The Ramblings of a Random Freak

Okay, I need to vent a little

Yesterday afternoon, I looked out my window – there are a bunch of townhome condos next door to our building – asinine place, it’s like townhouses, only no yards – 2 bedroom condos with 3 bedroom 2 story condos on top of them… anyways, just a short distance from my window are the balconies for the larger condos. In between the balconies, there are small roof sections.

On the roof section out my window?

A very scared puppy.

It seems the owners, rather than properly training the puppy, decided that they’d just leave the puppy on the balcony – so the poor dog is confined to a small space with no social interaction for most of the day every day… they let the kids out on the balcony to play with the puppy, but the puppy doesn’t come inside. They’d left, and the puppy was lonely. They left a cooler at the side of the balcony, so the puppy used the cooler as a stool and climbed off the balcony on to the roof.

One of my neighbors did a spiderman impression, hopping over fences and scaling the building to help the pup back into it’s little balcony home – there were food/water dishes, a dog bed, and the cooler – the dog was smelly and unkempt.

I get the concept of having an outdoor dog that stays outside.

But a small balcony?

Not an acceptable place to keep a dog – let alone a young pup.

Dogs need room to run and play and exercise – they need social interaction, and they need discipline. Daily activities and movement help a dog stay clean, as odd as that may sound – our pup is almost 2, and has never smelled anything other than clean… she gets out to run and play for at least an hour every day, and is very well behaved for the most part.

Yes, it’s a lot of work training a dog to behave properly indoors, but if you’re not willing to put in the work and effort, frankly, you shouldn’t ever have a dog in your family.

What these people are doing is abuse, in it’s most ignorant form…

A well raised dog, educated to behave properly in the house, and socialized with other people and animals grows up to be a wonderful, loving member of the family… this method of raising a puppy won’t result in that kind of family member… it’s going to result in a lonely animal who doesn’t relate to the people it lives with, or understand how to interact with people or other animals… The kind of dog that will strike out and hurt someone.

And the stupid people raising it will blame the dog.

Ouch.

So for lunch, I decided to eat out today… it was a choice between Subway (veggie sub – oddly, the same price as the same sub with meat) or White Spot Triple O’s Veggie Burger. Knowing that a sub wasn’t going to leave me full, I went for the Veggie Burger.

So 20 minutes later, and I have terrible cramps, the burger was GROSS, and pretty sure I’ll never, ever eat another burger from White Spot.

And to top it all off?

That Veggie Burger – a patty that tasted like ground anus?

Well… a Double Double (2 1/4 pound beef patties, 2 slices of cheese) is CHEAPER than the veggie burger with cheese, and I’d certainly be in less pain right now, other than mentally, since you know… the meat burger is also overpriced, and I made a decision to eat no meat between Mon-Sat. Last I checked, the stuff they use to make a GOOD veggie burger was cheaper than lean ground beef, by a lot.

So this entry is an official EFF YOU WHITE SPOT entry. I was on the fence due to your terrible prices on burgers before this, now the fence is no longer under me, and you’re on the other side.

Recap: White Spot Veggie Burgers are: Disgusting, EXTREMELY Overpriced, and cause my stomach to revolt in a most painful way.

The alternative of course, is like… BOCA burgers, which are delicious, cost around 90 cents a patty, and have never made my tummy anything but pleased. So really, there’s no loss for me in this situation.

Except the pain in my gut =/

So when I moved to Vancouver, I chose right off the start to live in a suburb of Vancouver – the second largest city in the Greater Vancouver Regional District, and in it’s own right, a very pretty city – it has a bit of a bad reputation… mostly among those who live in the “actual” city of Vancouver.

Surrey.

The reputation is dirty, filled with crackheads and homeless people and generally undesirable.

To be honest, it’s NOT as pretty as Vancouver for the most part, but as far as actual quality of city goes?

I’d  make the same choice every time – taking into consideration the things I need in my life, the things I like to do, and the places I like to have access to, Surrey is definitely a much better choice than Vancouver could ever be.

I cook most of my own meals – access to great deals on amazing fresh food is far better in Surrey.

