What a past couple weeks!

So what happened the past couple weeks? Let's see now I finished this temporary assignment I had for 2 months with this insurance co. Wasn't too broken up as I was getting quite bored with it (but how can u make insurance fun) but the people in the office were basically nice and I could do what I wanted or at least I did anyway. I had some time so hooked up with this dude Bill moving to Santa Clara and helped him drive down. He had this big honkin SUV expedition or whatever which isn't my favorite vehicle as they are gas gussling pigs driven by people who don't need a 4X4 in cities. But he said he'd pay all the gas if I helped drive and so I fell in love with a gas guzzin pig as a free ride is a free ride. It cost well over $100 to fill up and we did it a few times. Bill was a nice dude and is in IT so we had a bit in common. He was a network architect who was going to work for Cisco Systems in San Jose. So he had all this hi tech shit in his car - GPS, Satellite radio, blackberry with internet hookup as we drove. He worked on his computer and had a conference call for a hr while I drove. Now I'm a techno junkie but don't need a gps or satellite radio but don't mind them.

Well Bill wanted to import this vehicle into the US for some reason which was a pain in the butt as a car is just a car! So we had to spend 2 hrs at special customs at the border. I didn't mind waiting but this one younger custom dude really got me. He asked where I lived and what I did for work. I said well i share an apt with 2 others in Vancouver and I'm between work. Well this dude was seriously checking if I was going to stay down in California, work and not return. Must have thought I was a FOB (Fresh Off the Boat or something)! But I told the Customs dude, shit I have no plans to stay in CA as it's dam expensive, too many crazies and shit I'm trying to get away from work not do some. Well he wasn't too impressed I guess and I told him heck the economy isn't great in the US so if I wanted to work I'd have stayed in Vancouver. Somehow with all that shit the dude still let me go through and we continued our 20 hr drive to SF.

We left at 7 Am Fri and pulled into SF about 3 am Sat. Luckily it was that time as Bill drove me to this hostel by Fisherman's Wharf downtown. He had this all world phone plan on his blackberry so I could make calls anyway but just make a reservation & got a bed and told them I'd be late. The hostel is not bad but the people staying were a bit different than most I'm used to staying with. There were a few cool people - Brian from Texas (thought he was quiet but he was just a stoner), Orion (that's his name) from Virginia, dude from Guelph can't remember his name was on an internship at Google and Jo a chick from England, All the rest were like parents with babies, school kids, grand parents, people taking courses, on business trip to SF, etc. There were these 2 dudes working for Blackberry in Waterloo Canada on a business trip staying at the hostel. They liked hostels plus they could pay $25 a night and pocket the rest of their per diem while their mates stayed at a $300 hotel, smart guys! I think next time I'll stay at a backpacker hostel as I'm more at ease there.

Spent about a wk in SF as I biked, ran and walked the city. So I think got to know the downtown area. Ran across and back over the Golden Gate. also biked over the Golden Gate to Sausilito and took the ferry back to the Port of SF, then biked up to Haight (checked out the funky shops in what was the hippie area of SF) and through Golden Gate Park against the wild wind to the beaches.

So do u say what u think and leave a great impression? You know what they say "You can only make a First Impression once", well in my case it may be the only one I make.
I went to a couple of dinners with a group of new people lately and don't think I impressed some of them. There's this group called Sushi Lovers who like to try different restuarants. Well I like sushi so I went.

I sat by this causcaian dude who was using a fork and knife to eat sushi. So to make conversation I said wow I haven't seen anyone eat sushi with a fork why not use your hands as long as it's not your left hand as us Arabs don't use our left hand to eat food. Well he got on this tangent about Arabs and how they crapped in an outhouse on the floor. I told him yeah it's a hole in the floor but it's a flush one, just a different toilet that's all. I asked him had he been in a country that used this type of toilet as I lived in 2 Arab countries which had great faciliites. Well not really but he's seen it on TV. Yeah like I told him it's hard to tell on TV as there's so much shit on TV these days. He didn't catch the humor but started saying how the Canadian army shouldn't be in Afganistan fighting the American's war! Well that hit a nerve as I told him should Canadians expect the Americans to stand up for Canadians or shouldn't we try to help too. Well his ignorance pissed me off so I told him he was an ignorant idiot that should maybe travel a bit and quit watching TV for his ideas.

