A Return to Blogging about Art

Ode to a Tyrannosaur (2010)

a portrait of Traumador the Tyrannosaur

Well, it's been a while!  Hi!  I have a blog!  After two months of inactivity, I shall now remember I have a blog and begin posting again.  (Blog apathy passing...)

The above painting was a gift to Craig, the author of The Tyrannosaur Chronicles.  It captures his title character between the depths of deep time and the heights of outer space, a truly living fossil.

Inspiration comes from all around and I got an intense paleontological dose on my recent trip to Calgary and Drumheller, home of dinosaurs and full of old friends...

Inspiration indeed!

A Love Letter to Canada

What would you do if you had one day, one week, or one month to live?

This is the premise behind the new film "One Week" (now on DVD). It stars Joshua Jackson as a young man diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, who decides to motorcycle across Canada - from Toronto to Tofino. Filled with stunningly beautiful images of Canada along with Canadian icons, such as the Stanley Cup and Gord Downey of the Tragically Hip, "One Week" really is a love letter to my country.

For those palaeo-people out there, Joshua does ride through Drumheller (poses with the World's Largest Dinosaur) and stops at Dinosaur Provincial Park, where he takes a moment to equate his potential fate with that of the long-lost reptiles. The breathtaking shots of the badlands took me right back to 2002-04, when I lived amongst them...

But it was the film's central question that made me think. What would I do with a week to live? I identified greatly with Joshua's character in the film; both the same age (30), same career (teachers), similar look, similar decision making processes... I often found myself intensely emotionally invested in his choices.

But what would I do if I had one week to live?

I don't know. Until I'm faced with that situation, I don't think I could say. But I do have a few ideas...

• Travel Canada and the USA in the circle - cross Canada, down the East Coast, through Texas, up through California, Arizona, Montana, back to Vancouver.
• Be alone for a day. Reminisce. Write a book.
• Spend as much time with family and friends as possible. Laugh.

...I just realized as I wrote this that my first and third point seem mutually exclusive. Hmm. Being selfish and doing what you think needs doing, or sharing your time. Can these be reconciled? Time is precious when there isn't much of it.

I guess that is one of the points of the film. For all my fellow Canadians out there and everyone else around the world, see this movie. Not just to ponder this deep moral question, but also to experience just how damn beautiful Canada is!

Boneyard #20: Meeting Prehistoric Creatures 'behind the scenes' at The Royal Tyrrell Museum

I was intrigued by Laelaps' Boneyard (#20) competition, and decided to throw my travel-worn hat into the ring. The topic is "Meeting a Prehistoric Creature," and I have just the post.

In fact, I've been wanting to post these photographs since I began Bond's Blog, but it never seemed appropriate. A few years back, I worked at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta (my favorite and the best dinosaur museum) and spent an afternoon "behind the scenes," exploring it's collections department.

Join me for a peek inside the prepared collections of the Tyrrell Museum, as we meet MANY prehistoric creatures!

(Please excuse the Batman t-shirt - just call it more viral advertising for this summer's The Dark Knight! - opens July 18th)

DINOSAURS"Never trust a man holding a skull."
Albertosaurus skull

"My, what big teeth you have, Granny!"
Tyrannosaurus rex (Stan) lower jaw

"So tell me about your problems, Mr. Bonehead..."
Pachycephalosaurus skull

"Makes a great indoor pet...and house-trained!"
Compsognathus skeleton

"Smile Big Guy. You smiling? Smile, damn it!"
Parasaurolophus skull

"Oh my god! He just flew into this slab of solid rock!
Archaeopteryx (the London specimen)

"Can I kiss it?"
The world-famous Berlin specimen of Archaeopteryx
(Relax, it's a cast. I saw the original in the Humboldt University
Museum in Berlin a few years back!)

REPTILES"One for the girlfriend, one for the wife."

Two beautifully-preserved Pterodactyls

"How any ways can this kill me?"
Mososaur skull

"Yup, looks straight..."
Chamsosaurus skull

CEPHALOPODS

"Man... I hate counting sutures"
Ammonite

"Ingredients: ammolite, calcium carbonate, riboflavin, vitamin C..."
Ammonite displaying reflective iridescence.

"Bowling for extinction."
Large ammonite with limpit-marks
(which look like mososaur teeth-marks)

ARTHROPODS

"Mmm, smells like trilobite!"
Small trilobite

"You actually can hear the Super Sounds of the Silurian..."
Beautiful large trilobite

TRACE FOSSILS"Cross-species high-five!"

Hadrosaur hind-foot footprint

"You know, you can't make an omelet
without breaking some prehistoric eggs."
A nest of Protoceratops eggs

"Umm." No caption required.
Yeah. Actual dinosaur poop.

This concludes our quick peak inside the prepared collections of the Royal Tyrrell Museum!

As the repository for all fossils in Alberta, the museum's collection contains over 120,000 specimens and adds 2000+ annually. Included in the collection are unique Cambrian Burgess Shale fossils, Cretaceous dinosaur specimens from Dinosaur Provincial Park, and Triassic marine fish from British Columbia.

If anyone knows the species name of any of the fossils in the above photographs, please let me know what they are in the comments section. Thanks!


