Local Saturday (on a Monday): Drink

Sorry for the missing Saturday Edition... technical difficulties on my side... So the first week of being a local shopper has been quite the adventure. Bypassing the tables of bargain books at Chapters, and avoiding the lineups at Starbucks, the coffee situation has been roughest part. Traditionally, my drink of choice is a Grande Starbucks Americano for the uniform convenience of it. There are 4 Starbucks within 2 blocks of my house, and 4 more within 2 blocks of my work. So I could hit any one of 8 Starbucks and get he same drink (with minor variance between the end product.... water to espresso dilution) Though once the consistency o Starbucks was removed from the situation, my world became a little more turbulent.

In search of suitable substitute I've been thrown into a world of locally owned coffee shops, sandwich counters, convenience stores and deli's. Like so many other addicts, I found myself in the throws of withdrawal, suffering the loss of a trusted dealer. At one point I found myself convulsing with need while dry heaving in the pouring rain behind a dumpster.... it was at that point that I considered rehab, or at least switching to tea. Ridiculous, I know.

So after a week of good coffee, bad coffee, gut rot and bliss, these are my recommends....

Dose - 1517 West Broadway
Gene - 2404 Main Street
Wicked - 1399 W 7th Ave
Marios - 595 Howe Street
Phoscao - 3007 Granville Street

Also, a great week for events in Vancouver. Check out the upcoming events listing on the right hand side.

Sunday Poetry Musings

So today I spent some time dancing through the beautiful collection of words that make up 'The Poetic Chains of Dominic Luxford'. At one point I was utterly amazed by one of the poems, those words for a brief moment reflected an absolute truth. Now, hours later, I am trying to retrace my steps and share those words... though it appears my glimpse of enlightenment was fleeting.

Then I thought about the medium of internet and blog, and asked myself "Self... can I share content previously not available online? If I reference its source, am I advertising and building awareness for the artist, or am I making readily available, and thereby devaluing the precious words of the poet?"

So now I have no poem to share with you, but encourage you to dust off an old volume, and reacquaint yourself with a good friend.

Think. Buy. Be. Local.

I keep bumping into that wonderful large retailer vs. small business debate. I'm a sucker for the bargain books at Chapters, though I would much sooner spend my money across the street at one of the small independents. I've come to the realization that with every dollar I spend, I am essentially voting for the businesses I like. I love my 'hood, and if I want to keep the shops around me alive, I'm gonna need to put my money were my mouth is.

So one of the running themes on the blog is going to be local business, and of course we are going to be doing a lot of talking about bookstores. Every Saturday we are going to feature a local business, a brief bio on the business and a little blurb about whats great about them.

So here is the deal... I'm on a "Shop Local" challenge. For the next three months all my extra curricular spending will be done in privately owned stores.... I haven't tried the 100 mile diet, but the 5 mile consumer is gonna be awesome!!

image via Green Upgrader

Aloe Blacc - Tunes for a Thursday

Here's a great clip by Aloe Blacc. He'll be performing @ Fortune in Vancouver on May 29th. Should be a great show. Great music, Great coffee, and its not raining. Life is good.

So tell me about Haiku

On Friday, as on most other weekdays, I was riding the 7:10 limousine to work. Wedged between a navy blue suit and a black trench coat, I rolled my shoulders to find a little extra room. Somehow, while doing so, I was slapped with a nostril full of perfume and thus involuntarily sneezed (Which turns out to be a great way to get a little extra elbow room).
Immediately after my passage clearing, the lady across from me said "Haiku". The customary response is 'bless you', though I could swear she said 'Haiku'...

So now a little on Haiku. In yesterdays post, towards the end of the second McClure video, Michael recalls asking Philip Whalen about the makings of Haiku verse. To which Whalen responds "Perception, ellipsis, Perception". I like that response. Though there seem to be many different definitions of Haiku out there. (wiki)

At any rate, the 2011 Haiku Invitational is now in full swing.
No excuses. Express yourself. Get creative.

A little Poetry for Sunday...

What a perfect Morning.... vintage Michael McClure clips on youtube, and black coffee thick enough to hold a spoon vertically. The poetic prince of bay area counter culture movement, McClure is definitely refining with age. For those of you unfamiliar with Michael McClure, you can find his wikibio here. I dare say he is easily one of the greatest living poets. Thanks Bennett Library @ SFU for hosting such a great evening last February, unfortunately I have no clips from that event to share. So here is McClure @ UCBerkeley in 2008 at a Holloway Series in Poetry event. Enjoy.

Speaking of Darwins Bastards...

If you haven't had a chance to pick up a copy, you may want to put it on your list. Darwin's Bastards is a fantastic collection of tales strung together by the outlandish Zsuzsi Gartner featuring some of the greatest writers around. This volume includes works by William Gibson, Douglas Coupland, Anosh Irani, and the previously mentioned delicious short by Yann Martel.
Reviews: Globe and Mail

While we are on the topic of Zsuzsi Gartner, on Wednesday, May 11: Zsuzsi Gartner will be discussing her latest book, Better Living Through Plastic Explosives. The fine folks at the VIWF will be hosting another incite event in the Alice MacKay Room at the Vancouver Central Library. Joining Zsuzsi that evening will be singer-songwriter Sylvia Tyson who will be reading from her debut novel, Joyner's Dream. Should be a great night.

*image via Douglas & McIntyre

A little ditty from Yann Martel, in lieu of the recent elections

Great little article by Yann Martel, regarding what was then the upcoming election. Looks like the 'Anyone-but-Harper' idea didn't take hold, but valid points. Thanks Yann, for leading by example and for the fantastic short in Darwin's Bastards.

And so it begins...

So to begin, here is the start of a new blog. Odds are very good nothing will be discovered here. We will not 'break new ground', or boldly explore a new frontier....
This will simply be a place to rant a little, read a little, and find a community of like minded individuals. Very little pretention, and very little judgement. There may be some profanity.. but we will keep it in print, and the same goes for explicit nudity (if any, it will be tasteful). There will be reference to food, lifestyle, and similar good things. Though when it comes to expression, we hold no bounds. Welcome here.