Bad:

There was another shooting in Langley this week, a few blocks from the one last Friday, in a busy shopping area I used to frequent regularly. Then, two nights ago, there was another shooting, the ninth in eleven days, near the home of my relatives in Coquitlam. At least, arrests were made in that incident. The violence is escalating and has encroached on ‘home’, making me leery of going out beyond the confines of south Surrey and White Rock.  It’s a miracle that no innocent bystanders have been injured yet, but give it time. I remember the biker wars in Montreal in the late 90’s that culminated with a young boy being the victim of a car bombing and I hope that nothing so tragic happens here before the violence stops.

Good:

All roads seem to lead to Vancouver! It seems that I am to be blessed with the visit of a friend every month for the rest of my time here in the GVR! Two of these friends are from ‘back home’ in Ottawa and have not been seen since I left in September. The first visit will occur at the end of this month; my friend is coming to Vancouver on business and the plan is to meet up for dinner downtown on one of the two nights that she’s here. The second visit is a possible from my friend Donna, whom I met in Oliver. The third visit is from my best friend of nine years now (already!) who will be coming for a full week! She’s deathly allergic to cats, so she’ll be staying at a motel, but it will be so nice to introduce her to this area! Well, at least the part that isn’t riddled with bullet holes… 😉