Transit Panic Attack (Vancouver Style)

Yesterday I went in to Vancouver for the day because the walk-on fares are so cheap. ($8.70 until the end of the month. Thanks Gordon Campbell! I guess your stimulus package worked, well on me anyway.)

On the way in I realized that I was spending 9 hours of my day traveling to do the following:
1. A one hour lunch with three of my girlfriends downtown.
2. A much-needed half hour massage therapy appointment, also downtown.
3. A one hour coffee date with a good friend after he was finished work - downtown.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining at all. I actually don't mind all the traveling because all of these things were absolutely worth it. But it's incredible the amount of time it actually takes to get from downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria. It's literally 4 1/2 hours - drive out to the terminal, wait for the ferry, 1 1/2 hour ferry ride, then transit into Vancouver.

I read books, I write letters, I listen to music. It's actually pretty relaxing until something like this happens to you: The Transit Panic Attack.

Last night on the way home, I decided to get the 7:00 ferry back to Victoria. I had the bus schedule written out and it made sense to catch the 5:23 bus from downtown. This bus takes me to Ladner, where I have to catch another bus that takes me to the ferry terminal.*

So, I had given myself 15 minutes to connect with the ferry terminal bus at the exchange, I figured this was enough time.

Well, it wasn't.

At 5:46 we were only at Dunsmuir and Howe - that is basically only around the corner from where I picked up the bus. Judging by the amount of traffic and the fact that it had taken the bus nearly 10 minutes to go 2 blocks**, I was screwed.

All the way out to Ladner I was stressing, adrenaline was running, I was fuelling the bus driver on to run yellows, fly by traffic in the right hand lane and pass people (well, in my head anyway). I think the bus driver had the same thought process because he drove like a maniac and made up a lot of time on the highway.

I stepped off the bus, frantically ran towards the connection bus. Jammed my ticket in the reader and breathlessly muttered thanks to the driver as he closed the door behind me and peeled out of there.

If I had missed that connection, I would have had to stand around at the exchange loop in Ladner. Alone. In the dark. And cold. For an hour. Missed the ferry and had to wait until 9:00. Thus adding 2 more hours to my commute that I was already in the middle of.

Regardless, I'm doing it all again on Saturday.

And the Saturday after that.



*I still can't believe that Translink hasn't incorporated a bus that runs from downtown Vancouver straight out to the ferry terminal. I understand that it's necessary to stop in Ladner for connections to other desginations, but why tranfer?
**Don't ask me what I was thinking, I know Vancouver traffic at rush hour. But I trusted that Translink puts research into how long it takes to get from A to B at certain times of day. I stand corrected.

Kitchen Psychology

I think you could classify all people into two types when it comes to behavior in the kitchen: organized and unorganized.

I like to think I'm organized. I read over the entire recipe before I start making anything. And I also clean the kitchen as I cook, which is more than I can say for others who will remain nameless. But there are times when I astound myself at my randomness. Like just now.

All I had to do was cut a piece of banana bread*, butter it, make coffee and come in here. Here is the order in which an organized person would tackle this:
1. Make coffee.
2. Open banana bread container and cut a piece. Butter it and put the knife in the dishwasher.

Here is the order I do it:

1. Go to pantry and get one coffee filter. Open banana bread container.
2. Get a plate for banana bread. Get a mug for coffee.
3. Open butter container. Get a knife for butter.
4. Fill coffee maker with water. Cut a piece of banana bread.
5. Go back to pantry and get coffee. Butter slice of banana bread.
6. Put coffee in coffee maker....you get it.

Why does this happen? What are you like in the kitchen? No wonder my cookies never turn out?

***************************

In other kitchen news, Ziggy pushed one of his toy mice under the stove a few weeks ago. When we moved the stove to get it out, we found a whole treasure under there! There were about eight cat toys (all but one from previous tenants), a porcelain fish (?), straws, keys, cutlery....you name it.

*Yes, I do have successes in the kitchen. Here is the recipe, it's easy and tasty.

Books on Film

Years ago, when A&E actually had good programming - they used to play great movies. Luckily I had a head on my shoulders back then and I taped them. They sit in my closet and collect dust, but once in awhile I pull one out and watch it.

