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.

Book Club

Currently I am reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides...

















This is a great book which I haven't been able to put down since I started reading it.


For our April Book Club we read The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Another must read!

Now Here's a Story

Again, it has been weeks since I last updated my blog, but I really have had nothing that significant or interesting to write about until now – well, until Monday evening.

I had a great long, long weekend. I suppose I am one of the lucky ones whose office remains closed on Easter Monday. I don’t remember much about Friday day; Friday evening I drove over to North Van and spent the evening with Thalia – it was the usual: grab a sushi dinner and watch a movie – this week it was “Inventing the Abbotts.” Great flick.

Saturday the cleaning bug hit me, so I vacuumed, washed, scrub, polished. But while my apartment is germ free, it isn’t clutter free. I have come to accept that until I complete a full “Spring Clean," going through every last thing in my apartment and making the decision to turf or to keep, I will never be fully satisfied with my abode.

That afternoon I headed over to Chris and Lica’s new place to celebrate their son’s (Ken) first birthday.

It’s starting to happen – the weddings are slowing down – I only have one this year, compared to the five last year – and the babies are coming…

So back to the birthday: I always have a good time at Chris and Lica’s. It’s an opportunity for me to catch up with some of my sorority sisters and some of Colin’s fraternity brothers who we are close with, but don’t often get to see.

Colin and I bought Ken his first Mr. Men books. They were a bigger hit with the adults, as our friends flipped through them, bringing back childhood memories.

On Sunday, Colin and I sat down and began planning our summer vacation. This year, our vacation is being planned around Gavin’s (my brother-in-law) wedding, which is taking place in Huntsville, Ontario.

Since I have never ventured outside of BC (when it comes to Canada), we are looking at this as an opportunity for me to actually see some of Canada; and for me to introduce to Colin to the Eastern US seaboard. I’m not claiming to be an expert on the area, having only visited Norfolk, VA and Philadelphia, PA, but I have always had a fun time in that part of the world, and really enjoy the people.

So here’s the plan, of which nothing is final: Fly to NYC, where we plan to spend our one year wedding anniversary. Then take the bus to Boston and spend some time there. Then take the bus to Montreal and spend time there. And the rent a car and drive it to Huntsville, hopefully making a quick stop in Ottawa, so I can visit my nation’s capital.

We spent the evening of Easter Sunday dining with my in-laws, since my parents are in the middle of a Caribbean cruise. I loved the email Easter greeting I received from my mum: Happy Easter from Barbados – wish you were here!

Monday was a relatively quiet day, I ran few errands… and then it hit: Around 7:00 PM I started having intense stomach pains. I lay on the couch, hoping it would pass. I was somewhat spared until the end of 24, and then my body threw me a one-two punch and I doubled over in pain.

I felt like someone was grabbing my stomach and intestines, and twisting them. The pain subsided a little bit, but every 20 minutes or so my whole digestive system just wreaked havoc on me. I had never felt anything like it before. Colin was ready to take me to the hospital, but I wasn’t ready to make that move, yet.

I am the opposite of a hypochondriac – I would have to be missing a few limbs before agreeing to go to a hospital. But by 2:00 AM, after four hours of excruciating pain, which had now moved to the kidney area, I decided not to take any chances, and left for UBC….

…Only to find out that UBC emergency isn’t open after hours. We were pretty much half between VGH and Richmond General – I opted to go into Richmond.

I think a lot of our belief, faith and anger in the BC Health Care system stems from our personal experiences with it. A couple of years ago, I had to take Colin to emergency during the day, on a Saturday. We went to Richmond General that time as well, and didn’t have to wait very long at all. Such, was my experience on Monday night (or Tuesday morning by this time). I was admitted right away.

I met with a nurse as soon as I arrived at the hospital and she took some info from me. After that she took me to a bed. Right after that another nurse came along and got some more information from me. Then the doctor came to see me. He pushed and prodded my digestive organs. He told me he wanted to do a blood test to rule out the possibility of Appendicitis. If my white blood cell count was normal, it was nothing more than a stomach virus; however, if my white blood cell count was higher than normal then they would have to run some tests and make sure I didn’t have an infection. The only waiting I had to do at all was to wait for the results of my blood test.

