February 2014

I wish I could go back to

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the weekend sitting in a living room in the almost-dark

listening to Treeful of Starling

while you sang along

and I smiled

contented

watching Tyrone in his lucha mask being outrageous

in the next room.

Then I said

"I love him"

and you said

"I know. You both have something special.

I feel lucky to be able to be around you guys"

and I said

or maybe just thought to myself

we're all so lucky.
 

Here's my favourite answer from Crispin Glover's AMA

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 Because nothing I could possibly write about today could compare to this.

You are my friend Toyou4yu. There are certain things that happened since being in Back to the Future that makes it difficult for me to reflect on the film as having funny things happening. Specifically there was a lawsuit because of something the producers did that was illegal in the sequel to the film. What the producers did that was illegal was as follows. The producers used the molds that were taken from my face from the original film and had prosthetics made to resemble my face to be placed on another actor to make them look like me and then inter-spliced a small amount of footage of me from the original film with the actor in prosthetics to resemble me in order to fool audiences in to believing I was in the film. There was an actress that was replaced with another actress in the film, but they simply cast another actor in that role with no prosthetics. Had they simply cast another actor to play the role of George McFly there would have been no criminal activity on the part of the producers and there would have been no lawsuit. Since they did not own my face nor make an financial agreement with me to use my facial features what they did was stealing something they did not own for personal again and therefor what they did was illegal and why there was a lawsuit and why there are rules in the Screen Actors Guild that make it so producers can never to this kind of thing again.
Probably the most negative aspect about it is that Bob Gale who was a co-producer and co-writer and one of the main architects of the illegal activity has decided that it serves him best to lie about what happened in order to justify partaking in something that led to the producer’s illegal activity. He has falsely stated that I asked the same amount of money that Michael J. Fox was getting. This statement by him is complete fabrication. He is doing this to take the focus off the fact that what he and his fellow producers did was illegal, by definition of the word. He does not want to face that fact. To skirt the issue Bob Gale has lied to millions of people on the Back to the Future DVD commentaries about how the negotiations were handled. I would not normally discuss this sort of thing, but people believe what he has stated as true. What people have to realize is that Bob Gale was involved with something that he and his fellow producers turned in to illegal activity. People who wonder about if what Bob Gale has said is true or not, should understand even if they liked “Back to the Future” it still means that a creator like Bob Gale who was a contributor to the illegal activity has motivation to create lies to detract the attention from his wrong doing. I wonder if Bob Gale were asked if he would help produce a film with the same specific illegal activity if he would say he would do it again. For one thing the new laws in SAG that my lawsuit helped to create would not allow an actor to be hired to fool audiences in to believing they are another performer with the use of prosthetics or otherwise. Still putting that specific questions to Bob Gale I wonder what he would answer. If he would answer that he would help to do something illegal again I hope people would understand the lack of integrity that would indicate on his part. I would hope he would answer that what he/they did was wrong, and illegal and if they had to make the film without me playing the role they would simply cast another actor in the role like they did with re-casting Claudia Wells with Elizabeth Shue as Jennifer character in the same film. In the very same film they re-cast an actress with a different actress, but they did not put prosthetics on Elizabeth Shue to make her look like Claudia Wells. For whatever what feels to me like being mean spirited, they decided it was good idea to put another actor in prosthetics and inter-splice a very small portion of me from the original film to fool audiences in to believing I was in it. There has not been another situation like this preceding it, and because of my lawsuit there has not been another time that another actor has been subjected to this particular sort of illegal activity. Again I am proud of the lawsuit and standing up against illegal activity that caused proper precedents and bylaws in to be set in the Screen Actors Guild. It is unfortunate that the producers of the Back to the Future films decided it was a good idea to perform an illegal action, which led to a lawsuit. In 2005-2007 I had a very positive experience working with Robert Zemeckis again playing Grendel in his “Beowulf.” When working together the subject of the lawsuit was never brought up. I am enjoying my life, making my films, touring with them, publishing my books and acting in other people’s films. If I were put in the exact same situation today I would react in the exact same way. Thank you for asking about it in that detailed way. I am glad to help clarify. People can find out about my films and shows and where I will be with them on CrispinGlover.com
I have noticed however that Bob Gale who was the co-writer and one of the producers on the films and one of the chief architects of the concepts that led to the law suit has been stating false things about me to attempt to lessen his wrongdoing. I do not like his false statements would like to remind that what he did caused laws in the screen actors guild to be changed to protect actors from his kind of wrong doing. I ended up having an excellent working relationship with Robert Zemeckis on Beowulf which was released in 2007. Despite the negative aspects of Bob Gale I am glad that I played the character in the original film.


