That's right. One day.

Well about 20 hours and 12 minutes if you want to be exact.

Woo hoo!

I've been trying to post for days now but the new version of blogger has been a bit of a nightmare to get up and running so I am back to the old one. Perhaps I check out wordpress next week while I am off though I keep thinking that I might be ready to retire this blog thing.

We're down to 2 days on the countdown clock. Its funny, the days flew by through most of December but the last few have felt like the longest days of my life. Hopefully time will continue to move slowly while Trent is here and January 5th won't come too soon. We have a full itinerary for his visit. Most of it involves refusing to make any firm plans and restricting group activities to one per group, although the BMO crew seem to think they are getting two. Hey...if they want to come join us for the Polar Bear Dip on New Years Day they are more than welcome but I'm betting there aren't any takers.

As for actual plans, New Years Eve we are off to Niki & John's for dinner. Then on New Years Day after the Polar Bear Dip we are heading to Jennifer, Greg and Ben's for a little open house action. After that we don't have any set plans for most of the week other than meeting up with Trent's Deline roommate to drop off some stuff to be shipped up North.

It's 8:37 AM and I am ready to go home. This is going to be a long day!

Yes, it's been quite a while since I have posted anything.

I've been busy, to say the least. But as of about midnight last night I am officially ready for Christmas. Well, just about. I still need to do laundry and then figure out how I am going to fit any clothes into my carry-on suitcase that is already breaming with Christmas gifts.

We celebrated the HOF Christmas last night. I can't wait to see the photos as Tat said I looked great in a couple of them. I know I was 'cheese'ing from this side of the phone so fingers are crossed that they turned out well. Each year we choose names and as I wasn't in town to do the actual choosing Lt. Dan wrote a little script to do the name pulling. For the first time in years I didn't get #3 as the person to buy for but she still got me. I got a great learn to knit book, some needle and yarn. The yarn was chosen with Trent in mind so like it or not (and he claims that he would wear anything I made him - FOOL) he's getting my first creation which will be a scarf. I can't wait to get started.

Just two more days of work then its off to the airport. I hate the red-eye but knowing that Trent and I will get to hang out for a couple of hours before we each jump on our connecting flights home will definitely make it worth while. We managed to book flights that land 4 minutes apart at Pearson on Friday...and it really was more of a coincidence than planning on our part.

Anyways...must get myself cleaned up and out the door to go and meet the marathon people.

Whistler was great yesterday. It's unbelieveable how much snow there already is up there. I managed to find a few runs with a bit of powder but I can't wait to hit the bowls later in the season after a fresh snow fall. It's a great time of year to be up there because its not too busy yet...you never have to stand in line for a lift more than, say a minute. It was sweet. Caught a few pictures with the party camera. They certainly do don't the day justice.

Woo Hoo! Off to Whistler in the morning for my first day of boarding this season. I can't wait. Making it an early night as I am still getting over my cold and want to have lots of energy for what I expect to be an exhausting day. Just need to dig out all my gear and make sure the board is all tuned up. Woo hoo!

Then tomorrow night its dinner with Jackie. Woo Hoo x 2!

Last night we battled the snow and slippery roads making our way down to the Commodore for the Cat Power concert. It was the last stop on the tour for Cat Power and the Memphis Rythm band (I think that was their name). What should have been a great show was marred by most of the band being sick and Cat Power herself struggling to make it through the set. Will give her credit for trying but it really was a bit of a disappointment when the show was noticeably short and her band had to do a few numbers without her.

Got my third Green Earth Organics delivery today and wow...it was bountiful! This week I got tangerines, chinese pears, apples, bananas, bosc pears, green apples, red apples, a zuc, a cucumber, rainbow chard, brocolli, potatoes, onions, mushrooms and a squash. I have no idea how I am going to get through all of this but I'm up for the challenge.

Watching Ellen right now and she has Sarah Ramirez on who plays Callie. I think she might be my favourite character on the show. She is such a great role model for girls/women, she's not waifish like the rest of the characters and plays a strong sexy women.

I forgot how much I love the snow. While most Vancouverites are cursing the snow and the ensuing chaos I have been walking around with a big smile on my rosey jacck frost kissed cheeks.

I finally got lights up on my balcony. Its looking rather Christmas..I quite like it.

Before I forget I needed to get this post up.

I had the craziest dream last night. I was in a motor boat with a bunch of people when I spotted a giant lobster. And when I say giant, I mean giant...like killer whale size. We are all facinated by it and then begin to get a little worried as its heading right for us. All of a sudden the captain screams that its going to try and attack us and we are racing off in the boat at full speed with it following us. The only way we can escape is by beaching the boat. After a bit we head out in the water again (there was a reason but I can't remember why) and then a giant whale starts trying to attack us and I am in the lower level sub deck on the boat as I was sent down to fix something and I can see this thing come at us time and time again and all I am thinking is if it takes a chunk off of this hull I'm a goner. Then all of sudden I see an orca and it drives away the killer whale and happily circles around our boat protecting us. He's not huge though...he's regular size.

Interpretations anyone?

Damn...just when I started brushing my teeth with tap water again.

E-coli found in Vancouver water

Trent says I am bragging but I really believe these double chocolate almond cookies may be the best cookie I have ever made. It's not like I invented the recipe, I just substituted the almonds for the walnuts (boring) called for in the recipe. I'm going to have a hard time packing these babies up to send up North. Cookies...what cookies?

Mike V is in town today so I'm just waiting for him to get back from Whistler where he says the powder was waist deep. It will be nice to grab a beer and catch up as the last time I saw him was in Bala on the August long weekend when we shared a hitched ride back from the Sloan concert.

I am addicted to Top Chef. I'm glad that stuck up Stephen was finally sent home tonight.

I've managed to score some tickets to the European Union Film Festival that is running here in Van from November 23rd to December 7th. There are so many films that look good that its going to be hard to choose.

Here are the ones that I am considering:
It Will Stay Between Us - Slovkia
Eastern Sugar - Hungary
A Woman in Winter - UK (unfortunately I have hockey the night it is showing)
Men at Arms - Estonia

Ughh...no end in sight to my feeling dirty after my shower. Hopefully my little corner store will still have a few cases of the exorbinantly over priced water left by the time I get home this evening.

Besides not ever really feeling clean the only other part that I am struggling with in this water advisory is the washing of my dishes. Even after boiling the water and letting it cool down it is still brownish and there is a layer of silt/dirt in the pot so rinsing my dishes in it seems kind of pointless. I've also been trying to hold off on doing laundry as I can't imagine my whites being too white after a run through the brown water.

I had forgotten until yesterday that I had tickets to the Decemberists concert tonight. So at 9:00 PM we headed down to the Commodore to catch the show. Thought ourselves very lucky to get a parking spot directly in front of the club.

The reason for the good parking spot is explained by the following photo. Oh well...looks like we'll be catching the show December 14th instead. As we were already downtown we decided to grab a drink at Doolins before heading home. Somehow I scored the money chair. I managed to get not one, but two different drunk guys at the table beside us try and befriend me over the course of an hour. And no...I do not like to be called Sweet Cheeks...not even by friends!

SLF just provided the best comment yet about this whole boil water advisory here in Van.

"Remember the time when we became a third world province over night?"

SLF, JC and I are meeting for grilled cheese and fries for lunch today. I wish I could say it was because we don't feel safe eating salad right now but we had this planned all week. A little comfort food as we all deal with the rain and remember how it never rained this much in TO...not that any of us are complaining.

My shower smelled like the Rouge this morning

Ohh....and the mascot has been found. In Halifax! Explain that one for me?

The reason I haven't posted lately is that I've been busy building my arc.

This article goes a long way to explaining the brown water today in all of the toilets on my floor at work. There just wasn't any pretty way to get that line out, but I have to tell you, it had been baffling me all morning.

The good thing about all this rain in Van...it means its snowing in Whistler.

Whistler is opening early...November 18th. SWEET! I just signed up for my edge card and if all goes well I will be able to hit the slopes this weekend with Mike V when he stops by TO after his interview at UVIC.

