Patron Saint of Stamp Collectors

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:17:24 GMT

palindrome day; Full Moon + lunar eclipse; saturn-uranus opposition. all of us recovering from intense mercury retrograde - feeling the effects until near the end of this month. aquarian skies. wow.

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:53:47 GMT

Two thousand and nine, we will be feeling fine.

Dream of Unknown Origin (not really a dream)

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:20:44 GMT

I can see an empty bag of chips stuffed under the shrubbery - a flash of unbelonging soil. This makes me so mad, so mad. I want to scream at the woman feeding ducks nearby "HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN" I want to yell at her because she is there. I also want to bring her attention to the sign posted DIRECTLY BEHIND HER that requests people do not feed ducks on account of it has negative effects on their migratory pattern and also the ecosystem of the park. It is her fault that the world is going to end.

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:08:38 GMT

The nurse is telling me not to worry, the procedure is reversible. I do not bother explaining to her that I have made a very final, very permanent decision that makes me very happy, very satisfied. Her name tag tells me that she is called "Cindy", I imagine her last name is Stock. It has to be. Cindy Stock has a yellow smily face sticker on her name tag, and it looks like it has been there for as long as she has been nursing, twenty maybe twenty five years. One side is missing, making the smily face a smiling cylops. Cindy S. is still talking, basically reiterating the same idea in many different, varied ways. Perhaps I should interject, nip it in the bud so to speak, tell her to save those words for someone else, that my very happy decision has been made.

You can tell that Cindy has a special love for euphemisms, and in her line of work, likely has the opportunity to explore this love regularly. She is probably the kind of woman who drinks instant hot chocolate instead of Diet Coke on her break, and never with water, always milk. She believes in cards for every occasion, no matter how insignificant, and not a year has gone by where each of her three adult children hasn't received a card commemorating Easter, Valentines Day, St. Patrick's Day, Halloween and so forth. The cards are never age appropriate; masticated trees in the form of #60 card stock, images of cartoon clowns balancing on giant hearts, inside something like "FUN-LOVING? Sure! WAY COOL? You bet! As SPECIAL and LOVED as you can get! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!" signed Love, Mom.

From Georgia Nichols, oct 08

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:37:38 GMT

The celestial events taking place now are amazing. Pluto rules nations, and Capricorn rules governments. The last time Pluto was in Capricorn was from 1763 to 1778. This was the time of the American Revolution which culminated in the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The next time that Pluto returns to Capricorn is in November 2008.

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 15:28:24 GMT

imaging that cats will be bipedal soon, tiny butlers! thinking about the almighty power of the caul/placenta gotta remember to ask my mom when happened to mine (lasagna?)

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:54:22 GMT

1915 children's book
animal hairdos
best apples
cat dreams
crepes
crystallography
facial spasms
free man on the land
how to become king
how to save souls
iceland inn
jive turkey
manuel noriega
phlebotomist
panda cam
sarsaparilla
worst libra love match

ahahaha!

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:07:42 GMT

took a midnight train going anywhere

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:25:07 GMT

Late October

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 04:15:27 GMT

When asked

"is the house haunted"

my future landlord answers

"once I found a penny in the wall"

WTF?!

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:13:49 GMT

Enchanting.

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:34:07 GMT

OMG! SO CUTE!

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:57:28 GMT

Dance Fever

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:25:09 GMT

Dancing mania is the name given to a phenomenon that occurred mainly in mainland Europe from the 14th century through to the 17th century, in which groups of people would dance through the streets of towns or cities, sometimes foaming at the mouth or speaking in tongues, until they collapsed from exhaustion. The first major outbreak of the mania was in Aachen, Germany, in July 1374. The dancers went through the streets screaming of wild visions, and even continued to writhe and twist after they collapsed from exhaustion. The dancing quickly caught on, and spread rapidly throughout France and the Low Countries. The mania reached its peak in 1418 in Strasbourg. At at least one point, so many people had either been afflicted with the dancing mania, or caught up in the dancing, or were trying to give assistance, or simply watching the events unfold, that the town was brought to a complete halt.

Although no real consensus exists as to what caused the mania, some cases, especially the one in Aix-la-Chapelle, may have had an explainable physical cause. The symptoms of the sufferers can be attributed to ergot poisoning, or ergotism, known in the Middle Ages as "St. Anthony's Fire". It is caused by eating rye infected with Claviceps purpurea, a small fungus that contains toxic and psychoactive chemicals (alkaloids), including lysergic acid (used in modern times to synthesize LSD). Symptoms of ergot poisoning include nervous spasms, psychotic delusions, spontaneous abortion, convulsions and gangrene; some dancers claimed to have experienced visions of a religious nature.

A Perennial Favourite

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:41:53 GMT

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:47:49 GMT

The room has a stale, dated smell to it. Distant and not overpowering, but lingering enough to make my stomach churn it's contents around a few times. Breakfast in glass-front laundromat washer. The smell is like the house was inhabited by goats, twenty years ago. Smokers smoking cigarettes in a windowless room. Sperm and whiskey sweated through polyester. I suddenly realize two things: One, I am jealous of blondes who are able to dye their hair brown and look effortless as brunettes, but later have the option of becoming blonde again, their birthright. Two, that the smells of whiskey, sperm and cigarettes belong to walls and carpets of this room, but the bouquet of ancient goat entered when I did. I smell like old goat.

