Grouse!

Soooo... it's been a few weeks since we updated this thing.

Update: Katie has given me grief about how I go on and on with useless details and facts, like where we caught the bus from. I told her that's how I tell stories in real life - badly - so like it or lump it!

Since arriving back in Vancouver, we've really just been unemployed tourist bums. Unfortunately (well, fortunately) though, I re-entered the workforce last Wednesday, the 9th of July 2008.

I've signed up for an initial 3 month gig with Accenture (the 170,000+ employee global consulting beast), working at Best Buy Canada. Best Buy itself is no small operation, with something like 50,000+ employees, 600 applications, 4000 system platforms, 175,000 users (holiday peak - it's a big retailer and the lead-up to and including the festive season is mayhem), and over 125,000 devices. Let's just say there's plenty to do and I don't think I'll be bored!

Everyone has been asking me if I'm working in a shop. No, I'm not working in a shop. I'm working at the Canadian HQ, and it's just like any other big corporate HQ or government office. OK, maybe a bit "cooler" than a government office. The office isn't that close to our apartment, but it takes about the same time to get public transit (bus -> train -> employee shuttle bus) as it does to ride my bike, so my plan is to ride as much as possible. According to Bikely, it's about 18km in each direction. I'm trying to convince ktdz to let me buy a new bike - too much rolling resistance with my mountain bike, I told her. "No bloody way" was her response. I'll keep nagging (it works for her!).

ANNYYWAY, we went to Grouse Mountain today. No, not *a* grouse mountain, *the* Grouse Mountain. Yes, it's actually called Grouse Mountain. Grouse! We had a grouse time there. One of my new colleagues recommended the Grouse Grind hike, so today that's what we set off to do. We hopped on a bus down at the Kitsilano beach, hopped off at the Waterfront Station and boarded our first SeaBus over to North Vancouver. Another bus up to the base and we were ready to rock.

To cut a long, rocky, twiggy, sweaty story short, it was pretty hard work, and took us 1 hour and 8'ish minutes. Check out the info in the previous link - it basically goes straight up. Apart from our hearts wanting to burst out of our chests in some kind of spontaneous, Indiana-Jones-and-the-Temple-of-Doom-mixed-with-Aliens-Chest-Burster moment, it was actually quite beautiful. I would do it again. Apparently some people do it all the time. Over and over and over and over. It's actually just like Mt Ainslie except fifty zillion times bigger and harder and with a lot less Kangaroos. Actually, now that I think about it, I didn't see any at all!

Up top the views were magnificent, and after a rest and a stretch we explored the resort (this is where a lot of Vancouver locals go to ski/snowboard in winter, by the way). We caught a very impressive Lumberjack show, watched the Helijet take off, watched some people on a flying fox (by the way, they call it a Zip Line here - copped a very strange look when I asked about 'tickets for the flying fox'), and had a late lunch and a beer. The gondola ride back down felt a bit like what I imagine a tinned sardine feels like, but it was really good and only 5 bucks a piece. We saw some timber wolves just chillin'. Katie reckons they looked dead, but I reckon they were blazed.



That's all, for now, folks. I've gotta get ready for work tomorrow!

Here's a picture of a red beer truck. They go around the streets like Mr Whippy vans selling beer to thirsty Australians. Yes, it even plays Greensleeves!



OK, that last bit was a lie. Sorry to shatter your fantasy, Roger.

PS: grouse.