I'm totally craving an avocado sandwich now.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "In countries where large percentages of the population believe in hell, there seems to be less corruption and a higher standard of living," concluded a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. My translation: Many people are motivated to do the right thing out of primal dread. I bring this up, Virgo, because it is critical for you to wean yourself of any attraction you might have to letting fear serve as a central motivator. I'm happy to report that in the coming months, you will have an unprecedented opportunity to retrain yourself to do just that. By September 2005, your quest for success and goodness could very well be inspired primarily by your love of life.

-freewillastrology.com

It's no longer Monday, so even though real news is scarce I feel compelled to put something here (of course, like an idiot I put "Tuesday" in today's title so I won't be able to slide tomorrow, either. Gah).

Let's see.....the official becky site has a message board up. It's different from the previous incarnation but already hopping with activity.

Hopefully there will be some new shows soon!

One thing the new site doesn't have is audio, something I know a lot of fans miss, especially new ones that weren't around when Paulie was doling out mp3's like candy on the very first becky site. Fortunately, you can still listen to Oblivious, Vanishing and Evangeline over at becky's MySpace profile page.

(also, you can add The Vibemerchants to your MySpace friends as well!)

I hate gossip, but I love snark and so I'll admit that Defamer has a place in my bookmarks.

And while I'm not really one to track "what he did yesterday" type stuff, I think the fact that Keanu went to go see The Pixies (my favorite band EVAR!) last night at The Greek is, well....blogworthy.

Keanu at a Pixies show.

That's like eight of my fantasies rolled into one.

And yes, though The Defamer brings a little snark into it he tends to save true ridicule for the plethora of deserving Hollywood media whores *cough*Britney*cough*Paris*cough and I have to give him props for knowing that Reeves is playing bass for becky these days.

Of course, it just reminds me that The Pixies will be here in Vegas on the 28th and there's no way I'm paying 120 bucks for gen. admission seating. Fuck that.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "I am one of those who never knows the direction of my journey until I have almost arrived," wrote author Anna Louise Strong. Right about now, Virgo, you could probably speak those same words with sincerity. For months you've felt as if an invisible force were shepherding you towards an unseen goal. You've trusted the process because it resonated with a gut feeling that kept telling you "YES!" And now, finally, you're about to come to the end of the quest and collect your reward. Keep in mind, though, that even after you have it, you may not fully understand it for months.

-freewillastrology.com

I watched Richard Linklater's Slacker last night. I was sure that I'd never seen it, but there was such a familiarity with it all that now I think maybe I have. Maybe I've just known too many slackers throughout my life (surely I was one for many years, maybe I still am) that it was all kind of deja vu. While watching some of the scenes play out there was a feeling like "I know this guy.........and he still owes me money..."

Linklater himself acts in the film and has a great monologue in the opening scene that talks about dreams and alternate realities and there's a lot Gen-X talky "philosophy" throughout the film. After seeing both Slacker and Waking Life and thinking about the certain parts of PKD's book - the various conversations of Arctor/Barris/Luckman: heavy, absurd, endless ones, sometimes about nothing - it really seems like Linklater was the perfect choice to make A Scanner Darkly. It's like the obvious future of the slackers and the dreamers.

Possibly.

One of many different realities depending on the direction of their journey and whether they stayed on the bus or not.

Speaking of that sneaky McMahon, who's already bid past my limit on the Just1Page auction, thanks to him for this Constantine article from MTV.com...

Francis Lawrence is a happy man.

The director won't deliver his big-screen adaptation of "Constantine" to theaters until next year, but he's already showing off 20 minutes of footage from the film the same way that a proud papa trots out baby photos.

"Constantine" marks the first film for Lawrence, best known as the man behind the videos for Justin Timberlake's "Rock Your Body," Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi," Britney Spears' "I'm a Slave 4 U" and P.O.D.'s "Alive." The film is drawn from the heralded and relentlessly dark DC Comics/ Vertigo series "Hellblazer," which focuses on John Constantine, a supernatural detective who toils in a world where hell and earth mingle a bit too freely. In the film, Keanu Reeves steps into the role of Constantine, pairing with Rachel Weisz's skeptical police officer to walk among demons and angels while investigating a murder. Much creepiness and freakiness follows, if Lawrence's rough footage is any indication.

The director first rolled out his 20-minute teaser at Comic-Con earlier this year, and now he's presenting his footage to select press. There is still a lot of effect, sound and music work to be done on the film, but what has been put together so far suggests a dark, twisted and visually stunning film that stays true to the dark, gritty heart of its source material (though, as Lawrence notes, in his film "[Constantine's] not blond, not British, and it's not set in London anymore").

