Life is Better at the Beach

August Already?

2011-08-01T09:02:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it is already August 1st ...where has time, and summer, gone? And being stuck in bed doesn't help, as I haven't even had a chance to enjoy what summer there has been.
This was the weekend of the Spirit of the Sea festival. Many people have come out from all over to see White Rock put on some great shows, including fireworks, a parade, ane sand castles. Today is the last day to come out, and there are some shows and concerts going on all day.
It certainly has been a beautiful weekend, from where I can see. One night and morning of rain, but not until after the festivities were done. And today is supposed to be a warm one, too. Maybe I will get enough energy to hobble down to Annie's Market and say hi.

Flat out!

2011-07-27T14:35:00.001-07:00

Tonight is Wings Over White Rock. It is a fundraiser event put on by the Canadian Snowbirds, the jets. Seen it a couple of times, but this is the first year we are around for it living right at the beach. I am sure the traffic and parking will be harsh, but from what I remember, it is worth it.
I hurt my back a couple of weeks ago, and have been laid up, flat out in bed (hence the title of this post). Currently I am at work, lying on the floor, typing this post on my phone :-) I hope to be better soon, but in the meantime, it hurts to sit, stand, and walk. If you come out to the beach tonight, look for the guy with the walker, lying on the grass :-)
This weekend is the Spirit of the Sea festival. We have been looking forward to this all year! We always go away on the long weekend, but decided this year to stay home for the party. Again, I hope to be able to enjoy it.
Gonna sign off now, my thumbs are getting sore.

Life Really is Better at the Beach

2011-06-11T17:21:00.001-07:00

Sitting here on our private balcony after dinner, listening to the sound of seagulls, feeling the cool breeze of the ocean ... one would almost think we are sitting on a cruise ship or at an island resort. No, this is where we live.
I have been working hard for the past year and a bit, trying to get somewhere else. I have applied for countless jobs, sent too many pestering emails, and worried about how I can get more out of life. I am done now. All of that work, and here we sit in a place that we love. Where we live is beautiful, and it is said to be the most beautiful area in Canada. It may not be Southern California, but we have jobs, and our economy is good. I'm not saying that, given the opportunity we wouldn't pack up and move tomorrow, but I am tired of trying to create opportunities that are not there.
So, let's enjoy the summer, and wait and see what is in store for our future. I think what I am saying is, it is time to sieze the day, and live in the moment.

It's Too Dang Early

2011-05-06T07:26:00.000-07:00

What the heck is wrong with people?

I got up this morning at 6:30, because a recruiter in Montreal wanted to have a video interview, and she had to cancel our 10AM interview yesterday. A couple of weeks ago she alluded to the fact that she was not interviewing for a ship position, and it was Disney. According to her company website, the only non-ship Disney thing they do is Disney English in China. I emailed her right away and told her that I was not applying for an overseas teaching job. She didn't reply. Should have been a warning, I guess.
So, this morning she asks me when I am finishing my degree, I need a degree, even for teaching English. First off, I know that; second, I did not apply for an ESL position; thirdly, can you not read? Turns out she wasn't even interviewing me for an on-board position. I guess you were right, Stefani.

I am more than a little frustrated. I keep applying for these jobs, and I am not getting any response. Now, I finally get a response, and the dimwit wastes my time. At least it wasn't a complete waste of time. She told me to finish my degree. That is more than anyone else has said.

So that is it. No more applying. No more interviews. No more dreaming. I am where I am, and I will finish the degree and get the stupid piece of paper. In the meantime, I think I need to find a job in HR or Training. Running a janitorial supply store ain't gonna get me there.

Disney Cruise Lines

2011-05-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

I recommend it! Yes, there are a lot of kids, but they aren't everywhere ... well, maybe almost everywhere :)
But if you have kids, like kids, or you are going with someone that has kids, it is a lot of fun. We took our 13 year old niece with us, and she was supposed to help out with some other kids that were along with our group. She barely even saw them, as they went into programs and clubs and everything. Of course, this gave her a chance to go to her own club and have fun and meet people her age. She did, and she enjoyed it, too.
The shows! Oh my goodness! For all the extravagance, time, energy, and money they put into production shows on other cruises, I am so sick of watching a bunch of half-naked skinny people prancing around on stage, bouncing to songs that I sick of hearing. But to watch a show on Disney means to watch a Disney show! We saw versions of Toy Story, Peter Pan, and we got to see Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and all the rest of the gang. As a Disney fan, I loved it. When people ask me what a Disney cruise is, I could say, it's like Disneyland, but not. Well, now I can say, it's like going on a cruise with Mickey Mouse and friends, because that is really what is like.

Since I am looking for a job on board a cruise ship, I could not let this opportunity go by. Stefani found me the name of the Human Resources Manager, and I left her a message at Guest Services. As it turns out, at the night of the Captain's gala the officers show up, so I found her and talked to her. When people go to these things, they generally all look for the Captain and the Cruise Director ... I looked for the HR Manager ... she thought that was funny. I talked to her for a bit, let her know why I was looking for her, what I was looking for in regards to a job, etc. One thing I know is that Disney only has 3 ships. This means that if there is one position on board, then they will only have 3 of those position sailing at one time, with 2 on vacation. This means that there are fewer opportunities on board for the position that I want. Turns out, there might be more than one position that I want, and one of those positions, the Assistant HR Manager, has an opening. So, she asked me for my resume, and said she would submit it for me! I would keep my fingers crossed, but they already hurt from the last few crossings. So, ya, not holding my breath, but at least I got another resume out there :) Yes, more waiting...

I found out yesterday that my boss went to Vegas while I was gone. Seriously, I guess if he feels comfortable leaving everything in the hands of a temp in the store/office, and an unprofessional handyman, that's his choice. But really, I feel that the ship is sinking, and I am not going down with it ... no way!

The beach ... right, that's what this blog is supposed to be all about ...

Venice Beach was a blast! We went there for breakfast to the Sidewalk Cafe. The weather was fantastic, by our standards. Apparently it was considered chilly by locals :) Our favorite waiter was there, so we chatted with him for a bit. It was great to finally introduce him to Stef's parents, as we are always talking about him.
The boardwalk, or whatever they call it there, was fun. All the usual characters were out. Stefani got a temporary tattoo (Mickey, of course), I found a new bandanna, and Mikaela bought a handbag. We all got a little bit of sun. From there we went up Mulholland to a couple of the overlooks, then down to Laguna Beach, along the Pacific Coast Highway, and to Dana Point to have dinner with good friends.

San Francisco was fun, and having 2 days there instead of one meant even more fun! We went on a 3 hour trolley bus tour, saw the sights, walked over to Fisherman's Warf, had a bread bowl of chowder, and were back before dinner. The second day we went to Alcatraz, and were back by lunch! Alcatraz was interesting; now I can say that I went there. I think I am more interested in it as a park than a prison. There are flowers and plant and birds ... quite a pretty place, considering it's history.

We stayed on the ship in Victoria ... been there, done that. It was nice to finally have our Rogers Internet access again!

So, now we are home. The weather is nicer than when we left, which is great. We are vegging at home, waiting for our car to come back home, so that we can drive the "kids" back to their house, and then maybe go out for dinner. Can't cook on the first day back from a cruise, that is just wrong!

Oh ya! We did something in Victoria, I guess, just not in Victoria, but on the ship. We finally own a piece of Disney! The Disney Vacation Club was on board, selling their "timeshares" and it is something we have been thinking about for a while, but weren't sure if we could afford it, or even qualify for it. We can, and we do, and we did! Now we get cheaper vacation, sort of, after paying for everything. It all comes out in the wash, but the important thing is, we "own a vacation home" in Florida :) Technically :)

Later Gator!!

It Just Sank In…

2011-04-23T20:31:00.001-07:00

We are going on vacation! On Monday we embark on our latest escapade. We are off to LA for a couple of days and then jumping on the Disney Wonder for a cruise to San Francisco, Victoria, and Vancouver. Like I have said before, I don’t really care where the ship goes, or if the captain just wants to do figure-8s in the harbor, as long as I am on board.

Disney ship, that’s pretty cool! Stefani has been on a Disney cruise, and she really enjoyed it, so I have been looking forward to this for a while. We are going with a group of people, 17 of us in all. Some family, some friends, and some family of friends. Our 13 year old niece is coming along to help out with some kids, and she should be a total blast. She talks in her sleep, and is staying in our cabin. I am going to enjoy that LOL

It’s nice to be going away, especially on a cruise. i have been putting so much thought, energy, and emotion into my desire to get a job on a cruise ship. Now I am going on a cruise, and yes, I will be looking for the Training Manager to ask about getting work with Disney. Are you kidding? Working for the Mouse would be amazing! I really want to have my name on a Disney business card or a Disney employee ID badge! That would be so cool!

It’s been a nice weekend in this northern beach town. Lots of people have come out, people walking on the beach, the sidewalks, the pier … the train tracks. Once again, some Darwinian was walking on the tracks while wearing head phones, and he got run over by the train. I would say he is lucky to be alive, but he will be living without one leg, from the news reports I have heard. I cannot understand how people can have so little respect for the trains, the rules, and their own lives. People like that should have their pictures displayed prominently on signs at the tracks with the the caption “This Is What Stupid Looks Like”. Seriously folks, any time is train time! Parents, if you really love your kids, don’t let them play on the tracks, keep them a safer distance away from the railing; you never know when the train is going to throw something, or have something hanging from it. I was thinking about what’s been going on with the trains in White Rock, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if BNSF (the train company) put up big fences, stopping people from crossing the tracks. There would be no access to the pier, the beach, the ocean … that would suck. Then the City of White Rock would have to erect huge catwalk overpasses so that people could access the beach and pier. Wouldn’t that make for a fantastic view! Steal fences, steel bridges … it would look like Port Moody :)

Anyways, grab a brain, will ya!

Enjoy the beach while I am away. I hear it is going to rain here … heh heh … sunny and warm in LA :)

My New Job?

2011-02-17T18:32:00.001-08:00

Bet THAT got your attention :)

But seriously, that’s what I want to talk about here, tonight.

A few years ago, 2003 or 2004 I think, I was browsing the internet and came across a job description for a Training & Development Manager. At the time, I was teaching at CDI College, and I had my eyes set on climbing the corporate ladder, and becoming Education Manager, or even a Campus Director. When I saw this job description, it really caught my eye. The main duties were to supervise and train new hires in a corporate environment, and could be long hours, a lot of time away, and a lot of hard work. What really interested me about the job was the location, or rather, locations. You see, the job was on a cruise ship. I applied, but did not get the position (obviously). I had the wonderful opportunity, while on the Radiance of the Seas, to interview the T&D Manager onboard. I asked her about her job, life on board, her training and background, and I was pretty hopeful for the future. Then she began to interview me! It went well, and she said to keep trying, but she also told me to focus on a couple of areas of experience. Life went on, I left CDI and moved on, did some more training, and got other jobs …

Now, here we are in 2011, and as I look back on my career-life, I realize that I am a few steps closer to working onboard. I was told to focus more attention on gaining documented supervisory and management experience; I have been an Operations Manager of a commercial cleaning company for over 3 years. I was told to get HR experience; I have been handling all of the staffing and human resources duties in my current position. I was told to finish my degree; well, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad :)

So, last week, I finished up my embarrassingly huge resume, and filled out some applications, and started applying. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Princess (through an agency). Don’t worry, I am not gullible enough to pay for one of those packages – I apply directly – they way I am supposed to.

It has been almost a week. Still no replies :(

Heh heh, just kidding. I am not expecting to get a call until at least next week :)

So, that is my latest. Stefani and I have talked about it, and the prospect is exciting. It is the type of position that would see me away for 4 months at a time, but home for 2 months. There is always the possibility of her getting something onboard, as well, or even moving to a closer place. Who know, I might even get the Alaska season :)

So, I have a new dream now. It is taking up my mind, leaving very little space for silly things like Mexico/Oregon, idiot rich people that take advantage of others, and dingbat meth-heads sabotaging my dreams.

It’s nice to dream again :)

I'm Still Here ... So Is The Beach

2010-12-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

White Rock Beach is very different this time of year. The sun worshipers, party animals, sand castlers, and families are all bundled up, wishing they were in Mexico or Tahiti or Hawaii, or someplace else that wasn't cold and damp. But the people that are still at the beach are the true White Rockers, aren't they? We love walking in the rain, slipping on the wet boards of the pier, and listening to the waves crash and the wind howl. The warm weather is nice, but my favorite part of the beach is the water, and the dynamics of the surf, and the tide, and the rolling rocks and ever-shifting sand. That is what living on the beach is all about. All my life I have loved the sound of moving water, be it a river, or a creek, waves on the lake shore - I love the water. That is why I want to live on the beach forever.

