Thought for food

The Mac Shack finally opened in Vancouver. My sister and I have been eagerly waiting for it to open. We both love mac & cheese and when we heard that a restaurant was opening specializing in only our favourite meal well we had to try it out. It was well worth the wait. The decor is very pleasing to the eye but more importantly the food is great. It is comfort food done to perfection with a little extra added to make your taste buds go crazy. My sister had the Brooklyn and I had the Lobster Mac & Cheese. This is one place that we will be back to many times.

After lunch we went to The Secret Garden for afternoon tea. My mom is a regular there and after years of hearing her rave about it I finally got to go myself. You have no idea how excited I got over a cup of tea but after wanting to go hear for so long it was exciting to be there taking it in for myself.  I have figured out that I am a sucker for creamy Earl Grey. Yes that is my tea of choice. I would drink it all day long if I could and I am starting to think that I might take up afternoon tea every day. The British have it all right afternoon tea is the way to go!

Superhero

You are my superhero, the one I look up to for strength. When I was growing up I always wanted to be just like you. You were invincible to me, nothing could ever hurt you. I couldn't wait to grow up to be like you because I thought you never felt pain. I always thought you would live forever.

But now you are older and so am I. I can finally see the pain you are in. I notice the limp you walk with and how stiff your joints get. Yesterday you got a nose bleed and that really made it sink in. It wasn't a bad nose bleed but I saw that you aren't invincible, that you are human. What scared me the most was seeing the fear in your eyes. I have never seen that before. I have never seen you scared or cry, but yesterday for the first time I saw that you didn't feel like you were invincible.

You have always been there for me whenever I needed you. You have always been the rock I could climb onto for safety when the world came crashing in on me. Whenever I am in trouble I can turn to you and know that you will help me out. You let me know that everything will be alright. I have never thought about you not being there. In my mind you will live forever but now as you get older I know that the time is nearing that you will no longer be there when I need you. I don't know what I will do when that day comes.........

I love you and I know I never tell it to you but no matter how weak and frail you may get you will always be my superhero.

Beautiful day in the nieghbourhood

What a beautiful day it is today in Vancouver. I love this city so much and I am so glad I live here. There is no city like it in the world. It's a cold windy fall day full of color. I took this photo this morning. It's just a nice view of the harbour and downtown. We are lucky to get views like this from where ever we are in our beloved city.

Coca-Cola + Polar Bears = ♥

White Coca-Cola cans! It's something different and throws you off at first glance. You are so used to the iconic red cans that everyone around the world knows. When you first pick these up you think you are grabbing a Diet Coke. Coke has teamed up with WWF to help save the polar bear. Every can of Coke helps protect their natural habitat and ensures that these incredible creatures are around for generations to come. I love Coke and I love polar bears and now the two of them are interlocked. I couldn't be happier.

A year later

It's been a year since I wrote the last blog about you. I think it is one of the best blogs I have written. It is raw emotion, a release of what I had been storing up for seventeen years. Not much has changed in a year. We talk a little more but my feelings are just as strong today as they were a year ago. To be honest I think you are a joke. You amuse me so that is the only reason I still have anything to do with you. Look at yourself now and what you have let yourself become. You are pathetic in every sense of the word. It's time for you to be a man and take some responsibility for your actions. If you honestly think you are not at any fault for what happened then you are in total denial. We both went through similar situations. We both fucked up, but the difference between us is that I didn't let it get the best of me. I didn't let it destroy who I am. It's sad how you went into this downward spiral. You had everything going for you and could have just walked away from the whole situation. Left it behind and moved on but instead you let it get into your head and take over. Look at how you have thrown your life away. I'm not going to sit here and judge you, it's your life and you are free to live it the way you choose. But I laugh just thinking about you snorting coke and screwing hookers. You have become a real bad boy and you seem so proud of it. You have all this money and you waste it on shit like that. You act all happy but it's just a facade and so easy to see through. Inside you are nothing more than a broken depressed loser.

