Emo's and Hippies are they the same?

The advantages of having a hot wife is the sentence I would like to use in kicking off this blog!

Zoe was doing her usual stuff at "The Red Umbrella" just around the corner from home on Davie Street. By usual stuff I mean being lovely. It is here that she was given two tickets to the 31st Annual Vancouver Folk Festival by a customer. Maybe he was trying to get into her pants and maybe he wasn't? I prefer to think of this scenario as...

Mitch:1
Guy trying to pick up wife: Nil.

Sucker!

Having said that, thanks brother because a tops day was had.


We drank some coconut juice...


Watched music and stuff, that is the city in the background...


And this was the view for most of the day as we laid back and listened to music...

We came to conclusion that Emo's and Hippies are the same. They are just on opposite ends of the scale.

Similarities: They stink, they have shitty hair cuts, they wear weird clothes to make statements, they have strange opinions about the world, some of their music tastes are questionable, they disappoint their parents, you can spot them in a crowd, they can't dance and finally they tend to be really annoying to listen to.

Emo's and Hippies please do not take offense... they are just observations. Ahh what gives... it is safe to blog about Emo's and Hippies because the only person an Emo is going to hurt is themselves and a Hippie is too busy googling carbon offset schemes and sustainability projects to read anything else.

The walk home was purely for fitness reasons...



It took us two hours. Mitch and Bozo xox

Job abandonment...

A post by Mitch:

Last night was not my proudest moment, however, it makes a bloody fantastic blog.

Since April 08 I have been trying to balance part time work at Classic Rock 101 and working at Levi's on Robson Street in Downtown Vancouver, BC... you have got to pay rent some how. At Levi's it has been a love/hate relationship. I have loved my days off and have hated being there.

Life is funny, at my young 25 years of age I feel like I am able to handle most things and handle them well. As an example, one only has to look at the way I can cook and have a clean kitchen by the time dinner is served. It is a fine art. Working in Canada's retail industry however, has undone me. It is oppressive and hard to do with a smile on your face for $10 an hour. Less for some. The way I felt about going to work everyday is really hard to put into words, so my friend 'Burger the Cat' gives an amazing and accurate account of my emotions before entering the red glass double doors at 1068 Robson Street. See below.



Thanks Burger, thank you.

This week for some reason, was the week that my skinny leg jeans broke the camels back. At 6pm last night (17th July) I went on my scheduled half an hour break as per usual. If you were wondering I had two slices of pizza, they were from Megabite and they were very tasty. During this half an hour break I had a mental break through. What the hell am I doing to myself? If you are not happy... leave. So I did. I walked back into work, signed out for the day and forever. I apologised to the assistant manager, who is a champion by the way, and left. If it wasn't for the sun gently shining on my face and some tasty garlic sauce on my beef pizza I may have missed the opportunity to seize my brain wave. I will treasure the alfresco seats on Thurlow street forever.

STAFF FILE: Simon Mitchell.

CATEGORY: Job abandonment.

A question of ethics: Is it wrong that I started writing this blog in my head before I was even out the red glass double doors?

That said and done I slammed the iPod on, walked home and listened to this...



Soundtrack of our lives... thanks iPod!

Floating pontoons still exist...

Seattle USA: "The Rain City" is only 141 nautical miles away from Vancouver BC, it's true we just googled it. Do you like how we used the word 'Nautical' just to make us sound smarter despite the fact we have no knowledge of the meaning? Whatever... Vancouver is very close to "The Rain City", therefore you would expect lots of rain in Vancouver. Correct!

However, the weather during the last several weeks has been amazing. Blue skies, temperatures between 22-28 degrees, eight days a week (Beatles reference). Happy days! So we have been making the most of it. Old mate John 'Bowe' Prins and Mitch even forgot about the arctic water temperatures of English bay and indulged in some floating pontoon slippery dip action.

Zobo would've joined us on the pontoon except the danger factor was high. The doggy paddle out to the pontoon was deemed too risky. Zobo and swimming don't exactly get along. Good friend Anna Saunders made it out to the pontoon after a casual half hour debate on the swimming conditions. There was lots to think about, sea weed, various litter, stones under foot, arctic water temperatures and would her bikini survive the post slippery dip impact with water. All said and done it was a success, Zobo even managed to capture the moment on camera. We will not talk about the swimming race that Mitch lost to Bowe. Mitch now suspects he is an easy beat in swimming and that Bowe plays on his competitive spirit every time he issues a swimming challenge. Cruel, but a clear indication that Bowe is destined for top line management some day.

Mitch and Zobo also really enjoyed the Canada Day celebrations earlier this month too. Catching the fireworks from Stanley Park looking back across to the city. Thanks for coming!



Peace Out.

Teaching certificates and the 21st floor of a downtown building!

