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!!