Banana bread beer

I have a new favourite beer. Banana bread beer. Yes I know at first you are like WTF just like I was but once you try it you fall in love. Bananas are my favourite fruit, they edge out pumpkin just slightly and I love banana bread so this beer is perfect for me. Bananas and beer I still can't quite get my head around it but it works and it is tasty. It's funny that on Thanksgiving I am drinking banana beer instead of pumpkin beer. Oh well I did have both pumpkin pie and pumpkin cake today so I think I've met my quota  of pumpkin for the day. Back to the beer it's a great British beer. I know Canada has a bunch of great breweries but you can't go from with a British beer. I am a quarter British and a quarter Scottish so of course I don't feel bad saying I love a Foreign beer. Maybe I have a little hidden German in me too because I seen to be having my own Oktoberfest ;)

Oshkosh Striker

I want one. It's the Oshkosh Striker Airport Firetruck. It is the biggest firetruck in the world and would be so cool to have. I would just drive around shooting stuff with water. Haha maybe one day.

Pumpkin beer

I love pumpkin, always have and always will. Of course pumpkin pie is my favourite, but I have never come across any pumpkin food that I haven't liked. Now that it is October everyone is releasing their pumpkin products. I am lucky that I am a baker and get my fill of pumpkin scones whenever I want. My other favourites are pumpkin cream cheese muffins from Starbucks and pumpkin crème brûlée from Milestones. But of course being Canadian I love my pumpkin beer. My favourite is Granville Island Brewery's Pumpkin Ale. I wait all year for this beer and it is even better that it comes in a big bottle. There is nothing better than watching playoff baseball with my sister and having few cold bottles of pumpkin ale.

Afternoon tea

I have gotten hooked on tea. I drink it all the time now. I used to think tea just tasted like hot water but as I have aged I have come to enjoy a nice cup of tea. It has to be the English in me. I know my Grandpa would be happy to know I am a tea drinker. I remember when I would go visit him as a child he would always have tea with every meal and every afternoon he would have a cup of tea and toast with jam. Watching him all those years must have rubbed off because I find myself having tea and toast every afternoon. I am defiantly English at heart.

Dinosaurs of the beach

Another day at the beach for me. This time it was a cold windy day at my favourite beach Jericho. This is something you don't expect to see on the beach. A giant excavator picking up huge rocks as if they were feathers. When you stop and watch them they begin to look like prehistoric creatures. Out of place and out of their environment. I am used to seeing these on constructions sites downtown or ripping up city streets. Not on the beach that I love. At first it destroyed the beauty of the beach but as I stood there and watched I began to see how graceful they can be. Something so big and powerful being so delicate and precise. Picking up rocks and arranging them in a specific order. I could picture in my mind dinosaurs with their long slender necks bringing them down to the water to drink. I began to realize that these noisy beasts weren't destroying what I love but instead making it better. They no longer felt out of place. Soon they will be done their work and will move on to their next job but I will always have this picture as proof that dinosaurs like the beach too.

FattyMcBeans

This is Dante, he was the original FattyMcBeans. I use the name in honour of him. I'm not one to get to attached to pets but Dante stoled my heart from the time I first saw him. He was special and the two of us had a bond. I got him as a birthday gift for my mom but he was always my cat. I remember picking him out at the pet store. He was the only kitten sleeping and the rest were running around and playing. He was an odd cat. He was a huge chicken shit. He didn't like going outside, he would run from birds and he was terrified of the dark. I don't know how that one works cats are suppose to the the dark, but not Dante. We kept his food on the basement steps and he wouldn't go eat unless you turned on the light and stood there with him. But for all his quirks he was a great cat. He loved to cuddle and would always climb into my lap as soon as I sat down. He knew when I was sick or just down and would always curl up beside me and purr to make me feel better. But don't let his cuteness fool you he had a temper and could be mean if he really wanted too. I have a few scars from him and every time I look at them I smile and think about him. He loved to terrorize my friends, he would always sneak up on and attack them. I miss him and it was hard to watch him wither away from cancer. I could see the pain in his eyes and he tried to be brave for me but it was just too much. Many cats have come and gone since him and all of them have had their place in my life but none of them will ever be as close to me as Dante. I miss you McBeans!