Lawrence has said that he didn't want to make a "typical comic-book movie," and he seems to be well on his way to achieving that goal. The footage suggests a far different path than that taken by "Spider-Man" or "X-Men," and the end result could well be the darkest comic adaptation this side of "Blade." Among the highlights so far, Keanu's Constantine presides over an especially noisy and gruesome exorcism that sees a partially headless demon expelled from a young girl. Later, Constantine goes toe-to-toe with a demon whose face is composed entirely of maggots. There are also headless soldier demons, melting faces and mysterious forces that manage to push people through walls.

The footage is also rich with the comic's trademark dark wit and angry edge. When a doctor warns Constantine that he may want to "make arrangements" given his poor health, he dryly replies, "I don't need to make arrangements, I've already seen where I'm going to go." Later, when a woman whose mental-patient sister has plunged to her death argues that it was murder — not suicide — that took her sister's life, Constantine retorts, "Right, because what kind of psychiatric patient would jump off a roof? That would be insane."

It's fairly dark stuff, and Lawrence hopes that the tone will come across as morsels of the film drip out during its marketing campaign. He is currently working on a three-minute trailer for the film, and priority number one is putting the dark feel of his film on display.

Until the film arrives next year, fans will have to content themselves with those offerings, as well as this exclusive production image, one of many used to help inspire the look and feel of "Constantine"

--Robert Mancini and Vanessa White Wolf- MTV.Com

The actual pages from Adrian Brown's Just1Page charity comic are being offered up for auction including the ones of Keanu as John Constantine. I think I'm going to bid a tenner on the snarky one, just to keep it out of the hands of the comic boys (and it's for a good cause), but what I really covet is the Jock print. It's entirely possible that McMahon and I will be getting into a scrap over that one, which goes on the block this Sunday.

Looking for some bolder, creepier Constantine memorabilia?

Perhaps this might interest you...

One day I'd really like to thank Keanu for being the inspiration for me to take up the bass, ideally as we pass each other backstage.

Last night's Vibemerchants show was great fun. Thanks to Wanda for coming out.

Nudel found this great image that teases us with another look at Keanu as Bob Arctor for A Scanner Darkly at the Flat Black Films site.

Have I mentioned how fucking incredible I think this film is going to be?

I finally finished reading A Scanner Darkly this weekend, and now I want to read it again. It shouldn't have taken me so long, but the only time I read is right before I go to sleep and lately I've been only able to read a page or three and I'm out.

One part toward the end that really struck me was a part about reflections and mirrors and photographs and opposite images.

Because, he thought glumly as he watched the police psychologists writing their conclusions and signing them, we are fucking backward right now, I guess, every one of us; everyone and every damn thing, and distance, and even time. But how long, he thought, when a print is being made, a contact print, when the photographer discovers he's got the negative reversed, how long does it take to flip it? To reverse it again so it's like it's supposed to be?

A fraction of a second.

I understand, he thought, what that passage in the Bible means, Through a glass darkly. But my percept system is as fucked up as ever. Like they say. I understand but am helpless to help myself.

Maybe, he thought, since I see both ways at once, correctly and reversed, I'm the first person in human history to have it flipped and not-flipped simultaneously, and so get a glimpse of what it'll be when it's right. Although I've got the other as well, the regular. And which is which?

Which is reversed and which is not?

When do I see a photograph, when a reflection?

Negative reversed.

Isn't that a positive?

Aside from the headtrippy philosophy of the whole thing which is a whole 'nuther blog entry that I don't have the focus to do today, it got me to thinking about Keanu himself, and all the photographs we see of him. How what we see is different from what he sees in the mirror every day. Granted, I'm sure he sees plenty of pictures of himself, he is one of the most photographed men in the world, and I don't think he spends a whole lot of time in the mirror, but you know what I mean.

As a fan and someone who sees his face in photographs nearly every day, I can usually spot when a negative has been reversed. It used to bother me. I had a great large print of the image from Point Break of him in the rain looking over his shoulder that my brother framed for me. Once I realized it was a reversed image it actually bothered me enough that I took it out of the frame and replaced it with something else.

Yesterday, after reading the above passage more than once, I looked at some photos of him that had been mirrored. They still look "off" to me, but when I look at them with a different frame of mind now, it's.....still weird, but different.

And then I got all thinky and spent about 25 minutes looking in my own mirror.

Anyway, I'm rambling because I not only have a really scary dentist appointment today (longtime readers know about my dental anxiety) but we have a freaking gig tonight. Gah.

Go read Nudel's blog entry.

Here's what happens when I'm bored and done huffing permanent markers left to make my own fun on a Friday afternoon.

Behold, The Rasterbator.

The Rasterbator allows you to upload and enlarge an image and then spits out a spiffy printable PDF file that you can piece together for a wall-sized, ceiling-sized or even larger final image.

You can only guess where this is going, right?

First I figured out what would make a good rasterbatory material.

Why, my Fierce leatherboy sidebar mascot of course!

