Hockey Riots

Tonight, the Canucks lost game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Carmella and I watched the game at a Point Grey pub with her friend Tanis. Point Grey is a neighbourhood near UBC and near Carmella's work. It's on a hill, and you can see downtown in the distance.

As we were walking home, we saw a column of black smoke rising from the downtown area. We thought it was either fireworks or riots.

When we got home, we turned on the live news feeds and found out that it was in fact another round of hockey-related riots. In 1994, there were riots when the Canucks lost the Stanley Cup to New York in 7 games.

It's 11:15pm right now, and we've been watching since the game ended at 8pm.

We've seen footage of at least five or six cars on fire (two police cars, a BMW, a Hummer, and one or two others we couldn't identify), stores being looted (Coach, London Drugs, Bank of Montreal, The Bay, Sears, and Chapters), and lots of fights. The police have riot gear, dogs, and horses.

A major theme that has come out of the coverage is the stupidity of all the people that are standing around, taking pictures, filming, cheering, talking on phones and waving at news cameras.

There were reportedly 100 000 people downtown watching the hockey game on closed streets, watching huge screens set up in designated fan zones. When the game wound down, people threw bottles at the screens, got into fights, and tipped over port-a-potties, and threw rocks, bricks, and bottles.

Words like Chaos, Stupidity, Shock, and Embarrassment have been used. The newscasters have had trouble keeping their emotions out of it, being so disappointed and surprised with the events, especially after a successful Olympics and playoff run up until today.

There have been stabbings, fights, fires, vandalism, and looting.

Right now there are a lot fewer people downtown by the looks of the live shots and reports. It was a problem getting everyone out of downtown because transit was slowed and stopped, and also because people were enjoying being in on the action and being entertained by the mobs.

The major call right now is to get people out of downtown and to go home. Everyone has seemed excited to take pictures for their Twitter feeds and Facebook statuses, egging on the violence and vandalism.

Any police force I've seen on has been entirely necessary and justified. The bulk of the damage has been done by a group of people wearing black with balaclavas, possibly tied to the group in similar attire that tried to stir up dissent during the olympics.

We have the worst hockey fans in the league. It's disappointing that things went this way. The reporters talked about this being a blight on Vancouver's image, and I think they're right.

We'll see what happens when the sun rises on this city tomorrow. The streets will be messy, there will be lots of repairs needed to shops and businesses, and we'll hear about injuries sustained.

Carmella is seeing an event being organized called Post-Riot Clean Up: Let's Help Vancouver. That's something positive coming from all of this.

I think we've seen the end of Fan Zones, Fireworks Nights, and any sort of public celebrations downtown.

It will be interesting to see and read the analysis of the unrest as it comes out. Was it a bad idea to try and rekindle the Olympic spirit by inviting thousands of people downtown? Were the police prepared enough? How much damage was done? How severe were the injuries?

I'm off to bed now. The Canucks lost, but life carries on. These riots put perspective on everything, in a way. It really is just a game, and not worth fighting about. Life goes on . Our wedding is happening in just over three weeks, the longest day of the year is still ahead of us, and it's not raining every day anymore!

Running along the ocean

Yesterday I went out for quite a long run. I didn't have any knee pain, and I've been taking it easy to try and keep it that way.

I ran most of my run along the ocean, running in the sand or on the rocks when I could, but going to inland trails when the water levels were too high. There is about 7 or 8 K of continuous beach and I ran almost all of it.

At one point, I saw two seals! There were three guys fishing for crabs, and the seals would pop their heads up and check them out. They'd slide under the water after a few seconds, and appear in a different spot a little while later.

It was an excellent run, and I'm happy to have gotten out there. Vancouver is quite nice in the summer, and likely one of the only spots where you can see a seal during an afternoon run!

Hockey Hockey Hockey!

Vancouver is very excited about hockey these days, and now the city is one win away from a Stanley Cup!

Here's a shot of the doughnut selection here.  You can't buy that other type of cream-filled doughnut anymore!

