Heading to L.A.?

I noticed today that my friend Carrie Walker's opening is happening this upcoming weekend at the Kristi Engle Gallery in downtown L.A. If you are going to be in the area, then most certainly drop by.

It's good stuff.

The face of a killer.....

She may look sweet, but this cat is a killer.
She is only about 10 weeks old, and this morning, went charging into the pantry and relieved a mouse of it's life.
I didn't witness the carnage myself, but apparently, she was fearless, caught the thing in her mouth, growling, ran outside, and that was that.
She knew just what to do. I'm not surprised she could finish the job either, as her teeth are like little razors.

Chico, you have been replaced.

All hail Celeste the Fierce!!!


Total mouse count to date : 3

What the hell was THAT?!

Last night after my man returned home from a night out with the boys, we heard a loud, high pitched SQUEEEEEEEEEEAK that sounded like someone was coming through the front door with an axe or something. I nearly jumped out of my skin, as I had just been discussing ghosts and my potentially haunted house with my brother.
After checking that all was well, I awoke this morning to find some carnage under our upstairs sink. A mouse.
The sound was that last dying gasp as the air was squeezed out of the poor little critter. No wonder it scared us so much.


Total mouse count to date: 2

Parade Of Lost Souls tonight

Don't forget about the annual Parade Of Lost Souls on Commercial Drive tonight between 6 and 10 pm. It should be a good, spooky time for all! It would have been my Grandmother's birthday on the 31'st, and I remember every year. I like that board where you post messages to the dead. I'll be looking for it tonight.

2-4-6-8 we will not deliver hate!!!

If you live in Canada, you may be familiar with this story as it's been all over the local and national news.
Here in Vancouver, we were asked to deliver this piece of admail, and after viewing only the first page of this 27 page document, we were so horrified and disgusted, that our entire postal station walked out in protest. It couldn't be considered an actual "walk out", as most of us would have been suspended, so we called it a coffee break en masse, and it made a difference.

You don't even need half a brain to determine that this piece of admail is inappropriate. It is SO offensive on so many levels, but my employer takes the stand that it cannot censor their admail business, and are obliged to carry through with delivering this zealot's personal views! For once I wish they would grow some balls, or at least get some standards.
Check out but one of a series of news stories here.
It makes me so ashamed to work for a Corporation that would deem this as just another way to make a buck.
As you can imagine, this story has spread like crazy across the country, and a good thing too, because the general public needs to be aware of this nasty bit of business. I also heard our MP starting to mix it up at the House, so we'll see where this goes.

Apparently there is video footage of me floating around out there, but as of yet, I haven't found it!
stay tuned.......


FIGHT THE POWER!!!!

No Yo La Tengo

Sadly, I won't be attending the rock show tonight, and by the looks of things on Craig's list, it's sold out! Too bad too, as they are one of my favourite long time running bands. Te Amo Yo La Tengo.
The babysitter cancelled at the last minute. Arrrrgh! It's legit, and she's a kid and all, but in the bigger scheme of things, it feels like Karmic payback for the time I jammed on her. Oh well. I am a true homebody, so I won't miss the going out part, but I will miss the music.

Yo La Tengo are champs live. I still remember them busting out "The Kids are Alright" at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in England. That was back in 2001. The room went crazy!! Especially after hearing dead Princess Diana jokes from Neil Hambuger. They would NEVER be a disappointment musically. I haven't really explored the new record, "I Am Not Afraid Of You And Will Beat Your Ass" too much, but the few tracks I have heard sound like the real McCoy and not just a band cranking out yet another mediocre album. But like I said, I haven't delved into it too much. But you have to love a band that will open a record with an 11 minute song.

Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind.


Besides, if I went out tonight, I'd have to put down the kitten.

Mouse Outing

Oh My God!!!!

I just saw the mouse!!!!! It was totally chowing down at Yoshi's food dish. I don't know why, but those little buggers really scare you for a moment. It jumped, I jumped, and then It scurried to exacly where we suspected he comes from; a big gaping hole under the sick where the pipes disappear into the floor. UGH.
I hadn't seen any evidence of him in the pantry, so optimistically thought that he'd moved on to our neighbour's house, but there he was this morning. And now my pulse is really racing.