Woo hoo!

It's Friday, it's still raining and I still have a missing mascot.

It's been a busy week. Wed night I attended the Whitecaps State of the Franchise meeting. Got me excited for next season and confirmed my suspicions that Martin Nash (Steve Nash's brother) is the cuter of the two Nashes.

This afternoon I am off to Chilliwack for the BC Sectionals for Skate Canada...ahh yes figure skating. Should be interesting. To my horror I discovered that Chilliwack wasn't like Mississauga is to TO like I had assumed but it is a good 2 hour drive...on a good day. Today is not a good day. It's a Friday, on a long weekend, and its pouring rain. Chilliwack has got a lot of news coverage lately, even on the weather network (which I only realized when I got out here, is rather TO centric). You may have seen the cows stranded in the new river...yes, I will be going to lovely Chilliwack. I've decided to head out early to try and avoid some of the traffic (apparently its the bridges that kill ya) and was going to try and take in a movie somewhere in Chilliwack. Well..maybe not. They have two theatres and neither have weekday matinees. I was going to make a crack here about your being able to take the city girl out of the city but then I realized..that isn't really me. I mean yes, I was born in and grew up in the big city but I'm as comfortable, if not more so in small towns too.

Time to run and get a few last things done before I head out on my expedition. Have a great Friday of a long weekend.

UPDATE - The bear is still MIA but I did receive a box with knapsacs, scarves and some fleece jackets that I never ordered

S%*$!!!!

Our giant blue bear mascot has gone MIA on route from Victoria to Van and I need him for an event tomorrow morning at 7:00AM. How does one lose a giant blue bear?

AGHHHHH!

Ok...apparently even people from Vancouver think all this heavy rain is unusual. Someone just stormed out of my office all angry as his flight out this morning on the float plane to the Island has been cancelled as they can't fly with this rain.

The beer beef stew last night turned out quite well, though next time I will cut the amount of beef in half and add potatoes and carrots. The cheese biscuits though...wow...soooo cheesy and yummy and really easy to make. I see them becoming a staple.

I was just looking online for some information on scales or darkness for beer (for the beer beef stew). At Rate Beer I found the following...too funny.

lawnmower beer - a beer best consumed while in a hot environment and/or after vigorous physical activity. a beer with drinkability and refreshing flavors as paramount characteristics.

I'm still trying to see if I can use a red or wheat beer for my stew as I don't have any dark beer on hand.

I have a busy weekend planned. After my run and brunch tomorrow I am heading up to Squamish. Stopping in to see Tanya for tea before going to a BBQ at Katie's new place with Gary and Cheryl. Sunday its yoga in the morning then prepping for a dinner I am making for two friends from work. I'm testing out a new recipe on them, a beer beef stew I saw on Chef at Home earlier this week. As T-bone will vouch..its a big thing for me to try cooking anything with meat in it.

Right now I have Men in Trees on. Apparently the bar in the show is right down the street from Tanya's in Squamish.

Ohh and I got me some nice new boots tonight. Had to get the people at Feet First to stretch them out because of my fricken boy sized calves. Ohh good line on Men in Trees. "This is what I have been saving for all this time...you are my rainy day."

I'm not sure how I feel about Anne Heche.

I am so excited. I got my first delivery from Green Earth Organics today. Everything looks so great!

It included the following:
4 BC Gala apples
1.5 lbs bananas
2 BC Asian pears
2 pomegranates
2 oranges
1 lb carrots
1 BC rainbow chard
1 BC green leaf lettuce
2 yellow onions
1 green pepper (I got red)
1.5 lbs red potatoes
1 sweet dumpling squash
BC alfalfa sprouts
2 BC beefsteak tomatoes

Brrr...its cold here. Temperature on the Molson sign said 2C this morning and I just heard that there was snow in Chilliwack on the weekend. If I wanted these types of conditions I would have stayed in TO.

Dinner with Gary and Cheryl was great fun last night. Our waiter kept coming up and then turning and walking away when he realized he wasn't going to be able to get a word in. I entertained them with stories of my adventure to the North while they filled me in on their trip to Hawaii with the boys for the Molokai. We definitely were having the most fun of anyone at the restaurant. The food, like last time, did not disappoint. We all started with the soup which was unbelieveable. for my main course I had the Congolaise moule frites and man was it good. Despite being stuffed we still went for dessert sharing the belgium waffle and some banana fritters...both were delicious.

Gary and Cheryl are in town for a few days so I am off to meet them for dinner tonight. I've made reservations at Chambar...I can't wait for some moule frites and fun times...its impossible to not have a great time when you're out with them.

It crazy windy here today, the weather network says gusts of 65 KM...I'm guessing that is pretty strong. On my way to yoga I am going to wander by the beach first to check out the waves. Hopefully I can get a few pictures to show you what it looks like.

By the time I got to the beach the wind had dropped considerably. The waves were still pretty big but no huge crashing ones like I had expected.

Last night I went to the Parade of Lost Souls here in Vancouver. The parade is a celebration of the circle of life and death with more than 200 performers and easily a couple of thousand paraders. I was sad that I didn't go in costume because almost every one in attendance was dressed up. We arrived just a little too late and missed the main performance in the park but we still got to see many of the performers as they wandered the street enteraining the paraders.

My favourite had to be Le Roi du Quebec. This guy was dressed in 1970's style wrestling garb and was going around challenging anyone and everyone to wrestle him with the worst french accent I have ever heard (besides my own). Three times we stopped to watch him, with the final time being to watch him wrestle a Lego Man. It was hysterical. There were two Lego Men and they kept tapping in each other in and out. At one point I really though Le Roi was going to kill one..and I think he thought so too.

The ghostly tango dancers were also very good. One woman was madly stomping around the dance circle and every now and then approach someone in the audience and give them a piece of her mind..in Spanish. We quickly figured out why it was easy to get a spot right at the front of the circle as that made you prime target to be a dance partner for one of the performers. Despite my constant jerking my head to the left so they pick Scooper, he never ended up being a victim.

It was so much fun. Next time I will wear a costume for sure as I think you would feel more a part of the event rather than just a spectator. It also allows you to not be yourself which from the looks of things was a lot of fun for many of the participants.

Two things this morning.

1. I do believe 12C is the perfect temperature to walk to work
2. If I eat another rice crispy square this morning I will be sick

Hmmm...I walked over to Winners at lunch today in search of wool socks. What I left with were stockings.. 2 stockings in fact. Not exactly what I had in mind when I set out.

I've started updating On My Bedside Table. I should have a few more reviews up tonight and I hope to fix the section on the side by the same name. It will actually list what is on my bedside table (books..not all the other stuff) and I also want to add the Book Basket as its loaded up with books just waiting to be read.

*********************************

It was a fairly quiet weekend. Friday night I hung out with JM and baby Ben. We attempted to watch a movie on PPV but couldn't seem to get it to work. So after some hot chocolate with marshmallows (yum) we called it a night.

Saturday morning Ben had his first official run in his new baby jogger. It went well, but unfortunately the stroller did not slow JM down as much as we would have hoped.

Sunday I poked around Granville Island looking for Christmas gift ideas in the artisian shops and then wandered around the food market picking up bits and pieces at different vendors. I got myself some beautiful double smoked bacon which I can wait to fry up. I also picked up all of the ingredients I needed to make my chicken dumplings. After a quick nap (I set the timer for 1 hour) I got to work on the dumplings and two hours later I had some 60 of them and a nice batch of wonton soup (the wontons being the chicken dumplings). I froze all of the soups minus the one I brought for lunch today and made myself about 5 packages of the dumplings ready to fry up or add to soup. I am set for quite some time...the freezer can't hold much more in the way of left overs frozen for lunches.

I'm not sure if I mentioned but my job in Van has been made permanent...it doesn't look like I will be sorting mail in Deline anytime soon :( I'm now responsible for Marketing and Sponsorships for BC & Yukon Territory. I've been pushing for the NWT but it seems like the Prairies aren't ready to give it up.

