Sorry. I've been gone. Although I'm just apologizing to myself cuz no one reads this shit anyways. Christina says she's sorry. I like this third person point of view. Christina likes cake. Christina likes music. Christina likes dancing like a whore when no ones looking. Christina likes to learn valuble things like how to make pot brownies....Okay I'm finished my little weird rant. For now.
Anyways remember that "friend" that came to visit me. He was visiting for about a week and I had him stay over and go gallivanting round and doing the general touristy shit. Thing was I was the tourist. I realized how beautiful this place is because I finally went around and really checked out places cuz I was forced to. I had to navigate and plan things to show my friend since obviously he wanted to see what Vancouver was like. We went to Alouette Lake in Maple ridge which is this secluded lake high in the mountains. It was one of those rare sunny days and the air unusually warm. When we went through almost an hour of windy roads through endless rows of trees we got there. It was so gorgeous and unbelievable I can only say it was so damn perfect it looked like we stepped into a post card. The ice cap mountains, the rocky shore, the ice blue water, and thousands of evergreens chilling all around us. We even had a picnic. Yes. I thought picnics were pussy but hey, anything involving food and lying in the sun is hella good.
I took him round Stanley park, and we walked along the whole Vancouver coastline. From English bay all the way down to Third Beach. I introduced him to my friends (which was quick cuz we established I'm a loser). We talked, and joked, and had few petty annoyances with eachother (but I mean come on 5 STRAIGHT days with someone, thats bound to bloody happen). Generally it was a good visit.
Thing was, I realise how easy it is to have fun. Or at least how simple pleasure can be sometimes. The last Saturday before he left we decided to head into downtown. I suggested this bar down on Davie that had some pool tables and an old 70's rock band that usually played the golden oldies on weekends. We got to the city kinda early so we walked around and looked at stores and followed beach along the seawall. Just cruising and not doing much of anything but still having a good time together.
By about 9 it was finally nightime outside. You know it's summer when it gets dark so late. Eventually we went to the pub and ordered a few Molson beers (to give him a proper Canadian experience I said) and listened to the band's first set. Sitting at a bar table we sipped our beers and sang along to "Message in a Bottle" by the Police. Eventually my hands itched to play pool and we set up the balls on the green felt. Under the soft yellow lamps we played round after round. Usually he won, and usually I just cursed. And all along the music kept pouring out of the band so when we weren't having a turn hitting some balls, we'd use our pool sitcks to air guitar along with the music. I was having a good time doing nothing. I felt relaxed in a way I had never been before. Like everything was good. Like I didn't need anything more than this stool and person and ocassional sips of hearty Canadian juice.
So my advice to those who lived in a place for too long, become a tourist again. Look up cheesy attractions people usually see and actually see them. Get out of town for a bit. Go exploring. Even if it's just on foot. Look up parks. Find rundown pubs. Go shopping with no money. Trust me you haven't seen and tried everything where you are. Even if you've been there your whole life, there's always things you miss. Things you didn't notice or bother to look at until you had to show it to someone else. Be the touring citizen. The travelling settler. The visiting resident. Get outside of your house. Get outside of yourself. Or at least go get a Molson.
Just realized how good a commercial line that would be. Maybe I should pitch it to the beer company?
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