Gainfully Employed

Well, almost. Next Thursday I'll be attending 'orientation' for an actual, physical day job, one which requires leaving the house for, oh, about 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Shocking, I know, but there comes a time in every young writer's life when he must pull up his britches, spit on his hands, etc., etc.

But, bonus: The job is kinda-sorta within my sphere of writing interest, so it's possible for good things to come out of it somewhere down the line. If I can make the right contacts... But now I'm getting ahead of myself.

Hey, how about some free fiction? I've been happy with my recent Elephant Words output, despite the fact (because of it?) that I've been traveling to some pretty dark places with my last few pieces. There's been straight-up reality-based horror, a bit of supernatural horror, a dash of the weird-and-creepy, and even a touch of metaphysical mystery.

But the piece I'm most fond of is this one, a direct sequel to a story I wrote last year while living in Viet Nam. It's no accident that these two are my only interrelated Elephant Words stories -- there's definitely more where they came from. I don't think I've figured out these particular ideas yet. They're still there in my mind, growing larger, moving towards each other and coalescing, like colonies in a petri dish, into something larger and more advanced. Something that would very much like to be written.

But... I still have to finish the first novel, don't I?

Lastly: Is it just me, or is The Onion getting better? First they come out with that hilarious robot overlord sketch. Then we get this fantastic article (granted, the headline's funnier than the actual text, but still). And then, just when they've got you in the comedy mood, ready and waiting for the next belly-laugh, they stab you in the goddamn heart with a genuinely powerful piece of writing.

My Vancouver

Sometimes it's hard to imagine how our prehistoric ancestors lived, back in the dark days before 2005 -- back before Google Maps. I personally can't fathom the idea of moving to, or even visiting, a new city without the aid of Google's magical, geo-synchronous sky-fairies.

The following is my personal Google Map of Vancouver. Some of the markers denote places I want to go; others are places I've already been. Of the latter, some are places I've been only once or twice, out of necessity (e.g. Art's Auto Service); others are firm favourites (e.g. Stella's Belgian beer and tapas bar -- make sure to try the Golden Draak, officially the World's Tastiest Beer).


View Larger Map

Somebody Blew Up A Starbucks

Last night, right in the middle of the city of Vancouver, somebody blew up a Starbucks.

They seriously blew it up:


It's just a wild guess, but I'm thinking this might have something to do with Monday's march against the Premier over the 2010 Olympics.

I think I love this town.

Epic Win

Signed a rental contract for a house today, 5 days after rocking up to Vancouver with nothing but a car. It's in a great location too; right on the corner of East Hastings and Boundary Street where the suburb of Vancouver meets the suburb of Burnaby.

With all this good luck, we must be doing something right. And thank Xenu for Craigslist.

Anonymous vs Scientology In Vancouver

Today, February 10 2008, was a watershed moment in political history.

No, really.

Today a series of simultaneous, ad-hoc political protests were carried out by thousands of anonymous net citizens in dozens of locations all around the world. These protests were carried out by a decentralized group that, as of three weeks ago, did not exist. These protests were not funded or led by any person or organisation. What they did have was numbers, a cause, and a common enemy: the Church of Scientology.

I'm talking about the anti-Scientology group known as 'Anonymous', which was flash-baked into instant existence following the online controversy over the Church's efforts to censor a leaked Tom Cruise video during the middle of January.

Here's the Wikipedia link regarding Anonymous.

Here's a massive summary of all worldwide locations that were 'raided' today, including a ton of photos.

And just for fun, here's a Google News link to the ongoing world coverage of this historic event.


Interestingly enough, there was a large protest here in Vancouver today. I can't really say whether or not I attended. That's the whole point of Anonymous, is it not?

But had I attended, I'd be able to tell you that there were at least 200 people there. Almost all of them wore face masks or coverings of some kind, due to Scientology's practice of hounding and persecuting those who speak out against it. Oddly, perhaps a third of the crowd wore Guy Fawkes/V for Vendetta masks.

Yes, had Austin and I attended this gathering, he might very well have taken a lot of photos of the crowd. They might even now be posted on his photoblog, and they might include some excellent shots, not just of the protesters but of the 10 or so Scientologists who stood out front during the raid. Some glared, some chatted and answered questions from protesters, and a few creepily filmed our faces with handheld video cameras while refusing to speak to anyone.

Had I been present, I'd tell you that the protest was a kind, gentle sort of affair. Even with all the covered faces, you could tell the demographic was more Concerned Geek than Bomb-throwing Anarchist (Hell, some Anonymous even wore Star Wars stormtrooper masks. Sorry, but that shit doesn't intimidate anybody). People chatted, cracked jokes, and generally had a fun time. There was one police car parked nearby, but apart from some vigorous sign-waving and a couple of rowdy sing-alongs, the event remained peaceful. Miraculously that seems to have been the case in every single protest today, even the London one, where they had the pleasure of being herded and barricaded by mounted police.


Anyway, had I attended this little shindig, I'd have said it was the most fun I've had all year. And that'd bode well for my time in Canada, wouldn't it?

More linkage...

Anonymous' own website covers the events.

Ongoing coverage of the raids on the Whitechapel forum.

A pretty decent Newsweek column from 2 days ago, explaining Anonymous and their purpose.

And finally, here's another link to Austin's excellent photos from today.

xenu.net

More soon.

G'night.