random thot

the picture above on the banner..i took it in blind bay, on the shuswap during a weekend of cleansing and connection. i spent most of the weekend alone in thot and on a beach of perfectness and quite. i took many photos that day and i did not know until tonight when i edited it, that it had a stone the shape of a heart within it.

the smoothness of the stone made me aware of how our hearts tumble and collide to a point of perfectly smooth edges. even tactile representations are with curve and smoothness...and no matter how hard you try, you cant help but allow your hands to travel the delicate, complete, never ending lines of a heart shaped world.


momentary lapse into awareness indeed.

times are tough

so after watching a flic about circuses, or the lack thereof, a walk on the seawall was the only option on a fab fall day.quite the change from images of big cats stranded and chimps who cook, to the vibrant energy of a city that has and gives so much.

sunshine on my face warmed my soul. positive energy abounded! people cant help but smile when a magical sunny day in vancouver presents itself.

crossing the intersection of denman and davie was this gal with a sandwich board...searching for a place to live.

the challenge she told me , when i stopped and asked permission to take her picture is; and she stated very firmly" there is a housing crisis". she supplied me with a small document stating their needs and particulars:
"young employed couple, with two cats, seek apartment, max $1300 per month"

there is a housing crisis for the employed and middle class ? christ what is it like to be poor and without a home in this rich city? now there is a housing crisis.


jeepers.

magic moments

while on the east side picking up a friend for the viff, passed by this well known toy store. they often have the bubble machine going...but this day, this day of perfect light and sunshine..i was able to catch a moment of calm and wonder.

cant help but smile.

viff- circus rosaire

another great fick- enjoyed this tons.

For nine generations the Rosaire family has entertained audiences all over the world with their legendary animal acts. From lions and tigers, to bears and chimpanzees, to a famous horse named “Tony the Wonder Horse”, the Rosaires are renowned for their unique and respectful way of training and performing with wild animals.


The Rosaire’s roots are deeply embedded in circus tradition. Their forefathers were court jesters, acrobats and animal trainers who traveled through the villages of Europe captivating audiences with their family side shows and wild animal menageries. However, the circus life of their ancestors is a very different one today. Major declines in audience attendance and increasing, yet legitimate concerns for animal welfare have greatly impacted the Rosaire’s traditional way of life.

Jobs are scarce in circus and living the life of gypsy performers is taking its toll. The Rosaires are acutely aware that their traditional way of making a living is slowly dying. However, they continue struggling to keep it alive because it's in their blood and it's all they know.

When tragedy befalls the family not once but twice, they decide to attempt what they've been unable to do for over 50 years - quit the road and create a family circus on their property in Sarasota, Florida.

an evening with janis ian

wow a smal venue, cap college, holds 386...janis and a guitar!

brilliant story teller and muscian,

great finish to a great week! i feel so much lighter now.

another viff

Driven by the need to help others where he can, Henry has been going out to Kiev for over 15 years to help improve upon the medieval brain surgery he witnessed there during his first visit in 1992. Today the patients see him as the great saviour from the West, desperate parents want him to save their child, and his Ukrainian colleague Igor Kurilets sees him as a guru and a benefactor. But for all the direct satisfaction he gets from going, Henry also sees grossly misdiagnosed patients, children who he can't save, and a lack of equipment and trained supporting staff. "It's like selling your soul to the devil, but what can you do? My son had a brain tumour as a baby and I was desperate for someone to help me. I simply can't walk away from that need in others".


great flic, likely to win an award. humanity that humbles. liked it alot.

another VIIF

throw down your heart - bela fleck

a documentary on the banjo! did you know the banjo has its roots in africa? i didnt know...so bela takes his banjo and travels the lands of africa exploring the original, traditional and now current strings instruments and collaborates with the local musicians. he reaches all cultures from tribe to city r&b

great world music and a well filmed event. altho, a little long.

you can learn about the journey at
throwdownyourheart.com

whos afraid of kathy acker> viff flic

She was an American experimental novelist, prose stylist, playwright, essayist, postmodernist and sex-positive feminist writer. One of the leading experimental writers of her generation. She moved the literary world off its self righteous axis! She basically committed suicide by choosing not to accept traditional medicine ideas to fight breast cancer. Great flic, worth a watch!

