Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Huh

"Watch Age of Love, in which a bachelor chooses between cougars, or kittens. Does age matter?"

Just when you think tv can't get more repulsive...

(does anyone else feel like that should have ended with "next, on Sick Sad World!"?)

Monday, May 14, 2007

Two Years

It's been two years since K was killed in a car accident. It still seems like it could be yesterday.

I remember exactly what I was doing when I found out: I was working at the cafe, and it was a Saturday. An insanely busy Saturday, and I was in the middle of squeezing oranges for orange juice when my boss pushed the phone at me, understandably frustrated that someone was insisting that they talk to me in the middle of our rush. And when I picked it up, Peek was in the other end, and she told me that K, her very best friend, had been driving home with another friend, and that her car had been hit by another. And K was killed instantly.

I didn't believe her. I think I actually asked her if she was kidding.

And then I didn't know what to do. I think I squeezed another two halves of oranges, in shock, on autopilot, until Mel saw my face from the till and asked me what happened. And then I told her, and I told my boss, and I called my house and bro picked me up to take me to Peek's house.

And now she's still gone, and I can still remember her face, her smile, the sound of her laugh. I remember meeting her in October of 2002 and being intimidated by her force of personality, and then years later, talking to her on the phone when she had somehow contracted chicken pox and was quarantined at home, her telling me how much her pox itched, and me forbidding her to scratch them, especially the one on her forehead. And then 10 minutes later, she called back and said "I scratched it, and now I kinda wish I hadn't" and then laughing that laugh of hers that told you she didn't really wish she hadn't at all. She never got herself into any trouble she didn't think was worth getting into, and I wish so much she was here, but since that can't be, I can only love that I still remember.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Perilously Close To A Food Journal

But seriously, look at what and where I've eaten in the past 9 days:

Sunday: Gyoza King
Monday: Cat's Meow, Lee's Donuts, Richmond Sushi (all you can eat)
Tuesday: Pendulum
Thursday: Dim sum, Oysi Oysi
Friday: Tomokazu Sushi (all you can eat)
Saturday: Pho, Guu
Sunday: Oysi Oysi, Guu
Today: Provence Mediterranean Grill

The only day not on the list is Wednesday, and I'm fairly confident that that's only because I can't remember.

In conclusion, I should be fat, and I am poor.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Dialogues

R, L, JLo, and I watching A Walk To Remember
R: So, what's wrong with Mandy Moore?
L: She has cancer.
JLo and I, in unison: ...And overalls.

Showing his apartment
McBeal: It's a murphy bed, so [past roommate] used to flip it up so he could have the maximum space to hate me in...

At Richmond Sushi
McBeal: So, A, this is Richmond...the multicultural gem of Vancouver...
J-Bird: Hello, and welcome! I will be your other-culture guide for your time here...

Getting in McBeal's Car
McBeal: And if you were going to ask if we'll be listening to Carrie Underwood, the answer is yes!
J-Bird: I was going to ask!

At Dinner
JN: God, it's a good thing I'm not a man...no woman would have me.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

May!

Welcome to May, everyone! I mention this, because today, it felt spring-y. I loooove spring-y.

Today, I sampled Stephen Colbert's Ameri-cone Dream Ice Cream (imported by McBeal, whatever would I do without him?). It is possibly the best non-gelato ice cream I've had. Of course, Colbert would say that gelato is Italian, not American, and therefore doesn't count. So congratulations on your successful foray into the world of ice creams, Stephen Colbert!

I also went to Granville Island and had some of Lee's Donuts (by far the best in Vancouver), and also to Richmond Sushi, where we had the Deluxe All-You-Can-Eat Menu (as opposed to the inferior "regular" menu, and the mind-boggling "Superior Deluxe Menu") and ate so much sushi my brain nearly exploded.

