Ode to Vancouver

one of those many e-mail forwards:

You know you're from Van when...
1. You make over $250,000 and still can't afford a house.
2. Your car insurance costs as much as your house payment.
3. You're shocked when it snows in the winter.
4. If there's a day of snowfall, you consider not going to school or work.
5. You're not suprised to see geese throughout the whole year.
6. You know what these acronyms mean: PNE, VPL, GVRD, YVR, VAG.
7. Know how to pronounce Coquihalla.
8. A really great parking space can move you to tears.
9. You're sure you're the only one on the road with a REAL driver's license.
10. The more expensive the car, the worse the driver.
11. Your hairdresser is straight, your plumber is gay, the woman who delivers your mail is into BDSM, and your next door neighbour grows weed.
12. You realize there are far more Rainbow flags in the city than Canadian flags.
13. You go an opera and half the audience is dressed to the nine's and the other half are in jeans and t-shirts.
14. Your coworker has 8 body piercing and none are visible.
15. The gym is packed at 3 PM... on a work day.

16. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.
17. You've had a California roll for lunch.
18. When you take the bus, you can distinguish 4 different languages being spoken in the conversations around you.
19. You watch the weather from a Seattle TV station because it's more accurate.
20. You don't even listen when the forecast announces "chance of showers."
21. You pass an elementary school and the children are all busy with their cell phones or pagers while waiting for their personal rides home.
22. You cant remember... is pot still illegal?
23. You know how to set up your own Crystal Meth lab because you saw it on the news.
24. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.
25. You secretly have a fear of pig farms.
26. You go a friend's house party and Bif Naked shows up because they went to highschool together.
27. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Second Cup, and Tim Horton's coffees.
28. The guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing the baseball cap and sun glasses who looks like George Clooney IS George Clooney.
29. Know more than 10 ways to order coffee.
30. You can name 10 Starbucks locations in less than a minute.

Vancouver 3rd in world in quality of life survey
...
The annual quality of life survey released by Mercer Human Resource Consulting placed Vancouver third out of 215 cities, the same as last year.
...
The only two places that beat the West Coast city were Zurich and Geneva in Switzerland.
...
- CBC News
more...

if you haven't noticed, get those peepers checked out, but I have been doing some renovations to the site. I currently love the weather stand-off.

Currently:
Chilliwack: 20
Edmonton: -2

why is it snowing here in Edmonton? and why am I not home aleady?

Let me know if the text is too small, you have any links to add/check out, I should stop doing this, add more nudie pictures, etc.

truckers rule!

Can you guys get some cheaper gas while you're at it?
Anyways, keep up the good work! seriously...

The protest is about higher gas prices, truck safety and container rates.
VANCOUVER - A slow-moving convoy of trucks wound its way through Greater Vancouver on Friday in a protest over low wages, high gas prices and truck safety.
-Canadian Press
more...

16-km truck convoy rolls through B.C.'s Lower Mainland
VANCOUVER - More than 600 tractor-trailers blocked traffic as they slowly travelled bumper-to-bumper along highways in B.C.'s Lower Mainland on Friday, in a protest against soaring fuel costs.
- CBC News
more...

BC Election 2005

So I thought I'd register for the election happening in the province I call home. I read an article stating that we have a record amount of people registered. Awesome! So I figured that this election should be worth being involved in. Wouldn't you? it's kinda like a mob mentality, I guess. Everyone else is, why shouldn't I? Don't get me wrong, I always vote if I can, so that I have the right to bitch later.
While I was on the BC Elections website, I thought I'd use their great little riding finder to see if everthing was still the same as last time. And sure enough, it's still Chilliwack-Kent, and I still vote at the same church on Broadway as always. Cool cool. Now, what about the candidates?

Well, we have Barry Penner, BC Liberal.
That's it.
No one else.
No NDP.
No Green Party.
No nothin'.
Maybe a no vote? Maybe actually vote twice and have them thrown out. That way i can say I voted, but it won't actually help out the Liberals.

Atleast there is the referendum...
But don't get me wrong, Barry does great work I'm sure, and will continue to do so in the next run. I just prefer to vote based on the party, not the MLA. And I really don't want to vote Liberal. I think I could now handle voting NDP, but where did Me. Lees go?

Wait, maybe I can vote in my sister's riding! My drivers license is listed for there. Hmmm. Langley should have some good options. We have:
Mary Polak, BC Liberal
Kathleen Blanche Stephany, BC Green Party
hmmm....well atleast there's a Green there. this is according to the list dated yesterday from BC Elections. There is a NDP listed for Langley according to him.