It's been four months since we left Australian soil and what a grand four months it's been. Time has seriously flown by. It makes us feel incredibly grateful that our name isn't Schapelle Corby, four months must seem like an eternity to her! Chin up Schapelle... only 16 years to go!

Just a quick MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS to our friends Darcy and Lisa who last week had their first baby "Billie". She is absolutely gorgeous and we hope Mum and Bub are going great!

Two really good things have happened in the last fortnight! Zoe has finally received her teachers certificate... well technically she hasn't got it yet because it is in the mail... and I have been signed on as the permanent casual announcer at Classic Rock 101 here in Vancouver! Which means I will be doing weekend morning shifts from 6am-10am. Over the moon, the view from the studio is amazing...
So I have now gone part time at Levi's as their cashier and I work from Tuesday through to Friday. A few other radio shifts are popping up here and there such as this Wednesday and Friday night which is bloody awesome!

A few weeks ago we had to take a trip down to the US border to get Zoe's new work Visa activated. A bit of a hassle but well worth it because it meant that Zoe could then apply for her Canadian Teaching certificate. One problem, we don't have wheels. So we decided to hire a car, when we got to the lot... the only car they had available was a Mustang GT on special for half price... yes please!

So we set off with best bud Kiah, a fellow Aussie, keen navigator and operator of the satellite radio... Radio One Uk... yes please.

Highlight of the day:

US Immigration officer: Why did you come to the border?
Mitch: We came down here to get my wife's Visa.
US Immigration Officer: How did you get here?
Mitch: By car.
US Immigration Officer: Who's car?
Mitch: Oh we hired a car.
US Immigration Officer: Why did you hire a car?
Mitch: We don't own one.
US Immigration Officer: Why don't you own a car?
Mitch: Because we have only just moved here and we don't feel the need for one living in the city.
US Immigration Officer: How many people are in the car?
Mitch: Myself, my wife and our friend.
US Immigration Officer: I asked how many people are in the car.
Mitch: Counting myself, my wife and friend would make it three people.
US Immigration Officer: Can i see the car?
Mitch: Sure

Immigration officer proceeds to walk into parking lot, looks in the boot, in the car and then asks Zoe the same questions even though she was in front of Mitch in the line.

We now refer to him as Captain Douche Bag.

Box Ball... A post by Mitch

Although I have previously moaned and groaned over working at Levi's there are some highlights. The game 'Box Ball' is one, leaving at the end of the day is the other.

There are a few really cool people that I work with. Elliot, Mike, Yusuke, Zhi, Astrid and Trevon. Mike, Yusuke and Zhi are the funniest Asian blokes I have ever met in my life and they have made working upstairs a lot of fun. They introduced me to a game called 'Box Ball". Yusuke is also Japanese so we talk about how good Tim Cahill is! World Cup 2006 anyone?



As you can see from the photo above we have big jean walls at Levi's. Each box of the jean wall is filled with 8 or less jeans. To play the game of 'Box Ball" you have to nominate a box on the wall which you are going to throw a hacky sack into. Therefore, you dictate the amount of points you score on a given throw. Eg aiming for a box of 7 jeans means you score 7 points. Its kind of like the world wide popular game of darts, just on a lesser global scale. If you miss the nominated box you score zero points.

One game is the sum of 5 throws at the jean wall. Several games is the sum of a lot of time wasting. One thing I have become very skilled at.

Thanks Yusuke, Mike and Zhi.

Box Ball is the game of Champions.

Sunday Fundays!

Sunday: Formerly a day of the Lord... unlucky mate it's now a day of friends.

The term "Sunday Funday" is from our good friend Anna Saunders. It is derived from the notion of four or more friends having the same free play time on a Sunday.



SUNDAY FUNDAY CREW: In no particular order, Krissy, Kyle, RaRa, Matt, Anna, Bowe, Mitch and Bozo.

Sunday Funday Activites:
Walking, brunch, talking and walking, picnics, hacky sack, talking, watching Flight of the Concords, drinking, guitar playing, eating, quote boarding, food challenges, playing cards, rock throwing, people watching, and finally trash talking employers and land lords.

Sunday Funday Equipment Needed:
Free time, hacky sack (vital ingredient), football, picnic rug, good shoes, deodorant, iPod with speakers, frisbee, Flight of the Concords DVD, DVD player, TV, couch, coffee, mugs, beer, gin and tonic, one of Zoe's deserts, ice cream, Stanley Park, a spliff, switched on brains to avoid getting ripped of at Capilano Suspension Bridge, and finally a good cup of tea.





Sunday Funday has been good for the soul. It makes selling jeans, selling t-shirts, making coffee, making grilled sandwiches, reading contracts, shifting heavy stuff and doing odd jobs so much easier to bear when you have a Sunday Funday ahead.

Great initiative Saunders. Well played everyone.