According to the news, B.C. Hydro says 125 megawatts of power was saved during the one hour of lights out in BC.
B.C. Hydro says North Vancouver appears to have been the most committed region in the province, with a seven per cent power saving.
But the really amazing news was from a little place called Hartley Bay. In the tiny community of Hartley Bay, members of the Gitga’at First Nation took Earth Hour seriously.
“We are a community that is totally dependent on a diesel-run generator, so we didn’t just turn out our lights, we decided to shut down the whole generator,” said band councillor and school teacher Cam Hill.
About 70 people, out of a population of 120, gathered in the cultural centre for snacks and to talk about why the power had been shut off.
“We are trying to educate the kids,” Hill said.
“We want to teach them that the world is changing and the change is being caused by us, so it’s up to us to do something to fix it.”
They can indeed, lead by example, and at least they took the time to educate and learn while they shivered in the cold.
The World Wildlife Fund for Nature, did not have a standard way for measuring the result, meaning some cities, such as Toronto, took the lowest point in the hour. B.C. Hydro decided a more accurate measurement was for the whole hour.
At least 50 million people in more than 40 countries switched off their lights for an hour, but World Wide Fund for Nature hopes far more will participate in 2009 if authorities in China, Russia and India pledge support.
[Originally posted on another blog which I removed myself from.]
I noted (while at the QE Park) that the walk that was to be held on March 29th, was rescheduled. The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival walk is postponed until April 6th (see note) so you still have a chance to get in on the walk and learn about the pinkness. Yesterday as I drove to QE Park I took some photos of the Japanese Cherry and Plum trees along the way.
The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival site also has a map of Vancouver noting some of the locations of certain species of trees, if you have photos of trees in your area please send them to the website, for their records so they can complete the maps.
Also there is a photograph contest: BC Blossom Watch Photo Contest March 25 - April 20th: Capture the best shot of your favorite cherry tree and enter to win air transportation for two to Tokyo, Japan courtesy of Japan Airlines. Color prints or digital image submissions will be accepted until midnight April 20. Submit your pictures and contact information to: cherryblossomcontest@artonagroup.com
Hi - great post. I just posted over at my own blog about how vancouver is starting to get pretty again (thaknfully) and how great it is to finally see our beautiful mountains. Thought you might want to take a peak: www.champagnewednesdays.com
Yesterday I decided to go for walk around Queen Elizabeth Park. I grew up not far from QE, and spent many childhood memories there. Playin Pitch N Putt, or in the winter, inner tubing in the snow down the hills.
The water park has changed drastically from my youth. I haven't been inside the Bloedel Floral Conservatory in ages, but I remember how steamy it is inside.
It is a tourist spot, and given the views you can see why. It was a beautiful day for a walk, and I took a lot of photos, these are just some highlights.
Like my tag line says, I am a hopeful human being.
I would like to believe most people want the best out of life, and think about the future and the planet, but I also know a great deal of the population just don't think about it.
They have bought into the world they are sold. They buy and are happy good little consumers. They drive "hot" gas guzzling cars, and dress in what is "cool" and think that being green is something to do with some frog on a TV show that old people used to watch. They are too busy living to take the time to think about what they are consuming or using or the world.
I look around me and I see that the world will only change if it is forced to.
For example, right now it is Earth Hour while I type this...
I am using my computer (a typical desktop computer uses about 65 to 250 watts.) I have the light on my desk on, which uses a energy saving bulb. I use them in pretty much all my lamps. There are no unnecessary lights on. But this is pretty normal for me.
However, my fridge is still plugged in (depending on its age which I don't know, it could us between 500-700 kWh). Also on is my stove and microwave, not in "use" but plugged in and the clocks on.
The hallways and stairwell and underground parking area in my building are lit 24 hours. The water heater always going, as well as the heating systems, the intercom and fire alarm systems. Someone is doing laundry.
As I look out of my window I can see the Husky gas station all lit up, as well as the 24 corner store. Across the way the lights in the other buildings hallways are on, like always, as well as lights in many suite windows. The city street lamps are on, the traffic signals are on, and people are driving around like normal.
Do they know it's Earth Hour?
You see, I consider myself someone who isn't as much of a burden on the planet as some other people, but there is only so much I can do.
I recycle as much as I can, empty bottles, boxes that all my soy milk comes in, cereal boxes, boxes from pasta, jar from the sauce, plastic bottles from things like HP, and all the cans from the cat food, and refried beans. I even recycle clothing and shoes. I keep my old plastic bags and reuse them when I go shopping, a big pile in my trunk. I reuse my bottle of water and use filtered water to refill it as many times as I can. I use biodegradable cleaners as much as I can. I try not to drive if I can walk. I try to car pool if I can to events. I try to buy local food and products. I don't subscribe or buy newspapers and magazines. I turn the heat down over night and when I am not home. I use rechargeable batteries which are in a socket recharging right now.
At work I reuse paper as much as I can for notes, buy recycled note pads, but ironically I sell oil. Plastics actually. Hey it is a needed product, people use it and we sell it. So what am I gonna do? That is the way life is. Life is all about balance.
I hope other people take steps to make their carbon imprint less. I just don't think something like Earth Hour is going to be the thing that changes the people who need to change the most. The people who are green will still be green, and maybe egg on a friend to do more. Maybe that way, through the infect of the idea throughout the population it might start to catch on.
But Do They Know It's Earth Hour? Band Aid, was a world wide hit, we all know that cheesy song, but there are still Ethiopians dying of famine. But they make damn fine coffee. Ethiopia was the original source of the coffee bean, and coffee beans are the country's largest export commodity. So head on down to Starbucks and buy a coffee in a Styrofoam cup with a cardboard heat protector and a plastic lid. Throw it out into the landfills when you are done.
I forgot about Earth Hour. I don't do everything I could I'm afraid to say although I'm not nearly as bad as some are. Frankly, we all own far more stuff period than we used to. And reuse a lot less. There is far too much packaging these days. My mother is far more environmentally thoughtful than my children - growing up in the depression made many of her generation very careful. Personally, I think most advertising should be outlawed. I believe it is that which is egging on much of the waste out there. When celebrities begin owning modest homes, modest vehicles and wearing regular clothes and sharing most of their incredible good fortune with others, in ways that improve lives and the planet, then perhaps others with money will begin caring more. Those with "less" often can't afford to be quite as green. Perhaps processed items or those travelling long distances should have an environmental tax added to them that goes directly to research and development of alternate energy use and promotion of environmentally friendly practises.
That is what I meant by we are all too busy stuck in the rat race to be able to really change.
I also agree that my grandmother had lived through the depression also and she reused everything and wasted nothing. It is amazing how in under 100 years our lives changed due to fuel and how humanity bought into the dream of it never ending.
I also agree being green isn't cheap, it have become a marketing tool just as much as anything else. Most times it is hard to know if those foods you buy are really organic or just labelled that way.
On March 29, 2008 at 8 p.m., join millions of people around the world in making a statement about climate change by turning off your lights for Earth Hour, an event created by the World Wildlife Fund.
Canada has one of the highest participation rates around the globe with over 150 cities participating! Many buildings and landmarks will turn off their lights. These include the CN Tower, Niagara Falls, Toronto Eaton Centre, Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Honest Ed’s in Ontario; the Olympic Flag, City Hall Clock and all buildings in which the City of Vancouver operate; and the MacDonald Bridge, City Hall, and Parade Square in Halifax.
Participate If you haven't already signed up for Earth Hour, please sign up today! If you are planning on participating but have not yet signed up at earthhour.org, please do so now. By signing up, you are sending a strong message to our government, and governments around the world, that Canadians want to take action on climate change.
Here's what you can do Sign up at earthhour.org Turn off your lights on March 29 at 8 p.m. Encourage your friends, family and colleagues to participate
I know it might surprise you to know, I am NOT participating in the Earth Hour project. If you want to you go ahead. I just think it is all a little too late.
Everything I read is bad news. The radical change our society requires to really make a dent in the oncoming trainwreck that is heading our way isn't going to be a nice little one-hour-without-the-power-love-in type of thing.
If we ALL stopped driving our cars tomorrow, which isn't going to happen - ever - it may have an impact on the climate in 50 or 100 years, if we are talking global climate and pollution impact. And that is if we all stopped, which I like I said is never going to happen.
As far as the Oil Peak problem, we would drastically need to fund and create alternative ways of generating power, which as was noted in the prior post, requires fuel to do in the first place. What do you think solar plants, and wind power towers are built by, from and of?
But the problem isn't western society. You see, we can be herded toward the required change, forced to use the alternatives, if the alternatives are built to replace the current non-renewable fuel sources. What is really the issue at hand, when it comes to fuel, is the countries that are just starting down the road to fuel consumption.
