The real mafia

First, I apologize for not writing more and more often. My only excuse is that I am now addicted to WoW.

Hedgehog Guy and I went to a Belgian beer and scotch tasting this Monday night at Liberty Wine Merchants in Point Gray. A co-worker had invited me, and we had a really great time. We got to taste 5 expensive scotches (>$100 bottle) with an expert there to walk us through the tasting process. I learned that scotch can be worth the price! After the initial shock of the alcohol burn (I only coughed once), scotches actually have different tastes from rich, buttery, & chocolaty to smoky & peaty. I liked the 12 year-old blend with light peat notes while Hedgehog Guy liked a less peaty and more buttery one. But the surprising things were that they were all good, I could taste the difference between them, and they have aftertastes that are better and longer-lasting than wine. So now we know what Hedgehog Guy likes, and can find a more in-our-price-range variety. The Belgian beers were okay - I only really liked one.

So this was pretty mafioso for us - high class scotch and beer tasting. But then it got even more gang-like on the way home. Our bus was re-routed right by our home due to a police blockade. Someone (a person already known to police) was shot and killed at the gas station a block and a half from our house about the time we were leaving the tasting across town. Poor Hedgehog Dog probably heard the shots. Vancouver has been hit hard this year by both random and targeted violence (31 to date in the area, 19 in Vancouver proper), and this is the latest incident. It is really disturbing that it happened so near us, and they haven't arrested anyone. Yet it happened at a busy intersection and convenience store? They didn't even canvass our street - like they could have easily driven the get-away car or run down it. Even more disturbing is that the crime scene is still blocked off, but the major road nearby is open while at an older crime scene for the murder of a white female near UBC the major road is still completely blockade with more cops working the case. It seems as if one life is worth more than another?