< April 2007 | Main | June 2007 >

In which I get serious
May 24, 2007

It's amazing just how much one will put up with and how miserable one can become before making some changes.

In which I spew about some imaginary things
May 19, 2007

The busy corner near my house smelled strongly of pizza when I was walking home from the store this afternoon. I have a feeling this might have to do with the proliferation of pizza-making establishments in the general downtown vicinity, the newest being Cafe Vicino, which filled the quickly vacated spot where the Flipside Cafe resided. The new restaurant seems to serve generic Italian fare at an inflated price, so it may be a while before I make it there for some actual food. Pre-Flipside, the spot served a bakery-type place that had some good wines and a friendly staffer (whose name shall be withheld) who would give us fantastic deals on multiple glasses, as well as any "leftover" food they might have had in the back. It's been 2 years, I think, since they closed, and I think I miss it more now than ever before.

The boyfriend introduced me to some triple-brewed ales while on a minibreak recently, and now I am a confirmed beer drinker. It was never really my 'cup of tea' per say, but I really enjoy the complex sweetness provided by the Belgian ales (currently drinking Fin du Monde), and I find myself craving them quite often. Either that, or I have just found myself a more broad-minded lush. I prefer thinking the former. Aforementioned boyfriend's birthday was this last week, and I had the best time shopping for gifts for him, which validated the theory that I actually do enjoy shopping, just not in general, and not for myself.

I picked up some fantastic earrings I was eying a couple of weeks ago at the downtown market today. I keep them in my ears to remind me of how the beginning of today (preparing food, brunch with friends, funtimes purchasing) was really quite nice, even if the afternoon (and quite possibly the evening) may end up shite.

In which I give you a Two'fer
May 1, 2007

An Open Letter To Sidewalk Riders:

Being both an avid pedestrian and bicycling enthusiast, I can assure you that I have the utmost sympathy for those that think that bicycling in the street is scary. In some parts of town, it certainly is. However, there are very few excuses which can be used to ride ones' bicycle on the sidewalk. Ever. And they are:

  1. If you are using the sidewalk to get somewhere within a half-block range. I.E. a parking spot.

  2. If you are going in a direction opposite a one-way street (and that is iffy).

  3. If you are urban-cycling with a friend, and are going the speed of the walker.

  4. If it is very very late and/or there aren't any people around.

And that, friends, is it. If, in fact, you are on the sidewalk on your cruiser, or whatever other bike you may have, and you are going in the same direction as traffic on the street, and you are mowing down pedestrians, I have a problem with that.

There are rules and laws put into place for a reason, people. Learn them and use them well.
If you are coming up behind someone (indeed, on a sidewalk or elsewhere), you must call out your intentions to the pedestrian. Don't give pedestrians nasty looks when riding on a sidewalk. Sidewalks are roads for pedestrians! The road is supposed to be shared between motorized vehicles and, yes indeed, bicycles. Sometimes riding in these conditions suck, I know. But you cannot just make up your own rules and expect society to carry on in a civilized manner.

I say eff you and your cruising ass on the sidewalk. Get in the bloody road. I ride there, you ride there, and that way you won't knock me down when I'm instead using my feet alone to traverse the city, and I won't have to get a piece of rebar to stick in your spokes the next time I see you on my road, capice?

love,
Devlyn

An Open Letter To Neo-Gutter-Punks:

If you are going to ask me for change to buy beer, that's cool. If you're going to ask me for change to buy food, I'll think you're lying, but I might give it to you. If you ask me for change for anything, however, please don't wear your iPod. Take it off and hide it in your bag or something. Panhandlers aren't supposed to have any money to begin with, see? There's the rub. If you ask me for change and you've got one headphone in your ear and your cellphone to the other ear, don't expect anything more from me but a dirty look, a "pfft" and maybe a middle finger. Learn how to do things proper - you may actually get somewhere in life if you do.

love,
Devlyn