Famous Mail Room Clerk

I found this on Wikipedia about our current Prime Minister, Stephen Harper.

"Harper then enrolled at the University of Toronto but after two months he dropped out, then moved to Edmonton, Alberta, where he found work at Imperial Oil, in the mail room." The rest is history.

There is hope for me. Ha ha ha.

Peace.

Grocery Item = Jacket

Last night, I went to the grocery store and bought a jacket. How many people can say that? Well I guess since Wal-Mart has started offering a grocery section, more people can say something along the lines, but I actually bought it at the Real Canadian Superstore. Have you heard of this clothing line called Joe Fresh Style? I was reading an article in the newspaper and apparently Loblaws who owns the Real Canadian Superstore called in a Canadian fashion veteran by the name of Joseph Mimran to create a clothing line. He headed up brands like Club Monaco and Alfred Sung.

I looked at the Joe Fresh flyer and thought to myself this actually looks pretty good at a great deal. It's kind of got European styling that appeals to me. My friend told me to check out H&M for cool yet affordable clothing.

One thing about Superstore at Metrotown is that I hate shopping there. Everytime I go there it's like a freakin' carnival. It's always packed and the line ups are long. When I picked up the jacket and went to pay for it, I headed towards the "Express" line. Well the Express took me 20 minutes to pay for it. The thing about that Superstore is that it mostly attracts a demographic to the low income earner. I stood in line with one family disputing a discount where they had to call the manager and then there are people who are asking for some discount they saw in a flyer. It's hella annoying which is why I shop at Save-On-Foods for groceries. Most of the time people just pay for the item probably knowing that it's a bit more expensive than other grocers, but they don't care just like me. Just pay as listed and get out.

Peace.

Salmon Steak

I've been having a lot of chicken and beef as of late and decided to give fish a try. I've never cooked a piece of fish before so to prepare myself I watched a few videos on YouTube. How can I go wrong with the Internet. It seemed like a very simple process of heating the fry pan to medium, adding olive oil, putting in the fish, and topping the fish with salt and pepper.

I headed to the local grocery store and picked up a couple of wild Coho Salmon steaks. I love BC Salmon. Choosing wild over farmed makes a huge taste difference with me preferring the former of course. As I cooked the Salmon, I realize I put a bit too much olive oil in the pan and it started to snap, crackle, and pop violently. I had to turn the heat low, empty some of the oil out, and resume cooking. The result was that the Salmon broke apart because I was worried I would burn it, but it turned out fine. I got a bit of oil on my nice shirt so I washed it in the tub. Next time I cook, I will remember to wear some crappy shirt or get an apron, and add less oil.


Peace.

Training Day

I work in the Mail Room and I am the only one that works on that floor of the university. I often get asked if I feel lonely. It is a windowless space, but it's actually not that bad. Most of the morning, I am out and about on campus delivering mail to all the departments. I enjoy chatting with everyone and bringing smiles to their faces. The job jives quite well with my personality in that I love being with people, but I also like spending time on my own.

Anyways, I had training the other day as a Floor Warden. In case of a disaster, I would be the one to gather everyone in my area and show them a safe exit. Even though I am the only one in my area, the loading dock generally has a number of couriers that come and go so it is good to know.

I learned that you never take the elevators because during a fire, they act like chimneys gasping for oxygen. Always take the stairwell because it is built to keep smoke out and is the strongest structure of a building. Also, you want to go down, not up because fire and smoke rises. Bruce Willis goes up, we go down. I also learned that what happens in movies is not what actually happens in real life. No way. Most people stuck in fires don't burn up, they die by smoke inhalation. It only takes 4-5 breaths before one loses consciousness. Also sprinklers in a building turn on in isolated areas when heat reaches a certain level. They don't all turn on like a thundershower with beautiful people struggling to find their loved one in movies. During an earthquake it isn't the floor giving out that you should be concerned about, it is the small things inside the room that can fly and knock you flat. Most deaths occur by interior objects hitting them during a quake. So it is a good idea to hide under a table or desk in the event the earth is shaking.

The presenter did a great job in training how we should react during a disaster. At least he did a good job presenting, but in practice it was another story. As soon as he finished training us, the fire alarm went off. We all laughed because it wasn't planned. Then, springing into action by heading towards the stairwell, half the people took the elevator up and half went towards the fire exit stairwell. Of that half that headed towards the stairwell, half went up the stairs and my half went down the stairs which is what you're supposed to do. I guess they all want to be heroes.

Peace.

Transitions

Been a while since I blogged last. I spend too much time on Facebook, but also I've finally moved out on my own. Twenty eight years has been a long time with the 'rents and I told my mom a year ago I would be out by this month. Originally, I was supposed to move out with my buddy and his cousin. However, finding a three bedroom in Vancouver was daunting especially since the guys weren't even here and I can't say many landlords would jump at the opportunity to house three guys.

So for a couple of weeks I was searching for a bachelor suite and found a great suite in Metrotown. I love the area. It has everything I need within walking distance. People ask me if I feel lonely, but it has been anything but. I think I've spent more time with my friends outside work than when I was living with my parents. I feel this huge weight lifted off me and living with my parents was just unhealthy mentally and spiritually. I believe my relationship with them will improve as a result of the move.

I think one noticeable difference living on my own is getting used to new noises. There some interesting noises that come and go, and the water pump noise right by my bed will take some time getting used to. I already received two complaints from the resident manager that my TV was too loud at night. I was like what?? There must be a lot of seniors living here. So I now use my headphones at night which is fine with me because I can hear everything clearly anyway.

Last night at 10 pm in the spur of the moment, I asked my buddy, Juice, on Messenger if he wanted to do some photo shoots of the city. He was totally down and after picking him up, we went to the Lonsdale Quay, and then headed over to Kits Beach. Being at the beach at 2 am was awesome. I've never been out there that late. As we exposed our cameras we just chatted while we waited and took in the beautiful lights of the city. I felt this total peace and calmness. I love breathing in the fresh air of the night. I also learned some new things about my camera that I had no idea existed on it. Juice knows a lot about photography.

Vancouver from the North Shore.

Tugboat at Lonsdale Quay.

English Bay.

Peace.