* i am without my movie going viff pal this year- seems life has gotten in the way.. she would like this gritty flic*

viff opening gala

last night was the opening gala for viff. the party included drinks, food and entertainment...all in the space and time of the aquarium!

it is such an awesome place- the jelly fish tanks are my fav although hanging out and watching the baby beluga play was pretty kool.

viff- blindness

a disturbing but great flic. not for the faint of heart

watch for the "cleansing" scene...powerful....and hurtful.

more this weekend. two tonight, four each sat and sun...whoppiee!

six feet under

one of the best series out of HBO can now be bought at *gasp* dare i say, walmart!
$20 bucks per season. a deal and worth the watch.

daylight robbery- docu on the bush connection

wow, just blown away from the documentary...worth a watch. especially if you are not a supporter of bush.

DAYLIGHT ROBBERY

Did the toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein in the centre of Baghdad on April 9th 2003 signal the start of the biggest heist in history?

Within months of the invasion of Iraq twelve billion dollars had been flown in; shrink wrapped bundles on pallets aboard US airforce planes, flown to a secret vault in Saddam's old palace in the Green Zone. The money was meant to re-build the war-torn country. But what happened to it?
Panorama goes on the trail of the money from California and Texas to Kurdistan and London to find out who got rich and by how much. An estimated $23 billion has gone missing in corruption, fraud and mismanagement and Iraq is still without sufficient electricity, clean water, schools and hospitals. But members of the rich list - from giant US corporations like Halliburton and Parsons to small time adventurers like Custer Battles - are rolling in money. It is not just foreigners who have become war profiteers - some prominent Iraqis took advantage of their public position to cream off billions leaving their own army with defective equipment, hampering the fight against the insurgents.

If the wild west of Iraq is full of cowboys there are some sheriffs as well. US Congressman Henry Waxman has given company whistleblowers a public platform despite government efforts to stop him. He has become the scourge of the Bush Administration over fraud and waste in Iraq. Inspector General Stuart W Boowen, has been to Iraq nineteen times to expose the shoddy workmanship, the failed projects and bribery that have plagued this broken nation. And Iraqi judge, Radhi Hamza al-Radhi, fled his country because of the death threats but is determined to recover some of the money and put the guilty behind bars.

Daylight Robbery talks to these people and more to find out just where all the money has gone.

Daylight Robbery was produced by Darren Kemp for the BBC.
need to know more?
cbc.ca/documentaries/passionateeyemonday/

Vancouver International Film Festival

it is that time again. saw some great flics last year..i get free passes through work.this weekend will be another marathon movie schedule!

check out the flics at:



viff.org/home.

battleships- travis

well done.

mercury in retrograde

What does Mercury affect?
In general, Mercury rules thinking and perception, processing and disseminating information and all means of communication, commerce, education and transportation.

Mercury retrograde gives rise to personal misunderstandings; flawed, disrupted, or delayed communications, negotiations and trade; glitches and breakdowns with phones, computers, cars, buses, and trains. And all of these problems usually arise because some crucial piece of information, or component, has gone astray or awry.

It is therefore not wise to make important decisions while Mercury is retrograde, since it is very likely that these decisions will be clouded by misinformation, poor communication and careless thinking. Mercury is all about mental clarity and the power of the mind, so when Mercury is retrograde these intellectual characteristics tend to be less acute than usual, as the critical faculties are dimmed. Make sure you pay attention to the small print!

Fated Events
As a rule, retrograde planets presage a period of seemingly inevitable or fated events that relate to their sphere of influence. They present us with a series of events over which we seem to have little or no control, relating especially to the sign in which the retrogradation occurs. For example, Mercury retrograde in Scorpio (intensity; sexuality) presents quite different sets of circumstances from those generated when it retrogrades into Libra (relationships; harmony; æsthetics).

