Livewire Stimulus

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T11:42:00.000-08:00

My favourites, jacked from a few places... lovelovelove

Muppets and LCD Soundsystem

2012-02-13T10:35:00.000-08:00

Good way to start the day... haha

THePETEBOX

2012-02-01T16:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, generally I don't like beatboxing (something to do with the amount of saliva I believe they're producing maybe? I dunno) but this is actually pretty rad...

Cranes n flowers

2012-02-01T16:00:00.001-08:00

Reimagination

2012-01-23T15:46:00.001-08:00

You know it's a boring day at work when...

Martin Schoeller

2012-01-23T15:38:00.000-08:00

Two of my favourites...

Monday Silliness

2012-01-23T11:36:00.000-08:00

The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously - Henry Kissinger

Home

2012-01-23T00:10:00.000-08:00

Ennui et Fromage

2012-01-19T17:03:00.000-08:00

Sick Soundtrack

2011-12-29T21:37:00.000-08:00

Yeah, you might think this is an awesome soundtrack as in "siiiick" (or maybe now you think I'm totally uncool). No, this is a soundtrack to mope to when you're Sneezy, Sniffly, Phlegmy and four other of the symptom dwarves of sick...

1. FC Kahuna - Hayling

2. Eels - I Need Some Sleep

3. Broken Social Scene - Swimmers

4. Carla Bruni - Tout le Monde

5. Atmosphere - Happymess

6. Starf**ker - Jupiter

7. VV Brown - Traveling Like Light

8. Vitamin String Quartet - Clocks (or anything with a violin for that matter)

9. The Weakerthans - Everything Must Go!

10. The Pogues - Fairytale of New York

11. Mumm-Ra - She's Got You High

12. Munchausen by Proxy - Sweet Ballad

13. The New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour

14. Octoberman - Trapped in the New Scene

Being sick sucks. (Duh.) Yeah, I know, you've never met anyone who loves being sick.

But seriously, you look like crap, you feel like crap, you're not sleeping because you can't breathe, your lips are chapped because you've become a mouth breather, no one wants to go near you for fear of being headbutted when you go into a full-body sneeze, and I'm pretty sure there's less oxygen in your brain because you pause between breaths because you're trying to keep the mucous in your nose from leaking out...

Blargh.

But maybe, just maybe

'Tis healthy to be sick sometimes.
Henry David Thoreau

Oh, and one more, just for kicks...

Apologies

2011-12-29T17:28:00.000-08:00

Some hope is restored to humanity when you get apologies from exes who totally fucked up in the past and have no ulterior motives attached to said apologies. Mamas and Papas, keep teaching your sons to treat girls right and how to apologize when they don't...

Edit: Alternatively, Bad Moms and Pops who don't seem to be able to teach their children that they are responsible for their actions and externalize it all(or kids that just don't effing listen and are dirtbags despite). WTF.

(B-Side)

2011-12-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

Canadiana

2011-11-27T13:19:00.000-08:00

Bikes and Vanity

2011-11-22T11:56:00.000-08:00

distinction from others, on top

“Let a man find himself, in distinction from others, on top of two wheels with a chain - at least in a poor country like Russia - and his vanity begins to swell out like his tires. In America it takes an automobile to produce this effect.” - Leon Trotsky

Music Monday?

2011-11-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

Because who doesn't want to wake up to Chris Martin in an elephant costume unicycling down the road?

Pumpkins!

2011-10-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

I carved two mini pumpkins this Halloween... A tin man and a tiny cat. :)

Try not to be a...

2011-10-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

Kerfuffle

2011-10-11T00:30:00.000-07:00

Little late to the concept of this in terms of the G20 but there's stuff going on all over the place... unsettling...

Meow

2011-10-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

Music Monday?

2011-10-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

Mansgiving

2011-10-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

All you dudes out there carving turkeys, here's a few more Man Tasks for you...

Defeatist

2011-10-06T00:59:00.000-07:00

Skinny Love

2011-10-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

Marxes and Gherig

2011-09-28T09:38:00.001-07:00

Thing that are Random that I found in the middle of the night...

2011-09-16T00:53:00.000-07:00

Books I'm Reading Right now

2011-09-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

- Stockett's The Help,

- Marinovich & Silva's The Bang Bang Club,

- Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye.

Things That Just Make Sense

2011-08-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

Things That Make Me Nostalgic #3,282

2011-08-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

90's, I loved you... I miss you.

Things I'm Not Addicted To (Kinda)

2011-08-08T17:12:00.000-07:00

So, I think my two coffees a day "addiction" is more so like the way that people get into smoking. Boredom, usually a nice excuse to get out of the shop and go for a walk, everyone else is doing it so why not? I wouldn't say I'm addicted. Not like the way that people are when they wake up groggy, stumble out of bed and head-first into the nearest wall and need a coffee to return them to a working basal level before they can start their day.

Not my style.

I don't even like the taste of coffee. I've never drank a black coffee in my life. I order lattes and other fun drinks that add sweetness and maybe even whipped cream. It's kind of like alcohol for me - I don't want to taste the alcohol, I just want something that tastes good. Probably more akin to candy than beer.

More so though, I've become addicted to coffee shops. Hanging out with a nice drink with a book or your laptop and lazily getting things done or not doing anything at all is ideal for a chill day... I like hanging out on the couches of Kafka's down on Main between Broadway and 10th or Our Town on the corner of Kingsway and bway or Gene on Main and Kingsway. There's rarely anyone on the couches at Kafka's and Our Town when I'm there, which is weird but perfect for curling up with The Book Thief or the paper or fooling around on my laptop. They have delicious treats (salty caramel cookies!) and make their vanilla lattes just the way I like 'em. I know I can do that at home as well but there's something about people watching that's so fun that I definitely can't do from the comfort of my bedroom. These three shops are the best for that since they're deep into hipster territory. Always an interesting time...

I remember when I first started drinking coffee drinks. I used to get jittery and sort of drunk feeling, which was weird. Suppose I've gotten used to them now since I don't get the shakes anymore.

I also find it weird when people say they can't have coffee after 4 pm or whenever because "it'll keep them up all night..." Especially people my age. I guess I do have the metabolism of a hummingbird and can just get it out of my system quick enough for bedtime? I dunno. Weird.

Things That I'm In Love With #5,678

2011-08-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

Heard this on Entourage this week and am totally in love with it. Feel like I need a massive bathtub, candles, maybe some wine or champagne and a big heart o' sadness to listen to it on repeat. haha

Also, I think the background music is a synthesizer and that's totally rad...

Things That Are Helpful In Calming Me Down...

2011-08-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

I want to crawl into bed and throw the covers over my head and hide from the world...

Maybe I can chalk it up to being too hot out and not drinking enough water?

Things That Get Done On An Unexpected Day Off...

2011-08-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

B.C. Family Day is today. I started it out well with a nice brunch and then rolled to work where I talked Sean into giving me the day off... should've probably talked to him about it yesterday when he actually asked if I wanted it off but it kind of worked out since I got a real day off since no one really knows I have it off and I'm hermiting at home. Shhhh. :)

So, yeah, not necessarily in any order:

- napping

- writing

- applying for jobs

- lying on the floor

- hanging out with my roommate and having a conversation beyond the tired, "Hey." "Hey." "Going to bed now." "Night."

- snacking

- calling my mother and having a conversation beyond "Hey Mum, just on a break at work... How's life?... Good?... Things are awesome here... Yeah, finally sunny... yeah, I'm eating well and getting enough sleep... okay, gotta go. Love you."

- taking out my contacts to give my eyes a break

- reading

- finding new and awesome music - Bettie Serveert. Lovelovelove

- watering the garden

- picking beans and chard and lettuce and eating it while sitting next to the plants

- getting excited over seeing fruit on the tomato plant that we were worried wasn't going to produce fruit

- daydreaming

- trying to make sense of feeling guilty that I'm not working. This one confuses me. Am I just so used to working that I feel strange when I'm not? That I should be. WTF.

- looking at old pictures

- finding random pictures on the internet since I haven't touched my camera in three weeks

Want.

Things That Confuse Me About The Pharmacy...

2011-07-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

A new Shopper's Drug Mart opened up down the street, which is kinda sweet because I can walk down the street and get my prescriptions or toilet paper when we run out or when I get a hankering for Fruit Loops...

Popped in the other day to grab a prescription. Headed to the pharmacy and spent five minutes trying to explain things to the girl at the desk (read: pulling teeth). She effs up my phone number, my name, my prescription but I don't say anything because it's obvious she's just started this job and I remember when I started at the Bike Dr. and didn't know anything about the computer or bikes (I was hired because I was seen as "adaptable" [read: girl]) and got yelled at a dude for putting a basket through the computer wrong.

(Side note: working retail sucks enough because you have to cater to people's wants and needs, let alone deal with assholes who think they're better than you because they don't work retail.)

Aaanyway, she literally grabs the pills off the wall to show me to see if they're the proper ones, like, literally has them in her hand... then proceeds to tell me it's going to be half an hour before they're ready. Seriously? Seriously? You could hand them to me right now and take my money. Why do I have to come back in half an hour? It's going to take you more effort to go put them back on the shelf and go about your day for fifteen minutes and then have to go get them again. Why? Why? Whyyyyy can't you just give them to me now?

Luckily the new pharmacy is only a few blocks from my house so I can just walk over and get it but c'mon! So weird. I get the idea that there are other prescriptions and that I'm in a line back there behind the counter but you had them in your hand two feet from me!

Sigh.

Things I Wonder About When I Can't Get to Sleep #36

2011-07-26T00:09:00.000-07:00

I used to pile everything on the other side of my bed and sleep on just a corner of it. I don't do that anymore. Now I could stretch out all I like... but I don't.

I wonder what that means or if it means anything at all...

Now if I could only stop eating in bed...

Don't fight with the pillow, but lay down your head
And kick every worriment out of the bed.
~Edmund Vance Cooke

Things That Are Awesome Right Now.

2011-06-24T00:36:00.000-07:00

- being able to shave my legs without having to dodge the road rash bits.

- making it to work in 11 minutes

- Third Beach

- beach fires

- Snap peas

- our garden

- pencils

- getting a good picture by shooting from the hip

- going to Canmore, even if it is only for two days

- sunshine

- sunscreen

- chopsticks and the food you can eat them with

- Klosterman books and the questions they put in my brain

- the Sucker Punch Soundtrack

Lonely Blue Boy

2011-06-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

For some reason I love this...

