A charming domestic scene out back of the vet clinic next door. Table for two, plants, watering can, gargoyle, and a drying rack. What more could you want?

O.K., I swear I will accept Jesus Christ as my Saviour (and Moses as my investment adviser) if this not only actually comes to pass, but it actually reaches to the Top (where the scum has truly risen) and convictions are returned all around.

I'm gonna be an atheist forever, aren't I?

Meanwhile, back at the photograph. A few seconds after I took this, the guy pulled what looked like a defunct 50 mm (hey, it coulda been a 35) lens out of the bag and, cackling, held it up to his eye. I guess he'd noticed my camera, huh? But, how many street folks do you know (well, period, I suppose, but...) who've got a 50 mm lens in their bag o' tricks?

If you're looking for a Christmas present for a photographer, go get either "Saul Leiter: Early Color" or "Fred Herzog: Vancouver Photographs". In fact, get 'em both; they compliment each other perfectly. And they're great antidotes to the current digital madness. "Oh, I couldn't possibly shoot with a camera at anything less than ISO 800!", "Oh, noise - I hate it!", "No zoom?!? How could I possibly take photographs (sorry "capture images" - gees)?"

These guys worked with films with ISOs around 25, with single focal length lenses, and.....were fuckin' brilliant. And they didn't "capture" anything. They took photographs.

Mark Hobson, of The Landscapist, once opined that there's no such thing as "bad" light, and he's, technically, right. How, after all, can light be bad? But, let me tell you, it sure can be hard to work with sometimes. "Recalcitrant" light, perhaps?

Here in Vancouver at this time of year, the sun is either non-existent or a blazing fireball that barely gets above the horizon, even at not-so-high noon. The light skims across the landscape creating areas of blinding illumination and the blackest of shadows, with very little in between. Were I David Hobby, I'd be clapping my hands with glee at the wonderful opportunities such light presents for getting busy with small flashes, but I ain't. I've just gotten pared down to a G10, so I'm not likely to go carting a lot of strobes and umbrellas around, am I? (Unless, of course, the umbrella can do double duty by fending off rain and modifying light. Hey! How come nobody's making such a thing? It'd sell big here and in Seattle.)

Oh - about the photo. This place is a Vancouver landmark - the M&J Car Wash. It's alternative name is the Convict Car Wash. You'd know why if you could see the guys that work there. Appearances can, of course, be deceiving, and I'm sure they're a bunch of swell, hard-working, honest guys, but...

Some people have (or, in Ms. Garber's case, had) all the fun.

While I wasn't paying attention, it seems I posted my 1,000th piece. Today's is the 1,003rd - how'd that happen? And, when I started, I'd just gotten a Nikon Coolpix 4500. Halfway along, I picked up a D50. Now? Well, as you may have noticed, I'm getting pretty enamoured of the Canon G10. I've never owned one of their SLRs ("D" or otherwise), but this is, I have to admit, the second "point-and-shoot" from them that I've used. Years ago, I had a Canon Photura that I'd bought to replace a teeny Pentax clamshell-design autofocus camera that I'd, um, er, left out overnight in the rain. The Pentax was great - small, took good pictures - and I was sorry to lose it. Well, I went off to a local camera store where I'd worked once upon a time to look for a replacement. The Photura was definitely not a replacement. It was about 10-times the size, had a zoom lens, and was the weirdest looking camera I'd ever seen - complete with a flip-out spotlight! Between its weird design and that spotlight, well, of course, I had to buy it. Yep - just 'cause it looked so damn strange, I bought it. Picture quality? Who cared? Luckily, it was fine. Too damn big, but....

Anyhow, back at the G10... I'm getting to like it more and more. I can live with 80 ISO (heck - I lived for years with ISO 25!). And it's (reasonably) small and (reasonably) light. And, so far, I'm liking the output. I still can't believe they can get this kind of quality out of a dinky digicam sensor at 15 MP. It would be interesting to see what Canon could come up with in a 10-12 MP camera using whatever magic it is they've got going in the G10.

More of these dying plants? Gees! But, it's not my fault. They fall apart in such an interesting way. And these particular plants, well, as yesterday's post showed, I did try to get out of my neighbourhood. The plants you're looking at are clear on the other side of town! Can I help it if they're popular with landscape gardeners?

And, I almost forgot - you lucky New Yorkers! There's going to be a William Eggleston exhibition at the Whitney, Nov. 7 to Jan. 25. You gotta go.

O.K., I'm on a "leaf" thing. The same damn leaves. What can I tell you? I think they're pretty darn nifty, and I see them every time I go to the library, or for a wander along 41st (which you'd have to live here to understand, but...).

Still, it does have current relevance. Yep, Dumbya ("Scumbya" to his friends) just will not die (metaphorically, that is). Here he is, in the waning months of his "presidency", and he's still dumping all over America. What do I want for Christmas? Indictments of El Stupido, Cheney, Rove, and Rumsfeld. Will I get my wish? Sure. As soon as the Second Coming happens.

