The even numbered Christmas - Part 2

Margo and I decided to take all of the hugs that would have been given to other aunts and uncles if they had been able to come to Grand Forks. Much of the visit was spent asking K and K for hugs or just randomly picking them up and taking the hugs.

FYI young Kohei is in that aggressive boy stage where he likes to fight and punch but he still offers a good hug. In the morning you don't even have to ask...just open your arms.

Kiyomi does the jump hug where she runs into your arms, gives you hugs and then does a Mary Lou Retton back flip off you. She really showcases how coordinated she is becoming in the skating video that I am attempting to post but is way too long since I was stunned watching her amazing skating and forgot to stop the camera.

Will try to edit it somehow and show a bit on the blog.


Big K is still into doing hair but as you can see, the Aunties aren't always supportive of that game.
Kohei is working on the over smile and I have Kiyomi reminding him as well. It is still so cute.

Margo is chasing Kohei on a hard icy surface. Don't worry; he puts a helmet on in a few minutes.There are some great photos of the kids sledding but they are on Mum's camera. I plan to try and get them tomorrow when I am over there for brunch.

The 2.5 days went by way too fast. It was a decadent Christmas of hugs, way too much good food (thanks to Dave and Sachon) and a lot of hanging out doing nothing, watching Harry Potter movies and enjoying the great company. We even watched Max Dugan Returns for old times sake. A great Christmas; I came home relaxed and stuffed from too much food.

The even numbered Christmas - Part 1

This picture sums up the last three days. Total excess along with a lot of laughs. The niece and nephew could not have been cuter and the hospitality by the Grand Fork Dunnets was outstanding.

Margo and I closed our eyes and crossed our fingers as we sat in the back of the Pathfinder while Mom did some heroic driving to get us out of the city. I couldn't look outside as it just stressed me out too much. Once we passed Hope (ironically) all was good. It was bit chilly; we all had blankets tucked between ourselves and the doors to try and keep the wind out, at one stop we took the ice scraper...the the inside of the windows. But we arrived in one piece and were greeted with hugs and enthusiasm about the days to come.

Big K and little K pulled out their A game to make us feel welcome and loved. Dave broke out the beers to get some Christmas cheer going and we settled into a Christmas eve of tourtiere and the third Harry Potter movie. The kids kept looking at us and whispering loudly 'Santa is coming!'

Totally brought me back to my youth. They also wanted to open a present...now.

Dave told me that in Sachon's wisdom they decided not to put the gifts out until that morning or it might drive the kids crazy. Very smart.

The adults settled in to watch Scrooged (so good!) and the kids went to bed so that Santa could arrive.

I think this was one of the first years I got to steal a lot of bacon off the turkey. This 28.5lb bird was cooked to perfection and there was more than enough to go around. With only the even numbered birth order children in attendance (plus two spouses and two kids) I had to step it up and have two plates to make a small dent in the feast. It was the traditional Dunnet Christmas dinner right down to the bread sauce and turnips. This was my first year of really enjoying the brussel sprouts.

Kiyomi doesn't have black eyes. Santa brought her eye makeup.

31 is awkward

We opened the champagne at 8:20pm and most people didn't arrive until 9:30 or so. This is my excuse for the fact that there are so few photos. The cupcakes were salvaged although the icing job was not 'our' best. R helped while I got ready for the party.

It seemed like everyone had a good time although I admit to being a little fuzzy on details after 10pm. Notice the nice photo with Renee and then me looking shiny and blotchy with the sisters about 2 hours later. I think that might have been when R started slurring.

Party wrapped at midnight (a sign we are getting old OR that people were scared of returning home in the ridiculous weather) and it was great to see a mix of family, work friends and the rowing peeps all mingling in my new place.

I have to agree with Rachel; I enjoyed turning 30 and 31 seems like and awkward and old age. Ugh.

Other than the party other highlights included; reflexology at Big Feet (first time for R and Grud), wicked lunch at Quattro and having Kohei sing happy birthday to me over the phone. Those kids are way too cute. Loving the video of Kiyomi spinning Kohei on a wakeboard on the homemade ice rink.

busy bee

I decided to take this off-line but thought I would share again since it is the holiday season. Been too busy to post since I spent the last two weeks of November packing, then I moved, then I was sick for two weeks. But I am back. And on vacation since last Thursday. Feels good. And, as you can see by the photos from my new apartment, the snow is falling like crazy here. Really adding the winter vacation feel.

R and I were going to buy snowshoes but the roads are too treacherous to go anywhere and snowshoe. And I checked Canadian Tire and the snowshoe sales is over. I am sure it will happen again soon so I will keep my eyes peeled.

Settling in to the new place and even had my first social gathering at it on Friday. I think the lack of furniture almost helped make space for dozen people to gather in my 700 sq ft apartment. Only seating for 7 people so there was a lot of standing. Really impressed that people braved the chilly conditions to come wish me a happy birthday. Felt loved.

