boat ride to skidegate

i had a lot to say earlier about the civic elections, but my browser crashed and it all disappeared. to summarize, though, i was fairly accurate about the races in vancouver and surrey. some names were surprising, but i got the overall ratios correct. i've also been quite sad about what a mised opportunity the last three years were, also i wonder what this whole crazy COPE thing means, in general, and what lessons we can draw. ultimately, it was a dull, dull election. our friend john-henry was elected in chilliwack as a school trustee, though, so it was all worthwhile! i'm proud of not lifting a finger, expect to vote. if i don't believe in a candidate, i'm not going to help them out, and that's why i'm not a hack.

i start work on the federal thursday afternoon, with ian. i'm waiting until my term paper is done. i did a fair amount of work on it today, and i think i've got a strong grasp on the american side of the equation now, which was holding me back before. the key now will be to make sure that the two are balanced, with enough pages left to do a proper comparison, as well as elucidation of some novel points, such as george melnyk's caudillo complex. i expect that andrea won't like the paper, as i sense that she dislikes political histories, but i'm going forward nonetheless.

easter weekend in april 2005, following the first several days of the ballot count, was an exciting time. we went to port alberni and ate out a lot. at this point i knew that elinor, garett, apaak and i had won, dave had lost, and that amanda and kevin were still up in the air. i knew all weekend that i had a place for the next year, but the nature of it would not be determined until those latter races had been concluded. i read a lot that weekend, four books of northwest coast lit.
sheila peters, tending the remnant damage
zsuzsi gartner, all the anxious girls on earth
eden robinson, monkey beach, and
amanda hale, sounding the blood
the latter i finished on the ferry back from duke point, late monday night. it was all escape, cedar forests and lots of green. the way that veda hille's album for emily carr sounds. the way emily carr's paintings look. dense, rich, green. the trip we took to the island over new year was memorable too, driving to long beach to see my poor unhappy parents in uclulet. the foliage changes, somewhere around kennedy lake. trees get stunted. i imagine the yukon to be similar, small foliage, hardy, thick tough leaves. i'll need to do a similar trip this year, even if just for a few days. i need to read more for my own enjoyment.

in april, that weekend, we just hid out and read books, going out for meals, driving out to tofino and back.

i'll learn to drive, and we'll head out through the province. i'd like to see the kootenays, the cariboo, the north coast, the peace river. i love the fraser canyon, boston bar, lytton, yale. i love the city, but i've been in it too long, just now.