"Every pleasure's got an edge of pain, pay your ticket and don't complain"

Beat Poets

2011-06-06T00:40:00.000-07:00

Sleepy but intelligent too

He cares about me

Little grey ghost chases

Sadness blazes in your face

Used to be almost over you

But it is a dream

Love cut deeply & beautifully.

Teacher used an old needle

No bone to put poison in

But if an ocean of affection would

Fetch them

For they know how to play

Hound feeding off him

Then he will always let the animals

At us

Favourite of no men

Beg me as she can devour his companion

Between sex & rotting pie

Only I am porcelain

Marble poetry

Full with a sense of wild

After I walk here

A kiss... yet ask to see you

Sleek growling

Hungry was softly purring

Once good leap

Seep in

Growling chases everywhere

Fly by

Investigating teeth which nip

Never know about that

Could blush.

Desire lingers like an old trick

A brilliant cold

Perhaps heaven and peace

A gift only special here

Drink this dark graceful drink

My sleep is safe though

Decay haunting laughing

Pray for night

Celebrate life become ice

Sad boy

Do as I see

Are you that afraid

Soft velvety voice

Must come and hear the magic

Quiet dazzle in a suffered universe

A child makes things ferociously

You ask why and I say everything

The secret prisoner could live

Vast night air

Remember yesterday

Hard glass liquid window.

Daughter looks at life through

Naked sacred heart

Curious companion

Feline who never dies

Wake from beautiful fever

Learn and understand

Fire from words like smoke

Those we bleed free

Like blind steel circles

We know

Soon you will let go

Young stars give meaning

Pictures wear away almost translucent

As their chain changed our present

Coloured in black

Like fresh kill

Never will he say it out loud

Overly dirty by my hand

Cunning hunter

Born in as of animal.

Give up or scratch

Smile and pounce

Man of messy scratches

Clouded here

The grass is brown

Do it to surround

Dance sweeter than baby breath

God of morning

Have joy like this mourning.

Stay in our bed

Remember the question

By then slow

Give me your best work

But for his gamble

Melted at morning light

So little to do

Together we are bound

Nuzzle on our pillow

No champagne

Water in this street

Bold when funny

So some see more

Come out self

Have more explore

With a stiff eye

Shorter than long stripe

Said so tiger.

If wishes were fishes

I'd still be sorry

Quiet awkward in my head

Words that hang

Between

Just right and

Harder fault

Make me okay.

I am sometimes

Violently opposed

To meeting new people

Only because I don't think

I'm quite done with the ones

I had.

The The Playlist

2011-05-31T22:55:00.001-07:00

1. The Temporary Thing - You, Me, and a Bottle of Whiskey

2. The Gaslight Anthem - I Coulda Been a Contender

3. The Thrills - Not For All The Love In The World

4. The Drums - Down By the Water

5. The Ting Tings - Be The One

6. The Switches - Lay Down The Law

7. The Annuals - Fair

8. The Ettes - Crown of Thorns

9. The Black Keys - Ten Cent Pistol

10. The Bravery - The Spectator

11. The Format - On Your Porch

12. The Clicks - Career Suicide

13. The Gentle Waves - Fall From Grace

14. The Cribs - We Were Aborted

15. The Go! Team - T.O.R.N.A.D.O.

16. The Hold Steady - First Night

17. The Naked and the Famous - No Way

18. The Kickdrums - Just a Game

19. The Pogues - Fairytale of New York

20. The Knux - Bang Bang

21. The Rapture - Pieces of the People we Love

22. The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter

23. The Shangri-Las - Remember

24. The Real Tuesday Weld - Last Words

25. The Sounds - Rock and Roll

"I just need enough to tide me over until I need more." - Bill Hoest

70

2011-05-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

"Night can swallow you up, yet none of it touches you. Around any corner, there's a promise of something daring and ideal and things are just getting going. There's something obscenely joyful behind every door, either that or somebody crying with their head in in their hands. A lazy rhythm looms in the dreamy air and the atmosphere pulsates with bygone duels, past-life romance, comrades requesting comrades to aid them in some way. You can't see it, but you know it's there"

- Bob Dylan

Happy Birthday big guy...

Sunday

2011-05-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

"I can read minds," she said

I said, "OK" & she said, "Do you want to know what you're thinking?"

I said "No thank you.

I don't do stuff like that on weekends." - SP

DoWhatChaCan

2011-05-18T00:16:00.000-07:00

"Do what you can with what you have where you are."

- Theodore Roosevelt

The Bravery – The Spectator

Matt & Kim – Cutdown

The Kickdrums ft. Curtains – I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night

The Midway State – Never Again

Israel Kamakawiwo’ole – Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Mickey Avalon – So Rich So Pretty

Chairlift – Bruises

Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan’s 115^th Dream

The Gaslight Anthem – We Came to Dance

Javier Navarrete – Long, Long Time Ago

Matt & Kim - Ginders

The Naked and the Famous – No Way

A Real Muggle...

2011-05-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when I get a run out of the way at 9 am and spend the rest of the day trying to write web stuff for work... the interwebs are so distracting! haha

DFW

2011-05-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

“We all suffer alone in the real world; true empathy’s impossible. But if a piece of fiction can allow us imaginatively to identify with a character’s pain, we might then also more easily conceive of others identifying with our own. This is nourishing, redemptive; we become less alone inside.
What passes for hip cynical transcendence of sentiment is really some kind of fear of being really human, since to be really human… is probably to be unavoidably sentimental and naïve and goo-prone and generally pathetic.
Personally, yeah, I’m a Platonist. I think that God has particular languages, and one of them is music and one of them is mathematics.
But young adults of the nineties - who got to watch all this brave new individualism and sexual freedom deteriorate into the joyless and anomic self-indulgence of the Me Generation - today’s subforties have very different horrors, prominent among which are anomie and solipsism and a peculiarly American loneliness: the prospect of dying without even once having loved something more than yourself.
You think it makes you a fraud, the tiny fraction anyone else ever sees? Of course you’re a fraud, of course what people see is never you. And of course you know this, and of course you try to manage what part they see if you know it’s only a part.

— David Foster Wallace

Sums

2011-05-10T22:58:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that'll sum it up... yikes.

Love Like a Sunset

2011-05-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

Favourite song lately to do bike intervals to... or, if you prefer... bintervals...

Also, summer is here in Vancouver... Love love love. Freewheels are kinda fun after so much fixed gearing. Louise and I did a few park laps after work then burned back up the hill to home. Things are pretty calm around 9 pm and it's still SUNNY! Yeah! haha

"Important things are inevitably cliche, but nobody wants to admit that." - Chuck Klosterman

VOTE.

2011-05-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

I don't care who you vote for just so long as you get out there are give your say. It's not a huge time out of your day and this way you can whine about the elected government guilt-free for the next however much time they get to be in office with a majority/minority/coalition/new thing they make up on the spot.

Also, how embarrassing for Harper if he doesn't get in and the Canadian government's gotta go through a whole process to change their name again? He'll have to put that kitten down to fight off Layton ripping down his pictures in the main hall. That would be a sight... if the NDP get in and Layton's calmly ripping the pictures of Harper's creepy smiling face off the wall when suddenly he's tackled at the waist by a Harper screaming "Never!" It turns into this old man wrestling match, pictures and glass scattering across the floor, while Ignatieff looks in with his British 'tut tut' face. Layton manages to get the upper hand and crashes Harper over the head with his Christmas '10 photo, the ugly sweater split from shoulder to waist over his big melon. Harper starts throwing photos like ninja stars as Layton parcours his way behind a door then retaliates with Harper's snow globe collection (because we all know he has a snow globe collection to go with that freaky-ass picture of his cat).

Let's be honest, probably they'd just have a slap fight...

But ANYWAY,

In the event the mumblings are true and they form a Conservative/Liberal government, it's going to be like that poor kid in kindergarten who has a gawdawful long hyphenated with another gawdawful long name who has to learn to spell it... people will start then just give up halfway.

Not going to lie, I still can't even say Ignatieff's last name let alone spell it right the first time. Can't we just skip right over to Justin Trudeau? That would definitely get the 18-25 voters out again.

I'm curious to see if all this push push push will get more people out voting or if they'll just feel overwhelmed and get apathetic.

DBeats not dbags...

2011-04-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

Today's pick up and go song...

Sunday morning run song...

2011-04-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

Today

2011-04-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

Billie Holiday

2011-04-08T00:45:00.000-07:00

Sort of missed this but only by 45 minutes... Happy bday Billie Holiday... yesterday... you were pretty badass...

Tacos

2011-04-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

I am Jill's...

2011-03-30T23:29:00.000-07:00

Fight Club is fun to read and nice for the creative side...

I am Jill's Dramatic Mind.
I am Jill's Failure to Communicate.
I Am Jill's Complete Lack of Surprise.
I Am Jill's Smirking Revenge.

I Am Jill's Twitching Trigger Finger.

I am Jill's Dirty Little Secret.

I Am Jill's Medulla Oblongata.
I Am Jill's Empty Head.

I am Jill's Breaking and Entering.

I Am Jill's Right Side.

I am Jill's Disturbed Nightmares.
I am Jill's Overwhelming Rage.

I am Jill's Fear and Loathing.

I am Jill's Missed Faith.

I am Jill's Undying Love.

I am Jill's Unnerving Happiness.

I am Jill's Lack of Trust.

I am Jill's Handful of Frustration.

I am Jill's Warm Bath.

I am Jill's Lucid Athleticism.

I am Jill's Non-Existing Hangover.

I am Jill's Wasted Talent.

I am Jill's Fresh Stereotype.

I am Jill's Abstract Control.

I am Jill's Designated Wilderness.

I am Jill's Sensual Firestarter.

I am Jill's Turbulent Happiness.

I am Jill's Skillful Debate.

I am Jill's Incompetent Emo.

I am Jill's Old Language.

I am Jill's Bag of Conspiracy.

I am Jill's Warped Fear.

I am Jill's Proper English.

I am Jill's Perfect Day.

I Am Jill's Shiny Interest.

Soup 'n Flowers

2011-03-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

This made me laugh so I thought I would share it with the internet...

From Wil Weaton's website:

" 'I've made so many different recipes from so many different places, I just looked through the pantry and refrigerator and wung it.'

We looked at each other. 'Wung it?' I said. 'I think I mean I am winging it What's the past-tense of winging it? Wang it? Winged it?'

'I don't know, but it's not 'wung it,'' she said. I couldn't argue with her."

__________________________________________________________________

Gorgeous day today. Pushed the couch into the sunlight and catnapped after work. Bought flowers that I should've just planted from bulbs last fall but didn't really think it through. They smell nice anyway.

