A tragedy that should never happen

What has our nation come to that this is how our children deal with confusion? We are all entitled to how we feel about life issues, but do we really have to go to this extreme to enforce our own opinion? In my world, the actions this boy took were dictated by the negativity, hate and violence that seems to be abounding in our society. Ellen has some good points…it all starts with seemingly harmless jokes, whether it be about religion, race, or sexual preferences. The worst part though…these boys are in grade 8. So that makes them, what, 13??

Wow.

http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2008/02/a_tragedy_that_should_never_ha.php

It has arrived…

Ok, so this might be a bit unusual/unnecessary to blog about, but I saw this commercial and literally started laughing out loud…

“Without a doubt, it is the most sophisticated piece of technology……..[dramatic pause]………..you will EVER pee on.”

 

I think the man that narrated this commercial had a secret desire to be just like David Caruso…

 

Signs and symptoms

I was driving home yesterday, on yet another gorgeous spring-like afternoon…smiling at the flowers starting to come up, the odd robin that’s made it’s way back, the buds on the trees, and as I pulled up to a stop sign, at a random pair of shoes thrown over the telephone wire. We’ve all seen it right? I’ve always had a little chuckle about who does that and HOW in the world do they do it, never really knowing if it had any significance of any kind. (Although, assuming it didn’t and that it was just some randoms having fun with too much spare time.) But my curiosity was really peaked this time as I sat and stared, maybe moreso this time because of how rediculously high these wires were and right smack dab in the middle of the intersection. So to Google I went….and this is what I found:

Shoes hung from overhead wires (“shoefiti”)

A number of sinister explanations have been proposed as to why this is done. Some say that shoes hanging from the wires advertise a local crack house where crack cocaine is used and sold (in which case the shoes are sometimes referred to as “Crack Tennies”). It can also relate to a place where Heroin is sold to symbolize the fact that once you take Heroin you can never ‘leave’: a reference to the addictive nature of the drug. Others claim that the shoes so thrown commemorate a gang-related murder, or the death of a gang member, or as a way of marking gang turf. A newsletter from the mayor of Los Angeles, California cites fears of many Los Angeles residents that “these shoes indicate sites at which drugs are sold or worse yet, gang turf,” and that city and utility employees had launched a program to remove the shoes. These explanations have the ring of urban legend to them, especially since the practice also occurs along relatively remote stretches of rural highways that are unlikely scenes for gang murders or crack houses.

Other, less sinister, explanations have been ventured for the practice. Some claim that shoes are flung to commemorate the end of a school year, or a forthcoming marriage as part of a rite of passage. In Scotland, it has been said that when a young man has lost his virginity he tosses his shoes over telephone wires to announce this to his peers. It has been suggested that the custom may have originated with members of the military, who are said to have thrown military boots, often painted orange or some other conspicuous color, at overhead wires as a part of a rite of passage upon completing basic training or on leaving the service.

In some neighborhoods, shoes tied together and hanging from power lines or tree branches signify that someone has died. The shoes belong to the dead person. The reason they are hanging, legend has it, is that when the dead person’s spirit returns, it will walk that high above the ground, that much closer to heaven. Another superstition holds that the tossing of shoes over the power lines outside of a house is a way to keep the property safe from ghosts.

So the moral of the story…goodness know why “shoe flinging” exists…make up your own reason, and I’m sure it’s about as accurate as all the other possibilities…but if nothing else, add it to the list of “Things that make you go hmmmmm….”

Spring has sprung, the grass is riz…

I wonder where the flowers iz….

