airborne confessions

shameless promotion

2008-08-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

Re-directing to www.stephaniekiernan.blogspot.com

2008-08-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

times they are a changin

2008-08-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

MAINSTREAM MELANCHOLY is here.
I think you're gonna like it.

2008-08-14T13:03:00.001-07:00

The end of days is coming for this blog. I'm getting attached to the new baby.

No more rants...well maybe just one more

2008-08-12T18:31:00.001-07:00

This blog is getting dull and I'm in need of new inspiration. I'm working on a new one. HERE it is. Give me your feedback. I like how the address is my name - stephaniekiernan.blogspot.com. I also like that it's a new, updated layout.

Can't make this anymore creative at this very moment since Steve's arrived and I've cooked dinner.

The world is crazy. Thank God for Blogs.

Fragmented Annoyances

2008-08-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

The newly released The Tracey Fragments COULD have been a great movie, but in an effort to be an alternative art film, the creators decided to make the ENTIRE film in screen fragments. Like this:

It is TOTALLY ANNOYING AND A BLOODY SHAME. Cause it's so depressing and heeds a stellar performance by Ellen Page and I would have loved it if I didn't have to take a Gravol to watch it.

Whoever's idea it was to be "arty", you had an incredibly bad idea.

The RCMP need to get OUT of the bear shooting business

2008-08-07T12:58:00.001-07:00

Just another of my Animal Rants:

Sadly, another black bear has been killed by an RCMP officer. This is the third bear killed this week. Just yesterday a woman was attacked in her own driveway in Coquitlam. Fine - call the police.

But don't we want to know WHERE THE HELL ARE THE CONSERVATION OFFICERS? Why aren't we tranquilizing them and taking them away??? Normally these animals don't display aggressive and random behaviour. It's a rare thing. People aren't "getting eaten" by black bears in B.C. Poor little bear. We've taken up all their habitat in Coquitlam and Port Moody and we expect that we can just kill them off. Do these creatures really deserve to be shot?

And the maniac that murdered, decapitated and canibalized the innocent passenger last week aboard the Greyhound, (with several people witnessing) - he doesn't deserve to be shot on the spot?

I just don't get it.

Wishing little Dewey would get better fast

2008-08-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

Some not-so good news on the East Coast. Little Dewey's feeling sick and he's gone to the Veterinary Hospital to get checked out. He's staying overnight though. I know that horrible feeling when these little guys get sick and you have to turn your trust over to some doctor you don't know. It's awful to come home and know that they aren't there. It's just horrible.

But he'll be okay. Don't worry Ashley, Dewey will be back to rip up your favorite shoes in no time. We love it when they do things like that.

All day at the beach and I'm still white.

2008-08-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

I started out early today at West Vancouver but it was too busy. So I packed myself up and made my way to Cates Park.

And then when I got to Cates Park, I set up on the beach. But that was uncomfortable - too hot and bumpy on the gravel shore. I decided I needed a bit of shade. Who am I kidding - I can't take full sun!

Can you say WHITE?
This spot was perfect. I had partial shade from the maple on the right of me and a bit of buffer from the bramble bush to the left.
And I still got a view of the water.

Geist is Vancouver's literary mag. It's comparable to The New Yorker if you ask me.

I could keep an eye on the brat children from a distance. Everyone kept to themselves. Perfect.
My car was in eye shot. Not like I had to make a getaway or anything. Just handy is all.

Time to go.

The dining niche

2008-08-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

Since I moved in to this apartment five years ago, I've wanted something done with the weeny dining niche. For a few years I have thought about getting rid of the china cabinet and my glass bistro table with wrought iron chairs - it just never worked. The table was round and too small to accommodate more than two people. I thought about doing a built in banquet but it was difficult to get someone to build one for me. Plus it would be a expense that perhaps wouldn't be worth it - whatever it was it would be left in the apartment when I sell. The owners below me gave me the idea of the Ikea bookcase - it's double duty as a built in bench seat was perfect. The baskets below hold almost everything that was in the cabinet. I had the bench together without anything else in the room for quite some time. I had a few ideas on chairs from Ikea and on one visit with John we browsed through the "As Is" section. These chairs were sitting there. They were on my wish-list and now sitting there at 40% off with a tag that read "assembled" - ah, perfect! I didn't have to pay $90 each for them AND they were put together! Fantastic.

Yesterday we went drove out to Ikea for 10:00AM opening - with the rest of the schmucks that had nothing else to do on the long weekend. I decided on the table a while back when I hadn't any luck at the antique shops. My first pick was something really old like a shabby farmhouse table. But this little table is quite perfect with its drop down leafs. I could have it four different ways - tucking it up against the wall keeps the space open. I love this little corner now and I don't think I'll wallpaper after all.

The last thing to do is find a dining light fixture.

I love milk glass and although my collection pales compared to my cousin Casey's, I still showcase the few pieces I have.

This metal shelf item I found several years ago in the trash. I recently sprayed it shiny black. I just love it now.
The glasses on the second shelf I purchased at a garage sale five years ago and the salt and pepper caddy I took from my brother's garage sale. I didn't pay him. Oh well.

It's Saturday morning - cloudy

2008-08-02T10:19:00.001-07:00

And while I should be ripping out everything in my messy pantry and hall closet, organize things, it's more perfect for me to plug in "There Will Be Blood". We'll see what all the fuss is all about.

One of REM's darkest songs

2008-07-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

This flower is scorched
This film is on
On a maddening loop
These clothes
These clothes don't fit us right
I'm to blame
It's all the same
It's all the same

Crazy what you could've had.
Crazy what you couldn't have.

Driving back from IGA this was playing on some obscure radio station at the end of the dial

2008-07-27T14:48:00.001-07:00

It brought back memories - of the schmuck I dated in grade 9 and the many schmucks I would date from there on in.

I bet they don't have that on the pub's juke box

2008-07-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Me: "Hey Rossi - do you remember this song?"
Rossi: "Woah! That's goin back. "
Me: "I know - does anyone even remember Bread???"

It's a 70's weekend folks. It starts with Seals and Croft "Summer Breeze". I still think that's the best Summer song.

Sun, surf, sand, fish & chips: excellent day off

2008-07-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

The main drag of White Rock is still a bustling place, even on a Monday afternoon. I'd hate - George Harvey - would hate to see it on a Saturday. But we finally made it to "Charlie Don't Surf" for lunch. Then we drove along Crescent Road and down to Crescent Beach - much more civilised. Every other home along that stretch had a flag. It was quaint, very Americana.

These pictures are not in order - it took me an hour to upload these - I don't know what the hell I'm doing wrong.

Murder, vampirism, cannibalism, drug addiction, alcoholism, sadism, mutilation - good grief

2008-07-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

Dan reminded me of the scariest film I saw as a kid...

I don't know what's more terrifying, films from the early 70's or Roddy Mcdowall.

I can't believe my parents let us watch this. It was Christmas Eve in 1978. Unbelievably scary.

So Hartwick's got a camera

2008-07-21T09:42:00.000-07:00

Look out Blogville, Hartwick's bought himself a camera and his blog will never be the same. Good for him! He and a bunch of other lucky smarty-pants are going to the world's greatest city - New York - next month, so the camera purchase was totally necessary. My only advice to him is he better keep it away from The Office patio. That could lead to some horrific outcomes - very incriminating.

The other advice - posting photos on your blog can be a pain - like today. Blogger will spin and spin and spin and still not upload the darn things. It's a bugger sometimes. Here's what I could accomplish in an hour of waiting for photos to upload.

This weekend I sorted out a bunch of things - the final items with renewing my mortgage, paying off debt, washing the Sebring and even doing a load of laundry. That was all before noon on Saturday. Not bad for the world's worst procrastinator. I had my afternoon nap (Saturday always includes one - about 15-20 minutes), then drove out to Cates Park for a family barbecue, concert get-together. I haven't been out to Cates Park in years - what a nice spot - it's quiet, spacious, sand and lawn areas, concession and lous, all on the Inlet.

Sarah and Emma

Every Saturday in July and August they have their Cates For The Cure Concert Series. Linda's son Cody performed with his friend Cheyenne but unfortunately I just missed them because my nap ran overtime. After there were another four groups - excellent little musicians actually.

Emma with her cake and candy bracelet - what more does a girl want?

I brought Emma those candy bracelets-she no sooner put them on and ate them. I would have worn them for a few hours myself.

Dan showed up and sat with Dad and I - Dad was holding a can of Budweiser out in the open - I told him that he should put it in a plastic cup or something- "Nah, to hell with that" to which Linda's older brother says "Yeah, whatta they gonna do - arrest a smart dressed 60 year old gentlemen right out the park?" Ah, yeah, besides Garry being 79 and not 60, that's exactly what they'd do Randy. I only wish I had taken a photo of that. Anyways, the RCMP didn't haul my dad off and he did only enjoy the one beer. Dan had cider and I had wine in a coffee travel mug. Keep it classy, eh.

