Here Come the Hawks

I bought the ticket the first week I arrived in Vancouver and the night was finally here - my first Blackhawks game! I only had to leave the country to see them play.

Queuing up for entry. Canadians queue for everything.

Practice shots (turns out practice went better than the game)

Blackhawks vs Canucks

 Make some noise! ...and other sporting event cliches

The pre-game also featured a ceremony for Daniel Sedin, who has dressed for 1000 games. He received a an award in the shape of a hockey stick and he & his family were given a free Disney cruise. His daughters were on the ice with him and could not have been more excited & adorable.

Sadly, though, the Blackhawks were not meant to win this round of sports ball. We fought well, but the pressure from the Canucks players was intense and we lost 4 to 1. So while I didn't get to see my home-town-team win during my first game, I did get to chat with a few Chicagoans, drink overpriced beer, and laugh at Canadian accents while shouting in my own native Chicago-eese.

Blackhawks fans represent well on the road and we had a relatively strong showing in Vancouver. I rode the train with a few of them, walked with them on the streets, and inhaled second-hand smoke from one as we waited to cross an intersection. (While I could do without the cancer risk, I admit it was oddly comforting to see someone smoking a real cigarette. Most Vancouverites who smoke use a device that is a cross between an e-cig and a hooka pipe. It's like walking behind someone smoking a Jolly Rancher. Weird.)

I had been hoping to blast Chelsea Dagger from my phone after the game, but it didn't work out. We're sure to win again soon, though. We're the Mighty Blackhawks!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Christmas has descended upon Vancouver and my Saturday quickly filled with holiday celebrating.

Market #1: CandyTown

I had my second volunteer shift with craftworks, a Vancouver-based non-profit organization that works with adults with mental & physical disabilities. Our job that day was to sell the holiday-themed crafts the adults had made.

Yes, that's an Advent calendar for cats

So many ornaments to choose from!

Rubber Duckie themed rain poncho.

(I still don't know why that mannequin doesn't have a head.)

After my shift ended I went for a stroll through the market, only to run into some friends who are also new to Vancouver. Mostly, I was simply excited to run into people I knew -- that doesn't happen much when you're new to a city! We spent a while looking at the booths before wandering to the next market in search of mulled wine...

Market #2: Vancouver Christmas Market

The Vancouver Christmas Market is smaller than Chicago's Christkindlmarket, but offers a nice selection of international food & holiday gifts. And beer - so much German beer!

Christmas!

They have a carousel... we didn't ride it. 

Official Tree Lighting

A Night with New Friends

(Germany, Netherlands, & USA, respectively)

The $7 admission grants you a Season Pass, so I'll be back again!  Until then, to my readers in the United States I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. To my fellow Canadians - legal & honorary - let's start the celebrating.

"It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas" 

by Bing Crosby

#ThisBlows -- Show & Tell

The result of my glass blowing event has arrived.  It's beautiful! Magnificent! ...it's also unevenly colored and swirled at the top due to my incorrect use of the equipment. But hey, I like it!

Carry On

I'm overdue for an update, I know. It was just one of those weekends that was so full I honestly don't know where to start.

The majority of my weekend was spent here:

Ok, well, not at the soundboard (though that would've been fun too), but in the sound studio. I participated in a weekend-long intensive voice over class. Saturday we focused on commercial, Sunday on animation. I had the pleasure of learning from some exceptionally talented people, one of which was recently nominated for an Emmy. 

It took me all of Monday to digest the experience. This is something I've always wanted to try and I put an excessive amount of pressure on myself during the weekend. Heck, it was at the top of my "Vancouver Bucket List" Therefore, I must be perfect at it right from the start! Obviously that didn't happen. It can't happen. Sunday night I left a bit discouraged and emotional. I failed at the thing I've always wanted to be good at. 

Monday afternoon I received the recordings from our sessions. You know what? It wasn't horrible. I'm not going to win an Emmy, but for the first time out the gate it didn't suck. (No, I'm not posting the recordings.) Still deciding if I'll pursue it more... the feeling changes each day.

When I left the studio Sunday I was so much in my own head that I was nearly home before I realized I didn't have the radio on in the car. Yep, just me driving around Vancouver staring blankly into traffic. Not creepy at all. I love the radio, though, because sometimes it's complete randomness makes perfect sense. So I leave you with the song that came across my car speakers when I flipped them on... the scifi nerd in me smiled so widely that it was like the Grinch's heart growing three sizes.