Good times.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Making Up For Lost Time

Since writing my exam, I havent been terribly productive. This is not to say that I've been doing nothing. I've actually been quite busy. But most of it, rather splendidly, has been for fun. I've read books, watched movies, and generally just been having a grand old time (which, by the way, is far more costly than just studying day in, day out). Book-wise, there's been a lot of Anthony Bourdain lying about the house, and I have to say, I'm all for it. An author who would never succeed in hiding his voice behind the writing, and fortunate in that his voice is interesting enough that you don't want it to. You aren't looking to lose yourself in the world he creates, because you're having enough trouble keeping up with the world he perceives. Also, the guy knows his food, and as we are all aware, I love food. So if you get a chance, pick up Kitchen Confidential, A Cook's Tour, or Nasty Bits. You won't regret it. Although any of them may well convince you to drop a bucket of money on a flight to Asia for eating purposes alone, so keep that in mind.

I've also been procrastinating up a storm because of all the books lying around; I need to clean my room? Eh, after this chapter. Okay, after the next. Oh look, the sequel is right here. How can I rest without knowing what happens next? Luckily, my room isn't in state of complete disrepair, and most of the mess is not surprisingly, books. But eventually I know I'm going to have to stop this chain-reading habit I seem to have picked up, and get back to the real world. I do still go to work. I went to dim sum today. I'm easing my way back in.

Peek leaves in 3 days (2 days? I'm in denial) for medical school. This makes me sad, but also proud. It's rather shocking to see that we're all growing up. When did that happen?

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

I Suck, Y'all

It's been a while. My bad.

You'll be glad to know lots has happened. I know, really, I should be recapping everything, but I'm going to cop out and make a list. Cause that's how I roll. In the past month (give or take) I have:

  1. Been hit on by the little brother of a former good friend. It was uncomfortable.
  2. Been asked out by a sort-of-coworker who is older than I am. Considerably older. I-went-to-the-bar-last-night-and-met-someone-more-age-appropriate-would-be-a-viable-if-harsh-excuse older.
  3. Studied my brains out for an exam, and yet still don't feel ready, which is daunting as I write it in 4 days.
  4. Been accused of stealing. No, really.
  5. Bought pretty, pretty things, while still managing to cut down my spending. Whoo money management!
  6. Not eaten dinner (mistake number one), had two drinks (mistakes two and three), gotten pretty blasted from aforementioned drinks, run into my Lapse Of Judgement (mistake negative 46, that was a while ago), and then danced with my friend's coworker for two hours (possibly a mistake, the jury's still out on that one).
  7. Started shopping for holiday packages. Whoo!

Monday, March 12, 2007

The Stars Align (or, how Pretty D50-II came into my life)

Christmas 2005, I became the ecstatic owner of a brand new Nikon D50. I named her Pretty, and Pretty she was.

July 2006, Pretty was stolen in India. I was not pleased, and vowed to replace her with either another D50, or something even prettier.

Soon after, Nikon came out with two new DSLR cameras, the D40 and the D80. The D40 is fun, kicky, light and (relatively) cheap. However, it isn't compatible with my zoom lens. The D80 is bigger, better, but sadly, pricier. Considerably. The D80 could not be mine for many months to come. As a result of the new cameras, D50's were being discontinued "spring/summer 2007". This meant most stores were no longer bringing them in; after all, there was the D40! Or the D80! Buy the new ones! They sparkle! Meanwhile, I kept a close eye on camera reviews and prices. All in all, the D40 and D80 were getting great reviews, much like the D50 had when it first came out.

So, last week I started to research prices and specifications in earnest. Which camera would be best for me? Which could I afford? Finally, what with the D50 being on clearance, I decided that Pretty in her original form was the best fit. So then I needed to find one.

I called every camera store in Vancouver. Kerrisdale, Broadway, Dunne & Rundle. No one had it. Finally, I called Lens & Shutter. They did not have any, but according to the computer there were a couple in Victoria. They would call me back and let me know if it was possible to bring one in.

They didn't call.

