Because the Dutch Know How to Party

Tried to get an early start today. Early being 9-ish. I also tried my hand at the transit system starting from my cousin's house. I made it down to Lonsdale Quay and looked around before boarding the SeaBus. A Russian tall ship was docked there, and I took a few shots before I continued downtown.

The big news lately was that they had solved the "ugly fence" problem regarding the Olympic cauldron. I hustled over to the IBC and stood in the line for about an hour before getting as many interesting shots as I could. It does make you wonder why they didn't think of this solution in the first place, given that the staircase and platform were already there. But whatever. The flak that VANOC has been getting is maybe partially deserved. As far as I know, nobody has ever put an Olympic cauldron out in public before. They were always lit inside the stadium where almost nobody had access to it for photos, let alone close-up photos with people in the frame. But when you put something on public display, the opportunity for mischief increases, so security is definitely an issue. I just hope they stop griping about it now and move on.

After my brush with the flame, and grabbing a quick lunch, I made my way down to Richmond to check out the O Zone. I had been told a number of times to go to the Holland Heineken House, and since I was armed with my little orange backpack, I figured now was a good time to blend in. Especially in Richmond. I got to the gate at around 2:30, but they weren't letting anyone in until after 3:00. By sheer luck I followed the right people and ended up in line to get into the Heineken House before most people figured out where to go. It was a fun atmosphere inside, albeit all in Dutch. They were commentating the hockey game in Dutch too, but as Canadians we knew what was going on. I got a beer and some fries and sat in the stands to watch the ladies half pipe runs (the venue is usually a hockey arena). The beer garden was getting more and more crowded, and I had explored the whole house, so I decided to go out to see the rest of the O Zone. As I exited, I saw that the line was still huge. It seemed like they weren't letting anyone in until the end of the hockey game.

There was a concert stage, a skating oval, a lot of food tents, and the Richmond Library had been turned into the "International Living Room", where you could go in to sit and watch the events on TV, or use the internet, or just sit and read. I found out that Our Lady Peace was playing later on in the evening, so instead of going to Yaletown, I decided to stick around for the rest of the day.

By the end of the night, the field was packed with people for the concert. I left before the end, around 10:30, and as I walked out of the venue, the Heineken House was full, and even the line to get into the O Zone area was unbelievably massive. I was really glad I got in early.

And now (drumroll...), the moment we've been waiting for...

PHOTOS!


The line-up to see the flame (the end of the line is in the distance, at the top of the hill)


Me and the controversial cauldron


Outside the Heineken House


Inside the Heineken House beer garden (the people are staring at the big screen TV to the right of the frame)


The crowd that had gathered for the Our Lady Peace concert (the screen on the left is showing the men's figure skating medal presentation...the guy from the US had won!)

"Even the angels are losing sleep and the sidewalks are bare"

Sights (With No Evidence)

A beautiful day on the West Coast. After a bit of a late start this morning, I made it downtown at around 1:00 pm. Realizing that I had once again forgotten my camera, I was going to have to dust off the memory bank and put it to work.

I noticed a lot of remarkable things. First, and this is important, there is a zipline going across Robson Square. That has to be the most fun thing ever. Good news is it's free. Bad news is that the wait is about 5 hours. I think I'll save that for later.

There was a woman with nordic walking sticks that passed me on the street. The last time I saw those, I was in Denmark. Speaking of walking, there were at least 3 different people, at different points during the day, walking in front of me with leg casts and crutches. The most impressive was a girl who was in a full clubbing outfit, knee-high stiletto boot on one leg and knee-high cast on the other.

You have to wait in line for pretty much everything. I waited to get into the Live City Vancouver Downtown venue. I was in the Canadian pavillion when they brought out our Holy Grail, the Stanley Cup. I had to settle for a fuzzy cell-phone photo, but that's okay. I have a vague recollection that I took a photo of it once before. You can have your photo taken holding an Olympic torch but there are a few places where you can do that, so I can take the opportunity another time. I watched on the big screen as they awarded the gold medal to Maelle Ricker, and everyone in the venue started singing along with the national anthem. That was another interesting sight: people have been spontaneously singing "O Canada" on the street. Not just one or two lines, but the whole thing. And quite poorly in some cases, but it's the thought that counts.

As I was passing by Alberta House, they were showing the final race for women's 500 m speed skating, and I watched as Marianne St-Gelais won the silver. Nice birthday present.

I called it a night early and took the SeaBus back to North Vancouver. Tomorrow, another day out on the town. The camera is in plain view.

"Wanna leave but I've got to stay, and I'm wondering more everyday, Montreal to Hong Kong, where have all the good people gone?"

