Good Times in Kamloops

Just got back last night from a trip to see some good friends in Kamloops. What. A. Blast.

Jason is my oldest friend, and his wife Kris is one of the greatest women I know.

Coincidentally the night before we arrived, Jason's landscaping company won two Gold and three Silver Keystone Awards. This is huge. Jason started his company up from nothing just three years ago, so you can imagine how much hard work he's put into it. The Keystone awards mean lots of good things to come. So the fact that we were arriving the next day was perfect!

Jason was a chef before he started his landscaping company...yeah...we ate well. Sunday night - salmon, steak, home made bread. I know - as if I'm passing up Jay's home made bread. On the menu Monday - Alaskan King Crab. Damn, it was fantastic.

Did I mention the wine? Kris and Jay went on a big wine tour through the Okanagan this summer and picked up a bunch of great wines for us to try. Was it the best wine I've ever had?

Yes.

Jason and Kristina are the only other people I know who would consider choosing a pet just to make fun of it. We do this with our Bad Room Mate, so we could totally relate when we met their dog Coco. He tore through the living room like a little mop when we showed up, we took him kayaking where he took his place as Captain Coco. We had lots of great nicknames - Mop, Stinky, Chicken Legs......hilarity ensued.

We spent hours in the hot tub, drank amazing wine, ate lots of great food and had an excellent time catching up and revelling in Jason's recent success. But the biggest thing I've come home with is an increased respect for my old friend and how far he's come.

This guy inspires me to be a better person.

My Old Friend Revit

Now here is a sight I haven't seen in a long time.

Ahhh....Revit. It's been about 9 months since I've seen you. Last night I opened you up.....I can't even remember why....and I tried to rotate a 3D object and....Could. Not. Remember. How. Then I realized I wasn't even in the 3D view, I was in the plan view.

This is bad.

So today I've decided that I had better reacquaint myself with my old friend. I'm measuring and drawing up my entire apartment. I'm planning to fully model the kitchen and all of the furniture.

I'll even throw in this guy that I modelled. He's a cartoon that Rawbean drew for me one day at work. I hung it on my wall and decided that I would like to make him a Revit model. I put him in projects that I work on, like a signature. He's really small so you can't see him when you print out drawings. But if you are lucky enough to be glancing around the 3D view, you might see him hiding behind a table leg.

Two more weeks until VIFF!

Every year you will find us at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Even last year after we had moved over to the island we still managed to make it over to catch a few films.
(Remember last year? Remember Birdsong?! Worst. Movie. Ever.)

This year we managed (with IG's help) to get a free guide. The year Brad and I met was the first year I went to the festival. We saw a film called Little Otik - completely bizarre! I loved it. After that I was hooked and we've made a ritual out of it every year. We've also saved all the guides since 2003.

2006 was a great year, we ended up choosing fifty two films. Fifty two. We had to narrow it down to ten. How the hell?! We each went through the guide and gave the films a score from one to ten. Anything that scored six and under was eliminated.

After that we made up a schedule. Due to the sheer number of films we had chosen, a lot of them eliminated themselves because they were playing at the same time or only playing during the week while we were at work. 2006 was the year we saw The Lives of Others. Best. Movie. Ever.

So every year we have to sit down, go through the guide and make up a schedule. We did this over the weekend and have chosen five films. Five. How sad. This year's choices are great though - two German films which are always the best!! I'm stoked.

Stalled

I'm sure you guys have noticed...heh...heh...but I haven't listed anything in my Etsy shop forever. This is because I got all excited about a new bag, sewed one up and I don't like it.

(I apologize for the "Hanging on the Door Knob" shot, I
don't like these either, but I'm feeling lazy today.)

This always happens to me. I'm crafting along and when I hit something that I actually have to think about - I quit. I haven't sewn in about 3-4 weeks, the machine was even out on the table. There is a big fabric stash in the closet - there is nothing stopping me!

