Oddly enough, I guess this past week was a combination of vacation and being unemployed. Its a weird feeling, but one I could get used to. Starting the day when you want to. Performing tasks at your own pace. With the exception of being broke and Tia staring daggers at me, its pretty ideal. Damn you money!!!
We spent the past week in Vancouver........the, eh, one that pronounces 'ou' like 'oo' not the pseudo-suburb of Portland with the cheaper homes and infuriating commute. It was cold and wet, but enjoyable nonetheless. We walked.........and walked..........and then for good measure walked some more. It is quite a lot like Portland, but on a larger scale. Lots of little shops and eateries in the outskirt neighborhoods and even cheaper eateries closer in to downtown. The large distinction is that the shopping downtown is akin to what you would find at the mall or wandering around the Pearl. We did get to try a Transylvanian bakery (who knew they were so adept at baking, what with the whole Vlad the Impaler thing hanging over them, I just assumed they coasted by on fear tourism or, you know, bloodletting). The bakery items, tiramisu for Tia and a spiced rum cake for me, were spectacular and extremely sweet.
We had them as dessert after stumbling upon a Pho restaurant that had the most amazing Bahn mi sandwich I have had to date. If they could market them correctly the Vietnamese could destroy the business of Subway, Quiznos, or their bretheren. And I say this as a fan of those other places.
The apex of our trip, both literally and figuartively, was a journey between two mountain peaks (well, close enough anyway) in Whistler, the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics, that spans almost 3 miles (nearly 2 of which are unsupported. A few cars even sport glass bottoms so that you can see below (we waited for one and, while the view was truly exhilerating, there was a child onboard who was amongst the most loud, loquacious, and misbehaved as any I have had the displeasure of sharing space with...........and his parents were little more than facilitators. One of the other passengers had the temerity that I wish I had and inferred not indirectly that the parents should no longer breed. We felt every one of the 11 minutes it took to cross to the opposing peak). Definitely the highlight (as well as the lowlight) of the trip to Canuck Country.
We returned feeling fat from our many epicurean adventures (Thai, Vietnamese, bizarre pizzas, Indian, amongst a smattering of others...........although sadly no poutine this trip) and tired from our many amblings about. Having displayed a measure of restraint and financial prudence in choosing a trip we could drive to, we rewarded ourselves with a massage at a place called Massage Envy (http://www.massageenvy.com/), which offers an amazingly low price on your introductory massage. Having little resistence to a massage to begin with, the low price was a cincher (much like the $1 double cheeseburger or $2 pints, I am a sucker for cheap meets want). I opted for the first time to extend the time to a 75 minute massage (instead of the stadard 50) and I am officially ruined for the shorted massages now. Every time I get a massage, I remember immediately how much I completely and utterly enjoy them, and then proceed to not get one for a number of months that follow. Admittedly, this is largely due to the cost. Actually solely do to the cost. But they have a plan that extends the cheap massages throughout the year. Now if I can just convince them to also start serving cheap cheeseburgers and beer!
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