He's going to be evicted. I hate to kill anything really.
Until then....eeeeeeeSH!

Score another one for the mouse.

Shanty town

One man's shanty town is another man's half a million dollar home!

Read all about the insanity!!

When is enough enough?

If ever I was going to rob a bank or commit some other crime, now would be the time. I have sanded all distinguishing marks off of my finger tips. This bloody door has taken over for the time being, and I am determined to get that thing hanging again by the end of the weekend. I have no idea what I'm doing though, so I might still be sanding then. I have gotten really fastidious about the whole thing though, so it's going to look awesome in the end.

I have heat gunned the thing, and stripped it, and now I'm debating as to whether or not I should fill the holes. I think that I might skip that part, as who wants to look at a bunch of filled holes? Maybe it will be more interesting with scars. I mean, it's a 100 year old door, so it's never going to look immaculate. Should I stop now? Then what? Christ. Feel free to send tips, though it's nothing a google search wouldn't solve. Maybe after one more coffee.

at least the place doesn't look like this anymore, with tagging everywhere.....jeepers!

Let the vacation begin now...

So I had a half empty carton of eggs that had been rotting for sometime in my fridge. I'd decided to keep them for hurling purposes, as sometimes there is an annoying "john" on the block. I would never hurl at the ladies. Though I talk a big game, I am an empathetic person at heart. So there they are, hidden yet present, and more than likely pretty lethal if injested.

I decided to make brownies yesterday, because I had a box of baking chocolate and I didn't want to see that damned mouse get any of it. I melted it with some unsalted butter in a bowl over a pan of hot water, and mixed in a sinfully large cup of white sugar. mmmMMMMmmm!
I even added some vanilla though it was uncalled for.
So it was time for the eggs. I grabbed a carton from the fridge and cracked away into the thick, brown, glossy mixture. The first one was ok, maybe somewhat dodgy, 'cause I could spy some red veiny wisps in the yolk. But ok, I decided to let that go because I am a food freak, and mostly phobic, so I decided to let that one slide. It would be baked, and all would be well. The second egg was seemingly ok too, 'cept that when I put the shells into the compost bowl, I saw something out of the corner of my eye that froze me still. I'd grabbed the wrong carton of eggs!!!!!

UUUGHKKKKKKKKKK! There was a small cluster of black beads, quite large living on the inside of the shell of the egg. IT was the most disgusting thing I had seen in a while, and it was SO sad, to have to dump the entire mixture into the bin. Wahhhhhh.
Of course I made another batch, and I pitched the rotten eggs that once held so much promise. The brownies were overcooked, but they still tasted wonderfully. Sadly, I can still conjure up perfectly the image of that dark, beady colony. *shudder

I have been checking out the new Chad VanGaalen album. It's not as immediately likeable as his previous, but there are at least one or two songs that have wormed their way into my head. Check out graveyard.

AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!

I am SOOOOO tired of moving piles of things from one place to another.
Is this to be my lot in life until I die?

If anyone knows of a good 'organizer'.......let me know.


until then.....grrrrrr

Getting that Disgruntled feeling...

Sure, many people think that my job is a dream, or a joke, depending on your view, and there are many misconceptions and Kafkaesque realities about working for Canada Post. Firstly, It IS a manual labour job, so accept it, and while it seemed hilarious to take it on initially as I paid off my student loan, I just ended up staying on, where the paid vacations were, and where I thought it might be possible to find some security since I one day wanted to own a home.

It's difficult to explain to people why posties become so grouchy, or why they seem to complain so much about a job that it seems a monkey could do.

I received this letter in the mail the other day, and it was a real downer. This might explain some of the reasons why postal workers tend to become bitter and disgruntled.
enjoy....



Canada Post Corporation,
PO Box 2110 Stn. Terminal,
Vancouver, BC
V613 4Z3

Dear Colleague,

As you know, improving Admail service performance is a high priority for Canada Post and is critically important to our future, as it currently accounts for 20% of our income.

To ensure we meet our customers' expectations and determine where we can improve our effort, Canada Post has engaged IBM to measure our performance for both Addressed and Unaddressed Admail.