I decided to size the image to fill 3 pages across by 7 pages high (US letter size 8.5"x11"). I could have sized it a bit smaller because the final result uses less than 50% of the third row but I kind of wanted it *cough* actual size. Looking at the detail of the page it's hard to tell how it will come out. Luckily, I have a serious B&W hardcore printer at the office so I decided go ahead and print this baby out (click to see the result and my ugly office carpet).

A quick trip to my brother's art studio to use the nice straight-edge cutter and some careful tape work and *whee*...lifesize Keanu. Now I just have to decide where to put him.

Of course just like they warned you in Sunday School, once you start rasterbating, you can't stop.

Here's a screenshot of my second project. The highlighted lippy part is shown in the detail below.

I wanted to be sure to get some good details so I made this one 8 pages high by 8 wide. It was only after I downloaded it that I realized that this is going to produce a rasterbation over 7 feet high. Pretty much floor to ceiling. Zoiks.

I haven't actually printed this one out yet.

So if you're not doing anything this weekend and have plenty of ink (or you can burn the files to a disc and take it to Kinko's, black and white shouldn't cost too much) why not indulge in a little toner abuse?

Clicking on the detail pics above will download the PDF's I made or you can make your own.

Check out the gallery for ideas and a look at how different page counts will turn out and if you go here, there are some good tips as well.

Happy Rasterbating! I promise you won't go blind!

Thanks to his lovely hostess Zen, Wee Neo's really getting a good tour of Canada!

Zen : "That's New Brunswick in the red circle on the map. Tiny isn't it? The yellow flag is the provincial flag. The blue, white and red one that looks like the French flag except with a yellow star on it, is the Acadian flag. That's my flag! "

*beams*

(click below to keep reading)

If seeing the world's longest covered bridge yawn hadn't convinced Neo that we were in fact in New Brunswick, (Canada's only officially bilingual province!), then this surely will.

This type of sign is a fixture on New Brunswick roads. I explain to Neo that hitting a moose with your car is pretty deadly. For the moose, for the car and a lot of times for you. He can't believe something that small could cause such damage. He starts going into this complicated karate routine saying how he could easily tackle one of these "beasts". I don't have the heart to tell him the moose on the sign isn't actual size.

The first place we visit upon arriving in New Brunswick is the quaint little town of Bouctouche, a very popular tourist destination. It has lovely parks, Micmac experiences, a bike trail through the woods, an arboretum, delicious restaurants and most importantly beaches! Our first stop is the Bouctouche Dune, which is not actually a dune but a thirteen kilometer sandbar (that's 7 miles for the American and British among you) in the Bouctouche Bay.

Neo wants to take a swim, but I can't convince him to take the damn coat off and I'm afraid he's going to be pulled under by its weight (krix would never forgive me), so I persuade him to come with me to Bouctouche's other most famous tourist attraction instead.

A tiny natural island in the middle of the Bay has become the home of La Sagouine and her friends. La Sagouine is the famous character in a series of books written by the most celebrated Acadian author of all time, Antonine Maillet. Her stories are based in the town of Bouctouche and so the homes of her well known characters have been built on the island. Actors portray the characters in skits all through the summer attracting French speaking people from all around the world. I tell Neo that Antonine Maillet has won France's prestigious Prix Goncourt for her writing. He acts all impressed and starts saying stuff like Bon Appetit and Bon Voyage and Merci Beaucoup and La-dee-daa...

I haul him away by the coattails. We head to the bike trails in the woods and stop for a snack. Neo flies onto a branch to get a better view of the Bay.

We've been traveling and visiting for a while by this time and it's time to go home. First thing I do is introduce Neo to Real World Neo. "Oh yeah", he says unimpressed. "krix and I got one of those living with us too." I swear I hear him mutter bastard under his breath. But he shakes Real's hand like a gentleman, meets Real's squinty eyes with the cold stare of his um, glasses and promptly takes over Real's tentacle thingie. I can see a fight brewing, so I turn up the music and they immediately start to get jiggy with it.

The next day, I have a business meeting in St-Andrews, so I decide to take Neo along. This is the hotel where our meeting is held. The doormen wear skirts here! Oops, I mean kilts. Wish I could have gotten a picture of that. Hee!

And this is where we had lunch!
Neo had a whole plate. I only had one or two. *cough cough*

The weekend finally rolls around and my husband and I decide to take Neo sightseeing around the province. First, we go to The Rocks, a New Brunswick natural wonder.

The Rocks are also called the Flower Pots, because they look like giant flower pots what with the trees growing on top like that. Here's another good one.

We walk the trail a bit. Notice the New Brunswick bilingual signage!

Neo and I take a picture together.

Little devil elbowed me out of it.

Next on our list, Cape Enragé. It's called that because when the weather is bad, the sea gets pretty angry. Also, you don't want to be going up there when it's foggy, which is pretty much always. Man, this place gets creepy! But we're there on a nice sunny day, so we get along fine. The first thing we see gets Neo all nostalgic for Trinity.

