Parking

It never fails to amaze me how weird people are. In general we all are – we have our quirks and idiosyncrasies of course, but sometimes people just floor me with how weird or how odd they really are.

Case in point… went to the mall today to look for something, and of course parked in the lot. Found a decent spot that was close enough to the door but not jam packed and avoided the tight spots between two trucks like the proverbial plague. People that drive trucks are a whole different breed – but thats for another blog, another day.

So, went in, looked for what I wanted, didnt find it, came out about 10 minutes later only to discover that a guy in a truck had parked right beside me. What’s the big deal you say? Right beside me – as close as he could get without actually scraping my car with the effort.. and he backed in which means that his drivers door was right near my drivers door…. so what? well… what bugs me about this sort of park job – is that there were 3 EMPTY PARKING STALLS on the other side of him. I mean… wth does he have to cozy up to my car that close when there are 3 OTHER PARKING SPOTS??? I dont get it.

It’s a bit like being on a bus, nearly empty bus..with a seat to yourself, and someone gets on at the nex stop and sure as shit they walk past all the empty seats – and sit down right beside you! I mean… wth? In a case like that I have, and will, get up, and move to a new seat! Not before I give them the evil eye.

People are weird…

5 yrs to the day

me on the left, Tina and Cheryl at u2

In 2005 I started to not feel ‘up to snuff’ and just put it down to going from a physical job (carpenter and first aid instructor) to a sedentary job. I gained weight, I lost my energy, and just felt ‘off’.. for a very long time. Then one day I went to see my doc for an unrelated matter and she did an exam and found a lump. We both thought it was probably nothing – a cyst – and I was booked in for a mammogram. That turned up nothing – it didnt even pick up the lump we both felt, so they did an ultrasound. They found a total of 6 lumps. (yes I am that odd 1% that breaks all the rules).

Between finding the lump and being scheduled for a biopsy of the lumps, took nearly 4 months, and they came back as cancerous – all except the lump my doctor had found. Two of the lumps were Stage 4/5, the others 3/4 (the higher the number the worse they are) Two of the lumps had actually grown a bridge between themselves and were transferring two different kinds of cancer back and forth. Yes weird.

I was sent to see the surgeon to talk about my options – the only option was mastectomy on the right side… but I made him swear that I would be in good enough shape to attend the U2 concert that I had already booked for, in Portland Oregon in December. It was a 6 week healing time and the show was 5 weeks away but he promised me that I’d be there. I believed him and had the surgery a few days later. For some reason, it wasnt tough for me to go through this.. I knew it was my only option and I knew they were going to do some sort of reconstruction as well (believe me, its never ever even close to being the same).. and I did cry -once. I think my faith in God and the belief that He was taking care of me is what got me through it. (I sure cried a lot during the treatments though!)

Im the one with the red pillow front row

5 weeks later, I was indeed at the U2 concert – somehow ended up in the very front row with 5000 people on the floor behind me – and 15 of my U2 crazy friends all around me for support both moral and physical. We ALL ended up being scanned into the front row through U2′s lottery system… I believe it was a miracle. And God was ‘in the house’ that night with us and the lads from Dublin – and it was good

January 2006 brought the treatments… I was given chemo but not radiation. Each treatment took about 2-3 hours to drip into you and it smelled horrid, had that skull and crossbones on the containers and yes it freaked me out to think of that going into my body, but I suppose you do what you have to do. After the first chemo, my shoulder length hair started coming out in handfuls.. so I shaved it off. Better than having it all over the house I was down and out for the count for about 3 days after the first chemo,, and then took about a week to get ‘back to normal’ and then it was time to do it all again. Oh joy.

By the third chemo treatment, I was not bouncing back at all. I was nauseated all the time and literally spent 4 days after each chemo, on the couch in a haze -  and had other residual issues that you cant talk about in polite company. The only food I could stomach was plain yogurt, sushi, hot and sour soup, and chocolate. You lose your sense of taste and then one day you have it back but everything tastes like you’re chewing tinfoil. Your mouth gets sores at the back of your throat and you cant swallow.. you lose weight and your white blood cells don’t regenerate fast enough, so you are susceptible to infections of all sorts and a cold can do you in. My eyes turned from green to almost yellow. Icky.

