First Times

The first time you try something new can be tricky sometimes.  The best advice I can give you is to do some research beforehand and buddy up with someone who is more knowledgeable about the subject than you are.  Tonight was my first time and it wasn't as painful as I thought it was going to be - it was actually pretty fun =)

It's hard to believe I grew up in Vancouver and have never been to a Vancouver Canadians baseball game.  Baseball's never really been a sport I was interested in unless you count being enthralled by the Toronto Blue Jays back to back World Series Championships.  Other than that, I always felt that the games took too long and weren't all that exciting.  Tonight, I put that all aside to watch my first live game.

I had been hoping to bring a bunch of friends, but eventually everyone bailed (or failed to respond) and it ended up being just me and Brad which was lucky since he's actually played ball and is easily amused by my lack of knowledge.  Here are a few things I learned early on in the game:

1. Anything at or above a 30% hit rate is pretty good (we saw ranges between 11-32% tonight)
2. Never come to a game alone unless you're a die hard fan cause you need someone to talk to
3. Sit along the 3rd base line, not the 1st, because the sun sets behind the 1st baseline
4. People will still try to catch the ball even if they're sitting in fenced off seats
5. Only sit in open (unfenced) seats if you or the people you are with are comfortable with catching balls with their hands, not your face =p

All in all it was a pretty good night.  Highlights included:

• An in-stadium home run caused when the centre fielder of the Everett Aquasox ran into the wall trying to catch the ball (he eventually shook it off to continue playing but I thought it was kind of embarrassing)
• A 70 year old regular (even the beer guy knew his name!) got into it with another fan who spent a fair part of the game heckling the players.  Eventually it got into name calling, with the old guy calling the other guy ugly, and then moved into fight potential when the old guy said his son would kick this dude's ass.
• The 7th inning stretch tradition



Ms. BC Roll, Kappa Maki, and
Chef Wasabi!

• The sushi mascot race (tip for 'Chef Wasabi' maybe focus on actually running the race instead of doing random rolls, then you might actually break your 27 race losing streak) and the fact they have 4 different mascots (a bear and the three sushi ones)
• Random Footloose routine performed during the game by some of the ground crew
• Finishing in 2.5 hours

Would I go again?  Probably next summer since the season is almost over, but at least it's another thing checked off my summer list =)

Summer Planning Update

About a month ago I wrote a post on all the things I'd like to try and do this summer.  Looking back, I would have to say that it was a tad ambitious especially with just a month to go.  Here's an update on what's happened so far and what will have to be trimmed to actually get through this list properly (Notes are in italics, green = done, blue = modified, strikethrough = scrapped):

1. Watch a performance at Bard on the Beach/Theatre Under the Stars
2. Theatre Under the Stars (FYI: these get expensive!)
3. Sailing (The boat and it's Captain have moved away so this will probably have to wait)
4. Bike around Stanley Park
5. Visit every gelato shop in Vancouver =)
6. Watch at least 2 outdoor movies in the parks
7. Watch a movie at the drive in
8. Watch the last Harry Potter!
9. Visit the Island or Washington
10. Visit Washington
11. Watch a Vancouver Canadians/Vancouver Whitecaps/BC Lions game (See note under #2 re: $$)
12. Watch a Vancouver Whitecaps game
13. Watch a BC Lions game
14. Watch at least one concert or show

Just slight adjustments - nothing too extreme...

Ok, I'm obviously lying here since I've now trimmed about half of the original list, but desperate times call for desperate measures!  Although, if we stretch summer to include September (since it took so long to really arrive), I might get through more of the original list than I thought.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see how the rest of the month goes.  Let me know if you want to help me work through some of these activities =)

Summer Planning

Summer weather has finally arrived and it's got me thinking of all the different things I'd like to do over the next couple of months.  Of course now that I'm trying to record them, most of those brilliant plans have deserted me.  Here's what I can remember...

1. Bard on the Beach
2. Theatre Under the Stars
3. Sailing
4. Bike around Stanley Park
5. Visit every gelato shop in Vancouver =)
6. Watch at least 3 outdoor movies in the parks
7. Watch a movie at the drive in
8. Watch the last Harry Potter!
9. Visit the Island
10. Visit Washington

What about you?  Any suggestions to add to my list?  Feel free to send me some of your summer activities =)

To-Do

I am a master procrastinator.  If it needs to get done, I can find a way to put it off until the last minute.  Oddly, this really only seems to happen when dealing with things of a personal matter especially around the house.  My theory is that I'm too focused on the things that I get paid to do (i.e. anything at work) that by the time I get around to things at home I just don't have the energy or will to get it done. 

Any of my regular readers have noticed this trend already in the weeks I've been posting on here.  It's rare for them to see a post before 11:00 pm and unfortunately, you can absolutely tell when I'm just trying to get something done before midnight (i.e. any bunk piece that has ever been posted). 

Old habits die hard and the worse the habit, the harder it is to break.  One of the pluses of my self-imposed off-line weekend is that I've actually had to write these in advance.  True to form, I'm doing so in the few hours left before midnight, but it's still getting done ahead of time so yay for me!

In an effort to be productive without the distractions of my phone or the internet, I've compiled a to-do list for the weekend.  Like any obsessive compulsive event planner, I love writing lists.  There's something completely satisfying about checking each item off and wiping my white board clear once everything's done.

Clearly this is just further evidence of my multiple personalities.  It drives my mother insane that I am one person in my professional life and a different person at home.  Will I ever be able to meld the two together?  I suppose only time will tell, just like we'll have to wait and see just how far I get with my list this weekend.  Wish me luck!

Montreal to Vancouver

Last summer I thought of taking a trip to Montreal.  The catch?  Driving back to Vancouver in under a two weeks.  It's ambitious to be sure, but not impossible if you're spending less than 24 hours in each location.  Because I'm posting in the narrow margin between jobs today, I'm making this quick and easy.  Here's my ultimate 10 day road trip schedule:

Day 1 - Arrive in Montreal (after taking the red-eye from Vancouver) at 7:30 am
          - Drive to Ottawa for dinner, spend the night

Day 2 - Drive to Toronto for lunch, spend the night


No maps allowed! 
We're not lost, we're on an adventure =)



Day 3 - Drive to Niagra for lunch

          - Drive to Sudbury to spend the night

Day 4 - Drive to Sault Ste Marie for brunch
          - Drive to Thunder Bay for dinner

Day 5 - Leave Thunder Bay after breakfast
          - Arrive in Winnipeg for dinner

Day 6 - Leave Winnipeg after lunch
          - Drive to Regina for dinner

Day 7 - Leave Regina at the crack of dawn
          - Spend the afternoon in Drumheller
          - Leave for Calgary after dinner

Day 8 - Drive to Banff for lunch
          - Drive to Lake Louise for dinner

Day 9 - Drive to Jasper for lunch
          - Drive to Prince George for dinner

Day 10 - Leave Prince George at the crack of dawn
            - Late lunch in Whistler
            - Drive home for dinner

I'm sad I can't show you the wicked colour coded time table I actually created for this trip or maybe I'm just sad because I actually made a time table.  I'll let you all decide that one.  But seriously, this trip has the potential for equal parts disaster and awesomeness - hopefully I'll get to take it (or the actual coast to coast trip!) some day soon =)