Love the Labels

It takes around 10 days for mail to travel between Vancouver and the US east coast.  It’s not the worst turnaround time, but it does mean doing some serious upfront planning for birthday cards etc. 

That was until I received a letter a few weeks ago.  The envelope was postmarked only 3 days earlier (from NY).  How was that possible?  The next day another letter arrived, postmarked only 4 days prior.  What was happening?  Had the USPS suddenly become twice as efficient in mailing to Canada?  Not exactly…

You see the new ‘faster’ letters were addressed with typed address labels.  It seems if you have the address typed onto the envelope then the letter arrives twice as fast!  My guess is that the USPS or Canada Post has a machine that can scan and read postal codes when they are typed out.  Hand written envelopes are probably still hand sorted, which is why it takes so much longer.

 To be sure I wasn’t making this up, I had my mom send two letters on the same day.  One with a typed address label, the other handwritten.  As expected 3 days later the ‘label letter’ arrived safe and sound.  I still haven’t seen the hand written letter arrive. 

 So lesson learned:  If you want to get something to move faster through the mail, (especially when sending me anything!) type the address onto the envelope (or onto a label).  Cool huh?

…Check…

There is a short list of things I was looking to learn and find during my time here in Vancouver: 
Learn my way around – check
Make inroads at work, start and finish a successful project -check
Take in local scenery and attractions (Grouse Mt, Mt Seymour, Sun Run, etc) – check
Make friends – check

The interesting thing about having a list such as this, is that once you can successfully check things off, where do you go from there?  This weekend I learned that meeting the basic requirements of my list didn’t necessarily mean I had everything I wanted from my life on the west coast.

Case in point, I had a ‘dinner and drinks’ date with the girls on Saturday night.  I was very excited.  I haven’t had one of these in a while.  After a good dinner 3 of us headed to a bar and somehow the transition from dinner to drinks didn’t happen all that smootly.  We each only had one drink, and the conversation was a bit forced, and come 10:30 the other girls said they were headed home.  I walked back to my apartment a bit disappointed.  I’m not sure the last time a ‘night out at the bars’ ended so early, or so anticlimactically. 

After venting my frustration I realized that in feeling like I had finally checked everything off my list, I had expected to somehow rely on these new people and things to sustain a larger portion of my social time, and that this would obviously lead to a rousing good time.  My disappointment was a good reminder, that making new friends is a great way to enhance my journey out here, but it’s not the answer to how I will have a good time.  When I first arrived I had the most fun picking out adventures for myself and then following through and doing the things I was interested in.  And so it must continue – new friends or not.

Mid trip reality check – CHECK. 

BELIEVE IN BLUE

The Canucks won game 7 in the NHL playoffs tonight against the Dallas Stars.  The game was played here in Vancouver.  About a half an hour after the cars horns went wild and fans screamed in the streets.  It’s was an awesome celebration.  I can only compare it to Hoboken after Italy won the World Cup this past summer.  It’s awesome to be in a city that’s so supportive (and fanatical) about it’s sport’s team. 

As we head on to our next opponent, my only hope is to convince the company owner to take me to see a game in his wonderful ice level club seats.  That would be incredible.  Here’s to hoping!!

 Round 2 here we come – GO CANUCKS GO!!!

Weekend Update

I had a pretty relaxing weekend overall.  I went for a nice long run Saturday morning.  Did some shopping, enjoyed the sunny weather.  I mostly hung around my apartment, cleaned up, did laundry, watched tv and read my book.  I stumbled across some interesting things.

1.  According to my book This Is Your Brain On Music, the saxophone instrumental break in The Beatles song “Lady Madonna” was actually the singers singing into mics with their hands over their mouths.  I found this concept fascinating.  Wikipedia seems to disagree though.  I emailed the author for clarification.

2.  Red Bull hosts a carzy “Crushed Ice” competition every year.  Check out this footage.  I was glued to the tv watching the semi-final and final rounds.  I think it’s fun to watch. 

3.  I had no idea that Kris Kristofferson had such an extensive impact on country music.  Kristoffereson wrote “Me and Bobby McGee” (made famous by Janis Joplin).  Johnny Cash was one of his greatest inspirations, and the two eventually worked together.  Kristofferson wrote “Sunday Morning Coming Down” which was a No 1 hit for Cash.  I learned all of this while watching part of the 2007 CMT Awards.  Kris Kristofferson was presented with a visionary award from Rosanne Cash. 

