Ninety-ninth day of work selfie

I told you I’ve been wearing more pink this summer.  My sister gave me this dress for my birthday last year.  She has good taste.  I mean, of course she has good taste, she borrows my clothes sometimes.  She got it at Bryan’s.  I think she actually bought it for herself and then didn’t like the way it looked on her and then decided to gift it to me.  But whatever.  She’s really into rainbow designs.  I wore this dress to the Vancouver Pride Parade last year because it’s so rainbow like.

My pink cardigan is from the Plenty warehouse sale at the Vancouver Convention Centre during Easter long weekend.  My necklace and earrings are both from Payless.  My bracelet is from Sears and my ring is from the Blim Market street festival downtown last month.  I’m kind of liking my hair being dirty and messy.  It kind of works.  Or maybe it doesn’t.  But whatever. 

Forty-second day of work selfie

Yes, I own two of the same blazer in different colours.  After finding that green Vero Moda blazer at Winners, I discovered that The Bay had it in red.  Red is just so bold and bright and wanted to add more of it to my wardrobe.  But that mint green blazer was such a lovely colour too.  I debated briefly and then decided to purchase the red one as well.  One can never have too many Vero Moda blazers.  I just feel ready to take on the world when I wear it.  I got this black top from H&M.  I think it was at the one at West Edmonton Mall actually.  I’ve only been there once.  I was there for my brother’s and sister’s youth bowling tournament when they made it to the Nationals.  My dad was a coach and so they needed another adult to stay with them while he went to meetings.  So I got to spend 3 days standing in a bowling alley.  But on the first day, we had free time to briefly visit the mall.  I remember I almost bought this top in green, but I’m glad I decided on the black.  I remember there was no PST because it was Alberta so I was pleasantly surprised.  My video game heart necklace is from Fan Expo Expo Vancouver and my red earrings are from a kiosk at Lansdowne Centre.

My parents are following me on Facebook

Yeah.  So a few years ago, when my dad got Facebook, he sent me a friend request.  Which I declined.  Because I didn’t want him seeing all my stuff.  I felt it was unnecessary.  This year, my mom decided to get Facebook.  She pretty much just wanted it so she could enter a contest, so she barely ever uses it.  Soon after getting it, I received a friend request from her as well.  Which I had to decline also.  I’m not going to accept one parent and not the other.  That just wouldn’t be fair.  It’s either all or nothing.

Last week, I received a notification on Facebook that my dad was following me.  My immediate thought was “Oh shit!”.  And then I looked at my list of followers and realized my mom was following me on Facebook as well.  Crap.  The only reason I got notified about my dad is because we have one mutual friend.  At first I cursed the fact that we had one mutual friend, because I think that’s how he found my profile a couple years ago.  But now I’m grateful, because if it weren’t for that friend, I wouldn’t have even been notified about the fact that he is currently following me.

I haven’t talked to them about it at all.  But I did immediately update my Facebook status to “My parents are following me on Facebook.  This is the beginning of the end.”  Which I’m sure they would have read, since my posts should now be showing up in their news feed since they’re following me.  I’m not sure how often they check it.  I think my dad probably checks it more often than my mom.  I think he uses it to check up on me.  Maybe it’s a sign that he’s worried about me?  Because I’ve been going out so much lately?

Whatever the case, I haven’t yet decided what to do about it.  I can a) Do nothing and let them keep following me, b) Block them (Except I’m not actually sure how to block people from following you on Facebook. Is there an option for that somewhere?), c) Admit defeat and just add them as friends, or d) Add them as friends but with a limited profile (which I think is stupid, you may as well not add a person if you’re not going to let them see anything).

I’ve asked people if they think I should just add them as friends and most of them have told me no.  But I mean I feel like I’m at a point where it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if I did.  I never post anything THAT bad.  I don’t think I’ve posted anything that bad recently while they’ve been following me anyway.  Although yesterday I may have posted about how I missed out on winning gay porn at Celebrities bingo.  But what’s wrong with that?  It’s not like I asked for that to be one of the prizes.  So it’s fine.  Probably the worst thing actually, is the fact that my profile picture right now is of me strewn across the laps of male strippers.  I’m guessing that’s probably not a photo you want to see of your daughter.  Oh well.

I’m wondering if I do add them as friends, would I end up having to censor myself?  I mean, more so than I already do.  And if I did, would that be so bad?  I remember someone once told me that a good rule of thumb is to not post anything on Facebook that you wouldn’t want your grandma to see.  But my grandma would probably let more things slide than my parents.  Speaking of which, I just found out my grandma also has Facebook, but I’m pretty sure she never uses it and isn’t sure how it all works.  I have not added her either, because I generally don’t add family on Facebook.  But I’m considering it.

