Where in the World – 2006

So what far reaches of the planet have you visited this past year?

Here are some criteria: driving through and time spent at the airport doesn’t count. You must have physically been to this place, whether it was a quick pit stop to stretch your legs, grab a bite to eat, or pee…

Whistler, BC
Squamish, BC
New York, NY
Bear Mountain, NY
Hawthorn, NJ
Hoboken, NJ
Fort Lee, NJ
Morristown, NJ
Wayne, NJ
Hackensack, NJ
Montreal, QC
Dunvegan, ON
Ottawa, ON
Renfrew, ON (birth place of the NHL)
Huntsville, ON

No Rest for the Wicked

It hasn't really sunk in yet that I am officially unemployed. That's mainly due to the fact that I have been extremely busy these last two days. In fact, I have been so busy that I didn't make it to yesterday's young alum reunion, or out today for coffee/dessert with Die, Cheryl and Lisa this afternoon. I will get to see Cheryl at tomorrow's reunion, so I don't feel too bad about missing today's get together.

Colin is currently out Christmas shopping - I don't envy him.

I can't believe my ten year reunion is tomorrow...

Bye Bye Bingo

Well, this is it. Today is my last at this god forsaken place known as Planet Bingo. I was hoping to make a lateral jump into a new job, but after a year of living in depression due to employment at PB, I said enough is enough.

It's been a tough decision, bold move, and probably the biggest risk I have ever taken - but so far, it is well worth it: Since handing in my resignation two weeks ago I have begun to resurface. I am back to my usual, bubbly self, and feel as happy as a clam. Sure, it will be hard leaving the paycheque behind, but I get myself back, something which no paycheque would ever be able to cover.

I, however, leave with no regrets. Working at PB took a toll on my life, but I learned a lot in the 20 months I was employed there. I have become a stronger person, grown a thicker skin, and now know exactly what I want in a company, job, career.

Now it's time to leave that place behind, and move on with the rest of my life...

Turns out I didn't have any social functions last weekend, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Colin and I spent Friday finishing our Christmas shopping. Correction, I finished my Christmas shopping, it is a mystery as to whether Colin has actually started his yet or not. Yesterday when I asked him if he had done any yet, he gave me his classic maybe answer - it can mean yes, or it can mean no - after 8 years I still can't crack his code - keeps life interesting.

On Saturday we were invited over to Colin's parents' for an evening visit. We told them we'd be over after Battlestar Galactica. On the way over we planned to pop into the White Spot (near our house) for a quick dinner, then realized there was a Canucks game on, so we popped into our local pub instead (next to the White Spot), to grab some pub grub and watch the first period.

While waiting for our dinner we saw Lisa and Andrew walk in. We were completely surprised to see them, since they live no where near us. Turns out Tina had invited them over, and Lisa tried to call us earlier in the day - but couldn't get a hold of us, since Colin dropped the phone, and cut off the call.

So we spent the entire game at the Pub with Lisa, Andrew, Tina, and a couple of Tina's friends. After the game was over, when finally made our way to Richmond.

This week is proving to be very busy. I've busy at work wrapping things up before moving on. And with my ten year reunion and Christmas this coming weekend, there is no end in site to my busy schedule.

Yesterday I began the reunion primping routine. I spent nearly three hours in a salon chair last night, getting my highlights and colour touched up. Today I am going for an eyebrow wax (no fun), and a manicure (can't wait).

Tomorrow I will be finishing off last minute things for Saturday's reunion (which I'm organizing). And, I may be attending our young alum reunion later in the day (last year CHS considers me a young alum). Friday I will be taking care of more last minute things for the reunion: The reunion is Saturday; Christmas dinner on Sunday with the in-laws; Christmas dinner on Monday with my family; annual family get together on Boxing Day - Tuesday; then Wednesday - I start looking for a new job...

Merry Christmas.

Party on Wayne...

'Tis the season for... partying. Every year, when December rolls around, my social calendar fills up, and this year is certainly no exception:

Dec 8: DPhiE Vancouver Alumnae Association Christmas Party
Dec 9: Baby shower & Tina and Mark's annual gingerbread party
Dec 14: Planet Bingo Christmas party (going, because it's also my send off party)
Dec 21: CHS Young Alum Reunion
Dec 23: CHS Grad 96 Reunion (tea in the afternoon, drinking in the evening)
Dec 24: Xmas Even - dinner with the Blackstocks
Dec 25: Xmas - dinner with my parents
Dec 26: Boxing Day - Poole/Jaye family annual luncheon
Dec 31: NYE - no party yet, but there's never a shortage of choices

So far, next weekend is wide open, but I'm sure that will change...

...party on Garth

Snow

Ok, so I’m a week late writing this as the thaw has begun, but you can’t really be a blogger/writer in Vancouver and not write about the insane weather of November, especially this past week.

November 2006 will definitely go down as the wackiest weather month ever in the history of Vancouver. I would like to see something crazier than what we have just been through (actually I wouldn’t, because that could spell real trouble). It was the wettest November on record; tonnes of flooding; a boil water advisory that lasted nearly two weeks; and then came the snow. A few feet dumped on Vancouver alone; daytime highs of minus 5, with a wind chill factor of minus ten; and the snow wouldn’t melt; hell there’s still snow outside… But I’m glad it’s beginning to disappear. After busing all last week, I am happy to be behind the wheel of my car again.

For the most part busing wasn’t too bad, just the Wednesday commute home – it took me 90 minutes; it took an hour to get from Main Street to Oak Street. I could have walked it in 20 minutes, but when you’re waiting for the bus for so long, by the time you think about walking, you don’t, because, according to Murphy’s Law, the bus will arrive.

I bused to work on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday last week. I was home sick on Tuesday (most likely caused by waiting for buses in –10 degree weather), and had my flex on Friday. I finally dug my car out of two feet of snow on Thursday evening, so I could drive to my final Polynesian dance class of the year. The roads weren’t bad at all, but parking was a different story. The roads were completely clear, but that snow has to go somewhere right? I had fun trying to parallel park in a two-foot snowdrift. I was successful, and didn’t get stuck.

Friday was a hectic, but fun day: woke up; applied for a couple of jobs; looked at the clock and realized I was meeting Chantal in an hour, so I quickly had a shower, got ready and booked it to Oakridge. We had lunch at the Whitespot and then wandered around the mall. Afterwards we returned to my apartment and rented John Tucker Must Die. It’s one of those movies you have to rent/see with your girlfriends, cause god knows your husband isn’t going to watch it with you.

Shortly after Chantal left I headed over to North Vancouver to spend the evening with Thalia and Todd. We ordered in pizza for dinner and rented Syriana – extremely good movie.

