Hockey Book Review – A to Z Guide to Hockey Terms (Second Edition), by the Moshansky brothers.

Every hockey fan has had to learn the game at one point or another in their life. Whether this was from playing it as a kid or watching as a spectator, everyone had to start from nothing. In fact, many are still learning the game. We all know it’s not the easiest sport in the world to learn and memorize.

Hockey has a long history, and even longer lists of terminologies and rules that change year to year. It’s hard to keep up.

Fortunately the Moshansky brothers have come up with a solution to this: The A to Z Guide to Hockey Terms.

If you’ve ever poked around the hockey section of a bookstore, you’ve most likely seen this pocket-sized book hanging around with Theo Fleury’s autobiography or the NHL’s Official Guide and Record Book. Despite A to Z Guide’s small stature compared to the giants around it, it’s worth taking a look.

No matter how well you think you know the game, I can guarantee you will learn something (actually, probably a lot of things) from A to Z Guide.

It begins with 88 pages of over 600 alphabetical hockey terms, covering everything you could possibly think of, including: “rolling puck,” “clearing attempt,” “thread the needle” and something I use often, “pylon.”

Ever try explaining what offside means to someone? Well, all you have to do is flip to page 60 and bingo! Next thing you know you sound like Jim Robson to all of your friends (even though you knew what offside meant, but didn’t have the ability to form the thought into comprehensible English).

“Offside: When the team with puck possession carries or shoots the puck into the opposing team’s defensive zone with one of their players already in the zone, past the blue line…”

Yes, it’s that easy. Don’t you love it when people do all the work for you?

Honestly I had a lot of fun flipping through the A to Z Guide. There are a lot of funny, old-fashioned terms in there that you rarely hear anymore. You know, like the outdated things Mark Lee says on Hockey Night in Canada, such as “lunch pail gang” or “split the bagel.”

What does “split the bagel” mean, you ask? Look it up!

A to Z Guide to Hockey Terms also matches up every NHL team with its conference, arena and farm team, and lists other teams lost to the sands of time (although the Winnipeg Jets will have to be revived from the casualties in the next edition).

Trophies, player nicknames, abbreviations of stats, penalties and even diagrams of referee calls are very helpful to new fans of the NHL. Many of us are too proud to ask a buddy to explain an obscure hockey term or call, but if you have this book, you can look it up yourself and keep your dignity.

For around $15, you get a complete dictionary of hockey terms at your fingertips, plus lots of quotes, diagrams, illustrations and lists of Stanley Cup winners.

With Christmas around the corner, A to Z Guide is a perfect gift for any hockey fan in your family. Its small size (roughly 4 x 5 inches) makes for a great stocking stuffer.

Or you can always be a bit selfish and pick one up for yourself.

The A to Z Guide to Hockey Terms is available at www.thehockeybook.com or Amazon.ca.

Magicians and manipulation: my latest lesson in dating.

I’ve always been told that I’m an intelligent girl with common sense and a great judge of character. Apparently I’m loyal, protective of those I care about and I have enough of a guard around my heart to steer clear those that would hurt me for quite some time now. Years, actually.

Enter the Magician.

On the night I met him, I’ll admit I wasn’t very sober, but there were no rose-tinted glasses on the brim of my nose. After chatting for a while I called him out immediately, telling him he was most likely arrogant and a user of women. He was a doorman, you see. At the time he laughed and spent the next two weeks convincing me I was wrong. We took things slow, went on nice dates and he wouldn’t even kiss me for a while, portraying himself to be the opposite of everything I accused him of the night we met.

The thing is, my drunken self was right, but that stubborn, lonely part of me that wanted to believe I was wrong took over and let the Magician into my life.

We dated for over four months. We had the “exclusive” talk early and more than once just to make things clear. He partied with my j-school friends, bonded with my roommate and even met my parents. Everyone loved him. Mind you, he of course had his problems, but they were more to do with baggage and bad habits than being a bad person. We were complete opposites in most ways, but he was sweet, kind and thoughtful. He cooked for me a lot and brought me flowers every time he came over. My apartment was never without fresh flowers for quite some time. He complimented me almost too much, making me feel sexy and gorgeous, like I was the most beautiful girl in Vancouver.