While IBM's test methods have been questioned by some employees, please be assured that there is diligent and thorough checking of all deposits of test items, in order to confirm on-time deposit and receipt of sufficient volumes in depots. Your Supervisor can provide you with further details of the testing methods if you wish.

Based on these independent measurements, we are seeing modest improvements in Addressed Admail service -performance, though we still have a long way to go to meet our customers' expectations.

Unfortunately, Unaddressed Admail service performance has not improved, and the results tell us that non-delivery, rather than on-time performance, is the cause.

In an effort to understand these non-delivery issues, we have analyzed possible contributing factors. We have looked at Unaddressed Admail volumes, depot processes, employee satisfaction and absenteeism rates, but have found no connection to low performance- for this is -product-, The IBM test results also lead us to conclude that non- is occurring after the time the Letter Carrier receives the item for delivery.

From our testing, we know that Letter Carriers are receiving the right amount of mail, but it isn't being delivered in all instances. In addition to this, we are aware of many incidents of improper Unaddressed Admail disposal by Letter Carriers. This is a major misconduct for which disciplinary consequences have been, and continue to be, applied.

Despite the fact that low performance has been due almost exclusively to non-delivery, we do know those items that are delivered have a very high on-time performance rate.

In order to meet commitments to our customers, we must improve considerably and do so over the next few months. We must satisfy ALL of our customers by providing the same level of professionalism and accuracy we do for Lettermail!
I am asking for your support to help us meet our targets for 2006 by delivering all Admail Unaddressed and Addressed, on time, every time. Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

A. R. Burnett
General Manager, Pacific Region

Word on the Street

The annual Word On the Street Festival is happening! We're all heading down there to see one of our favourite bands, Duplex. If you haven't already heard me going on and on about them, you should really check them out! Go here!
They are all over the place: catchy and interesting and infectious to boot! Not just fare for kids, that's for sure. Though mine loves to sing along and at one point this summer there was an actual ban on the CD for awhile. Just to take a rest. It is just too good.

This year, the little one can watch Duplex instead of her favourite from last year, Mecca Normal.
That is so hilarious. It cracks me up.

On the mouse front, score another one for the wretched filthy vermin. I am getting closer to setting those traps!
I just wish that my cat would do his job and secure the damn fortress. Enough already.

Gorgeous fall weather is upon us!

It's shaping up to be a busy week. Sydney is one busy gal.....a book launch tomorrow, at the Charles H Scott gallery, then this show with Book of Lists and the Rodney Graham band on the 14'th, which just happens to be my 10 year wedding anniversary.
Earlier that day, I'll be taking in a show with my little E and seeing Fred Penner at the library.
Here is a tease of one of our favourite songs.... The Cat Came Back
Should be a hoot!

Get out there and see some art!

Did someone say Dance Party?

This looks like it could be good.
Anything that involves green, you can pretty much count me in!
Plus, 'going out' just blocks from my house is an added benefit!

It promises to de/evolve into a dance party later in the evening.

Be there, or be sqaure!!

Victory Square Block Party

Victory Square Block Party
on Monday, September 4th

They Shoot Horses
Hot Loins
The Battles
The Doers
The Nons
The Winks
No Feeling
Precious Fathers

Hosted by MC Babyduck.
DJ's provided by Vinyl Records.

Monday, Sept. 4th
Victory Square (Cambie and Hastings)
2-9pm


*thanks to myvirtual friend theonly for the info and cool poster!!

Art gallery madness...

The Battles at the art gallery on Friday night were great. It was good to get out and catch up with some folks and hear some great music and see some art.The set up at the gallery was for an outdoor concert, but drinks were forbidden down where the band played, so we were forced to swill atop the pyramid stairs that would became the stairs of death later in the evening, or so I imagined.
I can't believe how many people you can reconnect with at the Art Gallery. Becoming a member was well worth the investment!
So we were forced to listen to Sinoa Caves, as we tried to get a couple of drinks into us, and then we descended to the stage to check out the band. Les did a great job with the visuals!

Surreal was the fact that the show backed onto the Robson Square skating rink/ballroom dancing extravaganza. So between songs, you were able to listen to either the Rumba band playing upstairs in the Fuse part of the VAG or you could check out the dancing below street level. It was packed down there. People sure do love their ballroom dancing.
As usual, the battles took us all over hells half acre with their awesome music. They are tight, and fun, and great to watch.
Book of Lists also played and I liked what I heard, until I had to vacate the premises to head over to some art opening which turned out to be great!! I really must get out a bit more. Now that we have a sitter, mebbe it will happen.