Worth the Wet

Here I am in slightly mild, extremely wet Vancouver! The plane ride left something to be desired (note to self: don't sit over the wings). I felt sorry for my seat neighbour, who was trying to sleep as I kept having to dash to the washroom. But he was really nice about it. I was sort of in a daze when I got off the plane, stopping at every TV to watch snippets of the men's 500 m speed skating event. My cousin and her daughter Jessica met me at the baggage claim, and so I was able to go into auto-pilot.

It was an early start today, taking the bus from Capilano University to Cypress Mountain at 7:00 in the morning to watch the ladies snowboard cross. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera, but driving up the mountain made me realize that there may not be much to photograph. It was like driving through oblivion, the fog was so thick. When we got off the bus, we walked for what seemed like miles through the clouds before we got to the security gate. Jessica and I were able to sneak in some granola bars, so that already felt like a victory. What took us by surprise was the size of the grandstand area. And the stairs. Holy crap, so many stairs. I'll post a photo next time, it's ridiculous. We found our seats, but due to the poor visibility, they delayed the start of the qualification runs from 10:00 to 11:00. That's when the rain started to get heavier. After a while, we both realized that our snowpants weren't as waterproof as we had hoped. So we headed back down the stairs and looked for somewhere dry. The only place available was the merchandise booth. We lined up to go inside, and then found out that the ponchos were sold out. We had to make do with the raincoats that we had brought. We bought cowbells mostly for the bag that we would later use to sit on. But the cowbells turned out to be very useful too.

Since we didn't want to sit on wet seats again, we hung out around the food/washroom area. Then they announced that the start was delayed again until 12:00. We passed the time by looking at fans from other countries who were dressed in an interesting fashion. First prize went to the Swiss with their umbrella hats emblazoned with the white cross on top. A close second was this impossibly tall Abe Lincoln look-alike, complete with top hat, and a hockey jersey that had "Lincoln" on the back. In terms of celebrity sightings, I noticed the very distinct hair of Shaun White waving a US flag several rows in front of me. I didn't see his face, but I was pretty sure it was him.

The sky cleared a little, and finally the qualification runs began. A number of the competitors fell, including the Canadians, probably because of the conditions. They had to hold the course a few times because the fog kept rolling in and out. Once we got to the quarter and semi finals, the sun started to come out. Maelle Ricker kept winning her heats, which kept everyone excited. During the final, everyone was yelling and ringing their cowbells, which was intense. When she crossed the finish line first, everyone went nuts! It was so amazing!

I'm warm and dry now, at my cousin's house. I think the whole experience is still sinking in. I was just at a Canadian gold-medal event. And, according to my cousin, I was on TV! I'm going to have to watch the re-runs tonight.

An excellent start to the Olympic experience. And I'm so glad I didn't buy the general admission tickets (which at this point have all been cancelled due to unsafe conditions).

"There's something 'bout the way the street looks when it's just rained"

The Weight (and Wait) of Gold

I don't know how much more excitement I can take. And I'm not even there yet.

Yesterday I was really pumped as I watched the women's moguls. But the look on Jennifer Heil's face as she found out that she had won silver just tore my heart out. You could tell how disappointed she was. But a medal is a medal. And we were on our way...

The pressure that's been on Canadian athletes for the past 34 years has been pretty intense. Montreal was before my time, and I don't know if I was really aware of the significance of it when I was 9 years old, watching the Calgary games. But ever since Vancouver/Whistler won the bid for 2010, that was when I felt the collective need of the country for our athletes to win. The "curse" that is constantly mentioned by the media could honestly be a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Today, Kristina Groves was ecstatic for her bronze in the 3,000 m long track. Considering this isn't her best event, it's completely understandable. And this could be just one of five medals for her.

And just a few moments ago, Alex Bilodeau took the weight off of everyone's shoulders when he won our first gold in moguls. It was so amazing. I can't imagine how crazy it is in Vancouver right now.

Day 3, and already 3 medals, tied for 3rd place. And on a more personal note, I just found out that my friend gave birth on Thursday to a beautiful baby girl. I am literally dancing around my condo.

One more sleep for me. I have no idea how I'm going to do it.

"I got a little secret for ya, I never sleep when comes the night"

"Why didn't they just come out with the Chinese?"

My friend's girlfriend said those words as we sat in their living room watching the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. She was referring mostly to the delegation from Hong Kong. From that point on we basically commented on every delegation, Asian or otherwise, as not being included within the realm of China.

