You know how sometimes you have your day all planned out when you wake up, and nothing goes right?
I started off well enough, up early and at work to put in overtime to meet a crazy deadline tomorrow. Then I realized something wasn't working right in our Revit model. It took me an hour to figure out what the hell was wrong.
Then the power went out. Instantaneously!! I didn't even get to hear the somehow satisfying 'winding down sound' of mechanical equipment you normally don't even notice around you all day. All of a sudden nothing was running.
After that my computer crashed. My computer never crashes. Oh and I was getting error messages like this:
Ummm....really??
Then....unexpected fire drill. No seriously. Complete with evacuation and fire trucks blasting over the bridge with sirens. And, of course after all that I didn't even catch a glimpse of a single fireman.
Yesterday we drove to Botanical Beach. It's about a two hour drive west of Victoria. Not just any drive either....
The first time we drove this ridiculous road, I very nearly barfed. Right in the car. Barfed. I've never been so car sick. So now whenever we drive this road, I have to drive. Basically at the end of the road, you get to Botanical Beach.
We left at 7:00am. I KNOW. But the point of going to this place is to see the tide pools so you have to go when the tide is out. Holy crap was it ever worth the trip.
Cool huh?
We saw so many creatures - Purple and Red Sea Urchins, lots of Sculpins, a Sea Lemon (!!!), tons of Chitons (shudder....so creepy), Giant Green Anemones......
....about a thousand crabs, Leaf Barnacles, Encrusting Coral, Coralline Algae, mussels....it goes on and on. 
There were tons of tide pools, some of them were super deep, and they were all really different. We saw things that were so camouflaged that we had no idea they were living things until they moved. I wonder how many we totally missed.
Then.
We saw whales.
They were pretty far away but close enough that we knew they were whales. There were at least three of them. So. Crazy.
We spent an easy 2 1/2 hours gawking at the tide pools. After that we sat on the beach and ate lunch and watched the tide come in. On the way back we stopped along the highway and had ice cream. They had "Rootbeer Float" flavour. As if.
It was the best day.
Guess what came in the mail today!??!!
That's right, we're going to a Major League ball game!!! I'm SO stoked. We chose a weekend to head down to Seattle this summer and it just happened that the Yankees are playing. Sweeeeet.
When I was a kid my Grandpa and I used to watch a ton of MLB, we LOVED it but we never saw anything in person. So this is huge for me. I can't WAIT to have a hot dog and a beer. It's a night game too, so if the weather is good it will be amazing.
This is the view from our seats according to the Mariners website. Oh yeah....I can taste the beer already.
The morning after we bought these tickets we realized our passports expired 5 months ago. Holy Mother F***er!! It's all sorted out though, it's not like it was 5 years ago in the passport offices.
There's a ferry that leaves right from downtown Victoria and goes straight to downtown Seattle - so no driving required!! The ball game is the only thing we have planned for sure so far.
The only other thing I must do is have at least one good coffee there. We'll hit Pike Place Market for sure, and we're not sure what else. Anybody have any recommendations?
Woah....yeah, I KNOW!
A new design for Cafe Jabbaccino. What do you guys think?
I'm curious.
When you begin a new book do you have rituals? I do.
I hold the book, get a sense of the weight of it. Study the cover and read the back in detail. Sometimes I read the reviews....usually not.
Then I read the first sentence - for the second time. I check what year the book was published, fan the pages a few times and finally see how many pages the book is.
Do you just pick up a new book, crack it open and get right into it? Does it take you a while to get into a story typically or are you pulled in right away? Do you obsessively make yourself read the entire first chapter in one sitting? Or (gasp!) do you read the last page first?
Remember my book challenge? Well, I've made a small dent.....I've read two of my new books, and I'm on the third right now. Here they are in the pile....
I thought it might be cool to do little book reviews on my journey....
Book# 1 - Blackwater - Kersten Ekman
What a crappy book. I've read some trash mystery novels (Sex, Murder and a Double Latte is the first that comes to mind!) but this one was just awful on too many levels.
I was waiting and waiting for something interesting to happen the entire time, and then when something seemed to be going in the right direction it would turn into these bizarre situations that I couldn't relate to. Once I realized I was 3/4 of the way through the book, I just skimmed to the end to find out who the murderer was. Weak. I never skim.Book #2 - Elizabeth and After - Matt Cohen
What a breath of fresh air after Blackwater. This was a story that I could get into. I love books that have interesting main characters but then go a step further and give the history of their parents and grandparents.
On the other hand, it was a bit depressing - too much alcoholism, depression and hopelessness.....but I could relate because I grew up in a small town and have known people in this situation.
Book#3 - People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks
Holy crap is this book ever awesome. Have you ever bought a used book and found a slip of paper with a phone number or a receipt inside and wondered about the history of the book? Well, this is like that - but way deeper.
Lots of interesting history and brutal depictions of the cruelty we are capable of towards each other, so it's a sobering read but well worth it. I'm almost 3/4 finished and I'm sure I'll love the entire thing.Up next is likely Possession and then we'll see, maybe I'll have to have someone else choose for me again. Since I started reading like this (3 weeks ago), I've been watching way less tv, and guess what else? I've been dreaming way more.
This weekend marks the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Navy. Victoria celebrated with parades, fireworks, a big concert tonight, and anchoring 20 warships from all over the world in the bay outside of Esquimalt. What other chance will we get to see an aircraft carrier this close? Hopefully not many more chances actually.....
Anyway, someone in my house was super excited so we wandered down there at 9:00am with blankets, binoculars and a lunch. It's a gorgeous sunny, warm day so no complaints here.
The Snowbirds were scheduled for 12:30, but there were other military planes doing flybys - including a fighter jet - super cool. The Snowbirds though - they are awesome. They train in Moose Jaw, where I grew up so I'm no stranger.
That aircraft carrier is huge hey? It's American, Canada doesn't have an aircraft carrier. I was hoping the fighter jet that was on it would take off, but no such luck.So tonight we're hanging out at home nursing slightly red noses from too much sun.
Holy CRAP was this ever an awesome project!!? It's another pattern from One Yard Wonders - my third project fom the book . 
Isn't it the cutest apron?? The perfect hand made gift for a gardener, or you could use it for a craft apron. Calling all painters!!
The pattern was totally well written, easy to follow and all the instructions made perfect sense. The bias tape is SO easy to apply....what a treat. It's destined for my sister-in-law for her birthday.
One metre of fabric, one package of bias tape and some thread. Get OUT?!
Every morning when I get up, I look out my window to see what the weather is like. And every morning I'm greeted with a big "F^*k You!!" from the tree below my window.
The F^*k You trees! Have you ever noticed them? Here's a close-up of the tree outside my window.
Every spring when the pine trees start growing, they all do it. Nothing like getting the finger 800 times at once.
