As a court reporter, one of the joys of my job is picking through the pile of writs placed daily on the shelves of a small media cubbyhole inside Vancouver’s B.C. Supreme Court registry.

It’s a chance to get a first look at both the giant social battles that shape public conversation as well as the tiny, often bizarre conflicts which dominate private discussion — like who owns an engagement ring once a marriage is called off anyway?

Everyday, there’s a wad