It was probably wrong of us to provide so much colour commentary (some of which really was inappropriate) during the ceremonies, but it really left us shaking our heads and wondering how this presentation could be perceived as an accurate representation of Canada and Canadians by the rest of the world. During the "cultural" portion, the guys were fascinated by the inclusion of Gandalf in the Arctic, mesmerized by the boy-girl "running" through the wheat field, and baffled by the punk rock fiddlers. There were some really nice moments though. Like when the whales swam across the floor, and when the trees rose up to create an Emily Carr-like backdrop for the dancers, or when Gandalf lit up the Northern Lights. But the cheesiness of some of the performances, the unfortunate faulty hydraulics which sadly ruined Catriona Le May Doan's torch moment, and the strange logistics of the outdoor Olympic cauldron (did anyone else think the security around Wayne Gretzky's pick-up truck was surprisingly non-existent?) left us somewhat disappointed. We had this chance to show the world we could put together a first-class event, and I think we fell short.

Well, despite the glitches, I'm still looking forward to seeing all of this up close when I travel to Vancouver on Monday. Stay tuned for the next two weeks and I'll try to keep up my blog during my Olympic adventure. Especially for the newer members of my audience (hi guys!).

"Moment is fading, one minute's past, but I've got this moment to make it all last"

Farewell to Friends

I hope the new year has found you all safe, healthy, and happy.

My father received news that one of his childhood friends had passed away from cancer on Sunday. It was known for some time that his health was failing, but despite the advance warning it was still shocking and sad for my dad. He forwarded an e-mail to me and my brothers that he had written to Uncle Benny’s family, detailing the story of how he had met Uncle Benny when he was 11, and how the two of them and Uncle Max had grown up together like brothers. Over the years the three of them had moved to different parts of the world but still kept in touch. His only regret was that they weren’t able to meet in person as much as they would have liked. The last time he saw Uncle Benny was when our family travelled to Ottawa, years and years ago. I still remember the visit.

Reading my dad’s story made me think of my own friends. I met my closest friends when I was about 11 or 12. We grew up together and although we went to different universities we kept in touch constantly and gathered together as often as possible. Now, as we navigate our own lives and have spread out a little more, we still try to keep in touch and meet as much as we can. I know that the inevitable will happen, when one day we’ll have to part company for all time, but I hope that won’t happen anytime soon.

"All the right friends in all the right places, so yeah, we're going down"

George Clooney Saved My Life

Three words: Best...festival...ever!

This has been the most eventful, the most exciting, the most interesting, the most successful, the most tiring, and the most celebrity-filled ten days of film I've had so far.

My cunning plan was to do all of my volunteer shifts during the first half of the festival, and then watch films during the second half. I was content with just seeing the second or third run of the film - I didn't need to be at the screening with the stars. But it's funny how things ALWAYS work out. Some changes to the shift schedules this year meant that I could fit in full shifts on a weeknight without having to take time off work. This turned out to be a poor idea, as I ended up working until 12:30 am and having an average of 4 hours of sleep a night for several days in a row. I also ended up making some poor nutritional choices (a tub of popcorn for dinner...it still makes me cringe).

On my first night, I worked the Rush line for "The Trotsky", which was a Canadian film I would liked to have seen if it wasn't playing during my shifts. Jay Baruchel is the star, who most would know from films like "Knocked Up" and "Tropic Thunder" but who I remember most as one of the hosts of "Popular Mechanics for Kids". Of course, the other host was a girl named Elisha Cuthbert. I was part of the human chain that blocked off the sidewalk as the "talent" got out of their SUVs and onto the red carpet. Along with Jay, Colm Feore was there, and Wendy Crewson, and a bunch of other Canadian personalities, including, of all people, Ben Mulroney, who I learned later played himself in the film. As part of the promotion of the film, a bunch of little cars and a motorcycle with a sidecar pulled up, and some people came around handing out flags. The volunteers ended up with the task of getting rid of the flags, but we had some fun with them on the street: directing people, cheerleading for TIFF, pretending to be Wolverine, etc. The Midnight Madness film was "Daybreakers", a vampire movie, and two of the stars, Sam Neill and Willem Dafoe turned up on the carpet. Meanwhile, the stars from another Midnight Madness film, "Bitchslap", showed up and worked the line to promote their film that would showing a couple of days later. The postcards were amusing, and we just kept saying the film title over and over.

