I've got nothing this morning.....well this afternoon. I am off yet again for the week, I know I know shush!! I get 5 weeks holidays what can I say. It's Canada Day tomorrow so I figured I would add a few vacation days and get the whole week off instead of one measly day.

It's worked out fabulously and I've spent my first day in sheer bliss. I went to the gym this morning, then for a nice relaxing massage and I'm leaving in a few to meet a friend whom I haven't seen in ages for all you can eat sushi!! Add a few brewskis to the mix and it's the perfect start of a week long vacation.

(Obviously not me haha!!)

Depending on the weather I hope to hit up the beach, play some vball and relax with...yes you guessed it a beer or two. Lucky for me I have a friend off this week as well; he also enjoys those activities so I will have some company which is cool. A friend asked me to hit up a trailer this coming weekend so I'll probably add that into the mix as well. Last year there was a fire ban as it had been too dry so hopefully that won't be in effect this go around. Needless to say I plan to take these next 7 days and enjoy each and every one of them.

I'm rambling...but if you want a laugh go check out 2DP's blog and read his story of ripped pants and booze. It's hilarious, you won't be disappointed!! I don't even think it's so much the story that made me laugh so hard, it's how he tells it! You're one hell of a writer sir!

I'm not sure if it was the fresh air in BC or the extra sleep that caused me to lose my mind last week but let me tell you, I said a few things that even I'm embarrassed to admit.

1st someone was telling us about this homeless man who would always tell the same joke. He would ask people to give him a dollar if he could tell them where they got their glasses, "you got them on your face" he would reply hand outstretched. H suggested the man get a new joke like "hey I can tell you where you got your pants." I then told H that this would be a ridiculous joke, how could the homeless man possibly make any money trying to guess the various stores where one buys pants. H said "Oh Ashley.....on your legs, you got your pants on your legs" Doh!

2nd we were making the 6 hour trek back to Vancouver from Portland after the party. We stopped at a rest area and I took my empty Starbucks cup with me to the washroom to discard. Strangely there were no garbage cans in the washroom so I wandered around outside searching with no luck. I approached H and J and placed my cup on the picnic table. Not one to be a litter bug I shrugged my shoulders and explained my dilemma looking to them for answers. H pointed to a group of large bins that resembled recycle bins. I told him that I had seen the same bins across the way and they had a sign attached that said Auto Litter Only. I wandered over to this new group of bins and walked back cup in hand. Nope, these signs say the containers are for Auto Litter Only as well! They both just stared at me until H asked what type of auto litter I thought they were for "like oil?" he asked. I said I wasn't sure, I guess like old mufflers, flat tires etc. I then realized the stupidity of not only my answer but it clicked in that Auto Litter Only meant litter from ones car duh!!

Anyone else have any blonde moments lately??

I am finally back home after catching the red-eye which is absolute torture at the best of times. I walked down the aisle, found my seat and much to my dismay was situated beside a toddler....dear lord!! I popped a gravol hoping to sleep away his screams but funny enough, once the flight actually took off he settled down and fell asleep and I was left in this terrible groggy but can't quite sleep state because of the bloody pill.


As for the rest of my trip it was good. I just walked around a lot, shopped of course and hit up the art gallery. They had this exhibit called Krazy: The Delirious World Of Anime, Comics, Video Games and Art. Not really my thing but it was cool to see some of the drawings from Wallace and Gromit and Toy Story.


The weather was off and on for most of my time in Van, it rained, it was cool, then the sun would come out, it didn't seem to know what it was doing. It was a shame as the weather at home was in the 30's which is hot hot hot. (I flew in today and gee guess what, it's raining at home now too dammit)

I met up with Rawbean on my last night in the city for a few drinks at this cute place called Subeez. It was great to relax and chat over cocktails for a few hours and I'm really glad we had a chance to meet. I think it's so much fun to meet ( I know I know I used "meet" twice now shush) new people that you would not normally be in contact with if not for the blog.

