Hungry Ghost's Daily Diet (TM)

Right. Must be high-powered, top-poster of inconsequential blogs today.

Have lots to do despite the rainy weather (in August I ask!). To date have done laundry, ironed (always good to soothe the rattled mind), housework and now cooking lunch while writing.

Yesh. Efficiency. That's the word of the day.

Last weekend.

Pride in Vancouver. Amazing weekend with good weather, the fireworks finale (China, Canada and Spain), MH's birthday party, the pride race (10K), PT's post-pride-prandrial-pause barbeque. So much happening. Mind totally discombobulated (pretty sure is real word, someone check and report back to me).

Highlights (not in hair).

Race. Well attended and organized (of course it was with PJ taking the lead on the race course).
0600 wake up call
rush down to PJ's on bike
field calls ("we have no safety pins!") while on bike
go over plans at PJ's
I'm to drive the truck and drop signs and easels off at predetermined spots
PJ has map for us with instructions
We start off. Learnt quickly that clutch has to be pushed in a particular way or truck won't start
Fortunately no need to let air out of tyres this time to get out of gararge
Synchronize watches
And off we went. CL in cab with me, PJ on bike to set up easels and signs we were to drop off
Drive towards first drop-off spot
Miss first spot completely
Swear
Leave message with PJ (except I call house phone instead of cellphone)
Drop off at second spot
Miss third spot
Swear again, CL blanches at the language
Call wrong number, but leave message anyway
Somehow we manage to rectify all the missed spots and coordinate with PJ (all a bit of a blur)
Unload truck
Leave the others to set up the start
Help DN register runners who start showing up 20 minutes (of course) before the start of the race
CA and SC sing National anthems for the US and Canada, respectively.
Race is off!
DN and I sigh breath of relief and count money
Winner comes in at 33 minutes or thereabouts
The rest stagger in, race over by 10:15
Give draw prizes out
ML wins a suspicious number (he claims these were proxy tickets), but given that DW² was drawing the tickets...hmmmmm
Pictures of the raceday here.

Brunch at Wild Garlic after. Crowded. Took over the restaurant.
Squeezed between RR of S and MB of C
NH had i-phone there, we oohed and ahhed, he showed us the internet capabilities until someone pointed out he was roaming at which point the show was over.

Home. Sat in the sun, napped a bit before second wake-up call

Meet TM from SF and we headed to MH's for birthday and fireworks party
Two types of Salmon! Asparagus! Salad! Tapas! Good company! Champagne! Fireworks!
Usual suspects there - KN, FZ, DW², ML, TM, MB, MH, DN, and various friends of MH's whom I didn't know at all
Then home because all tired - no parties

And that was Saturday.

The next day.
Brunch at RL's, PT and JB there too. Delicious scones. Utterly lovely brunch. More champers.
Then pride parade (pictures here)
Then VFR booth duties called, various friends dropped by to say hello. RP came by, IW too. Saw G and G, GA. Lovely day. Full sun, bought myself straw hat to protect noggin.

Onto Numbers after the festival was over, hung out with PT, NB, TM and JB - others came and went
Highlight of the weekend occured at this point. PT and TM had brilliant idea of getting paper and pen, then writing signs to show passers-by at the bar's open window.
"Looking Good! Foxy! Cute! Hottie! Who's your daddy! Perfect 10! Show us your stuff!"
And people laughed, waved back, took videos. Women showed us their boobs, men and women showed us their butts, several men went the full monty - all on Davie St. in front of the club. Howls of approval and cheers followed each one who disrobed. All in good fun.
Japanese tourists stopped and took videos of us. Much flash, flash, flash as passer-bys immortalized us on cameras and cellphones.
In picture, you can see JB, me, TM, NB and PT. Leave it up to you to figure out who is who...
Then faded quickly and went home after quick dinner at Kam's


Monday - stayed home. Went for run because head was spinning with crowds. several friends I spoke with were the same way, either went running too or did laundry. However, several of us convened at PT's to wind down with a barbeque. TM and his friends there too, they drove. They drank, I drove them back, they passed out in the car. Good thing I don't drink.

And that was the weekend, last weekend.

The week that was went by too fast. Work, work, work.

Wednesday night run, but you've already heard about this.

Thursday, had tete-a-tete with ML about various things and got advice. Better than PJ's I must say. Well, actually the jury is still out as I've not taken the advice from both ML and PJ quite to heart yet. Sometimes you have trust your own instincts and let sneep^TM and time work it out for you.

On Friday - had bunch of interviews with people who want to work for us. SN and I quite impressed with the credentials. Was supposed to be off on Friday, but sacrificed my time off and did the hosting/interview thingy. But skipped out after lunch when candidate had been passed on to other handlers. Met MB and TR to skip up the Grouse Grind. Am happy to say that despite a 15 year absence from the grind, I ground the Grouse in under 50 minutes. TR had never done it before, MB has on regular basis and fairly skipped up it like some mountain goat on catnip. Special to MickeyJoe - didn't bring laptop with me.

Yesterday - run errands, read on glucose metabolism and cancer, spoke with WD about work stuff, caught up on e-mai.

Today. Post. Read more. Then run if weather isn't too bad.

And that's that.