To start off with, I looked up my status on the Immigration website, and it said a decision had been made. Since I had another week before things got dicey (if my criminal record check hadn't arrived for instance), I assume that the paperwork showed up and they made a decision. I am assuming it is a positive one, but of course one doesn't know until one opens the letter. (As as aside, I did update my address, and this might be one of the first pieces of mail I will get in Toronto. I do hope it is good news.)
I was pretty good about using the majority of the time on cleaning up the basement and getting a lot of things into boxes. I am now at the point of just shoveling stuff away into boxes (and a few more lids have turned up, which is particularly welcome). I think I will have a pretty good idea by Thurs. of how many wardrobe boxes the movers should bring by. Hopefully only a couple more. After this post, I have to get back to the packing.
However, I did want to see if I could take the kids biking one last time (we aren't even bringing my son's bike as he has definitely outgrown it). It didn't go all that well, as my daughter was in a particularly fussy mood for some reason. We then went to the park for a bit of exercise, but it was so hot and they had no fountains at all at this park. In general, I got too much sun yesterday and actually still feel that I may have gotten a bit of heat exhaustion.
I took down all the painting and posters and did the spackling. I have been given some paint by the landlord for the touch-ups, but it really doesn't quite match, so I am asking them what they want me to do next. The ball is in their court now.
I went to Granville Island one last time to see a jazz pianist I know just a bit through an on-line jazz forum. Getting to Granville Island remains just as much of a pain in the ass as ever. What was distressing is the huge line-up at the bus stop. I've never seen the lines that long, and I think TransLink was actually running fewer buses because of the holiday, not more. (I think I'll actually drop them a line so that they can try to do a better job next year.) Anyway, I disliked the performance, mostly because of the histrionics of the clarinet player. I saw him two years ago at the jazz fest and wasn't that impressed, but I had basically said that I would stop by after the show and talk to the pianist. Well, in the end I decided I wasn't enjoying myself and my time (particularly in Vancouver) is incredibly short. The show annoyed me, and in this particular context the pianist was playing like Cecil Taylor (a pianist I have taken a real dislike to). Given there wasn't anything positive I could say about the show, I didn't want to try to make small talk, and I left about a half hour into the show (they were still on the first number!). There were quite a few others leaving, though to be fair some people did seem to be enjoying the set.
There was actually one Car2Go available, and I snagged it. And then I learned that driving around the perimeter of Granville Island is almost as painful as catching the bus there. To top it off, by the time I finally left the island, a 50 bus pulled up, going the way I wanted. It was crowded, but I should have been able to squeeze on. Grrr. I will not miss Granville Island at all. What a crap place to put nearly all your art galleries and close to half the theatre in the city (with the almost as bad Cultch getting another 25%). Of all the places I have lived, I think Vancouver takes the cake in terms of being badly laid out with the attractions in difficult to reach locations. I am so glad to be leaving.
I decided that I was interested in checking out the new exhibit that had opened at the Vancouver Art Gallery, so I dropped off the car at Olympic Village and took the train in to City Centre. I could see the remnants of the parade and people hunkering down to watch the fireworks. (Actually I should have been wearing my new Canada Day t-shirt, but the size was too small. I'm moving in the right direction, but the shirt was still too uncomfortable. Frustrating.) I keep forgetting that they take Canada Day to celebrate Cannabis Day as well. To get to the Art Gallery, I had to weave through tents of all kinds of marijuana edibles and people sitting on the steps toking away. Frankly, if the police are just going to turn a blind eye, I think it would be better to complete legalize it, so that people wouldn't congregate and make such a big production out of this. They can just partake at home, on the couch, the way it is supposed to be...
I'll review the show on a different post, but it was a nice visit. Certainly, a positive experience compared to Granville Island. I hadn't eaten and was pretty hungry. The line at Subway was a bit long, and I went to Taco Del Mar instead, which was a bit of a mistake, but getting the quesadilla instead of their veggie burrito was an even bigger mistake. Definitely a disappointment. (In general, eating in downtown Vancouver is a let down. Another thing I won't miss.) Anyway, a few more "lasts" that got crossed off my list.
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| (Note: I did not stick around for the fireworks.) |
I got home and read the last 10 pages of MacLennan's Two Solitudes. While dated in many ways, it is still a quintessential Canadian novel, so it was appropriate to wrap it up on Canada Day. I'll probably start The Tin Flute on the plane to Toronto. (Yes, I realize it would be more appropriate if I was making a trip to Montreal, but I have several other books by Roy, and I'll pick another one on my next visit to Montreal.) As it was still hot and difficult to sleep, I did a bit more packing. Now it is time to get a bit more accomplished before I head off to work.
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