03/10/10

This morning I went for walk at Ambleside Beach - as only happens in the fall, the bridge and ocean were still shrouded in fog, and bridge and ships alike appeared as phantoms.

Much later, at around 7 pm, I pulled over and watched as the setting sun moved between two layers of clouds, emerging fully just long enough to bath the world in light, before again sinking from view.

I didn't think I was supposed to be in either place until I got there and realized I was exactly where I should be, at just the second I should be there.

This life is a magical, beautiful trip.

Thanks for being wherever you are.

Slocan Blues (or greens, for that matter)

On August 23rd of this year, police in Slocan raided a marijuana plantation outside of the town, seizing over 600 plants, and making three arrests.

Now, this news wouldn't get much of a reaction - considering the sheer volume of grow-op busts and arrests our 6 billion dollar a year weed industry generates; it also at first doesn't sound as wild as some of our more memorable busts (my favorite all time is the semi truck at the ferry) - until the news of who was arrested got out.

You see, it turns out that two of the growers arrested were the son and husband of the current Slocan Mayor, Madeleine Perriere. 

According to CBC, poor Maddie had no idea that her family was involved in such nefarious activities, and she has decided not to step down, stating that this is a family issue, not a professional one.

Um, no.  Wrong.

I wouldn't want to say that just because someone holds a government office, that their entire lives, and the lives of their families, should become public knowledge, and to be fair, if the arrestee was a distant cousin, or back-country uncle, I wouldn't bat an eye.  But we're not talking about some distant relative, only seen at the five year family reunion - we're talking spouse and offspring.  And it's not like they cheated on their taxes - they were growing and exporting illegal drugs.

(sure sure, it's only pot right?  The substance isn't the point - it's the blatant disregard for Canadian law that matters).

That makes it our business.  The day she became mayor (regardless of the fact that Slocan only has around 350 people) of a Canadian town, she took on responsibilities for the public interest - like crime.  How can the good people of Slocan expect her to keep their street (streets? Maybe) safe if she can't even keep track of what hubby is doing?  Saying that she didn't know doesn't cut it.  My mother didn't live with us in high school, and she still caught me a bunch of times just by chance.  I can't imagine trying to grow the stuff and not having that eventually get out - this isn't a plant or two in a shed back in the woods, 600+ plants is a full time job and there's no way in my mind she could have missed it.

Now, the council backs her up, and I have to say it's not too surprising - how can they kick her out?  A bunch of them are probably too busy right now trying to find new dealers, since the Perriere boys are out of business.  Chances are half the town knew about this, including Mrs. Mayor, and they're just jumping through the necessary hoops to get everything back to normal (red eyed and hungry) as fast as possible.

BC bud is big business for a reason - people here smoke so much of it they've turned growing it into an art form that is recognized world wide, and it's the little towns, surrounded by vast forests, that create the best opportunity for stoners to get away and hone their growing skills.

Mayor Perriere will most likely remain in office - and why not?  Really, by riding this out, she may create a powerful campaign point for her next run.  I bet there's plenty of growers that would be happy to have someone who knows the business a little protecting their interests.

Personally, I don't care all that much if she stays or goes - I just don't like her saying that criminal activity by an officials immediate family is not a public issue.  If you want to be in office, great, but you should clean your own house before you start pointing out dirt to the rest of us.

Animation

I'd like to take a moment to extend my sincere thanks to Dreamworks, Pixar, and Disney for all the great movies they've made over the past decade.

Now, I'm an adult male, and some would say that as an adult male I am perhaps not necessarily the intended audience of these films, and yet I find certain aspects of them to be incredibly fascinating - of course it's true that the plots generally have a moral hidden (not so subtly, you might even say blatantly - though I'm not sure if it's possible to 'blatantly' hide something) within the layers of a comedic story-line, and though I am generally one to appreciate such messages, they're not my real reason for watching these movies.

