The Planet You Save Could Very Well Be Your Own

Every day in the news (Tv, web etc) is another story containing more proof that Global Warming has started. It is no longer an "if" or "perhaps" nor any other variation of "might happen". G.W. is here, it upon us, has already started affecting people/ animals (especially in our own Arctic). It is imperative that everyone do what one can to halt it. Now one might believe that there is little that one individual can do, but think, the current situation is upon us due to individuals. Whether one joins a group to fight it or acts alone, act one must. The planet is depending upon you.

- e-mail your environment minister (national & local), nothing worries a politician more than losing the next election. Don't say you don't have time, skip a blog one day, nobody will mind.

- recycle everything possible, not just what you aquire, but pick up stuff of the road that other morons toss aside. That plastic milk container that bottle pickers don't want is recyclable. take it home and put it in the blue box. Ditto for other things such as newspapers, nails/nuts/bolts and lots more.

- don't flush the toilet for just a pee, let it be. (OK, not forever, but every 3rd time is ok. While water may be plentiful in some areas, the processing of sewage uses a large amount of energy and chemicals. A bucket of sludge gets the same treatment as a bucket of pure water).

- dry laundry on the line whenever possible (yes it can even be done partially when it is cold. Every little bit helps).

- turn off the 'puter when not in use (they really do use a lot when left on, and no, turning them of and on a few times a day does not wear them out any faster. That is a myth). A study in Britain found that Brits leaving electronic equipment (TVs, stereos, computers etc.) on "standby" (which includes things turned off but plugged into the wall, because they are the biggest electricity users in this category), used the energy equivalent in one year to fly the entire poputation of Glasgow to New York (& return) on jumbo jets.

- just because it is garbage/recycling day does not mean you have to put something out on the curb. If your blue box is not full, don't put it out. The truck stopping for your unfilled box is a waste of energy and is counter-productive. Ditto for the garbage. If it is not smelly (and it shouldn't be most of the time), wait till next week. If you have so much that if you waited a week to put it out that you would be over the limit, shame on you! and I mean it. No houshold, no matter how large (even 8 people) should ever in the course of an average week produce more than a small bag of garbage.

More Planetary rescue measures to follow when the spirit moves me. I only include measures which I have done or currently do.

A Crazy week-end

Sat 30th, ride in as per usual, but left about 10 mins later than I wanted, so I only picked up bottles/cans for the 1st half of the ride, not enough time for the whole trip. 1.5 miles from work I got a puncture. I didn't hear it, but I could feel it right away, my rear tire all squirmy when I leaned to make slight turns. A couple 100 metres and I was changing tubes! Argh! Arrived 10 mins late. When I get in, the graveyard guy tells me of all the 'fun' that happened the previous morning (around 03:30 and on for a couple hrs). One of the morons (who thinks he is some kind of Bindy Johal) and his other drunken/doped up buddies arrive in the parking lot, mill about for a while, and then he takes a handgun out of the car. He and one guy mildly dispute posession of it and the magazine. The other guy fires it into the air 2x. Then they continue their usual partying behavior as if nothing had happened. They were quite surprised when the cops arrived (about 10 cars by the time they all arrived). The morons spent about 2hrs lying handcuffed face-down on the parkinglot. Some of them even passed out/fell asleep. All captured on security cameras.

Sunday, left 8 mins early. 2 miles dow the road I'm changing tubes again. In my haste the other morning, I had forgotten to check my tyre's wounds. The embedded piesce of glass, while not an immediate threat while the tyre was under inflated, had made a new puncture in the replacement tube as I had stopped by the 24hr Esso to pump up to 65lbs. Unfortunately, the spare tube I grabbed as I left was not up to snuff. I thought it was ok, but after installing it and pumping madly, I discovered the error. Not knowing the exact nature of its flaw(s), I went back to the 'original' tube, found the puncture, and patched it. And yes, I removed the shard of glass, and checked for other hazards. When it was all done, I was some 30 mins behind. I could not catch up fully because the patch would not be fully cured yet and unable to take full pressure. Underinflation = more resistance = late again. 17mins. All that crap on the road is next to impossible to see in the dark, even when I have all 3 lights on. I'm going to build some sort of extra bright lighting system, but the negative side is the extra weight. I lug around enough as it is.

Sun/Mon/Tues all crazy @ work due to "limited" fleet size. All limos now 2003 or newer, but the morons didn't believe that the company would stick to it (YVR gave them a 6mo extention, Sept 30 was IT). So now there are so few cars it causes several problems, and the effects all trickle down the the dispatchers. Work is busier now for me than during the height of the cruise season. I have to go in Fri Day-shift while the other guy is at an LRB hearing (about stuff the morons did in July). Groan. I've seen what was in the system so far, and it will be a very crazy, stressfull day. I don't think the other afternoon guy will last much longer. He is actively seeking employ elsewhere.

Critical Mass Sept 29th

On the way in, there was another person on the bus with a bike, and when she got of at Broadway I thought 'too bad she's not going to CM'. It is good to have more people, but not too many from The Rock, otherwise we all end up competing for the same 2 rack spots. After I got to the VAG, met lots of recent aquaintances, socialised as usual, and we left about 18:15. As I hit Howe St, there she was, the other WRer. Said hi etc. She got off the bus early to go to the dollar store. All in all it was a pretty good turn-out, thanks to the weather. The ride included 1 naked (weell, almost. he was wearing socks and shoes) man and 2 topless women (all 3 regulars. I've seen them before). It was a little frustrating at first, as the head of the pack kept making turns so we were rather bunched up and going so slow. Eventually we went for a few longer straight stretches. Ended up at the Anza Club around 8 for the after party. Stayed for a couple hours, mostly outside as I had a headache) briefly tried a fixie. Left about 22:00 to catch the bus home.

catchup

Well, Iknow I said I would fininsh the story, but it will be very truncated. You see, I took the small laptop with me to Critical Mass, And when on the bus, during the relatively smooth highway portion of the trip, I typed out my blob update in notepad, intending to post it when I got downtown (Blenz 609 Granville, free WiFi). I only had a few more sentences to go when just before the Oak St bridge the bus went over a large bump of some sort, my fingers hit an unknown key combination, and POOF! blob gone. 30 mins of storytime vanished and I'm not about to spend $500 on "data recovery" for a lost blob. The Reders' Digest Xtreme verion goes like this:

We left Granville Island, rode out to Kits and beyond to Jericho Beach. Had fun till the cops came. It was all the fault (at least that is the general concensus) of the DRP (Dead Raccoon Posse). Went to Siegels again. Caught the last NightBus to Whalley, rode home.