I was in food heaven as well on this vacation as the city seemed to have quite a few veggie options which I loved!! I went to Naam ( a 24/7 vegetarian restaurant) on Rawbeans advice and loved the noodles, as well I've always wanted to try the butter chicken sauce sans chicken at an Indian restaurant. I got the chance to do so at Annapurna a vegetarian Indian restaurant which simmered veggie balls in a butter chickenish sauce which was so freaking good. I also branched out and tried an oyster burger (pictured above). The burger was really quite tasty and messy as hell.


Granville Island had this fantastic sweet shop with rows upon rows of treats to try. I'm extremely thankful that I do not live anywhere near this place haha!

Though I did sample a few items :)

The view from H's apartment is spectacular on a clear sunny day with the mountains and water surrounding him.



Self Timer portrait a la Big Ben!! This is literally a one minute walk from H's place......can you even imagine this as your backyard?? He lives right along the seawall which everyone seemed to be enjoying. There were in line skaters, runners, cyclists, people walking their dogs, kayaks, boaters....you name it! I'm definitely bringing my runners next time I visit!

Ah the mountains, I tried and tried to capture their beauty but to no avail. They are stunning and this photo certainly does not do them any justice....I bought a postcard for that!!

Hope that everyone had a great week!!

Vancouver is quite a beautiful picturesque city. I spent my first day touring around with H, and by touring around I mean walking for oh about 6 hours straight. I think we walked the entire perimeter checking out Granville Island, Stanley Park, Gas Town, the East side....and everywhere inbetween. My feet had the blisters to prove it and his friends had a look of horror when we told them where we ventured. I had no complaints though as the views were absolutely stunning and the air so fresh and clean.

The East side was shocking....absolutely shocking, there are no other words for such a thing. We walked about 10 mins out of Gas Town which was a cute little area into the depths of despair. I work in one of the most impoverished cities in Canada and I was astounded by this area. It seemed as though every homeless person and addict had taken refuge in a 2 block radius. It was the amount of people in such a small area that really got to me. I've seen it on TV in documentaries, I have heard about the problems there but I was not prepared at all for what I saw. It was really quite sad.

In the evening we prepared for an upcoming road trip to Portland where we were to attend a circus/carnival themed party and were set to dress up as chickens. There were feathers all over poor H's apartment as we sewed these ridiculous headdresses well into the evening.



On Friday we ventured the 3 hours to Seattle to visit Wiwille and were lucky enough to catch a ride with H's friend. Wiwille was a gentleman in every sense of the word. He bought me a copy of Casablanca as I've told him about a thousand times "I'll watch it I swear" and I've never gotten around to doing so. Every time we were about to enter his car, he would open our door first and then make his way in. I really enjoyed our lunch on the water and can imagine the place would be great to sit out and have a nice cold drink on a beautiful day.

We wandered around the city where H was hellbent on me seeing the Library and this Olympic Sculpture park ..... which after walking through I despised. It was ridiculous, there were maybe 3 sculptures and the rest were these over sized orange cones, needless to say a fan I was not. The library was rather impressive; they brought their mascot ( a chicken doll) and took photos of her in every possible nook and cranny, it was quite amusing as I'm sure people were wondering what the hell they were doing.

In the evening we had some dinner and then my 3 companions seemed to fade quickly. I was ready for a night on the town and they were all yawning and practically falling asleep at 10pm, lightweights!!!

We headed out to Portland the following day for carnival fun. The party deserves it's own post and photos to accompany which I am not able to do at this time.

So all and all the trip has been good. On the way home from Oregon (6 hour drive) with lots of thinking time I started to feel bad about Seattle.....I had Wiwille take his time to give me this list of things to do....and then we didn't do any of them. Sorry!!! It was later in the day by the time we arrived, my companions didn't really want to spend too much moolah and I was a bit tired.

I think he should come to Van after work today and call in sick tomorrow to get his drink on !!!

I bought these cute bermuda shorts a few weeks ago that I’m really digging however, there’s a bit of a problem. As I was walking down the looonnnnggg barren hallway to my office this morning I noticed a *swish swish* sound. Apparently I’ve turned into George Costanza……..dammit!!

