The Thing (1982) Dir. John Carpenter

OOPS!

Canadian(BC) Gothic

- You hear the crickets at night. It’s louder then you remember. It’s better then it being quiet.

- Winter comes fast. When will it leave? You don’t remember.

- There’s a snap in the woods behind you. You hope it’s your dog. You don’t check.

- You see an Alberta license plate. Then another one. The cars are the same.

- You walk around the fall fair. The bright lights and noises fend off anything coming from the surrounding woods, but only till 10:00.

- Halloween is around the corner. You see the local adds about it. Check your candy, don’t go into the woods, always carry a flashlight, stay with your group.

- The tenth person this year has gone missing in the mountains. It’s February.

- Your friend collects animal skulls. You help.

- You go hiking to pick Saskatoon berries. You dare stray from the path, but never go so far you can’t see it.

- You see a missing pet sign and wonder why people still put them up. We all know if it hasn’t turned up before nightfall that the coyotes got to it.

- You always go to the same timmies. You order a double double. They get you a triple triple instead.

- You plan to move to Vancouver. Everyone does.

- You’re stuck behind a logging truck. You’re always stuck behind a logging truck.

- The crust on top of the snow makes it easier to walk on. That is, of course, unless the snow decides it wants to keep you.

- You’re skiiing. No one is wearing a jacket. You’re not wearing a jacket. It’s very hot out.

- Winter snow is blinding. Summer sun is blinding. There is no happy medium.

- Your window rattles. You don’t need to look outside. Part of you knows and dreads whatever is out there.

- The rain is pouring. It’s sunny out.

- The hockey academy guys leave for the rink on the first day. You don’t see them again.

canadian gothic

it’s snowing again, you can’t remember the last time it wasn’t snowing. has it always been snowing? have you ever seen real grass or felt real warmth? 

you pass some kids playing hockey on an empty parking lot. they stop there game when you pass. they all wear blank expressions on their face and their eyes appear to be glazed over 

you think you see some canadian geese fight over what looks like a human femur   

tim hortons always seem to appear when you need them. even in the middle of nowhere. is it just a coincidence?  

The expedition had set up cameras to study penguin migratory patterns. After several weeks of nothing, one of the cameras began picking up movement.

In 1869 the New Bedford artist and photographer William Bradford took part in an expedition to northern Greenland sponsored by a Boston family. The trip was documented in this book, with albumen photos that are considered the finest artic photos of the mid to late 19 th century. The book is scarce with copies selling in the 125-150000 range.

what if the solution to all your problems is to get really into the history of polar exploration. Have you tried that

men don’t die in antarctica like they used to

A football or rugby game between sailors and officers, in front of HMS Terror, during the Back arctic expedition 1836, by first lieutenant William Smyth 1836

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‘the seafarer’ (anglo-saxon poem, 8th cent.)

the shipwreck (j.m.w. turner, 1805)

‘the explorer’ (rudyard kipling, 1898)

man proposes, god disposes (edwin henry landseer, 1864)

“the lost city of z”, the new yorker (david grann, 2005)

last photo of george mallory and andrew irvine before their fatal ascent of mt. everest. it is still unknown if they reached the summit. (1924)

john keats (personal letter to j.h. reynolds, April 1817)