My first official sponsorship assignment is working on our figure skating sponsorship. This should be interesting as we have a hockey player (me), a speed skater (my branch lead) working with a figure skating club that is new to hosting an event of this size. "What do you mean checking isn't allowed?"

Toe Pick!

I've got a new link on the blog to On My Bedside Table. As per your request AS, I will try and update it regularly. If you are reading anything good or have a favourite you think we'd like let me know. If you are really keen and I trust your taste then I'd even be willing to give you access rights to post...yes I know, its very big of me.

Okay..,must go to bed now. I was planning to log off a good hour ago.

Good night!

Ackk! I've just discovered that NWA does not fly direct between Van and Detroit anymore...it must have just been for the summer. Crummy!

Yeah for me. I got two exciting packages via interoffice mail today.

The first was a cd from Tat called The Last Kiss.I think it might be a movie soundtrack, I've just thrown it in the cd player and I'm liking what I've heard so far.

The second was some tunes on a memory stick from Dan which I am just in the process of copying to my computer. This too looks good. It's got some Cold War Kids, Sufjan Stevens and Smoosh who I just recently heard something from and liked. I know I can always trust Dan's musical recommendations, he's never misled me.

It's a good thing Trent brought the sign because I could have had problems picking him out of the crowd at the Deline airport.

Happy Birthday

Trent

The rain has arrived here in Van. I'd been warned that the beautiful weather wouldn't last forever and yesterday afternoon it turned cool and in the night the rain began. Such is the way of the seasons, at least I got to the UBC Apple Festival yesterday.

Photos courtesy of Niki Boyd...photographer and partner in crime extraordinaire

It was so much fun. Why has it taken me so long to visit the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research? There is so much more there than apples as you will see from some of the following photos. It was very cool to discover that they donate the fresh produce to help the homeless. At the farmers market I picked up some great preserves, mini dill pickles, pickled garlic (YUM) and sliced dills. It was so hard to choose just three..I'm regretting not getting myself a jar of the Maritime Chow Chow...it was so good.

After my run this morning I am off to the UBC Apple Festival at the UBC Botanical Gardens. I've been told I need to try the Ambrosia, a variety that has only recently been discovered. Soo excited. Trent and I made apple pie on the weekend and it was so good that I might attempt a few little ones that I can freeze so I can have pie when ever I want it.

Must remember to take my camera.

Vehicle inspection + hotline booties = a good deal.

This morning I went to get a vehicle inspection done on the Santa Fe so I can get my car plated and insured here in BC. I asked the guy at the ICBC office where to go for it. He said the Canadian Tire right next door did them for $108 plus tag and taxes or I could go to this other place that was $48 but it was about a 10 minute drive away. At a $60 dollar price difference I decided it was worth the drive to Cambie so off I went. Well....was it ever worth the drive. I walk into the place, a classic grimy garage and discover that not only is the guy a mechanic he's also a total surf junkie selling surf stuff on the side. I left with a pair of Hotline booties for $50 and the promise of a good deal on a suit when it comes time to upgrade. Sweet. So the 10 minute drive basically got me a free pair of booties as my total bill came to less than the Canadian Tire charge for the inspection.

I'm back :(

To say the trip to Deline was an adventure would be an understatement.

First off, the visit with Trent was great. There isn't much to do in Deline at this time of year but it was nice to see where he lives & works. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at the local RCMP officer's house and I got to meet many of his friends and collegues who were all very welcoming.

Now back to the adventure. I left Van on Thursday evening and spent the night with Trent's uncle in Edmonton as my flight to Norman Wells left at 7:45 AM from there Friday morning. From Norman Wells (NW) I was to catch my flight to Deline at 4:30 PM. The flight into NW went fine. I had about 6 hours to kill so I walked into town, visited the museum and then grabbed lunch at the MacKenzie Hotel as Jane's Friday Chinese buffet is infamous. Once I was done my lunch I wandered back to the airport and sat around for the remaining 3.5 hours.

Through out the afternoon several flights out of Deline were delayed due to poor weather conditions at the destination airports. I was assured everything looked good in Deline, the bad fog was in the other direction. At 4:30 PM we loaded the 12 seater twin otter and set off for Deline, stopping in Tulita on route. On the short flight to Tulita (25 minutes) I chatted away with the man next to me and filled him in on my plans. We were in row 1, right behind the pilots so that they could turn around and speak with us too. At Tulita we all got off the plane and I chose to just wait outside the office while they unloaded luggage and supplies staying in Tulita. About 10 minutes later the pilot comes up to me and tells me that we have to head back to NW as the weather has turned in Deline. I laughed and said that he was very funny. He said no really, we have to head back. At this point I develop a huge pit in my stomach when I realize he isn't kidding. He then asked if I want to stay in Tulita or head back to NW. I had no clue so I asked him what he would do and he said he would go back to NW. And so I did after a paniced call to Trent's answering machine saying we were turning around and going back to NW. Its a good thing I decided to go back as all of my luggage, along with my napsac/wallet weren't on my plane, they were loaded on the second plane that had never left the ground.

The picture here illustrates where Norman Wells is to Deline

I got back on the plane and as one can imagine I was devastated. A guy on the plane actually asked if I was ok..I looked at him and said "No...I'm really sad." It was all I could manage to say, I can only imagine how I must have looked. When we got back to NW I somehow made my way to pay phone and called Trent. He was back from the Deline airport by this time and miraculously had contacted the local hotel (The Mackenzie River Hotel) to arrange a room for me and by the time we got off the phone they were there to pick me up. (Not that I needed anything to prove to me how great he is but his actions that afternoon really proved to me what a lucky girl I am to have him in my life). The North Wright boys assured me that they would get me to Deline the next day and that I would be the first one on the flight scheduled for 9:00 AM. Having spent half the day at the airport (2 airlines) I had spent a lot of time talking with the guys at North Wright so they were sympathic to my situation.

Friday morning I was back to the airport for 8:30 AM only to be confronted with fog, thick thick fog everywhere. The boys kept telling me it was very uncommon for it to last too long and that they rarely had to cancel flights two days in a row. At noon one of the boys finally said maybe I should head back to the hotel and that they would call me when the flight could go. At this point I was prepping myself for another night in NW as it really didn't look good. Distraught I walked back to the hotel and had myself a birthday lunch of french fries and Diet Coke. Jane, the owner, was kind enough to let me go back to my room where I tried to relax and wait out the weather.

At about 1:45 PM the sun finally started to be visible through the thick fog and minute by minute the conditions improved. The boys had told me that once I could see across the river (outside of my trailer/bedroom window) then I was to wait until 15 minutes past the next hour and then call to see what was going on. At 2:00 PM after a cautiously optimistic call to Trent I was delerious with excitement as I was now able to see across the river I could also see trees in the distance. I packed up my napsac and ran out to the diner planning to have a DC to kill the time until I could call and check the flight status. Jane asked if I had called and I explained what they had said about calling at 15 minutes past the hour. Before I could say anything else she was on the phone with North Wright and the next thing know I was in a van being whisked back to the airport.

By 3:00 PM the plane was loaded and we were finally on the route to Deline. By this point everyone at the Norman Wells airport,the Mackenzie River Hotel and from the sounds of everyone at the Deline airport knew of our situation. I had all 11 of my co-passengers cheering as we approached Deline and they were all trying to see Trent out the windows as we taxied in. So finally at about 4:00 PM on Saturday I was in Deline. We still had the birthday breakfast of french toast and bacon that we had planned just for dinner.

So there you have it. It was quite an adventure getting to Deline but once there none of it matttered. I'm hoping for quiet birthdays in the future, that was enough excitement for a lifetime.

Street signs in Norman Wells and the Mackenzie in the background

I haven't had much time to give an update on my trip to Whistler. On Saturday, after a delicious lunch of potato & leak soup and a Cobb salad I headed over to Whistler Mountain and took the gondola up to the Roundhouse. From there I took the Peak chair to well, The Peak. The scenery was absolutely stunning. The contrast of the green from the evergreens and reds, yellows and oranges of the scrub was beautiful. I wished I had had more than the party camera so I could capture the real beauty. But alas, it was me and my party camera alone on top of the mountain that day. Anyways, here are few shots I took of my adventures that day.