I actually started to laugh out loud while walking down the hall. I thought it was hilarious and reminded me of that Seinfeld episode where George is trying to impress his prospective boss however his discounted suit makes that *swish swish* sound.


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(Clearly not my photo, I found it on the good ole net)


I am leaving this week for my vacation which I’m very much looking forward to. Mountains and fresh air what could be better? I have Wiwille booked as my tour guide for a day and will surely drink him under the table in the evening. Watch out buddy, watch out!! We Canucks have the strong stuff over here! (Clearly this sentence is going to bite me in the ass later, we all know i'll have like three drinks and pass out) I'm also hoping to meet up with Rawbean which shouldn't be a problem at all, I believe she lives right around the corner from my friend. Other than that I have a large outdoor circus themed party to attend in Portland with my friend. Apparently people dress up and there's a dunk tank, kissing booth etc. Last years pictures look like a lot of fun but I will have to find a costume between now and then. Any suggestions?

Music Meme

WIGSF tagged me to complete this music meme. The rules are as follows:

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now.

I am a huge fan of NIN and every few months or so I toss in a CD and let it play for weeks at a time. I can't decide between songs so i'm picking three (which will make my list longer than 7) Trent is looking hot and sweaty in this first video....he makes me tingle ;)

Terrible Lie



Hurt



Right Where It Belongs




The Killers
Uncle Jonny



The Who
Baba O'Riley



Jefferson Airplane
White Rabbit



Janet Jackson
Feedback
I have this one on my MP3 player for the gym.



Evanescence
Good Enough
I totally have a crush on Amy Lee, this song however makes me a little sad sometimes.



Coldplay
A Rush of Blood to the Head





Feel free to complete this meme as well. And no snickering or mocking of my choices....you know who you are (that's right, i'm pointing at you). At least I didn't throw any Nickelback in there haha!!

I've been playing volleyball in a winter league for the past 5 or so years. For some reason we always lose way more than we win. We certainly don't play in a competitive league, it's more of a rec league for fun. I was recruited by one of my teammates to join her in an all day charity tournament this past weekend on the beach sans our regular team.

It's actually a very cool set-up with 3 courts on the beach and games running all day long. There are anywhere from 40-70 people around, playing, lounging, drinking. They have this enormous fire pit (which was totally needed today it was freaking cold out there) and a band that comes out to play while the games are going on.

We played about 10 games in 7 hours and get this.......we won every single game we played!!! Oh the joy!!! Of course it helped that we had 3 young guys on our team ( one was like 6' 5 ) and they were competitive as hell.


Dusk was setting in and the championship game was upon us. We clearly had an advantage. The opposing team only had 5 players and each were creeping well into their 60's. Guess what folks....they killed us. The score was like 20-5 or something horrendously embarrassing. Apparently this team plays every year and every year they win, shockingly 2008 was no different.

(My sad "we came in 2nd place" face)

(Yet another burn even though I wore SPF 45)

I had a great time however I came home with a bit of a burn and I'm pretty sure my entire body hates me. My forearms are swollen and spotted from bumping and and I feel like I could pass out at any moment I'm so tired. Apparently old age is creeping up haha it's 9PM and i'm going to bed!!

I was rather ill last week; fever, achy body, sore throat you get the idea. I can't complain really as I don't often get sick so I was due for a little bout of sicky germs at some point.

I finally felt like a human being again on Friday and made a trek up north to visit a friends home which is actually more of a cottage. How up north you ask....not very, about 3 hours away from my place. It made me laugh though when I received a text from another friend stating that I couldn't be that far up north as A) I still had cell phone coverage and B) it's me haha!! I'm not a fan of bugs nor roughing it but had a great time anyway.

LD came with and we scouted out an old "haunted" cottage. We wanted to go in but thought better of it as the stairs were gone and the window was broken and not so safe to hold on to. We headed back to the cottage, had a few drinks and sat around the fire for the remainder of the evening.

