Thank you to Dan for the code to correct the colour on my countdown timer. It's nice to know you're still looking out for me.

I also need to give Dan credit for introducing me to the Great Lake Swimmers and Final Fantasy. I can always trust Dan's musical recommendations. It would have been fun to have him at the concert with us because he could have given Brooklyn some nasty scowls that might have quieted the jack ass down. Scooper said he read in a review that it was a shame that there were so many people talking during the GLW set. Agreed!

I'm so confused. I've been worried about Sarah for the past few days. She has been rather lethargic and just lying on the bottom of the tank most of the time and then swimming around the tank at mock ten for about 10 seconds before resuming the lying on the bottom again. This morning I found Sarah swimming around happily and Speckles was floating on the surface. Murder?

Poor little Speckles, she was so sweet with her happy little tail darting around the tank.

After my class on Saturday a friend and I went to Spa-Utopia for the most incredible aroma scrub/massage treatments. At $240 its not something I would normally treat myself to but we both had gift certificates for a good portion of it. I could get used to the spa lifestyle though I don't think my bank account would agree.

Saturday night headed out to Commercial Ave for the Parade of Lost Souls. Our costume of three David Suzuki's with giant green R's on our back ( we were reduce, re-use and recycle) were a great hit. I couldn't believe the number of people who got excited by our DS masks and high fived us. It was awesome. The photos below are of us with two other characters that were a great hit.









After the parade we headed over to the Main for dinner and drinks. We were treated to an impromtu fireworks show as we returned to my car by three guys who had obviously been into the stuff in photo to the left. Excited to have an audience they ran back to the store for more only to frighten us half to death with a shooting firework that fell over and started rotating towards us shooting off fireballs.

Lost track of time today in Capers speaking to the naturopath about herbal supplements. She fully endorsed the Deep Immune that Trent got me hooked on and that I've got all the girls and Scooper using on my claims that I have not had a cold since I began using it about a year ago. Picked up some Holy Basil that Ive heard a lot about lately. It's supposed to uplift, calm and balance with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Introducing Speckles











Speckles is a libra. She is small in size with a pretty white fan tale and has black and orange specks over her mid-section She likes pirates as can be seen by the black eye patch she wears over her left eye. She's excited to get to know her new sister Sarah and expects that they will be great friends. She's also looking forward to meeting Trent when he comes home for a few days in January

Went to the Final Fantasy show with Scooper last night and as I said to Trent when I got home, I would have been annoyed at how late it ran if it weren't for the fact that all three acts were awesome.

Basia Bulat opened. I wasn't familiar with her but on Scooper's recommendation that we should get there in time to see her we are arrived at 7:30 pm. They pushed back the show by an hour and a quarter but it was well worth it when she finally hit the stage. She has a beautiful voice with a great folksy vibe to her music. That girl can also rock a guitar!

Next up were the Great Lake Swimmers. To see these guys (and girl) live in such an intimate setting (Richards) was great. Despite what t-bone says, their music does not make me want to slit my wrists. I just make sure not to listen to it on long drives as it tends to make me sleepy. That said, I think I would list GLS among my all time favourites. Picked up a t-shirt after their set and got to chat for a second with Tony Dekkar :)

Finally at 11:45 pm it was time for Final Fantasy (I had planned to be home and tucked safely in bed by that time). How to describe the Final Fantasy show? (Owen Pallett and his projectionist Stephanie Comilang). I think I've heard him described as an Orchestral genius and I'm not sure that does him justice. His violin looping was something I had never seen in person and it blew me away. And finally, the accompanying projections were beautiful and engaging. You should check out the link to see an example. It really is an art.

At one point in the show I turned to Scooper and said, "You know, I really like Canadian music." He agreed and went on to list all of the great bands who are doing so well on both the Canadian and International music scene. Its a good time to be a Canadian music fan.

Ok..time for some breakfast.

How exciting, I just heard one of the cruise ships sound its horn. You don't often hear that sitting at your desk in an office tower. The wind must be blowing the right way today. Not sure that I would be wanting to head out on a cruise from Van today; its pouring rain and windy...Happy Autumn!

Went to a reading at the Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival last night. It was on the Weight of History and very interesting. The 4 authors each read a passage from their respective novels then they spoke about how historical events/times played a role in their work. Learned some very interesting devices how to incorporate history into ones writing.

Happy Birthday Trent!

The pool finally reopened yesterday! I got myself over there for a light swim tonight, a nice 1000m+ float. Did it ever feel good.

Massage therapist gave me the okay to give a light run a try this weekend. Hip/lower back has definitely been improving since I started treatment with him. I really hope it goes well as the lack of swimming and running hasn't done much for my waist line.

We are being treated to some beautiful autumn weather here in Van. Gorgeous sunshine all weekend with temperatures in the mid-teens. You couldn't ask for anything better.

Some exciting developments in town.

