Lame thoughts

" doin ok?" sounds a lot like "do you know Kay?"...

2012-01-16T14:30:00.002-08:00

So my shoulder has been royally messed up and recent Physio IMS treatments have made it worse to the point that I can no longer put weight on it without feeling like it's going to painfully slide right out of the socket. Hard to believe that only 3 short months ago i was easily zipping through endless chaturangas at my 200hr yoga teacher retreat. My bad shoulder means I have not been able to take advantage of my new yoga membership at Chopra Yoga Studio ... Eager to get into the studio, I decided to try out a restorative class - no Down dog or vinyasa so shoulder should not be an issue. The class was awesome! By the end I was amazed my shoulder felt pretty good and I was so relaxed. So... Getting to the title of this post, I'm putting my stuff away at the end of the class and still in my post relaxation fog... The instructor was checking in with students to see how each of them were doing. When he got to me and said "doin ok?" I heard "do you know Kay?" to which I responded with a confused no, to which he responded with a surprised really? We both looked confused... I say "who's Kay?' he looks more confused... We did finally figure it out and get on the same page... Time to get my ears checked : )

2012-01-10T17:28:00.002-08:00

Our past Stuggles* help make us who we are today... they are gifts to our character.

*Stuggles = Struggles. I just like saying the former better.

A doodle a day...

2011-12-08T09:40:00.006-08:00

I really wish my teachers had known that doodling while listening to lectures helps you retain information. I was a chronic doodler and always got in trouble for it.

Check out today's Deepak challenge and why you should do it:

Put pen or pencil to paper today, and doodle for a few minutes while you're listening to something you need to remember. It could be during a class, webinar, or even a radio or TV program that contains information you're trying to retain. Create a simple line drawing or geometric pattern - whatever you like.

Why it mattersDoodling has gotten a bad reputation as a mindless time-waster. But when you draw little squiggles and sketches while listening, it helps you better retain what you've heard. Doodling seems to harness the brain's wanderlust and prevent unproductive daydreaming. In fact, in a study on doodling and memory, those who doodled while listening to a monotonous two-and-a-half minute phone message recalled 29% more of the details afterward than did a group who listened to the message without doodling.

If you want to join me and sign up for the daily Deepak challenge click here
So far they have been pretty good... well except for yesterday's crunches... I didn't really understand the instructions so skipped those.

health challenge day one...

2011-12-05T13:50:00.003-08:00

Yams, Brussel sprouts and pumpkin... my favourite in season veggies.
Today's Deepak challenge is to name your favourite in season fruits and veggies. Those are mine, of course the yams are best as fries and the pumpkin as pie ;)

Little sister got married...

2011-11-17T12:40:00.026-08:00

And threw an awesome party!

Dirty Bit!
Planned a surprise dance flash mob! It was a blast to do. Check out the video here...

and the rehearsal video (half way through we are just fooling around - that's the point when the dance floor opened up for everyone to dance :)

the bouquet toss
This was too funny. I was relieved that I had an excuse to avoid it (we had to change for the surprise dance which we were doing right after the toss). There was quite the scuffle. It's priceless! It's funny, if you turn up the volume you can hear "where's Tammy, Tammy should be in there, Where's Tammy, Tammy, Tammy, Tammy" My name was said 18 times! I'm the new Bueller.

Matching Toe Time
Paul's friend was the emcee and dude was funny (I think intentionally?). At one point as the dancing started to pick up the girls started to lose the heals and dance in bare feet. Dude whips off his shoes too and his toes are painted the same shade of red as the girls. So either gay/cross dresser or just awesome? Jury is out...

the steak (s)
So two days before the wedding the Groom decided that he wanted steak for his wedding dinner, which according to the bride would be fine if he mentioned that 6 months ago when they picked the menu. Cut to some good natured ribbing (IE. my sister doing a little Popeye the sailor dance repeating 'I'm the groom... I want steak, I'm the GROOM, I want steak..."). The story of the Groom's last minute interest in the wedding menu circulated fast on the wedding day. I think there were 3separate orders that went in to the Boathouse Restaurant to get him his steak. But the salmon, chicken and roast we had was awesome!

awful wife
Funny moment during the vows... Groom said awful wife instead of lawful. I'm sure that's not the first time that Freudian slip was made?

Candy!!
Shawna (Dupe sister) did an awesome job of the candy table... people were like vultures for that stuff!

Shawna being Shawna...

Gram + beer = Partay!!!
It wasn't until I had the photo evidence that I realised why gram was having so much fun. she was stealing my brother's beers all night...

Soapy condom for one...
The Groomsmen got me good. The night before the wedding I stayed over with my sister at the hotel and the groom and his friend stayed over at my loft. The groomsmen got ready at my place and bridesmaids at the hotel. Friday morning after all the festivities I roll over and see a used condom at the side of my bed. At first I thought my sister stressed Paul out so much about keeping my place clean that he used it to contain himself... then I thought perhaps his friend got lucky... started to get a bit stressed at the idea of something worse. Then it was revealed to me that the boys had taken a condom, filled it up with liquid soap and left it by my bed. Here's my text message to the groom (I tried to stress him out but I think he was on to me)...

My text:
Hey Paul it's Tammy. Found a surprise in my room. I hope it's innocent but can't be too sure so sent it for DNA testing at the lab on Columbia - results ready on Friday. I won't tell Noelene unless I have to

He left me a phone message nervously telling me it was a joke...

My text response:
Hey Paul I know how it works. I knew you guys would come up with a story for it and the only way to know for sure was testing. It's expensive but it's my little sister so I had to. If it really was a joke... U owe me $189.00 plus taxes

I don't think he fell for it so I will have to think of some kind of retaliation... when he least expects it of course ;)

How many different costumes can I wear over a weekend?

2011-11-01T10:41:00.008-07:00

you might say this one isn't a costume but... we were actually charlie's angels. We just forgot to take a picture with our guns/walkie talkie/platforms/bell bottoms/Bosley... and yes I had to be Sabrina once again.

And then we have the 'twins' or as Sheila calls us 'Danny Devito and Arnold Schwarzenegger'. (note she did not wear the skirt like that - just pulled up to help make the point ; )

I'm home...

2011-10-07T13:44:00.005-07:00

Sitting here eating Cocanas listening to my Natural Sounds of Costa Rica CD while I re watch a YouTube link of my yogi tribe singing the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra. I'm also flipping through my camera roll while online chatting with my yogi friends, all while I watch my tan slowly fade away...

I better get back to work before my coworkers wonder what the howler monkey's are.

Day 5 of the Pura Vida adventure...

2011-10-05T12:22:00.004-07:00

So the training schedule is pretty busy - 4 days on with one day off and our our days on are pretty full. 7:00 am yoga, 8:30 Breakfast, 10:00 class until dinner and then Satsang at 7ish. Not that I'm complaining... everything is gorgeous at Anamaya Retreat centre and the classes are awesome. So many new people and information, the idea of taking off with my buddy Amanda to snorkel and tan sounded great. We set off in the morning for Tortuga Island. Tried my hand at snorkeling. Saw some gorgeous fish and a baby tarantula on the way back in the boat. It was a great day... good convo, some beach time, music and fresh seafood for lunch but the BEST part - the whales. We saw some on the way to the island but they were not that interested in us when we stopped. The way back was another story. there were 3 sets of mothers with baby whales. The babies would jump up and do flips and I swear they were doing it for us. It seemed like they could feel our excitement when they did something big. Once and a while a mother would dive up like a dancer ending by showing us her huge tail. Very cool. Could have stayed there forever.

Grasshopper sunrise...

2011-09-09T19:28:00.004-07:00

So day 7 in the Jungle and I wake up at 5am to a tick tick sound in my ear. At first I thought it was a rain leak... But it wasn't raining. So I grab my touchpad and glow it towards my nightstand and there's this huge grasshopper on my iphone eating the plastic cover. I set him free (actually my room mate did). So I was up. Decided to move to the hammocks and watch the sunrise. It was gorgeous - thx grasshopper. Took a video and a bunch of pics. Funny because just as I snapped the last pic of this statue I heard a thump, thump. I look down and these two grasshoppers landed at my feet and just wouldn't stop chirping? I wonder if there's any significance to thAt? One of my fellow yogis said it means I need to take a big leap...

Day one of my Pura Vida Adventure...

2011-09-02T22:52:00.002-07:00

I'm here in Costa Rica. Staying in a hostel by the airport and then catching a flight out to Tambor in the morning. It almost didnt happen! Barely caught my last connection to Costa Rica. An older women (not me) was mixed up and got on the wrong plane in Dallas. She didnt clue in until we were on the runway. We had to go back and let her off... An hour later we took off so I ended up with a fun sprint through Miami airport. Made it ok with enough time to pick up a Starbucks. While I was in line I caught a couple trying to discretely take a picture of my outfit. I'm going to assume because she liked my pants but perhaps she hated them? Random observation #1: of all the airports I spent time in today Miami had the hottest people. Random observation #2: still had on my marketing/branding hat today and noticed that the eagle on the American Airlines logo is inconsistent. In some places it faces left and others right. Embarrassed to admit it but it bugged me so much that I had to invent a reason as to why it varies - I'm thinking that the eagle needs to always face the direction the plane is flying which is why the eagle on the inside wing is flipped?

The BEST Wedding Shower I've ever been to!

2011-08-29T14:17:00.008-07:00

And I'm not just saying that because I helped organise it. My sister's shower this past Sunday was so fun! And I usually hate showers.

Theme: Queen Noelene
Her new married name will be Lancastle so we decided to go with a royal theme.

Decorations: the whole room was Red and Black from the chairs to tables, balloons, streamers; pictures of Prince William and Kate with my sister and her fiance's faces photoshopped in; and a large castle complete with miniature king and queen.

Cake: Royal Crown (see photo!)

Games: Random name tags with 'royal court' names (eg. Princess Camel toe, Lady Got Back). Mingle game - each name tag had a different question about the bride and groom. Guest had to find out the answer by mingling and asking people (eg. What's Noelene's secret talent).