On Saturday Colin and I went over to my parents’ to pick up our Christmas decos and drop the bomb that I was resigning from Planet Bingo. Actually it wasn’t so much of a bomb, as my wanting to resign from Planet Bingo is nothing new.

We were invited to stay for dinner, and watch the hockey game – Vancouver won!
We erected the Christmas tree Saturday night – so far the cats haven’t pulled it down, but Tiki was showing real interest in the ornaments this morning.

Yesterday I had my first skate of the season – Colin and I met Tina, Warren, Mark, Greg, Stephanie, Bjorn and Vivian at Kerrisdale Arena for an afternoon skate.

After skating I returned to North Van for my monthly book club meeting. We were supposed to discuss Portraits in Sepia by Isabel Allende, but instead ending up watching John Tucker Must Die.

What are the odds?

My Life Soundtrack

...stolen from Lisa's blog...

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?

So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player,iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend your cool... its rather interesting!

Opening Credits:-----> Spice Up Your Life - Spice Girls
Waking Up:----> All Star - Smash Mouth
First Day of school:----> Doctor Doctor - UFO
Falling In Love:---> Golden Slumber - The Beatles
Fight Song:----> And She Was - The Talking Heads
Breaking Up:----> Hey Joe - Jimi Hendrix
Life:----> Come Together - The Beatles
Mental Breakdown:----> Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum
Driving:---> Stayin' Alive - The BeeGees (totally appropriate for driving the streets of Vancouver)
Getting back together:---> Yesterday - The Beatles
Wedding:---> Mr. Tambourine Man - The Byrds
Birth of Child:----> Nights in White Satin - The Moody Blues
Divorce:-----> Everyone Have Fun Tonight - Wang Chung
Final Battle:----> Land Down Under - Men at Work
Death Scene:----> For Your Love - The Kinks
End Credits:----> Maple Leaf Rag - Scott Joplin

A Moment of Insanity

While perusing the CBC website yesterday I came across an article about income splitting. Has the [Conservative] government actually made a suggestion I'd be happy to see put into action?

I have always been told that there are tax benefits for married people - that's a big, fat lie. Now I certainly didn't marry for tax purposes, and I certainly didn't see any advantages when Colin and I filed jointly this year. In fact, the bloody government is asking me to payback the my GST rebates I earned in my final year before marriage.

How's that request going: They're the Canadian government, I'm part Scottish - they'll bug me to death till they get their $140; over my dead body they'll see that $140...

Yesterday's news made me think (for a split second), hey Harper and the Conservatives aren't so bad... then I read Rick Mercer's blog today...

Thanks Rick for bringing me back to reality. How quickly we forget Harper's priministerial acceptance speech: "God bless Canada" (no, he's not Bush's puppet); or the one promise he actually broke - he screwed the income trusts - I still haven't check my RSPs...

I'm all over income splitting, but I'm more over a Liberal majority. Actually I long for the day the progressive conservatives stage their coup d'etat and reclaim their identity (and party) yanked away by that wolf in sheep's clothing: the Reform/Alliance party...

...Later that Night

Ok, back to Friday night. What a strange, serendipitous night it was.

I met with Vicky at Benny's Bagels at 9:30 PM. It was great catching up - we talked about everything under the sun, which tends to happen when you haven't spent much one-on-one time with a good friend in four or five years.

Neither of us could remember the last time we hung out together. Sure we've seen each other at parties, alumnae events, and my wedding (as a bridesmaid). So, like I said, we had a lot of catching up to do.

In June Vicky received her ND (Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine), and is looking to establish her own practice. She is looking to get her foot in the door by leasing space from an already established ND, but this is turning into an arduous task. She's frustrated - she has this degree and can't get started.

Welcome to adult puberty: I was 25-26 when I entered it: moved away from home, for the second time (this time for good); completely finished with school (at least for now); couldn't find a marketing job (then I did, but that's a whole other kettle of fish)... I thought the world owed me something. I always managed to accomplish things if I put my mind to it - so why is the real world such a tough opponent? It isn't. You just have to learn how to get on its good side.

Lesson #1
The only person out there that owes you anything, is you. Yes, your family and friends can offer support, guidance, ideas, but only you can make things happen.

Lesson #2
Keep on setting goals. When I was in high school my goal in life was to graduate (check); go to university and get a degree (check); get another degree/diploma (check); start a career (check); get married (check). By the age of 27 I had accomplished my life goals. With nothing to focus on I became lost, felt like I wasn't accomplishing anything. Either this was the end of the line or time to make new life goals. I opted for the latter (both big and small): learn to knit; publish my short stories; take up Polynesian dancing; obtain my MFA in Creative Writing...

Lesson #3
The world is your oyster. As you enter adult puberty, you will no doubt go through a period of cynicism, when you realize that life really does suck and things don't seem to be rolling out as you planned. You become jaded, pissed off, confused. But then you realize that you possess the power to make changes - so that's what you do. Big changes, small changes, it doesn't matter. As you make these changes, you begin to return to a state of peace and optimism. You realize that life doesn't have to suck, it's just what you make of it.

Lesson #4
Roll with the punches. No matter how good you try to make things, there are always outside factors that you can't necessarily control. Take them as they come. No matter how bad things get, you will walk away from it a stronger, more knowledgeable person.

...this is essentially what I told Vicky, in a nutshell. I then offered to help her with a business and marketing plan to get her started. We spent the next couple of hours brainstorming, coming up with all sorts of ideas... then Maria Foster walked in.

Maria is also a sorority sister who pledged (sorry joined - damned political correctness) DPhiE in the 1980's. She volunteered as an advisor during my collegiate years. Neither Vicky or I have seen her in about three of four years. What are the odds...

If you've ever been to Benny's you will know that the servers will bring your food out to you and shout your name to find you. You will also know that they are perpetually stoned. Anyways, the server comes over to our area and yells "Siobhan." I was sure I didn't order anything; the woman sitting on the couch across from us, however said "right here." I had to ask...

"Excuse, is your name Siobhan?"
"Yes."
"Spelt S-i-o-b-h-a-n?"
"Yes."

It's always strange when I meet another Siobhan. We talked for a couple minutes, mostly about the mispronunciations and misspellings of our name.

Vicky and I chatted for a little while longer, until 1 AM.

You Know You've Celebrated too Much When...

...you break the bloody Grey Cup! Yup, much celebrating was going on yesterday as the BC Lions won another Grey Cup championship. But, perhaps, the Lions themselves partied a bit too hard - they managed to break the cup portion of the Grey Cup from the base...

Christmas Shopping - Day 1

I can't believe I actually went Christmas shopping today, and got the majority of it done too! I'm not one to leave it to the last minute, I usually venture out in early December, but something possessed me this year to go now.

