Project 289 - Day 242 (Saturday 14 November 2009) : Of Parties, and Schnitzels and Packed Pubs

Above : The Birthday Boy, Stephen and Elaine (left) / me and Barbara (right)
Above: The Birthday Boy himself about to inhale his schnitzel! Yep he was hungry!!

After a quiet day, we hit the social circuit tonight, dressed to the nines in tiaras, evening wear and ..... actually no, but that would have been fun wouldn't it?! In fact I was in a funky tight shirt and jeans and my beautiful guy was in his sexy Astro Boy T-shirt, and we set out with our good friend, Fahmi for Kings Cross to a German resturant called Maggie's to celebrate our mutual very good friend Stephen's birthday. Along the way we got a transport SOS text from Stephen who was stranded by public transport timetables northside, and so we diverted to the Neutral Bay since the birthday boy can't be late for his own party! Or not show up at all!

Consequently we were a tad late but then so was Stephen! There was only 8 of us plus John and Essie's adorable two 18 month old kids, and the evening consisted of lots of fun conversation, child minding, and schnitzels big enough to sail away on when those climate-change inspired higher sea levels arrive. We even had dessert amazingly but thankfully I split a strudel with my yummy guy, and so the resultant waddling to the car, when it came time to leave, wasn't too bad.

Then it was off to our friends' Luke and David's 3rd Annual Friends Get Together at the Hollywood Hotel near Central. The small blue-collar pub was just packed to the rafters, and was consequently very hot and sweaty, and I was beyond happy when we found a spot under a fan over one side of the room. Yes we were on the path that led to the toilet but frankly, faced with sweating into a puddly mess, I chose to ignore that face, drink my lemon lime and bitters and catch up with some good friends I hadn't seen in ages. A fun night! (Celebrated with..... TOP PHOTO: me, my beautiful guy and Fahmi....BOTTOM PHOTO : Ian, Peter and Warren).

Project 289 - Day 241 (Friday 13 November 2009) : The Long March to Takeaway

Project 289 - Day 240 (Thursday 12 November 2009) : And There He Waz

The last time we caught up we were up in San Francisco for two glorious days....

Tonight it was the Arthouse Hotel for wine and then Wagamama's for dinner and juice....

Loved the catching up, the ease at which we relate, and the enjoyment of seeing a very special friend once again....

Project 289 - Day 239 (Wednesday 11 November 2009) : Long Hours and Pasta

Project 289 - Day 238 : Its a Lovely Day Today and Whatever You're.... Ah the Heck With That! I Am Back @ Work!

Back to work today. Back to my normal life today - commuting, washing clothes, making lunches (OK today I bought sushi but I had to walk all the way across campus to buy it. Brutal, I tell you, brutal!), getting ready for the management meeting, re-acquainting myself with my nemesis, Outlook......

So I figured that today's image had to be a shot of the City that I see from my balcony every morning, usually framed by the first light of the morning.

Project 289 : Day 237 (Monday 9 November 2009) : Day of Calm Before the Storm of Work

I am so glad I had today off! What with jetlag, stuff to unpack, food to buy etc I needed time to relax, organise and get myself ready for the dreaded immersion back into reality, and this picture captures perfectly the messiness of the settling back in process.

Project 289 - Day 236 (Sunday 8 November 2009): I'm BAAAACKKKK!!

Let's hear it for jetlag! Woohoo!

I mean who doesn't love that weirdly disassociated feeling that everything is not quite right? You can see things, you hear things but your brain doesn't quite get 4 from 2+ 2 as "Huh?" which let's face it, isn't terribly mathematical! Anyway today was the day I flew back into Oz after a reasonably lovely flight with wonderful travel companions (Gordon and Brad who I chatted too for the first 3 hours of the flight), good food, a temperamental entertainment system (I only saw one movie, "Marley and Me", which had me blubbering like a baby in the dark of the plane cabin!), but sadly only 4-5 hours of fractured sleep.