Dan and I went to Steve's for dinner around 6:30 and then the dreaded Hurricane Grill to see Joey and his band play.

I drank Vodka - absolutely gross. I hate vodka and it hates me. It only leads to Dan and I sitting in front of the Mac playing old 70's music til 1 AM. God we're losers.

The Moz Crew Requirements

2008-07-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

As per Morrissey-Solo today, this is the list of demands for Morrissey's Isreal concert. I love how much insight this gives us!

Morrissey demands a private car with a professional driver available to drive him at any time. The car must be black with dark windows: if a Mercedes S-500 is not available, then a Lexus, BMW or Jaguar will also be accepted.
Morrissey's "star" room must be lit but not by fluorescent. It should have a corner with plants and flowers, and the room should be ventilated, with air-conditioning that can be turned on and off from inside the room. The tables for food and drinks should be covered with tablecloths.
In the artist's room during the concert there will be:
A clean wireless electric water boiler.
Ceylon teabags.
Packs of Kleenex tissues and paper towels.
A quality natural-scent candle: for example, figs, green tea, orange blossom or vanilla.
250g quality vegetarian cheddar cheese from Ireland or New Zealand.
Organic milk, 2% fat.
Six large bottles of Fiji or Volvic mineral water.

Two bottles of Corona Beer.
A bottle of Fanta Orange.

A carton of freshly squeezed organic orange juice, no sweeteners.
Whole-wheat bread only.
Kerrygold Salted butter

Organic marmalade with no gelatin.
Fries made from organic potatoes with no salt, plus one pack of Cheez-It crackers, red or white cheese flavor
A small variety of fresh fruits, including apples and bananas.
A small pack of rich, organic muesli.
A small bag of cashew nuts, roasted, not salted
Six large clean white towels. Six medium-sized clean white towels.
In the bathroom: "If possible, separate bathrooms and showers for artist and band rooms. They should be completely clean during the whole time!"
A private bathroom only for Morrissey – a must.
Police or security: There will be no uniformed policemen present backstage or between the barriers, unless asked by the production or the artist.
"Morrissey does not tolerate any sort of violent or aggressive behavior from any crew member, security guard or policeman. Everyone shall be treated equally and with dignity at any time."
Merchandise and sales: Products such as glow sticks, large fruits, balls and other items and products that can cause damage if hurled at people or at the stage will not be sold at the venue. Drinks will be sold in paper or plastic cups, including water.
Catering: All food should be vegetarian. For everyone. Including all crews, stands and attendants inside the venue and in its vicinity. If there is a barbeque spot nearby, the artists' room should be placed so that the wind will not be in their direction. All food should be fresh and healthy and mineral water should be supplied all the time. A balanced diet must be kept and upheld.
Dinner for Morrissey:
Kitchen should be stocked with the following for the artist: peas, spinach, carrots – all steamed. Roasted potatoes and grilled asparagus. Pasta – only with simple tomato sauce. Morrissey does not eat any kind of chili or spices. In addition, the food in the venue (whether sold at the stands or brought by the audience) shall be completely vegetarian – meat will not be allowed inside the venue

Dame Mirren looking fabulous

2008-07-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite actresses, this is Helen Mirren. She's supposed to be 63-years-old. Here she is looking amazingly fabulous with the body of a 30 year old.

link from Huffington Post.

I never missed an episode of Prime Suspect.

Two things today....

2008-07-15T17:59:00.000-07:00

1. Happy quattro-quattro to George Harvey; and
2. People are a pain in the ass.

the early 90's could be dicey for music...

2008-07-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

OMG - I forgot about this early 90's song by 38 Special until the other night, unable to sleep, tuning in crackling late night AM radio. Try not to LOOK at the video, just listen to it. It's much less scary. I'm going to download the song and have it on a CD before noon. No wonder I'm depressed.

Old Fashioned BBQ...kinda

2008-07-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

Love this Flickr photo

What other music shenanigans can I get up to? Well last night George Harvey had his annual Summer Barbecue in celebration of his mom's 75 Birthday which included sirloins, potatoes, corn, and my special tomato-basil-bocconcini skewers with balsamic reduction and garlic bread; then cake - my stomach kinda hurts from all that food.

We played a ton of 70's music and some Frank Sinatra. The 70's Collection was part of a Steve Jones download from a few weeks ago. All about his quest for Walter Egan's classic and one-hit-wonder "Magnet and Steel". Lame or what? Steve Jones is totally obsessed with those types of 1970's hits. But, really, who in that age group isn't? So I found THIS weird/strange/funny video for Dan.

I'll be alright

2008-07-12T09:30:00.001-07:00

On that last note, Martha Wainwright.

Absence makes the heart grow fungus

2008-07-12T07:52:00.001-07:00

Flickr Credit

Forget the fact that I've been flatlined in blogville, I feel as though I've simply disappeared. Perhaps it's part of the sink in effect of losing mon amies in cube-de-ville - God I miss Aubrey, Lianne and of course Marni. I'm all alone - a state I've been fighting off like a crazed banchee. But to no avail. I've been clinically depressed more than once in my life. An episode can start off like a obnoxious uninvited guest throwing themselves through your door. Other times it will just shade a corridor and slowly take over your world, filling it with black (I wear black on the outside because black is how I feel on the inside).

What brings them on? I don't know. It's a constant state for some. I'm more likely to experience brief periods of relief and I really couldn't say I've experienced joy in my life. I'm the one with the black cloud overhead and when that cloud disappears for moments of reprieve, I can write, decorate, work, be a great daughter, a fabulous friend and a shiny person. When that cloud hangs over me, I can't manage much at all. So that's where I am if anyone was wondering.

Besides great blogs like Fakehandbags v3.0 and Honk If You're A Knob to keep me from complete comatose state, I found this a blog entitled "I'm Just About To Get Skinny". Another soul mate in cyberspace. I love her meme entry because it made me laugh out loud - the only positive sound that's been in my apartment aside from Bud's maaaaahs, in weeks.

My favorite flower

2008-07-07T18:33:00.001-07:00

The peonies this year (2008) were simply amazing. They grew so tall and lush with buds, once the blooms were full, the stems curved toward the soil. Pink petals with streaks of fushia inside. Beautiful. I've tied them back up as good as possible. It was a bit late to do so however. Next year we will place one of those taller cages around it so as it grows, the stems won't bend and break. I cut several for the apartment - such an elegant site in white milk glass vases. Two posies for the sitting room, one for the bathroom. I just hate to see them go and fade away. They blooms remaining are almost white now. But still like a feather boa, soft and fluffy. Til next June.

Band of Horses

2008-07-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

If you like Sparklehorse or Built To Spill, you'll adore this band. I play both albums "Everything All The Time" and "Cease To Begin" a lot. It's just music I never tire of. The other day I went in to a local women's clothing store and there was that unmistakable sound playing. I asked the store manager if it was Band of Horses. She wasn't sure so she went over to the counter to collect their playlist, saying they never play top 40 (top 40 being a swear word in my presence). Sure enough, it was. It was a song I hadn't listened to yet. The moment I arrived back at my apartment, I got on my iTunes and just reveled in it's soaking guitar churns and Ben's brilliant phrasing. Love these guys.

Blogger still sucks so...

2008-07-01T00:41:00.000-07:00

Dan J, Joe W and I went to Matthew Good on Thursday. As a music Nerd/Nazi I just have to affirm that (a) he is the most brilliant male vocalists today; and (2) if he were anymore talented, he'd walk on water.

This guy composes every piece of music he plays - then plays guitar, piano and sings like nobody's business. He leaves it all on the floor. Check out this video from the other night.

Thursday at the Orpheum was a crazy great performance. - Although I hate using that word. "Seals perform". I don't know - but it was awesome.

Blogger photo upload is a drag at the moment

2008-06-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

Only a few photos from the mini-road trip because they don't want to upload off my Mac. Silly Blogger.

Alvey Singer, I love your neurotic tendancies

2008-06-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

I should have plugged in my Annie Hall dvd the other night. Instead I rented Control a few nights ago. Man Ian Curtis was bummed out. He makes Morrissey look like Sponge Bob Squarepants in comparison. So unfortunately I think the film worsened my condition of recent malaise.

I'm seriously thinking of getting a black t-shirt with this on it:

Life is full of loneliness, misery, suffering, and unhappiness - and it's all over much too quickly.

What?

And another thing - I just want to reiterate the Old Hag's message to the men in her life:

Please stop referring to me as any/all of the following*:
Sad, hurt, angry, resentful, broken, bitter, disillusioned, cynical, impassioned, despairing, disillusioned, delusional, tired, negative.

