Stuff I Can't Handle (Part One)

1. This cartoon that Rawbean gave me one day - for no reason. 2. This t-shirt.

3. A reminder note from Brad to make an appointment with a massage therapist. The thing is - it's taped to the inside of the fridge.


4. When Ziggy curls in his front paws - it's just too much.

5. Prawn Santa.

2008 has been an insane year - I opened the year by having surgery, we got engaged, then we got married. After that (5 days after that) I ripped my soul out by leaving Vancouver and we moved to Victoria. I lost my job and started this blog. So I thought it appropriate that we head to The Christmas Village for a tree ornament to mark this crazy year.

What better way to sum it all up than with Prawn Santa?! (Please note his fishing-line-antennae and sparkly Santa suit.)

6. This kid.
What are some things you can't handle?

(My visit to Vancouver on the weekend was so good. It was great to see Rawbean as always, great to be back in the hustle-bustle of the city streets (thanks for driving!) and visit some of my old haunts. It was also really great only paying $8.70 to get on the ferry!)

I miss my little buddy AND my big buddy

So, I'm off to Vancouver to visit Rawbean tomorrow! I can't wait to see her, it's been WAY. TOO. LONG. (4 weeks)

I'm also super stoked to just be in Vancouver again. I haven't been over since September - which is absolutely unheard of in my little world. I'm itching just to walk up the streets, see the mountains, feel the energy, grab a coffee...

This picture shows the items that used to be essential to my survival in Vancouver. Some of these are put away - I don't use them at all anymore.



1. My Umbrella. Since I don't have a job yet in Victoria, I don't get out as much I did back in Vancouver. When I do leave the house I'm usually in the car so I haven't used this umbrella much, and it really doesn't seem to rain as much over here.

2. My Wallet. Again, since I'm not working - I have drastically cut back my spending. Seriously people, I haven't taken cash out of the bank since September. Compare this to going for lunch every day, grabbing a coffee almost every day.....it's bizarre.

3. Vancouver Transit. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss taking the bus! There's something about cramming yourself into a tight space with a bunch of other strangers on your way to work...it's a rite of passage.

4. My Phone. Since moving here in September, working from home for 3 months and then losing my job - I still haven't met anyone over here. Therefore I've kept my 604 number so that when I head back to Vancouver and I would actually have a reason to use my phone again - it's free.

5. My Book. Don't get me wrong - I'm reading way more often now that I have time in the day to curl up with my book. But it's not the same as using a book as a defensive weapon to ward off freaks on the bus.

6. My Ipod. Again, don't get me wrong - I still listen to music a lot, but I haven't been using my headphones. I plug my ipod either into the car stereo or my home stereo. Not the same at all.

So, I'm packing my old bag I used to carry around and all my old essentials. I can't wait to hear all the new music Rawbean has been recommending on headphones, use my phone and put some cash back into my wallet!

Smugness really bugs me

Okay, I admit this is really random, petty ranting, but it's all I've got today.

Have you ever seen the Pantene shampoo add with this woman?


Am I the only one who finds her INCREDIBLY annoying? The way she talks about her hair like it's the only thing she thinks about, and when she starts in on the "sssshhhhhh" sounds as she's acting out how she sprays it......I can just see her locked up in her bathroom for hours every morning obsessing over herself.

And did you ever notice how smug those women were in the Oil of Olay commercials that were on in the summer?! Remember her?!

Snow, The Changeling and Ginger Cookies

Why do I bother with cookies? Why?

Everything was going great! It was snowing outside....



I picked out my aunt's ginger cookie recipe and threw in my favourite scary movie as I made my cookies. Things are going great, the movie is giving me the heebies, my cookies are flying out of the oven and actually looking edible.....

Then the movie ended and Anna Olsen was on the Food Network so I sat down to watch her between batches. She happened to measure 1 cup of butter from a block similar in size to what I had just used to make my cookies. She cut the block in half.....

...wait a minute.

I just used 7/8th of my block to measure out 3/4 of a cup of butter? Did I measure wrong? I run into the kitchen and start digging through the garbage looking for the butter wrapping....yes, I added 1 3/4 cups of butter instead of 3/4 cup.

The buzzer goes off for my last batch.

Why is it that every time I attempt this I end up either licking dough off the counter, digging through the garbage or using almost double the amount of butter called for? As I was eating my 27th spoonful of batter, I was wondering why I was feeling sick....I mean this is no more than I've eaten before.....

Best. Snowman. EVER.

