Tisha’s Neighborhood

Yay!  Pictures!

 

JZ, Sam, Joe and me attending the X-Files movie.

 

Updated outside of house picture.

 

The beginning of the new wall.  The original wall was not meant to be load bearing.  So we've started replacing it by putting in a header to distribute the weight down to the foundation.  Eventually the wall will be put back including an entry closet and 2 half walls with a entrance to the living room between them.

 

Here are just a few of the wonderful things about my 30th birthday (which ended up spanning across 2 days):

• My husband did not throw me a surprise party
• He did surprise me by taking me out to supper and a movie (The Dark Knight)
• The look on Hailey's face when my husband told her to wish me a Happy Birthday (she has just recently started to understand what Birthday means - mostly it's associated with presents so she was very excited)
• The big hugs I got from Hailey when I dropped her off at daycare and she told her daycare mom it was my birthday; this was no lame shoulder head rest, I got a full, long hold, tight squeeze!
• Taking PTO the day after my birthday to spend it at the zoo with my family.
• Walking into the conservatory and when Hailey saw the pond she yelled out "Fishy's where are you?!!!"
• Hearing Hailey say "Ewww, really big nakes!" and having her run into my arms because she was scared.
• Finally being able to go on my parents boat for a evening on the river.

And last but certainly not least......

Ordering a drink at supper and the waitress wanted to see my I.D.  YES!!!  :o)

Show us something frustrating.

In addition to the aforementioned explosions, our weekend was filled with some colourful culture.

On Saturday, we ventured out for the Powell Street Festival in the notorious Downtown Eastside.  For those who may not know, this poverty-stricken area is the place in Vancouver for drugs, prostitution and other such shady business.  We tend to avoid even driving through there, but the event was going on in Oppenheimer Park (located in the midst of it all), so we jumped on a bus and rode through the craziness.

The festival is a celebration of Japanese-Canadian culture, and we got to experience a little of everything.  We started by perusing the craft booths, which included very cool origami art, hand-crafted tea sets and several sushi-shaped items like jewellery and candle sets.  We tried two Japanese items for lunch: a hot dog with seaweed, terikayi, and wasabi mayo (surprisingly good) and some dorayaki (sweet, bean-filled pancakes).  And we smiled at a few Japanese phrases we overheard and recognized from watching Sailor Moon (a Japanese anime).

Much like the Sawan Mela event a few weeks ago, the performances here were amazing.  The groups ran the gamut from contemporary (a Japanese-Canadian punk band was playing when we arrived) to traditional (featuring one set by the same duo we saw at the Ohanami event in April).  We really enjoyed watching the taiko drumming group, whose members managed to combine precision with equal parts exuberance during every piece.

Sunday was the day of Vancouver’s infamous Pride Parade.  After walking around at the Powell Street Festival all day Saturday, staying up for fireworks that night and then completing our regular six-mile run on Sunday morning, we were looking forward to relaxing during this event.  Clearly, we had no idea what we were getting into.

The Pride Parade this year stretched out over 3 miles and took 3 HOURS to finish the route.  Not that this made it boring; oh no, it was 180 minutes of PURE PARTY.  We joined the spectators (estimated to be near 500,000) in clapping, cheering and dancing around as the participants and floats – with their live bands and blasting techno music – cruised by, rainbow-hued flags, banners and balloons flying behind.  The parade was brimming with a celebration of the GLBT community and sexuality in general; I absolutely loved it.

Mixed in with the requisite drag queens and scantily-clad twentysomethings were some unexpected faces.  Coming from the Midwest (where such participation is unheard of), I was pleased to see the number of political figures (current mayor, mayoral candidates, the local MP and the leader of a national party!) joining whole-heartedly in the gaiety.  And there was even representation by the firefighters, police, EMTs, Mounties and armed forces.  Canada, you rock.

Overall, the Pride Parade (and the weekend in general) left me with a feeling of pride for how welcoming Vancouver is.  But it also taught me an important lesson: next year, we are totally bringing chairs.

