Night Music: O’Sullivan’s March

Poem: Hard Times

 

 

It’s hard to distinguish the fragrance of Geurlain

from that of pan-fried potato latkes

when you’re beneath a barstool

amid the boot-crushed butts and spilled beers.

 

It’s hard to carve an eagle when the tempest

of emotions coats the back of your throat

with a cold glue that no creative

surge can moisten nor free up nor reduce to tears.

 

It’s hard to say what tipped the scales, what failed to

gel, what failed to gather to you the crowds

you needed for your performances

since you screwed up so many times over so many years.

 

 

Image: Diner #1

Dinner Tonight #42

 

This was something very different: pasta and butternut squash cake. It wasn’t bad at all.

Select image for a better view.

Night Music: A Man of Constant Sorrow

Image: Meadow

Night Music: Here Comes The Sun

Wise Words

Image: Street Art #12

Night Music: Will You?

Mo’ Bikes On The East Side

As previewed at the last GWAC meeting, we now have more details on the expansion of the MOBI bike sharing system to more of the East side.  The Vancouver Courier reports that:

“Fifteen new bike share stations have been installed in the Mount Pleasant and Commercial Drive area. It’s part of an overall expansion of the bike rental system into East Vancouver that will see another 35 stations in place by summer, for a total of about 50 new stations and 500 bikes being made available in that part of the city.”

In Grandview, the new stations are at:

• Woodland and 10th
• Commercial and 10th
• Commercial and 8^th
• Grandview Hwy (near Commercial)
• Commercial and 4^th
• Commercial and 2^nd
• Commercial and Grant
• Commercial and Charles
• Commercial and Napier

The Courier adds that two more stations will be installed in East Vancouver next week at these sites:

• Commercial and Adanac (bike route)
• Adanac and McLean (bike route)

The Mobi by Shaw Go service area now includes the Downtown Peninsula, roughly bounded by Victoria Drive, Arbutus Street, 16 Avenue, to the Burrard Inlet and into Stanley Park.  With the present expansion, they are clearly making sure they catch the influx of commuters at the ever-growing Broadway & Commercial transit nexus.

More importantly, I think it is a signal that this kind of integrated mobility system isn’t going away anytime soon, and will only get better as innovation and feedback drive the process forward.

Image: Kayaks In The Mist

Happy Birthday JMW!

My favourite artist of all time, Joseph Mallard William Turner, was born on this date in 1775.  He was the master of light and wind and of both motion and stillness.

Giudecca, La Donna della Salute and San Giorgio. Oil on canvas. 24 x 36 in (61 x 91.5 cm).

Snow Storm – Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth

Poem: Do Not Go Gently

By Dylan Thomas. For my Dad.

Night Music: Something On Your Mind

Image: False Creek Lagoon

 

Select image for a far better view.

Night Music: Blockheads

Without doubt the greatest punk band that ever was, and perhaps the tightest band of all time. This is sheer exuberance!

815-825 Commercial Open House

Yesterday afternoon I attended the Open House presentation for a proposed 6-storey rental building at Commercial & Adanac.

 

I’ve seen a lot worse designs.  There are to be 3 studios, 17 one-bed, 14 2-bed, and 4 3-bedroom suites which seems a reasonable balance.  They are planning 3 commercial units along Commercial, with 23 parking stalls plus 55 bike stands.  They also seem to have taken some care with the green envelope:

 

As I have mentioned in other forums, I have come to almost accept that 6-storeys is the new 4-storeys, and, given what will be its location behind the 12-storey monstrosity of the proposed Boffo Tower, I will not campaign against its height.

However, the very first thing I heard one of the developers’ reps say to someone else as I walked into the presentation room was “No, these aren’t designed to be “affordable” units. The one beds will probably start at around $2,200 [a month].”  And therein lies the crux of my opposition to this specific proposal.

In general, I am opposed to building any more unaffordable housing units until we have provided enough housing that can be afforded by the majority of the working families in Vancouver (as determined by the media family income in this City). More particularly, I am morally and politically offended that this unaffordable development will be going forward under the Rental100 policy that gives massive incentives to profit-driven developers.

Build it as market housing if you must (at least until we get a Council that sets better priorities) but don’t use taxpayers money to fill out the profiteers’ bottom line.

 

Happy 420!

Image: Red Tulips #4