Everything was going great, except for all that baggage and those bad habits I mentioned. Those are what eventually forced my hand to end to relationship. After all, the Magician was unstable, and the one thing I want in my life at my age is stability.

So I ended things on good terms with nothing but the utmost respect for him, with no bad feelings whatsoever save for guilt that it couldn’t work out.

A month later I found out he was regularly sleeping with two other women the entire time we were together. All those things I thought were bad habits were, in fact, bad omens, things that immediately revealed themselves to be the warning signs of a cheater.  And just like that, the significance of this person in my life shattered into pieces. As it turns out, I knew absolutely nothing about him.

Now, why I call him the Magician.

About a month before I ended things, I had him over for drinks with my roommate and we decided to do a quick Tarot card reading. You close your eyes and move your hand over the deck until you are drawn to one particular card, feeling its energy.

He pulled the Reverse Magician. My roommate’s eyes widened as he turned the card over, and her eyes flashed quickly to me from her position on the floor. For a moment she said nothing.

“I’m sorry,” she finally said, “I’m just trying to figure out how to say this.”

I remember my heart jumping into my throat at the look on her face.

She now tells me she immediately wanted to ask him, “Who are you lying to?” knowing perfectly well it was me, but she too liked him and wanted to believe the card was about something else going on in his life.

But we now know too well it wasn’t.

The reverse Magician means greed, deceit, trickery, cunning and manipulation. It signifies someone using charm and power in a manipulative manner to convince people of his stories, like a seedy car salesman, using deceit for negative ends.

Tarot: the reversed Magician

 “Possibilities become jokes and empty promises rather than true visions of what could be. This is the ‘music man’ running off with the money rather than really teaching boys how to use those instruments and create a band.”

And to think he pulled this card himself, using his own energy.

As more details of what was going on come to light, I realize this Magician had the black top hat pulled over everyone’s eyes, not just mine. Many things I thought I knew about him were complete lies, which no longer surprises me now that the shock has subsided. He fooled not only me, but my friends and family. I suppose one could call him a master magician. He has, after all, had many years to perfect his tricks and many people to practice on.

Despite being tricked by a professional, I still can’t help blaming myself for not seeing the signs in front of me, and in the case of the Tarot card, a very strong sign indeed. In retrospect they were there, blazing before all of our eyes, but we chose to ignore them, or to administer them to something else.

I hope I won’t be fooled again, but at the same time, the world of men won’t be shunned over one asshole’s trickery. I’ll just wise up, like when you’re a kid and you finally realize your uncle doesn’t actually “got your nose” after all. It’s an unfortunate learning process a lot of people, men and women, have to go through.

After all, life is always about learning, progressing and bettering ourselves, isn’t it? You get better at reading people, you learn to listen to and respect your gut when it’s trying to say something. You smarten up, you move on and you hopefully develop the ability to distinguish between fact and fiction, or in this case, between the Magician and a real man.

Round 1 Round up – Canucks vs Blackhawks

Ryan Kesler, PNG

To sum up Game 7 between the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks, I have two words: jammer time.

As usual, the Canucks can’t do anything the easy way, testing the heart health of all their fans by taking a Game 7 series into OT…  After leading the series 3-0… Then losing 3 straight.

Fans everywhere began to feel that pit of dread sitting like a stone in the bottom of their guts. Across Vancouver you could practically see the question forming in the air above the city: Will the Hawks oust us again?

There’s only so much a poor Canucks fan can take, especially after a 40-year dryspell.

Many fans figured the Canucks could sweep the Blackhawks, and on paper, that seemed highly possible. I mean after all, the Canucks are the Presidents’ Trophy winners and currently boast two Art Ross twins and Jennings goalies.

The Hawks? Well, they only made it into 8th place last minute on a technicality(Dallas losing).

But of course, history is a bitch and as someone trained in historical studies (Russian, but whatever), I can say that these Vancouver/Chicago series have the tendency to repeat themselves.

At a few points during this series I felt like throwing up. At another I actually cried. This was following the Game 6 loss in OT (by the way, the only other time I’ve ever cried watching hockey was during the Gold Medal game last spring).

It was a series of love, hate, fights, nausea, swearing, drinking and even a fear of rioting.

