January | 2016 | timotheories

Dealing With Time (Lucas Chaisson Interview Preview)

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Tim Kuefler

We’ve all been there.

Making plans and hoping that we’ll follow through on them, and then blaming any number of reasons for why we don’t live up to our self-imposed expectations.

Obviously there has been research conducted that proves the reasons for our big fails after the new year, but no one really talks about it for too long, then we settle back into our routines, start talking about our favourite shows, and complain about people and our environment – effectively victims of time.

What it really comes down to is a matter of starting small and focusing on things which will spread outward into all aspects of your life, you can only change one step at a time, not in giant leaps. If I want to have a successful business, I need to look at the details, and get good at them one at a time, and before I know it, I’ve constructed a symbiotic relationship with my vision and my life.

For instance, this year I’ve decided to create my own weekly planner, but I’ve incorporated components to ensure that I am effectively managing my money. Because I have so many personal goals, and because running timotheories isn’t without cost, I need to plan my week(s) and stick to a budget.

That way I am hitting several key goals at once – coming up with posts, committing to my movie watching plan, planning for game night and date night, and slotting time for the adminstrativa of timotheories (marketing, editing, networking).

Here is a screenshot of my schedule, for reference.

I kid you not, because of this one small change in my planning, I’ve been particularly good at keeping up with my promises this year. Maybe the haters will say that this success is because it’s only been a month and the promises I’ve made haven’t blown up in my face yet, but I also think it has to do with the fact that I’m keeping it simple. By adding little notes to a schedule, I set reminders for myself, so that Future Tim has an easier time.

I also think that because I’m focusing on a behaviour rather than a result, I don’t have the problem of letting myself down, because this is now part of my process and who I am. If I think about it in relation to my body it becomes even clearer – I can modify parts of myself (exercise, diet), but my body is never done or complete, it is constantly changing. By changing my frame of mind and my environment, my lifestyle can grow, flourish, and take over the old.

And the last thing I need to do is forget that my body, mind, and soul all work together in conjunction.

Which is why I’m excited to give you a taste of the first timotheories interview of the year! This gentleman produced and released an album last year titled Telling Time, and I had the good fortune to speak with him about his record and his thoughts on the concept of time.

Below is a clip from our interview!

I’m incredibly excited to bring this Lucas Chaisson interview to the table and you will see the final result next week, but for now, enjoy our brief interlude and the rest of your Sunday. And maybe if you can see time in a different way, you’ll begin the process of living your dreams, rather than setting goals.

And those are all of the theories I have for today, dear readers! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, and I’ll see you tomorrow for a neat music review.

Tim!

That’s The Ticket! (Garneau Theatre)

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Tim Kuefler

Another week, another game night in process, which inevitably leads to one of my favourite nights tomorrow – date night!

To be honest, I never thought I would be a date night kinda guy, but live and learn. You can be romantic and pragmatic at the same time; the success of the variables and resulting sense of wonder all come down to what you do, and how you accomplish it.

Date night started as a way for me to ensure that I spend uninterrupted time with my belle at least one evening of the week. Now of course, we also spend a lot of time together on the weekends, but that is usually focused on running errands, social events, and spending time with other loved ones as a unit.

Such is the way of the 21st century couple. And I’ve accepted it. Between social media, the daily commute, and the pace of everyone else seems to live their lives – quality time requires quality effort.

Which means that I have to plan these nights out, have an exit strategy and come up with contingency plans regularly.

You single types might scoff at my planning, and you long term teams might think me silly, but I know that this part of the mix is what keeps a relationship interesting. Consequently, I don’t always have ideas chest-bursting their way into my consciousness.

Lovely image, no?

But my girlfriend, in her ever present, weird, and wise ways accidentally gave me an idea for this weeks date night, and also a reminder for you art enthusiasts.

And continuing with the bad puns, before I get into today’s Timely Thursday post, I need to get something off my chest.

I kind of promised I would let you know how the ice castles were didn’t I?

Well, be informed and intrigued because… the Ice Castles team doesn’t disappoint at all! There are a number of beautiful displays inside the castle: a fireplace, a slide, a throne room, caves, and an expert describing the ice castle construction process. The think the best part hands down though was that the walls and ceilings of the castle were sculptures themselves. There wasn’t a spot in the entire area that wasn’t visually gorgeous.

Now on to more pressing matters. The art related thing I am going to check out tomorrow evening and which I think you should look into as well.

Believe it or not, small independently run cinema exists in the capital city of Edmonton. And they play films which aren’t major releases.

