Oh Man...
It's been a crazy couple of days. A good kind of crazy - but as it was crazy, I had to put up with some weird stuff along the way.
I should've seen it coming on Friday afternoon. I don't think there was a full moon or anything but there was something up that really affected one of my customers at the bank on Friday.
After I finished dealing with a kind elderly gentleman, I was scribbling some notes down on a reciept before I helped the next in line. The older man stepped to the side and fumbled with his bags and the paperwork I gave him, preparing to leave the bank with everything in order. With my head still down I spoke up and said, "I can help you right here, sir," indicating the next in line.
Turns out the next in line was a woman.
I looked up and she looked at me - with an iPod earphone in one of her ears - and shouted out "EXCUSE ME!?" I was immediately embarassed - even though quite honestly, her features could've been of either gender from my distance - but I recanted to put her at ease and I said "I apologize, I wasn't looking as I said that. I meant to say, 'I can help you right here, madam." I put an emphasis on the "madam" and with her only half listening, I think she assumed I was mocking her and then as she stepped up to my counter I had to make the comparison between sir and madam in order to prove that I wasn't insulting her.
She was an angry soul and I swear that she looked like she was gonna pop me one for my verbal flub - even though I apologized and reworded things. My face was red and I felt bad about the whole situation.
Be that as it may, I was professional and she had some business to get done. We put my flub behind us and moved forward, with me asking what she wanted to do. It was at that moment that the older man I just helped tried nudging his way back into the line, right in front of the woman that was standing right at my counter. She was offended - and she should've been - and I told him, "Sir, if you need to speak with me just wait until I am done with her, then I can help you." He wasn't being verbally rude - in fact he wasn't saying anything - but he wouldn't stop. I told him again, and my female client was even more aggitated. Then as he was leaving to give her space, she decided to walk off anyway - so he gladly came in and took her place.
I could see her steaming in the line, even though I initially refused to help the older man at that time - and I prayed I wouldn't have to deal with her again. So I took my sweet time with the other man - who had a silly question to begin with anyway - but I waited until someone else helped her so she wouldn't take everything out on me again. I figured she'd be a lot kinder towards a new face and that was correct.
But oy...what a mess. She must've had a burr under her saddle or something. I know it insults some to ID them (though at the bank we have to for security reasons) but to mess up on their gender? There are very few ways to get out of that situation without looking completely foolish.
So then on Saturday, things got even crazier - Vancouver was hit by a lightning storm in the afternoon, and that's a huge rarity in this part of the world. If anything we might get the random strike or two, but no, this continued on for the good part of four hours - right when I was supposed to be going downtown to view the Celebration of Light fireworks with Mike and Jordan.
Team South Africa was on stage tonight for the second of four fireworks nights and it was a good show - but it was made all the better because of the lightning as a backdrop. I've had some trouble finding pics online of what we witnessed last night but here goes. (Note: These pics are not mine...I found them on opium's LJ earlier this morning, so I credit her with finding them.
Lightning strikes over the Vancouver West End.
An eerie orange hue dominated the sunset skies, like we've never seen before. This was our viewing location at English Bay Beach.
Lightning! Again!
Lightning and fireworks combined. It was pretty sweet.
And want videos? Here we go:
DURING THE SHOW:
BEFORE THE SHOW:
ALL ABOUT TOWN:
We put in a lot of walking last night, too. We planned on drinking a bunch - which we did - so we took transit and hoofed it around everywhere. In total we hiked 6.8km. I even provided a map of our route and key points along the way:
A) Got off the bus at about 9pm, Seymour Street & Davie Street.
1) Purchased a "BIG GULP" drink - Coke - at a 7-11 in Davie Village (gay community) at Davie Street and Thurlow Street. I could now mix it with the unopened mickey of spicy rum that I snuck in with me on the bus. Deeeee-licious.
2) Almost thought we were going to be acosted by the cops here at Davie and...whatever the cross-street was. It was all pedestrian traffic at this point any way. Turns out the cop that tagged one of us (Jordan) actually knew him from elsewhere (in a friendly manner). He didn't recognize him at all, however.
3) The main viewing location for the fireworks at English Bay Beach. Arrived at 9:40pm. Show started at 10pm. It was packed. It was still raining. Jordan ran into another person he knew here - a lovely young lady working for the radio station covering the event. How many people does this guy know, anyway? The show was over at 10:30pm.
C) This is the location of the floating barge from where the fireworks show took place.
4) Burrard Street Bridge. We wanted to continue the party (but not downtown) so we walked the long way home, to a quiet neighbourhood pub in Kits near where Mike's girlfriend used to live. The bridge itself was great...we shouldn't have joked about pushing each other off though, because some people actually took us seriously. Seriously...why so serious?
5) Yew Street and York Avenue - Sunset Bar and Grill. The 30 minute hike around English Bay was worth it because beer is delicious.
