25Mar 2010 by R&O 2 Comments

The King Of Cassiar

Observations, Of Interest, People
On most days Jerry Dzikowicz hung out on the median at the corner of Hastings and Cassiar, wearing his bright fluorescent safety vest and waving at passing cars. To some he was known as The King of Cassiar, to others simply the nut that waved at drivers. He had his own page on Facebook and Mike McCardell did a couple of his short stories about Jerry but didn't offer too much information as to where he was from and why he stood on Cassiar waving at cars. Jerry died of stomach cancer on March 11, 2010. According to a story by Pete McMartin in Saturday's Vancouver Sun, Jerry had a checkered past, a girlfriend of three years and was estranged from his two sons and six grandchildren. His girlfriend, Michelle…
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04Mar 2010 by R&O 4 Comments

Music

Music, Observations
I've been listening to music all my life, probably from moments after my birth and will probably be listening to music moments before my death. Music has been with me for all the great events in my life and has helped me through some of the worst. It attaches itself to your memories and can drag you back to a sunny day with friends at the beach in 1978 or waking in the snow along Victoria's Fort Street in the early evening of 1985. All of the images, smells and sounds become clear with the help of music. Everyone has a favourite song, something they probably connect with a specific moment or event in their lives. Music is the soundtrack of our existence (oooh, heavy!) and we edit our score…
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26Feb 2010 by R&O No Comments

Only a matter of time

Observations, Rants
Keep a 12,000 pound killer whale in isolation for an extended period of time and it's no surprise when it drags a trainer into the water to 'play'. Tilikum the killer whale, a past resident of Victoria's now defunct Sealand of the Pacific tourist trap and now residing at Seaworld Orlando, is responsible for the death of Dawn Brancheau, who had to be manually extricated from the jaws of the mammal by Seaworld staff. Tilikum reportedly grabbed Ms. Brancheau by the ponytail and dragged her into the pool, repeatedly pulling her underwater until she drowned. The killer whale would not release her so staff coaxed the animal into a holding tank which was drained of water and she was removed from it's mouth by prying its jaws apart. This isn't…
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23Feb 2010 by R&O No Comments

O Canada, I Love You.

Observations, Olympics, People
Being Canadian is fantastic. We enjoy all the perks of being American without actually having to be American. Things like great food, great scenery, a stable government and a quality caffe latte on every street corner all contribute to our bliss and well being here in the glorious north. To put it simply, life in Canada is very, very good. But how do we tell America and the rest of the world just how great we are and how fantastic our country is without sounding like, dare I say, an American? To be quintessentially Canadian and not sound like we're bragging, we let others do it for us. So, to that end, news anchor Tom Brokaw explained Canada to America in a short film that was aired on NBC shortly…
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