If you have never been to the Garneau Theatre (8712 109th st) or The Princess Theatre (10337-82 Ave) then it is high time you try watching a movie in classic movie seats with wooden arms and almost non-existent leg room.

The reason to do this is not only for the experience of film in a more traditional format, of course, but because they show independent films, allow you to rent the space for live theatre, and they are a part of Edmonton’s history.

Edmonton’s Metro Cinema (a non-for-profit society) took control of the modernist desigend Garneau Theatre back in 2011 and haven’t looked back since, offering new films daily and significant maintenance to the property as it is now a designated Municipal Historic Resource.

But that’s not all.

Metro Cinema Society has a really solid belief statement (taken from their website)!

Metro Cinema Society believes that film and video are significant art forms and means of communication. We believe that many innovative films and videos are overlooked by conventional theatres including independent, international, and Canadian productions…

To this end, Metro exhibits an eclectic blend of film, video and media arts, that are not screened anywhere else in the city. Metro’s focus is on presenting a broad selection of educational, cultural and innovative works. The Society operates with the ongoing assistance of a large volunteer base. We regularly distribute a program, facilitate discussion, and bring in artists.

Bingo. They work with artists and are excited about bringing in unusual film, video and media. This is exactly the kinds of things that local Edmontonians need to know about and you creative types need to get involved with. If you care about film, support groups like this and become part of the discussion!

So what am I going to go see tomorrow night? Well I can’t tell you that just yet, otherwise the mystery goes away. But I promise you it will be a fun time.

That’s all the theories I’ve got this week, dear readers. I hope you have a fantastic weekend, make art, see people you care about, and take in something cultural. I’ll see you on Sunday evening for something stimulating.

Tim!

Sand Castles In The Sand (10 Lists To Success)

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Tim Kuefler

Do you ever just want to say f**k it, I’m out?

I’ve talked about motivations before dear readers, and I’ve hinted at how I stay on top of goals, but I don’t believe I have really and truly detailed for you the significance of keeping a variety of functional lists available at your fingertips at all times and the incredible satisfaction you will get from this habit – whether you are highly motivated, stressed out, feeling aimless or a combination thereof.

In fact, 2 of my oldest and first posts specifically addressed the areas of my own motivations and some of the ways I intend to achieve them, one was The Watch List and other was titled Motivation and Movies.

Motivation and Movies is about more than just my love of movies and their incredible ability to connect an introverted type like myself with the world around me. The heart of that post demonstrates that we all love to tell stories, be involved with the storytelling process, and that ultimately our various types and niches of society break down and are usually broken because of communication issues.

Sure I may be simplifying it, but don’t tell me that you believe we all keep this information top of mind!

That’s why today’s Wisdom Wednesday post is all about list making and how it connects with motivation. That’s right my friends, I got to the point of the post through a direct correlation of thoughts, without me using a story, meme or analogy to build it up for 500+ words worth of exposition. WHOA.

It can be done.

Granted, I threw in some fun memes, but they didn’t drive the plot forward, they were fun visual aids.

Having worked in marketing as my day job for almost a decade (and barely scratched the surface, might I add), I’ve read quite a few books and articles about the subject, and I’ve also learned some things along the way.

You see, I have this theory that the future of what’s cool and engaging is not going to be furthering technology and scientific achievement, though those things will continue to permeate our globalized village. Instead, because of the advent of the internet and the information age, those two achievements are going to lead us to the next logical step, refining our communication and storytelling ability.

This branding article kind of takes the roundabout to explain what I’m stating rather plainly, but to be fair the author IS referring to the future of business, which is full of plot holes.

So let’s get down to brass tacks, talk turkey, and strike while the iron is hot.

If you want to be successful in life, you have to be persistent, work hard, sacrifice, be prepared to deal with lots of failures, and keep up good habits. Ask anyone who YOU think is successful, and they will without question give you some variation of that short list.

That’s why I am going to let you in on something pretty straightforward. If you build these lists laid out in this article for yourself and maintain them, ie work at them and add to them, then you are on the track to success.

list of goals
A reason to get up in the morning, reasons to respect yourself
list of tasks
Milestones to goal completion, daily – personal and professional
list of contacts
Reliable, skillful people, who you maintain a healthy and natural relationship with
list of expenses
Monthly obligations, to create a clear overview and stick to your financial guns
list of useful tools
Apps for restaurants, maps, task management, learning, etc. AND physical resources too
list of self improvements
Things you would like to improve or change about yourself, one thing a year may be more viable
list of creative ideas
To hone your focus and keep your mind occupied. Needs to be new, make sense, and have a use
list of future plans
Events, changes in law, trends, software – keep you well-informed and prepared for life
list of contingency plans
Be prepared for the backlash of major projects
bucket list
Keep your regrets to a minimum – put the impossible down, then find the next best thing, use to restore will power and keep going

If you can maintain these lists, you will never lose sight of yourself and what you need to be doing in your life to achieve your purpose.

