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.