Supernatural fans get it. 
They also get that I was listening to this while driving in the city the show is filmed in. 
So much nerd goodness!

#ThisBlows

I felt like an adult today. Spending my days doing whatever I want has a big 'summer vacation' feel to it and I often feel like someone in their college years instead of someone in their mid-thirties. But today I woke-up my grown-up brain cells and used my professionals skills to help a friend build her own photography website. I then ran home and changed quickly to attend a networking event. And if that isn't grown-up enough, I spent the morning getting work done on my car. I know, right?! (She's fine, by the way, just some preventative maintenance.)

You're not reading this to hear me bemoan or cheer my day, though. That's what Facebook is for. In this blog I promised to share random stories and absurdity, so below are a few pictures from the networking event I attended. Our program at Terminal City Glass Co-op included the opportunity to blow our own glass Christmas ornaments... That's right, someone trusted me to wield a giant fireplace poker with molten glass on the end. Suckers.

Spinning the glass so it doesn't drop once it's left the kiln.

Rolling the glass in yellow beads to embed the color.

For the glass to form a sphere you need to blow in the air.

Unfortunately I came away a bit injured after a poor wardrobe choice. That purple shirt I'm wearing has metal buttons along the cuffs... not the best shirt around a kiln. (No permanent harm done)  I pick-up my ornament in a week - pictures forthcoming!

Author's Note: As the majority of people I've ever met find glass blowing interesting, I kept the photo captions descriptive instead of sarcastic. The alternatives I considered are listed below.

"Look Ma! No oven mits!"

"Using molten glass to pick-up beads. There wern't any Ziploc bags around."

"I have less hot air than I thought."

Tonight's event hashtag: #thisblows  (No, seriously, this became the event hashtag.  ...there was wine.) 

Good times all around.

Do Something That Scares You

I came across that quote the other day. You know, the one that says "Do one thing everyday that scares you." Well, frankly I think that's a tall order. I mean, everyday? Sometimes we just want to go to work and come home to sit on the couch.

Today, however, I did accomplish two things that scared me. So we can chalk it up to fate or call it subliminal goal setting.

Scary Thing #1: Elliptical Machine 
As someone whose body requires low-impact exercise, I've been eyeing the elliptical machine for years out of the corner of my eye. I like my seat on the bike. I know how to use pedals - I have ever since I had a big wheel. The elliptical? That thing has handles that move even if I don't touch them. WHAT?! Well, I got tired of avoiding, so today I gave it a whirl. (No pun intended)

What Normal People Look Like

What I felt Like

I set the initial goal of 5 minutes. When I reached that and hadn't fallen over or completely embarrassed myself, I set a new goal for 10 minutes. When I hit 10 minutes I was close to completing a mile, so kept going. In the end, I did 1 mile in 15 minutes. Not record-breaking and I didn't feel very comfortable, but I didn't injure myself. I consider it a win!

Upon returning to my car, I noticed that I had parked near these two gentleman. Coincidence or Chicago-fate?

Scary Thing #2: Washing My Sheets
This doesn't sound scary to the normal person, but to those of us with OCD issues the idea of taking sheets off of what is essentially a hotel bed is unnerving. It had been just over a week since I moved in though, and it had to be done. Upon peeling back the layers I didn't find anything I couldn't handle. In reality, the most disturbing part was the reminder of how much hair I loose while I'm sleeping. Am I the only one that happens to?

Conclusion: Scary Things are Scary
...but they're not Mount Everest. And even crazy people climb that thing! So, my advice to you today comes from Garfunkel & Oates. I was successful in my 'scary things' today, but we should remember that we shouldn't be afraid to be a loser.

Sunday Drive

Still tired from a late night out, but not content with staying indoors, I figured it would be the perfect excuse for a Sunday Drive. I grabbed my GPS and headed north on the Sea-to-Sky Highway... it's impossible to truly capture the beauty in photographs, but I did my best for you. Enjoy!

Look close and you'll see divers in the water...

There isn't enough money in the world to get me in there!

Seaplane in the distance

Ferries Dock Here

Go ahead, jump... I dare ya

Bright, sun-shinny day

Boardwalk to ferry docking station

Prius in its natural habitat

Plaque for totem above

Gorgeous, right?! Not bad for a quick trip out of downtown.

