View a ScrapWall of some of my favorite photos of 2008. This site is pretty awesome – you can load up a bunch of photos and arrange them however you want. Similar to how Google Maps works, it lets you zoom in and out on the photos. In essence, it’s an easy way to make and share collages of your digital photos.

I’m Wearing Erika’s Scarf. And a comfy scarf it was and likely is and will continue to be. Though scarf may not be the right word.

Cora and Jesse. And a blank white wall.

Phil is Watching. The camera broke after Phil stared at it. Okay, not really, it ran out of batteries when I was taking a picture with Jake and Amy H in it.

Compare: I’m having fun making comparisons of these photos. Jenny’s smiling in both of them, but Jesse looks absent.

Don’t Lick The Penguin. Unless you’re the groom.

Suzanne, Benjamin, and I

James and I

The Ladies! Some days, I love being a bachelor.

Crazy Smyly. This guy used to be my roommate.

And the whole crew.

It’s actually a great park for scenery. You’ve got derelict remnants of the industrial era, Lake Union w/ myriad boats and seaplanes, green fields, kites, and more. The beautiful weather assisted in the wonder of the experience as well.

Around 1pm when the decision was made, I threw some essentials in my backpack and we headed out.

As usual, traffic out of the Seattle metro area tried to slow us down, but we made it pass the inevitable jams and traffic accident. Made it to the border.

I didn’t know what to expect at the border with this being my first time crossing an international boundary by vehicle (other than once when too young to remember). We passed the American side of the border and waited in-between queued up for our turn while looking at the Peace Arch and other scenery. After about a half hour wait, we made it to the border guard, showed our passports, had our backgrounds checked, and proceeded into Canada.

We took a “creative” route to Vancouver and initially found ourselves in New Westminster — a suburban town where the mall closes at 5pm on Sundays. Purchased a map from a local gas station, got back in the car, and headed to Vancouver proper.

The first part of town we visited was China Town. I was shocked out how run down parts of this area were. There were many homeless people in the area and I expect from observing the alleys that it’s also a prime area from drug trafficking and prostitution.

We serendipitously encountered a Chinese Market where vendors were hocking food, clothes, bras, panties, DVDs, trinkets, jewelry, and more. I found a table where the vendor was selling Blu-Ray discs for $6.00 (Canadian). They had a Chinese movie I’d seen at Pacific Place in Seattle called “CJ7″ and decided to purchase it. CJ7 ended up costing me $5 (USD) and 27 pennies (CAD).

Through later investigation I discovered this “Blu-Ray” disc is actually a region-free DVD (meaning it can be played in any DVD player — most DVDs are restricted to playing in the region of the world you bought it i.e. North America, Asia, etc.) I didn’t get what was advertised, but I also expected it considering the price at the location of purchase.


We continued our journey in Canada by trying to find food. We encountered difficulties in the pursuit when trying to cross town we kept being halted by a race. It ended up being Vancouver’s The Nike+ Human Race 10k. Eventually I gave up trying to drive around them, stopped outside of Science World (from the 86 Expo), watched the runners, and took photos.

Afterwards, we wandered towards nicer parts of down and ended up in the English Bay area. Finally found parking after searching for 15 minutes, walked around a bit to decide on a restaurant, and ended up at Ciao Bella Restaurant (reviews on Yelp).

I was tired from all the driving earlier (and recovering from the stress and frustration of being trapped behind thousands of runners not able to move through the city) so Martin drove home. I slept most of the way, and ended up back in Kirkland just as Monday began.

I now own a Paul Reed Smith SE EG electric guitar. And I Rock.

I won the guitar from a contest when I signed up for a subscription to Alternative Press magazine a few months ago. I found out about winning a couple weeks ago, and the guitar arrived unexpectedly on Friday. My roommate texted me at work and I anxiously awaited being able to return home for the remainder of the day.

Yesterday, I bought some gear for it including a strap, picks, electronic tuner, and an intro book to playing guitar.

I’ve managed to learn three chords so far. C, D, and G. As soon as I’m able to transition between them with enough speed to make a cohesive song, I’ll put something on YouTube. For now though, just bask in the photographic glory.

I did a lot of things. My highlights include touching a six-hundred-year-old tree, hanging out w/ my friend Mark and his wife MaryEllen, meeting some of their friends including Jessica who I stayed with the first two days, eating Southern food, playing racquetball (which I just realized I’ve been spelling wrong for the last week), seeing some huge planes, going to the beach, and seeing historical sites such as Boone Hall Plantation and Fort Sumter.

Six Hundred Year Old Tree and Me: This tree at Boone Hall Plantation is over six hundred years old. Yes, that’s right, since before Columbus. I stood by it and even touched it. Pretty sweet.

Mark in Front of Fort Sumter: This is a photo of my friend Mark in front of Fort Sumter.

Check out the rest of the album: