Sporadic postings of the idle mind.

Priorities

2009-05-06T05:05:06Z

I feel that is quite common for people to have skewed priorities, at least in the eyes of others. I mean, it is really easy for one to identify when others aren't focusing on the most important issue at hand, but it can be difficult to see that when one's self is doing the same thing. It is clear that I do not speak from some pedestal of sage wisdom and knowledge. This posting, for example is at 20 steps down on the hierarchy of things I should be doing. However, I think I do have some justification in making some judgments regarding the following story.

I was biking around (what else?) over the weekend, and made a grocery stop on the way home. As I left the store, I noticed one police car, one undercover police car, a paddy wagon, and at least 4 officers were parked/standing near my bike. The officers were talking speaking with some fellow who had been pulled over. Ordinarily, I wouldn't have stayed around but my bike lock has been a little funny and I was having difficulty unlocking my bike. It was the early evening and the guy seemed acquiescent to the cops...so no big deal. It was only because I stood around for so long that I realized how insignificant this man's wrong doings were. His run ins with the law included...95$ worth of unpaid parking tickets. Right, 3 police vehicles and 4 officers for a 95$ parking ticket. This, in my mind, was definitely disproportionate response and certainly a symptom of skewed priorities.

One part of the dealing seemed a bit shady to me. The officers said that the man would have to get into the paddy wagon and be taken to the police department if he didn't pay his fine right then...with cash. Other than seeming sketchy, if you do the math, that amounts to about 23.75$ per officer. I suppose if officers did this all day....let's say 1 arrest every hour, with about 25$ per arrest, they'd be making an extra 200$ on top of their daily wages. That's not bad for a day's 'tips', eh? Even so, I feel like the priorities need to be straightened. If they went after drug dealers, then they could confiscate their drug stash and be making way more money in a single day.

Another Sun Run

2009-04-21T06:34:31Z

Since it seems like the cool thing to do, I'm going to talk briefly about the Sun Run (2009). I can't believe this is now the 4th time I've done this crazy, massive and slightly boring race (I prefer trails). My weekend was planned perfectly to ensure an excellent race time. Saturday was an easy group cycle to Horseshoe Bay, dinner with friends (at my place so I could have the appropriate blend of protein, carbs and vegetables), and then a little dancing in the evening (with the intention of leaving by 12 and getting about 6 hours of sleep). Of course, planning never really works for me. Due to some miscommunication, and my irate nature, the ride became a intense, one person race to and from Whytecliff Park with only a brief stop for urinating. I was exhausted, but, on the bright side, I learned that I can maintain just over 28km/h over the hilly 55km course.
Anyways, I've always been told that cycling uses very different muscles than running. My plan wasn't too far off course so far...but then came
dinner. It was wonderful! My great friends brought over this super rich chocolate mousse desert and this delicious cream, cookie thing. I loved every bite of it...but I knew I probably shouldn't be eating heavy fat before a race. Fortunately, it was so good that I got over this minor setback. Another very slight setback was the consumption of all my milk in the course of the cocoa made later. Milk, muesli and apple...it's the breakfast of champions, and I have it everyday. Without the milk, I just had muesli and apple...I could feel my plan unraveling and spilling about like endless rain into a paper cup. Ever optimistic, I realized I could just have yogurt with a little water (to thin it out) in lieu of milk. It worked just fine.
Finally, the dancing. I cycled down to facilitate returning home at night time bus hours, and was planning to leave at 12 or 12:30pm. Yada, yada, yada and I don't get home until almost 2 and don't get to bed until 3am.
I woke up at 7am to get ready for the race. I saw my friend J- on the way down, and it was nice to see a friendly face before the race. While waiting for the run to start, I kind of slept on my feet (supported by the masses of people around me, no less). Then I was off!
I guess one thing about being really tired is that it also makes me very relaxed. During the first couple of km, runners get a nice downhill to start and are usually faster than expected. This year, I was aiming for 4min/km intervals, but due to my relaxation, I was going about 4m15s/km. When snapped away and realized this, I had to really pick up the pace to catch up. For the rest of the run, I managed to maintain a pace around 4min/km, except for the one part near km 8 where I blinked and fell asleep for a couple seconds. That was a strange experience. It was around km 8 when I realized that I would really have to pick up the pace to achieve my goal. The last 2 km were a slightly painful sprint, but it was fun to run without the hundreds of people around me as in the beginning. Overall, I had an exhausting weekend...but here are the race results.

Time: 40:10
Pace4:01/km
Overall Place: 412 out of 56,000 (?)
Age Group Place: 57th in the 19-24 Age Group

And...Top Chris Lee in the Sun Run! You'd be surprised how many Chris Lee's are out there.

Cheerio,
Chris

An explanation

2009-03-11T20:14:26Z

There is an explanation to my madness. I was attempting to make a point about doing things that may not be within our comfort zones. Here's my speech below...please don't read it. It is only here for historical documentation.

Hi Everyone,
I'm Chris, the treasurer for PrideUBC. I also need to give a big thank you to Adie, our fabulous Outweek coordinator who has been so great in organizing Outweek. I love this girl...I mean, if I wasn't gay, and she wasn't a lesbian, i would totally marry her.
Anyways, before we start the dinner, I wanted to say a little something that's been weighing down on my mind lately.
For those of you who know me, I'm a really, really shy person. So, it kind of makes sense that I'm scared shitless to be standing here in front of you all as one of the ugliest drag queens on this side of the Rocky Mountains. I'm not fabulous or extravagant. I'm neither a diva, nor a bitch and, in fact, my personality is rather mild and unassuming. In short, I just make a plain, bad drag queen. Why the hell am I up here in a little dress?

Well, it's simple. Sometimes we just need to get our Drag On and get things done.

At our flag raising, Sasha, prideubc's chair noted how frustrating this past year has been for the queer community. But what is this "community" that we always speak of? I'm part of the queer community...but it is not just me. It obviously includes every one of you out there...as well as all the queers and allies around us. And I know that somwhere out there, there queers who are content and complacent with the state of the queer community in Vancouver. If that's you, you've got to wake up. Vancouver, and all the other big progressive cities are only a tiny microcosm in which queer acceptance is the so called norm. In truth, you don't even have to look towards Dinsmore, Saskatchewan, Prince Rupert or Houston, Texas to find signs of homophobia. Just look down Davie Street, our supposed queer haven, and you see signs of numerous queer bashings, both physical and verbal. So please tell me, is what we have here in Vancouver enough? or have you had enough?
Now for those of you that are full of opinions and ideas of change for Vancouver's queers, can you stop griping to me? queer assimilation, the corporatization of homosexuality, homophobia, what else is wrong? We have to move beyond playing lip service to the ideals and dreams of how things should be and of how wrong everything is now. While I feel it's great to be opinionated and passionate about ideas, there comes a time when we have to take these thoughts and turn them into action. There are so many things that we can do. Stop your little brother from using the word 'gay' inappropriately, Come out to your mom, or grandma, or friend. March in a rally. Volunteer for PrideUBC ( I know a lot of positions will be opening up). Promote postive spaces in your faculties or departments. I'm not asking that we all turn into Harvey Milks of today, but I think we can all do well to follow the lead of people active in our community. There are young activists like Ryan Clayton who presents for PrideSpeak and Chantelle Gregg who organized the Social Justice Rally in Abbotsford. And what of the less publicized folks out there, like Paul Johnson who organizes the Vancouver Pride Run and Lee's Trail Triathlon to raise money for the Dr. Peter Centre? What about that grade 12 english teacher who stopped your from killing yourself and taught you that gay is okay? Or the ridiculous sister who told you she was bisexual just to make you feel a little bit more normal.
It's okay to be a little scared. Like I said, I'm terrified and look like hell. But, if each of us can take just a little step outside our comfort zones, I can tell you that the world for the future queers, in Vancouver and beyond, will get just a little more accepting and loving.

Having said that, I'm sorry if I sounded angry and embittered, but we need to be conscientious and passionate about the world around us. Please. We need to match our words with action. So...Get your drag on and get it done. Let's create a future where all proms can be so queer!

Broomstick...I choose you!

2009-02-11T07:56:16Z

In general, I try to shine a relatively positive light on the events, people and objects that I encounter in my everyday life. Considering that extensive use of 'modifiers' that I used in the previous sentence, I may be lying. Whether today's rant is an exception or the norm, it's up to you.
   Today, I choose the common broomstick to face the wrath of my ire. On my cycle home today, it was quite late and, resultantly, quite dark. However, I was on a true bike path (SW Marine Drive) and the lighting was so-so. At one part of my ride, I was going from a slight decline to a stronger incline. I was just about to shift my gears a bit ( I have drop shifters, so I have to take my hands off the bar to reach the shifters on the lower tube of the bike), when this long, hollow, metal broomstick (without the actually sweepy broom bit) appears in front of me. It was laying at a diagonal, across the entire bike lane. This is significant, because if it was horizontal, I would have just hit it and bumped over. Due to the angle, however, it kind of deflected off my bike and flew up a bit toward my face, meanwhile, my front wheel lost traction and sent me veering off the bike lane. So, I'm sitting on this bike going probably 25-30km/hour; one hand is off the handle; there is a broom stick flying towards my face; I'm veering toward these towering shrubs flanking the perimeter of some wealthy Vancouverite who probably owns a big SUV (that's ire for another day). Life doesn't flash before my eyes...I'm not nearly so dramatic. It's just a simple, "Shit....fuck".
    I thought about it after, and wondered why I didn't bail. Did I even have time to make that decision? Fortunately, I managed regain control of my bike just before slamming into the shrubbery. I slowed down a little after that incident, which didn't help me when a car leaving the parking lot of Superstore almost slammed into me. Now, I understand you're in a rush to leave Superstore...I hate the place too. You may even have a pair of kids screaming at home, waiting to fill their gaping, overindulged maws with ice cream and chicken fingers. However, it is 10pm...SE Marine Drive has three lanes and not very much traffic at that time. Take a fucking breath and do a proper shoulder check before you decide to drive your heavy, gas guzzling, combustible engine into a lone cyclist (who has flashing lights).
    The car distracted me from the broomstick. Why would you leave a broom stick on the road? Can you please pick it up? Meanwhile, can you also clean up that branch that blew off during winter from your tree and is now laying on the bike lane? What about those sand bars that you decided to place on the darkest part of SW Marine Drive? Oh, and when you're finished renovating your disgustingly opulent home...maybe you can think about clearing all the gravel, rocks and dirt that ended up all over the road during this whole painful process?