Should

2011-03-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

One man's crap is another man's...

2011-03-15T02:08:00.000-07:00

She walks by an elliptical trainer, facing the jungle gym, rain beading up on the grips, dripping from the saddle. It looked like a puppy tied up outside a store, patiently waiting for an owner to return. Maybe it belonged to a soccer mom, who, sitting on the bench watching her kids running around screaming at the top of their lungs. Maybe the woman felt fat and lazy but the idea of running around with the kids seemed too childish and ridiculous so why not bring out the old elliptical to get some exercise in while the children played…

She makes her way through an alleyway and passes by forty Globe and Mail newspaper boxes lined up in perfect rows. She spends the rest of her walk to work trying to figure out whether they’d been retired permanently or just been switched out for newly designed ones. What a waste…

Later that day, she spots a giant screen TV as she made her way home. Too bad she didn’t have that elliptical from earlier. That way she could set up like that scene from Juno and get all her TV watching in while exercising in a low-impact sort of way. She also wouldn’t mess up her eyesight or her back by trying to lean over mid-workout to make out the faces on her favourite tv shows. Maybe not…

She wonders what the warm weather will bring for the back alleys of Vancouver. What other treasures await and how much she can decorate the backyard with useless crap arranged into bedroom and kitchen sets before her landlord starts to complain…

Tough

2011-03-11T00:21:00.000-08:00

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going and when the going gets rough, the tough get rough..."

Worst part of my ride to work/best part of my rides home...

2011-03-07T00:28:00.000-08:00

I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence. I will not hunt down commuters on the road just so I can breeze past them with a casual cadence.

The frustration never ends nor the hunt ever sated.

This goes for bikes and cars alike...

Why I love Chuck Klosterman...

2011-03-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

"Recognizing Your Nemesis:

- At some point in the past, this person was (arguably) your best friend.

- You and this person once competed for the same woman, and you both failed.

- You have punched this person in the face.

- If invited, you would go to this person's wedding and give them a spice rack, but you would secretly hope that their marriage ends in a bitter, public divorce.

- People who barely know the two of you assume you are close friends; people who know both of you intimately suspect you profoundly hate each other."

Poster Poser

2011-03-03T22:26:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wish my life was lived in early 1900s' posters...

Rorshach

2011-02-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

Gotta start the day off right, right? Amazing...

Gastowns! Yeah!

2011-02-21T16:54:00.000-08:00

Gastown Sprints at Malone's. Moses versus Thomas Pickett. Don't think we've had one so close ever before...

Gin Joints

2011-02-18T00:38:00.001-08:00

Gastowns! Yeah!

2011-02-14T21:29:00.000-08:00

Flip

2011-02-14T00:17:00.000-08:00

I'll Melt With You

2011-02-13T00:27:00.000-08:00

Sometimes things aren't what they seem.

Sometimes people aren't what they seem.

Sometimes better, sometimes worse, sometimes just different.

Sometimes... sometimes life is not nice which means you have to do your best to be. You won't be perfect all the time. Most likely you'll never be perfect, which is pretty okay. Just don't be the kid in the sandbox who pushes the others to get the best toys.

Arg. Whatever. Going to bed unimpressed with humans and trying not to dream of false advertising.

Music to fall asleep to...

Red Sprints!

2011-02-08T21:57:00.000-08:00

Red Sprint Times – 350 m, fixed gears, no resistance, pure awesomeness and FUN! :) Times are in seconds.

Cyril – 16.72

Derek – 16.81

Dumptruck – 16.91

Tom McLeod – 16.98

Dylan – 17.05

Moses – 17.08

J.P. – 17.1

Linnaea – 17.14

Louise – 17.58

Newf – 18.22

Jamie Bizness – 18.30

Kerry – 18.62

Harry – 18.71

Darryl – 19.16

Ottawa – 19.34

Anna – 19.35

Scotty – 20.80

Lana – 21.73

Crazy Eyes – 22.10

Crash - 22.70

Meow

2011-01-30T08:11:00.000-08:00

VIRGO (Aug. 24 - Sept. 23):

Worry is a useless emotion. Experience has surely taught you by now that something always comes up – and you seem to be one of those people who, no matter how far they fall, always seem to land on their feet.

Meow.

This is from my friend Thomas. For some reason, it's so ridiculous and so hilarious.

Yesterday was one of the best days ever and reminded me of all the reasons I live in Vancouver and how far I've changed as a person from when I didn't live in Van. Awww, shucks, I know. haha

The concept of "it's only dramatic if you make it dramatic" has stopped evading me, which is nice. haha

Good morning...

2011-01-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

via http://radmobile.tumblr.com . Awesome. Just awesome.

Arguments

2011-01-13T01:18:00.000-08:00

So, my roommates and I were having this discussion tonight about films as escapism and films as entertainment and social commentary, etc. It's a tough subject to discuss because it there's so much ground to cover and so many facets that I don't think we quite were able to reach anything without it getting heated. Sure, it's tough to discuss anything with J since he gets very worked up and though he is good at listening, I sometimes wonder if he's just waiting for me to finish so he can give his own opinion on it all. Fair enough. I also feel sort of shite in that I may have insulted him by calling him elitist but I don't think I'm really in the wrong from the point of view of what he wants from music and movies and what I want from them. For him, I feel they must have a point while I just want to enjoy and avoid real life because let's be honest, there's enough shitty stuff going on without me having to deal with it in fiction as well. Let me explain though...

This started as a discussion after watching the movie Wanted. J picked out the film but not two minutes in started to make fun of it. Granted, he chose it so that he could but it bothers me because I can't feel like I can just sit down and enjoy campy movies like that if someone is constantly tearing it apart. Sure, it isn't winning any Oscars soon but who cares? It's entertainment and escapism. We all know I love these so-called "B Movies" though I like to think of it more as I won't not watch anything. Yes, there have been movies that are just so terrible and awful and painful that I'll turn them off and I do avoid reallllly crap movies but it's like food - I'll try anything once. I don't mind shitty acting, I love sappy crappy movies because I'm not watching them to be educated, I'm watching them to be entertained. I watch them for the Happy Ending, the Disney Ending. I understand the idea of "What happens after the credits roll?" I actually recently read an article about Ryan Gosling and he has this great quote:

"The knight slays the dragon and then lives happily ever after with the princess in the castle," he says, "but when they've moved in together, they have to share a bathroom. How do you keep love alive in a domestic situation? What is it about that that dismantles love?"

Sometimes it would be nice to see what happens after the end. It would probably suck in a lot of rom coms because yeah, they rarely know each other. Maybe it would work out, probably it wouldn't. It'd be neat but then movies would never end or would you rather they ended with the couple screaming at each other over whose turn it was to clean the bathroom? Probably not. So let them ride off into the sunset. After that is someone else's problem.

Sometimes I don't want to know. Sometimes I've had a shit day and I want to come home and just enjoy the fact that yeah, the guy gets the girl, Nicholas Cage can, in fact, jump Eleanor over those cops, Jake Gyllenhaal can outrun that air so cold that it'll kill him. Who cares. It's a movie. It's to escape. It doesn't always have to have a point. Like candy. :)

J's argument was that by cranking out tons of these movies, Hollywood has shifted the money to make such films happen, leaving many others out in the cold. Others that have something important to be said, something important to share. Okay, sure, I guess. But there are those that do and most of the time, if I want to go watch something to see what it's really like to live somewhere and to experience the realism of it, I would go find a documentary on it and I don't feel like at this time in society's obsession with real stories, there wouldn't be one. Sure, sometimes you have to dig for them, but they're there. And no, they're not always the one to go to the cinemas and to have a 300 thousand dollar budget (okay, almost never) but that's not why people go to the big theatre. They go for the experience, they go for the entertainment. Okay, they need to be educated on issues, etc. That is not Hollywood's job. Someone in the education system is failling. Okay, Hollywood should wield their power for good and be able to bring these issues to the public but I dunno. I think there's a time and a place and with documentaries becoming such a popular avenue, why not use them? Because movies don't always get it right, are rarely objective, and I don't really enjoy getting messages shoved down my throat when I really just wanted to relax and enjoy some time off from life.

Unfortunately, the first example that comes to mind is the film, The Book of Eli. I say unfortunately because J was the one to choose this movie and it ended up being awful just like I thought. Denzel Washington is kickass and all but when I found out that the book he was protecting - the "sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind" - was actually the Bible, I was angry.

But I forget. Not everyone thinks like me, not everyone acts like me. I forget sometimes that it's hard to remember that. I want to believe that people will do the right thing most of the time, that people will think for themselves, that people are brought up in a way that they are informed or if they aren't, they will get themselves informed but it doesn't happen that way. I like movies as escapism because I find other avenues to educate myself to the world's issues. I don't need someone to tell me how to think about them, just give me the facts. I can go to newspapers, books, the web (debatable, I know), documentaries (also debatable sometimes), experience. No one's going to be 100% all the time so why can't I just enjoy James McAvoy and Skeletor (Angelina Jolie) curve bullets and play capture the flag on a moving train without it being scoffed at?

The second point of the evening was music and I forget about that too. Because sure, little 14 year olds should not be singing about being proud to be a slut but then who is allowing them to listen to this music and why don't they have the confidence to be able to know that it's not real or a good idea? I feel like someone's failed if that happens... Sure, when I was a kid, this music wasn't around (I think I missed the Backstreet Boys/NSync/Britney mayhem by maybe a year?) but I don't think I'd be out trying drugs and trying to sleep with my 19 year old boyfriend when I'm 12... mostly because I don't know if I was ever left unsupervised at all til I was about 18. I didn't live a completely sheltered life but I was raised to think for myself and make my own decisions on life...

I dunno. Maybe I'm just full of it but I don't think so.

Aaaanyway, awesome song I'm addicted to.

Quote of the Day:

"The Great tragedy of Science - the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact." - Thomas H. Huxley

Nana

2010-12-31T01:14:00.000-08:00

Nana. The best picture I could take of her. The pictures that are taken head on now make her look awful. She has Alzheimer's and spends her days sitting in a chair falling asleep or staring out the window or staring at walls. It's painful to watch because she used to be so independent and amazing and now she doesn't even say a word. It's scary because I'm pretty sure Alzheimer's is genetic. Better keep up with those crosswords, I suppose.

Things in my bed...

