the canada log
Thusday, Jan. 10 2008
Wake up early. Couldn't sleep much and definitely can't drive - thankful my mom is giving me a ride to VJ's because I would probably drive into a tree. We make it to our gate 2 minutes before our flight is boarding. We rule.
Peter picks us up and we head for seattle. I type in "starbucks" on his GPS to try to get us to the first starbucks. I don't expect it to be the first one we visit, but I'm hoping that I can ask the employees where the first one is when we get there. After driving in circles looking for parking, we finally get there and it turns out the first one is only 3 blocks away in the tourist district. I am very proud of myself for obtaining my goals. Spent some time in the shops and took pictures with a totem pole. After lunch we go up to the space needle and get our asses kicked by the wind. Then we drive out to Everett to stay at Peter's place.
Once at Peter's we go grocery shopping and make spaghetti for dinner. The rest of the night ended with guitar hero battles and a few violent rounds of egyptian ratscrew.
Friday, Jan 10
Can't really sleep again because I'm sharing a futon with vj and he is fat. We get up early to make pancakes, shower, and then off to vancouver. Peter gets a speeding ticket on I-5 for going TEN OVER the speed limit. Come on Washington. Really?
2 hours later we get to customs and they give us hell because peter and myles look hella sketchy. They barrage us with questions, search our car and ask if we've ever been arrested before. I am glad I'm not Rachel.
We finally get on our way again and drive aimlessly around Vancouver. We pick up Laura Brown at the University of British Columbia. It's a miracle we can even find her because she has no phone and we have no way into her dorm building, but we got in the old fashioned way by following freshmen.
After picking up Laura we head back into Vancouver to get a hotel room but we end up going across a bridge and getting stuck in Canadian rush hour traffic. I am disappointed to find out that Canadian Wendy's and McDonalds don't have value menues. Also, Vancouver is the biggest fucking city in the world. There are like 5 of them clumped together (North Vancouver, West Vancouver, etc..). Why can't they just pick different names?
Eventually we get to a Best Western and get some Chinese food. We pregame in our hotel room and decorate ourselves with Canadian flag tramp-stamps. It's amazing.
But when we get downtown there are lines down the streets to get into the clubs. After waiting over 40 minutes in line we decide to try a bar instead. There I get a long-island and VJ gets this amazing caramel apple martini that we will never be able to recreate.
Then we decide to try one of the gay clubs that I found on the internet instead. We get there around 1am and the place is still going crazy. As Myles the DD stands awkwardly in the corner we get our hyphy on in the dance floor. The Canadians were not expecting it and we attract a somewhat large crowd of gay boys to our group. VJ got molested by a cowboy and Laura and I became some type of weird gay boy trophy used to attract other gay boys to dance with the victor. I didn't know how to feel about being used this way but it was definitely an uncomfortable feeling being felt up by touchy-canadian gay boys that were very demanding. It was an amazing night nonetheless. And they played some awesome music.
After the club closed at 3 we were approached by an older Vancouver native woman who said that she could tell we weren't from the area. I wonder if it was the Canadian flag beads or washable tattoos that gave it away? She was friendly anyways.
Myles drags us home and we stay up for no reason watching stuart little and dumb canadian soap operas.
Saturday Jan 12
Took a much needed shower. Then we get food and head over to stanley park. I had a cheeseburger at Denny's and it was the best burger I've ever had. Apparently Canadians use 100% beef and it's a lot healthier. It's a price to pay for the lack of a dollar menu but don't know if I can ever go back to eating shit now.
We saw more totem poles at stanley park and got a chance to play around with some canadian wildlife. VJ picks up some last minute souvenirs and we check out the old-town district in vancouver where peter gets another parking ticket. Then we drop laura off back at her campus.
We got back to Peter's in Everett around 11pm with no trouble going through American customs. They didn't even stamp our passports, damnit! Oh well. I pass out on Peter's bed as soon as we get back and he has to sleep on the floor. Woopsh.
Sunday Jan 13
Woke up at noon, made some pancakes, and went to the SHOOTING RANGE! We shot a 9mm and a 22 caliber. It was actually a lot of fun even though I was scared at first and then started to feel like a redneck. I want a gun now. Something like a noisy cricket in case I have to walk through Oakland at 4 in the morning. Peter also showed us where he works and the hangers where they make boeing airplanes.
That night we play more guitar hero and stay up for no reason watching youtube videos. It's painful waking up in the morning and going home but it was definitely a bitchin' trip.