Day 2: It was Saturday, and I had agreed to meet some friends for breakfast before my shift. Again, some poor planning on my part. My shift started at 11:00am, and the first film of the day was "Jennifer's Body", which had caused quite the commotion as the opening night Midnight Madness with Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried showing up. I heard they had to close the red carpet to the press, because so many of them were trying to get in. This was a first, and the denied were pissed off, to say the least. Nobody was there that morning, so it was pretty uneventful. However, an "ambulance" showed up, deafened me with the siren, and a bunch of zombies jumped out of the back and started doing an interpretive dance to Amy Winehouse's "Rehab". It was a promo for The Movie Network, which was bizarre at first, and then funny, but after they played the song over and over and over again, I had had enough. The next film was "The Hole", a 3-D film with special glasses that we were told cost $150 a piece, so people weren't allowed to leave the theatre with them, even to go to the washroom. They had to turn them in whenever they left. The curse of Borat was in full force for this film, where it broke at the beginning, and then with 20 minutes left at the end the fire alarm went off, forcing everyone to leave, making it harder to enforce the glasses return policy, and causing the entire audience to be cranky for not knowing how the film ends. The volunteers agreed it may have all been a ploy to get everyone out of the theatre early, because the next film was the biggest event we've ever had at the Ryerson. George Clooney's film "Up in the Air" was screening next. I was originally pegged to be part of the human chain again, but after some much needed thought, the organizers decided to close off the street. I was extremely grateful, there were people who had been waiting there since 10:00 am to see him, and as the time drew near the crowd only got bigger and bigger. So we were delegated to the red carpet, standing in front of the screaming masses and making sure nobody jumped the barricades. A few of the other stars showed up first, like Jason Bateman and Vera Farmiga. Jason came over to sign, and he asked one of the fans if they'd like him to sign "George Clooney". When the real George showed up, it was craziness. Instead of staying on the carpet, he decided to come right up to the barricade. It started to tilt, so I held onto it just in case. As he passed me, I had to let go and move back as far as I could (which wasn't much), so he brushed right past me. Then, he asked the crowd not to lean, because it could tip the barricade and crush someone. It took a few seconds for me to realize that...I'M that someone it could crush! So as idiotic as it sounds, George Clooney saved my life. Whatever I was feeling at the time, I kept it inside, as did the rest of the volunteers. We got some really nice comments later that we looked really professional. Well, I guess compared to the insane hoards we were standing next to, we would have looked a lot more calm. But I know we were all going a little inwardly crazy. After my shift, I met some friends for dinner in the area, so I didn't see any films but we had plenty to talk about.

The next day, I had another morning-afternoon shift, but it was a much more subdued one. To my chagrin, the Movie Network ambulance showed up again in the afternoon. I braced myself. The second GC film, "The Men Who Stare at Goats", screened first but there was no red carpet. The second film was "Valhalla Rising", which stars Mads Mikkelson, who was the creepy bad guy in "Casino Royale". He arrived with no fanfare, no entourage, and when he left he hung out at the back door, took photos, signed autographs, puffed away on his cigarette, and being generally cordial but to me he still looked creepy. According to a friend who was at the screening, it was a very beautiful film, but not enough killing for a film about a one-eyed Viking warrior. The next film surprised me in terms of popularity. It was "The Road", based on the book by Cormac McCarthy. For an extremely depressing post-apocalyptic story, the Rush line was massive! And I was working it all by myself for a while, but thankfully some help arrived closer to showtime. I even knew a few of the people who were waiting! I tried to be helpful and kept everyone's spirits up, despite my doubts that they would get in. It was a little strange because the strangers called me by name to ask questions, which shouldn't be that weird considering I was wearing a nametag. But some of the people were really nice. There were a few here and there who were also waiting for "Whip It", the roller-derby directorial debut of Drew Barrymore. I was secretly hoping the Rush line would stay short, since I was going to Rush it after my shift, along with half of the other volunteers. Once we got the Rush line in (we managed just over 100 people!), my shift was over so I hustled my butt outside into the line. My friend joined me a little while later so I wasn't too bored. One of the volunteers decided to leave but wanted to let her brother know that she was gone, but he was inside and didn't have a cell, so she taped a sign to the post. Everyone who passed the sign laughed. One person even took a photo! We were able to get in, and the film was so cute and the soundtrack was amazing. Drew was even more cute - she was so appreciative of the audience. On our way past the back door, we saw her again, as well as her on-again boyfriend Justin "Hi, I'm a Mac" Long. Michael Cera was there too (cute!). Nice end to the day.

After a long day at work the next day, I got downtown to do my final shift. The audience for "Soul Kitchen" has just gone in, so we hung out for a while. For the next film, "Leaves of Grass", I was on the ticketholders line, which I've decided I don't like very much. Especially when people bud into the line as they're going in. I was on lockdown for the back door after the film. I saw one of the Rushies from The Road, a woman from Austin, Texas who worked at Aintitcoolnews. Every time someone came in or went out the door, the crowd would cheer and applaud. One of the girls I was working with decided just to go to the door and be gratified. It was hilarious. The best was when one of the staff guys came out, waved to the adoring crowd, then ran into one of the concrete posts that was just about the height of his pelvis. It was so incredibly embarrassing but I couldn't help laughing. He ran away pretty quickly. When the film let out, I blocked off the sidewalk as Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman came out (they're so small!!), then Keri Russell came out and signed some autographs. Edward Norton came out, and the woman behind me got him to sign her ticket just as he was about to get into the car, so I reaped some of the benefits of that. The director and co-star, Tim Blake Nelson, was so funny. Every time someone asked for a photo or autograph, he would look around, as if he were looking for permission, and then agreed. My last job was to be a clicker for "Bitchslap". Another late night, and it was fun but bittersweet, as I learned while on shift that Patrick Swayze had passed away.