2010-12-31T01:03:00.000-08:00

So, I have this habit of using my bed as a desk, a table, a dresser, a bookshelf, and a place to sleep... Some of the things in it tonight:

- chocolate covered peanuts

- watch

- water bottle

- three pairs of socks

- loaf of bread

- camera

- cellphone

- macbook

- assorted sweatshirts

- comb

- notes to myself that include lists of Things To Do and Songs I Should Download

- people magazine with Ryan Reynolds smirking at me upside down from the foot of the bed

- Cross Country Canada calendar with one day left and a year's worth of events catalogued

- two posters for the West Side Invitational in May (don't ask me how I ended up with two...)

- bottle of soho lychee liqueur (unopened and deliciously waiting for me)

- copy of Billy Joel's Piano Man, The Very Best Of

- St. Ives Creamy Vanilla moisturizer (which, apparently isn't available in B.C. so I had to bring it back from Tbay with me. Go figure.)

Yeah, it's weird. I'm okay with that. I have a queen sized bed and I'm not sharing with anyone so there's enough room for all my stuff and me. I'm small and don't move when I sleep so there's no chance of strangling myself with headphones or the yarn I'm knitting a scarf with in the middle of the night.

That's it.

Quote du Jour:

"Journalism largely consists of saying 'Lord Jones is dead' to people who never knew that Lord Jones was alive." - G.K. Chesterton

2010-12-26T23:11:00.001-08:00

Modernism

2010-12-26T22:51:00.000-08:00

Technical difficulties

Always get in the way.

Damned if you do,

Damned if you don't.

Life goes on

In a different direction

Even if you're holding tight

To the wheel.

Maybe

You should've grabbed

The mast instead.

Cliches are cliches for a reason.

Doesn't mean you gotta believe em.

Wary, weary traveller, wary.

For the path is not always lit.

But Maybe

That's half the fun.

Don't know me.

Don't know you.

How can I validate "we?"

They tell you to "seize the day"

But "don't run too fast"

You're gonna hurt yourself

Tumbling and tripping

Stumbling on with wanting

And bruising by mistake

Shocked but not surprised

You gotta keep stumblin' on

Stared into the light to kill all my senses

Kill all the pain away

Because my bruises are fresh

And my wounds are raw

I keep feeling the salt rub

As if I'm supposed to be

Learning something.

Ella Fitzgerald - Dream a Little Dream of Me

2010-12-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

Oh hear the drums...

2010-12-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to play the drums but don't think I could multitask that well...

1. Stevie Wonder - Superstition

2. Arkells - Tragic Flaw

3. Radiohead - The National Anthem

4. Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover

5. Against Me - Stop

6. Blur - Song 2

7. Jack Johnson - Good People

8. Almost anything by the Foo Fighters

9. My Morning Jacket - One Big Holiday

10. Neutral Milk Hotel - [Untitled]

11. Bloc Party - This Modern Love

12. Ben Harper and Restless7 - Fly One Time

13. Beck - Loser

14. Blink 182 - Dammit

15. The Bravery - Time Won't Let Me Go

And who could forget Phil Collins' In The Air Tonight?

Oh, and the Buffy theme song by the Breeders. :)

Start

2010-12-01T18:33:00.000-08:00

"If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery--isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you'll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is."

- Charles Bukowski

Technical difficulties

Always get in the way.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Life goes on in a different direction

Even if you're holding tight to the

Wheel.

Maybe you should've grabbed the mast instead.

Cliches are cliches for a reason but

Don't mean you gotta believe 'em.

Wary, weary traveller, wary.

For the path is not always lit.

But Maybe

that's half the fun.

UFOs

2010-12-01T01:51:00.001-08:00

This was also on Postsecret this week... hilarious.

"Going up the Country"

2010-12-01T01:39:00.000-08:00

Aha! Embedded. haha

Love love love.

Caution

2010-12-01T01:26:00.000-08:00

This one's for Corey (congrats on the engagement :) ):

"Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness."

- Bertrand Russell, Conquest of Happiness.

Video Killed the Radio Star

2010-11-19T09:36:00.000-08:00

So, it's a video kind of day... I was looking for new music... I'm always looking for new music, it seems. Anyway, found all these things... lovely. Aaaand, since I'm slightly computer illiterate, they're all links instead of being videos. Ah well.

Coconut Records - Microphone: Hilarious video from Jason Schwartzman. Sometimes he bothers the hell out of me but then sometimes he's just so great and random... I also almost want a dog like that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSDVX6fRSr4&feature=player_embedded

The Whitest Boy Alive - Burning: New band I stumbled across. Like the juxtaposition of black and white grainy and the music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAWurnyKZUM

Chairlift - Bruises: Cute song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ9hLOHj8ag

The Kooks - Naive: Feel like I've heard this song before. Probably have heard this song before. Good beats but still a chillback song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkaMiaRLgvY

Florence and the Machine - Dog Days are Over: Reminds me of Guillermo del Toro somehow. Lovely song. Starts out slow but then gets into it and you feel like dancing. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWOyfLBYtuU

Anyway, should get back to it. Supposed to be applying for jobs right now. Reckless has cut me down to part time hours so I need to either find another part-time job (maybe more feasible yet more stressful and annoying) or something career-y and full-time (what I'd prefer). Who knows.

Skating tonight for Louise's bday! Oh, and it snowed last night. Soggy soppy snowvember outside. I'll probably crunch over to Main St. later for distraction/amusement/entertainment/pictures?/coffee drinks. Oh, and I missed Morgan's bday dinner last night but I'd really like to kick this stupid cold and get back to running and riding and all that fun stuff.

- L

16-12-24

2010-11-15T09:22:00.000-08:00

So, I might (hopefully - fingers crossed!) be getting back into guiding for the Nordic Racers. Which means, I should really get back into training, which is totally doable as I'm not working a ton these days... need to haul out the ol' rollerskis and find a place to train though, which may be difficult.

Start of the latest training mix (in no apparent order). Seems to be a hell of a lot easier to run/ride/whatever when I have music in my ears vs the sound of my own breathing... go figure. :p

1. Love Grenades - Young Lovers (Sam Sparro Mix)

2. Gotye - learnalilgivinanlovin

3. Streetlab - NY Sound

4. The Sounds - Rock and Roll

5. Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass

6. The Airborne Toxic Event - Does This Mean You're Moving On?

7. Metric - Black Sheep

8. Arcade Fire - Sprawl II

9. Mick Boogie - The Kickdrums ft. Curtains - I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night

10. Cut Chemist - Povo De Santo

11. The Black Keys - Tighten Up

12. FreeSol - Entertainers

13. K-Os - SheClipse

14. K-Os - I Wish I Could Believe

Y'know... just a start ;p

Family Pride :)

2010-09-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

Sean's drawing skills... a graphic for a review of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter:

Pretty good, no?

Resolute

2010-09-21T01:48:00.001-07:00

So, it's two a.m. and I have taken a night off from life to make some September Resolutions. Probably something to do with the idea of the school year or my birthday or the pressure of New Year's always effing things up but here goes. These are the things I'd LIKE to get going but might not necessarily end up happening...

In no apparently order of importance:

- run 3 x a week (I miss running. They don't have to be big runs. Short morning runs are awesome too.)

- chin-ups a.m. and p.m. (Tristan made me a chin-up bar. I might as well use it. :p)

- core 3 x a week (also something that I used to do religiously but now do NEVER. Sheez.)

- ride 3 x week (including track and UBC burn laps and a.m. Emily laps, not including commuting to work)

- earlier bedtime (ha... oops)

- cut back in alcohol (one of the setbacks of working in a bike shop)

- eat proper breakfasts (I've gotten out of eating real breakfasts, which is so DUMB so that's gotta change for sure.)

- read more (gotta get that book from Natalie)

- no more coffee drinks (gotta get out of that Van City mentality)

- stop eating out so much (another Vancouver bad habit though I will sorely miss Budgies)

- cut back (out) candy (I know what you're thinking... haha, Linnaea, good luck with that one... yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence :p)

- be the change you want to see in the world (haha, couldn't resist... cheesy and awesome... and, if I admit it, true)

- try not to take it personally (what is "it" you ask? EVERYTHING, that's what because life is too short to think otherwise)

Quote du jour:

"An undefined problem has an infinite number of solutions." - Robert A. Humphrey

Song of the day:

Devotchka - The Winner Is...

25

2010-09-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

I'm 25. When I was a kid, I thought things would be much different when I turned 25. Maybe I thought I'd have it all figured out. Maybe I had this idea of what the life of a 25-year old should be. Maybe I'd watched too many Disney movies. Maybe it doesn't matter. Things are how they are and I'm enjoying how they are despite maybe not following certain life tracks...

Went sailing with Moses on Friday. It was actually pretty funny - when I showed up to his house, my friend Andy was chilling on the next door neighbour's deck (he lives there) and I invited him along (because it was his birthday). At first he said no but after a little prodding, he was in. We headed out in Kiwi, Moses' newly acquired 24-foot boat and the weather cooperated - the sun came out and there was enough wind to jaunt around English Bay. Then it was back to shore and there we met a very cool chick. This girl, Julie, walked (walked!) from the Mexican/U.S. border all the way up to the U.S./Canada border. How crazy/cool/interesting is that? She heard about it once and, on a whim, mentioned it to a couple friends. They came back to her a month later and asked if she was serious and eventually away they went. It took her from April to this past Sunday... imagine that... just hiking along... the continent! Very cool.

Birthday party last night. I went and did a burn UBC lap after work (wasn't going to but I'm glad I did) and arrived home just in time for three cakes, bubbly, snacks, awesome people, bliss. I like when everyone gets together and they mesh well and have fun. I know, I know, cheesy, Linnaea. Oh well. It was fun.

So, going to start actually training. I prefer life when I'm training. And not in an, "oh geez, I'm fat, I need to do something about this" though I guess that's a part of it (a tiny liiiittle part - I've worked so hard to get to where I am in terms of that body image stuff and I am not going back!) but more the fact that I like doing runs and rides and hikes and all that. So yeah, that's that.

Anyway, that's all I got.

Pic du jour:

(I Heart Postsecret)

Song of the Day: Abandoned Pools - Monster

Kara-okay!

2010-09-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

Vancouver's a funny city for relationships. I'm not even talking about relationship relationships (though those are messed up here too) but even friendships are complicated. I've noticed this over the last year and change that I've lived here - you don't just become friends with people. There's a waiting period or something. You meet someone and you don't seem to hang out until four months later... or you you hang out all the time for a bit then you seem to just take a break and don't talk for weeks. What's up with that? Is it to do with the transient nature of Vancouver as a whole? Is it just the people that I keep meeting, that I keep hanging out with? Or is this the norm and I'm the one out of the ordinary?

