21 posts tagged “awesomeness”

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.

Unbelievably, we’ve been living in Vancouver now for three months.  That’s one quarter of a year!  It feels like only three weeks ago we were packing up to make the long drive out here.  I guess it’s true what they say about the time and the flying and the fun.

Our weeks here really have been enjoyable.  We’ve loved getting to know the city as residents – figuring out the little things i.e. where to buy the best fruit, what papers we like to read, how to get from one location to another via bus or foot or bike.  Every day we discover something new about this place we call home.

Of course, the homesickness still comes and goes in waves.  We’ve been sad to miss out on opportunities to hang out with (or show support for) our friends and family.  But we also see how those connections are sustained by the wonderfully versatile Internet.  It’s awesome how email, instant messaging and webcams can erase at least some of the distance between BC and MN.

So are we happy with the choice we made to pack up the entirety of our lives and haul it all to Canada?  Honestly, I can’t say.  Not yet.  Without jobs (and with the summer sun shining down upon us), it’s all too easy to think we’re simply on a long (and glorious) Vancouver vacation.  While it sounds silly at this point to say we need more time to mentally adjust, well, that’s exactly where we’re at.  Check in with me at the 6-month mark, and hopefully I’ll have a more concrete answer.

(And, you know, a JOB.)

We’re finally starting to settle into something of a routine around here.   Our new schedule involves more time reading/learning, job-hunting and “publicly loafing” (Shane’s term, aka “exploring outside”) and less time napping, blog-reading and watching daytime TLC.  (But have you guys seen that show with all the kids?  MY GOD.)

While financial worries are always lingering in the back of our my mind, I’m finally noticing just how much our quality of life has improved.  Here are a few of my favourite things about living here so far:

• Waking up to the soothing sounds of rain.
• Accessing running routes in the woods, along the oceanfront or through the city, all from our front door.
• Keeping just one light on during the day, rain or shine.
• Buying our fruits and veggies from the corner stand (and getting helpful produce-picking advice from the folks working there).
• Grocery-shopping as members at Choices (and purchasing weekly fresh bread from Uprising Breads bakery there).
• Finding out Nature’s Path is a B.C.-based company (and benefiting from their local sales).
• Walking to the bank, the library, the post office, the drug store and Cupcakes (at their new and bigger location!).
• 

  And pigeons on children
  Eating amazing sushi for less than $5.
• Driving the car only once or twice a week (and regularly parking a block or less from home).
• Having almost everything a bus, bike or boat ride away.
• Watching all the wildlife in our neighbourhood, especially the puppies, puppies and more puppies.
• Living so close to my brother.
• Spending this time off with my best friend.

Friday Night Lights is coming back for a third season in January 2009!!!  (And there was much rejoicing in Shane and Tisha Land.)

WE HAVE FINALLY SECURED A VANCOUVER APARTMENT.  Starting April 1^st, we will have an address in the West End (downtown).  Thank you, karma (and everyone else who sent positive vibes to us these past two weeks).

More details to come...

EDITED TO ADD: As Shane mentioned in the comments, we will be living RIGHT next to Stanley Park (and only blocks from the ocean).  So although we are giving up certain indoor amenities (like a dishwasher), we are definitely gaining perks in location.

 

We were lucky enough to view the exact second-floor suite we’ll be renting during our January trip (alas, I have no interior pictures to share).  The kitchen, bathroom and plumbing were being renovated at the time, so we don’t have a full idea what the finished apartment will look like.  But we approved of what we saw; the floors are hardwood and tile, a long row of windows lines one side, and because there’s no balcony, the interior felt fairly roomy (for ~650 square feet).

 

Barring any unforeseen surprises (or bedbug infestations), we will sign on the dotted line and receive our keys on the 31^st.  I will be holding my breath a little until then, since we still need to SEE that everything is in order when we arrive.  But I am very, very excited to finally have our name on a potential future residence.

I mentioned that I didn’t like February’s banner much at the beginning of last month.  Well, the feeling was strong enough that I felt compelled to start work on March’s banner weeks ago.  The upside?  I spent a lot of time and energy on this one, spread out over many days.  The downside?  I SPENT A LOT OF FUCKING TIME ON THIS ONE.  Fortunately, I do like how it turned out, and considering that this banner might be up for multiple months (hello, time-suck that is moving), I suppose the commitment was worth it.

 

The first element in the banner is a 3-D map that Shane put together of the coastline back in his grad school days.  I blended the original color of the ocean into a softer tone to match Vox’s blue theme.  Since the wavy “water” lines are in both the B.C. flag (middle) and Vancouver flag (right side), I knew I wanted to use them in the overall design, too.  So I inserted an X-marks-the-spot on Vancouver and attached a curving line that represents our voyage there – although, no, we are not arriving (drunkenly) from Japan or Hawaii or the middle of the ocean (details, details).  Finally, I played around with the scale, rotation and skew of the three flags to give them some “flow.”  I may do a little tweaking with the placement of the date and text, but otherwise this banner feels complete.