PAIN!

IT IS SHOOTING THROUGH MY BODY LIKE A BOLT OF LIGHTNING. IT'S UNBEARABLE. I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE. IT NEVER ENDS. I JUST WANT IT TO STOP!

Coca-Cola cooking

My Coca-cola cookbook. Yes I am a huge Coke fanatic and of course I have a Coke cookbook. I love to cook and I love Coke so why not put the two together. Everything goes better with a cook, even a recipe. So far it has gotten a lot of use. Today I am making a Beef Brisket for my sister who is recovering from surgery. She loves brisket and it is hard to find somewhere around here that makes a good one. So I am making her one to make her feel better. Comfort food is the best medicine.  Other recipes I recommend from this cookbook are the Chinese Pepper Steak, Japanese Pickled Cauliflower and my favourite the Fresh Banana Cake with Seafoam Frosting. Back to the kitchen my brisket needs basting.

Lord Stanley

So here we are again on the verge of another hockey season. The Canucks came so close last year and it was a heart break when they didn't win. After the cup run of '94 the team went through a stretch of bad years and a part of me worries that we are heading for that again. But I am trying to stay optimistic I know we still have a good core of players and our system is filled with good young talent. I am hoping that we have the same kind of season as last year with one big difference.... A Stanley Cup win! I dream that one day I get to watch the Canucks hoist the cup and that I get to be at the Stanley Cup parade. But until then I have this picture. That is me with the Stanley Cup. That was a dream come true getting to touch it and reading all the names of the players I grew up idolizing. Now the next dream is to read the names of my Vancouver Canucks on it.

Two more places to go

I found a couple new places I want to visit. First The Great Blue Hole in Belize. I stumbled across a picture of it and wanted to know more about it. It's an underwater sinkhole. I didn't even know there was such a thing until minutes ago but it looks beautiful and scary and intriguing. It's just a one of those things I want to see. Just fly over it in a helicopter so I can tell everyone that I did it and get some pictures of my own to add to my blog.

 Pamukkale in Turkey is the second place I discovered today. They are natural occurring hot springs and travertines in a city in southwestern Turkey. This picture just makes you want to lay in them all day and take in the breathtaking scenery that surrounds them. I know I live so close to Harrison Hot Springs and I have been there before, they are beautiful and amazing in there own way. But these would give you a totally different experience.

Two more places to add to my must see list. It is really starting to grow. I should probably get started on knocking them off.

Humpty Dumpty?

I don't know what the hell this is. I am guessing it is suppose to be Humpty Dumpty but who really knows. I don't know where my sister found this or why she brought it home, but she seems to really like it. It creeps the hell out of me. It looks like a deranged little psycho that will kill me in my sleep. Every time I am at my sisters I catch a glimpse of it out of the corner of my eye and I get a chill down my spine. He just stares at you with those big eyes and deranged smile. I think it's time for Humpty Dumpty to have a fall.

Sunset in New York

I love this photograph, it is one of my favourites. I am impressed that I took it. It is the best picture that I have ever taken. I think it captures the beauty and essence of the city. It is New York without all the busyness most people are accustomed too. Anyone who has been there can look at this picture and hear the sounds of New York. The crowds of people shuffling alone the streets. The cars passing by, sirens in the distance and the constant honking of horns. It is something I have grown to miss. I don't know how but the never ending noise of New York is soothing. They make you feel like you are in the middle of something important. I love the peacefulness of Burnaby where I live but sometimes the silence gets lonely. I look at this picture and it all comes rushing back to me. I am transported to this moment where time seemed to stand still as the world around me went rushing by,.