I was thinking maybe this year, I should just give my parents my friendship on Facebook as a Mother’s Day and Father’s Day present.  That’s probably worth more to them than whatever I might buy them, right?

What do you think?  Would you add your parents on Facebook, or am I crazy for considering it?

I saw male strippers with my grandma

Yeah, so the title of this post is self explanatory.  But I’m guessing you want details?  Like how and why?  More like how awesome was it and why did it take this long for me to write about it?

Obviously this appealed to me

While in Vegas, I went to see seven shows.  Thunder From Down Under was one of my favourites.  We were looking through the different shows that we could potentially go to and trying to organize our time, figuring out which days we would do what.  I was staying at the Luxor, which has a connection to the Excalibur.  They had a deal at these hotels where you can attend two of their shows for $75.  So naturally, I went for this deal.

I wore my best looking shoes to the show

I commented on how I wanted to see it, and to my surprise, my grandma said she would go with me.  I had to make sure she was serious.  She was.  I wanted my cousin to come too, but she was only 18 at the time.  But lucky for us, 18 year olds are allowed to go as long as they are accompanied by an adult over the age of 21.  Done and done.

My cousin and I, awaiting the show

We had some time before the show started, so my cousin and I went back to our respective hotels to get ready while my grandma did some more gambling.  Before we met up to go in, my grandma asked someone where the Thunder From Down Under Showroom was.  Apparently they replied with, “YOU’RE going to Thunder From Down Under?”  To which she replied, “Yes, I’m going with my granddaughters,” in a way that suggested that it was a perfectly normal thing for her to be doing.

They’re so good, they have their own Showroom

My cousin and I were so excited for the show.  The novelty of it wasn’t so much the fact that we were going to see strippers.  It was the fact that we were going to see strippers with our grandma.  Who does that?  Who else can say that they’ve done that?  I’m probably the only person who can say she saw male strippers with her 18 year old cousin and her 79 year old grandma.  And more importantly, that I enjoyed seeing male strippers with my 18 year old cousin and my 79 year old grandma.

My grandma bought me a thunder cocktail

My grandma’s awesomeness does not stop with the fact that she agreed to come with us.  She also bought me a drink.  And not just any drink.  A giant fishbowl drink.  I was still trying to finish it at the end of the show.

My giant fishbowl drink

This was my first time at a male strip show.  Because sadly, there are no male strip clubs in Vancouver.  At least none that I am aware of.  Are there?  In Nevada, apparently there’s a law where they’re not allowed to remove everything.  So no full frontal.  But my grandma mentioned to us that back in her day, they took everything off.

Me and my fishbowl

Before the show started, there were videos on the screen with various clips of the men from Thunder From Down Under.  In one of them, it showed them all hanging out in their dressing rooms, and one guy was playing guitar, and one of them was straightening the other guy’s hair.  I was like is that what they do when they hang out?  Sit around straightening each other’s hair and serenading each other on the guitar?

Our seats weren’t half bad

Like any good male strip show, there was a fake orgasm contest, where the host brings three ladies onstage to do their best fake orgasm to win prizes.  I’m kind of glad I didn’t get picked for that.  It would probably be horrifying to have to do that in front of my cousin and my grandma.  And I’m even more grateful that neither of them went up.  I can’t even imagine.

It was thrilling walking through those doors

I loved their dance numbers.  And their bodies.  It’s actually quite intimidating how insanely in shape they keep themselves.  There were a bunch of times when they would invite a girl on stage to get some private one on one time with one of the guys.  Sadly, I was not chosen.  It’s usually girls who are there for bachelorette parties and birthdays that get to go up.  Or whichever girl screams the loudest.

It was all so exciting

They don’t stay onstage for the entire time.  Sometimes they come around out into the audience.  Which was great for us because we had a couple of them pass by our table a few times.  One guy came around and he gave my grandma a hug and he gave my cousin a hug.  But he completely ignored me.  I was feeling rather neglected.  But the later, another guy came by and sat on my lap.  So it was all good in the end.

The Showroom

After the show, you get the chance to get your picture taken with the guys onstage.  No, sadly my grandma did not get one taken.  But she gave my cousin and I $20 each to get them for ourselves.  Would your grandma give you money to go sit on a stripper’s lap?  Yeah, didn’t think so.

Next time, I’m buying some merchandise

They showed us different poses that they could do with us.  For one of them, they said it was for your ex-boyfriends, and they were all giving the finger.  My cousin, being the classy girl that she is, decided to choose that one.  So she, along with the guys, are all giving the finger to the camera.  She said it was a message to all the guys who have hurt her, that the Thunder From Down Under guys support her.  I thought that was pretty awesome.