Next up is driving to GF on Wednesday. Slightly concerned that the weather will not make for a fun road trip. I fully expect Mum to totally over pack and Margo and I be forced to sit amongst presents and sewing machines in the backseat for 8 hours. I am sure it will all be fine. Maybe a few 'road pops' to keep it relaxed. Or some Gravol.

I go back to work on January 5th so I am officially on day 3 of vacation. It is almost 3pm and I am still in my pjs and have not been to the gym which is only 11 floors away.

Been up since 7:30am just relaxing, watching movies, tidying and rearranging items in my apartment. Have a stack of DVDs borrowed from R and C and there is always pay per view if I run through them. I have figured out how to not even have to go outside to get the IGA and Homesense that are around the corner from my building. Does it get any better? The forced air heating (and air conditioning in the summer!) are keeping the place toasty but I sure could do with a rug on the hardwoods and then tiled den. Maybe in the new year.

Peace out.

Purple and gold

I am officially a member of the UW Husky Hall of Fame. Weekend went something like this:

Reception and induction ceremony. We received the purple blazers, Kim was my date and we each got 2 free drinks, dinner, and a glass of champagne. I didn't realise it was going to be a big deal until I got there. They had set up the entire floor of the basketball arena for the reception. Warren Moon was there. Other rowers had purchased an entire table so their family could be there with them. They brought their kids to be part of the moment. I was expecting more of a small dog and pony show with cheap lasagna and a cash bar. There were 2 large video screens so you could see the speakers from any seat. We were served at our tables and our water glasses refilled frequently. It was legit. We toured the hall of fame after and took photos of ourselves next to the hall of fame photos of us rowing.

The next day we went to a Turkey Fry at Kim's sister's place. There was a fried turkey and another one that was smoked. Tasty food, good company but way too many dogs. Everyone brought their dog and in total I think there was 7 at one point. Not being a big fan of them my nerves were a bit frayed at the end of the event.

From the Turkey Fry we went to the indoor tailgate party at the UW indoor arena. We had to walk through all the outdoor tailgate parties in the parking lot to get there. It was amazing. Chris said it looked like a refugee camp with beer and barbecues. Purple and gold tents everywhere. Barbecues. RVs. Beer. And it was dark out and there were ridiculous line ups for the porta potties. I managed to find some work friends in among the thousands of people. They were tailgating with some UCLA fans and I showed off my purple blazer and then bolted for the indoor tailgate. The indoor tailgate was free booze and cheap lasagna. The Husky band warmed up inside and it was loud.

Next was the game and our recognition on the field at half-time. Rachel, Denni and I boldly made a break for the Husky helmet car at the other end of the field and took photos.

Drove home after half-time and got in late. Hung my blazer up this morning. Totally going to wear it again. It was an awesome embrodered UW Hall of Fame emblem and the tag says it is from the 'Blazerdepot.com'. We were all immediately mocking them for the fact that the sleeves are super short. But 3/4 length is totally in.

watch the wasabi

Had a great evening with the Grand Forks Dunnets. I learned a few things; kids don't like wasabi and when the person at the sushi places asks if you want wasabi with your rolls they are asking if you want the wasabi in roll and not just on the side. They also don't like medium salsa or salmon or tuna rolls (although they will eat salmon at other times). They do enjoy tortilla chips even if there is no salsa with them. Pot of Gold chocolates are also a big hit (both with the kids and the host). The lovely meal of sushi, salad and tortilla chips was topped off with a wicked lemon meringue pie that Sachon brought. I can't remember the last time I had lemon meringue pie. Tasty.

K and K were great, as usual, and when they became too distracting and I wanted to talk with Dave and Sayoko all I had to do was ask Dave to put the TV on to the kids channel. Ironically they watched Dora the Explorer. Tried to send them home with the leftover, pie, chocolates and vegetables they brought but they 'claimed' that they couldn't take them because they couldn't refrigerate them and already had a ton of Halloween candy at home. I think it might just have been the Japanese hospitality that made them refuse but can't be sure.

Someone asked me today what hobbies I have and it stumped me. I realised after this evening that spending time with friends and family could be a hobby since I sure do enjoy it.

For the other Aunts; Kiyomi asked a number of times about where the rest of her aunts were and seemed a bit disappointed when she realised it was just going to be me. We told her you were; in Prince George, Montreal, Chicago and at a housewarming.

FYI Kiyomi is great at the self-portrait. I like to think she gets that from me.

walk it out

So I have the perfect place to move into at the end of the month but I still can't help window shopping...