If I've had a rough day, I need a smooth chocolate

2008-06-20T06:17:00.000-07:00

The above video gave me a chuckle. I think it's her accent that gives her the best edge.

This next one though - it's the best:

The Dove Chocolate Campaign continues. I received an email from the marketing company promoting the new Dove Chocolates. YOU too could receive your "Dove Chocolate Pleasure Kit" by completing THIS SURVEY. I've given all my chocolate away. Unfortunately chocolate isn't my problem.

Footloose

2008-06-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

I couldn't bring myself to placing a image for this post. It's way tooooo gross. It's pretty creepy and I clearly remember last summer hearing of the first two feet which were discovered in the Gulf Islands and thinking "that is too flippin weird! Must be drug related." Even CNN is catching up on this mystery.

But now yesterday afternoon as I was driving out to one of the showhome sites, I hear on the radio that foot number 6 was found in Campbell River. It's getting totally out of hand don't you think? Folks are calling in to local radio shows speculating how this could happen or what it means. One man said he thinks it's a Crematorium staff member trying to cheap out and loose the cadavers in the ocean. First - I don't think they'd be leaving running shoes on. And why only the foot showing up?

It's pretty clear to me that this has to do with the flourishing drug trade here in Vancouver. The drug dealers are mean - they're probably chaining these people to heavy concrete and letting them off a boat in the Fraser River. The foot gets loose and that's all we're finding. That's my theory. I bet I'm right.

I like Ash's post - excellent choice of photo. Leave it to a New Yorker to bring on the comedy. The classic Monty Python is totally fitting.

Icky Sunday Blues give way to Monday Yucks.

2008-06-16T13:56:00.001-07:00

I found it - the proof substantiating my chronic condition of the Sunday Blues. Check out this article from the New York Times.

All I have to say is yuck.
And thanks to Flickr for this great shot above.

Monday Morning

2008-06-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

Flickr Find.

For first thing Monday Becks and I doing an interview at 9:00 for the position that sits next to me. The position has traditionally been held by a gal. This interviewee is a guy. That should shake things up around there. One thing I know is it shouldn't be hard having a guy work for me. I know how to tell a guy what to do.

The past is, well the past.

2008-06-11T22:29:00.000-07:00

THIS is the super exciting post where nothing happens. I'm way too tired. And depressed. So, it's rather short and I may come back to augment it later, but for now, this is all I have to type.

Moving Sucks...luckily it's not me, but it's actually worse. It's my mom.

Yes, my mom is moving. It's sad. It's sad for me because change is my challenge. And even worse, the phone number we first got when we moved to the North Shore in 1979 was retired (play the sad closing music from Out Of Africa here). And she received her new 778 area code number for her new place in...SURREY (this is where the music from Psycho comes in).

Found this great photo on Flickr. I don't know if it shows, but I'm a visual person. I have to attach an image to my posts.
I'm a little less depressed because today I called Telus and retrieved the number. So the telephone number since I was in grade 6 will be my new number commencing....again this is exciting and weird...on June 21st. So exactly five years and on the exact same day (a Saturday), as I viewed this quaint flat and made my offer to purchase it, I will inherit me mum's telephone number - my old telephone number.

So I can be reached after June 20th, at 988-9994. Cool eh? So I'm not putting my head in the oven quite yet as I have a new phone number to live for.

Me. Pathetic. And, unremarkably dressed.

I have forgiven Morrissey

2008-06-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

Another "Walking" video - strange how many there are. That latest one, "All You Need Is Me" actually made me chuckle. There's a blog who's author has listed all these "Morrissey Walks". Check out their very valid point HERE.

I love this one though. I cannot resist the lyrics: "Monday - humiliation, Tuesday - suffocation, Wednesday - condescension, Thursday - is pathetic, By Friday life has killed me, By Friday life has killed me, Oh pretty one, Oh pretty one"....

and then this line "And why did you stick me in self deprecating bones and skin?"

I think I found another funeral song.

Happy Birffday pop

2008-06-06T06:44:00.000-07:00

Today is June 6th, my dad's birthday. For a change, he decided to take the day off work. Wow. What a luxury - taking a whole entire day off.

He's going to his favorite restaurant for lunch, Hy's, with my brother Chris. I'll be schlepping away in cube-de-ville so I can't make it. There, Chris will order a Scotch and Dad will order a gin martini and they'll both have the New Yorker with funny Ryan potatoes.

He'll get back home (after 2 Hy's martinis I don't know) and feed his cat Franklin, maybe watch some telee - see what the fuss is all about with "the Oprah Show", then later, Garry and I will go for dinner at Brown's in Best Vancouver. There, I will read him the unfamiliar menu, make suggestions and describe food that isn't Hy's menu items, will have vin rouge and discuss music, literature, my future travel plans, politics for sure and wonder about how wonderful it would be if Michael and Dolly just up and left California for Vancouver.

So, there you have it. A birthday day of a 79-year-old guy with a super great lid. I WONDER when my dear old dad's going to retire and resume real life? If he plans on living until he's ninety, then he's only planning for 11 years of freedom. What is it with this guy? I can't wait to retire. Sheesh!

Anyways, it's always a special day when you can spend some time with someone you love and mark their birthday. Think of the alternative.

My Sunday evenings are less depressing with my BBC/PBS

2008-06-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

I subjected Dan to an episode of Rosemary and Thyme Sunday evening. I watch this in order to keep my Sunday Blues at bay. It helps. It didn't do much for Dan. He left half way through the show.

A few years ago I couldn't miss a weekly installment of Cold Feet on PBS.

I fell in love with James Nesbitt right then and there. For the latest James Nesbitt, I watched the entire Jekyll series. Again, PBS had a Jekyll marathon. Excellent telee.

In the words of Withnail and I...I'm making time

2008-06-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

Rather depressed and tired of late so I'm catching up on some posting...this is also something I'd like to get my hands on - the entire BBC documentary "The Importance of Being Morrissey".

I hate airports too.

In this last clip there's Morrissey with his very own portable record player...

I want that - and the red record too

2008-06-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

Okay - WHERE can I get one of these things?!

My latest obsession - old record players...

It probably started in the early 1970's when this is all I had:

It's 1976 all over again

2008-06-05T21:10:00.000-07:00

Ironically I came across this video by Caribou yesterday just before Dan called me to tell me to turn to channel 27. Caribou sounds eerily like Steve Miller. Dan was alerting me to a reunion concert airing where Steve Miller was performing - the song was Fly Like An Eagle. I loved that song back in grade 3 (I really was in grade 3 or 4 - totally ahead of the other chump kids who were probably listening to their parents' Roger Whitacker albums), when I first heard it.

But I gotta tell you, I sure hated it last night. The Steve Miller Band sounded like a third-rate house band in a two-bit, dilapidated caberet in Kamloops. No kidding. It was so awful Dan called me back to say "That was awful." Yeah. No fricken kidding.

Anyhow, Caribou - not Steve Miller, but as close to 1976 as you wanna get.

The Office

2008-06-05T06:46:00.000-07:00

POST EDIT: I have to direct you to this FLICKR shot.

Yesterday we had a little tenseness going on with our head office and our on-site sales centre staff. It has to do with how emails are read, perceived, misinterpreted and how a little distance can go a long way. In this case, downtown on the 20th floor, we have several folks running around at high speed with a lot of things to do - generally in the office around 7:30 am and there until after 6pm. In our sales presentation centres, we have folks who work from noon til 6pm and they unaware of the high stress activity that goes on in the office. Unfortunately our Design department sent an email to me about some exterior colour scheme on a home along with a note about how these seem to be going missing a lot lately - or something like that. Her comment wasn't directed at that particular sales centre, it was mainly to me since they hit my desk before they get distributed to the sales centres and construction sites. For the last two weeks we've been dealing with MIA Exterior Schemes - particularly with Construction.

Well, the sales centre staff member I called was not impressed with the email sub text. He thought it was attitude coming his way. He actually said, "I don't like the attitude coming from that office lately". Wow. When I called to let him know it had nothing to do with them, I assured him that it was not a problem for us to resend it. I didn't take to his attitude either. Afterall, it's real work downtown at head office. We're busy in a different way. Sometimes it's impossible for sales staff to understand life at "the office". We have a whole different host of items to deal with down there. And people are stressed out trying to keep all the balls in the air.

It's email confusions like this that you can stay calm for a while, but eventually, it leads to this:

Boxers

2008-06-03T13:52:00.000-07:00

Nostalgia

2008-06-01T21:34:00.001-07:00

For Dan

Sunday, over the rainbow

2008-06-01T21:17:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl, my dad's family, who are all in Edmonton (except Aunt Moira in Spokane), use to refer to me as "Dorffy". I was a little obsessed by The Wizard of Oz. I also loved singing. I sang this song when I was around 4 years old. I couldn't pronounce Dorothy and my singing, like most children, wasn't great. You could imagine my Aunts' delight to hear me over and over and over and over again, try to get this song straight. See, I've always been subjecting people to things I love.