We comfort him as best we can over a bowl of thick seafood chowder. Then we cheer him up more by taking a picture of him and the Cape.

I tell Neo about the students who come in the summer to rappel off those walls and he's very curious. We go down to the beach to get a better look. The stairs are none too comforting.

Neo climbs a huge seaweed infested rock...

...and then goes periwinkle gathering. Except he calls them escargot. giggle

Then he decides to tackle the cliff.

He makes it to the top, but I discourage him from rappelling. I mean, how impressive can it be when you can fly.

Our last stop of the day is Fundy National Park. You cannot come to Canada and not see beaver habitat. I've circled the beaver home so you can spot it there. Neo, less than interested, picks this time to practice his moves.

Fundy Park has lovely falls. Neo flies around them a bit, but then I get him to stand still enough for a picture. As if he minds. *Wink*

Leaving Fundy Park, we stop at a wharf to wonder at the low, low tides of the Fundy Coast.

Neo goes looking for lobster. He suggests we might want to look into trapping moose with these things. You know, to keep the highways safer.

And of course, no one, but no one leaves Fundy without stopping for some famous Kelly's Sticky Buns. The best sticky buns in the whole wide
world.

The one that's missing, um, Neo ate that one. Yes he did. Uh-huh.

And since New Brunswick is very close to the other two Maritime provinces (really, look at the map!), we decide Neo might like to visit Prince Edward Island. I'll give you a report from there as soon as we get back!

Yay and Big Love to Zen! I can't wait!

Read all about Wee Neo's travels here....

Ah, Eddie Kasalivich. With your slavic last name and your college degree, you're the type of boy I could bring home to meet my father.

How I love your scruffy, bulky, machinisty goodness.

You make hypothermia sexy.

I love you so much Eddie, that even though your movie kinda sucked, I still defend you and your ability to outrun a massive explosion on your motorcycle. Even if it involves yelling at Roi to "shut up and get out of my car!"

Your breath smells of sardines, and you're sort of a slob but you have good taste in winterwear and I still and always will hold you in a special place in my heart, Eddie.

That's why it's so sad that you grew up to be a serial killer....

I had a dream last night that there was some sort of event at my neighborhood school that Keanu was at and I had to give a speech for him. Some people I know (including Keanuette!) were leading me to a room that was set aside for the speech. I only saw Dream!Keanu in passing. He was wearing what he wore to that fashion show in Austin. Suprisingly, I pretty much knew what I was going to say, although I never actually spoke in the dream.

I don't remember much else. I really need to start writing stuff down.

I also dreamed about painting my bass teacher's jeans while he was wearing them. The paint was magenta and there was some weirdness when I got to the crotch.

This is why I prefer to sleep with the teevee on.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It's sowing time, Virgo. Seeds you plant in the coming days will grow into the crop you will ultimately harvest in July, 2005. If you think big, those seeds will also figure prominently in blooms that won't fully ripen until the latter part of 2015 and the first nine months of 2016. I suppose it's possible you'll get freaked out by the pressure, and pretend you don't have the awesome power I'm telling you that you have. In that case, you'll distract yourself with a thousand and one trivial concerns and let blind fate do the seed-planting for you. But I don't recommend that approach. I'd love for you to get excited as you contemplate what you want to be doing 12 years from now.

-freewillatrology.com

Thanks to John of Straight-to-Hell for this game review that includes several screenshots (for both Xbox and PS2) of the upcoming Constantine video game.

From first impressions, Constantine looks to be a reasonably dark, heavily action-oriented, very solid third-person action adventure. Think Spawn without the campness, Buffy with less humour or Legacy of Kain minus the vampirism - there are strong elements of all of those games, plus bits of Enter the Matrix, Van Helsing and Devil May Cry too, but with a few neat twists all of its own.

The review and screenshots may be a little revealing for some of the movie content, so both spoiler and winged-creepy-thing warnings apply...

Vibemerchant gig tomorrow night. I have to practice. We've got one brand new song and added a frustratingly easy-to-fuck-up bass part to another. While Reeves may be able to maintain a goofy grin while facing a less-than-satisfied crowd (I doubt ALL of those pieces of paper had phone numbers), I'm not nearly as evolved.

Rawk amongst yourselves.

The official becky website has a shiny new URL: www.beckymusic.com and a great new look as well. I LURVE the background image of Keanu's bass head on the front page.

Along with some newsy stuff (demo is done, hopefully a new disc by year-end and the whiff of some possible upcoming LA shows) there's a merch page (t-shirts and tanks) and a hip new photo section too.

And don't miss the "10 things becky wants you to know about Keanu" page.

Hee!

Check the other band member's lists by clicking their polaroids on the main page.

So update your bookmarks and um.....rawk!

