2004-02-19 Mayne Island

Reading week and a chance to leave the GVRD. John, Julie, Rita, Stu, Lins, Lesley and I were off to a cabin on main Island. It was quite the effort to get the trip going, mostly made by Rita who deserves kudos for finding us a place. Lesley flew in from Edmonton and Stu drove out on the Friday afternoon with all our stuff.

An early morning bus ride, a fun ferry ride and a pleasant 7km walk and we were there. The Cabin was far nicer than I expected and the weather was perfect for hikes around the island. Board games, movies and long drawn out meals ensued. I was not surprised to find that a competitive spirit arose and it was a contest to see which team would make the most delicious meals. All in fun (hopefully) as it was the great weather, fun and friendships that made the weekend. Why don’t we let every day be like that (or at least every weekend…)

2004-03-03 Vancouver

One of the more original requirements from law school is the moot court. This is a welcome if stressful change from incessant reading and digesting cases. Cam and I were the odd ones out so we had to go head to head rather than working as a pair, but for all the nerves it went quite well and Cam and I managed a draw in the final decision.

Kelly and I flew out to Edmonton in September and surprised Andy at his party, but now Kelly is having a birthday party and Andy snuck into the city from Calgary to surprise Kelly. And boy was she surprised! Along with being glad to see Andy, I think the ‘Palm Trees’ were quite glad to have the incentive to get together. A few drinking holes later we found ourselves at Crush (Andy negotiated a lower cover) and it was a nice evening out.

One of the additions to the routine was the occasional bridge game, so Rita, Stu, Lindsay and I would make dinner and play a few games. It might be the thin end of the wedge. Who knows, Stu and I could go golfing and Lins and Rita could sit in the clubhouse drinking Mai Tais…there will have to be some youthful abandon at some point.

Bah Exams! So much time spent in the library room. Going over doubts and second doubts with Dan. Hardly knowing if we are on the right track or not. And the exams started and ended and could have gone well or could have not…who knows…it is all relative, but since they are so important everyone is hyper about doing well…now it is just wait and see time.

I wasn’t really moving out, but Jola suggested a going away party of some order. In order to shy away from the spotlight, I think a big German Party would be the optimal way to go. The timing wasn’t great, but I managed to see a bunch of people one last time (before I leave for a measly couple months.) And any excuse to have a Hefe Weizen, some Riesling, Maultaschen und Spaetzle is a good one.

Meg’s Birthday heralded an 80’s night out at the Marble Arch, a former strip club that now specialises in retro alternative 80’s music. It was a fun night out.

Went up Grouse Mountain with Rita. The first time I have ever been up to the popular tourist attraction. Maybe it was the last tourist activity that I do and everything else is purely as a resident. In any case it is always nice to explore more of the city. I brought a picnic including some covert wine (cranberry juice) and chocolate from France and it was the best we could do to replicate the castle on the hill phenomenon (see Paris above).