I’ve said it before, but creative types are just as prone to dreaming rather than doing as those deem themselves more pragmatic and functional.

Be vigilant and you’ll achieve your goals. And those are all of the theories I have for today dear readers.

Tim!

Damn That Sh** Was Dope (Straight Outta Compton review)

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Tim Kuefler

Sometimes something is popular despite what the critics have to say about it, other times it creates polarizing viewpoints, and still in other scenarios, you will see critic support and fandom and something still doesn’t get recognition.

But that’s okay, cause this weeks film has got something to say.

Straight Outta Compton (2015)
Cast: O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr., Aldis Hodge, Paul Giamatti
Director: F. Gary Gray
released on blu-ray January 19, 2016
******** 9/10

IMDB: 8.0
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%, Audience Score 93%
The Guardian: ****/*****

Felix Gary Gray is an American music video director, film director & producer, and sometimes actor. Gray directed has directed a number of influential films including Friday, Set It Off, The Negotiator, and The Italian Job remake.

Did I also mention that he is going to be at the helm of the next the Fast and the Furious franchise entry (tentatively called Fast 8)???

So you know I’m not going to go easy on him, right? Or should I say eazy? That franchise is one of the most coveted pieces of cinema culture at the moment, and it happens to be one of my favourites, if you haven’t been following Cross Talk yet…

Let’s take a peek under the hood before we give an assessment.

The movie open with Easy-E (Jason Mitchell) in the middle of a bad drug deal that has been raided by the police. He barely escapes arrest. Then we meet Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins) who is listening to records in his room. His mom wants him to get a better job instead of DJing at a local club. He decides to move out and tells his brother he will take him to Miami when he makes it. Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) is writing rhymes on the bus. He witnesses some kids flash gang signs at Crenshaw Mafia before the gang pulls the bus over and threatens the kid at fault.

Cube gets off at the house where Dre is staying and tells him about his day before sharing his new rhymes. On his way home the police stop him and search him for drugs.

Jump to Doo-Tos Club, where we see Dre and DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jr.) spinning for Lonzo, who hates rap and yells at Dre for letting Cube have a set. E has come there with MC Ren (Aldis Hodge) and tells Dre to keep at it. Dre then asks E to consider backing his music.

After a fight outside the club parking lot, the police arrest Dre, but E posts bail. They decide to start up Ruthless Records, and try recording with a group before the group bails because they hate Cube’s lyrics. Cube can’t record because he is already in a group, but Dre convinces E to do it.

Boyz n the Hood becomes the #1 record and gets the attention of manager Jerry Heller (Paul Giamati) who partners with E to build a business.

Fast forward a couple years, and the group is performing in Skateland. Easy-E gets the group to wear matching black and we find out that record executives are in the audience. They all pass exception for Bryan Turner (Tate Ellington) from Priority Records. They agree to sign with him and start to record Straight Outta Compton.

After a break from recording the group is outside and harassed by LAPD, while Jerry watches, helpless. The song Fuck tha Police is born. We also learn that only E has a contract currently.

While on tour the group play packed arenas, have tons of parties, and deal with groupies. They also get a cease-and-desist for Fuck tha Police from the FBI. We also start to see tension over the lack of contracts, especially from Cube. Dre doesn’t seem worried.

But then we learn that Dre’s brother has been killed in a fight and feels responsible for not bringing him on tour. His mom tells him otherwise, and the group gets back on tour.

Then the movie shows us the legendary Detroit show where the police issue a warning to not play Fuck tha Police due to the vulgar language of the song. Cube tells the crowd about it and they play anyway. The crowd goes nuts, shots are fired and everyone flees. NWA is arrested.

During a press conference, Cube tells reporters that their art reflects their reality. When the question of spending their money comes up, it gets awkward before E diffuses the question with a joke. Finally Jerry gives Cube a contract to sign and a cheque for $75K, but only if he signs. Cube wants a lawyer to look it over, but Jerry won’t go for that, so Cube decides to leave the group, while Dre and the others stay.

And it just heats up from there, I promise you that!

Pros: The first hour is fast paced and sets the stage for what I would call a very gripping finale. It is a very short history of these players with some cameos from other notable talent, but it’s three protagonists stand out especially.

Cons: The back half of the story doesn’t quite have the same grit, so it hurts the movie somewhat overall. You’ll walk away wishing the characters were still working through things.