What am I talking about? Emerging Economies. China being the red flag, to excuse the pun. China has an estimated population of about 1.3+ billion people. They are the second largest importer of petroleum, and they are booming in the auto market. Which means they will need more and more fuel for their economy, not just for the cars they want to own, but the business that will need transport vehicles, and for the roads they need to build, and so on.
Then there is India with an estimated population of 1.12 billion.
At a time when we are about to be running short on the supply of fuel, they are just entering the market and gobbling up resources. Supply and demand do not match.
Saudi Arabia's King Abdulla told his subjects in 1998, "The oil boom is over and will not return... All of us must get used to a different lifestyle." Since then he has implemented a series of corruption reforms and government programs intended to lower Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil revenues. The royal family was put on notice to end its history of excess and new industries were created to diversify the national economy." (That was in 1998!)
Optimistic estimations of peak production forecast a peak will happen in the 2020s or 2030s and assume major investments in alternatives will occur before a crisis. These models show the price of oil at first escalating and then retreating as other types of fuel and energy sources are used.
Pessimistic predictions of future oil production operate on the thesis that the peak has already occurred or will occur shortly and, as proactive mitigation may no longer be an option, predict a global depression, perhaps even initiating a chain reaction of the various feedback mechanisms in the global market which might stimulate a collapse of global industrial civilization. In early 2008 there are signs that the growing recession was made much worse by rising oil prices.
So, what does this have to do with Earth Hour? Well, Earth Hour is to "promote electricity conservation and thus lower carbon emissions" which is a good thing, to get people to think about. Yet, the way our society is structured on the monetary system, this event is no more productive to humanity than any past awareness campaign. Some people might think about living better, consuming less power, unplugging, driving less, using alternatives, being "green" etc. In the end though, most will all go back to the rat race of the the monetary system, which is a consumer based mentality. The markets won't stop, the trucks and ships and factories will still be pumping out the goods. Humans will still be driving to the shopping malls, drinking in the night clubs blasting music and flashing lights, and will still be living in cities of constant power consumption.
We have all ready plagued the planet. The true climate change due to our industrial age is not something we can totally predict. We know the planet has always gone through ups and down climate wise, without human interference. We know our pollution, our abuse of the planet has had a direct impact. Will global warming be the thing that forces change? Could we even stop it? I don't think so, I think this planet will do what it has always done. We are after all living through the 6th Extinction (See my post from January).
Hey! First, I just wanted to say thanks so much for letting me advertise on your blog.
Moving on to your post. I agree with miss 604, I'm glad you explained your reason with disagreeing with a movement like Earth Hour (especially considering my disappointment with tonight's display (details to come in an upcoming blog post) but I did just want to say that maybe I'm just an eternal optimist but I really believe it's never too late for a change, but it takes all involved parties to believe that the change will make a difference for the change to actually occur. So while I do agree with you, I don't want to give up hope!
Thanks for your post though - it's always nice to see the other side of the story you know?
Miss604, I think my views flow with a lot of currents out there, and I don't think Earth Hour was/is dumb. I think it might help make a few people out there change the way they live, maybe for a week or two or even a life time in a few cases. Awareness is always worthwhile. Personally for me sitting in the dark for an hour would have been a waste of my time.
FragileHeart - I like Entrecard. It a good system. My pleasure advertising for you. I will check out your blog to find out what your disappointment is all about.
I left my light open during earth hour. This is just more trumped-up feel-good green nonsense. Some even call it a soft fascism ritual followed by a mindless population.
The earth hour event, is supposed to raise awareness of climate change. But what needs raising is not so much awareness as knowledge. People are totally ignorant both about the uncertainties of climate-change science and the implications of climate-change politics.
The creators of the Earth Hour have no interest in debating any of this. According to them, we should "stop talking and start acting." Check your brains at the door.
I agree with you 100% BARB... and.. to ask many people in the Lower Mainland.. If we are powered by 'HYDRO-ELECTRIC' (water, turning turbines, attatched to electric generators) what bloody difference does the environment see if they are used LESS? Perhaps the places that use COAL and GAS would see a difference, but the Lower mainland? Correct me if I am wrong..
Anonymous: your reasoning only holds up if the grid you are connected to does not have any fossil fuel power plants feeding into it (not true in any part of the world I'm aware of). If you consume all the available hydro power, then somewhere else on the grid some (coal fired?) power plant has to ramp up its electricity production, resulting in increased emissions. Only when there is enough renewable power (hydro, solar, wind, etc.) to power the *entire grid* can you afford to start wasting electricity without worrying about emissions.
Aaron... hmm.. makes sense.. but.. where in the lower mainland are the COAL burning electric plants.. The main corporate electric company here is called "BC-HYDRO".. HYDRO being the key word.. I know there are dams all over, and more to come in the near future.. but.. I was unaware of fossil fuel generated power here.. I have to do some diggin...
BC Hydro - see this page of their web site": 90 per cent of BC Hydro's generation is produced by hydroelectric: Generation System
and this page: Our Facilities - 30 integrated hydroelectric generating stations, two gas-fired thermal power plants and one combustion turbine station have a total installed generating capacity of over 11,000 megawatts.
Many of the Earth Hour comments so far indicate to me that some people still questioning whether their action will make any difference at all. My family and I participated in Earth Hour at its first launch in 2007 and integrated these lessons permanently into our lifestyle. Here's the results for the first year:
WATER: Down by 23% from last year ELEC: Down by 26% from last year GAS: Down by 40% from last year We're saving a packet in energy costs. Details here: http://www.technojabber.com/default.asp?Display=22
On top of this, we're composting, joined a community garden, converted our lawns to gardens and growing our own fruit & veg.
I ride my bike to local destinations and have inspired my friends to do the same.
I live in reality, or like to believe I do. I watch a lot of NOVA and PBS and Knowledge Network. Anything that seems of value to my education. Instead of watching the Oscar Awards last month I watched a show called "Crude - The Incredible Journey Of Oil".
The show documented how the unique events of the past 160 million years of evolution of the planet created massive deposits of oil in places around the world. How us handy little humans discovered it, refined it and used it to fuel our world. But it didn't stop there.
When you think of oil you probably don't think of that Barbie Doll your child is gleefully chewing on in her crib. You don't think about those jeans you wear. You probably don't think of the computer you are using to view this web site. You most certainly don't think of the food you are eating.
All of it relies on oil.
We are a world drenched in oil. Every aspect and part of our modern lives DEPENDS on oil. But Oil isn't going to be around forever. What then?
A lot of people don't want to think about that, they think that the future without oil is too far ahead to be concerned about. But is it?
Dr. Martin King Hubbert said: "Our ignorance is not so vast as our failure to use what we know."
Hubbert was dead on. He was a geophysicist, and in 1949 he predicted that our "fossil era" would be very short lived. He predicted that U.S. oil production would peak in about 1970 and globally peak in 2000. He was right, and even though the 1970 scare pushed the world wide peak back about 10 years, we are peaking, if we haven't all ready.
"The world's present industrial civilization is handicapped by the coexistence of two universal, overlapping, and incompatible intellectual systems: the accumulated knowledge of the last four centuries of the properties and interrelationships of matter and energy; and the associated monetary culture which has evolved from folkways of prehistoric origin.
"The first of these two systems has been responsible for the spectacular rise, principally during the last two centuries, of the present industrial system and is essential for its continuance. The second, an inheritance from the prescientific past, operates by rules of its own having little in common with those of the matter-energy system. Nevertheless, the monetary system, by means of a loose coupling, exercises a general control over the matter-energy system upon which it is super[im]posed.
"Despite their inherent incompatibilities, these two systems during the last two centuries have had one fundamental characteristic in common, namely, exponential growth, which has made a reasonably stable coexistence possible. But, for various reasons, it is impossible for the matter-energy system to sustain exponential growth for more than a few tens of doublings, and this phase is by now almost over. The monetary system has no such constraints, and, according to one of its most fundamental rules, it must continue to grow by compound interest. This disparity between a monetary system which continues to grow exponentially and a physical system which is unable to do so leads to an increase, with time, in the ratio of money to the output of the physical system. This manifests itself as price inflation. A monetary alternative corresponding to a zero physical growth rate would be a zero interest rate. The result in either case would be large-scale financial instability."
Now absorb that. Read it again if you have to. Got it sinking in?
You see, the amount of oil available is going to decrease, which means higher prices for the product. Supply and demand at its finest. You think everything is expensive now? Just wait. As oil production output decreases, so will the availability of EVERYTHING you rely on.
EVERYTHING.
We are eating oil. Fossil fuels in the form of fertilizers (natural gas), pesticides (oil), and hydrocarbon fuel irrigation are the basis of our food production. We fuel the machines that harvest the food. We fuel the factories that process the food. We fuel the transportation systems that bring the food to us. We even wrap our food in oil (plastic).