I like access to quality, delicious Vietnamese and Indian food.

Again, you have far better for far more reasonable prices in Surrey.

Essentially, everything I can get, that I actually want – it’s better in Surrey than in Vancouver.

The biggest draw though, is cost – I can afford to live in Vancouver, but I can afford to live 3 times better in Surrey, because everything I buy, from accommodations, to food, to sunday brunch is all at the same level, or a better level than I can get in Vancouver, and all cheaper. It also gives me quick access to the US border, where I buy my groceries, and to different routes to get to my office, which is in Richmond.

Also, Surrey has nothing as depraved as you’ll find in downtown Vancouver – not even close – but we do have farm direct markets where you can buy twice as much produce for your buck as at similar places in Vancouver.

I suppose if I wanted to have a crazy rocking nightlife, and was into drinking and partying, you have better clubs filled with prettier people in Vancouver – but really, most of those people are also from Surrey – or one of the other burbs that have a superior quality of life than someone making less than 7 figures can attain living in Vancouver.

Do I dislike Vancouver?

Not at all – but I prefer Greater Vancouver. There are parts of Van that would be awesome to live in – Commercial Drive for one, English Bay for another… but unless you live and work in the area, it’s not worth it – I work an office job, and if I lived by English Bay? The drive is 1/2 the distance as I travel every day from Surrey, but it’d take at least twice as long, due to a really awful traffic system, and really heavy traffic.

The automatic dismissal of Surrey (or other burbs) by those living in Vancouver (mostly the nightlife loving, overly tattooed, slow witted idiots with no connection to reality) is unfair to a city that is actually pretty freaking awesome.

In “places to live” in the GVRD, I’d give 2 class ratings – top five under 30, and top 5 over 30

Under 30

1. Vancouver

2. Burnaby

3. Richmond

4. New Westminster

5. North Vancouver

Top 5 Over 30

1. New Westminster

2. Surrey

3. Burnaby

4. Abbotsford

5. Coquitlam

Nope, I don’t include Vancouver on the second list at all, especially for someone like me who doesn’t drink, doesn’t do drugs, doesn’t party – I like a comfy homelife, and free parking… I live close to everything I need, and I have enough disposable income that anything I want I can drive to.

So no, Surrey isn’t disgusting – parts of it actually put Vancouver to shame – parts of it, not so much, but all in all, it’s just as much a part of why the GVRD is great as the balmy weather and the lousy government.

http://kehrli.livejournal.com/667501.html

go read that post.

I have two honest, genuine deal breakers – I’d walk away from the love of my life, or a friend, and never look back…

One is honesty – don’t lie to me. I won’t end a friendship over a lie, but I’ll make it known that I’m not happy, and the truth would have been better – a relationship? Over, done. A relationship is all about trust, and without it, it’s worthless – the best sex in the world couldn’t fix a relationship built on lies.

IN fact, if a girlfriend came to me and said “Hey, I love ya, but I kinda want to go nail this guy” I’d be okay with it.

If she came to me 2 days later and admitted that she had, even though she’d never mentioned it in the first place “Oh, I feel awful, the other day I nailed this guy…” we’d be done.

Pretty simple.

The second thing is bigotry. Any kind of hatred based on colour, religion, sexuality, politics, whatever… the only bigotry I’m okay with is against people who promote hate – seriously, fuck them. None of these things have ANYTHING at all to do with the person inside – I don’t give a shit if you hate someone for being an asshole – go hard… but because they’re a transsexual, a homosexual, white, black, Hispanic, liberal, conservative, blond, hairy, bald, tall, short… anything that is a natural occurrence, as opposed to a choice. And if you believe that sexuality is a choice, you’re ignorant, stupid, or both – homosexuality occurs in animals of all kinds, and becomes MORE common as a species becomes more overpopulated – it’s actually a natural, normal occurrence to reduce population growth.

Dogs have it, monkeys have it, cats have it, squirrels have it, cows have it, and yes – humans have it.

Of course, if you’re one of those dumb fucks who doesn’t believe you’re an animal, explain how we’re built of exactly the same parts as those animals, and our DNA varies less than 1% or so from any of them.