It was a very odd experience, laying there in the emergency room. You see, I have never personally been admitted to emergency before, and the last time I was in hospital was 17 years ago, when I had mole removed from the side of my face.

As I lay there listening to the machines, all I could think of was that scene in Monty Python’s the Meaning of Life, where the doctor asks if they have the machines that boop and bing, or something like that. It’s always good to have a sense of humour, especially when lying in emergency and you aren’t quite sure what the hell is going on with you.

My white blood cell count was normal. It turns out I had caught a nasty stomach virus which seems to be making its way through Vancouver.

I returned home from the hospital around 3:30 AM. I still had bad cramping. Even to this very moment I am not a hundred percent, but a hell of a lot better than Monday evening.

So my four day weekend, turned into a six day one. I am feeling much better, other than the fact my digestive system feels like it took a helluva beating.

I will go to work tomorrow – Friday, we shall have to see. Friday is my flex – I may go in and catch up or I may stay home and take nice long weekend and recoup from this nasty, painful ailment.

Finally...

I think it is safe to say that Spring has arrived. It's wet. It's kind of warm. I can wear sandals and not freeze my toes off. It's Springtime in Vancouver.

Let me get the sad/bad news out of the way first - unfortunately for the citizens of Vancouver, Colin will not be out on the streets protecting us. He received his "dear john" letter from the VPD on Tuesday saying his recruitment has come to an end. And the worse thing is that they give you no explanation. So, suffice it to say, the last couple of days have been rough. Now we are keeping our fingers crossed and hope Colin finds himself getting shipped off to Regina... (not something I would wish on my worst enemy, but in this case, it would be a very good thing). Of course it could be a really long time before we hear back from the RCMP. Should we be surprised about this? No. After all, we are dealing with the Canadian government. And we all know how the government likes to take its sweet time with things.

So, apart from that horrible, black mark, things have been good. Last weekend Lisa and Andrew hosted the traditional Whistler weekend. The same group, now with spouses, has been heading up to Whistler for a weekend of fun since 1997. But just because we aren't 19 anymore doesn't mean we can't party like we aren't 19 anymore - I think we had our largest and most varied Whistler bar yet. Which is probably due to the fact that we are all working now and can afford a well-stocked liquor cabinet.

With Andrew heading back to Vancouver Saturday afternoon for the Canucks game, and Colin and Dasha skiing all day, Travis, Lisa and I got into the hard stuff early. It was a relaxing day of drinking, reading, electronic Yahtzee and board games.

We took the dogs and wandered over to the new "Village" in Creekside. It's great, we don't have to drive all the way to the Village now to pick up the necessities - food, booze and Starbucks.

Thalia and Todd made it up to Whistler around 6:30 PM, and at 7:00 PM we all crammed into my Honda Civic (minus Dasha and Lisa) and headed to Colin's place (Whistler Cay Heights) to catch the hockey game.

They were doomed to lose. The fact that Andrew had to drive back to Vancouver and then back up to Whistler after the game had Canucks loss written all over it.

Ciro and Andrew made it back up to Whistler around 11:30 PM.

Unfortunately for me, I had to be at work on Sunday to take one picture. Yes, I had to leave Whistler earlier than I wanted too, to rush back to Vancouver to take one bleeding photo. So many cliches come to mind - life sucks, c'est la vie, when life gives you lemons... Oh well.

Don't Mess With My Snow Pile, Bitch...

These could have easily been the words spoken on Monday between Marty Turco and Alex Burrows.

During a long break in play, while penalties were being doled out, truce started to build a little snow pile around his net. Goalies will do this to make it harder for the puck to go into the net. Anyways, Burrows skates right throw Turco's snow pile. Turco is extremely upset by Burrows' action and starts, what looks like, mouthing off to Burrows, and gives him a small shove. Burrows answers back. And lo and behold another two penalties are handed out - what do you call that one - two minutes for messing with the goalie's snow pile?

Even though Vancouver lost, again, the game on Monday against Dallas was definitely one of the most amusing hockey games I have ever seen.

Time Flies

Where has March gone? I can't believe the month is almost over, and Spring starts next week, although you wouldn't believe it. I think someone in Vancouver has done something severely wrong and has royally pissed off the weather gods. First, there was that insane amount of rain in January. And now? It's cold, too cold for this time of year.