I started my day at Costco. For some reason there were no carts left, even though it wasn't that busy. I spent the first ten minutes running around the parking lot, in the pissing rain. I asked one of the workers if there were any carts anywhere - they suggested following someone back to their car - so I assumed the role of crazy shopping cart stalker. I found an old, Asian man heading back to his car, but on the way I found a free cart and headed to the entrance. Let me tell you, it takes skill to wield a shopping cart and umbrella.

I was only in Costco for about 15, maybe 20 minutes. I knew what I wanted and where it was. And the lineups for the cashier were short. Before I knew it, I was back outside, wielding the cart and umbrella, trying to get back to my car as quickly as possible as all the presents were getting wet!

I drove along the flooding streets to my next (and final) destination - Richmond Centre. I was there maybe an hour. Got more shopping done, grabbed some lunch, then headed home.

Still in the (Christmas) mood, I wrapped most of the gifts I bought today, and wrote all of my Christmas cards.

All in all I've had a very productive day: started the morning at Curves; went on a tear with my Christmas shopping; cleaned the apartment and cooked dinner; even relaxed a little too.

But the day isn't over yet - I'm heading out with Vicky in a couple of hours. I can't remember the last time we hung out. We have a lot of catching up to do...

Ooops...

A word to the wise - midnight is not the time to fiddle around with your blog's settings. Yesterday I switched over to Blogger Beta and decided to check out some new templates, not heeding the warning that if I selected a new template, I could loose my current layout.

This is exactly what happened. Now I have redo all my links, etc.

Wired

I am completely wide awake right now, which is very frustrating since I need to be up at 6:45 AM in the morning.

For the first time in ages I actually managed to sleep in this weekend. I was up earliesh Saturday morning (around 8:30 am) to go shopping with my mum. But slept in to 10:30 am both yesterday and today. Plus, I didn't get any exercise this weekend: I've been quite sick the last few days, and really shouldn't have gone to dance class Thursday, because that just made me feel even more sick. So I though it best not to go to Curves on Friday or today, or dance class on Sunday.

Of course, I don't think the venti eggnog latte I had four hours ago is helping much either...

Blogging resolution

I was looking back today at some of my past blog entries, and realized that a) I don't write about the same things that I used to write about, i.e. my day to day life, and b) I don't write nearly as often. Maybe I shouldn't have started a blog the year I was planning my wedding, because that made it way too easy to write and write and write. Now that seems to have dried up. Of course there are other things in my life (i.e. work) that have contributed to not writing as often I as I should or want to. But I'm not going down that road right now, soon, but not now.

I love when my friends update their blogs, so I am going to be completely egotistical here, and assume they also look forward to my new entries, regardless of what I am rambling on about, like right now. I really have no set ideas or direction for this entry - just maniacal ramblings.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about my past, namely high school. Why? Well, with a ten-year reunion right around the corner that's what people tend to do. I have been looking back at the self I was in high school, and in some ways I am completely the same; and in ways I am totally different. I believe when you are a teenager you are the groundwork for who you will become as an adult, but you don't truly become who you are until you can leave the superficialities of high school (and to some extent university) behind; by the time you hit 28 it really no longer matters if you were cool or not; a jock or a nerd; you all end up in the same boat (more or less) with bills to pay, mouths to feed, work/school stress and so on.

Many of my friends have recently attended their 10-year reunions, and they have all shared the same opinions with me. It really wasn't that bad; everyone had matured; everyone was genuinely interested in what everyone else was doing.

On that note, I am looking forward to my reunion; yes I have stayed in touch with my closest friends from Crofton, but that doesn't mean just because I haven't talked to someone in ten years and wasn't that close to them in high school, that I don't care where they are and what they're up to - quite the contrary. And I hope the same is true for my former classmates.

Buffoslug

I had a conversation at last night's Halloween party about current NHL logos - we were all on the same page: what are the designers and the people commissioning these new designs thinking (or smoking)?

In the case of the Vancouver Canucks: yes the logo is very West Coast, and is pretty neat looking, but it is also very corporate. The Canucks are owned by Orca Bay, and the Canuck logo is an Orca, shaped like a "C". Coincidence...

What ever happened to the days of the stick in the rink (okay, sure those appear on Vintage night), the skate, or everyone's favourite, the Flying V?

But forget the Canucks, I want to talk about the new team logo that has many NHL fans scratching their heads... the Buffoslug, or the Slugalo. Don't ever visit Buffalo, NY, apparently they have some pretty weird creatures there, namely buffalo with slug bodies. Personally I wouldn't want to run into one of those.

I love the old/Vintage Saber jersey. And it made total sense: a buffalo and two sabers...

Then came the Buffalo head logo...

...but I guess this year they decided the Buffalo head needed a body; but why give it a buffalo body, when you can give it the body of a slug?

What's next? The creepy Burger King mascot showing up in LA?

It's the Most Wonderful Time of Year...

...And I'm not talking about Christmas, even though the Christmas season already appears to be in full swing. No, I'm talking about Halloween. I absolutely love it. If I could I would still go out trick or treating. Actually there's nothing stopping me, except society: I'm sure the norm would find it rather strange if a 28 year women was out, going door to door on Halloween night.

Maybe I will have to join my brother-in-law and his wife: they still go out, and are planning on trick or treating this year. So, if you live in Kits, beware of a 6'3" man dressed as a chicken...

As usual I have a plethora of Halloween parties to attend - I thought I could swing two this year, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. So Colin and I will be at the Legges' this Saturday night; they hosted a Halloween party two years, and it was awesome.

So why do I love Halloween so much, besides the copious amounts of candy? I love to dress up. It's probably why I used to love acting. Actually, I still love acting, but I haven't been on stage in ten years!

I love creating costumes, and becoming those characters. As my brother will tell you, I have no shortage of ideas for Halloween costumes, especially when it comes to him... Last weekend, within the span of 24 hours, I visited Value Village three times, and the Sally Ann once. By the end of the weekend, I ended up in Value Village four times.

This year, I am dressing up as a character from one of my favourite novels: the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. Colin is going as the Mad Hatter.

I can't wait till tomorrow!

In other news, I am still Polynesian dancing: last night we finished the Hawaiian segment and moved onto Tahitian. Holy crap is that a workout. Girls if you want to tone your mid-section try Tahitian dancing...

In with the new

In the span of 72 hours I learned how to do three new things: three things I can now cross of my life's to do list. Those three things are: learn to knit, playe poker (Texas hold 'em) and Polynesian dance.

For some time now (many years in fact) I have wanted to learn Polynesian dancing. I have always been fascinated by the Polynesian culture, and thought Polynesian dance would be a lot of fun.

I started researching schools in the Lower Mainland back at the beginning of September and found one in Maple Ridge. Living in the south west corner of Vancouver, commuting to Maple Ridge was really not an option, but I contacted the school, nonetheless.