Hours later, on my way home, I decided to stop in and at least check to see if any progress had been made. I found a very helpful salesguy (Hi Michael!), who asked just about everyone on the floor if they'd been the one I had spoken with. No one had any idea of my call. So then he decided to look into it, warning me that it may not be possible to bring any in from Victoria, since the shipping cost could negate their profits, what with the clearance rate. Overhearing "D50", a passing sales guy exclaimed that one had just arrived from Victoria for a customer of his, to be picked up on Tuesday. Michael informed me that my chances at an imported camera were looking up, and continued punching away at his computer. Then the manager of the store walked by, asking what we were doing. Michale began to explain my plight ("this young lady is looking for a D50, so I'm looking at Victoria's inventory") when the manager cut him off with "I just took a D50 off the hold shelf a couple of hours ago! If no one's bought it yet, we should have one in the store!" (very jovial man, this manager). I held my breath. Michael asked if the manager had the keys to the storeroom. He did not. Michael went to find the keys. I resumed breathing, out of necessity, which was a good call as it took Michael five minutes to find the keys, and another five to emerge from the storeroom holding my camera in his arms. I whipped out my poor, tired Visa card, and walked out with my pretty pretty D50. In a few moments, the "Picture of the Now" will be one of the first taken by her.

Welcome home, Pretty.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Friday, March 02, 2007

Accident Prone

I've never thought of myself as a particularly clumsy person. I don't tend to drop things, or break glasses, and apart from the occasional stubbed toe, am generally quite injury-free. That being said, I'm not a terribly graceful person either. Of the T-Jan friendship, T clearly got all the dancing skill (and years of training), and if I can manage to not look like a total fool next to her, that's just fine.

Today, however, I was walking to the cafe to study, after a training session at the other workplace (and therefore in heels, although they are admittedly only like 1 inch). I was walking along the sidewalk, when suddenly out of nowhere I tripped, on...well, nothing, it seems, and fell. And scraped the crap out of my chin. And mouth. And luckily did not chip any of my teeth, since sidewalks are more tooth-friendly than basketball opponents' foreheads. So I walked into the cafe, looking like I'd just gotten into a fight with some sandpaper, and bleeding slightly, and then tried to clean it all up as best I could. One of the guys working kindly made me an icepack, while the other, who had met me all of once before, for about 3 seconds, just tried not to make it too obvious he thought I was crazy. It's highly likely icepack coworker thought I was crazy too, but he has more evidence to base this on, so for some reason that's better.

Anyhow, J came and met me for lunch, and as she was marveling over my injury, I started to think of all the other strange things that have happened. The aforementioned basketball game (cost: chip out of tooth and toenail), this battle with gravity (cost: skin from chin/lips, pride, and a pair of shoes since I choose to blame the ones I was wearing), two battles with seagulls in my first year at UBC (cost: ability to ever eat outside on campus ever again), slipping in a -clean, thank god- bathroom in india after wearing newly purchased pants (cost: the white toilet seat becoming purple from dye transfer), a mosquito biting me on my lip (cost: my "I don't look like i've had two lips worth of collagen injected into only one lip" appearance). Considering the least recent of these incidents was 6 years ago, and the most recent was 6 hours ago, I think it's fair to say that I am more accident prone than I had thought. Sigh. There's another self-perception that just been downgraded.

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Sittin'. And Snow!

Just got home from babysitting for a family that I've been with for yeeeears now. It's kind of fun, watching the kids grow up. The oldest is in Grade 8 now, and she's going on a date in Saturday! Clearly way ahead of me at that age. The two boys have grown up too; one's a little less out of control, and the youngest is turning out to be a very chill little guy...if I were make predictions, I'd say the older boy will be surrounded by girls who think they love him, while the youngest will be the one that girls really fall for. He's gonna be a heartbreaker, that one.

Babysitting, even at the ripe old age of 23, is nice every once in a while. A calm night, hanging out with the kids, watching TV and reading. It's like alone time, but you get paid.

