vancouver, interrupted

but to be continued now.

the rest of 09/21/07 went like this:

D.B. wisely pointed me in the direction of free interwebs access at the court. what a vastly different experience from going to the court in new york.

for instance,

1) Not once did anyone yell, shout or otherwise verbally abuse me
2) Not once was my intelligence and propriety doubted
3) Not once was i subject to any searches, body-cavity or otherwise

in fact, the sign just inside the lobby of the building said that if you had a camera with you, you had to check it in at the sheriff's station. so i faithfully went over to disclose my camera and check it in. the lovely sheriff at the station (wearing a wicked awesome hat, by the way) was so soft-spoken, helpful & courteous (three qualities NO ONE working for the US/NYS government has EVER possessed) but he told me that if i kept my camera in my bag and didn't pull it out, i could just take it up with me. at first he thought i was at the courthouse to see the swearing in ceremony taking place that afternoon. in which case, i was welcome to take my camera up to the atrium. i actually stumbled upon that swearing in ceremony accidentally, anyway. but he said i could take my camera up to the law library as long as i didn't take it out of my bag. there were no rules about phones either. just cameras.

i got up to the library, which was 1) quiet & serene; 2) populated by employees who were both able & inclined to assist; and 3) clean & non-scented. thank you my sweet homeland. in short, it was an oasis. not only that but the computers are for PUBLIC use: don't have passwords, don't have to prove that you are a lawyer or a law student, don't have to sign over your first-born, provide your social insurance number (the canadian version of that crumbly piece of green paper in the u.s. which is the holy grail to getting anything done -- except S.I.N. cards look actually like cards and are not so fragile as to blow out of your wallet if you sneeze while carrying it. piece of crap!!)

now the fact of this free computer use might not seem significant to those of you who live in places where "public" isn't necessarily a dirty word. i was amazed by how accessible the courthouse library is given that when i was studying for the bar exam (the NY State bar exam), i called all the law schools in NYC to see if i could come and study there for the bar. apparently, these hallowed institutions permit only students & alumni to use their facilities. forget borrowing books - just sitting there and reading the books you brought from home is verboten. wtf!? anyway. i just had a flashback of how irate that made me. yes, the fancy NYC public library wasn't too far from my place but the hours were pretty limited. anyway. i'm getting over it.

so, internet-ing done. my next stop was the pan pacific hotel, spa utopia where S.B.'s wedding party (i wasn't in the wedding party but got special-out-of-town-visitor status) was having a spa day. i signed up for a hot stone massage. it was really amazing. like muscle melting magic. honestly, i can't say that it's something i'd always get (because the masochist in me doesn't believe it's a massage unless it hurts so bad i cry) but it was definitely worth it. i didn't see S.B. before going in for my treatment, but i met the entire wedding party (S.B.'s side), her mom, her aunt, her cousin, etc. once i got out of my appointment. S.B. came out into the lounging area, looking resplendent. seriously. she could wear a paper bag, cinch it here & there, throw some binder clips on her ears and look like a billion bucks. anyone who knows her agrees with me. she would blow everyone on project runway out of the water.

the ladies were all going out for dinner post-spa, but i had made plans for dinner with S.D. & P.B., two more friends from law school. i think my popularity really peaked in law school.

dinner was great. i met P.B. in yaletown. S.D. was held up for a bit by work, and came and joined us when we shifted locations for dessert. it was super catching up with them and knowing that some things never change & that distance doesn't make the heart grow more absent or less fond or more forgetful or something. yippy.