The news said that almost 100 000 people went downtown to watch the game at multiple Fan Zones.  Carmella and I will join the throng on Monday, and hopefully celebrate a Cup victory!

Camping!

Carmella and I went camping this weekend!  We have some plans to make use of this tent in July, so Friday was a good time to try it out.

Mom gave us our tent for Christmas, and it was great!  We camped in the Whistler campground.  Because the campsites are set away from the parking lot, there are wheelbarrows to help you bring your gear to the site.

We were only at the site for a few hours.  (We arrived after our anniversary dinner at the Rim Rock Cafe, where we shared our first date, first anniversary dinner, and now the second anniversary dinner.)  It was an adventure to put up the tent in the dark, but we did just fine.  We left the site early in the morning.  Carmella had a hair appointment and a yoga class, and I went for a run.

We also found some time to visit James, a little boy Carmella took care of a couple years ago.  He was nine months old at that time, and he's really grown.  He can run and talk, and likes to pretend to make food with his little cookset. 

I asked him to make me some eggs, and said I would like extra shells so they were crunchy.  Then, I got James to give some of these imaginary eggs to Carmella, and I asked him to tell her about them.  He ran over, and presented them to Carmella.

"Here are some eggs with extra shells.  They're crunchy."

Hahahaha!  Was I abusing my adult influence on the young child, making him believe that extra shells and crunchy eggs were desirable?  Maybe, but it sure was funny!  Carmella thought it was hilarious, but his parents didn't see the humour.

Here are a few pictures of James from almost two years ago.  It seems like a different child actually.  He used to be a tub, but now he's normal size.  I wouldn't have recognized him at all.

It was a good weekend.  It was really fun to camp, and it'll be even better when we get proper sleeping mats and warmer sleeping bags!  It was so cold, and the ground was hard.  We spent a lot of time outside, and it's gotten us excited for the rest of summer.  When it's not raining, there's so much great stuff we can do!

A very significant day!

Yesterday was a very significant day in my life.  First, some context.

The year is 2004.  I have just finished my undergraduate degree in Anthropology, with a minor in Environmental Studies.  My university career ended differently than I expected, and it turned out to be a great time. 

I did my first year at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario.  I enrolled in a program called Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism.  We were affectionately called "Reccers" and there was a traditional rivalry between us and the engineers.  We had songs about how they did lots of homework, and we went camping.  I was going to get a degree in playing in the outdoors!  And get a job too!  And those engineers, working much harder, for no real gain!  We had songs we were made to sing during Frosh Week too:

"I'd rather be a Reccer than a f*ck*ng engineer,
We never do our homework because we're always drinking beer.
Our underwear is dirty and we don't care, *something about tent pegs in eyes, but I can't remember now*."

Halfway through the first semester though, I realized the program wasn't what I wanted to take and that Thunder Bay was not the city for me.  During reading break, Dad and I met in BC and explored the big three schools here.  First, we looked at Simon Fraser, but it didn't fit.  Then, UBC.  It was a whole city, and was too big.  Dad suggested we go across the water and see UVic, and that's when I realized I had found my future school!  The idea was to get a "real" degree, and still do the fun outdoors things I wanted in my spare time.

At UVic, I could bike all year long, run through the winter, and live by the ocean.  I applied to transfer, and was happily accepted.  I moved to Victoria with a hockey bag and a bike box, graduating three years later with an extra bike box, and a few more clothes.

When I graduated, I needed to find something to do.  I was a bit tired of school, and decided to pursue my dream of opening a bike shop.  I started this by working at a shop in Whistler, so I could ride all summer and break into the bike community there.  I moved into a house with a tarp on the roof, and yoghurt containers on the floor to catch leaks.  I paid $450/month.

Just look at that tarp, flapping away in the breeze.

Turns out I liked Whistler, but didn't make a career at the bike shop.  I got lots of biking and snowboarding in, and enjoyed the outdoor lifestyle.