My realtor sent me this listing that is a great deal. Well, a great deal today but who knows with how the market is dipping. Is 100k off a great deal? Is it a great deal if the item is overpriced by 170k? This condo is brand new and started at 437k and is now down to 339k (or 319k if you decide not to take the car that is offered with it as an incentive). Love the building and the 800 sq ft is great. But man is it loud. The living room is right on Kingsway and the bedroom is barely removed from it. Way too loud for me.

I had a long walk home to think about it. I realised that if I took transit home from Broadway and Main I would barely get to the gym by 9pm. So I walked home. It was only 8k and since it wasn't raining it was quite pleasant.

Hoping I get a visit from the GF Dunnets on Saturday! The invite is out for them to come to my place for dinner. Fingers crossed Kohei doesn't have an accident again. Really don't want to lose my deposit.

Too much of a good thing

So I have now had Chinese food for 5 of my last 7 meals. I think I am not going to have Chinese food for a year. This won't a be a problem when I live downtown because I can trade leftovers with Rachel. But I am feeling quite ill from having had Chinese food for lunch and dinner the last 2 days.

I guess this was the downside to my master food plan. I could have frozen it but I didn't think it would thaw well.

Turkey Bacon

Started a new regime for my brunch. I worked out (30' StairMaster, abs and push ups, 40' cardio) and then came home to make this feast. Instead of the weekend treat of bacon I had turkey bacon with all health/calorie benefits negated by a cinnamon bun. But it was oh so good and I am going to go for a long walk as well so I can totally justify the calorie expenditure.

New coffee bodum is not working well. Maybe the grind is not good from Starbucks. Maybe I should have just done the grinding myself because the first batch of coffee this morning was cowboy coffee with chunky grinds. Reverted to my electric bialetti that makes espresso and was much happier with the second batch. Having egg poaching troubles. Keep over boiling the water and some of the egg white seeps out of the silicone poacher making the water boil even more, become frothy and then the eggs are basically under water. Must talk to Rachel about this. I am sure she knows what I am doing wrong.

The turkey bacon was delightful and I will be using it for my weekend brunch treat from now on. So was the red grapefruit. Cinnamon buns will sadly have to be an occasional addition to the menu as they are 370 calories and that is 25 minutes on the StairMaster.

Almost forgot the highlight to brunch was chatting on the phone to Kiyomi while I ate the eggs and then getting to talk to Sayoko about her trip to the midwife.

Off to get those errands done that I postponed when I was being a shut in yesterday.

Yummyweb.com

I decided to be housebound today and not head into the city to hang with Ritchy (my usual Saturday). Got 12 hours of sleep in (must have needed it), have watched 2 episodes of 24, went to the gym, am currently doing some laundry and just had Chinese food for dinner. Ordered it through this website called YummyWeb.com. I have not ordered Chinese food in the 16 months I've lived here (ordered pizza once) but was really craving it. The whole thing worked like a charm although they did call me 3 times because the women at the restaurant wrote down my credit card information wrong. I even got a free order of vegetables and cashew using a coupon available at the site.

As a singleton the delivery sometimes works out well. For $40 I've had dinner and have another 4 meals now tucked away in containers as well as a serving of soup. This almost makes me not want to cook. Of course, soon I won't have to cook because I will be stopping in at Rachel's for dinner as often as possible. Just a block and half away from Richard...

keeping my eyes peeled

The big buzz in Vancouver right now is the drop in realestate prices. Some claim it is a myth but since I've been watching I can tell you it is happening.

For instance; I offered on a place last month that had been on the market since May. It was awesome, great location, loved the layout and the building is new. They rejected my offer that was 8% below asking. Now, there is the same condo on the market one floor higher and they have a list price 3k below the one the floor below that I made an offer on. Ha! And there is another condo in the building that has just come on the market as well. Fire sale! Well, maybe not yet but this bodes well for me to buy something in the spring.

Still pumped about moving into my rental at the end of November. Spending too much time thinking about the furnishings I need for the fabulous layout (see picture). Do I use the flex space as a den/storage or just storage? Should I put my desk in the den or use that space as a reading area with my chaise and a bookcase? I need to buy a bed, couch, TV, TV stand and some bar stools so I am going furniture window shopping this weekend to see what is out there. Will also be checking craigslist.

whose the big winner?

I got it! I am going in to sign the lease tomorrow. Moving in the last weekend in November. So pumped! Feel like I won the lottery. Which makes no sense when I am paying a significant amount of rent. I did, of course, comparison shop, and the other 1 bedrooms in the same building are being rented for $200 more.

Watch out Chris! I am now just two blocks away. Can you say three's company? I will walking down Richards to ask Ritchy if I can borrow some flour. Wait...I don't cook.

The amenities look great so it is like I am joining a new gym. Which is awesome because the current gym I belong to is a 40 minute walk from my new place.

In another 'I'm all grows up' move I am going to hire movers rather than risk friendships and backs to get my stuff from Burnaby to Downtown.

