Today my math wasn’t so great and neither was my timing.
First, knowing full well my bus fare was $2.25, I grabbed $3.25, and didn’t even think anything of it 10 minutes later when I put it in the machine. Fortunately I avoided embarassment by not noticing it. I got off the bus and since this guy who got on and off the bus when I did was about to jaywalk the busy street, which was a much shorter route for me as well, I followed, though feeling a bit stupid when it took so long to get across the other side of the boulevard.
Did my thing at the bank and came out only to miss the bus I had planned to get, but, no matter, I anticipated that and knew the next wait was the shortest I’d get. That’s when I discovered I’d lost a dollar, but, not the first time. I contemplated taking full advantage of it and heading out for a 2-zone fare (which is what I paid for, instead of one), but I didn’t feel like going all the way to the skytrain and didn’t have time anyway. Got on the bus and did my thing at the other bank, entering in the wrong pin number to begin with. I had some time to wander around so I went in the dollar store, contemplated things, and walked out wanting chocolate but carrying two boxes of Anna’s brand Swedish thin cookies, almond and chocolate mint. MMM. Popular there, apparently. $4 spent on goodies to cheer me up.
Waited forever to cross the street (it’s a hot day) to catch the bus and, ooh how convenient, the bus stop is right there! I’m thrilled, and someone wants to turn, so I run. I run across a 1.5 foot wide patch of grass with clovers on it. Suddenly I feel a sharp prick, and figure it’s just some sharp grass like when I stepped on dry grass earlier. I look down and whisk away a BEE and then am overcome with dread… and pain. Catch the bus — a 5 minute ride and 8 minute walk thereafter — or run into a restaurant and seek help? 20 or so minutes left on my fare. Better try. They didn’t have meat tenderizer, but she offered me ice and another suggested dripping candle wax on it, so the bartender helped me. I didn’t manage to drip any on it (wouldn’t that hurt?) but it soothed a little bit; mostly the ice worked. Usually I have my lipbalm on me which has both beeswax (thank you bees) and calendula in it.
Bus was slow and two people kept looking at me like as if I was the one blasting dance music in my earphones, but I know that lady with the glare knew the truth when she walked by the guy with the music.
I made it home fairly quickly considering I was limping at a snail’s pace. I think three teenage boys insulted me on the way but I didn’t bother flipping them the bird and instead slightly exaggerated my limp. Oh I’m soooo sorry for myself. At home I put calendula cream and arnica gel on it.
Breathing and not thinking about it and being strong helped. Most of all, being candid about it made sure I balanced my desperation with friendliness. It may have been my unlucky day, but a bee is dead and I honestly feel worse for it. It was definitely not its lucky day. It’s beyond me how it made it to the wrinkle UNDER MY THIRD TOE while wearing proper, though open-toed sandals.
So I guess I don’t feel so bad about losing a dollar. Turns out those cookies came at a greater consolation than expected. And, I have a bit more courage than I had this morning. I’m thankful to be alive, thankful to not be allergic to bee stings (I might be to wasps’), and thankful to have such kind people in my neighbourhood.
My other half, who was away at the time, said to take a photo, so here you go. My little red toe.
I’ve discovered that in Movable Type one can set their preferences to allow images in comments. So that means it could be a viable medium for doing a community magnetic poetry site. The problem is I can’t seem to make it so that comments automatically appear on the index page.
That also got me thinking about how it would work. People post their poetry… to one single entry? Multiple entries in different categories? How do the categories work? By subject is too broad, and not everyone uses a poetry form like a haiku. Do we make a new entry every day or every week? (I guess that would depend on its popularity.)
Just to reiterate, this would be a blog/site for people to share their magnetic poetry, either by image or by text.
Any ideas?
I wrote recently about my pink gerbera being on its last legs. Well turns out it must have just gotten too hot in the windowsill, oh, and I drowned it by accident, so I gave it some breathing room and am keeping it away from the heat on my desk. (The other two aren’t as picky, humph.) As it turned out, that was just what it needed (along with some plant food), and now it has FIVE new leaves! (*Edit June 29: make that seven!) Four appeared pretty much at once. I think they came up while we were out of town for a few days. A fifth appeared a few days ago and is growing quickly. At my man’s advice (quite the plant lover he is; I’m impressed!) I snipped off the three droopy leaves that hadn’t recovered, and I think in the act of doing so I accidentally pulled out a new leaf. NOOO! So I stuck it back in the earth in the hopes that it would root itself. I’m sure it’s not even worth a try but whatever. I’ve had miracles happen before. Anyway one of the new shoots is growing so fast that it has overtaken the oldest new one! (from before it started losing leaves) So I’m rather happy at its success. This weekend I’ll repot it and will probably have to spray insecticide on it as well. It seems to have mites or some other near-microscopic insect. The orange gerbera had outgrown its pot when we bought it so it needs a new home too. I can only carry so much on the bus, though, so I think that one may have to wait unless I can borrow some dirt. I should have bought a plastic pot for it as the blue one doesn’t have a hole in the bottom, and I should have bought an extra saucer for the big one. Whoops.
I figure even if that vine in the living room survives, its green limbs are so sparse it’s not worth keeping. I’d move it to the office where it would get more light (I think that’s the main problem) if I didn’t think it would SHED EVERYWHERE. Sigh.
it’s cheering up now
my gerbera in all its glory, last summer
these were taken on Father’s day, June 18
my apple tree has apples! at last!!! i planted it from seed in the spring of 1995.
my mother’s daisies
all by its lonesome, a heron on the beach at Cates Park
i wonder if it knew we were there, looking at it
looking through a gap in the trees for a better view
since we got our red gerbera, we’ve also bought a dracaena marginata, a pink african violet, a small tropical vine, and this orange gerbera, photographed today in its complimentary blue pot (along with a cutting of our other vine, which is dying).
our dracaena
The 3rd World Urban Forum just ended in Vancouver yesterday.