Ah yes, there is definatly spring in the air. I’m a summer girl all ’round, but I can’t lie, I love the feeling of spring starting to take over winter. I’m trying not to get my hopes up too much, cuz it could just be mother nature having her fun, but that past 3 days have been absolutly unbelieveable!! Gorgeous and sunny and warm as all get out!!! I spent the first day of sun up at Whistler on Saturday. What a sight to be seen. The whole valley was socked in with fog and so we were skiing in the full on sunlight, looking down on a lake of fog making fresh tracks. What more could you ask for?! It was unreal. (pix will be posted soon)

Sunday was family lunch at the van Deusen gardens and then the afternoon at the beach with my sister and our pooches. I’m sure the entire city came out of hibernation and migrated down to the beach. It was literally shoulder to shoulder walking along the sea wall. Vancouverites are so happy when the sun comes out…you’d think it rained alot or something…

This morning I got all ambitious and took my hound for an early morning beach run…well, let me rephrase that…she ran, I watched! It was so beautiful.. the sun was just up, only a few early morning keeners out either for their morning jog or their morning Starbucks. We were so early that we were the first ones to the dog beach even!! So I spent the next hour basking in the sunlight watching the city come to life. Wow…that was sappy…. lol Anyways, below are a couple pix of how gorgeous and serene it was at dawn’s crack this morning! THIS is why I live in Vancouver…

LOVE-ly

Well here we are, just a few days short of one of the most famous holidays of the year…not to mention one of the biggest hallmark holidays of the year! Quite honestly though, this holiday is 2nd only to Christmas as the largest card sending holiday of the year with approximatly 1 billion valentine’s being sent each year. The stat I find most entertaining is that it’s estimated that 85% of all valentines are purchased by women. (oh how I love Wikipedia ) Slighty ironic, wouldn’t you say, seeing as women tend to be the ones that expect the MOST out of that day?! Is this stat so high because we actually buy OURSELVES valentines??? Hmmmm…I’ll never tell….

So what IS the deal with this day?! It has become one of the most dreaded days for single women and attached men. I’m not sure Mr Valentine would be real impressed with the way the trends have gone. I think it was originally a holiday intended to flatter and pamper the one you love, which of course women will never protest. However, with how rediculously marked up gifts, flowers and even some dinners out become, just during this week, it has taken alot of the fun out of the holiday, and instead is just a financial investment. (lucky for Hallmark!!) Now what fun is that??  However, I can’t lie, I’m a girl (clearly) and I love to be pampered, but a little of the romance is definatly lost. I think probably one of the best Valentine’s was when I just went out with the girls…no pressure, no strain…just a fun girls night out! Which is generally why single women tend to despise this day. There’s nothing like a “couple’s day” to rub in just a little more the fact that you are STILL not a couple!! lol I think most single guys would like to argue that they are quite happy to be unattached on V-day…saves them a heck of money. But seriously, who are we kidding…we all like having that special someone, no?

(Wow…am I the eternal cynicist or what??) hehe

Anyways, that all being said, it is pretty awesome to be out on a special evening with that special someone doing that special something, whatever it may be! I will never say no to flowers, chocolate, rose petals, candles, romance…ok I’ll stop. Hey! I’m a girl, what can i say!!!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Dine Out Vancouver

“Dine Out” is this fantastic idea that happens every year in Vancouver. It’s where a whole pile of restaurants join in on creating a “prix fixe” menu with the choice of wine pairing. It’s ridiculously popular, so it’s virtually impossible to get into one of the nicer restaurants on weekends, but my good friend Magdalena somehow managed to get us into this place called “The Salt Tasting Place” Saturday evening for a little “girl’s night out”! But I think I figured why we were able to get in at prime time. Salt is located in Gastown (which for those of you who don’t know, is a more trendy/funky part of town with lots of cool restaurants, pubs, bars etc). The problem is, Gastown also borders on the well known Hastings Street (again, for those who don’t know Vancouver, Hastings is our drug central, which has also been voted the highest drug count in Canada) So, needless to say, not really the area a girl wants to be wandering around alone. Which is exactly what I was doing. But as if that wasn’t enough, the restaurant was not just in Gastown, bordering on Hastings, it was up an alley called Blood Alley! How appealing. I’ve learned, upon research, that it was names Blood Alley because it used to house butcher shops so they’d rinse out the alley at the end of the day, resulting in blood in the streets. Not to mention it was also where they held public executions! So…that gives you an idea of our venue’s location!! However!! That certainly didn’t take anything away from the super fun atmosphere of Salt. We had a 3 course dinner of a soup or salad appetizer, a cheese and charcuterie tasting platter entree, and dessert. It was awesome! As always, I’ve attached my pix!