A Trout in Vancouver

I am in Vancouver training. It is beautiful up here. My favorite part so far is the cool weather. Don't get used to it, I know. Today was 90 and the weathermen were going crazy talking about how hot it is. Yes, in a suit it is kind of warm, but in general it isn't an oppressive heat. Nothing like Baltimore summers.

Today we had the afternoon off so I decided to go check out the water. And I wasn't the only one, there were hundreds of people down there. The view was spectacular, across the water to the other side of Vancouver (or maybe another city or suburb, I don't know my Canadian geography) and the mountains looming up behind the buildings. It was beautiful. There was also a little water plane dock that was surprisingly busy and I sat there for awhile just taking it all in. There were also tons of boats docked there, including several houseboats. One that literally looked like a house sitting on top of a boat. It had shutters and trim and everything. I couldn't decide if that was real or a tourist thing. Either way, I think I want to live on a houseboat at some point in my life. And I remembered my camera! Yay pictures! When I went to take a picture *Change batteries* Are you kidding me? I just checked them before I left. Guess I took too many pictures like this


By the time I found a drugstore to buy batteries I was blocks away from where I saw all the great scenery and my feet were beginning to hurt. My fault, I didn't want to make another pair of dirty socks so I wore my business socks instead of a pair of sweatsocks. But, i still wanted a picture of the water, so I went to the closest vantage point and this is what I saw



Not quite as nice as the view from the original place, but you can still get the idea. Oh yeah, and there were lots of oil tankers coming through. I saw three in the hour that I was down there.


Vancouver is a strange city. Or the place I am is really strange. I think we are in the touristy downtown part. There are lots of foreign languages, well just two really, French and Japanese (or Asian, I can't tell the difference) and lots of people. There are a ton of "hip" shops and stores around and tons and tons of bars. It reminds me of Fells Point in a lot of ways. There are also tons of bums and backpackers hanging around asking for money all the time. I am afraid to give change, they have $2 coins up here, what if I throw $8 in some guys hat? I need that money. Nor do I want to stop and dig in my pockets and look at my money for several minutes trying to determine what change I can part with. so, bums get screwed.



I also saw a really fat asian guy dressed like Hawaiian Elvis in McDonalds. Slicked back pompadour, big sideburns, huge elvis sunglasses, jeans and a hawiiann shirt. Maybe he was just a greaser. His wife/girlfriend/lady he was with also had big 50's hair. It was awesome.

And then there are tons of businesses, like real businesses, so there are lots of people in suits and ties and fancy clothes mingling with all these scrungy backpacker kids. It is cool.

Oh, and tonight I had pizza on a sesame seed crust. In fact, you know what, forget everything I just said. Vancouver is weird because they have pizza on a sesame seed crust. That is all i needed to say.

Ahh, what am I talking about. I can't make any kind of judgement about Vancouver, this is what I mostly did.



Stupid Olympics. Why are you so damned addictive? Everytime I thought about doing something I would say, after I see this event or that event and then they just kept being entertaining and suddenly it was 11 o'clock and I was ready for bed.

Tomorrow I fly to Japan. I am excited but nervous. Kind of like I have been for this entire experience.