My house/apartment warming will have to be closer to Christmas.

5 apartments in 4 hours

I spent over 4 hours today viewing apartments. 5 apartments. Here is the run down on them.

#1
I almost missed this place because I was late leaving Burnaby. That would have been shame because it is my top pick. Only downside is that it has built in cabinets in the bedroom so the closet is outside the bedroom. Other than that it is perfect. Gas stove, movable granite counter top island that acts as a breakfast bar, great hardwood floors, balcony you can fit a bbq on, great layout, 16th floor, seemed relatively quiet and it had a view. When the owner found out where I work we bonded because he knows a colleague. He saw the list of places that I am looking at and asked me to email if I found something else. I think that means I am in the running!!!!!!!!!!!

#2
Brutal. At $1425 it is over priced for 588 sq ft with no balcony on the 5th floor. Old building. Old appliances. Crappy layout. Cheap laminates. The realtor showing me the place found out I was looking at 3 more today and wanted me to email or call and let him know if the place is over priced. It is. By like $300.

#3
The building is the one next to Rachel's' and it faces the alley so I could totally spy on her working out in the morning. It is a nice place on the 3rd floor overlooking the courtyard but over priced at $1600. The owners seemed nervous about renting it out and the place was packed to the gills their crap making it difficult to imagine living there. No gym or pool. They emailed me after saying they would sublet the parking spot for me and bring the rent down to $1500 but it is still over priced. It did have front loading laundry and a balcony that could hold a bbq but I have decided not to apply.

#4
This one left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Why? Because they guy offered a one year lease OR you can get a 2 year lease for $200 more per month and that way they WON'T kick you out so they can rent it out during the Games. The greed made me want to punch the guy. He justified a 5k rent increase over 2 years by saying it made up for what he was losing by renting it out to me over the Games period. I almost, almost went off on him and told him what a mistake he was making. It was a 700 sq ft open single level loft style apartment that is brand new. On the 2nd floor of a building on Hastings. Super loud! No amenities and the parking is some weird off-site thing that would be a hassle to sublet. The place was beautiful but the whole thing was tainted by his greed. I put in an application and I hope I get it so I can say no thank you and give him a piece of my mind.

#5
Almost out of my league. Almost...
This was by far the nicest. Wicked view. Brand new. Great layout. I know I would sleep well here since the den is off the bedroom meaning there are two walls between me and the outside world when I am sleeping. And at just two blocks from Rachel's I already know a neighbor. It is in a brand new building that is half hotel, half condos. Just waiting to hear about whether the locals get to use the amenities because it has a wicked pool. What makes this affordable is that I can sublet the parking spot for $100 or more per month. I think I will get beaten out in the application process as it is available right now even though the ad said December 1st. I don't want it enough to throw away a months rent paying for two places at once.

Fingers crossed for #1 and #5. I texted my roommate to give him advance warning that I am planning on moving out. My excuse for the non-personal touch is that we are rarely home at the same time. That, and the fact that he came home at 1am and was making a ton of noise in the kitchen.

grind your own beans (Make-do Sally would)

So I am getting a bit out of control on the coffee making at home. This is my counter coffee set up. Electric espresso maker (I ruined the stove top one and had bought this for work but brought it home), fresh coffee beans, syrup, milk frother, a thermos to take the espresso to work and now, the coffee bean grinder. It has three settings and you set a dial to let it know how many cups of coffee worth you need.

I am now also looking at buying this cool milk frother for $100. The Italians at work have one and swear by it. The reality is that to buy a good espresso machine would cost me $800. All together these smaller machines will end up costing me $200. A little bit of justification...

Must go to bed so I can wake up and make myself coffee!

friends in the city

The rowers descended on Vancouver this weekend. All my national team rowing friends (minus the two that are still rowing and chose to race at Head of Charles in Boston instead of catch up with the rest of us) came to town for the weekend. 2 arrived from Calgary, another 2 from Toronto and then there are the 3 of us in Vancouver/New West.

All of us hasbeens were hosted by Rachel. Drinks and excellent cooking nourished us while we traded stories about what we are up to now, and reminisced about the years we spent training together 3 x a day 6 days a week. We walked the seawall and the out of towners enjoyed the view of the city and the fall leaves. Saturday night 6 out of 7 made it out the door to a bar. 3 out of 7 stayed out long enough to hit the Roxy after midnight. I think I was asleep at that point.

Brunch this morning at Subeeze and then they headed for the airport. So great to spend a weekend with people that know you really well. It was so relaxing and my abs hurt from laughing for 2 days.

dora needs a new pair of shoes

For some reason I realised last night, after arriving home from the amazing turkey dinner at Chach and Dave's, that I need shoes. Solid shoes to wear to work int he winter. Right now I am tiptoeing around on kitten heels, showing toe cleavage and exposing that maple leaf to the world. And, surprisingly, my feet are cold. So I need shoes that support my feet and will keep them warm. I looked on eBay. No great deals and nothing I wanted. So I looked on zappos.com. I found some sale shoes that I liked and that miraculously came in size 12. They are all reasonably heeled, wearable with dress socks if needs be and best of all they were all 40-50% off. Sweet.