On a side note, today is June 1st and it's Marilyn Monroe's birthday. She would have turned 82. Hard to imagine. I've read every book on her - I began an obsession for Marilyn when I was about 13. Somewhere Over The Rainbow was played at her funeral. That would have been Joe's idea.

Departures and Arrivals

2008-05-28T19:08:00.000-07:00

This is what arrived today..

Get a load of the date of issuance.

May 22nd - Morrissey's birthday. What are the odds?

I guess I should have arranged a hair coloring ahead of the May 12th visit to the photographer. Bugger.

Practicing my Passport Pose...let's just say if it turned out as bad as this, it would have been better.

Now I just need my Ativan. And a travel itinerary.

Dream Jobs

2008-05-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

"Workin for the man - Stephanie knows all about that", he said as I hid behind a pint of orange beer on the smoky pub patio. Boy, was he right.

I've spent most of my adult life in a position of no power and in fear of being without employment, even though I have had employment since I was 17 years old. Well, actually, I did go without a job for a year when I was married. And not because he was just so great he wanted me to go back to school and be brilliant. No, I lost a job that I was terrifically proud of and beyond capable of doing. I worked with a great bunch of folks - one in particular who happened to be my manager/boss. He was, is brilliant. He gave me opportunity and believed in me. He understood what I understood - if you can understand that. I worshipped Doug like a wannabe musician might worship David Bowie.

So, I had this job where I met the best of Vancouver's building consultants, interior designers, architects, landscape architects and marketing people. They all contributed to this fantastic community we were building in North Nanaimo called Longwood. Unfortunately we hit the market running when the market was running out of steam. We did everything 110% and we all believed in this little gem of a development that included great design, the best of materials (real granite stone - Doug would say "Cultured Stone is neither". You can only know what he means if you know what Cultured Stone is), a master planned community with a shopping centre component and even our very own brewpub.

Every step of that process, Doug would engage people. Not just the folks that worked for the company, but the people who lived in the homes surrounding our nine acre property, the people at City Hall, and of course, the people who would be purchasing these condos and living there. He had the best attitude toward our purchasers. He'd be getting them in hard hats and steel-toed boots and treking them through the framing of a building and demonstrating everything from our soundproofing to the kiln-dried lumber piles stocked in the underground parkade.

As marketing manager, I worked 50/50 on site and in the office. When I was onsite, I'd be whipping through buildings under construction with my green hard-hat and ugly boots, checking that the right materials like tile and paint was getting installed as per our spec. We'd make calls on the spot to change the height of mouldings or a fireplace surround - yeah, me, because Doug knew I had an eye for it. He'd leave me with architectural drawings to go over while on the ferry back to the Mainland. I'd mark up drawings for which way the sliding door should slide from, where the electrical plugs, cable and telephone outlets should be - yes there was an Electrical Consultant, but he trusted me to do what was best for the purchasers moving in. "I don't want some lady calling me to say she can't vacuum her entrance because the plugs too far away down the hall" he'd say to me. I knew what was at stake - I didn't was to lose his belief in me. So while every other builder out there getting away with unauthentic crap, InSight Development Group really did care.

I was doing what I do best. All the creative marketing efforts that developers do, Doug threw my way. Everything from organizing advertising and press releases to setting up sales centres and show homes. It was fun that's for sure. Hardly felt like work actually. We all enjoyed each others company. In the early days of Longwood, we all lived on the mainland so on the rare occasions when we'd miss the last boat, we'd go for late dinners and then drive up to Tigh-Na-Mara for the night. I remember days when Doug would be in a daydream mood. He'd take a few of us and just drive out to Cedar to the Crow and Gate pub, so we could relax and chat about things in the back garden there. It reminded him of the pubs in England - where of course he was from. He always took interest in people. He wanted to know what made you tick. If you understood the things he understood, then great - you were in.

I remember after a few months of working in the office - at reception where I started, he said to me with this perplexed look on his face, "Where did you come from?" - but he said it like I was some sort of alien. I suppose he was surprised by the interests I had. He and I really got along. I guess because I just thought so much of him. Anyways, InSight Group earned every CHBA award there was for that development in Nanaimo - The National SAM award for Best Multi-Family Development in Canada, several Georgies, and CARE Awards - every one of them. It was a great time in the face of what dread was happening with the market and the leaky condo crisis - not being one of those builders, we still had to prove ourselves out of the muck that was really horrible for so many condominium homeowners.

That was a long time ago now and looking back on it, I would have been more grateful for the entire opportunity, especially working for a man like Doug who asked you to do your absolute best. He was a man with great standards for the people around him. He was the most genuine guy I've ever been able to work with.

The one opportunity I never got however, was to thank him. I can write about a lot of things, but that is one thing I can't seem to articulate. It's difficult understand why things go the way they do. I was doing the job midstream when personal hardship cropped up. The one thing he never asked me about was what was happening at home. At home I had just married the wrong person who was becoming an absolute nightmare to live with. I remember looking through the paper for one-bedrooms so I could get the hell out of that situation. That's when Doug said he had to let me go. He had his reasons, but I had mine as well. I wasn't that difficult person out of the blue. I was living with someone who treated me like crap and spoke to me even worse.

Once I lost the job, I couldn't leave the husband. I was trapped and the situation just got worse. But life carries on and eventually, jobless, I still found the strength to escape. It was a costly marriage in more ways than one. The loss of my job was one of the biggest hits. I'd like to elaborate even more, but here on the internet it's probably not the place. I will say that the husband did prove himself later - one month later, by dating some tart from his high school reunion. I was hold up at my mom's, unemployed and hopeless, while he was making dinners and having nights of wine and roses for a divorsee named Ingrid. Bloody hell.

My dream job isn't what I do now. I've tucked my dreams away. I'd say that unfortunately I don't work for THE man. I work somewhere else.

Mellow me into my Friday

2008-05-23T10:59:00.001-07:00

Ray LaMontagne is brilliant and this song is simply beautiful.

"Don't lose your faith in me
And I will try not to lose faith in you
Don't put your trust in walls
'Cause walls will only crush you when they fall"

~Ray LaMontagne

What I'm watching

2008-05-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

Though I probably don't want another one, I do enjoy this show. I absolutely love Sally Gray and her show How to Find a Husband. I want to be her friend. I think we'd get on like a bloody house on fi-ya.

Happy birthday dearest Morrissey

2008-05-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

Because I must....wish him best wishes early.

I also have to post the following YouTube and smile all over - just to know I'm not alone in my devotion. It's for those of you who dare not understand....it's fantastic.

By the way, on this 22nd of May, the area surrounding my work cubicle will be saturated with Morrissey's music ALL DAY. Yeah. It will be. I don't lie about these things. In fact I'm working on the playlist right now.

Captain High Liner You're a Schmuck

2008-05-21T18:48:00.000-07:00

All those "Product of Canada" stamps on the majority of our food products don't mean squat. CBC Marketplace just aired a report on this issue and High Liner is on the top of the bullshit pile. The packaged Bassa, Haddock, Salmon, Tilapia even the shrimp in the alfredo entree are from Fish Farms in Vietnam or China.

Right from the High Liner website states "High Liner Foods is the market leader in Canadian frozen fish. The High Liner® brand is one of the most recognized food brands in Canada. We are the only Canadian manufacturer competing in all five major segments of the frozen fish market."

Really? Is that so?

The only useful thing PM Stephen Harper's been up to is actually redefining the designation "Product of Canada" on food labeling. From the CBC News website: "If something in the grocery store is marked Product of Canada, it must mean all or virtually all the contents are Canadian," Harper said, "so that all the apples in the juice will come from Canadian farmers..., the cod in the fish sticks will come from Canadian waters, and all the milk and the ice cream will come from Canadian dairy cows."

Harper added that if a product were to include imported ingredients, the label would have to indicate that by saying, "Made in Canada with imported ingredients."

The only criteria presently is that the products' last 'transformation' was completed in Canada. Which means that you can get crap farmed fish from Vietnam or China, add a bit of seasoning, or even package it up, and you earn the meal-ticket "Product of Canada".

Don't buy fish from a box. Don't buy High Liner. Don't assume products which demonstrate a label "Product of Canada" actually means a Canadian anything.

So when you consider all that fish in clean Canadian waters is not actually being used to feed Canadians, doesn't one have to say the inevitable? Good thing we're bludgeoning all those seals - eh?!

What a bunch of idiots. Only in Canada.