Here lie the remains of George W. Bush. Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

Meanwhile, wouldn't you hate to be Joe Biden? He's doomed on Thursday night. I mean, how does an intelligent, experienced human being debate a cretin? How can he possibly avoid squashing her like the tiny mammal she is without looking cruel? McBush tossing her in front of Biden is like any one of us tossing a paralysed 'possum in front of a speeding Peterbilt. The 'possum, cute as it may be (and ain't Sary just the cutest little thang?), is going to be flattened. The laws of physics will ensure that. Sprinting across a field of raw eggs in track spikes while carrying an SUV (hey - they're all-American, right?) without cracking a single shell would be easier than debating Sary without making her look stupid. I mean, after all, she is stupid. Poor Joe.

Have I mentioned lately how stupefyingly glad I am not to own a television?

Just some trucks, folks. And a somewhat lengthy quote from the late, great George Carlin:

"Now, there's one thing you might have noticed I don't complain about: politicians. Everybody complains about politicians. Everybody says they suck. Well, where do people think these politicians come from? They don't fall out of the sky. They don't pass through a membrane from another reality. They come from American parents and American families, American homes, American schools, American churches, American businesses and American universities, and they are elected by American citizens. This is the best we can do folks. This is what we have to offer. It's what our system produces: Garbage in, garbage out. If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're going to get selfish, ignorant leaders. Term limits ain't going to do any good; you're just going to end up with a brand new bunch of selfish, ignorant Americans. So, maybe, maybe, maybe, it's not the politicians who suck. Maybe something else sucks around here... like, the public. Yeah, the public sucks. There's a nice campaign slogan for somebody: 'The Public Sucks. F*ck Hope."

I have to thank Mark Hobson (well, technically, his son, Aaron), at "The Landscapist", for that little nugget of George's wisdom.

Yep. Just another day in the hood.

Housing problem? What housing problem? And his own staff have no idea about the laws in Hawaii regarding public access to beaches (let alone how many homes His Dumbness owns). All beaches. John McMoron.

Meanwhile, this one's too easy for those of us of a sarcastic turn of mind. I mean, come on - it's like shooting fish in a barrel.

Kinda flag-like, don't you think?

Here in Canada it seems we're still facing the question - what, oh lord, did we do to deserve a moron like this as our Minister of Health? And why, oh why, is it only the good that die young? Couldn't the criminally stupid get culled sooner, too?

And while we're on the subject of bankruptcy... It'd be funny if it weren't so tragically stupid. I especially love this quote from Dumbya: "Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century." Do you think his head actually spins around three or four times when he says things like that?

I think I mentioned our dimwit Premier yesterday, didn't I? Well, he's at it again. Yep, while people are dying for lack of basic social/medical services on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Gordo's answer is, "Let them play sports!". My bet is they'd rather have the cake.

If you read a lot, and I do, sooner or later you're faced with a conundrum - keep buying full price?, go to the library?, or buy used? I go for all three. O.K., O.K., I have a problem. What are the next 11 steps?

The fun thing about buying used is finding traces of other people. Who's "Pixie", and where the hell did she (he?) get that name? Was it Dad's pet name for her? I sure hope so, 'cause an adult going through life hanging on to "Pixie" as a name....well..... Still, she gave "Dad" a book, attaching some meaning to the gift (or did she?), and it wound up in a used book store. Did Dad die? Was Dad just cleaning out his bookshelves? Was Pixie not quite Dad's favourite child?

All of which reminds me, "Nothing To Be Frightened Of", Julian Barnes's latest book, is well worth a read. Especially if you find yourself in a similarly chronologically advanced state to mine. Yep, it's all about death. One's own. I think I'm more in agreement with his brother - "Julian, it's going to happen. There's nothing after. Get over it." - but it's nevertheless interesting to read the thoughts of someone as, um, well, thoughtful, as Barnes. If you've never read any of his novels, get on it for cryin' out loud.

The Olympics are coming! The Olympics are coming! And so, ladies and gentlemen, Vancouver must prepare. Beneath that foreground pavement lies a 21st century transportation miracle. Yes! A......are you ready?........subway! Or should that be "sub-ish-way"? Because, after all, along some parts of its length, it's high in the sky. Well, whatever. It will, actually, be a good thing once it's all done. The trip from the airport to downtown will be fast and smooth. And safe! No more need to jump into a cab (unless, of course, you're just too "special" to ride with normal folks) and risk your life.

Slowly, slowly, slowly, this burg is finally getting a modern transit system. Although I'll still be riding my bicycle, thanks.

Ah, the clash of civic (sort of) and corporate interests. The "BO" just visible in this photo, behind the "TO" is part of an old, and very large, sign for a car dealership, now defunct, that some good, historically-minded citizens felt needed to be retained as a civic landmark. Wellllllllll, maybe. Sure. A monument to 1950s (?), 1960s (?) advertising/car culture? Oh, heck - why not? Just 'cause it's going to fall apart of its own accord in a few years - is that a reason to simply take it down when the business it advertises goes out of business and gets replaced by one even more crass? Heck no!

And, in case you hadn't recognized it, the "TO" belongs to the "TOYS..." in, you guessed it....and so I'm not going any further with this. They cut a deal with the city fathers (surely city mothers would have been more sensible!) that would let them put their sign on top of the old one, thus both preserving and defacing at the same time a purported historical landmark. Aren't politics and business wonderful?

Just makes you want to order up some won-ton soup, doesn't it? And, trust me, the front entrance isn't any more enticing.