B) Granville Street & 5th Avenue - Got back on the bus at about 12:30 and were on our way home.
I should've seen it coming on Friday afternoon. I don't think there was a full moon or anything but there was something up that really affected one of my customers at the bank on Friday.
After I finished dealing with a kind elderly gentleman, I was scribbling some notes down on a reciept before I helped the next in line. The older man stepped to the side and fumbled with his bags and the paperwork I gave him, preparing to leave the bank with everything in order. With my head still down I spoke up and said, "I can help you right here, sir," indicating the next in line.
Turns out the next in line was a woman.
I looked up and she looked at me - with an iPod earphone in one of her ears - and shouted out "EXCUSE ME!?" I was immediately embarassed - even though quite honestly, her features could've been of either gender from my distance - but I recanted to put her at ease and I said "I apologize, I wasn't looking as I said that. I meant to say, 'I can help you right here, madam." I put an emphasis on the "madam" and with her only half listening, I think she assumed I was mocking her and then as she stepped up to my counter I had to make the comparison between sir and madam in order to prove that I wasn't insulting her.
She was an angry soul and I swear that she looked like she was gonna pop me one for my verbal flub - even though I apologized and reworded things. My face was red and I felt bad about the whole situation.
Be that as it may, I was professional and she had some business to get done. We put my flub behind us and moved forward, with me asking what she wanted to do. It was at that moment that the older man I just helped tried nudging his way back into the line, right in front of the woman that was standing right at my counter. She was offended - and she should've been - and I told him, "Sir, if you need to speak with me just wait until I am done with her, then I can help you." He wasn't being verbally rude - in fact he wasn't saying anything - but he wouldn't stop. I told him again, and my female client was even more aggitated. Then as he was leaving to give her space, she decided to walk off anyway - so he gladly came in and took her place.
I could see her steaming in the line, even though I initially refused to help the older man at that time - and I prayed I wouldn't have to deal with her again. So I took my sweet time with the other man - who had a silly question to begin with anyway - but I waited until someone else helped her so she wouldn't take everything out on me again. I figured she'd be a lot kinder towards a new face and that was correct.
But oy...what a mess. She must've had a burr under her saddle or something. I know it insults some to ID them (though at the bank we have to for security reasons) but to mess up on their gender? There are very few ways to get out of that situation without looking completely foolish.
So then on Saturday, things got even crazier - Vancouver was hit by a lightning storm in the afternoon, and that's a huge rarity in this part of the world. If anything we might get the random strike or two, but no, this continued on for the good part of four hours - right when I was supposed to be going downtown to view the Celebration of Light fireworks with Mike and Jordan.
Team South Africa was on stage tonight for the second of four fireworks nights and it was a good show - but it was made all the better because of the lightning as a backdrop. I've had some trouble finding pics online of what we witnessed last night but here goes. (Note: These pics are not mine...I found them on opium's LJ earlier this morning, so I credit her with finding them.
Lightning strikes over the Vancouver West End.
An eerie orange hue dominated the sunset skies, like we've never seen before. This was our viewing location at English Bay Beach.
Lightning! Again!
Lightning and fireworks combined. It was pretty sweet.
And want videos? Here we go:
DURING THE SHOW:
Click to viewBEFORE THE SHOW:
ALL ABOUT TOWN:
We put in a lot of walking last night, too. We planned on drinking a bunch - which we did - so we took transit and hoofed it around everywhere. In total we hiked 6.8km. I even provided a map of our route and key points along the way:
A) Got off the bus at about 9pm, Seymour Street & Davie Street.
1) Purchased a "BIG GULP" drink - Coke - at a 7-11 in Davie Village (gay community) at Davie Street and Thurlow Street. I could now mix it with the unopened mickey of spicy rum that I snuck in with me on the bus. Deeeee-licious.
2) Almost thought we were going to be acosted by the cops here at Davie and...whatever the cross-street was. It was all pedestrian traffic at this point any way. Turns out the cop that tagged one of us (Jordan) actually knew him from elsewhere (in a friendly manner). He didn't recognize him at all, however.
3) The main viewing location for the fireworks at English Bay Beach. Arrived at 9:40pm. Show started at 10pm. It was packed. It was still raining. Jordan ran into another person he knew here - a lovely young lady working for the radio station covering the event. How many people does this guy know, anyway? The show was over at 10:30pm.
C) This is the location of the floating barge from where the fireworks show took place.
4) Burrard Street Bridge. We wanted to continue the party (but not downtown) so we walked the long way home, to a quiet neighbourhood pub in Kits near where Mike's girlfriend used to live. The bridge itself was great...we shouldn't have joked about pushing each other off though, because some people actually took us seriously. Seriously...why so serious?
5) Yew Street and York Avenue - Sunset Bar and Grill. The 30 minute hike around English Bay was worth it because beer is delicious.
B) Granville Street & 5th Avenue - Got back on the bus at about 12:30 and were on our way home.