1 day!

It occured to me this morning that for not being a big birthday person I have managed to celebrate my birthday in quite a number of different places over the years.

When I was little, quite often we would celebrate it up at the lake in Haliburton. Having your birthday close to Thanksgiving always makes the potential for a dual celebration and when you love apple pie there's nothing wrong with that. So here's a short list from what I can remember of the last few years.

2006 - Deline, NWT
2005 - Grosse Ile, MI
2004 - TO
2003 - London/Leigh on Sea
2001 - Paudash Lake, Bancroft
2000 - TO
1999 - I think I was in Halifax or Cape Breton

I am a lucky girl!

Less than 48 hours now until I'm in Deline. To say I am excited would be a wee bit of an understatement.

I'm almost packed. Well that's not quite true. I still need to find a way to get several bottles of wine and some Guinness into my suitcases. Yes, I did say suitcases. I'm sure the security agent that gets to screen my luggage will be quite puzzled with the assortment of goods I have packed. From mixing spoons to answering machines to blinds I have it all. It's going to be fun unpacking it all.

The conference in Whistler went really well. The Four Seasons there is unbelievable. To start, it is absolutely beautiful. My room faced the mountains and with a fireplace and giant soaker tub it was an absolute oasis. Then there was the customer service. I have never experienced anything like it before. Each person who came to my room or dealt with me at the front desk used my name and went out of their way to make sure I was taken care of. Ohh and the pumpkin and orange scrub. Wow. Close to 90 minutes of scrub and massage and I was ready for a good nap before dinner down in the village.

2 more sleeps

Trick or Treatment? Treatment please!

The Spa at the Four Seasons Resort Whistler has some special autumn services starting on Sunday. I'm calling right now to book myself in for a Pumpkin & Orange Nourishing Scrub. I think its important to prepare my skin for fall and winter. Woo hoo

Elsie (my partner in crime) and I may also try and squeeze in a Autumn Spice Pedicure at some point. I think we deserve a little special treatment after all of the work we have put into this conference.

Good morning! The combination of the sun reflecting off of the buildings here in dt Van and the mist rising up off of the harbour has made for an almost mystical appearance this morning. It's quite stunning.

I have just returned from Chambar, an incredible Belgian restaurant here in Van. RR has spoken highly of it many times so it wasn't hard to twist my arm into going tonight for an impromtu welcome dinner to DE, the newest West Coast recruit at BMO.

I started with La Salade de Chevre which could quite possibly be the best salad I have ever had. With crisp onion bits and a blueberry compote it was an incredible mixture of texture and taste. I followed the salad with the Congolaise Moule Frite. The broth for the mussels (cilantro, coconut cream, lime and chilies) was unbelieveable and the accompanying fries and special mayo dipping sauce...well you all know how I feel about fries. Delicious! There was no way I could manage dessert after all of that so I was treated to the scent of DE's piping hot (that's so something my Dad would say) belgian waffle which was enough to satisfy me.

I am very full.

10 days! Did you see that? -->

Tomorrow we are talkin single digits.

I'm getting VERY excited!

Yesterday I participated in the BMO Bank of Montreal Grouse Grind Mountain run. It was NOT fun. On the best of days the Grind warrants respect but come race day it demands it, and I have been humbled. If, and I mean if, I ever decide to do the race again I will certainly put the time in to train for it.
After taking some time to recover from the run we wandered over to check out the Grizzlies. They were no where to be seen when we walked up but then, as if they had been waiting, for us they wandered out to the pond to check out the action.












I rounded out the afternoon with some more beach time. After a quick snack of a bombay wrap from Planet Veg I finished my book and then napped the afternoon a way.

Life is good!

This is how I celebrated the first day of Autumn. Three hours at the beach reading my book (The History of Love) while snacking on cheese & crackers and grapes.




















Welcome Autumn!

Well this explains why I was a little lost watching Greys Anatomy last night, I thought they really had made a bit of a jump from last season to this season. CTV aired episode 2 instead of the season premier.

UPDATE - Its all resolved and I am no longer going to Inuvik

Ahhhh! I came in this morning to find a flight confirmation from Canadian North Airlines for my trip in 2 weeks. Yes...14 days til the adventure begins. Woo hoo, but that's not what this is about. When I checked my flights, as one is supposed to do with a flight confirmation, I noticed that they had changed the times of both of my flights and that I now had a third flight. According to the new schedule there is no way I can make the flight from Norman Wells to Edmonton as my connecting flight from Deline would only have just left. Included now also is a stop in Inuvik, which, while very cool, wasn't part of the itinerary to begin with as it is North and I'm going South!

On phone trying to resolve!

Dan, you will be so proud of me. I've done it, I've actually set myself up on Skype (is one on Skype or does one use skype? I don't really know). Anyways, tonight I made my first calls with it. The first was to TW's answering machine which I'm not sure if he could understand as I was quite excited. Calls to land lines and mobile phones are free until the end of the year so I am hoping to save a lot of $$$. When TW and I spoke later, it was good but it definitely not as good as the phone. The echo and the breaks forced us to need to repeat ourselves many times. I'm not sure if that has to do with the whole land line/internet thing or maybe even the quality of the transmission to the NWT. What ever the challenges, its still really great to be able to talk for free and not have to be watching the clock thinking about how much it is costing us.

Yeah!

I knew I should have written my posting on the Amy Millan show last night. Now the post show high has worn off and I fear I won't be able to clearly articulate how much I enjoyed it

First off let me say that the Richards on Richards venue was perfectly suited for the intimate show she put on. It wasn't a large crowd but it was definitely an engaged one. Amy gave a bit of back ground about quite a few of the the songs and even expressed her surprise, happy surprise at that, that the crowd was embracing her country stuff as much as the rock & roll. In the crowd to support her show was her Stars bandmate, Torquil Campbell who apparently lives in Vancouver (just for the weed). Torquil joined her on stage to perform Calendar Girl (I think...see I should have written this last night). Jenny Whitely provided back up through out the show and together they performed Jenny's Baby I together which was awesome. From Losing You to Pour Me Up Another they were are great. That is all!

I'm off to see Amy Millan play tonight at Richards on Richards...if I make it. I fell asleep after work on the couch for about 45 minutes and I feel like I could just go to bed right now. Yawnnnnn!

Deline in the news today!

Deline, if you haven't checked out my link to the town's website, claims the first official game of ice hockey was played there between Sir John Franklin and the Dene in 1825. Joe Handley, the Premier of the N.W.T., is upset because the current CBC documentary on hockey fails to mention Deline in its coverage of the roots of hockey development in Canada. He has vowed to lobby federal officials this week to officially recognize the town of Deline, N.W.T., as ''the birthplace of hockey in Canada.''

How exciting is all this, and to think I will be there in 17 days!

Friday night I went to the first playoff game for the Whitecaps. We got a great spot in the VIP area at a table right behind the goal. After enjoying some great food and cheap beverages I decided to get up and take a few pictures of the action. The Whitecaps were putting the pressure on Miami whose goal was at our end for that half. Right after I took this picture the Whitecaps scored. Unfortunately I was so caught up in the action that I forgot to take any more pictures.



The Whitecaps won their second game against Miami tonight so they have advanced to the next round of the playoffs. Hopefully I will be able to score some more tickets to the next couple of games. The games are really fun, kind of like The Rock games but outdoors and with a little less violence on the field.

It was a beautiful day on Saturday so I took a walk over to the Granville Island Public Market. What a great time of year for fresh produce. I found some beautiful peaches from the Okanagan. I never knew that peaches could be so big or smell so good. I also picked up some yummy soups from the Stock Market. This week I got a fresh tomato mushroom made from local tomatoes, cilantro and jasmin rice in it. I also got a curried vegetable with coconut, I can't wait to try that one.

I also couldn't resist getting a photo of this guy. He kept giving me the eye.