Me in a Nutshell

2010-08-04T21:29:00.001-07:00

I was born in a small town in Saskatchewan. My dad was from a railroad family, my mom’s dad was a salesman. Neither were well-off, and we moved around a lot. I lived in at least 3 places, that I remember, before Grade One. We moved from the Prairies to the West Coast when I was half-way through Grade One, and kept moving around all over until I was in Grade Four. I think I went to 5 schools in 4 years.

My brother was born in 1971. I don’t remember him very well, except seeing his pictures. When he was 6, and I was 11, he was hit by a car while biking to the store. I was with him. I saw it all. It was a hard time in my life.

High school started out very tough for me. I was going through a rebellious stage that would last years, and I had anger issues and other issues in my life that I did not know how to deal with. I became a Christian when I was 13 years old, but I am not too sure that I knew what it really meant. I knew that Jesus died for me so that I wouldn’t have to go to Hell, and I knew that I would have to live for Him, but I wasn’t sure how. When I tried to be good, I failed, and more guilt was piled on top of my already guilt-ridden life. I was angry, hateful, rebellious … and my mom blamed the school I was in. She took me out of public school half-way through Grade Eight, and put me into a private Christian school. My life was about to change – or so I thought…

Short and sweet, that is what I am trying for. So, in short, my teenage life was not so sweet. I had troubles in a Christian school, as well, and anyone who tries to tell you that there are only Christian kids in Christian schools has their head up their … well … you know. I got into a lot of trouble with my parents, with the teachers, and with my friends, but I have to admit that even though there were times when I felt very very far from God, He was always near, and He always welcomed me back with unconditional love. However, this was something that I did not understand until later on in life.

I think I was born with a guitar in my hand. I remember having a guitar when I was in Grade Two or Three; I also remember once in Grade Four we had an activity day, and I chose guitar lessons. Turns out I knew everything the teacher was going to teach the class, so I just played along and had fun. My dad was a country crooner, and later on as a Christian he wrote many songs that he and my mom would sing in church and weddings. My dad led singing in a lot of small groups, in the prisons, and wherever he could sing. I played along with him a lot, and as a teenager I started learning more than he could teach me. He would often proudly say that “the student had surpassed the teacher”. We even got a couple of friends together and made a tape of all his songs. It actually sold really well, and when they went places they would take them along and sell them. It was a lot of fun.

I’ve played trombone, guitar, drums, and sometimes bass guitar for many worship teams in many churches. I enjoyed playing for God and worshiping Him with my talents. I miss it now that I am no longer going to church; I would like to have friends that I could get together with and jam once in a while, but many times I have tried getting things together, only to have it all fall apart. So, I try to enjoy playing in my studio, recording and playing along with the most talented person I am friends with – me. I have recorded a few songs, some mine, some not.
When I was 18 or 19, my grandmother died. She lived in Saskatchewan with my grandfather. I loved her a lot, and have many fond memories of her. I remember even as a a child, sitting on the couch with her, watching soap operas while she knitted slippers for everyone’s Christmas presents. I miss those slippers. I could just sit there for hours talking to her about stuff. She never judged me, and she always knew the right things to say. In this picture she was visiting with us in BC, and I was 18. My arm is behind the chair because I was holding cigarette. My parents did not want me to smoke, but they also knew there was little they could do about it anymore, so my dad finally gave up trying to make me quit. Grandma didn’t care.

I went through a lot of relationships as a young man. I did not know how to treat a girl, and ended up being tired of the commitment of a relationship. I would end up doing something stupid to sabotage it. I did the same with my jobs. I don’t know why – to this day I do not understand it. But finally, when I was 22 years old, I met the girl I was going to marry. I was sitting up on the stage at church, playing trombone, scoping out the chicks, when I saw her sitting there. I leaned over to my friend and said “That is the girl I am going to marry”. He said “You know her?”, and I said “not yet, but I will!”. I sat beside her for church, and afterwards I chickened out, or missed her leaving, but I knew who she was with. With a little bit of investigating, some phone calls, and some conniving friends, I was set up with her on a date. Stefani and I were engaged 6 months later, and we got married the following July. People really thought we would not make it, and while I admit that the road has been tough at times, we just celebrated 22 years! I am looking forward to the next 22, and more!

We had a dog, Louie. He was adopted into our family as therapy. I had a stroke in 1997, and we thought some cuddle therapy would be nice. Training the dog nearly gave me another stroke! But once it was done, and he settled in, wow, what a great dog. For those of you who were privileged to know him, you understand what I mean. He was a load of furry friendly fun! He was with us up until a few years ago, when Stef’s parents offered to put him up for a while at the farm. He was getting pretty old, and had started slowing down quite a bit. We really didn’t expect him to live more than a few more months. He surprised us, and lived a couple more years, but by the time he left us, he was completely deaf, and had quite a few masses in his stomach and stuff. But he was always happy, when he wasn’t sleeping, and he was even happier sleeping, which he did a lot. He loved the beach, and loved running in the sand and water and playing with the clams that squirt. We really miss him, especially now that we are back at the beach. Most of the time when we are walking on the sand we remember him, and sometimes we cry.
So, we live at the beach. We are big fans of the West Coast, and would love to live in Southern California. I am working on completing my BA in Adult Education, with hopes of finding a job in San Diego, but that is in the future, and I live for today. God knows my future – I don’t. In January we almost moved to Mexico for a job and somewhat early retirement, but that fell through. That is a different blog, or you can read Stefani’s blog and learn more – I can’t get into it – still hurts too much. We drive a Mustang convertible, and the top has been down for the entire summer, and most of the spring. We love to cruise, and we look forward to each and every vacation – including the little ones from work to home.

I really hope you have “enjoyed” getting to know me a little. This post has become somewhat long, but it is nothing compared to what I started with. I figure if you really want to know my entire life’s story, call me and let’s get together sometime!
Doug

I missed my beach!

2010-08-02T21:55:00.001-07:00

We went away for the weekend. Nice little spot a couple of hours inland, called Manning Park. There is a lodge along the highway, with some nice cabins/chalets. Hot and cold running water, flush toilets – no internet. It was a tough weekend :)
Toughest thing was being so far from the ocean! So, this evening, after we got home and settled in and had a bite to eat, we went for a walk on the promenade. Ahhh, it’s still there – the beach, that is :)
I want to thank a few people tonight for making my walk this evening pleasurable. There were no disrespectful people with their dogs, no one was smoking pot or drinking, people were obeying the crosswalk rules – in all it was kinda surprising LOL
We are looking forward to seeing an east coast beach in less than 2 months – off to Florida! I am sure I will talk about it more at length in the future, but suffice to say that it involves DisneyWorld, of course :)

That is all – good night!

Update Wednesday August 4th
Found this picture on my phone. These were GOOOOOOOOD!!

Distractions of Summer

2010-07-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

Went for a walk on the promenade this evening, as I should every evening, and I made an observation. I have troubles noticing the nice things out there - the sound of waves, the ocean breeze, the setting sun, because I am distracted by the not-so-nice things out there. I am distracted by the empty beer bottles lying on the ground, by the kids walking and playing on the railroad tracks, by the young couple walking their dog (no dogs allowed), by the smell of cigarettes and marijuana, and by the garbage and food left BESIDE the garbage can. I am distracted by lazy, inconsiderate, irresponsible people. They are making my beach unsightly.

Most of all, I am distracted by my becoming old and grumpy...

Really, so what! SO what if people play on the tracks, smoke on the promenade, and walk their dogs where they are not supposed to. Does it affect me? Not really.

So, next time you see a guy walking down the promenade wearing blinders, sunglasses, and a cap, that is me - I am trying to enjoy the view LOL

The Sun is Shining!

2010-07-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a great couple of days it has been! The sun us shining, the heat is ON, and the clothes are off LOL. Walking around White Rock beach area is a lot like walking around Vegas, minus the beer - for the most part :)

Went for a swim in the ocean today, first time in a couple of years, here. After I brushed the scum off the surface (what is that anyways? wait don't tell me!) I went under and did a little snorkeling. Very nice, cold, visibility was about 30 feet, which is pretty good considering the tide had just come in. No fish or anything though.

When we were walking back, we stopped at Anies, the little convenience store downstairs, and talked with a couple of people in our condo. It was nice to meet up with them, and talk for a while about stuff - nothing heavy, just stuff.

Really loving it here. I put it into words today. If I can't be in Mexico, then I would rather be in White Rock than anywhere else.

Tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter - so far we haven't needed to buy an air conditioner yet - here's hopin'

Powell River

2010-07-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

We are spending the weekend up the Sunshine Coast, at Stef's sister's place outside of Powell River. Thankfully the weather is cooperating, and it feels like summer is finally arriving. Judging by the upcoming weather forecast, it might actually be here!
Powell River is nice. Small, although there is a small Walmart, a Canadian Tire, even a Starbucks! Of course, there is a Tim Horton's, although I heard it was just built. Surprising, since Timmy's will open in ANY small town (in Canada).
Yesterday was our 22nd anniversary - yes we are old enough to be married that long. Didn't really do anything, but that is our way. Our 20th we had a big dinner with friends and family, and maybe we will do something for our 25th. Traditionally, 22nd anniversaries have no special gift, but the contemporary gift is copper, so maybe I will give Stefani a penny - for her thoughts of course!

Right now we are sitting in Monica's backyard, enjoying the warmth, eating Spitz, and talking. Well, I am blogging, obviously :) Hope y'all have a good 4th of July!

Psych!

2010-06-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

Psych is filming at the Museum today, taking up a bit of valued parking in and around the pier. Still, nice to see us on TV, if you watch it. I don't - maybe I should?

I took some pictures, but I can't seem to find my USB cable, so I will try to upload them tomorrow from work.

Update! Finally got the pictures uploaded!

Nice Day…

2010-06-13T16:59:00.001-07:00

…but kinda lonely.

Our lives are great right now. Nice place, nice car, decent jobs (well, the money is okay – hate working though!) I said to Stef today that life certainly does not suck – just some portions of it I could do without.

Saw some old friends walking on the Promenade today, and at first I thought it was cool to see them and say hi and all that; but when we got back home, Stef reminded me of some things, like, they never call. Not just them – we have a lot of old friends that we never see, they never call, and then we find out they were here, walking at the beach, eating ice cream, but no one called us. Okay, I understand if people are here with other people, but … whatever.

So, at least we are lonely in a beautiful place. Could’ve been Mexico, though. Certainly wouldn’t have missed many people.

All done whining now - sorry

2010-06-11T19:39:00.001-07:00

This is our Promenade, on a rather cloudy day (yesterday), facing west. This is our beach, and we love it here!

and the "What The Heck Were You Thinking?" Award goes to...

2010-06-10T22:07:00.000-07:00

Seriously folks, pay parking - how hard is it? And how hard is it to find a better place to park your RV? And did you think you could take that many spaces, and NOT pay for all of them? You think just because the parking patrol has a slow night, they might let it slide? Heck no! Nice!
What the heck were you thinking!

Hope you enjoy your stay in White Rock, and thanks for the extra revenue. Dumbass!

June Is Teasing Me!

2010-06-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

I enjoy every sunny day we get - and they are few and far between. Couple day of sun, more than a couple days of rain. Soggy and depressing? Na, I live across the beach - WHO CARES!

Went for a walk yesterday, as I should very day. I walked to the west end of the promenade - almost. The last 100 feet or so was commandeered by one of those exercise groups that can't afford to get their own space, or a business license, so they use the public land and parks. They had a little sprinting course set up, and were using the park benches for vaulting, jumping on top of them and over them. I am sure that the people that donated the benches in memory of their loved ones would be really pleased to know how they are being used. I think I might tell them.

What is it about joggers, huh? Are their brains all rattled from the pavement pounding? They practically run right into you, trying to get around you. Try running on the side of the road, and leave the promenade to those of us that take the time to enjoy it - WALKING! Better yet, set up a jogging track on the side of Hwy 99.

Yesterday I saw a lady walking on the railroad tracks, talking on a cell phone. It was about 6:50PM, and I know that the train is coming at 7PM - I live there. I just shook my head. There have been a few accidents in the last few years, and there will be a few more - people never learn, I guess.