Except this bag. It's meant to be fully reversible which I love. But I don't like the way the straps have to tie together at the top. And if I just sew them together, it ends up being an endless loop when you flip the bag right-side-out. I'm pretty sure I know how to fix this problem (just chop and add a few extra seams) but I'm not in the mood to rip it all out and try it.

So the bag sits, and all my other sewing projects sit. It's sad actually.

On a side note - has anyone heard some great music lately? I'm in need of something new and fresh. On that note, I can't get enough of this song and this song.

The IT Crowd

Oh my GOD.

I'll start at the beginning:

Way over a year ago, my buddy Rawbean told me about this show and even lent it to me to watch. I never got around to it - this is fairly typical Jabba behavior. It's too bad, because Rawbean really knows what's good for me.

This week the show came up in conversation so I watched it. Oh my GOD.

Okay, if you have ever worked in an office with computers you have to watch this show. If you have ever walked into an IT guys office you have to watch this show. If you have ever made a call to the IT department you have to watch this show. If you are an IT guy you have to watch this show.

The two IT guys are perfectly cast - Moss is my favourite although I have yet to run into an IT guy of his breed. All these guys have to do is sit there (like in the above photo) and I'm cracking up. After I watched the first episode I was trying to get to sleep and I couldn't because I kept laughing. It's like four hours later and I'm lying in bed in the dark for God's sake!!

I sort of have a history of befriending the IT guys in the offices where I work. My first "victim" was C. We are still close friends to this day, but oh! how I remember him telling me of his woes as the IT guy in that company - good stories, most of the technical speak was (and still is) way over my head. He didn't have an office but his desk was similar in a way to the IT office in this show....then again, he was the IT guy and the mechanical engineer so maybe this explains his messy desk? You know - PVC pipes, old keyboards...the bendy flamingo....?

My second victim was my friend J. His IT duties were in addition to his duties as a technologist at the architecture firm where we were working. He also has awesome IT stories. But he dressed up most of the time (ie: slacks, nice button up shirt) because he was in meetings with clients a lot - a rare breed in an IT guy. Although I do recall that on days when he knew he would be crawling around on the floor, he dressed a lot like Roy - jeans and a t-shirt with some kind of logo on the front.

This show makes me laugh really hard. And I laugh out loud. And my laughing is really loud. Brad leaves the room and closes the door. He doesn't get it.

Grocery Store Check Out Etiquette

You know when you are in the check out at the grocery store and the person behind you doesn't observe "Grocery Store Check Out Etiquette"? Isn't it annoying? Below I'm going to outline what I consider proper Check Out Etiquette:

1. When the person who is paying is unloading their stuff, back off.
Today I was in the process of unloading things from my basket and this woman approached behind me and promptly put her two items on the metal part of the check out that doesn't slide. This is pushy and inconsiderate. What if I wanted to take my purse off my shoulder and put it there while I'm unloading my stuff?
I'm using the conveyer belt, wait until I'm finished unloading my stuff before you start putting your stuff down - even if it's on the part at the end that doesn't move. Honestly, I think she could have held on to her Cheetos and Mountain Dew for a few moments more.

2. Stay at least three feet back from someone who is in the act of paying.
So brutal when you're typing in your PIN and the person behind you in line is standing RIGHT next to you. What's the deal with this? Relax, and step back.

3. When the person is finished paying, give them a moment to gather their heavy bags before you step up to the little counter.
Yes, this same woman broke all my rules in one encounter.
She nearly shoved me aside to get at the counter - I had just been handed my receipt! Could I please be allowed 10 seconds to put the receipt in my wallet, put my purse on my shoulder and pick up my groceries before you bumble into my personal space yet again?

4. A simple "Excuse Me" would be great.
I was following an elderly guy out of the store - yes, he was walking slow. I sympathize, I was quietly walking behind him. The woman barreled up behind me and rudely stated "Can I get by?".
She rushed past me, scratched my leg with her sharp Cheetos bag and shoved her way past the old guy out the door.
Is Raphael Nadal outside? Is it raining chocolate? Is there some fabulous reason that we have to get out of the store as fast as possible?