As I mentioned earlier, the Canucks can’t do anything the easy way, even driving the Vancouver police to stressful extremes as an OT in Game 7 was the last thing they needed. No doubt the riots of 1994 are still fresh in the city’s memory, and as this Round 1 series was a far cry from the ’94 Cup run, Tuesday’s Game 7 was said to be the second most important game in Canucks history.

If you’re not a Canucks fan, you may think that sounds silly, but really, this is supposed to be the best Canucks roster this city has ever seen. For such a team to be ousted in the first round by an arch rival would not surpisingly push a few (intoxicated) fans over the edge. That plus the three consecutive losses to Chicago had many fans nervous, agitated and angry. They can’t be blamed for feeling any of these emotions, but combine those with alcohol and a Game 7 and you could easily have another riot on your hands.

Thankfully that wasn’t the case, and instead Canucks fans took to the streets to celebrate their team’s victory.

After Game 7 there was a rather peaceful celebration on Granville Street, and only 7 arrests in comparison to the hundreds in 1994.

I’m sure the police were just as relieved as the fans.

To continue on with my light review, my favourite players of the series were: Kesler, Hansen, Bieksa, Luongo (yes, Luongo).

Least favourite: Most of the Hawks, Torres, the Sedins – mostly Henrik, and for the first 6 games Burrows.

MVP?: Corey Crawford, Chicago’s rookie goalie. He was stellar, and I have the utmost respect for the guy.

Biggest annoyance: Henrik, where are you? I wasn’t a fan of you becoming captain as it is (I wanted Kesler), and you’re not helping your cause during a time when your team really needs you!

God this team misses Malhotra.

Overall, it was a rollercoaster series and one hell of a ride, but one I’d rather not take again this year. I don’t think my heart can take it.

In the meantime, the Roxy is preparing for the shame spiral that is Shane O’Brien. At least he’s kind of contributing to the city’s revenue.

PS: It’s been a while since I’ve blogged on my Cantankerous site, so sorry about the wait. If you didn’t know,  I have another more professional blogsite going as well. Check it out!

Five Hole for Food – A Canadian Hockey Charity to Look Up To

Five Hole for Food and Hockey Community, Dec. 29, 2010. Photo from www.fiveholeforfood.com

Last night Five Hole for Food and Hockey Community played  a friendly hockey game at Burnaby 8 Rinks to raise donations for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Over 200 pounds of food and over $200 in cash were collected  from participants and spectators alike.

During the holidays the Food Bank has struggled to meet demand as donations are down from last year, but Richard Loat, founder of Five Hole for Food, figured that he could use Vancouver’s love of hockey to help out a little.

If you don’t know what Five Hole for Food is, it’s a non-profit organization that brings people out to play hockey and bring donations to food banks while they’re at it.

I have to say I’m very impressed with what Richard has managed to do with Five Hole for Food in 2010. During Five Hole’s cross-Canada tour last summer, Richard and partner Vic Lo raised almost 6,000 lbs of food for Canadian food banks in nine different cities. For 2011, they are planning on hitting 13 cities across the country and raise even more for local food banks.

Richard is not only a colleague of mine; he’s become a friend, and it’s projects like Five Hole for Food that make me realize how much Canada needs people like Richard; people with entrepreneurial minds and big hearts to better our communities.

Richard Loat during the Five Hole for Food cross-Canada tour in 2010.

His drive and never-ending focus to help out where he can has attracted many people to Richard like moths to a flame, from friends, to followers to important business contacts. I may harp on the poor guy a lot, but beneath my sass is a deep respect for someone so young who has managed to do so much. It’s easy to forget his age with so many accomplishments behind and ahead of him.

Richard has inspired me to get involved with Five Hole where I can, whether that’s writing articles for The Province to raise awareness or donating my time, and I hope that other people are affected by these projects in a similar fashion.

I stand with Richard after the event Five Hole for Food Fights Holiday Hunger. Photo by Dixon Tam

Sadly it’s easy to ignore those in need on the streets of Vancouver, but Richard has come up with a way to unite a love of hockey with filling stomachs of the hungry. It’s just plain smart, especially in a country like Canada where we live and breathe the sport.

If you haven’t heard of Richard Loat or Five Hole for Food you soon will, as I have a feeling Richard and his amazing ideas are going to go far.

Look for Five Hole for Food this summer when the road-hockey tour kicks off June 23 to July 9, 2011.

