This past Monday as I was meeting up with a friend for dinner, my car finally rolled over the 100000KM mark. Which is kind of funny since my car is a 2000 Toyota Echo; though I purchased it for work in December 2005 at that time it only had about 50000 KM on it.

– Didn’t take the picture until I parked my car.

Yesterday was Canada Day a day to celebrate our county’s 142nd birthday. . I hope you all you Canadians had a blast whatever you were doing.

Every year since I was could remember my family and I took in our (old) towns Canada Day parade and the rest of the activity’s afterward. And or if we were home/in the pool and the wind was right we could smell the famous Salmon BBQ that they always have…. the joys of living in a small fishing town. Though this year I opted out of driving out to take in the venue, as I over slept and I didn’t really want to battle others looking for parking.

I think its the little things I’m missing about my old place, like every year there would be a paper Canadian flags in everyone’s front lawn, so everyone could have a flag when they head down to the parade, which was done by a realtor who lived in the subdivision as well I went to school with her two sons. If I was able to find those flags I would have done it to my neighbours but I ran out of time. The city I’m in now had their own celebrations, I think I saw more of my neighbours yesterday out and about on the street then I have all year. I didn’t take part in it this year as I took out my Mom for lunch instead.

Growing up and watching those I am Canadian, Molson Canadian beer commercials on tv with one of them sticking to my mind to this day though I can’t find it on youtube. Where this person had a tattoo of Canada with the flag filling it in.. (tired googling but found more American tattoos of that style.) Since I first saw that commercial I wanted that tattoo or something close to it, to mark that I was a proud Canadian.

We all show how patriotic we are to our country in different ways: some are willing fight and die for us, others will be presenting their county at a sporting event or flying their country flag all year long (not just on the country birthday). Like many, I have opted for a Canadian Maple Leaf tattoo with a dragon boat paddle.

To the neighbours to the south have a great 4th of July this weekend.

How did you spend your Canada Day / July 1st?
How patriotic are you? Just on your countries birthday or all year long?
Would you ever get a patriotic tattoo?

What a great weekend, the clouds were rolling in with a few sprinkling of rain here and there but all and all it was one of the best Alcan I’ve been to in years. I say that not just because of the venue or that the woman’s crew I was on got 1st place in our heat and placed 13th out of 22th in the woman’s category. My 1st ever medal for woman’s to boot to, sad that we just missed taking part in the woman’s guts and glory a 2000 meter race (when you get a bunch of teams paddling against the clock and doing wild turns. The one year that my team at the time made it into it…I was 8 months along.. my goal is to take part in it one day)

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I know nothing is forever set in stone but the future of Vancouver’s Dragon Boating Community has been in the hands of the City Council for the last 10 years trying to get a permanent building on False Creek. But since the Olympics are just months away, it just seems like everything is about the Olympics. I do have to agree with Todd, that if we were award the Summer Olympics, we might not have this much of a problem. Its just annoying that a year long sport and with this weekend festival that racks in over $2.4 MILLION dollars. Let alone this is Canada’s/North America’s Largest Dragon Boat Festival with 9 boat per heats (races) be being shafted for a 32 day event. I don’t get?

Last year we had four paddling centers on the creek that housed dragon boats teams but this year one had to close down because of where it was located to the Olympic Village with that the festival they host will no longer running. Which is sad, its the only festival around here where, you can do barrel races, paddle blindfolded and race all in different style boats. I heard rumors since late last season on a forum I visit about the city wanting to relocate another paddling center (the main paddling center that we use for all the festivals/regattas) to elsewhere on the creek. Which is fine with me but not sure where they want to put this new paddling center is bothering me and a lot of others.

The City had two open houses showing plans of development of the area earlier in the year. Though I wasn’t able to make either of them because they were only open for a few hours both days. Oi! So I don’t know what’s going to happen.

False Creek has been a keen place for Dragon Boaters since Expo ’86, three years later in 1989 Vancouver held it’s 1st Dragon Boat Festival, years later in 1996 Vancouver was the first city to host a Worlds outside of Asia. With this year marking the 21st Dragon Boat Festival which also might be it’s last one . Which is sad because this is one of my favourite festivals to attend.

When I started off in this sport, this weekends race was basically the only Dragon Boat event out there with one or two regattas. But now since this sport has grown so much over the years. You can find a Dragon Boat event almost every other weekend and all over the planet. I may not be paddling on the creek this season but I do consider the creek to be my home away from home for the last 14 of my 15 years.

