Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

Hi Everyone! I've been apartment-hunting in Surrey recently -- pretty much the only place I can afford in the Lower Mainland and still be close to a skytrain. Armed with a puny mortgage preapproval of only 160,000, even Surrey doesn't offer a whole lot, unless I'm willing to buy something built in the '80s or even earlier. And those are tricky because older apartment buildings tend to have higher strata fees and more special assessments. With a purchasing power of 160k, I'm reduced to looking at studios and "junior one bedrooms" -- which, if you didn't know, are basically studios with a nook barely large enough to put a bed. Think of it as a "room" with three sides and no door. Usually it opens into the living room -- which means entertainment will be tricky unless you can somehow block it off, maybe with a curtain. Above: Pair of cotton-lined pencil pleat curtains in chalk flax fabric, from the Natural Curtain Company (0%-10% synthet...

Hi Everyone! In this day and age, it's a bit extreme, but I (still) don't have a cellphone. (And actually, it's not about the dangers of radiation from cellphones -- I just don't want one, okay?) If you do have one, you may vaguely remember that there was a bit of a scare with cellphones. Here are some clips from Larry King Live: The Oprah website had an article in February with basic reminders about cell phone dangers and how to avoid them. (Yeah, it's by "Doctor Oz", but never mind the name -- just read the article). All of this may have fallen off your radar as news quickly does these days. I was reminded about all this when just the other day, an e-mail landed in my inbox, all the way from the UK. It talks about a quartz device called the PhoneShield, which reduces radiation from a cellphone . Their website includes a slow and boring clip showing that the device actually does reduce radiation. You can fast forward a bit to get to the resul...

As we head into another Christmas season of festive merchandise, I got thinking about all the beautiful things that we like to have around Christmas, only to chuck it all in the New Year. I'm sure everyone is familiar with Christmas cards, and the idea that "it's the thought that counts". And yet, there's a pleasant feeling of generosity, luxury, and decadence that comes from giving a "premium" card -- thicker stock paper, gorgeous art, maybe even pop-ups or some sort of built-in audio device. Some people do keep Christmas cards as keepsakes, but for the majority, they will likely end up in the recycling bin, if not in the trash. That's art in the trash, people. Then there's art meant to be destroyed. From the time of its very invention, Christmas crackers (those things that look like oversized candies, except you're not supposed to eat them) were meant to be ripped apart and destroyed for the goodies inside. Despite this, like regul...

Hi Everyone! I got this in my inbox today from the Vancouver Meatless Meetup , which is run by EarthSave Canada . You'll probably not find a bigger enclave of vegans anywhere else, so if that's your bent and you want to work with them, here's your chance: Earthsave Canada is looking for an office admin person. You may not be looking for employment yourself, but maybe you know someone who knows someone who is, so please forward this notice to your contacts. Thanks! Office & Membership Administrator Earthsave Canada is seeking a part-time ( 4 days a week ) Office & Membership Administrator for our office in Vancouver. Earthsave Canada is a registered charity that encourages the transition to a plant-based diet for health, environmental, and animal welfare concerns. For more information, visit: http://www.earthsave.ca. Job Purpose Oversee the efficient running of Earthsave Canada’s office, including bookkeeping; develop efficient systems; formalize routin...

Hi Everyone! You may know I'm into the sinful joys of easy "cooking" with frozen pizzas from SuperStore or Save On Foods, what with the apparent price war they've had on and off this year, with pizzas coming in as low as $5 or slightly under. Going into the holidays, it looks like SuperStore is helping us out after the +7% HST by offering cheap pizza again. This time at $4 per pizza ! Still not as good as Costco's 3 pizzas for $10 in terms of price per pound of pizza, but close, and with wider variety and thin crust option for the waist-conscious. Sadly, I haven't seen the $4 ones at the Metrotown SuperStore, and the $5 pizzas they did have there looked big as far as the box goes, but if if you let it slide about inside, you'll realize it's probably 1" to 2" less than the box in diameter, if not more. After some unfortunate experiences earlier this year with thin-crust pizza from Delissio , I decided to give them a pass for now. Inst...