Our prosperity is built on the principal of exhausting the world's resources as quickly as possible, without any thought to our neighbors, all the other life on this planet, or our children.
"Modern medicine, water distribution, and national defense are each entirely powered by oil and petroleum derived chemicals." Everything we use, everything we build, create and depend on, relies on oil.
Solar power, wind power etc... the "so called "alternatives" to oil are actually "derivatives" of oil. Without an affordable supply of energy coupled with healthy and robust capital markets to finance the transition, we have no way of realistically scaling these alternatives to the degree necessary."
What does this mean?
The total collapse of society.
I know that sounds doomsday, that sounds beyond imagination when you see the happy smiling world of marketing sold to you on billboards, the Internet and TV.
Permanent fuel shortages would send the the world into "a generations-long economic depression". Jobs would disappear. Farms would fail, and famines would occur. Water supplies would be in demand. "Energy wars would flare." Our economic society would collapse. Our society would collapse.
The governments of the world know this all to well.
"G. W. Bush's Crawford ranch has been completely off-the-grid since 2002. The ranch is equipped with the latest in energy saving and renewable power systems. It has been described as an "environmentalist's dream home." The fact a man as steeped in the petroleum industry as Bush would own such a home should tell you something.
We are on the peak. Thus on the top of the ride, and we can see the frightening drop ahead, and are scrambling to figure out how to hold on for dear life as we drop.
If you have a few ours to kill and the fortitue to stomach this reality I suggest you go read this web site --> Peak Oil: Life After the Oil Crash.
Every Friday I am going to feature a Flickr contact I think you will enjoy. I think I have a lot of interesting Flickr contacts and they take some pretty amazingly wonderful photos. This weeks focus is on BBD
[A Self Portrait ;)]
Barry B Doyle and I came across one another on the site Spymac many years ago. We became chatty friends and shared many creative projects over the years.
[Blue Mesa Dam]
Barry also travelled to Vancouver 2 times and both times I met the man, although briefly, and got a chance to hug him. I consider him a dear friend.
Barry takes wonderful pictures, he gets to travel a lot to great places, and he shares it all on Flickr.
[The post was written for the Wet Coast Women web site and posted there Thursday March 27th, 2008 - you add your answer here or there.]
Okay, in one way I am your stereotype woman.
I LOVE SHOES.
[Pic of my killer heels]
I told my boss the other day I think I have a shin splint, which is probably due to my collapsing arch and the titanium screws in my ankle (from the accident in 1992). My ankle has been pretty much shot since, and they want to stick more screws in it but I have refused. I said to my boss that my high heels probably make it worse. My boss just laughed and said what is it with you women and you torturing yourself with these shoes. I just laughed.
What can I say I LOVE SHOES.
[Photo of my pink sneakers comparing to my friends footwear]
My friend Mimzie in NY posted some pretty scary shoes on her blog the other day and it got me thinking about shoes again.When I had the opportunity to own my own business, the first thing I thought of was a shoe store. I thought it would be perfect, to own the store and get all those shoes for practically nothing. Thinking back it probably would have been a great idea... oh well.
[Pic of my favourite flip-flops and my house slippers]
I once owned over 100 pairs of shoes, some of which I admittedly never wore once, but still had in the box. I can walk by a shoe store now without the urge to try every pair on and/or buy some. I still drool over them though as I walk by and think "OOOOO those are nice."I am also more practical in the types of shoes I buy now. I own more runners than anything, because they don't hurt my feet, but I still love my heels. Awhile back Miss604 had a little post about footwear, so I pose these 2 questions to the women of WCW:
1. Where do you buy your footwear? 2. And what is your favourite pair of shoes?
My answers:
I usually get most of my shoes at Payless, I even get emails from them. I like the prices and selection and that I can just try on a pair without the hassle of salespeople. Generally I only need a little sneaker or something casual so I don't need to go to some swank place and pay a really high price.
My favourite pair of shoes has to be... oh toss up really, close tie... first are my heels from Spring [Picture below]. I love the eighties vibe of them, and I got them from the Spring shop on Robsons as a birthday present to myself last year.
Second favourite (its a very close tie) are my calf-high high-heeled boots, I got them at Le Chateau last fall [Picture below].
I swore I'd written about the lake before but I suppose again this was something that got deleted in 2006, when I started life again in April. Oh well. I can always post it again. Isn't that what life stories are for, for repeating in fond memory...?
So here are 13+ pictures from Kawkawa Lake, just outside of Hope, BC. and camping trips there.
The first time I went I went with Shyloh and her family. After that my dad took us once every summer for many years.
13. Me in the boat, Kathy L on the dock.
12. View from the boat looking at the camp grounds.
11. View from the dock looking at our boat about to ski.
10. Kathy L being silly while my dad smirks from the boat.
My grandparents had an old motor boat (still do!) that is it in the pictures, the brown one. They let my dad borrow it to take us camping and water skiing and wind surfing (my dad bought the boards for my brother).
09. My brother and Greg K on the inner tube.
08. My brother wind surfing along the camp ground.
07. My brother and I at camp.
After many years, the family hot spot to camp became Osoyoos BC. but I still have fond memories of Hope. The grave yard, the warning in the woods, the driving the boat, the camp fires, the dancing by the juke box playing pool, the water fights, the trips to the water slides,
07. Me on the water slides.
and the trip to the Othello Tunnels.
"These are the Othello Tunnels also known as Quintette Tunnels as there is actually five of these tunnels. However the Tunnel #3 almost appears to be one long tunnel, but there is a small opening about half way along. These tunnels were designed by Andrew McCulloch to save going around the Coquihalla Canyon. The railbed crosses the Coquihalla River several times and the views are well worth the trip. The trestles have all been converted to walkways now, and it is a provincial park. It is located about 5km outside of Hope."
The movie Rambo First Blood was filmed there.
06. Me @ Othello Tunnels
05. My Brother @ The Othello Tunnels
All the friends that came camping with us and the friends we made while there.
04. Me and Carrie and what was her name ???
03. Me and Carrie and Shane C, and whatever their names were...
After Thursday night at The Roxy (again) and getting into a bar fight with some idiot that slapped my beautiful friend Michelle in the face for no good reason... okay I just grabbed the moron by the throat and kicked him away from us... not really a bar fight but you know, it makes me look like the aggressive bitch.
[A digression: I've always been a fighter. As a child I would get into fist fights with my girlfriend Shyloh, but we always made up after. (The one that called me up a while back out of the blue but has yet to get together with me.) Jem used to get caught in the mix. There are plenty of stories about my aggressive side. I know I am just a girl but I have always felt I have to defend myself when necessary.]
After Thursday at The Roxy, then going to see the Styx concert on Friday night and stopping at The Point Pub after, I was all barred out. I can only stand so much of that. Since I have drastically reduced my alcohol consumption it also isn't as amusing to be in those places while nearly sober. Those meat market bars remind me of this Jerry Seinfeld espisode where the following conversation takes place:
Elaine: So you're saying that 95% of the population is undateable?
Jerry: UNDATEABLE!
Elaine: Then how are all these people getting together?
Jerry: Alcohol.
So basically Saturday I just wanted to stay in. We went to get something to eat out in the afternoon at our local pub because we like the food, then thought of seeing a movie at the theatre but decided nothing was good. I suggested we rent some movies later. Paul tinkered on his computer and then while I made up a late supper, I asked Paul to go get some movies.
He got back and we had dinner while Bram Stoker's Dracula was on TV. So Paul suggested I sit beside the TV and he takes pictures of me next to Winona Ryder on the screen. None turned out well as the lighting was poor. I suggest that I should find some photos of her, and we should attempt to replicate the images using me. We'll see... [Side note: She currently has short hair like me as noted in the photos included in this post.]
We watched I Am Legend. It was really good up until the point the dog died. Then it was like they ran out of money or plot or something because suddenly the movie was all over. Booo. Great acting by will Smith though.
Then we watched Michael Clayton. BRILLIANT film. I loved it totally. Who would have thought George Clooney could be that great an actor when you first saw him as Booker on Roseanne. (There I go again, dating myself, but I watched A LOT of TV as a kid.) I pointed out that the "asshole" was the guy who played the kid in Caddyshack. (I watched A LOT of movies as a kid too.)
I had a great night. I fell asleep happy.
Sunday, I woke up late since we'd been up so late watching movies. I was also not in any mood for the false bullshit of Easter.
Grumpy McGrumpster is all ready up. I see McGrumpster now and again, he's a restless sort, pissed off at the slowness of life and the world, and he looking for something to fix him. Nothing is good enough for McGrumpster, and thus once again he is "bored". He even states he is "bored". It is the common complaint of McGrumpster.