Last weekend saw the conclusion of Vancouver’s annual Celebration of Light.  This international fireworks competition is held over four nights (two Wednesdays and two Saturdays) every summer, with three countries competing for the top prize (and one night for the grand finale).  The fireworks are shot off a barge anchored in English Bay – an easy, five-minute walk from our apartment! – and attended by close to 500,000 people.  Each show lasts for 25 minutes and is set meticulously to music, thus making the biggest explosions all the more dramatic.

The 2008 teams represented Canada, the U.S. and China.  Canada ended up taking home the first-place prize (and we agreed their show was the most artistic), but China won the people’s choice award (probably due to the non-stop barrage of enormous, ear-shattering explosions that ran throughout their show).  We loved every minute of this experience and are already looking forward to joining the (insane) crowds again next year.

Share a song from your favorite band.

My favorite band of all time is THE CURE. My favorite band for right now is THE KILLERS. I can listen to Hot Fuss all freakin' day long.

"I don't like walking in the middle of the carpet; that is where everybody walks.  I try and use the unused portion."  I was immediately struck when I heard my mom make this statement.  She IS from where I get all those strange quirks after all.  It got me to thinking what else I have learned from my mom.

In no particular order:

-a love of tomatoes

-the wisdom of always using a super sharp knife when cutting

-how to drive

-love of driving

-to listen to my car for strange noises

-how to drive a stick-shift

-to always leave the washer lid open after use so as not build up mold

-my appreciation for a crease-less bed

-how to make my bed

-how to put the pillow cases on the pillow with the tags always inside first

-how to fold a stack of towels that won’t tip over

-how to iron a shirt

-how to iron pillowcases

-how to refer to a men’s shirt as a ‘shirt’ and not a ‘blouse’

-a love for popcorn

-that when I jump into a pool without ‘swimmies’ I will come back to the top

-how valuable it is to be honest

-the value of trust

-to laugh a full-belly laugh

-Double Solitaire

-to get giddy about the upcoming days before Christmas

-to dust

-to vacuum stairs

-to love and appreciate my common sense

-to love the color of my hair

-to find the pleasure in taking a walk

-to relax and enjoy getting my teeth cleaned

-the fun of roller coasters

-the excitement of amusements parks

-the joy of driving really fast over a bump and losing my stomach

-to enjoy a little turbulence on an airplane

-that dogs can sense our feelings

-if a movie is getting too scary- mute the volume

-how to fully load a dishwasher

-to rotate the clean dishes when unloading

-self-sufficiency

-that there is no shame in watching the same show repeated times

-to make a pan of Rice Krispie bars

-to efficiently pack boxes when moving

-to treat people the way I would want to be treated

-that Lucille Ball is the best thing to ever happen to television

-to always begin a puzzle using the edge pieces

-to search the ground for money, pennies and all

-gratefulness

-to clean my plate

-to lick the spoon

-to know when someone is being facetious rather than sarcastic

-to save the use of a coupon until the item is also on sale

moar funny pictures

 

Vote for ME!

I was in seventh grade social studies when I first found Vancouver on a map.  It wasn’t by accident; I had recently noticed that my favourite show (and soon to be newest obsession) The X-Files was filmed there.  I decided then that someday, somehow I would visit that mysterious Canadian city.

It took many years (and months of planning) before I made it happen.  But in July 2001, I arrived in British Columbia for a ten-day tour with Ian, Shane and Amy in tow.  I had plotted out an extensive list of X-Files-related stops to find in Vancouver and its surrounding suburbs (thanks in large part to the book X Marks the Spot).  It was the ultimate treasure hunt for a bunch of X-Philes (that is: nerds) on vacation.

We visited upwards of 100 locations in total.  At many spots, we staged re-enactments of the related scene(s), resulting in some pretty hilarious pictures.  Here is just a sample of the (embarrassing totally awesome) shots we took.