It was enough to make sure I remembered my name at customs - immigration was a snap thanks to the new SmartGate system - which went very smoothly, and conversed in whole sentences - yes whole ones!! Go figure!! - with my beautiful guy who met me at the airport, adn in an exceptional feat of spotting a lone figure in a maddening crowd, saw me coming out from customs before I even saw him. We had a lovely morning catching up - ahem! LOL - and then I broke my cardinal rule of recovering from jetlag which is stay awake all day on the day of arrival by having.... a nap.

In my defense, and yes I slept just fine that night thankfully, I needed to be more than semi-awake as my dear friend had arranged a welcome back BBQ for me that night. Not my first choice timing-wise admittedly but he was so sweet to want to do it, had prepared all this delicious food (marinated BBQ prawns and a couscous salad among other things), and it was really lovely to see my friends in one place. Thanks to the nap, I even managed to remember everyone's names and converse brightly and extrovertly till about 8 pm when I hit a wall!

Sad though it was to end my holiday, this was the loveliest of welcome backs, the sweetest part of all being the first kiss and cuddle from my beautiful guy!

Project 289 - Day 235 : Lost Somewhere Over the Pacific... The Day, Not Me!

No pictures and apart from trying to sleep and succeeding less than spectacularly (I managed 4-5 hours of broken sleep which did reduce the jetlag exhaustion somewhat), and enjoying the company of my two seat companions on row 42 of flight NZ83 from Vancouver, I did very little....

That's to be expected right...Saturday didn't really, apart from an hour or so somewhere vaguely near Hawai'i.....

Project 289 - Day 234 : Time to Fly Home? What? NO! (Thankfully My Beautiful Guy Awaits- YAY!)

I hate holidays finishing!

All the fun, relaxation and sense of being Outlook-free fast vanishing as you get ready for another flight sealed inside a metal tube. Of course, the good thing this time, for the first time ever, is that I have someone waiting for me (well not now clearly but eventually!) at the other end....not just anyone either! My beautiful guy will be waiting for me and I plan to hold tight and not let go. Well, may let go so he can drive but that's it! I warn you now!

The morning has been spent packing - it all just fitted yay! - watching "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (where she unveiled her cover of O Magazine) and spending time with Ken and Graham. Shortly we will be leaving for another visit to Toys R Us ( to exchange the Tonka truck we bought yesterday) going to Pharmasave so Ken can post something (where I found all the Tim Tams above) and then via the kids' school and Sandra's office, we're off to the airport and another fabulous journey into Airport Land, the Beigest Land of them all!

The whole family came to the airport with me, which was lovely, and waited in line with me (with Graham helping me carrying a bag.... a very light one!) before doing some last minute shopping, including at the official Vancouver 2010 store and a store that had a giant moose outside it (of course it does!). I even got a shot of Sandra and Ken with the Smurf aka my beautiful guy's proxy before heading through the security gates, a bit of last minute shopping and a longer than expected wait before boarding my aircraft....

Project 289 - Day 233 (Thursday 5 November 2009) : Holiday Sloth Thy Name is Andrew

A very quiet day.

I spent most of the morning getting my Farmtown fix on Facebook - yes I am a full blown level 18 addict thanks to Sandra and Ken (when I arrived here just last week I was level 1 with a few weedy plots!) - before Ken and I ran errands to Toys R Us (birthday gift for a 5 year old's birthday party this Saturday - Tonka trucks rule!!), Cactus Club Cafe for lunch (lighting so dark I felt like it was late at night but the food was fab - the Bandarra Salad with cajun chicken, dates,crunchy noddles, red capsicum, corn, spinach leaves, lettuce....yes I am trying to remember the recipe!! LOL.... was delicious and healthy too!), Chapters (my favourite mega bookstore for flight home mags and some slightly naughty Christmas Post It notes) and Best Buy, where to the amazement of all that know me, I bought nothing! Not a thing.... REALLY.

Then back home for a relaxed night of more Farmtown (hmm is there a 12 Step group for this because I may just need one!), picking up the kids from school and Sandra from the train, before a delicious meal of chicken in mushroom and spaghetti squash (I love it!!) and a viewing of "Monsters vs Aliens" which I gave Graham for Christmas (he and Katie opened their pressies early so I could see their reactions) and which was pretty good (says the man who's seen LOTS of kids TV and movies in the last 10 days!! Think I am still sane)...