Gift Opening Game - this was the best part. Each guest was asked ahead to prepare a 30 sec piece to 'entertain the queen'. We got a great mix of stuff from comedy to sentimental including a dance party, an 'old school' rap, a strip tease, poems, a massage, cake, and a reenactment of the wedding night.

Spotters need...

2011-07-20T09:53:00.006-07:00

Ok so ya I fell down AGAIN. pretty hard. Got some pretty nasty bruises covering my knees about 4" circumference. Good times. So not kidding now, I really need some spotters around me when I walk. A spotter entourage. Seriously, I see stairs now and get a tinge of fear.

Here's my (edited) msn convo with Annie about the fall:

I fell again. Really bad. I might be one up on Kristina now?

Annie says:
oh no

Tammy says:
Although Kristina's ditch fall trumps my multiple bails

Annie says:
Where did you fall

Tammy says:
in Victoria. Fell down a stair. Onto hardwood floor

Annie says:
ouch

Tammy says:
Smashed the knees so bad the bruise covered the entire kneecap. at least 4"

Annie says:
Were you on the phone again?

Tammy says:
No
But I was looking at this boxing ring that was in the room I was entering

Annie says:
aww

Tammy says:
and in my defence there were two stairs and then this sort of tear drop shaped stair that blended with the hardwood
but still... my knees are not happy with me

Annie says:
well, glad u didn't break anything

Tammy says:
ya
It’s funny walking around the city.
I can see the business men notice the bruises and then they get this kind of happy look...

Annie says:
ha ha
perverts

My interest in Surrealistic Art was sparked by Dr. Suess...

2011-05-27T11:53:00.005-07:00

I can't wait for the Vancouver Art Gallery's new exhibit to open up! The Colour of My Dreams THE SURREALIST REVOLUTION IN ART officially opens this Saturday but I had the opportunity to attend the Curator Dawn Ades's lecture last night. I've always thought of Salvador Dali as one of my favourite artist but Dawn really opened up my appreciation for surrealism. Here are 4 things that stood out for me from the lecture:

1. While surrealism is known to be linked with Freud and the need to analyse our dreams, the artist's translation of this often were satirical and humorous statements about the world and society. Makes sense when you think about it... peel away the layers of our conscious and the heavy thoughts that stick tend to be our concern for the world we live in. Humour always helps digest hard truths.

2. Surrealist exhibits back in the day were not just about the paintings but how they were displayed and the environment created. Dawn had some great historical shots of exhibits where galleries were transformed. No white walls full of paintings. Can't wait to see how the Vancouver Art Gallery has tried to recreate this type of surreal environment (a challenge for sure since the pieces being displayed are now so valuable).

3. Some of the original Surrealist artists spent time here in British Columbia and were inspired by BC aboriginal art. So much so that they collected some of the masks and totems. Some of the native art has been returned and is now on loan to the Gallery for this exhibit. I can just imagine how the aboriginal art would have inspired the artists with it's blend of animal and human worlds.

4. The last slide we saw in the lecture was a painting by Leonora Carrington (who sadly passed away at the age of 94 the day they hung it at the VAG exhibit). It struck me how much you could really get lost in the painting. I think it reminded how I could spend hours as a kid staring at Dr. Seuss illustrations in my own daydream. So I guess while these artists attempted to capture their dreams, digesting their work can take you into your own dream world and imagination. There are so many fun gaps in reality left for you to fill in however you want.

Go see it if you can, there's also Nosferatu, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and even Betty Boop cartoons!

Vegas!... for the last time : )

2011-04-13T15:10:00.004-07:00

I did the math and this past Vegas trip is #7. That seriously goes against my 'avoid repeat destination travel because there are too many cool places to see' rule. But then I guess I've broken that rule before with Puerto vallarta (4x) and Brazil (2x) and soon again with my yoga trip to Costa Rica (2x). But does Vegas really count as travel? It's so close and it's just a fun place to go mingle when you get sick of the Vancouver nightlife.

So Vegas this time we stayed at the MGM, saw Sugar Ray Leonard hanging out. Checked out KA by CIRQUE DU SOLEIL and it was awesome! Minus the guy at the MGM box office who sold us tickets for the show after it started leading us to believe we'd only miss ten min but was actually more like 30! Also saw the Lion King which was also great, minus Michiyo giving me a hard time because I thought Mufasa was cute... whatever, you can have Simba but Mufasa was the mane man : )

Spent some time by the pool at Michiyo's insistence. The sun was out but it was cold... I think I got whiter as the sun and cold wind just dried out my skin. That coupled with my cold hands had Michiyo convinced I was a ghost/corpse. I told her she was like the boy in Sixth Sense. If the boy decided to hang out and shop, see shows, party, tan and make fun of his ghosts.

2011-04-04T13:50:00.007-07:00

Well once again it's been a month since I posted. March was pretty busy for me, here's a quick summary:

I've been teaching a lot of Zumba classes and loving it. Not sure why I waited so long to try Zumba but it's the perfect way for me to get my dancing/performing/showing off fix without having to be the cougar in the club : )

I'm finally back to train capoeira on a somewhat regular basis. The back and arm are never going to be 100% but I'm just glad I'm somewhat mobile again.

Did a trip to Victoria to catch 'Club Samba' a great night of dancing and music by Axe Capoeira Victoria.

I went on a week tour through Alberta performing capoeira and dance at various schools. While this trip was 60% driving, 35% performances and 5% sleeping we still had a great time. We almost died trying to drive with bald tires through the snowy coquihalla and once more up in Northern BC. Stayed with some great people in Hines Creek and and I think it was Worsley where we stayed on a cattle ranch? Lots of fun - reminded me of drum corp days back in the day but without the chaperones.

Also got to watch my instructor Lelo MMA (Battlefield) fight in Nanaimo. It was great, there were a bunch of us there to support and he represented Capoeira big time. He won against the local Muay Thai champ who was pretty good too. It was a good battle.

And lastly found out that I have a deviated septum. I can't believe after all these years of sinus infections, migraines and the whole lack of O2 when I exercise I finally have an answer and a fix to the problem. It'll probably be another 6 months or so before I get the surgery and not looking forward to the recovery, but breathing... how cool will that be!

Oh and I'm very close to booking a yoga teacher training retreat for September. I had narrowed it down to Anamaya, Yoga Huatulco, Yandara, and Maya Tulum. Anamaya was my first choice, it's a smaller group than the big resort training, experienced and well rounded teacher, food sounds good (and it's more than just vegetarian), but I think what really appealed to me was the location. My trip to Costa Rica in 2005 inspired the name for this blog and I remember having one of the most content moments of my life sitting on a hammock on Jaco beach looking out at the Ocean towards Montezuma (which is where the Anamaya resort is). Just seems right but damn I'm going to be poor for some time to pay for it. Hopefully I can count it as training expense on my taxes?

And on my way to Vegas again (I swear this is the last time) with Michiyo in two days. Plan on logging some pool time (weather permitting) and some show time (Lion King and maybe a Circ show). No wonder I'm broke, maybe I'll win big while I'm away : )

Raw Canvas

2011-02-28T10:19:00.011-08:00

A bunch of us purchased the Raw Canvas Groupon and had a blast there. Well worth the trek through a snowstorm (thanks to my friends in the burbs with their big trucks the trek wasn't too difficult)!

For those of you that haven't heard of Raw Canvas it's in Yaletown and offers a unique 2 part experience, food and wine/drink to start and then painting. So the night was great. My main motivation was in the painting (love painting and really love the idea that I don't have to clean up afterwards), but I was pleasantly surprised by the 'tasting plate' we got with our groupon.

You choose a combo of three meats and cheeses and then three condiments (jellies, mustard, olives, tomatoes, etc). I had no idea so just randomly picked and the combo was great. We washed it down with some wine and then headed into the painting pit to search out out inner artist. I ended up painting my mum's dog : )

2011-02-23T10:05:00.005-08:00

Love this new application... it pulls all your selected content from twitter into a preformatted enewsletter.

check out my BC one:

Single on Valentines day?

2011-02-03T13:59:00.007-08:00

Ok so yes Valentine's day is a commercial holiday, but single or not it's hard to avoid it's influence. Whether it's what will I get for 'so and so', what will 'so and so' think to get me, or where do I find a 'so and so' so I don't feel left out of the fun?

Here are a few things going on about town these days to help you find your special 'so and so'. Or better yet just to have a little flirt fun, because isn't that one of the joys of being single... unfiltered, guiltless, flirting freedom ; )

The Blenz Red Band - So Blenz has this new campaign going on where single folk use a special red drink sleeve for their cups. the idea is that other singles will spot the red sleeve on your cup and know you are available. You can even check off if you are looking for friendship, casual, dating or a relationship, and there's a place for your name and number too. So if you're like me and seem to only be able to muster the confidence for eye contact... maybe a bold dropping off of your cup (with your deets) on his table and then bolting (before you turn ten shades of red) is an option?

POF party - Good old Plenty of fish. They are having a mingler at the Fairmont on the 14th. I don't like online dating because you have to invest time with someone before you even know if there's chemistry, and more often than not there isn't. So with this event the new school world of online dating meets the old school tradition of putting a bunch of singles in a room to see who clicks.

likealittle.com - If you go to school, or spend time on campus this site is great. When you see that cute guy or girl in the library/coffee shop/etc, you can say something safely on the campus feed. Low risk here. They see it and respond, or they don't and you assume that they just didn't see it ; )

anyone know of anything else going on?

Recycled resolutions...

2011-01-26T13:09:00.004-08:00

Two years ago I had a Christmas gathering at my place and I had my guests write a list of 5 resolutions, sealed each of their resolutions in an envelope, and then packed them all away with my Christmas decor. Two years later we got together (last night) and opened the envelopes. Turns out almost all of my resolutions still stand, as in yet to be done. Except perhaps the 'dance more' resolution. I did that.

On the bright side, I'm recycling the list for this year (with #1 dance more checked off). But this time the list stays on my fridge where I can see it.

Free Birthday Stuff

2010-12-13T15:04:00.005-08:00

So last year I went all out for my Birthday. Went to Miami and had a great time but because the day falls during the most expensive travel time of the year (day before new year's eve) the 5 day trip cost me an arm and a leg. So worth it though.