Vancouver: Powered by Apple

2008-05-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

For all that Vancouver seemingly offers, we've never had our own Apple Store.

Until now. Coming May 24th, Apple launches its downtown Vancouver location.

Be Cool. Think Different.

Flickr Credit

Vancouver: You're official.

2008-05-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

I think I've missed Ash's BIRTHDAY today. So Happy birthday to the coolest blogger in NYC.

If you're on the 20th, then we share a birth-DAY. If you're on the 19th, you share a birth-date with my ex husband (not so good). That would be cruel and weird. If you're birthday is the 18th, then you're strangely cool sharing your date with Ian Curtis.

Remember, you're not old until you turn 30... Then it goes really fast. So eat cake and drink good champagne.

taking a drive is a luxury

2008-05-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

these days with petrol at 1.34 per litre, it seems pretty crazy that George and I took a long drive around Vancouver late afternoon yesterday. But the clouds gave it a rest and it actually brightened up somewhat. We went driving through his old neighbourhood near Blenheim and 29th, Point Grey High, Angus and Laburnum, Southlands, UBC, Kerrisdale and Dunbar.

We also stopped in at The Wolf & Hound for a bit and a drink.

We're just so extravagant on a holiday weekend.

still my favorite Kathleen Edwards' song

2008-05-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

The Kathleen Edwards' article

2008-05-19T09:05:00.001-07:00

As I've just posted over on Uncommon-Chords, I only want to clarify that I would NEVER write "genuine gems", as published in The News. I actually submitted a better sentence which read
"Five years on and still wise beyond her years, these eleven new songs are genuine; heavy with murky, poetic lyrics, all delivered hard with plaintive, true-grit intent."

I know it's longer and perhaps needed a bit of trimming. That's editing for ya.

Kathleen Edwards' website is lovely. And that eleventh track, Goodnight, California, is truly beautiful. You're just not going to listen to it without getting goose-bumps. I'm truly looking forward to the official music video on this one. It should be filmed in some seedy bar in a small town, past dark, include a camera shot lifting away, above an empty highway with just the faint tail lights of a classic car with Philip Seymour Hoffman behind the wheel with a smoke dangling from his lips.

That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore.

2008-05-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

You can find just about anything on that Wikipedia. Even Sangria.

But to get Sangria, you need a friend like Dan to make em...from professional experience at Chi Chi's back in the day. I have a wee headache to add to my oncoming cold. But they were tasty, from the balcony, under the Willow tree, beneath the almost full moon.

Against all better judgement, we stayed up listening to classic 70's music and came to the conclusion that the 1970's was truly the last installment of music's renaissance.

It's good it was just he and I. No one else, other than Bowie and Morrissey, would understand.

(I've been dying to use this image for weeks)

I'm cooking up a great breakfast - sometimes just cooking bacon is good enough - the aroma is wafting through the building and everyone is jealous.

Organic free run eggs for $5.79 at IGA are TOTALLY WORTH IT.
My dad and I just spoke on the telephone. He told me my grand-dad had the same thing for breakfast his whole life - other than that stint in the First World War. Eggs and bacon weren't on the menu from the Trenches.

In other breaking news...I've decided my favorite Smiths' song is "I Know It's Over". Please play it at my funeral. Please do. At the end. When everyone is filing out of the church. Do you think they'll give me a Catholic funeral? As long as I keep holding on to that "Separated" status and not "Divorced", I'm in the running. George says it's the only real religion. I'm a baptized Anglican. Or shall I say "High Church of England", as dad always told us as kids. Yeah, that'll impress em. God for sure doesn't get impressed too easily. He's like Morrissey in that respect. I mean Morrissey is like God in that respect.

I wish I was a true Catholic instead of this Anglican imitation. I really need some rosary beads and the bragging rights to kneel properly in church, say those cool protective prayers pre-flight. My patron Saint is Francis of course. ( I hope people are taking advantage of these clever pink links I embed - cause a lot of this stuff just won't make a difference otherwise.)

I went to the Passport Office on Thursday. I'm totally in. It's coming by Registered Mail May 30th. I'm so impressed with myself. I've waited longer for a latte at Starbucks. I can't believe I've gone this far in life without going to Europe or the UK. I'm a loser. But not for long. Me ma's taking me to Ireland in October for that birthday that everyone is feeling sorry for me for. I'm actually indifferent to it. We'll see later though. I may just "strangle myself with the nearest cord" by October 19th. Who cares? I got news for everyone: No one, not nobody, cares you're turning 40. So all you pathetic women out there, going on about turning 40, you're wasting your breath and giving yourself undue frown lines. You should be glad you don't live on rashons in Darfur. Quit your bitching. It's totally unattractive. Own your age. Own your life for Goodness sakes! No man is coming to the rescue to pull you out of your life. It's just not happening. Carry on.

Kathleen Edwards...the paper

2008-05-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

I know you don't read the North Shore News or this blog....but my article is in last night's paper...Edwards transcends all trends. Friday, May 16th edition under Music. They were wonderful and didn't split the darn thing onto 2 pages. Nice one George.

Bored.

2008-05-15T23:14:00.000-07:00

Mom. Pretty cute and pretty busy. She's on her way up to the Merritt house tomorrow to drop off and pick up stuff...sold her North Van house so there's going to be a whole lot of stuff going to chateau merritt. God help us. We'll never see the floor again.

Sad.

My little niece Emm is pretty tall for her age. Just turned 3 late April. What are they feeding this kid?

Cutest cat ever.

Cutest dad ever. Studying BC Ferry maps; what else?

A photo John inspired me to take. I don't know why.

West side Vancouver - just another highlight of some dumbass marketer.

Tallest building in Vancouver. One block up from my office. Kinda ugly up close. Better view from my apartment across the inlet.

2008-05-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

Check this out..."Club Thing". This guy is Yoav. His site is here. He does this on an acoustic guitar. Unbelievable. Very cool. I missed his show here in Vancouver in March.

This is how he does it...

and like this....

All this, dark hair and a charming UK accent. I think I'm gonna die.

You're My Satellite

2008-05-15T06:45:00.001-07:00

I rented Martian Child over the weekend - yeah I did it because I could watch John Cusack non-stop for close to 2 hours. And after ripping it up with Marni and Dan on Friday - one of those 4 evenings in 1 evening - I had no choice but to stay in on Saturday night wearing my yoga pants and my new slippers that look like pink Ugg boots. Oh how I love wearing them. I'd wear em to the office if I could - or at the office, under my desk where no one would suspect.

So Martian Child, the movie, it actually turned out to be quite charming. I enjoyed it all the way through. Story line in brief - David is a widowed writer, in his early forties and figures he wants to adopt a child. The kid is uber cute in this... a weird little thing with strange imagination - he thinks he's from Mars. This kid reminded me of me when I was that age. I never suspected I was normal. I was a weird little kid who spent a lot of time alone, without friends. Not a freak - just weird. I loved this kid. Also, this was filmed in Vancouver....from IMDB under Goofs, they note, "Revealing mistakes: When David is leaving the media event for his new book, the name of the gallery -- Elliott Louis Gallery -- is visible. This is an art gallery in Vancouver, Canada." Like you couldn't tell by watching the first five minutes of the movie that it was filmed here. Like Juno. There's just a look that is so Lower Mainland.

Anyways, as pre-usual with John Cusack films, it's got a decent soundtrack. There's a sweet highlight of the movie with the song Satellite by Guster is playing and the little boy does his martian dance. My posted YouTube video is Guster playing live and I prefer live to a canned video appearance on Leno any day. Great little band out of Boston - like that's a surprise. Anyways, the bass on this recording is a bit much, but I love the performance and the song just as well. Play it on their myspace site. I'm loving this song.

I've made my decision. My biggest crush is on John Cusack.

2008-05-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

The fact is, I've always loved John Cusack. I just love him even more on George Strombo's show. And I think I love him more than Morrissey.
Yep. I do.

Ah yes, links to entertain you

2008-05-09T08:42:00.000-07:00

Photo Source: Flickr

First one is Geist, one of my favorite publications, just happens to be Vancouver based, rivals another favorite publication, The New Yorker. No kidding. It does.

A new site I found today is simply a beee-u-tiful site, scrumptuous in fact, Flour. Ha, it also is Vancouver based - well, West Vancouver.

To sharpen your music taste buds, KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic. Fantastic music resource where you can listen to some great new stuff. Providing you're totally bored with your co-worker's selection in music. I don't really have that problem. Thankfully.

So have atter.

Look what I found this morning....Spring

2008-05-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

I adore Flickr. This is why:

Flickr Credit - what a great shot.

Also, the same photographer did this one. Check out the Flickr page. It's full of fantastic imagery. I'm a visual person. I'm a Libra. I love art and photography. I love musicians and photographers and writers. And gardeners. I love people who love to garden. What would life be without them?