So he wants to go for a walk. Complains he's been inside too long. So he wants to go Downtown. He's also hungry. McGrumpster hungry is worse than just regular McGrumpster. So I suggest we get food. McGrumpster bitches about not having money. I suggest it is not a big deal, I'll buy. He asks me to decide where to go, but the Milestones is closed for renovations.
At Red Robin, McGrumpster informs me that sitting down to eat is a waste and is boring and pointless. I think "Ummm, so we should all just eat fast food on the street in a few minutes and be done with it?" But I say nothing. I like sitting down to a nice meal, even if it is at a place like Red Robin. I like the opportunity to chat with my dinning mate while we wait on the food.
Instead, the griping continues from McGrumpster. I am a bit fed up at this point but remaining calm. I tell him I am tired of his negative nature. To which he suggests that it figures that it is always about this time when he starts to piss off the women in his relationships. I think to myself - is he aware he is sabotaging his relationships by saying such bullshit. Because that is what was flying out his mouth - bullshit. But again I decide to say nothing, I just listen. He asks me, "What?" and I say I am not going to get into it at Red Robin.
Then McGrumpster takes some shots at my past relationships, "at least I'm not like so-and-so" and "my gawd so-and-so must have really done a number on you". I just stare at him in a calm tone. Frustrated he asks me what I want to do. Seems I am supposed to figure out what will "fix" his mood. I suggest, I can not.
I tell McGrumpster, "I am content."
I am not exactly where I would like to be in life. My mistakes = my consequences. But I am not beating myself over the head about it. I am happy with rebuilding and happy with my life and the progress I see in it. I like who I am. I like that I am constantly growing and expanding as a person. I love my freedom, my job, and my cozy life.
I am sorry if that "bores" McGrumpster but that isn't my problem, that is his problem. Only he can fix that restless negative man inside of him. Only he can deal with all that hate inside that leeches out in the things he says.
The conversation went on pretty much the same way until our food came. We ate and I decide Red Robin isn't the place to explain what an ass he is being toward me. I know he knows.
Later after the walk in the rain shower, and the browsing of magazines of Chapters to get dry and walking back to the car in the now sunshine, he seems in a much better mood.
Once we get home, I gently tell him he hurt my feelings and why.
He apologizes.
He thought I blamed him for something that I didn't.
(Which was probably the whole reason he was McGrumpster in the first place, and if he had just felt he could talk to me, we could have avoided the whole unpleasantness that happened.)
I did not want to go spend Easter dinner with my family. I am just not in the mood for it. I get that way. I don't see them much and they don't call. I don't call. I just didn't want to drive all the way there to sit around making small talk with people who have nothing to say to one another. Not just for a turkey dinner. No thanks. I didn't blame Paul at all for my choice not to go. I didn't go because I didn't want to go. I don't blame him for not wanting to go either. I love my family. I am just not close to them.
I don't know if it is me that keeps them at a distance or if it is them that keeps me at a distance. I suppose it is both. Either way there is a great deal of distance. I really don't think that will ever change. Some people are lucky, they have strong family bonds and it works and they love it. Mine has never been that way. 35 years of "distance" between us all and I am not interested in fixing it. I used to be. It used to hurt me deeply. I felt so alone.
Now, oddly, I feel content with it. I don't need them. I never have. I survived without them. I know they came along and helped me in a very bad time in my life, but I would have made it out of that on my own without them if I had to. I am grateful for what they did. I love them for what they did. But I have to live my life on my own. I don't ask for anything. I have self-respect. I have self-love.
I oddly know now that I could go through life totally alone, and be completely all right with it. Not that I don't love my friends or going out and being around people and having fun - I do. I love Paul even when he is going through his McGrumpster moments. (I know I am not perfect nor is he.) I just mean, I do not depend on anyone, for anything.
I am content. Sure who wouldn't want to have a little more of this or that, but those things are material. In my soul, I know I am at nearly completely at peace within myself.
“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.”
No, when the movie ended, we were like pffft! NEXT and stuck in Michael Clayton. I suppose we should have checked the extras on the DVD. Oh well. Was it better?
This is how my brain functions, and sometimes I think I just know way to much useless information, or crave to know it.
Leaving work today, remind boss to feed his fish, remind co-worker of delivery. Stop at Return It to drop off months worth of beer empties. FREE CLOSET SPACE! $7.40
[Note to check back with them about Blue Boxes]
Decide to skip Superstore madness... opt for easy shopping...
Soy Milk - Check. Omega 3 Eggs - Check. Hot Salsa - Check. Light Sour Cream - Check. (Wraps for dinner!) Margarine - Check. (Yummmmy Bagels time) Veggie Burgers - Check. (I think we have buns.) Turkey Ground - Check. Chicken Breasts - Check. Bananas - Check. (Only two over-ripe ones.) Green Pepper - Check. Carrots - Check. (My go to snack.) Green Beans - Check. (Ummm beans.) Salad Mix with Cranberries - Check. Allergy Medicine 48 Days - Check. (Holy fuck $27 but it is for 48 days so that is ummm .56 cents a day for non-watery itchy eyes and the chance to actually breath through my nose... okay it's worth it. Damn Spring. I love Spring. But damn Spring!) Hypoallergenic Laundry Soap - Check. (Damn ALLERGIES!!) I'll put off the Mousse & Hairspray until tomorrow's run to Shoppers. Thought to myself yup, good enough. Check out. The lady calls me Ms Doll. I ask if I can change the name on my Safeway card cause I'm not Doll anymore. She gives me a form. (I just remembered it is in my purse.) Airmiles... really I will never collect enough for anything good, but hey. Drive home, help make wraps and munch them down. Brew a cup of tea. Watch Coronation Street. Something good has to happen soon. Fiddled for a while on the WordPress stuff. GAH ! Brain over load. Must stop now, too much new info. Decide to play some Scrabble on Facebook...
and bam!
I remember I totally gapped on the Q-Tips. AGAIN ! Earwax man, what the hell causes it?
Ummm wiki time.
It is generally advised not to use cotton swabs (Q-Tips or cotton buds), as doing so will likely push the wax farther down the ear canal, and if used carelessly, perforate the eardrum. Abrasion of the ear canal, particularly after water has entered from swimming or bathing, can lead to ear infection. Also, the cotton head may fall off and become lodged in the ear canal. Cotton swabs should be used only to clean the external ear.
Ah yes, there was my Cliff Clavin moment of the day. (You know, from the show Cheers? Am I dating myself by that statement? I loved that show.)
See I am really not interesting.
[Images from Sunday, Cherry Trees line the streets ready to bloom - and yup you read that right, only 6 suites left ranging in price between $4,620,000 to $17,630,000 at Shangri-La ! Welcome to property ownership in Vancouver.]
pre-written & posted by Barbara Doduk & scheduled to publish @
10:22 PM 2 comments
Oh I have treats now and then. I have to watch what I eat though. I have a sensitive system. I think my body thinks it is allergic to everything and my belly gets hurtie a lot. I have spent the last years weeding out the ouchie foods and stopped eating them. But I still can't resist cheesecake.
Oh Heather Mills, please just disappear like you claimed you would.
Oh I know, she is a liar and why would she do what she said she would. Instead she seems to be planning to take her tail to the USA, bringing along her sister Fiona, because Fiona isn't "gag ordered" and Fiona can say whatever Heather tells her to. That makes me want to gag.
Larry King and Entertainment Tonight are in her plans.
I am sure her mud-slinging is actually just getting started. This woman is hell bent on being in the news and hell bent on using Paul McCartney to every extent she can.
But people in glass houses like her, should not cast stones...
ITV - HEATHER MILLS' sex life is to be laid bare in a shocking new TV documentary.
Sir Paul McCartney's estranged wife is the subject of the forthcoming McCartney v McCartney: The Ex-Files, a show which will delve deep into the former glamour model's life before her marriage to the Beatles legend.
Former lovers and ex-boyfriends of Mills were approached to feature on the tell-all documentary, in what executive producer Steve Anderson calls "the programme Sir Paul should have seen before he decided to get married".
Another TV insider adds, "Researchers have been digging into her past and have found some things she'll probably not be too happy to see again. She's tough and she's bounced back before. But she's worried this could lead to further problems for her in Britain."
The couple go back to court on May 12 2008 to finally officially become divorced.
I think ITV is a British station... so I don't know if we'll get it here, but if it is juicy I am sure someone here will pick it up.
Paul McCartney is called Macca. Macca is a common British nickname for somebody whose surname begins with the Gaelic prefix Mac or Mc. The british press started calling Heather MUCCA because of the MUCK she has made.
Now that I have had a chance to read all the dirty details of the settlement between Sir Paul McCartney and his soon to be ex-wife Heather Mills, I have to say, she is with out a doubt a gold digger.