The woman I talked to understood that I didn't want to make such a long commute and recommended a halau hula (dance school) in Burnaby... only a 15-20 minute commute versus an hour to an hour and a half.

So every Thursday night I Polynesian dance for nearly two hours. It's an extremely good workout, and a lot of fun. I especially enjoy the stretching - it is one of the most relaxing things I've ever experienced (expect, perhaps, being in Hawaii itself). To stretch we hula to soothing Hawaiian music, practicing different hand movements which represent different aspects of Polynesian life, e.g. the water, the fish, the rainbow, aloha (love), etc.

Currently we are focusing on Hawaiian dance, and I have learned to use an ipu (a type of hand drum). Eventually we will learn Tahitian, Samoan, Fijian and Maori dancing. I am really looking forward to the latter - can't wait to learn how to use poi balls.

So where did my sudden need to knit come from: I have friends who knit and really enjoy it, but I got my first taste of knitting at a service event my alumnae association was hosting. Actually, that would be my second taste of knitting.

I originally learned how to knit when I was about 12/13 years old. My mum used to knit dolls for the Crofton Bazaar and Saints Fair, so she tried to teach me to knit back then, but I had little patience and was easily frustrated (not that that's changed) and gave up quite easily.

Fast forward 15 years or so to October 1 where some of my sorority sisters taught me how to knit. I learned the basic knit stitch (the casting on was already done) and enjoyed it so much, I decided to pick it up. Last weekend my mum gave me some yarn and needles, and I taught myself to cast on, knit, and bind off.

I find knitting a great stress release, especially while watching Canucks games... I have just requested the Stitch N Bitch books from the library so I can learn some more techniques and begin knitting patterns.


And Texas Hold 'em... For quite a while now I have been saying how I want to learn to play poker, but my biggest obstacle was that I didn't know the ranks/hands. I was thrown blind into a poker game at Tina's last Saturday, but with a little bit of instruction, and my handy crib sheet of poker hands I did very well. Too bad we didn't play for money...

Which Lost Character are you?

So I took two different tests, with a totally different result for each one...

Which LOST character are you?

Claire You are Claire You are very sweet, but you carry the spawn of Satan.

You scored as Jack. Hey there, Jack! You are a top notch doctor who can solve anything. Although you get overwhelmed with everyones problems you still solve them without a second thought. Everyone loves you! Jack 56% Michael 44% Shannon 44% Claire 38% Kate 38% Boone 31% Sun 25% Locke 19% Sayid 13% Charlie 13% Sawyer 0% Which " quizfarm.com http:> created with QuizFarm.com

Lost

The third season of Lost premiered last night, and OMG, it was good. Especially the opening scene - that was the best!

This is the first time I have watched Lost "live". It's certainly strange watching it with ads and not being able to move onto the next episode right away. That show is seriously like a drug: it leaves you wanting more, and you want it right away.

Warning: spoiler - if you haven't seen last night's episode, stop reading....






The whole episode was great, but I want to talk about the opening scene: at first I thought the woman was Pen, since that's the last person we saw on screen at the end of season two. And because the house looked "normal", I thought maybe the show was opening in the "civilized" world.

When the book club was taking place I began to think that this was somebody's flash back. And then the earthquake hit, so I immediately thought this scene was set in LA. And then everyone runs outside and you see "Henry" and Ethan, and suddenly it clicks, it's the island... and then you see the Oceanic Flight 815 explode in the air - what a rush. And that was only the first few minutes of the episode.

The one question the season opener did answer is what are polar bears doing on a tropical island (remember season 1?); but that was about the only question answered, while you were left asking many, many more... Can't wait till next Wednesday.

On another TV note, Colin and I have five episodes left of Battlestar Galactica season 2 to get through. We must do so by Saturday for the airing of BSG season 3.

Damn, why did television get so good again? On my curent must see TV list we have: LOST, BSG, 24, CSI: Miami, Dog the Bounty Hunter, My Name is Earl, Studio 60, ANTM

ANTM

Just in case you didn't know, because I certainly didn't, the 7th cycle of America's Next Top Model starts tonight: 8 PM on the CW (I believe channel 14). I'm not sure if CityTV is also airing it, as I haven't seen any ads.

What's the Big Deal?

Today Science World is opening a new exhibit: Body Worlds 3, and boy is it stirring up a lot of controversy. Real cadaverous on display. If you don't like the sound of it, if it grosses you out, if you are vehemently against, then just don't go see the exhibit. It's that simple. It's really nothing to get your knickers in a twist about. I do agree, it seems creepy, but it also sounds fascinating and will definitely go check it out. But then I have always loved biology, and was always first in line for dissection labs.

The exhibit gives the public the opportunity that only those in the medical profession get to see: what the human body is really like, and how it works. Personally, I would love to have a better (and visual) understanding of what lies beneath my skin.

If you are interested in this exhibit, check it out.

Bad Blogger

I don't know why, but for some time now I have been really bad about keeping my blog up to date. The most blogging I have done as of late was while I was away on vacation; but only because I had access to a computer. I don't believe vacations are times to go hunt one down...

Speaking of my vacation, it was fabulous. I now suggest to everyone that they should visit New York City at least once in their lifetime. It is like no other place I have ever been to. And every stereotype you see about NYC in the movies, or on TV, is completely true.

I also enjoyed seeing other parts of Canada (other than BC) for the first time in my life. Montreal was beautiful, especially Old Montreal. With the 17th century buildings and cafes galore I felt like I was back wandering the streets of Nice, minus the palm trees.

Ironically I have never felt heat like I did the day we visited Ottawa. Here I was, standing on Wellington Street (we noticed our cat had lots of streets and landmarks named after him) in front of Parliament, in sweltering heat, watching the Caribbean Days parade - very Canadian...

I felt like a kid in a candy shop touring Parliament. I have a minor in Canadian PoliSci. Need I say more.

After our brief stint in Ottawa, we continued our journey west to Huntsville. Colin drove us from Montreal to Ottawa. It only took us two hours, which included a stop in a fly infested Tim Hortons in rural Ontario (I really wanted a chocolate glazed donut, but a fly had claimed it, so I opted for something else). I think we may have been driving a wee bit too fast.

Somewhere outside of Ottawa I took the wheel for the last leg of the drive. I had the best leg of the drive - going through Algonquin Park.

Huntsville was beautiful, a bit on the cool side though. It was great to see all of Colin's family again.

We flew out of TO - my first domestic flight ever, believe it or not. When we drove into TO it was hot, muggy and smoggy. My first, and only impression of the city was "ew."

And now here I am, back in Vancouver. Back in the land of bad pedestrians, and even worse drivers. But I sorely missed my beaches and mountains, family, friends, and cats. The only bad thing about coming home was returning to work, but that is a whole other blog...