Wake up early. Couldn't sleep much and definitely can't drive - thankful my mom is giving me a ride to VJ's because I would probably drive into a tree. We make it to our gate 2 minutes before our flight is boarding. We rule.
Peter picks us up and we head for seattle. I type in "starbucks" on his GPS to try to get us to the first starbucks. I don't expect it to be the first one we visit, but I'm hoping that I can ask the employees where the first one is when we get there. After driving in circles looking for parking, we finally get there and it turns out the first one is only 3 blocks away in the tourist district. I am very proud of myself for obtaining my goals. Spent some time in the shops and took pictures with a totem pole. After lunch we go up to the space needle and get our asses kicked by the wind. Then we drive out to Everett to stay at Peter's place.
Once at Peter's we go grocery shopping and make spaghetti for dinner. The rest of the night ended with guitar hero battles and a few violent rounds of egyptian ratscrew.
Friday, Jan 10
Can't really sleep again because I'm sharing a futon with vj and he is fat. We get up early to make pancakes, shower, and then off to vancouver. Peter gets a speeding ticket on I-5 for going TEN OVER the speed limit. Come on Washington. Really?
2 hours later we get to customs and they give us hell because peter and myles look hella sketchy. They barrage us with questions, search our car and ask if we've ever been arrested before. I am glad I'm not Rachel.
We finally get on our way again and drive aimlessly around Vancouver. We pick up Laura Brown at the University of British Columbia. It's a miracle we can even find her because she has no phone and we have no way into her dorm building, but we got in the old fashioned way by following freshmen.
After picking up Laura we head back into Vancouver to get a hotel room but we end up going across a bridge and getting stuck in Canadian rush hour traffic. I am disappointed to find out that Canadian Wendy's and McDonalds don't have value menues. Also, Vancouver is the biggest fucking city in the world. There are like 5 of them clumped together (North Vancouver, West Vancouver, etc..). Why can't they just pick different names?
Eventually we get to a Best Western and get some Chinese food. We pregame in our hotel room and decorate ourselves with Canadian flag tramp-stamps. It's amazing.
But when we get downtown there are lines down the streets to get into the clubs. After waiting over 40 minutes in line we decide to try a bar instead. There I get a long-island and VJ gets this amazing caramel apple martini that we will never be able to recreate.
Then we decide to try one of the gay clubs that I found on the internet instead. We get there around 1am and the place is still going crazy. As Myles the DD stands awkwardly in the corner we get our hyphy on in the dance floor. The Canadians were not expecting it and we attract a somewhat large crowd of gay boys to our group. VJ got molested by a cowboy and Laura and I became some type of weird gay boy trophy used to attract other gay boys to dance with the victor. I didn't know how to feel about being used this way but it was definitely an uncomfortable feeling being felt up by touchy-canadian gay boys that were very demanding. It was an amazing night nonetheless. And they played some awesome music.
After the club closed at 3 we were approached by an older Vancouver native woman who said that she could tell we weren't from the area. I wonder if it was the Canadian flag beads or washable tattoos that gave it away? She was friendly anyways.
Myles drags us home and we stay up for no reason watching stuart little and dumb canadian soap operas.
Saturday Jan 12
Took a much needed shower. Then we get food and head over to stanley park. I had a cheeseburger at Denny's and it was the best burger I've ever had. Apparently Canadians use 100% beef and it's a lot healthier. It's a price to pay for the lack of a dollar menu but don't know if I can ever go back to eating shit now.
We saw more totem poles at stanley park and got a chance to play around with some canadian wildlife. VJ picks up some last minute souvenirs and we check out the old-town district in vancouver where peter gets another parking ticket. Then we drop laura off back at her campus.
We got back to Peter's in Everett around 11pm with no trouble going through American customs. They didn't even stamp our passports, damnit! Oh well. I pass out on Peter's bed as soon as we get back and he has to sleep on the floor. Woopsh.
Sunday Jan 13
Woke up at noon, made some pancakes, and went to the SHOOTING RANGE! We shot a 9mm and a 22 caliber. It was actually a lot of fun even though I was scared at first and then started to feel like a redneck. I want a gun now. Something like a noisy cricket in case I have to walk through Oakland at 4 in the morning. Peter also showed us where he works and the hangers where they make boeing airplanes.
That night we play more guitar hero and stay up for no reason watching youtube videos. It's painful waking up in the morning and going home but it was definitely a bitchin' trip.