Now I know Rachel will not like them. She will tell me they are not cute or attractive and they look like they just might be for an older person who is wearing compression hose with them. I already have a similar pair to these ones on the right but in brown and I love wearing them. My feet are happy and as I enter my 30s/old age that is the most important thing. I have lots of 4 inch heels kicking around that I just can't wear without limping after an hour. I get nervous when I have to walk between buildings at work...I can feel my feet cringing just thinking about it. But these shoes are going to get me through the winter.

I think with duty and taxes I ended up paying around $260 for 3 pairs of shoes but to me...they're priceless.

this could be my life

It has been a great weekend so far and it is not yet done.

I've walked the seawall, drank red wine (not Rachel's of course. Just a my own tasty bottle of beaujolias drank over 2 days), read books, got obsessed with a new TV show (Fringe: it is like the new X Files but not scary), got possessed with owning a TiVo or PVR so I that I could tape more shows and watch them at my leisure and sans commercials, read realestate blogs with some interesting forecasts for the market and had excellent coffee brewed at home. I'm a 20 minute skytrain ride from home but I feel like I'm on vacation. It is like I've tested out Rachel's life for the weekend...without the husband and great cooking skills. And now it is a stat holiday and I am totally relaxed.

These realestate blogs are really interesting. I told my realtor that I wanted to ideally move into a place next spring and I for sure should be waiting to buy a place until then. The blog I was reading was run by two realtors and they pointed out that in one building downtown an apartment sold last week for 310k when, at the peak 8 months ago, the same one bedrooms were selling for 377-385k. Crazy! The women that rejected my 20k off listing price offer is going to be so mad at herself in a few months for not accepting it.

There seems to be two ideas on what will happen to the realestate market; by next summer it will have fallen by 30% from its peak OR in 3 years it will have fallen 50% from its peak. Crazy. But really great for me. A bit awkward as I rave to my friends who bought in the last two years about what a bargain I am going to get. Really hoping to buying something similar to what they bought at 320k for hopefully 250k or less. Did I also mention that I've lost almost 20% of my down payment to this crazy market? It has formed a bit of a roadblock to me buying right now anyways.

In the mean time I need to hunt for a rental apartment. I was going to try to wait until next April to move as I am saving a ton where I am but I don't think I can put a price on my happiness. Even if the market falls and I find something to buy in the spring, I think it would be worth it to break the lease on something I am renting. And I would be much happier downtown, Fairview or Main street. Those are the 3 neighborhoods I am looking at.

Off to cook my cauliflower with cheese sauce for Turkey day at the Dunnet-Holzer's.

Staycation

Let the weekend begin! All of my work emails sent post 2pm were greeted with nasty replies telling me to start my long weekend. Delayed leaving work as I went with the mumma to the oncologist. A good visit for her but disappointing for me as he dropped into the conversation something about his wife. It was really adding to the appointments to believe he was single and one day the appointment would end with him asking me out.

As mum has/is departing for the GF Dunnets and Richard is leaving to see her beau I have decided to vacation in the city. Literally. I am staying at Rachel's for the weekend while she is away and pretending I live downtown. Seeing how the other half lives. There is no pretense that a house sitter is needed. There are not cats, dogs, fish or plants here that need tending. Just a lot of expensive wine sitting around that should really be tasted.

My weekend plans include; getting my highlights done, walking the seawall, reading books, going to a few open houses and hitting the Chach/Dave turkey meal on Monday. I think I am bringing cauliflower with cheese sauce. Just need a great cheese sauce recipe.

Offered on the dream condo and was declined. Their loss. This market is heading into a shame spiral. My 2nd choice condo just dropped by 15k! Let me know your thoughts. It practically has a real kitchen. Pros: set back from the street so it is quiet, decent view, great kitchen, separate storage, parking, and amenities. Cons: no breakfast bar off the kitchen, no balcony for my bbq, strata fee is a bit pricier, and no separate den.

I am still waiting for a December fire sale. Someone has to be getting desperate.

Now going to have a sleepover with Ritchy and then drive her to the airport for 5:30am!!!!!!!!!!!!!

a Sunday in Vancouver

Beautiful day to live in Vancouver. The sisters, mumma and I walked the CIBC Run for Cure and then headed to Provence for a delicious brunch. I was stuffed after and headed out to walk some of it off. In total gmap tells me I walked over 20kms today. A lot more fun than going to the gym! I saw 5 condos at open houses and fell in love with one that is out of my price range. Big debate over the Station St one as they are planning to put in a hospital across the street. That would make it easy to rent out but maybe not so great to live in. The derelict lots on the rest of the block would be developed. No information on where the ER entrance will be...

