Blog

Bulletproof Courier

July 09, 2008 19:01 +0000  |  Cities Cycling Vancouver 2

I ran across this in 24 this morning and decided to check the guy out online. Calling himself the bulletproof courier (though I'm not sure how he arrived at that name), he rides his bike around town with a digital video camera strapped to his helmet.

From a social perspective, the act itself is interesting, and for those of you who will probably ask, despite my opposition to CCTV, I don't really have a problem with what this guy's doing. He's an individual in a free country exercising that right in a public space. The ambiguity comes with his broadcasting this stuff in a public forum, which is the grey area. I'd be curious to see what my other activist friends think of this.

Regardless, it's pretty neat if you have a few minutes.

FUSE

June 28, 2008 22:42 +0000  |  Society & Culture Vancouver 3

Between the hours of 1:30am and 3:30am last night, I attended FUSE, the Vancouver Art Gallery's new attempt to draw in more people and introduce art to a wider audience. And while I obviously can't speak for everyone there, for my part I have the following review: Bad Idea.

For some reason, I had it in my mind that the event would be an "adult" affair. I had images of nicely dressed people wandering through the gallery at all hours listening to music, drinking wine and having a civil good time. Call me an ignorant old fart if you like -- after last night, I couldn't blame you.

Instead, what I found was a horde of drunk 20somethings getting hammered before they even showed up, puking outside and running around the halls of the building. Horrible, screechy digital music blasting from the inner chamber throughout the building and a few kids in cosplay garb hopped up on LSD attacking their "mortal enemies" from anime-land.

It would seem that I'm continuously forgetting where I live.

One highlight of the evening came just as I walked in: I bumped into k-dot, a girl I know from way back in my high school choir. Of course, she couldn't even remember my name, but I suppose that's alright since she's simply more memorable than I am :-) Anyway, it was nice to see a familiar face in that zoo.

So yeah, FUSE was not cool -- at least for me. And in my book, I honestly think that it takes a way from the dignity of the place. Just once, I'd like to see nightlife in Vancouver happen without public drunkenness, but perhaps I'm asking too much.

A Good Day in Pictures

June 28, 2008 04:30 +0000  |  Activism Cycling Vancouver 0

Admittedly, there is scientific evidence that beautiful weather does good things to your mood, so perhaps all of this happy-mooding is simply endorphins caused by UV radiation, but frankly, I just don't care enough to worry about such things. The weather today was gorgeous -- a perfect setting for June's Critical Mass ride.

Here are a series of pictures I took throughout our ride while I listened to groovy tunage coming off the back of one guy's ride and checked out the hot girl on rollerblades dancing along side him. Some other fun stuff I saw today:

One of the cyclists waving a peace sign at some of the onlooking pedestrians

The wind in my hair as I cruised in high gear down Georgia St at rush hour.

The tricked out harley-esque bikes and other fun mods, like a bubble machine or speakers mounted on the back.

Girls in fairy wings.

Friendly motorists who were kind enough to wait for us to pass.

This was the biggest CM I've seen so far -- due in part no doubt to the wonderful weather conditions. There were easily a few thousand on the road today. It's a hell of a sight.

It's really an amazing ride. You should try it!

Melanie's Visit

June 23, 2008 02:03 +0000  |  Melanie Personal Life Vancouver 4

At last, it would seem that I have a valid excuse for not writing here for so long: Melanie has been in town for just over a week.

The logic behind the whole situation of course was this: if she really was to move all the way to Vancouver, it makes sense that she might want to see what it's like before committing to the decision. She really couldn't have picked a better time. While it's sweltering and smoggy in Toronto, It's been a moderate 19°C here, low wind, and just a little rain.

As if the weather alone wasn't enough to convince her to move, I sold her on the thing BC's been flaunting for decades: the scenery. We rented a car and drove up to Kelowna through the rocky mountains. We took the scenic route, passing through dense forests and speeding through clouds. We saw waterfalls, lakes, rapids, and a few million tonnes of solid granite sticking out of the ground. Yeah, BC's pretty awesome... and I mean that in the literal sense: "worthy of awe".

I introduced Melanie to as many cool parts of Vancouver as I could, including my parents (in Kelowna), my grandparents and a number of my friends who made it out to my birthday shindig yesterday. We hit the Art Gallery, English Bay, The Marble Slab (w00t!) and even Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden in Chinatown that's always closed when I want to visit :-(. My brother got us free gondola tickets (thanks Butthead!) to Grouse Mountain (no Grouse Grind for us... next time.) and Melanie was super-brave and crossed the Capilano Suspension Bridge. We even got a tour of UBC by her Aunt and Uncle who work there.

We didn't get to everything of course. I would have liked to have found time to visit the VPL, Science World, and Granville Island, but I'm sure she'll lots of have time see that stuff when she moves here. That's right, the sales pitch worked. Melanie's moving to Vancouver. The plan is to be in town for January 2009 after a 1month trip to Melbourne, Australia to see her friend Amber (who is almost as awesome as BC).

