The Last of Vancouver - Day 5 Mon, Jul 16. 2007
Despite being an "Easterner", I quickly adapted to PDT, so waking up at 8AM (11AM Eastern) was somewhat brutal - but then again, anyone who knows me I don't like waking up anyway 
In the words of J.D., who met us at the airport and bought me a chai, "Man, you look like ass." - I didn't comment on his appearance.
Since this post is really just an excuse to use the above image, I'll treat you to some of my other photos from this trip that didn't end up in another of the previous posts.
In the words of J.D., who met us at the airport and bought me a chai, "Man, you look like ass." - I didn't comment on his appearance.
... I'm on the right.
Since this post is really just an excuse to use the above image, I'll treat you to some of my other photos from this trip that didn't end up in another of the previous posts.
Harbour Center reflected in the EA Games building
The mess of trolley wires above the intersection of Granville and Robson
 "you're ugly and that's funny" | Sean saw this sticker on a very pink motorcycle parked near our hotel on Robson... he insisted I photograph it. |  Megababe. |
Optically Thrillin Kats
- OTK Crew
- OTK Crew
A valley (Sean took this photo on our way to Vancouver)
Almost home!
Day 4: Andre + Tanya's Wedding Sun, Jul 15. 2007
After Friday's madness, we took Saturday easy, doing a little shopping downtown and having a fantastic lunch at Kitto Japanese House on Granville. (IfWhen I go back to Vancouver - I will definitely eat there again!)
After Sarah got her hair done, we headed to The Cat's Meow on Granville Island for dinner - close to the wedding venue - and where André, the groom was having dinner too
I wish we'd had more time on this trip to see more - the glimpse of Granville Island we had was such a tease.
But then it was time for the main event...
I had a blast and appreciate being invited; met lots of new people too, everyone was so nice. Congrats guys! (And Kim, you didn't seem that trashed...)
After Sarah got her hair done, we headed to The Cat's Meow on Granville Island for dinner - close to the wedding venue - and where André, the groom was having dinner too
I wish we'd had more time on this trip to see more - the glimpse of Granville Island we had was such a tease.
Bubbles!
But then it was time for the main event...
André Baron + Tanya Mineault
July 14th, 2007
The Baron & Baroness
July 14th, 2007
The Baron & Baroness
Waiting for the bride
Presenting Mr. And Mrs. André Baron
You May Kiss The Bride
The Newlyweds!
We have to do what?!
Okay!
Let's Party!
(The girl on the left was doing the wildest robot-dance)
When the house is a rockin'...
I had a blast and appreciate being invited; met lots of new people too, everyone was so nice. Congrats guys! (And Kim, you didn't seem that trashed...)
Friday the 13th! Biking around Stanley Park, UFie meet - Day 3 Sat, Jul 14. 2007
After quick breakfast at Joe's Grill, we walked down to Spokes at Denman at W. Georgia where we rented some bikes for the day, they weren't the greatest...
Despite the threat of rain, we rode into Stanley Park - yes, it was mostly open and quite a wonderful ride. The weather cleared up as the afternoon wore on too.
(don't forget to follow along using my handy Google Map!)
I suspect by this point I was very close to heat- or sun-stroke, and I'd already fixed one customer's Tomcat failure, so we called it an afternoon and headed back to the hotel to cool off and get ready for the UFie meet. (Felt 100% better after getting out of the sun and taking a shower. I'm sure I smelled 100% better too
Grabbed a Hybrid cab with Yohimbe as we headed for Vietnamese Noodle to meet up with Dark, Tatertots, Shminux and the infamous Illiad.
Since Tanya (Tatertots) and Andre (Dark) were getting married the next day (ostensively the reason for the whole trip), and the owner of the restaurant knew them, he was passing out 'poppers' for good luck and celebration.
We had a lot of fun, the food was great, stories were told. Well, attempted to be told... There was a moment when conversation slowed, so I recalled that Illiad had mentioned (on #SPORKS) that he had a story to tell us, we all sat there for a moment trying to remember what it was. Since no one could remember, I had to go log diving, but the pertinent log of that moment wasn't on my laptop, so I would have to SSH into my desktop machine; there wasn't any open WiFi, and I haven't yet setup my Treo to work with my MacBrook Pro, so I sought André's Moto Razr and commenced swapping SIM while JD narrated...
"If there was anything to be known as geek sex", as he nodded towards Andre and I eviscerating our various mobile phone and exchange SIMs, "this is what it would be like; but the sound, it'd be more like..." He then proceeded to make a sound, an emanation that I believe no human has produced, or ever even heard before that moment... And I lost it:
About two minutes later, I managed to come back up for air and asked, "Do we really need to find those logs anymore?"
Too bad for Sarah, she was in the bathroom for the whole scene. Somehow, I kinda wish I'd been there too.
Afterwards, Shminux kindly drove us back to our hotel. Along the way, I pointed out that the 'Defrost' setting in his Pontiac Vibe enagages the air-conditioning, and perhaps this explains his poor fuel-economy. (Days later he confirmed that his mileage is getting better.)