4.  While eating sushi and watching Game 6 of the Vancouver Canuck/Dallas Star playoff series at my fave little restaurant, I was seated next to one of the actor in Mystery Alaska.  Most people probably don’t know this, but Mystery Alaska is my favorite hockey movie.  I had just watched the movie 2 weeks ago on tv and it was neat to talk to this guy and his co-workers about playing cards with Bur Reynolds and what Russell Crowe was like back in the day.  It also helped break the ice when 20 min later I yelled out loud at the TV when thishappened.  The picture doesn’t show that the guy on the ice hobbled over to the Canuck bench, and then started a fight.  It was funny. 

“This Ain’t Your Momma’s Yoga”

Tonight was my first session in my new “Runner’s Yoga” class at the community center (or centre if you’re ‘Canadian enough).  It was one hell of a workout!  It’s taught by Mike Dennison.  He was a long time runner turned yogi who owned his own studios.  He started to teach Runner’s Yoga in an effort to help runners strengthen their bodies and increase flexibility in an effort to prevent unnecessary injuries. 

Most of the yoga I’ve done thus far has been meditative practice.  This course, not so much.  It’s pretty intense and I was surprised at the difficulty of the poses Mike introduced in our first class.  More interestingly was the fact that I was able to complete all of them.  The progression of movement that he uses, along with the pace of the session makes it possible to do things I wasn’t able to before.  I am really looking forward to the next 9 weeks of getting my butt kicked on Thursday nights!  About half way through the class tonight as we were all recovering from a brutal arm stand, Mike turned to the class and said, “This Ain’t Your Momma’s Yoga”.  Well said…

I know some of you are interstedin yoga, or do it yourselves.  Mike has a websiteyou can check out if you’re interested in the idea of Runners Yoga.  It give more info about what exactly it is and what the focus of the practice is.  If you can find a class near you, I say go for it. 

Toots and the Maytals

Wed night Libby and I went to see the reggae band Toots and the Maytalsat the Commodore Ballroom.  The Commodore is the Vancouver ‘House of Blues’ venue. 

 The concert was awesome.  The best song by far was his version of “Take Me Home Country Road”.  Libby and I got dancing and jumping around.  We both agreed it may be our most eventful Wed night since moving to Vancouver yet! 

I was happy to be out at a concert.  The next one on the list is John Mayer and Kathleen Edwards on May 1st.  Micaela and I are going to that one.  So exciting! 

3 Down X to Go

Well today marks three months since my arrival in Vancouver.  After my crazy trip back East, returning to Vancouver really felt like returning home.  I no longer feel like a visitor here, and I no longer feel like everything around me ’shiny and new’.  There are still many things I want to see and experience not as a visitor, but as a part of it all.

 This past weekend really exemplified my new life here.  I had brunch with ‘the girls’ on Saturday, made plans to go see a concert with Libby this coming Wed, ran in the Sun Run with my coworkers, made tentative plans to see John Mayer with Micaela as well as run the next 10K race here.  My new yoga class ‘Runners Yoga’ starts on Thursday, and I’m excited to get back outside running again.

Everyone who had lived in or visited Vancouver warned me that I would fall in love.  It’s not that I didn’t take their warnings seriously, I just didn’t know if 6 months was a long enough period of time for that to happen in.  Well, it was more than enough.  Three months into my stay here, I am hooked.  I joke with Nick that if it wasn’t for him, I’d move out here.  (He jokes back that if it weren’t for me he’s move to San Diego). 

As of today I have no official date to move back East – hence the ‘x to go’.  I think I may actually welcome the possibility for my contract to be extended for an additional 3 months.  It would give me more time to live here, and a chance for Nick and I to reside on the same coast for a while.  Either way, I am working hard to make sure I am home in the East for the month of July.  I have an awful lot of wedding planning that needs to be done that month.  And of course, any new details I get on my stay here, I will pass along. 

Official Sun Run Numbers

 the 54,317 – Total Attendance

58:39 – Official Time

It was the 23rd year of the race.  Very fitting if you ask me

UPDATE:
Here is the route on a map of downtown Vancouver.  My apartment is 2 blocks after the start -so I got to run right by it.