This song was in my head for most of the drive. Hit play and it can drive you nuts, too!

Once Upon A Time...

We received the gift of a sunny Friday afternoon, so I hopped in the car and drove down to Richmond, BC. Specifically, to the small fishing community of Steveston.

 It's Canada, eh!

You may also recognize Steveston from your television, most recently as Storybrooke, Maine in the show Once Upon a Time.

The town has done it's best to embrace it's alter ego...

This business isn't even in the show! 

Steveston: Visitor Center & Museum

Storybrooke: Town Park

Steveston: Cannery Cafe
Storybrooke: Granny's Diner

Steveston: Nikta Building

Storybrooke: Library

The clock is digitally added...

So it looks like this!

I'm pretty behind on my Storybrook story lines, but living so close to this 'fairy tale community' I may have to catch-up!

So, When Does This Get Easier?

I keep waiting for this journey to make sense. To be easier. To 'click'.  In all honesty, I'm meeting great people, enjoying a world-class city, and I marvel each day at the natural beauty I'm surrounded by... but, it just doesn't feel like home yet. I think I know why.

There are many reasons to take these self-discovery adventures when you're young, but I have one to add to the list: You have very little understanding of how important it really is. You're told of it's importance by those older than you, but until you've lived the alternative you can't really understand it's significance. The problem with taking this journey later, is that you do. Painfully so. If I allow myself to think about it, I find it almost paralyzing. I've become hyper-aware of every decision I make, action I take, and activity I choose to focus my time on. 

What if I look back in five years and think I should've done something else with this period of my life? Am I wasting my time on activity X, when I should be enjoying activity Y? I'm worried I'll turn into that guy from Indiana Jones...

The part of my brain that was programmed in childhood to plan for the future is still struggling with my current situation. I can distract it with activities during the day, but each night when I fall asleep I do so with worry.  Ironic, huh? I left work to be less stressed...

First World Problems

I've struggled with which direction to take this post, so my apologies if it feels a bit disjointed... but in reality, that's how I'm feeling myself.

I've Moved! ...again. Thankfully I never bothered with sending those postcards to people with my new address, because I'd be broke with the postage charges by now. This should be the more 'permanent' residence, however, so I'm taking the time to properly unpack and settle-in. I've even put up some photos and tchotchkes!

Taking a picture of pictures feels very meta

I'm still adjusting to my new place and in the process, admonishing myself for nitpicking at things that really shouldn't matter. Ok, some of them matter, but mostly it's my mid-thirties-self frustrated that my 'living situation' is not what I completely desire. (Warning: whining ahead)

My 'Challenges':

• My bathroom is the size of a closet. Not a walk-in closet either, but a small closet in a old home where you wonder how they ever stored all their clothes. I can't turn around in it without knocking something over and I have to put half my face into the shower curtain to reach outside the shower to get to the shampoo, soap, etc. My next purchase may be for a new shower curtain, cause ewww.
• I share a kitchen with another resident. I don't cook, so I didn't expect this to bother me... but it does. As an adult I've always lived alone and apparently any type of sharing is difficult for me. Also, I've been a vegetarian since I was 15 yrs old and my kitchen-mate is NOT a vegetarian. I came out of my room Sunday morning to find a squid sliced open on the counter as he prepared homemade soup. I was meeting friends for brunch anyway, so I had an excuse to run away. Which I did.
• I have neighbors outside my window. Yes, we can all see other buildings outside of windows, but as someone who has lived in bigger, taller apartment buildings all their adult life I'm not used to actually seeing people outside my window. And through their windows. If I want to change clothes during the day I either have to lower the blinds on three big windows (I'm lazy) or change in the bathroom (see space issue above). So I've just been changing quickly with the blinds open. I'll have to stop eventually, but for now I hope they're enjoying the show.
• ... and other things that my mild OCD deems to be HUGE issues, but actually aren't. I've Lysol-ed plenty and it's fine. It's fine. It's fine. (It's like a soundtrack in my head I can't turn off.  I can't wait for it to stop.)

Did You Know it Rains in the Rain Forest? I did, but I underestimated the amount of rain. We had a nice Halloween, the temperature dropped on November 1st, and then the skies opened up. I'm told it will be sunny again in April. 

In honor of my new love of umbrellas, I invite you to enjoy "Only Happy When it Rains" by Garbage. I'm trying to channel that message this week.

1990's nostalgia

Stay dry, my friends.