15/52

Bo, Su, Gregg, & Anita came to hang out in the backyard and drink eat stuff with me! I did a little gardening but mostly we just ate hummus and drank scotch and beer until it was time to watch Game of Thrones (Purple Wedding episode! so satisfying).

14/52

I usually tell people not to pose when I'm taking their picture, which sometimes results in hilarious mid-sentence photos like this one. Also my dad's cool moustache is making its first return since the late '90s. Jeff and I made dinner and he brought us several bottles of wine, since we hadn't seen him & Sharon since before Christmas so there was a slight backlog of gifts.

12x12: March

Jeff & I went to the 500th beer list party at the Alibi Room. We went on the second day so a lot of the special casks and taps they'd opened on the previous night had already sold out, but there was still a veritable book of beers to choose from.

Someone brought a piñata...

One must presume this error is on purpose.

First time I noticed the creepy stuffed owl thing behind the bar.

Someone brushed past me as I was taking this, and in the low light, it was enough to make it turn out like this, apparently.

COOL STORY TIME: A grey cat kept coming around our yard for a few days looking skinny and sad and wanting to come inside, so we fed him and Tamara set up a box so he would have someplace to sleep. I figured before calling a shelter I'd look on craigslist for lost pets, and found one that fit the description in our neighbourhood. He was an indoor cat who'd escaped almost two weeks before — no wonder he was so skinny! I emailed her and she came over right away to pick him up. She cried with happiness and asked if she could give me a hug. A few days later I found this pot of yellow roses on the front stoop from her. Such a sweet gesture; I was just happy to help someone get their lost pet home. I've since planted them in the front yard, hoping they get some roots and turn into a bush. (The pink daisies are from a wedding Sarah went to.)

A neat thing about making stout cake is you get to drink the leftover stout.

I trimmed this and did some weeding; it's out of control again now though.

13/52

Ran into someone I'd met at the last cookoff at the pub, ended up staying for four hours talking with him and his friend over beers. Weeded the garden. Made cupcakes. Ate waffles and went to the movies with Jeff on a rare Sunday off together, then had beers at Portland Craft while talking about the movie (12 Years a Slave).

12/52

A stray cat was coming around our yard for a few days; he was really skinny and sad looking so Tamara gave him some food. Before calling a shelter I decided to check craigslist for lost cats in the area and found one that fit the description. He was 17 years old and escaped from a house about a block away and had been gone for 12 days! His owner had pretty much lost home, so when she came to pick him up she was so happy she cried and hugged me. It felt amazing to be able to help someone get their lost pet back!

Other things: coconut cookoff, watching 90s movies, spring equinox, tattoo work, meeting new friends, hockey sadness/rage, culling and donating awful cookbooks in our collection.

11/52

Jeff & I went to the Alibi Room for their 500th menu celebration. The menu was a veritable BOOK of beers! In order to not get smashed on a work night, I managed to limit myself to three (it was tough though). Later in the week I met some new friends and got some more work done on my sleeve. Still a ways to go, but it's coming together now at least.

10/52

Excitement for spring. Daylight savings time hits and a lot of people seem to get tired — not me; my mood improves by at least 50%. I desire a beautiful yard, fewer possessions, the ability to fix broken things. Also I am learning to drive, which is terrifying! Jeff's car is a stick shift so in addition to everything else about cars, I'm learning that as well. He says I'm doing well, but I'm not sure if that's actually true or if he's just trying to keep me motivated (either way I appreciate it).

9/52

How Jeff often winds down after work.

12x12: February

At Amanda's in Robert's Creek. She laughed when she saw me taking pictures of these socks; some of them have been there since the summer, when they got so covered in burrs & dirt during some adventure that she hasn't been able to get them clean.

February first — those are some keen cherry blossoms!

Amanda admiring the blossoms; Ian getting some love from the cat.


Amanda remembered that this was my favourite mug to use when she lived at Flatland, so she gave me my morning coffee in it without me even asking.




The front window at Amanda's; the marina in Gibsons, on my way to the ferry home.

It's hard to tell, but this is Natalie at her baby shower. I lost a bunch of photos on this roll due to distractedly opening the camera without winding the film back first, which is why I'm forced to share all these ones with light leaks. Some turned out nice, others were... a little disappointing. But those are the risks of film — I'm just glad I didn't wreck the whole roll.

8/52

I stayed home Thursday and Friday with a tiresome cold, and while it was shitty to lose out on two days' worth of dollars, I DID get the joy of watching the Canadian women's hockey team win a gold medal in epic fashion. We also, on Sunday, hosted a very early (4am!) viewing of the men's gold medal game, with lots of coffee and donuts. But after the intensity of the women's game, the men's seemed a bit underwhelming, even though Canada won. (maybe it's because trash-talking Sweden is not that fun?) Also, it snowed for three days! But the accumulation was only a couple of inches in my neighbourhood, and almost nothing in the rest of Vancouver.