We went for a nice long walk the following day as it was absolutely gorgeous outside and then made a jaunt into town for some yummy food as our friend was working. The patio at the pub was closed for some tournament which had us all excited. What if it were a strong man competition or perhaps the firefighters were in town having one of their competitions. Nope....just our luck....it was a fishing derby so one by one the fisherman sauntered in wearing their plaid shirts and rubber boots. Dammit!!

We drove back to the cottage and relaxed in the sun with some reading material as we'd had a busy day and wanted to veg. Our friend eventually came home and started to cut down branches from trees and do manly things with the lawn...apparently we were not entertaining enough for him, though I did partake in a game of Horse Balls and sadly I lost. There was more drinking around a fire well into the wee hours of the morning. We spent most of our time with our heads cranked up eyes towards the night sky trying to find the first shooting star.


It was great to just get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and relax as I've just been so bloody busy lately. I can't wait to go back up and head out on the boat or float around on a raft when the weather is warmer. Is there anything better than that view....seriously!!

For those of you (SS and Rawbean) going to see The Cure in the near future you will not be disappointed. It was a fantastic show, Robert sounded fabulous and they played a few songs I was not expecting but was pleasantly surprised by. We were 38 rows back on the floor which I thought was going to be awful as floor seats generally suck unless you are close, however we could all see perfectly and had a fantastic time.

Our hostel on the other hand was on the meh side. My coworkers/family were appalled by the whole hostel situation to begin with; as were my friends coworkers/family. No one could understand why we wouldn't stay in a hotel when we could clearly afford one......well we're cheap and like an adventure. We were supposed to have our own room and our own bathroom, however the guy fucked up and our only option was to share a bathroom. This did not go over well with any of us however we were checking in less than an hour before the concert started and had to get a move on.

The "bathroom" that we had to share was smaller than any toilet I've seen in Japan or on a ship; it was ridiculously small. I had bruises from trying to put on my undies so I could run (relatively) clothed to the room as it would have been impossible to put on pants in that small space. Our room was BO ridden and we were clearly in the hood. (Nice big park across the street where hooligans were hanging out at 3am selling you know... stuff). To top it off we were on the top floor IE the attic and the man gave us the wrong code to get in at night and we got locked out (until we called him all inebriated and surly like).

We went to see Dirty Dancing at the theatre which was phenomenal, the cast did a really great job and it was a pleasure to watch. The audience was a bit odd as the man in front of us kept doing this weird loud throat clearing thing which clearly bothered a girl a few rows up. Every time he cleared, she would glare at him and then do this weird coughing/throwing up sound. This went on for the duration of the play!!

We ended up at this fabulous bar that same evening and had a great time. There was a mix of music everything from Blondie to Guns and Roses, a bachelor party who were quite entertaining and a very eclectic group of people. We finally got shooed out at 3am.

I went to see a comedian the following evening and cried almost the entire time he was so fucking funny. I actually spit my beer out all over the table at one point. I know what you're all thinking.....classy gal I know I know ;)

I ended the long weekend with a visit from Sly. It was great to catch up and chat and reconnect as it's been ages since we've seen one another! Kisses to you!!

The rest of this week is go go go as well and I will be away from home until Sunday!

What did you ladies and gents get up to?

A tough week at the office would be an understatement and I'm in need of a well deserved break. Fortunately it's a long weekend for us Canucks and I don't go back to work until next Tuesday!!

The next few days are going to be extremely busy with an out of town trip, a hostel, a concert, a play and last but not least a comedy show. I'm very much looking forward to all of these things....as well as some booze and dancing. It's been ages since I've been for a night on the town as I've been working on my bod and trying to save some moolah; now it's time to let loose!!!

Have a fantastic weekend!

My family and I went out for a nice brunch on Easter Sunday and also went to the same establishment this past Mother's Day. The food was really good however there was something a bit off for me on both occasions.....a very bossy server.