But I think the most damning piece of the puzzle that revealed itself when the court record came public was the fact that she is without a doubt a bold faced LIAR.
I watched the videos on YouTube of her crying on TV stating people treat her worse than a murderer, all the while claiming she gives 80% or more of all her earnings to charity. She went on and on about how she does everything for charity. Yet when the records of the court were released it was shown that her tax records were accessed to assess if she had been worth the $3 million she claimed she was worth when she met McCartney. In the tax records there are NO charitable donations recorded. NONE. Now wouldn't you have to claim up to 80% of your income going to charity if indeed it was? That to me is the most stunning thing of all this. That she could go about claiming to be this saviour, this charity driven woman, when in actual fact she has given nothing!
Furthermore in those videos on YouTube, she went on to state that the press had it all wrong, that she wasn't asking for 125 or 150 million, yet when the court released the records it clearly shows just exactly what she was asking for which was 125 plus extras !
Not to mention the understatement of all understatements. Heather Mills stated, "It was just glamour modelling." But the pictures I've seen certainly seem like more to me. You be the judge.
To support her case, she claimed to have been a multi-millionaire in her own right before she met her future husband in 1999.
Mills said she was "one of the top 10 female speakers in Europe" who could command a fee of £25,000 for a one-hour speech.
She also claimed that she owned a London flat worth around half a million pounds and a£250,000 house in Brighton.
And she told the court that at the time she met Macca, she had between £2million and £3million in the bank.
Mr Justice Bennett dismissed her claims one by one. He stated flatly: "I cannot accept the wife's case that she was wealthy and independent by the time she met the husband."
The judge said Mills's London flat was not worth £500,000 in 1999, and noted that it only fetched £385,000 when she sold it in 2001. He added: "She did not own the property in Brighton in 1999. That was not bought until March 2000."
The judge noted that Mills failed, despite repeated requests, to produce bank statements to back up her claims of wealth.
Mills tried to explain the absence of evidence to support her story by claiming that she gave "as much as 80 or 90 per cent of her earnings" to charity. But the judge pointed out that her tax returns "disclose no charitable giving at all".
In cool courtroom language, Mr Justice Bennett outlined the extraordinary cash claims Mills made against her husband at a six-day private hearing last month.
She told the High Court in London that she needed seven fully staffed homes, each with full-time housekeepers, at a cost of £645,000 a year.
Mills demanded £499,000 a year for holidays, including £184,000 a year for private plane trips and helicopter flights.
She told the judge she needed £125,000 every year for clothes. And she claimed £30,000 for horse riding (she no longer rides) and £39,000 for wine (she doesn't drink).
Mills asked for £43,000 a year for a driver, £542,000 a year for security, and £627,000 a year of Paul's money to give to charity.
In total, Mills claimed she needed more than £3.2million a year for herself and Beatrice - the equivalent of a lump sum of £99,480,000.
She also wanted between £8million and £12.5million for a home in London, £3million for a property in New York, and between £500,000 and £750,000 for an office in Brighton.
In total, her claim came to almost £125million, plus costs.
But Mr Justice Bennett awarded her a lump sum of £16.5million - enough for an annual income of £600,000 - and £7.8million in assets.
When the whole thing was done, Heather Mills dumped a jug of water over McCartney's lawyer in the court room. Can you say drama queen?
It is terrible to me that she got the £24.3million she did. My heart goes out to McCartney, glad he got out when he did, but wish he'd never got suckered in in the first place. I know he had the truest of loves with Linda, and I hope in the future he can at least find a true friend and companion. As for Heather lets hope she really does just disappear. Although with the rumours flying she is going to do whatever she can to cash in on her "fame" from this.
I was reading a story about her today, about the claims that she was once a very HIGH price hooker that slept with Arab Princes for thousands per night.
People don't go around making that stuff up about other people unless there is some truth in it, and it can be proved... or do they? I don't know, it all seems to fit into her personality though.
Proving my nerd status... I get the email newsletter from William Shatner's web site, and today is The Captain of the Starship is celebrating his 77th birthday. You can go leave the man a happy birthday wish on his web site.
They will take ShatnerVision to the next level and do a one hour LIVE interactive Video chat with Bill Shatner and his daughter Lisabeth at 6:00PM Eastern/3:00PM Pacific Time on LiveVideo.com. Check the site for details.
and so it's time to declare once and for all he's the best captain! http://www.pollsb.com/polls/poll/7732/the-ultimate-question-once-and-for-all-kirk-or-picard
Well last night's Styx concert was one of the best I have ever seen. What a show. What entertainment. What a tight performance and boy do they know how to interact and engage the audience.
I was thrilled to finally see Gowan, my first pre-teen/teen rock star crush (as I have previously written about many times). He was in fine fine form. Dancing around, snapping pictures with a Polaroid camera and infusing the stage with his energy. I recorded his performance of "A Criminal Mind" and added it up on to my YouTube along with another snippet of Styx. I didn't take many photos or video, I was just too into the show.
The bonus: I got a Styx Beach Ball.
The only disappointment for me was they didn't do Mr. Roboto. :( Oh well.
[The drummer is wicked and has his own web site here: Todd Sucherman] [Tommy Shaw has one amazing voice, check his web site.] [Ricky Phillips is the current bass player for Styx, check his web site.]
When I arrived I ran into a friend Gino Gerussi, he was there to catch as much of the show as he could before heading to The Point to do a Dance Mob gig. So he put me on the list and I headed there after for a little Port Moody show. Always great to see Cory, Paul and Gino.
Every Friday I am going to feature a Flickr contact I think you will enjoy. I think I have a lot of interesting Flickr contacts and they take some pretty amazingly wonderful photos.
The first Flickr Focus Friday honor goes to the lovely (inside and out) Traveling Mermaid from the colorful New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
I met Charlotte online years ago through my community photography blog (no longer online), and we chatted a lot about life, love and everything New Orleans was going through after the Katerina Hurricane ravaged her home, literally. We talked about her Katrina Kitties and the work she does, and the city she loves so much. She decided to get into photos and I recommended Flickr. Now she shares her photographs of her amazing garden, and her colorful New Orleans photos with everyone.
You should go take a look and see her work, I have only highlighted a couple pictures here of her collection.
Thank you Mermaid for contributing to Unity Project and for all the years we've stayed in touch. Charlotte aka Mermaid also has a blog which I recommend: casa de Charlotte della luna
Vancouver Vitals 5: Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
[ Nelson Street -March 2006 - photo by Barbara Doduk ]
Welcome to Spring 2008.
Every year in Spring there is the annual Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (March 25 to April 20). This time of the year our city gets covered in PINK. As a child I remember collecting endless bunches of cherry blooms and being covered in pink pedals. I find it so beautiful.
Tree Talk Walk will be held March 29, 2008 1:00pm to 2:30pm @ Queen Elizabeth Park or March 30, 2008 1:00pm to 2:30pm @ Stanley Park or April 12th, 10:00am to 11:30am @ UBC.
There is a Pink Tie Affair, for $75 a ticket held on April 2, 2008 featuring The Cherry Blossom Martini.
There are also Trolley Tours every Sunday from 10:00 am - 12 pm for $25 or $20 for seniors.
This year the event partnered with Slow Food Vancouver to create the Slow cycle tour event, Bike the Blossoms during the 4 week long festival. SATURDAY APRIL 19, 2008 9 am – 4 pm (this is not a race – start & finish when you like) (prior online registration recommended) START PLACE: VANDUSEN BOTANICAL GARDEN, 5251 Oak St. west parking lot (parking on Oak & 37th streets only) FREE TO ALL.
1. Last week's TT was about my cats. But I figured even though I have had the knickname The Cat Lady I am actually just an all out animal lover. At that time I couldn't find scans of my first cat Olivia. (PS Olivia was named after a soap opera character.) I did find some scanned photos of her... here she is:
2. When I was born our family had a puppy, a Boxer dog named Duchess. I grew up with her by my side and she is the reason that one day I will have another Boxer dog of my own.
3. We had a house cat too, her name was simply Kitty. She came along when I was about 7 or so, and lived with us for a long long time. She liked my brother the best, and would always slept in his room.
4. We also had massive fish tanks, filled with mini sharks, angel fish, tiger barbs and all sorts of things. They were a lot of work to maintain.
5. After Duchess passed away when I was about 12 I think it was, we got another dog. Her name was Ebony. She was a black little Lhasa apso.
6. I also had a Hamster named Pinch. This was also during the time of my life where I'd go catch tadpoles, and frogs in a little pond a few blocks away. I also would catch snakes and keep them in a bucket in the basement. I'd keep spiders in jars, and caterpillars...
7. Then when I was a rebel teen I had a white Rat named Adam.
8. Sadly Ebony died young, and when I was in my late teens, and my mom got yet another dog. She was a Mini Schnauzer and her name was CC named after the Beaches movie, the Bette Midler character. CC came along about the same time as I got Olivia, the two would play fight.