Go and see some great music at Victory Square party on Labour Day. It is always a good time. I'm still cursing myself that I missed the damn Unicorns that one year.
arrrrrrgggghhhhhhhh!!!!

Art Show in the 'hood

This looks like it could be good, and I wouldn't even have to leave the neighbourhood.
It conflicts with the Battles show at the Art Gallery though, but since I just cancelled my sitter...

For Sale

100 year old house in Vancouver's downtown ghetto.
Asking price $299,000.00.
It's going to go fast, so get on it!!!

I'll be waiting to see the weekend feeding frenzy!

Goodbye Bo

Yesterday our good friend Bo, or Baby Bear as he was also affectionately known, passed away. It happened at the beach. Still a sad place to go, but I can't think of a better place really, since he loved to be there.

Bo enjoyed two wonderful lives on this planet. One with an old fella named Ed who spoiled him until he himself passed away. Then with a couple of wonderful people who nursed him back to a healthy weight, and exposed him to the finer things in life such as daily trips to the beach, and weekends on Saltspring Island.
Bo will be missed by friends and neighbours, and cats alike.

RIP Bo, you were one of the good ones!!
I hope we call all gather to remember Bo over some drinks and stories.

Happy Birthday Yoshi man!!

Born August 18, 1999, in Langley BC

puppy of
San Jo Shomano' Forever
Hitomi Midori O' Forever

forever My Yoshi is today 7 years old.

I love my Shiba Inu. They are so unlike any other dog that I've ever met. Not just lapping at your face, but really remaining aloof, unless you're family. I love this trait about them. Yoshi is such an independent little man, and has survived one harrowing "runner" away from me, where I imagined seeing his little body flung up into the air by some passing car. It was a nightmare. He survived crossing 2 pretty major streets in Vancouver and I nearly killed him when I finally caught up to him on the Drive.

Carnage at the Bus Stop

It has been another crappy day where I feel like hiding under the bed, or running to the hills for some solitude. As I was waiting at the bus stop to begin my job, I heard a thud, and then saw a gang of birds flying away. They had been in pursuit of a Peregrine Falcon which now lay stunned on the sidewalk beside the glass bus shelter.
It was such a bummer.
I picked it up in my hands, and saw the tell tale lolling of the head. I wanted to believe though, and refused to just leave it on the sidewalk, so I took it indoors, and we called the Wildlife Rescue. They tried to tell us on the phone that it was probably just a juvenile Seagull, or Shithawk as I like to call them. Why do people insist on doing that? Telling you that you're probably not right, but anyhoo...

It died, before I even left the station, and I felt so bummed, but it was an incredible thing to enjoy up close even for a fleeting minute or too. It's a shame when nature clashes with the city. I have to cheer on the wildlife I have enjoyed out there when I've been working. I've seen coyotes, raccoons, rats, mice, a mama skunk and her kitten, and legions of spiders that I usually de-web with my face. eeeek!
I don't know what planet is in retrograde, but it has been challenging the past few days that's for sure. Strangely It's like I'm
watching it on reality tv or something. Is this what they call a disconnect?

oh well, big ups to the guys whose pics I stole, and if anyone could tell my why things are so crazy cosmically right now, I would really appreciate it!

What do you do?

when someone you know pops out of an alley and you freeze because they look half dead?

when things go poorly with said person, so you try harder next time to be "open" and they just smack you down anyway?

when you're riding the bus home from work and you see someone you know working as a prostitute?

when drugs destroy your friends?

Freezies:

preferred food of drug addicted people on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Self Inflicted Neck Injury

I'm suffering from that thing where you are doing nothing in particular, then you turn your head a certain way and "sproinggGGGg"...you feel some big elastic band in your neck snap.
Ouch!
Now I'm unable to turn my head to the right without turning my entire upper body.
I am a gimp. Good thing I didn't go to work today and aggravate it!

