Well, I did it… I finally stopped stalling and got me a BC driver’s licence.. And as a result, I have never been so nervous in my life… It feels like I have some how given up eight years of meticulous efforts of avoiding being fined for performing, even a single, traffic infraction or for needing to make an at-fault claim. I have worked hard and earned my status back in Ontario, and well, now that I have a BC licence, I fear my efforts will somehow become devalued.
It’s not that I am paranoid about any aspect of my actual licence or class… as I am confident that the provinces communicate these things somehow.. but rather the insurance ‘status’ that I may lose. Back in Ontario.. the insurance companies some how worked together and had a way of finding out everything about you.. but here in BC.. I don’t know if ICBC ‘talks’ to the other companies kuz they don’t need to here… since ICBC is the only auto insurance provider in this province…
Now, ICBC does say they will accept original letters from past insurance companies ensuring my claim-free status and perfect driving record.. but, this process allows for a margin of error beyond with what I am comfortable with… grrr.. can’t everything just be hooked up together!! eff! Can’t I simply have a record that I can not run from?!!? 😛
Yes, there are many more complications, such as me owning/insuring a car that lives in another province, and if I can continue to do this while holding a BC licence… etc.. but I guess Paula (the best insurance agent in the world) will answer these questions for me soon enough…
well folks.. i have a short-term goal to start doing some creative writing again, since i have suddenly developed a peculiar confidence that it will, somehow, be beneficial to me to massively release all these thoughts going on in my head into some cryptic form that, i assume, most will not actually be able to coherently decipher… (however, if you actually made it through that drag-on, and possibly fragmented, sentence… there is still hope) so don’t worry… be rest-assured, that i will be able to express my thoughts in a constructive means that, depending on your own interpretation, will be able to benefit you and me… as well as, save the planet, keep the conservatives out of power, and well, mend all the other ailments that plague us human beings.
so this weekend was pretty damn good.. and overall i had a lot of fun.. so without delay.. here is a brief summary of this past weekend’s events…
friday.. dre, jason and aldwin came over for some drinks and then we headed out to the honey lounge (on cameron‘s suggestion, thanks cammy – good pick) and it was all good times… and good music.. and good company… there was in fact one person who highlighted the evening, and she was kool, cute and quite interesting to converse with.. too bad existing commitments all too commonly prevail…
saturday.. i then awoke.. with half my clothing still on.. (which is typical of a good nite) and with a burning urge to go wander around various commercial establishments… but then, for whatever reason, i was unable to determine that, ever needed, ‘trinket’ which typically helps to validate and justify a visit to a mall.. so i never went.. until.. dre messaged me with a similar desire to go shopping.. which i quickly agreed to… so then dre picked me up.. and we headed to the ‘burbs (coquitlam)… to purchase some miscellaneous products….
then later that evening.. we played some hold’em with a couple dudes (which dre/dre’s buddy knew), and linda… and i ended up losing my bankroll.. but whatever… it’s all about the enjoyment that derives from partaking in illegal activities (damn, persistent teenage angst)…
then today.. i slept in.. and once i awoke around 12:30, i immediately gravitated towards the telephone.. which i talked on for many hours.. it started with a brief talk with my pops… who had been worried about me, since i had not actually synchronously communicated with him (despite his many voicemails) since he had left bc a few weeks ago.. but then, most of my early afternoon morphed into being spent talking to allison.. who, it seemed i hadn’t talked to in forever..
once that enjoyable conversation came to an end… i cracked the red wine.. and started up the, now common, sunday nite msn conversations routine… (kuz everyone always seems to be online on sunday…) i first hit up the east coast.. where online volume peaks typically at 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM my time (8:00 PM – 11:00 PM EST)… then near 7:45 PM i received an invite out to dinner from mitch… so we went out for some grub.. chilled for a bit.. and then…. here i am… at the end of my weekend.. with a smile on.. as well as woxy.com which has seemed to love me unconditionally, as have i her.. since my hard drive crashed…. many cheers to you all and happy (now gone) weekend!
well.. thus far in 2006, the hard drive in my 15″ powerbook died.. i’ve read a little, did some tv research… and ummm tomorrow is back to work…
well folks.. here they are.. velkr0’s 2005 top music lists.. andrew was the first person to remind me of the need to prepare such lists.. a few weeks back.. and well.. here’s a link to his.. we followed a slightly different format, mainly kuz i find it extremely difficult to weigh the quality and significance of an album or track.. but anyways.. i gave it a shot.. so here are my ‘top’ 30 albums.. ‘best’ 10 albums and 10 most played tracks (by unique artists)… check them out.. if you have not already.. enjoy…
velkr0’s top 30 albums of 2005 (alphabetical order)
velkr0’s 10 most important albums of 2005 (alphabetical order)
velkr0’s 10 most listened to tracks
ok, i/someone needs to do some research here and see/show me the effects, other than hearing loss, of prolonged exposure to sirens, repetitive sounds, and other loud and unpleasant noises… i am referring to the emergency service vehicles that drive by, siren engaged, every 3 minutes.. the do-do-do that plays on the skytrain at each stop, the tick-tick-tick that the two dollar clock in my washroom makes, and of course the countless chimes included at the end of many television ads. then again.. maybe i just need to get out of my apartment and find me a buoyant, uncomplicated and explicit good time.
