A day in Victoria with Bethany

Totem in the tulips

Bethany, I love this photo of you. Thanks for always looking on the bright side:)

Empress Hotel

Peek a boo!

Tip toe through the tulips in Beacon Hill Park:)

Keeping in touch with the home front. This super star mother can take care of it all!

Farm view on Lakes Road

Eco-chick organic model overlooks market square

Ferocious Flower

Me enjoying a deee-licious soy latte at Willie's Bakery

Latte art with heart:)

In case you didn't already know....

Thank you to the very funny and interesting blogger Amanda www.kickyboots.com for the following 5 interview questions.

1) What is your earliest childhood memory?

There is one very early memory that I have from being really young. I think I was less than 24 months old because we were living in Banff then. I have a memory of laying in my crib (yes, crib), and I must have just had a nap because my mom came in and asked if I would like to go for a walk. I remember laying there and noticing the sky looked different because I was looking through the screen on my window. It was the first time that I saw one of those tiny, clear, floaty disk things in my eyes when I looked at the sky. I said to my mom "I don't think so..." in a somewhat of a contemplative way, not knowing what it really meant to say that.

We went for a walk anyway.

2) What is your favourite condiment?

I really want to say something interesting here, but in terms of frequency of use, I have to say ketchup (for grilled cheese, fries, burgers, hot dogs, KD, and so on...) I have heard more often than not that ketchup for dipping grilled cheese in is totally abnormal, but I like it and if you don't then sucks to you;)

For foods other than listed above (which I really don't eat all that often, I SWEAR) except for at Costco...those battered fries and scrumptious hot dogs.... I typically don't use much in the way of condiments because I tend to use lots of spices in my cooking as it is. Having said that, I am not opposed to a great mango chutney...so versitile!

3) What is the scariest thing you have ever done?

Well, hands down, every time I left Milner Hall residence building at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad, my friends and I found ourselves face to face with a situation that could leave us 'living-challenged' to put it as PC as possible. Whether we were staring down the barrel of an assault rifle, stuck in the back seat of a crowded maxi taxi with an assasin strapping knives to his body, or even just trying to cross the road, or surviving a night of dancing in local clubs with out getting 'poked' by some strange dreadlocked gentleman, it was all pretty scary.

I would totally do it again though...somehow I find danger a little more exhilerating now.

4) Have you ever given anything up for Lent? What was it and did you last the whole 40 days?

Long answer: I have lived without any ID or money for 17 days because I left my wallet on the sky train, but it was neither for religious or personal reasons. It was a challenging, yet resourceful time of reflection for me.

Short answer: It had nothing to do with Lent. So, no.

5) If you could live in any country but had to commit to living the rest of your life there, which would you choose?

Hands down, the Netherlands....oh soooooo understanding and easy going Netherlands. Though I have heard that they serve the world's smallest glass of beer. Having said that, then there are the tulips, my favourite flower. So the two things cancel each other out, and I think I could manage living there in perpetuity.

Now, if any of my two readers out there would like to be interviewed:

1. Leave me a comment with your email address saying, “Interview me.”

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Hypothetically...

A few days ago I was bored, so inevitably my mind wandered into the wasteland of celebrity debautchery. As the harp music cued my imagination, I imagined the following scenario:

If my life were to be recreated by Tinseltown filmmakers, who would the Hollywood version of me be played by based on personality and appearance? Who would play my friends, etc?

I thought this would be a fun game to waste some time over the long weekend with Erik, but when I asked him who he would cast as me, he clearly did not know the rules of the game, nor did he care at all to play to begin with.

"Uh, I don't know, what's that actress again... oh yeah, uh... Penelope Cruz" he stares blankly at me.


"Erik, you have to at least think of someone who looks somewhat like me!" I say exasperatedly. Latina, I am not.

"I don't really care. This game is stupid. You are taking this far to seriously for something that will never happen," he replies.

"Oh, but come on, just think about it for a second, just say someone who is the same race as me!" I goad him.

"Alright, I would cast you as Star Jones. There, now you have it."

So according to Erik, if my life were to be portrayed on the Silver Screen, Erik would cast a freakishly addicted to plastic surgery Black woman to play me. Thanks, Erik.

What do you think? Which Hollywood person would play you?

Are Your Pants Full of Shit?

Above: this is the band member with whom the following post concerns most specifically.

I can't believe it was 12 bucks for 2 beers! They were imports yes, but still. The 4 Norwegians take the stage. They are skinny Scenesters. They need a sandwich, I keep hoping someone will throw food at them, for caloric reasons, mostly.

The music is certainly born of true artistry; it splashes the most metro/electro vibes around the club. Funk reigns rythmically through the melodic beats. European sensibility is so Bauhaus. I don't know why that thought percolates through my hypnosis.

Why do I feel like I have to try to like this band so much? I'm not sure.

The lead singer has such an obnoxious hair style. It is so long and in his face, and about ever 2 seconds he belabouredly brushes it aside so he can see what knob he is turning on his synth. Alas, it is simply not greasy enough to stay out of his eyes, and gravity wins. Within miliseconds, the hair swings back into his face. Repeat.

Why do indie bands always seem so high all the time? That annoys me.

After 120 Days finished their crazy rad performance, I saw the bassist on the main floor of the club. Since I knew they were Norwegian, I thought I would speak the only Norwegian phrase that I know (thanks for this one, Dad!) to him. In the darkness of the back of the Richards on Richards, I approached the skinny Norwegian. He looks at me. I lean to his ear and say in Norwegian "Ha hun boxer fulla dreit?", pr some approximation of the phrase, which loosely translates to "Are your pants full of shit?"

The bassist turns his head and looks at me confused.

It was meant to be a joke but the bassist is too strung out to get it and instead of the funny, intercultural exchange that was supposed to occur, the whole moment was awkward and weird. My friend Laura thought it was funny though;)

A few days after the concert, I was having lunch with some friends at Toko (really cool Asian fusion restaurant on Cambie and W.7th), and I was retelling the story to the group when Raffi pipes up about his similar experience with the bassist at the concert.

"I know! I saw that guy selling CDs at the product table cause I guess that's what you do when you are still small time. One time I looked over and he was acting all European and annoying, and then next time I looked over, he literally had his pants down and he was rubbing his butt on some girl's leg. Let's face it, it was weird".

Having said all this, I really enjoyed 120 Days' as an opening act because I'm not gonna lie, they know how to make turning knobs look cool. And those skinny, tight ankle pants? Speechless.

"Are you gay?"

"No, I'm just Scene"