Check out www.fiveholeforfood.com for more information, and follow Richard on Twitter – @mozy19.

 

 

the Oilers get “Ice Girls” – A sign of desperation?

How many girls does it take to clear a foot of ice?

 

As popular as “Ice Girls” are becoming in the NHL, I always figured it was an American way of drawing attention to a sport that’s not very popular south of the border, like a desperate gimmick Gary Bettman planted to increase the ratings of the NHL.

But now that the Oilers are hopping on board the skank-train, Canada (a country that isn’t desperate for ratings in hockey) is getting its first NHL cheerleading squad.

You can hear a low grumble growing across the nation as real, female hockey fans fear this disease will spread to the other five Canadian NHL teams.

What’s my problem with it? Am I jealous?

Nope. I just don’t think cheerleading is a part of hockey, and many male hockey fans feel the same way. Keep it in football, basketball — that’s fine, but hockey?

What’s next – golf cheerleaders?

I’m not a feminist by any means, but I think in hockey, a sport with a rapidly increasing FEMALE demographic, should be pushing for marketing ideas that will attract fans in general, not just male fans.

I understand that the Oilers have had a rough past four years, but do they think getting scantily-clad women is going to distract Edmonton’s fan base from what’s actually happening on the ice?

The Canucks’ ice team (a mix of men and women) have received praise for being classy – but what would happen if Vancouver started a cheerleading squad?

This?

Is this next in Vancouver?

 

I’m sure a lot of (most) men who aren’t blind would appreciate the eye candy, but what about all the women out there who are seriously getting into hockey? Again, a lot of you are thinking “who cares?”, but the fact that female fans are skyrocketing in the NHL’s fan base should remind marketing that it’s no longer a man’s sport. It’s a fan’s sport.

A more important point – what about the TimBits hockey kids who play during intermission? Will this be replaced by ice dancing routines and cheerleading?

What’s more important? Developing these kids as players and giving them the thrill of their little hockey careers by letting them play in front of 19,000 people, or cheerleading?

I guess my point is, I see ice girls in hockey as a trashy, desperate attempt to distract the fans from a struggling team. The Florida Panthers, for example, was one of the first organizations in the NHL to adopt ice dancers, and we all know how the Panthers play… I do know that teams like Boston and Chicago now have ice dancers as well and they’re by no means bad teams, but they are in America.

Why did a Canadian organization have to lower their club to this?

As a Canadian hockey fan, not as a woman, I’m kind of insulted.

I hope that other Canadian organizations don’t see this as competition and feel compelled to adopt it as well. Keep intermission about the TimBits hockey and about showcasing the fans, not about scantily clad girls with shovels.

If you want to see that kind of performance, go to a BC Lions game or Number 5 Orange.

This isn’t a strip club – it’s hockey.

‘Twas the Night Before the Canucks Home Opener…

Photo courtesy of NHL.com

‘Twas the night before season-opener, and all through the city, Canucks fans stayed inside;  for the game they won’t feel shitty…

You get where I’m going here with my horrible attempt at rhyming.

Either way, Vancouver is electrified in anticipation of the official hockey season to start for the Canucks. Not only is the season beginning with Cup-buzz surrounding the team, but it’s the hockey club’s 40^th anniversary.

What better birthday gift than a massive, silver Cup?

On Monday, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson raised the Canucks flag at City Hall declaring October 4^th “Canucks Day”. Representing the Canucks were Mike Gillis, Stan Smyl and Trevor Linden (I’m assuming players from the current roster were too busy pounding away on their calculators trying to figure out the team’s cap fiasco throughout the week).

With all this buzz, people are always asking me if I think this is the Canucks’ year — and like I told the Province when they interviewed me for Monday’s paper, I don’t like trying to guess who will win the division this early on, let alone the Stanley Cup.

Why? Because it’s kind of ridiculous to think you have any idea what the league will look like come April.

I keep seeing different sports writers trying to predict who’ll take the Hart, the Selke, or the Vezina, but how can they do that with absolutely no idea how their “finalists” will do this season? Maybe Drew Doughty will have an absolute stinker of a season for some unexplainable reason. Or Ovechkin gets hurt. Isn’t trying to guess an outcome six months away kind of ridiculous?