Bloggers may be interested in earthblog.ca, which is “a two-week discussion about the future of our region.” It runs until June 30.
(If you’re on a Mac, use Firefox as Safari is not entirely supported. Commenting doesn’t quite work in Safari.)
Description from their website:
“From June 15 to June 30, 2006, Earthblog features the daily writings of four opinionated bloggers, two provocative moderators, dozens of passionate community groups and thousands of local residents and visitors from around the world.
Earthblog.ca takes its inspiration from the 1976 UN Habitat Conference, an event that sparked discussion and debate on the state and form of cities. The occasion of the 30th anniversary of the UN Habitat Conference, the World Urban Forum, propels this discussion forward. Earthblog.ca is intended to provide a local perspective on the issues discussed at the WUF and includes themes brought to the fore by parallel events, such as the World Planners Congress, the World Peace Forum, EARTH: The World Urban Festival, and the World Youth Forum. Earthblog brings forward the perspectives of multiple voices on the social, cultural, environmental and economic issues that are relevant to the development of the region.”
I wish it were running indefinitely!
On their Sustainable Vision Wiki, I responded to this question:
Is “sustainability” anything more than just a buzz word?
My response:
“To sustain” has many relevant definitions. “Sustainability,” though tossed around until it seems like a fad, is a meaningful direction and goal for any city to prolong the health and lives of its citizens, infrastructure, economies, ecologies, etc. It is also about reducing a city’ and a city’s people’s ecological footprint, globally. Vancouver has an enormous global impact, and is never independent of the rest of the world for survival. Its ability to maintain itself with the least global impact, such as growing its own food and producing its own products with local materials, is what sustainability is all about.
This is a serious issue. From what I learned tonight (and I have heard similar topics before in a webdesign class), the US Government is in the process of passing a bill that would eliminate Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality means that all websites are equal. What is on the verge of happening is that internet service providers will be allowed to control what sites their users get to view, and how fast those sites appear. Basically if a corporation has enough money, they can buy from the provider a privilege of having the users access their sites faster. Anyone who cannot pay for this privilege will have to suffer with their website being on a slower connection. The analogy I would offer is this: let’s say there’s a priority lane similar to an HOV lane in a busy city such as Vancouver or San Francisco, and it cost $3 million to be able to use it. Most people are going to be stuck in the regular lanes. A select few rich people will zoom past everyone else in the special lane. Big companies’ content will be in the special lane, and the content of everyone else’s sites will be stuck in the slow lane. That’s if it’s not blocked entirely.
This is a capitalist movement with an alterior motive to end freedom of speech on the internet.
I’ve had enough with politicians thinking they’re representing the people, and corporations pretending they’re all about serving the customer.
DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN.
If you are in the United States, PLEASE contact your senator and urge them not to pass this bill. Its effects will be global.
See video at coanews.org
According to this video, the anti-Net Neutrality bill has gone through. Senators have a chance to veto it.
Visit coanews.org, and Save the Internet where you can sign a petition and fight for our rights.
Bloggers, add your blog to the SavetheInternet bloggers list
There are some interesting claims about Telus and Shaw I didn’t know about, here.
This is from an interesting article at Freepress.net:
“In Canada, cable TV company Shaw Communications Inc., which is rolling out phone service, is charging its customers $10 a month extra if they want to “improve the quality and reliability of Internet telephony services” they get from other phone service companies. Internet calling company Vonage Holdings Corp. has protested to Canadian regulators.”
As far as I’m aware, the only $10/month extra is an optional thing for hi-speed “extreme” which may not even be that much faster, if at all. So I’m not sure of the legitimacy of that claim, or the rest of the article, but it’s a good read.
Lately I’ve gotten back into doing magnetic poetry compositions on our fridge. I FINALLY got around to putting the rest of them up there (we moved in a month and a half ago and I had only put up a fraction of it), and the two of us here are enjoying making weird, funny, and perverted phrases. We have the Original Magnetic Poetry kit.
I found interesting but older article about a writer’s fest where the little magnets were invovled, San Francisco’s Litquake Festival. (This year’s is in October for those of you in or near SF, which I am definitely not.)
Anyway I got thinking… what about starting a blog or website (maybe a Flickr thing would be more appropriate) specifically for the public to post their magnetic poems? I think images are the best way because it translates the thinking and the physicality of the poetry. Not everyone has a digital camera though, or a webcam, so making text-only available is smart as well. Is anyone interested in helping me with this? What do you think is the best format?
Alternative to comments would be to email me.
i’m always proud of my heritage.
check out this young Finnish bluegrass band from Helsinki, Rautakoura. click on Musiiki to download some great, happy music.
original post at boingboing.net with the link, posted by Cory Doctorow
I would like to invite you all to an online forum hosted by The Society for Community Development. The forum is a great opportunity to discuss community issues and events, post your community events and resources, and just have a good time being involved in the online and local community. Topics include community development, responsible citizenship, environmental issues, and local happenings. Please do join us.*
The Society for Community Development is a non-profit organization working towards building healthy communities and responsible citizens in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Belcarra, and Anmore. This fall they will be holding the 10th Annual Spirit of Community Awards and Taste of the Tri-Cities.
*I am planning on reducing the number of forum categories so as to make it easier for users to find, post, and respond to topics. Any suggestions on improving the forum are welcome! Hope to see you there.