So, here I am, waiting for the sun to shine, waiting for my 6/49 ticket numbers to be called, waiting for my next vacation. In the meantime, at least I can enjoy the beach.

Viva Las Vegas!!

2010-06-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

We went to Las Vegas last weekend. A little far from White Rock, but they do have beaches there, just a little far from an ocean.

I've need thinking a lot about this post, and what I really want to say. The past two times we have been to Vegas, first in 1995, then in 2008, have been fun, and we saw a lot, and did a lot. The first time, we were starving students, and could barely afford it, but we went to a couple of cheap/free shows, ate a lot of buffet food, and spent a whopping $4 on nickel slots. The second time was better, as Stefani got a couple of good deals, and we had a bit more money. This time was a bit different though...

Our flight left Bellingham at 10AM Friday morning. On the flight I wondered how this trip was going to go. There was a large group of 20-something girls going wild, and getting drunker by the minute. They were only the beginning.

Once we were in Vegas, everywhere you looked, everywhere you walked, everywhere you went, were drunk 20-somethings, bikinis, really loud music, sexy advertising, and advertising sex. It seems that the saying "what goes on in Vegas" has become a motto for everyone there, and a lot seems to be going on, and coming off. Previously, our sensitivities have not been so ... sensitive; but this trip seemed to be different. There are more parties, more drinking in the streets, more loud nonsense, and way more skin. The street-corner preachers at the Bellagio fountains and Fremont Street have a lot more work to do than before, let's put it that way.

So, this is looking like goodbye Las Vegas, more than anything else. I don't think we will be back anytime soon, and when we do, it will either be to the Wynn, which is in a cleaner, classier (more expensive) area, or we will go to Red Rock Casino, which is way off the strip on the outskirts of Vegas - someplace away from the Sin in the City.

Now, that said, we DID have fun! There is a beach at the Rio that is free for the public, and we spent a few hours there. We spent a few hours at the pool at our hotel (Bally's), until the partiers woke up and started their day. We saw Mystere, which is a Cirque show that everyone should take an opportunity to see when in Vegas. We saw La Reve again, watched The Sirens of TI. That's another change. Treasure Island has a pirate ship show. It used to be the pirates against the British, and the show was filled with pyrotechnics blowing up the ships, stunt men falling in the water, swashbucklers fighting, walking the plank - all the great pirate stuff! Now, it is a group of horny pirates being seduced by a bunch of horny strippers, and it is filled with sexual innuendos and double entendres. Nice family friendly show...

Best time we had in Las Vegas was when we weren't in Las Vegas. On our last day we rented a car and got outa Dodge - went to Valley of Fire, which is a great State Park full of sandstone and limestone formations jutting off the desert floor, petroglyphs, and a lot of heat! Thank goodness our car had a/c! Although, what rental car in Vegas doesn't?

Anyways, we are glad to be home, even though we came home to more rain, clouds, and cold. Hopefully the good weather is on it's way, and we can go back to enjoying the beaches here.

Stay warm and dry!

A Little Excitement?

2010-05-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

Yup, very little. As we were falling asleep last night, we heard a fire alarm bell ringing. Looked outside, and noticed it was from the condo next door (whew!). We didn't hear any screaming or smell any smoke, so we figure it was likely a false alarm. Not 2 minutes later we heard a siren - the first of many. After the 3rd siren, I got dressed and went outside to take a look.
Turns out I wasn't the only curious cat out there. There was a ladder truck with hoses connected to it, another fire truck, 2 police cars, a police van (supervisor, I think), and an ambulance. Another fire truck (paramedic) pulled up shortly after I got there. I was trying to see what was going on, and I noticed that most of the activity was coming from the underground parking lot, the public one, under the condo. I saw a lot of firemen coming and going, then one came out all covered in black, still wearing his respirator. I heard someone say something about a car and a driver, and assumed that it was a car fire under the condo. Interesting. I hung around for a while, wondering if I would see much more, but that was about it. It was already late, and I hate to work in the morning, so I knocked off.
This morning I tool a little detour, and drove into the parkade, Right at the back I noticed a pile of ash and soot and stuff on the ground, water stains, and the ceiling was scorched black; and there was a fire and safety company repairs the sprinklers and stuff. So, it looks like it was a car fire, but I don't know much else. I know a guy that lives in the condo - I wonder if he knows anything ...

Taking off for Vegas tomorrow. No beaches there, but it is a fairly inexpensive weekend getaway. Maybe we will win some big money while we are playing the penny slots LOL

Chaos and Mayhem on Marine Drive

2010-05-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

Well, White Rock just took one step closer to civilization - we now have traffic lights on Marine Drive! They installed lights with pedestrian-controlled crossings at Vidal and at Oxford. Now it is even MORE fun to people watch!

Some people are really really dumb! There is a crosswalk with a light, telling you when it is safe to cross, yet so many people still walk right across, stopping traffic (if they are lucky).

Really folks, how hard is it to pay some attention to your surroundings, and look up and see that the light is telling you to STOP! And that steel railing barring you from leaving the sidewalk to go out into the road? Well, it is there to stop you from jaywalking.

I think it is time y'all grab a brain, before you damage someone's car! LOL

Okay, back to people watching! I am missing some good stuff!

Five Corners Fight Club?

2010-04-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

Oh ya! You should see the damage to the window!

This morning we had our usual Wednesday morning breakfast at our favorite little diner, Five Corners Cafe, and we noticed that the front window was boarded up. We had driven by on Sunday afternoon, and noticed someone doing something with the sign on the window, but didn't think anything of it until we saw the post on Facebook.

Apparently, Sunday at lunch time, Five Corners had it's own fight club! A couple of hot-heads (probably from Surrey!) got into a spoiled rotten bratty little tiff, and started pushing each other around. The people working in the restaurant chased them outside, where it escalated into an all out punching match. One guy jumped over another guy, and someone fell into the window, breaking the glass! Wow! We heard from a reliable source that it was over the way someone was asked to close the door, because it was letting the cold air in!

The thing that really picks us REAL grown-ups, is the way these kids ran away rather than fess up and pay the damages. What else picks the REAL adults around here is that these guys were in the restaurant WITH THEIR KIDS!!

Grow up man! And in the meantime, step up to the plate, take some blame, and pay for the damages! This poor restaurant now has to pay the deductible (not a low one either!), take a hit on their insurance, AND put up with an even draftier dining area!

Tell you one thing for sure, these guys are not likely to show their faces at Five Corners Cafe any time soon.

Our New Palm Tree

2010-04-19T21:42:00.001-07:00

We got a palm tree from Stef's parents, as a sort of house warming, "Welcome Home" gift.

There are some really nice palm trees in Mexico. One of the things that stand out from our "visit" there was the palm tree tour around the property, with the owner going on and on about the money they spent getting palms trucked in from all over the place, and how it was so important to make sure that they were taken care of, and blah blah blah. Anyways, now we have our own palm tree, in our own dirt (not sand), at our own hacienda!
It looks small in the picture, but it stands about 3 feet high, and it could grow pretty tall within a few years. And it ours.

I have been leery about spending money and time and energy on gardening, as we seem to only stay in a place for a short time. We want to stay longer, but it seems to never work out that way. Well, now we have to stay, because this sucker was not cheap.

I got some chives and mint from Stef's parents, and I will be getting some cilantro and tomatoes this week. Hopefully we can stay until the tomatoes are ripe this time!

The weather has been fantastic the last couple of days. We've spent time on the promenade, sitting in lawn chairs, reading a book, and watching the people and the cars. There are a lot of Mustangs our there. There are also a lot of people out there, and they are fun to watch!

So, if you see a couple of people sitting across the road from White Mountain Homemade Ice Cream, that's us! Come and say hi!

Batten Down the Hatches!

2010-04-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

It's a windy one out there today, but being the die hard White Rockers we are, we went for a walk anyways. The Wind is blowing so hard, you think your jacket is coming off. Hats and umbrellas are history, and the only thing that stays on you head is a form-fitting toque (or wool hat or beanie to those of you South of the border).

Still, the sun is shining, and sunglasses did more than protect my eyes from the wind and pelting raindrops.

Today is Good Friday, and we have the day off. Tomorrow we are meeting some friends for breakfast at Five Corners cafe. Excellent service, great coffee, excellent service, good eggs - did I mention the service? It is "eggs"ellent!

Enjoy the weekend!

The New Car

2010-03-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

Hi, been a while - we've been too busy cruisin' around in our new convertible!

We finally got it on Wednesday, which was a very nice day. We promptly drove it out to Chilliwack to show off to Stef's parents. Of course, we have been driving with the top down almost the whole time, except for yesterday in the rain. One particularly chilly evening we put on warm jackets and tuques and went across the line for gas and a snack at Paso del Norte (gotta try their deep-fried ice cream!!), then we took a drive down a dark road to look up at the stars. Very romantic ... very cold :o)

We are enjoying the car very much. Getting some stripes and details done this week; picked up a Sirius radio, and it is a lot of fun bombing around. Stefani even tried out the Traction Control System, yesterday when she punched the gas on a wet turn. Surprised me, but she was expecting it. I had a little fun yesterday, too, in the rain, especially when I took the TCS off! Whao! Even the 4 liter goes like stink!

See ya!

Living the Dream

2010-03-13T22:00:00.000-08:00

Something that Stefani and I have always wanted is a Ford Mustang convertible. To us, it says "I live in a sunny beach town!"

Today, we took one for a test drive. We know a guy, and he owns a couple of car lots in town, as well as some real estate. He happens to be a former landlord of ours. He has helped us with 2 car purchases in the past, helping us with financing when things were tough for us. Well, after our most excellent road trip, we decided that enough was enough - let's do it!

So, we are doing the paperwork and stuff on Monday, and likely driving it home either Monday or Tuesday. Woo Hoo!! Yes, we are excited!

Back Home Again

2010-03-07T14:13:00.001-08:00

Hi! I missed a couple of days, so here is the update.

On Thursday morning we took off after breakfast for San Diego.The hotel in LA was nice - Culver City, actually. We went to Denny's for breakfast. We like Denny's - it is safe :o) After breakfast we jumped on the 405 and headed south. Traffic was great, and we detoured down to Laguna Beach to catch the last part of the Pacific Coast Hwy that we missed out on last time we stumbled on Laguna Beach. Very nice, kind of like White Rock. Lots of condos and houses on the strip, with a lot of small stores and shops - very much like our White Rock. We could love there quite easily :o)

On the way down to San Diego we stopped at Legoland, of course. We weren't really all that interested in going on the rides and stuff (considering they are rated 2-12 years of age - kinda big for us LOL), so we paid $12 for parking and walked around looking at the attractions. Some really cool things there! We saw Lego versions of Las Vegas, New York, New Orleans, and Washington DC, as well as many dinosaurs, Bob the Builder, and other neat Lego constructions. We wandered around for an hour or so, taking pictures and oohing and aahing, etc etc.