One other thing. No matter what topic I explore on flickr (give the googler to), a cat photo is in the mix. No matter what. For instance just now, I'm craving mashed potatoes and I thought a nice photo of a bowl of mashed potatoes with melting butter would be a great end to this post. So what do I find when I type in 'mashed potatoes'?
This is what I find. No kidding:

He's cute, yes, but what does he have to do with potatoes?

A vintage shirt will put a smile on your face. And not just cause you're laughing at how utterly cooooool it is.

2008-05-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

Commercial Drive Highlights...

On Saturday my friend (let's call him "Dan")and I scooted down to Commercial Drive. I love Vancouver in the Spring. Rather than waste time at work typing the story, I'm just going to post the link to which Dan narrates the story of a Mintage Vintage Shirt. But Dan got the day wrong - it was Saturday because after Commercial Drive strolling, we stopped in at Brown's and ran into Trina. Plus Sunday I went for a drive to the cemetry (love that spelling) with, let's call him George. Member?

Dove Chocolate - eets de baste

2008-05-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

If you blog it, they will come. DOVE has given me the opportunity to "taste" out the new chocolate products. The Dove delivered a goodie bag to me. It came to my office via Fed Ex Thursday. I hurried back to my desk and discreetly peeked in to see all the goodies. Then I distributed the cute boxes to the gals throughout the office. The result was a totally female frenzy on fine chocolate. Mackenzie emailed me ten seconds after I left her desk on the other side of the office, "You can tell your little Dove rep there that those are ‘frickin’ good!". The eyes lit up around the office once the buzz got around. No more leftover crap Easter chocolate for us! No way.

Once I got home this is what all was unpacked.

These silky chocolate morsels have great "fortune" style messages inside their wrappers. How clever of them to encourage us to indulge. This chocolate is much better than the new Hershey's - take my word for it. This is serious chocolate. And even though I'm not a chocolate nut, I like to have a wee bit of the good stuff once a week. One of these four packs would last me the week, while some of the folks I know have just gobbled them up.

Question is, do I like people enough to share some more?

In response to my Friend Dan's comment on my blog the other day

2008-05-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

about my dear Moz
"Morrisey has become a pretentious knob... I'll never understand the fascination... all you fans give him way too much credit. Ask yourself, "What would Dave Gahan, Joe Strummer, John Lydon or Keef Richards do?"

Well my friend, I only have a few things to say about that.
1. Ouch;
2. Dave Gahan and Joe Strummer WOULDN'T BE CAUGHT DEAD contributing to the American Idol Karaoke phenomenon;
3. I thought Keith Richards was dead; and
4. THIS is why the all the facination:

Hey, if you want Karaoke, here's some classic Karaoke:

Nothing says Punk Rock like a pair of Doc Martens

2008-05-02T15:03:00.000-07:00

What's with the tee-shirt Moz!

2008-04-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

While I slept, Morrissey appeared last night on Late Night With Craig Ferguson.
That tee-shirt is pretty funny - wish I'd stayed up to be amazed by that.

The dorks on Richmond Council are complaining about the noise from the airplanes

2008-04-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

Ah, yeah, whatever. You moved to Richmond. Richmond is home to YVR ya dummy. Tough Darts!

Flickr Credit

A thank you to Ash, just when I was getting my real dull game face on...

2008-04-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

Clicking on to Fakehandbags this morning, I was able to get a much better chuckle out of this video than my "Alone Again" video.

As a side note: had I not left the schmuck back in 2002, I would never have cultivated my appreciation for the above. So for George Harvey, who is the original member of cult of Smiths/Morrissey, I am truly grateful!

It's April 29th

2008-04-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

Agh. I dread enduring bad anniversary dates - especially my own. It's weird thinking back to that day. How stressed I was. Looking down the aisle through the church's vestibule and thinking "God, this can't be it?". He turned out to be a real schmuck.

Why would anyone get married after they've been married? I mean, my parents both subjected themselves to that twice - actually, my mom did it again after divorcing my dad. Why can't you just meet someone you love, respect, feel good around, and then decide to live together in a committed relationship? What's wrong with that? Didn't anyone ever tell you that the end of the love story is the day you get married? I mean, that really is the end folks - they met, they dated, they got married. That's the final chapter. Unless of course he's a big dork and you gotta collect your life all back together with odds and ends and string and tape. My advice; get a job that pays your bills and makes you happy (enough) and get a nice place to live (alone).

Anyways, I'm not crying today. It's just a day full of past regret. So what better excuse to listen to Gilbert O'Sullivan.

European Union has been called to ban the import to Europe of Canadian seal products

2008-04-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

Canada's seal hunt came under renewed international scrutiny on Friday as anti-sealing activists held a series of news conferences across Europe. This is probably the most encouraging news in recent years. The story is broad on the CBC website, radio and television news, but the real media blitz is happening in more than a dozen capitals including London, Paris, Brussels and the Hague — part of a concerted effort to pressure the European Union.

The goal: Have the European Union bring a ban on the import Canadian seal products.

Since Europe is the primary market and transit point for seal products to move elsewhere in the globe such as Russia and China, effecting a ban would essentially "kill" (I love throwing some that back to the Seal Hunters) their industry.

As enlightened human beings understand and know, the seal hunt is horrifically cruel and its economic benefits are not substantial.

While Canadian Lobby Groups make their way to Paris to counter this proposal, Environmental Activists pushing ahead, showing video of seals being killed this season off the Newfoundland coast, while the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) states the finds that there is absolutely no scientific evidence to support Canadian government's claims that its commercial seal hunt is 'humane'.

FACTS:

The EU is expected to decide before the summer whether to impose a continent-wide ban on seal products.

Canadian exports of pelts, meat and oil totalled $18 million in 2006, of which $5.4 million went to the EU's 27 member countries.

There is strong evidence that, in practice, effective killing does not always occur;

There is evidence that, during Canada’s commercial seal hunt, animals suffer pain and distress (ie, are inhumanely killed);

Sealers often do not comply with the Canadian regulations in relation to manually checking the skull or administering a blinking reflex test;

In contrast to current practice, attempts to kill seals should not be made where the seal does not pose a stable target or the sealer may be unbalanced, such as on shifting ice floes;

Seal hunts should be opened up to independent inspections without undue interference.

A European Ban is within reach.

International Fund for Animal Welfare Link.
Reuters Article in Sunday Morning Herald, 2006.

Not only Ambrosia, but Merv too

2008-04-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

I can see what I'm going to busy myself with tonight...not making dinner or eating dinner....I'll find even worse 70's hits to throw at you. Yeah I will.

"Come on and hold me, just like you told me" - don't even ask how many times my cousin and I sung that dumb line and this dumb song. Hey, we were 10. We didn't even know who The Clash was. We may have known Steely Dan, but that's about it. And as this pathetic video plays, I'm singing it. I KNOW THE LYRICS. I'M A FREAK.

"He Looks Like an Allman Brother"

2008-04-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

I clicked on MSNBC this afternoon and see that Paul Davis has died at the age of 60. Back in the day I loved this song and I used to dart back and forth from CKLG and CFUN just to see if I could catch it playing. I know. Brutal days before having iTunes and playing music on demand.

This song is about the suckiest song you're gonna hear on this blog - so indulge me. No hate mail please. And by the way, had I'd known what a horrific lid he had (God bless his soul), I probably wouldn't have loved the song as much as I did.

NOTE: Different Video from earlier this afternoon. Get the real Allman Brother effect...

Don't even get me started - I'll be posting Ambrosia and Player videos soon.

I started a "cleanse" diet Sunday...

2008-04-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

I'm on the day where I can eat NOTHING - tomorrow's no different.
Thursday I can have one meal and two shakes. This will carry on until next Thursday.

And all I can think about is going for Sushi and drinking a ton of sake.

Home

2008-04-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

Flickr Credit

Lonsdale Avenue

Go ahead Canada, Close Your Eyes to the "psychologically and constitutionally sickening Canadian seal-kill"

2008-04-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

Thank you Morrissey. I've been struggling to put a post on this for weeks. I'm utterly sick every year as the annual hunt begins. I've become irrational about it because it upsets me so. I cannot fathom this cruelty and pure evilness.

Thank God for this Statement on True-To-You, this topic is put out there in the bright light of reality and truth.

Statement from Morrissey:

In late June the Montreal Symphony are hosting a TV Special to salute Buffy Sainte-Marie's 50th year making music. I am honored to be asked to take part. I first bought a Buffy Sainte-Marie record when I was 12, and her music has always remained with me. In the 1960s, as a political activist, Buffy's lyrics were fearless, and I'm very grateful for all the risks that she took.

