Vicarious Wanderings: 11/01/2005

We went to the Hockey!!

I saw my first game of ice hockey last night... Vancouver Canucks vs Chicago Blackhawks with the Canucks winning 3-1. It was very fast... even from a long way a way it was sometimes hard to keep up with the puck. Besides the actual hockey, the whole hockey experience was enjoyable if not a little over the top, almost theatrical reminding me of what I imagine the Coloseums of ancient Rome with the gladiators could have been like. We managed to sneak in a few packets of M&M's and some pringles ( mmmmm) while ditching the drinks due to bag checks. Fun experience.

Other news is that I've been shifted from being a contract worker to full time employment which means I get all the benefits along with a slight raise in pay, it also means I can work towards staying in the country as a worker now, being able to fill in extending my working visa forms and applying for permanent residency. The bonus part was also getting the hockey tickets to the afore mentioned game. It's good. I'm really enjoying the work I'm doing with QuestAir and my effort is noticed and appreciated which is good. Hopefully the extended work visa works out and I can stay here beyond March.

Captain Coke Bottle

Canada (well at least Vancouver) has turned dark and rainy over the last few weeks. Dark, dark, dark and only 5pm, and it's just going to get darker until Christmas. I don't really mind it, it's just different. Monday was the first night since daylight saving was turned off and it happened to be halloween, so the ride home was with crazy traffic in the dark with the constant firecracker background noise. Seemed a little chaotic.Charlene and I are doing well, though both of us seem busy helping out with what ever. We haven't really started any real wedding planning, though we have picked a date - April 22, the week after Easter, so if anyone is in vancouver that weekend.... At this stage we're just throwing around ideas of how we'd like it, and making sure it's not a painful experience. It's exciting. We've been to a local jewellery studio thing to get engagement/wedding rings designed and made up. Hopefully they'll be all done in another week. It's a long drawn out process but they will be good.
Works good, though I'm still not sure whether it will turn full time or not. Sounds promising from several sources but until I sign a bit paper I won't count on it. We had fund raising event all last week. Different events each day during the lunch hour. One of the events was a junk yards war with the basic criteria to cost under $50 and complete five events. A 3m sprint, jump and hit a golf ball (high jump), long jump, throwing event (a shuttle cock), and an endurance event (who's vehicle could go furthest). There were three teams and I was in charge of the yellow team. Somehow we had a clean sweep, even being the cheapest vehicle. We mastered the pressurised soft drink bottle rocket idea with a bicycle valve in a rubber cork held in place with the lid. Just undo the lid and when the thread let goes, she goes. Most the events had about 5-10PSI, but for the endurance I pumped it up to 120PSI while wearing face shield and leather gloves. Crowd response was good. My criteria before the event was keep it simple since I value my time, and get good crowd response. So winning everything was an added bonus.Someone came up at the start of the week when I'd been voted Junk yard wars leader and said the performance could make or break me, no pressure... now I go by thename Captain Coke Bottle (well one person has called me that). There's a few photos attached from the last month... cake decorating has been a highlight. Enjoy.

The amazing coke bottle that went where few bottles have been before... for Brad and anyone else who wants to build one. Get a rubber cork with a hole in the middle, stick a bike valve through. Drill a hole in the lid. Apply vaseline (petroleum jelly) to cork, insert in bottle, screw lid on, pump up with bicycle pump, slowly unscrew bottle from lid while firmly holding lid. Usually easier to attach bike pump before putting cork in place. I recommend leather gloves with pressures over 60PSI and definitely face shield for pressures over 100. Hang on really tight. Filling with water makes it go lots further and also wets your crutch. Yellow racing band is recommended.

Captain Coke Bottle...

When the shops are all out of pupkins, there's always watermelons.

Oh my!!

With the work Heidi was doing in the down town east side, she some how had a few bed bugs come home and set up in her room. We thought the cake was appropriate.