I finished the night, while everyone else slept, packing one of my suitcases so packing the next day would be reasonably stress-free...and lo, so it was....

Project 289 - Day 232 : Criss Crossing Vancouver Like a Hummingbird on Speed

What a madcap but totally fun day!

I long ago gave up what I lovingly refer to as Frenetic Tourism, where you dash back and forth in an ever maddening frenzy trying to get to absolutely everything that's listed in the guidebook. But today, in an attempt to re-visit some of my favourite old haunts in Vancouver (I have visited at least 8 times so the tourist sites were done and done repeatedly a long time ago), Ken and I hit the road early in the morning, dropped the kids off to daycare, Sandra off to work in Burnaby and then raced downtown to the first stop - GRANVILLE ISLAND.

This is a very funky precinct with views of the City and the Granville Island and Burrard Bridges - got some cool photos with them behind me - and everything from a public food market (where I got the most delicious butter pecan tart @ Staurt's Cakes ...YUM!) where we first encountered what seemed to become an ever growing throng of Japanese school girls, artists enclaves (including the work of the fabulous Peter Kess) and fantastically unique and one of a kind stores. The day was cold but sunny, and it was wonderfully relaxing moseying from building to building browsing, grabbing all sorts of cool stuff like moose-themed fridge magnets, a Canadian toque (pronounced 'tuke', which is like a beanie) and fun kitchen utensils and soaking in a totally unique tourist precinct.

We screamed out of the parking garage - actually we drove out carefully but 'screaming' sounds far more dramatic! - and headed down the street all of 5-10 minutes (with the help of Ken's GPS street directory which has, of all things, an Aussie accent called Karen) to the funky neighbourhood of KITSILANO. It's very Newtown-esque with many one of a kind stores and a number of fun chain stores including Mantique where I got a smokin' pair of jeans and trendy cardigan/jacket hybrid. But before the shopping began, and that involved walking up and down 5 blocks each way so again with the exercise, we lunched at Sophie's Cosmic Cafe, which reminds me so much of my favourite cafes in Newtown and Erskineville. I ate the most divinely delicious vegetable and nut burger with a coconut and banana burger and in a world of ordinary cookie cutter food, the food was one of a kind and an event in itself. While we ate, we took in the million and one retro toys and sundry other items attached to the walls. The whole neighbourhood is so much fun!

Final stop, and one of my favourite places on Earth, is STANLEY PARK, a heavily forested area that occupies an entire head of a peninsula on the edge of Vancouver's downtown. It also has Vancouver's aquarium in it which I visited on my first trip in 1994, and a seawall path that goes right around the park. It's a long walk, something like 10km, and baby, we walked it all! Ken thought it would take about an hour to do but 1.5 hours we were still walking, and mad eit back to the car a full hour after our parking had expired! (Sadly yes Ken got fined.) The views around every bend were just gorgeous and I snapped something like 105 photos on that leg of the day alone (see some below....well eventually when I post them!).

Just to remind me that we were in a large city we got stuck in a traffic jam for 1 hour trying to pick Sandra and the kids up, and eventually, wedged firmly in gridlock, Sandra had to catch the train home, and the kids were picked up by friends. But we finally found PoCo again and had a lovely relaxed night, which was a good thing since my legs were absolutely toast after a 10km bike ride yesterday, and a 10km seawall walk today. Ah the bliss of not moving!

BIRTHDAY DINNER

After a day spent racing hither and fro across Vancouver,

Project 289 - Day 231 (Tuesday 3 November 2009) : I Biked, I Ate, I Meatballed

Ah what a glorious day!

I spent the morning blogging - amazing that I could fall behind while on holidays but I managed it!! - watching "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" live (no repeat episodes from a year ago thank you Channel 9!!), having an hour's nap (these holidays are rough man, rough!)....very slovenly, holiday-ish and self-indulgent.....just the way life should be on holidays right? (Just agree with me. I am right anyway and agreeing will make it all go much faster!)