Good God.

Tennis

A couple months ago I walked into our living room and noticed that Brad was watching a tennis match. I've never really paid much attention to tennis - I'm not even sure what the rules are, but I sat down and started watching with him anyway. (I'm sure I was also being super annoying and asking way too many stupid questions.)

It was the very end of a match between these two guys.

Holy crap - maybe I should start watching tennis?! DAMN!!! Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal - two of the best players and they look like that?!

The next match I watched was Federer and Robin Soderling. Soderling had just knocked out Nadal from the French Open. This was big news since Soderling wasn't a favourite and Nadal was one of the best.

I love Soderling! I'm not sure if it's because he's been in an underdog situation a few times....no, I think it's because he totally reminds me of Victor - a site super I worked with at my old job in Vancouver. What's even more crazy is that anyone who reads this blog and knows Victor will be confused.

Anyway, tennis is awesome. It's so exciting and fun to watch. If you were like me and bypassed it - give it a shot. If anything, there is some great eye candy.

Devices of Torture? I think not.

Since I chopped all my hair off, I've come to realize one thing. With shorter hair, maintenance is a must. With my old locks it was wash, brush and go and it "worked" but like I said - I was a walking 'before picture'. Please don't place me as one of those women who is deathly afraid to cut her hair - it wasn't that way at all. The real question now is what to do with my cartoons!

Here is the only 'after' picture I will post of myself.

I wonder though - should I keep the cartoons like they were before? I feel like my longer hair in the cartoons is more effective. Tell me what you think.

So on with my story that I know you are all so interested in. You know how it is, you get your hair cut and walk out of the salon looking great. The next day I washed my hair and was a little alarmed when I realized that my hair won't just fall the way Dave forced it to.

I quickly realized my lack of hair utensils. The only tools I had at my disposal were a blow dryer, paddle brush and the lovely Moroccan Oil that I just bought at the salon. I tried anyway. I failed miserably.

I was off to the drug store, and now my line up looks more like this:

Good thing that Brad's hair clipper thing seems to include a free plastic comb...I have never used a COMB. And that Red Brush of Death? It TOTALLY works. It claims to straighten your hair using ions.....it really does work.

I'm pretty much sold on this new universe of short hair. When I roll over at night I don't get tangled up in my hair....I think I've lost about two pounds cutting it off.......my neck is seeing the world for the first time ever and I'm loving the way I can shake my head and all my hair moves out of the way.

Crazy, it only took me my entire life to discover this.

Three random things

The book I'm reading right now is by a local (Victoria) author. I'm really enjoying it, and so far would recommend it to anyone. It's also pretty cool to read things like this:

"The scenic route in Victoria runs along the ocean. Uplands, Beach Drive, Dallas Road. Something's always happening out on the water, and even when there isn't, people go to look."
or
"...as he makes his way toward Cook Street."

I know these places.

I keep forgetting to mention the books where I got the first lines from in this post. So here they are:

"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."
1984 - George Orwell

"One evening of late summer, before the nineteenth century had reached one-third of its span, a young man and woman, the latter carrying a child, were approaching the large village of Weydon-Priors, in Upper Wessex, on foot." The Mayor of Casterbridge - Thomas Hardy

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
Pride and Prejusice - Jane Austen

"There was no possibility of taking a walk that day."
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

"They're all dead now." Fall on your Knees - Ann-Marie MacDonald

So I'm a walking before-photograph. You know - the before photograph of someone before the get their make over? Yeah, that's me. So I spotted a cute little hair salon downtown and have decided to take the plunge and just go there and trust them to give me a good hair cut.

I told the girl on the phone that I need serious help and she said "Okay....I'll book you with Dave." I did some research on their website and he was on the reality show Superstar Hair Challenge. Sweet! Now this will be interesting. (Please don't expect me to post photos of my before and after on this blog, I'm too shy, there is a photo of me through the windshield of my car in my last post - I think that's enough.)