A Sampling of NY Photos

Reason(s) to hate the [NY] Yankees

Today the humidity rolled into NY/NJ. For the most part we've been lucky, the temperatures have been very similar to Vancouver: dry, warm, breezy, and completely unusual for this time of year, for this part of the world.

We went into NY State today and went on a Nature hike in one of the state parks. Afterwards we headed back to Jersey for our plane ride around the NYC skyline. We took off out of Jersey, got to the Hudson River, began flying down Manhattan Island, when we received a call over our radio. We couldn't fly into NYC airspace because the Yankees game was beginning. Since 9/11 there is a no fly rule in NYC when there is an outdoor event, with x amount of people taking place.

So fuck the Yankees. Because of them we couldn't fly around NYC.

At least I got to see some nice Jersey skyline (and I'm not being sarcastic - it is the Garden State...)

Tomorrow is our last day in New York. Colin and I plan to wander around SoHo and Greenwich Village, and then attempt to get into a taping of tomorrow's Daily Show...

Blogging from New Jersey

I thought I would take a moment and write a quick blog entry. I have been in NY/NJ for two days now and we have done so much. Let's just say we will never forget our 1st wedding anniversary: a visit to the American Natural History Museum; a stroll around Central Park; went to Grand Central Station; Madison Square Gardens; saw Harlem and the Garment/Fashion district; and topped the night off going up the Empire State Building.

Today we visited Ground Zero - a very strange, somber feeling; walked around the waterfront and visited Battery Park; saw the Statue of Liberty; went to see the UN, but was closed by the time we arrived; had cheese cake at Lindy's in Times Square; and finished the night with a tour bus night tour which took us through SoHo, Greenwich Village and over to Brooklyn.

On our first night (Friday), we drove into NYC and into Times Square - I can't even describe the sight. Sensory overload perhaps...

Of course we traveled to NY the day after the terrorist plot foiling in Britain, so no liquids or creams of any kind were allowed in our carrry-on. We thought security would be insane at YVR, so we arrived extra early; but it was no longer a wait than usual. Of course they did have every customs and security booth open.

And when I got off the plane at JFK, I heard someone calling my name. I assumed it was our friend we are staying with in Jersey, but it was Joe, my Marketing Communications teacher from BCIT. He was on the same flight (but was in 1st class, which is probably why I didn't see him on board). So we chatted away while waiting for our luggage.

Small world.

And, New York is definitely an experience. That's all I can say.

What Being Born on June 1st Means...

Your Birthdate: June 1

You are a natural born leader, even if those leadership talents haven't been developed yet.You have the power and self confidence to succeed in life, and your power grows daily.Besides power, you also have a great deal of creativity that enables you to innovate instead of fail.You are a visionary, seeing the big picture instead of all of the trivial little details. Your strength: Your supreme genius Your weakness: Your inappropriate sensitivity Your power color: Gold Your power symbol: Star Your power month: January

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Success

Colin has made the seemingly impossible, possible. After weeks of talking to different car rental companies, and having no luck getting to Huntsville (or anywhere close), he found a company that actually has a drop off location in Huntsville.

That's the last piece of the puzzle in the organizing of this trip, but I am still waiting for my train tickets to arrive...

Trains, Planes and Automobiles is the perfect title for this trip: We fly Air Canada on Friday to NY; take the train from NY to Montreal next week; and then drive from Montreal to Huntsville (with a visit to Ottawa en route).

I wonder if our travels will be as "interesting" as Steve Martin's and John Candy's...

Let's Try This Again

I had just started writing my first blog entry in a month (or at least a blog entry that requires some form of thought process), when my computer crashed (perhaps a sign to pack up and go home for the long weekend).

I was also without a title for my blog entry, so perhaps the computer crashing was meant to be...

July has been a very insane month. I just don't know where it went (but don't I say that about every month). Work's been crazy, my social life has been jammed pack; I thought it was still June, but here we are in August. Where did the summer go?

And because I didn't realize August was upon us, I am now scrambling around trying to get ready for my vacation. As of a few short hours ago I was homeless and stranded in Montreal. Now I am just stranded. Who knew it would be so difficult to book a car from Montreal to Huntsville (or somewhere in the vincity of Huntsville).

Technically I'm still in Vancouver, but if I don't find a car to get me to Mosquito country I will be stranded in Montreal. And our train tickets from NY to Montreal haven't arrived yet. And it hasn't really sunk in that this time next week I will be on a plane to NY/NJ.

Good thing it's a long weekend.

So what plans do I have to celebrate BC? Tonight I am hanging out with Thalia. We plan to enjoy the evening weather and go for a walk and grab a coffee, maybe rent a movie. Tomorrow I have a hair appointment, and nothing really planned yet for the night. On Sunday Colin and I are off to the first of two weddings this month. And Monday? Who knows? Maybe I will go to Splashdown, because I haven't been watersliding in years (and I've never been to Splashdown - it was always the waterslides in Birch Bay, WA or Cultus Lake)...

Meet Me...

I know have posted an entry like this before (or something very similar), but I love this kind of stuff, so...

Four jobs I have had in my life:
Independent School Admin. Assistant/secretary/Receptionist
Photographer for outdoor advertising company
Promotions coordinator for a local bingo hall
Video store customer service rep

Four movies I could watch over and over:
LA Story
Back to the Future
So I Married an Axe Murderer
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Four Places I have lived:
North Vancouver, BC
Dunbar - Vancouver
Kerrisdale - Vancouver
Marpole - Vancouver

Four TV shows I love to watch:
Royal Canadian Airfarce
24
Lost
Battlestar Galactica

Four places I have been on vacation:
Maui, Oahu, Hawaii
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
England
Monaco

Four websites I visit (almost) daily:
My Blog
CBC
The Weather Network
GreekChat

Four of my favorite foods:
Strawberries
Avacado
Salmon
Chocolate ice cream

Four places I would rather be right now:
YVR
Hawaii
Spanish Banks
Tanning Salon

I have lived through 101 of these 157 things...

I saw this on another blog and thought it would make a neat post...

I have lived through 101 of these 157 things.
1. Put numbers in the boxes instead of x's (example: 1, 2, 3, 4, ...)
2. Repost as "I have lived through ___ of these 157 things."

