On the road again

I took this photo on my penultimate trip to Vernon. The weather was actually quite nice, but you could still see the effects of the last couple months.

It makes me feel like I am a slot racer, with really high sidewalls.

Fortunately, the Coquihalla has pretty good visibility throughout, so it never felt claustrophobic. Except when surrounded by tractor trailers.

I'm getting ready to head back tonight, this time to actually rent a truck, fill it with my stuff, and then drive back to Vancouver. I'm sure we will visit the Okanagan (in the summer) but man, it will sure be nice to finally be settled in a place that is ours again.

Root Beer Assassin starts Propaganda campaign

Fast on the heels of a successful first mission, Root Beer Assassin carefully planned his next move.

Clearly, the target was going to need some 'persuasion' to truly appreciate the sweet, sweet creamy richness of good root beer.

Root Beer Assassin already works in an office where it is dangerous to leave one's workstation unlocked or unattended. There have been tragic 'David Hasslehoff' incidents in the past. While Root Beer Assassin has never personally been insulted this way, he learns from the mistakes of others.

So Root Beer Assassin plotted, and then waited. And waited. And waited some more. Then, on Friday afternoon, he noticed that the target left to go home, and was still logged into his computer! The time to strike had arrived! Root Beer Assassin swiftly uploaded the propaganda materials and had everything in place in no time. Mission #2 - Sweet Success!

You can get engaged anytime you like

This may be the worst quality picture I have ever posted on here, but it was the best I could do in the low light conditions of the evening.

My buddy Bill decided to propose to my buddy Colleen last night, and there wasn't a single fistfight all night. Who knew such things were possible?

In all seriousness, Bill outdid himself, being all romantical and stuff. He certainly impressed Colleen enough to say 'Yes' which I guess, was the whole point of the evening. Not that they don't already have enough going on in their lives, since they have also recently bought a condo. Things are happening so fast for them that they are even moving in on the same day we are! So much for Bill helping me move, I guess. Everybody has an excuse these days. I won't complain though - at least I won't be helping him move in either!

Nonetheless, congratulations are in order. You did a good thing, Bill. May the two of you have many years of happiness together. And no, I won't do any babysitting. You wouldn't want that anyway.

Candy Bowl

So on my desk - well, on top of my computer actually, sits a bowl I keep filled with candy. Co-workers often come over to my desk to ask me questions, or to discuss various things and when they do, quite often they help themselves to the contents of the candy bowl.

This was the setting for the Root Beer Assassination earlier. However, not everybody hated root beer. In fact, I found that they were very popular candies and were consumed quite quickly. So when it came time to restock the bowl, I had to decide what to fill it with.

Root beer candies were clearly out. That joke has been played and I don't want the others getting bored with my selection. So then I thought - now that Valentine's day has passed, I get to look forward to St. Patrick's Day. So what better to fill the candy bowl with, but chocolate coins? Throughout the day I have been watching as people in the office 'discover' the new treats in the bowl. I swear, I should have been a sociologist or something. Not that there is much of a point to be made from people eating free candy.

Happy Valentine's Day, readers

Well it is Valentine's Day and in typical Vancouver fashion, it is raining steady. So I thought I would show a picture taken on a non-rainy day to help brighten the mood and to also show that sometimes the stars do align enough for the rain to stop long enough for the concrete to dry.

I think that this is the first year since being married that my wife and I were not able to be together. I'm not going to mope about it here, but I won't say I don't care either. I think the net result is that the two of us will be VERY HAPPY when March 1st rolls around and we are finally done with the move into town.

So for everybody who has somebody that they can't be with today, make the best of it and look on the bright side. Since you can't be together, you can send sappy e-cards to commemorate the day. Many thanks to Penmachine for that link.

Power in the sky

The other night I was walking along the streets of Downtown Vancouver. Since I am still a little unfamiliar with the area, my head is like a tourist - always looking up at the tall office buildings. It was another night shrouded in a fog so dense that I could not see the tops of the highest buildings.

To say the fog added to the atmosphere that night would be more than a little redundant.

Anyway, as I was walking along the street (headed to the nearest skytrain terminal) I looked up and saw a portable power generator suspended in the sky. There was a crane mounted on the roof of an office tower and they were in the process of lowering some of the equipment from the roof.

That was about it. Sorry, no snapped cables, no crushed little old ladies. (after all, it wasn't a grand piano) Just something big suspended above pedestrians.

Root Beer Assassin strikes!

This is Root Beer Assassin, reporting in. Mission #1: Poison the Iranian was a resounding success.

The poison was finally obtained last night, after visiting dozens of merchants. This took weeks of research but eventually success was mine. Photographed here is a sample of the venom of choice: Root Beer flavoured candies.

The mission target happens to have a very strong aversion to the taste of root beer. Yet he also has a very strong affinity for candies. This is why this was the perfect weapon to use against this individual.

A rendezvous was practically guaranteed, as I have already ensured close proximity to the target by occupying a desk near his (we work in the same office - all good assassins are placed as spies with close ties to the target.) I merely placed the candies in a bowl on my desk and others from the office began to sample them. Some remarked how good they tasted. Within the hour, the target wandered over to sample the new candies. It was like a lamb being lead to the slaughter, really.

If he was suspicious, he would have carefully tested the candy by licking it lightly. But no! The target was enthusiastic about eating the candy, and popped it into his mouth, ready to enjoy the sweet, sweet taste. It took a few seconds for the realization to dawn on him - he was poisoned! This candy did not taste good to him at ALL! Even though he spat out the candy, the taste in his mouth lingered, and it was a bitter taste to him. Mission accomplished.

Thusly, the Root Beer Assassin drew first blood.

Interesting License plate

Yesterday, when I was driving the rental car back to the office, I had to stop to take a picture of this person's license plate.

You just don't see stuff like this everyday.

Overall, I had a pretty good visit with my wife this weekend, which left me recharged and ready to take on the week. Or something like that. I still have to book the U-Haul truck (later today) and then make arrangements to get into Vernon for the 'big move'. But you know what? I can hardly wait. Not for the move itself of course, but to finally get settled locally.

Oh, and for those who don't already know, the license plate references this great show. Enjoy.