Sam Roberts band

The last chemo I did landed me in the hospital for 10 days with a body wide infection that almost did me in. I was about 4 hrs from finding out if God is real. But I got through it all.. and what got me through besides my faith – was U2′s music. And the thought that there were people out there going through this too  – AND the thought that if I lived in Africa, I would be dead from lack of treatment.

My last treatment was canceled. My doc and I both figured if the cancer wasn’t ‘dead’ by then, one more treatment wouldn’t matter. So.. on with life as they say to you.  I had started the comfort doll project around the time of my second chemo when I felt well enough to still do things.. and I continued it after I began to recuperate after my last treatment. People always make me out to be so amazing for doing that – fact of the matter is if I hadn’t of started the charity project then, I would have languished in self pity and ‘being sick’ and never gotten through it all. It was more self preservation than being charity minded I think – and they are right when they tell you that you must find things to keep you from slipping into the emotional depths of being an invalid (you’re sick but you will get well)

So.. the 5 yr part? Well, they say that if you hit the 5 yr mark after your last treatment, with no cancer found, then you are cancer free….. but I personally don’t think anyone is ever free of cancer. I think that if the circumstances that allowed it to grow in the first place, are repeated, then yes it will come back.. if they aren’t – then it won’t. And so far mine hasn’t.

How has cancer changed me? Do I live every day to the fullest? No. You cant. You try but its impossible to live on the edge for very long It has changed me though. It has physically changed me – chronic fatigue, a worn out thyroid (and meds for it), no taste buds left (still seem to live on hot spicy things including chili in my chocolate). It has affected my cognitive functions; at times I feel stoned or fuzzy and I avoid doing math and that usually means I need a ton more protein. It has changed my personality too I think. I don’t have time for games. I tend to be too blunt and speak my mind (even while desperately trying to be diplomatic). I’m impatient – ooh am I impatient! Haha.. I don’t want to waste time when I think I should be doing something Now Dammit Its a balancing act really – being aware that your time is limited (in a way that most people really don’t realize) but also being aware that you have to still fit in with society and family and friends.. at the beginning you feel the possibilities are endless – and I felt as if I was standing on the edge of a precipice wanting to jump into the unknown of ‘anything might happen!’ and having everyone I knew trying to grab me and haul me back to safety.. it was frustrating for a very long time. Oh yeah.. and my hair grew back in curly and black! Its taken 5 yrs to straighten out and turn to its almost right color of really dark blond. And they say that if you’ve had that kind of chemo, you dont go grey We shall see.

me and a friend both having a bad hair day

So here is my 5 yrs… my life has changed in so many ways – most of them good though. I’ve been blessed through my charity project – some of the people I have worked with have become friends. I have quit my ‘day job’ and ‘retired’ early.. and that has allowed me the freedom to finally explore my creative side. I’m a writer and photographer in the music industry and I love it. I still have bad hair days – but once you have gone without hair – even the worst bad hair day seems pretty funny in the end. And.. I laugh more freely than I used to. I love harder, and cherish my friends more fiercely (sometimes too much so I think), and I try to ‘do’ more rather than ‘be’ … I have a bucket list and want to fit it all in! I never will fit it all in, but I’m enjoying the journey.

An unexpected gift

Something really cool happened today – so cool that I have to share it. But where to start? With today, or with 3 months ago? How bout 3 months ago?

3 months ago Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics for the first time. People went nuts. People were so excited about it that they couldn’t get enough – enough news, enough merchandise, enough atmosphere … they lived and breathed Olympic fever for weeks prior. AND so did our visitors…. many people planned their vacations around the event, and my favorite band, Collective Soul, planned a 2-night concert stop around the Olympics as well!

So… the guitarist Dean, took a photo of the downtown streets and crowds from the venue window on the Opening Night of the Olympics. He was so excited that his excitement was infectious. I was early for the show so on impulse I stopped at the ‘official’ store and bought a small inexpensive Olympic pin… a toque! And why a toque? Because months previous, when the band had been in Canada, in Ontario, and it was cold and snowing, Dean had posted this picture of himself!