I haven't quite figured it out and probably won't. I had a friend who's been here for awhile tell me that I was young and in time I would become jaded to the whole process and 'wouldn't try so hard' and then it wouldn't matter but it does matter. It kind of bugs me actually.

It's a stupid game and I don't wanna play it! MEH! haha

Alright, enough of the pain, bring on the fun! ha

Went out to Two Parrots for karaoke (thanks to Moses inviting me... and I love him dearly for it because it was exactly what I needed.) Tuesday and had an awesome time. I forgot how great karaoke is. I rarely get up to sing and tonight was the exact reason why... there was this gaggle of theatre kids just lovin' the mic - they were the first 15 songs or so before anyone from our table got up. And they were good but Moses was right... they have this distinct drilling tone that has no depth. But they were good. Moses and co. were amazing as usual. Oh, and that guy who sings "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" so goddamn beautifully and tried to kiss me outside the Two Parrots once was there too. He did the Darkness, as per usual, and had some slutty dancer girl come up and try to dance with him but he wasn't having any of it. Singers and their focus, huh? Go figure. I do wish I'd stuck around long enough to convince Moses to sing "Creep" by Radiohead because I do love it...

Anyway, off to bed. I'm going to attempt to move a couch tomorrow am super early... that'll be interesting given there's a dude sleeping in the room we're supposed to bring it into and I have a sinking feeling that it's just too big to go in... ah well. There will be many moments of "That's what she said" I'm sure. Maybe a couple references to Friends too. haha

Alright,

Quote du jour: "The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire" - John N. Mitchell

Mary Sunshine

2010-08-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

It's a lot of work being positive and excited and happy 24/7. It can't be done. I like to take breaks. They mostly comprise of hiding out in my room alone. It's a trait I've inherited it from my dad and don't think I'm going to get rid of the necessity of being alone. And I don't know if I'd want to...

But, try to stay away from the other end of the spectrum as much as possible. Because that one sucks and people are less likely to stick around. Sure, being Sandra D is annoying as heck and makes you want to punch something but here's a secret: Life Doesn't Suck. Oh, also, Everyone Else Is Dealing With Shit Too. Oh, and Don't Take Life Too Seriously. That one should be on a pillow somewhere (though it probably already is).

Maybe one of these days I'll take my own advice. ;p

Song Du Jour:

The Flaming Lips - Waiting for a Superman

Quote du Jour:

"Every crowd has a silver lining." - Phineas Taylor Barnum

Inception, Hiking, MEC

2010-08-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

So, I've been up since 5 am. Strangest thing - I woke up, completely convinced that a) there was something in my closet, and b) if I opened the door from my bedroom to the kitchen, someone was going to stab me. Issues much? Didn't even watch a horror movie last night... Might've been that I went to see Inception... which was a mind blowing mindsplosion... haha Christopher Nolan is amazing. Didn't find it particularly scary but, well, the mind goes to weird places when dreaming, I guess. Don't really get the point of nightmares though. Why would the mind create such a thing? Where do nightmares come from and wouldn't your mind want to protect you from such things?

Back to Inception... what I don't get, and this may be just a silly little thing, is WTF was up with Ellen Page's wardrobe? I mean, the guys in the film got gorgeous suits to walk around in and poor Ellen Page is in these frumpy awful clothes! Is it because she's younger than them? For some reason that bugged me. Kinda like watching Scarlett Johansson in a lot of her movies. She looks so pretty sometimes but then other times she's so frumpy. Weird. I will give the film props for Joseph Gordon Levitt's wardrobe choice though... he's blank in the movie but somehow 3-D blank... like what the characters from the Matrix were striving for. Make sense? Maybe not. I don't really know how to explain it but he's almost inhumanly cool and meticulous but not serial killer cold and neurotic to the point of creating weakness in his character. He doesn't seem to worry himself with humans but then you have that one part in the film where he cons Ellen Page into kissing him and you see that he's also a bit of a trickster. His mask cracks minutely and his humanity shows for just a moment. He's perfect because you know that he gets things done and there's no worry that he won't. As you can probably tell, I'm impressed. :p Joseph Gordon-Levitt is choosing really good parts and playing them beautifully.

So, going hiking up Brunswick Mountain today. Don't know if I'm ready for the kind of hiking these guys are doing but no time like the present. It's weird to be this "out of shape." Not having ski training for the past two years has been interesting. I mean, I suddenly have all this extra time but I don't do anything with it... Feels like I have even less time to fit in the things I want to fit in. Or maybe I just have to be selective in what I want to do and who I want to see, yada yada yada. I think I might be getting better at being selfish but I still find myself trying to say yes to everyone, which usually gets me into a jam as I become double- or even triple-booked and I start to get that claustrophobic feeling and end up having to hide myself away from everyone or risk having my head explode, Scrubs dream style.

Went over to MEC and on a whim bought climbing shoes. This is the thing I don't get. When I go into a store, I either have a good sense or self and am able to choose things right away that I know I'll like, or try not to get caught up in the semantics of things so that I have so many choices that I am frozen and cannot make a choice. When I shop for running shoes, I usually get the right ones on the first or second try. Trying on others are unnecessary and just make life harder. I'm pretty sure it's been proven that the more options a human being has, the harder it is to make a choice. So, I picked out these shoes and told the guy my size. He comes back out with them, I try them on and smile at him, saying, "These are perfect, thanks."

He comes back with, "Really? Whoa. That almost never happens."

I almost stay and try on every pair to compare and contrast just to make him happy.

Now, I work in retail. A bike shop, specifically. Now I'm aware that you're separating with about 800 bucks but when buying a commuter bike, standing around talking about the derailleurs instead of taking them out to get the feel, is a complete waste of time for everyone involved. I appreciate the people who appreciate my time and am totally glad to answer all your questions. I just want you to ride a bike first.

Alright, breakfast time even though I'm hiking with Climber Andy and therefore we probably won't leave til 10. :p

Good song to wake up to (if you're not already up... :p): The Submarines - 1940

Alternatively: Datarock - I Used to Dance With My Daddy

Quote du Jour: "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more so that we may fear less." - Marie Curie

Book I'm reading right now: William Gibson's Neuromancer. Forgot about it til Mom sent it west. Pretty decent read.

Moments

2010-07-13T23:33:00.000-07:00

So, I start work on a Tuesday, which really screws me up in terms of days of the week but I guess when your days off aren't the actual weekend, then it doesn't really matter. Days of the week are weird like that. They're so imprinted in your head to think that Saturday and Sunday are THE days, then it's weird to think of other days as your weekend.

Moses says he doesn't really pay any attention to them anymore because he has a schedule of a block of days on, a block of days off so the real point of know which day it is is so that he'll know whether bars and restaurants will be busy when he shows up. Makes sense, I guess. Given enough time, human beings can get used to anything.

Last summer I had Tuesdays and Wednesdays off, which worked because my friends also had those days off so we could go do epics together and it didn't matter that it wasn't Saturday.

I was also able to do night rides - up til 2/3 am riding around, exploring, sometimes drinking, always having fun... Your days extended into the night and you had that much more time.

It's different this summer... different job, different friends. Lots of people have left, which makes it weird. I mean, last summer was the summer of Claude/Linnaea and I don't really have that this year. I miss having her out here. Haven't really had that sort of thing since last summer.

I may have had it for a little while this past fall/winter but I'm not really sure. The politics of being girls and dating boys took care of that... (reason #16 why I don't have friends who are girls :p) It's completely ridiculous but it was what it was and is what it is, I guess. The silliest thing about it is that despite not wanting to be those kinds of girls, we became those kinds of girls. "Don't let a boy come between you" is all well and good to give as advice and a lofty idea to follow but when feelings get involved, it's messy and it sucks.

Howard Jones said, "No one ever is to blame," but is that true? Human beings are human beings and full of feelings and emotions that we don't really understand and don't really have any control over. We do stupid things and there's always different viewpoints (duh) and different reasonings and when you look back on it, it's so insignificant in the grand scheme of your life. But at that moment it is so incredibly important to you...

The fact of the matter is that I really was sorry about the way everything went down and it's painful and it sucks but I did what I did and I tried to make it right but sometimes people find it easier to feel pain than to do something about it and get on with living their lives. I'm tired of people victimizing themselves and I'm not putting up with it anymore. You get one life as far as I'm concerned. If you want to spend it being miserable, that's your deal but it's not worth it.

I've been thinking about that a lot lately. Moments. Back in t-bay Amanda and I tried to do this thing where we would wonder whether these moments would still affect us in two months, two years, ten years. Mostly we wondered because we both have huge guilt complexes and have the need to have people like us and to make everyone happy. But that's also a load of crap. Everyone knows you can't make everyone happy and not everyone is going to like you. Doesn't stop people from trying though, I suppose.

Anyway, moments... one of my favourite ads (and I'm sure I've mentioned this before) is that lexus ad that talks about moments...

A Moment (click)

I try to think about that when I'm in a moment (usually a bad one where I'm upset or about to get upset or something) and try to remember to ask myself: Is this a big moment or a little moment? Is it something that is going to brand a scar into my insides, my soul, my whatever... or am I just overreacting? I've had those moments and they've stretched into days, weeks, hell, even months and you have to realize when to Just. Let. Go. There are things that you can control and there are those that you can't.

Things like that guy or girl you like... that you thought you really liked and it's just not working out and you have to let it go but you just can't seem to. Like that thing you said or did that made you feel like a total idiot but probably didn't and probably no one noticed and if they did, I doubt they'll remember it for long (and if they do remember and hold it over you, well, they're obviously not a very good friend of yours). Or that job you really really wanted and didn't get or that day that you totally wasted (there will be other ones, just don't waste 'em all).

I'm not saying there aren't times where life sucks, it really does sometimes, but like Dad said when I tell him sometimes that I'm at the very bottom... "Well, honey, it's not going to be the last time..." Which you have to laugh at and I guess that's a good sign. If you let stuff like that get you down, if you don't laugh instead of freak out or cry (or both), well, you're already toast. And really, if you look back on the years of your life, what things really stand out? What things do you let stand out? That you want to stand out but you realize weren't really that significant after all? Like, for the longest time after what I thought was something huge in my life and I'd really fucked it up by being a total idiotmoron, I couldn't listen to Metro Station because it hurt too much but now when I go to listen to it, well, it's just another song. Sometimes I switch it halfway through and it's not because it hurts, it's because it no longer has that meaning to me and there's no need to hear the rest. Maybe that's the point where you need to get to in a moment that isn't helpful to you... be ready to switch the song?

