SFA in YVR

I think the best word to describe my time in Vancouver would be "relaxing". My mental batteries were very low and I was getting to the point were I was going to start snapping at my friends. I needed a few solid days of "me-time" and I got it. I pretty much just window-shopped, hung out at coffee shops and wrote some blog entries (this one has been bounding around in the back of my head for months and ended up being half the size I thought it would be).

I was hoping to write some fiction, or another essay or three, but didn't and that's OK.

I wasn't a hermit during those first few days, I did see garething and stephtopia and we managed to spend a ton of money at the best Japanese restaurant in North America - Tojo's. The meal was, as expected, exquisite. If you can manage the time and the money, I highly recommend it. Get the Omakase (basically a taster's meal determined by the chef).

However, despite seeing G&S, I mostly kept to myself. I also did a lot of walking, probably >10k/day. It was midway through the week when I determined I needed new day-hikers.

The later part of the week included visits with bognaustroglum, chris9871, somejauntypolka and whiggy_one. The requisite trip to Clubhouse Sushi occurred. Only slightly marred by the fact that the oven was broken (so I couldn't get the "Oh Avocado" - my favorite menu item) and the eclectic collection of menus has been cut down to a manageable level from the former large library of daily, weekly and monthly specials. Still, the service was good, the atmosphere was friendly, the company fun and the food tasty - what more could one ask for?

Other restaurant visits included Bon's Off Broadway, which seems to be the Vancouver version of the Lido Cafe, and Vera's Burger Shack, which managed to scratch my itch for a really good chili-dog. Along with trips to some random sushi joint on Broadway and Hamburger Marys, this seems to have been a trip made up almost entirely of Japanese food and diner food. I've probably put on a few pounds. Hopefully I can shed them before my upcoming weight-gain clobbering (I'm going to a Newfie wedding in two weeks).

Oh, and Calhoun's of course. That's mostly for the pretty girls and free wireless though.

Along the way I managed to do some venting to keep the mental demons away. This included some advice that I'm contemplating, even if I suspect it's in the "too short? be taller!" category. Time will tell.

I also managed to miss out on a night at the pub with TK & KG. I managed to find the right pub at the right time, but the intersection of hearts and minds did not occur. The consolation prize was Canada Day fireworks along the Burrard Inlet.

Looking forward to another trip out in October for the RV½M.

My flight back was uneventful and hassle-free, the way it should be. The pilot damn near managed to land the plane sideways though, so I'm duly impressed. nosarious picked me up at the airport and we went to catalytic & madeileen's annual BBQ. I didn't do much barbecuing, but I did get quite a bit of flirting in, as well as hot-tubbing. I may even have asked a girl out (to no effect, aside from a sense of accomplishment for having asked) and retrieved candies from othelianna's cleavage. It was a pretty good night, and a good epilogue to my Vancouver adventures.