IT's approaching again and while I'd love to get out of dodge/VanCity again this year, I really would rather spend my travel money later in the new year so I can go on a longer trip farther away. Plus my strata decided to hit me with some hefty increases, retro active coming out in Dec (Merry Christmas). So every day I resist the urge to just book a trip. I feel like a bit of an addict in need of Doctor Drew.

Perhaps I should do the opposite of last year's indulgence birthday - find all the free stuff you can do on your birthday:

Free Starbucks to start the day
Denny's for free breakfast
Free Sephora gift
I think you can get into a free movie at Tinsletown or rent from Rogers
Free deserts at Milestones, Brown's, Boston Pizza, Red Robin, White Spot
Free Blenz to wash it all down
Free meal at the old spaghetti factory

This is me around this same time just before my very first birthday. I can tell I'm contemplating my birthday options here too as I smize for the camera in my energizer bunny fur?

I went to Quiznos and fall down go boom....

2010-11-09T11:45:00.004-08:00

Ok... so my finger is splinted now so rather than try to type out the story I'm just going to cut and paste from my facebook convo:

Tammy- just bailed bad at Quiznos... face, knees and finger are hurting but my food and drink are fine...

Annie - Oh dear, you ok! Well at least you weren't texting, eating and walking this time.

Tammy - Ya this one wasn't my fault for once. Not ok... going to go get some ice packs now (smashed my knee and hand really hard) but at least nothing broke. I think i'm in trouble once i'm old with the amount of bailing I do.

Annie - Aww, did you trip on something? I can refer you to a personal injury lawyer :)

Tammy - my heal slid on the lenolium about 3ft and then I bailed when I hit the carpet...

Nikki - I'm sure your bail was done with 'style' Tam!!!

Tammy - Not sure if I'd call it style but I did turn to see the whole restaurant staring in silent shock. I did a royal wave and said "as you were, continue eating". They laughed... And I limped away

Nikki - ‎:-) well you brought smiles to many today. They are probably blogging/fbing about it right now....

Kathy - So, we're going there for lunch tomorrow - right? I'll swing by your office around 11:45.

Tammy - Fractured and splinted finger... that should get me a free diet coke?

Gastown Shop Hop

2010-11-05T10:05:00.008-07:00

I can't believe that I hadn't heard of this before. It happens a couple times a year in Gastown, the shop owners stay open late and serve special treats (truffles, prosciutto, champagne, Carmel popcorn, cupcakes). Some stores even had stations where professionals would touch up your make-up. I checked it out last week and had a blast.

A friend recently pointed out that I've been doing a lot of shopping lately and he was right, so to make the experience fun without going into a spending high craze with the ensuing crash I devised a little plan. A simple plan, for each boutique we went into we each had to find one thing that we loved and thought was our style. So instead of going through and just saying I love this, and this , and this etc. some thought had to go into which item in the store was 'the' item. Price was not a factor as we were not necessarily purchasing the winner. It turned out that taking the time to find the single item that stood out and fit your style was almost as much fun as a spending spree. Kind of fun to predict what the rest of my party would choose as their item too.

Some of my favourite things:
The pink and grey boots from John Fluevogs
Green print dress from Rick Yuenn (actually that one was Annie's)
Gentille Alouette - Blue Dress (my one purchase of the night)
Ishara - also a Blue Dress
Obakki - Grey dress
Nika - For the smallest store I had the hardest time picking only one thing... narrowed it down to three pairs of boots.
Lot's more but it was a week ago so those are the one's that stuck in my mind.

We also had a little fun surprise in seeing Captain Kirk. After all of the champagne we needed to make a bathroom stop and ducked into this cute little lounge called McLean's... on our way out I noticed this good looking man in a booth. Once outside Kristina informed me that it was Kirk McLean (I'm not great at recognizing hockey players... someday I'll blog the embarrassing Bret Hedican story ; )

I missed October

2010-11-01T15:34:00.010-07:00

I always try to at least post once per month but October just disappeared...

Halloween was fun... we decided to be low key this year. Dressed as cat burglars, rented a room at the Wall Ctr (not a fan of trying to find a cab on Halloween) went for din at Goldfish (yummm) and then just hit a few lounges. Some memorable moments:

Pulling out the 'heist plans' at the restaurant and letting them know 'we'll be back later'. Maybe that's why they bought us a round of shooters (get them drunk so they won't have the wits to rob us?).

The Zoolander Table

Pauly D

The Japanese Tour Group

Sneaking/tip toeing by the cops on Granville with our bags of money.

That cute guy that kept trying to de-mask me ; )

The women dressed up as a continuous chicken wing eater.

Doing shooters every time we saw a Snooki.

Elena's stellar props - the money bag purses, 'heist plans', dynamite...

here are a few pics...

Going alkaline

2010-09-13T14:05:00.003-07:00

I know following an alkaline diet will help me with my allergies. I was on it for a few weeks a year ago while I was doing the Wild Rose detox. My allergies disappeared and I discovered what it's like to fully breathe and smell through my nose. I had no idea my allergies had gotten that bad until they were gone. But sadly alkaline eating is not the easiest to follow... especially when you love sweets and breads... And well, convenience. So now I'm going to try to make a permanent eating change. I'm too young to have arthritis in most of my joints, my allergies are getting ridiculous and my migraines are up to 3 a month. Hopefully I'll be blogging soon on how great I feel...

Samba fun

2010-08-13T16:27:00.004-07:00

Here's a clip from our samba de Roda at the Caribbean festival in North Vancouver this year... my hip/back was killing me but it looked like too much fun not to join in : )

and some pics and vids from the roda...

I commit to eating ethically...

2010-08-04T11:29:00.012-07:00

I don't want to kill animals anymore but I love meat. OK that's not completely true... I think it's OK to kill animals, just not in the mass torturous way that we do. Most livestock are never given a life... just stand in a cage until it's time to be slaughtered. I'm not going to get into the horrifying inhumane ways livestock are treated but if you are interested check out CETFA. It's insanely wrong and I don't want to be a part of it... but I need meat.

So I've done a little research to help me out. Where can I get a burger in the Vancouver area and not feel so bad? Where can I get some deli meat for a turkey wrap? I eat out a lot... which restaurants should I sway my friends towards next weekend? I know I've just scratched the surface but here's what I've found so far:

At the grocery store:

McLean deli meats (available at IGA, Capers, thrifty foods, whole foods, Planet Organic, Small Potatoes food delivery, Stongs, Nester's Market, Save on Foods, Famous Foods, check thier website for locations outside Vancouver)

Pemberton Meadow meats (available IGA Whistler, Copper Cup Squamish, Sebastien & Co. West Vancouver, Wheelhouse Seafood & Specialty Meat East Hastings, East End Co-op Commercial Drive, SPUD Home Delivery)

Eating out:

Ethical Kitchen North Vancouver
Controversial Kitchen Commercial Drive Vancovuer
West Granville Street Vancouver
Raincity Grill English Bay Vancouver
Chill Winston Gastown
The Cascade Room Main Street
Wild Rice Pender and Abbott
Bishop’s Fine Dining 4th Ave
Araxi Whistler
Alibi Room Alexander St
The Whip Gallery Main Street
Habit Lounge Main Street
Cibo Seymour Street
O’Douls at the Listel Hotel Robson Street
Cin Cin Robson Street
Century Plaza Hotel Burrard Street
Howe Sound Brew Pub Squamish
Bearfoot Bistro Whistler
La Rua Whistler
The Meadow's Golf Club Pemberton
Savoury Chef Catering

So this is what I found doing a quick Internet search. Now I plan on doing some on-the-ground research/eating. I want to find more casual dining and burger options. Let me know if you have any suggestions and I'll update when I know more.

Brazilian Capoeira Show this Sunday

2010-07-14T10:19:00.004-07:00

Click here for more details

No more complaining about Vancouver men...

2010-07-13T14:31:00.006-07:00

Ok, so I have to admit that I've had a few discussions with my girlfriends about Vancouver guy's and their lack of dating effort. Convo's about how the girls in this city are pretty hot and there are lots more of them than hot men so the average guy has it easy. But no more complaining for me... I just went to pick up my afternoon tea at Starbucks and as I get to the counter there was a guy in front of me, not my usual type but still a good looking guy. He turns and sees me... takes a step back and says "Wow... can I buy you a coffee?". My reaction, "No, thanks I'm fine". I'm so freaking independent that the idea of a stranger offering to pay bugs me so much that I didn't even register the fact that a cute, put together guy was hitting on me. So no more complaining about the lack of effort because lord knows i'm not making it easy. Sorry dude.

Capoeiristas are Vancouver's Best Eye Candy

2010-07-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

Capoeiristas are Vancouver's Best Eye Candy

Canada day escapades in Vancouver...

2010-07-06T12:23:00.005-07:00

This goes against my rule of not posting unflattering pictures of myself ; ) But Esponja did such a good job with this i had to post it on my blog. Plus I've been seriously lax with posting lately so filler is good :)

joining the soccer madness...

2010-06-28T12:09:00.001-07:00

Just checking out some of the soccer players online... I wish life had a sort by ‘over 30 men’ the way the FIFA site does : )

2010-05-05T15:29:00.002-07:00

How cool. I was thinking through what to include in the next eNewsletter... was contemplating a story on Wildlife viewing in BC and then twitter became a buzz with stories of a Whale in Vancouver's False Creek. I think it and it happens - how do I make that work with lotto numbers and slot machines?

5 years later...

2010-05-03T11:55:00.002-07:00

Wow. So I've had this blog for 5 years now... started in May 2005. What does one get for a blogiversary? A trip to Montreal? OR a shiny new iPad? Perhaps a new non-'blogger' anchored URL? OR maybe it's time to make myself a printed copy with blurb.com?

lol...Canuck fans are the best

2010-04-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

Our Canadian Girls take home the GOLD...