For those of you...

2008-06-24T03:06:33Z

For those that eagerly await my posts. I'm not sure when the last time I posted, but I probably won't be saying much from now on. I'm eager to get back home on July 1st. Right now, I'll have to keep it short as I'm dead tired and still have to find a campsite.
I'm in Green River, Utah right now. The big swing back towards Vancouver. Yesterday was a big nothing in terms of Townsendia collection, but today I managed to pick up a bunch of Rothrockii, which I've been seeking for almost a week now. All the previous sites have been covered with snow.
I saw a porcupine, a bunch of gophers and some drunk Colorado boys.

Chris.

You know you're a geek when...

2008-06-22T17:07:32Z

I'm in Gothic Research Station, which is just north of Crested Butte (Colorado's Whistler, I think). It's very exciting for me to be in this little science community out in the mountains.
Currently, I'm looking through their herbarium collection to look for Townsendia. Unfortunately, it seems that all the Townsendia are way up high in the mountains and would require either all the snow to melt, or a very, very long hike up to find it. Unfortunately, I don't think I can warrant a day long hike for one plant. Not to mention, I'd probably get eaten by some sort of bear or attacked by a porcupine (I saw one the other day..they're very slow).

Anyways, I'll be heading home soon. Have a good one.

Chris L.

Lost!

2008-06-17T23:03:28Z

It looks like I'm finally in Utah, though, I'll only be staying here for the day before heading to Colorado. Don't worry, I plan to swing back here later on.
I'm taking a little bit of a longer lunch than usual today as I spent a frustrating 2 hours lost on top of this flat mountain top (Cedar mtn, Lonepines, WY). Two things hindered my efforts at getting unlost.

1st-my gps unit kept sending me down "roads" that either did not exist, or were so steep and rugged that a 4x4 was definitely needed.
2nd. Everything looked the f*ing same and the roads were all losing the battle against nearby herbage.

Anyways, after that ordeal, i realized that I don't like flat top mountains.

Another reason why I don't like that mountain was due to last night's experience. I went searching for Townsendia (do I even need to say it?) and it got dark. I found this great looking campsite, I thought. When I got out, the first thing that hit me was the smell. What was it? I started looking around and then found this pile of 5 or 6 rabbit carcasses. The smell was rotting flesh... To make it worse, each rabbit was in a state of decary where writhing maggots were oozing from each orifice. Suffice it to say, the sight alone was enough to send me away and leave me with a unsettled feeling for the rest of the night.

Maybe it's just the situation, but it makes me feel ready to go home. Well, if I really think about it, I don't have too much more to do so I'll be heading back soon enough anyways.

Despite being lost today, I did find a lot of Townsendia.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Chris

Day something...losing count

2008-06-15T01:07:09Z

Hey everyone,
Looks like I'm in Pinedale, Wyoming now. The weather here has rapidly changed from freezing cold and snowy to dry, and hot! It's almost too hot...but I'm just whining now. I had a bit of an unproductive day and it kind of bummed me out. I thought maybe I had gotten sick from the semi-raw meat that I've been accidentally eating (I thought it was cooked lunch meat!), or perhaps some disease from the tick was finally affecting me. Fortunately, I got a call from a friend and it picked up my spirits. Perhaps I'm just feeling a little isolated (after only 1 week or so).
Yesterday was a great collecting day. I managed to pick up my first population of the giant sized Townsendias as well as some more of the little guys. I'm hoping the big ones truly are Townsendia, and not just some gerber daisies or such. haha. Today was unproductive because none of the 3 sites I visited panned out. In fact, I didn't even find the proper site...I just couldn't reach it!
Yesterday night, I slept on the side of the highway in a turnout. This police man came up to me in the middle of the night and was asking questions about me. Luckily, I didn't get in any trouble from him.
Did you know that on my way to Wyoming, however many days ago, I almost hit 3 deer, on separate occasions, within 10minutes? They were just walking around the highway like no one's business and here I am going 70miles/hour...
Anyways, i think I should get on with my day. Hope you're all doing well.

Chris
ps. The book Blindness has really been an interesting read. I look forward to it every night.

Snowy!

2008-06-12T16:24:16Z

Brrrrrrrrggy! It's so cold here in Dubois, Wyoming (elev ~6000feet). Tired and hungry, I spent last night trying to find a campsite up in the mountains. Of course, it was silly of me because there was a light snow storm going on. I shouldn't be surprised at the now, considering the elevations; however, I undertook this southward trip seeking warmer climates, as well as Townsendia! When I woke up, there was at least 2 inches of snow on my car. It was also very slippery, as well as muddy and slippery lower down. Fortunately, I had the foresight (due to previous experience) to turn my car around (i.e. back down the mountain) before going to sleep on the side of the road (i never found that campsite due to snow covering all the signs, and not being tall enough to wipe off snow). As I was heading back down, there was one point where I slilpped and swerved all over the road. That made me rethink my idea to go and find more Townsendia in the area (roads tend to guess worse when Townsendia are around).
Due to weather warnings, I'm going to hang out in Dubois until lunch time, and then continue on to Jackson. It may be difficult to reach Townsendia sites with this weather (of course, the sun comes out as I write this). Hopefully, things improve, but I'll definitely have to err on the side of caution with all the wet and cold around (let me tell you, this car is no SUV!). I almost thought of turning back and heading to this area later on in the month, but it'll probably be okay after today :).