Helibike trip on Rainbow Mountain, across the valley from Whistler and Blackcomb.

A River Runs Through It, Whistler.

I put 66 days on the mountain that year, my highest total.

Erik and I at the top of Whistler.

I left Whistler after two years, finding myself in Winnipeg, Ontario, and China, and Bali, Indonesia.

A bright, sunny winter day in Ontario.  I wish Vancouver had those.

The Settlers of Catan Canadian Championships.  I made it to the final day!

Planting seeds with my Chinese kindergarten class.  I wonder if they remember me.  That's Lilly (I think!)

Me and Bruce in Hong Kong.

Carol waiting...

Carol preparing...

Carol running!

Suffocation seems imminent.  Good thing they only let you be out there for a couple minutes.

My friends on the beach.  I rented a surfboard from them every day, and shared their shade.

Best shape of my life.

I found myself in Whistler again, once I was back from China.  Almost everything was the same; same people, same job, same expensive lift tickets.  One thing was different though, and that was Carmella!  We knew eachother the first time I lived in Whistler, but really started to enjoy our time together in 2009, and got engaged last October.

Carmella gets the radio controlled airplane stuck in her hair.  This was our first real hangout time.

I'm still in my work uniform. 

Stocking Stuffers!

We got engaged on the beach!

So, back to the significance of  yesterday.  There's one background activity that I've been begrudgingly doing during the time all these pictures were taken.

Since graduation in 2004, Whistler v1.0 until 2006, Ontario in 2007, Asia in 2008, Whistler v2.0 in 2009, and now in Vancouver in 2011, I've been paying off my bank student loan.  Yesterday, I completed the last payment over the phone, and stopped the regular automatic payments.


It's been a tough slog in some places, but it's done!


It took 7 years.  I remember thinking, in 2004, that I'd likely be 30 by the time I had it paid off.  How futuristic!  Now I'm 30, and I do have it paid off.  When I started, the interest accounted for 1/3 of the payment.  In the last few months, the interest totaled less than $10.  Now, there is no interest, and no more payments to the bank.  Celebration!

 

 

This guy shares my name.

When I get self-absorbed and google myself, I occasionally come across someone who shares my name.  I've never found a picture of him before though, so I was surprised.  I thought he'd be 9 years old.

Here he is.  He has dark hair and looks to be fairly tall.  He runs (I'm faster though, at least for now) and attended a Christian school.  At least he lives in Georgia and probably has an interesting drawl.  I think my individuality is safe!

A sunny April day

Here are a couple pictures from today, a rare sunny day.  It's April, and still it rains.  I think the moniker Rain City is more appropriate for this town than Van City, which seems to get thrown around a lot more often.  I've seen a bike shop called Rain City, and a tradesman's truck with Rain City Cement or something similar on it.  I guess Van City is more neutral, while Rain City could be seen as negative, but only if happen to feel that continuous and unrelenting grey, cloudy, rainy weather is negative.

Today was sunny and great, and therefore could be seen as positive!  The tide was out at Locarno Beach, and the actual ocean was further away than I'd ever seen it, which was exciting for me.  Carmella says that it happens all the time though, and wasn't sure why I was so impressed.  In the summer, people buy skim boards and shred the puddles and little rivers that a receding tide leaves behind.  Maybe I'll buy one and get into it!

Next up is a picture of a BBQ we went to.  It was put on by an Aussie friend of Carmella's, and it was fun.  It was still quite cold, but sunny.  We sat around and chatted, enjoying the sun. 

It's been a busy weekend!  I had a too-long Sunday nap, and still find myself awake and it's now Monday morning.  Time to go to bed!

Oh, we are taking weekly swing dance classes, and our first one was on Saturday night.  For me, it was successful as I wasn't the worst in the class, and left knowing the steps we were supposed to know.  We'll see if I can continue to keep up!  We're taking the classes from Rhythm City Productions, who I bet will re-name themselves Rain City Productions soon.