2010-04-12T10:52:00.002-07:00

So proud of my old Winter Guard the Pacificaires. They've been around and competing for over 3 decades. We put in some good showings but were never able to break the top echelon. Just sticking around as a player for over 3 decades is a feat not many independent groups have been able to do, but deep down we were all striving for the allusive Gold medal. Congrats to to everyone involved in bringing the Gold home!

Here's an excerpt from their review:

1st Place – 95.4 - Pacificaires (Surrey, BC, Canada)Oh, Canada, thank you for sending these earthy women from the north. The spectators in the Arena found themselves “Falling Slowly” in love with them. Poised and confident, controlled and strong, they filled the vast space with strength and loveliness, repeating a movement montage of slowly lowering each other to the earth. Graceful movers, solid spinners, strong moments by soloists, strong moments by the ensemble, and a finale flag feature that moved and reshaped and then dissolved into duets of support and grace…the quiet strength and show design sophistication are what put these young women on top tonight. Congratulations on winning the gold medal!

and here's a clip of the girls getting their medals!

Saved by a giant purse...

2010-04-07T10:44:00.006-07:00

DO not text and walk. Me being me again... on my way to physio last Monday, I'm just outside my building. Texting with one hand, holding an umbrella with the other and my super large purse dangling from my wrist. SIDE NOTE: up until my December Miami trip i didn't carry a purse. Just a small card holder and keys in my pocket. I fell in love with this rather large but super cute bag and now I've gone from carrying the basics to having everything needed for any potential scenario I might encounter in my day. So back to story. I didn't notice the step down. The back of my heal is on the top of the step and my ankle twists under it... then my knee. Blackberry goes flying 20 feet on the cement (for those of you who laugh at my ancient phone it was fine - didn't even lose my text). So I'm in a skirt star fished on the wet sidewalk, umbrella inside out. Sprained my wrist, elbow, shoulder, knee and ankle. But get this, as I was falling the weight of my purse fell forward and instead of smashing my head on the cement I got a face full of my soft leather purse (in a charcoal shade with understated detailing). I LOVE that bag

Me being me...

2010-03-19T14:48:00.003-07:00

Last week I was late for my physio appointment so I sprinted from skytrain down the block to the physio office. On the way I pass this cute guy jogging and think I must be going at pretty good clip because said jogger has not passed me. Little did I know that my backpack zipper had started to open and cute jogger was running behind me picking up my clothes. As I round the corner he catches up just as my entire bag opens up spilling all over the sidewalk. Me - embarrassed... cute guy hands me my shorts, and I don't know where all the people came from but they were like vultures swarming the contents of my backpack spread out over 1/2 a block. But thankfully I live in Canada so everyone was collecting it to give back to me. Canadians really are nice : )

Beavers and lumberjacks and Moose... oh my

2010-03-05T12:55:00.006-08:00

Well it's over. British Columbia and the rest of Canada are experiencing the Post Olympic hangover. But cheer up, the Paralympic torch relay started yesterday and the games start again March 12th with the Paralympic Opening Ceremonies at BC Place (going to be in that one too). These shot's are from the Olympic Closing Ceremonies while we were waiting in the dancer holding area.

Go Canada Go!!!!

2010-02-25T09:57:00.003-08:00

Wow, what a game last night - Canada vs. Russia! It's great to see strategic passing that pays off instead of frantic puck scrambles. Both teams played so well - would have been a great gold medal game!

The picture is from livecity yaletown at the Julie Black concert.
Kristina, me and Annie - Mitschievious!

Day 8 of the games...

2010-02-19T13:44:00.007-08:00

And I've spent the last 4 days recovering from the first 4 days. I just don't have it in me to keep up the Olympic pace for 17 days straight. We're half way through the games and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. Favorites so far include watching the Opening Ceremonies at Publish lounge, watching and celebrating moguls gold in Yaletown, the axe capoeira winter Roda on Granville St - felt like a summer day. Also enjoyed impromptu dancing courtesy of the DJ's showcasing as a part of 'Made in Vancouver Yaletown Festival'.

Plan on stepping it up again this weekend. Stealing a note from the guys from the buried life I've compiled a list of the things I want to do before the Olympics are done. If you haven't seen the show, each week they try to check off something from their '100 things to do before we die' list. Here's my Olympic version:

Take advantage of my free Lululemon/YYoga pass. I was so excited to get this but haven't gone once yet.

Spend the day and night exploring the pavilions and fun on Granville Island. Atlantic Canada, Swiss house, and I want to take the new temporary : ( train to Granville Island.

Check out Canada's North Pavilion - I've heard it's great!

Check out one of the JetSet Crew Parties. They've been doing a great job attracting athletes to Canvas lounge. Would be fun to celebrate with them.

Get to the Ozone and Heineken house in Richmond.

Ziptrek over Robson at BC pavilion (still think we should replace public transit with ziplines!!).

STOP buying Olympic wear! I already have way too much.

Perform in the closing ceremonies... it's a small part but still should be fun : )

See Drum and Spirit of Uganda but I think I may have missed those shows.

Go see Julie Black at the Yaletown livecity.

Check out the livecity end of day fireworks 'just like a waving flag' show

Go see one of the athletic events live (got tickets for women's figure skating short program).

...

My rant to those drunk on Olympic Hatorade

2010-02-11T12:44:00.010-08:00

Ok... I know I've obviously caught Olympic fever (just read my last 20 posts)but I've noticed a lot of Olympic bellyachers and I have I few questions and comments for you:

We had the opportunity to say no to the Olympics. The IOC would never have chosen Vancouver to host if we didn't have the city support. Were you one of the 34% who voted no when we had the referendum? Did you even vote? Good for you if you did.

You say it's sucking up tax payer dollars and making you poor. The recession has nothing to do with the Olympics - the recession is making all of us broke. Seems like out of frustration people are pointing at Olympic spending but when you take a closer look, BC was probably the least effected province by the recession because of the Olympics. Large events like Expo and the Olympics stimulate growth in the city which translates into work. Yes times are tough but it's not because of the Olympics.

Having the Olympics in BC brought in Federal funding that without the games would not likely have been spent in western Canada. Just ask the Torontonians that are furious that little old Vancouver has a new rapid transit connecting the airport to the city core before they do.

The dollars spent should go to solving the homeless problem or health care? Pouring money into systems that are not working will not help things. Is it a homelessness problem or is it that we haven't figured out how to help/solve the drugs/addiction and mental illness issues people face that lead them to the streets. I'm sure that the recession has translated to higher homelessness as well but the answer to that isn't in hand outs it's in stimulating growth of the economy so people able to work can find it. And I'm not going to even get into all the new panhandlers in the city looking for handouts... I've lived here a long time and recognise a lot of the faces of the homeless people in Vancouver. For the most part they are not the people that you see recently out there asking for hand outs.

Yes our city is suddenly 'sponsored' and at first I was so annoyed that I couldn't pay for my red mittens with my bank card - only Visa or cash but before we saw signs of the recession ending sponsors were reluctant to spend the dollars required for the games. We are so lucky that they did step up and support. If sponsors didn't sink all those dollars into the games we'd be picking up the shortfall. So paint my town with logos for the next month, and honestly some of the huge building ads look cool. It's not forever people ; )

Tourism is an important industry for BC bringing in billions in revenue to our province, it's growing and it doesn't use up natural resources. The amount of exposure and awareness and resulting tourism gained by hosting the games could never be attained any other way. It's not just the people that visit during the games it's the world that will be watching the games and falling in love with our province then planning trips in the future (that is as long as we stop pouting and put on a good show).

My last point... Vancouver is known for being so chill we don't know how to get up and have fun. We've got so much going on over the next two weeks, free concerts and opportunities to showcase talent and the arts. Why not embrace it? I just don't get why you wouldn't.

Ok. Stepping down from soap box now so I can go cheer on the torch relay as it passes by : D

Fire Big Fire... not

2010-02-10T09:22:00.003-08:00

So while I was walking to class last night I noticed the new W2 Community Media Arts building at 112 Hastings. Cool because they have set it up so there are screens with flames in the windows. Hard to capture the effect in a photo. You have to see it.

Anyway, I thought it was interesting and wondered how long it had been there without me noticing. I had just been in the area 2 days prior. Here's the convo I had with the security guard at the bank across the street:

me: Excuse me, how long has that been like that.

Guard: Huh?

Me: (pointing) The building... how long has it been like that?

Guard: Oh don't worry, it's not really on fire. it's just a screen.

LOL...

Make the most of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games

2010-02-09T11:56:00.003-08:00

great resource to help you plan the next two weeks and take advantage of all the cool and free stuff going on...

Also, I had a sneak peak last night of the Opening Ceremonies and OMG it's going to be kick a*$! Nothing has ever been done to this extent. If you cant be there make sure you check it out on TV and sign up to participate virtually (info on how to do that is in the link above).

tick tock less than 3 days to go!!!

5 hours ...

2010-02-08T11:23:00.001-08:00

Until my sneak peek at the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies : )
Can't wait.

17 days to the Olympics

2010-01-26T10:22:00.004-08:00

Before we know it it'll be here and gone : (

I found some cool ways to participate in the celebrations for those that can't be here in Vancouver. Actually these would be fun even if you are here:

There's this CODE project where you register and then during the Opening ceremonies you will be emailed some sort of 'virtual souvenir' and the souvenir is also your invite to participate virtually in the Closing ceremonies. I have no idea what that will mean but am curious to see how they incorporate the online and social media into the celebrations with this one.

The other cool thing is this 'Vectoral Elevation' sounds kind of dirty but it's not. They've added these lasers/lights to False Creek and during the games you can go online and choreograph them into different designs. Everything will be shown via web cam. I wish I was in my old apartment on False Creek - it would be cool to set the light show in my own back yard!

Free Fun during the 2010 Olympic Games!

2010-01-21T11:22:00.003-08:00

So recent holiday spending has left me looking for some inexpensive fun for the next few months. Perfectly enough the 2010 Olympic Winter games will have lots of great free pavilions and live celebration sites and shows during the games in February! Here's the most recent link I found with a summary of free stuff (new things being added all the time)!

Why did Starbucks change the tazo tea?