I took a couple of much needed days off after that. It was pretty strategic, since there weren't any films I really wanted to see on those two days, I needed the break, and I wanted to avoid going downtown when there was a U2 concert of over 60,000 people and a free Leafs game happening at the same time.

On the Thursday, I went down after work to Rush the documentary "Cleanflix", which was about Mormons in Utah who took it upon themselves to edit or "clean" Hollywood films of all the sex, profanity, and violence and rent or sell it to the public. Hilarious.

I took Friday off work and spent the whole day downtown. I saw "Cooking with Stella", a Canadian film set in India and starring Don McKellar and Lisa Ray, who looked great even as she's battling cancer. While I waited for my next film, I wandered around downtown, eating truck food, feeding the leftovers to the pigeons, walking the Trinity labyrinth while listening to the new Imogen Heap album, surfing the net on my iPod at a Starbucks, and sitting in the Peace Garden at Nathan Phillips. It was really surreal. I Rushed "The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights" at the Elgin. It was chilly, but the people in the line were interesting. I ended up getting a free ticket from someone who had an extra. The seat I chose turned out to be where Jack and Meg would walk right past on their way to their seats. It was a great film, and the Q&A included Jack doing a version of Kanye's now-infamous speech interruption.

The last day of the festival, I exercised poor planning again (which I find really unusual for me), as I had to run to three films in a row, several blocks from each other, with less than 30 minutes in between each. I Rushed "Mao's Last Dancer" at Scotiabank, which was fantastic and turned out to be the runner-up for the People's Choice award. Then I motored over to Ryerson to see "Mr. Nobody", a mind-blowing film that I think is about existentialism and starred Jared Leto and Sarah Polley, among others. Then I ran over to the Elgin to Rush the final film, "The Young Victoria", where the line looked long but the majority of the people were waiting for tickets to see the People's Choice free screening of "Precious", so I got in. I even got to see part of the intro, and Emily Blunt was there. A very interesting and nicely-shot film. The guy who plays Albert is kind of cute too.

The volunteer party on Sunday was interesting because it was in a new location (This is London) but it was a little crowded as the night went on, and they only had pizza to snack on. But I got to stand next to Piers in the group shot, so it was okay. And the ladies' washroom was the entire third floor and a woman was there to squirt soap in my hands. Unreal.

I recommend all of the films I saw this year. I was originally on the fence about the People's Choice because of the subject matter, and how intense it is, and how it could have been Oprah-biased, but I think it's also worth seeing. It'll be huge at the Oscars this year for sure. Another great film fest, and I came out of it relatively unscathed by the rabid fans, messed up eating habits and late nights in the downtown core. One more word: AWESOME.

"I'm gonna fight em off, a seven nation army couldn't hold me back"

The Ups and Downs of Condo Living

The storm from last week did a number on my building. It seems that a number of lockers on the lowest parking level were flooded. Most notably, two of the four elevators are no longer operational. That makes getting up to and down from my unit a bit of a challenge. That challenge was compounded when I found out first hand that the two operational elevators are now possessed.

Waiting for the elevators on the ground floor is the most advantageous because you can see where they are and if they're going to arrive soon. If you're on any other floor, you'd have to guess by the noises. I was standing there with a neighbour, anticipating that an elevator would pass the ground floor on its way up from P3. When it completely skipped us, we were both rather confused. Instead, the elevator that was way up at 26 came down and picked us up, along with a few other people who had joined us. There was a little shudder as we passed the fifth floor, and when we reached the tenth floor, nothing happened. The door didn't open, and we didn't continue upwards. We all looked at each other and feared the worst. One of the passengers pressed a button and then the elevator continued up, completely skipping the requested floor. At the next stop, the same thing happened. The passenger tried another button, and thankfully the door opened. On her way out, she said, "You have to press the 'door open' button." All of the passengers groaned slightly, as it appeared that the elevator was now manual. At the third stop, the person tried the button and it worked again. By the time, we reached my floor, I gave it the benefit of the doubt, and it did open on its own. The rejected passenger pressed "10" again as I exited. I hope she made it back to her floor. As I heard from other neighbours later, it seems that the day before, people had been trapped on the elevator for a while. However, they weren't at a standstill...the elevator just kept going up and down without stopping or opening the doors. The thought of it just boggles my mind.

"First train home, I've got to get on it"

We're Not In Kansas

A few hours ago, I was sitting on my couch, listening to my iPod, watching my candles burning, waiting for the power to come back. I was thinking about how ironic it was that the power in my unit had gone out the day after tornadoes touched down in Southern Ontario.