At the time, the Canadian fans were giving him and the American fans a hard time as they kept calling it a beanie or hat… a beanie? LOL a beanie is what Edge from U2 wears – so we had fun teasing them about it – and they wanted to know where the term ‘toque’ came from (i dunno… its just a Canadian thing   )

So that twitpic of Dean nailed my choice of which Olympic pin to purchase that day – and I managed to get it to him at the end of the show, when the band takes time to shake hands of fans from the stage. Slipped it into the opened hand and Bob’s your uncle.

So what does that have to do with today?

I was at the lumber store today trying to find something to hang my broom up in the closet. Been to 3 stores and nobody had it. This was my last hope and last stop before heading home and I almost didn’t go… but I did. And I did find what I needed – bonus. The girl behind the cash register was in a chatty mood and I noticed the pin she was wearing – see pic at top – and it reminded me of the one I’d bought to give away. On impulse I asked if I could take a photo of her pin, and she said sure so as I got my blackberry out, I told her about buying the pin on opening day and how I’d given it away. She was amazed I’d give it away and wanted to know why – apparently this particular pin turned out to be the most coveted, rarest of the series. So I told her that a band had come up from Atlanta strictly to be part of the Olympic celebrations and I’d given it to one of them as a keepsake – paid for my item and that was that….

Tonight before dinner, mr b and I went back to the lumber store to buy some bricks and as mr b was paying for the item, she looks at me and says, ‘are you the one who took a picture of my pin today?’  Yep. That was me   Next thing I know she’s taking her pin off her uniform, and handing it to me! I protested but she insisted – and so I’m now wearing the Toque as I blog

Settling in

So its been nearly a week and we’re still unpacking boxes and doing some renovation work. As many of you must think we have a ton of stuff, let me quantify that by saying most of what I packed went in to Bankers boxes-you know, the ones you see at banks that hold Legal sized files- only the tools + my pots and pans went into larger boxes.

We’ve painted out one of the upstairs bedrooms. It was a horrible turquiosy blue and took 2 coats of primer and two coats of my chosen color and I swear I can still see shades of blue in odd spots! Must be my eyes We also painted out the garage after ripping out the extraneous junk left behind. Mr b is in his glory to finally have a workshop after 20 yrs of waiting.

My studio space was supposed to be in the above ground basement but the more we contemplated, the more it seemed logical to have me take both upstairs spare bedrooms -one for office one for studio (with table and workspace). Its warmer for one thing. Has two killer closets with shelving to die for (for all my delicate photo frames) which are tucked out of the main work space. So we put mr b’s desk/computer downstairs. Closer to his shop (to draw new things up at his desk) and we have a hideabed couch down there for guests as well as bookshelves and our old tv. Also makes sense to have it more of a rec room if we decide to get a wii for winter exercise. And I can plug a cd in down there and do some yoga. My weight bench + punching bag are down the hall in the laundry room too. One stop shop

This house is not everything we wanted- the yard is much smaller than previous but it means less grass to cut! There will be no place to build a ‘folly’ or gazebo for my ‘secret’ place to go read or think but I can live with that.

The upside is I have a real kitchen and a dishwasher for the first time in 20yrs. Our bedroom is roomy enough to walk on both sides of the bed to change sheets and large enuf that I don’t have to put my skinny dresser in the other room!

We also have a closet to hang coats up in and a foyer. Seems a silly thing to desire but 20 yrs with no hall closet, no linen closet- you see what I mean

So. Its a good house. Good in the truest sense of the word. I think this house will foster happiness and creativity for the both of us for many years to come. And I can almost forget I’m in Vernon and not Vancouver

“Home, welcome home, take a little walk right thru our Home”

(Collective Soul -  “Home” )

its been frustrating struggling to keep up with my friends on Twitter and Facebook on a Blackberry but it could be worse – i could be offline totally. At least I was able to share the Olympic Gold Mens hockey game with you guys, and its been fun tweeting and twitpicking my photos and including you guys in mundane things like chosing a paint color for my new office… fun for me, hopefully fun for you too!

So, i figured I’d share some of my house with you here in my blog.