9. Around this time my mom and step-dad decided to get some Parrots. Currently they have 4. Two African Greys named Dusty and Smoky, one small parrot Baby (the oldest) that has a gimped leg, and another sickly bird named Cookie. They even had a a Macaw for a while but gave it to a good home. I call them the little dinosaurs.
10. When I lived in my mom's basement in 1993-94 (after my car accident) I used one of the old fish tanks and adopted a whack of gold fish. I didn't take them with me when I moved out in 95 as I couldn't have a tank in the place I was living. But when I boutht the townhouse in 97 I decided to rescue the last remaining one goldfish from my mom's basement. He'd turned white. I went to the fish store and bought another bag of 12 feeder goldfish thinking they couldn't all survive. I was wrong. The fish clan became Jesus fish and his 12 diciples.
11. Later on my mom got another dog Shadow, she is a Black Lab. CC died of a heart attack a few years back, but Shadow is still hanging on even though her old legs are pretty wobbly. My mom also got a cat a few years back, her name is Angel but she is very standoffish.
12. I also grew up around Dobermans. I like them a lot too, my grandpa always had red Dobbies, so growing up there were lots of walks with them. Fond memories of their antics and snake hunting. My grandmother has a thing for Boston Terriers, and has had a couple, and currently has one called Axel who is a snorty adorable mutt.
13. One day I will have a boxer dog of my own. I just haven't had a lifestyle that fit a big dog like that, and cats are so easy to keep in comparison to dogs that my life just got taken over by pussy cats.
[All photos are in my Flickr set called Family Pets - check in the future for more being added.]
I also love animals. My cat passed away 2 weeks ago, would have been 17 years old in April :o( His mom refused to give birth to her kittens without me by her side, right here in this house. Anyway, at this moment, I have 1 dog (rottweiler), 1 rabbit (Netherland Dwarf), 3 budgie birds, and 5 chinchillas. I've had all sorts of different 'critters' over the years.
Alice, it is so hard to see them go, they are family. Happy 13 to you too.
Narissa, all these animals were members of my family over the last 35 years. Sadly they have all passed on since. I only have 2 cats of my own still living, they were featured last week.
Don't let the bed bugs bite. NO - seriously, don't.
Bed bugs are a real thing, not just some silly statement you say when going to bed.
I have known about this problem in Vancouver for many years when I had a bed bug scare in the building I lived in located at 955 Thurlow many years ago (2005). They blasted the apartment the bugs lived in with bug control (costly to the landlady) and several apartments next to it. Supposedly ridding the bugs. I never saw them or noticed a problem in my suite - thankfully!
Last night I saw that CTV was doing a news story on this and thought I'd note it down for you all here in blogland.
50+ years ago we used to kill them with DTT but since we now know how horrible DTT is the the life cycle of all living things, we don't use such pesticides. Bed bugs are making a come back and how!
Several web sites have been monitoring the bed bug infestation of North America, with NY hit hardest it seems. Yet Vancouver, specifically downtown Vancouver, HAS bed bugs. A great site you should look at include: BedBugger. This site include links to resources and graphic photos, including a Flickr group set up for photos, and links to news stories that relate to the ongoing Bed Bug issue.
Number one place you should check to see what is happening in your city is the following web site called Bed Bug Registry which allows people to enter info on their buildings. If you live here in Vancouver, you might be a bit surprised to see the map of Bed Bugs in Vancouver on that site, which shows the spread of Bed Bugs here in the city.
From Wiki"Bedbugs are generally active only at dawn, with a peak attack period about an hour before dawn, though given the opportunity, they may attempt to feed at other times. Attracted by warmth and the presence of carbon dioxide, the bug pierces the skin of its host with two hollow tubes. With one tube it injects its saliva, which contains anticoagulants and anesthetics, while with the other it withdraws the blood of its host. After feeding for about five minutes, the bug returns to its hiding place. The bites cannot usually be felt until some minutes or hours later, as a dermatological reaction to the injected agents.
Although bedbugs can live for a year or as much as 18 months without feeding, they typically seek blood every five to ten days. While bedbugs that go dormant for lack of food often live longer than a year, well-fed specimens typically live four to six months. Low infestations may be difficult to detect, and it is not unusual for the victim not to even realize they have bedbugs early on. Patterns of bites in a row or a cluster are typical as they may be disturbed while feeding. Bites may be found in a variety of places on the body.
Bedbugs may be erroneously associated with filth in the mistaken notion that this attracts them. However, severe infestations are often associated with poor housekeeping and clutter. Bedbugs are attracted by exhaled carbon dioxide and body heat, not by dirt, and they feed on blood, not waste. In short, the cleanliness of their environments has effect on the control of bedbugs but, unlike cockroaches, does not have a direct effect on bedbugs as they feed on their hosts and not on waste. Good housekeeping in association with proper preparation and mechanical removal by vacuuming will certainly assist in control."
Come Sail Away Mr. Roboto A Criminal Mind is happy!
[Styx - Live New Years 2007 - Mr Roboto]
(a) I've renewed my Flickr Pro account for another year. I love our dollar being on par with the US dollar. (Thanks again to Barry Doyle of Texas for gifting me the last 2 amazing years!!! Love you Barrykins!)
(b) I got free MOO cards with my renewal and also ordered some postcards. I hope they look cool. If they do I will order more. Some people might expect some mail once they arrive in a week or two.
(c) Even though I wasted my weekend trying to buy a cheap little car... I know now that saving up until summer will result in being able to buy a very nice used car which will be all mine mine mine. And BOOOOOOOOOOO to the guy who made us waste so much time coming to see a car that he sold before we got there.
{ insert random probably pointless shout out to Paula for dragging me on the dance floor at The Roxy on Saturday... hope you have a rockin' birthday girl }
(d) BOOOOOOOOO to YouTube for once again for removing a video clip from my account of me driving that had the song "Brown Eyed Girl" playing on the car radio.
"This is to notify you that we have removed or disabled access to the following material as a result of a third-party notification by Exile Productions / Van Morrison claiming that this material is infringing"
RIGHT! This shit is silly. Moral of the lesson, don't call your home video the name of a song. Retards at YouTube allow their scanning robots to do all the work without subjectively looking at what is really infringing on rights. DUH-tube!
[Strange Animal video by Gowan]
(e) Friday I get to see Gowan. I like Styx so it is all good to me, BUT the best part is Gowan. I know he is 51 now but when I was very young girl I saw the "Criminal Mind" video (1985) and fell in love with Larry, and by the next video "Strange Animal" I was so hooked. I owned his albums in vinyl record and cassette form, I won a autographed poster from Good Rockin' Tonite... So to me, getting to see Gowan once in my life will be super wicked.
(f)inally) The camera is back, so that means I don't have to spend money to get a new one. AND I can sneak pictures at the show. I would love to have a picture with Gowan taken but I am not one to go out of my way for such things.
As a silly side note (speaking of infringement): There is a very funny web site by Vancouver's Darren Barefoot called Dear Rockers. (Ironically there is a post for Gowan.) The site is very much like Post Secret, except you write a letter that donates $5 to a musical artist for which you have used, downloaded etc, music from and feel you should repay. You are supposed to photograph your letter and $5 and then actually mail it to the artist. Although I really wonder if that part happens?
You may recall back in January I started a little something I called Vancouver Vitals. My second post was called Bad Cabbies and told you the tale of our run-in with a road raging cabbie. In case you missed the follow-up comments, the police did contact the cab company and they claimed no reports of an accident or incident had been given by their drivers.
Sadly today's post is about more bad cabbies.
Since I posted that story in January several things have happened. First, although it didn't happen to me personally, it really makes me question the cab drivers of this city.
Shortly after 2 a.m. on Wednesday February 13th, someone blew up a Taco Del Mar Restaurant on Broadway Street here in Vancouver. The person who set the fire, was caught in his own explosion. He left the scene burnt.
He took TWO cabs to Surrey.
The man had burns to more than 40 per cent of his body is believed to be the nephew of co-owners Manjeet and Harjit Nandha. Manjeet Nanda killed herself, and her body was found in the water on February 15th.
I find it utterly strange that the TWO cab drivers didn't think it was odd to pick up a man who was that badly burnt and probably smoky. The police grabbed the cabs as evidence.
The next incident happened to Paul just recently, while walking across a crosswalk near his school (PAVI) a Yellow Cab nearly ran him over. Several people witnessed the incident, and Paul hit the cab on the hood with his umbrella! Do these cabbies not understand the rules of the crosswalk? He clearly saw Paul there, but continued to drive right on into him.