It's snowing! Pretty hard, too. It's a little strange, considering that in 15 minutes it will be March. The snow has been a frequent visitor, this year (relative to other years here, as opposed to other cities. This is Vancouver. Snow's like fairy gold here). It's pretty though, and I got to walk the block home from babysitting alone, in the dark, in the snow. A nice way to end the night.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Quote of the...Nowabouts

“I used to feel so alone in the city. All those gazillions of people and then me, on the outside. Because how do you meet a new person? I was very stumped by this for many years. And then I realized, you just say, “Hi.” They may ignore you. Or you may marry them. And that possibility is worth that one word.”
- Augusten Burroughs

Friday, February 16, 2007

Acquisitions

Last post I told you about five shirts I'd purchased, and I'm sad to say (well, I'm not, but my bank balance is) that the purchasing? Hath not ended. But once again, it's all been the amazing sales' faults. Once I've told you the story, I'm sure you'll all agree.

Yesterday I was finished at the lab an hour early, thereby giving me time to burn before my shift at work. Since work is downtown, I figured hey, why not burn my time doing a little browsing? So I went back into Off the Wall, home of three of the five shirts the last hunt procured, because who knows? I could have missed something the last time! And you know what? I did! This time I came across a Triple Five Soul zippy, which was over 50% off, and really cute. I've never owned anything by them before, mostly because (at full price) their itens are exorbitantly expensive. I've always coveted a few of their things, especially when I see how good they look on my friends, but I refuse to spend over $100 on a sweatshirt, if only for the principle of the thing (one hundred dollars? For a sweatshirt? Are you kidding me?). However, on sale, I can have the beautiful zippy, guilt-free (well, almost)!

After buying the zippy, I still had a good twenty minutes to burn, and decided I'd go to MAC, as I seem to have lost my eyeliner. On the way, I passed The Source: Circuit City which was advertising a 50% Everything! sale. I have to admit, I didn't entirely believe them; a sale that actually applies to the entire store, no exceptions, is hard to find. But, since I'd been wanting new headphones for quite some time, I decided to take a look.

And walked out with a new digital camera.

Now to be fair, I've been needing a camera for a while now. as many of you know, my Pretty (Nikon D50) was stolen on my trip, which is still a source of ill feelings. Luckily, I had another camera with me, my trusty old Canon A70. Here, "old" is the crucial word; it got me through my trip, but died on me a couple of weeks after I got home. So I went from having two cameras to having none. An unpleasant situation, to be sure, but not so unbearable that I was running out to drop hundreds of dollars on the first cameras I saw. Instead, I bided (bode? please advise) my time, waiting for the right moment to strike. And yesterday, it did. The Canon A510, for a mere $120.

"But wait!" You cry, "It's only got 3.2 megapixels! It's not waterproof! It doesn't fit in a cardholder!" Well, yes. But the A70 was also only 3.2 megapixels, and frankly, unless you're blowing things up bigger than 8X10, it doesn't matter. And from my "going out with the girls" camera, I never blow things up bigger than that. I also don't tend to take photos in swimming pools (no nerve-wracking bikini photos) or torrential downpours (the photos don't turn out well, and the lens always gets splashed), so the waterproof thing is not an issue for me. And I don't carry a cardholder. I carry a purse. That the A510 will fit into perfectly. And people. $120. For a perfectly usable camera.

I also got the headphones, by the way. $10. I love sales.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Concerts and TV Shows and Shopping, Oh My!

Well, the title pretty much sums up what I've been up to. But hey, let's add some detail, shall we?

It was Evi's birthday last week, and she and I, after eating large amounts of sushi (mmmm), we went to the Barenaked Ladies concert (my second concert! Hurrah!). It was a great concert, fun, energetic, and interspersed with random little improvised ditties ("Bald Parade" sung to the tune of "Barbara Anne") and dialogue. It was a pretty full house too, and other than one section of weirdly rowdy fans (who I suspect may have accidentally come to the concert at GM Place, rather than the MonsterTruck Rally at BC Place) everyone seemed to be having a great time (to be fair, the rowdies were having a great time too; they were just bugging the crap out of everyone near them as they did it). Anyhow, it was a great concert, and a great time.