My sister and I stood in a rather long line waiting for omelette's to be made which was expected on such a busy day. What was not expected however, was the verbal abuse lashed out by this holier than thou asshole in a suit. There he stood beside this very young worker as they both made omelette's. The entire time the suit berated the worker, told him to hurry up, less oil, more oil, you're not doing it right, put this here, do it this way........for 5 minutes straight; it was appalling.

By the time I made it to the young worker I was disgusted. I told him he was doing a great job and then asked in a loud voice what this man's name was. Of course the man looked over, the kid looked at him and said "that guy" and gave me his name. I then said that I thought the man was treating him in a very disrespectful manner and it was disgusting. For the remainder of my time up there the suit kept his trap shut.

When we were leaving I asked our waitress for the mans last name as I was going to put a complaint in and I wanted to know who he was as I figured he was some type of manager. She gave me his full name and then said that he was actually the owner. She told me that other people had also complained about the way he was treating the staff that day as it was apparent to anyone within earshot.

I'm still going to write the letter to him as well as head office as it's a chain restaurant. I'm going to include some tips on employee/employer relations as I'm sure the suit will be thrilled with such a thing!

I can understand if the employee was doing a terrible job or not doing what he was supposed to be doing and even in that situation I would assume one would take the person aside to speak to them in private, not in front of 100 people. But he wasn't doing anything wrong and yet the suit stood there with his big booming voice berating the worker the entire time. I noticed the same man doing the exact same thing to another worker the 1st time I ate at this restaurant. Clearly he enjoys his position of power and is perhaps trying to make up for his very small penis. I will never know as I am not setting foot in that establishment again.

Funny Pics

I got these both in an email and thought they were hilarious!

Snorkeling in Canada.......

Worst place to get a tattoo......

Lonnnnnggg Meme

Brace yourselves this is a long one! I'm not sure what happened to #10.....


1. Do you like blue cheese? Yes, but only for dipping pizza

2. Have you ever smoked heroin? Nope, but I believe that's called "chasing the dragon"

3. Do you own a gun? Of course not

4. What flavor do you add to your drink? None, I don't like those flavour things like Chrystal Light or Nestle.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? No, more annoyed than anything knowing I'll either have to wait an hour to get in or he won't have a clue what's wrong.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? Hot Dogs = bleh, Veggie Dogs = yum!


7. Favorite Christmas movie? I guess National Lampoons Christmas

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Water or tea

9. Can you do push ups? Sure can but I do loathe them

11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? Probably my victorian choker

12. Favorite hobbies? Travelling, playing volleyball, reading

13. Phrase you use most often? Whatever

14. Do you have A.D.D.? Not at all


15. What’s one trait you hate about yourself? Indecisive

16. Middle name? Ugh it's boooorrring


17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: I should get my lunch ready for tomorrow, How can Sobey's be open 24 hours and yet not have a staff member who is able to assist at the counter with food?, I need to be up early

18. Name 4 things you bought yesterday? Shoes & Japanese food......nothing else.


19. Next vacation? British Columbia :)

20. Current worry? Moolah


21. Current hate right now? My tummy

22. Favorite place to be? In bed cuddled up with some tea and a book


23. How did you bring in the New Year? With friends at a house party playing Rock Band and Cranium .... getting drunk.

24. What’d you get for your birthday? GPS, money, ticket to a show and lots of wonderful gift cards, a book!

25. Name three people who will complete this? Hmm I think most have already

26. Do you own slippers? Umm yeah lest we forget those ugly blue smurf boots :S

27. What shirt are you wearing? old NIN from their 1994 tour ( I just came back from volleyball)

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I haven't but yes I do believe I would enjoy that!

