Oscar Peterson: The Silent Partner

Those are Christopher Plummer’s sparkling, malevolent eyes on the cover of this LP. He played a nasty bank robber opposite bank clerk Elliot Gould. Quebec actress Céline Lomez played Plummer’s girlfriend and met with a memorably gruesome end involving a fish tank. The film was one of the more notable products of Canadian cinema’s tax shelter years. Oscar Peterson wrote some themes for the characters that were orchestrated by composer/arranger Ken Wannberg. This LP (never released on CD) features Peterson with an all-star septet including Benny Carter (alto sax), Zoot Sims (tenor sax) and Milt Jackson (vibes).

Burl Ives has been topping the list of search engine terms that bring people to this blog for the past week or so. I assume they’re looking for this:

and not this:

I picked up a pre-enjoyed copy of Michael McGowan’s One Week on DVD a few days ago. It stars Joshua Jackson as a man diagnosed with terminal cancer. He buys a vintage Norton motorbike on a whim and heads west from Toronto, ending up in Tofino (Vancouver Island). I have to say I found the “what would you do if you had one week (one month/one year) to live?” theme less compelling than the “love letter to Canada” aspects of the film. Or maybe I just really liked all the “big” attractions and monuments Jackson’s character visits:

World’s largest Muskoka chair, Gravenhurst, Ontario.

World’s largest fire hydrant, Elm Creek, Manitoba.

World’s largest photo mosaic, Port Carling, Ontario.

Giant nickel, Sudbury, Ontario.

World’s largest Inukshuk, Schomberg, Ontario

Canada Goose, Wawa, Ontario

Terry Fox monument, Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Husky the Muskie, Kenora, Ontario

World’s largest smoking pipe, Saint Claude, Manitoba.

Hockey stick and puck, Duncan, B.C.

World’s largest red paper clip, Kipling, Saskatchewan.

Camel, Glenboro, Manitoba.

World’s largest teepee, Medicine Hat, Alberta.

World’s largest Tyrannosaurus Rex, Drumheller, Alberta.

The filmmakers cheated the geography some, shuffling locales around for their own dramtic purposes – for example, the big hockey stick in Duncan, B.C. is presented as being outside a hockey rink in Manitoba (where Jackson’s character has a dalliance with the Stanley Cup). I think it’s great that this film revels in (and romanticizes) its Canadian settings – something I wish more Canuck films would do.

The sound of walking on snow when it’s -30 degrees C.

Some new thrift stores to report on.

Buy By The Pound is in the space vacated by the Bissell thrift store on 34th Ave. As the name suggests, they sell merchandise by weight (clothing anyway – housewares and such are individually priced). From their website:

“Buy by the Pound offers gently used household items. As with other thrift stores we carry all that our donors provide and more. We sell most everything by the pound being 1.99/lb for clothing, shoes and purses which you just can’t beat anywhere. You can get shirts for under a dollar, jeans for about 2.00 and household glass and china for .65/lb. Books galore for .25 for paperback and .50 for hardback – no matter what book it may be. Goods are laid out meaning you have to dig to find…. a true treasure hunt!”

Proceeds go to funding an orphanage in Burundi. And I see that the have, or are planning, another 3 locations in town. Website.

I met with some former co-workers for lunch yesterday and discovered a new thrift store run by the Hope Mission.

The Hope Bargain Shoppe is in a bleak, charmless industrial park in South Edmonton. Being as how it’s in an area of new subdivisions, the stuff is a lot newer than I’m usually looking for in my thrifting.

I do recommend the restaurant we ate at, though.

The very swanky Zaika Indian Bistro Bar has one of the better Indian lunch buffets I’ve tried ($12.00). There’s also an Indian food market next door.

And finally, the Strathcona Antique Mall has reopened on Gateway Boulevard, in the adjacent building that formerly housed Scona Cycle (in fact, the antique mall and Scona Cycle swapped locations).

The penny farthing atop the building is still appropriate.

The interior is large, bright and inviting.

Wilf Carter display in the foyer.

For some reason, there were lots and lots of beautiful vintage Christmas tree ornaments for sale at many of the booths. As promised, here’s some pictures of my new fake tree all decorated.

It’s looking a little sparse. I could use those ornaments I haven’t been able to find.

And now I’m off to shovel snow.

My friends Michael & Marlena are retiring to Newfoundland next year (I’m choked about it) and they’re starting to divest themselves of possessions they don’t want to haul across the country – especially Michael who is an unrepentant crap-hound.

Michael C.

This weekend Michael had a sale in his gallery in the Ortona Armoury. Among the priceless treasures on offer were pieces from his Trash Art and paint-by-numbers shows. (The items that radiate sunbeams are the things I bought).

Moose.

Lenticular 3D Little Red Riding Hood scene.

Paint-by-numbers.

The needlework Jesus on the right has come full circle – I gave it to Michael some years ago and now I have it back, along with the same scene depicted in paint-by-numbers.

Also had to have this Jesus bust (no, honestly, I don’t have a Jesus fetish).

I snuck next door into Michael’s studio to document the stuff there – which wasn’t on sale (this time – there will be more sales).

Downstairs there was another large room filled with fine objets for sale.

Behind the ghastly glare are two lovely Hawaiian lithos that emulate black velvet paintings, by an artist called Cross (who I have had no success googling).

Blanket coats.

Six plates from the King Eddy Hotel, 1904-1982.

Very swank.

Jesii

…being the plural of Jesus.

Needlework

Paint-by-number

Lit from within

Lentographs

The Jesus corner.

From my friend Michael’s garage/studio sale (more later).

VAM!

Vam is my new favorite word. That’s so vam! Stop vammin’ me! I think I’m gonna vam!

Stands for Vegetable (sesame), Animal (lanolin), Mineral (mineral oil) – the three components in this vintage grooming product.

From my friend Michael’s garage/studio sale (more later).

ps. VAM smells like ASS.

I bought these space-agey Christmas tree ornaments at Sally Ann 3 years ago and now that I have a tree I can’t find them. I’ve looked everywhere – several times – and checked my folk’s basement to see if I was storing them there. It’s making me a little crazy.