The Anniversary Blog

Happy 12th Anniversary to my dear husband Jim! My how time flies! It seems like yesterday we were just hanging out at the Oak, and baby, look at us now!

Saw Sicko this week. It made me ill. The travesty that is the American health care (or rather lack of care) system is beyond belief. So much unnecessary suffering whilst the powers that be continue to line their pockets with money -- money that is soaked in blood. This seems to be the only kind of money that the politicos, especially in the States are interested making. Iraq anyone?

Michael Moore contrasts the American system with the British, French and Canadian health care systems. All are far better, although he does simplify matters for the masses. Just as I know that our health care system in Canada is flawed, I suspect that there are problems in the British and French systems too. Nonetheless, these seem minor in comparison to what our neighbours south of the border must endure. The real irony of this film is that it isn't about those without health care coverage, but rather about those who are "covered" and yet are consistently denied. Profit, profit, profit people and we just don't care who dies.

We are off to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix tonight. This is what happens when you get older. No sexy foreign films for us! Harry's been all the rage as of late with the release of the final book, about which I may have been spoiled. Oh well, perhaps I will forget. I admire J.K. Rowling for her savvy in parlaying the Potter books into such an empire. However, I cannot help but being saddened by the fact that years ago when asked why she didn't make her protagonist a female, she said that she had long recognized that such a book about a girl wouldn't sell. That is such a tragic reflection on the subtle sexism that women/girls continue to face in our so-called progressive societies.

Speaking of sexism, we have just completed our first week of a civil strike in Vancouver. The city's library workers walked out this week too. The main issue is wage parity. Apparently, the wage gap between library workers who are primarily women and the city's outside workers who are predominantly male, is about 20 per cent. It galls me that this is still happening. It galls me further that folks don't realize that women are still very far from being equal in every way. The uncollected garbage is not the only thing that stinks here.

Death, Celebration and the damn phone company

It's been an interesting week for me.  I was haunted by the death of Shemina Hirji, an Ismaili woman who was killed "allegedly" during a violent home invasion.  Interestingly, nothing was taken from the home and her husband only sustained minor injuries.  His violent, criminal past has come to light.  My suspicions and those of everyone else grow. 

In his past, he attempted to kidnap and uttered vicious threats against his ex-finacee and her family.  He served close to two years in prison for that.  Now, five days after marrying Shemina, she is killed under suspicious circumstances. Did Shemina know about his past?  No one is certain, but most assume not.

Along with about 3,000 others, I attended the funeral.  I did not know Shemina, but her face was so familiar.  Turns out that we were at SFU at the same time.  She finished a year before me.  I am certain that I had seen her up there and about.  I also went out of a sense of community.  The Ismaili community is one that I still feel connected to, but perhaps not a part of.  I am always welcome there.  Mostly though, I think I went because my feminist instincts necessitated that I do so.  For every woman killed at the hands of a man, I must grieve, before I can stand and fight. 

The next day was the Aga Khan's Golden Jubilee celebration.  This time 14,000 local Ismailis congregated to honour and celebrate 50 years of Imamat.  I went out of peer pressure.  I went out of curiousity.  I went to make my mother happy.  I went for a fleeting connection to community. 

It was the hottest day that Vancouver has had and wouldn't you know it, BC Place has no air conditioning.  It was cooler outside.  But the Ismailis are organized, so they had fans going, as well as bottled water and cardboard fans as giveaways.  It was nice to see some familiar faces.  Those who have aged and those who remain forever young.

My ongoing stressor for the week has been Telus.  They sent me a letter offering me one thing and yet refusing to give it to me saying that there was a misprint and today, that the offer has expired.  I am pissed.  It's more as sense of justice than anything else.  Besides, they have phoned me every day this week, including this morning where I was woken up on the one day I am allowed to sleep in.  Oy to the veh!

The Birthday Blog

Well here it is, my 39th birthday.  Already, many readers have turned off.  Who is this old chick doing a blog?  Pretty soon, there will be knitting patterns and recipes.  I can safely assure you that knitting patterns, tips or other related matters will likely never appear on this blog.  Recipes, perhaps, but usually I am too lazy to type them out.