I watch them for the life they give our world, and for that reason it's the characters that matter to me, making the moral a secondary point - after all, anybody can think up a moral, it's the characters that make the film.

For example, I'm interrupting the beginning of 'Bee Movie' to sit and write this, and since I'm only at the beginning, I have no idea what the moral will bee (it was irresistible - I promise to only do that once) I have a suspicion that it will have something to do with not following the crowd, exploring new worlds, and showing ultimately that being different is not a bad thing - but that's just a guess, maybe it's about dental hygiene and the dangers of living around copious amounts of honey.  It could happen.

 the reason I know I'll like it is the characters and the intro - the movie starts off with narration and text saying:

"According to all known laws of aviation, there's no way a bee should be able to fly. 
Its wing are too small to lift its fat little body off the ground. 
The bee, of course, flies anyway - 
because bees don't care what humans think is impossible."


I love that.  I think it sets the whole tone - weather or not it has anything to do with the plot of the movie is immaterial to me - I think it's great.  It tells me "Hey, heres a funny little joke - we're not going to take things too seriously here, so have fun"  Now, being somewhat strange, I looked it up - and it's not true.  The whole urban myth started because some scientist stated that a plane with wings the size of a bee, moving at the same speed as a bee, would not be able to achieve lift - after that the whole thing became kind of a running joke.  So technically according to laws of aviation, a bee wouldn't be able to fly if it's wings didn't move, but they do, so that's that.


So, back to the movies - the general thing I love so much about movies like 'Bee Movie", "Bugs", and one of my favorites "Ants" is that they give human characteristics to creatures we generally see as emotionless - it humanizes them into lovable characters, presumably so we can identify with them.  


For me that makes everyday life a little more fun - turning a family of honey bees into a stereotypical Jewish family is something that would never occur to me, nor would Danny Glover as a soldier ant, or stoner beetles, but it sure makes the tiny world beneath our feet a helluva lot more amusing.


Now some of this could be my own creative boredom; I've always given personality to creatures without, or stationary objects, and as a child all my toys had personalities and histories to back them up - but to see the same concept brought to life (and really, animation these days is almost as good as) makes me grin like a moron.  Which unfortunately is what some people would think I am from reading this  - but you see, I'm not simple, of stupid, or immature; I'm just a guy who prefers to add a little make believe to a world that says facts are facts.


I believe the folks at Dreamworks, Pixar and Disney would agree - just because we grow up, doesn't mean we can't have a little fun in our heads.  Just try to keep it in there when you're in public.

September

I have to say, even though it is the end of the summer (and here that means the start of the rainy season we call 'Winter') there are many things I love about September.

Aside from having the distinct privilege of being the month of my birth (haha), September is also the beginning of the most spectacular sunrises and sunsets of the year - one early morning last week, the sky was such a blazing red I actually went out to investigate, thinking that perhaps one of the neighboring houses to where I live was on fire (fortunately all was well) - each year, right around the middle of September, you will begin to see sunrises and sunsets that make you say "wow, I've never seen one so beautiful" and the next year you top it.

Now maybe some of this is due to global warming or harmful gasses, but I think that for the most part it's just the change in our relative position, and it sure makes up for the longer nights, to have such a spectacular end.

I also love the anticipation of fall - the leaves slowly begin to turn (I saw one fall off a couple days ago, and thought to myself "so it's begun...") the fog rolls into valleys and rises each morning with the days arrival, and stores begin to fill with Halloween and Christmas decorations (didn't they used to wait until Halloween was over to start selling reds and greens?) and so you know that the season of friends, family and feasting is just around the corner.

( I just got a mental image of a Turkey seeing the Christmas lights come on and saying "ah shit, that was quick")

Aside from the plight of birds and pigs though - it's a wonderful thing.


