After Guy and Anna winged their way home to Oz, the Vancouver experience continued for Leon. We were lucky enough to be treated to Leon DJing at the local goth/industrial club, Sanctuary. It was great, he went off. A longer review, including video can be found on Metal Monkey. Jaime also showed Leon the Vancouver Aquarium, and how to severely damage your liver with alcohol in Seattle.

I been having a go lately at consciously changing my thoughts towards more positive things, but it's not easy. I have had the (dis)advantage of a substantial education and labour under a terrible addiction: Information. As much as I know that reading the news, surfing the net or watching tv will only give me more information to deal with, I cannot help myself. This has led me to a terrible state of anxiety over choice.

Those who watch the Sopranos* might find AJ's behaviour of the last season annoying, but I sympathise very much with the "everything's going hell so why bother" mindset. I mean, how can a few fluoro bulbs and catching the bus to work compete against China opening a new coal power plant every week?! Buying eggs almost sent me into palpations the other day. I could find eggs from happy chickens that got to run around in green fields, and I could find eggs from chickens that weren't fed other chickens. But do you think I could find eggs from frolicking chickens that didn't have to eat other chickens? NO! So I had the agonising choice of condoning battery hen farms or risking mad-chicken disease some day**.

And buying a coffee?! Paper cups from dying trees, Styrofoam poisons the earth and our bodies. Are the beans fair-trade? Was the soil organic? Does the cafe treat it's employees fairly? Is it owned by some terrible multinational corporation that sells cigarettes, arms and Celine Dion albums? These are demons I wrangle with for every choice of my adult life.

But I am rallying my thoughts for a full-frontal assault on despair. It's not easy, my brain has had a mind of its own for far to long, and my ability to control thoughts is weak. But I will be training up the neurons. To this end, I am announcing a new series to my blog: Why I like being human.

Next time on Shanathalas: "Why I Like Being Human Part 1: Music".

*Having seen the last episode I can't decide whether I absolutely hate it or if it was absolutely brilliant.

** I chose the Free-Range; I hope the happy little chook thinks of me when my brain goes to mush!

We've been blessed with many visitors from the homeland lately. First up, Guy & Anna stopped by Vancouver for five days on their way home from their ten week trip round the world. It's been so great to see them. Even though the weather was crap, there was still plenty to see and do (and eat). We were able to show them the Vancouver Aquarium, the Museum of Anthropology and to take in The Taming of the Shrew at Bard on the Beach.

We even managed a Vancouver gathering of "Guys Urban Gaming Society", with locals Rena and Elwood joining Guy, Anna, Leon, Jaime and myself for a rousing evening of boardgames, witty banter and much drinking. Just like old times.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and yesterday Guy and Anna flew home to Oz, misplacing June 11th somewhere in their travels. Thanks for visiting guys; I'm missing you already.

But stayed tuned for the further adventures of Leon in Vancouver...