I remember running an errand to Main St on a "car free" day. The side roads were completely clogged and traffic was at a standstill on these residential side roads. It entirely defeats the purpose. Take bus, skytrain, walk, ride bikes etc. but at all costs DO NOT DRIVE TO CAR FREE DAY. Thanks!

There is an abandoned K2 red telephone booth just off of Commercial Drive that sparks my imagination every time I see it. There needs to be a speakeasy on the other side of that booth just like the famous PDT in New York. There’s no hot dog joint, but I’ll take it. If we put a spin on it and had a Shuswap bannock joint I would be in heaven.

It happened during practice when I strummed my guitar and the drummer who looked like she could pass for a grandmother expected me to slow down. Been playing guitar for over 20 years and some tired old fogey tells me how I should play. I felt belittled. Didn't like that, it got way too boring for me. So I simply left. Can't stay in any band unless your heart's content.

I have not been hired yet by this company but they are asking me to provide my SIN number in order for them to complete a background check on me. They want to check my employment history, educational background, complete a criminal record check and find out what my credit score is. What are your thoughts on a potential new employer requesting to know your SIN number before actually hiring you?

we can’t have nice things. I want to get an electric bike but knowing that if I leave it for a minute to go into a store it’s going to be stolen no matter how expensive my locks are. I’d love to have a better car but at least my old one isn’t going to be a typical target. Thieves can brazenly steal in broad daylight with multiple witnesses taking videos of the whole thing. They can openly run bike chop shops selling stolen bikes. They can operate a stolen goods market right down the street from the police station. We live in another world from the one I grew up in here, and if I hear one more person tell me that I should be tolerant because the “poor thieves” are drug addicts, I’m going to scream. This is absolutely insane and the inmates are running the asylum. (And before you lose your mind telling me how privileged I am, let me set you straight: I’m a low income disabled senior who still has to work because I can’t afford to live if I don’t. )

Have you ever looked back at a situation you once lived in and realized how completely bizarre it really was? Like a job or a relationship or your family life? It’s been years of healing from the last one for me, but memories keep surfacing and when I look at them without the influence of that person colouring my perception I see so clearly how really messed up it was. I didn’t even know what was happening because it was so insidious that by the time I realized what was going on I was ensnared in it. Same with some old jobs I had where the stuff I had to deal with would never be tolerated in any workplace today, but back then it was just my usual day. Recognizing how all of these things have affected me is like putting puzzle pieces together so it all makes sense. Now it’s just learning how to leave it in the past and move forward in a healthier way.

I imagine a child wandering off onto a road. A panicked parent rushes to snatch and snap the little one out of harms way. Anger, fear, and shoulder shaking. A raised voice criticizing and demanding, what’s wrong with you? and don’t ever do that again. Then the shock and pain of a spanking. I am coming to understand now why I instinctually beat myself up so much at near misses and innocuous blunders. I tried to speak kindly to myself like I’m a little child to no avail. I’ve realized it’s not the kid inside who’s upset or scared, it is a protective parent. What I’d say to soothe a frantic parent greatly differs from a startled pre schooler. Everything is okay. Nothing bad happened. You’re not a bad person. This happens to more people than you think. I am okay. I love you.

It's a strange poem. And with the aurora making regular appearances it's come back to mind. Three friends venturing to seek out what fortune can be made of a mysterious phenomenon. One has a problem with their feet and bows out. Another wanders off with disjointed speech and is lost from exposure. The writer makes it and is in awe of the crackling magnetic glow, yet returns to civilization penniless, still alive, but starving. In my life I've seen parallels of the poem play out in unexpected ways. It's caused me to wonder if chasing passions and the discovery of self is a fools errand. Therapy is expensive and it leaves me lonely and hungry.

…women. Anyone who doesn’t see this is either part of it or is willfully blind to the it. My news feed this morning had no fewer than 4 articles about women right here in BC who had been murdered by their domestic partners, or sexually assaulted by a stranger. What’s happening in the states is unbelievable and it’s clear to anyone with a brain what the end goal here. I’ve done my time for 6 decades of fighting for equal rights for women, and I’m tired! It’s time for decent men to start calling out the bad ones and teaching the young men that traditional patriarchal values don’t serve anyone in the long run.

It happened before I even realized but I think I love you. I will never tell you, you can never and will never know and our solid friendship is now doomed. Eventually the heartache will wear and tear on me to the point where I just quietly slip away. I believe the kids today call this "ghosting." It's been nice knowing you.