(Still) Tuesday, July 29 2003 Vancouver

(cont) Went for a walk with The Monkeyman's Brother as he had a job interview at 1080 Howe Street. We walked over to Yaletown, then up. Everywhere you walk in Vancouver is either up a hill, or down a hill. We find the place he is to interview at and decide to take a wander along Granville for a bit. Looking about, I find myself truly amazed at the number of Starbuck's coffee shops there are, some are even right across the street from themselves! We stop at the Lennox on Granville and Robson after checking out the Golden Age Collectables store. I take a chair facing the intersection and watch the girls go by. I drink a Keiths and have the BBQ Beef Burger(BSC be damned!) with Broccoli-cheese soup($8.99) and it's just terrific. Monkeyman's Brother has the same thing, but with (freedom) fries and a coffee. I buy because Monkeyman's Brother has no money. He never has any money, none that he'll ever admit to anyway. I tell him it's no problem: a man needs his strength up so he can be sharp for his interview. He takes off a little early for the job interview and I read comics, drink beer, and await his return. He's back in 45 mins telling me this is the second interview this week that has taken place in a Starbuck's (I hope they appreciate all this free advertising I'm giving them) coffee shop. We headed back down towards the boat, stopping first at the BC LIQUOR STORE on Pacific Blvd in Yaletown (first time I've ever known this store to be open!) and I bought a six of Kieths and a six of Granville Island Kitsalano Maple Cream Ale. A fantastic ale that we can't get in Alberta of course, miserable backwards nation that we are out here in the prairies. We return to the Blue Iguana and I'm a fucking puddle of sweat. It's 32c + 80% humidity which is wonderful, and enjoyable, but I must have dropped five pounds of sheer water weight since my Monday arrival. The Monkeyman is back from work when we show up, surfing the "Internet" on that funky Macintosh of his. We put the beers in the freezer and chat for about ten minutes until the heat in the main cabin becomes unbearable. I'm sweating so much from the heat and humidity that it feels like someone is standing behind me with a hose pouring water over me. Not cool refreshing water, but hot, salty, sticky, smell water. The three of us drink the beers, Monkeyman's Brother (heretofore known as "MB") and I sitting aft on the bench, and The Monkeyman (when he is not pacing, or talking on the phone) sits on a bench in the wheel house. At 4pm, The Monkeyman takes me down to the V-berth so that we can watch his favorite TV programme: HIGHLANDER. He enjoys the show, though is not a nut case about it like I am. He axes questions as the show progresses about little bits he's missed that I am only too glad to explain to him, because occasionally he has to get up and pace around. Both The Monkeyman and MB are pacers. They pace, and they pace some more. This is not a good considering the size of the boat, and it's very limited pacing space. Occasionally The Monkeyman gets annoyed and sends MB out aft, or fore to pace if he is bumping in to him too much. After Highlander ends (Season 4, episode 2 "Brothers in Arms" a Vancouver episode) we decide to go out for a drink. Now, I am not made of money! Esp now that I have no job! I do not have a problem going out and spending money on The Monkeyman and myself because we are buds, and it was he I drove all the way out here to see. MB is The Monkeyman's brother, and a swell guy, but I cannot afford to support him on his vacation as well as myself just because he decided to tag along with us and suffers from acute Trudeau Entitlemania! The Monkeyman has a talk with him, and MB decideds to accompany us to the Cambie anyway. ... I buy, and I buy, and we all drink. I buy an army green tank top for VKI that says "Be All That You CAMBIE" on it. Lori and Joel show up and walk past us looking for a table. I call out: "Lori and Joel!" They turn around and are all "Hey!" and stuff and join us at the big table. MB lends me a key and I carve "j-grr" into the table. We drink some more until we are soused enough to move on, losing MB somewhere along the way. We hit the bar at the Hildon (not to be confused with the "Hilton") Hotel on West Cordova and I drink a Fosters, and for all intents and purposes that is my last beer of the evening as I am beginning to feel a little toxic. The Monkeyman wants some nachos, so we order some then Lori and Joel show up and join us, followed by MB. The Nachos don't sit well with me and I end up vomiting them up later. I pay the Tab and we head out, and of course at this time I'm completly turned around and have lost my sense of direction, but lucky for us The Monkeyman knows the way. We lurch about together singing "Show Me the Way to Go Home" and The Monkeyman leads us back to the Marina, and the boat he calls home.

Wednesday, July 30 2003 Vancouver

Woke up at ten past eleven and could have slept all day if the heat in the V-berth wasn't so intense. It takes me quite a while to decide what to do as I sit scribbling in the aft deck salon. Oh, yeah! I finaly saw a live RAT the other night! My first Vancouver (live) rat sighting EVER! I was so elated I could scarcely contain myself! Anyway, back to Wednesday, a lazy day for the most part. Went to T & T grocery and bought some speciality buns, as well as some cuttlefish and shrimp snacks. Read some comic books, did some writing, layed down in the salon and had a siesta. Thought to myself: I am Jack's wasted life, and I'm enjoying every second of it.

Thursday, July 31 2003 Vancouver

Day of Action and Adventure!

-more later