For more Tyrrell Museum and dinosaur-related Boneyard posts, check out Prehistoric Insanity Production's other entries:

• Traumador the Tyrannosaur's Primal Love
• Craig Dylke's Un-Professional Palaeontologist
• and Prehistoric Insanity Productions' Meeting a Prehistoric Creature

Cat Bodyguards

On the heals of "Bad Sushi" comes "Cat Bodyguards," an even less serious short film created by Prehistoric Insanity Productions in 2004. This film was shot and edited in under an hour in the mansion where we lived in Drumheller.

Memories of Summer Camp 2

Professor Paradigm, head of Palaeo-Central, briefs the campers while Iridium Booster provides security.

Palaeo-Agent Joseph Eratic gives the Junior Agents their next mission.

Palaeo-Agent Iridium Booster takes a break from capturing evil-doers.

Fossil Casting with Strong Man and Traumador the Tyrannosaur.

Putting together Cory the Corythosaurs mounted skeleton with the campers.

Prep Lab Tour with Kirstin for out LITs. I think I found something cool. Unfourtunately, I didn't.

A model of the new entrence to the galleries at the Royal Tyrrell Museum. Its a family of four Albertosaurs.

Craig leading the campers on a hike to find fossils. Good luck Craig!

Memories from Summer Camp 1

The Teepees (left to right) Fossil, Coolee, Coal, and Hoodoo.

Tyler - Captain of the Team, holding the Badlands Broom Award!

Craig - Master of Kid-Wrangling and Time-Killing!

Amy - Hot Girl with Coffee Power!

Me - Peter Jennings with Ranch Power!

CAMP TEAM EXTREME (with LITs -Leaders in Training) Janean, Breanne, Alyssa, and Funsten!

The End of an Era

Hey dinophytes! As it is almost the end of my time here in Drumheller, I thought it would be fitting to show you a picture of my first time visiting the Tyrrel Museum!

This is me (age 7) with my sister (age 5) in front of Lillian the Albertosaurus in 1986. As you can see, I am very excited (shown here by my dramatic pointing and my sweet bowl cut).

Jump ahead 20 years and observe the photograph above. This is me, dramatically pointing again! Note my less-sweet smaller haircut and my bulkier physique.

On a more bittersweet note, the area behind me in the photos (including Lillian) is going to be torn out to make room for a new display of ceratopsian (horned dinos) material. So goodbye Lillian, you shall be missed. Another major change to the museum includes tearing out the globe in the entrance and replacing that area with a walk-through dried-up riverbed with four new life-sized Albertosaurs (a family) surrounding you! I can't wait to come back in a year and see the changes, but it does mark the end of an era.

Today was the last day of my job here at the museum, finishing two months of Camp and three days of Camp tear-down and clean-up. Mostly that involves dismantling the tepees, haling out the fridge and stove from the kitchen, and spending 4 hours setting up freaking basketball hoops! Aaaahhhhh! Thanks a bunch Tyler (my boss), I hope next years' kids enjoy the results of my blood and tears!

Craig and I will be driving back to Vancouver after Cameron's birthday party (happy birthday Cam!) Till then, I'm listening to David Bowie and watching Firefly.

An Update on the Summer - Hot!

Here is an update on my summer in Drumheller:

So far this summer, I've had a million mosquito bites, teepees blown down, crying children, and a really good time!

There have been 6 camps this summer - two junior camps (age 9-11), two family camps (adults and kids), and two senior camps (age 12-14), each about a week long. My job as a camp counselor includes taking care of a teepee full of kids, teaching them about dinosaurs and Alberta prehistory, taking care of homesick kids, ADD kids, jerky kids, dino-weenie kids, doodler kids, space-cadet kids, lurker kids, bedwetting kids and kids who "literally" hate all types of food. Three kids stand out:

-Kid A = Fun-loving tiny kid who loved every moment in life ("5 minutes left before lights-out?!!! Yes!!!!") but did everything super-slooooooow.
-Kid B = Large chubby kid who always had his shoelaces untied (grrrrr!) and said he "literally hates _________" (insert healthy food item here) and cried at the dinner table.
-Kid C = Worst of the lot. Tall thin dumb BO problem who would not stop interrupting and would always lurk and try to get extra juice or dessert. He'd use his height to bully others and would always stand WAY to close to you. We had him sign a contract requiring him to behave or we would call his folks and send him home! I only wish we could have sent him...

Other than work, the summer has been lots of fun. Drumheller is getting bigger each year - they now have a Walmart! But still no Starbucks...

The crew has begun and filmed another movie, this one a space police flick about 5 cops patrolling a tiny mining planet in the backwater of the Universe, called "Delta Patrol: Space Cops!" I play an easygoing cop (Deputy Ethan Moda) who's planet was destroyed in the Arthris Wars and now fights the good fight, but wears a bad tie. Expect to see it in about a year!

These last two months have flown by and it's almost time to head back to the real world. I'll post some photos of the summer soon.

Peanut Butter Out!

Blog the First.

So here we go-> Me! Blogging! Here I am, but where am I? Right now I am in Drumheller working for the Royal Tyrrell Museum as a Camp Counselor!
And now, as August is coming to a close, the last kid has departed and it is time to be moving on.
On a funny side note, one of my roommates just called my blog "Blonde's Bog."
Anyway, my plan is to document my travels in this blog for the next year (in an attempt to reduce the number of mass emails!)
So here we go, Masses, enjoy my blog.