So here's the story

There used to be this cute little garage that this old man started to fix up and do odd jobs from. He was a nice enough guy.
It was mostly bicycle repairs, and scrap metal stuff, and he even stabilized a small antique chair that I got at "the sexy sale" for a mere $2. This guy didn't really bother me much, and even when I saw the odd cracked out looking woman hanging about, I just thought, at least it's indoors, and that's a good thing, non?

So anyhoo, this guy eventually moved in, and maybe some of the neighbours were bothered by this, 'cause a few fights started up, and a garden war ensued, and city hall was called, and restraining orders were issued, and eventually, this guy, feeling bitter and defeated, went ahead and just pulled the supports out from under the thing.I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this. It is unbelievable. The extent to which this bitter spiteful man would go is astonishing. I just don't know what good can come of it.
It's sad to see any heritage building destroyed like this, and though I have it on good authority that this guy was obviously nuts, it's still a shame to see the depths of his spite. I don't know where he's gone, but he's left quite the mess for the landlords who I'm sure are baffled by the whole thing. It's a lame example of people meddling too much in other peoples business. This neighbourhood is changing...and not necessarily for the better. I wonder what other changes we'll be seeing in the lead up to the Olympics in 2010.

With an Attitude like that?

I just got this weird call from some group calling themselves "BC Organization of Police Officers" or some such charity.
I don't really know. But they did tell me that "our" call would be recorded for quality purposes.

Then he launched into his pitch, and I was truly too tired to protest, so I listened as he used my name loudly, often, and with force.
".....blah blah.........your donation...........to underprivileged families.......AND TO KEEP VIOLENT CRIMINALS LOCKED UP BEHIND BARS WHERE THEY BELONG......."


huh? It was weird, but I let him go on. Saying my name and then repeating his rant about violent criminals again.
It stuck out like a sore thumb, so when he finally stopped to take a breath, and say, "what's best for you... $45?"
I said, "um, it sounds too political, but thanks for calling"....
he interrupts me and goes on about not understanding what I mean, and he was sure that I believed that violent non rehabilitated criminals should be behind bars.
It left such a bad taste in my mouth.
I didn't really want to hang up, but the dude was seriously not taking no for an answer, and he seemed genuinely flabbergasted that I thought he was coming on too conservative like and scary.

Perhaps I was speaking to one of these said violent criminals working inside the pen?

whatever. It's over, and I'll be continuing to screen my calls.

The most awesome John Fahey is helping me stay calm with his gorgeous guitar playing.
tell her to come back home.

Blown Fuse

Today I discovered that I cannot operate my heat gun in conjunction with the oven preheating and my strategically placed fan.
Everything whirrred to a halt, and I discovered the greatest tragedy that was my coffee stopped in mid drip.
I didn't panic though, as there are usually a few extension cords about. I've got the coffee on the mend and going to try another extension cord to another outlet.
Hopefully I won't start a fire or blow up the house by doing all this stuff.

If you don't hear from me again...

It's always better on holiday

Some things I did on my vacation:

-drank beer, too much beer, and now I will pay to work off the belly
-went to the beach. almost everyday
-swam and floated in the pool. almost everyday
-watched reality television
-went to the beach.
-reconnected with an old, dear friend.
-drove around on dirt roads at high speed.
-listened to the red winged black birds every morning.
-gardened until the sun went down, or it was time to drink beer.
-went to a family wedding which played mostly new country. bleh.
-went to the beach.
-burned stuff.


The question I am asking myself now that I have returned to the ghetto:

-what am I doing here?

Did I forget to mention Ladyfest?

Go to Ladyfest and check out the ladies.

Get in touch with your inner lady.

Support the lovely ladies of this town!

Something's happenin' here...

What it is ain't exactly clear, but it's called Ladyfest, so that's cool, right?

If you're into hot church ladies, you might like Choir Practice. You can find them on myspace, or listen to Pretty, or even go see them live on the 24'th.

I'll be out of town for a couple of weeks, so I'll be missing them. boooooo
Here's another good 'un for a listen, Up all Day.

Go check them out on myspace!

Update

Wow, I just got an email with a 40% off code for Chulo Pony.
This never happens to me.

Cheers!

I guess they read my rant!
I still hate Sara McLaghlan and Moev however.

