+1

So there is something I haven't yet shared on here, for a number of reasons, but I think the time has come. Some of you may remember a few months ago my blog entries mentioned how happy I was and despite the ranting I was saying what a good decision it was to come here. Well other than Vancouver being great there was another reason for that; her name is Jen.

To cut a long story short we've been going out for a few months, she is amazing and somehow I've managed to convince her that moving to the UK on a work visa would be a great idea. So 3 days after I arrive in the UK I will be heading back to the airport to pick up another immigrant (at 6:45am, thanks Jen).

As for where we will go and what we will do, we haven't honestly decided yet. Jen wants to see as much of the UK as possible, even though I've told her it's not like it is in Doctor Who. In fact it's especially not like Doctor Who, there are only so many quarries in Wales. Anyway I imagine there will be a fair amount of travel involved in the first few weeks before we do the boring stuff like get a job and place to live. Which is fine with me.

And yes, she likes Batman.

Funemployment

3 weeks until I leave and I think it's about time I made some plans for what to do with the time I have between finishing work and leaving on a jet plane. I know that if I don't do it now I will end up sitting on my sofa trying to find all the Gold Bolts in Ratchet & Clank. So far there are a few semi-definites:

- A trip to Seattle. It'd be a shame to be this close to the USA for a year and not go there at least once.

- Richmond Kart Track. It's been ages since I've been karting and now is definitely the time to go.

- Walk around the sea wall at Stanley Park again. I haven't done that in ages.

- Have the steak at Joey's again. It is seriously good steak. And the crispy mash is bloody awesome, and I'm not saying that just because Greg used to roll them. I never thought I'd know so much about crispy mash until I met that guy.

- Eat more Cheetos. Seriously, why haven't I been eating these before? They're amazing. Chester Cheetah was RIGHT.

- Pray for McDonald's dollar drink days to come around again. Come on!

Okay I'm straying into being stupid again so let's pull back. It's these freaking Cheetos man, they make me hyper.

Reading back over that there's a few things I'm doing again when I feel like I should be doing new stuff. Feel free to give me your ideas. Seriously, if you were in Vancouver for 2 weeks with money and time to spend, what would you do?

Vancouver - a love letter

A little while ago I decided it was the time for a late night drink from Tim Horton's, so I threw some clothes on went down to the street to grab one. But in the 2 minutes it took me to get there I suddenly had the urge to take a stroll around downtown. So a few minutes later, $1.75 poorer but a steaming cup of hot chocolate richer, I found myself heading towards False Creek.

The thing about this city is it never seems to get old to me. I'm not even sure how long I was walking (2 hours maybe?) and almost every street I walked down was one I'd seen several times before. But the freshness was still there without any sign of abating. There's something about the apartment blocks that is strangely charming. The way each of them is similar but different enough to provide variety, the way they each have something (usually several things) that would make living there more welcoming. There's the usual stuff: gyms, swimming pools, gigantic lobbies, that sort of thing. I saw one guy point his key at the electronic lock and it unlocked the door from about 3 feet away; how cool is that? Take even my building for instance, it has a party room and a small cinema you can rent - for free.

More than that though is the sense of calm that seems to come over me when I take a walk around. The city always feels warm, figuratively speaking. Tonight people were sat in grassy parks just talking and watching the darkness close in. And the calmness in a physical sense - when I got to False Creek the loudest noise I could hear was the sound of my own footsteps. The water was as still as I've seen it and the lights reflecting in the water from the Science World looked beautiful. Even without the view of the mountains or the warm summer sunshine, I was walking around slowly taking in the atmosphere and felt completely at peace. No matter ephemeral that feeling was, it was Vancouver that gave it to me.

So what now? The sadness of leaving? Partly, yes. But I'd rather leave with the gratitude of having been. I like the fact I haven't seen everything it has to offer - it gives me good reason to come back. And if all I leave with are fond memories and greater sense of equanimity then I'm happy with that.

So here's to you, Vancouver. My favourite place on Earth.

11/12

One month to go. I'm definitely in end-of-trip mode, even though I don't finish work for another two weeks. It's clashing with my desire to stay though. Usually at the end of a holiday (even though this wasn't, it felt like one) I'm ready to go back home and return to normal. I am definitely looking forward to funemployment, spending the last couple of weeks in Vancouver before heading home and watching as much football as I can cram in. Good times. In other news:

- Vancouver has been basking in summer sunshine and it's brilliant. The city looks and feels so much better with blue skies and sun directly overhead. I was walking by False Creek today enjoying the warmth, the slight breeze and the view when I though to myself: "I'm going to miss this town".

- England are not going to win the World Cup. Ignore the previous post.

- For reasons too boring to explain I've become obsessed with this stupid game called The Saboteur. It's got to the point where I don't like playing it any more, but I have to get 100%. And the closer I get, the more I find myself swearing at the television.

- Hotels in Seattle look expensive. But why? There doesn't seem to be anything to do once you get there.

- I've decided I might sell the lappy. So listen up Canadian readers, $300 and it's yours.

Right that's it. I'm off to play Saboteur. Sigh.

It's coming

It's weird having Tuesdays off

There's nothing to do. I think I'm going to start walking again, even though it's not the same without Greg and I reflecting about how our lives have turned out. *cries*

But in the interests of public service, here's some useful information for you:

- McDonald's breakfast is better than Burger King's. Also you can only sit for 20 minutes if you eat in at BK.

- Sometimes people will come in and ask you if you're open on Sundays. On a Sunday. Be prepared.

- Swedish films are weird. And not for the faint of heart.

- My dad seems to think I'll be staying at the house for a while when I get back. No chance, I'm there to watch the football and after that I'm getting the hell out of Dodge. And let's face it, it makes sense. Then I'm not climbing the walls dealing with a couple of pensioners and my dad isn't searching for one slipper every other night after I've hidden it somewhere.

- Apparently there's an election soon?

- OK I finally admit it. Dairy Queen's Blizzard is better than a McFlurry.

That's it. I'm off to find something to do.