I have tons of them!

Pride and Prejudice (The version with the one-and-only-Mr.Darcy - Colin Firth. I refuse to entertain the idea of any other man taking his place in this role.)

Emma (NOT the one with Gwyneth Paltrow.)
Persuasion (I haven't seen this one yet, because I have to read the book.
Northanger Abbey
Mansfield Park
The History of Tom Jones (not THAT Tom Jones, ewww.)
Tess of the D'urbervilles (Again, I can't see anyone else in the role of Tess other than Justine Waddell)

Mayor of Casterbridge (Every time I watch the end of this movie, I am a mess of tears and snot. It's so good, and so, so, so brutal.)

I've been with Brad for 7 years now and I've never been able to convince him to watch any of these movies. But on New Years Eve we were in the mood for a movie, but we hadn't rented anything, so again, I suggested watching something in my library. He agreed!!! But he wanted a synopsis of all the movies before he picked one.

I asked him instead to trust me. So, at this point I could have picked The History of Tom Jones because it's the "easiest" to watch and understand, plus it's a comedy. But instead I went all the way and picked Pride and Prejudice...

He liked it!!

Seriously people, this is my dream come true. It's not like he will want to watch it again any time soon or will be running over to the bookshelf to pull another Austen book to read. But he actually enjoyed the movie. Now I feel like he has more of a sense of where my mind travels to when we're reading together.

Since that night we've watched Mayor of Casterbridge and last night we started to watch Tom Jones. (It's a 6 hour movie, so must be done in installments.) He even laughed hardest at exactly the same parts that I do.

My husband kicks ass.

Cafe Fantastico

So, today I decided that I need to get out of the house. I wanted coffee, good coffee and time to read my book. I found this website and when I saw the drawing on the home page I threw my coat on and drove to the Cook Street Village location.*

But when I got there, I was confused because when I walked in the only door available, there were sushi and Thai take-out places inside. There was a sign for Cafe Fantastico, but it seemed there was no coffee shop around?

I walked around to the other side of the building and through the back door - into the same space. Wow, did I feel like an idiot. Then I realized that the 'coffee shop' I was seeking was simply a coffee bar with two extremely impractical (for my purposes) tables in the middle of crowds of people and Japanese and Thai food happening in the same space.

Not what I had in mind. At all.

So I walked out and hit Serious Coffee on Cook Street. This is an island-only coffee shop chain - well, better than Starbucks...

As I reluctantly walked in the door to Serious Coffee I felt disappointed with my outing until I spotted a bright pink Victoria Film Festival guide - in the free magazine rack! Just like the Vancouver Film Festival guide - but way better! There aren't nearly as many films, but the guide seems to be well put together and even includes film schedules! Score.

I had a giant mocha, wrote a letter and read my book in a more warm, comfortable atmosphere. I will definitely try Cafe Fantastico, but only if I'm looking for take-out coffee.


*He is my favourite local (Victoria) artist, I discovered him at a craft fair in December.

Pizza and Tragedies

We decided to make pizza last week and considering my recent sense of adventure in the kitchen, I offered to make home made dough. I have a recipe in my snappy new Jamie Oliver recipe book.

So since the dough only had to rise once, I started making it around 5:00, thinking we would be eating by 6:30. Well, the dough would not rise. At 8:00 it had only risen to about 30% it's original size, we were pacing the house with hunger.

Unfortunately we had to ditch the dough and just make a salad.

The next night we tried again - same thing. I do everything they say - put it in a warm place (on top of the stove with the oven on for extra warmth), cover it with plastic wrap if you want to speed things up etc. etc.

That night I started it earlier so had more time and it ended up turning out all right (after 3 hours of rising time!! wth??) but I was obsessed about why it wouldn't work. I woke up at 4:00 am the next morning - I knew it! I could see (in my mind) the scribbles I wrote in the book as I lay in bed.....I didn't put in enough yeast. It doesn't help that I have to convert from Jamie's ounces...to an 8g package....to teaspoons, then half that to get the right amount.....I guess it also doesn't help that I suck at math.