After letting myself go completely over the course of 3-4 hours - by the end I was lounging on the couch, contemplating a martini and another bagel (OK maybe not the bagel bit!) - Ken returned from running and exercising and we set off for lunch at Milestones, one of my favourite Canadian destinations for food. The ambience is usually dark-ish and sophisticated, the food is yummy (always a good thing when you're eating), and on this occasion, the waitperson was a totally cute spunky young English guy who apparently competed on "Canadian Idol". I haven't yet checked out his songs but his sound is Dave Gray-ish in style which is great because I like that style of music.

I had a Bellini or two (alcohol at lunchtime is becoming an increasingly large part of my holiday experience... I am such a lush!), ate their spinach, cheese and artichoke dip (mmmmm-yum!) with Ken for my Appy (appetizer or entree) and then had the most sensationally delicious meal - pan-seared scallops in a yellow Indian style curry on jasmine rice. OMG! De-freakin'-lish! I could have died and gone to heaven then but decided that I had to eat all the Halloween candy still at home so I put that event off for another 40-50 years or so...

After fond goodbyes to Paul, our soon-to-be famous waitperson - I should have got a photo with him in case he does become famous!! Dang! - we headed home and hit the road on bicycles (not sure that was a good idea after all those Bellinis but still!) bound for the PoCo Trail which runs besides the Pitt River in Port Coquitlam, on a series of dykes (I could make a silly joke here but I have too much respect for my lesbian friends to do that. It is tempting even so which is clear evidence that my 10 days with Sandra and Ken's kids have regressed me somewhat.). The scenery was stunning - lots of mountains and trees right on the edge of suburbia - and there were heaps of people out and about walking dogs, pushing kids in prams etc.... I have one question for them... why are you out and about enjoying nature when you could locked in an airless cubicle Outlooking your life away? Seriously what were they thinking?! It was absolutely invigorating cycling 10 or so km even if by the end of it all my butt hurt and my legs were like jelly as I rushed upstairs to get changed for our mad dash to see a movie at a cinema 45 minutes away!

So we dashed - well as much as heading into peak hour traffic would allow - over to Metrotown in Burnaby to see "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs", an hilarious kids' movie about a geeky guy who invents a machine tha can turn rain into food. At first all is well and the town rejoices but then people get greedy, all goes awry and the geeky guy (and the girl he lands....yep right!) must save the day. The visuals were fabulous - at one point the entire town is transformed into a giant ice cream sundae -, the dialogue snappy and funny, both for adults and kids, and they even touched on some modern isues such as the shallowness of the media etc. All in all, a bundle of fun that all of us loved...

Unfortunately Sandra got caught in meetings so couldn't join us, but we managed to find her in Metrotown, and headed back to Po Co for dinner at Whitespot, which the kids loved courtesy of their meals arriving on cardboard pirate ships. Sadly my burger came on a plate, but was yummy even so....

Wow a full day of fun and holiday frivolity and I was mighty glad to go to sleep that night.... dreaming of giant food falling from the sky .....thankfully no although it was funny that the regular sized popcorn and soft drink that came with the adult tickets to the movie were HUGE and mirrored the events of the movie eerily.....

Project 289 - Day 230 : Some Sleeping, Some Shopping, Some School.... and Pasta (Doesn't Start with an 'S' - Damn!)

I had the most luxuriously chilled day.

There was a loose schedule built around dropping Graham off to Kindergarten and picking him up (only at school for 2 1/2 hours each day can you believe it?!) but beyond that, the morning consisted of lazing around, working on my new addiction, "Farmtown" (on Facebook where you create your own farm), watching the start of "Kung Fu Panda" again (man kids LOVE multiple viewings of movies to frightening degrees!), and trying to find some souvenirs I had brought from Oz for Sandra and Ken (found them! Yeah!!)...

..... in between dropping off Graham and collecting him again, Ken and I hit Coquitlam Mall, shopping for jeans (I found a great pair at Bootleggers, with the leg length already right.... no visits to the alteration ladies. Woohoo!).... it was all very relaxing until we realised it was 1.35, we had to be back at school by 2.30pm, and we hadn't gone to London Drugs to get my Turtles, which are chocolate covered caramel wrapped pecans) and Carlton Cards (one last Christmas ornament....turned out to be 2!) yet....OR had lunch.