The weather on Thursday seemed just as crazy as it has been on several occasions this summer. What I didn't realize was just how severe it really was. I watched as water blanketed the city outside my window and the wind whipped the rain against the neighbouring buildings. The power flickered on and off as I was preparing dinner, but it never reset any of my electronic devices. The footage that was shown on the news later on was unbelievable. Roofs and second storeys torn off, trees uprooted, cars tossed about, horses flying through the air...it reminded me more of the Midwestern US than it did of the GTA.

Today, the weather was great, which was fortunate for those affected the most. It didn't rain a drop. When my power went off this evening, I thought, "Crap, what now??" What unnerved me even more was that as my condo went black, I could hear the very distinct sound of a power drill. My next thought was, "If someone has just severed my electricity with a drill, I'm going to be extremely pissed." My fears were compounded when I saw that the lights in the hallway were still on and there were sounds coming from the elevators, indicating they were still operational. I was ready to call the property manager when an announcement was made over the security PA, saying that the power was out (really?) and to standby for further announcements. Fair enough. I sat around for a while, listening to my iPod and talking to a friend on my cell phone, when another announcement was made, saying that someone from the electric company was coming and the problem would be fixed shortly. Yeah right. I broke out the matches and hoped that I didn't need to use the bathroom for a while.

It was 3 hours later when I was jostled from my nap by the sound of my refrigerator starting up. I breathed a sigh of relief. Looks like I'll be able to take a shower tonight after all.

"I woke up with the power out, nothing something to shout about"

The Number One Item

What do you think is the number one item that everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, needs to ensure that they have before they even begin to consider moving to a new home?

Go on, guess...

A can opener.

Go figure.

There have been a number of instances where all food preparation came to an abrupt halt due to the lack of a can opener. However, sometimes it's too late to turn back. I came to that realization as I was cooking some ground chicken in a pan and turned to grab a can of pasta sauce. I groaned inwardly as I had absolutely no way of opening the can. Luckily, I had a bottle of balsamic vinaigrette. It was definitely an exercise in creative cookery, but I managed to make a palatable meal of it. Let's just say I made a trip to the store the next day.

"I wake up every evening with a big smile on my face, it never feels out of place, and you're probably still working at a 9 to 5 pace, I wonder how bad that tastes..."

Finally Installed

This is it friends.  I've finally done it.  I'm living on my own in my condo.

I'm sure by now everyone knows what transpired between the time that I purchased this place over 3 years ago until last Wednesday, when I decided I had run out of reasons to delay moving in.  From unit repairs to the painting process to the manual labour of furniture assembly.  Who knew particle board could be so heavy?  It's sawdust and glue, for crying out loud.  Once the bed was constructed, I decided that was all I really needed to get started.  Granted, the process continues, which includes the arduous task of cleaning my former dwelling (I have SO MUCH CRAP) and the never-ending sea of plywood that has engulfed my living room and den.

Although it's taken some time to get used to sleeping in a new place (I feel like I'm in a hotel), I seem to have taken to single living really fast.  For example, in less than a week, I have already developed a habit of mooching food from others.  Friends, family, and even almost complete strangers.  I'd almost say that I'm proud of myself if I weren't so completely embarrassed.

So, it's been a really long time coming, but phase two is finally complete.  Sometimes it seemed like it would never happen.  Now...onwards and upwards to phase three...

"Don't stop believin'..."

"Write A Song About California, He Said..."

(If you haven't already heard of the band Hey Ocean!, you should definitely check them out.)

So it seems like I'm spending a lot of time on the West Coast these days.  First Vancouver-Whistler, now San Francisco.  It's been about 15 years since I was there, which is definitely too long of a hiatus.  My brother, my cousin and I headed over there last month to visit my little cousin and her husband in Berkeley.  When we were growing up together, we used to see each other once a week.  Now we'll be lucky to see each other once a month, and even less now that my cousin traipsed to the other side of the continent, got married, and has been held hostage whilst going through the green card process (US immigration is weird).  So it seemed like the perfect opportunity to gather together and hang out for the first time without the parents.  Unfortunately, my youngest brother couldn't come along, but it actually would have been a little snug in the apartment, so it all worked out for the best.

I have to say, I saw very little of San Francisco itself this time around.  We were there for a couple of days, checking out Ghirardelli Square and the Ferry Marketplace.  We also went out for dinner in Chinatown with some family friends I haven't seen in ages.  The trip consisted mostly of hanging out in Berkeley, which is an absolutely perfect fit for my environmentally conscious cousin, and Napa/Sonoma, where I went wine tasting for the first time ever.  VERY fun.