On Saturday night we were on the ferry heading back to Victoria. Everything was normal, we were on the 7:00 pm ferry, which normally gets into the terminal around 8:30. So it's around 8:10 and I put my book away and was thinking about getting off the ferry when this announcement comes on:

Ladies and gentlemen we have some good news for you: we will be docking at Swartz Bay between 9:20 and 9:30.

Uhhh...pardon?? How is this good news?

Apparently there was an announcement earlier that we didn't hear. We went the long way around the islands because we didn't have enough engine power to make it through Active Pass.

Did I mention it was totally snowing hard the whole time? I know, I know....it snows all the time in the rest of the country - I grew up on the prairies! But when it snows here, it's like the end of the world. So awhile later another announcement:

Just to update you folks on the condition of the highways: they are wet and clear.

Sweet! 10 minutes later:

Ladies and Gentlemen, just an update on the highway conditions: covered in snow, visibility is low and it's freezing and icy.

It took us over an hour to get home. Driving 30km on the highway. Normally about a 35 minute drive.

So it snowed all night and the wind out here - it's unbelievable. I should know this wind - we used to be on a first-name basis. I swear it's straight out of the prairies, but it's creepy. I lived in Vancouver too long - I forgot what REAL wind is like. So there is a big difference between Victoria and Vancouver. When was the last time the wind woke you up in Vancouver?


Anyway, yesterday there was tons of snow (well, 6" anyway) so we went out for a walk. We built the best snowman EVER! I am in love with him.

Leftovers

Today I wanted to go through my knitting stuff because it needs organizing, but more importantly I want to have a knitting project on hand for our visit to my in-laws tomorrow.

So...I have this 'thing' where I pick up a new hobby and I go CRAZY with it.

Knitting for example. Actually it started out with a friend who quickly taught me how to crochet one night. I made a scarf and really liked the satisfaction of how everything came together. So what do I do? I run out and buy almost every size crochet hook and lots of yarn.

It wasn't until probably my third failed attempt at another crochet project that I realized that I don't like to crochet! But knitting - now that is something I think I can get into! So I went out and bought Knitting for Dummies and a set of needles and taught myself one night.

After completing a few "swatches", I tackled my first project - a scarf. This is where I learned that knitting is full of secrets. There are things you just know not to do after a while...like knitting a scarf in stockinette stitch. (Luckily my first scarf was extra wide so when I realized what was happening I just seamed it up the side.)

So now, what do I do? Well, obviously I run out and buy myself tons of yarn and lots of needles. Which is fine because now I'm left with a good history of fairly successful projects, but lots of remnants of yarn.



What do I do with it? They seem too big to throw away but too small to do anything with. Do you guys have this same problem?

I take it back....

Do you guys remember the Christmas ornaments you had when you were kids? Were they old? Were they all breakable? Did you have ones that you made yourself? Were they random like mine? Or did your parents have a well tailored tree with matching ornaments?



Well, I actually have mine with me, and so does Brad. Straight from childhood. We love to decorate our tree with these relics.

The first time we decorated a tree together we brought out all our ornaments and found that we have two that are extremely similar. Not exactly standard issue ornaments - they are made out of a piece of wood, rope, old newspapers and wire among other things....my aunt gave me the green one - she bought it in Vancouver and Brad's parents bought his in South Africa! Now every year we make sure we hang them together in our tree.



Conversation with husband the other night:
Jen: I still can't believe that fishy-smelling fabric.
Brad: Ha! Yeah, uhhh.....you'll love this.....guess what? I think I left an Omega 3 pill in the pocket of my jeans the other day.

Those cookies in my last post. Holycrapweretheyevergood!! They may not have been much to look at, but who cares?! Brad wants me to make them again, but I will ony do it if he takes them, hides them somewhere in our place where I will NEVER find them and if I do - they will have chains and padlocks to get through.

I'm trying these ones next. Let's hope my next post won't be gingerbread men with missing heads and limbs.

Bread? No problem. Cookies - forget it.

I have never been able to make cookies. I don't know what it is - but they never come out right.



Either they are burnt on the bottom, raw on the inside (which isn't so bad actually), they are too hard (which I can't stand) or they are misshapen which is my most common blunder. Then there was the time I used a recipe from some website that had me add 1/4 cup of baking soda....and the worst part? Brad "said" he liked them.

This afternoon I attempted this recipe. Super easy right? Well, it was easy to put together, but the rolling of the dough part? I just don't get it.