[1] I have read a lot of books.
[] I have been on some sort of varsity team.
[] I have run more than 2 miles without stopping.
[2] I have been to Canada.
[3] I have been to Europe.
[4] I have watched cartoons for hours.
[5] I have tripped UP the stairs.
[6] I have fallen down an entire flight of stairs.
[7] I have been snowboarding/skiing.
[8] I have played ping pong.
[9] I swam in the ocean.
[] I have been on a whale watch.
[10] I have seen fireworks.
[11] I have seen a shooting star
[12] I have seen a meteor shower.
[] I have almost drowned.
[13] I have been so embarrassed I wanted to disappear.
[14] I have listened to one CD over and over and over again.
[15] I have had stitches.
[] I have had frostbite.
[] I have licked a frozen pole and got stuck there.
[16] I have stayed up 'til 2 doing homework/projects.
[17] I currently have a job.
[18] I have been ice skating.
[19] I have been roller blading.
[20] I have fallen flat on my face.
[21] I have tripped over my own two feet.
[] I have been in a fist fight.
[22] I have watched the Power Rangers.
[] I attend Church regularly.
[23] I have played truth or dare.
[24] I have already had my 16th birthday.
[25] I have already had my 17th birthday.
[26] I've called someone stupid.
[27] I've been in a verbal argument.
[28] I've cried in school.
[] I've played basketball on a team.
[] I've played baseball on a team.
[] I've played football on a team.
[29] I've played soccer on a team.
[] I've done cheerleading on a team.
[] I've played softball on a team.
[30] I've played volleyball on a team.
[] I've played tennis on a team.
[31] I've been on a track or cross country team.
[32] I've been swimming more than 20 times in my life.
[] I've bungee jumped.
[33] I've climbed a rock wall.
[] I've lost more than $20.
[34] I've called myself an idiot.
[35] I've called someone else an idiot.
[36] I've cried myself to sleep.
[37] I've had (or have) pets.
[38] I've owned a Spice Girls CD.
[] I've owned a Britney Spears CD.
[] I've owned an N*Sync CD.
[] I've owned a Backstreet Boys CD.
[39] I've mooned someone.
[] I have sworn at someone of authority before.
[40] I've been in the newspaper.
[41] I've been on TV.
[42] I've been to Hawaii.
[43] I've eaten sushi.
[44] I've been on the other side of a waterfall.
[45] I've watched all of the Lord of the Rings movies.
[46] I've watched all the Harry Potter movies.
[] I've watched all of the Rocky movies.
[47] I've watched the 3 stooges.
[48] I've watched "Newlyweds" Nick & Jessica.
[49] I've watched Looney Tunes.
[] I've been stuffed into a locker/I have stuffed others into lockers.
[] I've been called a geek.
[50] I've studied hard for a test and got a bad grade.
[51] I've not studied at all for a test and aced it.
[52] I've hugged my mom within the past 24 hrs.
[53] I've hugged my dad within the past 24 hours.
[54] I've met a celebrity/music artist.
[55] I've written poetry.
[ ] I've been arrested.
[56] I've been attracted to someone much older than me.
[57] I've been tickled till I've cried.
[58] I've tickled someone else until they cried.
[59] I've had/have siblings.
[60] I've been to a rock concert.
[61] I've listened to classical music and enjoyed it.
[62] I've been in a play.
[63] I've been picked last in gym class.
[64] I've been picked first in gym class.
[65] I've been picked in that middle-range in gym class.
[66] I've cried in front of my friends.
[67] I've read a book longer than 1,000 pages.
[] I've played Halo 2.
[68] I've freaked out over a sports game.
[] I've been to Alaska.
[] I've been to China.
[] I've been to Spain.
[] I've been to Japan.
[] I've had a fight with someone on AIM.
[69] I've had a fight with someone face-to-face.
[] I've had serious conversations on any IM.
[70] I've forgiven someone who has done something wrong to me.
[71] I've been forgiven.
[72] I've screamed at a scary movie.
[73] I've cried at a chick flick.
[74] I've watched a lot of action movies.
[] I've screamed at the top of my lungs.
[] I've been to a rap concert.
[] I've been to a hip hop concert.
[75] I've lived in more than 2 houses.
[76] I've driven on the highway/been on the highway.
[77] I've driven more than 40 miles in a day/been in a car that went more than 40 miles in a day.
[78] I've been in a car accident.
[] I've done drugs.
[79] I've been homesick.
[80] I've thrown up.
[81] I've puked on someone.
[82] I've been horseback riding.
[] I've filled out more than 10 myspace/LJ surveys.
[] I've spoken my mind in public.
[83] I've proved someone wrong.
[84] I've been proven wrong by someone.
[] I've broken a leg.
[] I've broken an arm/fingers.
[85] I've fallen off a swing.
[] I've swung on a swing for more than 30 minutes straight.
[86] I've watched Winnie the Pooh movies.
[] I've forgotten my backpack when I've gone to school.
[] I've lost my backpack.
[] I've come close to dying.
[] I've seen someone die.
[87] I've known someone who has died.
[88] I've wanted to be an actor/actress at some point.
[] I've done modeling.
[] I've forgotten to brush my teeth some mornings.
[89] I've taken something/someone for granted.
[90] I've realized how good my life is.
[91] I've counted my blessings.
[92] I've made fun of a classmate.
[93] I've been asked out by someone and I said no.
[94] I've slapped someone in the face.
[95] I've been skateboarding.
[96] I've been back stabbed by someone I thought was a friend.
[97] I've lied to someone to their face.
[98] I've told a little white lie.
[99] I've taken a day off from school just so I don't go insane.
[] I've fainted.
[] I've had an argument with someone about whether cheerleading is a sport or not.
[100] I've pushed someone into a pool.
[101] I've been pushed into a pool.

Overhaulin'... Canuck Style

When the Canucks lost that oh so important game to San Jose last season, ending their playoff hopes, the talks began. They began amongst Canucks management (of that I am sure), and they began amongst my circle of Canuck crazy friends. In fact, we began talking before the season was over: if the Canucks didn't make the playoffs, Cloutier would be traded, and the team dismantled.

How right we were.

It all started a few weeks ago. Was it a major PR play by Nonis to announce just a day before the NHL draft took place in Vancouver, that Bertuzzi was going to Florida in exchange for Luongo? Maybe.

In that first week we said goodbye to Bert, Allen and Auld, and hello to Luongo, Krajicek and a 6th round draft pick. And then Jovo was traded to Phoenix and Ruutu to Pittsburgh. In came Willie Mitchell, who took a pay cut so he could play in Vancouver, the team he grew up watching and admiring. Then the Twins re-signed (thank god!), but the current rumour is that Carter won't re-sign. So we are left with a gaping hole in the blue line (but, supposedly have a superstar goalie between the pipes), and our first and second lines have been partially dismantled.

Whose left (at least for now): Naslund, Morrison, Cooke, Linden, Park, Salo, Ohlund, some of the farm team guys (like Burrows), and a couple of guys we picked up at the end of last season.

It is going to be a very different Canuck team and a very different season, and I for one, cannot wait.

And here's hoping Luongo doesn't fall into the goalie death trap vortex that appears to exist beneath the city of Vancouver.

