Happy Valentine's Day

I guess that if I weren't watching Lost tomorrow night, I might take in a live show, or two.
Hallmark looks like a good bet at Hoko's on Powell. It's all ages and starts at 8.But from the looks of things, the early birds will get a rose. Awwww, that's sweet.

Otherwise, you can't really go wrong with the Railway Club.
I would certainly be there if I were still pouring booze down my neck.

Happy Birthday to BIG GAY JOHN in Cali!!

Get out and see some live music!!

I smelled Spring today

Thankfully spring is around the corner. It has been one hell of a tough winter.
Might as well live in Winterpeg if we're going to have to deal with the winter weather. At least they're equipped to deal with things there.

It was so beautiful out today, and I ran into many folks that I hadn't seen in months it seems. One of them gave me these beautiful pussy willows, which are adorning my dining table as we speak. I think that things will take a turn now that spring is in the air.
I did see a 14 year old girl that we know who is pregnant. She was walking down the sidewalk with a huge grin on her face holding the hand of her boyfriend, but I just couldn't muster a giant smile myself. I crossed the street before we met because I worried that my expression would betray my true feelings.
I have this problem...an inability to fake my real emotions sometimes. So rather than give her the cold face that she will be receiving so much now and in the future, I crossed the street. It just seems so incredibly sad that a 14 year old girl will be having a baby. I wish that I could share her enthusiasm, but it's going to be a tough life for her.
Her childhood is over. Was it really worth it?
Sad.

I know that I'm sounding like a one trick pony here, but Final Fantasy is still blowing my mind. He's opening here in town for Block Party, but as I've only ever heard him cover Block Party, I'd rather see him at a show of his own. Also, I don't think I've been out to a live show since I was 8 months pregnant at Arab Strap at the Commodore several years ago. I just don't fancy hangin' out in bars like I used to I guess.

Please do go and see what all the fuss is about. The guy is phenomenal!!!!!

Work Hazards.....again!

I took a spill at work the other day and crashed down about 6 cement stairs covered in ice.
It didn't seem dangerous on the approach, but on the way back down, hand on handrail, things went haywire.

Had I been wearing these fashionable kicks, I might have been spared the agony and humiliation of having to return to work in tears.
It was lame.
As a result, I'll be convalescing indoors for a week while the bumps and bruises resolve themselves. It's a special kind of hell being stuck inside at my workplace, 'cause that's usually where the true anger and bitterness sets in.
Hopefully I'll be out before too many of my brain cells are sucked from my body.

There is still fun to be had on the internet...

I finally stumbled upon a cool new craft site that really inspires. I had become bored with the internet in general lately, but this new page is cool!
Check it out!!.
Maybe I'll actually get busy and make some of these things.

I had to call an ambulance for someone today who wiped out on her bike while I was working. She is the second cyclist I've seen take a tumble transitioning from the sidewalk to the roadway in icy conditions. I saw her get up onto the sidewalk farther down the street, and when she got to the corner, I heard this awful scraping crashing sound and there she was on the ground. I don't usually feel too sympathetic for people who ride on the sidewalk, but from the looks of her mangled hand, she was in trouble. Her baby finger was completely bent backwards. Ugh.
Almost lost my lunch.
Also she didn't have a helmet, and I wasn't sure if she'd cracked her head. She was certainly babbling like an idiot. I felt badly for her.

The other woman went down a month or so ago. Same situation, from the sidewalk to the roadway, except one of those pretty tile mosaics took her down. She was older, and wearing a helmet, but still went down hard and didn't move for some time. She was also in a great deal of pain and grabbing her hip. Bad news.

The moral of this story is....RIDERS!!!!!...stay off the sidewalks!


Time to rustle up some needles and some yarn. yummy!!

Another weekend...

Another cutlery drawer full of mouse shit.

I guess the kitten has extended her life here yet another weekend, because upon waking on Saturday morning and opening the pantry, she caught another mouse.

ARRRRRRGH!!!

And I thought that I had nearly found a home for her...


Total mouse count to date: 7

Happy Hockey Day in Canada

Yeterday was the official Hockey Day in Canada. It was also my husband's Iron John, er Howie Meeker weekend away with the guys. Not to be confused with the McMeekers, who are a farcical team of drunken curlers in Vancouver.

From what I hear, a good time was had by all, including tying up with the Flying Vees, an obnoxious, trash talking team of minor celebrities who thought they would mop up the ice with the Maroons. Heh Heh.
Sorry about that Grant!!
Less trash talkin' more goal tendin' next time.

On the mouse front, we seem to be losing the battle.
Our latest attempt at genocide is the sonic mouse repellent. It's suppose to cause auditory distress causing them to leave the area. Yeah right.
All I've noticed is that they've moved into different places, like my dishes cupboard. It's getting to be pretty annoying all this shifting and discarding of food and washing the area only to find that the next day I need to do it somewhere else. grrrrrrr

The bloody vermin are getting me down.