The dough is mostly butter, so it's super melty and you have to work fast or it's literally melting onto your countertop. And yes, I put the dough in the fridge and I used flour on the counter blah blah blah....Near the end when I tried to lift the last heart-shaped cookie up - the dough was so stuck and melted to the countertop that I ended up just scraping it off with a spoon - straight into my mouth.

Do you think it has something to do with the fact that instead of a rolling pin, I'm using a bottle of rum with cling wrap on the outside?



Remember that fabric I bought at Fabricland the other day? Well, I washed it and it smells like fish. Not only does it smell like fish, but it made my dryer and everything in it smell like fish including my new favourite purple shirt. God damn FabricLand.

I'm going back to bed.

This is how I network

On Saturday afternoon we drove to the Fernwood area of Victoria to hang out. There is this little block with no vehicle traffic and shops along one side. We were wandering around and found a cupcake store, a Caribbean take-out place, a tattoo shop and an INTERIOR DESIGNER.



I pressed my nose to the glass - it was a cute, small office. We went on with our day...

So that night when we met up with brad's friends he ended up sitting next to this girl - they got chatting and it turns out SHE OWNS THE INTERIOR DESIGN OFFICE I HAD MY NOSE PRESSED UP AGAINST THAT AFTERNOON.

Crazy hey??

Brunch in Victoria

I love weekend visitors.

My buddies Robin and Jay arrived in Victoria Saturday morning. We headed to the Fernwood neighbourhood* for a coffee at a really great coffeeshop where Robin knew one of the girls working.

Coincidentally there was a fabulous craft fair going on right next door so we browsed for awhile then had lunch at a pub nearby. (Granville Island Winter Ale is super tasty and there was no cover charge at the craft fair. Sweet.)

We headed back to our house to hang out and relax for awhile before Brad and I made dinner. The recipe from Giada's show worked really well! I was nervous because in the past I've been accused of a) being 'gourmet' like it's a bad thing and b) making super 'intense' food. But our meal was great AND we bought cupcakes from a little shop in Fernwood for dessert.

After that we headed downtown to The Empress Hotel where we were meeting up with some of Brad's friends. The lounge there was full so we happily ended up at my favourite pub in Victoria (so far) The Bard and Banker. *

Next morning Robin, Jay and I headed out for brunch - waited 45 minutes to get in before they sat us at a super small table, but I got over my irritation soon enough given the company I was in. I need to learn from these two - nothing sucks, everything is coo' and there are no problems. What a concept!

After dealing with the local man-hating riff raff, we left.



Robin and Jay hit the Undersea Gardens and we met up later for a Jabba-is-the-only-one-panicking-about-getting-to-the-ferry-on-time-while-everyone-else-chills-ride-to-the-ferry.

Did you guys make it on?!

*More on this later.
** Not my best cartoon, my pen is too thick!

Seven Random Thoughts

In the spirit of Rawbean and Invisible G., here are some random thoughts I've had over the past couple days.

1. I actually really like Giada De Laurentiis, in fact I just wrote down one of her recipes for Saturday night. But does she ever wear another style of shirt other than empire waist?
2. Check out the new insert I made for my trusty coffee travel mug. Rawbean, this cartoon would look good anywhere.



3. My Stagette was seriously kick ass.
4. I haven't had a Starbucks coffee in about 2 weeks. Did I just say that? Yesterday something really great happened to me, so I went and bought a celebratory coffee. Damn, it was good.
5. Last night I got in the car with Brad and asked him what music he wanted to hear. His reply: "anything but electronica". I looked through my Ipod - hmph. I think I need to diversify....good thing my-all-time-favourite-Tom-Waits is a permanent fixture on my Ipod.
6. My wedding was seriously kick ass.
7. I have a gift certificate for Michael's burning a hole in my pocket. Any suggestions? (Not yarn.)

Thanks Petchy

Last Friday afternoon I was planning on getting some letter-writing in but I got side tracked with a project I stumbled across on this blog.






Oliver (yes, I named my Ipod) finally has a travelling case. The poor little guy got smashed up at the end of the party we had for our wedding. I accidently dropped him on the CONCRETE floor. Awhh!!

Anyway - super easy, and I had these scrap fabric pieces laying around - including the ribbon. My tickle trunk is out. of. control.

I made a trip out to FabricLand today, it's the only fabric store in Victoria. Yikes. I've never been to FabricLand before - it's okay but not nearly as good as Fabricana in Richmond. I think I might be coming into Vancouver to do my fabric shopping - ladies, take note!