1. The Vancouver Aquatic Centre re-opens tomorrow!
2. Sadly today was the last day of the Kitsilano Farmers Market but I heard good news that the Winter Market is going to be biweekly starting in November rather than the usual once monthly
   
3. The Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival starts on Tuesday (Trent's bday by the way). I've got tickets to two sessions, there were a handful of others I would quite have like to attend but tickets sold out quick
   
4. I put together my new fish tank - a smaller tank that I think Sarah will quite like

Speaking of Sarah, it's time I start thinking about whether or not to get her a new companion. I've posted a new poll to the right. Would appreciate your feedback on this decision

I received some fabulous cards for my birthday this past week. I'm not sure why but there definitely seems to be an animal theme this year.

These two in particular were really good. Love love love the mouse card, which reads Older... but wiser inside and I can't look at the cat one without howling...it kills me each time I see it.

Took the day off today to get a little R&R after working the weekend at the Okanagan International Marathon. It was fun to watch the morning shows and have a leisurely breakfast before heading out to do a few errands. I even took in a matinee, nothing like catching a flick on a rainy afternoon.

It was a great weekend in Kelowna, all be it a very busy one. Sunday after the race a bunch of us from Van met for brunch and the ladies surprised with me with a home baked coconut cake. It was delicious. Almost made having to work all weekend worthwhile.

On returning from Van I got the best birthday present..news that Jackie and Blake had a little girl on my birthday. Yeah...I can't wait to meet her when I am home at Christmas.

Vancouver Inside Workers voted today to end the strike. Hopefully this means I will be able to get back to the pool soon.

It's a wonder that I am waking up here in Kelowna this morning as yesterday was anything but smooth.

It all started just after 7:00 am yesterday when I managed to lock myself out of my apartment. I was going up and down the elevator loading the car when having dropped off the second last load, my purse and book bag with laptop were all that was left..so I thought. I went for my keys to get back to the elevator and discovered that they weren't in my pocket. I was locked in the parking garage. Luckily I did have my car keys and was able to walk out of the parking garage and go around the front of the building to buzz my building manager. This was around 7:s0 am. I buzzed him but to no surprise there was no answer. Next step...my spare keys. Niki and John have them, but they've just had their first baby the day before. Who wants to go knocking on the door at 7:30 am. I decided to drive by on the off chance that I see some movement in the house. I pull up, see John's mother in the living room so I go up and knock on the door. The poor woman is in her nightgown. We search for my keys but they aren't in the drawer where they are normally kept. We give John a quick call on his cell and he has no idea where they are. It's about 7:45 am now I decide that since I'm not getting in my apartment any time soon that I will keep my 8:00 am massage appointment. Luckily I had my wallet as I had planned to run and grab a muffin after loading the car. After entertaining Chris with stories of my morning I headed back to my apartment and tried the buzzer again. Still no answer. So I decide to get myself that tea and muffin and give it one more try before giving up and leaving for Kelowna. I'm walking back from the cafe when I see the resident manager's girlfriend outside. Apparently we just kept missing each other. I guess he screens his calls so I would leave after each time I buzzed him and then by the time he checked his message and came out I would have moved on.

So I am finally on my way, only half an hour late...not bad, I'm back on track. Traffic is good and the roads are clear. At the toll booth for the Coquilhalla I go to use my Corporate credit card to pay for the $10 toll. Declined! I'm baffled by this as I have just submitted an expense claim but figure I will sort it out once I am there. (It is later discovered that an expense claim submitted some months back has not been processed and for some reason I was not made aware of it).

At the summit there is snow on the side of the road but its smooth sailing. About an hour outside of Kelowna and just on to the Connector I get a call from a colleague in Kelowna. She's checking on me as she heard there is snow on the Connector. I report that its clear and there don't seem to be any problems. Well...don't I hang up the phone and less than 5 minutes later find myself in blizzard conditions. The road it completely snow covered, the wind and snow are blowing and there is a car off the road on its roof. Talk about crazy. In a four and half hour drive, I drove through beautiful sunshine, pouring rain, snow, sleet, and hail...I felt like the US Postal Service.

I arrive safely in Kelowna and check into my hotel, that my colleague has now arranged to be charge to our account with them due to my credit card problems. I decide to freshen up a bit before I head down to the race site. Well...don't I discover that my toiletries are still sitting in my bathroom at home as in my rush to leave after being locked out of my apartment I didn't do my final sweep to make sure I had everything.

Ohh what a day it was. Hoping today will be a little smoother; though the mold in the yogurt I bought from the coffee shop down stairs this morning suggests differently.

All said, I think its going to be a great weekend. I have two great volunteer coordinators helping me out and all of the race staff are great. The Vancouver gang arrive tonight and we've a few social activities planned around the race that hopefully I will have time to participate in.

Time to get going. Must find something to eat now that the yogurt is out of the question.

It's October 1st and there is much talk about the office over snow in the mountains.

I'm driving to Kelowna on Thursday and I have to admit, tackling the Coquilhalla alone if there is snow on the pass has me a little nervous. Ever since I was hit a few years back by a sliding car, I've been terrified of driving in the snow. Nan (my SUV) handles well in the snow (she did drive across Canada in the middle of winter after all) and will have a heavy load so I am sure she will do fine; but I still think there were will be many a church hymn sung Thursday morning.