Go to the Railway Club tonight!

Looks like my friends The Choir Practice are playing at the Railway Club tonight, so go and check them out if you're so inclined. I would certainly be there if I wasn't stuck in without a sitter. It should be a good time.

I know they're recording now, so let's just hope that there will be some sort of vinyl pressing. I'm so tired of the CD scene in our house right now. We have hundreds and hundreds of the things clogging up prime storage space, and not even a CD player to play them on. ARRRRGH.
I would ditch them all tomorrow if the old man wouldn't notice. hmmmmmmm(?!)

FUCKING CARS IN THIS CITY!!!!!

I just found out that a friend of mine was hit by a car yesterday and has a smashed pelvis as well as a compound fracture to his leg. It is extrememly upsetting, because I know too many people that have been hurt by negligent and uncaring drivers in this city.

Even my 3 year old daughter has been hit in her trailer by some idiotic unattentive driver. I really don't know what the solution is, besides us being scared off of our bikes and into cars like the other fat asses that I see around me. I mean what the fuck?!?
Vancouver is suppose to be a progressive, sustainable city, but the reality is far from the image that it tries to present. The roads are clogged with single drivers in giant SUVs which they can't even navigate. It is disgusting!!

I feel like I'm gonna die everytime I go out on my bike. Time to get more active I suppose. Whatever that means...

Oh Glorious Boob Tube

I cannot wait for the start of CBC's new sitcom Little Mosque on the Prairie to begin. And not just because it has many reactionary Conservative types with their knickers in a knot. I would post some of the hype and anti-hype here, but I don't need the heat that the trackbacks will bring.
I have always been a huge fan and supporter of Canadian Television. Just finished with Dragon Boys, which despite the insane violence, was really good.





I don't know why I'm so compelled to watch our own programming, but I believe that it might just stave off the ideological manifest destiny that looms.
So check out the funny Muslims on CBC tomorrow night.
It's gonna be good!!

Worst Christmas on Record

I must be getting better, because I'm feeling less despondent and more irritated. This is the second Christmas in a row that I've been ill and unable to eat any chocolate.
To top things off this year, I'm not even drinking. Not a drop. Not that I would be able to anyhow.

I don't really miss the booze, but time does crawl when you're not well. You can't even sprawl around and watch tv because it's impossible to get comfortable. Plus the projectile vomiting adds an element of surprise to nearly everything.

Then there's the sick smell. I don't mean the obvious barf smell, but the sour one that comes from within that you can't seem to shake. I have been advised to "brush my tongue", but I'm well aware of dental hygiene, so I don't need any advice from someone that has been walking around with a temporary filling in their mouth for YEARS! COME ON!!!


See what I mean about irritable?


Total mouse count to date: 6

Merry Christmas

Last evening ended with barfing, and this morning began with barfing. I was the only one exempt from this activity.
I didn't let it stop me from making one killer Christmas feast. It was nice to have my brother back from America to celebrate with us.

The only glitch was that I had no idea the watch I bought my husband had "cougar bait" stamped on the back.....grrrrrrr

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Have an Itchy Scratchy Christmas!

Unlike last year, when we were all gaunt and afflicted with some sort of flu, this year, we are harboring disgusting little pests in our hair. It's SO heinous and nasty, but a fact of life now I guess. I somehow managed to go my entire life without catching the wee little buggers, but having a husband that works for the school board, and a child in public daycare, our world has been rocked. So gross.

Tonight will be our 3'rd week of treatments. And it has been a nice excuse to avoid all the holiday mayhem by saying, "Oh, sorry, we can't make it tonight. We have to wash our hair".
Thankfully, there is a new treatment which is non-toxic, but trying to get a 3 year old to sit still for any length of time is still very much a challenge.
I guess everyone will get lice these days, but it still doesn't stop me from feeling total disgust and revulsion at the idea that these parasites are feasting on my scalp. All I have to do is think about it and I'm scratching like mad.


Hopefully after tonight's final treatment, all will be well.

I hope you and yours are not dealing with anything like this during the holidays.
Have a merry HO HO!!

Yes but he's OUR pain in the ass...

The other day our Homeopathic Vet showed up on her bike for a house call.
Yup, a Homeopathic Vet. And yes, she came to our house.

It was great, but really stressful as our 14 year old cat Chico was far from compliant.
She needed to take blood from him, so instructed us (the hubby and I) on how to hold him. I held the front legs with one hand, and with the other, tried to tilt his head back, but not too far, with the idea of keeping him motionless. My husband took care of those jack-rabbit back legs.
I wouldn't have thought that a 14 year old cat could have so much strength, but the guy was a force to be reckoned with. The vet would flinch, and remind me to hold him still. I was super stressed 'cause Chico would jerk and make this howling sound every time she tried to get a needle into his neck.