We got to our hotel around 3, I think. It was in a nice area - right across the road from the World Cup Pier, near the airport on Harbor Road. It was close to the airport, downtown, and Loma Point, so it was a great base for the next couple of days. Unfortunately, although it bears the Best Western name, it is not the best Best Western we have stayed in. I think it was either a converted apartment building, or a not-so-nice hotel bought by someone and opened as a Best Western. It was clean, but not managed very well, I think. The first room they gave us was small, on the first floor, right on the parking lot across from a construction site, and had no wifi access. We asked if there was something else, and they said no other king-sized beds, just a room with 2 queens. I said fine I would look at it, but before I did I asked one more time, anything witha king-sized bed? Then I reminded the lady that Stefani was a travel agent, and yes she got a really good rate, but she could get that anywhere, and she was seriously considering going to a different hotel at this point. Well, the room she "suddenly found free" was a much nicer room, on the fourth floor, huge, king-sized bed, with at least 3-4 bars of wifi - my Palm TX even got a good connection!! "Why didn't you give me that in the first place?" we wanted to ask, but we just said thank you very much; much better; yadda yadda yadda - sometimes I hate being a polite Canadian!! :o)

From there we went to Old Town, and went for dinner at Casa De Reyes. It is a great Mexican restaurant that we went to about 10 years ago with some friends we met on a Mexican Riviera cruise from San Diego. It was memorable, so we tried it again. Guess what? Still a great place - definitely a keeper! We wandered around Old Town for a couple of hours, bought some sugar-free candy, tried on some Indiana Jones style fedoras (I still want one!), and listened to a Latin band play live pan flute and stuff. Pretty nice time. After we got back to the hotel, we went for a walk on the pier and dreamed about living on a 40 foot cabin cruiser for the rest of our lives - {sigh}

The next morning we went to Loma Point, which gives a great view of San Diego bay, the Navy base, and the Pacific ocean, including Mexico and the hills in behind San Diego. It was very nice. We walked around on the beach, checking out the tide pools, looked at the monuments to Juan Cabrillo (not the character from the "Oregon" series by Clive Cussler), and taking a lot of pictures of the view. Then we went to San Diego downtown and checked out the USS Midway. We didn't get to go last time we were here, and we didn't get to go to Pearl Harbor last time in Honolulu, so this was pretty special for us. We went through the museum part kinda fast, looking quickly at the exhibited rooms and quarters and stuff, making our way quickly to the Flight Deck, where all the action was! OH MAN THAT WAS COOL!! All the jets and helicopters and missiles and rockets and machine guns and - well, see the pictures on Facebook, if you can - very cool. By the way, Mickey had a really good time too, sitting in cockpits of fighter jets and hugging a variety of small ordinance :o)

After the Midway we went on a 2 hour harbor cruise on the Lord Hornblower. I don't remember what the regular price was, and we had a $2 off coupon that Stef found somewhere, but I told her to ask about travel agents rates. The lady in the booth said something, and we thought she said buy one get one free, so we say "cool", and Stef goes to hand the lady her credit card, and the lady repeats what she said - You and one guest are free. Seriously? We took something like a $100 cruise for free? Too cool!! It was nice for the first hour, sitting on the deck, on the bow area of the ship, enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells (sea lions) of the bay. Then we realized that we were quite cold, and went in for the second hour :o) We got to see a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier leaving port, and our little boat had to get the heck out of the way! That night we had dinner at Sizzler (yes Sizzler! we don't have them at home) and it was delicious. I am going to put it on my list of top ten places to eat when you are hungry (and McDonald's is NOT on that list!)

On Saturday we checked out after breakfast and headed for Sea World. Now THAT is an aquarium, and then some! It puts Vancouver's little eco-friendly "Green Peace demonstration of an aquarium" to absolute shame! In other words, we really enjoyed it LOL. Shamu(s) were cool, I touched a sting ray, picked up a star fish, smelled penguins and sea lions, and went deaf from seals barking. I could spend an entire day there, checking it all out - we were there for about 4 hours, which was pretty cool, too.

We dropped off out wonderful automobile at about 3:15, hugged and kissed it (did I already say that I gotta get me one of those? well, I do!), and jumped on the shuttle for the airport. I like San Diego airport almost as much as Bellingham or Abbotsford. One single runway (although it is apparently the busiest single-runway airport in North America), but the terminals have decent amenities. We sat near Starbucks, took advantage of the free wifi, and sipped a Strawberries and Creme Frappuccino. We were there early, so we went to a bar-style restaurant for some nachos, and boarded our plane at about 6PM. We arrived in Bellingham at about 9:30, and our friend Richard was there to pick us up. After a quick stop for duty-free liquor, gas, and getting our SUV back from Richard's place, we were home about 11. We went to bed much later, however, as we were still a bit wired from the trip.

In all, it was a great week, and although I missed our new place in White Rock a bit, it was really great to get away, and forget about work and stuff. It was really nice to know that we were coming home to White Rock, and not our last place :)

Later today we will get outside again and go for a walk, enjoy the rain, cold, and wind, and remember how much rain, cold, and wind we had in SoCal :)

It was a horrible day

2010-03-03T20:34:00.000-08:00

Stef told me to use that title. It was actually an excellent day - MOST excellent, indeed!

This morning we went to Venice Beach, our favorite spot out here. We walked around, had breakfast at our favorite restaurant out here, the Sidewalk Cafe, watched the street musicians, giggled at the vendors trying to sell medicinal marijuana, and tried not to inhale too much smoke :o) We also watched the skateboarders, sat on the beach, and got a tan line :o(.

After Venice Beach, we headed back to our hotel to check on email (and I got none for you), with a quick stop at Baldwin Hill Overlook, then headed up to Hollywood. The Academy Awards (Oscars) are playing on Sunday, so the Kodak Theater, and the street in front of it, is all closed and detoured and very exciting. We got to walk on the red carpet (although it was all wrapped up in plastic), and we went to Build-a-Bear and bought Mickey a new t-shirt. Check out Stef's pictures to see it. She even got a picture with Elvis and Elmo - not sure which was scarier! We were also able to take a couple of pictures with Mickey on his own star and Walt Disney's star. pretty darn cool!

After wandering around a bot, we drove to the Saddle Ranch Chop House on Sunset Blvd for a really Happy Hour or 2, and pigged out on half-priced appies. the waitress really liked us, and thought it was cool that we were from Vancouver, and she was going to Vancouver in April, so she also gave us a free brownie's and ice-cream dessert. I am still too full.

After dinner we went up Laurel Canyon and Mulholland Drive to a couple of Overlooks. Hopefully the pictures turn out nice.

Yesterday we were in Santa Barbara, visiting some good friends. Today was here, and tomorrow is San Diego. We are have SO MUCH FUN!!!

South of White Rock - California Road Trip

2010-02-28T19:50:00.000-08:00

We are a little south of White Rock - currently we are in Laguna Hills, which is a suburb of LA, I think :o) We are visiting good friends here, spending our first day of our California road trip.

We spent the day at Disneyland - Disney California, actually. Stefani rode The Screamer roller coaster, finally. Last time we were here, the coaster was broken, so she was pretty excited. We also did a lot of wandering around, and of course, shopping. Downtown Disney is very cool, and the World of Disney store really rocks. We spent too much, of course.

We took off yesterday morning from Campbell River store, on the shuttle bus, at 6:10AM. We finally arrived at SeaTac airport at 10:30 - an hour later than we expected, due to some dorky foreigner that was trying to bring more than $10K cash across the border - who the heck carries cash like that?? So, instead of detaining him and letting the rest of us go on our merry way, we just waited - and waited - and ... waited. As a result of us being late, there were no first class seats, or even exit rows, so we had to fly in the cattle car like everyone else. Wasn't that bad - actually yes it was - the dingbat in front of me decided to put his seat back for the whole trip, and then put his hands on his head and behind his neck, totally getting into my space - how rude. To make it worse (yes, it could get worse) we were sitting IN FRONT of the exit row, so our seats did not recline. Bummer ... :o)

The drive from San Diego - that was a blast! It rained, and rained, and rained - hee hee, it was like the Grand Canyon - it poured! Check out our FB albums, very funny. Oh, forgot to mention, we rented a Mustang Convertible :o) Left the top up, of course :o)

We enjoyed the convertible today, though. I seriously gotta get me one of those!

I will post more tomorrow - we are off to Santa Barbara!

Warm up the house!!

2010-02-22T17:32:00.000-08:00

Tonight we are having some friends over for a party! A house warming party!

We've been here for less than a week, and we haven't changed our minds - we still love it. We enjoyed the sunshine on the balcony yesterday, walked to the promenade the other day, had dinner on a sidewalk patio, watched the people going by - very cool!

Saturday was a very busy day at the beach. There were cruisers on the street, cruisers on the sidewalk, and cruisers on the promenade. Cool cars, cool people, and cool sunshine (still a little chilly for shorts). On Sunday we finished up at the old place, cleaned it all up, and it is ready for carpet cleaning; then we are done and officially out of there! WooHoo! And to the rest of the decent people that are left there, good luck! My hat goes off to anyone that can stick it out there, and many of you have no choice. I hope for your sake that the Strata Council does not change at all, or gets even better. AND to those of you who are not decent people - move! Leave the innocent people alone, will ya! COME ON!!!

Anyways, none of those losers will read this, so whatever.

1 hour until PARTY TIME!!!

Consolation Prize

2010-02-17T22:24:00.000-08:00

We moved in yesterday! Started moving out of the old place around 10AM, and we were done there by 12:30. Quick break for lunch, and the guys were starting to unload at the new place. By 4 we were done, and all that was left was unpacking! Hmmm ... all that was left? Unpacking is the big part, isn't it?!

We had "Damiano's delivered" dinner with Stef's parents and Connie, a very good friend. While we were eating, I shared an observation that I had earlier. Historically, the evening of a move has been spent with the people that are the closest to us. Those close friends would be around for and evening of unpacking, organizing, and visiting. It was a nice thought; it was a nice evening.

Today, after the sun had set, and we were ready for a break from the unpacking and organizing, we went for a little walk to the promenade. It took about 2 minutes :o) We are going to enjoy getting used to that!

Our new place is so much better, in so many ways, than any other place we have been in. Sure, there are a few flaws, but they pale in comparison to the location. It is what we have dreamed of, and it is what we wanted.

Thinking back to 2 months ago, this isn't where we were expecting to be in February of 2010, but we love our consolation prize.

8 More Days!

2010-02-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

In 8 days we get the keys! Hopefully the landlord will be gracious, and say "what the heck - it's ready, and you're moving in anyways - take them a week early!" A guy can dream, can't he?

We are pretty darn excited to be moving back to the beach. This week the Olympic flame will be going right past our place; too bad we aren't there yet LOL. Of course, I am not too sure how the people would feel about my protesting right there anyways. :)

We went on a little trip this weekend, to a place called Mukilteo. It is a little town just outside of Everett Washington, along the water, at one of the ferry terminals to Whidbey Island. We stayed at a nice place called Silver Cloud Inn. The town was nice, and the beach was cool - reminded us of Crescent Beach a little. There were scuba divers everywhere! I asked what they were seeing, and it was pretty much the same as everywhere along our part of the coast - octopus, crabs, kelp beds, and the local fish. Not sure what the draw is there, aside from being able to get deep fast, as opposed to our beach where you have to walk a mile to get deep. I was thinking of doing some snorkeling along the bluff, more west of the public beach, where it is a little rockier. We'll see, come summer, how I feel about that.

Can't wait!

2010-01-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

In less than four weeks we will be moving back to White Rock. I have come to despise living at The Morgan, and it is because of a few people there. Another problem that I have there, though, is seeing how the new management is being run, and thinking "well, if we had been allowed to do that" or "if we had that kind of support" things may not have gotten to the point they did. In all reality though, it would have still gotten to that point, just not so soon.
I still think about Mexico a lot. We are glad that we tried it, and that we were not the ones at fault, but I said this morning to Stef that maybe it would have been better if we had hated it down there, anbd it was a dump, and we changed our minds - maybe it would be easier to take. I doubt it though - then I would be moping around around saying "why why why" instead of "why me". To be honest, I am not really thinking "why me", because I know it isn't me; it's them :)

Anyways, enough whining (gotta admit though, there is some deserved whining allowed!).

So, we are trying to find a couple of really strong backs to do all the hard stuff for us when we move. We thought we had a couple of guys, but they backed out because one of them is having a baby that day - well, his wife is; the other is his brother. I emailed the guy that helped ius last year to see if he is available, so we'll see. So if you know a couple of guys with their own transportation that are willing to do a lot of grunt work for a few hours, and get paid pretty decently for it, let me know. We are cheap - we know how hard it is to move peoples' stuff. That is why we don't do it.

I think I have to go. I am sitting in a coffee shop/bakery, and the place is filling with smoke - I think someone burned the jalepeno buns :(

Back to the Beach!

2010-01-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

On my last post, almost a year ago, I asked the question, "Why do we move around so much?" I think I have the answer: To find the right place!

This blog was resurrected about a month ago with a couple of posts that have since been removed. Our dream of moving to a tropical country to look after a hotel, B&B, or resort was crushed and trampled by a couple of mean men. We need to move on. This is how...

I will be re-resurrecting this blog. We are moving back to White Rock - back to the beach!

After coming back from our Mexican disaster, we had decided that to stay put in our current abode. It seems that God had other plans. We got a phone call from a rental agent/acquaintance about a newly renovated condo right across the road from West Beach in White Rock, only a couple minutes walk from the pier. While we had already resigned ourselves to maintaining a low-profile existence at The Morgan, we thought "what the heck - let's at least look at it"

One of the reasons we did not move to the beach originally was the fear of excessive noise, but this place is at the rear of the building, with another building in front of it. This means that the noise is likely minimal (and seriously, how could it possibly be worse than the drunks here walking by our bedroom window yelling into their cell phones at god-only-knows what time!). While this also means that we will only get a peek-a-boo view of the water, it also means that we will get less sunshine heating up our place in the summertime.