So in scenes reminiscent of me at work (does NOT bear thinking about thank you!!), I raced to London Drugs and Carlton Cards, and we managed to have lunch in something insane like 25 minutes at a restaurant called Mr Mike's. Phew! I inhaled a delicious salmon with herbs and rice pilaf - mmmm good..and fast!! - and we made it just 10 minutes late.....PHEW!!

Thankfully things slowed down nicely that night, after Ken and I made dinner, and I watched some TV - my new favourite "Big Bang Theory" thanks to viewings on Air NZ coming over - and then had the most wonderful video conversation for 45 minutes with my lovely, sweet, sexy, gorgeous guy. Using Skype for the first time was a revelation - the video of him was crisp, there was no aural delay and it honestly was liking across the desk from him and talking. Of course though we tried to kiss and hug - so cute! (OK yes sickening for the rest of humanity but why are you watching I ask?! LOL) - it wasn't quite the same. While I don't want my holiday to end too fast, I can't wait to see him in the flesh again, and hug him and kiss him. As I reminded him when he was concerned I might not fully enjoy my holiday because I'd be moping about missing him, I said you can have an absolute ball somewhere (which I am) and still miss the man you love more than you have ever missed anyone. I love him, and while Skype was good, in person will be better!

I went to bed at 12.30 a.m. happy and thrilled and didn't care that it took me 1 1/2 hours to get to sleep. Talking with my guy made a fabulous holiday complete. Perfect!

P.S. My beautiful guy got me a horse in the Melbourne Cup sweeps - very sweet of him - but alas it didn't place at all. It was weird not being in Oz for this big event but at least I got to live it vicariously through the thoughtfulness of my lovely man.

Project 289 - Day 229 - Take a Hike!

Out into the great outdoors today!

With an extra hour of sleep under my belt, thanks to the end of daylight saving, we headed out around noon to Minnekhada Regional Park, which is just 10 minutes drive from Sandra and Ken's in the heart of suburban Port Coquitlam. Thing is when you are in the heart of the park with its densely packed, moss-covered forests, and it's watery marshes with mountains in the backdrop, you feel like you are a million miles from anywhere.

We walked for at least 6.5 km around a loop which took us up hills, down hills, around the marshes, and the views were gorgeous. I even ended covered in ladybugs of all things! The kids moved at lightspeed throughout and I wondered, as many adults do, where they get the energy from.....Graham, the youngest, was still moving ahead like a crazed madman when we got home and played street hockey with me just outside their townhouse.

The day itself was sunny and bright and just cool enough to be pleasant. The best part was spending with the family, and get great galloping lungfuls (yes it is the official measurement for lungfuls of air!) of fresh air and take in the stunning vistas of the Canadian landscape, which is something I never tired of, and love.

Home now and drinking a hot chocolate made from real chocolate - and chockful of marshmallows thanks to my generosity with them! - I am waiting a delicious sacmpi and liguine dinner and a quiet night at home..... I also got texts from my beautiful guy who I miss immensely. I am talking to him tomorrow night and I can't wait. I am loving my holiday and time with Sandra and Ken, but I am missing him a lot.

Project 289 - Day 228 (Saturday 31 October 2009) - Ghouls and Goblins, Witches and Wizards Oh My! It's HALLOWEEN!

Today was a fun day!

I have never really celebrated Halloween properly - partly due to the fact that it was never a big event in Australia (and really still isn't), and besides, in the Christian household I grew up in such a fascination with 'satanic' images was condemned outright; but also due to the fact that I never seemed to be in North America on the 31st October. Earlier in the month yes, in November, yes, but 31st October? Somehow no!

