Friends

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Its Wednesday morning awaiting a call to head to work, the boss has been delayed, great, a little writing catch up and chance to start a blog entry that will involve scraping the brain bowl for the lasts two weeks events. Weekends to weekdays, much is the same, but keeping the weekends a whole lot dissimilar.

Last weekend after a mad search for the travel agent which I did not end up finding (but sorted out during the week over email will get to that) I jumped on the sky train here in Vancouver and headed forth to Station Braid where my friend Becca picked me up to head to Maple Ridge, the place I originally had visited my first weekend or so here if you recall the huge weekend in Vancouver entry. It was time for another huge weekend, as it turns out this one was more layed back with good people and chilled events, a fuseball table and discovering new bands such as 'The Decemberists'. Also look out for 'Modest Mouse' as well, actually came across them in Toronto/Montreal (thanks Ashley), great band, just sound good. So Becca had borrowed a car so that I didn’t need to bus transfers from the station what a pal it was pissing down as well with thoughts of avoiding a hydro plane experience we carefully made our way to her place for a yummy Teriyaki stir fry, not before stopping at the local veg market for some freshies. After a battleship bout (1-1) and rematch required we rocked around to some friends I had not met before and spend the evening sipping a few red wines and talking myself into attending the Sasquatch Music Festival www.sasquatchfestival.com May 26-27 at a venue called the Gorge rated as the best out door locae for a gig in the world, somewhere in Washington State over the border about 6 hours from Vancouver, three nights camping 2 day festival, Dandy Worhols are my main attraction they are the band to see in my books no matter what is going on at that point in time I will be at that stage.

This will mark, I dear say, after 8 months of Canadian life, the last weekend in North America, so I thought a grand finale would be appropriate, of the music festival variety. So as it stands, and this week the tickets were booked and payed for (SE Asia) yahooo my last day of work in Vancouver is the 24th May (if that’s the Thursday), Friday its on the road jack to the States, Sasquatch is in Washington State just below British Columbia so Friday we head away on a 7 hour road trip, camp Friday through Monday at the venue, Gorge, George, Washington (mouthful), then back to Van where I have 3 nights before flying out to Asia, via LAX and Tokyo for a one night stopover. Can not wait! O Canada, its getting time to say farewell, gardening in the snow is not my idea of a good time.

On the other hand, hanging with cool Aussie Chicks just makes your weeks so much better because they just do if your weekends are totally chill, its just nice to be hanging with friends I think! Sophie and Vanessa, from Newcastle and Adelaide respectively, met Soph back in Jan when she arrived, was crashing at Samesons Backpackers for Regans fair well. Sat was St Paddys day and a reason to get out and about, also Jays folks are away and his missus was coming around, really didn’t want to be here to hear that, the romantic talk that is, not, so I met up with the girls for a few before we all crashed back at Sophs at a respectable hour, Soph having work the next day. Sunday saw my first Commercial Drive experience, its probably the Cuba Street of Vancouver (for the non kiwis, Cuba st is the funky alternative retro area of Wellington central), Vanessa took me to this Gelato shop that had 218 vanities of ice-cream on hand ready to try, I kid you not. Curry, Pear and Blue Cheese, Licorice (that was me, with Chilli Chocolate), tofu even, everything you can imagine as the last thing that you would put into ice-cream and taste good, they made it taste good. Aussie girls are fantastic ultra friendly people, but we always new that, glad to be acquainted with two that hold this true.

Jumping forward its Sunday afternoon, blog entry continuation after 4 days of rain rain rain holy shit does it rain here. 42 hours of sunlight this month so far (less than two days!!!) and 23 of 26 days of rain this month, the worst season in two decades, no wonder my energy levels are not where they could be. My body NEEDS sunlight to operate at maximum happiness levels, its official, positive, its spring here, it should not get any worse...

Had a few people around last night (Becca and Nats from Maple Ridge) and a bunch of Jays friends as we had the place to ourselves Sat his folks are back today, the usual happenings of a house party, nothing especially rivoting to report im sorry to announce, everyone behaved much too well and refrained from over consumption, good to see at this age. Who am I kidding, there was a few trolleyed individuals lets not name names personally awoke with a fresh head which I enjoy although a messy house that required my attention and currently looks spotless, excellent.

Im being very slack with my camera. although there are a few pictures to get up, hopefully I can get some from the boss as well to show you what I have been doing at the 8-5er. Been getting into the gym a bit as Jay is a member there so if im home when he has been heading down I jump in the car its cheap to use gyms in Canada compared to back home not sure why its rather odd we must be charging too much im sure of it, any who, it feels good even though im not much of a gym person with all this wet weather it feels nice to get a sweat going and toxins out.

Lets wrap this up for this time around, looking forward to the journey continuing so there is more interesting travel stories to announce!

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