Street View

It had been a long wait, but finally, we have Google Street View in Canada. Not all of Canada, of course, but if you’re among those who live in the Vancouver area, in Calgary and west all the way to Lake Louise, in most of the major cities of southern Ontario (including Toronto of course), in Montreal, or in Halifax, then you’re covered. Here’s one view of our house:

Our car is parked across the street and you can see the Stampede parking permit stuck to the driver’s side of the windshield, so I think this was taken in early July during Stampede. Cruising down 17th Avenue suggests the same for that street, because the horrible Stampede fake wooden fences and Jack Daniels banners are all over the place. I don’t hate Stampede (especially when Brian does visitor research for them- ergo the parking permit) but am not happy that Street View is only going to confirm the cowboy stereotype about Calgary. But it will dispel the “always covered in snow” stereotype too, so I really should not complain. I should note that we had an inordinately dry June and that’s why the grass looks so brown- in comparison, by late September, it was very green. We also had the warmest day of the entire year on September 23. Very odd summer and early fall. But warts and all- this is our home, welcome, have a look around on Street View.

I’m very happy about this, about getting Street View, because I live far–thousand and thousands of kilometres far–from many (most) of the people who matter most to me in my life, and this is, as anybody who’s been following this blog already knows, one of my curses. The vast majority of these people will never set foot in my home or my city (or province). Streetview is a way to make us closer, sort of, and it’s a blessing. I feel the same way, for the same reason, about facebook, and so while I understand the complaints that many people have about “privacy” and the unwillingness too many of you have about joining facebook, I think that these complaints also are from a position of luxury. What I mean is that I have the choice (for practical purposes) of getting online and “out there” or I have the choice of being almost completely disconnected. I don’t have family here; I don’t have many of what I consider really good friends here. My being “out there” on the net and having the presence that I do is not only or primarily a matter of “narcissism,” as I’ve read so often and as I’ve been accused of suffering from. What I am is keen to the point of desperation to use these resources (facebook, blogging, twitter, heck even email and skype) to reconnect in ways and using means that used to be nonexistent, or that used to be available to the few. I’m narcisstic. You don’t get to be a self-made first-generation academic and a voluntary American ex-pat with my scholarly pedigree by NOT being very, very good at addressing your own needs and having a certain elevated view of yourself.  But I’m not a disordered narcissist. I CARE about the people I love, LOVE to hear from them, LOVE to host them, LOVE to see them, and LOVE when they reciprocate in sharing some of that nice self-centred focus that you have to give in to if you’re going to play online as I do.  A lot of my motivation in doing what I do online isn’t narcissistic at all but rather reflects my desire to have others join in. And that’s because you’re all so damn far away.