Since I'm in no rush today, I thought I should teach you all how to find Townsendia. All Townsendia have an evolutionarily conserved trait that gives them the ability to avoid detection. This feature is probably the character that cause divergence from their most related taxa (astranthium and dichaetophora). It is useful to avoid herbivory by deer, elk, cattle, etc. and also to avoid the seeking eyes of foolhardy graduate students. Fortunately, I have developed a method to counteract the magical abilities of Townsendia. The first step is to drive at least 5 miles down some pot-holed, rocky, muddy, crevice laden road. Next, you get out the car and look for the weirdest, coolest and most difficult to reach rocky slope that is at least 30 minutes walking distance away. After that, head in the direction and try to get blocked by a river or similar, so that you have to back track all the way to the car. Now, climb up that slope (furiously gusting wind tends to help the process) and look for plants that often live with townsendia (i.e Daisies that look just like Townsendia, phlox, etc). The odds are, you won't find townsendia. Here's what you still need to do next. You know how you just climbed the most difficult slope in sight? Well, once you reach it, you have to look again, find a slope that looks even harder to reach, and climb it. At this point, you should find some evidenct otownsendia. For the most part, they are small and tufted little plants. Their flowers tend to sit nestled in the leaves (the ones I'seen so far). If you still haven't found it, the last step is to return to your car and look down 10 feet from the car. It will probably be right at your feet!

Well, that's it for now.

Chris L.

Day 4 (and a little of Day 5)

2008-06-10T23:29:00Z

I can't believe this is only the fourth day (I'm writing in my tent, but sending the next chance I get). Now, don't take this in the wrong way. I'm not trying to say that I'm not enjoying myself. What I mean is that I'm so far removed from my "normal" life (i.e. driving all the time, being in Wyoming, chatting with Americans), it is hard to associate myself with Vancouver.
Now, I know some of you ( or some person in particular), is probably thinking that I should put away the computer and let myself be immersed in my field work, and the red, rocky mountains of Wyoming. Before you start *tsking* at me, remember that I am far away from home, by myself...in bear country. Keeping you all up to date with my going ons is a way to let people know where I am every couple of days. Right now, I'm in the Elk Fork Trail/Campsite/Recreational Area. This is W of Cody, Wyoming, near the Wapati Park Ranger Station (and Wapati). I've been sleeping out of the car for the past three days, and thought it would be good to tent a little today...the camp fee is only 10 dollars. This morning, I decided to look for T. condensata in the forest near Yellowstone National Forest. I didn't go into Yellowstone because a) you had to pay and b) there was only one, somewhat unimportant site in Yellowstone that I wanted to visit.
This plant is supposed to flower early July, so i thought I wouldn't have much of a chance. I ended up walking up this tall mountain for almost an hour, and I eventually found the plant. It was very exciting and satisfying...the exercise was also welcome. Also, the lady who worked at the Cross Sabre Ranch where I parked to do my hike was very nice and helpful...I probably wouldn't have found the plant without her help. Overall, my general opinion of americans has been improving. They've all been super friendly and nice to me thus far...maybe it is a small town thing rather than an american vs canadian thing. The only disappointing thing was this crazy lady was passing from the other direction and she took my lane to do so. I had to do a full stop to avoid dying.
Speaking of dying, I bumped into this Texan at my next site when I was looking for T. parry. He was all decked out with this bear spray, pocket knife, etc....totally ready for bear attack. Meanwhile, I had forgotten where I put my knife and I had a back pack full of plastic bags, a shovel, a note book and a camera...it was my collecting bag. I am definitely not equipped for bears, though the ice pick is somewhat reassuring. I end up singing really bad, made up songs and hitting rocks together to scare anything away. Anyways, I didn't find parryi, which is a larger plant, but supposed to flower later (late July). At the point on the trail when I met the Texan, he told me about some petrified wood too look for. As a result, I was looking in just the right place to find more T. condensata. Some of it looked like T. spathulata, though it is difficult to determine.
I don't like ticks. They're creepy and annoying. With mosquitos, at least they generally don't get into the tent and are really noticeable. Ticks just appear and creep around on any fold of your clothes until they find a suitable piece of flesh to bite into. I've been paranoid about keeping them off me.
Finally, I don't know about collecting. If something seems locally uncommon, is it wrong for me to collect it? In general, how much should I collect? I'm probably collecting more now - out of excitement, but will be sick of it later on. I'm also sad that I haven't been finding any seed (except that fluke hookeri). I shouldn't be surprised considering, so far I'm collecting much earlier than previous collections.
I think that is all for now. I hope everyone is doing well in their respective homes, jobs and all that.
Cheerio,
Chris L

Day 5.
I got stuck in the mud today while I was going up a mountainous pass (it was snowing). I tried the whole sticks under the tries business, but to no avail. Luckily, some forestry guys came by and helped me out. I'll have to be more careful on wet days from now on.
Also, WalMart is somewhat insance. I can buy Dickie jeans fro 10 dollars!