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): As the relentless nihilism of the mass media threatens to quash our ability to even perceive, let alone exult in life's glorious beauty, we need new words to remind us to see with our own eyes. I have one: mirabilia, which is actually an old term that hasn't been used much in the last 400 years. Its literal definition is "marvels that inspire wonder," but I'd like to add the following nuances: beguiling curiosities, enigmatic joys, changes that inspire amused awe, and sudden deliverance from boring evils. I'm happy to report that you Virgos, more than any other sign, are currently poised to see, create, and attract mirabilia.

-freewillastrology.com

When I found out the L.A. Short Film Festival was happening this week, I combed the schedule hoping to see that Stephen Hamel's Echo would be in the mix. Unfortunately, I didn't see it in the listings. I did find this though, playing Friday, September 10, 1:15pm @ Theater 8-

Finding Neo
(Comedy/United States/Beta SP/12 min)
Director: TEO
Producers: Gregory Storm. Richard T. Jones and Teo
Writer: Teo
A two-time parolee, Eno, discovers he must find his "One" to save him from a potential third strike and a permanent return to prison.

So if you're in the L.A. area you might want to check that out.

Some of the other short films look interesting as well.

Superheroes: We Work for Tips
(Documentary/United States/Digital Beta/9 min.)
Directors: Paul Preston and Robert B. Nejman
Producer: Paul Preston and Robert B. Nejman
Writers: Paul Preston,Robert B. Nejman and Karen Volpe
A documentary that uncovers the lives of the superhero look-alikes who pose for tips in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

Rock On
(Comedy/ United States/35mm/18 min)
Director: Ramsey Mellette
Producer: Tyler Jones, David White and John Halbert
Writer: Ramsey Mellette
A short comedy about a guy who gets a Whitesnake song stuck in his head and can't get it out!

The Ends of the Alphabet
(Suspense/Thriller/United States/Beta SP/9 min)
Director: Eric Kurland
Producer: Eric Kurland
Writer: Eric Kurland
Jackson Abbott is a hard-boiled detective in 1953 Los Angeles. When the daughter of a Las Vegas Millionaire comes to him for help, Abbott finds himself caught up in a web of murder and deceit. Featuring a cast of unique puppets.

Eeeee! Puppets!

Whether you're in the mood for Comedy, Drama, something Animated or a Documentary there's plenty of cinematic goodness going on.

And the best thing about a short film is if it sucks, it'll be over soon.

...these are all scans from a pack of postcards I got recently. Just a little filtering and sized for your desktop.

Thanks to those of you who thought of me and my t-shirt collection that emailed and called (!) me to let me know about this totally fucking cool "A Scanner Darkly" t-shirt up on eBay. Along with that, there's also a Constantine camera crew shirt and a ballcap too. Unfortunately, I really can't afford to feed my Substance K addiction this month. I've no budget for frivolousness, I may even have to start buying cheaper vodka.

The horror.

Anyway, let's discuss how awesome the image is in that Scanner shirt, huh?
Keanu's going to make a great Bob Arctor. If the finished film has that kind of detail in the animation, like Nudel, I'm going to be very happy. I'm already thinking ahead to how cool the DVD grabs are going to look. I want to wallpaper my bathroom with them.

I'm still in the process of reading the book. I haven't done any reading at all in the past month or so but I made a big dent in it yesterday in between napping and eating leftover BBQ. I'm determined to finish it by the end of the week. I don't know if it's good or bad that I'm picturing the cast of the movie while I read, but I just can't help it. Especially the parts with Barris. Downey was such a perfect choice.

I can't believe we have to wait a whole year for this film's release...

Oh well, maybe some more crew t-shirts will need a good home by then.

Big Love and thanks to Petra for scanning this scruffilicious picture and translating a nice fluffy article from German magazine, Brigitte.

A good name... The man was young and blond, unkempt and absolutely gorgeous. He was hitchhiking. Two women picked him up, both clearly older than him, and at the first motel he and one of them hopped into the creaking bed. Afterwards, the woman was as young and happy as never before in her life. The title of the film was ‘Thelma & Louise’, the teenage hitchhiker’s name was Brad Pitt, who after this memorable little appearance became the biggest movie star and heart-throb of the world. And the moral of this story? No other role can enchant women as much as the role of the younger lover. Another example? Dustin Hoffman’s breathtaking career took off in 1967 with “The Graduate” - in which he plays a young man just out of college, who has a hot affair with one of his parents’ friends. In Keanu Reeves’ case, things are a little bit different, but only a little bit. After all, Keanu Reeves had already been a movie start when every woman in every cinema around the world fell in love with him. He was a big action hero; do ‘Speed’ and, of course, ‘Matrix’ ring a bell? The women who saw these films thought Keanu Reeves was not too bad, and kept on dreaming about Brad Pitt. Until this year, when they discovered Keanu in the funny, romantic film ‘Something’s Gotta Give’ with Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson. In this film, he plays an extraordinarily well brought-up young doctor, sensitive, with feeling, and charming. And guess who he is in love with? Exactly. Diane Keaton. Who could, without any mathematical sophistries, be his mother. And his love for her is so wonderfully genuine, and he never ever does anything wrong. With this role, Mr Reeves has won every woman’s heart. Without exception. Ask any woman you know. You say, ‘Keanu’, and the woman will blossom and won’t get tired of going into raptures about this marvellous creature’s velvety brown eyes. Without fail. Give it a try! However, what’s funny about this is: For his romantic coming-out, Keanu Reeves had to be nearly 40 years old - his birthday is on 2 September. Which only goes to show once again: The role of the younger lover carries a magic that overrides all rules. -STEFANIE HENTSCHEL

Also, speaking of his scruffiness, Keanuweb has a cute In Touch mag scan on the topic as well...

