Burrito West Blog

Continuing the theme of this summer (sports) - on Sunday I went to a Whitecaps soccer game with Peter and his dad. It was my first Whitecaps game, which is kind of funny because when I started at the City of Vancouver 3+ years ago, part of the project I was working on was to review the proposal for a new waterfront stadium, for the Whitecaps (the team owner has some spare cash and wanted to build a 30,000 person stadium). The project went sideways and so the team is currently playing at a little field/stadium just outside Vancouver until next year when they'll join the BC Lions at BC Place (which is getting a fancy new roof) - our existing stadium.

Anyway, the game was fun - tied 1-1. I am always surprised at sporting events because I'm so used to watching sports on tv, with commentary. Seems strange to be there in person and have no one telling me what's going on. So quiet! Except for all the kids. Apparently Whitecaps games are very popular with the families.

Good times. Of the 3 events - football, baseball, soccer.... I think the Vancouver Canadians game was my favorite. But I highly recommend getting out and enjoying some local sports action - it's a great way to be outside on a nice summer day!

Peter had to go to Victoria on Friday for a work-thing, so I took the day off and went with him. It was a lovely day to go hang out on the Island.

I sat by the Harbour all day with a book, it was fabulous. The Harbour area is a bustling with people - there are loads of vendors and musicians set up. I picked up two prints from this awesome artist MartinMachacek - I love his style, and I have a thing for architecture art - in fact, looking around the apartment, I notice that all of the framed bits of art I have are building-related. I picked up frames for cheap and they're ready to hang. These are going in my office, I think.

And I finally got around to making Peter's birthday cake - using this recipe from Posie Gets Cozy. Her cake looked better, but mine turned out tasty too! I don't often make cakes from scratch, so Peter should feel very special. The icing on this is pretty spectacular (and a bit of a pain to make).

Today my plan is to go crochet by the beach with a friend. It's a rough life.

So summer arrived in Vancouver, and I haven't been blogging because I assume this weather is very temporary and I should be out enjoying it, which I have been. Something about summer makes it hard to sit down and write thoughtful blog posts. So I'll just put up a picture of my cat here. Enjoy!

I decided that this year I would finally go see a BC Lions game. Added bonus - this year they are not playing at the enormous BC Place stadium (it's getting a new roof) - they're playing at their old location, Empire Field. It's an open air temporary stadium and it's pretty nifty. Very nostalgic for people who were around back in those days, apparently.

So yesterday was the day and it was perfect weather for it. A bit hot in the sun, but shortly after the game started the shade reached us and it was perfectly warm with a bit of a breeze off the water. Did I mention that we had an incredible view? (Honestly, sometimes I missed the play because I was staring at the mountains.)

This was my first CFL game. It was interesting. My only other football experience was a Wisconsin Badgers game (university football) which was quite the experience (the fans stormed the field when the Badgers won against their arch rivals Ohio State). This was different - much more commercial. The football game was almost a sideshow to all the other stuff going on (contests, sponsorship announcements, cheerleaders, etc). I think I preferred the mood at the Badgers game more - people were more focused on the game. But then, the Badgers don't have to make money to pay their players salaries, so I suppose it's easier.

In any case, it was lots of fun, even though the Lions lost. I highly recommend getting out to see a game while they're playing at Empire Stadium - it's a pretty special set up.

Today: baseball. We're off to a Vancouver Canadian's game. =)

Update: baseball is awesome. The Canadians game was super chill and fun - loved it! Tickets are $10 or so, which is a steal of a deal. And we got 11 innings for our money. ;) And our team won! I enjoyed this a lot more than the Lions game - it was way less commercialized and felt more community-oriented somehow. Great way to spend a sunny afternoon!

If you happen to keep an eye on my reading list on the right hand side of my blog - you can tell when I'm reading a nonfiction book because the list totally stalls. I'm a fast reader when it comes to fiction - on vacation I fly through books - this is why the ebook reader appeals to me - having so many books with me at once is heavenly! But non fiction slows me right down, even if it's something I'm interested in. Because reading non fiction isn't a relaxing escape.... it's kind of work. Interesting work maybe, but still. I occasionally do book reviews for a Vancouver website, and I just finished a 360page non fiction book for that.... and I started the book in May - that's a crazy long time to me to be reading one book. But, I've also been reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes on the side. ;)

I think I'm ready for a nice long bout of fiction until August at least. That's when a new book comes out by my urban design hero, which I'm stupidly excited about.

Things That Make Me Happy:

- finding a penny from 1951 with the King on the back
- Canada Day parades that include an endless diversity of cultures on display
- my hairstylist at Aveda, Suzie who is a rockstar
- long weekends