May 2013

Winnipeg Transit strikes again

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which isn't unusual but every time I use the bus to go somewhere I don't normally go and it doesn't work out I'm still surprised a little bit.

Shouldn't I be a pro at this by now?

NOPE.

No matter how prepared and neurotic and careful I am I almost always wind up getting totally screwed over by the terrible bus service here.

I even checked stupid Navigo service for the bus stop I needed to wait at and took a photo on my iPhone to be sure.

Stop 61119. 10:38am. Westbound Innovation at Research.

(Who names these idiotic streets, anyway?)

Got on the bus and it goes in the opposite direction and I wind up at St. Vital mall, where yr girl figures "maybe the bus will turn around and go the way that I need it to?" but figure since I've played this game with transit before I'd better ask the driver to be sure.

When I do, he laughs at me and says "oh no, after this stop my bus turns into a 91 and goes off into Southdale for an hour".

WHAT.

I tell him where I need to go (Waverley West, for you Winnipeggers still following along) and he says

"oh, there aren't any buses that go there when it's not peak traffic hours"

I don't know why I didn't expect that.
 

Meet Barbara

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The new lady in my life.

She's the replacement to my other bike, the love of my life, Vikki, who was the other half to Vance, Tyrone's bike. They matched and were his & hers and it was wonderful until I got hit by some woman in an SUV who pulled out of a back lane looking at traffic going the other way (she wanted to cross the street and turn) at the end of last summer.

It was horrible and I was heartbroken. I missed my bike.

Luckily yesterday I was able to snag my new girl for a paltry sum of $30 (!!!) which is cheap, cheap, cheap, kids.

I took her out for a nice, solid 16km ride this evening and I'm happy to report she rides like a dream.

It's going to be such a good summer, it's making me a bit emotional to think about.


 

Things that appalled me about "The Queen of Versailles"

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All of it.

But I still recommend that you watch it in order to experience the monumental amount of materialism, self-indulgence and wastefulness portrayed in the film, along with the complete lack of class, good taste and modesty, as well as the warped vision of the 'American Dream' that it displays.
 

Free Stuff Day in Winnipeg

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Which I promise you is exactly what it sounds like: people put out boxes of stuff on their front lawns and randoms come by and look through it and potentially take it home.

It's also as sketchy and as awesome as it sounds.

You can find all sorts of stuff including ancient relics from a bygone era:
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If you Google "free stuff day" Australia comes up first which means they might also have a similar deal, but the next on the list is Winnipeg which I guess is cool.

Anyway.

We didn't find anything on our free time adventure which was fine I guess. I'm always wary of picking up discarded stuff from people's front lawns anyway. Even if I pay $1 for something I feel a bit better about it, like I made a legitimate transaction or something.

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Either way it was a good excuse to get some Thom Bargen Americanos and croissants and walk around for a few hours.

We saw some weird shit as per usual for Wolsley.

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We were going to go out tonight but decided not to. Port at home plus Mother's Day plus a 9am run plus painting Kat's apartment kept us in.

Honestly it's been our first weekend "in" in months which I'm loving right now.

Kat came over and we had some port and wine and snacks and I'm loving my oldschool Matt Good and this half-assed attempt at blogging.

It's all about the little things in life, I tell you. Never forget that.
 

Windfall

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tried Modern Taco for the first time

drank beers on a Friday afternoon

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listened to the Great Gatsby soundtrack on repeat

danced in spring rain

got my first cheque from Vine

worked out at least once every day

had a wine buzz

bought a badass mink coat for $50

landed a new job

and loved.

Every minute of err'y damn day.

Good things do happen.
 

Happy Friday

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atvine

Chillin' here at Vine HQ gettin' stuff did.



Enjoying the shit out of life right now (hope you are too).



So do a little dance cause the weekend's almost here (yay).



Have a drink (or two).



Hang out with someone you love (this means you, Tyrone!)

And enjoy the following video:



Because David Byrne's moves are incomparable.
 

Whacking balls around

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Sometimes the best fun you can have with yr friends is good, clean fun.

Hitting up the driving range, drinking weekday beers and tearin' it up at mini golf.

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which turns out to be a lot harder than it looks.

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We posed on fake, crooked bridges.

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Saw some questionable-looking buildings.

(and didn't steal any of the Hot Wheels in the street unlike those who came before us)

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Made some new friends

including Drunk Pig, Condescending Horse

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and our best friend, the Ketamine Cowboy

who says "no more, I'm done".
 

Books on the go:

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(plus this tune by The Airborne Toxic Event, who my dear friend Kat has been trying to turn me onto forever and who I secretly ADORE even though I keep telling her I don't ;) )

- The Jungle
- The English Patient
- The Marketing Agency Blueprint
- All Quiet on the Western Front
- Babbit

The weather is perfect and I'm looking forward to lying in a park this weekend and reading in the sunshine. Sounds perfect, eh?

Gimme yr book recommendations, I'll read anything!
 

Technicolor fabrics

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Yo no hablo español, pero me gusta esta banda inconformista mexicana mucho y he estado escuchando a ellos sin parar últimamente.

Just kidding I don't speak Spanish. Blame Google translate for the shitty translation.

Anyway this is Technicolor Fabrics whom I love. They also sing some songs in English.

I listened to them while painting the kitchen over the past two days which not only reminded me that I can actually do stuff around the house but also demonstrated how disgusting my kitchen walls were. I've lived in my apartment for three years and they probably hadn't been painted in over a decade.

It was one of those situations where we started painting, saw the difference, and made faces like this:



Apartment problems for reals.

Besides boring apartment life tomorrow is the Winnipeg Wine Festival which btw is one of the highlights of my social calendar. Because we live stumbling distance from the Convention Center everyone comes over and has snacks and then we walk there, drink too much wine, stumble back and eat more food (natch).

Here are some photos from Wine Fests past (from 2009-2012):

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5

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3


1


Upon closer inspection it's also the one time a year I curl my hair, apparently.


But enough of my BS, it's almost the weekend!


Jam out kids, and don't do anything I wouldn't do!


 

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