At least, unlike them, we have the free will to understand that differences are not a bad thing… sadly, we lack the common sense to actually accept things sometimes – something which the animals have us beat on.

paws down.

so if you’re a bigot, a hater, someone who fears the different out of ignorance?

you’re dumber than the dumbest of animals. Congratulations.

If you’re a bigot, a hater, someone who fears differences?

I will not associate with you, I will not befriend you, and I will abruptly remove you from all forms of contact.

Because sadly, I’m very bigoted against bigots.

So I read over the last couple months of writing, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I need some stimulation – I mean, there HAS been excitement in my life, no doubt about it, but nothing I can actually post here…

Really, all I have going on now?

Well, there’s a couple TV shows I follow that are running – but really, my reaction to TV shows seems like a rather lame, impersonal subject.

Some movies I want to see… same thing

These days, the only real excitement I get?

Going to the gym (posting about that) and hoping to find a girlfriend (not posting about that)

There were some minor health issues that I was writing about, but I end up with an angry roommate, telling me I’ve changed and she doesn’t know who I am anymore – because I didn’t tell her about it. So rather than get yelled at again, I’ll just not tell anyone, deal with it myself, and leave anything that could possibly be construed as personal (looking for a girlfriend, not feeling great, not happy, bleeding randomly, whatever the case may be) out of my blog.

So things are going well – I do have some issues I’m working on, but I’m not free to share them for fear of offending people.

This sucks.

I need a new address for my blog that’s not available to people who know me, in an anonymous way, so even if they do find me, they won’t know they found me.

In other news, I need a new place to live.

But even if I find one, I’m not free to go.

For now, fuck my life.

More gym crap tomorrow, and probably the next day, and then no more until Monday.

I think this weekend I’ll post a couple driving rants for the lovely BC driving morons who think flaunting safety rules is their god given right (hint: there is no god, and no, you don’t have any such right.)

alright – this will NOT work for anyone.

all I did to quit?

I wanted to.

Plain and simple, I was sick and tired of waking up with phlegm in my throat every morning, of smelling like ass after every cigarette I smoked, of the holier than thou assholes who think they’re superior for managing to avoid that particular addiction.

The best is, they actually have NO clue exactly what quitting entails.

For one thing, and you’re welcome to look this up, nicotine (the drug that makes cigarettes addictive) is just slightly more addictive than heroin – it is, in fact, the most addictive substance known to man. Just one dose can hook you, and each following dose makes the addiction stronger – someone who’s been smoking for more than a few days can expect to go through some really, really hideous withdrawal symptoms, which include cold sweats, cramps, loss of appetite, extreme hunger, diarrhea, confusion, difficulty focusing, headaches, extreme irritability… the list goes on.

One of the first times I tried to quit, my wife at the time (who was the one who wanted me to quit) bought me a pack of cigarettes halfway through the process, because I was such an irritating ass, and a huge mess.

The withdrawal symptoms are worst in the first 72 hours, but they can last a month or longer.

It’s always good to encourage someone to quit smoking – but they have to make the choice themselves, for themselves – if they don’t want to, or they’re not ready for the process, it will NOT work, no matter how much you decide you want it to happen.

And being disappointed in them?

well, that’s just you being a jackass.

Supportive, caring, understanding and helpful are the only ways you should react – all in ways that encourage quitting. In a perfect world, it would be easy – but it’s NOT easy, and negative energy directed at a smoker is much more likely to keep them smoking than help them quit.

I’ve been mostly smoke free for the last year, and very happy with it – I certainly don’t intend to do it again… it’s a gross habit with nasty side effects and consequences, but even now, I can tell you in no uncertain terms, I have NOT beat this addiction… I am however, winning the battle.

please, please, please – if you live in the Vancouver area, please tell everyone you know about this – if this is you, please learn how to do it correctly – it’ll save you dents, fingers, being honked at, and save you from being that retard that 70% or more of Vancouver drivers are.

Learn to use your turn signals!