The last incident happened to me recently. I went out one night with a girlfriend of mine, who didn't want to drive me home, so I said I would take a cab. I called the cab company and waited. No cab arrived, so I walked for a bit in the rain and decided to call again. I was told it would be up to 15 minutes, and to not leave the location like last time. I waited. 25 minutes later I finally hailed a cab that was driving by. The cab driver told me never to call, to only hail cabs because calling for cabs is a waste of time. !!! (He also said I need new friends.)
He then proceeded to drive 85kms/per hour down the road, asked me if he could take a cut-through road, and I said okay, and he turned, and did 100kms/per hour down the cut-through road, and then 85 again down the next major road. He got me home in no time flat and asked me if I was impressed by this.
How is it okay for cabs to (a) not show up TWICE to pick up a fare, and (b) why is it okay for them to speed like that and put their passengers at risk?
Sadly some lowlife shithead motherfucker cuntbreath pisshead jerkwad scumbag STOLE my camera out of Paul's school bag at his school PAVI. I think it is pretty fucking sad that someone that can afford to pay about 20,000 or more for a school education has to steal a 3 year old piece of shit camera. It was my piece of shit though and it has pissed me off more than anyone can imagine.
Positive side... I have a really good excuse to finally buy a new camera. No way he is taking it to school anymore though, now that I know that the Pacific Audio Visual Institute has THIEVES for students.
(Oh and if someone happens to know someone with a suddenly "new" camera that is a FUJI A345 Model with Serial Number 5TA89121 - IT IS MINE!)
Any suggestions on what camera to buy? I just want a little one like I had.
Birthday Photos: I went to the Roxy Vancouver on my birthday March 4th. Thank you so much to everyone who came and to the rounds of tequila that caused havoc for all. I didn't even know the last two photos had been taken until I checked my camera days later. Amber Hope - ME - Drew Firestone
Mimzie turned me on to Entrecard, so I joined. It could be a great time consumer. I created some avatars for her, and one for myself.
Anyway, now I am off to look at what camera I should get. Cheers!
pre-written & posted by Barbara Doduk & scheduled to publish @
7:07 PM 4 comments
sorry 'bout your camera. bad karma will come the thiefs way i'm sure!!! i'm a big fan of the canon power shot digital elphi. i don't do fancy things with my camera and it's a great quality (mind you a bit on the pricey side). I'd look at the consumers reports magazines and see what they have to say about models and makes and such cheers and hugs, katie
That sucks, I know you love your camera as much as I love mine. Did you get a new one? Looks like you have some great Styx shots...what camera did you get?
I referred someone recently to a post I made last October regarding the Dove commercials that showed how advertising lies to you and sells a false idea of beauty. You can view the commercials here on my previous post. While looking at them again I noted that someone has posted this very amusing video on YouTube which is a parody of one of the commercials.
The end message is:
Thank god our perception of real life is distorted.
I only have two left now from the clan... so this is partly a trip down memory lane too.
In 1991 I got a kitty named Olivia (no pictures of her scanned) but Olivia was a wild and free spirited kitty. She would jump out windows to get outside. When I moved out in 1992 she took up to living under the house next door with a clan of wild cats. One night she came home with a gash on her paw. I sent her to live with my mom. After my car accident I moved back with my mom but Livie really had become her own cat.
So in 1994 one day I walked into the wrong pet store (looking for the one that my mom's parrots were at) and saw the cutest thing I'd ever seen. I adopted LizBeth immediately. She became my mini me. In 1995 I moved out and took the two cats with me. Later in the Fall of that year Olivia escaped the house and got into some kind of poison and when I came home one night she was terribly ill. She died. I was wrecked.
So my mom says there is this lovely cat she knows of that needs a home. I go and meet Jessica (aka Kitty) and bring her home. Then in March 1996 Lydia is adopted in to the family, my birthday gift. She was a skinny little wreck of a cat, but she cleaned up into a Princess.
Then for Christmas 1996 Theodore and Charlie came along. Brothers. Sadly Charlie had some weird stomach illness and died in the summer of 1997. He was such a loving boy and so beautiful. His brother Teddy Bear became my man, my mama's boy, and he is still to this day.
The 4 Fat Cats moved with me into my townhouse, and then into the apartment in the city. Lizbeth died of kidney failure in the summer of 2004. It wrecked me, it was so sudden. I still miss her so much. The 3 kitties moved around with me a lot these last couple of years, braving it out with their mom. Sadly Lydia died of cancer just before Christmas (2007). I miss her so much too.
Now it is just Bear and Jessa, oddly enough. I say that because when the boys came along in 1996 Jessica used to attack them and jump on them any chance she could. Bear never forgot, over the years whenever he could he made Jessa's day hell by stalking her and jumping on her (getting her back).
Now it is just the two of them...
13. Theodore Bear & his Brother Charlie December 1996
12. Lydia on the bicycle seat in the Veranda Spring/Summer 1996
11. All 5 cats having dinner in a row 1997
10. The 4 Fat Cats on a bed... Lydia is so smart to have space to herself.
09. The townhouse sliding door, I refer to this as the "Let's Get It" photo. When I moved to the townhouse in August 1997 they were no longer allowed to go outside.
08. The Lydia YAWN.
07. Lizbeth in the sink. She loved to sleep in the sink.
06. Jessica tanning her nose. 2005
05. Lydia really did sleep like this... they all did/do.
04. The 3 kitties watching birds on TV.
03. My handsome man... Theodore Bear.
02. Lizbeth really was beautiful, soul and everything. I miss her.
01. Jessica... Took this yesterday, PRICELESS FACE!
THANKS for joining me on my trip down memory lane.
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
Having a lot of net friends means I get invited to join a lot of networking social sites.
Over the years I have tried a lot of them.
"Lizzy Goes To London by Lorenzo Sperlonga"
I deleted my buzznet.com account because I like Flickr way better. Before either of those though I used deviantart to host my digTRIP and 4PhatKatz artwork and I never bothered to take them down.
There is also YouTube where I stick up little videos.
For years between 2002-2005ish I was pretty actively using the Apple Computer community called Spymac under the user digTRIP and then the offshoot web site Mellaflusia which became The Flue. Spymac became this over corporate thing and lost its appeal but I have managed to maintain a lot of cool contacts from there. I recently joined this woman's web site called Capessa.com and I belong to Crunchy's little community called Wet Coast Women (we are planning a meet up in April).
I also belong to the WUB (World United Bloggers) but admit I don't often know what to add to the blog because the people there astound me!
Then there is Last.FM which uses my iTunes and shows the site what I am listening to in my music collection (when I remember to turn it on).
I of course have my MySpace page and my Facebook profile, and I even joined that Hi5 site awhile back.
I used to be on Friendster and just rejoined for the heck of it the other day. I was a part of the Tribe.net thing but deleted my account quite a long time ago, and can't find a link to it.
I also got invited to use this site called Spock.com, which claims to be "The world's most accurate people search." I see little point in it at this stage.
The other day I got a notice that someone was checking me out using this new site called Spokeo, which I tried, and frankly it is the stalker-est of all, since it scans for emails and tells you what each person has done in all their accounts.
"Lorenzo Sperlonga - The Last Letter"
Clearly I use Blogger which I like the best, for my blogging, although I have tried WordPress briefly and may use it in the future. Over the years tried many various journals like LiveJournal and now long dead places like MyDiary or some name like that.
I use BlogRolling to keep track of other blogs I read, as well as GoogleReader. I also use Feedburner, Bloglines (not much anymore though since I have GoogleReader), I tried del.icio.us but never liked the layout format.
I joined blogger communities like MyBlogLog, SpicyPage and Blogcatalog, BlogRush... and I have an account on Bebo even though I have never used it. I have recently tried StumbleUpon. I use MyFrapper for the map down at the bottom of the blog and GuestMap. I also have an account on Slide which I used for MySpace.
Then there is Technorati and all the links you see down my sidebar.
I signed up but have yet to test out Entrecard.com. Recently Billy Warhol sent me an invite to something called Buzzfuse which I have yet to check out.
My Webbing History sums up my life online, but it hardly explains a lot about my journey. Tomorrow I will post about all the sites I use or have tried out in the last years. But what about that past? As you may recall I recently posted an old link to wiredSecret.com that is still online on the web site Published.com.
Why am I bringing this up?
Recently I reunited with an old school friend. (Not the one who recently phoned me up out of the blue but another one.) We hung out on my birthday and it was like no time had passed. She met a new friend of mine and the three of us clicked. We got to talking about witches and my new friend says to me, you're a witch. I smiled and said, I know but don't tell anyone.
What is witchcraft? Not the Hollywood bullshit that you probably know. Or the hateful images that religions created relating it to the Devil.
Pagan religions are really more akin to what Native Indians practiced. A unity of earth, the planet, the spirits, the animals, the way in which everything on earth should co-exists.