Nevertheless, it is all a quick and easy walk to the beach.

My thought process has been weird. "no gym - BEACH! no pool - BEACH! no hot tub - BEACH!" but as Stefani says, if things go the same as last summer at The Morgan, the pool will be unusable due to the party animals that insist on breaking the rules. And if I need a workout, there is always a walk up Oxford Street :o)

So, we are moving sometime after the 15th of February - back to packing! Yay! This time it will be a little easier, as we are taking everything we pack, and we have already gotten rid of a lot of the extras.

Keep an eye out here - there WILL be more to come; THAT I promise you!

Last Blog

2009-03-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

We moved away from the beach almost a year ago, into a home that has a wonderful view of Semiahmoo Bay. We thought this was really great, and we still think it is really great. I mean, I fell in love with the place instantly, and decided to splurge, and go $150+ per month over our budget price.

So, now that we have spent an additional $1800 in the last year (in a place that is no longer worth $1650 a month, I might add!) we are ready for a change.

Why do we move around so much?!

We just signed a lease on a new place, and it is even farther from the beach! But it is right in the heart of it all. Morgan Crossing is a new community in South Surrey, and we have been looking at it for a while. So, now we found a place at The Morgan. A 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, second floor end unit; for our original budget price! But, you say, it is far from the beach! You are going the wrong way! Well, let me tell you...

The Morgan Club house has a fireside room with 2 TVs, a full kitchen, a foosball table, and a pool table. It also has a theatre with enough seating for a decent party, and a very big TV. It has an outdoor pool, an outdoor hot tub, a library, and a gym! We have 2 underground parking spots, and more underground visitors' spots. It is very secure. It is brand new. It is CHEAPER than what we are now in!!

The problem? No more White Rock. No more beach.

That is why this is the last blog - at least on this site.

Sorry.

Homeless in White Rock

2008-12-14T19:23:00.000-08:00

This evening, Stefani and I had dinner with a couple of homeless people. Uptown Church, which meets across the road at the Start of the Sea Hall, had their annual Christmas Dinner. While it is a dinner for the church, it is also a dinner for the community. So the community showed up, including a few van loads from downtown Surrey.

I've never been homeless. I have no idea what it is like. I have mixed feelings about the homeless. Sometimes, I think that everyone in our society has the ability to have a home - it is a person's choice to be without a roof over their heads. I know, too, that sometimes it is not necessarily by choice, that it is a set of circumstances that led them there; but if you go back far enough, would you find that a choice was made, and that choice was the catalyst, resulting in their being homeless?

In February, the band I play with might be doing a set at a fund raiser for Nightshift Ministries. I am excited about being able to play, but I think I am excited about being able to help, too.

I am really thankful for the roof over my head, good health, and a strong personal faith and relationship with God. John Bradford said, "There but by the grace of God go I". I know that it is not by my own strength, that's for sure.

Stefani and I have been looking for something to do. Our few experiences with the homeless has not led us to that as a ministry, but the day ain't over yet.

Speaking of Favorite Restaurants

2008-11-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

There is a little place in the Five Corners area of White Rock, where Johnson and Pacific meet, that has some really great food. They do pizza, pasta, and wings, and they do 'em good!

As far as I can tell Damiano's has been around for a while. I don't know the history, but I do know that the guys that run it are friendly, courteous, and they always give free smiles with their good deals. They are always open, they don't close for vacations or trips to Italy, or because they don't feel like going to work. Their prices are good, their food is good, and they are just good people. I like that. They know me, and they remember me. They even knew I was away on vacation, probably because they didn't see me for 2 weeks!

Anyways, I've heard people say that their food is not good - don't believe it! Try it for yourself, and tell then Doug sent you!

My Favorite Restaurant

2008-11-07T15:22:00.000-08:00

OK, not really, but it has been a great place for breakfast.

For the past few months we have been going to Knight & Day in South Surrey at least once a week, usually on Wednesdays or Thursdays, for breakfast. The food is okay - the cook likes to burn the hashbrowns, he doesn't know how to make toast, and quite often screws up the eggs in one way or another. So why do we like it? Because of Denise. Denise is the kind of waitress that you just want to hug when you come in the door. She is friendly, chatty, and can carry on 5 or 6 conversations, while making sure your coffee cup is full, your food is in front of you, and you are happily eating or drinking. She si the kind of waitress that makes you want to keep going back to a restaurant that is not the best one in town, but she makes it the best.

So why am I writing this? Because Denise is leaving the South Surrey Knight & Day. Without any notice, the boss cut her hours to a point where she cannot stay there and survive. She has 2 teenage daughters, and without full time work, she may as well stay at home and collect EI.

Is this fair? No! Now I know that life is often not fair, but what is it that makes a business owner so blind tat they think they can survive without there best worker? What is it that makes business owners so damn stupid?

I think the owner of South Surrey's Knight & Day restaurant should get ready to close his doors, because we are not the only ones upset about this decision - many of Denise's loyal customers will either follow her to a new restaurant, or if she does not return to serving smiles with her coffee, we will find another place to go.

I'm in San Juan!

2008-11-03T16:50:00.000-08:00

Yup, that's right! San Jaun, Puerto Rico! We took at cruise from New York, stopping at St. Kitts, Antigua, and St. Thomas.

San Juan is a really great city. It's old, and crowded, and loud, and colorful, and really hot; but it is beautiful, and friendly, and I think I want to move here!

We arrived yesterday, took a van tour from the cruise terminal to our hotel in Isla Verde (you pronounce the "S"). The hotel is right on the beach, and our room overlooks the beach. The surf is pounding, and the air is warm. Very nice. I'll say more later, starting with New York, and what we did.

For now - I am in a very good mood :)

McDonalds in Japan?

2008-09-10T22:13:00.000-07:00

Today I heard on CFOX that a city in Japan had a big ice cream celebration. They had a lot of interesting flavors - shrimp, crab, eel; but the numero uno flavor was beef tongue. Apparently one of the weirder flavors (can it get weirder?) was raw horse meat.

This picture was not sent to me from Japan. This is a picture that I took, myself, in Langley - Brookswood, to be exact.

The sign the left says
"For The Love of the Horse". The whole sign is for McD's Express, bu the store only takes part of the front; the other part is taken by a horse and tack shop. For the love of...
You know

Topless Beaches in White Rock

2008-08-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

Currently, I am in Las Vegas with Stefani. She got 2 nights free at the Wynn for a travel agent familiarization tour. After that, we are staying another 2 nights at Planet Hollywood.

Oh ya, my title.

Stefani is at a seminar this morning, so I got to wander around. After paying way too much money for a breakfast bagel and a coffee (granted, they were good), I began my walkabout. Eventually, after wandering the shops and casino, I ended up at the pool. We spent some time at it yesterday, but I didn't do a lot of walking around. As I walked to the far end, I noticed that there was another pool and lounge area a little father down, with a bar attached to it. I glanced at the "21 and older" sign, but as it was outside the bar, I didn't read it. As I was walking around (looking for picture moments, and taking 1 or 2), I saw a "man" with big man-boobs. You know the type - big guy with hanging-type breasts. I noticed how clean-shaven this man's chest was, then I realized that it was not a man. Hmmm... interesting. I looked around a bit more, and lo and behold, there were more boobs! I had obviously wandered into a topless area! How exciting! Needless to say, I put the camera away - honest I did!

So, the point I am trying to make, whilst attempting to entertain, is this. If White Rock, or any other public area, decides to allow topless areas, PLEASE POST A BIG SIGN! That way we don't wander in. Not that I mind. I speak with utmost respect and purity when I say that God made women a lot better looking than men, and that the breast is merely a fold of skin and fat with some glands in it. It is not a sex organ, merely another part of the female anatomy to be appreciated for it's beauty - like legs, eyes, hair, and of course, bums!

I've said too much.

Later

Golfing vs. Fishing

2008-08-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

Spent a couple of days "camping in the mountains" this weekend, visiting with Stef's family. They used to camp, like with tents and trailers and campfires, but since they started cruising, they like to take it easier. Now, camping consists of renting the cabins at Manning Park. Which suits me just fine - too much non-salted air makes me sneeze. Lightening Lake is nearby, and they have a canoe, so I spent a fortune on a 1 day license, and borrowed some gear, and tried to rekindle an old flame.

I used to fish a lot. Every other day I could be found fishing backwashes, creeks, and streams around Chilliwack. Since moving to the city, and then to White Rock, I don't fish anymore; but now, I golf. Not really. I have only golfed 3 or 4 times in the last couple of years, and not much more before that, but I wanted to make a comparison.

Mark Twain said that golf is a good walk spoiled. Someone else said, "I'd rather chase a little white ball than nothing at all". P.J. O'Rourke said that golf combines two favorite American pastimes: taking long walks and hitting things with a stick. A perfect day of golf is about 4-6 hours of walking around a green field (or riding if you are lucky), getting a sunburn, and learning a few new words that hopefully will somehow affect the distance or direction of your badly placed ball. Golf can be costly - clubs, bags, shoes, beer, balls, carts rentals, green fees - it can add up.

A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work. They call it fishing for a reason - not catching. My trip was not a complete waste of time - I learned some new knots, got a good tan, lots of exercise from paddling the canoe, and I figured out some new words combinations to use for cussing! And, I caught a fish or two. Actually, I caught about 10, but Lightening Lake is a stocked trout lake, and they stock them young. Despite the fact that there is no size limit, what the heck am I gonna do with a 4 inch fish? Fishing cost money, too. Rods, gear, licenses, boats, driving, fines for fishing in the wrong place, beer, fines for drinking beer in the wrong place...

So, which do I prefer? Honestly, neither - I would much rather have a bad day at work.
JUST KIDDING!
Really, it depends on who I am with. I think fishing, overall.

So, until next time, gone fishin'

Girls Girls Girls

2008-06-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

Ha ha! Got your attention?

We went to the beach today. There were a lot of people there, but not as many as I had expected, considering it is Saturday, and most definitely the warmest and best day of this up-until-now ugly summer.

Today is why we love White Rock. Fish & chips at Fronds Bistro, walking on the pier, wading in the surf, and watching the people. And if you are too tired to walk back up the hill, take a community shuttle (never never never try parking down there!) Finish it off with a smoothie from Booster Juice (and tell Lawrence I said hi!)

Enjoy the "long weekend"

Corteo

2008-06-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

"I dreamed of my funeral, and you were all there!"

That is a line from Cirque - Corteo. It was cool. I have seen various types of shows done on the cruise ships. They are usually song and dance numbers, with little or no plot, but lots of glitz and glamor. In the good shows, they feature some acrobatics, or someone swinging and spinning on a rope or something, but you usually have to wait until the last show, and it is usually the last act - it is a pretty special thing.
With Corteo, they opened with that act. Within a few minutes of the curtain rising, 4 girls were twirling and spinning from "chandeliers" (reminded me of me old days at church LOL), and it only got better! I spend most of the show with my mouth agape, shaking my head in disbelief at some of the tricks and stunts they did. I was in awe. I was memorized. Then, later in the evening, Stefani told me (certainly not for the first time) how much the tickets were.

HOLY FREAKIN' CRAP!!!

So, we have decided that the next time we want to spend over a $100 each on tickets to a show, we are going to buy really good seats for a concert of some kind.

Not to say I didn't think it was worth it - I think it was, but I would like to spend the next wad of cash seeing the Cirque shows in Vegas, baby!

So, I guess we are planning a trip to Vegas next year - wanna come?

Louie!

2008-06-19T20:41:00.001-07:00

For the past few days I have been able to enjoy the company of my bestest friend, Louie. Stef's parents, who so graciously offered to take care of Louie so that we could continue to enjoy White Rock, have gone to Powell River for the week to visit River's human (Stef's sister), so we are Louie-sitting for the week. He is only visiting, as we told a lady in the elevator. Stefani said it very quickly upon getting in the elevator, in case the lady was worried. You see, we are not allowed to have dogs or cats in the building, and visiting dogs or cats are only tolerated as long as they are not a nuisance. But Louie could never be a nuisance, could he? So, he is "visiting", which he is, but just for a few more days - Stef's parents are getting him Saturday evening.
The weather was nice - yesterday. Today, it is raining. It was nice for a while, but this evening the rain started. Aside from the occasional burst of light from the sky (no, it isn't a nuclear explosion - well, in a way it is, but ...) we have had a fairly unfair beginning to summer. Stefani is quite lucky, having had at least a week in the warm Mexican sun a couple weeks ago. But I missed her so...