day 3

2008-06-08T15:55:24Z

Hi everyone,
        I thought it might be nice to send in a quick e-mail while I was in Big Timber, Montana. Yesterday, I reached my first site near Townsend...I had to resist the urge to take pictures of everything that was labelled Townsend. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the T. spathulata that was supposedly lurking in the limestone hills of the area, which were also the "playing grounds" of the National Guard. Since I took so long searching, I decided to just drive toward my next site and pull over somewhere to sleep in the car (it is actually not too uncomfortable...the frog plushie that I brought with me [for company, in case Simon didn't come...and he didn't] is turning out to be a great back rest). I ended up driving part way up this steep hill in Helena Nat. Forest and parking. Although it has been raining, I didn't expect the 2 inches of snow on my car when I woke up. I may have packed inappropriately for my adventure....
     Today at around 6:45, I got to my second site near Wilsall. Here, I was lucky enough to find (I think) Townsendia....though it is "just" hookeri. It wasn't in flower, just a little budding, but I've seen so much of it that it wasn't too difficult to spot.
     Anyways, I'm just outside the Pioneer Medical Centre right now. I somehow got a tick attached to me, and I actually have no idea how to remove it properly. The tomtom has First Aid guides, but a doctor might be better if any disease result. I used a trucker lounge shower today, which is how I found the tick.
    Hope you're doing well.

Chris L

Running Around

2008-04-23T00:54:58Z

The Vancouver Sun Run is an annual tradition in Vancouver. Starting in January (aka post-holiday fattening season), people line up in hordes to sign up for this short 10km run. This is, of course, an effort to keep true to their guilt driven New Years resolutions. New shoes, 'fashionable' running clothes and maybe a little mp3 player are all bought, further lining the pockets of stores already fat on the riches of Christmas.
Some of the keen pseudo-runners may go out jogging a few times, but invariably get busy with living. The rest either were always runners (~2%) or were not meant to be runners, and may pick up running vigorously in April. In the end, despite nearly 60,000people signing up for the sun run, only 44160runners finished the Sun Run. In other words, 23 people had strokes/heart attacks/[insert ailment] and 26 people were trampled and left bleeding on the side of the road during the race, and 14970 people simply got lazy.
One thing to know about this race is that there is a lot of waiting around. Plenty of time to stretch, socialize, get chilly and be hungry. More importantly, there is also a lot of time for your body to process the 3 cups of water you had earlier that morning. For me, the need to urinate was the least of my problems. It seems like all the running around triggered a response for a number 2. I have to say, this was one of my most painful runs ever...anyways, that's enough GI distress stories. Here are my results.

Bib    Name    City         State Country Div      Sex ChipTime Overall SexPl DivPl
3893 Chris Lee Vancouver BC CANADA M1924 M   41:33          639       572     76

This means that I placed 639th (beating 43,521 people), or 572th among males (beating 18,722 other guys). In my age group (19-24), I placed 76th (beating1741 young guys). Enough with the self-promotion, eh? Let's see how it goes next year.

Cheerio,
Chris

PC

2008-02-22T07:43:58Z

In an effort to be more encompassing with my insults, I've made a gradual switch over to a new curse word. Though I'm sure the term has been used before, it's impossible to know if others have used it with the same meaning.
First, I'll elaborate on my thought process. Overall, I'd wager that the words 'bitch' and 'ass hole' are very commonly used curse words. At least in my mind, I find that the word 'bitch' is used more for women and gay men. 'Ass hole', on the other hand, is more of a curse toward men. I feel that this divide is artificial and unnecessary. Why should I be gender biased in my curse words? As such, I started to use the curse 'bitch-ass' for all people. In terms of pronunciation, it sounds almost like I'm saying 'bitches', but I tend to draw out the second syllable.
This "new" (for me, at least) curse word seems more inclusive to me. It doesn't seem fair to have gender specific curse words, especially those that have no equivalent in the opposing gender (i.e. the dreaded 'c word'). Having a separate word for each gender, even if it is equivalent, inherently creates differences between the words. Hence, I think fusion curses are the way to go.

Cheerio,
Chris L

Irked to writing

2008-02-10T10:26:01Z

I'm not sure if I should be disappointed with myself for being so irritated by the Translink board of directors' decision to give themselves massive pay raises. I was so irritated that I actually wrote a letter to them, which is fine. However, it leads me to the question of why haven't I ever written in to greater injustices that are occurring out in the world? I think I'll have to re-evaluate my values a little bit. For your interest, my letter is posted below. As a side note, the e-mail given for the board of directors is invalid (or full with vitriolic e-mails)...how sneaky.
For those that are interested, I talked last about being jumped by a coyote on my way home last year. Oddly enough, this wasn't an isolated incident and I was 'attacked' again in January. By attack, I mean the coyote chased after me, but I screamed like a little girl and it fled. Noting the effect of my voice, I've taken up the habit of singing my 'anti-coyote' song as I'm passing by the forest. As an interesting and somewhat positive side effect, my singing also has the ability to drive away girls. Also, I'm starting to think that I am encroaching on the coyote's territory...it isn't an uncommon theme for 'man' to be the intruder.
I think this is all for now. I suppose it is a good idea to write a little blog now and again. Without writing classes and by reading academic articles by e.s.l. researchers, my own writing style is bound to regress somewhat.