I Guess the Rumours Were True...

Well, Vancouver is all a buzz this morning - big, Big, BIG news: Bertuzzi, Auld and Allen have been traded to the Florida Panthers for Krajicek, a 6th round draft pick in today's draft and... Roberto Luongo, who's touted to be the next Roy or Brodeur. Only time will tell I guess.

Does Vancouver finally have its star goalie it has been searching for, for the last 36 years?

Here's my original blog entry regarding this "rumour":
http://shivb.blogspot.com/2005_11_01_shivb_archive.html

I Need to Build a Time Machine

Seriously. Where did June go? I could swear it was my birthday only yesterday, but June started 3 weeks ago. I thought I was busy last June because of a new job, the last couple of months of wedding planning, a shower, a stagette and two weddings to attend. Not sure what my excuse is this time around.

Work has been insane. Life at home has been very busy, especially with the kittens. I have had no time to say boo. I am looking forward to an enjoyable, relaxing weekend. But, I already have both my Saturday and Sunday booked. I plan on doing a thorough car cleaning - washing, vacuuming, the works. I have be waiting for a sunny Saturday for some time to do this, and it looks like this weekend will deliver. On Sunday Colin and I will be spending the day at his parents enjoying the pool and bbq. I also have to find time early next week to go through Air Care since my insurance expires June 30.

Let's just say I am really looking forward to my upcoming, long 4-day, Canada Day weekend. But that is fairly jam packed as well...

Meet Wellington and Tiki

I got a wonderful surprise for my 28th birthday - Colin and I adopted two kittens: a brother (Wellington) and sister (Tiki)...

I have a few more individual pictures of Tiki at this point in time, as Wellington is a bit of a scaredy cat and keeps running away when you try to approach him...

Tiki

Wellington

Wellington & Tiki

They Got It Wrong... Again

It may be early in the day in Vancouver and we are one of the last places on earth to see the sun set (apart from Hawaii and a smattering of Pacific and Polynesian islands); but it is already tomorrow in Australia, and guess what... we're all still here. Yet another apocolyptic prediction down the toilet.

I must say though that 06/06/06 made for a fun drive to work this morning: both Jack FM and Rock 101 were only playing songs that had the word devil or Beelzebub or any other demonic name in it.

However, you can only play the "Devil Inside" so many times - I heard it twice in a 30 minute period.

Canada's Next Top Model

Last night was the much anticipated (well, for me) airing of Canada's Next Top Model. I have watched America's Next Top Model since it first aired in the summer of 2003 and admit I absolutely love this show. However, it is the only reality TV programming I prescribe to. I have now even had enough of the Amazing Race...

How was it? Good. Slower paced than ANTM. Canadian.

It definitely does not have the glam and fast paced feel of ANTM, but this is only the first episode of season 1. So in that respect I will have to give it time. Unlike ANTM which is set in America's fashion meccas of LA and NYC, CNTM is not set in Toronto, nor in Vancouver, but in Victoria. It is, however a truly beautiful back drop: the CNTM house is superior to any house the models have stayed in in ANTM. It is a gorgeous, West Coast-style mansion, with cedar walls and slate floors, and the view, well the view is spectacular. As one of the girls said last night as they enjoyed their boat ride (yes, boat ride) to their new abode, "Beautiful British Columbia...".

On first glance CNTM appears to be the same as ANTM, much like Canadian Idol seemed to be the same is American Idol. It is like looking at one of those puzzle-games with two pictures side by side that appear identical, but once you begin to look deeper, you begin to see the differences.
Sure the name is the same (just sub in Canadian for American) and the concept is the same: whittle a group of girls down to one who has the most top model potential by judging her based on her ability to work the catwalk and photo shoots; but then you begin to see the 'cultural' differences.

I remember the first day of my Canadian Federalism class at UBC: our prof posed this (humorous) question: What is the difference between a Canadian and an American? A Canadian is an American with healthcare and without the gun. This was back in a time (the late 90's) when no one was really sure what defined us as Canadians, until Molson stepped in with "The Rant" and other "Canadian" adds. Is that Canadian? Having our unidentified culture, identified by a beer company? Maybe.

But while we are are stereotyped with beer, hockey donuts and Mounties there is (I believe) an inherent Canadian personality: politeness and on many occasions being reserved. Both of these Idiosyncrasies appeared among many of the CNTM cast, including host Tricia Helfer. The first person to go had amazing potential, but she had a bit of an attitude. But that attitude had nothing on Jade or Eva who made it far (and in the latter case won) ANTM. On CNTM, the rude girl got the first boot... if she was on ANTM she probably would have made it to the top three.

Hopefully, as the show continues, the barriers will break down and the penchant for politeness will dwindle and we will see some good drama and cat fights, because that's what makes ANTM so darn good (besides the modeling).

On a side note: I had no idea Mr. J was Canadian - that's cool.

The End of the World...

...or is it?

As June 6, 2006 draws closer many people are talking about the end of the world. Most in a joking manner, but some seriously.

Yes June 6, 2006 translates into 6-6-6, the sign of the devil, and possibly the end of the earth, but this is not the only June 6, '06 humans have come across. Far from it. How far back would you like to go?

June 6, 6 BC
June 6, 6 AD
June 6, 606 AD
June 6, 1706...

You get my drift. Every century has one. That is a June 6, '06. Nothing has happened on this day in the past; when I say nothing, I mean the end of the world, otherwise I would not currently be writing this blog entry.

If you Cheat, You'll Get Caught

So after a month with no chocolate, no candy, no going out and enjoying deep conversations over a cup of hot chocolate, I threw in the towel. I crashed and burned. I am still doing the 6-week challenge (now into week 5), but the cravings for chocolate were just to great this weekend... so Colin and I took a break Saturday night.

We decided if we were going to cheat and have dessert, we would have to indulge. Would it be True Confections, La Casa Gelato or Death by Chocolate? We went with the latter. Colin was highly disappointed with his cheesecake, but enjoyed his giant mocha-hot chocolate. And I savoured every minute of my mocha ice cream cake, smothered in Kaluha-chocolate sauce.

After our dance with the devil, Colin and I headed out to White Rock to Mark and Tina's to enjoy a hot tub. I noticed on the drive out I didn't have my cell phone. Since I didn't use it at the restaurant I assumed I left it at home. But when we returned home in the wee hours of the morning, I couldn't find it.

I knew it was on, so I tried calling it, but didn't hear it. So, now I assumed it was either in my car or at Death by Chocolate.

The next morning, before I had time to go check my car, I received a call from my Dad asking me if I had my cell. I said no, I had misplaced it last night. I knew then and there where I had left it. The staff at Death by Chocolate had found my cell and had called my Dad's cell. Busted.

