Pithiness & Valleities

In order to try and make up for the lack of quality in yesterday's blog I've decided to make an attempt at quantity instead. Lucky you.

Today we swapped rooms. Better late than never, no?
I moved into Debbie's Kingdom, Debbie went into Greg's room and Greg got my closet. My room looks a touch minimalist (read: empty) but I think it'll be good. Plus I have a freaking wardrobe!!

My nest area, where the majority of my stuff is

My art wall and patio door

Art wall, door and mirrored wardrobe!

Wardrobe and office area

And back to my nest (with the flower's Debbie bought me)

I hope that the massive amount of space I have come to occupy doesn't make me do something stupid like go out and buy a tonne of stuff to fill it with.

In light of recent changes, I have started thinking of what I'm gonna do when it comes to moving out of this place (just as I get my claws into the good room, too). I think I'm getting kinda bored of Vancouver but don't think I'm ready to go home on May 9th so I was telling this to Jeff at work last night and he gave me the idea of going to Vancouver Island, maybe Victoria, and working in a hostel there. That'd mean I got cheap accommodation and would be a good way of meeting people. Ideally, if I do this, I'd want to maybe work in a couple of hostels so I don't stay in the same place for a month, then head home at the beginning of June. It's going to require some consideration and fund-calculating as I'd need to make sure I had enough money to get to and around Vancouver Island and then back again for my flight. I'd also need money for my flight, which is looking at around the $400 mark including taxes at the moment, which isn't too bad.

On the other hand, when Ritchie, Gaby and I go on our wee trip I might fall for a place on the other side of B.C. and want to hang around there, so I'll keep my options open. But I think hostel work sounds like it could be a plan.

Alrighty, I'm gonna go read some of my book, then go for a swim, then make some vegetable lasagne, then hole up with Chocolat; the film and the confectionary.

My Birthday.

As I'm sure you're all aware, Wednesday was my birthday. Thanks to everyone who sent me a card or present; tis much appreciated.

Here's a breakdown of events, I'll try and keep it brief.

Me and Debbie started the day nice and early with a fantastic breakfast of pineapple, strawberries, waffles and croissants. Debbie had baked me a cake too which took pride of place on the table.

My awesome cake

Debbie tucking in to the best birthday breakfast ever

Me enjoying my breakfast

Some of my presents

After breakfast and my present opening ceremony, Debbie, Greg and I headed out to the Secret Garden Tea Company to meet Jeff for Demi High Tea. We got a selection of tiny foods which were alarmingly filling and also a tea of our choice.

Jeff at High Tea

Me at High Tea

High Tea itself

Debbie eating cream and sugar

Greg's tentative steps towards a life of tea

After we had plunged into a state of hyperglycemia we took the bus to English Bay and got our scatch on on the beach.

Scatch!

Debbie and Greg mid-scatch

My skirt tails blowing in the breeze

Dru couldn't resist the pull of the scatch

Once we'd had our fill of physical exercise and had burned off at least some of the excess calories we headed to a nearby pub to start the birthday beers.

Dru and Debbie being ghetto yo

We left that pub and went to the Yaletown Brewery for some dinner then bought some booze and headed back to the house to get toasty so we could have a relatively cheap night out.

As our friends were taking it in shifts to celebrate my birthday, Dru left before dinner and Guido joined us at the house.

Our table, where all the drinking occurs

After a few drinks in the house we headed out to Doolins for some outside the house drinking and it was a fairly heavy, but decent night.

Debbie balancing some glasses like magic

I felt a bit worse for wear on Thursday but managed to drag myself out the house for a Swap Scavenger Hunt which was pretty fun. My team came second but I still think the first place team cheated. Whatever.

Sorry this blogs been pretty poor. Can't really be bothered to elaborate on things en ce moment.

Maybe I'll add in some details later.

Have the weekend off so if I get all eloquent at any time I'll come improve it.

