar thing...

It is easy to get side track, when you are busy with the every day life stuff, to forget what is actually important on a personal level.
I came back from France, and life took it's toll.
I had to first of all, find a place to live, the two kids, Silvia and I, then find a job ASAP, so money will start to flow on a regular basis.
On top of graphic design, I have done so many odd jobs in my life, sometimes, it's not even funny.
However, it has been, in most case, what I would call a good experience.

So, back to our story, I found a place, a nice two bedrooms in James Bay, close to everything, in a district where Sil would be comfortable, close to the ocean and as cosy as it goes.
Then we had that crazy move, the day we took everything out of the storage and back into the new place, and the kids moved in with us.
As far as the job was concerned, it wasn't as easy, but after few weeks I had found a job that is okay by my standards, and that allows me to have all my afternoons off, as I start really early in the morning.
I do wake up at 2.30 am regularly...
Some say I am crazy, I simply say that, when I am done work shortly after noon, I don't feel that crazy.
Quite the opposite actually.
Ponder on that people!!!

So, early in the morning, I leave the house and walk all the way to work, some 4/5 km away.
Recently, as the day light comes out earlier, I have been the witness of some amazing sun rise.

Sun Rise on the Parliament

Or, some other days, like that:

The Port & The Empress

Now, on a side note, the quality of these pics is poor.
Well, get use to it. Cause, that's coming out of my phone, and that's what it is going to be for a while.

And we just settled in, slowly but surely, the four of us.
Work makes me very tired form time to time, Sil has hard time adjusting from time to time, and the kids are always good, and such is life nowadays.

And, I stopped creating. I stopped writing, I stopped drawing, I stopped making music, and the rest.
And, I noticed, but I found myself incapable of making any kind of difference.
So, I went along...
Time will tell kind of attitude.
And inspiration stopped being at the rendez-vous.
And time passed by, again...

Then, yesterday, a man I have known for decades, MM Le Terrible, wrote in one of my blog post:

Bon alors Sergio, ce blog tu le laisses tomber?
Fichtre, bougre, foutre, c'était terriblement bien, merde, ne le gâche pas...
Bises.
MM. 


Translation:
So, Sergio, you are giving up on this blog?
Geeeez, Darn, Fuck, it was so good, shit, don't mess it up...
Kisses.
MM.


Thank you.
That's exactly what I needed.
A good kick in the ass.
So, I am going to try to write regularly on my blog again, I really can't promise I'll write everyday,
but I can promise I'll write as often I as possibly can.
Let's see where this brings us.

Before I'll go onto different parts of the story, here are some pictures of Victoria I took among my walks:

The Ocean on Dallas Rd

One of my favourite building in Victoria, The Gotham Building

The Mermaid entrance of the Gotham Building

Part 2: And music we finally played...
Few days after came back from Europe, I started to think about music.
During my exodus period, I had organized in my head the songs we will record for the "Rove" album, a folk semi-accoustic mini album of 5 songs. We had already recorded two songs for the album, and I had two of my songs I wanted to re-record, and one I was writing.
I thought I had a plan.
So, few days after came back from Europe, I started to think about music, and Nick contacted me.
Nick plays guitar, piano, and weird instruments in the band. He is also the one with whom I work the most as far as post processing is concerned.
Anyhow, he contacted me and wanted to play. And record. He was very excited about it.
Then, Simone, the drummer-girl contacted me for the very same reason.
But my mind could not focused.
We tried to jam, but I couldn't play. I had no inspiration. Everything went to hell.
So, we stopped for a while...

Then, one bright morning, on a day off without the kids, a song I had not thought about in many years, came back to mind. And I started to whistle it.
This song had been written by a brilliant man with whom I use to play in a band (The Robert Pepper Band) few decades ago, in Montreal, Mr. Robert Poivre.
It told the tale of the man I was, in the beginning of the 90's when I had my first son, Mériadoc, who is now a young man of almost 18 years old.
The lyrics and the music where very simple, and the song was very short. It had been written to be a folk song, right from the beginning.
Ideas started to grow in my mind.
We were going to record that song, but I wanted a country feeling, and I wanted a drum, and I wanted a fiddle player...
Simone reminded me how much demanding I was, with her no expression face.
Nick and I got together, we worked the song and started recording it.
I ended up playing most of the guitars, while he focused on playing the slide guitar solo, and massively post processing the song.
Simone sat at her drum, and played the track once, and, as far as Nick and I were concerned, it was perfect.
One recording and the lady had done her job.
Geeeeeeee, she will always surprise me by always doing the same thing...
Anyway, fast, the song was getting together.
Now, we needed a fiddle player.
Nick knew that guy, Dobbry Smith, who was supposed to be a descent fiddle player, and who ended up being so.
He came down to the studio, and started to work with Nick and I.
Very fast, he had his lines ready, but I am such a pain in the bottom, I mad the poor Dobbry play and play and play and play, over and over and over the same piece, cause I just couldn't get it in my head...
Eventually, we had the fiddle track.
I think, Nick and I will go back into post processing that track, as there is still some little things that bother us, but all in all, here is the third song of the album Rove, followed by some comments and the lyrics:






