Vancouver Days 3 and 4

Friday:  Chris and I had a short writing session in revitalized new shopping center in New Westminster while Alice and Elizabeth walked through the various shops and boutiques.    We also had lunch there...Alice and I had beef brisket and chips.  Very good.  I also ordered a Golden Autumn Oolong tea and bought $20 worth to take home.  After New Westminster, we settled home for a few hours before heading out to a Chinese restaurant to meet Alice's cousin Florence and her husband Howie.  We met them at 7 and had a delicious meal that included Winter Mellon Soup, a duck dish, general's chicken, rice, a sizzling beef dish and green beans.  Afterward, we went to Florence and Howie's house for another hour or so of socializing.  They are very pleasant people.  Like Chris, Howie has lived in Vancouver all his life.

Day 4 - Chris and I brainstormed for a few hours in the morning before we all headed out to UBC where I walked around the clusters and saw the house I lived in when I was 4-5.

We also saw the apartment complex I lived in on Toronto Road when I was 3-4.

The Clusters are either being torn down or renovated.  It's unclear exactly what's happening to them.  They're surrounded by blue fence.  Chris showed us his former office at the UBC Alumni Center (Cecil Green Building...very nice), and we went shopping around his old stomping ground near 12th Ave.  Chris Jr. and Natalie came over for dinner.



It was wonderful seeing them.  We'll see them again tonight after the Hawks Redskins game.  

Vancouver Day 2

We got up at 5, had tea, then oatmeal at 7.

Chris making oatmeal with his spurtal

We left for Vancouver Center and Chinatown at 10.  We ate delicious noodle soup, pastries, walked around town, then returned to Chris and Elizabeth's by 4.

At Canada Place in Vancouver with Alice and Chris

Played crib with Chris and Alice, had a scrumptious dinner, watched Looper, and ended the day by 10.

Chris and I spoke briefly about Bad Uncle and will continue tomorrow.

Vancouver B.C. Canada - Day 1

Alice and I arrived in Vancouver at 11 a.m. after a 45-minute delay at our SF gate.  Chris and Elizabeth were there to pick us up.  We Ate lunch at their house, then went on an hour drive through Vancouver to the mountains overlooking the city.

Overlooking Vancouver at Cypress Point with Alice and Chris

From there, we drove to Granville Island and ate butter tarts and cinnamon buns.  So good!  We came back for dinner.  Chris created a "Jamie Oliver"-inspired meal using chicken, tomatoes, potatoes, and herbs.  We ended the evening with a movie on demand, The Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Wonderful day.  Clear skies.  So good to be with Chris and Elizabeth!  Their house is so comfortanble and warm, featuring a five-star guest room with six-star shower.  Off to bed in preparation for a full day of eating, brainstorming and sightseeing tomorrow.

Welcome 2013!

I just finished Julian Barne’s The Sense of an Ending.  The line that most struck me was toward the end in which Tony writes that back when he was young a man married a woman he got pregnant who didn't abort the child because that was the rule.  The themes in this short book are similar to a book I plan to write this year about my first 11 years from 1963-1975.  I liked The Sense of an Ending.

Today was relaxing.  Alice and I began our day at Starbuck’s and Noah’s Bagels on Lakeshore, then drove to her house in the Sunset district around 10.  I talked to Jill, Dad and Gwen on FaceTime.  Later in the afternoon I talked to Steve and Judy.  FaceTime is becoming my default phone.   I love it.  The telephone never did anything for me, but facing the person I’m talking to makes all the difference.

Tomorrow, Alice and I fly to Vancouver to visit Chris and Elizabeth.  It’s going to be one of those magical five-day trips that I’ll always refer to for the next couple of decades.  The weather will be cold but clear.  Rain comes Saturday.