Each morning now, I smell the air as I walk outside, waiting for the first frost, the first day that smells of ice and wood smoke, that I know will send my mind back to a place of warmth and happiness from my past.  For me it takes me to my Grandparents house in winter (real winter, the one with Snow) when everything is covered in deep snow drifts, and the whole world is hushed.  Snow has that effect - especially freshly fallen - it's like the world is struck silent by the sheer beauty of the transformation that has occurred, and all you can hear is the soft crunch of your boots and the gentle creaking of frozen trees

And so I anxiously await that day, when the smell will tell me that fall has truly begun, and I can forget about everything else for just a brief second - just long enough for my trip back in time - and be reminded that even though it's rainy, even though it's dark, there's something special about this time of year - like spring this is a time of firsts, and that means there's always something to look forward to.

Let them fly kites!

I support the war in Afghanistan. There, I said it. No doubt there are those who's faces would turn a pretty shade of pinky red just from hearing those words - then they'd go off onto a tangent about the corruption that got us there, the tragedy of the loss of lives (both civilian and CAF) and then begin stating the various reasons why we should effect an immediate withdrawal of all our armed forces from the Middle East.

To be honest, I find that kind of petty. Who are we fighting in Afghanstan? The Taliban, right? All agreed so far? (yes I know there's a myriad of other militant groups, including Al-Qaeda, Abdullah and many others) but the main group we're fighting - the ones who ran the country until we got there - is the Taliban.

Now, there's lots of reasons to fight the Taliban (they made it illegal to fly kites, not to mention that little Shiite massacre) but personally, there's only one I need - education. Under the Taliban rule, it was (and remains in places they control - ie: parts of Pakistan) illegal for girls over the age of eight to be educated. That means that after grade 2 0r 3, it's back to the farm and into the workforce. Did anyone learn any business skills in 3rd grade? Anyone? Didn't think so. I personally don't remember a damn thing about being eight - okay, not true, I remember Power Rangers (of course with the Taliban, watching TV could get you thrown in jail or shot, so that's out too).

A lot of people will use the way we got to Afghanistan (the war in Iraq) as one of the main reasons we should not be there, personally - I don't care. I think we should be there. I think that if someone is being denied the basic human right to education, it is our duty as over privileged first nationers to do something about it. We don't have armies to grab land any more - we have them to keep ourselves safe, and so that when someone decides to enforce cruelty upon others, we can defend those who cannot do so themselves.

Another main point for the anti-war crowd is that the war is just a way for corrupt politicians and corporations to make money, and that might be true. In fact, I guess we can be sure that there are some evil assholes making money from the war - and you know what? Again - I don't care. If a byproduct of Cheney making a few extra million dollars is that 9 year old girls can learn how to read and write without having acid thrown in their faces - fine by me. Let'm have it - hell, I'll even give him a donation.

I should note that another reason I support the war is a very basic one - it has nothing to do with the reasons we're there, the outcome, or the conflict itself. I support Canadian soldiers, because they're brave enough to risk EVERYTHING for someone else. For the most part, the troops believe in this war - they think they're doing some good, and I think the very least I can do is not badmouth them in public, and when they come home I'll treat them like the heroes they are.

Now I'm sure there are some clever folks with all sorts of fancy statistics and powerpoint presentations that could give a detailed report on why we should pack up and leave the Middle East and never go back, but even they'd have to agree that if we do that, the Taliban will take over the country again, probably within a couple of years (they'd have to go through the process of eliminating all the warlords again - but they know how to do that) and the country would be right back where it started.

So maybe those who are so against the war should see how it feels to explain to a young girl that not only can she never show her face in public, never watch cartoons or the news or listen to the radio; but she's not allowed to go to school anymore, not allowed to ever have a chance to grow and achieve anything beyond what is offered in her family life - all because some people said Canada didn't have the right to go to war.

Note: I'm not saying that being a stay at home mom (or dad) isn't an important, fulfilling role for those who choose it - I'm saying that they should get to choose.

Brave little bugs

Today at work I parked next to a bush, and at some point during the day, a little bug began the climb up the hood of my car, and all then up onto the windshield - which he was about halfway across when I got in and started driving.