2010-01-14T09:49:00.002-08:00

In December I heard that the teas were changing at Starbucks. Not a big deal you say... but I love my tea mistos... sometimes I have 3 Ventes in one day (morning noon and night). So at that point I purchased as much of the old tea I could find. At a premium because a lot of the time I had to buy whole tea gift baskets full of other stuff I didn't want just to get my favourite organic chai. So now it's the new year, the old teas are gone and the new 'full leaf' teas are nasty. I have nothing against full leaf teas mind you - I love the Mighty Leaf brand full leaf teas - the Starbucks versions just are not good. The earl grey tastes like flowers and the chai strangely has a strong smell but no taste? And their black teas were the best teas out there everyone loved them. Which makes me wonder WHY the change?

Perhaps they thought more people would like the full leaf earl grey when they brought it out earlier in the year. People didn't and continued to order the old version earl grey. So maybe they got rid of the good teas to force people into what they position as a 'premium' tea. Saying it's 'premium' or 'better' doesn't make it so. did they even talk to their present consumers to find out why they were not ordering the new tea. Maybe do a few focus groups? They might have found out that the lack of support for the new tea had less to do with the higher price and more to do with the bad taste?

That's my rant. Just me once again venting on my Vente.

I'm starting to run out of my stock pile of the old teas so am checking out some of the other coffee/tea shops. Waves, Esquires, Second Cup has a good one. Maybe change is good?

Happy 2010!!!

2010-01-13T08:43:00.004-08:00

Can we really already be 13 days into the new year and 30 days away from the Olympics? I can't wait, it's going to be so fun. Looking forward to checking out the live sites, pavilions and cultural shows... and being in the closing ceremonies but can't blog about that until it's done ; )

Miami was crazy fun for New Years and my birthday. Met lots of people. Did too much shopping. Hung out in the sun. Laughed lots : ) Coming back to the reality of my Vancouver routine is pretty boring so going to make the extra effort to keep the fun alive.

Here are a few pics from the trip...

Oh ya Chase Crawford (Gossip Girl Cupcake) was on our flight, he really is adorable. Also saw Jared Leto (30 Seconds to Mars, My so called Life, Fight Club hottie) outside W hotel... he declined our offer to share a cab : (

The little red hickey is gone.

2009-12-08T14:49:00.003-08:00

I sold my car (pet name - little red hickey after the license plate HKE). It was surprisingly very difficult to let her go even though she's been sitting unused for a year. I guess I get attached to things but I really don't need a car like I used to/and it's better for the environment. But I've had her for 16 years and she's been through a lot with me... 5 moves, so many road trips, 4 jobs, plenty of dates, and she was so fun to drive the curvey road to Whistler. Sigh :{

It's always when I'm running late...

2009-12-05T11:37:00.002-08:00

That someone throws a few marbles in to add to my scramble for punctuality. Take last night for instance. I was showing/selling my car all day and was running late leaving New West to teach my yoga class in Kits. Rather than wait for the unpredictable bus I ran to the skytrain station and jumped on the first train. Things went well... no train delays. I make it to Burrard station with ten minutes to get to kits. I run for the bus and get there there just as it arrives, get myself a seat and look at my watch. I'm going to get there just in time to teach my class - big smile.

Then a cop car starts driving the wrong way towards us and stops in front of the bus. Odd... the bus driver stops for a bit, nothing happens so he pulls around the car. Then a second police car pull in front of the bus and more follow. We wait. A few officers get on the bus and I hear on the radio that they are looking for someone with black shirt and pants (I immediately assume they are looking for the shifty guy beside me). They find the guy (not the one I thought) and proceed to arrest him. Not sure why but the bus had to stay there during all of this.

We did finally get going and I was late for class - but I had a good story : )

Miami!!!

2009-11-24T09:29:00.004-08:00

So I'm all booked to celebrate my birthday and NYE in Miami : )
That should help ease the sting right?

Next UFC Reality Tuff...

2009-10-30T15:57:00.004-07:00

Check out this Video of my Capoeira instructor Lelo and Vinicios at the UFC reality show try outs in LA...

Thrill the World 2009...

2009-10-28T08:55:00.011-07:00

I've always wanted to get a group of friends to dress up as zombies for Halloween and perform the Thriller dance. That of course would require more planning time and Halloween enthusiastic friends than I have (the friends that are into dressing up believe that costumes must be sexy, Zombies aren't sexy). Lucky for me someone beat me to it... Thrill the World has been performing the Thriller dance simultaneously with groups around the world since 2006 and Vancouver has had a zombie crew participating since 2008. My sister and I joined in the festivities this year and had a blast. Well minus making a small child cry and the 4 hour rehearsal prior. But hey now I know the dance so next year I can spend the extra rehearsal time getting zombied up!

Just got an email update and there were 242 zombies in Vancouver at the roundhouse, and over 23,000 zombies participating worldwide.

Loved the guy with the stop sign...

At Home By Myself With You...

2009-10-09T09:50:00.006-07:00

Saw a great movie last night at the Vancouver International film Festival. And turns out it was made for something like $41,989. Odd number but they funded it by asking people to donate their pocket change. The result was movie that was written knowing it would be very low budget but it didn't feel like it. Probably because the acting (and the writing) was awesome... from the kooky old lady neighbour to the main characters it just had a great pace and balance of comedic timing, chemistry and emotion when needed (love a movie that can keep you laughing 80% of the time and then throw in a fun turned serious moment that made me pretend I had something in my eye).

Not sure if they started with the intent to use extreme examples (fear of going outside) to illustrate how we can let little fears guide, control and shape our lives... or did they happen into that due to budget constraints meaning the entire movie had to be filmed in one location? Either way the story is so timely right now as we become more connected with handhelds, social media and the Internet and at the same time less connected, in our own created world and removed from people (How much do people use their phones to actually talk to another person?). Intentional or not it made me think :}

GO See It!

Wooo hooo....

2009-10-06T10:48:00.005-07:00

So I get to dance in the 2010 Olympic Ceremonies!! It'll be great but the rehearsal schedule means I won't be able to take my 3 week trip to Argentina. Oh well it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, especially at my age ; ) What's kind of funny is that the ceremonies will be at BC Place stadium and I remember performing at the opening of BC place Stadium WAY back in the day and a few years later at the opening of Expo 86 (that's the picture). Oh dear :/

124 days to the Olympics!!!!

Screw Celebrating Birthdays!

2009-08-13T09:30:00.006-07:00

OK, I've decided to forget celebrating Birthdays. From now until December 30th of this year (the day I was born) I'm going to celebrate every day that is NOT my birthday. Starting with Vegas next week. I even bought a 'not my birthday today' dress. It's super hot and all legs - not something someone should wear in their ?0's so I better get my wear of it until then ; )

So you think you can dance top 10...

2009-07-15T12:16:00.006-07:00

So we are half way through So You Think You Can Dance. I haven't had the time to watch religiously but have been able to catch up with all the re-runs. Last night the final 12 were cut to the final 10 and I still don't have one favourite. So far this year all the dancers are impresive in thier own way and the choreography is fantastic. The show has really become an avenue for great choreographers to showcase and try to outdo themselves and eachother. That's just making everyone look good.

So my most memorable performances and choreography from last night:

The Thief routine - Dancers Jeanette and Brandon, choreographer Wade Robson. They really entertained with this one. The movements were crisp and unique from eachother. It was so memorable days later I can still hear the music in my head. Recieved a few looks at the office while I slueth down the halls trying to emulate the moves to the music in my head.

The Addiction number - Dancers Kayla and Kupono, choreographer Mia Michaels. This one was great as expected. A couple of the other male dancers may have more technical clarity in thier movements but no other male dancer on the show could have pulled off the performance kupono did. Kayla of couse was great as well - they are a perfect partnership.

The Tango - Dancers Jeanette and Brandon, choreographers Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo. So I rarley have a ballroom routine stick in my mind as one of my favourites. they are usually great but this one was beyond. The footwork was fast and crisp and they had the perfect amount of expression - they didn't over cheese it. Great dancers with stellar choreography on this one.

So it looks like there's some dancers that keep turning up in my fav dances. Half way through I'll finally commit that my favourite dancers this season are:

Kupono
Jeanette
Brandon
Kayla

Girls Road Trip to Penticton - Tourist in BC adventure # 3!

2009-07-07T13:54:00.039-07:00

This past weekend my friend Shawna and I (and our Olympic mascot dates) took a road trip to Penticton for our friend Nick's Wedding. We know Nick from 'back in the Delta days' and all the old faces were there... I forgot how much fun the old Delta crew can be. Nick's a great guy and the wedding was awesome - he found a great girl. But i get ahead of myself - THE ROAD TRIP rocked ;}

I took a lot of pictures but once I started to edit I realised they were all of the Olympic Mascots Miga (me) Quatchi (Shawna) and Sumi (Carmen - she joined us in Penticton).

So the road trip starts with a little gassing up. Check out the Wheels... Shawna borrowed Gordy's 2004 convertible Thunderbird and we did it up Thelma and Louise style, minus the cliff. Also minus Brad Pitt although we did leave him a key at the front desk just in case he popped by.

Can't get too far without the Starbuck's

Shawna and Quatchi singing to our old school Beastie Boys tunes.

Me trying to look cool

Trees, trees, trees.

Yoga Break at Manning Park... lots of Black bears in the area but I think the Sasquatch kept them away.

more trees...

Fruit break in Keremeos

Had to stop for some ice cream

And we arrive at Lakeside Resort in Penticton - so many old memories in this town. Peachfest as a teen, lawn bowling croquet parties as an adult (Yickes I almost misspelled croquet - would have gotten some sketchy visits to the blog).

We meet up with Carm and the crew for Bevvies on the lakeside patio.

And after a long day and night we settle in.
The next day was hot! The wedding was on a pier in Naramata... the boys looked dapper in the suits (see you can clean them up) and the bride was gorgeous.

We ended up taking the coquihalla back, my first time on it now that the toll boths are gone - woohoo $10 richer.