Big Love and thanks to Zen for showing Wee Neo around on her trip to Québec.

"So, my husband and I are packing our things for our trip to Québec (Canada’s only officially French province!) when the phone rings. It’s Wee Neo! And he’s in Québec. My friend Julie!, whom he visited in Amsterdam a few months ago gave him my number in case he ever decided to visit Canada. He asks about Julie! Do I detect a bit of lust in his voice? Ahem We chat a bit and decide we’ll meet up the next day in La Belle Province."

"We are to meet Neo somewhere on La Côte de la Montagne. I’m a bit worried as Wee Neo is quite Wee and I hope we don’t miss him. Or step on him. Just as I’m about to take a picture of some flowers in a lovely pattern, I spot him!

We kiss, we hug, we go back to our suite at the Auberge so Neo can leave his stuff.

Neo checks out the view from our window.

Then he checks the view from our other window. He calls out for me to take another picture. So he can prove he was in Canada, he says, pointing to the flag. I take the picture, waiting until the wind moves the flag in a good position.

It’s time to go sightseeing, so Neo checks himself out in the mirror to make sure his coat is hanging just so.

Like Neo wrote in his postcard to krix, the New France Festival is going on. I give Neo the pass I bought so he can enter the festival grounds.

And we’re off!

As we walk to our many destinations, I explain to Neo how this part of Québec City has maintained its original look. It’s called Le Vieux Québec (Old Québec) and there are still narrow cobblestone roads, the buildings look like they did almost 400 years ago and the entire “Old” section is protected by a giant wall. I’m about to tell him why the giant wall, but he’s barely listening. He wants me to take more pictures of him. Was he always this conceited? ["He prefers to call it 'photogenic'"--krix]

But, he’s The One, so I take pictures. We take in the sights.
First, Le Petit Champlain, a popular little street filled with lovely shops. It is also the oldest street in North America.

A museum and lovely example of the Old Québec architecture. It may be a challenge to find the Wee One in this one. *wink*

Getting to wear the New France traditional clothing without actually having to change.

More of the beautiful buildings

And Old Québec’s most famous structure, the Château Frontenac

It can be seen from practically any spot in Old Québec.
Even from the pub where Neo decides he’ll have a taste of Québec brewed beer.

We then head higher up the hill and get a shot of the horses and carriages on which tourists can visit the city.

And then Neo poses in front of the Québec Parliament. Notice the Québec flag floating on top!

Next, we spot a cathedral. Or maybe it’s just a church. Does anyone know the difference?

In any case, Neo doesn’t notice the church, he’s more interested in the fact that he is standing on top of a huge wall. Suddenly, he wants to know about the wall. Sigh....I explain that the wall was built around the entire city to protect it from attacks. It started in 1820 under British rule and took 30 years to complete. I tell him how the English attacked and took over Québec back in 1759 and that I guess they didn’t want to risk losing it again. Neo laughs. He has met the English, in the form of Nettie, and he does not believe they would be the type to attack whole cities. I assure him that Nettie was most certainly not on board English ships when General Wolf’s army attacked Québec.

Since Neo is interested, we decide to take a walk along the wall and check out the defense ware.

The wall and the “new” sections of the city outside of it...

Some sections of the wall still have the cannons that defended them back in the day.

Beyond those trees is a deadly cliff! Neo decides to check the cannons out more closely.

He really, really liked the cannons for some reason. He kept saying “I need cannons, lots of cannons”. The phallic shape of these things is probably what got him flashing back to “the girls” who ahem turned him down in Amsterdam because of his, um, weeness. Next thing I know, he’s here.

I coax him away by going on about more arms and ammunition.

Gun holes in the great wall for shooting at people. And no! we can’t practice on the tourists!

Neo finds his position on the wall protecting the ammunitions building

Can you spot him?

He likes the cannonballs...

And the moat...

Wait! are those real soldiers up there? Neo is convinced the city is under attack again! He hides in the bushes, um, I mean the grass. I try to explain about the festival, the period costumes, but he’s not listening. He runs back to the Auberge and calls his army together!

Or at least he thinks he’s gathering his army. That’s a parade you goof! “I knew that” he blushes.

We settle in to watch the parade.

The huge papier mâché figures...
The period costumes...