Now going to enjoy the rest of Sunday and read a National Geographic magazine on travel in Spain. Then I have big plans to make a prawn green thai curry.

back to basics/brunch

How nice to wake up on a Saturday to no rain and a day for leisure. My check list for the weekend is small; workout, get outside, go see a condo and return mom's car. If I get laundry and housework done that is a bonus. It has been a crazy few weeks at work and it is nice to just sit. Last weekend, for the first time in many moons, I just sat and watched a movie. I didn't try and watch the movie while doing laundry, cooking a meal and answering emails. I just watched. It was great.

So this morning I woke up and made my favorite brunch. The only thing that would have made it better was some crispy bacon but I try to only have that on special occasions. My two medium poached eggs were perfect, the coffee has given me a great buzz to carry to the gym and I've had a delicious serving of fresh fruit with yogurt. Not bad considering it isn't even 9am yet.

After the gym I am off to meet with a realtor and having a viewing of a condo on Station st. Check out the link. From the description it sounds perfect but who knows once you get there. I am concerned there may be no common deck and that Juliette balcony will not hold a bbq. I am obsessed with the loft concept condo. It means you have a spacious feel, less walls and the bedroom is generally partitioned by sliding frosted glass doors in the back area. Being a light sleeper I am concerned about being on a busy street with a bedroom that faces on to it. Right now my bedroom is on a busy street and there is a ton of construction. Nothing like waking up to the beep of dump trucks backing up at 6:30am. I think it must be illegal. I will have to look into it.

Happy weekend to everyone. Especially Richard. I can't tell you how it warms my heart to hear her stories about work. You might say my heart is 'glowing'....

Condo/No Condo

I went from the nose, to a bike, to a condo. Back on the condo searching kick. The market is finally 'softening' and I could actually afford something in Vancouver! When I previously looked I could afford an old one bedroom in a 4 storey in east van or a new concrete condo in new west. But that was it. Over the last 7 months the new condos across the street have dropped by 30k! Exciting times for me. Maybe not as exciting if you are already in the market.

I really want a loft. Not a two level loft but something open, but not a studio, with high ceilings, lots of windows, in a concrete building. I want the impossible of a storage locker, parking spot (for my friends with cars to visit), my own balcony so I can bbq and over 650 sq ft. And I don't want to be on the first floor. Or even the 2nd for that matter. I really want to be on the third or higher.

Have to get back to watching the season opener of Grey's Anatomy.

cruiser/no cruiser

Now I know Chach just bought a bike but I am not copying with my post here. My friend Renee and I have been talking about buying cruiser bikes for a while now.

I am in a debate with myself over my transportation needs. I currently have a 30 minute walk to work. Not bad, adds an extra hour of walking into my exercise routine, costs me nothing and is usually a refreshing start and end to the day.

But lately, lately I am not enjoying it as much. I am busy, want to get into work fast, and hate that I leave for work at 7:15am and by the time I walk in, change when I get there, redo hair, it is 8:15am and I am at my desk. I want some ease. I want to speed things up. And the fact is, that no matter how enjoyable the walk is, when it starts pouring out it is 30 minutes of annoyance.

So I want to buy a commuter bike and turn that 30 minutes into ten. And have panniers to carry all my stuff. But I have to find the exact bike. I can't lean forward due to my neck and shoulder. But all the cruiser bikes that are a great position generally don't have enough gears, or they have coaster breaks, or they are made of steel and weigh a ton. I want to spend less than $500 all in. Right now I spend $40 a month on transportation. That is mainly in the form of transit. Occasionally I indulge in a cab. The bike would add an extra cost of $40 a month for a year. I can live with that. All in I am still paying less than JUST to insure a car each month, never mind gas, maintenance and car payments.

The bike attached is the Santiago by Norco. MSRP $375. It has 7 speeds, V brakes (coaster just ain't safe in my opinion), and is made of steel. I think it will do the job. I just need a rat trap on the back to hang panniers. It is getting to the end of the season and I think I could get it for a deal. But I am also saving up for my nose. So which to get first. It is about to turn into our rainy season. I am not looking forward to suiting up in Goretex and getting soaked over 30 minutes. I would much rather get rained on for 10 minutes.

Might have to call around and see if any stores have them in stock...

i'll have to wear it for the rest of my life

Earlier this month I went to see a facial surgeon about my nose. I had been referred by the ENT doctor. I went to the ENT doctor because one side of my nose is slowly closing and I am at the point where it is making it tough to breathe. I have nightmares where someone tapes my mouth shut and I slowly suffocate because I get so little air. As Richard can tell you, I sound like Darth Vader when I workout; even when I am training 20 times a week and in the best shape of my life. My dentist can also tell you about how my gums are dry due to my mouth breathing all night and they bleed easily because of it. Apparently this is not a good thing.