Think I'll maybe go swimming tomorrow and then there's another craft fair on Sunday which Debbie and I might go to.

Think I'll go sleep now though.

My Flower Jar Is Empty.

Nothing that interesting has been happening lately, except my growing ire at the tea-drinking public, hence lack of blog material. However, Tuesday was St. Patrick's Day and being of celtic heritage, we decided to make something of it. I was working until 10 (we closed early because, surprisingly, people aren't that interested in tea when there's harder substances available for acceptance on a usually sober weekday) but after that I met Debbie and Greg who'd been getting toasty at Greg's work and we headed downtown for some frivolity.
We intended to go to The Irish Heather which I had been told by both of my hairdressers was a good Irish bar but we ended up at The Blarney Stone, primarily because we didn't realise it wasn't The Irish Heather until we were in the queue but also because it looked decent and was only $10 cover.
It turned out to be a decent wee place and was a good level of busy. There was also a ceilidh-type band playing who had a Scottish fiddler so we were placated. Some dancing even ensued!

The Blarney Stone

The Blarney Stone clientele

A blurry photo of the Scottish fiddler

Debbie and Greg shamrockin' out

We had a pretty decent night and it was fairly cheap too so that's a bonus considering I think I'm probably below the poverty line at the moment. It's a bit exciting really, I have funds available but I'm enjoying finding out how little I can spend and still manage to eat a relatively healthy diet. So far I have discovered two meals that can be made from broccoli and foods I already have at home. Thrifty.

Yesterday was Saturday and I had been working all week so I was pretty chuffed to have a day off. Had a nice morning pottering about doing some cleaning and then me and Debbie went to a crafts fair on Main Street. There was lots of cool little things but nothing that I was in absolute need of so nothing was purchased. We even managed to bypass the cupcake stand which took considerable self-control.

We were just going to hang about until Debbie had to go to work and I was going swimming so we went to a cafe and I had some tea and Debbie had her lunch. Then I took my leave and went to the pool via the library (I'm so incorporated into Vancouver society now).

I got home around 8.30 and made a broccoli dish for my dinner then Debbie came home with some cheap but alarmingly delicious wine so we hung out in the warm centre of the house that is my room and had a couple glasses of wine/beers.

Today is a beautiful sunny day and I'm sitting on my bed with my windows open. I think today I'm going to go to the Museum of Anthropology out at UBC which has just reopened after refurbishment. I think some refurbishing is still going on so the admission price is halfed so that should satisfy my thriftiness. Then I'm back to work tomorrow and Tuesday then Wednesday is my birthday!

Birthday plan so far is to go for demi high tea at the Secret Garden Tea Company and then take it as it comes involving foods and beverages. I'm pretty much the most excited about my birthday I've been for aaaaages which is nice. Looking forward to eating much easter chocolate (whether or not I receive any as gifts).

Think that's your lot for now. Will let you know how the MoA is!

Peace out yo!

Health Kick.

Since Sunday I've been on some sort of spontaneous health kick. It wasn't planned or anything I just think my body got fed up of being abused and convinced my mind to start making a conscious effort to be healthier.

On Sunday I went for a run and swam 1km, then I went running again on Monday and Wednesday and swam 1.2km and 1.5km on Tuesday and today (Thursday) respectively. It feels pretty good, I've been doing so much more stuff and have generally had so much more energy than normal, as cliched as that is.

Today, for example I got up at 8.30am and went to the pool (which is a bitova trek away and takes an hour to get there) then came home and lunched then went for a walk around Stanley Park and English Bay beach.

When we were at Stanley Park we stumbled across a massive troup of raccoons (collective noun: gaze) which was pretty much the defining moment of my Canadian Adventure. There were some foreigners feeding them peanuts which they seemed to enjoy but didn't care much for the tiny tangerines I had to offer them (North American diet eh), once the others had gone we scavenged some peanuts and made some new friends. I also fed a peanut to a squirrel that had really soft paws.