Anyway as the sales girl is TOTALLY pressuring me to buy the membership ($20 for a year, I don't think so) and after the 4th time of saying I wasn't interested....I finally threw this line at her:
Listen, I just got laid off.

That shut her up.

Stop PANICKING!!

I'm a huge fan of the Food Network - but the actual cooking shows, not stupid shows like Restaurant Make Over or that annoying bleach blonde guy that goes around visiting American diners every Friday. Ugh.*

So, I can't help it...I have to put together my list of All the Reasons Why I Can't Stand Rachel Ray. (sorry Sassy S)

1. I just don't believe these meals actually take 30 minutes to create! The only thing I give her is that does all her own chopping, but so do Jamie Oliver and Giada De Laurentiis. It's just that Rachel is always so frantic by the end of the show - I feel like I have to get up and pace.
2. EVOO and GB - seriously. This woman has so little time in her show that she feels she can't articulate the words "extra virgin olive oil" and "garbage bowl"? Spare me.
3. Why does she insist on carrying all the shit in one big pile that's about to fall over at any second? God, how annoying. I realize it's "her thing" but it's weak. Just sayin'.
4. I hate to criticize something she has no control over, but her hands are MASSIVE. Every time she handles a wee tender cherry tomato or little garlic clove I shudder to think of what might happen.
5. Every episode - and I mean every episode - she's left with at LEAST three pots and pans. God - who the hell wants to clean up all that crap?! When was the last time you ran more than two burners on your stove?
6. At the end of her show, as she's frantically trying to finish off her meal, she always slops the food down quickly and haphazardly on a plate - I've even seen her drop bits of mashed potato or whatever all over the counter she's so panicked to get it done. But I guess when you're trying to squeeze in a meal that takes more like 45 minutes to make into a 30 minute show.....

My favourite show is Jamie Oliver. On one of his shows - in the time between commercials - he made a great meal** and he was outside. Now I make it all the time - uses one pan, one knife and a cutting board rather than every kitchen utensil, pot and pan you own.

*Now that I'm laid off and bumming around - I know that Rachel Ray and that annoying bleach blonde guy are on between 1:00 a nd 2:00 every weekday. At least they put those two together and get them over with.
**I don't use the lemon juice or make the parsley salad. Plus, if you are cooking for one, just use three eggs, one chorizo sausage link and one potato. Also, make sure your pan doesn't have a plastic handle if you are putting it into the oven.

The Hook

Since I've seen this coming and it's now confirmed (two more weeks!) I've had some time to think about this:

A List of all the Things I'm going to do when I get laid off

1. Blog more and improve my writing/content skills. I'm self conscious about my bad writing/bad content!
2. At least one letter a day to at least one of my few letter-writing nerdy friends.
3. Finish up old, thrown-aside knitting projects. Yes, even that stupid crappy sweater that has the worst pattern ever and I'm going to have to make up most of it. Hmph.
4. Same as above with substitute "sewing" for "knitting".
5. Volunteer - I've already seen two postings in seniors homes that I could TOTALLY do. I love seniors, I have the biggest, deepest squishiest soft spot ever for them.
6. Walk - there is a sea wall literally 200 feet from my building. Dude.
7. Bake. I want to makes pies damnit.
   
8. Cook - I will cook dinner lots of nights for my hubby. If I can keep him out of the kitchen, he likes to cook too.
9. Draw my apartment in Revit. I want to learn things I don't know yet, I wonder if I can teach myself....
10. Put a couple of yoga mat bags on Etsy. I've always wanted to see where this takes me.

In other news, Rawbean was here on Saturday!!



This was our "trial visit" where we iron out details like where we park cars and which ferries are best.

The Torture Chamber (said in a cute high falsetto voice) was super sweet. Who the hell? Why? What? So disturbing, but what was most disturbing was walking from the Torture Chamber (again, said in a cute high falsetto voice) straight into Disney character town. But then again - this detail added to the mentalness of the situation.I'm so glad we went.

We also hit the smallest store ever - Smoking Lilly. The store is literally the size of a large accessible washroom. I'm still thinking about that gorgeous bag.....

Yup, after a dinner of giant pretzels and cocktails we drove out to the ferry terminal with Brad in the backseat mumbling about football (his comments were half-heartedly acknowledged, don't worry), us two in the front frantically trying to get in listens to Rawbean's new music faves....it was a great day.

