7 Minutes in Heaven

One of my latest web obsessions has been 7 Minutes in Heaven with Mike O'Brien.  It's a fresh take on candid interviewing with a pleasant mix of quirky banter and an awkward kiss to close out each video.  I've posted a few of my favorite episodes below.

The Last Video Store

I read yesterday on the CBC website that the remaining Blockbuster stores in Canada are closing.  If this is in fact the case it means that the two remaining video stores in all of Medicine Hat will disappear.

I understand the reasoning and the progress behind this shift, and I love the Internet for bringing hard to find titles and obscure documentaries straight to my living room.  It's hard not to be nostalgic about this though, because in all honesty, I've still be renting movies from Blockbuster and taking advantage of their previously viewed DVDs and Blurays. In a way I'm kind of surprised that the shift has come this quickly. 

As a kid I remember going to Crazy Mike's Video Store and browsing the VHS tapes and Super Nintendo games.  Renting a movie with the family was a Friday night ritual.  As a teenager I remember going to Video Update every Tuesday for their 99 cent rentals.  Then they turned into the Movie Gallery and Blockbuster finally came into the picture.  Now one after another they have all closed (or are in the process of doing so).

I still like the idea of leaving the house to browse cover art, to read the descriptions, to accidentally stumble onto something you hadn't before, and to explore.  Even if your plans only consisted of renting a movie for the night, it was always fun going with friends to pick something out.  I hadn't really given the process much thought until I read this article, but going to rent a movie with someone has (in my opinion) always been the best way of appreciating and/or arguing about your varying tastes in movies.  

Sure, things probably won't change that dramatically for most people.  The video store will be one of those things that we realize has disappeared and then recall how we hadn't been there in years. But, at the price of convenience, we're finding more and more ways to not interact, to not engage, and to not leave the house.  

Netflix, iTunes, and the Internet in general are all brilliant, but as we switch from tangible items to digital files I feel like we're losing something.  I did just buy myself a new record player though, so I have a feeling that even as the market evolves there will always be a place for folks like me who care as much about the experience as they do about the product.

Downtown Medicine Hat

I love living in downtown Medicine Hat.  It's quaint, it's great to walk around, it's built along a beautiful river valley, and it has lots of small town character in a quasi big city way.  I love how everything quiets down on the weekend.  I love that the buildings are unique and that you can find original stores and places that really define what make this small city of 60,000+ people special.  Places like LOCAL or the Monarch Theatre are just a 5 minute walk away. 

I love that I can make a living editing videos and shooting photography here.  I love that it still feels like there's room to grow.  I love that my perception of this place has shifted so dramatically from when I was a kid to when I came back after university.  For the moment, this small prairie city is a comfortable fit.