A year in Vancouver!

False becomes true when the boss decides it…

And this Saturday saw downtown Vancouver transformed into Germany! The streets all had German signs and names, the cars all had German license plates, the road signs were displaying German symbols and instructions, the Poliezi were out in force, as were all their cars and vans, the bill boards had German commercials flashing on them, and the buses were all white and green with German destinations…

Yes, it was movie time again!!! This week I had managed to walk into the set of the new “A Team” movie, and I had managed to time it just right. Instead of being able to cross the street I was moved into a safe area while the cast and crew had a run through of a gun fight and then proceeded to add moving vehicles. This built into a car chase and culminated in head on collision with water being poured down the road to enable the cars to slip and skid more effectively. I was too busy trying to take some pictures of my own, and even discovered my camera can make movies- who knew- to have any idea of the different performances of cars of various surfaces! Apparently, the crew on movie sets get a little uppity when you try and take your own pictures of their set, especially if you insist on walking through areas they are trying to clear, so I have to say, my photos may not be quiet the same quality as those produced by Twentieth Century Fox!

The rest of my weekend was much more normal. The Nike 10K Human Race finally came around and so I donned my running shoes again and aiming to put in a better time than last year I took off. All in all I was pleased with my time, 47 minutes, 58 Seconds, not staggeringly fast when you realize the women who placed first was in Japan and ran it in 34 minutes, and even less impressive when you hear that the fastest man was in Spain and ran it in 29 minutes. Nonetheless my time did put me in 2811 place out of an overall total of 86,877 runners and 162 in the women running in North America. Unfortunately I can’t get a reading on everyone’s times so I only hope there were more than 162 women running in North America! And I now have approximately 360days to start training for next year’s. (Yes, I do know how many days are in a year, but they move the date a little each year and I don’t know when it will be held.)

Mixing up my order of events slightly, I did also have a wander around the Snow and Ski Expo in Canada Place, mainly while the filming was going on outside. I couldn’t believe how cheaply they were selling off some of the old equipment! Not that I needed anything, and this year it did actually stop me buying things. I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t get any new skates and this was starting to appeal more and more, I guess I should have worked that out from the name of the show- skating not being mentioned and all. So, I have done the next best thing, dragged my old ones out of the cupboard, loving polished them and made sure the blades are in tip top condition so I’m all ready to go… My one purchase at the Expo was a lift pass. Bargain of the day at $140.00, so now I can get up the mountain without having to walk up the Grind every week. Lucky as it will only be open for a few weeks. Or as was pointed out the man in the queue who asked when he could start skiing- “when it snows”, is also when the Grind closes.

My excitement at getting my skates out the cupboard again may not be limited to just the idea of lift passes and snowshoeing (how much do I want to try that?) but also the fact that I finally got around to seeing “Whip-It” at the movies. I’m not going to turn this into a movie review, but it was an awesome movie. I loved it and can’t wait for the DVD to be released so I can watch it again. (Just for you Mom, the lack of TV doesn’t mean I can’t play DVDs on my laptop) I would wonder if you could have similar sport to Roller Derby on ice, but they already do and they call it hockey!

A year in Vancouver!

The gods use us mortals as footballs.

Ohhh- shock, horror and mortification this week! You know how it is when you are sitting in a parking lot and all you can hear is bass? You look around expecting to a carful of “youths” probably wearing hoodies, windows down and a total lack of respect for all about them? Yes, I’m getting old and judgmental- well that was my experience on Wednesday afternoon. Having finished the Grind I was sat in my car, in a National Park, trying to work out where that continued bass pounding was coming from. After five frustrating minutes I realized that yes, I was the anti-social, hoodie wearing individual. And as if that wasn’t bad enough I don’t even have good taste in music! I had the bass up for 80’s pop music and was subjecting everyone to a bit of Kylie and Jason! Luckily, I’m a baseball cap under my hoodie kinda of girl, so managed to completely conceal my face. I can only apologize to any youths in Vancouver who end up with a bad name now.

This weekend has seen a diverse range of activities, starting with a trip to the Museum of Anthropology. I was surprised at how calm I remained, despite driving through all the downtown traffic, and playing games of lane switch and stop/start for about two miles. Unfortunately, I’m not sure the same can be said of the queue I caused when I arrived at the parking garage. The ticket machine was out of order, thus someone was issuing tickets and taking payment as you arrived. While I was ready with my debit card, the cashier wasn’t. Quite a queue can build up on eight minutes, and people can get a little stressed when this tails back out of the garage onto the main road and leads to a blocked intersection. Sorry. Although I refuse to take responsibility for the intersection- that was someone else with as little thought as me.