 

Also, I want to point out that I replaced my profile picture with one taken using our new camera - in manual mode!  Those are my kick-ass Spongebob slippers (props to Becky!), and they are among the first subjects I shot that did not turn out looking horribly disfigured and/or discolored.  Yay for progress.

 

I guess that is enough narcissism for one day.  Tune in tomorrow, when I will be sure to list more things I have done that are totally awesome.  (That is the whole point of blogging, right?)

I’ll admit there are certain kinds of shopping that I enjoy.  I love buying any items that have taken the place of toys in my life.  So I will gladly head out to my adult equivalents of FAO Schwarz – tea stores, CD stores, outdoorsy stores, specialty running stores – any day of the week.  I even enjoy grocery shopping at the right locations; food can be LOADS (and often pounds) of fun!  I look forward to these trips like a little kid.

 

Other shopping, however, feels more like a dreaded trip to the dentist.  You’ve got the glaring fluorescent lights.  The insidious lite-rock music.  The cold, sterile smells.  That sense of being trapped in a timeless zone between annoyance and boredom.  Yes, for me there is virtually NO difference between getting my teeth drilled and wandering aimlessly around a big, impersonal store or mall – except that there is not enough Novocain in the world to numb the pain of the latter.

 

So when the holiday season comes rolling around, I generally put off thinking about presents for a good, long while.  I anticipate hours of horrible shopping, frantically trying to purchase all my Xmas gifts in as little time as possible.  And then I think, “Ugh.”  And then I take a nap.

 

But this year will be different.

 

This year, we are once again heading to St. Paul for some serious shopping fun.  You may recall last December, Shane and I ran right into the middle of Grand Meander, a promotional event hosted by the avenue of the same name.  This festive smorgasbord of free food, sales and (mostly) local commerce is happening again on Saturday, and we are planning to take better advantage this time around!  We’ve mapped out our route and noted the hours for free goodies and musical performances.  We’re working to compile our gift lists.  I fully anticipate another successful, 8-hour venture of sheer, tasty awesomeness (and fewer lingering headaches). 

 

After all, as the old adage goes, there’s nothing like complimentary hot cider and cookies to help the rampant consumerism go down.

Don’t you just love it when awesome things get awesomer?  I do.  Especially when they involve places I like to hang out.

 

You may recall (well, probably only if you = Shane) that one of my favorite tea-drinking spots, The Tea Garden, underwent major renovations over the winter to update and double the size of their space.  The changes are a fantastic improvement, and we enjoy our visits there all the more now that we can actually find a place to, you know, SIT DOWN.  (And admire creative work by local artists, like surfboard paintings.  Which is probably the only practical use for surfboards in all of Minnesota.)

 

But something even better happened in mid-October, when my MOST favorite of all tea-drinking locales, TeaSource, took on a big reconstruction project of their own (St. Paul store).  We visited them last Tuesday for sample day (five different cups of tea for a mere $3! are you not tingling all over with excitement?!) to check out the updated digs.  The interior looks AMAZING – soothing green paint on the walls, soft paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling, vibrant and classy new furniture, fabulously displayed (and well-stocked) shelves.  The atmosphere now perfectly compliments the quality of the delicious teas that they sell.  I love it!

 

In fact, I only know one person who claims the redesign is a little “too comfortable”; someone who says the environment merely “promotes excessive purchasing” for tea lovers like myself.  But I believe her name is My Wallet, and I advise you to not take her opinions too seriously.

 

I never do.

Shane and I went Up North this weekend with my long-time friend (and excellent French toast chef, I might add) Becky, to hang out at her parent's cabin.  For those of you not familiar with Minnesota-isms, Up North does not mean going to Canada; it refers to driving far enough north to reach a wooded, often lakeside locale, at which time much relaxing, cooking out, water fun, and gaming is enjoyed.  (Sometimes accompanied with the killing of gigantic spiders, but only if you're really lucky.)

 

Right after our arrival on Saturday morning, we suited up for a swim off the pontoon.  We cruised over to the far shore and cut the engine, content to drift around while we contemplated jumping into the chilly waters of Spider Lake.  When we went to start the boat up again, however, the engine sounded like it was about to catch, but never quite turned over.  And it did this again and again and again.  As our combined mechanical know-how ended at ”put key in ignition,” we were rather SOL.  With a side of SOS.

 

Now, you might say this sounds like a terrible start to our weekend excursion, but you would be wrong!  With a strong wind at our backs – and two trusty paddles in hand – Becky and I navigated our way back across the lake.  This meant successfully dodging several islands, positioning ourselves to float into a particular canal, and maneuvering down said canal without getting stuck in the thick tangle of weeds lining both sides.  When you consider we were able to do this with a boxy, full-sized pontoon (carrying not only Shane but his hefty Harry Potter Book Seven as well), you can understand why we reached shore (landing perfectly beside the dock, no less) feeling Pretty Damn Awesome.

 

And, as if that wasn’t enough Female Power for one weekend, Becky took it one step further that night by confirming the Pink Transformer is NOT a figment of my childhood memory but does, in fact, exist.  Woohoo!  (Can I get some Spice Girls up in here?)