It occurs to me after I sprain my ankle for the twentieth or so time in my life, that my feet seem to be life-forms operating independently from the rest of my body. I imagine a tiny brain in each foot, sending neurotransmittors throughout my human hoof, encouraging action contrary to the intentions of the big brain - the man upstairs. Big brain intends something like "foot to next step", while the two tiny brains command: "miss step". Of course the action of taking a step requires the co-operation of many different parts, so many muscles, joints, bones, ligaments, most responding to big brain. But those few rogue bits, tarsals and meta-tarsals answering to tiny brains, are enough to throw the whole thing off. I am down.

Although I have weak ankles and tight tendons, and will never be the jogger I never cared to be, I am grateful it is my feet and not my hands that insist on leading the revolution. I envision my hands as rebels, stealing people's mail and shifting to neutral on the highway.

i have been standing and sanding for almost an hour. these days, my time passes like this these tasks are markers of time not clocks. just how sore my wrist is.

i carried my gull arm on home, my fingers stinking of death and feathers.

i found 3 dead gulls, one fully decomposing, one partially decayed and one beautiful soft and fresh corpse I couldn't bring myself to take.

instead i spread it's wings beautifully and laid it on some log facing a low sun/water.

whose house hosts the most ghosts?

tonight, it was the forests above me, spirits watching as I split the tendon attaching leg to torso with a rock. also, a burial ground of sea urchins. the fortress of bones.

hearing noises like doors closing
happens only at night.

a noise like would she win
the one contest
she did not enter?

I get around.

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 01:21:49 GMT

1984 - Sofia St, Vancouver

1985 - Pembrooke St, Victoria

1987 - 2628 Fernwood Rd, Victoria

2001 - Blackwood St, Victora

2002 - Rue Old Orchard, Montreal

2002 - 5691 ave du Parc, 3rd Floor, Montreal

2003 - 5691 ave du Parc, 2nd Floor, Montreal

2004 - 1281 Denman St, Victoria

2004 - Bay St, Victoria

2004 - Carey Rd, Victoria

2004 - 941 Verdier, Brentwood Bay

2005 - E. 12th, Vancouver

2005 - 417 E. 17th, Vancouver

2006 - E. 46th, Vancouver

2006 - VAN, Victoria, America, Vancouver

2007 - Fraser St, Vancouver

2007 - Georgia St, Vancouver

2007 - E. 53rd, Vancouver

2007 - E. 1st, Vancouver

2008 - 941 Verdier, Brentwood Bay

Good days, bad days

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 05:05:04 GMT

Wed, 28 May 2008 18:51:07 GMT

Marc Bolan's son with "Tainted Love" singer Gloria Jones is named Rolan Bolan. Poor feller.

Fun Fatcx

Fri, 23 May 2008 00:45:57 GMT

I find myself working for a bunch of Turks, which is great because I get to brush up on my Turkish and learn new stuff. Today's fun word is the turkish word for owl: "bay-koosh" which literally translates to "mister bird".

oh squeaky, show us how it's done

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:36:35 GMT

enchanted forest

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 01:24:02 GMT

I thought it was a owl!! It was just a stump.

The oregon grape and trillium were flowering.

dug up some more dandelion roots. check out these monsters!!

interesting fungi:

found some ECTOPLASM on the beach. probably left behind by one of the quarry ghosts.

I see you, little man!

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:17:10 GMT

Every year I forget then I remember: SPRING SMELLS GOOD.

My little tomato seedlings are sprouting, and I'm getting excited to start building my raised bed vegetable garden. Feeling more serious about making a commitment to eat local foods as much as possible. Growing and foraging, shopping direct from farmers. Sourcing local flour and wondering if any of my neighbours are hiding a couple olive trees (my old dutch man neighbour grows lemons the size of footballs and houses a family of mourning doves)

I spent the afternoon harvesting dandelions. Here is HQ, the only office for me:

Roots of my labour:

once the roots have soaked a bit longer, i will dry and roast them, then grind to make a coffee substitute. i want to make a wine from the flowers, if i can get my hands on some carboys etc. and the leaves are going into a nettle-dandelion lasagna i'm making tomorrow. (making lasagna noodles from scratch!!)

Spring comes to my yard (the land that stars remembered)

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 21:17:48 GMT

JERUSALEM 2004 - A young monkey at an Israeli zoo has started walking on its hind legs only — aping humans — after a near death experience, the zoo's veterinarian said Wednesday. Natasha, a 5-year-old black macaque at the Safari Park near Tel Aviv, began walking exclusively on her hind legs after a stomach ailment nearly killed her, zookeepers said. Monkeys usually alternate between upright movement and walking on all fours. A picture in the Maariv daily on Wednesday showed Natasha standing ramrod straight like a human. The picture was labeled humorously, "The Missing Link?"

I could just die...

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 20:25:06 GMT

They're an odd couple in every sense but a monkey and a pigeon have become inseparable at an animal sanctuary in China. The 12-week-old macaque - who was abandoned by his mother - was close to death when it was rescued on Neilingding Island, in Goangdong Province. After being taken to an animal hospital his health began to improve but he seemed spiritless - until he developed a friendship with a white pigeon. The blossoming relationship helped to revive the macaque who has developed a new lease of life, say staff at the sanctuary. Now the unlikely duo are never far from each other's side.