And the princesses...

Neo is convinced he has met the princesses in some other lifetime. Hee hee.

After a week of sightseeing, overeating and overdrinking, it’s time for us to go. We invite Neo to come back with us to New Brunswick and he eagerly accepts. We suspect he’s running low on cash. *wink* ["I gave him money, he spent it all on WEED!"--krix] We take off, passing through the entrance of the great wall.

On the way home, we take this picture for sta-cie who mentioned once that she finds the name of this town particularly funny. Ha! Ha!

Notice Neo showing off his flying abilities!

And before we know it, the eight hour drive is almost over. We’re in New Brunswick.

How can we tell? Why there in the background is the world’s longest covered bridge! Exciting isn’t it? Exactly. That’s why we took a picture from the car and didn’t stop.

Stay tuned to find out how Wee Neo made out during his stay in New Brunswick! "

P.S. "Here’s an interesting little tidbit we discovered on our trip. (Neo wasn’t with us on this particular day, he was sightseeing on his own.) My husband and I went to the docks and saw this (click for image).

The girls in dresses sitting on the dock as well as the one taking a picture were dancers at the festival. The man in blue was their shoe repair guy. He’s fixing their shoes with… TAPE! Check out the roll on his lap! Looks like it is catching on. ;-)"

Thanks Zen! Oh and my apologies for getting a little happy with the arrows, but the scenery in the pics was too lovely to crop so Wee Neo is hard to spot in some of them.

Thank you to Petra for scanning and translating this article/interview titled "The Tragic Hero" from September's German Cosmo. The scans of the original pages in German, and other photos from the article can be found at KeanuA-Z.

As an actor, he is more successful than most others, but his private life is full of strokes of fate. In September Keanu Reeves turns 40

It is these eyes that enthrall us. They seem dark, mysterious, and always a little sad. Look into them for a second only, and you will immediately want to hug Keanu Reeves. On 2 September, the boyish Hollywood star turns 40 and he has a lot to look back on. While he has reached the peak of blockbuster heights during his acting career, his private life is haunted by blows, tragedies and deaths. Keanu Reeves, who grew up in Toronto, does not talk about the dark hours of his life. But he talks about his latest film "Something's Gotta Give", his next project "Constantine" (in cinemas in February 2005) and his love for rock music and other romances.

In this movie business that loves young stars, are you afraid of your 40th birthday?

No, I don't feel that young. I am as old as I am. It won't be a special birthday. Either I will be alone in the desert, or it will be an outrageous party.

People say that the camera loves you. Do you take that as a compliment?

I can't identify with that, but I understand what they mean. The picture on the screen has little relation to reality, and in my case the camera probably hides more optical flaws than it does with others.

At the beginning of your career, would you have thought about being a Hollywood favourite?

No, I didn't have a plan, only hope. I was hoping to be able to work as an actor and to master this craft, make good movies and be on stage with high-class theatre productions.

Your first film role was in "Youngblood" at the age of 22. When did you say: Okay, now I am a real, established actor?

I haven't said so until today, honestly. I am challenging myself. Anthony Quinn once said to me: "The feeling of uncertainty will never leave you, inwardly you will always be looking for work."

Can you remember when you were recognized for the first time?

Of course. That was when I bought ice cream with a friend of mine. It was 1987, a hot day, and the guy behind the counter didn't want us to pay for the ice cream. He said: "Because of 'River's Edge!'" So we took the cones for free.

How do you nowadays deal with a society that does not respect an actor's private life?

I try to take it with dignity. You always hope that people won't climb over garden walls to take a picture of you when you are walking into the kitchen naked. I count on every person I meet to be at least reasonably respectful.

Given your celebrity status, how do you master your everyday life?

When I go out, I need a lot of luck and skill not to be beleaguered by fans. The magic word is inconspicuousness. Before a big premiere, however, there is no use in even trying. People are already taking your picture as you walk out of your car.

In your latest movie "Something's Gotta Give", your character is very interested in Diane Keaton. Can you empathise with this fascination for an older woman?

To some degree. But I've never dated an older woman. Sorry, I shouldn't say this, but to rave about an older woman's beauty takes some experience of life. After all, we are living in a culture that celebrates youth. Although youth craze isn't the whole truth...

Do you believe in true love and spiritual kinship?

Yes, absolutely, I believe in that.

How do you define romantic?

For me, romantic is sharing intimacy with another person, looking inside, but also to enjoy a sense of place to the outside. Romantic is awareness of life, it is about existing together in the here and now. Sometimes a beautiful place can reinforce this feeling. But this kind of romanticism works only on good days.

So you are more of an occasional romantic?

I am not sure. At any rate, being hopelessly in love is very beautiful. And dangerous.

What music did you choose for romantic hours when you where a teenager?

What do you mean, teenager? I still like the music from those times. The Ramones, The Violent Femmes, The Clash... When I discovered that music my world suddenly got better. I danced [to this music], felt life's pulse beat, the vibrating feeling of existing.