My brother is considering heading out there next year to take a mechanics course at a well-known training facility in Sonoma, so there will likely be another opportunity for me to head out there.  I guess I almost qualify as being bicoastal now.

"...I think it's something everybody's got to do before they're dead, but I wrote a song about you instead."

A Wild Success

I have officially started my fourth decade.

I'm not sure how I always manage to find a way to make something sound remarkably exaggerated. It's like when my friends and I turned 25 and I kept saying we were now more than halfway to 50. And now here I am at the age of 30, and I'm still doing it.

Yesterday was such an incredible day. After an entire year of thinking, planning, scheming, rearranging, budgeting, panicking, and anticipating, I was able to put together a fairly well-organized and thematically coherent party. An event, I should say. Almost everyone arrived on time (or at all), people were able to mingle, the food was really good, the MC was great (thanks Kevin!), the games were fun, the dancing was at times wild and uncontrolled, and the schedule was followed to the best of our ability, albeit slightly shifted by half an hour or so. But the one thing I wasn't sure about was how much money I would be able to raise for World Wildlife Fund Canada. I know it's difficult these days for people to be able to contribute to a charitable cause.  Add to that the fact that some of my friends had recently purchased really big-ticket items or are trying to save for the future, and there was a very real possibility that I wouldn't reach my goal of $1,000. Well, not only did I reach it but I surpassed it. It was incredible, and I was really thrilled at the generosity of my friends and family.

All in all, a phenomenal success, for both the fundraising and the execution of my first planned event. Be on the lookout for more to come...

"Would you live each moment like your last? Leave old pictures in the past? Donate every dime you had?"

Mother Nature is Bipolar

Last week, it was -20°C and the windchill was crazy. Two days ago, it was 17°C. Yesterday, I attempted to go skiing. I knew it wasn't the best day, but it's been three weeks since I left the Rockies and I was suffering from withdrawal or something. Needless to say, it was like skiing through a slushie. I managed to stay mostly dry, but after a couple of hours the wet started to seep through. The one good thing was that the hill was deserted, and there was plenty of parking available. There were also some pretty awesome moments when the fog suddenly rolled in and we were standing on the hill looking down at it. I felt badly for those who were just arriving for a March Break vacation. It won't be cold again until closer to the end of this week. And wouldn't you know it, I can't go next weekend. I sure hope the snow will hold out until the 21st, our last chance of the season with our pass.

"I've been roaming around, always looking down at all I see"

No More Munchkins

A strange thing is happening that is related to the environment and working in my industry. There is a worldwide shortage of acetonitrile.  This is a chemical that's widely used in quality control test methods for pharmaceutical products.  This chemical isn't specifically produced, it's a by-product from the manufacturing process for industrial resins, plastics, and car parts.  Due to the economic downturn for the automotive industry, they aren't producing a lot of car seats, which in turn doesn't produce a lot of acetonitrile.  Also, there was one factory in Texas that produced this chemical that was affected by Hurricane Ike.  And China decided to shut down a lot of its manufacturing facilities before the Beijing Olympics to improve air quality.  So now the price for this chemical has shot through the roof, and everyone's trying to get their hands on some.  At the laboratory where we test some of our products, we were in some serious trouble at the beginning of the year.  But thanks to a well-connected buyer in my group and our CFO's credit card, we managed to score ourselves a supply.  We joked that it had all the characteristics of a black market deal.  How sad would that be...

In other similar news, here's something really sad to think about: our planet is running out of helium.  Helium is also extensively used in lab testing, specifically gas chromatography.  Since it's just about the most inert element in existence, it's good to use because it won't react with anything.  I think I read that the helium supply in North America will run out by 2035.  The only other places in the world where you can get it are Russia and Algeria.  Synthesizing it would take ridiculous amounts of time and energy.  So unless we can find a way to mine this stuff from the sun, we won't be singing about the Lollypop Guild anymore.

"When are you going to come down? When are you going to land? I should have stayed on the farm, I should have listened to my old man"

Not Enough Time

So the last month has been so ridiculously busy, I haven't had a chance to blog about anything that's happened.

I am now a homeowner.  I picked up my keys on January 28th, and stepped into my new dwelling. Unfortunately, the dwelling isn't quite up to par yet.  I had imagined things that will take a little longer to come to fruition, but I've waited this long already.

I have now skied Whistler.  After a year of planning and organizing, I left for Vancouver on Feb 5th and hit the town on my own for a day before my friends joined me the day after.  Then it was up to Whistler for five days of winterness, falling and hurting myself on the first day (as previously feared), but still hitting the mountains for four straight days before collapsing in a heap on the bus back down to Van City.  There were some unexpected moments, like meeting all kinds of relatives (my own as well as other people's), or spending a day with six cats (not all at once), or having karma treat me unkindly (I returned an extra $5 I received in change only to find out later that I got a counterfeit $10 as part of that change).