If March has to have a theme, I would refer to it as the reunion month. I started my first weekend of March with the first of two (or more) 10 year reunions. Every year, on the first Friday of March, Crofton hosts a school birthday and alumnae luncheon/reunion. You can attend any year, but is traditional to return during a big reunion year. There were only two of us from 1996, and only three of us who graded between 1990-2005. So Jen and I didn't have a chance to reconnect with classmates, but we did get to chat with some of our teachers, including our Grade 1 teacher!

I also found out that the Kappa representative on VAPA also attended Crofton (she graded in '70).

The next day Colin and I headed to Port Coquitlam for Devon's birthday dinner. This could be classified as a reunion since we hadn't seen Devon since our wedding (7 months ago) and it had been ever longer since we saw Devon's husband Steve (I believe he was in Vietnam on our wedding day). After dinner the group headed to Boulevard Casino. This was only my second time in a casino, but found this one far more impressive than Edgewater Casino. I didn't feel like staying too long though as it reminded me too much of work. I may work in the Bingo division, but all the BCLC messaging is the same...

On the following Tuesday I had dinner with a classmate from BCIT. We became good friends during our two year marketing program, but lost touch after graduation. So after almost two years we reconnected and spent five hours at the Milestones in Kits catching up.

The following weekend Colin and I enjoyed a night out at the Blarney Stone. It is the only club I enjoy going to anymore, and usually go 2 or 3 times a year - when the mood strikes me. We got there around 8:30 PM (which is not early for the Blarney), but wanted to leave to go watch the end of the hockey game. Turns out you can now watch hockey at the Blarney Stone on their new, projection screen TV.

Then I got sick (but not from the drinking last Saturday). I got this horrible cold that is going around. It is not your usual cold however. Yes, you get congested and a soar throat, but this thing sucks the energy out of you. Despite living a very active life and getting plenty of sleep, I spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday absolutely exhausted. Wednesday morning I woke up and could barely get out of bed - so I have missed the last two days of work. I am back at work today. I still don't feel %100, but I feel a lot better than 2 days ago.

And here we are - it's Saint Patrick's day and I'm wearing my green sweater and I can't wait for the work day to end and the weekend to begin.

My Nemesis

I think it's good to have a nemesis. It makes life a little more fun and interesting.

I don't personally know my nemesis. I don't know what they look like. In fact, I don't even know if they are male or female. All I do know is that my nemesis is a Calgary Flames fan (season tickets holder as far as I can tell) and owns an air horn.

I refer to him/her/it as "Air Horn Dude."

I first came across my nemesis in game 3, round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2004. As I watched the game from home in Vancouver, I could not shake from my mind the incessant blaring of that annoying air horn.

And it was there, for every game played in Calgary during the Stanley Cup playoffs - of course they went all the way to the Stanley Cup finals - and I watched those games - cursing and swearing under my breath at Air Horn Dude.

Unfortunately, for me, during the off season and the year-long NHL lockout, the air horn did not meet an untimely end. It did not get run over by a car, or trampled in the Red Mile, for there it was, blaring away during the first Vancouver-Calgary home game of the 2005-06 season. And it is still there. Every game the Canucks play in Calgary (which is why I believe that Air Horn Dude is a seasons ticket holder - or they just happen to go every Canucks game in Cowtown). And what makes that air horn even more the bane of my life? Thanks to the NHL's new scheduling the Canucks have already played 5 games in Calgary - thank god there are no more this season.

But then there's the playoffs...

(Disclaimer: the blog is all in good fun and humour - my real nemesis is Greg Millan ;)).

That's All She Wrote

Well, another Winter Olympics has come and gone, and what a great Olympiad it was for Canada (apart from men's hockey). We finished 3rd overall with a [Canadian] record high of 24 medals, only one off Canada's predicted 25 medals.

As we prepare for the Olympics to come to Canada in 2010, The Canadian Olympic Committee has created a program entitled Own the Podium. The essence of the program is to win the most medals in 2010. The first part of the program laid out a plan to finish in the top 3 in Torino - which is exactly what Canada did. And owning the podium in 2010 looks like a real possibility as Canada had 45 top 5 finishes in Torino.

I am looking forward to the next four years: It will be an extremely unique experience to watch my home prepare for the Winter Olympics.



http://www.vancouver2010.com/en