森の木琴 Touch Wood - Frakin' Amazing!

An end of an era .....

I have been in post secondary education three times. Three times!

I never realized how intense and yet rewarding the Creative Communications program is at Red River College until the end is neigh, but it has been quite a ride and I would have preferred to have done this program ten years ago to negate a three ring run in post secondary education.

Now comes the ever so awesome adjustment to life after school period. Typically you go through some of the stages of death and dying when something you have become attached to comes to an end.

DENIAL

Well, denial is probably not a stage anyone finishing Creative Communications goes through, unless you want to do the program again .... I didn't think so!

BARGAINING

You might find yourself negotiating with your instructors to get you a good job or give you a good reference, and bargaining with classmates to not apply for that awesome job posting you came across. Oh, negotiating with instructors about assignments and grade distribution might work ..... If you like punching Jello.

ANGER

Yes, stress levels hit record highs during Creative Communications and there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth, and though we may have wanted to choke fellow students metaphorically, it was NEVER literally. Kenton Larson can restore order with his Ninja skills if fights break out between students.

DEPRESSION

Sometimes during the program you wanted to off yourself. OK, maybe not off yourself but magically teleport yourself to a land of gum drops and fairies which would make your instructors think WTF is going on with this student!

FEAR

Oh those dreaded auto fails. I had as many of those as the fingers on my hands. You fear instructors pen marks and criticism though it is only to make you better. It's OK, they aren't the boss of you anymore after you graduate and they aren't watching you at home .... with the exception of haunting your academic dreams like Freddy Krueger.

ACCEPTANCE

Accept the amazement of all the work you did. Even the assignments with auto fails where you put hours of effort in should not be diminished. Because at the end of it all if you make the effort, you will learn something and that is what ultimately matters and have a career waiting for you in the future.

The Matrix: Blu-Ray Disc Review

Keanu Reeves says "Whoa!"

Ok, the Matrix series was and still is without a doubt one of the redefining sci-fi movie trilogies of all time. Say what you will about the second and third movies in the trilogy, but I think the overall package is still pretty good because the original Matrix is a testament to fantastic film making and screenwriting.

I won't bore anyone rehashing the story line for the purposes of this review. I happened upon a previously viewed copy of The Matrix on Blu-Ray and couldn't say no.

I had the VHS and original DVD release versions and have weighted patiently for the Blu-Ray price to become reasonable.

This particular version of The Matrix is part of Warner Bros. Signature Series, so you get some extra features which include some of the standard behind the scenes that existed on the DVD, as well as some newer features, and the case has a book built into it with a synopsis, cast and crew bios, and facts. It is interesting though a little hard to read given the size and it is not a separate supplement you can take out of the case because it is a part of the case.

But the real meat and potatoes for me is how will it look and sound and I have previously posted that many Warner Bros. Blu-Rays don't disappoint and The Matrix on Blu-Ray is a shining light in the Blu-Ray firmament.

Picture:

An amazing transfer. The original DVD was decent enough though some scenes were a little grainy and washed out. What stands out the most is the difference between scenes in the Matrix and in the real world. The Matrix is a little greenish and the real world a little bluish and the contrast in the Blu-Ray version is spectacular as compared to the DVD.

Black levels are stellar and the details in the background to nuances on the individual characters faces are immaculate.

Sound:

You get Dolby TrueHD 5.1 playback. And unlike the DVD, the dialogue is at a level where between the jaw dropping visual action scenes and the more quiet philosophical moments, you wont be pulling out your hair adjusting the volume. Explosions and gunfire aren't to overbearing, and in scenes where the action is coming from left, right, and behind, the presence is pretty darn good.

Overall I would say if you love The Matrix and have a Blu-Ray player with surround sound, pick it up!

Picture: 5 out of 5

Sound: 5 out of 5

Story: 5 out of 5

Clean up after your dog!

So spring is here and on one stretch of street as my wife and I were taking our baby girl for a walk in the stroller we encountered a mine field of dog droppings.

I don't know if the dog owners thought no one would notice as this particular sidewalk had a large border fence on one side but seriously!

In Paris they have people on patrol fining people who don't pick up after their dogs.

Don't make Winnipeg have to adopt similar tactics, clean up after your dog!

End Communication .....