If I thought being at the peak of Whistler Mountain was surreal, coming home was even more so.  I'm not entirely looking forward to going to work tomorrow.

"When you say it's gonna happen 'now', well when exactly do you mean? See, I've already waited too long, and all my hope is gone"

New

I'm sure a bazillion people are blogging today. It's one of those moments in a generation that needs to be marked somehow. So I'm doing that here. And all I'm calling it is "New". Because, hopefully, everything is new now.

I, like countless others, snuck away from my desk at noon today and watched the inauguration of the new American President. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay for his entire speech, but I knew I'd be able to see it ad nauseam on CNN or any other news outlet for days to come. It wasn't really the words I was looking to experience. It was just the experience I wanted to experience. To be able to say that I saw him take office as it was actually happening. And I'm not sure if it's normal to have ten inaugural balls, but I'm sure it's never received this kind of coverage before. Tonight's all about the celebration of the event. I'm genuinely interested to see what he's going to do tomorrow.

Brand new day.

"I'm so glad that I know more than I knew then, gonna keep on tryin' till I reach the highest ground"

Smaller in Person

For the first time in three years, I stepped across a threshold and into my condo.  Well, the very first time, it was a model unit that wasn't EXACTLY my condo, but the moment I saw it, I knew it was what I wanted to live in.  And yesterday morning, I got to see it.  It was everything I had ever hoped it would be...except that it wasn't finished.  Yes, it was a dusty mess, and there were bits and pieces missing, and naturally the whole point of the visit was to point out all the boo boos. The one thing that struck me while I was walking around was that it was a little bit smaller than I remembered it.  Which, I guess, is to be expected.  These many months of anticipation have probably warped my perception.  Thank goodness I didn't buy any furniture yet.  But the one thing that I had in my mind, that I was hoping for this entire time, was exactly the way I had pictured it.  I looked out the window and saw the Toronto skyline.  It was small, but it was there.  It was fantastic.  On a clear day, I bet I could really see all the condos clustered around the base of the Tower.  Not to mention the lake.  That was all I needed to make it perfect.  I know it sounds ridiculous, but you just can't take the city out of the girl.

The countdown has now dwindled to two weeks.  I was so giddy yesterday I couldn't concentrate on anything at work.  But the stresses from my job, the recent running around to get ready for the interim closing day, and running a household while my parents were away on a really well-timed Caribbean cruise have taken a toll, and I'm too tired to truly focus on this turning point of my life.  I figure I still have plenty of time to be excited later.

"No telling where it'll take ya, just live your life"

Not Quite From Scratch

Today was the first day of my "new" new job.  This was seriously a different kettle of fish than any other start to a new job for me.  I don't think I've ever been more anxious and hesitant.  For every other job, it was brand spanking new, and I didn't know what was going to happen next.  The problem this time around was that I knew EXACTLY what could happen, and how it could all go south.  I knew the people I would be working with, I knew my boss, I knew what my job was going to involve, and I knew how much work I was going to have right from the start.  It's pretty daunting.  There's no grace period, no "I don't know, it's my first day".  Of course, nobody expected me or anyone else to be experts right from the start.  But once again, I'm doing two jobs: trying to figure out my new role while finishing up my old role, and with the added bonus of helping out other people who are either taking on duties that I used to do or were also finishing up their old roles that involved work that I was doing.  So, notice something?  My job has suddenly ballooned into the work of three people.

I need a break already.

"Out of the fire and into the fire again, you make me want to forget and start all over"

Humbuggy

Happy New Year dear friends, I hope 2009 rang in safely for everyone.

The holidays have been both busy and mundane, if that's possible. Today, for example, has been a complete "PJ day". I think, if I were to make any resolutions for the new year, that I would resolve to have more PJ days in the future, other than when I'm feeling sick. Some people might prefer to go out and about as much as they can, but I'm perfectly happy lounging around in my flannel pjs, eating leftovers from last night's party, watching childhood programming on TV (they're running all three "Anne of Green Gables" miniseries this week). It's funny, watching old shows now as an adult, I've found that I understand a lot more of what they were insinuating at back in the day. And certain scenes could have a different context now than they did back then.

Backing up a bit, Christmas came and went and didn't really feel like Christmas at all. Hence the bah humbuggy feeling that I've been having. I guess having to work on Christmas Eve had something to do with it, and the fact that my brothers and I agreed not to exchange gifts this year.

Boxing Day was probably the most exciting.  A lot of big ticket items this year, including my shiny new TV and my oh, so pretty new computer.  But it still bugs me that they've made it possible to buy stuff for Boxing Day on Christmas Eve.  It's just not right.

It's a little Humbuggy actually.

"There's a list for who's been naughty or nice, but consider the price to an elf"