Like Van Wilder said, "Don't take life too seriously, you're never get out alive."

Huh, well, that started out sort of mundane then slid into some sort of philosophical perspective on life. Sheesh. Ah well. I feel like I might do this all the time and someone should just go ahead and tell me to "shut the fucking door" and live my life instead of overthinking it... hmm. What an idea.

On another note, True Blood has been lovely so far in the third season. :)

Quote du Jour: "Do not consider painful what is good for you." - Euripides

Song du Jour: (for Dad) Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone

Pic du Jour:

My visit to Vancouver two years ago for Kath's tri race that made me fall in love with it and want to be here. Some people thought I was nuts when I said I was just going to move out here but I think that's part of life - making a decision about what you want and just going for it. You fail, you fuck up, well, it happens. I need to be more like that more often I think. Taking chances are a big part of life. If we didn't take chances, we'd all still be living in Europe and though I would appreciate the architecture, I think it'd be a bit cramped.

Aaaaanyway, night...

How To Win At Yahtzee

2010-07-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

So, I finished Klosterman's Killing Yourself to Live - 85% of a True Story and I loved it, though I didn't get some of the musical references... :s This was at the very near end and makes me go hmmm...

"We all have the potential to fall in love a thousand times in our lifetime. It's easy. The first girl I ever loved was someone I knew in sixth grade. Her name was Missy; we talked about horses. The last girl I love will be someone I haven't even met yet, probably. They all count. But there are certain people you love who do something else; they define how you classify what love is supposed to feel like. These are the most important people in your life, and you'll meet maybe four or five of these people over the span of 80 years. But there's still one more tier to all this; there is always one person you love who becomes that definition. It usually happens retrospectively, but it always happens eventually. This is the person who unknowingly sets the template for what you will always love about other people, even if some of those loveable qualities are self-destructive and unreasonable. You will remember having conversations with this person that never actually happened. You will recall sexual trysts with this person that never technically occurred. This is because the individual who embodies your personal definition of love does not really exist. The person is real, and the feelings are real - but you create the context. And context is everything. The person who defines your understanding of love is not inherently different than anyone else, and they're often just the person you happen to meet the first time you really, really want to love someone. But that person still wins. They win, and you lose. Because for the rest of your life, they will control how you feel about everyone else."

- Klosterman

G20 Security: Chicken or Egg? My 2 cents (whatever they're worth)

2010-06-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

I find it really hard to come to terms with how everything went down with the G20 but I'll try...

It echoes of the Olympics and everyone knows how I feel about the Olympics because of my brother and other friends competing. It's supposed to be amateur athletes coming to the world stage to compete and then there's all these protests against the corporate sponsorships who do it not for the athletes but for their own sponsorship wants (though I do want to believe that the bigwigs do care a bit about that). But I digress...

It reminded me of the Olympics because everyone believed that big things were going to go down here in Vancouver 2010. Chris Shaw and his friends were followed for the months, if not years leading up to it and Nothing really major happened and I still wonder why not.

I mean, yeah, sure, they had protests out here and it was kind of tense for a bit but nowhere near what happened in Toronto. Here, when I was walking over to the hotel to meet Mom, I walked right into a standoff between cops and protesters. The protesters were pretty tame, not a Black Bloc in sight. Just a bunch of people and bongos and demands to not hold the games on Aboriginal lands.

Yes, there were the three types of cops - bike cops, city cops, and riot cops.

Yes, you could feel the electricity in the air - police caressing billy clubs with white knuckled fingers and waiting for a protester to start something so they could just get it over with. I watched people yell in the face of the cops, saw the anger and the frustration on both sides and all I could think of was, There’s gotta be a better way.

It's a chicken and egg theory. Spending 1.2 B on security in Toronto seemed to do nothing but fuel the fire and push protesters to the point where all that manpower would eventually be used. But, they're also trying to preemptively deal with protesters by having the manpower there just in case. How do you come to terms with that?
On one side, there's the hooliganism of protesters you know are going to be there because the Black Bloc have been waiting for a reason to run around in bandanas, break windows, throw Molotov Cocktails and generally just say, "Fuck you" to The Man. They don't even stay true to their so-called "cause" by waiting around for the credit because they're too busy stripping off anything telltale and disappearing into the group of peaceful protestors, thus forces cops to treat them all the same.
And yeah, maybe they already are treating them as such but I want to give them the benefit of the doubt...
The shittiest thing about the Bloc destroying property is that it isn't hurting the corporations, like they think it is. It's going to be the federal government that pays for it:
"[Mayor] Miller said the city will as the federal government to compensate businesses that suffered damages or had to close in addition to employees who lost wages because of the summit. 'It's only fair and reasonable," he said." - Globe and Mail (click to read the article)
Are you kidding me?
Where do the feds get the money? Taxes. Your taxes. My taxes. So, all those people bitching about their taxes paying for the police brutality are, surprise, also going to be picking up the cheque for wannabe bandits to bust up the city. Yeah, good job, Bloc. Thanks for that.
On the other hand, are the peaceful protesters. The ones that are marching and not carrying Molotov cocktails. The ones that want to make a difference and want to show their support but aren't quite willing to destroy property to do it. They're trying to get their message across but it won't work because by having the Bloc in their midst, it's already a losing battle:
"Whatever the exotic, anarchist political posturings of the violent protestors, it doesn't advance the cause of the poor to throw a Molotov cocktail into the open windows of an empty police cruiser. No unemployed person is going to find a job because some enraged grad-student socialist charged a line of riot police shouting expletive. If anything, these anti-social acts turn the public off." - National Post Op-Ed (click to read the article)
I'm not saying that they should out the Bloc but it's unfortunate that their message is lost because they're being overshadowed by the ugly violence that's happening on both sides.

The police are there to help. Yes, they went overboard, yes they got gung-ho, but are we really surprised? Really? I'm not condoning it, I'm just saying it's not surprising. I don't know what can be done about that but it makes me glad I'm not Mayor or Chief of Police of Toronto.

Largest Mass Arrests in Canadian history:
4. Quebec Summit of the Americas: 463 arrested
3. 1970 October Crisis: 465 arrested
2. 1993 Clayoquot Sound Logging Blockades: 856 arrested
1. Toronto G20: roughly 900 arrested
Ouch.

At the end of the day, honestly, who in the actual G8 or G20 meetings really cares about the little protesters running around down on the ground? What is it really going to do?
I just imagine some French dude (they really do have the best accents to be snooty with [and this is not a 'we hate France, honest]) looking down, "Oh look at zee leetle Canadians. Zeh look like little antz. Isn't it tres adorable. Zeh have little bottles zat zeh have set on fire. Oh look and zee fat cops run with zer leetle batons."
C'mon guys. Isn't there a better way? But I guess that's the thing. People are people are people and they're always going to have differing opinions and therefore take different action. There will always be the Bloc, there will always be people trying to do it peacefully, and there will always be the police to beat people down, regardless of method of protest.
Somebody's gotta build a better mousetrap. Because the one we're using obviously isn't working for anyone...
Oh, and for some amazing shots of awful events G20-style, click HERE.

For a chuckle, here are some fun Bloc pics a friend sent to me...

Anyway, that's all I got. I still don't know how I feel about any of it, even after all that... I'm sure there are some gaping holes but that's what I got right now. I believe that some things are necessary in order to get change but who gets to determine what those things are? I don't know and I don't know anyone who has the ability to make that call...

In other news, I'm starting work at a new bike shop tomorrow, which will put me back in the green for now. It's not a real job but it's something to keep me busy and something to keep me not homeless. Hopefully it's not as sketchy ridiculous as the last one and hopefully it has as awesome of people as the last one. :)

I'm also writing a boatload of articles this week. It's going to be busy. Luckily all sorts of people have left so I have fewer people to hang with and more time do to things. haha

Quote du jour: "People say they love truth, but in reality they want to believe that which they love to be true."

Little Bit of R & R for the Day

2010-06-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

So, I'm reading this book called "Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story" by Chuck Klosterman. I fell in love with his writing when I read his book, "Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs." Killing Yourself is about one summer where Klosterman travels across the country "exploring every brand of rock-star demise." Some of the musicians I recognized some of them I didn't but man, can this guy write. He's funny, he's dry, he's just great. I'm sure if I met him in real life, I might think he's a total asshole, but then, writers are a different breed all together.

A few highlights I loved,

_ The Theory of the Anger Scheme:
This old man is of the opinion that you can never really know someone until you've seen them positively enraged.

"People never show you what they're truly like until you see them go ape-shit," he says. "That's the only time people say the things they really feel. Anger makes people honest. No matter how reasonable someone might seem, you never know for sure until they get mad."

_ "You show up too early for everything. Don't you understand that when people say a party is starting at 9:00, they actually mean the guests are supposed to come at 10:00? That's just common sense." I will never buy that logic. In America, parties that are supposed to start at 9 pm actually start at 10. However, rock concerts that are supposed to start at 9 pm actually start at 9:45. Movies that are scheduled for 9 pm don't begin until 9:09. Sporting events set for 9 pm begin at 9:05. However television shows that are set for 9 pm do start at 9 pm, unless they're being broadcast on TBS. So what's crazier: That I show up for things when they're supposed to begin, or that everyone else in the entire world has somehow come to accept that every activity operates within its own unspoken, individual schedule? How is everyone else's wrongness understood to be right?

If Quincy is avoiding me on purpose, I will spend a lot of time staring at my hands.

_ When you are male and entering the 10th grade, there are only four kinds of people on the planet: girls you want to fuck, girls who are unfuckable, guys you want to kill, and guys who generally seem okay. For a 10th grader, those are the only four demographics for the entire world population. Obviously, that world-view changes as you become an adult; now that I'm 31, I realize there are at least six categories.

So, yeah... That's my intellectual spiel. :p

On another note, I went sailing yesterday. That was wicked. Moses & co. and I were supposed to go to the beach and just hang out but around 4 I get a phone call from him saying, "How fast can you get down to the docks?"

Pretty fast, friend, pretty fast...

We went out once before in December and it was amazing if I little chilly. This time it was gorgeous and super fun. I'll just have to remember to eat more or bring along snacks next time as I always seem to forget how much they love drinking and how much they love plying their visitors with drinks. :p We were entertained by Derek, the boat's owner, his brother, and their friend Sharky, who didn't seem to stop either talking or drinking and had a playful demeanour.

Moses looking all pro and captain-y.

Such a pretty day. :)

All in all, it was a good day. Rest of the pics can be seen on my flickr.

Quote du jour: "Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." - Edgar Allan Poe

Govn'r...