So while I understand everyone’s excitement for the start of the NHL season, I don’t understand this need to predict everything with absolutely no idea what might happen. New seasons bring new players and thus new line chemistry, or even line disasters. Trades will still happen, goalies will have streaks (winning and losing) and underdogs will come out of nowhere.

It’s just too hard, and too futile, to try to analyze everything at this point.

I like to sit back for a month before I start trying to predict what the season will bring, and even then I’m sceptical.

Who saw the Flyers making it to the Cup final this time last year?

Exactly. And maybe I like the element of surprise.

So as to whether or not the Canucks make a Cup run — we’ll have to wait and see. Wait and see if Luongo returns to his Luongo-like self; if the Sedins can keep their PPG average on top of the league; if Kesler and Burrows can break personal records; if our stacked blue line can make our goalie’s job a little easier this year; if AV can break his curse and take a team past the second round of the playoffs.

It all comes down to If.

That being said, if the Canucks win the Stanley Cup on their 40^th birthday, this city – and its hundreds of thousands of fans – will throw the biggest birthday celebration Canada has ever seen.

Just promise me one thing, Canucks fans — don’t grow mullets and overturn cars during the party, k? That’s so 1994.

Ghosts

(Originally written (by hand) on Sept. 6, enroute to Vancouver.)

When the past comes back to haunt you, do you confront your ghosts, or do you run from them? Do you see it as fate or ill luck? Simply put, after you’ve closed a door and the wind blows it open again unexpectedly, what does that mean? A second chance, or a bad sign?

In my case, I’m not sure any more. When that door has been slammed and reopened so many times, you seem to lose touch with your instincts; whether or not to trust them, or ignore them when they’ve steered you wrong for so long.

Can people change? Or is it more like they want to change, insist they have because it’s what they want to believe of themselves, but they actually haven’t?

When it comes to boyfriends, or exes in general, this is often a dilemma. Not dating them again to say, but letting them back into your life in any form of a relationship.

I’d like to believe that people change, evolve and mature, because I have (I think), but when your trust in someone is so fragile, you question and lose sight of yourself in terms of trusting your judgment again. You want to believe the best-case scenario, but also know all too well the cyclical wounds of your past.  Each time you reopen yourself to that person, and each time they disappoint you, your walls are rebuilt higher than the last time.

It’s the “Boy who cried wolf” syndrome, and that boy represents those who have let you down one too many times.

So, when that boy is really in trouble, do you help him, or not?

The ghosts of our past relationships, the really meaningful ones, haunt you wherever you go, waiting around familiar corners, in certain songs and the very objects around you. Sometimes those ghosts can be residual amicable energy; sometimes they can be demons. The problem is, can you truly tell the difference?

Even though I believe everything happens for a reason, I sometimes question my own motto. I think life can be cruel and that karma is often wrong with whom it chooses to punish, but when you let yourself become so jaded, is that any better than being too trustful?

Perhaps this is just a personal rant with no answers and no concrete thesis statement. Perhaps I just needed to get my feelings out on paper. Sometimes i just need to write, a feeling that reverberates with all writers.

As to what I’ll do about my ghost, I’m not sure, even though just last week I had convinced myself that my ghost was no longer haunting me.

Funny how things can change in only one moment.

Cleavage in Lieu of Decent Restaurant Service – BC’s Shame

photo by ©2010 ~fuyumine87

Last month former Shark Club bartender Karolina Bil put in a complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal because she was asked to dress in a “sexy” way that induced sexual harassment from customers.  Uncomfortable with the pressure to wear high heels, mini skirts, and cleavage-showing tops, Bil felt discriminated against and launched her complaint.

Not that this is anything new in B.C.

Trendy lounges across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island are bustling with good-looking female servers, all with the same body type, all with the same length of perfectly styled hair, all with smoky, seductive makeup and outfits you’d usually wear to a nightclub.

I hadn’t really given much of a thought to it, or offence to it.

Then I realized that the more these lounges hire these carbon-copy servers, the poorer service there becomes.

For example, last month I took a friend to one of these lounges, a place I used to LOVE to go to whenever I came to Vancouver. We had a very pretty server, maybe 20, with long dark hair, long sleek legs, big boobs and absolutely no serving skills whatsoever.

She was such a terrible server, in fact, that my friend vowed never to return to this lounge again. And I was embarrassed to have even suggested the place.

