So, in a few short weeks it’ll be 2010.  It’s hard to believe that another whole year has almost passed.  I mean, yeah there have been times where it may have felt like time has slowed to a crawl, where I wish the day would just end (oddly, today was one such day), but overall the year has seemed to pass rather quickly.  I think back on the time that has gone by, and events that have taken place during that time, and its a blur.

I went from being a yard dawg (a position that I have known since I was 11) to being a Dispatcher, and a shipper for a major retail and distribution outlet for the Fraser Valley…  a bit of a major change in my life, but one I hope I can say I am adapting well to.  It also allows me time to focus some energy on projects outside of the Lumber Yard…  though admittedly, Tami is the one who does most of the work.

For the first time in 9 years, I got to see my best friend Tanis… someone who more often than not was reduced to being a voice on the phone, as distance made actual visits nearly impossible.  That voice on the phone was, for many years, my one voice of reason… a focus point to keep me sane on my little Island.  Well, as sane as one can remain when growing up over there.

A very good friend at work, who was also my then-primary means of travel to and from the store each day, instilled a small bit of fear on myself and the rest of my co-workers, when he was rushed into a triple heart bypass just over 3 weeks ago.  He’s pulled through fine though, and while he has not yet returned to work, I am certain that when he does, we’ll all be in trouble.

My young little cousin Stacia went and got herself married.  Mind you, I guess she’s not all that young anymore (none of us are), but since there were people at the wedding that I had not seen since my teen years (the bride and her sister included), she’ll always be the little kid at Christmas.

Gaming and animation recognition in Vancouver took another hit this past week… well, it’s taken several over the last year-ish, but this one is going to be the one that finishes off the year.

The Elans Awards, a scam awards show founded originally by Holly Carinci and Jack Weatherell, that Vancouver was subjected to for the past 3 years, decided that it was done with Vancouver (and Canada) and moved off to San Diego.  Good riddance as far as I’m (and many others are) concerned.  She is more than free to take her scamshow and go home.  We have dealt with Holly and her antics for some time now (much of it is available here on the site, and more yet will likely be made available soon), and the best thing that can happen to Vancouver and it’s Studios is for The Elans Awards to move as far away as possible, and never come back.  The antics of the producer (and her former “partner”) have polluted the industry for years… from bounced cheques, scamming webhosts and site designers, using show funding (provided by local businesses for the purpose of actually helping pay for a show) to pay for their own vices (bikes and partying come to mind), to general lying and badmouthing of companies in the Country that have worked hard to be where they are, only to be slandered for not jumping through hoops for the producers on a whim and bottle of wine.  The very idea that she has decided to move the show to another city in a different country shows that she has tapped the resources of this one dry, burning every bridge she has crossed along the way.  I sympathize to all the companies that are going to get tied up in this down in the States, but I congratulate Vancouver for managing to survive the worst thing to come to the industry in our Great City.  Better things are definitely coming… and none of them will have the name “The Elans” attached to them.  Do I sound resentful of this farce of an awards show? You’re damn right I do. I refuse to stand and support any group or event that is only out there to rape the industry in hopes of making a quick buck off the hard work of others.  To make a claim of being the elite in gaming awards shows is nothing more than a pathetic attempt to steal hard-earned money from game companies… many of which are struggling right now as it is… all so they can try to win a cheap pewter statue worth less than they had to pay out in order to be “nominated”… all the while stomping on the backs of those with talent and skill to recognize, all because they couldn’t afford to pay the entry fees (and then badmouthing those people behind their backs, calling them cheap and unprofessional).  The Spike Awards takes the time to notice what the industry has to provide, and recognizes them for it yearly.  Why support a second-rate awards show created by the same people who were busted for illegal trading and fined over $80,000, when you can support a real professional awards show like the one put on by Spike TV?  The Spike Awards is everything that The Elans wishes it could be but fails at, as well as everything that The Elans claims to be but lies about.

Things like not paying for the venue until the day of the show (and then badmouthing the venue for not letting people use it anyway) is bad form.  Bouncing cheques used to pay for services while badmouthing that same provider behind their backs is bad form.  Showing up to a show drunk, and continuing on from there is bad form (especially when it’s supposedly your show).  Using money that is supposed to be for a show to buy a motorcycle is not only bad form, its outright stupidity.  Mind you, stupidity seems to run rampant with the show and it’s producer anyway (its REAL producer, that is… personally, I don’t see how someone can be named as a founder of a show already in it’s 4th year, but whatever), so no real surprise there.  I also think it’s kind of stupid to badmouth someone really harshly behind their backs, using an email account on that person’s own server, then not bothering to delete those emails when you pack up and move during the cover of darkness while leaving bills outstanding with several companies.  Not that anyone would do that last thing, but if they did, I wonder if those other companies would like copies…

At any rate, do us a favour, Holly… don’t dent Vancouver’s door with your ass on the way out.  It might cause you some brain damage… and we don’t want to give any indication to Vancouver’s talent that you were ever even here.