Also for those of you wondering about the status of our relationship, you're probably not a Facebook addict yet (good for you!) Basically, we're together, though the logistics of two people being "together" with nearly 4000km between them is a bit daunting. I'll just go with what she said in her blog post: FUCK YOU DISTANCE! :-P

So yeah. It's been a long, busy week and now that my "vacation" is over, I have about 16hours before I'm back at work. Sometime... sometime soon I hope, I'll take a break ;-)

Rain

June 05, 2008 23:35 +0000  |  Vancouver 4

It's raining again. The weather here has been more or less consistent these past 4days, dabbling between pouring rain threatening to do so. Most people, you would think would be depressed by the rain. It is, after all, June 5th and it's a cool 10°C outside, but not me. I love this weather. I'm always cool. No sweat-soaked walks in the sticky sun, no scorching heat and melting pavement, just cool clean rain all the time.

It may not always be pretty, but the climate here definitely suits me.

Critical Mass

April 26, 2008 19:52 +0000  |  Activism Vancouver 9

The weather is warming up and as part of my enjoyment of it and in recognition that the climate here is so very accommodating to outdoor exercise, I've been spending more time on my bike. I ride to work almost every day now and so, it seemed only logical that I participate in the monthly Critical Mass ride yesterday.

From the top of the Second Narrows

For the uninitiated, here's the nuts and bolts of it: a bunch of cyclists from all over the city (and by "bunch" in this case, I mean roughly 500) gather in front of the Art Gallery, explain the rules and then, under banner "We're not blocking traffic, we are traffic!", we go for a ride. The route is typically down major arteries, the ones we as cyclists are usually terrified to use due to the scads of car traffic. Volunteers from the group stop at intersections to block traffic from entering the stream (we call them "corkers") and the rest of the group move through the city like on big bus. We ignore stop lights because for safety, we have to stay as a unit -- hence the corkers.

It was a most amazing experience really. Imagine a city with no noise. The vast majority of agitation within a city rests with cars. Remove that component and suddenly, all seems quiet. You can hear the birds for a change. For a moment, I was taken back to Amsterdam: so peaceful... but with mountains, beaches and the ocean nearby.

We went over three of the four major arteries in and out of the city: the Granville Bridge, Burrard Bridge and the Second Narrows. In each case, we stopped at the peak and paused a moment to take in the view. It doesn't take much to remind me why I live here, but damn... that was awesome.

We cruised through Stanley Park, down Davie, Denman, Pacific, Robson, Granvile, Howe, Georgia... you name it, we were on it. A most wonderful ride.

For the Toronto folk, I thought that I might mention that there were two key differences here that made this ride considerably more successful than the one I went on out East:

  1. The rules were explained before we left. In the Toronto case, there was no structure at all. Some people stopped at lights while others blocked traffic "for fun". It was chaotic and not much fun.
  2. Vancouver had a police escort. There were numerous cycle cops with us on the ride to smooth over tensions with pissy drivers (seriously, you can't wait 10minutes? Get over yourselves!) and keep everyone safe. On top of that, some motorcycle cops were bringing up the rear just to make sure that the stragglers didn't get run over by afore-mentioned drivers. Having that kind of support from the community goes a long way.

So yeah. Lots of fun. You should try it. If you drive, maybe try getting out of your car for a bit, maybe even to join the CM. You never know, you might just like the quiet.

How Very Un-Free is this City?

March 31, 2008 23:36 +0000  |  Activism Vancouver 2

I found this post on Upcoming.org. Most interesting is not so much that the event is happening, but how it's happening, in order to get around a battery of rules restricting gatherings in the city:

Apr 1, 2008: Protest on CBC Offices in Vancouver at CBC TV

This event is to protest the CBC's disbanding of the CBC Radio Orchestra, a 70-year old institution and the last of its kind in North America, as well as the removal of most Classical Music programming from Radio 2. This means there will be no virtually classical music in the airwaves in Vancouver from now on.

Please be advised that it has come to our attention that the present rules and regulations surrounding public gatherings in Vancouver have developed extremely stringent requirements with regard to public gatherings which include permit applications to the City with a minimum of 14 days to process. In addition, the current regulations demand host individuals or organizations acquire insurance to cover possible litigation arising from the gathering. Under these restrictions it is impossible to host a spontaneous protest on current or pressing matters.

With the above in mind, the Protest of the elimination of the CBC Orchestra has been changed in the following manner:

  • It will not be an organized protest.
  • Anyone arriving should be aware that their participation is on an individual basis and is not being requested by any individual or organization.
  • We will be not be meeting at the CBC building.
  • We will going to the fountain at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Hamilton Street in Vancouver for a rest at 10 am, and a picnic lunch.
  • It would be nice if you happened to be there
  • We may happen to be carrying a sign that day which expresses our opinion

Conversations with Meth Heads

March 27, 2008 03:21 +0000  |  Homelessness Moments In Time Vancouver 6

I met a friendly young woman today while waiting for the #4 bus at the corner of Gore and Pender. Standing there, music blasting in my ears, I could barely make out the voice of a girl behind me yelling "HELLO!", but once I realised what was going on, I tugged the buds out of my ears and put on my cordial face: "Hello".

