Cruising Vancouver

After a monstrously decadent seafood meal with all the family members in town, we split up into groups and did a little sightseeing, napping and movie-watching. Since this was my first trip to Vancouver as an adult, and since it was such a beautiful day, I wanted to see some sights.

My parents, an uncle and I went to Stanley Park where we walked around for an hour, admiring the redwood trees, the totem poles and the skin-bearing residents. We then hit the downtown area and made our way through the crowded streets, walking around and window shopping.

It then was time to feed again, so the larger family group re-assembled at a Chinese restaurant. I had the pleasure of sitting next to the newlywed couple and I had to do my best to respond diplomatically to questions from the bride such as, "What did you think of my maid of honor?" and "Did you like my wedding colors?" The colors, by the way, were fuschia and neon orange.

And we capped off the night by visiting the local casino, where we smuggled my 18-year old cousin onto the gambling floor and installed her in front of a slot machine. Uncles and aunts placed bets on the horses (races simulcast from Hong Kong) and others played poker and roulette. Since I have an early flight home tomorrow, I returned to the hotel, but everyone else seems to have their gamble on.

Khaki sacrifice

Tonight I lost a pair of khakis to the wedding gods, thanks to my lust for red wine and other alcohols at family events. I guess that's one of the dangers of sporting a frat-boy chic outfit. After reaching across my dinner table to take a photo of some cousins, another cousin asked if I needed a tampon, thanks to the generous splash of red wine that had collected in my crotch. I guess I took the place of my sister as most embarrassing cousin since she couldn't be here herself.

But throughout the ceremony and reception, we all had a good time laughing at the officiant who squeaked throughout and making sure we were the loudest table present (at least when our parents' table failed to do the job).

The wedding DJ played a skillful selection of muzak, including instrumental versions of Shania Twain, Backstreet Boys and Celine Dion (We are in Canada, after all!). Despite the gorgeous day and incredible view, the shmaltzy wedding was cheese-a-rific and my poor cousin seemed whipped into submitting to all the minute (pink) details than he would have really preferred.

Add to that a maid of honor speech that verged on rude and inappropriate, our table had nothing to do but spell out (and draw out) death threats for messing with la famiglia.

Casual Friday

I just returned to my hotel from a meeting in one of our offices in Richmond, BC, which seems far superior to our HQ building in SF, out of which I work. Maybe it's because it's such a beautiful day, or maybe it's because my work day was approximately 2 hours long today, but I really felt jealous of the office here.

First of all, there's a cafe! I miss days of having a cafe in the building. And apparently, all the employees get bagels every Friday morning! Bagels may be too carby for me, but I still like the idea of it.

It's a technology-based business unit, so there is a game room (pool table) and I saw some folks with fun desk set-ups and toys. But the best part was ... casual attire!

I asked if it was just casual Friday, but my co-worker said it's pretty casual every day. Not only were people sporting jeans and t-shirts, but I spied some employees wearing shorts! In the office! I was totes overdressed in my woven shirt and my smart pinstriped jacket.

Northern lights

Internets, it's past 9:30pm and the sky is just now hitting a dusky phase. Why? Well, because I've traveled north to Richmond, just outside of Vancouver, BC.

I left the office early, pet Stefano DiMera goodbye and journeyed to Portland, OR before boarding a little prop-plane to Vancouver. While the little plane was a bit slow for my taste, we flew low enough that I had a rather stunning view of Mount Hood and other breathtaking scenery of the Pacific Northwest.

As I waited in line for Canadian customs, a gaggle of Chinese tourists got in line behind me, with about two-thirds of them wearing masks over their noses and mouths. Were they afraid of swine flu? Maybe they're still living in fear of SARS? Perhaps they just have jacked-up teefs.

And now I'm in Richmond, which is filled with strip malls that boast Chinese characters on their signs. It's like being in little Hong Kong, minus the flashing lights, the fast-paced lifestyle, the cutting-edge fashion and the incredible energy.

My family is at a nearby aunt's house where they're busy with some sort of pre-wedding ceremony for my cousin whose nuptials I'm here to celebrate. In lieu of seeing my extended family tonight, I decided to stay at the hotel and work on a presentation I'm making tomorrow at one of our offices nearby. Work first, play later!

To boldly go

BoomKat and I finally saw Star Trek last night, after several weeks of planning and rescheduling, and we loved it! Growing up, I was enough into the Star Trek mythology that I could catch some winks and nods to the original series here and there. The movie was much more lighthearted than I expected, in a very refreshing way that hearkened back to the '70s television show.

And knowing that JJ Abrams was at the helm of the movie, it also has clear antecedents in LOST and in Alias, which was kinda cool. I can't wait for the next one!

The healthy lesbian cookbook

During her 2009 visit to the Bay Area, Frannie stopped by my home for a little dinner with Puppy, Stefano DiMera and Puppy's friend Buttons. My recipes (salmon cakes and a cilantro-based salad) came from the lady on the Food Network with short, dark hair who makes healthy options. I like to think of her as the "healthy lesbian," though she evidently isn't a lesbian, despite her appearance.

Anyhoo, to up the unhealthy factor, I threw in a ham and cheese puff pastry deal as an opener and closed with ice cream sandwiches featuring salted caramel ice cream from Bi-Rite.

It was a fun time and I got to see Franny's expanding pregnant belly. We joked that The Healthy Lesbian Cookbook might make a great title for a book, but that it probably would be confusing and unpublishable. In any case, I enjoyed my unhealthy ham and cheese pastry leftovers this morning for breakfast!

Celeb sighting: A little respect

On Sunday night, at a super-packed and super-fun Fresh, we were treated to a surprise performance by Andy Bell, half of Erasure! He took the stage, belted out two hits from the '80s and the party resumed.

Kitten apparently met up with him later and confirmed that he was, indeed, tres drunk.