Just saw on my iPad that the House passed a bill to avoid the fiscal cliff.  All that drama for passage in the midnight hour.  Way to go, Congress.  I hope and pray the next generation of leaders are more mature and responsible than what we’ve had to endure these past few years.  It’s difficult for me to even read about them without rolling my eyes.  They couldn’t come up with a solution in early December because that would have been way too practical.  Nope, they had to wait until the last minute to pen a deal.  It’s stunning to me how much unnecessary drama and chaos there is out there for no reason.

Anyway, I have a lot of material to write about this year.  Austin15 and No Sweat are my first two projects for 2013.

Last Day

The nice thing about last days is they're so steeped in the awareness of conclusion that they feel more like the first of something than the last of anything.  That's how I feel today.  With such a large amount of time to claim as my own, I'm already thinking beyond today.  And yet, I'm going to enjoy every hour as it passes, reflecting upon my time at Wendel and the great friends and memorable characters I've met.  Today will be fun.  20 years in the corporate world is a large chapter I'm happy to close.

Tomorrow I'm playing in the Toys for Tots Racquetball Tournament in San Ramon.  It's one of the best attended tournaments in the area.  I missed last year's event, so this one will be particularly enjoyable.  There's really no reason why every day can't be a perfect day.  That is so sweet! 

4 Days Left!

I have four complete days left of work.  What joy.  What incredible freedom.  To have the rest of my life to write stories, articles, screenplays and non-fiction pieces is about as satisfying as finding a check in the mail for $1 Million or having Obama win re-election or Hilary win in 2016.  Pure satisfaction is how I'm feeling right now.  It's hard to appropriately put into words how happy I am to see this phase of my life come to an end, a long 20-year stretch in which I needed time to mature and work through my issues while devoting so much time and energy toward other people's work.  I will not miss that for one second.  I'm grateful, however, for the skill set I've learned in the corporate world, the work ethic I've adopted and the effective life lessons and time management skills I've incorporated into my daily routine.  What I won't miss is the tedium and blandness of corporate life, the detachment from what matters most to me.  I don't believe I will ever have another boring day in my life, even though so much of the future will be spent in front of my monitor at home, banging away at the keyboard or taking a nap on the couch.  I have tomorrow and Monday off, then Tuesday-Friday -- my final four days -- until 7 p.m. on December 14 when it's all done. 

My first official day of writing will be January 14, 2013.  My 1,000 Days of Writing will go until October 10, 2015, the day before my 52nd birthday.  I'm eager to see what I can accomplish with 1,000 days of uninterrupted writing time. 

 From Dec. 14 - Jan 14 I'll connect with family and friends, clean, read, organize, prepare and play lots of racquetball. 

Sara told me to revisit Introducing Girls a few days ago and from that she gave me a great idea that I've been kicking around all week.  No Sweat:  an Elementary Memoir.  Before I write Austin15, I need to put on paper the source material for everything, the first 10 years of my life, my crazy wonderful childhood and all its secrets.  I knew there was a reason why I kept everything.  I'll need it all to write this book.  I'm ready to make so much noise. 

8 Days Left

I have 8 days left of corporate life.  How sweet is that!  This week I work Monday through Thursday, and next week I work Tuesday through Friday.  I'm already loading up my schedule with writing projects, books to read and family to visit.  This year is going to be wonderful.

Yesterday, Alice and I went to Emery Bay to exchange an ipod nano for Alice (hers stopped working).  I checked out new books in Barnes and Noble and bought three, plus I'm reading another about mentally ill leaders who excel in crisis when compared to more normal leaders.

The Thomas Jefferson book has been on my mind all week.  I'm glad I finally own it.  I don't know as much as I should about him.  After Martin Martinez, I find myself drawn to the histories of presidents.  Cowboys Full is great research material for Austin15.  I'll start that in January.

Yesterday morning it rained so hard there were two small rivers zipping down Erie and Mandana streets.  It was something else.  Today it's calm and clear. 

Dorian and I played Tiger and Glenn in racquetball this morning and we were clicking.  He made some beautiful shots and we were unstoppable. 

Jon Meecham is only 43.  That blows my mind!

Off to work for the eighth-to-last time!