Colds suck! :(

This Sunday is Global Day for Darfur.

If you are familiar with what happened in Rwanda you will understand why we need to take action now to stop the genocide that is occuring in Darfur. Since 2003, Darfur in Western Sudan has been embroiled in a deadly conflict. Several hundred thousand people have been killed or seriously injured. More than two million people have been displaced and live in displaced-persons camps in Sudan or in refugee camps in Chad; more than 3.5 million people are reliant on international aid for survival.

The Toronto rally will feature Ret Lt. General/Senator Romeo Dallaire as a key note speaker in addition to Justin Trudeau.

In Vancouver Senator Mobina Jaffer will address the rally. Senator Jaffer was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 2001 as the first Muslim women, first African, she continues to bring issues of human rights and other important issues to her colleagues in the Parliament of Canada

If you can not attend a rally you can still show your support by signing the online petition found at the bottom of the page.

I just met Sully for breakfast at Zen. Sully was most excited when Trevor Linden came in just after us. I think I disappointed him (Sully, not Trevor) as I wasn't star struck. So woo hoo...I guess.

I have updated my posting about our trip to Edmonton with a few photos.

Woo Hoo!

My trip to Deline, NWT to visit TW for Thanksgiving is booked. 24 days and counting, I can hardly contain my excitement. Yeah!

In the interim I will be keeping myself busy organizing a conference in Whistler Sept 30 - Oct 3rd. In addition to some work on the content I get to take care of activities and events. My plans for a round robin soccer tourny were shot down but it looks like I will get a soccer skills competition and a hike up the mountain on the schedule.

Woo hoo

It's good to be home. I took advantage of the beautiful weather yesterday afternoon and joined NB&JB for a hike up Mount Seymour. It was just what I needed after a long flight and days without any serious exercise. After a rocky start (about 750 m up a ski hill littered with serious rocks) we hit the trail and hiked to the second pump in about 2 hours. The view from the summit was stunning. To one side we could see the Burrard Inlet with Kitsilano in the background and the Lions Gate Bridge in the foreground. Looking out the other way we could see the Indian Arm and the mountains to the North. Despite our grumbling about the effort required to make it to the Second Pump it was definitely worth it.

By the way, that isn't a giant sun on the top right hand corner, it would be John's thumb, just too lazy to clean up the picture tonight.

Hello there. I've been rather neglectful of the blog the past 10 days, I apologize. I'm happy to report that my sister's operation went well and that she is on the on the road to recovery. The craniotomy certainly didn't impact her ability to shop once she was mobile. Speaking of recovery, Auntie Jenny is going to need a few days to recover from her duties as nursemaid and nanny. Its quite a change going from my little self centred life where I do exactly as I please to being on 24/7 taking care of two kids, not that I would change it for the world.

Autumn has arrived here in Michigan. The evenings are getting cool and the smell of fall is in the air. I have to say it really is my favourite season to experience coming in, and to top it off there is Thanksgiving (27 days and counting 'til Thanksgiving weekend). What better holiday is there? You get to enjoy the beautiful fall weather, take long walks to enjoy the colours of the season and come home for fresh baked apple pie. I can't wait!

This is good news...From the NWA site:

Essential non-prescription medicines allowed now include contact eye saline solutions and eye care products such as eye drops and contact lens solution.

Now checked in but you still have to stop and get your travel documents reviewed before proceeding through security.

Will today ever end? The day is just crawling as I try and wrap things up here before heading off to MI for 10 days. I'm desperately waiting to hear back from people on a number of events that are occuring while I am gone and trying to do some some planning for a conference in Whistler at the end of September. Unfortunately I can't move ahead on any of these things as all of the executives are away on conference...timing couldn't be much worse. Oh well.

I think I may even have exhausted the internet. What else can I research? I now know every possible flight combination to get me to Deline NT and let me tell you, its complicated. I've also spent some good time looking for new music and catching up on the news. It's incredible how many sites have picked up the Tofino water shortage story. I guess things worked out for the best, if I hadn't been going to MI this weekend I probably would have headed over there to catch some surf. And what's with this Jessica Simpson - John Mayer gossip? Did he not watch Nick and Jessica - Newly Weds or whatever it was called?

Please someone, anyone email me, call me...do something!

The BBC is reporting that Tea "healthier' drink than water. While this is good news for me (I probably drink more tea than water) you have to wonder about the validity when the study was sponsored by The Tea Council.

In other news, a collegue gave me a jar of Marmite today from his trip to England. It comes just in time as I am nearing the end of my last jar. This should hold me over until my Dad returns from his trip to England in mid October. My mouth is just watering at the thought of having a toasted bagel with marmite....yum!

Updated with photos

The trip to Edmonton was short but sweet. I was first off the plane and luckily didn't have to take anyone down as I sprinted through the arrivals area. From the airport, after a quick bite to eat and getting some advice from Bill an airport volunteer Trent had befriended, we were off to the West Edmonton Mall (WEM) on a shuttle bus. The WEM really is quite impressive, its big and there's a lot going on there (water park, amusement park, aquarium, mini golf). We decided to take in the amusement park and rode the MindBuster in the front row (frontwards) and the last row (backwards) twice. It was quite the experience, leaving us both a little nauseous and shaken, but nothing a little Mc D's french fries & orange drink couldn't fix . We also took in the Edmonton Fringe Festival in the Old Strathcona neighbourhood. We didn't have time to take in any shows but wandered the festival grounds and caught, or more precisely were caught by several buskers. From there we met up with Trent's uncle for a quick drink before heading back to the airport to pick up bags we had checked upon my arrival. And so, that was Edmonton. I'm not sure what else there is to do there but our short time was well spent. Trent is now safely in Norman Wells for a few days of orientation before heading off to Deline to begin his teaching assignment, and I am off to the pool to swim a few laps on a beautiful warm sunny Sunday afternoon here in Vancouver.

I'm totally wowed at the service I have gotten today from David at The Mac Station here in Vancouver. He managed to tracked down one of the last Mac Books in the GVA for me this morning and has been great at working with TW and I to get it set up so TW can just plug in and go once he is in the NWT's. For all his help, I've picked up David some Cookies by George. I hope I don't eat them all before I have a chance to deliver them.

Yee ha...I'm all checked in for my flight to Edmonton tomorrow morning.

I was happy to see that I am in row 2 which will make for a quick exit :) I'd hate to have to knock down old ladies as I sprint through the arrivals area to meet Trent.

Less than 24 hours to go!

Aquaman is being a little shit!











Aquaman is our pet fish at work here on the 22nd fl. Lately he's not been eating his food despite all of our best efforts and encouragement. I've even resorted to trying to spoon feed him some mornings as he just sits and stares at his pellets, but he just won't eat. We've debated whether he is just spoiled and likes the attention or if he's getting blind in his old age. Sadly, I think its the later and that his time left with us is limited. Finally got him to eat two pellets

On a happy note...after swimming last night I was sitting on a bench at the beach speaking to TW on the phone when I spotted 2 seals playing in the water just out from the breakwall. My excitement at seeing them never seems to go away.

Woo hoo! We did it!

I'm off to Edmonton this weekend to see Trent off.

Congrats to Derek on his impressive second place finish in today's OC-1 race at Jericho.

Sometimes, food is not your friend. I'm not sure what is wrong with me but my body doesn't seem to like food at the moment. Its done wonders for the waistline (so much so that people have commented on how much weight I have lost) but really...if I were to choose between fitting into my denim jean skirt (which I am sporting right now) and being able to keep the lumberjack breakfast down...I'd choose the lumberjack breakfast any day.

On a brighter note, I met up with Derek S this afternoon down at Jericho as he's in town for an outrigger race. Although my grilled cheese at The Gallery didn't go down too well it was nice to hang out with him for the couple of hours I could keep myself vertical. Tonight I'm taking Sharon out for her last supper here in the hood before she makes the move to Kelowna tomorrow. I will certainly miss her as she was so welcoming to me when I first moved here, involving me in all of the BMO circle's activities. I haven't decided yet whether I will try and eat a little or just watch...I imagine I will eat as I am a glutton for punishment.
Update... I ate and the results weren't too bad. Perhaps all t he chilies helped to kill what ever has been giving me the problems.