This, was a song written by a brilliant artist some 18 years ago.
It tells the tale of the man I was, when I got my first son Mériadoc, who is now a young man.
Music & Lyrics by Robert Poivre
Arrangements by Spaceboys & The Sweet Things
Drums: Linda Simone
Guitars & Vocals: Sergio Foglio
Bass & Slide Guitar: Nick Steal
Fiddle: Dobbry Smith




-----------------------------------------------


Mériadoc


I do anything
To see your smile.
I get crazy,
I get wild.


I throw you in the air,
Open your wings,
And fly.
And fly.
Fly.
And fly.


Get ready,
Get wise.
Life is crazy,
Sometimes too wild.


But don't forget,
But don't forget,
That I'll be there
For you at anytime.
At any time.
At anytime.
At anytime.


Mériadoc.


We are planning to soon go back into recording the two last song of the album.
There is, a good story about that, by the way, but I will not tell it now.

Part 3: How it feels when you open your heart...

So, among the rest, I spent an entire day off taking care of my ex wife little boy.

He will be 2 at the end of August if I am not mistaken, and he simply is the sweetest little boy in town.

His name is Robin, and we had a blast spending that day together.

Now, the reason why I bring that up is because, it could seem weird that I choose to take care of my ex's son.

Well, that's what happen when you open your heart.

Here's the boy in question:

Robin at the Park

Part 4: Let's salute Italy and shake our heads about Canada...

So, the Italians have finally told Berlusconi the fascist to go get lost!

This is admirable and needs to be noticed!

On the other end, the elections in Canada were another disappointment.

And, there is very little to say, but wake up Canada!!!!!!!!!!!

Part 5: The best of the Canucks 2011...

For the ones of you who don't know what the Canucks are, and really, I can't blame you, they are a Canadian hockey team, the team from Vancouver.

Now, I am not a hockey connoisseur, but I have been in Canada for long enough to have my own little opinion about hockey.

Every year, there is the Stanley Cup, a competition where all the best teams from the US and Canada fight to get the supreme cup.

The Canucks, usually, and I am sorry to say so, are not a reference in the world of North American hockey.

This said, this year, the Canucks managed to get into the finals vs the Boston Bruins.

So, the way it works is that, the first team to win 4 games wins the cup.

And the Vancouver Canucks lost...

I almost feel like saying what else is new!!?!?!!

Anyway, right after the loss, a massive riot started in Vancouver, cars got burned, store vandalized, people arrested, the usual.

The most fantastic part of the Stanley Cup story 2011, as far as I am concerned, are those guys, making out in the middle of the riot, in the middle of the street in Vancouver during the riots.

Way to go guys!

Second noticeable thought about the Canucks is that, somehow, I thought it was a verb, or an expression, like...

To get canucked....

What kind of definition would it be?

Let me know.

Third and last thought, and then we can pack the whole subject, but the statue of the pirate Cook, James Cook, who is certainly praised by some, while I believe he was just a pirate doubled by an imperialist, got dressed with a Canucks jersey.

Okay, I admit, it's pretty cool, but with such a stiff player, wasn't it obvious that the cup was going to slip  in between our fingers, once again?

See ya next year Stanley Cup!

We need a win by the Canadians of Montreal!

James Cook wearing a Canucks Jersey

Part 5: And let's finish en beauté...

We are now close to the finish lane, even though there is so much more than I want to tell, such as messages to my family in France, and my friends in Canada, and my dear friends in France, and just to tell everyone that I am getting back in touch, I am still adjusting at my new life, and that I love you all!

And much more.

But for teh time being, this is a long enough post.

Let's just finish with two little presents, two little pieces of pleasure.

First of all, a picture of the set used by Ridley Scott in Alien, astonishing picture found by my perfect wife Sil:

On the Set of Alien

And a great illustration from one of the Spiderman comics, Perter Parker throwing his suit in the trash cane in a back alley.

Gorgeous.

Note: Pay attention on the details on the Spiderman illustration.

Voila, that's all for now folks.

I hope this was entertaining.

Sincerely,

Serge

June 23rd 2011