My nose needs to be 'functionally corrected' due to one of the Miyoshi kids. I think it might have been Jimmy but I'm not sure. When we were in elementary school there was a random snow day or two. One of these days all of us children were sledding on the banks leading to the grass fields. I can't even recall who I was sledding with but we were taking turns sledding down together and then would alternate pulling each other up the bank. On one of my turns to recline in comfort while someone dragged me up the hill I got taken out by a sled coming down the bank. I clearly remember it literally running me over and seeing the underside of the sled. The rest of the details are fuzzy but I remember having a nose bleed and my nose having a scrape on it and being swollen and sore. There were other accidents to my nose, a basketball or two to the face, but the sledding accident was the one that kicked it off.

My septum was shoved over to the left side of my nose and a bump on my bridge formed from scar tissue. This is the one difference between my nose and Rachel's. While I have found out from the plastic surgeons that the bump keeps the end of my nose from looking extremely bulbous it also means I hate my profile.

I've had the septum checked into before. Was told to try nose spray. But over the last 5 or 6 years it has collapsed in even more to the point that the inside walls of my nose are actually touching on my left side.

The ENT took one look in August and told me it needed to be fixed. That the turbines needed to be cauterized too. I asked about taking out the bump at the same time and he referred me to a plastic surgeon for the whole deal. The first surgeon was good and told me all the right things. Then his assistant told me how much it would cost. I figured at these prices I should shop around and make sure I am getting my money's worth. If I have to wear it for the rest of my life I want to make sure I picked the best person to perform the surgery.

Today I went for another consult at a plastic surgery clinic. There were two surgeons; one is retiring and is mentoring the other one for a year. They studied my face intently. They both looked up my nose. They drew diagrams of my nose. They explained in detail how my nose was working functionally and cosmetically. They enjoyed the term bulbous to describe the end of my nose. They normally use the word 'blunt' but it doesn't accurately describe my nose. They agreed the septum needed to be fixed and gave me a detailed explanation of how to fix it. They were great. I looked into their faces and felt confident they would give me something I could wear for the rest of my life.

Of course their quote was higher that the other surgeons. But to quote Pape when I talked about getting a deal on laser eye surgery 'Is surgery really something you want to be saving money on?"

I still need to mull it over. It would mean no travel for the next year and some staycations. The scooter I am daydreaming of buying would have to remain a dream. Might not be able to move out of the current apartment into my own. This means everyone coming for the Games would have to find other accommodations or sleep in my room on the floor.

No answer tonight on this one. To be continued....

procrastination

I am still wearing my workout clothes and it is 10 to 11. Trouble. I need to be up early. This has been a theme of my weekend. Leave work late, get to the gym late, eat dinner late and go to bed late. I need to commit to starting off next week with a 9:30pm bed time. Rising early, a quick workout and then out the door.

After 10 years away from school I read brother Dave's blog and think 'Yeah. I remember the first week of school.' In the corporate world that seasonal shift doesn't happen. The big change is arriving at the office when it is dark and leaving the office when it is dark. Right now I have a window seat that turns my desk into a sauna after 3pm. Today I actually went next door and got us gelato to combat the heat. I would complain but I know the sun will be gone soon and I will be looking out over overcast skies through rain splattered windows.

For now, I need to enjoy the last weeks of summer weather and be happy I am not trying to remember my locker combination.

old skills fall hard

Remember when you were a kid and you could wipe out, have a quick cry and get back to playing? The next day your only memory of the fall would be a nice scab starting on your elbow or knee. Same thing with barfing. You barf and you go back to playing.

As an adult the event (falling or barfing) seems to linger with you. Maybe it is that we have farther to fall or it takes more force for that food to come up but either incident now leaves me a wreck. If I throw up I practically put my back out, break some ribs and burst all the blood vessels around my eyes. My whole body resists it. For days I'll have acid reflux. It just isn't natural.

Same with falling. As my friend Renee says 'Adults falling is awkward looking. It is not supposed to happen'. I admit; I was overly confident after my LA rollerblading experience. I neglected to notice that the area I was rollerblading in in LA was completely flat. So I took off yesterday thinking I could handle almost anything. The first thing that literally tripped me up was a large lip of concrete on a downhill slope. I was startled by it and bailed. Two or three people kindly asked if I was okay and I shook it off fairly quickly. $10 wrist guards had officially paid for themselves. I took a little break and started up again. A little more hesitant I pondered each decline before skating on.

