A couple of days out from the big trip

So today is my first day in semi-retirement (for the second time). I was actually a little sad yesterday when I was leaving Yellow Pages for the last time. As much as I bitched about some of the tasks they had me doing (putting thousands of text boxes into documents and photocopying newspapers.. vomit) the reality is that I've been in Vancouver for 3 months, and worked there for 11 weeks.. It's taken up a lot of my Canadian time so far!

I came home last night and my laptop had arrived, yay! It's pink and it's a dell.. I love it. Right now I'm downloading, writing this blog and listening to music on iTunes and the computer is coping just fine. My old computer would only let me do one thing at a time, or it would have a hissy fit.

Today I went to the Aquarium for the fourth time in my three months. I effing love that place, plus the beluga had a baby. It's so so cute. The way it swims is just so adorable, like a kidlet taking it's first steps. I also saw the sea otters holding hands (paws? flippers?). I had seen a video of them holding hands before, but they had never done it in front of me. Goodness me that was adorabibble. I want to take them home with me

This morning I went to Vanessa and Erin's hostel to speak to the reception staff there. Basically we had our non-exchangeable, non-refundable, and definitely non-reprintable Montreal comedy festival tickets sent there 3 weeks ago and they had not yet arrived. Yesterday I called the comedy festival box office and found out that they had been delivered on the 11th June and signed for by one of the staff there. Vanessa had asked multiple times at the desk for our tickets, but was told each time that they were not there, and that we must have picked them up. Holy shit did that make me mad, and I spent all of yesterday devising what I was going to say when i got there. Thank god that the guy who had signed for them was at the desk when I got there this morning. He found them, they had fallen down the side of the cupboard or something. I could have hugged him. I wanted to cry, I was so happy! Vanessa and I would have lost a lot of money if they had lost them, not to mention that our shows would have been sold out!
I found a phone on the bus the other day and handed it in. The bus driver asked me to write down my name and number as well, so I did. That night a man called me and he was forever grateful, so happy that I had handed his phone in. That was my good deed for the day, and I think that our tickets being found was our karma.

The weekend was a gooden.. Friday night Erin, Luke and I went to the Cambie. Nikki met us there. In true Cambie style, we had Fireball shots and lots of alcohol. We did leave earlyish though, Erin was tired, so Nikki and I went with Luke to a room at the Westin, where Luke's friends were having a party. Was a pretty good time! Got the bus home by about 3:30, after getting directions from many policemen.

Saturday night I met Erin & Vanessa at an Indian restaurant and then went for a few drinks with Erin. She was really tired cos she's been burning the candle at both ends with her two jobs, so went home early. Nikki finished work at 11:30 though, so I met up with her. We went back to the Cambie and met up with Amanda, the Canadian girl I met a few weeks ago.
That's where shit started to go down.. We had a few drinks and all was fun. At one stage Amanda called me from the bathroom stall asking me to come in with her. She wasn't well, so I was being all friend-like and helping her. There were a group of South American girls (Mexican, maybe?) talking and shouting and being loud. Amanda was yelling "shutup" over and over and over. They cottoned on and started freaking out about how someone was telling them to shutup. I'm not sure how it happened, but they got into the stall (I think Amanda got up and out to tell them it was her)

Before I know it one of the girls came up and punched Amanda in the face. I was trying to block it all by standing in the door and asking them to please stop (there were three of them by this stage and I'm not a fighter, there was no chance I could take anyone on) Amanda was on the ground and they were kicking her and spitting on her. Eventually another girl came in and told them to eff off, so they ran away.

It was the scariest thing I've ever experienced. It was probably less than a minute, but it was the dirtiest thing I have ever seen. I was shaking and almost in tears by the time it ended, Amanda didn't really remember it well, which scared me, but is probably also a good thing.

We left, the bar was closing anyway so that was perfect timing.. We were out the front for quite a while I think. I gave attitude to a boy who was trying to walk Amanda away from the group. Turns out he was just taking her to get some water. We got talking and he seemed really nice! He's 28, tall, from Seattle, and a doctor (yes, a doctor mum!) We're still in contact now so maybe I'll visit him when I go to Seattle (shit my list of boys to visit is growing, why are none of them ever from where I am?)

The girls came past again and started yelling stuff at Amanda, but thankfully didn't do anything. There were lots of people around this time so they wouldn't have gotten away with as much.

We drove Amanda and her friend home after driving around Stanley Park for a while, and then the doctor took me home. Twas a late night!

So now I've got a lot of packing to do before I leave on Monday. I've gotta get all my stuff to a storage place (which I still haven't organised.. Surprised? Am planning on leaving on Saturday and staying in a hostel for my last two nights, just so i can be totally out in time for my 6:30 bus on Monday morning.
I'm so very excited for the trip, but it doesn't feel real yet, partly cos I'm so unorganised.

xx

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