I finished The Woodlanders yesterday on the ferry. There is a part near the end....oh god. I know I gasped out loud and people were probably staring. It's so tragic, everyone is so wretched and it's so, so worth the re-read. (Chris)

Five Good Things that Happened in 2008

1. I got engaged
Yup, in May Brad proposed and he managed to make it a surprise - which was one of my requirements. Considering that we know every aspect of each others lives this was one big feat! He took me to a super posh restaurant in West Van overlooking Vancouver, best seat in the house...he also gave me the perfect ring (in my opinion) which was another feat considering my requirements. (ie: not a solitaire, something totally unique and suits my personality.) I love my ring more than anything else I own.


2. My Wedding Shower
Two of my close girlfriends threw me a shower. They asked me what I wanted, and of course what else at a wedding shower? Lingerie! I think my girlfriends all had a lot of fun shopping for the theme too, which is a bonus! The best part though was that my Mom showed up - total surprise and a big deal since she lives two provinces over!!


3. My Stagette
Okay, there are no words to describe how fun this was. Rawbean did say at the Shower "This is only Phase One...." and she was right. The Stagette was amazing, we reminisced about it for a couple of weeks afterwards.

I had one rule: I was under no circumstances wearing anything penis related. So, because my 3 girlfriends are geniuses - they came up with a game where each girl who attended had one part of my body to dress in any way they wanted (arms, legs, head etc.) . This is how I turned out - and off we headed to The Yale (the best blues bar in Vancouver) where the band sang a song especially for me (You can Leave you Hat On) and we danced the night away.


4. My Wedding
Rather than a cookie cutter wedding, we wanted something different. We had the ceremony in my Aunt's backyard with only about 20 of our closest friends and family attending. Afterwards, we rented a condo with a roof top deck overlooking the city for a party - where we invited everyone we know. Dancing on the roof, lights of the city.....as if. Best wedding reception ever. (In my opinion of course.)


5. Moving to Victoria
Five days after our wedding, (I know!) we packed the U-Haul and moved to Victoria. Now there are things about this that are traumatic for me (leaving Vancouver and all my friends being the foremost) but overall this is a positive thing. Discovering this new city is a great adventure and I know it's only beginning.
Here is a picture Brad took on D-Day while we were waiting in the ferry line-up. Don't we look like "Brad, what the hell have you done to us?!"

Another book post

This happens to me sometimes. But I must admit, this is the worst it's ever been.

I bought 12 books yesterday. (Well, three of them are for Brad, the 4th, 5th and 6th from the top) Thanks to Ben for pointing me in the right direction of Russel's Used Books. Holy CRAP is that store ever awesome! When I went upstairs, I stopped dead in my tracks when I encountered a solid wall of classic novels! Later on I discovered it was double-sided.

So after browsing (I had a list) and finding almost everything I wanted I walked out one happy girl.

We also hit Bolen Books at Hillside Mall because I had a gift certificate there - another great bookstore. They sell new books, and also a nice selection of classics. (I had Elizabeth Gaskell in my hands, but thought the price too steep. She's definitely on my future reading list.)

Since I've started re-reading The Woodlanders (Chris you have to re-read this one) and am enjoying it more than I can express, I'll have to wait before I dive in.

Speaking of which, check out my Woodlanders book! It's been used and battered to the point where the pages are falling out. It's actually quite convenient when you want to wrap BOTH hands around your steaming mug of coffee while you're reading - it lays flat, you don't have to hold it!

Best. Books. Ever.

This is a stack of a few of my all time favourite books. Seriously people, seriously. Everyone should read these titles. At least once. And then again, every five years or so.

1. Tess of the D'urbervilles, Mayor of Casterbridge - Thomas Hardy
What can I say about Thomas Hardy? The surprising thing is that I barely remember how I discovered him. I think I just blindly chose a book from the shelf of the best used book store ever. It turned out to be Tess of the d'Urbervilles and I was hooked from that moment.
(Chris you may have also had something to do with this, I'm not sure?)
Thomas Hardy's books have the best characters, the best descriptions of landscapes and surroundings and always, always end in the most disastrous, wretched, misery that you can ever imagine. He is my all time, all time favourite author and I force him on anyone who will listen.

