Persistent Illumination

Ahhh, Vancouver. Sunshine, warmth, great people and somehow we've managed to hit all the best eateries in town...

• The Naam
  
• Earls
  
• Milestone's
  
• Shota Japanese Cuisine (best sushi ever), not to mention
  
• a number of great little eateries in downtown's West End, as well as
  
• the hotel restaurant buffet (breakfast and lunch)

As a result, I am now 15 pounds heavier. :)

That old Vancouver magic is still in the air...

Breakfast out in Vancouver, at the West End's equivalent to Mel's Diner. Lunch was a great little sushi place at prices that are actually much better than anywhere I've ever seen in Ontario. (Not sure why, as I didn't actually get any fish in my dish, but you won't hear me complaining about good prices.)

Then I went on a bit of a whirlwind tour of my old haunts on the North Shore:

• Almost eerily, a song by the Swollen Members came on the radio as I drove by the North Vancouver Subway restaurant where group member Shane "Mad Child" Bunting used to work the night shift. I was his boss, I hired him. "What do you do in your spare time, Shane?" I once asked him. "I'm going to be a famous rap artist" was his reply. "My rap name is 'Mad Child'" Didn't even think of it until much later when I saw him on MuchMusic. The cameras do a good job of hiding how short he is (maybe 5'2").
  
• Looking for an old friend of mine, I dropped by her former workplace. "She doesn't work here anymore," they noted, pointing to a photograph taped to the cash register. "But these are her kids..." Got her number and will be catching up with her tomorrow...
  
• Stopped by Lynn Headwaters Regional Park to see the big old trees. On my way out of the park, I picked up some hitch-hikers. They only wanted a ride to the end of the (considerably long) road out, but it was good karma anyways. I don't think I've ever picked up hitch-hikers before, I think they were UBC students.
  
• Stopped by one of the restaurants I used to run, the most succesful one. I left just as it was sold to a new owner, and as I passed by on this trip, I was wondering what had happened to him. So I walked into the store, and there he was sitting there. (Owners almost never come into the stores - they leave the day-to-day up to managers.) Almost a decade later, still must be making money hand over fist. Some things never change (except the prices, some of which have almost doubled).
  
• Also stopped at uber-trendy West Vancouver coffeeshop "Bean Around the World" and spotted an old picture of a friend of mine on the wall. So many people I know out here, I wonder where they are...
  
• Oh, and it appears they turned my old sports bar hangout into "Canada's First Lifestyle Centre:" the Village at Park Royal. Think ski chalet meets upscale shopping. Or think of it as the only place I know where Michael's, Lululemon and the Home Depot are all together in one happy package. And Home Depot has storefront ... what's up with that?? You know it's trendy upscale West Van when there are three yoga clothing stores within 200m of each other...

Tomorrow I'm off to meet my old friend (and her new kids), hopefully tool around the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge, who knows what else, and eventually pick my boss up from the airport. Then it's four days of work!

• Wikipedia: Swollen Members
• Lynn Headwaters Regional Park
• Bean Around the World Coffees
• The Village at Park Royal

Just thought I should pass this on: Sonya today referred me to an interesting piece on the Cure for Information Overload.

• The Cure for Information Overload

"The problem with studying religion scientifically is that you do violence to the phenomenon by reducing it to basic elements that can be quantified, and that makes for bad science and bad religion..."

...but...

"Working in a large medical center like Mayo, Mr. Marek said, 'You hear tons of stories about the power of prayer, and I don't doubt them.'"

...and...

"In another of the study's findings, a significantly higher number of the patients who knew that they were being prayed for — 59 percent — suffered complications, compared with 51 percent of those who were uncertain... they said that being aware of the strangers' prayers also may have caused some of the patients a kind of performance anxiety.

'It may have made them uncertain, wondering am I so sick they had to call in their prayer team?' Dr. Bethea said."

• NY Times: Long-Awaited Study Questions the Power of Prayer

All in all, it was a great beginning. Everything here is lush and green, cherry blossoms are everywhere, and of course the North Shore mountains are proud and strong. Michelle and I are here already, after a gruelling 5 1/2 hr flight from Toronto. Rental car is in my care for the weekend, and I think I will use it well to see some old sights and perhaps visit some old friends.

I showed up at Sonya's place ... right on the beach here in the West End, I might add ... and it turns out that we both wanted to go to the same Vancouver restaurant here in town. It's called the Na'am and it is nothing short of legendary here in Vancouver. I am now soooo full.

Also, I stopped in and visited John Andersen today, social call before he leaves his two years of office as a Feds pres. He's got a number of landmarks coming up ... do I hear a farewell event as the latest get-together for the Over-Extenders Anonymous? :)

• Naam Restaurant