a few things

It's a mellow Friday night. Conrad got home about an hour and a half ago, we've had dinner (salmon), we're sipping wine and dealing with a few things related to finances and our upcoming Hawaiian vacation (YES!!!!). Some music playing. A good weekend ahead, according to our plans.

So let me get caught up.

I shan't worry about where I last left off and try to figure out everything I've done since. Instead, a few highlights:

A visit to TK.

And Michael, who doesn't care to be photographed. And Coney and Buster, my two favourite dogs in the world.

Go ahead, ask me how much dog hair I brought home on my clothes. Those dogs got some love from me! A quick weekend in Baltimore, but for a chance to see my best friend (and really, I can never say enough good things about Todd) and enjoy conversations while strolling around the lake? So worth it. Add in those banana desserts

at the Taste of the Town fundraiser event, and, well, we've got a memorable visit indeed.

Vancouver. An even shorter weekend there, but enough time to get in a good run around Stanley Park followed by breakfast and coffee at Safari Cafe.

Ah, Safari, we have missed you. Never close, Adam, please. Time spent with friends,

birthday cake,

and some new furniture.

Oh, and have I mentioned how freaking gorgeous that city is in the spring sunshine?

A return to Girl and the Goat. Eric was in town,

so we caught up over some small plates and (for me) drinks at the bar. I'm a fan, though I've only been there a few times. The shishito peppers once again were a star.

Breakfast with a library bigwig. Well, he might not think so, but Jeff lit up the library blogosphere last year. It was a real pleasure to sit down with him for a leisurely meal and discuss matters related to our profession and otherwise. And may I say that the man has some fine suits and shoes!

Small plates and cocktails at Erwin.

It's not that far south of Yoshi's, and yet it's mostly off our radar, sad to say. Conrad was out of town, but Michael

happily came along while I used up a Groupon. French fries, properly salty.

Yum!

So that's the world of Peter lately, and much food involved, of course. I will need to do some trimming down for a conference in Anaheim next month, but for now, I am content. And oh so happy to have Conrad home!

favourite coffee shop

One more post before heading to bed, and oddly (given the time of night), it's about coffee.

So much to write about with Vancouver, and each time we go there are some of our reliable favourites and new experiences. New this time? Bao Bei.


Good restaurant, nearby. We'll go back. Familiar to us? Campagnolo on the Friday night.



Shopping at Roots.
Granville Island.




And then there's Safari Cafe.

We go there everyone morning we're in Vancouver. A short stroll over for what we have come to think of as the best coffees in Vancouver.
They remind us of the flat whites we came to love so much on our New Zealand visits. It's not a big place, but there are some seats and free wireless. And regulars. We don't know them really, but the faces are familiar, and occasionally conversation flies across the room. Adam, the owner, takes good care of us. Breakfast items daily for us, though we are careful not to take that for granted.



And anyway, the banana loaves are quite satisfying.

I would find it interesting to know how many hours we've spent at Safari Cafe on past visits. It must add up into days, easily. I think it was 10-12 hours on this trip, though I tend to get there well before Conrad, who likes to sleep in a bit. My/our morning ritual in our second city.

By gosh, are those coffees good.

in Vancouver!

Folks, I am almost 40. Mere days away. Ah well.

We've come to Vancouver to celebrate the occasion here. And you know, in this very short blog post, I can only say that any trip that promises to be sunny, warm (NOT hot), and starts with a great run before 7 in the morning then moves on to coffee/breakfast at Safari Cafe HAS to be a good trip.



Free time for blogging in days ahead. I'm going to milk my last days of 39 as best I can!

;-)

15 things (and one bonus)

15 things that made for such an amazing, wonderful, memorable, delightful Olympics week in Vancouver. And an honourable mention.

1. My sister. Hostess to many MKs over the course of the weekend (and an MK herself, oddly). Shopping companion. Dining mate. Hockey connoisseur. I don't think I show her enough appreciation.

2. Other family - a nice lunch of dim sum with my brother Carlos. I'm sorry Mark couldn't make it. I'm sorry we didn't get up the coast. I apologize a lot for something that was a good time, I know. Sorry.

3. Chris. Read his blog already! Also, he'll kill me, but I will set him up with anyone who meets my exacting standards for awesome enough to be his match.

4. Brian and Giuseppe. We love these guys no end, and we're glad we get Chicago and Vancouver time with them. Bonus points to Brian for his past Olympics experiences to share with us. Bonus points to Giuseppe for introducing me to Dan Mangan's stuff and then for being so adorkably tongue tied around the man.

5. Dan Mangan.
OK, I wasn't wild about the woman who was on before him (OK, I was so unenthralled as to sit reading the Globe and Mail - a TORONTO newspaper, for crying out loud! - on my iPhone while I prayed for her to be done her set), but the man put on an awesome show. Among many wonderful moments, I loved that he halted "Pine for Cedars" to tell us how, when he was touring Australia, he had to explain the lyric about winning a home in a hospital lottery. So BC. Love him.

6. This sweater on me. I never said I wasn't shallow.

7. This scarf on me. In fact, I'm very very shallow.

8. Coffee at Safari. If I can't have a flat white, then this will do nicely, though I realize I forgot to go to the place Janet recommended. In May, when we return.

9. Seeing Canada's first gold medal on home soil - EVER! - draped around Alexandre Bilodeau's neck, and having tears running down my cheeks during O Canada.

10. Getting to dress in Swedish drag and be a Svenska fan for one hockey game.

11. The First Nations presence around the Games (photo from the Coast Salish carvers in a house at the Art Gallery). Wonderful, special. I've commented already. Conrad and I ended up buying a print from the Edzerza Gallery to keep in our Vancouver home. I'm stunned that Alano Edzerza designed the really cool Netherlands uniforms. Wow.

12. Curling. Never really played it, still love it. How can you not love a sport that opens sessions with a round of bagpipes?




13. The houses and pavilions. Best by far was Canada's Northern House, but I think I actually liked Maison du Quebec most for its entertainment and proximity, its' blue glow at night.

14. Vancouver in the spring sunshine. Yes, it was spring. Yes, I am still bitter about being back in wintry Chicago.

15. Sharing in it all with this man. My Valentine the night of the photo, but so much more, and every single day. Thanks SB!


Honourable mention (no photo): meeting Mark and Maureen, even fleetingly. Marie may be the one hosting people, but I felt more than a little pleased at having been able to lend our condo for one night to the brother and sister-in-law of a good friend. I hope they enjoyed their Olympics experience and greatly!