Well last night was even worse as I went to this dinner with a group of new people. There were about 13 people from all over the world gathered by this Ukranian chick who has been in Vancouver for 2 months and wants to make friends. So I thought this would be cool! Unfortunately I had to initate my new pipe with some 420 before heading there - mistake. I was OK for the first while and the people were nice and interesting. But after drinking for a few hrs (not a good idea for me to mix the 2) I usually get pretty shit faced. So I'm not usually responsible for some of the shit that comes out of my mouth. What I say is usually offensive to chicks but guys are cool with it as they know I'm just enjoying myself. I'm harmless to the chicks as I don't try to hit on them or anything. I just say whatever I think (or don't think) and feel like saying. So I have a good time and then the next day I think Oh shit what did I do or say last night. So I usually apologize for being so shit faced. But will I change, probably not but hey "I'm here for a good time not a long time".

Don't know if I'll run into these people again as I didn't give most of these travelers from other countries a good impression of Canadians. But oh well like I say you can only make a shitty first impression once and I wasn't out to impress any body or chick as I don't like to kiss any one's ass to make friends.

Well tomorrow morning I have to be at my ex wife's place early as we're going on a road trip. She likes puntuality which I'm not usually but with her I try to b. Actually it's to a family reunion that's happening next weekend. She's driving so this should be fun! I told her maybe I'll do some 420, listen to my mp3 and chill for the 12 hr trip. She wants to break up the trip (and maybe my neck along the way) along the way but she said I won't be getting lucky! But that's OK as bin dare dun dat! But we get along great and I love her dearly but it's just we're in 2 different spaces but I haven't met too many in the same space as me! It'll be interesting seeing some of my family as haven't seen some for a couple years. I tried to see my brother when I was in SF last week but couldn't get a hold of him so will see him this wk.

Then when I get back I've looked into maybe either getting another temp job (not fun) or do another road trip. I was volunteering at a Youth Shelter once a week helping in the kitchen for months. But i got tired of washing dishes for 3 hrs so I told them I'd help but something a little more challenging. Don't get me wrong as I don't mind checking my ego at the door and doing whatever it takes. But what got me was no one else would wash the dishes but would simply chop up veggies and drop the dirty dishes on me. Then when they had free time they just stood around and gabbed! to me that's not team work! I've also volunteered last winter coaching mentally challenged people to ski. I've just started snowboarding my self but am not good enough to coach as I've skied for many years. I've also taking a training course with the Red Cross in their Disaster Management program. I like volunteering cuz it feels like I'm making a bit of differnce to someone. I got this feeling especially volunteering in Africa last year http://www.projectskenya.blogspot.com/

So I've been checking out doing a road trip with 2 French and a Korean chick to the Grand Canyon and elsewhere for a month.

TRIP WEST COAST AND GRAND CANYON
We are looking for another person to travel down the US west coast and to canyon's Arizina and Utah (like Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon...)
We planned to leave vancouver to the west coast on the 2nd of june for one month.

My thought is that may be too much girl power and I'd be outvoted to go shopping or something like that. But they're travelers so they don't have much cash plus they aren't girly girls but like to hike, camp and cook and do thinks on the cheap. I don't expect to travel for free as i always pay my way but they wanted to rent a car. But i said I'd take my 20 year old Betsy. but they haven't seen it yet but anyway going to sleep on the idea.

Anyway will figure out something to do this summer but not quite sure. But it's sounding like it may be like Harold and Kumar go to.........