Today I'm having an INCREDIBLY hard time focusing on work. It's the weirdest feeling KNOWING that your company doesn't want you anymore, but you are locked into this dance and the song is taking forever because of a super long, monotonous guitar solo.

Omicron West - The Victoria Office

So, I thought I'd get this post in before the "Omicron West" office disappears. Awh! Yes, it's sad but true and I feel it coming - the big Lay Off.

This is where I spend my weekdays. I would like to point out a few things about this photo:

1. Do you see the state of my "office chair"? Yes, this is Brad's chair. It's the only thing in the house that I allow and sometimes encourage Ziggy to scratch on. It's surprisingly more comfortable than it looks. But 8 hours a day, 5 days a week? Yeah....
2. That's me sitting in the chair.
3. Two computers - the monitor on the left is for work ONLY. The one on the right is our personal computer which is on whenever I'm working. I would DIE without MSN and Itunes. (Strangely for now: in that order.)
   
4. Tuffy (a great Christmas gift from Rawbean) is always present, and always staring. See if you can find him
5. I actually listen to CBC Radio a lot. You can learn tons of interesting things - everything from current news to local musicians and just hearing interesting ideas and insights. Yesterday they did a story about how to blog and had points about how to improve you blog. I made a list.
6. Working from home is over rated and actually kind of sucks. Refer to my earlier post, I would put one of those fancy links, but I don't know how yet. Where is Brad when I need him?
   

Today during my breaks, I worked on a playlist for Rawbean's visit on Saturday. We both share a huge passion for music, so this is essential. And it's fun driving out to the ferry terminal with your current favourite tunes blasting.

Wax museum here we come! Torture chamber.....and tons of laughs and mentalness I'm sure.

Galiano Island

We decided to go to Galiano Island on the weekend for a "mini honeymoon" since we didn't get to go anywhere after our wedding in August.
Brad found this really rustic cabin - it's actually an original cabin that they've reinforced and updated with power, running water, hot tub - you know - the essentials for survival.



So, we actually got to go on a short hike, which was incredible for me because with the state of my knees I honestly thought I'd never get to see another forest again! And as you can see, we saw some Orange Aliens so it was worth it. (I know none of you know what I'm talking about, but Chris sure does!)



We hiked down to a beach called Pebble Beach, it had some really great tide pools and the entire beach was made up of super cool rocks. So awesome, it was fun exploring and watching Brad skip rocks. Although for some reason I always feel guilty when I pick up a rock and throw it back into the water. Like the rock is saying "...but it took me 100 years to make it this far up the beach!"



Another crazy fact about the cabin we stayed at is that it had the smallest sink I've EVER seen in the bathroom. Check it out, we figure it's a sink off a boat or something.



It was a great little island, everything was closed up for the season - not that there is much going on there anyway. But a great place to get away to. And I'm pretty sure there is a ferry that goes directly to Galiano from Vancouver. We had to island hop on the way there (Mayne and Pender) and on the way back (Mayne).

Still, there's nothing like spending a weekend away, relaxing, playing cards, drinking red wine and sitting in a hot tub.

Bread!

Yesterday, Brad and I decided to try our hands at making bread. I found a great recipe on one of my favourite blogs Bread and Honey (http://bread-and-honey.blogspot.com/) and it was seriously the easiest thing EVER and my bread TOTALLY turned out!



I haven't been so proud and so excited about anything in the kitchen like I was of my first loaf. Seriously - look at how perfect it is!! And it tastes HEAVENLY.



Oooh! As if I'm not making my own bread all the time now! And who needs a breadmaker cluttering up their pantry? Not me!!

Here is a link to the recipe I used: http://bread-and-honey.blogspot.com/2008/10/country-crust-bread-and-love-of-old.html

Try it out, there is nothing more satisfying.

Home Office

So, as most of you know when I moved over to Victoria my old company wanted to keep me on, so I've been working from home for the last two months. When I started I was super excited and so glad for the opportunity. There are a lot of great things about working from home and some not-so-great things I never would have thought of. Here is a summary.

Good Things

• I have my own private bathroom and I don't even have to close the door!
• I can work in my pajamas, although I tried this ONCE and it didn't work out. I lasted about an hour before I realized that all the flannelette was distracting me.
  
• I have my own coffee supply. I never go to get a cup of coffee and some jackass has taken the last and not made more.
• My fridge isn't full of 100 lunches, some of which have been there since last spring.
• The commute.
• I can take a break and have a nap. Make up the time later.
• I don't have to put up with annoying/smelly/irritating work mates.
  