We stopped off for a well-deserved pint on the way home then a real-live Italian cooked me gnocchi, so I have that recipe stored away when some impressing is necessary.

Some stacked stones at English Bay

One raccoon

A lot of raccoons

I have work tomorrow (payday- thank Christ) then I have Saturday and Sunday off. There's some kinda celtic/St. Patrick's Day parade on on Sunday so I might head along to that but I think it's gonna be some sort of meeting place for people of dubious celtic lineage. We shall see. Want to go swimming on Saturday again but I'm guessing it's going to be pretty busy and I dislike busy swimming pools.

That's all for now!

"Are you guys familiar with crumpets?"

So... Seattle...

From the outset, and to avoid disappointment, everyone should be aware that riding the Greyhound is not at all like it was portrayed in the Wrigley's gum adverts. No ruggedly handsome men are going to offer you gum.
Back to the beginning though, Debbie and I left for the station at 8.30am on Monday and left Vancouver at around 10.20am. It took a couple hours of industrial scenery to get to the border at Blaine where there were four buses full of people waiting to get through customs, which was staffed by a lone non-plussed American. Well, I say one, in reality there were a few other officers ready to draw their weapons should the need arise but they were all tied up with not bothering to pretend they were busy. All in all this equals a two hour wait at the U.S. border for us.
We got back on the road eventually and it turns out northern Washington looks remarkably similar to southern British Columbia. My favourite part however was the sign reading "free alpacas" and a phone number. Unfortunately shock and excitement ruined my memory and I couldn't write the number down in time. Looks like I'm going to have to keep paying for my alpacas for the time being.

We got into Seattle between four and five sometime and continued on to walk for 30 minutes in the wrong direction before finally locating our hostel (which was, of course, 2 blocks from where we had started). The Green Tortoise Hostel is located on 1st Avenue and Pike Place which is a fantastic area, close to The Crumpet Shop (which has an excellent selection of teas), the Pike Place Bagel Bakery and the Pike Place Public Market.

Once we had checked in we went to an Irish pub a few minutes down the road to eat food (fantastic sausages and mash) and drink Magners ($8 a bottle!). When we were just beginning to destress after our journey we were informed that our rent cheques were filled out incorrectly and consequently couldn't be cashed, and so followed an evening of stressful internet banking, phone calls money transfers, followed by destressing Scrabble.

I'll give you guys a photo break here.

Debbie looking cool with her headgear

Some 'hound views

Debbie being excited with her Magners

If that face doesn't say "nothing destresses like Scrabble" I don't know whose will

Stress makes us clever

Day One.

We rose early for our free breakfast and, as there was no satisfactory tea on offer at the hostel, made our way across the road to The Crumpet Shop. This place is awesome and I thoroughly recommend a visit here, even if only to be greeted by "are you guys familiar with crumpets". Once we'd had our fill of tea we went to Pioneer Square where we intended to take the Underground Tour. To put a long story shortly, Seattle was built twice at two different levels due to it's situation on mud flats (thus prone to frequent flooding). So there's a second city underneath the first one in some places. The underground tour tells you all about that and is decently priced (I could so be on Holiday).

We then went to the Pike Place Bagel Bakery for bagels which were incredible (also highly recommended), and took a walk to the Seattle Centre via downtown. The Seattle Centre is where the Experience Music Project and the Space Needle are (neither of those we went to) and is like a 90s, Soviet Disneyland. Not too keen on the concrete-fest. It was a really warm, sunny day though so we hung out here and basked for a while then took a walk along the waterfront before going back to the hostel for free tacos.

More pictures, anyone?

Debbie in The Crumpet Shop

The tea section of The Crumpet Shop

Seattle Art Gallery

A pretty covered walkway in Pioneer Square

Firefighters Memorial

I miss old architecture in Vancouver

Windows in a building that was once at street level but is now underground

Ever wished there was a space for tools in your kilt?