Early this week a TV pilot was being filmed at the cafe. A coworker and I stayed on-site throughout the process, so I got to see at least some of what goes into shooting a TV show, and I have to say, it's not that riveting. It's slow, repetitive, and so detail-oriented it made me want to scream. Each scene was shot so many times that my coworker and I could re-enact them at will, and a couple of the people on the set may have leaned a little too far toward the obsessive-compulsive side of the scale for comfort. But it was kind of interesting to see how it all works, and all the shooting gave me some time to get some studying in.

Yesterday T and I went shopping, and made out like bandits! I got 5 really cute shirts, and would have paid over $140 if they'd been full price, but instead spent less than $65 (hurrah sales!). T got two pairs of earrings from Blue Ruby, expanding her collection of "the most beautiful earrings ever". I also spied a necklace and a pair of shoes that I covet, but am waiting for them to go on sale, because they are pricey, and the Jan, she is broke. Sigh. But new shirts! Hurrah!

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Restaurant Review: Bridges

Tonight a friend of mine and I partook of the annual event Dine Out Vancouver. For all y'all that don't know, Dine Out is an event in which different restaurants offer three course meals for a discounted rate. It's done every January, and I presume it's a (clever) marketing ploy, to up numbers in a traditionally slow month, restaurant-wise. Anyhow, it has been a rousing success, on the whole, and I've been happy to enjoy the benefits.

Bridges is on Granville Island, with (according to the website) several different dining areas, most of which seem to be open only during the summer (example: the patio). Their Dine Out menu was mainly westcoast-style cuisine, with a good variety of dishes on offer. Our server was hysterical; he seemed to be under the impression that we were two children playing dress-up in adults clothing, and talked to us as if we were ten years old. Each time he came by, I found myself struggling to keep a straight face.

I had A Bosc Pear with Rocquefort Salad to start, which was quite nicely done; fresh, interesting greens, all of a similar texture, a nice dressing, and the rocquefort had that spicy kick to it I like in a Bleu. My friend had the Sauteed Tiger Prawns, which were also quite nice, however I remember less about them. The presentation of both were lovely, it should noted.

For the entree, I had a Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni (very nice, although the presentation was a bit too edgy for me...cannelloni will never appear geometric, nor should it try), while my friend had the Pan Seared Monkfish, which was also a success. It came on a bed of rice with some vegeteables, and as a whole was great; the flavours blended fantastically.

My dessert was a Citrus Creme Brulee, and I think this was the weakest link in my meal; there was no discernible "citrus", and the creme was far too sweet. It was however "brule'd" very nicely; a crust that snapped when you tapped it, but still paper thin and crucially, never burned. My friend had the Dark Chocolate Semi Freddo, which I didn't try, but she enjoyed it. The entire meal was accompanied with the Sandhill Pinot Gris, which was surprisingly pleasant. The dinner was great, and very improved by the great conversations we had over it. Good food and good company are indeed all you can ask for.

Friday, January 26, 2007

To Whistler!

We're all going to Whistler for the weekend, to celebrate J's birthday. I'll catch y'all on the flip side, with a longer post, I promise!

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Wine & Oyster Night

Last night I went to the 13th Annual B.C. Wine and Oyster Festival, a charity event put on by Liberty Wines for the Children's Hospital. It was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, in the ballroom, and was basically a (large) room with different wineries offering tastings around the perimeter, and different restaurants offering oyster bars in the middle. I'd never tasted raw oysters before, and I have to say, I quite enjoyed them. I, forgoing the cocktail sauces, the tabascos and worcestires, liked them best with a little (okay, quite a lot) of lemon juice squeezed directly into the shell. L, who I was with, gamely tried them twice, but wasn't a huge fan, saying it was "like having a mouthful of ocean". As if this was a bad thing!