You can troll the whole thing here.
 

Bad Valentines that Tyrone won't let me send

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I did send him this one, though:

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More on my Tumblr.

Happy V-Day! xox
 

It's been blizzarding again and I need a break

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Real Talk: I LOVE winter. Love, love, love it.

But this it getting to be too much for me.

I need some days when I can walk around and enjoy the scenery. Relax and enjoy the outdoors without freezing my toes off.

Actually enjoy my Canadian winters outside.

So when I was offered an opportunity to go and tour the outdoor Thermëa Spa being built at Crescent Drive Golf Course my heard skipped a beat -this is definitely the kind of "winter activity" I can get into during a winter like this one.

So I bundled myself up last Saturday and went to meet the GM, Frederic Jenni, who walked me around the grounds and explained the different services that the spa is going to offer once it opens in the early spring.

He explained that Thermëa is a Scandinavian-inspired spa, so it offers humid & dry saunas, a hot tub, cold & temperate pools, and a Finnish Sauna (which hosts an Aufguss Ritual twice a day) in addition to massages, body treatments and etc inside.

(Clearly not taken on the weekend. This gives you a better idea as to what it will look like than my snowy pictures will and also makes me yearn for summer... sigh...)

Honestly though, when I was standing in the middle of a bunch of snow in -35 weather, shivering in my jacket, toque, winter coat, mittens, boots, etc I wasn't quite sure if the idea of sprinting from one warming hut to another in a bathrobe was really something I'd be into.

Then I was told that there will be heated pathways during the winter.

(I think my toes just sighed at the thought of it. Clearly I need a space heater.)

It's funny how a detail like that can make all the difference, though: I immediately went from being a bit skeptical of the whole idea to being absolutely in love with it.

The idea of sitting in a hot tub or a sauna in the middle of a crisp winter day seems like such a great way to unwind, doesn't it?


(Here's a more winter-y version of what the finished site will look like.)

Until last weekend I'd never considered myself a "spa" person. I'm super anxious by nature (remember when I told you I got stressed out during that massage?) and until last weekend the idea of going somewhere specifically to relax seemed like a super weird idea.

However, after going and learning about all the careful planning and care that goes into building something like Thermëa, and the effort involved in crafting an experience where you basically show up, hang out, and relax, I'm really excited to check it out!

The spa is scheduled to open in late April, so I'll definitely be going at least once during the summer, But it's during the winters that I think the experience they're going to offer is really going to stand out.

I can't wait!
 

Let's be penpals

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"Nothing good ever comes in the mail."

I find myself saying that a lot these days.

It's almost always bills which are out of date

or mail for the old tenants

or nothing at all.

Which is, in a way, worse.

Last year I took part in the 20Something Bloggers 2013 Postcard Exchange and had a blast.

I made some new friends.

I got some cool stuff.

I was actually excited to open my mailbox when I got home.

And I'd like to do something like that again

just a bit more... ongoing.

So I'll tell you what.

If you wanna be penpals, shoot me an email at alyson dot shane at gmail dot com with yr address and I'll write to you.

Maybe I'll send you a postcard, a short letter, whatever

and then you can write back

and we can have a nice time waiting to see what's in the mail when we get home.

