My good friend Dave M. has been trying to convince me to become a Lions fan for a long time. Personally, I’m not a big football fan, but I do love sports and I consider myself a BC girl. So hey, why not give it a try?

It just so happened that another friend of mine, Tom, was having a birthday yesterday and got a bunch of tickets for all his friends. We started off with a few shots of my favourite tequila each, and then… to the Lions game!

After going to numerous Canucks game at GM Place, I was completely floored by how much bigger BC Place was. The sheer number of empty seats was surprising too. I was happy to see a lot of orange in the crowd, but it really did seem like only a quarter of the crowd actually knew what was going on. I think everyone else was there to drink.

I was also surprised by the selection of food… not nearly as much as at GM Place. There were fewer stoppages in play (no “advertising breaks”), and definitely less ads and commercials in the stadium. That was actually really nice. I think hockey would be much more enjoyable without the flashing ads and loud commercials all the time. I will also say this — the DJ was way better at the Lions game.

Not just that, but the Lion claws and the orange were much more eye catching and “fierce” than the blue Canucks colours and the Orca. I mean really… an Orca?! I decided to get myself a Lions hat, and I tried my best to pay attention to the game. Geroy Simon was definitely one to watch, and (in my very little football knowledge), it seemed like the Lions played pretty good defense last night. Lions beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 40-10.

So Dave, yes, I had a lot of fun. I’m not sure if I’m going to convert to a Lions fan anytime soon, but I really had a great time. I’ll always be a ‘Nucks fan at heart, and I think I only have room for one sports team in me

After the game, the group headed to Library Square for some drinks and dancing. What a funny name for a club. And it was 80s night too. Perhaps a little too “cougar-ish” for me, a little too old school as well, but we still had an awesome time.

Good night!

I’ve actually been a photographer since I was 10 years old. At that age, there was really no such thing as a digital camera… or at least nothing we could afford or anything attainable. My dad had an old Pentax Film SLR that he had used when he was a teenager and had collected a number of lenses and filters. My dad showed me how to focus it, and sent me off on my own. So I started playing around with my dad’s old camera. I wish I had scanned the photos, but I don’t have them anymore.

I eventually bought an Olympus C-3030Zoom. I can’t believe 3 MP seemed like a lot at the time! It was an old school digital camera but actually quite cutting edge for the time. I even bought a couple filters for it. I decided to start a photo journal site and post my digital photos and did this for the next 4 years. Here are some of my photos with the Olympus:

In 2005 I finally bit the bullet and bought a digital SLR. I bought a Nikon D50 with the kit lens, a 70-300 zoom lens, and a number of filters. I eventually bought an underwater housing for it in 2007 (to take surfing and scuba photos with it). Some of my favourite photos were taken with this camera:

Finally, last September my D50 died and I bought my Nikon D80, which I love. Here are some recent photos:

Now that I’ve started blogging again, it’s tempting to make it a photo journal — but I don’t think I will this time. I am, however, only be using my photos on this site, unless otherwise credited. I’ve been debating whether or not lug my DSLR around with me everywhere, for the purposes of taking photos for my blog. I love my compact Canon camera, but is it enough for the average reader? Do people expect high quality photos all the time?

So what do you think… to lug my DSLR around, or not to lug?

In other news, my dear friend Jessica Whidden has her birthday today. Jess and I first met last year when I went to City Sports Physiotherapy. Snowboarding had torn up my knees and generally messed up my body, and Jessica put me all back together. She’s a registered massage therapist, and her sports massage is serious business. She also happens to be a super mom… she’s an amazing skier and a hardcore snowboarder, pretty much a professional rugby player, extremely intelligent, and also gorgeous. Not to mention that she’s a mother, working pretty much full time, and also in school for acupuncture and even doing her yoga teacher certification. Holy crap, if only all of us could be like her. Love you Jess, and thanks for healing me on a regular basis.