Author Archive

While we have a ‘no nudity’ policy here at VIA, that’s not going to stop me from posting things that I find…..

Mildly…..erotic.

Caught yesterday morning, $20 a fish…$15 not gutted.  The freezer’s not full of blueberries this year, so I’m filling it with salmon.

Read more

Growing up in Steveston, the one place you  never went to buy fish was the docks.  This seems backwards now, but back then fishing was such a big part of the community that everyone knew someone that could hook them up.  Those days are over so,  even people like me are sniffing around the dock for a deal.  Looks like you don’t need a boat to be part of the frenzy.

Price check?  $25/fish not gutted…..Man are we ever lucky, this is the most epic run ever, but I’m holding out, the river is open again so there’s more coming!fo

Pretty much when Metrotown went up, Brentwood became Burnaby’s Kingsate…..NO!  Champlain, it’s totally Champlain Mall.  It’s sort of the mall that time forgot.  The whole mall just feels like a giant Fields.  I happened to be in the area, and thought it might work out as a decent Food Fair Friday, but it didn’t pan out.  What I did find though was my f’n favourite, massage chairs.  This was so meaningful because just weeks ago, I was on a BC ferry running rampant looking for a massage chair and found that they were removed!  Obviously, BC ferries thinks of them like those pay TV’ chairs they used to have at the airport, dodo bird type stuff, but lucky for me they fit right in at Brentwood.

$4 later and I’m a new man…..

Be on the look out for my next up and coming series, stuff in malls you’ve never been to.

Wandering around the concourse at the Coliseum waiting for the Super Dogs, I saw this….  Cotton Candy for a buck?  I really wasn’t in the mood for something sweet after eating these, but how do you turn down that price?

After trying the Mars bar and the oreos last year, I had to step up and try the jelly beans this year.  The verdict?  I wouldn’t buy them again, but if you bought them and offered me a bite….I’d take some.  Same goes for if you bought it, didn’t like it and gave it to me….I’d eat it.  I highly recommend you buy them in a group, and not when all the people you are with are not looking, as you duck into an empty stable and stuff your face with them.  Bad idea….

They just aren’t a bunch of jelly beans thrown into a deep fryer, instead they use the batter from funnel cakes, which once deep fried, you can stick anything in and it tastes great.  What you receive is three or four fritter like balls that reminded me alot of a honey’s donut.  The heat of the deep fryer melts the jelly beans, and the result is sort of like the jelly in a donut.  The consistency is a bit different though, think the first time you tried bubble tea, weird right?  But now you live for it.  Flavour wise?  With the icing sugar, it’s so sweet your teeth will hurt but I know you’ll try it anyhow….

‘In The Dirt’ is a series about how the Vanier Park Dirt Jumps came about. The park, which will be breaking ground soon is expected to be complete before the end of this summer. With the help of Chris Young, lead memeber of the Vancouver Dirt Jump Coalition, this short series will look at the process behind getting a park like this built.  An avid BMXer, Chris has tirelessly helped skateboarders as a director of the Vancouver Skateboard Coalition.  With his experience, he’s now making things happen for BMXers in Vancouver.

We left off part one of this series with a bit of history about the dirt jump project, and now we’ll take  a closer look at where we are today. Keep in mind, this process reaches back almost a decade, so if there’s one thing to learn from  reading this series, it’s that perseverance does pay off.

Early stages of construction to jumps (note actual construction may be further ahead than photo….yay.)

During Chris’ 11 years on the Board of Directors of the Vancouver Skateboard Coalition , they’ve had good working relationships with a few of the Vancouver Park Board staff. One staff member in particular that has really helped them over the years was Mark Vulliamy, from the Park Board planning department. Mark has since retired from the Park Board, but he wasn’t a skateboarder, and wasn’t a BMX’er, he was just really passionate about making Vancouver awesome and keeping active. Mark went above and beyond his job, often attending many of our Coalition meetings after-hours and he taught a few of us how the process works.

(Click for waaaay more!)

Read more

I find when at the library, I’m extra polite while  browsing for movies.  At most video stores, I’ll walk right in front of you. no problem.  At the library though, I’ll find myself camped out under one letter, checking every last title.  Why?  Because the guy next to me is doing that too.  I’m not sure why…but I’m just more civil at the library.  I like it.

My favourite letter is ‘S’, I’ve had the most success here, last week though, I was having a bit of a tough time, so tough that I was ‘this’ close to renting ‘Schindler’s List’….great movie but I don’t need to see it again…

Then POW!  Winner…winner…chicken dinner….

For those of your not familiar with this show, it was the springboard for Sarah Jessica Parker into stardom.  If I had to pick one TV comedy that epitomizes the 80′s to a point where it physically hurts, it’s this one.

One of these days….I’m actually going to get a book out of the library….

Lately I’ve been thinking pretty seriously about getting a hybrid, one: because I’m cheap, two: because I live in Vancouver, three: the obvious.

Then I see this thing….

A fire truck?  Are you kidding me?  I can save a couple bucks, reduce emissions, have something to talk about, or I can save buildings from burning down…..It’s like choosing between being a good citizen and being a super hero.

This is gonna be a tough one….

I’ve always thought that I’m extremely lucky to be living in Vancouver.  On top of contributing to this blog, usually at least once a week, while I’m out doing something…or nothing, I stop and think…’wow…..’

Last Saturday wasn’t one of those days.

It was sooooo hot.  As much as I hope for a solid eight months out of the year that it’s hot for all of August, sometimes…a real hot hot day can get to ya.  Some bad Chinese food the night before, mild sunstroke….I’d had it.  Traffic around my neck of the woods was nutso, so I took a long cut to avoid Hastings.

I was driving real slow and I spotted a huge fig tree, something I’ve been pretty good at doing lately.  I thought of this post and how I hadn’t gotten any responses……I know it was a wee bit creepy, but in the realm of craigslist it really wasn’t…

Hey…..a box…..SCREECH!

Read more

If you ever have a bit of time to blow before picking up someone a the airport, instead of sitting in your car wondering why picking up someone at the airport so meaningful, I highly recommend taking a quick drive through Burkeville.  I put this tiny suburb in the same category as Finn Slough as one of Richmond’s hidden treasures.  It’s located just west of Russ Baker way.

The suburb was built to house Boeing employees during World War 2.  There have feen a few changes over the years, but most of the same tiny little homes still exist.  I’ve always thought of it as sort of like Stepford, except  (spoiler alert!) there is no conspiracy, or robot wives.

Oh..if we were playing that board game Taboo and the subject was Burkeville, I know the first word out of my mouth would be ‘cute’ and BEEEEEEEEP!  I hate that game.

Read more

I think it’s important at VIA that we try to expand our horizons, get out of our comfort zones.  Which is why, after my first football game of this year, I realize that we should not restrict ourselves to just dumb hockey questions.

So here goes….my first dumb football quesiton:

Is that a whisper 2000?

I’m wayyyy dumber at football too….

PS….Lions…please win…