Ohh and one last comment before I go to bed. TW and I ran into SP at Mitzy's on Sunday morning. SP...you looked beautiful...glowing in all your pregnant gorgousity.

Blake...as per our demands, I have the receipt for the romantic candle lit dinner for two.

TW and I at about 7:45 AM on route to Marilyn Bell Park.

Our list of demands to drive the boat from Pickering to Marilyn Bell on our day off included the following:

• A 6:00 AM pick up
• Water/snakes (though some of us prefer snacks)
• Tea/coffee and bagels
• Gas and oil for the boat
• A romantic candle lit dinner for two

Every now and then I am reminded how fortunate I am.

Last week while at NTT's I found out that my sister has to go in for brain surgery in early September. When I got the news I was hanging out with someone who without saying very much was able to make me feel very comforted. I got through the week of racing knowing I had some really great friends to lean as I was definitely a little freaked out and stressed at trying to figure out how I was going to manage taking time off work once again. The reason I say I am fortunate is that over the past 5+ years my company has been completely supportive of any time I have requested off to help my sister out, and I have needed a lot. And even though I am in a new role in a new province on contract I was told to do what ever I needed to do.

I guess the point of this posting is to say thank you to those of you who kept me distracted over the last week (ok...that was really just one of you who kept me distracted) but also my friends who were totally understanding and supportive. Thank you so much CH for letting us take up residence in your spare room, Jax & Blake for the drives and comfy couch and especially T-Bone for her enthusiasm at how things have worked out..thank god there will be no tears of sorrow!

Spent the August long weekend in Bala at the cottage. On top of db training I was lucky enough to get a couple of good wakeboarding sessions in. A little friendly competition led to learning to bunny hop and switch foots and one of the most spectacular falls I have ever taken. Caught my front edge and took a face plant rather hard.

The lack of power up North didn't get in the way of Karaoke Saturday night. Sometime after several PTU's and a long day spent on the water I moved from spectator to participant. Capped off the weekend by catchng the Sloan show at the Kee on Sunday night. Plans to cab it back to the cottage afterwards were thwarted by a lack of cabs. After walking more than half way we finally managed to hitch a ride in the back of a pick up the rest of the way home.

Tuesday it was off Welland for National Team Trials. All of our teams, women/men and mixed won in all categories. The women's races were spectacular with the team posting some definitive wins in both the 500 and 1,000M distances.

Wednesday it was T-bone time. We met at Mitzy's for breakfast then spent the following 2+ hour crying as we watched World Trade Centre. We all know the details of what happened on 9/11 but the movie puts a face on those involved in the rescue. With puffy eyes and runny noses we made our way down to the Pantages Spa for pedicures. I left T-bone with #3 and met up with another friend (Ok...TW) in town for WCC's. We took in Shakespeare in the Park's A Comedy of Errors which was really great despite cramped quarters . Thursday morning, after driving the pontoon boat from Pickering to the WCC site (a 1:54 minute boat ride) we played tourists in TO first heading to Chinatown for lunch and then spending the afternoon exploring The Distillery District. Friday to Sunday it was down to Marilyn Bell Park from early morning to late evening for the WCC's. The G&G crew didn't perform quite as well as we wanted but we had a lot of fun and looked great doing it. We had a great time hanging out at the G&G trailer all weekend and being well fed by Alex, our faithful team cook.

Wow...where to start? The past 10 days have been quite a whirlwind of activity and emotions.
So much so, that I don't even think I am ready to write an update. I'm hoping a little sleep and taking a few days to adjust to reality will help.

People actually go to work after taking the red eye? How?

I'm all checked in and ready to catch the red-eye to TO tonight. Web check-in has to be one of the greatest developments in modern travel. I love the fact that all I will have to do is turn up at the airport at around 10PM, pass through security and then its right onto the plane. I've got a new book, my travel pillow, ear plugs and gravol all ready for the flight.

But before I head to the airport, its off to a farewell dinner for a friend moving to Kelowna. We have reservations at Watermark which is right on Kits Beach and has the best view of the sunset in the city.

Well fed, tired from a late evening of fireworks followed by packing...this bodes well for a good flight...I should be out before we even take off.

I am my mother

More and more I see the resemblances between myself and my mother. I've been told many times how much I look like my mother, even more so I think as I age (dear god..did I just say that?). When I looked in the mirror today it hit me that the skirt I am wearing today could just as easily have been hers. I love skirts and I can remember her closet being full of them. From my voracious appetite to read, my love of tea to putting comfort ahead of fashion; I really am like her. And I think that's a good thing.

Two things

1. Really disappointed I wasn't in the boat this morning to see the fisher that jumped into the boat as described over at VOC
2. Temperature update:

Van 18C

TO 36C feels like 46C

MI 35C feels like 46C

Wow...I am I ever glad to be in Van right now! I actually wore a cardigan to work today as it was cool this morning.

I've just started reading The History of Love by Nicole Krauus. The main character has just made reference to one of his favourite stories as a child, the Little Prince by Antione de Saint Exupery. It just so happens that I loaded that audio book on to my ipod last night. Weird huh?

Went into a local surf shop last night to pick up a gift for a friend's bday. Thought I would just ask if they had any Mini Malibu's there. Proceeded to make a total fool of myself when I didn't realize that they were a hugely popular category of board...I had just thought there were a few models and they were probably hard to come by. I'm sure the guy thought I was a total nutter and had never surfed a day in my life.

Must eat...very hungry.

Have been feeling a little off these last few days so I decided to pick myself up some chicken noodle soup from Granville Island after work today. It was good but it was no Mamma's Big Bowl of Soup good.

Afterwards I got myself all prepped to start work on painting the white sections of the bistro set only to discover it was I had picked up black...opps. So it was back to CT to pick up some white, thankfully its only about 500m away. I managed to complete one coat on about 75% of the set before it started to get dark (read..I got bored). I'm certainly not as wowed with the white as I was with the yoyo, but I am sure the final result will be great.

Tonight I also managed to convert all my music from my ipod to my new laptop. This is quite an accomplishment as I did it without having to call Lt. Dan for help:)

Just got off the phone with my insurance company. I will not be happy if ICBC does not cover my $500 deductable for the repairs to my truck from the idiot who clipped me Friday evening.

Happy Birthday Lt. Dan.

You say it's your birthday (lies I tell you...you'd never tell anyone it was your bday)
It's my birthday too, yeah (ok..no it's not)
They say it's your birthday (who are "they" exactly?)
We're gonna have a good time (I'm having a good time painting here)
I'm glad it's your birthday (tru nuf)
Happy birthday to you (Have a great day)

And for you....

Not to toot my own horn too loudly but I have to say my bistro set is starting to look pretty darn good. The blue couldn't have turned out better. Every time I look out at my balcony and catch a glimpse of the colour it just makes me happy.

I've just picked up some tickets to the Amy Millan (of Stars) show on Sept 20th. Love having Zulu Records at the top of the street.

Tonight, its off to the KYC to catch China's fireworks. Apparently the reflections on the water are not be missed.We've a little BBQ action planned and I'm bring everything we need to make banana boats for dessert!

Happy Birthday #2

Hope you have a great time out on the town tonight

I have awoken this morning to some much cooler temperatures which quite excites me. I have been meaning to paint my bistro set for ages and finally last night I went and bought the paint. Now I don't have to feel guilty about hanging out at home painting today...though I do say this would be the perfect temperature to do the Grind. Hopefully the cooler temps will hang around for a few days. But back to the bistro set. I've chosen this fabulous colour called yoyo from the Debbie Travis collection. It's really going to jump out at you and will compliment my muskoka chair quite nicely I think.

Woo Hoo! I am finally online at home!

