Halloween 2007

Hey All,

Just a quick update on things. As some of you probably already know, I have been back working at the Bank. I got offered a promotion from my old position, but I told them that I was just looking for something temporary for the time being. I have now been travelling around BC helping out the different offices here for the past couple of months. Currently working in a little town called Kelowna, which is about 6 hours east of Vancouver. Its a real nice little post-card looking town up in the mountains, right in the Okanagan Valley. Wine country it is, and yes, I've tried a few. I am still living in Vancouver these days though, as the Bank has been flying me back and forth each week. Living in a hotel here in Kelowna has definitely been an upgrade to some of the previous places that you guys have seen over the past year and some. And gotta love that expense account......no more peanut butter and banana sandwiches for this guy.

Things have been awesome here in Vancouver. It has taken me a while, but starting to settle in. Feels nice not living out of a pack. I'd have to say that the absolute best thing about being back (aside from seeing friends and family), has been waking up in my own bed, in a place that looks somewhat familiar. It can be pretty strange waking up in a new place each morning.....disorienting may be a better description (is that a word?). Have hooked up with a real good crew of friends, and am now playing for a couple of hockey teams. Can't wait for the snow boarding season to start in a couple of weeks, to start checking out some of these mountains. There will definitely be some pics to follow.

I have started to rebuild a bit of a wardrobe, but in general, I still dress like a bum. Slowly but surely I guess. I had a little debt to repay, but all is good now. I even own a few pairs of underwear now, which have actually been strange to adjust back to. Ha. I would have owned more, but somebody in my building stole them. Yes I know, creepy. I put them in the wrong washing machine, and haven't seen them since. I actually put a sign up in the laundry room "Missing: 1 T-shirt, 3 pairs of Boxers", but no luck.

My friend said that I should slip a note under everyone's door saying, "I know you took them", and then see what happens.

Anyway, don't have much exciting to post, but here are some pics from Halloween. I went as Bjorn Borg the tennis player....I think. Either that, or Royal Tanenbaums, not sure.

http://www.flickr.com/gp/30126387@N00/GoAm4x

I've also attached a few random pics of Vancouver. There is a picture of my friend's dog, Beamer the rescue hound. I do a little dogsitting once in a while, which gives me access to a whole community of people known as dog owners. Also a pic of me at the top of Grouse Mountain here in Vancouver. It is about an hour long hike straight uphill. Supposedly it is part of the initiation process for newcomers to the city.

http://www.flickr.com/gp/30126387@N00/fV365t

I see from the hit counter down below that there are still people checking in, so my apologies for not keeping things up to date. I guess things are a little anti-climatic after a year long backpacking trip.

I have started getting a bunch of my pics up on Flickr, which is a much better website. Most of these will be the full file sizes too, which are good for printing. The unfortunate thing is that that virus I picked up in Indonesia spoiled a bunch of my S. American pics (yes, I did back them up, but the disks got destroyed in my pack). Quite a few survived though, so I guess I'll have to be happy with what I have. It has been nice kind of going through them again. When I first got back in June, I was kind of sick of chatting/thinking about the whole trip, which is kind of strange. It has taken a while, but I can finally kind of go back and enjoy it all again a bit.

Anyway, hope all is well.