So this year I went the whole vampiric hog. I dressed up (thats me in the fetching and very macho monster mask and pink cowboy hat!) I helped carve pumpkins on Halloween eve with Ken and the kids (Graham dressed as a knight and Katie as a witch) - scooping out the pumpkin gunk was an experience; roasted, though, the seeds made great snacks! - bought candy and Halloween Mylar balloons at Safeways, got a snacking feast ready with Sandra (that included brie cheese baked with chilli paste...healthy yes!!.... chicken wings, dips aplenty, pita breads) just for us to eat while we waited for the Trick or Treaters.... and I even gave out candy to the kids coming to the door after a brief instruction on what to do! I guess I got it right as kids didn't throw candy back at me!!

The vibe was so much fun. Houses had been decorated with all sorts of decorations - one house had a soundtrack running on 'Thriller' interspersed with ghostly chants of little girls playing - everyone was relaxed and cheerful (much like Christmas Eve in Australia), and after all the fireworks, we ended up at neighbours of Ken and Sandra's, Warren & Elissa's, for drinks and Wii playing.

Lots of food, fun, and ghostly moments.... I loved my first Halloween experience!

Project 289 - Day 227 (Friday 30 October 2009) : Downtown....Downtown is Waiting For You!

I think I have made it very clear that I love Vancouver. LOVE IT.

One of my favourite parts of this beautiful, relaxed, funky city is the downtown area - a harbour encircling, a stunningly beautiful park at the end of it (Stanley Park), vibrant streets, and great shooping - and today, with my wonderful friend, Sandra, I hit the area hard, including my beloved Robson Street, walking 11km, eating at my fave sushi place, Tsunami Sushi (sushi on boats! Yeah!) and buying chocolate at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Company, before buying my body weight in plush moose toys and moose-themed T-shirts, mouse pads, and knick knacks. Yes the moose addiction continues!

I also had the chance to get back to the gay quarter of West End, where Sandra and I grabbed a latte and a hot chocolate respectively at Blenz, and where I, using my fabulously over zealous use of hand movements, knocked my hot chocolate (made with real Belgian chocolate no less!) all over the table, the floor, and Sandra's shopping bag and her scarf! What a freakin' mess! Thankfully the guy who worked there was so nice and helped clean it all up, and I got a replacement hot chocolate too (which I insisted on paying for given the spillage was my mistake, not theirs). It was a thoroughly unpredictable end to the day and certainly woke us both up after lots of walking and shopping!

The other thing I loved was the grey overcast weather and chilled air - although towards the end of the day not so chilly and a tad more humid thanks to the rain - which for me characterise Vancouver, and when coupled with a light, soothing misting rain, evoke a delightful Wuthering Heights-esque mystique you never get in Sydney...

The day was finished off with yet another trip in the Westcoaster train from Waterfront Station, and pizza and pumpkin carving with Ken and the kids. I had carved pumpkins once before but this was the fitrst time, I'd seen it all from whoa to go and thrust my hand into the heart of the pumpkin and grabbed the guts and pulled them out! Messy but fun, and the look of delight on the kids' faces, and the amazing glow when the tea candles were lit inside them, was worth it all.

I can't wait for Halloween!

Project 289 - Day 226 (Thursday 29 October 2009) : Chilling in Suburbia

After an oh-so frenetic day of shopping a the mall - and isn't the expenditure of money just so exhausting? LOL - I required a day of lying by the pool in my Speedos, cabana boys attending to my every dietary need and a good book in my hand....

This being Vancouver in the Autumn what I got, and it's even more delightful by my standards, was a day of playing Farmtown (a Facebook application that is horrendously addictive and so much fun!!), eating lunch at Earl's with Ken (I had two concktails at lunchtime! A Lemon Meringue and a Beach Mojito which totally trumps the sandwich and low fat yoghurt I normally have!!), buying some grocoeries (hey it's a Canadian supermarket so it's got to be more fun and exotic than shopping @ the Monolith aka Woolies), and then cooking my world famous (OK only Sandra and Ken outside of Oz have tasted it but they lived somewhere else in the world, hence 'world famous'... I rest my case) Morrocan Meatballs for them......

All in all, a delightfully non-scheduled, unscripted, all over the shop kind of day and worlds away removed from my usual frantic, over-regulated, Outlook-enslaved days....