The MOA is mainly dedicated to the art and culture of the aboriginal peoples of the Pacific Northwest, particular the Haida who originate from the islands off the Lower Mainland. Whilst the museum is starting to enlarge its collections and has a large display of European pottery the main artifacts and exhibits are carvings and totem poles. These totem poles change in use and appearance depending on which group of people created then, or the area in which they originated. Each culture having a distinct use for the totem pole, and a distinct and different way of carving. One thing the poles did all have in common was their purpose in relating a family history or a story. All of which linked to the mythical or the gods and the creation of the family. The poles changing with each generation as new stories, histories and family connections are made.

This theme of gods and creation is carried through the museum to one of the more well known and famous pieces of sculpture depicting the story of the Raven and the Clam. This is one part of the Haida belief system, as the second time in as many days as I have come across it- one of those things that you have never heard of before and three people tell you in a short space of time. The Haida believe that all members are born into either the Eagles or the Raven people and they have a part of the creation story to tell. In this cedar work of art the Raven is tricking tiny people into climbing out of the safety their clam shell and thus turning into full sized humans who have to contend with the harsh realities of the world. The squirming people arrive into a world of snow and have to rely on the Raven to steal the sun from the gods and turn it into rivers and animals. A definite nod the long dark winters and cold, snowy conditions these people would have endured for much of the year up in the north of the islands.

It is possibly also worth mentioning, if only for the benefit of my sister- see I do care, that the museum itself was designed by Arthur Erickson. It really is an amazing space that allows visible access to parts of the collection not currently on display, includes immense doors carved to depict aboriginal myths, and has acres of square glass walk ways that allow you see the outside sculptures and collections from inside. Not being a big architecture buff I’ll leave it there. Suffice to big thank you to the very nice lady who provided me with all this information whilst I was at the museum.

I did make a few stops on my way home, the first being at Pacific Spirit Regional Park. This is a lot larger than Stanley Park, if in my opinion not as pretty and dramatic in backdrop and appearance. It did however have the added advantage of having a lot less people and some pleasant trails to enjoy as the leaves on the trees changed color. Maybe one of its most enjoyable features was the lack of interference; there were no benches and trams running round the park, although I have a feeling that bikes can become prevalent in the summer months as a lot of work seems to have gone into preparing trails and tracks for them.

The last stop for the day was also very short. I did finally make it to Kits Beach, and I have to say it wasn’t the vibrant and social space for people watching I was expecting. Having thought I could grab a Starbucks and watch as people wandered by I was a little disappointed to find I was one of three customers and the only person on the beach. Maybe it was due to the fact that the tide was in, and it was 4:45 pm on a Saturday afternoon in the middle of October- I really ought to pick my time better. However, as I wasn’t prepared to sit still on a windswept patch of sand I guess I can’t really complain that other people were also less than eager.

I’ll just have to plan next week’s endeavors slightly more carefully.

http://www.moa.ubc.ca/history/index.php

A year in Vancouver!

You pray for good health and a body that will be strong…

So… a start to this week by firstly acknowledging how totally lax I’ve been recently and secondly apologizing for a fairly lame effort this week. But mainly a huge congratulations to the guys running in the Chicago Marathon. Awesome efforts, and totally amazing results! I’m nowhere near that impressive, but that doesn’t stop me hoping I can grab onto coat tails, hang on for dear life, and follow them to Boston for a weekend!

I hate to admit this but my weekend has really been a little dull- all essential work has been carried out, my hair is neatly trimmed- I’m internally debating a big change, but know deep down I’ll regret it immediately, my apartment is spotlessly clean, which means I can breathe easy… I get very stressed if I can’t smell bleach and pledge by mid day on a Saturday, and all my laundry is clean, pressed and hanging in the closet. All organized by outfit for another work week. Yes, I am a little anal, yes I have control issues, and yes I can control the issues I have… well, sometimes J

However, my freakiness has kind of taken over this weekend. I found time to go running, nothing compared to Marathon times, I found myself at Wal-Mart again and enjoyed the weather which I’m scared is making for a mild October. While I’m enjoying the chance to be outside and use the parks, go for walks, climb the grind I’m getting nervous that Winter is hiding around the corner and the beautiful Fall days and colors will disappear overnight leaving a bitterly cold, white frost on the ground…

I have rediscovered hot chocolate this weekend, and spent a good portion of the weekend perfecting the art of making my own. I now have a cupboard containing ample amounts of whipped cream, chocolate sauce and mini marshmallows, so at the risk of challenging nature and jinxing myself- bring on the winter weather- I’m ready! (Yes, I may regret that sentence in a few weeks, and yes I cleaned the kitchen afterwards!)

Anyway, next week- weather permitting, I am going to make more of an effort to do something new and interesting. I will get further than the park- the trouble is it is so enticing and interesting. I kind of get drawn into the people watching, I could, and as this blog is testament to, very happily wander around for hours just musing on the comings and goings of other people. It really is a very convivial, relaxing, stress free place to be.

P.S. due to forgetfulness, and lack of camera, I can't take credit for the picture this week.

http://www.virtualtourist.com/