There has been dreadful news in the family

But I will not speak of it here. Those who should know already and those who do not know will learn from the right people first.

I had the most lovely and wonderful time with Tammy, we had a great (if physically challenging for both of us) time at the LGBTQ2S Vancouver walking tour. So much I knew and so much MORE I did not know, it was great for mind body and soul. So many names I have to look up now!

Then we got the cutest waiter I’ve ever seen in my life (he was cute with a mask on cute) at Mary’s on Davie where I regarded Tammy’s Moscow Mule with bilious fury (alcohol and my cabasa full of pills no longer on speaking terms) which resolved into happiness as I got two enormous pots of tea, and then a steak, PERFECTLY cooked veggies, and frites, which I brought home to Jeff, parted in front of the pedicure joint, and then I walked all the frickin way back to Granville station although I stopped at a cannabis joint and FINALLY reupped on CBD gummies, it was driving me crazy not having pain relief that didn’t make me high.

I spoke to Katie, and Dave, and my mOm, because after the news I needed friendly voices.

I cooked lean ground pork with cumin, garlic and cayenne (and a bit of salt, I can’t lie) and had it over green salad.

Now I’ve taken my last pill of the day and I bid you all a good night in which I hope you have the chance to snuggle with someone wonderful. Tonight, apart from the 100 trillion microbes I’m hosting at any given moment, I am sleeping alone.

Forbidden Vancouver

Missing John today

I offer my thanks and praise to the protectors of these lands and waters. It is a good day to be in MST country, stolen but never ceded, surveyed but never yielded. I live in a state of obligation and I am a guest and visitor here. For two foot and four foot, many foot and no foot, all the creatures and people, may it be a good day.

I hate it when I pay for a craigslist ad and the first person who answers is a scammer using a phone service in Spanish who can’t even answer a basic question about the lower mainland. I know I’m a delicate flower and sensitive to rejection but it just makes me want to borrow a nerf gun and go on a low casualty rampage. You will remember that it was a threat of violence (a slap…. not a gun shot, not hacking someone’s feet off and making them eat them, not machetes, or claymores, or eating Eatmores till you burst, or being turned into a skid mark under a halftrack, or being asphyxiated in a ten foot deep tub of glitter, or being made to watch the ten worst episodes of Supernatural in a row, or being bisected by a thermal lance, or being shoved off the Trümp Tower, or any such life ending stuff a slap people, that’s all I offered the racist piece of shit) that took me off twitter in the first place. No sign that I’ll ever get back on, unless I create a whole new persona. NNNNNOOOOO THANKS.

This morning at 10 am I’m going to do the same thing (but different) with Tammy as I did the last time she was in town, mostly because we enjoyed the hell out of it – Forbidden Vancouver’s tour of the historic sites of Gay Vancouver. (The last time was more of an architectural walk, and what an eye opener that was! Seeing the place opium was manufactured? Seeing where the anti Asian riots broke out… not a pane of intact glass in Chinatown!? Seeing the first skyscraper in Vancouver, in context… it was wonderful! Nearly getting run down by a woman cop driving a squad car and laughing immoderately up in her face! ah the pleasures!) Anyway, full report tomorrow, at the latest. And between 8 and 9 am I have to ensure that I have a proper carry seat, because Tammy was amazed how much more pleasant it was to walk all over hell’s half acre on pavement when you can whip out a chair and sit for 2 or 3. (We shared, like one do.)

I’m writing this at 5:15 to 6 am in the morning; I don’t have internet from 4 am to 7 am in an effort to ensure that I’m actually writing at that time of day, or at least not disappearing down that rabbit hole. Now that twitter (an aching gap in my day, which speaks alas more to my self-indulgence (verging on addiction) than to its utility… because really what I wanted was to have a bigger audience than I do on my blog, which simply isn’t interesting enough to have 500 visitors) is gone, I’m mining karma points on Reddit.  I got 4000 points in two months, so you can tell I’ve been a busy lassie. And, as with this blog I have no freaking idea what people will respond to. It all seems to be timing.

The last time I was at the Junction Keith commented that the r/vancouver subreddit has cleaned up a great deal over the last, say, six months or so. Less overtly anti Chinese racist bullshit – still a lot of hate for the homeless, I’m still stinging from my dog pile of downvotes from the last time I stuck up for the unhoused, and fuck you, a certain user on reddit who would like to push the homeless around with ‘scoops’ like Soylent Green, I hope you think better thoughts and type less nasty words in future.

So looking forward to this morning!

I checked in with Stella the talking dog today and she used the word ‘mad’ after being told she couldn’t go play in the park until after mum and dad ate. She was very calm about it though. I love that dog. (hunger4words on instagram) Apparently ‘all done happy’ translates in dog to THANK CHRIST YOU’RE OFF THE PHONE