Svengali

Yeesh my entire house just shook for 5 seconds. Was at about 4:15 am. Don't use twitter or FB etc but felt like posting somewhere because the world is currently so silent and spooky. Anyone else here feel it?

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As you know, traditionally us Swedes are known for taking our pickup trucks preeetty seriously.

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On Howard Shore - The Lord of the Rings Symphony Soundtrack Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the sky away James Brown - In the Jungle Groove Jerry Garcia - Garcia Vince Guaraldi - The Lost Cues ... Richard Egarr - Bach: Brandenburg Concertos Nos.1-6 John Lee Hooker - On Campus Vangelis - Blade Runner, Music From The Original Soundtrack Dire Straits - Dire Straits (their first album) Johnny Cash - At San Quentin PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea Josef K - Entomology Radiohead - In Rainbows The Stooges - Raw Power (although these days it gives me a headache) Pretty much the same list I would have given 5, 10, (and in some cases) 20 years ago:

Kind of a nutty coincidence, just last night I started reading a book with Max's face on the cover (he starred in the movie version), then today when I woke up there's the email from my mom saying that he had died ... Her favourite director is Bergman so we watched a tonne of Max and the gang growing up. She also once again told me how her best friend's dad used to sell fish from his boat to Max when he'd come down to the dock. Max never paid for it, he'd always say "oh I forgot my wallet, I'll pay you next time" and give a sly wink. Free fish for Max and great advertising for that fisherman. (lots of Swedes seem to lurk CDC so I'll mention that this was down in Råå) And although I don't really believe in any hocus-pocus type stuff, I'll still definitely be exchanging my copy of McCarthy's The Road with Viggo Mortensen's picture on it. Don't want to lose that guy as well.

I still can't believe you guys didn't have The Grand Budapest Hotel, the greatest movie of the decade, on those lists of yours. You're like the biggest pinko commie fascists ever. Also the greatest movie of 2019 (imo) is Portrait of a Lady on Fire, just incredible directing and cinnabuntography (the framing, the lighting, all of it). It's plot is far from original but it doesn't matter, it's the many many great images that are the thing. So yeah, if you really appreciate great cinnamontopography and you love drawing/sketching/painting and Ovid and Vivaldi and attractive French lesbians and you're also definitely not a prairie boy who somehow as a grown man still actually believes that the Young Adult Film director Rian Johnson makes good flicks, well then, grab your beret and baguettes because you're in for a cinematic wanking tour de force. (I had to watch it on kodi, not sure if it's even coming to theaters here at all)

Joni, Jaco, and Metheny was such a talented combo. Staying on topic, I think it's The Beach Boys who I dislike the most. But then the drummer did star in Two Lane Blacktop which is a very cool movie so I'll have to pardon him (and only him) for his musical sins.

I see that it's a biopic:

The Legend Himself dropped a fresh load yesterday and you guys aren't even talking about it? Merry Christmas muthafruckus.

I went outside just now and made a snowchicken, because that's how I roll: thug life

Seattle Sea Cucumbers.

She's Australian, went to college or uni (I don't remember the details) but is not qualified for skilled entry according to Immigration Canada. Another major setback (and the main difference between her and the two million Aussie snow-bogans currently living in Whistler) is that she is now over the age limit (35) for a work visa which would have enabled her to come over and work/live here for two years and then apply for permanent resident status. She also lacks immediate family in Canada. Doesn't have the $400,000 in cash lying around for the "Investment Into Canada" instant citizenship bribe either ... She's definitely running out of options.

That's awful what happened to your buddy. I hope he's totally free of that nightmare by now. (and hopefully she's in a better place as well) I have to admit reading those words of yours, "lives in jeopardy" and "mountains of legal issues" is a little terrifying (insert nervous chuckle) and I'm also totally delaying all of the inevitable tedious googling I need to do on emigration and bureaucracy and red tape ... Third option indeed. But I can also say with some relief after reading your buddy's story that my friend is very self-reliant, owns her own home which she bought with money she earned through years of working. She has mentioned to me several times over the years that the daydream is to sell her house (it's a first world country that she lives in, she's not trying to escape from anything) and use that money to buy a place near me in BC. But Friday was of course the first time marriage ever came up. And yes she is a super decent person. This is the first time she's ever really stressed me out. As she said in her email to me after the flight: "sorry for the massive bombshell I dropped on you". But the bomb still exists, and that's a mighty big mozzaball just hanging out there.

Can I ask about your friend's experience? What happened there? I'm very interested. (and yeah you're right about unintentionally hurting her, it's very likely to happen at some point in this situation ... which ever direction I take)

I haven't told any other friends about this and it may be a while before I do. Need to get it off my chest and read any possible replies from you guys: I have a close friend who spends every summer with me and on Friday at the airport she asked during a very emotional goodbye if I'd consider marrying her so she could emigrate from her country to live here. She didn't want to go back home, she didn't want to leave me and our mutual friends, she considers BC her "real home" now, she considers my place home. So now I'm sitting here considering it ... She's a really good friend, we get along incredibly well, we spend all day together for up to two months at a time and no ones been murdered yet, and I am not dead-set against her idea, but our relationship is platonic. I'm the one who "friend-zoned" her, so to speak, 5 years ago (yes that's a crappy looking thing to type but it is what it is, I'm not into having a romantic relationship with her). She said we'd still remain just friends if we do get married. I'm still in a kind of daze. But I mean, we're grownups, mature people, I could do it for her and our friendship. But then there is that weird side to this ... the side which may sound cold or selfish but um, let's say we do get married (a platonic marriage) and I meet and fall for some other woman, then what? We'll have to get "amicably" divorced. I'll have to somehow bring that up with her soon in our conversations. How weird will that be ... And how weird will it be to be divorced?.. Any future girlfriend of mine would be hanging out with me and "my ex-wife" ... But then again, we're adults, life is so silly and things like this really shouldn't be a hang-up ... Honestly I believe that if this was another friend of mine, the one who is a total "free spirit" and travels a lot I'd probably agree to it right away because it would be hilarious, me and her would laugh over the marriage and divorce forever. But with the friend mentioned above, well, it's a bit different, I think (but am not 100% positive) she may still have romantic feelings for me (I feel like I'm cutting her down behind her back here, that's not my intention), so it makes this a much more difficult decision. I know she has it in her to laugh off a divorce in time but would it secretly crush her as well? Am I being an egomaniac right now?.. It's all so strange. Can someone please make me a drink?