At this point, I'd thought were we done for the evening, but apparently Sean was getting tired of the impracticality of lugging around his Olympus (E500?) DSLR and all it's associated glass, and that he really wanted a pocketable camera. So at about 10:30PM we head for the nearby London Drugs (pharmacy cum Walmart.) For the next hour I pitched the Canon SD800IS to Sean and some random guy from Egypt. (I'd given my mother one for her birthday after extensive research. It is an excellent pocket camera but it does have a $450 pricetag.) More than once, the salesgirl, Pamela IIRC, offered me a job hawking cameras. T'was rather amusing, and I was all warmed up for geeking from the UFie meet. Sean did end up picking up the camera, and since then has been quite happy with it.
We apparently weren't done yet - we got some dessert at Mom's over on Denman.
Finally, around midnight, we called it a day. And what a day it was!
Photo credits/post-processing to Shminux and Stef
Sean's bike is being awesome (again.)
Despite the threat of rain, we rode into Stanley Park - yes, it was mostly open and quite a wonderful ride. The weather cleared up as the afternoon wore on too.
(don't forget to follow along using my handy Google Map!)
Bikes - the new mechanical horse?
Beaver Lake - Can you spot the turtle?
That tree has over 1800 rings - Sarah has just one...
I suspect by this point I was very close to heat- or sun-stroke, and I'd already fixed one customer's Tomcat failure, so we called it an afternoon and headed back to the hotel to cool off and get ready for the UFie meet. (Felt 100% better after getting out of the sun and taking a shower. I'm sure I smelled 100% better too
Grabbed a Hybrid cab with Yohimbe as we headed for Vietnamese Noodle to meet up with Dark, Tatertots, Shminux and the infamous Illiad.
Since Tanya (Tatertots) and Andre (Dark) were getting married the next day (ostensively the reason for the whole trip), and the owner of the restaurant knew them, he was passing out 'poppers' for good luck and celebration.
How to use a popper...
Less than 24 hours until these two are married!
The Missing Transcript
"If there was anything to be known as geek sex", as he nodded towards Andre and I eviscerating our various mobile phone and exchange SIMs, "this is what it would be like; but the sound, it'd be more like..." He then proceeded to make a sound, an emanation that I believe no human has produced, or ever even heard before that moment... And I lost it:
Myke: Now available in Red.
About two minutes later, I managed to come back up for air and asked, "Do we really need to find those logs anymore?"
Too bad for Sarah, she was in the bathroom for the whole scene. Somehow, I kinda wish I'd been there too.
Afterwards, Shminux kindly drove us back to our hotel. Along the way, I pointed out that the 'Defrost' setting in his Pontiac Vibe enagages the air-conditioning, and perhaps this explains his poor fuel-economy. (Days later he confirmed that his mileage is getting better.)
At this point, I'd thought were we done for the evening, but apparently Sean was getting tired of the impracticality of lugging around his Olympus (E500?) DSLR and all it's associated glass, and that he really wanted a pocketable camera. So at about 10:30PM we head for the nearby London Drugs (pharmacy cum Walmart.) For the next hour I pitched the Canon SD800IS to Sean and some random guy from Egypt. (I'd given my mother one for her birthday after extensive research. It is an excellent pocket camera but it does have a $450 pricetag.) More than once, the salesgirl, Pamela IIRC, offered me a job hawking cameras. T'was rather amusing, and I was all warmed up for geeking from the UFie meet. Sean did end up picking up the camera, and since then has been quite happy with it.
We apparently weren't done yet - we got some dessert at Mom's over on Denman.
Finally, around midnight, we called it a day. And what a day it was!
Photo credits/post-processing to Shminux and Stef
Oh Deer! There's snow! Day 2 Fri, Jul 13. 2007
Saw a nice car...
... On the way to the SeaBus...
Then we took a bus to the base of Grouse Mountain, and rode the gondola to the top... some interesting things to see... (including a few patches of snow, though I seemed to have neglected to take any pictures of it!)
... Sean and Sarah checked out the potential venue for their wedding (August 2008), we bemusedly watched the Lumberjack show, I got sunburnt, and and generally enjoyed the afternoon...
Afterwards, we took the bus back downtown across the Lion's Gate Bridge...
... bus dropped us off at the corner of Denman St. and West Georgia, where we briefly checked out Spokes, a bike rental shop. Then aimed hotel, stopping at Bell Pizza to pickup some pizza which we munched happily over the next hour. S&S went out again, I vegged, processing photos and nursing my sunburnt face.
Nice Ford GT - Did Clarkson ever get his?
... On the way to the SeaBus...
The Burrard Beaver
Then we took a bus to the base of Grouse Mountain, and rode the gondola to the top... some interesting things to see... (including a few patches of snow, though I seemed to have neglected to take any pictures of it!)
The silly deer didn't even care that there were people nearby!
... Sean and Sarah checked out the potential venue for their wedding (August 2008), we bemusedly watched the Lumberjack show, I got sunburnt, and and generally enjoyed the afternoon...
(I'm really starting to have fun with these time-lapse videos...)
Yay! Heavy machinery!
Afterwards, we took the bus back downtown across the Lion's Gate Bridge...
Looking South, towards Stanley Park
... bus dropped us off at the corner of Denman St. and West Georgia, where we briefly checked out Spokes, a bike rental shop. Then aimed hotel, stopping at Bell Pizza to pickup some pizza which we munched happily over the next hour. S&S went out again, I vegged, processing photos and nursing my sunburnt face.