I am also pleased to be asked to join the bill at the V Festival at the Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver, and also at Fort Calgary in Calgary. However, as we all know, the psychologically and constitutionally sickening Canadian seal-kill has started and is once again in full-cry.

The horror of the Canadian seal-kill is untranslatable, and although I fully realize that highly concentrated evil exists in other countries - Japan's dolphin slaughter, Iceland's newly-revived whaling, the cat-skinning trade in Switzerland, and China with just about every injustice imaginable - there is something especially menacing about Canada's seal-kill.

Loyola Hearn (Canada's Ambassador for Fisheries Conservation) is a man of glacial coldness who claims that the seal-kill is "humane" - a view he might alter if his own skull were cracked open with a spiked axe.

The fact that the seal-kill provides a livelihood for fishermen is an insultingly dim excuse for it to take place - after all, the German gas chambers of World War 2 also provided work for someone.

The seal-kill takes place to satisfy greed for fur-pelts, and this Canadian government is happy to drag the global image of its own country down, and make it a place that people such as I couldn't bear to visit.

MORRISSEY, 29 March 2008.

As a Canadian, I am beyond being ashamed. Canada behaves like a third-rate, third world country, employing the likes of Loyola Hearn - a liar and one of the lowest of human forms. I hope he's Catholic and God has his soul slated for black slot in Hell.

As a country, we are in a state of denial on this matter. We're hanging by a string folks and if it were not for Paul Watson, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, even legendary actress Brigitte Bardot, and many other brave human beings, this truth may never see the light of day. Well Here It Is. It's here - in canada - home of the corrupt. This hunt needs to be shut down - period. Could our infantile Prime Minister and his gang not find ANYTHING ELSE for East-Coast unemployed boys to do?

There is a sound track to this post - Dark Therapy by Echobelly. Turn it up loud.

For Marni....

2008-04-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Vancouver: Full of contradiction, defined by contrast

2008-04-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

I don't smoke. I never have. I don't particularly like smoke around me, but I'm not a big baby about it either. I'm happy enough to go for lunch with my smoking pals and not have to decide whether to sit in Smoking or Non-Smoking sections in restuarants (it's hard to imagine those days now).

But recently Vancouver has put more rules and regulations in place around smoking. They've basically made it a sorted, illegal act. Specifically, the BC Provincial laws regulate where and when you can have a cigarette, outlawing "smoking rooms" and banning smoking near workplace doorways (something like a six-metre buffer for Vancouver City), open windows, and bus shelters. In Vancouver, smoking will also be banned on outdoor patios, a move that puts pressure on the restaurant sector, where the owners will face fines of up to $2,500 if they are found to be not enforcing the laws. The BC Government has even gone to the trouble (and money) to set up a propaganda website, all in the name of "a healthier place to live". Gag.

THIS is definitely not Paris. Nor Zurich.

But feel free to get yourself jacked up on crack anywhere you like in Vancouver - hell, we'll even provide you with a posh "safe injection site" for your hard-core illicit drug use....

Just don't light up a Winston.

I got 10 out of 10

2008-04-16T06:32:00.000-07:00

This link is for Ash, whom I'm sure will also score 10 out of 10.

CBC Arts & Entertainment's Big Mouth Strikes Again Quizz Link.

I love fancy hotels...I love using up their mini soaps.

2008-04-15T21:49:00.001-07:00

The sun, the sun, the sun, oh how I love the sun

2008-04-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

Bud's an inside cat - that just means I don't let him out of my site. He's not roaming the streets, subject to getting hit by a speeding motorist, attacked by the resident raccoons or some other disgruntled neighbourhood cat. He's in the flat for life. However, I do have a south-facing balcony on the third floor of this three storey walk-up, in which he has the God given right to hang out on. It's totally bliss to him. I am so very grateful for that balcony - it is wonderful to see fuzz-face so happy.

This morning of course, it has rained and it's cold again. But that doesn't bother Bud. If the sliding door is open enough, he's still wondering back and forth from the interior to the exterior, just to show me he's boss.

First real day of sun and Bud's lovin it

2008-04-12T17:49:00.000-07:00

Fuzzface spent the morning rolling in the sun on the balcony.

"Saturday Morning", the Eels

2008-04-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

I remember when George was playing this song four years ago. Whatever happened to George finding us new music?

Hungry for Change

2008-04-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

Echobelly - so if you don't have any Echobelly, go to HMV and seek out your copy of their 1995 album "ON". It's fantastic front to back, but I have to say "Pantyhose and Roses" and "Something Hot in a Cold Country" are my favorite singles. Oh yes, and "Four Letter Word" is also very good. But then there's "Nobody Like You" totally reminds me of something Morrissey himself would love.

Now that's something for Morrissey to go do. Team up with Sonya Aurora. What a duo they would make!

4:30 AM

2008-04-11T05:41:00.000-07:00

When you go to bed at 8:30 PM - alone - you can get up at 4:30 AM.
You have time to do many things. Like bake soft boiled eggs in the new muffin tins, make toast and have coffee. Oh yes, post a few blog entries too - all hours before you have to shower and flat iron your lid.

This is my favorite jam. It's the best jam to buy. Naturally it's from France.
So forget about your Smuckers stuff. That's for babies.

PS. I'm like a sattelite these days - plugged right in. So my previous post about the Jayhawks this morning - my comment about Gary Louris reminding me of Paul Westerberg? Yeah, anyways, I had my iTunes on just now, playing "Rainy Day Music" and I had it on Shuffle. What artist comes up next playing? Yes. It was Paul Westerberg - "Folk Star" single from his album Folker. How fitting is that. Better buy a lottery ticket. God knows I could use some dough-ray-me.

Nothing fancy, just honest music: The Jayhawks

2008-04-11T04:44:00.001-07:00

One of my musics greatest disappointments is the disappearance of The Jayhawks. Rainy Day Music was the album I first bought of theirs and I played it to death. Jayhawks' frontman, is Gary Louris who reminds me in his looks, of Paul Westerberg. What crazy hair eh? I don't know what it is about them - whether you call it folk or roots rock - they ain't country-western - but they just have an easy-going and such a harmony. You can't find actual Videos of their songs on YouTube, just a bunch of badly recorded live set stuff.

Anyways, the second video is called "Blue" and despite the fact that the lyrics are fantastic, most of their stuff I listen to and think "Hey, does that guy know me?" Particularly with "Save It For A Rainy Day" (first video posted here), or "Stumbling In The Dark". You can check out their website on Lost Highway HERE, where better quality recordings can be heard.

That's the Jayhawks. Nothing fancy, honest just roots rock.

On a side note: How the hell do I get this hideous thick pink border off my YouTube posts? I tried it once and now they all upload like this without even asking!

Save It For A Rainy Day

"Pretty little hairdo don't do what it used to
Can't disguise the living
All the miles that you've been through

Looking like a train wreck
Wearing too much makeup
The burden that you carry
Is more than one soul could ever bear

Don't look so sad, Marina
There's another part to play
Don't look so sad, Marina
Save it for a rainy day

You neve make your mind up
Like driving with your eyes shut
Rough around the edges
Won't someone come and take you home

Waiting for a breakthrough
What will you set your mind to?
We stood outside the Chinese restaurant
in the rain"

Ideas for Starbucks

2008-04-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

I have an awesome idea for Starbucks. Every other morning I take my chances with the endless line up at the Royal Centre Starbucks location. There's hundreds of office zombies lined up there. Here's my idea.

The Starbucks Espress-O Line.

While Starbucks goes on about their commitment to the enviornment, I listened to a college radio program that spoke on the topic of those little disposable cups and sleeves. There's some other sites that speak of this as well. These little cups ain't that great, in fact, when you consider the number of them - it's totally mindboggling.

Solution. Have express lines for folks who bring in their personal mugs. I'd do that to get in and out faster.

I'm brilliant. And for this pitch, I should get free Starbucks for a year.

A good dedication always does the trick

2008-04-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

Sean Penn is just a romantic fool – thankfully coming to his 47-year-old senses by taking to the stage of an Eddie Vedder concert and dedicating a song to his estranged wife, the lovely Robin Wright-Penn. The story is that they attended the concert together in San Francisco Tuesday and now they’ve withdrawn their divorce petition. Love it.

Wonder which song it was?

Brilliant!

2008-04-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

Of Course My Dear Dan! The obvious choice, thank you.

Got the car back, thanks Tat.

2008-04-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

I'm working like crazy which I love. I hardly have time for car problems, but I got the thing back yesterday, picked up by a shop boy (is that what they call them?) And it's just too late to find the perfect song to typlify this because I'm just not going to post something horrendous like "Life Is A Highway" or "On The Road Again".