We tried several times to draw blood from his neck. A couple of times we tried to take from him back leg, but this too was difficult because you needed to press onto the vein to make sure it didn't move. Arrrgh. It was too much. I feel like I aged about 5 years, and the strain was evident on the other's face too. Even the vet was flustered by our stubborn and remarkably strong cat.

We eventually gave in and administered a sedative, but only after we were all sufficiently rattled. Poor Chico. He must have felt like a damn pin cushion. The remedies for both cat and dog were peculiar. Chico had 2 doses of a magic dust, that we were to sprinkle onto his gums. Yoshi had wee tiny pellets, but they must have worked, 'cause I do see an improvement in his kitten scratch gone bad.

It was an experience for all!
Thankfully, all balance has been restored. HA!

Remembering Women Murdered by Men

On December 6'th, 1989, at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique, a man that will not be named here, separated the women from the men in an engineering class screaming "I hate feminists".
He then proceeded to shoot all the women in the class.
It was my second year university, and like many, I was shocked and disgusted by this man's actions. It opened my eyes to a whole new concept. Misogyny. What was most disturbing about this event was the fact that he deliberately separated the women from the men, allowing the men to leave the room and go free.
Even now, years later, some people challenge that this was a hate crime. Perhaps it's too painful to admit that not much has changed.

Out of respect to the victims, I have listed their names below.


Geneviève Bergeron
Hélène Colgan
Nathalie Croteau
Barbara Daigneault
Anne-Marie Edward
Maud Haviernick
Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz
Maryse Laganière
Maryse Leclair
Anne-Marie Lemay
Sonia Pelletier
Michèle Richard
Annie St-Arneault
Annie Turcotte "

Remembering Women Murdered by Men is the name of a new book written by a collective called The Cultural Memory Group. The group includes an English professor, a Director of a Women's Crisis Centre, a Human Rights and Equity Advisor, and a PhD candidate in Communications and Culture, among others. I heard an interview with them the other day on their attempts to establish public memorials to these victims of violence, and the resistance they face to bring attention to the plights of women who have been murdered by men. The women were great, and their ability to speak so clearly on the subject brought many knee jerk responses, which I was forced to listen to today. It was excruciating to listen to middle aged men deny deny deny. Deal with it! You are part of the problem.

Times have not really changed have they?
We are still reluctant to recognize the numbers of women on the news everynight who die at the hands of their spouses or other 'loved' ones. It is right in front of us, yet some still refuse to see. Prime time is full of crime dramas that begin every night with the bodies of dead women. Is this entertainment? I can only think of the 50 or so missing women that were collected from the streets surrounding my own home only to be murdered and forgotten until so many years later.

I can't think of too many people who can say that they are unaware of someone who has been a victim of violence against women. It is still tolerated.

I had a childhood babysitter, who was the only daughter of the Police Chief in my small town. She grew up surrounded by brothers, and they were a very nice family. She married a local fellow, and they soon moved away. Before too long, this man would murder his wife in front of thier children, then attempt to bury her in the back yard. This man is now out, and seeking custody of the kids. I hope he rots. Carole did not deserve it, and I often think of her with tears in my eyes.

Presently, our Conservative Government has withdrawn funding for women's centres. This with a surplus in their coffers. I can only think about how mean spirited this is. Stephen Harper and his Bush humping partners disgust me.

Let us not forget the events of December 6'th, 1989.
It will remain Canada's National Day of Remembrance

Right on Schedule

Everything is right on schedule.

It's scary how the universe clicks into order sometimes. I've learned not to even dwell on the idea, just go with it and enjoy.

Have decided to go into work this Sunday for double time and a half.
I always said that I would never do that. I guess the consumer season has got me thinking that it's better to buy in cash.
That's the way I roll now. Cash only for large, self indulgent items.

On the mouse front, our little killer got another one today with an assist from dad. He opened the pantry door and saw something scurry, so he got the kitten, pointed it into the direction of the pantry, and voila, one more mouse out of our house.

Total mouse count to date: 5

Infinite Jest

David Foster Wallace has invaded my itunes!!
Does this guy have ibooks, or podcasts or other such stuff?
Of course he does, and now it's in my itunes. Jeebus!!

Maybe he'll appear on my ipod too.......*wink*

Water Water Everywhere

but not a drop to drink



We are still on a boil water order. It is surreal.
There are certainly no bodies in the streets, but it is a wakeup call. The biggest downside on the "no water" situation had to be the "no coffee" situation that followed. Fortunately, my favourite shop lived recklessly, and we were all fine.


Today I needed to tape my boots together. I hadn't noticed that they'd both split open and needed immediate repair. Fortunately, I acquired some tape and resolved the near disaster immediately. I half expected to incur a possible I.O.D. on the job however, so I remained ever vigilant and alert.
All possible mishaps were avoided.