Runtime: 147 minutes

Points of Interest: The original cut of this movie was 3 hours and 30 minutes! This is largest grossing R-rated movie in box office history at $60m opening weekend. M.C. Ren was a major contributor and fan favourite of NWA but is something of a background character in the movie.

That’s right, that shit was dope, and I think it’s one of 2015’s top films. So please do yourself a favour and check it out if you haven’t already.

Because if the Golden Globes and Academy awards can’t see how awesome this film is, but the vast majority of people AND critics do, then you know that you you’ve got something special in front of you.

See you tomorrow my friends, with some more wisdom.

Tim!

Balancing Act (Neak Undefined Paura/Amore review)

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Tim Kuefler

Have you ever loved something so much that you were scared to lose it? Usually that comes down to people and, hopefully very rarely, unique accomplishments and possessions.

That fear is part and parcel of the human experience of love. You can’t escape it, sure you can try, but life is so much more simple then we want to believe. We enjoy life because it’s transient and it’s in our nature to appreciate what we don’t already have or what we have lost.

That balance between love lost and love gained is where fear lives, and where this week’s poet takes us.

Neak Undefined – Paura/Amore
released January 11, 2016
********* 9/10

Dominic Kelly, better known by his stage name Neak Undefined, is a Chicago-based hip-hop artist with something to say. I wasn’t entirely sure who was more excited for me to put together a review of this album, me or Neak! That should tell you something about this midwest artist right out of the gate.

The passion, commitment, and energy on this record is limitless. Every listen gives you something slightly different. Or to put it another way, it’s undefined. His music has plenty of helpings of jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop and touches of new wave all fused together to create the buffet that is Paura/Amore. Also harp on Champagne Dreamin’!

I have to admit that I didn’t know what the “paura” part of Paura/Amore meant immediately and why that was the title. Then I looked the word up and every detail just clicked right into place.

It’s almost like Neak Undefined knows this material inside and out, has been living with it for a couple of years and has put up his concepts for us unfiltered. This entire album deals with those themes in great detail and Neak says it best about the thrust of the record in the intro speech to his lead track, King Deferred.

We never know what life can bring us until it comes
Pain, sorrow, joy, happiness
You seem to always live in a place of unknowing
That’s the fear, that’s the part of life we wish we knew
That’s the part we wish we could control
That fear
Paura/amore

The songs manage to cover a myriad of topics without ever making it stretch thin. For example the simple repetitive song structures of Sacrifice and Money for the Honey hit specific points about the real struggles Neak has gone through to get success and that sacrifices aren’t always glorious and dramatic, making you think while you enjoy the beats. The way he sets up tracks to provide atmosphere makes hooks about “changing friends, as much as she change clothes” hilarious and fun.

There are other tracks which do well to address his hometown with Back in Chicago – covering topics of trading luxury for sin, lacking father figures, the danger apparent in the streets, and the challenges of police making searches based on ethnicity. Which makes the earlier song Stay Alive all the more sweet, because it’s dovetailed with a voicemail from Neak Undefined’s father, encouraging him and reminding him to stay in contact as he pursues his passions.

Have I mentioned how much energy and how danceable this record is yet, dear readers? Thank The Lord is fantastic too, it has gospel roots, has Neak talking about haters (which you all know I love) and undertones of spirituality throughout – he thanks God for light and recognizes his role of being a light for others.

Other stand out songs for me were MMM (about the drug molly/esctasy, personified), Ego (a self-reflection anthem filled with conflicts), and Heaven and Hell. With Heaven and Hell in particular being full of relevant questions and material about losing family and the challenges that come with guilt from the concept of sin.

As I already mentioned, the title of the album makes a hell of a lot more sense after you listen to it, and the content is hard to reach right away that I’ll be playing this one for a while before I’ve fully wrapped my brain around it.

I highly recommend you get a copy of this, so you can do your ears and your mind a favour.

If you don’t believe me that love is precious, go out and destroy your most prized possessions, ALL OF THEM. After that point you’ll have a fraction of the feeling one gets when you lose something that you weren’t expecting to. That sensation over control, as Neak Undefined puts it, is Paura/Amore.

Come back tomorrow where I’ll head as far out to the western seaboard as I can go, for a movie review that is outta my hands and into yours.

Tim!

timotheories

digital curating at heart

Month: January 2016

Dealing With Time (Lucas Chaisson Interview Preview)

Sand Castles In The Sand (10 Lists To Success)

Damn That Sh** Was Dope (Straight Outta Compton review)

Balancing Act (Neak Undefined Paura/Amore review)