the other night i got into bed with my ipod and figured i'd give some new tunes a listen before i went to sleep. i fell into a deep slumber and woke rather haphazardly, i can only assume from some shift in music that was still playing, seemingly much louder at this point.. the first thing that i noticed as i took off my headphones was that danelle wasn't sleeping beside me, and that was weird. where could she be? then i realised i had been sprawling across the bed and was instantly consumed with guilt because i figured she must have gone to sleep with cami since i was selfishly hogging the entire bed. then i realised something strange was amiss.. i sat up to ponder what it could possibly be.. suddenly, panic rocked my entire being as my eyes focused through the dim light coming through the slanted blinds: this-was-not-danelle's-room-at-all. i knew the bed felt different. whose room was this and how the hell did i get here? i was seized with fear until it hit me. this was my room. my bed. i'm back in regina. and danelle was likely fast asleep in her own bed, all the way across the country. complete nightmare.
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the coast never ceases to deliver. three weeks of absolute delight. got out to victoria for the first time ever and caught up with some amazing friends that i miss dearly. matt g was a complete gem; he came and picked danelle and i up from the ferry and gave us a brief tour before cooking us a gourmet lunch. britt came in from school a short while later and we walked down to the water to dip our feet and [attempt] to skip some stones. that evening we went to a lecture led by maggie benston, one of the founders of the vancouver women's caucus, a group of independent feminists who, in 1970, drove across canada to ottawa to rally for section 251. [also known as the "abortion caravan"]. she was an amazing speaker with phenomenal, powerful stories. some laughs, but heavy subject content. we all left feeling very liberated, i almost burnt my bra.
met up that evening with avery and scott kelly, two very dear friends who made the move west. along with matt, britt, and a few of danelle's friends, we joined forces at this pub called "big bad john's". random paraphernalia hanging all over the walls and roof.. harmless booby traps.. peanut shells strewn across the wooden floor.. servers wearing jean cover-alls. classy place. we had a fantastic time. it was here i was dubbed the 'symbol of love and prosperity' by a strange stranger feeling the need to advise.. [but that is a story for another time]..
walked around fan tan alley, did some shopping, and then out that night to da clubbb. the loud heavy bass beats that pump your heart for you. we didn't fit the scene, but we certainly hit the dance floor. met up the next day with justin and ashley, avery and scott, and will bratt to go hike goldstream. everything out there is still very green, with vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows starting to turn the leaves.. we hiked up to this wooden train bridge and popped a bottle of champagne in celebration of ashley's birth. there were no railings and it seemed a good hundred feet to the tree tops below.. i felt very stand-by-me-esque walking on those ties. perfect scenery, solid crew, loved every minute of it. ave and scott had a house party that evening after we dined at this lovely little tapas bar called "stage". the next day we checked out a castle, and said our goodbyes. ferried back to vancouver that afternoon.
the next two weeks are much more difficult/impossible to explain in such depth. it was a blur of epicness and laughter. saw a lot of toby and syd which was wonderful.. great talks and visits with the darling kate.. got branded with the 3308 by gordie, who also came out with us quite a bit which is guaranteed mad fun.. ate fabulous baguettes and vegan delights and slices and sushi and breakfasts.. was introduced to perch, and more importantly, laura, who i have a feeling will be a very dear friend for years to come.. reunited with most of the new west crew.. cami, maytal, julia, molly, danielle.. lots of shopping.. lots of caffeine, thanks to all the people i know working at cafes.. including the charming levi, of whom we spent a lot of time with.. met up with the bros and meghan to see sufjan stevens play at this beautiful theatre venue.. hung with davey o, met his darling robyn.. saw tim kasher play at the media club.. celebrated the big 2-4 maturely dressed as a "pair of pears" with my side-kick danelle.. [we made the costumes ourselves].. i came home absolutely floating..
..and have since crashed to the reality of snow, work, and detox.
west coast best coast!