Cheerio,
Chris L

Hi Translink folks,
I was very disturbed when I read a recent article from CBC about the TransLink board of directors decision to give themselves a pay increase. Is this what the increased price for transit services is going toward?
I remember hearing about transit fares increasing in 2008. At the time, I accepted it believing that the the small increase might actually lead to better service for transit users. Obviously, this is not the case. My commute to UBC from Nanaimo street is still a frantic, and unpredictable trial. A 25 minute drive by car turns into 45 to 60+minute affair...if I'm lucky enough to be picked up by the often full bus. Because of the chaos and unreliability of the Translink transit system, I've been cycling the 17km to UBC everyday...a consistent 45 minute commute. If a bicycle can travel faster than a bus over 17km, the transit system is clearly ill. I thought the fare increase would bring about a remedy, but is only being used to fill the plush coffers of those like Dale Parker.
Do the Translink board of directors use their own transit system? I find the notion a difficult tale to believe. If they stepped aboard on a regular basis, they'd realize that the transit system is in dire need of remediation. Filling their own pockets won't help improve Vancouver's transit system from the dilapidated state it is currently in. I'm very disappointed by their decision to raise their own pay.

Chris L.

Coyote

2007-12-06T00:31:46Z

Kind of cute, eh? This is an image of a coyote from the UCI webpage. Coyotes are medium sized carnivorous animals (Canis latrans) that are found throughout the Americas. Though usually diurnal creatures, habitat encroachment by humans has forced the versatile coyote to become more nocturnal creatures. This idea of human habitat destruction and how it relates to coyotes is what I want to elaborate on today.

Last Friday, I went to a bqqr garden hosted by the university pride group. It was moderately fun, though not very well attended. I had a decent time and ended up getting to know this fellow, who turned out to be quite nice. I hadn't meant for it to be a late night, but I ended up going to a rez party with the aforementioned fellow. Because I had a decent amount to drink, I had to wait awhile before heading out and biking home. So it was around 1:00am when I started heading home. I was cycling along the road leading out of the university. It is surrounded by forest on either side. Suddenly, this coyote appeared out of the forest a little ways ahead of me. As I neared, it started running along side me in an intercept course. Closer and closer it came (this all occurred quite quickly, actually) until it was within grabbing distance. I had time to say, "holy fucking shit" as it lunged at my leg with killer intent. Luckily, it just missed my leg and clipped the back bicycle rack on my bike. Of course, I just pedaled the hell out of there.

Now, I get a little fright every time I pass by that spot now. According to wikipedia, coyotes have been known to attack humans (very rarely) and attacks on cyclists and runners have been documented. Also, coyotes can run up to 43mph and jump 4 metres when in pursuit of prey...I could have been a goner!

Kind of crazy, I think...

Cheerio,
Chris

Another run

2007-09-28T18:31:52Z

Hi,
    Just a quick update. I did the Priderun, a 10km run in Vancouver, in August and did decently. I had a run time of 42:10 and placed 8th (I think). The run was a bit slow, and the 8th place is only because there were about 50 people running. I've been cycling much more lately so my run is off...with fall coming, I'll hopefully start doing more running.
    Exciting cycles over the summer include:

Abbotsford to Mt. Baker (Artist's Point): 150km cycle ride. I did this twice over the summer.
Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay: short 50km ride. I did this multiple times over the summer.
Vancouver to Hornby Island: 130km cycle ride. It was a nice ride full of strip malls, which, fortunately, gave way to forest. Unfortunately, I had a
     flat 10minutes off the ferry to Nanaimo and had to ride with an under inflated tire afterwards.

Exciting kayak over the summer: Desolation Sound for one whole week! We covered about 25km per day.

C'est tout.

Chris

Race Results

2007-04-17T19:43:01Z

Just a few results from my past couple of races.

PacificRoad Runners First Half Marathon

Place Gun Time No. Name
===== ========= ===== =======
187 1:36:22.3 1146 Chris Lee

Vancouver Sun Run 10KM

OA	M/F	Div	Name	City	Bib	Group	Time	Pace
707	625	88	Chris Lee	Vancouver, BC	2101	M1924	0:41:53	4:11:42/km	6:45:00/mi

OA=Overall Placing
M/F = Placing among all the men (or women if you're a girl)
Div = Placing in your age group (19-24)

See you next time,
Chris Lee

Locked, quartered and almost skunked!

2006-12-10T04:56:22Z

Isn't this grand? My delaying techniques are, I think, among the best in Canada....well, my household at least. It's exam time and the best time to update my blog...

In brief, Totally Outright is still looking for more participants. We've already got a really neat and diverse group of fellows but more would be excellent... we should all go and tell our friends to sign up at www.outright.ca.

What else? I guess I should explain my subject line. (introduce swirly storytime music).

