My Birthday (older than the hills)

I remember my mother at Christmas would save up purchases we needed but would wrap them up and give them at Christmas. Things like tooth brushes, socks and pyjamas.  They are ‘gifts’ technically but we’d have got them  anyway. As kids a gift was a toy. But looking back we appreciated the unwrapping and it filled out the gifts under the tree.  I noticed my sister in law Adell gave the boys 'nail clippers' at Christmas. It's a family thing. Touching.
I needed a new mattress. . Even if it was placebo I ordered a Sealy Posturpedic Mattress from the Bay . It arrived before my birthday.  I love it.
I think my parents died because they just became tired.  A new mattress can stave off fatigue. Extend life.  The flowers of spring also were kind enough to appear with renewal of hope and increased faith despite a last ditch dowsing with snow.
 I also have the capacity to ‘write off’ as a business expense new technology I use predominantly for work. So this year I upgraded my iPhone 7s to the iPhone X with faster processing and more data space. Having closed my office where the computer was the principal tech I’m working out of three clinics,  carrying much more about, and depending more on my iPhone.  Laura gets my hand me down phone.
 Friday we were at one of my favourite places, Apple Centre . Pacific Centre.  I now have a new phone.  Laura  had my iPhone 6 and now has my iPhone 7s.  Nonetheless I really like the iPhone X and Laura loves the iPhone 7s mostly because it’s rose gold (ie pink).
At the BC Sportsman Show I bought the real "toy", the adult 'boy toy".   Porta Bote folding boat which I’ll be able to attach to the side of my RV to free up storage. My kevlar canoe is in consignment and will pay half the new boat. I love the ‘trading up’ capacity which comes with aging acquisition, being able to have something to ‘trade’. I remember the raw expenses of younger years.
Laura bought us Han’s Chinese take out and we had terrific time watching Miss Congeniality with Sandra Bullock at home. Gilbert and George were delighted with the company and the treats.
Sunday morning was special. My friend Barry plays organ at the All Saints Anglican Church. I’d missed his organ concert at Christ Church so was pleased to be able to hear him play piano and organ in church.
Laura and I met Kevin and Anna and the God kids there. We all enjoyed the service. The minister is a godly man. He reminds me of Dr. Lam the EMAS colleague who was always so kindly and caring.  I love Christians for reminding me of ‘my utmost for his highest’.  There’s a humbling aspect to their presence.
It was all round a positive experience. Even better was coffee after and meeting Barry’s psychiatrist mother in her 90’s and a friend of Dr. Willi Gutowski, my admired Christian psychiatrist mentor.  We had cake and coffee chatting while the kids crayoned.  Everyone  was terrific.  Jesus was happy there.
After it was a great time with the god kids at Swiss Chalet at Lougheed and Boundary. The restaurant and staff were welcoming of the little munchkins.  Kendra is so sweet.  Alex and Isaac and Kendra were listening to their mother which made for a good  time for us adults. We could chat about plans and futures. Kevin’s father is dying.  Hee had been back to the maritimes and would be returning in the coming week with Anna.  We talked of family,  death,  God, photography and our choice in cars. A regular mutual appreciation society.
Laura and I spent the afternoon at home. I walked Gilbert along the trails. Later she walked him on the cement walk. We watched more movies on tv and read books.  I”m enjoying Orphan X and a Jordan Peterson book I ordered from Amazon.
Laura liked my new mattress.
She gave me chocolates too.
On Monday night Dave, Mack,  Shane and I took the sky train to BC Place. I”d got tickets for the Canucks versus the New York Islanders at the Simon Frazer Pipe Band Robbie Burns Dinner gala and fund raiser.  I love supporting these incredible young people.  We were all delighted with the seats behind the goal.
It was 4 to 3 with the Canucks winning in overtime.  We got to see that goal up close , along with other.  Markstrom is a great goalie.
Mack had got me a foot long hot dog.  Dave had got us white spot chips.  It was great game night with a feast included. I loved the Zamboni machine.  The anthems and hostess and music and wave were all fun.  I was reminded of the days as a kid in Winnipeg shovelling the snow off the rink in 40 below before playing a game out doors. Several of us had known that experience between 6 and 12 years old. I played pick up til 16 or 18 and ‘old timers league’ in my late 30’s.  I actually skated last a few years back.   That night I dreamed of scoring the winning goal, stealing Liepsic’s glory, a legend in my own mind.  I also fell in love with the young ladies who skate on the ice pushing shovels.  Somehow in my dream I was a young guy again and they were admiring me as I drove a big zamboni machine.  I can't remember a dream like that in years but it really was something to see that overtime play off and watch that incredible score.
I know the guys through our dogs.  Gilbert’s friends.  Emory is Dave’s dog. Max is Mack’s and Hank is Shane’s.  Mack had been driving the snow plow the week before. Shane drove a truck starting work at the ungodly hour of 5 am. Dave works heavy machinery. But we all like the Zamboni.  What a wonderful machine.
All that was missing at the Hockey game, our best friends.
I like the sky train too having never taken the new Burnaby line.It really was impressive. No sense taking a car down town for concerts and shows and games.  The sky train was perfect.
At Royal Columbia clinic Dr. Waterson, Belinda and Karen gave me a fruit cake and at Docside Clinic , Dr. Horvath, Mari lou, Judith and Jerry gave me a chocolate cake.
My nephews and sister in law sent cards and phoned me to wish me well. I got great emails from so many friends.  I felt loved.

Today I’m blessed and too frequently I don’t keep my head in the same room as my ass. I lose my joy to resentments about past or worries about the future. I’ve one step in the future and one step in the past and i’m pissing on my day. I keep fighting this and am thankful for friends and birthdays to get my head our of my ass. I really felt loved and felt that I wasn’t alone and that it was going to be  alright. It’s good to be a year older.
Thank you Lord.

Canucks vs Coyotes Hockey Game, Rogers Stadium, Vancouver

What a great night with the guys.  One day Dave and I were talking about Harleys and hockey.  That got me thinking about going to a Canucks game.
I hadn’t been since the 2011 Vancouver riot.  I’d been so disappointed and ashamed of everyone that night. Were it not for the incredible Vancouver police things would have been a whole lot worse. The next day I loved that the good Canucks fans got out and helped clean up the damage the ugly had caused.  It kind of turned me off the big hockey.
 My friend James, who really loves hockey and is a true Canucks fan told me, “It’s really a whole different team from then.”  New coach, new goalie, new attitude.  I figured I shouldn’t hold a resentment.   Besides I wanted James and Kevin to meet. They’re two of my favourite fathers with kids the same age. So next thing Tom, Steve, Dave, James, Kevin and I are going to a Canucks game.  Tom, Dave, Steve and I are the old guys.  When I saw the team they seemed so young.
We had seats in the Canuck fan section right by the goal. The Canucks scored 5:0 against the Coyotes.  We had the Coyote goal in front us during second period so saw three of the best goals in the history of hockey.  In the other two periods we’d watch  Eddie Lack do amazing saves that had us and the whole packed arena standing and applauding. It was a special night of sports.  Good camaraderie and just plain fun.  James is right. It's a whole new Canucks team that's now going to the play offs.

Here’s James and Kevin wearing Canucks sweaters.  We arrived early so I got to have a hot dog and poutine dinner served to me at my seat by a very sweet young girl.  I confess I loved the service.  Hockey was never this classy when we played on the frozen Red River as kids.
 
My friend Anne told me that men thought she was the sexiest when she was dressed in an apron.  I confess I hadn’t realized that but I really do like women in aprons.

Eddie Lack is incredible.

Ural Sidecar Motorcycle Day

It was a perfect Vancouver day for motorcycling.  I started the day taking the Ural to Richard Cho, the chiropracter at Willow and Broadway.  Richard is resolving the last of the rolled ATV episode.  Lovely to visit with his wife Reese and leave them some elk meat from that great but painful  adventure.
On the way back I stopped in at Broadway Cameras to see if they had the next generation of Nikon zoom pocket cameras. They expect them out by March.The new professional Nikon SLE is due out in the $6000 range while the new semi pro camera  SLE will be $2 to 3000.  I'm glad the pocket zoom cameras sell for less.
Leaving there I checked the time and it was 10 am, perfect timing for a visit to the Alano club. Great meeting.  Great club.  I had a coffee  with Antonnio. He had tickets for the North Shore Round Up, at the Hyatt Regency, April 6,7 and 8 so I purchased these.  Then I saw Kim for the first time in at least a couple of years.  She's as bright as ever and looks more beautiful every year. Now she's working at Salvation Army.
I'd bought Laura a new queen sized futon at Magestic Futon, 4th and Burrard.  They couldn't believe I was going to take it home in the Ural sidecar but helped by giving me the binding twine I needed to secure the futon.  I jested that I'd be irresistable to Vancouver women, a biker with his own futon.  Very sexy.
Laura was happy to get the futon, saying she'd rather get a futon than a bottle of wine from a man.
I dressed Gilbert in his Canucks jersey and harness so we all could head out to Stanley Park. The skies threatened rain but none appeared.  Instead we circled Stanley Park and took Gilbert for a couple of walks as well as a photo op at Prospect Point.  It was great to see the first blossoms of spring, too.  I even dropped in at the Rowing Club.
Then we crossed back to South Vancouver to shop for pate, cheese and bagettes at a delightful like specialty shop across from my favourite knife and sword store on Cambie beside the Park Theatre.  I got Laura something from Honey too, to go with the cheese, pate and baguettes.
Then we just had to pick up the laundry to complete the Saturday chore list.  Nothing like a Ural Sidecar Motorcycle for doing all this.  We certainly got a lot of smiles, people pointing and some taking out cameras to get pictures of Gilbert and Laura.  I'm just the driver.

Canucks Win

Dancing in the streets of downtown Vancouver. Hooting, hollering and celebration past 3am by the fans who call themselves the Canuck Nation. Hooray for the Canucks. hooray for Hockey!