Now all I need is a lobotomy to get me through the rest of the season.

I'm Walkin' Here...

I've had it with drivers and their anger issues. In this town, people don't even stop when they hit someone legally crossing in the crosswalk. They just mow them down and drive away. Every week the police are on the news asking people to come forward and turn themselves in. It is pretty ugly. What ever happened to common decency?

As for cycling, you have to be pretty gutsy to ride here. It can feel like every trip out sometimes is a risk.

In the summer, one of my good friends broke her collarbone when a car decided to make a left hand turn in front of her. She was traveling at a good clip, and therefore had no time to stop. She bounced off the car. It was a nasty break. Then, a few months later, we see another friend of ours sporting a fashionable black cast on her arm. Same scenario. Hit by a car while riding her bike.

My 3 year old child has already been in an accident with a car, while riding in her trailer behind her dad. It was such a stupid accident, that it makes me wonder if the geezer behind the wheel was even capable of operating a motor vehicle. Thankfully, no one was hurt in this incident, but it was so unnecessary.

And maybe it's just me, or maybe it's because I'm in the business of walking, but these ridiculous, stupid scenarios have even come even to me,a pedestrian, as I walk along the sidewalk. I'm not talking about the risk taking that I do when I decide to 'J' walk across a certain 6 lane stretch of my route; but after several times of nearly being mowed down at the lights while crossing legally, I have decided that it is better to do the dash....when I can be certain that there are no cars coming. I am super cautious though, because it wouldn't be hard to be surprised.

So yesterday, I'm at work, and I almost get hit by a van which runs a Stop sign and nearly takes me out. He missed me by maybe 2 feet, which is pretty hair raising. I point at the sign, and he finally decides to stop long enough to yell out, "SHUT YOUR HOLE YOU BITCH!!!!". Does he forget that he is driving around with his business labeled on the side of his van? Sheesh. Deal with yourself guy. I called his boss and told her about his potty mouth.

Also yesterday, my co-worker encountered the biggest Samoan guy in Vancouver, who parks his car, and chases him into an apartment building and spits on him repeatedly. All this because he didn't want to stop to allow someone to cross. Thankfully, my co-worker is not a fighter, so managed to rise above such reprehensible behaviour and sends him on his way.

Is it just me, or do these responses seem somewhat over the top?
Just another manic sign of the times I suppose.

Can I have a collective OHM please?!

Meditation on a Mouse and a Mouse

We still have mice!! After killing 4 of them. They live.
I refuse to go to the sticky tape solution though. Seems completely inhumane. Though I don't suppose that a mouse has enough intellect to sit around pondering it's own existence, I still wouldn't want one to chew off it's own limb in a desperate attempt at escape.

I'm glad that Freaky T has finally got his own blog. He's been needing one for awhile now, and finally, he's 'diversified'.Yippeeeee!!!!!

You know that thing when you get a new mouse and the thing just has a mind of it's own? That's where I'm at right now. Finding out all of the new wonderful things that my mouse can do.

That said, I'll end the mouse theme now.

In other matters of great import, we have finished watching 2 whole seasons of Lost, and have caught up on this seasons 6 episodes. It was a delicious guilt free marathon!!!!The whole time I was watching, I kept flashing back to posts on the The Busblog, which I had been misreading for months as The Bushblog. I can't remember the details, but the obsession was always there.
Now I understand why. It's a damn good show, but it does sometimes fall short of what your imagination has painted. What are we to do with ourselves now? Converse? Play Scrabble? Other things? At least I have a good jump on making some pretty special Christmas Gifts if I must say so myself.

Back to work.

The sky is falling, the sky is falling

The other day, we were driving home, and I saw this really sketchy guy carrying a bunch of what looked like stolen stuff. I only say this because he had one of those tell tale black gym bags awkwardly overstuffed, and he was carrying something that was obviously a television covered by one of those Mexican cotton blankets.
It was a purple and white one.
HEY!! We have a purple Mexican blanket like that!

Short of stopping the car and beating and robbing this unsuspecting man of his stuff while our toddler looked on, we decided to fly home first to see if anything had been disrupted. Fortunately, it was someone else's stuff...and blanket. Good thing we didn't act upon our impulses. We are learning and growing everyday. Ha!

In other urgent matters...
Vancouver has been told that their water is unsafe to drink.
Charming. Oh well, at least it's a good test for us unprepared types.

Question: Is it wrong to steal your neighbour's water that has been sitting on their front porch for a week? I don't usually condone thievery, but really, take your water inside girly! It has suddenly become more valuable, and if I don't take it someone else will. I'm reminded of that Lost episode where the water becomes scarce and precious. And why am I so damn thirsty all the time?