Unfortunately, in my distracted state, I didn't notice the little traveller until I was almost at home - which means this brave little bug held on to a slanted window at speeds in excess of 90km per hour. And I find that very impressive.

Why do I find that impressive? Aside from the obvious physical strain of hanging on (most people, in our grand gangly way, would have slid off and gone tumbling down the road) I am mostly impressed by the design that allowed the bug to continue his journey of discovery. It's hard to imagine that God (or nature, depending on what you believe) could have foreseen the need for such an ability, since there's very little in nature that's likely to suddenly accelerate to highway speed (unless by some strange chance you find yourself clinging to a cheetah - but even in that unlikely scenario, you've still got better handholds) and so I find it incredible that the insect world has: a) included this ability just in case trees someday develop engines, or b) adapted over time to the fast paced auto world for the same purposes as us - to get to other places.

Option b is probably the more likely of the two - in which case I'd like to say kudo's to evolution for making a true art of hitchhiking, and a big way to go to the little bug that could for bravely (though possibly not purposely) seeking out new worlds, greener grasses, higher elevation and giving me a true moment of amazement that something so small could do something so big.

Writing

The aim of this, is to write - which you'd think would be an easy thing to do. I mean, it's not like I need a topic, I could write about absolutely anything - the trouble is, when I'm out and about I tend to think of many things to write about - interesting things, things I have a strong or strange opinion about, in short - good topics.

Then I come home, usually several hours later, and sit down and think to myself "okay, now write" and you know what comes to mind - nothing. Bubcus.

It's as if my brain is resentful of the fact that when it came up with all those wonderful topics, I told it to put them on hold, and so now when I'm ready, it gives me the silent treatment as revenge.

But I can play tricks too - because you see brain, I don't really need you to write; all I need are my hands and my eyes (I guess I could write without the eyes, but for the sake of things coming out semi-intelligible, I'll keep them open) and my brain can sit and pout in the corner all it wants.

Right now I can feel it willing the rest of me to give up, saying, "This is retarded - c'mon eyes, you don't like what you're seeing do you? Tell hands to stop, and we can show him who's boss. Lets have him take a nap - or maybe I'll give him a stupid idea and we can watch him act like an ass for a while - join me..."

Well, sorry brain - holler and whine all you want - I can write without you. Sure, we're both better as a team, but I'll write whenever I damn well please.

And such is the process of daily writing - people say "oh, but I don't have anything to write about..." But really, is having a great topic so great? I mean, Stanley Kubrick was one of the writers for the screen version of 'Eyes Wide Shut" - that movie had lots to say didn't it? Wasn't it so deep and insightful and... What the hell happened in it? Nobody really knows - some people say they know, and I believe that a few of them truly believe they do (the rest of you just read someone else's opinion and started mimicking it - you know who you are) but they don't. Stanley Kubrick is a great screen writer, and that's what happened to him, because he thought he had something really clever handed to him.

And that's the risk you run by trying to be really really clever - sometimes (often) you and a few people around you, who may or may not be pretending, are the only ones who have any idea what's going on, and that's not fair to anyone. Unless you don't care and you're only writing for yourself, in which case, fine, go ahead - but if you're only writing for you, don't show it around to everyone and expect them to ooh and ahh at your cleverness, keep it where it belongs - on paper, in a drawer, for you.

And if you are going to show it around, and post it online and all that, please do two things - don't expect anyone to get it, and for the love of God, use a spellchecker.

The Beginning...

In the beginning there was...

Oh how I wish I had something very clever to start off with, but really, this isn't about being clever - so why start that way??

This is 'What I Think' and will be just that. Sometimes I think about clever things, things that could make the world a better place, things that make me feel something; and sometimes my thoughts are completely useless - so much so that I may wonder if just by having them, I am doing myself harm.

So, there's no point in trying to set a clever standard - my thoughts aren't always clever, helpful or even useful; they're just thoughts.