Friday, August 19th, 2011

It was cold when I went to work this morning.  I started work at 6:30am and the temperature was a chilling 6 degrees.  I guess the storm last night really cooled things off.  It got up over 21 degrees in the afternoon, though.

I left work at about 3:15pm and headed to the post office to mail the deposit for the moving company that agreed to transport my stuff from Vancouver/Chilliwack to Calgary for $1050.  It's a steal.  While there, I ran into somebody I knew from Causeforce.  It was a strange coincidence.  He doesn't live here anymore, but was just here for a week tying up some loose ends.  He still works for the company but works out of the LA office.  We caught up on a few things, then I came home to have a quick nap.

Nope.  It was so loud that I laid on my bed for an hour trying to sleep.  I was yawning all afternoon, so I knew I was very tired, but nobody could sleep through this kind of noise.

I got up and made some dinner before I was meeting Bryn later for a beer.  Another opportunity to get away from the noise.  I'm sensing a pattern in my blog over the past week.  

Bryn and I went to the Joyce on 4th in Mission.  We stayed until probably 2am or later.  Once we get talking, we can go on for hours - maybe it was mostly me.  Regardless, I miss having Bryn and Melissa time!  He and I have always had such an easy time as friends, and we can really cover the spectrum in terms of conversation topics.

Here's a picture of beer... because why not?  Beer is tasty.

Friday, August 12th, 2011

I think I got a speeding ticket this morning.  I've only ever had one in my entire life and that was just after I got my new car and I was driving between Calgary and Vancouver back in 2008.  I don't know for sure if I got one, but they have these SUVs parked on the side of the road around the city and as I drove by, there was a flash behind me - looks like it took my picture.  What happened to the good ol' days when cops would actually pull you over and do the work?  I don't think it's fair that they can just take a picture and mail it to you.  I really don't even think I was speeding, but maybe that's because I wasn't paying attention (my bad).  

Anyway, I got off work a little early because I start earlier on Fridays, and when I arrive at the Raposos - my temporary home - I'm locked out of the house.  That's right, I was never given a key.  I called Dave, and he told me to call Tristan.  I guess Tristan left to get his hair cut, and was on his way home.  However, I sat on the front step for an hour - and it was HOT outside.  I also hadn't eaten all day, so I was starving, so I was a little cranky.

I met the guy from the property management company to do a walk through of my new place.  There are definitely things you should always ask before signing a lease.  You'd think I'd know that by now.  While we're going through everything, the noise in the apartment upstairs is SO loud.  I find out that it's a family of four - two small kids.  They like to run around, and when I told the dad that they were very loud, he replied with "it's an old building".  Great!  I'm going to have to buy some ear plugs.

Anyway, I got my keys and then Tristan and I went to grab an ice-cream from My Favorite Ice-Cream Shoppe, near where I used to live.  It's very close by my new place.  It's fantastic to be back in the same neighborhood, and also so close to my job.  I guess it's a small moving day tomorrow.

Saturday, July 16th, 2011

What a hot, sunny day in Calgary!  It was a nice change to see the sun.  Mom, Lurline, Talia, Tristan & I headed downtown to check out what free Stampede events we could find.  We went down to Fluor Square at Olympic Plaza, but nothing was happening.  So, we walked along Stephen Avenue in the sunshine, and looked at the stalls and did some people watching.  It was lunch time by this point, so we sat on the Earl's patio and had a refreshing beverage and a tasty lunch.  Afterwards, Lurline took us to her new office because mom hadn't seen it yet.  Then, we went to a big discount store in the South and everybody bought something small.  That night, Lurline, Dave, mom and I went to Ceili's pub in the South and listened to the live music out on the patio.  It was nice to enjoy the warm weather well into the evening.  I love Stampede!