My parents first thought it couldn't be my cell, because I was on my Curves diet, so what the hell was I doing at Death by Chocolate. But then they thought it couldn't be Andrew's either (for reasons I can't remember).

My mum told my dad to be careful when calling me, in case I had gone to Death by Chocolate, without telling Colin. It was a pretty good laugh. But I have never left behind or lost my cell phone before, so the moral the story is... if you cheat, you will get caught.

Getting In Touch with Nature

I really needed to get out of the house last night, so Colin and I decided to go for a walk in Minoru Park. We were thinking about going out to the movies but, a) it was just too tortuous last time not being able to eat popcorn, b) the Da Vinci Code just came out Friday and we didn't want to deal with the crowds, and c) it's a long weekend.

So off to Minoru.

I absolutely love this park. It's lush, green and there are so many friendly critters...

Extreme Close-up - Poser Squirrel

Canada Geese

Another Poser Squirrel

Bunny Rabbit

Challenge Me This...

So, I mentioned in my last post that I was starting Curves' 6-week Challenge/Solution. I have tried for a long time to cut the excessive junk food and constant cravings from my diet, but on my own will that just wasn't going to happen.

So, for the next 6 weeks (well 5 weeks now), it's nothing but healthy, good-for-you, delicious food.

After just a week I am already reaping the benefits of being a very healthy eater, but that isn't to say that last week wasn't hard: First of all, it seems all I do now in my spare time is prep food and wash dishes. I've always hated not having a dishwasher. That hate is now ten-fold.

And I went through a major sugar withdrawal over the weekend. Starting Thursday night I had a Fuzzy Peaches craving that would not cease and desist - it lasted three days. Then on Saturday, when my mum took me shopping (which should be happy, fun times) I felt so down. And Saturday night, well... Colin and I decided to get out of the house and go so Mission Impossible III (good flick, by the way); anyways I thought I was going to go nuts with all the people around me munching on their popcorn and chocolate and FUZZY PEACHES!

I was quite relieved when the movie started...

It's an understatement to say I am lucky - Colin is doing the Challenge with me. He gets up and preps breakfast every morning. And you should see what we eat for breakfast. I know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I usually have a bowl of cereal, or yoghurt or toast, something. Well, now cereal just isn't enough. Nope we need to have eggs and bacon along with that bowl of cereal.

That being said, I was hungry the first few days. During Phase 1 (week one of the challenge) you are consuming around 1200 calories a day. That isn't much. But by Thursday I wasn't as hungry. During Phase 2 (weeks 2 - possibly 6) you up your caloric intake to 1600. I felt so full yesterday, and same again today. I am currently eating my morning snack (at 3:00 PM), haven't touched my afternoon snack yet, and still have to have dinner too.

Do you what my morning snack was today? Some carrots, and a whole can of tuna. Yes, the whole, fracking can.

I move onto Phase 3 either: at the end of 6 weeks; when I hit my goal; or when I begin to plateau, i.e. no weight loss over the course of two weeks.

I am only a week and a bit into this, but I am already learning what I set out to learn over the next 6 weeks - how to prepare delicious, healthy meals (I now have a great salmon recipe) and how to get over cravings.

That's not to say I will never eat chocolate or fuzzy peaches ever again...

Gastroenteritis

So it turns out that nasty stomach flu I had was gastroenteritis, which is very similar to the Norwalk virus. People all over Vancouver have been hit with it to some degree or other. In fact parts of both UBC and VGH were shut down.

Time to back track: I only ended up working about a 6 hour day, two weeks ago. I managed to make it back into work on the Thursday, but did not last the whole day. I had my flex that Friday, and thought it best to take it and try to get over my illness. I didn't feel any better until Friday afternoon and my digestive system was still reeling until Sunday evening.

By Saturday I was suffering from cabin fever. During the day I walked into Marpole and ran some errands - dry cleaning, mail, return DVD's, etc. That night, I just had to be out of the house - and stay out. Colin and I decided to go see a movie - the only one that was playing that we were interested in seeing was American Dreamz. It was disappointing. The last 40 minutes were excellent, but the rest of the movie just dragged.

BTW: If you are looking for a great movie, go see Thank You for Smoking.

OK, back to last weekend. After the movie we went out for all you can east sushi. This was a real treat, especially after living on apples and rice for the last five days. The sushi tasted good going down - but later in the evening my body reminded that I was still suffering from gastroenteritis...

At this point it was about 10:30 PM and I refused to return home. My parents and grandparents were returing from their Caribbean cruise that night, so I suggested we surprise them and pick them up at the airport. We had just enough time to drive to my parents' house, pick up their car and drive out to YVR. But, in my haste, I forgot to check the flight info - the flight was supposed to arrived at 11:30 PM, but was delayed till 12:40 AM - thank god we live close to the airport. We went home for about an hour, watched some Saturday Night Live, and then returned to the airport to pick up my parents and grandparents.

By the time they cleared customs and picked up their luggage it was close to 1:30 AM and I was now ready to go home.

Last Sunday was a gorgeous day - warm and sunny. Colin and I walked down to Fraser River Park and walked along the trails for about an hour. When we returned home, I grabbed my book and sat outside in the sun for an hour - the first official day of outdoor tanning.

Last week was a hectic one. To start with, it was my first 5-day week since the end of March. And my first week back at work after being ill. Despite that, the week flew by: on Monday I started Curves 6 Week challenge (will explain more later).

Tuesday was the Canadian Bingo Forum, which took place in Vancouver this year. I was in the office all day, but all the attendees came to Planet Bingo that evening for a dinner we were hosting. I thought once dinner was over and we settled our guests into electronic Bingo, it would be time to go home - but it wasn't. I worked a 13 hour day Tuesday, and top that off, it was very warm. I returned home around 9:30 PM, hot, sticky and exhausted.

The rest of the week was uneventful: Colin and I went for a swim on Thursday and then sat in the hot tub and sauna afterwards. Then it was time for more all you can eat sushi.

Friday was a very quiet day at work - I was all by myself until the early afternoon. Friday evening I went out with Lisa to see Stick It. It was a fun way to spend the night.

I spent Saturday day doing chores and watching TV. That evening we met up with Lisa and Andrew and went to this great Greek restaurant on Commercial. Afterwards we returned to Lisa and Andrew's to watch Clerks - which I had not seen before, even though I have seen a handful of Kevin Smith movies.

Sunday, Colin and I tackled the shopping list for the first week of Curves' 6 week challenge. I am finding it quite frustrating since everything is in ounces and gallons - next time I convert everything to metric before we go shopping.

While searching Oakridge for a food scale, I popped into HMV and picked up the second season of Battlestar Galactica - that will take the edge off of waiting for the second season of Lost to come out.