Good time, Good times!
(that's for you JB..makes me laugh every time I say it)

It was back to the Grind again last night. I still haven't cracked an hour but its getting better..marginally. I think I made some headway last night. I noticed that my pace can get really slow and that I don't feel that much worse if I keep the pace up on the more flat parts that don't require grappling over rock. I also noticed that a lot of the people that passed me seem very light on their feet...definitely not an attribute that I possess as some times I get shin splits just from walking. Need to work on that.

I forgot to mention. Last week when we had our team orientation for the BMO Bank of Montreal Grouse Grind Mountain run. It turns out that the guy who lead it knows AH (Boog's wife)...he's a rep for Asics too. He'd just been in Hawaii with them in May. Small world.

The fireworks were spectacular last night particularly the displays that appeared to just hang in the sky. The roof top patio of my building was the place to be, affording an incredible view and the convenience of not having to battle the crowds at the beach. Someone had even set up a small stereo to tune into the radio broadcast. I'm still trying to figure out how "I'm your lady" ties into Italy theme.

Thank you Lt. Dan for letting me know that Zanta has a website. I'm not sure what is more disturbing, that he has a website or that he claims to be 58?

The excitement has been building for weeks and finally, tonight is the tonight. Like a right of passage to being a true Vancouverite tonight I must join every other person in this fair town and make my way to the beach to watch the HSBC Celkebration of Light fireworks tonight. And if the short walk to the beach doesn't appeal to me then I can simply watch from the roof top patio which will afford me a spectacular view and the convenience of being steps from my fridge :)

Ahh LOV (living on vacation...my new mantra)

I'm working on updating my reading list. If you have any good recommendations, fiction or otherwise I would defintely love to hear from you.

Recent reads that I would recommend:
The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri
The Rotters Club - Jonathan Coe
Night - Elie Wiesel

Reviews of the unknowns will follow soon hopefully.

One package I do not want to receive in the mail.

As I've been here 6 months now I figured it was time to find myself a family doctor. Asking around I was shocked to find out that a lot of people don't have regular family doctors. Now I don't know if its because of my family medical history but finding a good doctor and establishing a relationship is really important to me. After not having much luck finding a doctor willing to accept new patients or located anywhere near me I finally broke down this morning and went to the Stein Medical Clinic across the street from work. The poor doctor didn't know what he was in for. When he told me he wouldn't do my exam and that I needed to come back and see a female doctor (its walk in only) it almost set me off in tears. He turned out to be really kind and gave me the name of a good local doctor (though he didn't think she was accepting patients but I could use his name) and some advice on where to look for a doctor. So the quest continues.

The craziest thing just happened. My friend Melissa just called me and while that doesn't sound too crazy consider this. We normally only talk every couple of months or so since my moving and her going on maternity leave. Just this morning I thought to myself in the shower...I need to call Melissa as I thought she would get a good hoot over a story t-bone recently told me about myself. She got such a good laugh I could even hear her little guy start laughing in the background at his mummy!

I wrote a great posting this morning only to have blogger cramp up and shut down on me. Will attempt to recreate but I think the moment is gone.

The short feeling of nausea came back with a vengenance on Thursday night. Explains the dismal performance on the Grouse Grind. Got hit with alternating chills and sweats and a general lethargy that saw me struggling to get from my couch to bed without taking a rest over the 15 feet.

Sunday I had a great beach day with NB. We set ourselves up half way between Kits Pool & the Pro volleyball tournament taking place right in front of Watermark. After a few hours of lounging around reading/chatting we wandered over to the Wharf for some fish & chips and tacos at Go Fish. Shared a table with a lovely couple who gave us reviews on all of the great restaurants in Van. On our walk back we stopped to visit the eagles as I had heard rumours that the baby has been seen learning to fly recently. We got to see him but despite all of my encouragement he just didn't seem too interested in leaving his perch. (Don't worry #2...I didn't pacaw pacaw at him...that's reserved for you)

Later that evening I wandered back down to the pool and put in a few laps. I think its time to start turning up the swim workouts as I'm getting bored and can do the 1.5K+ without any real rest. One thing I spoke about in the original post was the water quality yesterday at Kits pool. Typically it is crystal clear and I can see a good 20 meters a head of me. Well yesterday it was anything but clear, I could barely see a few feet ahead. With a capacity of 1800 people and near record temps in Van this past weekend I can only imagine what is lurking in that water. Thoughts of this didn't help when I swallowed a big mouthful. I almost vomited right then and there and even now thinking of it makes me feel a little queasy!

Very odd. I just had a spell of about 30 minutes where I felt really nauseous to the point where I got a plastic bag out in case I actually did vomit and couldn't make it to the bathroom. It seems to have passed which is good as I have cupcakes to pick up, a team lunch and my Grouse Grind orientation today.

Got news today that the Imps might be making a trip out here Labour Day weekend for a race. Good times...Good times! Will mean passing up on some surfing but I think they're worth it!

I forgot to mention. I finally broke down and picked up a new cell phone so no more missed calls, lost voicemails or better yet endless minutes where my calls are just sitting in space.

The whole experience of purchasing a phone really is rather unpleasant. I can't help but feel like the cellular companies are all out to rip me off and that you can't trust any of the sales people. You need to pay extra for any sort of warranty these days and it seems almost impossible to buy a phone with out all the bells & whistles they want to upsell you on. No I don't need a camera or an mp3 player built into my phone...I need a phone...and yes I want to get a signal anywhere I go! Ughhh. I certainly didn't leave with a good feeling.

The little big man and I had a great time last night. We went for a super long walk along the beach, getting back just before Mummy & Daddy came back to pick him up. The only time the little monkey fussed was when I stopped walking so it was a good thing we were out for over an hour and a half. Here's BV checking out the open water swimmers at Kits Beach. Auntie Jenny really needs to get her butt in gear and get out there and give it a try sometime.

I could really use another day on the weekend to recover from all of the activities.

After a short nap Friday afternoon NB & I met for a quick run followed by a little BBQ action. There was a laughs over the Slayer concert 4 of us had attended the night before. Apparently we all took separate cabs home about 10 mins apart. A little crazy as we all live within about 4 blocks of one another.

Sat morning I had my first paddle with the Pacific Reach crew. It was a solid 90 mins out to the bell buoy and back and I think I held my own. I think the club will be a good fit as they are competitive but also seem to be alot of fun. I also like that they are part of the KYC so its right near by and that's where JB & Neil keep their boat.

Met up with NB & JB (the B's) right after at the club, grabbed a quick bite to eat and then it was off to do the Grouse Grind. Strangely as we were walking through the parking lot we ran in to GV who was meeting RR. I knocked 8 mins off of my time (from over a month earlier) and think I can easily drop a few more minutes the next time I do it. I was still rather pooped from the lack of sleep Thurs night and the paddle earlier that morning.

Sunday morning TB came and met me and we joined the B's at the pool for a swim. My arms & shoulders felt like lead from all the paddling the day before but it was good to get a few laps in. With the gorgeous weather the pool was packed by 10:30 AM so it was a good thing we got there right at opening. We then headed over to Juliets for a little brunch where they serve the best fresh squeezed OJ! After a little shopping on 4th NB & I headed back down to KYC where the boys were alternating between working on the Shauniki and taking out Sully's laser. I finally got my laser initation from Sully and got to take a quick sail up to Jericho and back. As Birdy would say...Lovin it!

Living on vacation is great!

In other news, I swore the weather report said yesterday that it was going to be 37 next weekend and everyone told me I must have had it wrong. I saw it again this morning on the weather channel but then when I check the Weather Network online it only says 27..typo?

I get to babysit Ben tonight. I can't wait!

I learned last evening that if you are going to see Slayer and the Unholy Alliance Tour and are over 16, then there is no better place than in a box. Got my hands on a few extra tickets at the last minute so I made some dreams come true when I hooked Neil, Sully and Darcy up. Apparently Neil has been a fan since '86! Who knew?