2. Pride and Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility - Jane Austen
You know those movies that have come out recently about people who just want to curl up on Friday nights with their old worn out Jane Austen novels and read to their heart's content? Well, that is me and has been me for years.
Pride and Prejudice is the best, best, BEST "romance" ever written with the most interesting, complicated characters ever. All of her books are worth reading, but these two are my favourites. I'm re-reading Sense and Sensibility right now and I seriously can't put it down.
(And if you want to watch the movie instead, you have to rent the one with Colin Firth, there is no other Mr. Darcy.)

3. 1984 - George Orwell
This is also a book that I think everyone should read. I remember the first time I read it, I would literally find myself curled up in the fetal position due to the repression the characters in the book suffer under. So good, makes you so incredibly thankful for the life we are lucky enough to live.

4.Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Give this book a chance! I know a few people who have started it, become totally confused and put it down. Once you understand how it's laid out, it's an incredible read. The mind who came up with this - too much.

5. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
I love books that come at you from different characters points of view and this is one of the best I've read. A bit Mosquito Coast-like, but way, way better.

6. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
This book is similar to 1984, the repression is unbelievable, but add to that the disgusting rituals...you'll be hooked and won't be able to put it down. And Atwood's writing always draws me in.

Now that I have lots of time off, I'm planning on re-reading a few of my favourites. Next on my list was Tess, but since it's on loan I'll move on to either The Woodlanders or The Return of the Native. There is one Hardy book I haven't read yet (A Pair of Blue Eyes). I just can't bring myself to do it.

Home made pasta!! (Again, why do I bother?)

My mom gave me a Jamie Oliver book for Christmas. Love it. I tried one of his recipes over the holidays with great success but of course I'm going to post about the recipe that I utterly failed at.

Last night we attempted, for the first time, to make home made pasta! There are only two ingredients - eggs and flour - how hard can it be?! I even bought the special flour (bread flour) for the event. Woah.

The first thing you do is make a big pile of flour right on your counter. Fun! Next you start cracking the eggs into the flour. The only problem was by the time we got to the last egg it was totally overflowing the 'well' that we made and running all over the counter. You're supposed to use a fork to start blending...but at this point - screw the fork. I'm frantically trying to catch eggs running off the edge.....gradually we got a dough formed.



Brad took over and it was good timing too. Have you ever tried to knead a Pink Pearl eraser? I was suspicious so I started to really examine this "bread flour". Do you see anywhere on this bag where it says "whole wheat"? Yeah, I didn't either. But if you look closely, it says it right on the bottom.


Brad somehow managed to roll out a sheet to about 3mm thick, but we needed it to be 1-2mm - there was no way in hell. I could hear him grunting and straining to get this dough to do anything...(think Pink Pearl eraser)...it was ridiculous. We took the two sheets and cut them into "linguini" (we were planning on making ravioli) and boiled it up. After 5 minutes it still wasn't cooked through and looked like something Dr. Seuss would invent.

Needless to say we ended up boiling up dried pasta from the $1.29 package and just throwing everything together anyway. The meal didn't end up being too bad!

I've created a monster

Brad was always "anti-Ipod" which blew my mind since I can't imagine life without mine. We've looked for a more generic mp3 player for him but could not find what he wanted for the right price. I finally gave in and bought him an Ipod for Christmas (refurbished, so nice and cheap but still reliable.)

On Christmas day he asked me 500 questions about it and it tended to show up in weird places like at the card table while we were playing and on the sofa after dinner. (I loaded it for him before I wrapped it so he could see how cool it is.)

When we got back home and he finally had access to Itunes - this is when things got out of hand. Our first day home he was on Itunes for 14 hours - seriously people. I shouldn't complain since I was the sole organizer of Itunes before my incredibly organized husband stepped in. He put album art on almost every single song in our library - so awesome!

But here's the thing: that night, this is what happened, two in the morning:




He's excitedly climbing into bed with his Ipod raving about the newest thing it can do...so funny!