Now, this makes me wonder — are these lounges and restaurants more concerned with the sex appeal of their servers over the satisfaction of their customers? Or are they only concerned with attracting male customers? Must these places be reminded that at least half of their customers are women and maybe aren’t very interested in how sexy the waitresses are?

And I haven’t even touched on the discrimination aspect yet…

So, service is becoming not-so-much of a necessity at these places, and anyone who desires good service is going elsewhere to dine or enjoy a few cocktails. And on top of this part of the problem, these lounges are now under fire from the Human Rights Tribunal for sexual discrimination.

If Karolina Bil gets a hearing, these lounges just may have to go after waitresses for their serving skills again, not for their hot bodies.

Worst case scenario I’ve heard: a prominent jazz restaurant in Yaletown fired its entire staff after the Olympics, staff who had been there for years, to replace them with blond twenty year old girls with no serving ability.

What’s my take on the whole thing?

Well I think it’s been talked about enough that most females feel similarly, and from the comments I’m seeing posted under the news stories regarding Bil’s complaint, men are generally feeling that Bil knew what she was getting into and that jealous, bitter women (such as Bil) should go eat or work elsewhere. ..

I’m pretty sure those opinions are the root of this entire problem.

Others saying “Well, the bartenders at these lounges are men, and they have to wear tighter shirts, too!”

Oh really? Do they have to show their chests? Or their legs? Anything revealing at all? Yeah, didn’t think so.

Also most bartender positions at these types of lounges and restaurants go only to men, and bartenders make the most tips and get the benefits of breaks and regular hours, unlike servers. So once again, women in this industry are being treated unequally from their male counterparts.

On a personal note, what bothers me the most about these unofficial hiring prerequisites is the fact that a really amazing server might not get a position at say, Earls or the Cactus Club, because she’s got thicker legs or a few extra pounds on her. She could still be beautiful with a great smile and bright personality, but is she 5’10” and 130lbs? No, she’s 5’6” and 150. So she doesn’t get the job.

Does that sound fair to you?

Part of me is hoping that something comes out of Bil’s case; that even if she doesn’t get a hearing, a few lounges take note and start respecting the serving ability of their waitresses rather than their physical assets. Lounges like Joey should be emanated; their girls are always dressed well, if not somewhat conservatively, and they have great service. The girls are pretty and classy.

You see, Vancouver, I tip for service, not for looking good. If you want my money, earn it. High heels and cleavage don’t mean shit if you can’t get my drink order right.

“Pushing 30″ and the pressure to settle down

It was when I first moved to Vancouver that my dad revealed his concern that I was “pushing thirty” and yet to have a “real career”, steady income, boyfriend or own a condo/house. I guess back in his day, it was considered odd for a girl (or woman?) my age not to be settled down.

Maybe my dad doesn’t know this yet, but according to research, women these days are marrying later and later because they’re getting their educations and careers before starting families, which anyone interested in being financially independent should be doing.  In 2003, the average age of marriage for women in Canada was 28.5 and from what I can see, that age is still rising.

Pushing thirty? I’m 26.

But that’s beside the point, really. Education inflation (meaning the decreased value of degrees over time) means that it is taking longer for people to obtain relevant educations, i.e.) a Master’s degree (avg of seven years), which also means that it is taking longer for people to start their ‘real’ careers.

My dad should be a bit relieved that I’ve decided not to pursue my PhD (at least 4 more years of school) and instead am going into journalism this fall, taking an accelerated program to quicken the process of finishing school. Instead, he’s concerned that I’ll be a student forever and will never land a job at the end of my educational journey, whenever that may be.

Doesn’t he already have 2 grandkids and another on the way? What’s the rush here?

Maybe he also doesn’t know that, despite it all, I would love to start settling down someday, to find someone to invest in a future with, but it’s really not that easy these days either. It’s not the 1950s. You don’t go on a few dates with someone, kiss them a few times, and then get married six months after deciding to “go steady”. Dating is a horrendous ordeal today, it really is. It’s hard, it’s messy, it’s an emotional rollercoaster, and nowadays you have to sift through a lot of trash to find one gemstone it seems, and that goes for both sexes.

Dating can be so horrid that it can actually be a deterrent to settle down. When you avoid dating completely, which I have done a few times in the last couple of years, how do you open yourself up to commitment? You don’t, and thus you delay the process of settling down because you’re trying to avoid the atrocities of the dating world.