Bad Things

• I'm super lonely.
• Cabin fever sets in quickly.
• It's hard to stay motivated to work sometimes because it's so quiet here. I tend to work harder when there is chaos around me. I'm a huge fan of open concept offices.
  
• It's easier to slack off and check personal email, blogs or download stuff off Itunes with nobody to see me. Disclipline people, discipline. *
  
• People in the office tend to forget about me, so if I need more work I really have to get in their faces on email.

Overall, it's been a great experience and I would recommend that anyone try it out if they have the opportunity. But I'm looking forward to getting out there and meeting new people in the design community here.

I wonder what the sales reps are like? I bet you there aren't any like that guy that Rawbean had to put up with about a month ago. Since the island is so much more relaxed, does that mean the deadlines are more reasonable?

I can't wait to find out.



*Oh shut up, I KNOW I should be working right now.

This is a super lame post

Okay, so I've been really sick for over a week. I've barely been outside of my apartment so there isn't much to post about. This is my excuse for what you are about to read.

Look what I noticed about my Itunes*! I have two songs in a row by bands whose names are totally bird related! What are the chances**? I mean, I have 15.22GB in my Itunes which isn't much, but still.



On that note, I would like to extend my appreciation to Rawbean for getting me started on my blog! You have her to thank for this great content. Just be glad I don't have a webcam. ***



Now hopefully I'll be getting out of the house and will have better things to report!


*Don't make fun of my brutal Photoshop skills and stop laughing at my pathetic arrows.
**Don't even go there Chris
*** As if.

Worst. Movie. EVER.

I'm a huge fan of the Vancouver International Film Festival. In fact, when we decided to move to Victoria, it was one of the things I knew I would miss the most about Vancouver. So, we ventured over to Vancouver to see some film festival movies a couple weeks ago.

Brad chose a film called Birdsong. It was the story of the three wise men.

This is 98 minutes of my life I will never get back. Ever.

There was almost no dialogue and certainly no music. The theatre was virtually silent for 98 minutes.

One of the worst scenes (which was about 12 minutes long, uninterrupted) was a shot of three guys slowly, s l o w l y walking over a sand dune. They disappear over the top, 30 seconds pass then they start. coming. back.

The rest of the movie consisted of again, excrutiating long shots of Joseph just sitting there outside his rock shelter doing NOTHING AT ALL. Mary hanging out with a lamb or climbing on rocks, and almost complete dark shots that you could barely make out.

After a while I started to entertain myself by:

1. Counting the number of people leaving the theatre
2. Listening to the woman's stomach growl next to me
3. I considered taking out the credit cards from my wallet and practising reading "braille"
4. Watching a guy a few rows ahead tip his popcorn bag over his mouth

Seriously, you think Plan 9 was bad? At least there was dialogue!! Independance Day? At least there was music!?

I should have known when one of the "actors" and the producer introduced the film and the producer said "I once presented this film to a theatre with 1000 people, and only 200 left!"

I should have walked out, but at one point I said to myself "I'm going to wait three more scenes." Well, little did I know then that the scenes were super long. After that I asked Brad what time it was and he said we had been there an hour already. I whisper back "good pick" as I settled into my seat to continue counting the people leaving.

God.

Itty-Bitty City

Here is an image my husband made showing the City of Vancouver (in the red outline) laid over top of the entire Victoria area.

What the hell?

I had no idea Vancouver was this much larger than Victoria. You would think then that it's easier to get around here - alas not true. This is a City where you need a car.

In the last month and a half, I've eaten more plates of fish and chips and driven the car more than the total number of times I've driven in Vancouver in the last 12 years!

Plus, as Invisible Girl and I noticed the other day - there is Co-Op here. Co-Op. Nothing takes you back to the prairies faster than Co-Op. And Smitty's. Yes, they have those too!

Hello? Is anybody out there?

I'm sure that over time I'll master the awesome photos, layouts and links that I've seen in other blogs but for now, please put up with my lame posts.

To start, I want to make this blog a written record of my transition from living in Vancouver to living in Victoria. Maybe it will help someone else who is pondering a similar move and it won't take them 12 years to actually get up and do something about it!

This won't be the only thing I write about (obviously) because I've been informed by another long time blogger (Rawbean) that I should start a blog because I have a lot to say!

So, for now I leave you with a cartoon I drew last year. This happened, of course - in Vancouver. Someone asked me the other day if there was anything about Vancouver that I was glad to be away from. I couldn't think of a single thing.

Maybe this is something!