Watched the news before I went to bed.  Bad idea.  Ismaili woman was killed in a "home invasion".  She had just married this past weekend to a Punjabi man.  His family opposed the union.  The media and I infer the same conclusion.  At least, I recognize that my perspective is racially constructed.  They just continue in their maintenance of the status quo.

Six Canadian soldiers died in a roadside bomb day before yesterday.  More senseless death due to a senseless war.  Is anyone still looking for Osama Bin Laden?  I am pretty sure given my three-year-old increasing proficiency at hide-and-go-seek, she could find him before the Bushman's people do.  In the meantime, so-called "peacekeepers" (although no more) from Canada continue to die.

The American president commuted "Scooter" Libby's jail sentence.  Another criminal is set free by the Bush administration.  Keith Olbermann did a great op ed rant about  the whole situation, concluding that even Nixon was patriotic enough to resign.  Bush is too much of a nitwit and Cheney is far too greedy.  Both are too arrogant.  Why are the American people so apathetic?  Is it there lack of choice?  Indecision 2008 looms.  The world must hold its breath, or perhaps its nose.

I share my birth date with GWB.  This causes me no end of consternation.  However, I also share it with the Dalai Lama.  I am the intersect of good and evil.  Perhaps, I am its true axis.

Got the husband unit to take the day off so we can all head to the beach.  I hope to get some sleep as tomorrow night (tonight), we shall eat.

Went for my soul sister's birthday to the Cannery.  They printed our names on the menus, gave us balloons and dessert.  We had a lovely time.  Those of us who had the salmon did end up with a ticklish tummy.  A sign of age perhaps...

Happy Birthday to me!

Tracy Chapman in my head

Last night I heard the screaming,

Behind the wall.

Another sleepless night for me,

It doesn't do no good to call, the police.

Always come late, if they come at all.

This is the song I hear in my head when I hear my next door neighbours fighting/yelling. Tonight, I saw the man kicking his grown daughter. I had seen his wife doing so a few years back. I called the police on them earlier in the year when the screaming went on for a long time. The cops did come. Fairly quickly, I might add. I probably live in a better neighbourhood than the one TC lived in when she wrote that song. Earlier this week, loud crashes woke us up at around three in the morning. Found out later that the neighbours two doors down had their car windows smashed in whilst parked in the alley way. Perhaps this 'hood is not as good as I like to believe.

We live in the city and these are the vagaries of doing so. It's a bit much for one week. I am wracked with guilt for not doing anything about tonight's incident. I am a feminist and I should stand up for this woman. I have in the past. The neighbour works for the RCMP and I am afraid of payback. Calling the cops once was nerve-wracking enough. I hope that the girl finds a strength to move out. I hope the boys (sons of the father and mother) do not believe that this is the way to treat women and/or one's relations. I noticed a broken window. I wonder what transpired. Did the girl/woman break the window out of frustration? Anger? The cycle seems to continue in that family. Even the dog is angry, or perhaps just scared. I know he'd be happier with us. Perhaps he has created this fantasy for himself and that's why he barks so much when he sees us.

Lurking, not posting

So I have not be writing for about two months.  The idea of a blog still seems odd to me.  What is revealed and what is not.  I have been following the trials and tribulations of my "pretend friend" Rosie O'Donnell quite attentively on her blog and the in the environs of the interweb.  I like to head over and see what his Pinkness has to say about the pretend people.  However, his devotion to Britney and attention to Paris have been a bit much to handle as of late.

I keep thinking that I need a lot of time to post, but really, I just need to make time for it to happen.  I get distracted.  My latest distraction is Chuzzle.  I think I am quite addicted.  The irony is that I don't seem to be as good at it as I was when I first started playing it.  Oh well!

I think I complained about Wild Garlic in my last entry and wouldn't you know that it is no more.  It's now some Transylvanian restaurant.  Only in Vancouver.  I like to think that I had something to do with the closure, but I suspect that it was on the outs for a while.  Perhaps I just put the nail in the coffin.  Did I say "coffin" and "Transylvania" at the same time?  Hmm...  Perhaps I need another Buffy fix.  Have asked for the Season Eight comics for my birthday which is in a couple of weeks.