Front of House

This is the house – two car garage. (we’ve never even had a carport before). Above ground basement- thats the window to the left. mr b’s office (not my studio – we swapped).. and window above is the living room.. two windows over garage are bedroooms which are now my office, and my studio.

We;re in a quiet cul-de-sac and on a bench of a hill so about 6 minutes from downtown Vernon but feels like we’re ‘country-ish’ without losing the convenience

garage

inside of the garage. mr b is making this into his workshop.. as i said we’ve never had a garage so really dont need one if this isnt big enough, he will build one in the back yard, but for now this will be good. Today he’s busy painting it out. he’s in his glory – waited 20 yrs to have a workshop.

this is the spare room in the basement. you go in the front door, turn left through another door to a large room (mr b’s office and a tv room now) and this room is directly in back – the curtains (white blob to left) is patio doors to back yard. This room is the deepest darkest blue you’ve ever seen! nearly navy blue. we have our hideabed couch in here, and a ton of boxes yet to unpack – books and computer stuff mainly. i quite like the blue but i think its too dark for a basement esp in winter. we’ll see.

laundry room. its huge! seriously – this room is about the same size as my kitchen in my last house. it has laundry on this side, a door in middle, and to the other side (left of the door) is furnace and hot water tank as well as water filter for kitchen taps (vernon water is either full of peat (irrigation water), or so heavily clorinated you cant drink it). i have my weight bench in here and will hang up my punching bag. also our fishing rods, coolers, canning jars (can hardly wait to make some blueberry orange jam!) and yes, my vacuum cleaner and cloths iron – not that i use those much

this is the downtstairs bathroom. it has shower and sink -perfect for guests -they can stay in the downstairs guest room, watch tv down there if they want time away from us, and have their own washroom. i`ve never had more than one bathroom in a house – this house has 3! one downstairs, one ensuite and a regular bathroom. wow.

this is the upstairs living room – the stairs coming up have white railings (we might swap them out for wrought iron or brushed aluminum eventually). the floors are real wood not laminate. Maple – a honey color. In decent shape but for the odd scratch and sanding marks. very nice.Dining area is to left in this picture. big enough for our table and 6 chairs.

living room. nice bay window, and a fireplace. This tv will go downstairs once we buy a flatscreen which will go over the fireplace. We think we`ll take 2 rows of brick off, put the mantel back on lower… nothing worse than looking waaaay up to watch tv. also, mr b will make a proper inset box to hide all teh freaking wires! my biggest pet peeve – wires – you can see them on the left of the fireplace.

kitchen.. corner sink and corner window is a bit odd but not biggie. lots of cupboard space, proper stove which I actually cooked on last night and tons of counter space – again – 3 times as much as my old house, and about 10 times as much as the basement we rented all last year. this is my first `real`kitchen.

view out the kitchen window.. and the spare room downstairs too. this is called ALR land – agricultural reserve – which means nobody can ever subdivide this. someone owns this farm land directly behind us but every house on thsi block has a gate in their fence, into this land – they go walking and take their dogs etc.. very cool. the view beyond, and to the left is downtown Vernon.

main bathroom with kick ass tub

ensuite bathroom with shower. and pink ish counter top

my new office – hideous blue but we tore the carpet out last night, and today i`ll go buy my paint – pink suede – even though its not pink.. once painted, then new wood floor and a new desk from IKEA i think – trip to vancouver coming up next weekend so should give me time to find something. this room has a killer closet that will really help me organize my art separate from my charity separate from my clients stuff… and its warmer than teh downstairs the other room next to it will have all my knitting yarn (tons!) for the comfort dolls, my 6 foot table, all my books and bookshelves etc… their about 20×12 feet combined – so about the same size as the original room downstairs i was going to use. and warmer – did i mention that? lol

so thats my house so far… i’ll post twitpics and such as we go along – before and during, and after. thanks for taking an interest and for letting me share – its fun! i love it.

Aaron Pritchett’s new single – Nothing But Us -request it!

okay most people are willing to send at least one email to help out a friend – so i’m the friend, please help me out -and NO you dont have to live here or be canadian to send one! the beauty of email. no idea where it comes from haha.

