Saturday Relaxation

I've been wanting to go to the movies for several months but couldn't land on a movie I wanted to see.  But at last, there are a few releases I now want to see.

Today was the day.  I almost didn't make it because everyone and his dog was out and about.  It was a sunny day after a few days of rain and I don't think anyone wanted to miss out on it.  City traffic was heavy and buses were very slow with people getting on and off at every stop.  What adds to the time is strollers and wheelchairs because they take more time to enter and exit the bus. But hey, everyone needs to get somewhere.

I didn't buy a movie ticket in advance.  Besides the price of the movie ticket they also charge you a service fee when you buy on line. I knew the movie wasn't going to be too busy because I previewd the available seating in advance.  I also wanted to make sure I didn't miss too much of the movie before buying my ticket given how slow the traffic was moving.  Fortunately I only missed about 5 minutes of the movie when I checked in.  But by the time I ordered a coffee it was a longer delay.  Unbeknownst to me they made a fresh pot of coffee which added to the delay in getting into my seat.  On the other hand it was lovely to get a nice, fresh cup of Starbucks coffee.

The movie I went to is called Heart of the Beast. It's an adventure survival movie with Brad Pitt and a beautiful German Shepard who goes by the name Odin in the movie. The story is sad and poignant.  I won't say more as I don't want to spoil it for you.  But in case you'd like to know more,  here the official trailer if you want to check it out.

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I stopped at Winners after the movie. I spent a lot of time browsing before finally purchasing 3 small items including a rechargeable lamp for the entryway.  The lamp is meant for  a small cabinet but there's no available outlet nearby so a rechargeable lamp is a good option. 

Even though I made an early dinner before I left the house, I didn't have time to eat it.  By the time I'd finished at Winners it was 7:45 p.m. and I was famished. T & T Supermarket was nearby so I headed there for a few grocery items and some ready to eat snacks.

My snack/light dinner consisted of some unknown to me version of Vietnamese Salad rolls. The filling was mostly vermicelli noodles.  Whatever they added to the lettuce was quite tasty even though there wasn't much of it. I also had a small seaweed salad and a Strawberry Milk Tea with Pearls. It was all good.  I bought a few vegetables and some strawberries at the supermarket before heading home.

I mentioned that it rained for several days.  The temperature also really dropped and now I'm fighting a cold. Thankfully my little garden is still blooming and I am still going outside to smell the beautiful fragrance of the roses.  I don't have to go far so it's not a hardship.

I've spent a lot of time this month researching and buying supplies and items for some DIY renovations we're doing. It's taken a lot more time than I thought it would so I really needed a break from it.  Renovations will be ongoing for awhile by the look of things but I'm pleased with how things are going so far.  Despite the very small spaces being renovated they come with a large amount of challenges most of which were created by the workers who did the previous work. Maybe the solutions would be more evident for a skilled and experienced construction worker but we're first time DIYers so we have to carefully think about each challenge.  Of course, budget also comes into play.

What has occupied your time in September?

A Day in Photos

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all well today.

I took a little jaunt out to the University of British Columbia on Sunday to take a friend for coffee. He's been a patient at the University of BC Hospital and before that, a patient at the Vancouver General Hospital.

On my way to the University of BC

Once I arrived at the hospital, I made my way to an area of the university that is new to me. In the sky just beyond where you see the tree branches in the below photo, I spotted two eagles heading in the opposite direction. I'm always very excited to see eagles and I don't get to see them that often. I was a little slow to get my phone camera ready so I ended up with just a photo of empty sky.

I spotted 2 eagles flying just beyond the leaves.

I wondered why these trees were lined up the way they are.  They remind me of an orchard but this would be a very small orchard.

I'm not sure what kind of trees these are.

Regent College (see the small sign at parking lot) an interdenominational evangelical Christian college affiliated with the University of BC is located on the UBC Endowment Lands. It's peeking out behind the fence.  Like most other areas of the university the college gets a lot of international students.

The photo below looks toward a tower where a professor I know used to live. I'm not sure if the housing is meant for professors only or is also open to the public. A lot of the new housing on campus is for students and staff alike. I know the staff get subsidized rents.  When I was a student at UBC, highrises were extremely rare and development was minimal. The university is barely recognizable now as there has been a lot of development, both housing and amenities for staff and students, grocery stores, restaurants and coffee shops.

The Starbucks I was headed to is located just beyond the awning in the below photo. It turns out that the store with the awning is a wonderfully stocked grocery store. Both of these are newer additions to campus life. I stopped there to buy a lot of fruits and vegetables some of which I used for dinner that night.

The Starbucks is just beyond the awning.

Many years ago there was only one main bus to the university campus, the #14.  A second bus took an obscure route nearer to the waterfront but students seldom rode that bus.  Today, there are multiple buses coming and going from multiple directions. On the way home I took the #99 B-Line bus which is an express bus that travels along a major street called Broadway; a good route for intersecting with many other bus routes, subway and sky train options. 

A new subway line needs to be built to the university.  There is a current subway extension being built.  It was was meant to go out to the university but will only go part way due to the ballooning cost of construction that occurred over the "Covid period".   Of course, plans can change and political parties at all the levels can decide that the construction needs to happen now rather than later.

Heading home another way.