I don’t mean how to make them go left and right, I mean how to use them correctly.

- if you click em once as you’re changing lanes, you are, sorry to say, a fucktard.

- if you don’t use em ever, you are, sorry to say, a douchecanoe.

turn signals are NOT optional equipment – and you signed an agreement to use them correctly when you got your drivers license – now, the odds that you’ll get a ticket for not using them correctly? Probably not – our police are bloody overburdened… but you know what?

They’re not there for the cops – they’re there to make the roads safer for you, and me, and everyone else driving. I know that your taxes paid for the god damned roads, and you can do what you want – but my taxes ALSO paid for the god damned roads, and I have a reasonable expectation that people like you will know how to operate their vehicle legally and with courtesy, and god damnit, I should be rewarded for this expectation with the courtesy I expect.

Don’t make excuses – turn signals are freaking SIMPLE to use – any moron with an IQ of 2 or higher is capable of grasping the concept and doing it correctly – heck, if you make a point of doing it EVERY time, it becomes a habit – you don’t even have to think about it or make an effort.

the fact that not doing it doesn’t cost you your license is a minor shock – I mean, something SO easy should not be forgotten by anyone – makes me question just how ignorant and stupid people who don’t do it right are exactly.

really – do you do things like re-use condoms as well? I have to say, I’ve heard using your gas BBQ indoors is a great time saver while watching sports  (note to people who use signals (if you don’t skip this) never do this, it will kill you)

you know, they REQUIRE that you learn to do this correctly before they give you a license to drive – hell, they put you through a probationary period with the whole L and N magnet stuck to your car, to make sure you have a freaking clue what you’re doing.

So what it comes down to, is if you don’t use signals correctly, you’re an asshole, and you should die in a fire.

I suppose this applies universally anywhere, but really, I’m only personally concerned with Vancouver.

and that’s all I have to say about that.

Sometimes… just sometimes… an idea pops into my head.

So sue me – I’m not always the sharpest knife in the drawer… I’m socially awkward, and I rarely manage to express my feelings honestly. I work out in my head exactly how I want things to sound, how I feel, what I want… and then I open my mouth, and what comes out is completely different.

And I hear people say things, on TV, in movies, or in other relationships – things like “Nobody will ever love you like I do” or some such… crap basically. It’s the things people say when they’re hurt and scared, and it’s not real – obviously some people think it’s real, but it never is. Those are the words of a coward trying to scare someone into being with them, or staying with them.

The best part of a real relationship?

Knowing that someone is there because it’s what they actually, honestly want.

When someone wants to be there, you don’t have to worry about them running around on you, or betraying you – because they already have who they want, and they’re happy about it.

Just simply knowing, and letting someone else know that you have what you want, and you’re happy?

Why do I suck at that? Why do so many people suck at that?

Relationship or no, marriage even – people aren’t property – they’re a blessing… and finding ways to make them happy that you’re want they want – showing them that they’re what you want – that is what a real, healthy relationship is about.

Someone who’s afraid and threatened and unsure of what they have – it breeds jealousy and anger, and even violence.

If you’re with someone who would hurt someone for looking at you sideways – run for your life, seriously, because if they were really worth being with, they’d know better – they would know that what other people do is not the least bit important, because the only thing that matters is how the person they’re with feels.

And frankly, if the person I’m with doesn’t want to be with me?

They shouldn’t be.

And no amount of jealousy, or anger can fix or change that – if I’m with someone it’s because I want to be with them, and I want them to be happy – and if someone else makes them happier, then I’d rather they be with that someone else.

That’s what love is about – caring more about how someone else feels than how you feel… Wanting them to be the happiest they can be, even to the point of not being what makes them that way.

But always striving to be the best you can, and finding ways to let them know they matter, and what they want is important.

Any yeah – hoping that they want that with you – but if it comes down to it, being graceful if what they chose isn’t you.

Jealousy is for douchebags.

And, to be honest, I’ve been that douchebag before. But it will never happen again, because it’s dishonest, it’s cruel, and it’s unkind to someone you claim to love.

Here, my friends, is to never being that douchebag.

Cheers!