Sooo I can’t help but have noticed a visually pleasing but still kind of depressing trend in women’s clothing — the above named short jacket and straight leg jeans combo a la every single style program to hit the cablewaves since, I dunno, when did this “What Not to Wear” thing start? Granted, the new uniform is a heap easier on the eyes than most people are dragging out of their pre-makeover wardrobes, but it’s so eye-pleasingly boring in it’s endless variations, I think it might be somehow worse. I don’t know…I kind of like seeing the scary funny things people crawl out of the house in. And I respect their right to have impeccably bad taste.  I guess at the end of it, it’s the homogeneity that depresses me.  I just get bummed out when I see people mindlessly mirroring these fierce fashion trends. Kitsilano was rife with it. I could walk down the beach and see a hundred copies of the same airbrushed look. Do these girls look at each other and realise that they are wearing identical clothes on identical bodies and are swishing around identical haircuts? I mean it. I don’t think they do. I guess we all dress to show our affiliation with our ideas, whatever they may be. In this case “my ideas are exactly like everyone else’s”. What then of the anti=hero? The lone wolf who sees the world his own way, on his own terms, with his dyed blue hair, studs in his ears, nose, elbows, and throat. Well, I guess he’s screaming too. But it’s a different kind of scream.

In summary, the straight leg jeans + jacket thing — it’s gotta go. Thank you.

I have an enormous respect for using things outside of their intended purpose. I get so much satisfaction from seeing things for what they are, rather than just what they are made for. Example: using a treadmill to run upon vs doing what these folks have done. This video is absolutely superb.

magpied from paradineshift

So we’ve had a pretty incredible week.  We have somehow manifested a beautiful space out of thin air.  I don’t know what I love more — the fact that it happened, or that I’m no longer surprised at all.

You know, it’s really hard not to feel like Doogie Howser sitting here at my computer.  Cue music.

I am fascinated by the concept that all of the world’s problems are solvable.

At least in theory.

Isn’t it boggling to imagine what would happen if we all simultaneously just gave away what we didn’t need so no one person, city, or country went without? Theoretically, it is possible. What if all of those aid missions or what have you that are way too expensive to contemplate suddenly just happened? What if the money didn’t matter anymore, and we all just did what was right?

I dunno. The whole idea just blows me away. We have the solutions to poverty, poor health, lack of education, terrible infrastructure, environmental devastation… all of this technology exists somewhere in the world. What would happen if we all just shared? All it would require is a simple decision, when it comes down to it:

“Let’s just share, shall we? Let’s send things where they’re needed most, and forget the profit margins. Let’s get some road building crews over to Southeast Asia so it isn’t a death defying process to cross the country. Let’s send some food to some suffering people – we’re too damned fat here in the west anyway. While we’re at it, let’s cancel Third World debt too while we’re at it. That would be good. Then maybe some of these totally impoverished nations would have a hope in hell of rebuilding themselves from the ground up. How about some global health care? And how about helping each other gain access to healthy drinking water so huge chunks of the human population don’t suffer from life/energy-sapping parasites for their whole lives? And what if we all just stopped driving for a little while? Why don’t we just start producing those electric cars again? That would be good… And while we’re at it, why don’t we just stop eating meat all the time and use all of that useful land and clean water better, in ways that doesn’t cause pollution and suffering?…”

I just can’t get over the fact that all of this is totally possible. Highly unlikely – but it is still possible. Isn’t that a strange concept? Seriously just take a minute to ponder this idea. What if the money didn’t matter and we just suddenly and spontaneously decided to do the “right thing” as it were. Why are we choosing this kind of world? Doesn’t that seem strange? Do we even realize what we’re choosing?

I just don’t get it. But I do like the idea that this kind of thing is possible.

Oh what a difference a few days makes.

In the space of a mere 36 hours, we went from being unemployed and homeless bums to bums-only, in nearly one fell swoop. After a killer interview (if I do say so myself), I was offered a job starting that same afternoon. On the strength of said job offer, my compadre and I descended on the local friendly bank and established some canuck bank details. Check. After receiving the totally astonishing news that I have a good credit rating (thank you, Canada Student Loans), we drummed up some convincing paperwork to submit to a rental agency.

Whilst I was on the first day of my job (very very weird to be starched and pressed and wearing shoes by 7.30am, let me tell you), my dear one sent off said paperwork and lo and behold, 3 hours later, we were given our dream flat.

Some words on manifesting: IT WORKS!

We are officially on the hunt… the search for the perfect nerve centre is now well underway. Having been politely asked to vacate our current premises so our hostess has all of the time/space she needs to get the most from her last weeks in the country (ie have a farewell-style nervous collapse), we are now up to our eyeballs with the task of finding both employment and a home base. Within the next 2 weeks. No problem!

So it has been a few days of pounding the pavement, and the keyboard, as we search the oh so popular craigslist for a suitable abode. Just spending the days around the Drive has been pretty affirming. A much more compatible vibe than here in plastic fantastic kitsilano. [ Hard to believe that this area used to be a hub of cool and general hippy-dom, given its current rarified air. You know you're in kits when the kids with the sidewalk lemonade stand are selling pure organic designer juice. cha-ching!$$ ]

So then, our house-hunting criteria to date: walking distance to the Drive and all its organic goodness, close proximity to transport, light & bright, in a quietish place with no major street noise, a garden/yard or some other access to green space, a view would be marvelous, and preferably on the cheap side of affordable, and preferably above ground. A resident animal of some sort would be lovely. Aaaand they have to be willing to accept not-quite employed but otherwise lovely us… Perhaps a tall order, but we’re hoping for the best.

Just another exercise in picturing what you want and creating it out of thin air.

No problem. We’re professionals.

Since returning to the frozen homeland I have been floored by the kind of unbelievably closed-minded discourse that I’ve been blundering into. It actually started loooong before I got here, in the form of this forwarded email:

IMMIGRANTS, NOT Canadians, MUST ADAPT.

IMMIGRANTS, NOT Canadians, MUST ADAPT.

I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. [Heaven forbid!] Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Canadians. However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the “politically correct!”crowd [those filthy peaceniks] began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Canada [just as long as they look, act, and believe exactly like I do]. Our population is almost entirely made up of descendants of immigrants [EXACTLY!]. However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand [Oh do educate me.]. This idea of Canada being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity [wuh?]. As Canadians we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle [hmm...debatable]. This culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom [The freedom to consume and conform, just like the rest of the first world]. We speak ENGLISH/FRENCH, not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language! [How else can you read the TV guide?]

“We Stand On Guard For Thee” is our national motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan.. [It isn't??] We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. ["Do unto others unless they're different from you" and "Thou shalt not steal. Except land." History is clearly written by the victors.] It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. [Sig Heil!] If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home because God is part of our culture. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, [evolve??] and we really don’t care how you did things where you came from [because this is the centre of the universe and nothing else matters and as long as you keep providing us with cheap labour and oil, we don't give a sweet patoot].

This is OUR COUNTRY, our land, and our lifestyle. But once you are done complaining……. whining…… and griping……. about our flag……. our pledge…… our national motto……..or our way of life….I highly encourage you to take advantage of one other Great Canadian Freedom……. THE RIGHT TO LEAVE

******

So this engaged my rage a little. I received this only a few months before I brought my ‘foreign devil’ partner with me back to Texas, er I mean Alberta, to do the family meet and greet. While I won’t say that this was the exact mentality we encountered, I will admit to being staggered by my first real taste of good old western redneckism in quite a few years. (Tastes like crude oil). Yeah.