What caught me up was the corners. One area looked like it was very gentle slope. But it ended in a corner I couldn't see beyond. I figured I needed to go for it, that there would be more corners ahead and I needed to believe I could make it. Mistake. As I rounded the corner it turned into a steep downhill. My rollerblades were vibrating with speed and I knew there was no stopping...because I really didn't know how. Something else was going to stop me. And it did. I hit a small amount of gravel and completely upended myself. Landing flat on my back. Wind knocked out of me. Again, more people stopping to see if I was okay. I took a few moments to collect myself, then took off my blades and switched to running shoes. I was done for the day.

This morning I could barely roll out of bed. No major road rash (just one elbow) but my ass is literally bruised and I have to sit down like I have killer hemorrhoids. Not good Mav. This is going to take a week to recover from.

And I probably need to buy elbow and knee pads before I try again next weekend. I will be scoping out only flat sections on the seawall and walking any downhills on the grass. This is one sport where pushing myself just might end badly.

screw chronological order: LA last weekend

A little sunshine never hurt anyone. I mean my skin will look like leather in a few years but what the hell.
A rare shot of me not squinting/with sunglasses on.

Public transit was great. Interesting, efficient and cheap. I also got to see more of LA because I wasn't having to navigate a map while driving.

My artsy shot of me on the cruiser. It was an awesome 4 days of sunshine and relaxation. Exactly what I needed after the hectic week in Beijing. I read 3 books, worked on my tan, and taught myself to Rollerblade (I didn't fall once!).

I didn't do any really touristy activities except Balboa Island. Christy, Bobby and I had lunch their and then they left for San Diego. I hung out there working on my tan then I navigated public transit back to their loft in Long Beach. Props to myself on saving what would have been a $70 cab ride and instead was $3.50 spread over 3 buses.

The rest of the time I hung out at the beach or the roof top deck. It was perfect! I can't wait to go back.

i took a tumble texting

So I have been rather frantic since yesterday when I woke up at 4:40am at the Hilton LAX and sprinted off to catch my flight back to Vancouver at 6:30am. Was so worried about making it and getting sleep that I brought my straightening iron in my carry-on and did my hair in the airport bathroom. I arrived from the airport to work and was greeted with a busy day of meetings and feeling rather toasty from my sunburn. Went directly from work to a friends birthday dinner and took transit home and collapsed in my bed at 11pm. Another spring today that ended poorly.

Went to acupuncture appointment prior to tall club pub night. It ran a little late and again, feeling a bit tired from yesterday. As I am leaving the appointment I try texting someone to let them know that I am sorry about not being at pub night (since I am the one that was actually organising it) and I trip off the last step out of the acupuncture place. Land awkwardly on the sidewalk skinning my knees and hands. Not only did it sting but there was a ton of people around. I limped off to skytrain and ditched pub night.

Photos of my Cali trip will be posted later.

I am no longer texting and walking at the same time.

impromptu travel

I just can't stop with the travel. Have planned impromptu trip to LA from Friday to Tuesday morning.

Justification:
- Had credit with NWA so total flight cost is $240
- Spending 2 of 4 nights at friend's place
- Pricelined the hotel rooms for the other 2 nights; 3 star for $80 each night
- I really need this! (said in the way the guy in Old School is yelling at one of the Wilson brother's to let him into the frat)

For some reason I am just plain tired from the Asia trip and looking for some time at the beach. Reading books. Working on my tan. And doing...nothing.

If anyone would like to join me flights are fairly cheap right now....from Vancouver it is $400 RT...

more cow bell

"True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost." - Charles Caleb Colton

Ten years ago four college students heading into their final year headed out to a cabin to catch up before their senior year began. They had bonded in their freshman year, shared an apartment, a house, rides to rowing practice, tears, laughter and insane amount of mac & cheese. They had a feeling this was friendship that would last but only time would tell. There was distance, careers, heartbreak, time zones and life changes to endure. But somehow, they all kept in touch. Even if it was a phone call once every three months, a postcard from a far off land or a meet up for beers.

Not to get too sentimental but I don't have many friendships that have stood this test of time and distance. This short weekend I realised how lucky I am to have such amazing friends in my life.

Ten years later they returned to the cabin as adults. Two with their husbands, one MIA, a good friend added and two dogs to round out the troupe. A great weekend was had by all with the only complaints;
1) it should have been longer! I could have stayed for a week.
2) we ALL should have been there...

Eric bbqs up a storm. Tried to recreate the chicken tonight and failed miserably. Mine was overcooked :( Kerri gave us some kick as spices from one of the restaurants she does marketing for. It will truly save me from poor cooking. If I could only remember not to overcook the meat!

I can't even remember the last time I was at a fire. This was amazing. I wish I had a better camera so you could see all the stars that were out. It was like our own IMAX theatre.

Cooking smores. Maggie and Kim took one for the team and went to town to get the ingredients. Awesome! Don't need another one for ten years.

The couples on the dock.

An attempt to walk off a delicious brunch that included mimosas.

Not my best self-portrait and Maggie had already left.