Tags: Audio Thoughts

 

Sunday night, feelin' fine

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I haven't felt this relaxed in weeks.

Not even that time I went for that massage a few weeks ago. I was all nervous and anxious and didn't enjoy it at all.

I think I walked out of there more stressed out than when I walked in.

Isn't what what massages are supposed to fix? Honestly.

Turns out what I need to unwind are these 10 steps:

1. Sleep my ass in
2. Make a healthy & tasty brunch
3. Hit the gym & run like a mofo
4. Do deadlifts & squats like a boss
5. Come home n clean the apartment
6. Run a bath
7. Sit in the bath and read TIME Magazine
8. Use up my Tiber River goodies from MBlog
9. Drink chamomile tea with honey
10. Hug my cats & Tyrone

Perfect. I feel ready to take on anything.

If I could just melt into the floor into a puddle of bliss, I would.

But I can't.

So I blog instead.

Naturally.


 

Still on a bit of a high since MBlog

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aka the New Media Manitoba Blogger's Conference

aka #NMMBlog

aka that panel I spoke at on the Friday night with the James Hope Howard, Liz Hover, and Colin Fast aka @policyfrog.

It was also MC'd by my buddy Kenton Larsen -hello!
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We fielded the usual questions -where we can be found online, our thoughts on the future of blogging, etc

(Liz got into a heated debate with one of the audience members as you can see in the photo)

Overall it went pretty well.

The crowd was fantastic & engaged and I feel like we covered some really interesting and relevant topics.

I just wish we'd had more time -panels always start to get good right towards the end, don't they? That's when everyone gets fired up!

I had to jet to a million other things that night so I couldn't stick around, but I managed to make it to the daytime event the next day in time to catch Liz's interview with The Bloggess, who was even more charming and clever in person than on her blog which I didn't think was possible.

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I sat with my homie James and we took dumb photos. Obviously.

It was really cool & inspiring to see local people talk about their experiences and share their stories, and to put faces to so many avatars and profiles that I've creeped online for so long. It was a fantastic day and I feel so honoured to have been asked to be a part of it!

Biggest thanks go out to Alison Kirkland from the Women's Enterprise Centre of Manitoba, Kathy Driscoll of New Media Manitoba, and of course the dear Kenton Larsen for having me!

xox yr Shaner
 

Let's take a moment to reflect on darker days

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(WHY COULDN'T MY DAD EVER JUST ASK IF I WAS ON MSN BEFORE HE PICKED UP THE GODDAMN PHONE?!)

 

The MB Music Music Rocks bonspiel has left me mildly crippled (but it wa

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I should also not that it's in the weirdest place possible: behind my right kneecap.

It's also led me to the startling realization that my job isn't as sedentary as I would have previously claimed because getting up a million times to go of the fucking printer hurt like a bitch

But enough about my lady pains (wait what) here's photographic evidence of stuff we did yesterday:

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John used the booze phone on the ice.

(Best sport ever or what?!)

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Other teams had amazing names.

(Ours was "Get Your Rocks Off" for those interested)

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Trophies were presented.

(We didn't win any)

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We also had a pose-off on the ice.

(And by that I mean John had a pose-off)

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Obligatory shot of the sheets.

(Not "lanes"!)

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The Sweeper Mario Bros won best costume.

(For obvious reasons)

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The House Burglars, who won the gold and played against us on the first draw.

(They were also AMAZINGLY NICE and I'm so glad that they won)

Props to Manitoba Music for organizing the bonspiel and the Granite Curling Club for being a fantastic venue to toss some stones!|

Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go soak my leg in a bath and read some Vonnegut. Oye.
 

#nomoresad is the cutest thing you'll see today

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Basically you email Michael Jukeson yr favourite song and he'll film a 30 second vid of him dancing to it, just for you.

It is charming, and adorable and the world needs more things like it.

(I already fired off my request, btw)

Here are a few of my faves from the youtube page:









Cred to @joeyng whose tweet alerted me to this adorableness.