Girl’s night outback. How clever.

I went for something a little less harsh, and just positioned myself across their laps.  Still keeping it classy as always.  Clint, the guy with the pink hair greeted me on the stage and said he liked my outfit.  He was my favourite.  He had dyed his hair pink to show support for breast cancer awareness.  I also liked Matthew, the guy who hosted it.  At the end, he does some stripping himself, which is awesome.  And then I sat on the young guy’s lap and we talked about how they had done a show at the River Rock the previous year and how I’m from Richmond.  I was still talking to him and didn’t even realize my time was up.  I totally could have sat there longer…

My classy as hell photo

Because we’re awesome, we checked our coupon books for coupons for a free poster from the merchandise shop.  But in all our excitement, we forgot to claim them.  Luckily our hotels were right near the Excalibur, so we went back to get what was rightfully ours.

Yay for free posters

There was a 9:00pm show and an 11:00pm show.  We went to the early one.  Grandma likes to party, but she still needs to be in bed at a reasonable hour.  You have the opportunity to get your photos and posters signed at the end of the show, but for some reason we didn’t.  But I was determined not to miss out.

Woo hoo

After leaving my grandma and my cousin and going back to my hotel, I went back to the Thunder From Down Under Showroom to wait.  I dropped stuff off in my room first and my dad asked me where I was going since it was quite late by that time.  I informed him I was going to go get my stuff signed by strippers and went on my way.

Waiting to get my merchandise signed

I had to wait a while.  A lot of girls from the second show were getting their photos taken, and taking their time doing so.  But it was well worth the wait.  What’s better than a Thunder From Down Under photo and poster?  A signed Thunder From Down Under photo and poster.  Plus further interaction with the guys, however minimal it may have been.  I made sure I was visible enough in the crowd to push through and get each one of their signatures.

Is it worth more because it’s been signed?

This experience was probably the most memorable of the trip.  And one of my most memorable experiences in general.  For some, Vegas may be all about getting wasted in some high end nightclub.  But for me, it was all about strippers with my grandma.

What happens in Vegas ends up in a blog post

Last summer, I went to Vegas.  With family.  When I tell this to most people, they are initially intrigued by the fact that I went to Vegas.  And then soon disinterested when they find out I went with family.  Almost as though they feel sorry for me.  As if it’s so disappointing and such a waste of a trip.  For most people, a trip to Vegas with your family isn’t as fun or glamorous as a normal Vegas trip would be.  But for me, it was.

My grandma turned 80 years old last year.  And she had never been to Vegas before.  So we thought it would be fun to take her there.  She loves gambling, so I was shocked it was her first time there.  Even I had been before, and I hate gambling.  Mostly because I’m so terrible at it.  But my grandma is more of a risk taker and has more luck than I do, so Vegas was perfect for her.  I’m more interested in the shopping and the shows.  And the food.  And the drinking.  You know, there’s always something for everyone.

Apparently my grandma is afraid of flying in an airplane.  This fear manifested a few years ago, when some idiot made some remarks about how flying was unsafe an whatnot.  I think that was the last time she was in a plane because whatever the guy said on that flight must have freaked her out.  So my aunt and uncle had to drive down to Vegas with her.  I can’t even imagine that long and painful drive.  I’m just so glad I went by plane.

So what’s there to do in Vegas with your family?  So many things!  Despite what many might think, Vegas isn’t just all about the pool parties and the night clubs.  I mean I wouldn’t bring kids there.  Although some people do.  Which is ridiculous.  Walking down the strip at like 11pm, you see families with kids.  And wonder why are you out, shouldn’t you be in bed?  Why are you here?  But anyway.  When you’re with family members who are old enough to appreciate it, Vegas is awesome.

The shows are amazing.  I really wish we had more shows here in Vancouver because I miss it.  I went to a total of seven shows while I was there and they were all spectacular.  I saw Terry Fator, Mac King, Nathan Burton Comedy Magic, Frank Marino’s Divas, Tournament of Kings, The Beatles Love by Cirque du Soleil, and Thunder From Down Under.  Did I mention that I saw Thunder From Down Under with my grandma?  They’re Australian strippers.  Yeah, that happened.

I also went to two buffets.  And I went crazy both times.  You know I love food.  And I tend to have no self control when that food is essentially limitless.  So you can imagine what my plates looked like.  I definitely ate too much, but I have no regrets about that.  I also loved being able to drink in public during the day.  I’m pretty sure if I lived in Vegas, I would be a morbidly obese alcoholic with a lot of debt.

I also hung out by the pool and did a lot of walking along the strip.  And shopping.  I did my fare share of shopping at Ross and at the outlet mall.  I did gamble a little as well.  But as I said, it’s really not my thing.  I lost a bit and then gave up.  I just don’t have my grandma’s luck or perseverance.