As for wines, we tasted quite a lot, but here were my highlights (note that these are basically all whites. By the time we got to reds, I was too drunken to take notes)

Garry Oaks Pinot Gris 2005 - smells like pineapple and passionfruit (mmm), and is really smooth, not at all harsh.
Arrowleaf Bacchus - light, fruity, cheerful
Gray Monk Ehrenfelser - very sweet but bereft of tartness, I liked it a lot but it was too much for L, almost caramel-y with a lingering taste.
Mt. Boucherie Semillon - easy to drink, not at all sharp.
(This is about when the wine started getting to me. The notes get a lot shorter, and on my program are no longer even trying to be in straight lines.)
Wild Goose Vineyards Gewurztraminer - sweet but still quite crisp, not at all cloying.
Tantalus Old Vine Riesling - Amazing, tart, one of my favourites.
Elephant Island Framboise/Apricot - Fruit dessert wines, my overall favourites, especially the Apricot.

That's about all I can make out from my notes; there are a couple where I just put "+" or crossed them out, and a couple where I was clearly unimpressed (one I described as "onion-y"! Mmmm!), but all in all, a good night. Til next year!

Monday, January 15, 2007

Do's and Don't's for Housesitters

Written on behalf of a friend:
Do
Feel free to cook meals, watch TV, surf the net
Use the bathroom facilities
Sleep in the bed (see how I put in new sheets, just for you?)
Use what's in the fridge

Don't
Break my dishes. One or two I understand - accidents happen. More than that and I just wonder if I've somehow made you angry. Learn from your mistakes!
Not clean up after yourself. This is not a hotel.
Wear my clothes and not wash them. At least try to hide that you wore my clothes.
Bring someone into my bed. You want to have friends over, fine. But have someone over for the night? Not so much. Especially when you...
Leave a condom in my garbage can, fom which you have so kindly removed the liner. Really? Actually? Come on, now. Now I'm wondering who you did what with, whether or not it was localized to my bed, and if you were wearing my clothes when you started. All of which I wish ever so much I didn't have to wonder. Now excuse me as I throw out my damaged property, wash everything with hydrogen peroxide, and burn the (unwashed) bed sheets.

Friday, January 12, 2007

Bbbbrrrrrr!

It is coooold here. I mean in comparison to our usual climate, and not in comparison, with, oh, let's say...Winnipeg. Where my friend D lives. Where, he's informed me, it was -43 last night. Celsius. Godspeed, D.

But it is cold. Cold enough that my closet full of coats and jackets is seeming slightly inadequate, and I'm left wishing I had a pair of mittens. Also cold enough that when I walk into a store after being outside for a while, my glasses fog up. Which I'm sure is quite funny for the people in the store at first, but I'd imagine that it becomes less charming after I've bumped into and upset your neatly stacked pile of magazines.

The good news is, I'm home, our furnace works, and even though my digestive tract seems to have declared war on my nervous system (or vice versa - these disputes are hard to understand), I'm going to retire to my warm bed and read a good book before falling asleep.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Whoops

So, I've been gone a while. Sorry! I got distracted by...life. Happy New Year! I hope you rang it in in a less car-accidenty manner than I did. No injuries though! Just a weaker bank balance. I don't have any big thins to say, but here are some disconnected thoughts:

When you can't download music (argh), YouTube is a godsend. Just "watch" the music video of the song you want with the window minimized. Genius!

The weather here is bizarre. First, huge windstorm (again), involving spats of rain, sleet, snow and hail. Then yesterday we get snow blanketing the city. Then today? Blinding sunshine. Weather's mission? To boggle.

Christmas was great, because everyone came home to visit meeeee (and alright, I suppose there were other reasons as well, if you insist upon being that way), but now they are all gone again, and it is sad.

I need to start getting on the GRE horse. Blast.