We went to the Kitsilano Wrap Zone for our Thai-tanic wraps with hot sauce.  Sadly, all that we could taste was the hot sauce.  Yeow!  Decided on a lite dinner so that we could go all out for dessert at Sweet Obsession.  Unfortunately, I was not as happy with my dessert as I had hoped to be.  Also, we ended up sitting amidst some very loud people and my buddy's voice is so quiet I could hardly hear anything.  And if the Dude sitting next to us is reading, TURN OFF YOUR DAMN CELLPHONE!!!  You are not that important and if you are, you shouldn't be having dessert out!

Father's Day is this weekend.  I think we shall drop kidzilla off at my Mum's and head out for a pseudo-date of lunch and a movie.

Not so Wild, about Garlic

Every Thursday, my good friend and I go out eating. It's a night out and away from the child for me and a set date, so my dear friend and I can see one another on a regular basis. Last week, we went to Wild Garlic for dinner. We had attempted to go years ago, but were discouraged by the prices. Now, we have a higher price threshold and of course, our trusty Entertainment coupons.

It was yet another gloomy, wet, and I mean torrential, night in Vancouver. I had a bit of chill by the time we made it in the restaurant. The place was not especially warm. The lighting was particularly dim, too dim in fact. You could hide a lot of imperfections with such lighting and I believe they did.

The menu was limited, but there were adequate choices for us. We opted to share an appy -- roasted garlic (natch), eggplant and artichoke dip. Sounded better than it tasted. The overwhelming taste to my palate was cumin. Now, I grew up eating and enjoying cumin, but this was over the top. I really couldn't distinguish any other ingredients. We both ordered the seven-spiced steak which came with green beans and garlic mashed potatoes. The food was flavourful, if perhaps a little too piled up. The steak was a bit too fatty for my liking, but cooked as requested, medium for my friend, and medium well for me. Now I only wished that I had asked what those seven spices were...

We opted to go elsewhere for dessert and coffee as the night was still young. Just as well as management imposed a mandatory 15 per cent pre-coupon gratuity on us just because we used a promotional coupon. Didn't you read the fine print on the menu lady? Well, he didn't say that, but might as well have. This was quite an affront to my sense of fairness. Most E coupon users know that it is customary to leave such a gratuity based on the pre-coupon amount. Moreover, my girlfriend and I are generally inclined to leave a larger tip, because we are good souls who have taken to just tripling the GST!!! I guess that I am still pissed about it especially because of what happened later...

Back to the seven spices...don't know which one it was, or if it was something in the reduction, or the funky-tasting dip, but less than two hours later, my stomach started cramping and growling and worse (use your imagination if you must). I generally refer to this as cilantro (for which I seem to have an intolerance) belly. But, this was way worse than that or anything else I have ever experienced food wise. Someone suggested that there must have been something bad in the food to have elicited such a strong response. Even my pal with her cast-iron insides had the growlies the next day. I suffered (and I am not exaggerating here) for more than 24 hours. My stomach was cramping so badly, that my back began to spasm. Oy veh! I will never eat there again and discourage others from going there as well. I suppose I should complain to somebody about this. Not sure who. It was a terrible experience.

By the way, save for one tiny bulb of roasted garlic, there was nary a hint of garlic to be tasted.

Thinking about Regis

So the other post was a bit heavy to include this and this one won't be much lighter. I believe that Regis Philbin is having open heart by-pass surgery today. I don't know him, but I worry about him. He has been among my pretend friends for some time now, among a legion of celebrities I have befriended in my mind. I have watched his show since the Kathie Lee days and he has made me laugh on more than one occasion. I know about his wife, Joy and his girls, JJ and Joanna (who might be the same person, I'm not sure) and his other family, to whom he rarely refers. My thoughts are with all of them and I am sending all the positive vibes I can muster your way Reege. And grapefruits, because that's what you said you wanted. Lots and lots of grapefruit coming your way, big guy.

I have lost two very important men in my life to heart disease (mitigated by other illnesses): my father and my father-in-law. My father lived for 12 years after his quintuple by-pass surgery. I know he would have lived longer had the diabetes not compounded everything. I am not as clear on my f-i-l's history.

It seems to me that Regis is healthy and fit. Only his age, 75, seems to be working against him. Hang in there, we're coming to see you next year and you'd better be there. Peace.