More pretty buildings

The Public Market

My bagel. I couldn't fit it all in my mouth, no.

Chilling in the sun with some tea, post bagel

A cool carwash sign on the way to the Seattle Centre

Space Needle and some blossom

Space Needle and Debbie

The International Fountain

Space Needle and me

A poem on a piece of marble

Whale tail

Octopus on a rock

Eyes

The view from the waterfront was so beautiful

Debbie's well the bloke, with her pint. I'm such a lady with my rose wine.

More beautiful view

The hostel

After our tacos we went out for a few drinks in the Pike/Pine area which is allegedy where the "hipsters" hang out. We saw a few hipsters but it wasn't crawling with them.

A sign we saw on our drinking travels

Our hostel in on the left about where that sign/board is. To give an idea of location; the street at the end is Pike Place.

Day Two.

After another free breakfast we got a number 5 bus to the zoo. We were a little sleepy so we needed to stop off at the coffee shop before we went animal crazy but that's what eventually happened. The zoo was only $11 with a coupon and there were loads of cool animals. Apparently this zoo is renowned for it's enclosures which all seemed really well-suited to the animals' needs.

We were finished at the zoo around half one and we took a bus to the Fremont area which is kind of like Main Street in Vancouver, in that it's quite arty and there's lots of cool cafes and shops.

We had another incredible lunch, this time consisting of a fantastic burger at Blue Moon Burgers, a coma-inducing amount of ice-cream at Cold Stone Cremery and some jasmine green tea from Peets Organic Coffee and Tea. Feeling a little heavier, we had look round a few shops and went to see the statue of Lenin, the Troll and the Rocket that are in that area.

The hostel had organised a happy hour pub trip which started at 5 so we managed to make it home just in time for that. After drinking $1 bottles of Miller (!) we flaked off and went to the aforementioned Irish pub where we knew they were having a pub quiz. Unfortunately the first round was NFL and we didn't score too highly on that. Round 3, however, was British Towns and was (un?)fortunately a beer round. A beer round is a round where all the teams who got full marks have to compete in downing a pint of beer. Debbie decided that task should fall to me and I had to down a pint faster than a group of burly Americans. Unsurprisingly I did not win but I seemed to have put in a good enough effort for a dude to want to buy me and Debbie a shot of tequila. The rest of the night is a blur...

Gorilla

Snake

Sun bear

Me in a room full of budgies

A crow being cocky with a bear

Bear (kinda looks like he has moose antlers)

Bet no one's been this relaxed with a bear that close behind them in the wild

Me on a brass hippo

Tapir!

A cool building in Fremont. At the bottom of it was Cold Stone Cremery

Me with the troll under the bridge

The Rocket

Debbie and I at the pub quiz at Fados Irish Bar

Day Three.

We were feeling a little worse for wear on Thursday morning so we got up and ate then had a leisurely stroll through the Public Market. The stalls weren't all set up yet because we were there so early and we weren't feeling much like being outside so after I bought a Tshirt and some tea (from the place that makes the 'Market Spice' tea we sell at my work) and we had some tea and a crumpet (finally, we were familiar!!) we went back to the hostel and napped. We tried a game of Scrabble to cure what ailed us but words were unforthcoming and I had to change all my letters too many times so we just got all our stuff and headed to the Greyhound Station via a lunch stop. The journey on the way home was much more relaxing and the border crossing was a breeze. There was also quite a pretty sunset which we got to watch.

The Public Market

The pig that guards the market

The sunet on the bus home. It was much prettier in real life

We got home around 9ish after stopping off at Safeways to buy some dinner then I was working yesterday so today's been spent catching up on my chores and buying a foam mattress to go on top of my leaky airbed. It's comfy as heck to sit on so hopefully sleeping'll be a pleasure too.

I have tomorrow off so hopefully, since I've done most of my chores, I'll be able to have a nice Sunday-y Sunday.

Hope you've all enjoyed this uber-blog. It took me several hours to complete!