Went to meet DS and MB at the Commodore Ballroom after the show. DS worked his magic and got myself and the 3 boys in, but by the time we got up there MB was MIA. We then moved on to Doolen's and The Cellar where a there was a great band playing covers of all the Brit-pop you could dream of. I finally had to pull the cord at around 1:45 AM. Got to love it when you can be home and in bed (with the teeth brushed, face washed and having said good night to the girls) in about 15 minutes and an $8 cab ride with tip!

Well I survived the first practice with Finding BMO last night, though barely. It was very different to BMO, the Crewsers or even G&G practices to say the least. Found myself in a bit of a sensitive situation when asked by the "coach" what I thought of practice. Talked my way out of it by just saying it was very different and that I would adjust what with the East vs. West styles being so very different. Key differences were that they have a very quick stroke with no ratio difference between the pull through and the recovery and they exit at the knee. What do you mean you exit at the knee? I still have about 3 feet of my stroke left. I felt like a hamster running in its wheel...just trying to keep up when each stroke felt like I was pulling through drying cement.

Tonight it's the Slayer concert and then possibly meeting Dave S and Mike B (for all the Brendaner's out there..our student council president) for a drink even though I am still off the booze.

I'm back in Van now and really, I needed to come home for a rest.

It was great to see everyone when I was home, just felt like I barely had time to sit down and relax as I was all over the place. Thanks to all who came out to the Foggy Dew on Friday night. Ughhh...why do I drink? I think I should get a tattoo on my drinking hand that flashes "Remember...you have no tolerance for alcohol, let alone shooters". I think I can safely say I am off the booze for quite some time. A special thanks to T-bone for her supporting role and then #3 and SP for getting me home.

I got to start off my return with a great yoga class at the Showboat and then a visit with little Ben as we celebrated his first month birthday! Mmmm babies smell so good.

Played a little volleyball with Scooper last night. Who knew you were allowed to kick the ball nowadays? I'm not sure I actually helped the team out much but I sure did provide comedic relief with some of my wild bumps and then cringes as I drilled people on other courts. Apparently screaming madly doesn't convey things quite like "Fore" does in golf.

Tonight, my first DB practice with Find BMO. Should be interesting.

And soon...I will be able to update from home when the new laptop arrives in a few short weeks! Woo Hoo!

Time sure does fly. I've been back in TO for a week now and I'm not sure where the time has gone.

Paddled Thursday morning with the ladies. It was great to be back on the water with them. I also forgot how beautiful it is to be out on the lake in the morning watching the Toronto skyline become lit up with the sun rising behind it.

Thursday evening I hooked up with the boys at the Fairport Aquatic Club for some outrigger. Got to see my girl Charlotte while I was out there too. Thursday night JB and I walked up to the Dog for dinner and somehow managed to close the place down several pints and many shooters later.

It took 4 hours to get to Bala Friday afternoon but it was worth every second sitting in traffic once we were sitting on the dock chillin with MV. Saturday flew by what with a slow start and some lazing on the dock. The G&G gang came by and picked me up for a short boat ride and some planning for my trip back out in August. After a great dinner Saturday night the arm wrestling began as Susan need to practice for her big charity competition. Good times, good times. At about 11PM I finally managed to get the ladies out the door for the short jaunt over to the G&G compound for a little visit. The walk which should have taken about 10 minutes max seemed to take forever and I earned myself the moniker "the drill sargent" for my constant plees of 'keeping walking' and 'no, no more photos just walk'. We hung out there for about an hour playing games (some crazy pool game and fooze ball). The walk home took even longer as at this point there was a lot of zig zagging. My role as drill sargent became more evident as I kept watch for cars on the dark road and herded the girls aside each time I saw a vehicle approaching. Sunday started late and I felt like we had to head home before the day even started.

I've been in MI since Monday and last night took the 4th of July fireworks in at the Grosse Ile Yacht Club. They were quite spectacular. Today its party planning for Hannah's 7th bday party which is tomorrow afternoon. I will be manning the cupcake station tomorrow as everyone will get to decorate their own. I can't wait.

Friday its back to TO for a little dragonboat practice and then a night out with friends before heading home to Vancouver Sunday. Time sure flies!

Its good to be home. In just over 24 hours I have already been able to catch up with some of my favourite people. Got to spend a little time with CH Tuesday night after she picked me up at the airport. Wednesday I lunched with t-bone and Ltd. Dan which was all too short but felt like just like I was meeting them for lunch when I used to work just down the street. After a brief nap Wednesday afternoon I headed over to meet #'s 3 & 4 for dinner. Got all the DB gossip from the season thus far and then we fell into our usual DB planning. Ahh the master plans :) #3, we really need to get back to our world domination plans. Stayed at 3 & 4's last night as we had DB practice this morning...I think I actually miss the 5:45 AM practices. There were a lot of new faces in the boat but I was glad to see that it still felt good. I expected to struggle as we were doing 5 X 500 M but I think all of the running and swimming has got me into pretty good shape. Ladies...it was so great to see you all!

Off to spend the next day and a bit with my Dad. Hoping the rain/thunderstorms hold off so I can get some good backyard/pool time before heading to the cottage tomorrow afternoon. Sounds like there will be a good crowd over at the G&G cottage on the weekend so hopefully I will get to spend some time with all of those guys too. Hydrotard anyone?

Heading back home to TO this afternoon. I'm looking forward to seeing all of my friends and family. I just never realized how hard it is to try and see everyone, even when it seems like you've got lots of time.

This trip is primarily family, though I do get lunch with T-Bone and Ltd Dan Wednesday and dinner that night with #'s 3 & 4 . Planning to hang out with my Dad and brother Thursday and Friday then I'm off to Mike's cottage Friday afternoon for a few days. Heading back to TO on Sunday for some more family time as my sister/Ben and the kids are at my Dad's for the weekend. It looks like we will have the entire family there Sunday afternoon which I think my Dad is really looking forward to. Yes...that does mean that David will probably be there too. Monday I head back to MI with Caron and the gang where I will hang out until Friday. It's Hannah's 7th birthday so we'll be having a little party which will be great as I never get to be there for birthdays.

Friday night is the big night out, I'm hoping lots of my friends can make it. I'm looking to AS and T-Bone to pick a great spot (no pressure ladies) as my pick is always the Underground Garage but we know what happens when I go there. I'd prefer to not be hung over beyond belief on my flight home Saturday. Will send out an email with details next week.

Gotta Jet (KMS)

I could almost have thought I was in TO this past weekend with the sunshine and heat.

Started to weekend off with drinks and dinner at Watermark with the BMO ladies. We couldn't have had a better spot right on the balcony looking out over the beach. We did some great people watching while eating yummy appetizers/great salads and drinking some tasty summer martinis.

Saturday was another beautiful day and after picking up our race kits we wandered over to Fisherman's Wharf for lunch at Go Fish. I had heard it was good but never expected it to be that good. The fish tacos were to die for and the tuna burger, OMG! If only PK could see me now!

Sunday it was off to UBC for the ScotiaBank Vancouver Half Marathon. It was crazy hot out even at 7:00 AM but we persevered and managed to drag our sorry selves across the line in just over 2 hours. No one in the group managed to come close to their time goals and I think we were all pretty happy to just finish the race. I'm hobbling about today but all things considered I'm doing better than I expected as my knee is not happy.








After a quick brunch Sunday morning NB and I headed off for pedicures at Pure Nail Bar on 4th. We then met up with the sailors at Jericho Yacht Club for a quick beer on the patio. I accompanied the boys on the trip back to Kits Yacht Club. It took us no time to get back with the wind but when the centre board wouldn't drop to allow Captain Neil to steer us into the dock we ran into some troubles and ended up way over at the far end of Kits Beach toward the Burrard Inlet. It took over an hour of Darcy and I paddling and Neil and John pulling the boat in the water to get back to the club. Now you might be thinking why wouldn't they just motor in? Well yes we could have done that if the motor hadn't fallen into the water the week before in another more perilous sailing expedition. If you could have seen me when we got back to the club. There I was dressed in a cute little orange and pink skirt with a white tank top; soaked, filthy and limping. At least I had good toes!


View from the Jericho Yacht Club balcony.