If you would, pick one email and ask the dj to ‘please play Aaron Pritchett’s new song, Nothing But Us’

That’s it. And if you feel generous with your time or support – email a few. And yes, it really does help! All you CS tweeps I know – remember when CS tweeted and asked us to request their new song? It makes a difference in how the song is rated on the charts in the first week. So thank you!

JRFM in Vancouver:
After 6pm only is when they accept song requests and will accept them all night till midnight!
evening – rphelps@jrfm.com (Roo)

B103 Kelowna
@b103 - send em a tweet! tell them u listen online + follow @aaronpritchett + wanna hear his new single!
morning crew – heather@b103.ca and troy@b103.ca
midday – dave@b103.ca
afternoon drive – grant@b103.ca

Kamloops Country 103
mornings – howie@country103.ca (he’d love to hear from you – he says )
midday – kelly@country103.ca -this guy is the station PROGRAM DIRECTOR – hit him up!
afternoon drive – louis@country103.ca – he’d also LOVE to hear from you!

Prince George Bc -the Wolf
morning – kyle@97fm.ca and carol@97fm.ca
midday – erin@97fm.ca
afternoon drive – mike@97fm.ca

If u know of any other COUNTRY radio stations in BC, leave a comment wth the name or call numbers of the station and I’ll look em up asap and add them to the list. ALSO if u are in ALBERTA or even beyond into SASK or as far as ONTARIO and want to add your COUNTRY STATION – leave a comment. I’ll add it!

I would love Aaron’s new song to do very well in the first week! Come back daily and send just one email. THANKS!!!I

*2 pot dinner – Thai curried lamb + rice

I love curry. A lot. But I’ve discovered through trial and error that I prefer the lighter Thai curry rather than the heavier Indian curry – at least when it comes to the sauce and ingredients – I don’t like potatoes in my curry and many traditional Indian dishes have potatoes. Actually, what I make is more like a blending of the two curries using the ingredients I prefer.

This dish can be made in about 20 minutes and taste fine, or you can simmer it for an hour or so, and have it taste more than ‘fine’

Start rice (or use left over rice if you have it). While rice is cooking make curry.

Ingredients:

• lamb, cubed (I use either chops and cut around the bone, or butterfly flank) – you could also use chicken, or even prawns
• yellow cooking onion – diced in large chunks
• carrots – 3 – peeled and sliced or chopped
• orange peppers – 2 – diced into large chunks (I don’t like green and red are usually tough skinned)
• 1 can of shoe string bamboo shoots (buy the cheapest, there is no difference)
• 1 can of coconut milk (i use ‘light’ mainly because its organic and cheapest on the shelf)
• spices – cumin, coriander, curry, tumeric is what I use
• Thai Red, Yellow or Green Curry – you can use canned, or in a jar, or even in an envelope.. and you can use Coriander/lemon Indian curry in a can too – whatever you can find

Intructions:

• cube the lamb and trim fat – brown in bottom of skillet or wok with 1 tsp oil just so it wont burn
• add onions and spices – I just shake out without measuring.. when it looks ‘yellow’ I figure I have enough spices
• if there is not enough oil to keep onions and spices from burning, add some water and put a lid on – it sautes nicely and enhances flavors
• add carrots and saute adding a little more water if needed
• add curry sauce and coconut milk….most curry is thick so I dump out about 2/3 and then pour coconut milk into container and shake to get every last drop out. If it’s getting saucy and not ‘meaty’, dont use all the coconut milk. You can always add more later if needed
• let it simmer on med-low for about 10 minutes
• if needed, add remaining coconut milk, as well as bamboo shoots and peppers
• simmer another 5 minutes
• serve with rice

Thai curry is more liquid usually, than filling. Indian curry is more filling than liquid esp with the additon of the potatoes (except for Butter Chicken sauce)… so play with the consistency you like.

Let’s start at the beginning shall we?

New Years Resolutions – everyone makes them. Everyone tries to keep a few here and there, everyone breaks them and then feels guilty about it – and most resolutions on this side of the world seem to revolve around excessive weight. But what about the excessive baggage?