So, here we are, the beginning of summer is upon us, and we are hearing about events and parties and BBQs and all sorts of fun things to do, as long as the weather smartens up. Otherwise, party tent rentals are going to do very well!

Speaking of big tents, on Sunday we are going to Cirque du Soleil - Corteo. This is our first real Cirque show, and we are really looking forward to it. Should be fun! Hopefully it isn't the only "soleil" we see this summer!

Been a while ... and it is STILL RAINING!!

2008-06-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, it was sunny for a few days, but no one remembers that.

Went to Calgary last weekend. We've had it planned for a few weeks. Old friends - good friends, as it turns out, moved there a few years ago. The plan was to fly from Abbotsford International Airport on Thursday. First off, though, we were going to meet Stef's parents in Aldergrove for dinner, then they would see us off after dinner.

Note to self ... follow your gut!!

The week before, I had made an appointment with the car lot to get our Ford Escape looked at ... the appointment was Thursday morning - we were leaving late Thursday afternoon.

Back to my gut. The appointment was for 10:30. When a service department says that it is for 10:30, don't expect them to actually LOOK at it until at least 12:30, if you are lucky. So, finally, sometime around 2, they are finally done, but the service manager says that it is unsafe to drive, and he is strongly recommending I get it fixed NOW. Oh ya, my gut. Both Stefani and I, the night before, and the morning of, thought maybe we should cancel the appointment, just in case something happens, and we can't get the car in time. Well, we thought, appointment is for 10:30, by the time they look at it, and we decide what to do, there will still be time to get it fixed. Besides, it is running fine now, and they are only looking at what we thought was a preventative thing. It should be fine, right?

WRONG!

Short version ... me ... on the side of the road ... waiting for a tow truck ... Stef's parents coming all the way to White Rock ... Stefani's "birthday dinner" at Wendy's ... and us getting a ride to the airport, and having to arrange a ride back.

Fun.

So, anyways, as I was saying before I was so RUDELY interrupted!

We had this planned this little weekend getaway to Calgary. We leave Thursday PM, get there around 10PM local time, hang with the friends for a bit, then the next morning we find something to do while said friends are at work, then spend the actual weekend with them, leaving Monday afternoon. Sounds cool. Then Stef has to get this email from Disney cruises telling her that, as a travel agent, she can get a supermostexcellentdeal on a Disney cruise - her most favoritist cruise company in the world. Only catch is, yup, you guessed it, it's on the same weekend as our cute little getaway weekend.

So, that said, it is now Thursday, and Stefani and I are on day 4 of her 7 days away - the longest time we have ever been apart (next longest is 2 days). It's not the being apart that sucks (well, it does too), it is the fact that she is in Mexico, enjoying the sun and sand and surf, and Mickey, while I am here rusting and molding and withering (I'm meeeelllltttttiiiiinnnnggggg!!) in the rain. Oh well, at least she gets to write it off as a work expense - research (wink wink)

By the way, we still went to Calgary, and had a lot of fun. We had to get Stef to the airport at 5 in the morning on Sunday, so it actually made my time there longer, as I ended up staying up afterwards, instead of going back to bed. In retrospect, I'm not sure how good of an idea that was. Monday ended up being a long day, as I was stuck at the Calgary airport for an extra 3 hours waiting for delayed, broken, and crewless (not clueless) planes to get all figured out. The I had to show a job as soon as I got back, got some groceries, and got a sold start to my bachelor week. (In case you are wondering, I shaved the first couple of days, but not since Tuesday morning now)

Well, that my week so far. Movies, pizza, chips, and whatever you call it when you add tequila to cola. I'm off now to play some more PS2!

You Mean It Might Stop Raining?

2008-05-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

When is the last time I saw the sun? Hasn't been that long, but it feels like it, doesn't it? The weatherman is saying that we will have a scorching weekend - I guess I will believe it when I see it :)
We got back from a 2 night cruise to nowhere on Sunday. Seriously. Nowhere. We left Vancouver, slowly went up the Straight to Campbell River area, then back down past Powell River, past Gibson Landing up Howe Sound, then half way to Victoria through the islands, and back to Vancouver. We ate. We had fun. Took our 10 year old niece with us, and Stef's parents and her sister and family came too. It was fun, but only a fraction of how much fun Stefani will be having in a couple of weeks. She is going on a Disney Mexican Riviera cruise - without me :( Travel agents get to have all the fun! So, a week of pizza, beer, chips, video games, and raunchy movies! Woo Hoo - come on over and PARTY!!

Life really is better here

2008-05-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

this is pretty amazing!
i am sitting on my balcony watching the sun set, watching the singles of White Rock go into the hall across the road to party, blogging on my new WiFi PDA!
Life really is better here; but now that the sun is down, I am freakin cold!

Weekends were made for White Rock

2008-04-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

The weather has been hit and miss the last week. The rain tries to hit me, but I run away too fast and it misses. Or, the sun tries coming out, but as the rays try to hit the ground,the rain wipes them out, and they miss. Or, I miss the sun, and if I do one more of these, someone will hit me :o)

Anyways, yesterday it was a nicer day - started out cold though, considering we had snow Friday and Saturday - stupid weather :( But yesterday turned out nice enough for a walk on the beach.

We met Stef's folks at one of our favorite restaurants, Mr A's Patio, in Langley. Afterwards, they came back to our place. They brought Louie, our dog, with them, as they knew we wanted to visit. We went for a nice walk at East Beach, where the dogs are allowed. It was fun, but later on, after Louie was gone, we realized how much we miss him. I was kinda miserable most of the evening, and ended up staying in my "cave", as Stef calls it, moping and playing computer games. Ya, I miss him, but I know that he is much happier, and is living a much better life on the farm.

Today was another great day, as far as the weather is concerned. Still a little chilly, but not too chilly to sit at Frond's on the Beach for dinner. After dinner we walked down the pier, and watched the pigeons peck at the rocks. There is now a resident seal in White Rock, and it kept poking his head up, watching the kids "fishing" of the pier. I will try to get some pictures next time.

We've decided that, since we pay for parking anyways, we may as well drive down to the beach and walk while we are there. I like that idea a lot better :o)

Have I Ever Told You How Much I Like This Place?

2008-04-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

Stef keeps saying that to me. She walks around the house, admiring the view, the size, the layout; everything. Then she walks up to me and says that. She's funny.

But ya, I like this place.

Today we walked down to the pier. From our house. It wasn't quite as bad as last time, though; we took a different way, kind of a more gradual climb up the steep hill. It was a longer walk, but easier. Still pretty hard, but I didn't think I was going to die :o) They say it gets easier. Uh huh!

So, ya, I like this place.

Tonight some sports league is having a wild party and dance across the road at Star of the Sea Hall. The music is loud, the people are yelling; it all sounds like a lot of fun. Good chance they will be done by midnight - then the fun REALLY starts - cleanup :o) Too bad our company didn't get that contract - our cleaner would have loved an extra 4 to 6 hours! Hopefully it will all be cleaned up for church tomorrow. I might even go, just to see how clean they got it :o)

Have I ever told you...you know!

I guess I am ready?

2008-04-07T20:41:00.001-07:00

Well, aside from a stand for my keyboard, my studio is about ready. I might have to tweak a few cables in order to get the right length and get plugged in to the right jacks, but I tried it, and it works. Now if I only knew how to play these guitars hanging on my wall. Interesting art.

Well, guess that's all for now.

Who let the Dog Out?

2008-04-05T21:34:00.001-07:00

Louie is still Louie, and I think he still likes us :) I was hoping for a bit more of a reaction, but he did give me a big wet sloppy kiss!

We got up later than we expected to today - around 8. Went across the road the Star of the Sea Hall to check out the flea market. I was disappointed; no fleas! There were a lot of old things there, and they were selling a lot of things. We bought a pie. We just had a piece now with some ice cream - it is good.

Things are looking pretty good here. We are pretty much all unpacked, and have organized the closet a bit. I am almost done unpacking in the office/studio. Next I will be getting a keyboard stand, and stringing wires and cables everywhere to hook up the computer to the sound. The guitars are already up, of course.

Well, back to doing nothing.

I'm Out of Breath!

2008-04-04T19:20:00.000-07:00

Just came back from our first walk down (and up!) the hill. My chest hurts, as does my left arm, and up my neck :) Not funny, I guess.

No really, that was ... fun. Hard. We walk down the hill, which takes us to the top of a bluff, almost over top of the "white rock" on the beach, just east of the pier. We figured that was far enough, sat down, and looked at the ocean for a few minutes. Then we started back up the hill. I had to stop a couple of times, but I think that after a few times it will be easier ... I hope.

The started all grey and dark, and it rained most of the morning; but the sun came out around 3, and some of the clouds broke away - here in White Rock. We were in Surrey for dinner (at Costco! I love their hot dogs!), and the sky went dark with the grey clouds.

The sun us on its way down now, and the cool air if coming through the open window. I love Spring.

Time to unpack more Coca Cola boxes, and put up some shelves.

My Dog, Louie

2008-04-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

What is it about a pet that can touch your heart, and so quickly become part of your family? Louie was invited into our family in Spring of 1997, after I had a stroke in February. He was a puppy, merely 6 weeks old when we got him. He was so small, you could fit him in your cupped hands. He was very cute, and he knew it.

Louie went everywhere with us. He loved going for drives. He loved going out to the country to see his "cousin" Sammy, then later Oliver. Sammy died a few years ago on New Years Day. Oliver died last month. Louie is still alive, but I miss him dearly. He went to be with my in-laws, to live on the farm, chase squirrels, and run around, getting into whatever trouble he could find.

We can't have Louie where we live, and that sucks. Stafani's parents offered to take him - we did not ask. maybe a week after they offered, their dog Oliver died, leaving them dog-less. Louie has taken a liking to Stef's mom, and has always liked her dad. He is happy there.

Yesterday we drove past the old place, and I saw the footbridge over Campbell River. Louie loved that bridge, and we would walk across it, looking at the ducks. Today we went for a walk - the first one since moving to the new place. I missed Louie being with us.

It seems that we are into some new beginnings: a new house, new things, shedding ourselves of old things, and old possessions. I am glad that I can still see Louie every weekend. I think my problem right now is that I haven't seen him in almost 2 weeks. I am looking forward to the weekend for many reasons, but that is the main one.

All Done!!

2008-04-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, been a while. Obviously I've been busy with moving and everything. We unpacked almost everything really quickly this time. The house is all set up, and we've even had people over a few times. The only room not dome is the one I am sitting in. My studio needs a few things put up before I can actually start unpacking a lot, and rearranging, etc.

This place is great! The view is fantastic, and on the rare occasion when the weather has been nice, we have even sat out on the balcony and sipped coffee, staring out at the bay. The clouds have parted nicely a couple of days, and we can see the islands towards Vancouver Island, beyond Point Roberts. We see Semiahmoo Bay, he resort on the peninsula, and the central to southern part of Blaine. We were sitting at Paso del Norte last night, eating nachos and deep fried ice cream, wondering if we could see our place. Of course, it was dark, so - no; but I will check it out from our balcony later with binoculars, and see if I recognize the outside of the restaurant.

The move went really well, as it should, considering the amount we ended up paying :) But on the bright side, the very bright side, our old landlord unexpectedly paid for most of our moving costs by giving us not only our damage deposit, but the equivalent of a month's rent. So we got our deposit back, plus almost the moving costs - very nice - very unexpected - definitely a blessing :)

So, now that we are completely out of the beach house, and in the ocean-view condo, we are really starting something new; something different. We have changed a lot of things in our lives. We adopted out our bird even before we knew we were moving, we no longer have Louie (more on that later), and we "sold" our salt water aquarium. Some of these things were a distraction to what we really wanted to do, and what we really wanted in our lives. now, if we could only figure out what that something is.

Later on today we are having our home group meet here. This will be the second time we have met at our place, and the first time here, of course. We like hosting it, but John and Dorothy like hosting , too, and we would never take that away from them. I like having people over, and I hope we can start doing it more often again.

I think that is the something I am talking about. I miss people.

Well, more later, I have to get ready for work.

One Last Blog

2008-03-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

One last blog before I sign out. Tomorrow is moving day, and getting on Blogger to write will not really be a major priority. As a matter of fact, I am about to take the computer apart and move it tonight. I don't trust the mo9vers with my baby :)

The place is great. We got the keys this morning, and took off work early this afternoon to get started. Being tired of living around boxes and crap, we decided to grab a few necessities and "camp out" at the new place. Necessities include the laptop (we are "borrowing" a wireless connection from a neighbor for now), a mattress (Stef says a foamy is good enough for her), and all of my medications. That, and a bunch of pop in the fridge, and we are ready to go!