But I have a question: Is it the year of the chick? where did all the women in politics come from this year? I don't mind, but there just seems to be an influx this go around. We have these to, the only candidates in the riding, NDP leader Carole James, and what seems to be atleast one in each other riding. (Except Chilliwack, we only have the one candidate to begin with, and that couldn't possibly be a girl.)

I figure I will try and vote for the Green Party and Kathleen with her obvious hippie "I'm keeping my maiden name too" last name. As long as I can manage to get a piece of mail at my sisters. I know it's probably wrong, but it no where near as bad as what the Fiberals are doing.

For some unbiased reading, and some biased sources too, check The Tyee - Election Central out as a great source.

Comments

Well, atleast Matthew Good isn't alone. I guess I missed something in his neck of the woods, as his MBlog seems to have disappeared (again), along with his wife's, Jenny.

"URL Problems
We're having some URL issues. To access this blog, or Jennifer's, please use the .org suffix.
.net is currently not working. " -MBlog

Actress criticized for questioning Sept. 11 attacks
NEW YORK - The website of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal has been flooded with negative posts after she suggested the U.S. is partly to blame for the Sept. 11 attacks. Gyllenhaal, 27, said in an interview last week that America "is responsible in some way" for the suicide skyjackings.
...
Her official site was choked with critical posts, prompting the editor to turn off the electronic forum.
"I have taken away the comments system, because it's gotten too outta hand," the editor wrote.
...
- CBC News
more...

I'd be happy with any comments I got. So I'm proposing this to "inspire" people to comment:

"I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries."

shutterbug influenza

Gobble gobble

it does kinda look like Pac Man....

Fire

Update:
Yup, it was on fire. roof caved in, not likely to be saved. but all the magazines might still be okay... just a little soggy - still good. still good! and what about the cigars?!

You would think a TV person would like having their picture taken...but he doesn't look happy.

Not another one. I hope that building is saved and the store reopens somehow. That, or no one bitches about what goes up in it's place. Look at the old Albert's site. It's a fantastid addition to the Ave. We need more like it. I guees I'm off to get some pictures...
Now where am I going to my engineering magazines? I guess Chapter's business will jump. booo.....

Fire Destroys Whyte Ave. Landmark
One of the oldest buildings in Old Strathcona was destroyed by fire Tuesday morning, after the Hub Cigar Store went up in flames.
-CBC News

more...and more

Remembering

We need more people in this world like these two:

Girls Raise Money for RCMP Memorial Park
Six 10-year-old girls are leading a heartfelt fundraising campaign to make sure that four fallen RCMP officers aren't forgotten.
The girls, who live in Mayerthorpe, want to build a park as a memorial to Const. Peter Schiemann, Const. Anthony Gordon, Const. Brock Myrol and Const. Leo Johnston.
-CBC News

more...

a walk around the 'hood

A few hours wondering the neighborhood with Sara turned up quite a few different "artworks". It all started as a search for the odd bird to show each other, but hours later it was 8pm, and we hadn't eaten. then Matt called, ending my conversation quite quickly (sorry again Sara!!). but Mom and Matt are well in Nashville, TN. They skipped Dolly Parton at the Grand Ol' Oprey, but were planning on a dinner cruise aboard General Jackson.

Back to the photo hunt:
Various pieces scattered about

hunting a flock of birds

The "Listen" pieces are the most prominent in the area as far as any stencilling or art goes. As for tagging, KLAME takes the cake.
I can already think of some stencils that I missed, so I will be heading back out some day soon to capture those.
Hope you enjoyed!

Hibernation | Smackdown Cometh

Mice Led Into Hibernation in Test of Medical Potential
By forcing mice to hibernate and then reviving them, scientists say they may have found a new way to help cells survive low oxygen conditions such as stroke.

more...

So it is possible to hibernate and not be a bear, etc.? sweet... I may just be able to skip winter all together now.

...
Benedict XVI is no stranger to the internet – or at least, his thoughts and writings are no stranger.

His admirers have operated an unofficial fan club website at www.ratzingerfanclub.com since August 2000, even selling merchandise displaying the motto "Continuing the smackdown on heresy since 1981."

That's the year Ratzinger became John Paul II's Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
...
full story...

..."continuing the smackdown on heresy".... i don't think he could lay out much of a smackdown, let alone bathe himself.
I'm hoping that the church wasn't planning on ol' Benny lasting too long, and he was more of an interm solution while they groom someone else to be the next real Pope.

Birth as art
A woman has given birth as part of an exhibition in a German art gallery in front of dozens of spectators.

more...

if you ever need reasons to not drink....

or to hang out with drunks, here's your inspiration.