Chulo Pony Sucks

I found this amazing shop in Los Angeles called Una Mae's, and I bought these totally rad shorts there. They were SO me. Black and white herringbone, but really lightly coloured...with a touch of pink in them from a red thread....'sigh...they are fantasic.

So I washed them , and in the very first washing, the pocket became frayed where the two seams join together. It was horrific, and sad because I knew that I couldn't take them back. After the sadness came the pissed off ness. I get choked when buttons fall off of new shirts, because I'd always heard that they can't make a machine that ties a knot, and that is why buttons continuously fall off shirts. So ANYTHING that falls apart on the first washing is shite, and a major pain in the ass, full stop.

I decided to do some sleuthing and discovered that this company is Canadian, and not only that, they're from Vancouver.Even more hilarious is that they are somehow affiliated with Nettwork records. In their own words, "Chulo Pony is a women's clothing label designed from the heart of Nettwerk Music Group". Home of Sarah McLachlan and other banal acts such as Moev. I emailed them all nice and friendly like, but then the friendliness went away. Especially when they didn't even reply to my query. Maybe I should have ordered 200 pairs of their crappy shorts just to get their attention.

Sorry to get my rant on this way, but I really just need to let you all know about this heinous corporation...ha ha, ok, smallish company. I don't mind shelling out for clothes, but I despise paying for crap, and that's the way she's smelling.

Ironically, the shorts came with this beautiful little patch kit. All earth tones and cardboard, very eco friendly.

So if you're thinking about investing in any clothes with the tag Chulo Pony, be prepared to use it baby!!!
Or better yet, check out designers of quailty, like Built By Wendy.

It was inevitable

Today I saw a dead crow in the street en route.
I even went back to move him with my foot, but alas, he was gone. It was such a bummer, and I can perfectly recall the eye and the way he was lying on his back sprawled. 'sigh
I am a real softy for the little critters. Or big critters even.....if I only had the chance.

Life goes on I suppose. I considered moving him off the street but decided against it.
That would be crazy!

Corvus Diving Season has begun.

It's that time of year again when the perils of my job become more pronounced. Large crows have started diving from the sky to protect their territory and their young! I find it quite hilarious really, because no one has ever made contact with my head. They mostly just CAWWWWWWW and swoop down upon me. It's fun.


If you're super interested in crows...

Last year, I think that I may have been a contributor to the death of a baby crow when I misguidedly moved it out of harms way. Um, and then into harms way. I felt pretty crappy for awhile, then remembered that I've seen worse. Oh well, that's nature, and I'm not going to cry about it forever. I have other things to cry about now.

Here in Vancouver we have a fantastic murder of crows.

"Every evening as dusk nears, up to 10,000 crows from across the Lower Mainland make their way to a group of deciduous trees near the junction of Lougheed Highway and Willingdon Avenue. There, in the safety of numbers, they sleep. Each morning, just past dawn, they retrace the commute back to their individual territories."

It is a sight to behold.

Yay Toddler Power!!

Today I learned that having a toddler can grant you access to private washrooms that would otherwise be denied.
It's useful.
Especially when you drink a pot of coffee and then go for a walk.

Thanks toddler O mine!

Went for a super long dog walk today still in the blissful psychic space of my vacaion.
I can't believe how it feels like I've been away for much longer than 4 or 5 days...and it's not like you relax in LA, or at least we didn't. Though we always made time for a beer break on those killer hot afternoons. That's what vacations are for. Beer breaks!

Because I'm still walking around with a smile on my face, I decided to blurt out to my neighbour that I just love his art that's on a pole in front of my place. It's great, and I guess my enthusiasm showed, 'cause he said I could have it.
I dunno what this means?
Am I suppose to climb up there and take it down and hoard it lest some other person steals it first? The only time I even considered taking some public art was a piece at the corner of Main and Union, and it was literally plastered over the day after I had intended to stop there and 'liberate it'. It's a bummer, because you can still see the outline of the former painting. But that's the name of the game I guess.The thing I really love about it is that it is there, only for those who look up, and if it were to be gone, that would be sad. So for now, I'm just gonna keep on loving it.

la la LA

Tomorrow at this time I will be sitting in traffic in Los Angeles,
or mebbe devouring some delicious salsa, or tequila, or both.