So, I will be out for a day or two. See you!

There is no "glee" in "Langley"

2008-03-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

This is a blog about living in White Rock, BC; the most beautiful place north of Santa Monica.

Today I was delighted to have to do some work in a neighboring suburb, Langley. Langley, like White Rock, has many elderly people in it, and an influx of younger people; but, unlike White Rock, Langley has become a sprawling suburb, and is divided, like many towns in the Fraser Valley, by railroad tracks and a highway. Put these two together, add a long freight train, and a whole lot of traffic during the lunch hour, and you get disaster. My first appointment was at 11AM, my second was at 12, and I had many stops to make before and after. Let's just say that I am happy to not own a gun :) ... I think.

This afternoon, having experienced one harrowing ordeal after another, I was back in White Rock again. What a difference. The pace is slower, even when you are in a hurry. People slow down to let you in, no one cuts you off, and people are generally quite friendly. Is this the difference living near the water makes?

I like White Rock because of the pace. The older generation here has been here for decades, and as those of us that are younger (or think we are younger) move in, they are reluctant to step aside and let the sleepy little beach community grow. I think, for the most part, those of us that have relocated here in the last few years are a bit reluctant, as well. There will be change, for sure, but I am happy that even the developers recognize the heritage, and are keeping the general feel of a beach town (Peace Arch News story).

There is nowhere to go but up, and I am happy that I am leaving the ground floor, and going up. I less than a week, 6 days to be exact, we are moving more into White Rock, closer to the center, and nearer to the core.

Bummer

2008-03-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

Well, found out today that the dingbats who lived in our new place have not yet returned the keys to the landlord. He is not able to contact/communicate with them, and they are not responding to his messages of urgency, so he has given them one more - keys within 7 days or new locks. Why 7 days, I don't know. They are obviously not getting a damage deposit back.

So, unfortunately that means we have to wait another week before we can get in, which puts us to the 24th at the earliest - one day sooner - yay.

I'm a little disappointed, but at least now we have an answer, and we know more than "nothing" for sure. It still allows us to get in and clean up a bit before being surrounded by boxes. I would like a day extra to take a few of the more breakable things that the movers won't be touching - I don't care how good their insurance is, they are not touching my amps or guitars :)

We won't be packing any more now for a week. Not that there was much left to pack anyways.

Patience is a virtue?

2008-03-17T22:08:00.000-07:00

I'm not a very patient person, I guess. I was telling Stef today that I don't get too excited about something until it is paid for. Like a cruise. I usually get excited a month before we go, when I realize that it is coming up quick. Well, the damage deposit cheque for on our new place has been cashed, and he was supposed to get the key on Saturday. I was really hoping to know by now :(

We are pretty sure that we are getting in on the 25th, which is less than a week and a half, but if we can get in earlier, that would make things more fun, and less stressful, you know? I want to see it, to be in it, to clean it, and to start moving various odds and ends into it. I want it to be mine, to stand on the balcony on a sunny day. Not that we are having any of those lately.

Stef's parents' dog died today. It really sucks because the dog had only recently become very comfortable at home, coming into the house in the evening and relaxing by the fire. But alas, he was a wanderer, and a wandering he must have gone, because he had a very badly damaged hip on the rear leg, and the surgery would have cost more than a used car. He is only a pet, and we have our limits as to how much we will spend on our pets. He looked like he was in a lot of pain yesterday, and today they took him to the vet and were given the prognosis. He is now in his resting place in the back forties, under a maple tree, with 2 other pets, Sammy and Jasper. It is also where Louie will lay his weary head soon, I guess. Louie will be going to Stef's parents' place next weekend, and he will live out his days there. Hopefully he doesn't wander, too.

So, soon we will be petless. Our plan is to get a Siamese Fighting Fish, or Beta, and put it in my old snail tank (sans snails, of course). Stef keeps saying she wants a rodent, like a hamster or a guinea pig. I hope she is joking. I think that if I invited some of my cleaners over they would think it is lunch (apparently chinchilla is a delicacy in South America LOL)

Well, almost bed time (10:15 - sheesh I am getting old!!)

A dreary Saturday

2008-03-15T10:37:00.001-07:00

We are sitting amidst boxes filled with our belongings. We are getting bored of packing, and we are longing for something different.

Last night we went to visit old friends. It has been a while since we visited, and it was nice. We have our differences, and we think differently, and do things differently, but I don't see why we can't still be friends. I'm ready for that.

Today we are sort of hanging around the house. I want to do some vacuuming, more packing; it's time to pack the Tupperware(c) and the spices. It's not like we will be doing a lot of cooking in the next week and a half.

Today our new landlord is hoping to get the keys from his previous tenant. They broke their lease, and moved out early, and now they are difficult to contact. I say, keep the damage deposit, and get new keys made; but then, I am impatient. If he can get the keys this weekend, we might be able to get in earlier. I offered to do the additional cleaning of the place in exchange for getting in earlier, and he liked the idea, so we'll see how that goes. So who know, maybe we will be standing on our new balcony looking over Semiahmoo Bay a little sooner than we think!

Here's hoping!

Well, looks like it is ours

2008-03-06T22:13:00.000-08:00

Stefani and I went again to see the new place. Actually, this was Stef's first time actually "seeing" it, aside form pictures. She really likes it, so cool, that makes 2 of us :)

So, the moving day is set - March 26th. our current landlord gets back from wherever she is on the 11th, so we will tell her then. Yes, that's right, she doesn't know. I think it will work out better for her anyways. now she will have time to paint, change the electrical sockets (she promised to do that when we moved in), rip out the cheap laminate flooring and carpet and replace it with something nice. Hopefully she will see it that way, too.

The boss is already talking about a raise for me, now that he is stepping back a bit more. He bought a van for the business, and we are equipping it with racks and holders and stuff for all the equipment and chemicals we use. We "hired" a guy to be our regular part time cleaner. He'll do floors, windows, pressure washing, initial cleans, and anything else that I don't want to do, and the boos is too tired to do. He drives the van. Lucky him :)

Basically, everything is cool. I am on a diet and exercise program, as I have developed adult onset diabetes. Considering the fact that everyone in my weird family has it, I am not surprised. I guess it is time to lose weight and get healthier. Stefani has been bugging me for years, and now that a doctor is telling me, she's ticked that I am finally listening. Does she have a degree? I didn't think so :)

OK, back to packing...

The new place

2008-03-05T19:46:00.000-08:00

So, she didn't call until this morning, and not until after I called her again. I guess she was busy being a mother :)

She showed me the place this afternoon, and it is fantastic. I am in love, and after showing the pictures to Stefani, so is she. We filled in an application, and sent off to cyberspace. Jennifer says it is more of a formality than anything, as she likes us and wants us in, but the owner need to know who is going in. So, like I told her, unless we are lying, and we are actually ax-murderers, we got it.

Now we have to break the news to our current landlord, who appears to be away for a week :( Well, she knows we are moving, as she's the one who gave us notice. We have a loophole in the tenancy agreement that allows us to counteract her 3 months notice with 10 days notice of our own, so we are moving beginning of April, if all goes well.

That was easy. Ya right :) Now comes the fun part - moving. After moving so many times, we are professionals, and yet, we are hiring REAL professionals to come and do the hard work. We will pack it, tell them where it goes, and unpack it. That's it!

Have fun!

And another one...

2008-03-04T22:12:00.001-08:00

Looked at another place today. It's a bit farther from the beach, near the Five Corners area of White Rock. Technically, I guess it is 2 blocks from the beach, but it is 2 very steep blocks down the hill. Good exercise?
The place is a big condo building. Two buildings, actually. There are many units available, all about 1100 sq ft, and all about $1400. Most of them are owned by the developer of the building, and are therefore for sale. The price is pretty high, and the lady that showed us says they aren't selling very well as a result. Moving into a place that is for sale seems kind of dumb, but moving from one unit to another, in maybe a year or two or more, or less, seems okay, if the place is nice.
First place was too small, and smelled bad from cigarette smoke. The second place was gorgeous, but it was a display unit, and only for sale, not for rent (too bad!). She showed us that one because it is the same as hers, which is available. Problem is, it is on the first floor, and on the north side, and barely has any balcony. So, what's the sense in living in White Rock if you can't at least SEE that beach? So we left, considering one of the units that are for sale. We like them, and they are big, and the price is okay, and we haven't heard from the one on the beach yet, so who knows what happens.
We have talked more about the one on the beach, and we think that after a year there we will either be deaf, or crazy. The noise on Marine Drive is actually quite bad. Not just partying, but Harleys. I have nothing against Harleys, or their drivers, but why do they have to be do damned loud? And why do they always travel in groups of 12 or more?
So, we went out for dinner and talked about it. When we got home, Jennifer, the lady from the condo, had called to say that there was yet another unit available due to someone backing out. This unit is, get this, it's a long-term rent, on the south side, on the second floor, and has a freaking huge deck! And a small one! Here's the catch - it is a couple hundred dollars higher in price. Now, we need to take into consideration that heat and gas are included in the rent, which saves a bit. We also need to take into consideration that it is very secure, as opposed to the back alley parking of the other one. It may not be right on the beach, and maybe that is a good thing, as it will be a little quieter. It is within walking distance to restaurants and coffee shops, but so is the other one. What to do?

I think the choice will be easy - Bill (the beach unit) hasn't returned my call, and hasn't let us know what is going on, and Jennifer (the condo lady) is ready to give us a key tonight (well, close - she is emailing an application as a formality). I phoned her tonight and told her she can call me anytime until 11PM. It's now 10:26PM. I don't think she is going to call tonight :o(

So, now we wait.

The new place?

2008-03-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

Hi again. We may as well call this "Finding a new home on the beach: The Chronicles of Doug and Stefani".
We looked at two places today. The first one is an upper floor of a house. We had higher expectations for $1500 a month. No tub, only a shower. Nice view, but no balcony, and 3 blocks downhill to the park/beach. Laminate floors, no heat (well, electric, but very cold!). Sorry ... no.

Second place we looked at, we fell in love with it. Soaker tub AND separate shower, right across from the beach, big balcony overlooking Marine Drive and the beach. Windows all over the place, with a view of the beach. Soaker tub (yes, I said it twice). Nice kitchen, open concept kitchen/dining/living room, with a view of ... THE BEACH! We offered to give him money right now! AND it is $100 cheaper than the other one!

So what's wrong? One of the ways he figures out who rents the place is by doing a credit check. That worries us a bit, as I have a bit of a history with student loans that goes back about 12 years. He figures no problem, as long as we've been good for 5 years, with no bad reports, should be okay. This means he likes us, and he'll let us take it, but it still depends on the rating he gets. So, we love it, we'll take it, but we aren't expecting much. Means we save ourselves the disappointment, I guess. Seems kinda cynical. He says he actually has two available, with the one right beside the one we looked at being available on May 1st. Really, this is too perfect to not be true. So, God willing, we have an ultra-cool place on the beach. If not, well, we have another ultra-cool place, somewhere else.

Here's hoping!

Later, on another planet...

2008-03-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

Much much later...

Life is better at the beach, unfortunately our little piece of paradise is being taken away. Our landlord has decided to move back in, now that her kids are all grown up and ndone school and getting on with their lives. So where does that leave us? Well, heartbroken, but not homeless.

We have a really good chance of getting an even cooler place, closer to the beach, maybe a bit more money, because we "no longer hgave a dog". We have decided that, with Stefani's parents' assistance, Louie will be retiring to the farm. We have no idea how much longer he'll be with us, so this is for the best. He could be gone before we move into something; this gives us a lot more opportunities for finding a nice place.

It's been a long time since I wrote here, and it really doesn't matter, because no one reads it anyways, but I want to start again, and try and get some creativity flowing again.

See you soon.

Are you ready?

2007-09-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

2 nights ago, I had a dream. It was one of those dreams that would normally wake you with a start, cover you with cold sweat, and have you shaking in your boots.

My dream was about the end times, and the rapture. I don't care one way or the other about pre-, mid-, or post-tribulation theology, because when God decides to do it, He will do it.

Anyways, I dreamt that I had been left behind. I was frantically trying to find someone I knew; my wife, my friends, and I was scared. I was also angry and confused. I couldn't figure out why God left me, as I was quite sure of my commitment to Him. I cried out to Him, asking why He left me, and I was met with silence.