Maybach

Maybach's are such nice cars. They are quickly becoming one of my favourites. Part of the appeal is the rarity of them. Ferrari's, Maserati's, Bentley's and Lamborghini's are nice cars but they are a dime a dozen. I know that sounds absurd to say about cars that cost six figures but I see them driving around every day. Maybach's on the other hand are harder to find. I have only ever seen two and I had to go all the way to New York to set my eyes on this beauty. I stopped for a good fifteen minutes just to drool over him. My friend was getting upset at me because he doesn't get how magnificent this machine is. It is a work of art and it's fitting that I saw it after just leaving the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It easily could be a display in there. But then again what it has to offer would be lost on the majority of people. It has been nearly two years since my last sighting of one. I think it is time for me to go on a hunt for one.

Yankee Stadium

Watching the Yankees play on T.V. today made me think of my visit to Yankee Stadium. It had always been a dream of mine to go there and catch a ball game. I never made it in time to visit the old Yankee Stadium but I was lucky enough to see new Yankee Stadium in it's inaugural year less than a month after the Yankees won the World Series. I will never forget that day and how excited I was. Just walking through the gates I could feel a sense of nostalgia. You could just feel the history and tradition surrounding you. I know I asked a lot of questions and I am sure by the end our tour guide was happy to get rid of me, but what's the sense of going to see something if you're not going to absorb everything you can from it. It is hard to say that one part of the tour sticks out more than any other. Sitting in the dugout and getting the clay from the field on my Crocs made me feel for a brief second like I was in the show. Monument park was everything I had ever heard about it. Walking around and seeing the plaques of all the great players that I never had the fortune to see play in my time. But that doesn't take away from them being legends. But the one thing that I will always remember most is taking this picture. Babe Ruth's autographed baseball. I remember looking so hard to find it and when I did feeling proud of myself. Like so many other little kids growing up I always wanted to be Babe Ruth. He was and is still my favourite player of all time. And to see his autograph on that baseball, knowing that he once held it in his hands. He left his mark on it for every generation to see. For that split second I felt like he was standing there right in front of me.

"Heros get remembered, but legends never die."

Loser like me

Yes I am a gleek, I have admitted it before. Tonight was the season premiere of Glee. I have been waiting all summer for tonight. You have no idea how excited I have been. I was all set to watch. I had my favourite pajamas on my big comfy slippers and of course my big foam Glee hand. You have no idea how happy that thing makes me. Every time I walk into my room and see it, it makes me smile. I love watching it with my mom, it's our weekly time together. Tonight's show didn't disappoint. Season three is going to be good. I think I want to buy the first two seasons on DVD. Rachel used to be my favourite character but that is slowly changing. Both Brittany and Santana and beginning to grow on me. I have a couple of new songs to download from iTunes for my iPod. Oh and I really want to glitter bomb somebody, it just looks like so much fun.

Spirit Bear

The Kermode Bear, one of British Columbia's secret wonders. Next summer I am going to take my vacation and go see these bears. I have always loved bears and Polar Bears are my favourite but having mini Polar Bears in my own back yard makes it a shame that I haven't gone to see them yet. But it is on my list now and next summer I will trek through The Great Bear Rainforest on my quest to find this beautiful creature. I know I won't have to try and convince my sister to come on this trip with me. She will be just as excited for it as I am. So come sumer of 2012 I will be on a mission to encounter a Spirit Bear.

$

 They say money makes the world go round. Sure scientifically speaking we all know this isn't true but it's hard to think that it isn't somehow a little true. Maybe it doesn't make the world go around but it does make the people on the world run. It is the measure to which we all relate success. The more money you have the more power you have and the human race is driven by the need for power. So we all want money to bring us power. Most of us toil away at our jobs earning barely enough to make ends meet. Nothing comes for free in this life so we work ourselves day and night trying to get enough to have the life we always dreamed of. You have to ask yourself if you are willing to do anything for money?