On the way to Merritt you really start to see the damage the pine beetle has done to our gorgeous trees : ( Hopefully we had a cold enough winter this time to get rid of those nasties. I was pretty sad looking at the damage. Shawna is an Interior Designer and she eased my concern by letting me know that they are actually using the trees. They end up with this different blue tinge and are being used for flooring, building houses and making some unique furniture. I found some pics...

So it was a great trip. I got to spend some time in BC beyond the city. I used to do that a lot of but haven't in the last ten years with all my 'other' travel. Caught up with some old friends - it was great to see everyone has matured but still know how to have fun! And got to see a great guy commit to a great girl - it was one of those weddings where even though I didn't know the bride well, I could tell they are a happy couple.

Next Tourist in BC Adventure - Victoria...

My Tourist in BC adventure #2 - Richmond...

2009-06-30T09:18:00.011-07:00

So when my friend Kristina suggested we check out Richmond I thought - really Richmond,isn't that where you just pass through on the way to the airport? I was wrong... here are a few of the must sees in Richmond BC:

First on the list was Steveston - I had been many times before for dinner in Steveston, the restaurants are great, but this time we took a walk along the water. It was a gorgeous night and there are so many great photo ops. We took the walk all the way to the end where there were a bunch of heritage buildings and a little park where they have live music.

Richmond Night Market - It felt like another country...crowded, full of little nick knack stands and lots of unusually yummy food. Potato spirals, fish shaped waffles with chocolate, fresh popcorn, huge chocolate covered strawberries...

The Temples - This we didn't do but I've heard it's a must see. There are a number of different temples from a variety of religions all in the same area in Richmond. On my list is the Buddhist Temple :)

Next Tourist in BC update - My Roadtrip to Penticton!

My Summer as a tourist in BC - Adventure #1

2009-06-24T13:13:00.007-07:00

One of my resolutions this year is to explore my home province as a tourist would. So here's my first blog on my 'Tourist in BC' adventures...

What better way to start than by taking a bus tour of Vancouver BC? I hopped on at Canada Place where all the cruise ships dock. It was a gorgeous day so I got on the open roofless tour bus, pulled out my sunglasses and worked on my tan. You can hop off and on the bus and explore the city at any of the stops. some of my recommended must sees:

The new Vancouver Convention Centre - Yes the inside is huge and amazing, but take the time to explore the grounds and the great 'green roof'. It covers six acres and is landscaped with more than 400,000 indigenous plants and grasses from the Gulf Islands. In addition to acting as an insulator expected to reduce the roof's summer heat gains and winter heat losses, it also provides natural bird, insect and small mammal habitat (Source: BC Hydro). What I thought was cool was that a key element of the design was the restoration of the shoreline and marine habitat. Working with marine scientists, an underwater habitat skirt or artificial reef was developed as part of the centre’s foundation and now provides new habitat for barnacles, mussels, seaweed, starfish, crabs and various fish species (Source: World Architecture News).

From the Convention Centre take a walk along the Coal Harbour shoreline. I was amazed at how much this area has changed. I remember when it used to be all old rail cars. The cool thing about Coal Harbour is that the land was purchased by one developer so they worked with city planning and slowly developed the area with a lot of thought and planning as a whole. If you are lucky enough to live there you don't need a car - there's green space, walking distance to grocery and shops, lots of cool restaurants and clubs to hang out and a great walk/run/Rollerblade/bike route along the shoreline.

The other must see in the Coal Harbour area is the Marine Building. Completed around 1930 it's considered one of the best art deco buildings in the world. I've lived in Vancouver all my life and took a step into the lobby for the first time and was in awe. More info and pics here.

My next 'don't miss' stop would be the Bill Reid Art Gallery. Most people are familiar with Bill Reid from his jade sculpture on display in the Vancouver International airport but he's done so much more than that. From the chalk that he carved into a mini tea set for his sister when he was 12 years old to the cool wire sculptures he created towards the end of his life while he suffered from Parkinson's, his body of work is vast, gorgeous and inspiring.

OK... I don't have time to write anymore so stay tuned for Part 2 - adventures in Richmond. Seriously... I was pleasantly surprised.

So you think you can Dance US is back

2009-06-19T09:34:00.005-07:00

I love this show way too much... when it first came out I would fantasize (as I'm sure most people did) what my chances would have been if we had this show in my day. Back then I thought I'd at least make it to choreography but now... wow. The calibre of dancers is amazing. I love every single dancer in the top 20, and the first competition episode blew me away. I'm so glad I'm not American (or one of the judges) - there's no way I'd want to have a hand in deciding who gets cut. So, first week - here are my favourite dances (can't pick dancers yet - love them all):

Ashley and Kupono - Dance was the Crash Test Dummies by Wade and Amanda. LOVED this one - it took dance beyond just technique and created an experience. To see that level of performance in the first week - Kupono has a natural ability to fully embody what he's communicating beyond just technique and facial expressions. Kind of like Mia Michaels where it's hard to describe what makes them stand above others... you just know that they do.

Melissa and Ade - Contemporary piece by Mandy Moore. They are both so strong and natural. Ballet really is the best base.

Caitlin and Jason - Bollywood by Nakul Dev Mahjan. I can't even comprehend how difficult that hand and foot choreography would be but they knocked it out of the park. Coupled with Caitlins acrobatic ability, this one had the moments you replay in your head.

So excited to watch week two I hear Stacey Tookey the awesome choreographer from So you think you can dance Canada is going to choreograph a number : D

What not to do in a Biolab waiting room...

2009-06-11T13:18:00.004-07:00

So I'm in the waiting room of BC Biolab. Had to get some blood tests done so I spent my day off hanging out with some of our elderly population. I had to fast so haven't eaten in 12 hours and haven't had anything fatty for 2 days (so basically all I ate the day before was veggies - there's fat in everything). After an hour wait I'm finally in the chair... the tech can't seem to get the needle in the pesky vein. 4 tries later it works but I'm left with track marks and bruises that make me look like a junkie. Then it's downstairs where I wait for the next ultrasound test for an hour... still no food. then back upstairs for the final test. Have to wait another hour and then once I'm in, the test takes 40 min... still no food. Wait that's not true, at the beginning of the last test they had me drink this chalky questionably 'citrus' drink and then wait in the waiting room for a half hour. So if I haven't painted the picture clearly enough, let me tell you that I was Hungry! That's when I started to smell food. I assumed it was just a low blood sugar hallucination making me smell Turkey with cranberry on multi grain bread... Then I hear the crunching. I open my eyes and this guy is hungering down on this huge sandwich. That's when it became very clear that I was not the only person in that crowded waiting room that had to fast that day. Most of the room started to lean forward in their chairs and stare wide eyed at the sandwich. The guy eating was clueless... or just didn't mind being rude. I was so close to biting his head off but I was too weak to muster up the words... as was the rest of the room because we just stayed in our zombie like trance until the last bite was gone. Karma Turkey boy... Karma.

4 years...

2009-05-22T16:38:00.003-07:00

As of May 2009, this Blog is 4 years old! Wow time flies - It's funny how everything changes and then still stays the same.

My Olympic 2010 Opening Ceremonies Audition...

2009-05-15T09:31:00.008-07:00

So I had my 2010 audition this past weekend. I was a little worried since I must have been feeling really good about my dance skillz when I filled out my application and I ended up in the advanced Hip Hop audition. I arrive a little late but they were still 'processing' the line so no tardy worries. Processing involved giving your info, getting a number (the number bib totally made it feel like a So you think you can dance or Idol try out), taking of measurments - even hat size, and photos - headshot and body. We then sat down for the motivational hype and video... it was good. They made a point of letting us know that the cerimonies info is hush hush until the performance so no blogging details (ooops... actually I don't think this counts - they were talking about blogging show details). Then they herd us into the gym where the show designers are sitting on the stage behind a table with thier clipboards and video camera... very 'Idol'. They line us up and then the choreographer runs through the steps two times and then says that's it... I had a minor panic because I didn't get it all but was relieved when we broke into groups and had some time to break down the choro before we preformed it. The choreography was fun - I had no problems with it but did have to try to mask the sound of my joints cracking and giving away my age ; )
272 days to the Olympics!

Is capoeira becoming mainstream : o

2009-04-24T16:44:00.006-07:00

I like my hobbies to be obscure (spinning sabres, brazilian martial arts, goat counting). When I first saw that my latest hobby Capoeira was featured on So You Think You Can Dance Canada I was impressed, but this week on Wednesday night it was on America's next Top Model and then Thursday night it was part of a reward challenge on Survivor (I wonder if Tourism Brazil had any influence in the last two?). Thankfully a Capoeira workout is way too difficult for it to become mainstream.

Harpers Island filmed on Bowen Island...

2009-04-14T11:04:00.005-07:00

So on the other side of the TV spectrum from my last post, I also caught the first episode of what could shape up to be a pretty original show (at least in format). Harper's Island, filmed right here on our own Bowen Island in BC Canada, is a new show that has taken the horror/mystery format and spread it out over 13 episodes. I thank Joss Wheden for the popularity of seasonal arcs in Television writing, giving TV the potential to eclipse movies. There is only so much character and story development you can do in a two hour movie and spreading it over a TV season or series should be a writers dream. Anyway, after the first episode here are my top three guesses as to who the killer is:

1. the Groom - If they are following the scream 1 format the Groom would be the obvious choice and I guess that would make Harry Hamlin Drew Barrymore.
2. The rich boyfriend of the Bridesmaid - this is where the episode was leading us with his macabre jokes (the finger, the drowning) and the fact that the victim was flirting up a storm with his girlfriend. But it's all a bit too obvious... he might just be the one who gets blamed initially.
3. The step mom - This is my random guess. She didn't do much in the episode but could easily be the sleeper candidate.

Didn't make the list but still a potential would be the local guy/ex boyfriend but I had to draw the line at 3.

Who do I hope they kill off next week... The best Man.

