A January of Crazy!

Alright friends.
So January keeps getting crazier. Let me tell you why.

January 5th - I was biking home from work and got hit by a car. Yep. Crazy. Pick-up truck ran a stop sign and hit my front wheel. I had lights on my bike and a helmet on. I'm ok, my bike was a write-off, and ICBC gave me a cheque to compensate. Had some wicked bruising and a sore back for a few days, but I'm hoping to be fine, forever.

January 24th - I dropped my phone in a puddle. Thought it might be toast. Left it in rice overnight, which dried it right out. Thank you rice.

January 25th - I was running late in the morning, and as I juggled my coffee, keys, phone and bus pass, I ran out the door and tripped on a step. I went flying and REALLY dug my palms into the pavement, taking a chunk out of my left hand, the size of a nickle. Had to run to the bus and ride to work with a bloody hand, which I covered under my glove - which KILLED! I got nauseous and almost fainted when I had to clean the grit out of it later that day.

January 26th - A man came into my work this morning, asking for my bosses. They weren't there, but he insisted he call my boss. He fed me (and my boss, on the phone) a story about needing to borrow money to pay a taxi to get him to his recently towed car. He told me he worked in the neighborhood and totally spoke as if he knew my bosses. Anyway, after promising he'd be back in an hour, and leaving his name, wife's name, phone number and work, I "lent" him some money. I tried calling the number shortly after... it doesn't exist. I got SCAMMED. I was oh sooooo MAD! - mostly at my own naivety. He was so convincing.

All that said. I'm ok with January ending next week. Although interesting, I'm done with the injuries and things breaking/getting stolen!

Today's top 20

I've been thinking about Vancouver and urban North American Culture, through, a slightly cynical yet fairly realistic lens, I'd like to think. I spent 3 hours last weekend rollerblading around Stanley Park and English Bay, where eye candy was high rise condos and manicured parks, and demonstrated lifestyles were dominantly "down town", urban folk.
Today, I was browsing though a book called CRAVE Vancouver - the ultimate guide to the places women crave in Vancouver.

I made a list of the top valued things in urban spaces.
Here is my list:

1. Safety - cars, insurance, babysitting
2. Health Care (a reflection of the above)
3. Shiny things - hair, diamonds, lip gloss
4. Ownership - houses, property, memberships
5. Being modern - home decor, fashion
6. Being vintage - bicycles, thrift store, fabric patterns
7. Photos - memories or vanity?
8. Production - make the most possible in the least amount of time
9. Green things - toilet paper, vehicle fuel, grocery bags
10. Organic - shampoo, dog food, vegetables
11. Using less, recycling
12. University education
13. High quality sporting equipment/gear
14. Community - enriching your community, yet there are 20 lawn mowers owned on your block?
15. Good tasting food - without much clue where it comes from
16. Being independently established, perhaps you have an involved spouse
17. Investing in your children; lots of extracurriculars.
18. Sex - good sex, safe sex, sex to sell products
19. Saving money, so we can buy more stuff!
20. "Treating yourself" - massages, chocolate, wine... because YOU deserve it