Into the abyss

A flimsy old rope bride strung high up in the canopy of the forest. A bridge that as you look out across it you aren't fully able to see what's awaiting you on the other side. As you take your first step out onto the bridge you feel it sway under your foot and you begin to feel uncertain. The thought that maybe this isn't a good idea shoots through your head. Your heart begins to race as your hands become sweaty. You feel a knot in your stomach. You take one more step and the bridge begins to sway again. You feel like you are about to lose your balance but you quickly regain your composure. You take a glance over your shoulder back to the safety in which you just left. You think about turning back, but your curiosity gets the best of you. As you slowly inch your way forward you begin to feel the cool mist that surrounds you as it settles on your face. You begin to be engulfed by this new world as you slowly move forward. You catch yourself looking down unable to see the forest floor through the thick foliage and it brings an eerie sense of calm to you. The smell of last nights rain fall lingers in your nose and the sounds of birds in the distance ring through your ears. The rope scratches at your hands as you make your way along the bridge. With only a few steps to go you begin to feel at ease in your new surroundings. All your trepidations turn to excitement as your eyes gaze upon your destination.

Glee

Yes I'm a Gleek and I'm not ashamed to admit it. It's funny how I got hooked onto Glee. My mom was really into it and on Tuesday night I cam home just as it was starting. I hadn't seen my mom in a few days and wanted to spend some time with her so I sat down to watch. I was hooked within minutes. And ever since then it has been our weekly time together. Well two seasons in and I am beyond hooked. My iPod is filled with the songs from Glee I have seen the movie three times already and I finally got my own foam hand. Yes I know I am a loser but I don't care!

Cliff Walk & Cleveland Dam

Capilano Suspension Bridge round two. This time I went with my sister and yet again it was another great day. We decided to leave the Cliffwalk for last and headed over the bridge. Of course I was a little shaky crossing the bridge and had a run in with a crazy chick trying to shake the bridge. So not cool but I made it over safely. We walked around the boardwalk and up through the tree top adventure. It was her first time there since they had been built and it inspired the two of us to decided to design playgrounds. I know it's a weird place to decide on a career change but it got us thinking about our childhood and all the playgrounds we use to climb on and all the forts we use to build. Basically we think playgrounds today suck and don't challenge kids physically or mentally. Everything has got to be safe so every ones "precious" kids don't get hurt. Getting hurt is a part of being a kid and growing up. So we want to build playgrounds that do just that. Let kids climb, fall and be creative. So after our inspiring walk through the trees we headed back over the bridge and right as I get to the middle I looked up to see Matt Damon right in front of me. I shook his had and said hello but wasn't going to stay on the bridge to talk to him. Next up it was the Cliffwalk. It had only been two weeks since I had first done it and I was excited to share it with my sister. The two of us are both scared of heights but we realized that our fears differ. For some reason the bridge really freaks me out but my sister is fine on it, but when it comes to the Cliffwalk we are the opposite. She was freaked out yet I was calm. After the Cliffwalk we drove up to the Cleveland Dam. This was my first time up there and as soon as I got out of the car I fell in love with Vancouver all over again. The sheer beauty of the place we call home is breathtaking. As I looked over the edge of the dam I froze with fear. I honestly have to say that I had never been more scared in my life. Something about all the rushing water combined with the height sent terror through my body. But I managed to lean over long enough to get a good look and even snap a picture. It was the perfect day spent with my big sister who I admire and look up to. I love you and can't wait until our next adventure.

It's Nerf or nothing

I heard a commotion outside today and when I looked out the window I saw a big orange tabby attacking Lily. Lily is no push over and can hold her own but it was clear she was out matched and needed back up. So I grabbed my Nerf gun and ran outside I fired off three darts hitting him with each one and he ran off. It was a good victory. These were the best Christmas presents ever.

Weiner Mobile

I want the Oscar Meyer Weiner Mobile. If I ever see it I am going to steal it and drive around and rob banks in it. Haha that would be awesome everyone would laugh if I pulled up to rob a bank in this that they would probably let me get away with it.