"Those are some really trippy glasses" she said, moving in a little closer than I'd like.

I smiled, "Thanks, my Dad made them for me. He owns an optical store up in Kelowna."

"Really?" she gasped, "I grew up in Kelowna! Had a nice job there too, worked in the bush." She then went on to list the names of a number of suburbs, none of which I recognised and I just stared blankly back at her.

"Sorry," I said, "I just go up there every couple of months to see the parents. The town is too white bread for me to want to get to know it in such detail".

"That's funny! I grew up there and ate rye" she laughed. It took me a minute to get it, but while the smile was delayed, it seemed to be appreciated.

"It's welfare day!" she bubbled again. "But you're not on welfare are you?"

"No," I motioned behind her, "I work just over there."

"Really? What do you do?"

"I'm a software developer."

Now she was the one with the blank stare.

"I write code for websites" I said, making a typing motion with my fingers. "It's not that hard, anyone can do it. You should try."

She smiled uncomfortably, and went on to talk about how she wanted a laptop. We talked about my job a bit more, how easy it was to get wireless in this city etc. She seemed interested, and I was just waiting for the bus, so I just kept talking. At one point though she interjected:

"I do crystal meth!" She pointed to the building behind her. Apparently her friends were upstairs securing her some in celebration of her new found Wednesday wealth.

I grimaced, "Ew, that stuff'll kill you you know".

"Yeah, but just a little bit" her tone was no different from one anyone else might take when chatting about the weather.

"Well, I don't know, I kinda like my life" I said and she smiled, shrugged it off. Just then, a voice comes from the door and her friend hands over a little bag. She bounces over, picks up a little bag and returns to me: "Wanna see it?"

I agree, and she extends her hands toward me, but not letting go of the clear plastic. The crystals are a translucent yellow, As if someone had crystallised urine and sugar into 3mm cubes. "Humph, how much was that?" I ask.

"Twenty bucks" she smiles at me again. I search my head for a suggestion for something else she might have spent that money on, but my mind blanks and she turns to leave. "Goodbye stranger!" she squeals and she teeters down the street. She's in a great mood, and my bus is minutes away.

Koreans in Robson

February 18, 2008 02:22 +0000  |  Public Space Self Reflection Vancouver 3

I spent much of the day inside cleaning up my place, in preparation of the arrival of my grandparents only to find out that my grandfather was taking advantage of the fine weather to work on his boat. Upon explaining this, my grandmother suggested that I do the same and get out of the house for a bit.

And so I'm here.

I'm in Robson Square. For the non-Vancouver folk, that's the area next to the Vancouver Art Gallery, and down a series of steps. Nestled below street level, and partially covered by a series of domes that create a nifty echo-effect, I'm sitting here listening to two guys play music in a language I totally don't understand -- but it's still pretty.

A woman is sitting there next to the two guys with her 3yearold daughter, the Father not too far away. It's clear that the family is there both for the tunes as well as the fun acousitc beneath the domes. It looks like a bunch of other kids have joined us down here now, running around in the square playing tag or something.

I think I have to start accepting Vancouver for what it is and not what it isn't. Like any other place, my home has some serious problems, but I can't deny that it has some real beauty and promise.

Two Ways to do Valentines Day in Vancouver

February 13, 2008 20:29 +0000  |  Public Space Vancouver Vancouver Public Space Network 0

I just got this email from the Vancouver Public Space Network and I thought that I would share. I hear New Mind Space is doing Queen of Hearts again this year, but they've gone to plan B, painting on the snow due to the horrible weather out there. The VPSN's plan is blatantly ripped from the New Mind Space idea a few years ago, but the best form of flattery is in fact imitation right?

The second plan is something I've heard of before as well, but I'm having trouble remembering from where. Neat idea, though 5pm will probably be tough for a lot of people.

Happy Heart Day!

Come one come all to the 2nd annual heart stamping in the city. Last year, with paints and heart shaped sponges a dedicated group of us stamped Yaletown, Granville, and Robson Square. Most of our hearts stayed around overnight until Valentine's Day and while stamping most on-lookers gave us two thumbs up for our work. It was great fun and we're hoping for the same this year. And so, if you are interested in taking part in this today, meet us at Robson Square at 8:30pm. Bring washable paints (emphasis on washable and preferably in the bottles that say "washable" in case we are hassled at all) also feel free to bring colourful chalk or any other temporary surface treatments. Come and join our crafty crew and spread the love...with paint!

any questions, call katie @ 778.829.0440 after 7pm.

3 Minute Kiss Freeze

At 5:00 pm start walking through the waterfront Skytrain station, on February 14, 2008. Time your time piece to the atomic clock

At 5:20 pm, FREEZE in a KISS. The kiss can be on the lips, on the cheeks, on the hands, on the wall, whatever - explore your creative options.

Make sure your alarm on your watch is set for 5:23 pm, at which point we will all casually move out of our kiss and keep walking moving as if nothing has happened. Yes, it's basically like a flash mob but toned down a notch.

To be specific, the Kiss Freeze will be main atrium area, or main lobby, that you enter off of water street, at the waterfront station. See picture.