If anything I would consider myself more of a Shaman. But I will always state as I do with this blog... I am love. I am god. That's god with a little "g". I've explained this before, how we all are connected, we all are god, we all are love, equally we all are hate, and we all are death. We all have the power in us to decide which we will project.
Years ago, I had considered changing my name. I used it to write poetry under this name and even had a website under this name... The name I picked was Fate Innana Shamash.
How I came to use these names:
Shamash was the common Akkadian name of the sun-god and god of justice in Babylonia and Assyria, corresponding to Sumerian [god named] Utu. Together with Sin and Ishtar, Shamash forms a second triad... The three powers, Sin, Shamash and Ishtar, symbolized the three great forces of nature, the sun, the moon and the life-giving force of the earth.
Sumerian culture dates back to 5300 BC, that is over 7000 years ago. The major forms of writing began in the Uruk period: 4100-2900 BC, which evolved into the Akkadian Empire period: ca. 2334-2218 BC.
Inanna is the Sumerian goddess of sexual love, fertility, and warfare. The Akkadians called her Ishtar.
In many texts it notes that Shamash (Utu) & Inanna (Ishtar) were twins, brother and sister.
Fate is destiny, an inevitable course of events.
pre-written & posted by Barbara Doduk & scheduled to publish @
10:01 PM 3 comments
I have been fighting a terrible flu thing that is horrible, all week I've been sick. I am always tired. When I woke up today, my eye was crusted shut. Weee. What kind of nasty bugs are out there? At least my glands and neck are no longer swollen and my throat isn't all sore. At least my voice is back. Weeeee. I can't understand how much I have been sick lately. I think it is constant exposure to a lot of people. How many people come and go from a bank everyday? Germs germs germs.
I am tired. I feel sick. I'm breaking out. Serves me right for passing out falling asleep with my make up on. My skin is so sensitive. Thankfully it also makes me look young. I was born at 2:55 AM. I think I naturally born to be up late into the dark night. I picked up my shoes from the cobbler. He did a wonderful job, they look brand new. I tried on clothing. What is the matter with so much fashion? I hated it all, it is ugly. I think I will be forever in Blue Jeans.
Anyway, I thought I would pass along a little list of some of my favorite places online... at least some I can think of while I type this before bed while listening to the news...
People You'll See In Hell posts stories showing he rest of us just how the world is going to hell... there are no new souls.
I used it to create the following Love Blog button.
Use it if you like. Or don't.
I spend free time on YouTube - I love being able to watch old videos and to check out crazy car crashes, airplane crashes, and all sorts of kooky things.
I love this site http://www.therealmalingering.com/ because she posts photos of "the world as it exists" and this is the way the world sees it.
Earth Files. The REAL X-files. I read this way way way too much. One of her recent stories regarding the fungus that is killing 90-97% of the Myotis lucifugus (Little Brown) bats in NY is heart breaking. You know I have always had a thing with bats. Since I was a small child I have seen bats, I tattooed bats on my ankles and intend to tattoo them on my arms. It is heart breaking to see such devastating events happening to these bats. I have also seen the reports on another web site I support and visit called Bat Conservation International (Batcon.org is on my sidebar).
Finally,
Thanks to Mimzie for the birthday card, and to Katie in Ottawa for her birthday card. That s the best mail. Now if only my tax refund would arrive int he mail.
I hope some folks come down tomorrow night to celebrate with me. I sent out the invite on Facebook. I know I poo-pooed the site in its beginning. I caved in to using it due to the friends on there. Now I have family on there and have used all the privacy features to help protect myself. I also adore that they have added the ability to block all the silly programs as soon as you get an invite. I like playing Scramble and Scrabble on there. Although I read that the Scrabble folks think that the game is piracy.
Okay, I need sleep. I will go now, that's all this brain can handle.
I thought I would pass along these videos that Billy Warhol emailed to me. (Also thanks for the Dubai photos.)
Since I laughed so hard about them, in case you haven't seen them this is them.
Jimmy Kimmel's girlfriend made this video titled "I'm Fucking Matt Damon":
So Jimmy Kimmel put together his retort, "I'm Fucking Ben Affleck":
Some people get all pissy and say stuff like "I guess they can waste money on these things" but come on, this is entertainment!!
I think everyone can say other people waste a lot of time and money on things we personally don't see the sense in, but that is what makes this world so fucking fantastic, IT TAKES ALL KINDS. Fat people, thin people, beautiful people, ugly people, real people and fake people, athletes, slobs, nerds & geeks, construction workers, billionaire socialites, homeless people, junkies, beauty queens and flaming queens... not all of us see the sense in the things other people do with their time. But we allow them to have gay parades, sci-fi conventions, blogger camps, beauty pageants, hot dog eating contests, Fear Factor TV shows, American Idol, the Olympics, and cat shows. The world is full of diverse people doing diverse things that not everyone will agree on the validity of. That's life.
And BTW I'm still laughing at you. That's life too.
Last night was Paul's parents moving away party. Phil & Barbara leave to finally relocate up to Penticton where they are building their retirement home. They were tanned from spending December- February in Mexico. Retirement should be a blast. I am looking forward to water skiing on the lake in the summer.
But I will miss them. They are wonderful people and I love them. I mean it, I really do love them. They are fun people and they always tell me how much they love me, which I have to believe is genuine. I spent a good time talking to Paul's sister Joanne. Last Friday I spent two hours on the phone with her. She is like a sister, giving me advice, and caring what happens. She lives up in Kelowna. So summers will be nice, to be able to head up there and see all of them. I am looking forward to my vacation time this year... but who can look after my cats?
When we all posed for a group photo (which will hopefully be emailed my way soon) one of their good friends accidentally grabbed my boob, and she was laughing and said, I accidentally grabbed your daughter-in-law's breast. Paul immediately had to interject that I am just his girlfriend. You see, those are the types of things that HURT. We all know I am not Phil's daughter-in-law but we don't have to point it out like that. What was the big deal? After Paul's antics Wednesday night I almost posted a very long personal blog post titled "Give Them an Inch and They Take A Mile." Oh he was sorry the next day, down right concerned about it all but by Friday night he was right back into his usual self making those types of comments that hurt me. We arrived late last night which I am sure he blames me for (but insisted previously that it was okay) but then he insisted on sitting apart from everyone, which I am sure makes it look like it is me keeping Paul apart from every one. But I would have gone and sat with everyone, I even suggested it. Sure I don't do Karaoke. That is because I have terrible stage fright. I am not against other people doing it. It was fun to watch. Don't make me out to be some bitch because of it.
On the topic of me being a total bitch...
I know most of my friends/readers who read this blog won't take the time to go back and read an older post but I thought I would take the time to mention it. I wrote a post on February 19th called "Blogging Isn't My Life". It seems that my sarcasm wasn't too openly accepted by someone who has added the link to his twitter stating: "Local blogger lady knocked Northern Voice and anyone conceited enough to want to go. I had to comment." And comment he did, last night at 2:30 in the morning. I think I was driving home from Maple Ridge at that time, you know having a life. Anyway I will just let you all take a look at his comment and my reply, if you care.
On that note, I would like to point out that this blog post has not been pre-written.
I consider this my diary in a a lot of ways. My scrapbook of topics and events of my life, the people around me, my observations, my interests... If I pre-write things like the "Wordless Wednesday" and "Thursday Thirteen" posts, if I pre-write topics like "Good Looking Men", I don't think it takes away from the fact this is a personal diary that I primarily do for me.
Do you?
pre-written & posted by Barbara Doduk & scheduled to publish @
2:22 PM 0 comments
♥ The Love Blog by Vancouver Blogger Barbara Doduk ♥
A personal view of the world from a hopeful human being longing for a world of love, for an earth called Unity. Barbara Doduk was born in and resides in Vancouver British Columbia Canada and writes about her life, her city and her views on the world.
HOMETOWN: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
LIVING IN:
White Rock, BC
ABOUT ME: Barbara Doduk has had a web site since 1997, which included a journal. She started a web site to promote her creative writing, poetry and photography interests. Over the last 10 years the www has evolved and so has web journalling or as it is now known "blogging".
THE LOVE BLOG is her main personal journal.
WIREDSECRET is her poetry weblog.
THE UNITY PROJECT is her world wide photograph collection for unity.
After the last tree has been cut down,
after the last river has been poisoned,
after the last fish has been caught,
then will you find that money cannot be eaten.
♥THE LOVE BLOG♥ presents: ♥THE SPREADER OF LOVE♥ ♥AWARD♥
All I ask in return for presenting this award to anyone blogging out there, is that you include the following information in the blog post along with the image below:
This blog has been awarded The Spreader of Love Award created by The Love Blog, for an outstanding demonstration of blogging love.
Beautiful Scenery. My goodness. Keep up the good Blog.