Day 3

Three days into my ten day odyssey and my sister's cat is driving me crazy. I finally managed to get her to come in the house after a good day and a bit roaming outside. I have no idea what she was up too but she must have found something to eat cause I haven't had to fill her food dish since I have gotten here. She now just had something to eat and has decided that she wants back outside. There is the dilemma I have locked the house up for the night and now she is bouncing of the walls meowing her heart out trying to get me to let her out. I can tell now that this is going to be a restless night for me. I thought cats were supposed to sleep for 20 hours a day. When does this one get tired?

Dettifoss

I have found a new destination to add to the places I want to travel too or see. The Dettifoss waterfalls in Iceland. I stumbled across this photo and knew I had to see these. I have always heard about how beautiful it is in Iceland and have always wanted to go there. Now I have a destination when I get there. Waterfalls are one of those things in nature that always captivate you and take your breath away. This one does it for me more than any other one.

 It is the most powerful waterfall in Europe. They are one hundred meters wide with a forty five meter drop into the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon. To me it looks like they just disappear into the centre of the earth. Swallowed up by mother nature. I can't wait to be standing on the edge of them. Hearing the roar of the water as it rushes by, smelling the freshness of the water and feeling the mist spraying in the face. I just have to decide if I want to go in the summer or winter. I think I would enjoy in more in the winter seeing the surrounding land covered by snow.

Jour deux

Well today I found my sister's liquor stash. I must say I am quit impressed with it. It is very extensive and diverse. This has got to be bachelorette living at it's best. She makes me seem so lame and boring. Forget going to the liquor store from now on I'm just hitting up my sister when I want a drink. So the plan for today is to grab a few beers and head down to Jericho beach for the day. It's a little cloudy right now but I'm sure it will clear up. I made Jell-o before bed so my breakfast this morning was watermelon Jell-o and a glass of milk. It was surprisingly more filling than I had expected. I am for sure going to grab some fish and chips at the beach today.

Day 1

So I am house sitting for my sister for the next ten days. I opened up her cabinets to see what food she has left me and all I could find was this. Two boxes of Kraft Dinner a can of crab meat two cans of Chef Boyardee four cheese ravioli a box of watermelon Jell-o and one can of Campbell's low fat cream of mushroom soup. I was hoping the fridge would be better stocked but all I have to work with in there is 2 litres of milk a jar of pickles and a couple of carrots. This is defiantly going to test my culinary skills but I am up for the challenge. My mind is already working on different ideas for what to make. If I take the noodles from the mac & cheese mix it with the mushroom soup add the crab meat and use the cheese sauce I have a crab casserole. Well it sounds yummy in my head but I am sure I will figure it all out. I'm starting to think that I might go home a few pounds lighter. If things get too bad she does have a tube of Vegemite I could eat but I think I rather starve to death than eat that.

Nothing runs like a Deere

Not many people know this about me but I have a love for John Deere. Call it the redneck in me if you want but ever since I can remember I have been in love with tractors and lawn mowers. I know I get it from my dad who spends his days fixing them. He comes home and tells me all about the latest toys he gets to work on and I stand there wide eyed soaking in every word. I will never forget going to his work as a little boy and him letting me sit in all the machines. I thought my dad had the coolest job in the world and I still think he does. I know a lot about lawn mowers. All the different makes and models, but nothing gets me more excited than a John Deere. I can't really pin point why, maybe it's the green and yellow, maybe it's something subconscious or maybe it's all the hats my dad has brought home for me. But what ever it is it is in me for ever. Some people dream about cars some about trucks but I dream about John Deere tractors. If I ever won the lottery the first thing I would buy myself is the biggest John Deere they make. I would give up my car and drive that baby everywhere I go. I would go around cutting peoples lawns just to play with my toy and I would be the happiest kid in the world.

