March - July 2009
I promise to update regularly, and I don't. And, hence, another trimesterly update on my life. This one covers late March to early July.
Parents: My parents visited me for five nights in late May. It was terrific having them over here. I had only been living in Seattle for two months the last time they visited, so this time I was able to take them beyond downtown this time. We went north to the Rick Steves store in Edmonds, the Boeing factory tour (where we saw the new Dreamliners being built), east to a winery in Woodinville, west on the ferry to Bremerton (driving back through Gig Harbor and Tacoma), and to the Space Needle downtown.
I had a great time spending the Memorial Day long weekend with them.
Weddings: Five this year, and counting. Three in Southern Ontario, one in Montreal, and one in Seattle. The second one is happening next weekend.
Phil and Laura's wedding: Phil and Laura got married at the end of June. I was the best man, so I flew in a few days early to help set up and get things prepared. We spent Thursday afternoon setting up the church; apart from adjusting the mounted lights on the ceiling (which we worked on for three hours), it was super-easy to get ready. We spent most of Friday setting up the reception hall at the nearby community centre.
Friday evening was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. The dinner was held outdoors at a quaint bed-and-breakfast. There was a trampoline not too far from the tables where we were eating, so one of Phil's older brothers asked the owners if he could bounce on the trampoline. He jumped up and down a few times, and then we heard a large THUMP. We all walked over to see what had happened - and he had ripped the trampoline cloth in half right down the middle. The replacement cost notwithstanding, it was hilarious to see.
Saturday morning, the guys went to Grand Bend to play beach volleyball. The wedding was in the afternoon, and it went off with a hitch. After the ceremony, the family and the wedding party drove to the house where Laura had grown up (and lived in, until a few years ago) to take photos. It was a beautiful day outside, and the scenery was perfect for some great shots.
The reception was great. There was tons of food (appetizers, main course, desserts, cake, and a "midnight snack"). I spent quite a bit of time hanging out with the SPUC crowd (jstew, niceerin, stangerous, Cris, and Dave C) and the WCF crowd (Jacob and Caroline). I delivered the best man speech, which was very well-received by everyone.
On Sunday afternoon, I got to meet up for lunch with victory_is_me; she also gave me a tour of her new house, which was exciting. On Monday morning, I met up with my camp friend, Ryan, for breakfast at Cora's. The eggs benedict with mushrooms and brie? Amazing.
MacBook: The new MacBook Pro is so pretty and inexpensive. I'm finding it hard to resist. (But I will resist at least a few months longer.)
Travelling: Given how much I'll be travelling over the next few months for weddings and such, I joined Air Canada's Maple Leaf Club. It gives access to Air Canada and United's airport lounges, and I can use the executive line to check in for my flights. Since I'm increasingly coming to dislike the rigmarole of flying, it makes the experience a bit more tolerable.
That's it for this update. I'm trying to get back into the habit of posting more than once a month, but I find that when I come home from work at night, the last thing I want to do is spend another half-hour typing. I'll try, though.
Parents: My parents visited me for five nights in late May. It was terrific having them over here. I had only been living in Seattle for two months the last time they visited, so this time I was able to take them beyond downtown this time. We went north to the Rick Steves store in Edmonds, the Boeing factory tour (where we saw the new Dreamliners being built), east to a winery in Woodinville, west on the ferry to Bremerton (driving back through Gig Harbor and Tacoma), and to the Space Needle downtown.
I had a great time spending the Memorial Day long weekend with them.
Weddings: Five this year, and counting. Three in Southern Ontario, one in Montreal, and one in Seattle. The second one is happening next weekend.
Phil and Laura's wedding: Phil and Laura got married at the end of June. I was the best man, so I flew in a few days early to help set up and get things prepared. We spent Thursday afternoon setting up the church; apart from adjusting the mounted lights on the ceiling (which we worked on for three hours), it was super-easy to get ready. We spent most of Friday setting up the reception hall at the nearby community centre.
Friday evening was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. The dinner was held outdoors at a quaint bed-and-breakfast. There was a trampoline not too far from the tables where we were eating, so one of Phil's older brothers asked the owners if he could bounce on the trampoline. He jumped up and down a few times, and then we heard a large THUMP. We all walked over to see what had happened - and he had ripped the trampoline cloth in half right down the middle. The replacement cost notwithstanding, it was hilarious to see.
Saturday morning, the guys went to Grand Bend to play beach volleyball. The wedding was in the afternoon, and it went off with a hitch. After the ceremony, the family and the wedding party drove to the house where Laura had grown up (and lived in, until a few years ago) to take photos. It was a beautiful day outside, and the scenery was perfect for some great shots.
The reception was great. There was tons of food (appetizers, main course, desserts, cake, and a "midnight snack"). I spent quite a bit of time hanging out with the SPUC crowd (jstew, niceerin, stangerous, Cris, and Dave C) and the WCF crowd (Jacob and Caroline). I delivered the best man speech, which was very well-received by everyone.
On Sunday afternoon, I got to meet up for lunch with victory_is_me; she also gave me a tour of her new house, which was exciting. On Monday morning, I met up with my camp friend, Ryan, for breakfast at Cora's. The eggs benedict with mushrooms and brie? Amazing.
MacBook: The new MacBook Pro is so pretty and inexpensive. I'm finding it hard to resist. (But I will resist at least a few months longer.)
Travelling: Given how much I'll be travelling over the next few months for weddings and such, I joined Air Canada's Maple Leaf Club. It gives access to Air Canada and United's airport lounges, and I can use the executive line to check in for my flights. Since I'm increasingly coming to dislike the rigmarole of flying, it makes the experience a bit more tolerable.
That's it for this update. I'm trying to get back into the habit of posting more than once a month, but I find that when I come home from work at night, the last thing I want to do is spend another half-hour typing. I'll try, though.