Saturday, July 9th, 2011

Mom and Dad went out shopping today, but I wanted to stay home and work on some projects.  It was great to have the place to myself and get some writing done outside on the back patio.  There's nothing like sitting out in a beautiful garden, listening to the birds and water from the pond.  It's so relaxing.  I did some writing and watched some design tutorials, then went out front to hand wash my car.  The sun was so hot that it was drying the water and soap before I could rinse it off.  Anyway, my car finally looks cleaner than what it was.  Later in the evening, we got comfortable and watched a movie - I'm trying to get my parents caught up on the X-Men series and next is the Matrix series.

Here's my self-portrait:

Sunday, June 26th, 2011

What a picture perfect day.  Blue, cloudless skies and warm sunshine.  It was hard to decide how we all wanted to spend the day.  Dad and Uncle Jacob decided to go golfing, then to the big car show downtown.  The rest of us headed to the Cloverdale swap meet to see what we could find.  Most of us got a little something small to buy.  Monica got the largest purchase - a breadmaker for $15.  The Raposos left us to go drop Talia off at the ferry - she was off to visit her friend on the Island for the night.  Then, they headed to Dave's relatives in Surrey.  Mom, Monica and I went to Red Robin for a hamburger lunch before dropping Monica at home in Aldergrove.  When mom and I got back home, the weather was still so nice, so we joined dad and Jacob outside in yard for some conversation.  We ate a barbecued steak dinner, with salad and watermelon.  We all agreed it was nice to sit outside and eat for once!  Then, Uncle Jacob, dad and I went downstairs to play some guitar.  Dad had to work, so he headed to bed early, but Uncle Jacob and I stayed a while longer to chat, and Tristan got home and joined us for a bit.  What another superb day!

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

A warm 26 degrees today in Calgary!  Talia and I went downtown into the Mission district and had lunch and a drink at Purple Perk - one of my favorite coffee shops in Calgary.  Then, we drove around a bit - Talia doesn't get to go downtown very much, so I think she was enjoying the people watching.  We ended up at Eau Claire and looked around some of the shops.  I bought a ring from Tibet for $4.00.  I'd be losing money if I didn't buy it, as Lisa would say.  We had a few hours to kill, so we took a walk around Prince's Island Park and it was absolutely gorgeous - green, lush and full of activity.  We decided to head over to Fionn MacCool's and have a drink.  So, the two of us had some bonding time and talked about everything. A little later, Debra and Bryn showed up.  Then, the band arrived.  We listened to Sean and Rodger do some songs that I know and love.  Finally, Lurline got dropped off by Dave to drive Talia and I home - we'd been drinking so needed a driver.  After a great night with friends and fantastic music, I said good-bye and headed home.  What a brilliant day and night!!!

Here's me with one of my best friends in the world, Bryn:

Monday, June 6th, 2011

Woke to another sunshiny day - three days in a row!  Wow!  Headed out to Vancouver at about noon to meet up with Lisa.  We decided that we couldn't play tennis, since we only had one racket, so we went to have a beer (or two) at The Local on the patio.  We got a little sunburnt, despite wearing sunscreen.  Then, we headed to the Ward's house to catch game three of the playoffs.  What a disappointing game that was!  Boston wins 8-1 ... So, we thought we'd get one more quick drink at the Five Point to see what the mood was like.  There weren't a lot of people left in there, and there definitely wasn't celebration in the air.  This pic is of Lisa and I on the patio at The Local:

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

What a night of excitement ... drove out to Vancouver to meet up with Lisa before heading to the local Five Point pub to watch game 5 of the Canucks/Sharks series.  Brad, Iona and Cecilia all showed up, and the pub was on fire with energy as the Canucks tied it up with mere seconds left in the 3rd period.  Finally, into double overtime, Bieksa buries the puck from the blue line to take the win!  The pub erupted into cheers and suddenly everybody in the bar were our new best friends.  On to the Stanley Cup finals! Here's Lisa and I midway through the game ... in this photo, we were still waiting for the Canucks to tie it up: