London

I arrived in London yesterday morning. Even after drinking a couple of the complimentary little bottles of wine I wasn't able to sleep on the plane. The afternoon was spent shopping around Oxford street and having a pint in Soho. By 7 last night could barely put a sentence together.

I've spent the morning walking around Green and St. James parks and passed by Buckingham Palace. It's cool in London but at least it's sunny. I'm heading to the British Museum this afternoon for some warmth and culture.

Tons of tourists everywhere. I hear more slavic languages than English around the sites.

LICENSE LOST

So I'm going through my third state of the day yesterday (MI) and a highway patrol man pulls me over. At first he's very annoyed by my BC registration and license. He writes up the ticket and tells me since I'm out of state I have three options.

1. Cash deposit of $100;
2. Bondable credit card; or
3. License confiscation.

After asking what the hell a bonded credit card was I told him I didn't have any cash. So he handed me my ticket and registration and told me I'd get my license back when I paid the ticket. $100US for 75 in 55 mile.

This left me bitter for a couple more hours but I drove on .... and on ...

I crossed over to Sault St Marie around 2:30am and kept driving until my eyes started shutting themselves. I took a 1 hour repose on the side of the road and then got right back to it. I arrived in Oakville at 12:00am ET this morning.

So all in all not too bad; Van to Oakville in 76 hours.

... and as I watched the sun rise this morning over Blind River I gave the Focus a loving pat as I lipsynced this song:

We've been through
some things together
With trunks of memories
still to come
We found things to do
in stormy weather
Long may you run.

Long may you run.
Long may you run.
Although these changes
have come
With your chrome heart shining
in the sun
Long may you run.

Well, it was
back in Blind River in 1962
When I last saw you alive
But we missed that shift
on the long decline
Long may you run.

Long may you run.
Long may you run.
Although these changes
have come
With your chrome heart shining
in the sun
Long may you run.

Maybe The Beach Boys
have got you now
With those waves
singing "Caroline No"
Rollin' down
that empty ocean road
Gettin' to the surf on time.

Long may you run.
Long may you run.
Although these changes
have come
With your chrome heart shining
in the sun
Long may you run.

Valley City - North Dakota

I'm in a college town in North Dakota right now of about 10,000. Very small place. Stef's sister Carling has been nice enough to let me sleep on her couch.

It took me 10.25 hours to get from Van to Calgary yesterday and it took 15 hours to get from Calgary to Valley City (west of Fargo) today. Tomorrow I will challenge teh drive to Toronto. Fargo, the Sioux, Sudbury, and then Toronto.

THE GOOD OLD DAYS

This picture was sent through my brother (short buzz) from my cousin (Jays hat). It was taken about the last time I lived in Ontario. It's almost that time again. I better go find my captains hat.

TABLE WHORE

Went to the office Christmas party at Seasons on Saturday. I tried to spread my time between all the three tables which led to a backlash from my native table. I was quickly labelled a table whore/slut by my coworkers. Thank you Rachel for telling me about the not so bon mots coming from around the room and for putting up with me.

Besides dying one of the table clothes red after knocking over my own wine I escaped fairly unscathed. I seem to join conversations not based on proximity but more to do with key words. If someone across a room mentions the Green Party it’s bound to perk my interest and get me going from wherever I may be.

The next day I felt like a “Bangkok hooker on Sunday morning after the navy has just left town”(Pierce Brosnan in Matador) we went for some eggs Benedict and Caesars. This is where I was introduced to a $12 breakfast at one of the best French restaurants in the City. While people were lining up for a greasy spoon breakfast in Kits for about $8 you can walk a couple blocks and go into half empty Pastis and for the gourmet version. Of course I’d still line up for the Bons off Broadway $2.99 breakfast but East Van has its own charms.

I DETEST WHAT YOU SAY, BUT I WOULD GIVE MY LIFE TO ALLOW YOU TO CONTINUE TO WRITE/DRAW?

Is it that simple?

DRIVING

I've been spending a lot of time on the road lately stuck in traffic. After getting trapped in Victoria Wednesday night and then driving all over the next day I think I'm ready for a nice weekend at home. Van is amazing right now. Finally no more rain.

Vancouver Island

Rachel and I went to Vancouver Island last weekend. My digital camera is broken so I used the work one but forget to take of the date stamp. This picture was taken inches from the water surface outside of the B&B we stayed at.

There were some major storms on Friday. The wind was so strong the rain was blowing around on the road like snow. The Focus was hydroplaning all over the place. The power even went out in the restaurant we were eating in. Be that as it may we still enjoyed a huge amount of raw oysters. I even shucked the little buggers myself. There's something caveman like about breaking open a shell and eating a still live oyster!

Saturday we drove over to Tofino. The storm continued and the waves were breaking way off shore. Had a great dinner at shelter and then headed to the always classy Tofino pub “Free Beer Tomorrow”. Sunday was calm enough to go surfing so we took advantage. The West Coast is so tough.

REBATE

I guess even after you live outside of Alberta for a couple of years you never really leave. Thanks Ralph for the $400 rebate! It was even sent to my BC address and came with a "Dear fellow Albertan ..." note.

COUNTRIES I'VE VISITED!

So much for me knowing anything besides the western world. 15 countries, 6% of the world. At least Turkey will be there soon.

Try your luck here