May Day!

May 1^st and the sun is here for the last week or so! Well, we’ve been to LA (Hollywood and Disneyland) and had an amazing time. I’d love to share all the great photos I snapped but my phone is, yet again, out of commission. I am using a ‘loaner phone’ for the second time in a month and trying not to think too much about it. When I’m sorted out again I’ll upload lots of photos here, but until then you can stalk through my bookface page I guess. We did so much during our week there I don’t know if I have the energy or talent to do the experience justice with a written blog post. I’ll start with photos and maybe add some info bit by bit, we’ll see!

I’ve only missed one Whitecaps home match so far. Last week was especially good, as it was against new rivals, Dallas. Whitecaps are a bit like the Irish team, in that they are a unit that will scrap for a victory when they can. Dallas are more similar to some of our European counterparts and are prone to fancy football, sullied by simulation and theatrics. Put simply, they are CHEATING SCUMBAGS ARGGGH and we had great fun joining in the abuse. The Southsiders (whom we always try to sit with or near) even added some football banter with these scorecards, held up to rate the embellished dives of the opposition!

I actually feel affinity towards the Whitecaps at this stage, something I never would have thought could happen. I guess once you go to a few matches, you become invested. It’s nice to have a regular day out and you see a lot of the same faces each time.

There’s still lots to do here, especially as the summer’s a-comin’. We went to the Vancouver Art Gallery last night with a friend from home who has recently been joined here by his girlfriend, also from Ireland. There are also plans to rent some kind of paddleboat at a lake that is not too far from Vancouver.

It looks like we’ll be here another year, as our visas have been extended. We’re looking around for a new place to rent, though we haven’t officially decided to move out of our apartment yet. With recent purchases (playstation 3, Irish flag, clothes etc) we are slightly more invested here, but our apartment is straining to hold our stuff, even though relatively we don’t have much!

(Image source - Vancouver Sun)

An update on the lack of updates

I have a new job and I’ve been working more hours at my part time job. At time of writing, it is day 11 in a row of work.

We’re still busy in the evenings with other stuff – gigs, general chores, cinema etc

My phone has been out of commission for the past week or so. As it has replaced my camera as a means to take and store photos, I had nothing to put up here (photo-wise). Thankfully it is now fixed.

I’m off this Saturday but going to a football match, then going to see another gig.

We’re going to LA for a week after that.

So, yeah. You might have to hang tight on updates.

I do however have a series of posts scheduled on my other blog Good Days And Cliches.

Thank you.

Good night.

God Bless America.

March Update..it's come to this

Yes indeed, I am resorting to updating this blog monthly now due to lack of time. So, in March:

• I got a Sunday job working in a store selling fantasy-themed products (wolf t-shirts etc). This has many stories that I will delve into later.
• I got a full time job for an online marketing/advertising company. I'm kind of an office drone but after a couple of months of part time work I am pretty happy with it.
• Myself and herself went to another Vancouver Giants hockey game.
• Myself and my friend went to a Vancouver Whitecaps match.
• St Patrick's Day happened.
• Many plans were made.

Vancouver Giants Game

This was our second hockey game and I enjoyed it a lot more than the first. I was comfortable with the seemingly random ad breaks and general madness of it all. Also, we bore witness to the most Canadian event of all time. Michael Buble (yes, the singer guy) was driven onto the ice in a golden pickup truck to sing Happy Birthday to a Canadian hockey legend, Gordie Howe. CANADA. Even better, the Giants won! Their worst year in ages and they won both times we were there.

Also, this happened:

Vancouver Whitecaps match

A truly super Saturday this was. Mick and I met in town and went for pints in the fan club pub. The Southsiders are a SUPPORTERS GROUP, modelling themselves on British/Irish/European terrace-dwellers, and are REALLY SERIOUS about having fun.

After an hour or so the lads and ladies assembled outside the pub to get ready for their march to the stadium. Myself and Mick crossed the road to get a good view of the procession and (decked out in our Whitecaps gear) unwittingly set the march in motion. Pair of chancers. After another pint, that helped the last 20 minutes sink in, we headed off to the stadium.

Now, MLS soccer isn't exactly the best advertisement for the beautiful game. In fact it more resembles the Simpsons version ("fast kicking, low-scoring action! ties? you bet!!" or something). I can't find the English version, buuuut the message is the same

So, really you need to be nestled in amongst the rowdy Southsiders for there to be any craic at these matches. They reside in the right hand corner behind the goal, unfortunately we were in the left side...

 

However, buoyed by our earlier parade-leading shenanigans, and probably also the pints, we decided to chance our arm(s) and nonchalantly stroll into some empty seats in the Southside section when the game had started.

And not long after we got there, Whitecaps scored!! For a glorious 30 minutes we stood, sang, shouted abuse and generally had the craic with the Southsiders until 4 Asians rudely showed up late and we had to make our way back to our original seats... Still, a good time was had by all and we plan to go back.

Other plans include:

• A day trip next weekend (when myself and herself actually have some time off together)
• An Evil Dead marathon at the Rio Theatre
• Bad Religion gig!
• LOS ANGELES.

The Vancouver Hipster epidemic is getting worse

So it seems there's going to be a 'reality' tv show about hipsters. To show the REAL LIVES of the STRUGGLING ARTISTS in Vancouver. LOLOLOLOL.

What's the Asian for Lucozade?

Something like 1/3 of the population in Vancouver is Asian. This means there's lots of sushi, restaurants that are also karaoke bars and occasional fun to be had with western products presented in the eastern way.

This week I met a female rapper called Justine Beaver...

Ever feel like you're being punk'd? Myself and my friend Shane were walking in Stanley Park when we were approached/assaulted by an energetic young woman and her Asian manfriend. Both were dressed in bright running gear and chesire cat grins. Apparently they were filming some footage of themselves playing frisbee as part of an audition tape for a TV show 'The Amazing Race' but they couldn't get the shots they wanted and could we record some for them a little bit please they'd be ever so grateful and here's the camera it's on a tripod but it doesn't have to be thanks! *deep breath*

I don't know what it is about us, but we keep getting approached by people to do stuff like this. Anyway, joking aside, I was happy enough to help out and filmed their over zealous sporting endeavors, as they hammed it up for the camera and generally acted North American. It was in the barrage of conversation after this that we found out the girl in question, Mariee, had an alter ego, Justine Beaver, who raps whilst kitted out in a beaver suit. Thanks to the marvel that is my internet phone, I proceeded post haste to youtube where I found that this was actually true! And far from being in the slightest bit embarrassed about this, Mariee/Justine treated us to an impromptu rendition of part of the song as it played on my phone.

Apparently Beliebers aren't the biggest fans of Justine, which makes the whole thing even better. We were handed two satsumas as a reward for helping out and walked away feeling a bit like the folks in this gif:

Photodump vol. 2

I've mostly been looking for full time work for the past few weeks as what I have right now is ridiculously part time. But who wants to read about that?! Instead, here is a collection of photo that I've taken around Vancouver since I got back after Christmas.

As seen in Irish pub

Digital film festival. I only ended up seeing Goodfellas

Chocolate fondue from a place up the road. Far from it I was raised.

I walked on this and on leg went through the ice. Seriously.

A cultural melting pot.

Family Guy Engrish

Vinyl is everywhere. It's like hipster heroin.

This was in the bathroom in a house party. I never got around to asking about it.

Subconsciously preparing for St Patrick's Day

Like many things, this would never fly back home.

Not a crime scene, but a scene from a tv programme.

Not sure why this is sideways but the young man is using a plug in telephone receiver for his smart phone. Bloody hipsters.