Photos are online!  I can’t post them to the blog, they are protected (and I’m not paying $16 for the image…)
If you want to see them go to www.fleetfeetphotos.com and type in my last name “Cringoli” in the spot for ‘Sun Run 2007″. 

You can see me approaching the finish line on page 1, Image # 17760, and I’m crossing the line in #17761.  On page 3 I’m also in #58154.  Enjoy!

Last update I promise.  My official rank and placement are finally up online.  I placed 11,476 out of 54,317 – that’s just over the 20% mark!  Out of all the women I placed 3532 out of 24,103 – top 15%!!  I’m really excited. 

Placing			Search for ‘Karen Cringoli’   -   Matches 1 to 1       (Total: 1)

Unofficially 54,181 Runners Strong

The Sun Run is a 10k (6.2 miles) race around the downtown Vancouver area  which is the largest such run in Canada.  Last year it was the 2nd largest fun run in North America with just over 50,000 runners.  This year there were 54,181 runners that had registered for the race. 

I decided to run the race with several coworkers.  I’ve been training the past 3 months.  I have to admit I was nervous going into the race.  I’ve never run in a competitive race, let alone a race with 50K +  other people.  My initial goal was to run the entire race, no stopping, and to finish in 60 minutes or less. 

It was 38 degrees outside when I hit the pavement at 8:30am.  It was cold!!  As we waited in our ‘pen’ for our group to make it to the start line, it was warm amongst all the bodies, but as we crept forward over the next hour, it god progressively colder.  At around 9:30 my gun went off, and I was off.  I put my MP3 player on and settled in to my pace.  

 John Mayer’s Continuum album took me through the first half of the race and helped me not get too excited and run too fast at the beginning.  Then came Madonna’s Confessions on the Dance Floor album and that carried me home.  I was able to run the entire thing, finished hard with a great sprint, and I felt awesome.  I don’t have my official time yet, but my stopwatch says 58:39.  Right on target!!  They publish full results in tomorrow’s Vancouver Sun paper.  I am picking one up in the morning.  I’ll be sure to post the official results as soon as I have them. 

I was expecting a lot of spectators for such a big race, however onlookers were just kind of sprinkled along the course.  What I realized was that anyone in Vancouver who cared at all about the Sun Run, was likely in the Sun Run.  Entire schools had their kids entered in the race as a fitness activity.  An entire section of starters was dedicated to people with strollers as well.  In many ways, the Sun Run embodies the lifestyle and the people of Vancouver…active all the way.

I came home feeling very accomplished.  I would love to come back to Vancouver each year to run the Sun Run.  It’s something I’m really happy I could be a part of, and would be a nice way to re-visit the city.  I’m really starting to fall in love with it here…but more on that tomrorow, as it will be the 3 month mark of my stay here. 

O CANADA

A few very humorous – and oh so Canadian – things crossed my path this morning.  I thought I’d share. 

First and foremost it’s NHL playoff time.  The Vancouver Canucks have made the playoffs, and the hockey fans here (read: everyone), are out in full force to support the team as they try and defeat the Dallas Stars (read: a NOT Canadian team). 

Game 1 was Wednesday.  It was the 2nd longest game recorded in NHL history.  There were a total of 7 periods of play (3 regulation, 4 OT).  On the radio this morning someone called in blasting Club Seat Canucks’ fans (read: execs, corporate ticket holders, and big time season ticket holders).  Apparently at Wed. game the Club section was half empty after overtime #2.  The caller was angry that those up in the nosebleeds stuck it out, but those who hold the best seats just up and left.  My favorite line of the call in,

“I FORGIVE NO ONE.  We are Canadian, WE ARE HOCKEY.  This isn’t Columbus, this isn’t Denver, this is CANADA.  Sit in your seat and cheer your team on!  And don’t even tell me you had a babysitter to go home and pay, man up and pop for the extra $20 or $40 it will take to stay and watch the game”.  
(I made NONE of that up!!!)

There is also a new documentary out named Let’s All Hate Toronto.  Cnn even covered the film this morning.  Not being a native Canadian, some of the simple inter-city hate is lost on me.  I’ve heard jokes about Toronto here, but I never realized the deep seeded detest for the city.  Growing up just south of Toronto, I kind of have a soft spot in my heart for it (or maybe it was the fact that it was the first place I was able to go and legally drink alcohol and party…).