I went to the aquatic centre this past week to use the gym and the pool. Everything was pretty normal...get changed, try not too look at other people in the change room and then head off to do a brief work out before swimming. However, it's hard to do a decent workout when you need to pee...and no one wants to swim in another person's pee, so I decided it would be best to go use the washroom before I started. I guess to tell this story properly, I need to state that I've always been more of a stall person. I just don't like urinals....especially those big communal, trough ones (that's a whole other story, and not mine to tell). Anyways, I go to the washroom and slide that little bar across to lock the door. I don't usually bother because I usually have my bag to prop against the door to signify occupancy. I noticed that the bar was a little stiff (that should have been my first clue).
     I finished and then headed out. Well, I tried to leave. The locking mechanism had jammed! I was stuck in the steamy boys change room....I guess that would be some people's dream. I worked that puppy for a long time...and it wouldn't budge. At one point, I tried pushing it closed more, thinking that would loosen the mechanism and set me free. I was wrong. Man-o-man, I was uber-trapped. So, in a porn film, this would be the time when I suddenly find a glory hole and craziness ensues...however, real life is not quite so lewd. I looked down. At my feet? gungy bathroom tiles of questionable cleanliness and a small space to squeeze through. I looked up. There was more space up above and it was not gunky floor.
    Hmmm....what to do? I either had to risk my neck (it was high) and climb up the stall to get over the stall walls or sink down low, risk getting friendly with mysterious something-somethings. I ended up sinking down low...and man, was I glad that I had lost those pounds 2 years ago. It was a tight fit, I guess to discourage just such activities.

So the next story? Well, I wasn't really quartered. It just seemed to fit. I did go skate skiing the other day though. It was very very fun, but also tiring and frustrating.

Also, I was walking with my friend Paul (oh, dear Paul, sweet Paul. hehe) downtown. Chatting away, I didn't notice this skunk near me to the right until I had almost stepped onto it. It gave me a fright and I jumped back shrieking a little bit (just a little!). i think the skunk felt the same because it had it's tail up and looked ready to skunk me! I ran out of there as fast as possible with Paul. What fun!

That's enough for now.
Cheerio,
Chris Lee

A little something, something...

2006-11-19T20:05:02Z

The roses are getting it on....does that sound strange to anyone either than myself? Aside from the ridiculous anthropomorpization of relatively inhuman organisms, I must reiterate that it is late November (i.e. almost winter). Though I'm sure there are some winter roses out there...spring/summer roses shouldn't be blooming at this time of the year in BC! Perhaps I am wrong, but if this isn't an indication of global warming, I'm not sure what is. Anyways, I'm just a bit weirded out by this recent discovery. It's worrisome and bad for the plants. I return to cold will kill off these new buds, wasting the storage energy that the plants created over the summer.

Chris

Join Totally Outright! www.outright.ca

Wimp.

2006-11-01T06:02:48Z

It turns out that avocado plants are big wimps (I knew this already). Recently, we had some really cold weather...at least 0 degrees C, judging from the frozen grass. So, I have a this avocado tree that has been growing in my front yard for a couple of months. I know that they are equatorial plants, thus frost susceptible. I've been lazy and put off winterizing my plant (ie compost/shelther around tree, plastic over top) and only now did I put the warming compost around the tree base. I thought by doing that this morning, and then putting the plastic over when I got home at night, my little avocado plant would stand a chance at survival. This morning, there was only slight browning at the tips of the plants; however, by the time I got home, about 12 hours later, all the leaves were brown and dead. I couldn't believe how quickly those plants can die and dry up. Usually dead things stay green for a couple of days at least. Hmm...it may actually be a physiological response to induce leaf senescence at the sign of poor weather. Interesting (or not), I'll have to look into it.

Chris

Some tips...

2006-10-25T04:24:52Z

From my days of going to Church, I learned a few tricks to help one get through any sermon/wedding/baptism, etc. :

1) Stand up when everyone else stands up (but it's okay to keep reading your book/porno magazine/treatise on Daoism...but put it in a bible for more important ceremonies)
2) When singing commences, open and close your mouth and shout out "Amen" and "Praise the Lord" periodically. Any other words can be used to fill the gaps.
3) Look fearful when the priest starts giving a benediction ( i.e. when he looks as if he's going to throw a book at you)
Finally....Never look anyone in the eye. It causes them to put on a big fake smile and say "I'm so glad to see you today. I hope to see you next week too [thought: otherwise you'll go to hell]". The only time that's appropriate to look at others? During prayer. You've got about 3 minutes to check out all the cute guys...and don't worry, the only other people looking around will be evil, satanic, pagans like yourself!

Cheerio,
Chris

chrisristopher @ 2006-10-21T19:21:00

2006-10-22T02:34:21Z

I came across this diet/ideology one day when I was joining random gay yahoo groups for Totally Outright. The group was for gay raw
foodists ( I wouldn't think such a diet would have a specific group for
the gay folk). More particularly I was curious about the raw foodist
idea. This website came up in a search and it seem to reflect what most of the people on the yahoo group believed in (based on their messaging). http://www.living-foods.com/faq.html
While I may come off as being judgmental, I think this diet (it's almost an ideology) is a bit absurd. Nonetheless, if it works for them...go for
it. However, it is when such a meal restriction limits your life, I
don't think it's so great. This one guy was going on a free trip to
China, but didn't want to go because he didn't know if he could eat raw
there. Also, they wouldn't put a posting for Totally Outright on their
discussion board (the gay raw foodists) because the moderator believed
that AIDS/HIV was a myth conjured by large pharmaceutical companies to
make profit for themselves and he didn't want to advertise for a group
that propagated such a myth. Really...I can't imagine a huge profit to be made in Africa, where HIV/AIDS is the largest problem. It only makes sense to make medicine for a disease that affects so many people who have troubles finding their next meal. So much money to be made! I guess plenty of aid organizations or governments pay for some of the drugs...isn't it usually at cost though? I need to do more research, I suppose, before I put out such ideas...maybe. Still, that fellow's reaction made me angry. It might be nice and easy for him to eat this organic raw food only diet, but a lot of people just don't have the money for such diets. Let's also tell the drug companies to stop making HIV/AIDS medication and quit propagating such a terrible lie! HIV/AIDS "Tis only a flesh wound"...
Anyways, check out the site. It goes on about the miracle of 'enzymes' harhar. take it easy and remember Totally Outright! www.outright.ca

Cheerio,
Chris

ps. meet drosera capensis...this is a plant that I have in my window sill. It eats bugs. haha, take that insect world! hahaha

And the question of the day is...

