freecycle

Originally uploaded by Will_Tom.

Hey, have any of you Freecycled? We have a bunch of times now and it is always facinating. Once we were giving away a bunch of clothes and pots and pans and the cutest couple came to our door. They were very nice and very clean and any moment I thought they would either tell me about Jesus’ Plan For My Life or the Swingers Club they had just joined. (no , really, they were Stepford meet Trinity Western.

The crazy part really is always the same. We post something on the service and moments later the phone starts ringing. Got Stuff? Poof! It’s gone!

You have to deal with the randomness. Today we had a nice lady come to the door who just wanted to take away some ‘new’ clothes. We also had a character from the Sin City movie take away an old paper shredder. Bree hid in the back of the apartment while I handed over the loot. Once we had a lady and her kids pick some stuff up and the kid thought we were millionares or something. He just kept saying “You have a laptop! Cool!” or “Wow! Rechargable Batteries! Look Mom! They got batteries!Plugged into the wall!”

As a rule, I think this is ok. Citizens are generally a force for good and common precautions can ensure a favourable result. The whole thing makes my faith-in-humanity-meter max out.

All power to the Freecycle.

Smile!

Originally uploaded by ms_doyle.

We were at the Vancouver Chinese New Year Parade on Pender and Columbia in Chinatown. This was the most exciting and meaningful parade I have ever attended. Real gravitas. Meaningful in ritual, cultural significance, meaningful in history and the building of a new community.

My son was with us and was enthralled by the spectacle, especially the dragons, but what really enthralled me was the town.

This city put on its shiny clothes, banged the big drums, waved its flags and exorcised the demons of a long wet winter. It felt good to shake it out.

A look for the new year

Originally uploaded by Will_Tom.

Welcoming the year of the dog and ushering in the red packets of prosperity.

The Grizzly Truck

Originally uploaded by Will_Tom.

In 1992 persons formerly affiliated with the venerable Pacific Truck company made 12 of the most durable, powerfull trucks known to man. I have seen the model shown in the picture tooling around town. The Grizzly is an impressive piece of machinery, somewhat larger than a classic hummer and twice as bad-ass the reality of this vehicle is hard to describe. These vehicles were made in North Vancouver, until they were not.

Where did this company go? Who owns it? What happend? Does anyone know? I imagine my self rumbling around logging roads impressing the chicks and intimidating the mack jackets. I want it. I want to make dozens of them and sell them to Californians bored of those whimpy H2s and measley sherman tanks.

Grrrrizzly!

Parliament

Originally uploaded by Will_Tom.

So I have just voted. I love voting. Every one around me knows…This is like the superbowl for me. The status of my franchise is verified, I choose my candidate and I vote. I love everything about this (except when my name is crossed off the list because this means I will have to wait until next time to do it again).
People look different when they are in the polling stations. They look like citizens. Never do I feel that we are all quite as equal as we are in the polling station. Various ages and shapes and shades of people look around and, well and vote! It is just perfect.

Well, it is off to the Library (the pub beside the library) for me. I shall discover with other sports fans who wins this match. Maybe we can do it again in April?

Ballot Box

Originally uploaded by Will_Tom.

With a federal election at hand, we see many examples of the importance to vote. We are exhorted by the candidates, media and entertainment personalities and a particularly unimaginative “speak up” government campaign to promote voting. I have not missed an opportunity to exercise my franchise since I attained the age of majority. I will vote again on Monday in my riding of Vancouver Center and for the first time (federally) I will possibly see and election result that runs antithetical to my own beliefs and values. Still I will be grateful for the result.

It is not just for my love of the horse race or a naive belief in vox populi, vox dei that I will be grateful, but rather a knowledge that it is all within the greater realm of what it means to live in a democracy. The conservatives will do what they will but not for long if the public will not keep them. The opinion of many (and myself) may be that Steven Harper’s party wants to serve narrow, scary and religious interests but if this turns out to be wrong and fabricated, we may keep them indeed (cough, ahem). One benfit of a plurality perhaps is the benefit of the doubt. Go on Stevie, show us what yer can do!

Please don’t try to show me parallels in the US system, there is no representation there. The media is a whitewash and the politicians are bought and paid for. What we all know as the sponsorship scandal is entrenched behaviour in Washington and here it brought down a government. Egyptian elections have more to do with public desires than those in the US (imperious voice on loan from the national film board). You try to buy votes in a whipped house where campaign financing rules couldn’t get a candidate from Windsor to Whitehorse on a Jetsgo fare.

So as I clutch my ballot in my hand and drive away thoughts of the second coming of Stockwell (or “that he really deserved that ring”) I will be satisfied in the fact that this too shall pass.