2010-06-20T00:02:00.001-07:00

Forgot to write about this the other day and probably should've taken a picture because it would've been funnier in retrospect...

Thursday evening Moses and I did some moving around of the Gastown Sprints gear and then went out for a few drinks afterwards just to wind down... I didn't think

I'd drank that much. Was able to make a grilled cheese sandwich for myself when I got home and the burner was off in the morning so couldn't have been that bad.

Anyway, woke up in the morning and the first thing I see as I open my eyes is my phone, upright, in a cup of tea.

Facepalm Original

Other face palms that signify pretty much how I've felt about this month...

And my all-time fave:

Needless to say, I had to go get another GD phone. second one this spring. I'm a total dummy with all my expensive stuff and memory. Not good.

Popsicles, Police and 10 Pounds of Potatoes

2010-06-16T13:09:00.000-07:00

So, a few firsts in the last couple of days....

Fiiiirst, I lost a filling in one of my back molars, which is fine and all. Tooth doesn't hurt, everything's fine. The suck part is that it took part of the sidewall of the tooth with it. So I had this lovely jagged edge at the side of my mouth that enjoys slashing the nice fleshy inside of my mouth and I'm afraid to eat solid food til it's all taken care of.

The dentist also thinks that I should get my wisdom teeth out, which would sort of suck because I don't want chipmunk cheeks. ha

I don't have a picture for this one because I don't want a pic of me with a cracked tooth floating around the interwebs. That's just trashy. :p

2. Went dumpster diving for the first time with my friend Corey...

It's not what you think. Behind the IGA there are these garbage bins about my size that are clean and have bags in them and are just heaped with organic stuff. Among the carrot tops and brown-tipped lettuce leaves, we found probably about 10 lbs of potatoes, couple bunches of bananas, apples, peaches, tomatoes, turnips, green onions and then tofu in another one. It was awesome! So, we came home and cooked it all up for a delish dinner.

So strange that they toss all this stuff... None of it was rotten, some had a few soft spots but it was all still good! Why don't they take it to a food bank or something? Or get someone to pick it up? I dunno.

3. I got my first ticket this morning...

I was riding across the Adanac bike route (my first mistake... stay off the bike routes!) and got nabbed right after an intersection because in B.C. they have weird way of doing things. Say, they have lights for the North-South direction,they have stop signs for the East-West. So, you're riding along, you see that the light is red North-South and the walk signal is blinking with the hand (because these things are never that long) so you go because you have the right of way. But, there's a stop sign on the right that you ignore because you have the right of way because the light is red the other way. Make sense? Does to me. Not to the officer that I talked to. So I got a ticket. Luckily, they decided to leave it at that - blowing through a stop sign, and didn't add in more for 'no bell, no reflectors, yada yada' though I don't know for sure that those are real offenses?

Anyway, how nice of them to add in this bonus - if you pay within 30 days, they knock 25 bucks off your ticket... great. Thanks guys. Sigh.

Needless to say, I definitely probably committed five more traffic offenses on the rest of my way home. Ah well.

These 3 things add up to something really awesome happening for me soon. Or else I'm on a giant slide down to the actual bottom of the barrel... that would really suck because I'm going to the velodrome tonight and I don't really want to break my neck or something. But bad stuff always happens in threes so I'm banking on the upswing.

June 12, 2010

2010-06-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

Grocery List: _ Triscuits _ Celery _ Chocolate _ Eggs _ Bread _ Cheese

I hate buying veggies for one person because it's inevitable that something's going to rot because a) I've forgotten about it in the bottom of the fridge, or b) I've become bored of carrots.

To Do List: _ Articles _ Avoid Direct Sun _ Polo Knife Fight

It's never too early to fight wrinkles. And it's never too late for macho-feeling polo matches that draw blood without so much as the wink of a blade.

Soundtrack: _ Mother Mother

"You don't poltergeists for sidekicks/You don't need treats/You don't need tricks/And you don't need me."

_ Also, I don't feel like wearing a helmet today. Shhh, don't tell my mother or the cars will be the least of my worries...

Life is a PR Campaign

2010-06-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

I was having this discussion with a friend the other day and it keeps rolling around in my head so here it is in all its hypocrite glory.

We're a voyeuristic society - aching for the latest celebrity gossip, Facebook updates, Twitter, blogs... we want to know people's secrets. I guess that also makes us an exhibitionist society. We enjoy telling others what we're up to, what we had for breakfast, who we're meeting for coffee later. We enjoy the idea of someone knowing something about us as if we ourselves were celebrities.

I know I'm guilty of it as well. I have a Twitter account, I update my Facebook status (though usually it's just quotes that have caught my fancy rather than "Going out for groceries" "Back with groceries - man, eggs are expensive this week" etc, etc, etc.), I do enjoy watching my flickr photos hits go up... We all want to be loved, want to be impressive, want to be envied by those around us. It's human nature. Keeping up with the Jones' and all that (who are these mythical Jones anyway? They must've been total assholes.). Do we want people to know what we're up to because we want them to want to be us? To have our lives? Is that too cynical? Complete ridiculousness? Somedays I want to think so.

There are those that keep to themselves, I guess. J.D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye, wrote the book in 1951 and gave his last interview in 1980. He published his last novella in 1961 and on the dust jacket, he wrote "It is my rather subversive opinion that a writer's feelings of anonymity-obscurity are the second most valuable property on loan to him during his working years."

In an interview in 1974 he said, "There is a marvelous peace in not publishing... I like to write. I love to write. But I write just for myself and my own pleasure." I wonder if he ever thought Catcher in the Rye was a huge mistake? Whether he would've taken it all back if he could... He died this past January and all I think of is James Earl Jones from Field of Dreams. Darth Vader does Salinger's demands of privacy from Robin Hood. Ridiculous, huh?

Maybe it's a generational thing. I read an article a couple weeks ago on the fact that kids were becoming more self-centred and less empathetic because of all these web connections. They're more concerned about how they look than the actual connections they're making on Facebook. It's like adding people from high school - you boost your friends number, get to see whether they've succeeded, get to laugh at them when they fail or have gotten massively huge on beer and late-night pizza in university, etc, etc, etc. You're never going to talk to them but you'd like a glimpse into their lives.

Where was I going with all this? Oh yeah, oversaturation and the disconnect. Having all of these technologies at our fingertips to share ourselves with the world seems to make people want to share their innermost thoughts with the world (no problem there) but also makes connections harder. I mean, you update your Twitter with a 140-character summary, you connect that to your Facebook where people who follow you on both get a double whammy of "Making pancakes. Forgot to put in two eggs. Whoops." By the time you get through with that, you're so tired, you don't want to go to blog form because then you'd actually have to flesh out those 140 characters with thoughts, feelings, commentary, etc. If you have a a written journal (pens and paper... whaaaaaat?), you just feel exhausted because you've already shared those thoughts with the world and don't feel like writing it all down again. Phew.

The disconnect? Well, I send and receive way more text messages than I get or make phone calls because it's easier to get to the point with people sometimes. Sometimes you don't feel like talking. Sometimes you don't want to talk to that person and it's easier. Phone calls don't have edits, don't have backspace keys, don't delay things in order to come up with the right response.

We feel disconnected from those around us because we spend so much time creating this image for others to see - an image that is the very best of us so people will love us, be impressed by us, and envy us. But mostly love us.

Because life really just is a PR campaign. :p Don't even get me started on the impact of this on interviews and resumes... sheeeeeet.

Photo of the Day:

Back deckness. Kinda grainy but I didn't want to use the flash and when I went to a lower shutter speed, it wouldn't focus properly. Yarg.

Quote of the day:

"There are things you do because they feel right and they make no sense and they may make no money and it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other and to eat each other's cooking and say it was good." - Quote of the day from Storypeople

My first article as an intern...

2010-05-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

... though they didn't put my name down beside it... ah well.

Greene and Howe Win The 34th U.S. Bank Pole, Pedal, and Paddle

On May 15, competitors stood at the start line of the The 34^th U.S. Bank Pole, Pedal, and Paddle in Bend, Oregon. After a cold and wet spring, the weather cooperated with 76 degrees and an overcast sky.

The race started at Mt. Bachelor, with a moderate Grand Slalom alpine run, followed by a five mile cross country skate race, a 23 mile road ride down into the town of Bend, OR, a five mile trail run by the river, a mile and a half paddle, and finished with a half mile sprint.

The MBSEF fundraiser event brought in 985 entries with 3,005 racers competing as teams, pairs and individuals. According to Race Director, Molly Kelley, 50 percent of participants come from out of town.

“It was the largest we’d ever seen,” said Kelley, who, before she was involved with the race, used to leave town because it would fill up with people coming in to compete and to watch.

This year’s winner, and five-time champion, was Marshall Greene. He found it to be exciting but also a relief because he worried about XC Oregon teammate, Andrew Boone. “I was racing scared,” Greene admitted.

Greene accidentally flipped his boat while getting in at the paddle transition, something that could have cost him the race. “It was time for a snap decision,” he said. “Take it back to shore to dump or race with a bit of extra weight.”

He decided to race with the extra weight and won.

His favourite part though, was the support of spectators, “Having won before, lots of people have learned my name and having them all cheer for me by name was pretty awesome.”

Boone switched up his training this past winter, from base miles on the bike to skiing and racing as an associate for XC Oregon. “I was amazed at how quickly I was able to train at a high level on the bike [after finishing the ski season].”

Boone expected to make a move in the cycling leg – his primary sport – but had flat legs after the ski and couldn’t get his heart rate up. He ended up second, three seconds behind Greene. However, it didn’t keep him from enjoying the experience. “I love the crowds and the enthusiasm the whole town of Bend has during the event. It seems like everyone in town all of a sudden has a kayak on the roof of their car.”

On the women’s side, Stephanie Howe was the overall winner of the elite women.

“My goal this year was to podium – I had no idea I was going to win. It didn’t actually hit me that I could win until I was finishing the kayak leg of the race.”

She was fourth going into the running leg, three minutes behind eventual second place, Sarah Max. “I was hammering pretty hard but it felt good. The run to the finish was awesome – I was smiling the whole time.”

Max had issues of her own, tipping her boat twice during the paddle leg. “Going around the first buoy, the wind, my exhaustion and the pressure got the best of me and I went over… I almost caught Stephanie going into the second buoy but tipped again.”

When asked whether they’ll race again next year, the competitors were of mixed feelings.

“Going into the race, I had made up my mind to not race as an individual next year because it really does consume a lot of time,” said Max, “[but] I’m not sure how I feel about being the reigning champion of the Pole, Pedal, Paddle, Swim, Paddle, Swim, Paddle.”