I tried to get a Catherine Wheels video or a Rolling Stone's classic from their Steel Wheels' album, "Almost Hear You Sigh", but that just was nowhere to be found. Actually, YouTube is really sucking right now. I have to get to bed. So here is my best stab at it: Lucinda Williams, "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road" - you just gotta get her or you a loosa. Just kidding. You just ain't got your cool factor worked out on your American Music.

So Vancouver Mitsubishi even washed Sabrina. She never had it so good. And I've endured two car rides with my dad without without rosary beads. I'm going to leave that with you. (78 year old drifting in and out of freeway traffic at 65 kms while the rest of the world twirls by us (honking) at the speed limit of 90 kms).

Thank God I got my car back.

Suggestions on the car song would be interesting and appreciated... sorry for my lack of enthusiasm. I'm totally stressed from this entire ordeal.

I think I feel a bladder infection coming on.

Painted Room & No Brakes on Sabrina

2008-04-08T06:53:00.001-07:00

Dan the Man painted my living room for me - GP's Historical colour "Appleton", which reminds me of a Tiffany Blue. It looks fantastic.

My brakes went yesterday on Sabrina. Totally out of the blue, without warning. Luckily after spending the morning and early afternoon up at Heritage Woods (steep grades on the Port Moody mountain) driving around, I drove all the way back downtown to the office and just got to my parking garage and put the car in park, with foot on brake, and the brake pedal just kept on going - practically through the floor - then it just flopped back and forth as smelling smoke came out from the front tire area. Nice. Lucky though. The rest of the afternoon included an emergency call to my dad (thank God I got a dad), a call to Drake Towing, and then another call to me dad, I got Sabrina towed to Mitsubishi Vancouver(spelling, no time) and a lift back to the Shore with dad. This morning he drives me to work. I feel like an invalid sans wheels.

George Harvey Missed His Call-ing

2008-04-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

Toiling away at The News, George should really pursue new dreams of film making...here's what happens when you mix late night melancholy with wine. Let's just say it - it's called drunk dialing and if your recipient is George Harvey then this is what you're likely to receive the next day in your email. This is not recent by the way.

I hope the sound works. If the sound doesn't work on any of these - the mini movies don't work all together - it's part of the creative process.

Kathleen Edwards, you're my hero

2008-04-05T19:44:00.001-07:00

And this is the video of the song that started it for me in 2003. I think it was written for me.

Please keep me in mind

2008-04-05T19:37:00.000-07:00

Obviously not an official video, a montage of various Smiths and Morrissey music videos set to one of my favorite songs by The Smiths.

Panic

2008-04-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

I love how Morrissey completely ignores the kid on stage.

Sexiest Rock n' roll dudes over 40 and other important opinions

2008-04-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight Much Music is doing their list of "20 Studliest Musicians Over 40". Hah.

A few of the female music journalists comments have been bang on. First, it's true, Mick Jagger at 60 is not one percent less Mick Jagger than he ever was. He's just as cool and he's drawing them in like gang busters - the women I mean. The key to this? He stays really, really thin. Bless his tight English ass.

Second; Bruce Springsteen, is a gorgeous looking "drifter" and he's the kind of guy that's not likely to forget your anniversary.

Third; when they spoke about Rod Stewart and mentioned something about the songs he writes, then they show the clip of the video "The Rhythm of My Heart" - well, he NEVER even wrote that. That was the songwriting of way better looking Marc Jordan, thanks very much.

Marc Jordan reminds me of my first big love, Stuart DiCastri. But then again, that actor from Twin Peaks, Michael Ontkean always reminds me of Stuart even more so.

Michael Ontkean, Marc Jordan, Morrissey, Gabriel Byrne, yes, Stuart DiCastri - there's a pattern here folks. Just look at them. They could all be brothers. I gotta start considering blondes. And Stuart - if you're out there- you broke my 16-year-old heart you bastard. It was shattered I tell you. I spent a week crying, listening to Linda Ronstadt's album "What's New" over and over and over and over again. Yeah, thanks to that heartbreak - the breakup in his 1972 convertible Buick Skylark outside Whitespot on Lonsdale - I learned the Great American Songbook in 1985 before the age of 17.
Could my life have turned out any other way?
(One of the worst songs to listen to 60 times after being dumped is "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry" - don't do it if you have anything stronger than Midol in your medicine cabinet).

On a last note I need to say that I truly believe that it's essential that a man be over 40 to get that "something" that makes him totally irresistible. It's a window of time - a small window. But if they're not Colin Farrell, then they have to be 40 plus to be truly sexy and sophisticated. They know when to buy a gal a drink in a lounge with a lovely compliment and leave you alone. Oh wait - Rod Stewart is blonde - I just realized I dated a guy with really bad hair like that in the early 90's. I'm taking it back. No blondes for me. Forget it. Their hair catches fire way too easily.

It's April 2 in Vancouver and we're still waking up to scrape our windshields

2008-04-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

But on the bright side, it's beautifully SUNNY. Other highlights from the news out here in Xanadu, Chad Krouger or whatever his name is, is being convicted for his drinking and driving - like that'll harm his career as a rock n roller. Vancouver is still up in arms about the stump. And then thankfully there's the uproar outside CBC offices downtown because CBC Radio 2 no longer plays classical music in the evening - the brass at CBC (more chumps) have decided that we really need more top 40 and popular music.. Crazy world.

Anyhow, I scammed this video selection from Miss Ashley. She's got it goin on, bad mood or not, at least you've got good music to play in the background.

Here are the Doves,

....yeah, that's me: wasting my time, looking for love.

2008-04-01T21:40:00.000-07:00

I was wasting my time....praying for love. Now that's HOW people grow up.
I'm approaching the dreaded 40 by 10-20. My mom's taking me to Paris. Thank God.

I've had some time to rant and calm down...

2008-04-01T21:29:00.001-07:00

So I look at this beautiful photo and give you my submission to THE NEWS on the Morrissey Greatest Hits Album/combo Inside The Smiths DVD.

Artist: Morrissey
Album: Greatest Hits
Label: Decca
Released: February 11, 2008
Rating: 5 out of 10 Stephanie Kiernan

In the crowded downtown HMV store, the pulsating guitar intro of “Irish Blood, English Heart” is amplified over the sound system and with immediate detection I’m grinning to myself. Besides the tattooed and pierced twenty-something employee spinning today’s new CD picks, I am perfectly alone in recognizing Morrissey’s renaissance single from 2004’s You Are The Quarry. Today the single plays as the fourth song on his latest recording, yet another Greatest Hits album.

Considering his solo career has spanned twenty years now, Steven Patrick Morrissey is still far from being a North American household name; typically identified as the former lead singer for The Smiths. Under a veil of uncommonness, Morrissey languishes in the safekeeping of his devotees, sanctioned by ex-Smiths’ patriots and a fierce brigade of Latinos. He has become an icon among the survivors of the by-gone 1980’s rave culture and indeed the most successful out of the former Manchester quartette.

Picking up the pieces immediately following the 1987 demise of The Smiths, issuing his first solo album “Viva Hate” in March of the following year, Morrissey contrives a formula of releasing original albums with B-side compilations and best-ofs in between. Now, several record labels later, he still finds it reasonable to pander an eighth compilation – this one under London’s imperial Decca Music Group. The packaging is gorgeous and features a heavenly black and white close up photograph of Moz with eyes wistfully closed – from about ten years ago albeit. But sadly, the song selection here is quite dumbfounding, too cumbersome with material from his last two studio recordings which aren’t the definitive of Morrissey for anyone. When it finally whirls its way through to track 7, we revive the faithful standby “Everyday Is Like Sunday” and three other interchangeable best-knowns. Thank God for the bonus CD, Live At The Hollywood Bowl and that gorgeous packaging. I ached over his oversight of Piccadilly Palare, At Amber, Boxers and my treasured Late Night, Maudlin Street. It’s simply puritanical of him to omit those and include his cover of Patti Smith’s Redondo Beach on a Greatest Hits.

And as if this were all not enough to make me completely despondent, I then subjected myself to watching the lop-sided documentary film Inside The Smiths, Through the Eyes of Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke, which seemed more like an attempt at time travel for the neglected “rhythm section” of the band than an upright documentary. Curiously devoid of any Smiths soundtrack (more royalty quibbling), the most poignant tangible is that Rourke and Joyce come out as the most devoted of Smiths fans. Yet this doesn’t stop me from wincing at their raw refusal to move on with their careers and lives.

The same cannot be said for Morrissey, who may routinely toss in classic Smiths’ songs at live concerts, he emphatically revolts the idea of reuniting. As for his latest and greatest; this Greatest Hits is a pulverization that shows little of his brilliance and proves his contentment in being the commander-in-chief of his own eccentric musical machine. I love him but I’d never recommend this album-I’d stick with the 2001 The Best of Morrissey.
- Stephanie Kiernan