A picture is worth a thousand words

A picture is nothing more than a moment frozen in time. Something that people will look at or the rest of time and wonder about. This is a picture of the space shuttle Atlantis re-entering the earths atmosphere. It has quickly become one of my favourite pictures. It almost looks unreal to me in a sense. It is just a streak shooting across the picture with the earth underneath and the vast universe above. Just think for a minute about everything that is frozen in this frame. A tiny ship firing its boosters to make its final journey home. I wonder what those astronauts are thinking at this exact moment. Are they caught up in the task at hand or are they thinking about the history they are making. Is there fear running through their heads or anticipation to get home to their loved ones. Then you look down to the earth below and wonder what the billions of people below are doing. Are they even aware of what is going on above their heads. How many of them are looking up as they look down. Now I wonder what I was doing. Was I tucked safely in my bed or was I out enjoying the summer. All these questions that I will never get answers to but make this picture that more intriguing.

F.M.L.

I made a rookie mistake today and mixed the damn thermometer in the dough . In seven plus years of baking I had never done it before. I have watched other people do it time and time again and made fun of them at how stupid they are but now it's my turn. Yes I'm an idiot! The day was going so smoothly too and of course it happens with the very last dough of the day, which also happens to be the biggest of the day.  It was a stupid line two distracting me. They are the ones to blame, really how could I help myself. So there it's not my fault and that's the story I am sticking too. But I do have to admit it is fun digging through a dough trying to find all the pieces. It's a bit like a scavenger hunt followed by a puzzle as you try and reassemble it to make sure that you have all the pieces. After all of that the bloody thing still worked.

The lazy day

Today I don't feel like doing anything. I just want to lay in my bed. Don't feel like picking up my phone, my cat just broke moms garden gnome. 'Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything.

I'm gonna kick my feet up. Then close my blinds. Turn the TV on and watch some Criminal Minds. Nobody's gonna tell me I can't.

I'll be lounging on the couch, just eating Kraft Dinner. Watching YouTube so Charlie Sheen can tell me I'm a winner. 'Cause in my castle I'm the freaking man.Yes I said it, I said it, I said it 'cause I can

Today I don’t feel like doing anything. I just wanna lay in my bed. Don’t feel like picking up my phone, my cat just broke moms garden gnome. 'Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything. Nothing at all.

Field of dreams

The Green Monster. What a sight it is. I can only imagine how intimidating it is to stand there before it and look up at it. The history that it has witnessed over its life. All the big hits that have bounced off of its face and all of those home runs that have sailed over it. Of course when I was a kid I dreamed about playing in the big leagues and going to all the historic ball parks. Yankee Stadium I am sure is on the top of most little boys list but Fenway Park always topped mine. I used to dream about stepping up to bat and slugging the game winning home run over The Green Monster.

I remember the first time I ever saw a clip of Carlton Fisk's game winning home run in the 1975 World Series. It was instantly seared into my memory and I wanted that moment for myself. When I was a kid I used to reenact that moment countless times, but instead of Fisk it was me hitting that home run. Unfortunately my dream will never come to be. Now I dream about one day going to Fenway Park to watch a baseball game. It is on my top ten list of things I want to do. I will sit in the stands with my beer and hot dog and take in the whole experience.