If you are in the area this weekend, please come down and sign the petition to keep Dragon Boating on the Creek. No where else in the Lowermainland that hold up to 9 boat heats, other venues can run 3-4 boat heats, 6 if lucky. So please help save this amazing sport!!!!

For More Info:

Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dragon Boat Team
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Not sure what it is but when I head to a gardening store its like a child in a candy store. There are so many plants, amazing smells and bright colours. If I had the space or the money, I would purchase almost one of every indoor plant there is. Right now the family room is more a jungle for the cats with so many plants to sniff or to play hide n seek in. My cats are weird they like to check out every plant after it gets watered.

The other day I was taking pictures of my plants and I noticed that my christmas cactus has 10 buds all about to bloom (its a fall blooming plant). While I was taking these ms.Pixel decided to be a brat by eating some of the plant leafs on one of my gram’s old plants. Which end with this picture that I just love.

Sure cats will be cats of course and will leave lovely teeth marks on the leafs of the plants. Which annoys me but nothing you can really do as it normally happens when I’m not around.

Now if my cats could do the chore of watering the plants with h2o, I’d be happy and that be one less job for me.

It’s been 27 days since my surgery and today was the 1st time I really looked at my belly button wounds (I have 2 cuts instead of the 1 your expose to have). Early on I thought I had some of the cotton bandage stuck in one of the wounds as it was scabbing over, I pulled on it not knowing what it was and you guessed it it hurt like hell. It’s part a thread they used to stitch me up is just hanging out of the wound. So now I have to wait for it to dissolve cause I’m to nervous to cut it off. I’m glad I don’t have anything weird like a glove or anything else in me from the surgery.

Like the title says, I have a weird fetish for belly buttons, I just like looking at them. The post baby belly buttons and or the weight loss ones have more of a character then those of someone who hasn’t had a child or struggled with weight. Though I do miss the dimple I had above my belly button that I last saw when I was pregnant

None gross note: I’ve started walking anywhere from 2 to 5 miles a day. Since the weather is getting better, walking is free and easy to do (living in a hilly area is a bonus), I’ve noticed more of my clothes can’t fit right.

It’s been 8 weeks going onto 9 weeks into this bathroom reno. For this whole month, I only had a working toilet it wasn’t until yesterday were I was able to have a workable sink and shower. So no more running elsewhere to wash my hands or brush my teeth.

I thought they would be here today to finish up the small details like putting up the mirror and some other stuff but they never showed when they said they would be here today. So hopefully they will be here on Monday then gone for good. When they are gone for good, I’ll be changing their alarm code and all the lock on the door they had a key to.

The Coffin Shower is gone and I am SOOOOOO freakin happy!!! Its was a stander shower stall you could purchase at any built center. If you turned on the water but were not in the shower the water would have sprayed out onto the floor. Who ever built it, make it a foot higher then the floor where I almost twisted my ankle coming out of it once. So as you can see, I’m now loving my new walk in shower. Pictures will be posted on my flickr account once the reno is 100% finished for those who can’t wait to see it.

I am so far from being a girly-girl but everyone thinks that I am since I get my nails done. It maybe a expensive way to stop me from biting my nails but I find it works.

Last time I counted I had over 30 bottles of nail polish. It least its not 30 pairs of unworn shoes. lol. Crazy maybe, though how else can you do the reverse french tip nail look? I can’t stand the stander white tip look, so I’ve been doing the white nail polish with whatever colour tip for the last while now. Its unique and its ME!

The lady who does my nails, always asks what colours am I picking this week. She hates that I never wear gloves when I garden or move bricks (at my old job or at home with the backyard reno). I will always be a tomboy and playing in the dirt, I maybe a late blooming girly girl only cause of my boo, my mom thinks I don’t know.

However, I don’t own a lot of shoes (13 in total) and or a hair dryer and my hair down the mid of my back when its wet.

What would you call a girly-girl?
Are you one or a tomboy?

One of my good friends, Heather from at0mica.net is taking part in Relay for Life which is happening next month. Please send your support via a comment on her site or if your able to please donate for the chance to end cancer.

Thanks.

I can’t wait until it’s shorts and sandals weather again,
I can’t wait until this second dumping of snow and frost goes away so I can plant my veggies,
I can’t wait until my 6pack shows up again, until then 200 crunches + a day,
I can’t wait until I finish my degree and start another degree,
I can’t wait until July 1st,
I can’t wait until my two thanksgivings this year.

But until then the waiting game sucks!