Personally, I’ve lived in 5 different places since my last serious relationship ended over 3 years ago, which means I haven’t exactly made myself readily available to the first eligible guy that comes along. I always knew I was living a somewhat nomadic life in the pursuit of my education, and therefore avoided any long-term commitments. Why bother if you’re just going to be leaving anyway?

Well now I’m in Vancouver and plan on staying here for the foreseeable future. Maybe subconsciously I’ll send off the vibe that I’m willing to be in a relationship now, who knows? The psychic I saw who read my tea leaves and tarot cards in Edmonton told me about the man I’d eventually meet WHEN and IF I was willing to meet him. I laughed at the time (months ago now) but it’s making a lot more sense as I take a step back and take an objective look at my life. He was right. I just haven’t been open to it.

In all fairness to myself, my education comes first, as it does with most girls and guys today. If I happen to meet someone along the way, that’s great, but I will not sacrifice my goals just to be with someone and make my dad happy.

I don’t like the pressure I’m suddenly under to “settle down” when it isn’t exactly a choice – it’s a matter of timing, and the timing isn’t right for me. Parents need to understand that their twenty-something kids are living in a completely different world than theirs, where it’s now necessary to secure your own education and financial independence before you tie into a relationship with someone else for the long haul. It’s simply dangerous to run the risk not do so, especially for women in a world where the divorce rate is one in three marriages, and you can be left with nothing. You need both legs to stand on, and each leg stands for education and an income.

This fall I am taking 8 classes a semester and hopefully volunteering Saturdays at Canuck Place if I get the position. Not to mention at least 3-4 evenings a weekend will be taken up by Canucks games, and honestly, if it came down to choosing hockey games and a boyfriend, I’d take Canucks games in a heartbeat. It seems like I’ll be too busy to date anytime soon anyway, unless I meet a Canucks fan like myself who can see me during hockey games. Priorities in the next year: 1) school 2) establishing my career and 3) hockey. If I can fit a guy in there, then I’m a wizard.

Sorry dad! Looks like you’ll have to keep waiting for this almost-thirty-year-old daughter of yours to “settle down” mostly because, like most women my age, I’m putting myself first, and quite frankly, I refuse to settle.

First Impressions – my move to Vancouver

After bitching and moaning my whole life about how Vancouver was “too big for me” and “I’d never move there,” I suddenly had an epiphany around April that I simply, straight up, needed to be in Vancouver.

I can’t explain it, really, mostly because I’m not sure exactly what came over me. It was as if something was calling me here, and so I pretty much dropped everything (in Edmonton where I spent a short 6 months) and moved here. I applied to Langara’s 8 month intensive journalism course, got in, got a job with the City, and found an apartment in trendy Kitsilano Beach, all within a month.

It all happened fast. Really fast.

I’m a small town girl, born and raised, but I’ve lived in quite a few different places, so I think I made my own slow transition to prep me for Vancouver, completely unawares.

And now it’s my 4th week here in the city, and I think I’ve already established my thoughts on what I love, like, tolerate and dislike about Vancouver. No doubt these opinions will change as I settle in, but let’s talk first impressions here.

Let’s get the bad stuff over with first.

Dislikes:

1. the amount of junkies/homeless people: This one’s redundant, but as a gardener for the City, I’m often in a lot of unsafe areas with needles and other things that are left behind and can harm me when I stick my hands in a flower bed, and it honestly scares the crap out of me. Also, not as easy to walk home from the bar in a place like Vancouver… lol

2. pretentious girls: I’m sure these are in every big city, but I’m just not used to the high volume of them … EVERYWHERE in Vancouver. I live in Kits Beach, and I’m sorry, but when I go down there, I’m in capris, a wifebeater & aviators, laughing at girls dressed in heels and bar clothes, sitting in the grass just waiting for guys to notice them. Really, girls? And you wonder why I prefer to hang with men… That’s not even mentioning the types of chicks who hang around Yaletown (2 words: blonde & pink), but let’s leave that one for another time.

3. pretentious ‘bicyclists’: Um, okay, so I see you’re dressed in $500 worth of biking spandex and are on top of a $2000 roadbike, but why are you going so effing SLOW??!! Move outta my way so me and my cheap ass clothes can get past your turtling ass. If you’re going to dress like you’re a good biker, at least get the skills to go with it. K thanks.

