The Tower

A popular trope in modern fiction is the dystopic tower: a skyscraper that becomes its own self-government and slips into chaos. The building-a symbol of the future-becomes a trap for all those living in it and a blight on civilization. JG Ballard wrote one the seminal book with High Rise. The last two years have… Continue reading The Tower

Wednesdays

It’s the second last Wednesday of the month so the local drug dealers walked down the street from their corner at Hastings & Abbott to the Money Mart. You recognize them on sight; they’re not very subtle at exchanging packages. There was a lineup out the door at 10am; one woman was so distracted by… Continue reading Wednesdays

Down & Out on the DTES

I’ve been in Vancouver for a while now and one of the things I am simultaneously ambivalent towards and shocked by is the Downtown East Side. The neighbourhood is a whirlpool that attracts broken people from across Canada (and I don’t mean “broken” as an insult; the horrors that these people have faced are arguably… Continue reading Down & Out on the DTES

The Various Nicknames Of My Son

In his all too brief life so far, my son has picked up a variety of nicknames. Some are variants on his name: Cammie Cambo Camiford Camdizzle Cameroonie Cameroondie Little Ram Rammers Ram Jam Jammers Then there are the functional names he’s picked up at different “growth phases”: Lil Shrieky Lil Slumpty Slumptiford Standiford Droolio… Continue reading The Various Nicknames Of My Son

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