So this is a blog. I've been inspired and somewhat intimidated by what I read here, about how to blog. Here is what I find so intimidating:
3. dont be afraid to do anything. infact if youre afraid of something, do it. then do it again. and again.
15. dont be afraid if you think something has been said before. it has. and better. big whoop. say it anyway using your own words as honestly as you can. just let it out.
11. say exactly what you want to say no matter what it looks like on the screen. then say something else. then keep going. and when youre done, re-read it, and edit it and hit publish and forget about it.
It scares me really - to really open up online here in this forum. It shouldn't, because I have opened up before. My blogging is always somewhat dry - a cut and paste rundown of my unimportant life. I don't venture into political commentary or entertainment gossip. I rarely comment on my friends or even my family.
And I don't know if I'll be able to do that. At least not today. Sure, I can do it from time to time in my own regular writing - writing that I don't always post online - like what lies within: a memoir, a piece I wrote after the death of my Dad (I miss you Dad - I remember our more recent New Years, where we'd stay up, share some leftover holiday chocolate and watch the festivities in other cities and countries on TV. We'd share a drink with Mom at midnight, before going to sleep. Sometimes we'd talk - about life. I'd ask you about your life, and of the things you experienced. And you'd ask me about my life, and how school was going and what I was doing. Often, the words could be sparse, but just being there - just having each other present was often enough. It was comforting, safe. And now, that's gone.
And we move on.
Mohammad called me last night. I had gone to sleep early as I was very tired - I think I fell asleep around 7:30pm or 8:00pm. He called my cell around 9:30pm, and apparently was out front and wanted to talk to me - it sounded urgent. I keep my cell on vibrate, so I didn't hear it go off while I was sleeping. I don't know why he didn't use the front buzzer or ask the concierge to assist him in contacting me or my Mum (who would've woke me up). I got the message this morning - and haven't called him back, which is probably my bad. I'll call him early this evening. I had thought a group of us would go out last night, to see a movie or something, but my calls to a number of people went unanswered. So I decided to sleep instead. It's not that he is not important to me - he is a close friend and I cherish what he brings to my life - it's just I was tired and slept through his call. So I'll apologize tonight.
This morning, we found our little dog Kikko had been sick - she threw-up on her bed. Poor little girl. She's been okay today and so far has done her regular routine so hopefully she won't be sick again.
For breakfast, I made waffles for breakfast, using
So today I went out to Surrey to Public Storage to pay the outstanding balance for the Kwantlen Student Association. I had gone to pay it earlier in the month, but they were closed each time I went and I never got around to going back. I had planned on going in on Tuesday, to pay the bill and work on organizing the lockers. But yesterday, I learned, that if we did not pay by today they would levy a $100 late penalty fine on the Association - which we cannot really afford to be hit with. So that is done. A bit of a pain in the but really, having to go out there today... I couldn't even pay at a Public Storage (PS) location near my home in downtown Vancouver - I had to go to the site where the locker was. PS Canada would do well to learn from its cousin in the USA - where they offer an option for customers to pay their bill online.
I drove around the campus and got a feel for the number of food options students have available to them that are within either walking distance, or a short driving distance, of the school. I snapped some photos, and next week I'll go around with Trevor or Johnny (or anyone else who wants to come) to collect some photos of the different places, and for the places that are within walking distance, to try and collect a dozen of each place’s take out menus. The reason I want to get a feel for the various food options available is so that this information can inform a real marketing and business plan for the student owned and operated cafe - one really needs to be done. And part of that plan has to include a thorough examination of competition that faces the cafe. The main competitor(s) would be obviously the college cafeteria, and packed lunches (why do students pack lunches?). Secondary competitor(s) would include anything that is within walking distance of Kwantlen College itself. Tertiary competitor(s) would be anything that is within driving distance. Which makes for a lot of food options! So I snapped some photos. I thought about going into some places myself to collect menus, but decided against it - I didn't want to be out in Surrey very long today.
So instead, I went by a local McDonald's, where I had a crispy chicken deluxe meal to go. I really need to stop eating this crap, but the chicken is at least, not as nasty as hamburger. But to be truly healthy, perhaps I should have gone for the grilled chicken.
But I digress.
I came back downtown and stopped by the Rogers Video on Davie Street, where they had a two for one deal going on so I picked up The King, King of the Corner, Cars and Click. I may watch The King tonight, I'm not sure yet.
On my way to the Rogers, I saw this amazing huge bike that could only be one person's bike and lo and behold it was Desmond's bike and he was on the sidewalk, so I honked my horn and waved as I drove past, watching his face go from the expression of "who the frack is honking at me?" to "oh, it's steve" with a wave.
I then went to Safeway, to get milk, bread and eggs. I also picked up some Tropicana orange juice just because it was on sale, and I also picked up some Silk Soy Creamer which I've been using to make hot chocolate with. It's a thicker, richer soy milk that actually doesn't even taste like soy milk (my Mum even used it once and liked it and she hates soy milk).
I then came home, snapped some new pictures of Kikko and of our Christmas Decorating, which are posted online at my flickr account, which I'm really enjoying btw... having added more than 20 photosets in the last week alone. Some of the photographers who post to that site are simply amazing - they put me to shame but have at the same time encouraged me to get back into photography, to keep my camera at my side and just snap away. One example of my just snapping away is illustrated by my september carwash photographs that speak for themselves really. There are some cool images there.
So it's 5:35pm on New Years Eve and I don't really have any plans. I had thought about going to Yuk-Yuks as they have a thing on tonight, but I ended up not buying tickets, as the person I was hoping might go with me (Lisa Coan) is in Gibsons for New Years with her family.
My dog is yapping, probably because Mum is making something to eat. I had thought she wanted to order something in from the Macroni Grill but perhaps she has changed her mind? I was going to suggest Chinese Food, which I haven't had in awhile - Hon's sounds good, or even The Ridge Restaraunt on Arbutus and 16th. But it sounds like roast beef leftovers will be the dinner of the day, as I hear Mum putting it into the microwave now. I also smell her cooking some cream of wheat porridge for herself no doubt. A somewhat simple meal perhaps, but it's an easy meal. No fussing around, no calling any numbers, no having to worry about whether or not we have enough cash for delivery and no having to get into the car to drive to some place to pick something up.
My life seems so superfluous at times. What good do I really have to offer the world? What good have I really accomplished today? At a glance, everything I did today seems somewhat menial and unimportant. Where are we going? So yeah, that is what is on my mind right now on the eve of 2007.
So it'll be movies for me most likely tonight, while I work on my laptop. I have some meeting minutes to finish up and I'll probably work on shelling out a very rough draft of that business plan I talked about earlier.
Anyway, enough blogging for now!
See you all out there somewhere... happy new years to you, if you are reading this. And please, be careful out there.
- Steven