A retrograde period is best seen as a cycle, beginning when the planet begins to slow to a halt before travelling backwards through the zodiac and ending when the planet returns to the point where it first paused. However, during the cycle, the planet's energy is most powerful (and more likely to generate critical events of universal importance) when the planet makes a station: appearing motionless in the sky.

These stationary periods occur near the beginning of the cycle (when the planet first halts as it prepares to move backwards) and midway through the cycle when the retrograde planet slows to a stop before moving forward again. The "direct station" (when the planet halts before moving forward again) is the most powerful and can be used for maximum benefit.

The Key Issue
The key issue here is one of focus. Mercury's retro phase tends to bring unforeseen changes and blockages, but the aggravation and frustration that many of us experience during these periods is often due to our own inability to roll with the punches. Is this due to our ego-fixation? Mercury sets out to restructure our thinking processes and for many of us this is painful and frustrating. Moreover, these experiences reveal flaws in our internal organisation as well as our external planning, which can make us feel foolish and inadequate.


wow.feeling it!

wow, the ever increasing way to ignore people

well it has been done..i have been , yup , removed from Facebook pages! wait. stop. what on earth what did they gain by doing so?
... rejection of any type is better when you decide it not others.
i laugh now because it is such a social norm to go there first...kinda like deleted phone numbers in your cell. or being old school like me, not allowing that person to write in your year book!

so all of those who choose to erase, be it known , forgivness is the devine sacrafice. forgive yourself first!

now i lay me down to sleep...

i am still unsure of how the knowledge of this group has come to me...it is a very moving story. simply stated..there are great photographers that offer their talent free of charge, to parents who are losing or have lost new borns.

it is a very moving story and one that brings my heart to tears...

thank god for compassion and selflessness...so as the fat cats of american financial district cry for the wallet brusies of wall street beatings, lets us remember that there are those who suffer far greater losses...

check out the site.

http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/start.php

my new toy !

red green
"remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy "

OMG before

the clusterfuk of a space before the magic.

love it when a plan comes (mostly) together

ta-da. i mean really, it is thing of beauty altho at this point, still needs a lil more detail...
and look at that chair/stool...did ya have one growing up? i recovered it so the kids could get to the high places. and it seems no one can resist sitting in it!

and the spice cupboard was once an ironing board cupboard..this project was all am's and a fine job she did.

two girls, less than professional tools but with a vision and drive.

justin nozuka

for all those out there who would like to take back time....

the trip of a lifetime

emillie sits in the back seat of the bus called her life. she watches the road as it twists and turns before her. she sees the signs and knows she should take this exit or that exit but has zero will power to do so. she is aware of the coldness of the places she sits. metal holds the edges, but cloth creates a softness she cant move from. days turns to night, night turns to days, weeks to months and still the bus moves forward as she remains the passive rider. the seasons have moved on and each bearing a change of tempertaure within in her. she remembers the coolness of fall, the coulorful and playful expressions of the leaves that stuck to the windows. she can feel the heat of the summer when the bus travelled through all that was pretty and perfect. and of course, the bitter cold of a winter that arrived without permission. each season she knew it was time to leave the confines of the bus,take the step off and plant herself firmly on solid ground;her ground. yet the fear of forfeiting the ticket to a place of possible completeness held her behind the yellow line.

the bus rumbles and leans and takes the path to the next stop with quiet ease. she is resting now but knows she must move closer to the drivers seat. she is afraid as she knows each row she passes contains memories and feelings she knows she must meet the gaze of. courage is required. she places her hands and pulls herself up and moves forward. her steps are deliberate

end of summer

took this pic sitting near blind bay. it was hot and sunny till the night. then it got chilly. my fav part was sitting by myself while the gang went into town to get ice cream and see the camel at d-dutchman dairy...and they thought i was kidding!

fall is in the air and a change is coming...