Marsha, a friend of mine, takes the opportunity each New Years Eve to purge. Everything. From dishes to clothes to toys to books to whathaveyou… anything not used in a year, is in a pile and out the door to either the trash heap (if it’s worn out or broken) or to Good Will so someone else can get some use out of it. I think this is a killer idea… more of us should do this. (I personally know a woman who still has baby clothes in boxes in her garage which is so stuffed with ‘stuff’ she has to park her car outside on the driveway. Her ‘baby’ is 25 yrs old.)

Excessive baggage is not limited to ‘stuff’ though – it can also be emotional things that you are dragging around with you … things which are weighing you down like the proverbial millstone around your neck. What about disappointment? Disillusionment? Anger and jealousy? This past year I had a first hand lesson in the need for forgiveness (blogged about it Here, with video ). All these emotionally charged negatives have a detrimental effect on us; very seldom do they affect the person we are directing the emotions towards.

Let 2010 be the year that you ‘Lighten Up’ and let it all go. You don’t need it… let it go. Let 2010 be the year you start from scratch – a new sense of beginning. Make practical resolutions yes, like better eating, more exercise, etc… but also choose resolutions that are intangible; forgive someone, help someone who needs it, support a cause you believe in, clear the baggage.

My resolutions:

• be less critical of people – at 40 I was jaded, my faith in humanity non existent. I had an experience which changed my life and my outlook. I don’t ever want to go back to what I was, but I can feel myself slowly sliding down into it again as the years pass by
• do more with my Comfort Doll Project charity – this past year was quite topsy-turvy. It took us 4 months to sell, pack up and move, get sorted out again. I lost interest in many things in the transition period. I want my passion back again
• take more photos. Again the move and such – I’m taking concert photos but I need to find something else that sparks my interest too. When I lived in Vancouver it was architecture and city scapes. My new home has no such appeal so I need to find something else. (and not nature – thanks anyways lol)
• exercise. I dont need to lose weight (although 8 pounds less would be nice). I do however, need to regain my core body strength and maintain my flexibility – I think it’s time to join a gym. Our local gym has a punching bag (I’ve got gloves) and a killer weight room and only 5 minutes down the hill
• Pennies… again due to the move, this impromotu charity idea got sidelined. I have time. Lots of it. Enough time to maintain a few websites, myspaces, facebook etc… less time chatting on Twitter, more time using Twitter for other things
• blog more. Ideally one blog a week for my nightMair Creative Music blog and one personal blog a week here.
• Finish (or catch up on) my Comfort Doll Project story -I’ve got about a years worth of meetings with some amazing bands and musicians that needs to be blogged about.. time to get to it!
• maintain my health and that of mr b’s too. And find a new doctor up here. And learn the street names. If we’re going to live here its time to start living here.

I think thats about all at this point…. I really need to get my ‘desk’ cleared off and organized I’ll start tomorrow. Ask me in a month how I’m doing.

What can u get me for christmas? hehe..keep reading

So my twitter/facebook friends  – you say you want to buy me a Christmas pressie? (what? you didnt? yeah you did ) So the universal question – what would a Canadian West Coast 40 something lady who has nearly all she wants and most definitely everything she needs, want for Christmas?

Well, here’s my list!

-Kiva. Microfinancing at its best. 25 bucks can get you hooked up with an entrepreneur in a developing country like Africa… they take out a small loan, we fund it. They improve their business and their lives and they pay it back over months. You get your 25 bucks back when they do pay it back and reinvest in a new loan or withdraw it…

if you cant afford a loan – join a team! Go to KIVA.org and sign up for a team. Click on “community” and join our Collective Soul fans team, or our Seether Fans team, or the Comfort Doll Team… eventually we might be able to scoot you 25 dollars in credit – so you can do your own loan without paying for it. (might take a few months to get a credit we can scoot to enough of you)

-World Vision Gift Catalog. If you’re in Canada, its WorldVision.ca – if you’re in the USA its WorldVision.com – you can buy a goat, a pair of rabbits, hot lunches for school kids for a month, a water bottle, etc… there are many gifts from small to medium to large to choose from. You can buy something from World Vision and put it in someone else’s name – like a legacy gift, or buy it for yourself.. or if you can afford it, sponsor a child!