This is my Green Monster. It is famous in my neighbourhood. All the kids know what it is and they have all heard the legends. When i was a kid my friends and I played wiffle ball baseball. We were die hard and played at least one game nearly everyday starting in the spring and going all the way into September. If we were lucky enough to get a mild Fall we could push our season into October. We had three different ball parks around our complex and this was my home park. mostly because it is right beside my house. When we first started playing I would look up at the monster with awe and intimidation. The rules were simple you hit the ball over it's a home run. If you hit it into the monster and it gets stuck it would be a triple and any hit that would fall out was a double. I would stand at the bottom of the monster and look up thinking I would never be able to hit a wiffle ball over that. I honestly never thought any of us could. If you have ever played with a wiffle ball well then you know that they are hard to get any height or distance out of them. I would swing as hard as I could and hit the ball with everything I had only to see the monster swallow up everything I could send at it. It's funny how in the imagination of a little kid how a couple of trees could become a monster so real to me that I would try to come up with strategies to defeat it. I would try to find its weaknesses, studying all the little holes that i could maybe sneak a ball through to claim victory. A season went by with no luck, monster 576 me 0. I was sure by then that it was imposable, none of us had even come close. But then it happened, I will never forget it. I stepped up to the plate and watched the pitch come to me. It was like it was in slow motion, I swung as hard as I could and heard the pop of the bat you get when you hit the sweet spot. The ball exploded off the bat. Going......Going......Gone! Finally I had claimed victory. I was the first to hit a home run over the monster. My friends all ran over to me, high-fiving and congratulating me. That was the day I became a legend.

I'm melting

It's such a nice day out today. Summer has finally hit Vancouver, the sun is shining bright and hot today. I know everyone in Vancouver is out enjoying the day but it has drained me. I have been zapped of all my energy. I am hot and tired and feel like shit. I want to be a turtle today, hide in my shell and bury myself in the mud where it is nice and cool. Is it too much to ask for a freak snow storm right about now? I would gladly shovel ten feet of snow to escape this heat. I think I am going to move to the arctic. It's decided I am moving to Pond Inlet, Nunavut, Canada. It's a nice 8 degrees Celsius today. I can go play with the Polar Bears. I know I will look like a fool running around in a hoodie, shorts and my Crocs but I don't care. I give all the credit in the world to all the people who live in hot climates. How the hell you get your ass out of bed everyday and function is beyond me. Crap it will cost $2 145.50 to get to Pond Inlet. I guess the freezer at work will have to do for now.

C Note

What a long day it's been. I had a baker phone in sick so work was crazy this morning. But I survived a grueling day at work and headed to Jericho Beach. It was such a nice day today and I decided to take the scenic drive along the water front. Looking up at the north shore mountains across the inlet was picture perfect. It has taken awhile for summer to reach us hear on the west coast but when it does you really see the beauty of Vancouver. So I spent the afternoon downing Jello shots and relaxing on the beach. I fell asleep for a bit and somehow woke up without a sun burn. It must be my lucky day but now I am kicking myself for not buying a lottery ticket.

Next it was off to Cactus Club for an extremely over priced dinner. It was good but not enough food to fill the belly of a big boy like me. After dinner I went to the theatre to watch Transformers Dark Of The Moon. I watched it in the new AVX 3D theatre which only added to the experience. The movie was great. The action was incredible and seeing it in 3D is a must. The only thing missing from the movie is Megan Fox. Micheal Bay you are an idiot for not keeping her. The new chick had a nice ass but Megan Fox she is not.

The day's not over yet. I think it's time for a McDonalds run for a McRib and a Coke. Oh and defiantly an ice cream cone to finish it all off.

Burnaby Lake

 The most beautiful place on earth. It is so peaceful and calm there. It was a great afternoon spent at Burnaby Lake with my sister. A day that I really needed. I have been caught in a rut lately. Feeling sad and depressed but an afternoon spent here makes it all go away. Being out in the sun taking in all the beauty, listening to all the sounds has a way of relaxing you.

Seeing all the wildlife helps you regain your perspective on life. The ducks, geese, chipmunks, birds, dragonflies and the bullfrog that I caught. He sat in my hand and looked at ease as he stared up at me. Almost as if he was giving me some comfort. I wanted a picture of him, but as soon as I pulled my blackberry out he jump out of my hand and hopped away. I bet he is sitting on his lily pad on the lake, eating some flies and watching the sun set behind the trees. He's my new buddy and I will go back to visit him.

Walking on the pier staring out over the beaver dam and the lake rejuvenated my spirits. And picking Salmon berries with my sister brought back memories of our childhood spent berry hunting in the creek. It was a good day and I can't wait for the next one spent at the lake.