Boone, who raced the PPP as a kid, plans to make it an annual tradition as long as he continues to live “in this great town.”

Mascot Theory

2010-05-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

So, the London mascots are here to be seen... The National Post put out this article titled "Olympic Mascots: Who's laughing now, London?" which made me burst into laughter... whoever came up with that headline deserves a prize of the Ed Henczel variety.

Here's the article, if you want to read it.

Then you can go to the London Olympic Mascot Website Here

Wenlocke and Mandeville are pieces of steel molded from leftovers of the piping for the London Olympic stadium. Or at least that's what the video that they created on their website says.

They've each got one eye that's supposed to be a camera, they don't talk, they barely have mouths, and they look almost like a cross between characters off a TV show I used to watch as a kid:

1 binome

1 null

"Oh hey guys... nope, this isn't some sort of joke... we're the mascots..."

See where I'm coming from? C'mon, England... 18 months and god knows how many hundreds of thousands of British pounds and this is what you come up with?

Alright, alright, throwback to the working class - steel. Okay.

One eyeball in each mascot - camera, eyes are all on London. Sure.

But they still come off looking like a cross between a Star Trek symbol gone wrong and some sort of sextoy...

People like cute and cuddly. Especially when it comes to mascots. Especially when it comes to Olympic mascots. You should've seen it here during the Olympics. Sumi, Quatchi and all the rest were fuzzy little creatures that your 3 year old was not afraid to snuggle up in their bed with and they were flying off the shelves. Mandeville and Wenlock look like the stuff that three year old will be revisiting as an origin point for therapy years later. Okay, okay, maybe not quite so bad but really? This is what you really want to go with?

Even the names sound stiff... Wenlock - named for the village that hosted a precursor to the Modern Olympic Games in the 19th century, and Mandeville - which more likely sounds like the setting of a bad Sherlock Holmes knock-off or Thomas Hardy sequel than the birthplace of the Paralympic Games.

Aaaanyway, I'll stop whinging... I'm sure they'll be a great splash... though judging from the media backlash, this seems more like a karmic smack to the British for when their press tried to bring down the Vancouver Games...

It's like getting a sunburn because you forgot to put on your sunscreen and the press is that jerk who comes along and thinks it's funny to wind up and give you a big slap... Sorry, London... By taking on the Games, you've just lost a slap bet and this is Slap #1.

Hypocrisy is the Lubricant of Society

2010-05-09T16:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, this has been something that's been bugging me for awhile since we learned about it in ethics class...

Chris, Khaled, and I were riding back home after Hammerfest to Horseshoe Bay (haha) and down by Science World last Sunday and we came across a police car blocking the seawall. There were police boats out on the water using poles to try and dredge the water. My first thought was that someone went in to do a post-race cold "bath" to flush the lactate out, slipped, bashed his/her head, and went under.

I was partly right.

Using my super sleuth j-school skills (aka being in the right place at the right time and eavesdropping on a cop), I found out that a 20 year old male came down post-Sun Run, took off all his clothes, went into the water, and didn't back come out.

The article's here...

So, the deal is that, as a rule, suicides are not reported on. Which sucks because now I won't get any more information on it as it is being treated as a suicide... It's more confusing to me than anything...

Suicides supposedly incur copycatting. It's why you always hear about "incidents" on Lion's Gate Bridge, instead of what's actually happening. Which is bullshit really because you're a) just using a euphemism to try to pretty it up instead of saying what's really happening, and b) it's completely ridiculous because everyone knows exactly what you're talking about. Which is almost insulting.

Anyway, that's not my real issue. My real issue with it is to do with the copycat factor. You think that if a depressive hears about someone else killing themself, they're going to think, 'Gee, a bridge. Never thought of that one before. I'm in.' No. Fair enough the thought of it being the easy way out and 'wouldn't it be easier' and yada yada but I think there's more of a chance that someone's going to copycat a school shooting or a murder than a suicide. And we still report on those...

Mental health is one of the biggest issues right now and I don't think there's enough focus on it. I've dealt with the issue of suicide in my life - people around me. It's hard, it's scary, and it's messy to deal with because you're terrified you're not helping... that maybe you might make it worse... but I don't think that's reason enough to not talk about it.

Or maybe it's being brushed aside, judging from all the over-medicating we seem to be doing in this day and age.

I can't really come to terms with that stuff. I mean, I understand that some people need medication in order to balance their brain chemistry because it actually is out of wack but I'm afraid that some people are being given stuff to cope when they don't really need it. Like, it's just a quick fix. Kids as young as 4 are being given drugs in order to balance them out... 4! You've got to be kidding me! What could they possibly need drugs for at that age? I mean, sure, the chemistry imbalance again, sure, but there are way too many being medicated to blame on that.

I dunno...

Adventures of Tomato Girl

2010-05-09T01:08:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to write in the past week but haven't because it's been a pain in the ass to not have reliable internet. Khaled's since fixed that with his awesome Britishness... okay, maybe with his mad skills but whatever. The Googles are mine! Bwahaha

So, last weekend went climbing with Khaled and Andy up at Squamish. So awesome. I originally went to take some pics but they convinced me to climb in my skater shoes. It went alright except regularly I wear them loose enough to be able to slip in and out of so about a quarter of the way up I almost lost the right one and then halfway up almost lost it again. Ah well. Next time I'll have real climbing shoes.

Khaled kicking some ass up the rock.

Sunday I went riding with Louise, Seb, and Khaled. We rolled out to Richmond thinking that it would be drier out there. It wasn't. We did River Road towards New West and back through Burnaby. By the time I got home, my hands were white and my feet turned funny colours in the shower and itched like fiends.

The "Get a Job" front has been pretty slow... I've dropped some resumes off and had some interviews for serving jobs. I kinda want to get a job with some quick money (Tiiiiiips!). haha

Had an interview Friday with the Museum of Vancouver for their summer program assistant position. I think it went really well but then the interview was pretty chill and the interviewer was really casual so it was pretty easy to get through it.

Went frisbee golfing Friday afternoon with Nick and Jon. I was awful. I don't have the confidence to just huck the driver hard because I'm afraid my skills (or lack thereof) will a) put it through a neighbourhood window, or b) hit a tree three feet away and come back to smash me in the face. Well, okay, not quite that suck but you never know.

That night I went to see Exit Through the Gift Shop with friend of friends, Seb.

Trailer here

It's about one of the most infamous graffiti artist in the world, Banksy, created this film about a dude who became obsessed with the street art culture and became one himself. It was pretty interesting because it felt like he spent all this time with these graffiti artists then, when he decided to become one himself, he used the endorsements of these other infamous artists to sell himself to the public. When he was interviewed, Banksy seemed kinda pissed. I would be... haha

Banksy Art:

Today was Bikes and Beers at the Beach Day. I originally had the idea of doing a long ride today - Horseshoe Bay or Lighthouse Park and then chillaxing out there but Cody proposed the idea of a more relaxed ride in town. So, we met up down by Super Champs and rode up and around Stanley Park to hang out at Third Beach. It's my favourite beach because it takes a lot more to get there than, say, English Bay or Kits Beach.

It was lovely. The sun was out in full force. Even though I had SPF 30 on, and reapplied it over and over, I'm still Tomato Shouldered Linnaea, which sucks. I need to drink more water. :p I was roasted so decided I might take off for the day, maybe come back home and nap. Louise convinced me to go for a jump in the ocean (it was awesome!) and then was nice enough to lend me a long sleeve shirt so I could hang out a bit longer. I'm burnt anyway but ah well.

Tonight was a showing at Grandview Park put on by the R.A.I.N. There's been talks of a redevelopment of Grandview Park by the "Friends of Grandview Park" in order to essentially get the riff raff out.

From their site:

the park is…

1. “Chronically overrun by illegal inhabitants.”

2. Used for “drug dealing and hard drugs.”

3. “The chosen location of illegal protesters.”

4. “The design of the playground encourages loiter¬ing of non-families.”

5. “The unsanctioned use of tennis courts by the bi¬cycle polo club”
means that the “… tennis courts (are) no longer available for parents
to teach their kids how to ride bikes.”

It's a little silly, you have to admit.

Drug dealing and hard drugs? Well, it's kind of a stretch to think that this is the only place that's going to go down. Granted, fair enough that you don't want to deal with that sort of thing if you have kids playing there.

The chosen location of illegal protesters? Have you been to the Art Gallery? Do you hear them whining? Give me a break.

Encouraging loitering of non-families? Oh, I'm sorry. I can't go play on a swingset or sit on a park bench in Grandview because I didn't get knocked up with a kid to bring with me? I have to go visit Rent'a Kid before I can hang out there? There are no words.

And teaching your kid to ride bikes in a tennis court? Are you kidding me? I learned on grass so that when I bailed (and you do...), it didn't give me road rash all up the left side of my body.

It's like these people sat down and pulled out a barrel of excuses and at the end of their meeting all they had was the grimy sludge at the bottom but they still slapped it on paper and trundled down to the Parks Board to complain. Use your energy for better use, kids. Maybe ask for more green space so everyone can enjoy these things. Bike polo players need milieus too.

Tomorrow I'm supposed to go ride Horseshoe Bay. Kind of regretting putting out an official "meet up here at 10 am" though I'm sure everyone will be off brunching with their mothers anyway. :p

Photo du Jour:

Corey's neighbour's cat Blossom. She's cute and cuddly and is known to have fleas. I miss snuggly furry little creatures.

Quote du Jour:

"If the English language made any sense a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur." - Doug Larson

Stick Figures... Go Figure

2010-04-27T23:39:00.000-07:00

Velopalloza decided to follow me on Twitter so I did a little investigating. Found this on their site which combines two of my favourite things - cycling and E.T.

So I guess they're alright with me.

It makes me wish I were more creative in the drawing and design aspects of my life. I read somewhere once that people give up drawing when they become self-conscious of how others would look at their drawings. Like they weren't good enough or something. But that just makes it worse because the less you do something, the more you're going to suck at it. Not everyone's good at everything but who cares. You shouldn't be drawing for other people anyway. Just pick up a pencil and doodle. I think you'd be surprised at how not suck you are. Even if they are just stick figures, they're your stick figures.

These thoughts inevitably makes my fingers twitch for our piano back home in Ontario... The one at the K-Farm because that was the one I grew up on. I remember being surprised that not everyone has a piano in their house because to me, it was like having potted plants or having all the furniture in your house built by your Grandad... Apparently we were different... go figure.