-(RED) .. Product (RED) is the brainchild of Bono and Bobby Shriver (yes, related to Maria Shriver, Arnold’s wife and a Kennedy relative). (RED) products all send a portion of the money to the Global Fund to fight Aids in Africa. Converse, Dell, Apple ipods, Starbucks reloadable cards, Armani (if you can afford it) and Hallmark (xmas cards!) all are (RED). Give someone $5 bucks on a RED starbucks card and they’ll probably reload it all the time – each time they use it money goes to the Global Fund.

there are many ideas – donations to your local food bank in someone else’s name, find a family to sponsor locally for xmas dinner etc – all these make great gifts for people that literally have everything they want or need, and yet you feel that you must get them ‘something.’.

Hope you guys have a great Christmas. Dont eat too much, stay healthy, and dont stress. Its supposed to be enjoyable

Thoughts on our Olympic ‘dream’

photo courtesy of Jo shin's blog used without permission

Been thinking about our upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics and I have to say the more I see, the more I hear, the more I think about it all, the more it sickens me.

Yesterday I had to drive to downtown Vancouver and took Hastings Street to reach my destination. Hastings is ‘the strip’ and notoriously full of homeless people living on the streets. Hastings and Main boasts the library on one corner and the police station kiddycorner on the other side of the street. It’s also one of the few places to be able to find hot steam vents coming up from under the street and has the Union Gospel Mission and the Salvation Army Soup kitchen in close proximity as well. As you work your way down Hastings towards the more upscale Granville Street and shopping/office towers, there is the old Woodwards building which has been turned into affordable housing (instead of 7 floors of shopping), and Pigeon Park – pictured above. As you drive down Hastings, its a sea of humanity in little pockets, and a disturbing image for not only locals who are hardened to it, but I cant imagine what tourists would think!

The Olympics are mere weeks away – and there have been huge changes downtown. The most obvious change is Pigeon Park has been fenced off. Its not a park, its simply a street corner with some park benches. But its been fenced off. The homeless, the drug addicts, those in wheelchairs etc, can no longer congretate there. It was too close to the upscale downtown core. Visiters to our fair city might see the ‘mess’. The other major change is the handing out of food in bag lunches. I dont know who is doing this, but most of the hundred+ people I saw had remnents of the sack lunch in hand.

At night though, the homeless are being forced into shelters or jail – off the streets for their ‘own protection’. Rounded up and out of sight of visitors – we have to clean up this human mess before the world comes to see us.

Then there is the debacle of sponsor – can you believe McDonalds is the ‘official’ restaurant sponsor of the 2010 Olympics? WTF? McDonalds? Indeed.. a commercial tonight with one of our Canadian athletes proudly sporting a side of fries while spouting off about how McDonalds is the greatest and how he eats it whenever he can get it – I wonder if his coach lets him eat french fries whenever he feels like it? Will be interesting to see if he wins any medal at all in his particular sport – or if McDonalds isnt the food of champions after all.

And dont get me started on the Olympic mascots – Japanese Aime stuffies… again WTF? and made …. in China. You guessed it. Even our Hudson’s Bay Official Olympic merchandise (including 10 dollar Canadian Maple Leaf red mittens) are made in sweat shops in China. For those of you non-canadians – Hudson’s Bay is akin to Ford in the USA -its a 100+ yr old company that is the core of our heritage… it’s sickening.

I know many of my friends support the Olympics. It’s something new and exciting that hasnt ever been here. Its going to be an experience of a life time – but I cant get enthused about it. i cant support it in any way. Just as I felt strongly about boycotting the China Olympics (by not watching it on tv) so too am I going to boycott the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. Any minor improvements that might be happening to the homeless as a result of our local and Provincial levels of Govt wanting to ‘out of sight out of mind’ the problem, those improvements will be short lived. Once the tourists and visitors are gone home again – at the end of 10 short days – the problem will still be there. More so. The homeless are being fed en masse for the first time since …. well, probably since ever. The money will dry up, they will now expect it, and find it not there – then what?