The dream went on, but as dreams go, I don't remember what else happened. What I do remember was how strong the feeling of anger, confusion, resentment, and fear were; especially fear. I woke up suddenly, but instead of a cold sweat and fear, I felt peace. I lay there analyzing the dream, and going over the feelings. I remember thinking "I should write this down!", but I didn't - I couldn't get up. So I lay there thinking, and I realized that the peace I felt was because this was from God - he had something to say to me, and He was using this dream.

I asked God what He had for me, and He said, "Get ready". I said, "no really, what do you want?", and He asked, "Are you ready?". "Of course I'm ready!", I said. "Then get ready", He said. It made me think of Larry Norman's song, I Wish We'd All Been Ready. Now, when I am writing this, I realize that God has said this to me before, a few years ago, before life proceeded to dump on me. God was with me through that time, and He brought me through it with an increased strength and trust in Him. He has also blessed me and Stefani with an abundance, and we are now living our dream life.

But this dream, this sign, warning, admonition - whatever you want to call it, is making me think. Are we getting closer? Is "the end" near? In 1 Thessalonians 5:2, we read that it will come unexpected, like a thief at night. When is the last time we got a warning before we our house was broken in to, or our car was stolen. Doesn't happen. I think that God is saying to me, to us, that we should always live in a state of preparedness. In Luke 12:40, Jesus Himself says "You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

So, here is my question to you: Are you ready?

a friend lost

2007-08-06T22:30:00.000-07:00

today i lost a friend, on facebook.
a few weeks ago i was searching for, and found, and old high school friend of mine. i found him, and his ex-wife, who also was a friend. she became a facebook friend, but he was not on facebook, yet.
yesterday, he joined up, and added himself as a friend. she saw this, and sent me a message saying how disappointed she was that i would try to be friends with both. you know what? i remembered why i was never her friend in high school :)
let's see, friends with a guy from grade 8 on, or friends with his ex from grade 12 or after grad. i would have chosen him, if given a choice. thanks for making the choice easy, L*** B.

had a great weekend, long weekends are always great.

Okay. Thanks

2007-07-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

Well, He comes through again, like He always does.
A couple of weeks ago, when we last saw Stef's parents, they told us that they wanted to help us out with my dentist bills to have this tooth fixed. I guess we weren't paying attention, because on Wednesday evening Stef's mom almost got mad at me because we were worrying about the money. So, today they wrote us a cheque to cover it. Very cool. But I still hate dentists :)

Today was a great day. Stef's parents and her sister's family came over and we went to the beach. Did some swimming, caught some crabs (didn't keep them - catch and release, ya know!), and got too much sun, then came back and had some lunch. They left late in the afternoon, but it was a lot of fun.

So, tonight we are doing nothing, or next to it. Probably feel good, since we are both pooped from the long walk out to the water.

Later

It's not fair...

2007-07-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, so far I've been pretty good about not whining on this blog, but 1) no one reads it anyways, and 2) it's my turn.
I hate dentists. It's not so much the pain and discomfort they cause; it's the exorbitant prices they charge to inflict the pain and discomfort, and the fact that they can give you an estimate, then tell you to shove it while they charge you double. If I did an estimate for cleaning a facility, and then charged the customer double my estimate, they would tell me to take a flying leap! But for some reason dentists can get away with it.
So, here I am, sitting here "feeling sorry for myself", and wondering where I am gonna come up with $400. EI doesn't pay much, Stefani doesn't make $40K per year - yet. Honestly, it looks like we are going to have to cancel a cruise; which, by the way, is really cheap. Sounds dumb, maybe selfish, but hey, if God decides to bless us with the money now, so that we can still enjoy ourselves IN OCTOBER! that's cool with me.
So, it's my turn.

FaceBook

2007-06-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

An amazing phenomenon has a new influence on our lives. This great invention has the power to make you want to see and talk to people that you have barely even thought about in years, even decades! It has the ability to make you advertise your personal information, your thoughts, even your email address, to an entire world of people you have never met. It can influence you to become friends with people you never knew, or never got to know. Yes, that's right, I am talking about FaceBook. This exciting new sensation has taken over our lives, and made our world a very very small place. I myself may be addicted!
Recently, I made contact with many people that I have not seen or spoken too in over 10 years. I have suddenly become in touch with people that have been lost and out of my life for so long, I was wondering if they had disappeared off the face of the earth! I have surprised, and been surprised by, people I once knew in what seemed like a past life. And it is great!
So, the next time someone sends you an email inviting you to join FaceBook, think about it longer than I did. Don't delete it right away. Don't toss it out thinking it is another Classmates.com, or Yahoo! chatroom. Don't miss out on your reunion.

Okay, your probably thinking "what's with this guy, is he getting paid for advertising or something?" Actually, I am quite pleased with some recent re-contacts with old friends. I am now "FaceBook friends" with a couple of guys that I have not talked to in over 10 years, and they were my best friends growing up. Scot, Rob, and I hung out a lot, with a few other guys. We played "war" on Fenn and Pierre's farm, rode motorcycles up to Cultus Lake and Harrison Lake in the summer time, went camping, and hung out at The Pantry for hours, talking about life, girls, cars, and God. So, I'm feeling a little nostalgic, if that's okay with you. And, if it's okay with you, I'm gonna listen to some Altar Boys, or Rez band now.

Rock on!

sorry about that

2007-06-21T18:02:00.000-07:00

Wow! I didn't mean to keep you hanging like that!

The get together with my parents went well - at least better than I had expected. Lots of stuff talked about, but not much said. It was nice to get caught up on some of the family news, etc. At the end of the visit, before we left, my dad took me aside and said some stuff that I really appreciated hearing. It doesn't mean all is perfect, but it is at least forgiven, and that's a good thing. It really is...

As far as the big shocking surprise, that was bait. Thankfully the "fish" didn't bite. The only big shocking surprise might have been my bleach-blond hair and the earing, but that's it.

I am on FaceBook a lot now, so if you are on it, look me up, and MAYBE I'll add you as a friend :)

Hi again...

2007-06-06T22:25:00.000-07:00

...been a while.

On Saturday I will be seeing my parents for the first time in over 10 years. When they moved to the Prairies to "be with family", I thought, "fine, we aren't family? Have a great life", knowing that none of us would be inclined to sacrifice money and vacation time to visit each other anytime soon. But now they have found an opportunity and a reason to visit my mom's brother in the interior, and come with them to the coast for an event.

So, on Saturday, we will be visiting. I would be lying if I said I was excited - more nervous and anxious. We haven't really gotten along all these years, and our relationship has been "strained" since I got married. The visit will be tense, as we try to find the right words to say to each other. They are looking forward to it, as my mom thinks she is getting old, and may not live to see us again. I think she may be exaggerating a bit, as she is comparing her age to the age my drinking, obese, unhealthy, but very happy and loving grandmother died. But, to honor them, I will visit.

But look out, because I have a surprise for them; a shock, something that will completely knock their frikkin socks off! I CAN'T WAIT!!

Anyways, enough for now.

Later

It feels good to share

2007-05-22T22:14:00.000-07:00

We had some people over tonight. Our Home Group (Bible Study, Growth Group, Cell Group, whatever you want to call it) needed a place for the next couple of weeks, and we volunteered.
It has been a looooong time since we had a group of people - friends - over. We miss that.
I hope we can do it again really soon.

May 16th, a bit before 11PM

2007-05-19T13:51:00.001-07:00

Top 10 things I miss the most while cruising...

10. Waking up and getting ready to go to work
9. Going to the store and buying cookies and milk so that I have something for a late night snack
8. Going into the kitchen and fixing myself that snack
7. Cleaning up the dishes and the kitchen after a meal
6. Going out for crappy fast food, and being served by a snotty teenager who can't appreciate that her wages for one day will feed my Romanian waitress' family for a week
5. Making my bed - oh wait, I don't do that at home, either
4. Answering the phone and having to listen to a recorded voice tell me to hold for an important message regarding my financial future
3. Cleaning the bathroom - oh wait, see number 5
2. Walking the dog - actually, I really do miss that

And Number 1. 3 words ... High Speed Internet

May 15th, sometime after 11PM

2007-05-19T13:50:00.001-07:00

Today we are on the ship. We left our hotel in the morning, took a leisurely drive through East Beverly Hills, and dropped our car off at Budget, the place where the term "Customer Service" has no meaning. then we went to the airport to meet some other cruisers, got in a shuttle bus, and took a VERY quick drive to San Pedro harbour, where our paradise ship awaited. We got on pretty quick; unlike another group of 80 or so people, who actually managed to hold the ship up about 45 mins. We figure they were on a cruiseship-sponsored trek, so the ship HAD TO wait.
We met some people on board that are part of the CruiseCritic message forum that Stefani is on. Lots of nice people who's only common interest, in the beginning, is cruising. Once we get to know everyone, and get talking, we find other stuff in common, and that is cool.
So, we have eaten our fill - today. Although I am sitting here eating big sweet seedless grapes - irresistible. I think the day is about done, and we are off to bed. Big day tomorrow: breakfast, lunch, and dinner...

Cruising

2007-05-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

We are cruising now, and having a good time. I have been blogging on my laptop, thinking I could easily transfer the text to the Internet stations onboard; but alas, I cannot, so I will upload them from home.
Chow!

Here we are

2007-05-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

Well, we arrived in Los Angeles yesterday afternoon, got to our hotel, met our friends, and went out for dinner. After dinner, Stefani and I sat in our room, very tired from all the flying and shuttling, and watched the planes land. It was a nice hotel; we got upgraded to an executive suite, which basically meant a chaise lounge instead of an armchair, and we weren't on the lowest floor listening to the partying in the ballrooms.
This morning we had breakfast in the hotel. Why do fancy hotels think that they can charge an arm and a leg for stuff. A cup of coffee was $4.50! Just because it is a Starbuck's blend? That means they should be paying me for drinking it! And $6 for a couple of pieces of toast? Holy Shamoly! Anyways, the people we were visiting with had breakfast comped to them because they had problems with their room, so it was covered...but still!
After we checked out, Stefani and I picked up our rental car, and headed for the beach. We hung out at Venice Beach for a few hours, soaking in the sightsm sun, sand, and smell of cannibas. I could see White Rock beach becoming similar, and it would be kinda cool, without the pot :o)
So, here we are at our hotel. We've already taken a dip in the pool. This hotel is great. We have a suite, with a separate kitchenette and living room. The bathroom has a huge jacuzzi tub, big enough for a small Asian family.
We are starting to get hungry, and we are thinking about steak, so I'm going to check out some restaurant reviews.

chow!

All by myself...

2007-05-04T20:18:00.000-07:00

...as we break out into an annoying Celine Dion song...

Stef is probably out on the water by now. She called around 2:30 to say they finally got on, which is about 2 and a half hours later than she had hoped. Then she called just before 6 to say they were heading for dinner, and they would be setting sail very shortly. I hope she has a good time. Wait, what am I saying? Of course she will have a good time.

Sure looking forward to our vacation. In a week we will be in LA, soaking up the sun, hanging out at Venice Beach, checking out Universal Studios. Then after 3 days, we cruise back to Vancouver. Somehow the captain will take 4 nights to arrive back - guess he's not using his hyperdrive :o)

But tonight I am alone. I just watched X3, next is Lucky Number Slevin. What's with the number theme? Me, chips, Coke, and movies - all night long...

Some good news

2007-05-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

I worked a fairly long day with my new boss today. He wants to give me more hours pretty soon; enough that I won't have to find another part time job. That is very cool. He really likes me, and Stef, and wants us to eventually help him run his business, and maybe take it over when he retires.
It's nice to be appreciated.

Living in White Rock...what a blast!

2007-05-03T19:34:00.000-07:00

We are living our dream. We live near the beach. We are driving a 2002 Ford Escape, and we have our dream jobs. Who could ask for anything more!

We thank God every day for giving us our dream here on earth. Considering how crappy everything is around us, with bullying, violence, stupid movies, and the Canucks, we are doing pretty good, and feeling pretty great!

Tonight we are mellowing. Lots of good TV on. Tomorrow Stefani is taking off for a one night cruise, and I am working. I have some movies to watch, I'll eat some Doritos(TM), drink some Coke, and just flake out on the couch.

Well, gotta run - Ugly Betty is on!

Oops

2007-04-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

Due to some ... err ... "technical difficulties", my blog went kaput. It's back now, with a new look, and a new smile :)