2006-10-15T07:21:55Z

What exactly makes this light?

Maybe it is low in calories so you can eat as much as you want with out getting fat. Or perhaps it is only 1/5th the lubrication ability of the regular, full lubricant. Another possibility is that it is fatless and doesn't taste good (say good bye to oral sex?).

I don't know...I really can't figure it out. I've been searching all these different lube sites and sex sites but can't find out what the difference between light and non-light is. Maybe the only way is through experimentation...hmm, I think I need to go to bed now.

Cheerio,
Chris

An interesting excursion...

2006-10-01T21:17:15Z

Hello dear friends, I guess I just want to talk about what I did yesterday.

I was working at this event "beyond the blues", which was a mental health screening downtown. It was offered by Gayway in conjunction with the Solace project. It was an interesting event, but the participants weren't really the target audience of Totally Outright. Being downtown, I decided to go postering at some of the local businesses. One of the other volunteers at Gayway asked if he could come with me, just to hang out for a bit. So we did the postering together and hit Melriches, the Book Warehouse, Little Sisters, Sugar Daddies and some other places. At one point we stopped in at Priape, the local leather, latex, fetish store, to poster (which is a venue I hadn't considered earlier). Haha, we ended up staying in there for more than an hour and trying on different things. It was actually quite neat the array of stuff they had there...leather harnesses, collars, wrist bands, pants and shorts; latex shirts and other things. I tried a lot of different things. It was sort of funny having all the other patrons staring at me, and I think the consensus was that the blue marbled latex zip up tank top was the best looking thing that I tried(though very pricey...135$!). I would post a picture up on it...but the image on the Priape website has this really scary looking bearish guy in it (If you've played Street Fighter...think Zangief). Hehe, I have to admit my slight frame is much more sexy in it....hahahahaha. At one point the customer service fellow was putting lube all over me (to show the shiny effect)... I was really in over my head!
Anyways, I just thought I should share that fun story. I guess if you want to see pictures of me in that latex top...you'll have to buy it for me! harhar.

Cheerio,
Chris Lee

It's like walking into a wall again, and again...but hoping for a new result each time.

2006-09-24T05:15:27Z

I'll say it again, though it never really happens, I've got to keep it short as I've got a whole wack of things to get done.

Yesterday I went to see Margaret Cho with my dear friends Y and M. It was so very funny...I felt as if my throat was going to close up from too much laughing. "That's enough! No more...je suis fatigue", says the throat. That dear woman is such a funny lady, though there were points to ponder about what she said. That is, if I thought too much into it, I might begin to question the humour? Hmm...best keep my mind unfocused for now.

Today, I meant to go running with the local gay running group. They're a bunch of older-ish guys, but some of them are quick! I actually didn't make it to the run as it starts at 9:00am and I woke up at 8:30am. I tried to get there, but it's at downtown Stanley Park. I made it for 9:10am and saw them leave. I was going to rush and join them, but I forgot my bike lock keys so I couldn't leave my bike. It was ridiculous. I ended up riding my bike around for awhile, and then I started checking out the bike shops. I'm looking for a new bike (because mine weighs about 40lbs [at least!]...I should weigh it one day) and a new lock (my lock is one of the old ones that are broken into with a bic pen. The stores downtown sold locks for about 40 dollars, so I went to MEC and ended up buying 18$ lock, 2 new bike tubes and...boom! 2 new ultra skinny (1.25inch) tires. They'll be so fast and sexy...I just forgot to buy new brakes (mine don't really stop). It is a big move down from my current 2 inch tires. All together it cost me about 60 dollars, which is high-ish, but considering how often I use my bike, not a big deal. I just have to get the tires changed now...hopefully soon!
I also went to this japanese restaurant near my house, which should have been the first clue. I live in a more chinese-like area so japanese food isn't popular...and not done well. It turned out that the owners of the restaurant were chinese...hmm. Also, the restaurant was empty...hmm. So, how many more hints do I need? Dense old me...they served us a salad, with ...dahdahdah.dah.dah..daaaahhh. spinach in it. I don't know if you've been living under a rock, but apparently, spinach is also known as e-coli salad. Well, obviously I told the server about it and he told me that it was packaged salad, which were the major products being recalled (haha! I knew it...packaged salads are weird and unnatural. Gross!). Seemingly, he knew nothing about it. I think it is just the area of my residence...the bread shop lady next store (my next stop) knew nothing of it either. Both my sister and I were left with a scary feeling in our stomach after leaving that restaurant.
Now, I'm working on two lab reports for Monday. Lots of fun! Also, don't forget to sign up for Totally Outright! It's plenty of fun...and you'll get to hang out with sexy old me. Haha!

Cheerio,
Chris Lee