with this calendar year near end, i am finding it necessary to outline some new goals targets of varying magnitude… and what’s easier and more fun than accomplishing this with some, unsorted and point-form, new years resolutions… and yes, be warned, many all of these can be tagged: cliché
– become more physically active
– consume less alcohol
– develop better eating habits
– improve posture
– expand knowledge-based skill-set
– increase positive cash-flow
– optimize work/life balance
– broaden social network
– advance professionally
– strengthen soul
now, one caveat… since all of these targets are pretty much qualitative aspirations which cannot be accurately measured… this list must be viewed as a mission statement for 2006, rather than a list of promised predetermined actions.
so i finally found some time where i could write a few of my thoughts down. ahh, it feels good to blog.. anyways.. over the past week or so my dad has been here and it has been quite interesting. i have discovered many things about myself and him that, well, don’t really mesh nicely or contribute to our relationship in an overly positive way… you know.. the tensions that result from attempts at describing and understanding what a blog or a web browser is, or the rationale behind not supporting corporate radio…
it’s not like i should have expected anything more or less of his visit, but i guess i kinda was… i think i had hoped he would be able to magically understand me, my life, and all the things that i have an opinion on and matter to me. and umm.. this has not happened… sure he has drawn his own conclusions of my first year in vancouver… and expressed his judgment of me based on the surface things he sees, understands, and relates to… like, ‘where’s my girlfriend’… ‘you don’t need a good tv’… and ‘ohh, probably this… and probably that…’ ha, wow, in retrospect i realize how implausible this dream of mine truly was: i am such a fool!! i will never be able to change my father, nor should i want or need to.. but then why do i constantly strive to do this!?! why?!?! it must be kuz i want him to be a better man.. more able to successfully live in modern society.. to maximize his happiness and life potential.. but what the fuck?!?! who am i to determine this for him.. so if i can accept that i cannot and should not change that, well that must mean my motives, entirely residing in my subconscious, are seeking to meet my own self-interest.. and well.. that ain’t right either.. so yeah, i dunno… but regardless, thus far, this has hardly been a holiday in the sense of a break filled with fun, silly and memorable activities… but rather a short segment of time in my life where i need not to goto work and where i constantly struggle to create a positive setting which will generate substantial and memorable events of my dad’s first attempt to enter my independent life.
ok, the Liberal plan to ban hand guns really has my brain in a knot… now let me tell you why.. at first glance, in point form, and over the short-term, a ban on handguns:
i love it when i hear conservative ‘thinkers’ like Mr. Ralph Klein say things like: “I can ban anything. I can ban tape recorders, by law. It’s not going to stop you from using them” (from the cbc)
and he is 100% right. for instance, if the government decides to ban, steak knives, people will not take advantage of amnesty efforts, or buy-back programs… and it is simply because people need their knives to help facilitate steak consumption (also something klein would appreciate me saying :P)… anyways, most citizens do not use their supply/collection of knives to kill people, even though stabbings do account for the highest proportion of homicides in canada. (statcan)
ok, i’m getting off track here, so lets just assume knives will never be banned since they are essential to human survival, and get back to handguns; since we all know that handguns really only exist to shoot people. if we push politics aside for a moment, and forget about the short-term Liberal intension to gain popularity in urban-canada… we can focus on the long-term effects of a canadian handgun ban and see that over the long-term a ban on handguns:
Joseph Heath & Andrew Potter, in The Rebel Sell, suggest that differences in “…culture are a consequence of the differences in laws and institutions” and well, this is most clearly seen by comparing us to our
Ok, so i didn’t really prove anything with this post, and i am still really torn on the issue, even though i am clearly leading a little left…. any thoughts?
there is just something about this ‘poem’ that i adore.. check it out.. it’s from the film ‘me and you and everyone we know‘…. it’s just kinda misquoted….
i going to be free,
and i going to be brave,
and i going to live each day,
as if it were my last.
fantastically.
courageously.
with grace.and in the dark of the night,
and it does get dark,
when i call a name,
it will be your name.
what’s your name?
nevermind.lets go,
everywhere,
even though we’re scared,
kuz it’s life,
and it’s happening,
it’s really really happening,
right now.