My trash TV guilty pleasure... watching grown men fight wearing adult onesies

2009-04-14T10:28:00.007-07:00

I hate to admit it but I watch the MTV RW/RR Challenges. These shows are so bad you can't look away. If you haven't seen one imagine survivor, big brother, Fear Factor the UFC and Jerry Springer in one show. Why i like it, I don't know... that's probably a question for a therapist? Anyway, I settle in to watch the first episode of the latest season called 'The Duel 2' and before they even get to the first challenge there's a ton of drinking in their mansion in New Zealand (maybe not so much like Survivor). Of course the token meat head starts a fight - this is the guy who never makes it past the first episode because he always gets kicked off for punching someone. But this time the dude really lost it - he wanted to KILL the other guy and it gets pretty intense with 10 other huge guys unable to hold him back and him punching a huge hole in the wall. The scene would be pretty grim and scary if it wasn't for the fact that someone brought everyone adult size fleece onesies (yes, just like the baby ones with the feet). So here are these tough guys trying to kill each other and one of them is wearing this cuddly onesie. I got the feeling that if they'd stop punching and hug it out everything would be ok - nobody can resist the cuddliness of a onesie. It got pretty sad, at one point Adam (onesie guy) is covered in blood with the onesie at his ankles and CT (the meat head) is trying to smash his head into a brick wall. It all ends with both guys kicked off and being driven away in separate trucks. Adam with an ice pack to his face and CT holding the onesie (which I hope had ice in it?) to his face.

Remember all those times I tried to explain that there's a lot more to Capoeira than dance...

2009-04-06T21:02:00.005-07:00

Watch this video of my Capoeira Teacher's MMA fight this past Saturday.

Mia Michaels is teaching a Master class at WGI this year...

2009-03-30T11:51:00.004-07:00

I wish I could go. She's the best... I remember when I first saw her that her style reminded me of winter guard.

I went and saw the Championships this weekend and I have to admit I do miss the creative side of Winter Guard. Coming up with new choreography and ideas... i miss it but I know I could never go back. Just have to find a new creative outlet : )

We decide what is socialy acceptable...

2009-03-20T09:26:00.008-07:00

So a while back I went to an Oscar party. Small party - 13 or so people. I know half the fun of the Oscars is poking fun at the stars and their fashion choices, but early on in the party it started to go too far. One person started poking fun with racial jokes. I thought it was odd that it didn't really catch anyone off guard. I guess with all the 'She should really try harder to hide those hips' and 'really, that colour on her', making fun of race slipped in without a notice by anyone but me. A few others started to join in. I did my best to stay quiet, pick my battles right? I knew making note of it wouldn't help or have an effect on the one's making the comments, but when most of the room (short of maybe 4 people) started to join in I just couldn't keep quiet. People I know are not racist, were thinking it was OK to poke fun because that was the energy we let the party take. That's when I spoke up... told them that the comments they are making only make themselves sound ignorant. Dead silence... if there was a piano player he would have stopped playing (or the DJ would abruptly stop the record with a loud scratch). Scary how letting one person continue with harmful behaviour was infectious on the group.

344 days to the Olympics!

2009-03-05T15:47:00.003-08:00

Wow... I can tell already that this year is going to just whip by. I don't remember much from January and February... can it really be March? Pretty soon the city will be chaos (in a fun way) as we host the 2010 Winter Olympics. I'm hoping to make things even busier by helping with the opening ceremonies - I'll update on how that goes. On top of everything else, I vowed to make this year crazy fun - it's my last one in my 30's!!! I just wish it would slow down so I can savour it.

CelebraDJ's

2009-02-16T11:30:00.009-08:00

Ok, so I love music and love dancing even more. But I've never been someone that tries to keep up with what's out there in music or know what's the new hip underground sound. If I hear a sound I like, I dance... and then it's over and I move on. Even back in the day, I had enough friends that were music obsessed that I knew I'd be exposed to great sounds through them... without having to do the heavy lifting. So... to say I don't follow the DJ craze would be an understatement. Saturday night I stumbled into attending a show by DJ A-Trak and I was very pleasantly surprised. First of all the place was wall to wall with cute (but of course too young)guys - I wanted to go back in time and bring my 25 year-old-self to the show. Before the DJ got there, we thought about bailing a few times and heading to an older yuppy/yaletown type establishment, but we were talked into staying by many as they went on and on about how great the DJ is. I' mean really, a DJ... how great can it be? I was sceptical, but curious. So he finally arrives and oddly enough so do a bunch of paparazzi type cameras. I'm like "what's up with the paps... are the Hills girls hiding out in the bathroom or something?". Nope, they were there to get pics of the DJ at work. Interesting... so he starts, and almost immediately you can tell the difference from the guys that were spinning before him. He's my favourite kind of DJ - where you can tell his music is dancing with the crowd instead of just playing the music for the crowd to react to. The crowd reacts to the music and the DJ reacts to the dancing slipping beats and sounds underneath and if you catch it he keeps it (and builds it into more) - it was awesome. Anyway... that was my first experience with the new Celebrity DJ's and I'm no longer sceptical - the fame is well deserved.

one of my favourite dances from SYTYCD Canada Season 1...

2009-02-02T21:03:00.005-08:00

Now I'm craving a Klondike

2009-02-01T22:57:00.003-08:00

The Worst Thing Ever Done For a Klondike Bar -- powered by Cracked.com

Wow

2009-01-31T13:56:00.020-08:00

The So you Think You Can Dance Canada tour kicked off in Vancouver at GM place and it was great! Well worth the one zillion dollars I paid to be sitting 5th row centre. Here are a few of my observations...

The cast is gorgeous, guys and girls are all stunners.

Yes, Nico is awesome, but I was surprised at how impressed I was with Miles. Either he's been training lots over the break, or maybe his skills just didn't translate well on TV. Or maybe a little of both? I loved his solo - that boy can move.

There were a few mistakes (and wardrobe malfunctions) but I didn't mind. It reminded you that these are real people who were probably just as excited to be performing as all the tweens were to be watching them.

Vancouver is kind of lame at concerts. Yes we are a chill city but those dancers were going full out and needed crowd support for energy.

Some of the highlights:

Natalie's solo - that girl can work a skirt.

Miles's solo - he's unbelievably musical in his popping

All the group performances - they needed more

The Capoeira with Nico and Miles - of course being Axe Capoeira girls we were on our feet for that one, but it was also a crowd favourite.

Seeing Twitch in the audience

Oh ya, the house one with Lisa and Vincent (going to try to get to a house class next week).

Allie's face when she realized her crinoline was caught in her heal. She handled it well.

At the end when each dancer was introduced to say goodbye. Danny started and did his trademark pelvic thrusts. The rest of them copied him and incorporated the thrusts into their goodbye dance. Even Allie fit them into her ballet flavour.

Getting Random lewd texts about all the male dancers (including about the guy sweeping at intermission) from my friend Corri who was way at the back with her binoculars.

What i missed:

The dance from Nico and Arrasay from episode 9 where they are breaking up... it was my favourite of all the dances :( I think it's the one where Nico broke his nose? The angel one is good too and they did do that one, but I think it get's more attention just because Nico is so hot in it. Can't disagree ; )

Lisa and Nico's dance when Nico was the photographer. That one was hot!

Natalie and Vincent's contemporary piece (this one is also up there as one of my favourites).

The Maculele performance. Obviously.

I'll try to post some of my video but I only had my phone and I have a feeling the thumbnails won't look too great. I didn't video much anyway... I wanted to watch. So now it's off to the Gym to get back in shape : o

SYTYCD - Vancouver

2009-01-30T16:45:00.006-08:00

Going to see the So you Think You Can Dance Canada Tour at GM Place tonight. Tres excited! But I forgot my camera at home so all I'm going to be able to post tomorrow are phone pics...

8 more hours...

2008-12-29T16:05:00.005-08:00

So this is my annual freak-out post because it's almost the day I have to get older. Really, I'm going to just hold at 34. And all I want for my birthday is to stop Cher from continually singing 'If I could turn back time' in my head :{

And now the snow is here too...

2008-12-17T15:37:00.002-08:00

Minus 6 this morning... I might as well move to Calgary. That plot of land in the Baha is looking better and better.

It's here...

2008-12-02T16:34:00.004-08:00

Why does approaching December freak me out?

2008-11-29T14:42:00.008-08:00

I love Christmas and decorations and the celebrations, but at the same time the thought of hitting December makes me anxious. I actually wrote a long post about it but it got way too personal for this light superficial blog so the question is all you get ; )

I LOVE xmas decorations though. And the stop-motion xmas specials
: D

Pura Vida

2008-11-21T15:44:00.005-08:00

So the original inspiration for this blog name/URL...Beer. Yes, I started this blog shortly after a trip to Costa Rica where I fell in love with the local beer Imperial. Upon returning home to Canada I had to make do without - hence the Imperial Dreams. So no, the name of this blog doesn't stem from my delusions of royal grandeur. The roots of this blog are watered with beer.

So I was a little excited when I saw that Imperial is going to be imported into North America... but disappointed once again to find out it's not coming to Canada. Seriously, who did their market potential research? How could you miss Canada when looking at exporting beer?

I bent the needle...

2008-11-14T14:19:00.004-08:00

So, I've been continuing with my physio/accutorture. It's still painful, but it works. At least in helping me gain mobility in my back... and that helps me stay active - my ultimate goal. I plan to be fit and active until the day I die. Dancing is pure joy for me so off to torture I go to make sure I can groove-it into retirement when the time comes. Anyway, today as physio-doc was sticking a needle in my back the muscle twitched (which is what the aggravated muscles do when you stick needles in them). This twitch was a little more than norm and turns out my back is pretty strong because it bent the needle in half. Painful... yes. But it got immediate results and my back feels awesome now : D

UPDATE - two days later and I don't feel so awesome, whatever he did re-aggravated the old injury : (

Chocolate should never be put on sale.

2008-11-03T15:30:00.005-08:00

I have the worst sugar headache and my stomach hurts. Stupid post-Halloween sales. It's not right to put that much temptation out there.

Here's my costume this year... the Jetset party was fun, but I think I might be done with them for a while. We'll see, James Bond is coming up ; )

So when did stapling a card to your A$s become entertainment?