29. Can you whistle? Actually I am not able to whistle, no idea why.

30. Favorite colors? Black, Pink, Red


31. Would you be a pirate? Ummm no I'd make a terrible pirate

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? I never sing in the shower

33. Favorite girl’s name? I really don't have one off the top of my head

34. Favorite boy’s name? Marcel

35. What’s in your pocket right now? Lip balm

36. Last thing that made you laugh? My friends at volleyball they are hilarious

37. Best bed sheets as a child? I don't recall

38. Worst injury you’ve ever had? Knee.....I've never broken anything

39. Do you love where you live? It's safe and quiet

40. How many TVs do you have in your house? 3

41. Who is the loudest friend you have? Umm all of them :)

42. How many dogs do you have? zero

43. Does someone have a crush on you? Not that I know of

44. What is your favorite book? I have so many but She's Come Undone is always a good one

45. What is your favorite candy? Does chocolate count as candy?


46. Favorite Sports Team? Dallas Cowboys

47. What song do you want played at your funeral? Hmmm I'm not sure, maybe some Bowie


48.What were you doing 12 AM last night? Watching TV

49. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Yay I slept in till 10am for once!!

I feel as though I live at the tire place it's like my 2nd home I'm there so bloody often. I have to get an oil change at least once every month and a half if not more often due to my commute. As well I have summer and winter tires so I have to change off every 6 months depending on the weather.

I've also recently had the pleasure of a dead battery, not to mention my front brakes and their need for calipers.....no idea what those are, but I know that the brakes cost me $550 and was told the back ones would need fixing in about 6 months. Yippee!!

So today I spent my morning....you guessed it....at the tire place. I was in need of an oil/tire change. Turns out I had a nail in one of my summer tires but they fixed it so all should be good (though I'm going to be a bag of nerves hopping on the highway today).

The man who cashed me out made me laugh so hard. He saw my Cosmo magazine and commented on the cover girl "Hey is that Carrie Underwood?" I told him it was not to which he replied that it had to be. I showed him the girls name and he was like "well sure looks like her." He kept going on about her so I asked him if he wanted the magazine for later.....he didn't find that too funny.....but I did!!

I had help getting the tires into my car last night.....but had no help getting them out today. I have a love/hate relationship with them as I love the safety of the winter tires....but I loathe changing them off as they are heavy and cumbersome. So as per usual I ended up with a skinned knee, sore back and an ankle that got smashed on a rim......no idea but I'm in a bit of pain now. It might have to do with the fact that I'm a tad bit clumsy or more likely the fact that it's difficult to lift those heavy suckers out of the trunk!! But no worries, it's my friends birthday today so I plan to drown my pain in some drinks this evening and help her celebrate. Have a great weekend!!

Gym

My comfort level went through the roof when I found out my cute little non intimidating gym was closing down for good at the end of this month *sniff sniff*

It's one of those places that has very few members (compared to those fancy shmancy gyms) everyone is very friendly and the people come in various shapes and sizes, not to mention ages. It is far from grandiose and has like 5 treadmills at most but the weightlifting equipment does the job and I am familiar with the machines.....oh and it is super cheap as I've been a member since it opened. New owners took over 6 months ago, moved it into a basement and it has never been the same since. I mean, who wants to stare at a brick wall while trying to stay motivated to continue running for one more minute.

There was chatter in the change room about where to go next; rumours flying around about members trying out other clubs only to be snubbed for not wearing the "cool" workout clothes, or being too old or out of shape not to mention large signing fees and monthly payments. What's a girl to do??

Well I ignored the rumours, pulled up my bootstraps and went a looking (to one of the fancy shmancy places) My jaw dropped at the first gym I went to....the cardio room....oh man....they had over 30 treadmills and ellipticals and bikes and stair climbers and rowing machines ..... the list goes on! The weight room was just as magnificent as was their list of evening classes! It was heaven! Can you believe I worked out a deal and this place is only going to cost me $5 more a month than my previous gym....that's crazy!!!

I went for the first time on Saturday and everyone was extremely nice and friendly. I did a yoga/pilates class on Sunday which was fantastic. The teacher came up to me afterwards to welcome me and ask for feedback ..... I'm really enjoying this new place.

I think I might even be motivated to go more often because I do love it so much! It's fresh and new and exciting. I also enjoy the idea of being able to visit the chain in other cities as I tend to be away from home a great deal. As well they all have different perks some have pools/indoor tracks.

Who knew that an old door closing would open such a new and exciting one!!

(Let's see if my new found enthusiasm lasts more than a week Haha)