The more I think about it, the more I think vancouver is pretty much the greatest place ever. I mean, not that I'm that well-travelled.

or anyway not since leaving elementary school, and I'll tell you, my memories of cities I visited in grade 4 are focused mainly on stuff like "what part of france has the best kinder-surprises" and "singapore has the BEST market they sell betty boop towels!" and "japan is great they thought we were twins the baths are really deep I like noodles a lot." Instead of potentially handier things like "My, zurich has a low crime rate." or "Hmm, I have concerns about the accessibility of public transit in Bruges." But I digress.

Anyway. I just can't think of a lot of things about Vancouver that I'd change. The provincial government right now is sucky, but it's not like moving to alberta or wisconsin or well, anywhere except scandinavia would net me a political scene more rife with hippies and socialists. Besides, everyone's so pissed off that the liberals will be trounced next time. A problem with racism and unresolved land claim issues towards first nations people. huh. Well, I don't know what to do about that. I'm not sure if there's anywhere to escape that issue in north america, other than in places where natives were just exterminated in colonial times, and I'm not convinced that "escaping" is really useful anyway. Still I have hope that one day some happy reconciliation will arrive. Transit could maybe use some cash thrown at it, but the system isn't bad and I totally heart it. More 24 hour shops? Well, more of them all the time. A better approach to the drug problem on the east side? Crossing my fingers that the current mayor's surprisingly cool plan lasts through november's civic election.

But that's all piddly. Everything is so super. The weather is mild and perfect. I get sick of rain sometimes, but yuck, what if there were snow all summer? Snow is fun to play in, but seriously, snow three or four days a year is totally the perfect amount. The scenery, my god. Sometimes I forget about it, but holy crap, there are forests, beaches, the ocean, and mountains all like, within city limits. How much does that rule? And the city is so safe. Not that there's no crime, but I feel pretty safe walking alone through the skeeviest part of town at midnight. Maybe I'd avoid the alleys. Bike paths, there are bike paths everywhere and skytrain and I totally do NOT need a car to git around. There's a high tolerance level for my politics - even most of the hard core right wingers here would be considered bleeding heart liberals a hundred miles to the south, and they all secretly have birkenstocks in their closet. I work in maybe the only industry in town where suits are a must, but there's no one in my office without a pair of sneakers and maybe a bike helmet under their desk that they put on the minute they head out the door. There are so many parks. The restaurants, holy crap, there is some good-ass eating here. And we're a port town. On the one hand that means we have a heroin problem, but on the other hand, we have awesome sushi. So you know.

That said, after hearing about a friend living in the yukon now, and getting all excited about hopping a plane back east for a while, I'm kind of keen to visit the rest of canada. Like, in a year or two, take three weeks to hit every province and territory. It's sort of a canadian 20something rite of passage - either do that, or go backpack around europe. Well, I've been to europe, so yo, it's time for a trip to the rock. (that's newfoundland. I don't know why. but that's your canadian slang lesson for the day, o international readers.)

(hah, international readers. I sound so silly.)

(today's song snippet is from "the mountie song" by the arrogant worms, which is fabulous. also very true to life. the latest mountie news around here is that the mounties are dressing up like squeegee punks to catch people who aren't wearing their seatbelts. heh. they're just not quite the FBI. I love it.)