2008-10-28T15:14:00.004-07:00

I'm just saying. This was the crux of the magic show I saw at Fright Nights at the PNE last night. Magic no... a little frightening... ya maybe. Overall Fright Nights was pretty good. The scaryest thing was probably the swing ride that looks like it's been there without maitenance since the 60's. The Haunted Houses were good, but there were way too many people = long line ups and busy haunted houses. The latter sucked because I really wanted to be scared but I saw what was coming when it happened to the people in front of me. My reaction was less surprise and more laughter when I saw the people in front and behind me freak out. But hey, I made it out without punching a clown so that's good. I guess.

Cupcakes... or raw batter?

2008-10-24T08:46:00.013-07:00

So why is it that all the guys who flirt and approach me are between the ages of 19 and 24? I'm certainly not complaining, but they are just a tad and a half out of my range (and I have a fairly liberal range). It's always been that way - I keep getting older and they stay the same age (thanks Dazed and Confused). I guess it boils down to the fact that most single men are in that range and are still driven somewhat by 'hormones' so are more likely to make a move or approach a woman. Maybe that's why I like visiting Vegas... all the single men are between the ages of 30 and 35.

Speaking of, this last Vegas trip was a blast. Had some great food, shopped, danced, and had a lot of laughs. Some highlights:

Trying the Capoeira roll (and finally getting through a caparinha) at Sushi Samba and discovering it was the best fusion roll EVER.

Making random rules regarding who could enter the elevator (striped shirts only...)

Visiting the Pool at the Palms and chasing the sun in the cold. Being invited the next day (when it was even colder) to hang at the Mirage pool cabana and asking if we should bring skates?

Winning $50 in one of the many dance battles on our last night. Yes I pinched a nerve doing the matrix... but I won and that's the point ; )

Is that gum on your shoe? Yes. Can I have some?

VIP ; )

Falling in love with Grey Goose and Sammy

Annie hurting her knee pole dancing and then throwing money in the streets of Vegas just to watch the 'little people' scramble.

Meeting a guy who buys credit card debt... and then offering him mine for free.

Vegas special (ie short dress with Winn slippers)

Dinner in the Cabana outside at Bartolotta with our little shawls and meeting the wine conosures Mario and Bruno.

So you think you can dance.... Maculele?

2008-10-14T11:44:00.006-07:00

How cool was it to be watching SYTYCD opening, hearing Mestre's voice and then seeing the dancers performing MAculele! The Music was great (but sounded like the tempo was slowed down a bit), costumes rocked (see - fur leggings do look good), and the trampolines around the stage were awesome (maybe if we had those for our roda's I'd be able to attempt mortal - prob not). Watching the dancers though... you could really tell they were out of their element with this style. The movements were small and soft, but hey they probably had like a day to learn it? So for me the show started strong... but ended low. The judges are idiots. They sent Kevin home... and in such a cold way. He was one of the best dancers there and by far he had the best solo of the night. Maybe if he had a faux hawk and sparkly eyes the judges would have noticed? Seriously, the judges comments are all about aesthetics - I think they are getting caught up in the Hollywood of it all and forgetting about the dance. I dunno, maybe Kev was just too good already and they want to see someone grow while on the show? Also, the host is just PAINFUL to watch.

Here's the opening Maculele...

finally...

2008-10-05T20:14:00.005-07:00

I have always thought the trials, tribulation and drama of a colour guard season would make a great documentary (or reality show). It's way cool that one is finally being done and on the Pacificaires. This is the group that I spent 10 years performing with and then another 12 or so years coaching before I was lured away and into my present Capoeira addiction. here's a teaser...

Live To Spin Video from John Berringer on Vimeo.

And this is the website for more info on the doco 'live to spin'

Getting ready 4 Halloween yet?

2008-10-05T10:38:00.001-07:00

62549814.gif (GIF Image, 240x144 pixels)

Update on acupuncture/torture

2008-09-25T09:32:00.005-07:00

It's working. The first few treatments sent me into a pain spiral with this new mobility in my spine aggrivating my sciatica, but I have WAY more mobility in my back than I had a month ago. It still hurts, but today after another treatment I'd rate the pain a 5/10, while last week this time I was at an 8 or 9 (insert visual of me curled into a ball on the sidewalk because every step felt like Mike Tyson was trying to bite through the nerves in my lower back). And, when I got up off the physio table today, I didn't have any pain in my sacralized joint. Mind you it only lasted for about 1/2 an hour, but I can only recal maybe 3 times in my life where I felt no pain when standing (other things that worked were chiropractic - but it lasted maybe 5 min, and strong drugs that worked but were too addictive to get used to). So... the point of this post for all those people I've noticed searching Sacralization/Scoliosis/Sciatica/Knee, is to try acupuncture and if that doesn't work try the extreme kind where they stick the needle into the pain muscle and shake it. It didn't fix me 100% but the improvement is encouraging.

Capoeira

2008-09-22T12:30:00.006-07:00

I found this video of the event we went to in Phoenix this past March. I thought I'd post it for all of you that ask me what's the difference between the shows we perform (which are done at the end of the event, on a stage where we perform traditional Brazilian dances like Maracatu, Afro and Samba)and the martial art side. For 3 days prior to the performance and the reason for the having the event, we are training with some of the best teachers and having Rodas (where we have the chance to practice what we learn). Anyway, this video is a compilation of many of the rodas we had over the weekend... you can see things get a little scrappy for me around 1:49 and again at 2:45. It was an awesome event, I'll see if I can find some vids of the show/performance too...

No more wallowing...

2008-09-11T09:51:00.005-07:00

So after another painful physio session I'm walking down the hill to my apartment. Feeling sorry for myself because now that I've started to feel slight improvement in my knee... my back is in crazy pain and now my other knee is swollen and stiff. Then I hear a light rattling noise behind me. I turn to look and I see this man barreling down the hill in a wheelchair, and I have no idea how he's controlling it because he has no arms or legs. Kind of puts my pain in perspective.

OWwch

2008-09-03T17:08:00.003-07:00

Ok... so I've tried almost everything for my back/hip/knee problems. My back has been hurting since I was a teenager. That's when I was told by doctors that even though x-rays show a weird sacralization of my L5 joint, that won't cause me pain... even though it's exactly in the spot where I'm feeling the pain. Over the years that developed into sciatica, and then scoliosis of the lower spine, and now knee issues because of all the crazy muscle imbalances my body has developed to avoid the pain I get in that weird joint. So now years later doctors admit that I might have pain from the sacralization but there's nothing that can be done besides inject it full of cortisone and go on my merry way. So I've been ignoring it. Which has led to my latest knee issues. Back to physio I go and surprise, today he wants to give acupuncture a try. WHAT... needles where I already feel numbing pain??? And aren't you a doctor - what's with this alternative stuff? OK... if there's a chance it will help I'll do it (plus my physiotherapist is cute. Sad, but a cute guy can talk me into almost anything). So I opt for the extreme version where not only do they stick a needle in me, they stick it right into the muscle and wiggle it around. If I'm going to do it, I want the one that works. Well it's only been an hour so I can't say it worked. I still feel like he left a needle in there... right in the nerve - good lord it hurts. But one good thing I noticed - right away my lower spine had more mobility. But good lord the pain.

Oh also I noticed cute physio guy had a wedding ring. Why do I not look at these things before I get all attracted?

how did we date before cell phones???

2008-08-19T21:33:00.002-07:00

No?

2008-08-14T11:20:00.002-07:00

Ok... somehow people are not understanding me when I say this word. No, non, nada. It's just not getting through. Today I had a 1/2 hour conversation with an ad sales rep that went something like this...me - "We are not going to run the ad this year"... Sales rep - "Really, well we should set a drop dead decision date", Me- "We didn't get the response so I can not justify running the ad again". Sales rep - "So could you let me know by Monday?" Me - "We are Not going to run an ad in your publication.". It was so frustrating. It's like finally getting the nerve to break up with someone and they are like "ok, I understand... So let's go out Saturday night".

I'm going to practice - No, Non, Nada, Nooooo, nope,negative, Nooooooooooooooooo.

Frayed

2008-07-23T12:37:00.005-07:00

So I've had a few frayed moments the last few days. Too many to blog them all, but mostly related to a Calgary trip that I went on even though I couldn't afford it. Why?...because I can't say no. Actually that's not true... I did say no, but somehow that was translated into a yes. So myself and 4 others piled into a 15 passenger van Friday night and drove to Calgary. Renting the van was an experience to say the least. A comedy of errors that ended with me trying to get to work stuck at broadway station during rush hour, every passing train packed full, and I've got a huge sleeping bag, pillow and back pack - it was hopeless. After a random guy started eyeballing my sleeping bag and insisting on knowing where I was 'camping' that night, I decided the day was crazy enough and needed to be reset. It was not a good day to walk into the office late with a pillow in hand. So I pressed control/alt/del hauled my stuff on the opposite train, took the day off and went home.

By the time the Calgary trip was over I had logged 2300 km in 4 days with about 12 hours sleep. So describing me as 'frayed' Tuesday would be an understatement and could explain how I almost got into a fight with a rude grungy guy at the skytrain. I don't think he expected me to grab his arm and twist it back when he got in my face. I think I need a spa day. Or just sleep : (

90 seconds in my brain...

2008-07-15T21:00:00.005-07:00

Hmm... that's sad, a homeless guy slumped down leaning against the wall as people rush to get wherever they have to be to start their day. And Ironic that he's beside the Coach store. A store that really signifies the divide with ridiculously priced handbags that aren't that great. I mean look at that big bag with C's all over it - that's just silly. And that little blue one, that's... well kind of cute. Oh look they have it in purple. I wonder if they have a red or yellow one??? Couldn't hurt to look.

I guess I still have a long way to go on my path to enlightenment?

the other side of the tracks.

2008-07-13T20:22:00.003-07:00

here's some pics of my new backyard...

Fun with Google...

2008-07-12T00:01:00.002-07:00

Go to Google and type in:
find chuck norris
Then click the 'I'm feeling lucky' button
Just do it :D

found this on funny or die...

2008-07-01T13:44:00.002-07:00

Honey...

2008-06-30T09:00:00.002-07:00

I'm adding this to my Christmas wish list.