Was there a time where emotional vibrations were especially strong?

With a woman called Penny. She had a great stereo in the car, you could take the speakers out and stick them onto the roof. We did that one evening in the park and danced all night long. That was one of the good days...

What happened to your band Dogstar?

We are hibernating. I now play bass in a band called Becky, we will be playing some gigs soon.

Who are you playing in your next movie, the comics-adaptation "Constantine"?

A doomed guy who tries to escape from hell and even bargains with angels. I was attracted by his connection with god, which is, at the same time, his relation to the world. He is full of anger and ambiguity. There is one line which I like especially: "God has a plan for all of us. Some people like their plan, others don't." A fascinating character.

What are the criteria when you choose a role?

Most of the time it is my gut feeling. The script, the story, the character have to match my feelings.

After your rather long career, is it difficult for you to still let new people into your life?

My character, my mind, and my true self haven't changed because of the career. I always trust people until they show me that they aren't worth it.

It looks like one of those interviews that's sort of pieced together from other sources, but it's still quintessential Keanu.

Thanks again to Petra

So, Keanu....did you feel any different when you woke up this morning?

Not really, huh?

I'll bet that being forty isn't so bad and that being Keanu Reeves at forty?...is actually pretty fucking awesome.

I hope you're having a great day surrounded by those who mean the most to you, and I hope that you know that the whole world is full of people that adore you more than you can imagine. Be sure to thank your mum for us, ok?

Here are Forty Reasons Why I Love You...

1. The belly scar
   
2. The indescribable vibe you radiate that fills any space you're in and touches everyone in it
   
3. The bass lines in "One Thing" and "Denial"
   
4. Your dedication to your work
   
5. Your laugh
   
6. "Whoa"
   
7. Your eyes, they're better than chocolate
   
8. "It wah. It just wah-wahs"
   
9. Your humble generosity
   
10. Your commitment to your shoes
    
11. Your outside is lovely, but inside you're even more beautiful
    
12. The way you look in a tux
    
13. The way you look in jeans and a t-shirt
    
14. Sometimes, you sing along
    
15. "Questioning absolutely everything has always been a part of my nature."
    
16. You turned me on to Archers of Loaf
    
17. Your lip scar
    
18. The way you faint in Feeling Minnesota
    
19. Spaceland
    
20. You're genuinely funny
    
21. Your mysteriousness
    
22. Your openess
    
23. Your integrity
    
24. You're a damned good goalie....(in the first period)
    
25. The way you stomp when you play bass
    
26. The fact that combing your hair is "optional"
    
27. You're deliciously tall
    
28. ...and you have a great ass
    
29. The way you wag your head when you're lost in the music
    
30. "It's a little owl. And its eyes wiggle!"
    
31. "...if you can make a woman laugh, you are seeing the most beautiful thing on God's earth"
    
32. Your pigeon-toed-ness
    
33. The incredible velvet wrecking-ball that is your voice
    
34. You're an amazing storyteller
    
35. You're so damned nice...
    
36. ...yet sometimes you're fierce
    
37. "Yeah"
    
38. Your goofball smile
    
39. The things you inspire in others
    
40. The things you inspire in me
    

Tomorrow may be Keanu's birthday, but the mail brought surprises for moi today.

EEEEEEEEE!

Renie sent me a tape with her radio show on one side and all kinds of good stuff from Ridgefest on the other. All sorts of interviews with fans, soundcheck noise and the best part, Keanu leaning into her mic to say "Hellooooo"... So cute. It made me giddy just listening to it and it's the next best thing to being there! Must. Rewind. and Listen. Again!

"Helloooo." EEEEEEEEEEE!

And BIG Smooches to Zen, for sending me a video of The Great Warming, a documentary that Keanu co-hosted PLUS a disc full of memories from Wee Neo's trip to Quebec! I'll be sharing those later in the week.

Thanks you guys, this totally made my day!

Back when I was sucking up to Matrix producer, Joel Silver, I created an "i love joel @ keanuvision . com" joke address. Today I've received virus bounces and webcam spam from this address, so it's out there being spoofed. If you get any email from this domain, please just delete it. Thanks.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In Greek mythology, Narcissus was the gorgeous demigod who had no desire for intimate relationships but fell desperately in love with his own reflection. From his name comes the word "narcissist," which refers to a person who is excessively self-involved, has an inflated sense of importance, and compulsively craves admiration. I've always suspected that Virgos are the least narcissistic sign in the zodiac. Many of you underestimate your self-worth and don't treat yourself with enough loving kindness. In fact, I sometimes get a mischievous urge to advise you to be *more* of a narcissist - like now, for instance. Here's an experiment I wish you would do: Spend 20 minutes in front of a mirror telling yourself how beautiful you are.

-freewillastrology.com

Somehow, I can't see him taking this advice.....