4. Caper’s Coffee: Yeahhhhh, let’s just say it’s like drinking out of a rotten mud puddle. I understand you’re going for the whole “Organic” thing, Capers, but my roommate only drinks organic coffee and hers tastes amazing. Where do you get yours? Some ditch in Chinatown? And by the way, I’m not the only one who hates this coffee. When I voice my opinion of it, I think I’ve only met one person who likes it, and that person is really into the whole organic trend thing… I still think they find the coffee gross though.

5. Being charged $5 for a large coffee in Chinatown because I can’t speak Chinese: Yeah, I’m onto you, Chinese Bakery place ( I couldn’t read the name of it, it was in Chinese afterall). Just because I’m white and can’t read your menu doesn’t mean you can charge me $5 for the worst coffee I’ve ever had in my life. That’s right: WORSE than Capers. Bad Chinese voodoo on your heads, you sheisters! haha

K let’s move on before I start raging about that $5 coffee.

Loves:

1. The scenery: Vancouver is BEAUTIFUL and there’s absolutely no getting away from it. You can be in East Hastings and still see the ocean and the mountains on the North Shore. Honestly, I appreciate everything about Vancouver when it comes to the scenery. Just amazing.

2. People watching: Can’t beat Robson on a hot day from a patio if you want to do this. Just stellar.

3. Local Bar in Kits Beach: Holy crap, what an awesome place to go, especially on a nice day. They have a huge patio if you want to sit outside, great food, even greater beer (personally like the Stanley Park ale), and hot people. Will definitely be spending a lot of cash there this summer.

4. The Roxy: Classic nightclub in Vancouver with the best live cover bands I’ve ever heard. Great staff who are always friendly and funny, a good, laid back (and older) crowd that doesn’t get boring, and decent drink prices. Highly HIGHLY recommended for people over the age of 24 who love live music.

5. THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS!! Clearly this is going to be an issue for me come October when the season starts. I know I’ll be broke because all of my money will be going to buying game tickets, jerseys and other useless Canucks apparel that I HAVE to have… Even driving past GM Place and seeing a massive Luongo up there thrills me daily when I’m at work! I am so thrilled to be in the same city as one of THE things closest to my heart: The Canucks.

6. JapaDog: Holy amazeballs! My friend Mark (shoutout!) introduced me to this unique twist on the hotdog and I love it! Seaweed, some weird white root thing that looks like horseradish but is mild, and other Japanese foods on top of a wiener is surprisingly awesome. Great on a summer day, and the staff are always friendly with big smiles. I’m glad the chain is expanding; they deserve the success!

7. Smallville: This show is one of my personal favourites, and it’s shot here. I’ve met Justin Hartley *Green Arrow* here before when I was in town for a Canucks game, but I’d love to see the set or some other actors from the show, (ie. Tom Welling). I think it’s so cool to be in the same city as a favourite series!

8. Trevor Linden lives here. That’s enough. lol.

9. The amount of amazing cars: Mmmmm Ferraris and Aston Martins.  A girl can dream, and all the rich people in Vancouver driving around in these cars make it easier to do so. I may be jealous, but I can’t hate on a person who has the same fabulous taste in cars as I do! Then there are those who drive around in Jaaaaagggssss… different story altogether .

10. Coal Harbour: Because someday I want to live there.

This may have been a boring post to those of you who already live in Vancouver, but for me, first impressions are important, and despite some of the rough areas and rough characters you find in this city, you find those in every city, but not every city can compare to Vancouver. Actually, not many cities can.

It’s beautiful and diverse in its people, cultures, parts of town and things to do. You can never be bored in Vancouver. Or lonely. People are everywhere, and even if some of those are pretentious assholes, you’ll find a smiling face and helping hand wherever you look.

If anything, I’ve been pleasantly surprised and am so happy to have moved here. I appreciate this city every day that I bike along the ocean to work in Stanley Park. It’s amazing, and I can’t believe it took me so many years to make the move.

I feel like I belong here, and don’t plan on going anywhere for a long, long time.

My dad recently told me that he wanted me to settle down — Well, I think I may have found the perfect place to grow some roots.

Kits Beach - this is where I live.