But tonight, oh tonight... I will feast on these beautiful velvety mushrooms I found down the street.

Wish me luck!!

Weirdness in the City

Yesterday was a day of firsts. It was the first time that I'd ever seen a live cockroach on the bus, just hanging out at the back with me and a couple of First Nation's moms.

It was SO disgusting. The thing was obviously oblivious to us, and just happy to be riding I suppose. I guess it lives on skin and nail clippings, as this seems to be an activity that some people use to pass the time while they're riding.

Also, it was the first time that I've come within 6 feet of a Skunk mummy and her baby, which she was carrying in her mouth like a cat.
And yes...she sprayed!
Though I'm certain that had I just moved along and not shrieked like a little girl, she wouldn't have bothered being alarmed and thus in the mood to spray me. I'm just glad that I wasn't behind her, but I still found myself encircled by the harsh cloud.

I feel worse for the poor kitty that got caught in the middle of it all. But she seemed unbothered that a skunk was just hangin' out. I asked some burnout walking down the street if he smelled skunk, and he said, "Yeah, someone's venting", as if they were say gardening indoors. But I assured him that it was a REAL skunk, and we went our separate ways.
Bye burnout, bye skunk. I just love life in the city.

YAYYYYYY!

Another bad ass teen has been reunited with her initally concerned, now irate father at The Patricia!.
Sounds like this wasn't the first time the pre teen has wandered off.

And she didn't look too excited to be found at the bus stop near the PNE!

ooooooops! she's got some 'splainin' to dooooo!

Vancouver's New Ghetto Bird

Last night for a couple of hours, a bloody helicopter was flying around overhead and shining the light down onto the ground and inside of people's houses. I know this, because when I woke up to check out the noise, the bloody light of the thing shone right into my bedroom window and onto me!
What the fuck?
I can't think that Vancouver needs one of these. The police really need to focus on just doing their job on the ground and not flying around in the air fulfilling all of their voyeuristic needs. It is LAME.
There are no highspeed car chases here, or celebrities on the run, and the work is on the ground, so come on boys, get on the ground and get to work.

I thought of calling 911, but all they do there now is redirect you to their non emergency line. Another job that could be conducted on the ground and no in the air. We'll see if it continues.

Ok, that's my Sunday Morning Rant for now.

Oh, I've just heard, that a 12 year old girl disappeared from Pat's Pub last night. She went out for a walk around 6 pm, and never returned. Not to disrespect the family, but if you're going to stay at Pat's Pub, in the heart of Vancouver's biggest shame, why wouldn't the front desk at least alert you to the fact that it is teeming with drug addicts, pimps and drug dealers. Let's not forget the scores of creeps looking to buy sex, or drugs or both who endlessly circle the blocks, night and day.
Will this finally be the tipping point? Especially after what's happened around the province lately?

gonna run and hide under the bed now!

Happily, I am wrong!

Correction. The girl has been found alive and 'well'.
The creep has been apprehended and arrested.

I won't say what I think the penalty should be.
Yee Haw!

No News Is Good News

Items in our local news this past week:

The body of a newborn infant is found in a dumpster. Infanticide is suspected.
I guess there are worse things than getting an abortion, like a mother killing her own new born infant.

A woman and her 3 children die in a fire. Arson is suspected. They were all refugees from the Congo.

An 11 year old girl disappears in small town BC going to and from the local video store. She arrived at the video store with scrapes and bruises, from a scooter spill, she cleaned herself up and was not seen again. Her scooter and video were found a block away in a parking lot. It's not uncommon for some sick bastard to just run girls off the road and kidnap them. It happened just last year.

The similarities between these 3 tragedies? Children were involved. We live in a culture that does not value children, or women. All you need to do is turn on the news to see the latest statistics. It is disgusting!!
Attitudes need to change.

Maybe it's time to break into that untouched Paxil prescription that sits in my desk drawer.

Happy Mother's Day

Just a shout out to my fantastic mother, whom I don't see nearly enough. She's always been a mom that my friends have adored,
"she's so smart", "she's so cool", etc etc
It just took me longer to realize this.
I am lucky to have her.

And mom, I promise to read that book you sent me!
...soon!
xoxo