Stay tuned for future blog posts about the shows, food, drinks, and fun I had in Vegas…

Cast Away in space

Me: I’m going to go see Cloud Atlas.

Mom: I think it’s like Cast Away, but in space.

Fyi, it’s not. At all. But if they did make a movie like that, I would totally go see it.

Who’s Asian Jim?

A couple weeks ago, I went to see Cloud Atlas with my friend.  We saw the late show and it was really long and I was really tired. But it was good.  I loved the makeup and thought it was all done really well.  In the elevator scene, I found myself attracted to the old guy and wondered why, and then I realized that it was James D’Arcy playing him and it all made sense.  I wouldn’t mind being trapped in an elevator with old James D’Arcy.

He’s so sexy as an old man.

Another impressive part was Jim Sturgess as an Asian guy.  Somehow, he looks even hotter when he’s Asian.  I think it’s the look combined with the character and fight scenes that makes him so great.  Just everything about him really.  After the movie, we reflected on how he was hottest when he was the Asian character.

Yeah. How can you not find that attractive?

My friend sent me a text message the following day about Cloud Atlas and about Asian Jim Sturgess.  My brother happened to glance at my phone as I was texting and asked me “Who’s Asian Jim?”.  I told him it was from a movie and he was like “The character’s name is Asian Jim?”.  I tried to explain it to him but he’s 11 and Cloud Atlas is way too complicated even for some adults.

So I tried explaining how the actor plays an Asian guy but I couldn’t really explain myself.  So every so often, my siblings will randomly ask me “Who’s Asian Jim?” and make fun of me.  So now I’m pretty sure they just think that I’m dating some Asian guy named Jim.  How fun for me…

I’m a busy, busy boy

Me: What do you want for Christmas?

Brother: Gloves and boots.

Me: If you want boots, you have to come shopping with me.

Brother: I can’t.

Me: Why not?

Brother: I can’t clear my schedule.

Me: What do you mean you can’t clear your schedule?

Brother: I’m a busy, busy boy.

He’s 11. I don’t know what this busy schedule he speaks of is all about. But at least he’s asked for reasonable things for Christmas.

Happy 80th Birthday Grandma!

Today is my grandma’s 80th birthday.  She’s one of the coolest people I know.  She bought me my first bra.  She bought me my first razor.  She’s taken me gambling. Whenever we have family get togethers, she’s always the on who offers me a glass of wine.  And then tells me to go take more when I’ve finished it.  She’s a really fun person, and proof that age is just a number.

Few people can say that their grandma is their drinking buddy.  Or that they’re excited to go hang out with their grandma.  Or that they went to Vegas with their grandma.  Or that they saw male strippers in Vegas with their grandma.  But I can.  And for that, I consider myself lucky.

My grandma doesn’t have a computer.  But she has an iPad.  Cause she’s cool like that.  Although I think she mostly uses it to play slot machine games.  So she’ll probably never read this post.  But I’m going to wish her happy birthday on here anyway, and let the rest of you know how cool she is.

Me and my grandma at an Italian restaurant at New York New York in Las Vegas. Yes, we were both drinking red wine.

Happy 80th Birthday Grandma!

My grandma’s attempt at being a wingwoman

I was at a trivia night fundraiser a couple weeks ago and my cousin noticed that we were next to a table that was filled with young guys.  I turned to her and said “It’s a good thing grandma’s not here, or she’d be trying to set you up with one of them right now.”  My grandma does stuff like that sometimes.  Like she’ll tell waiters about how she has granddaughters.  I’m not around as much, so it’s mostly my cousin who has to deal with it.

The other night, I was having dinner at Taki’s on Davie street for my cousin’s birthday.  My grandma was there and at one point she pointed over to another table and said to me and my cousin, “Look, there’s two hunks over there for you.”  We looked over.  And then my uncle turned to her and said, “Yeah, they’re gay…”.  And my grandma questioned as to how we knew that and how was she supposed to know?  And then we pointed out that they were having dinner together on a Saturday night by candlelight on Davie street.  They held hands as they left together.  They were hot and they made a really cute couple.  My grandma then asked that if she had dinner with one of her girlfriends, would they be considered lesbians?  We told her no.

The following week, my grandma and my uncle were having dinner and she pointed out a guy who she thought would be “a nice young man” for my cousin.  Apparently he too, was gay.  My friend pointed out that at least she has good taste, since gay guys are usually the best looking and the best dressed.  I love my grandma.  She’s not the greatest wingwoman, but she really tries.

I don’t have a good picture of us from my cousin’s birthday, so here’s a picture of me with my grandma & my cousin at the Tournament of Kings show at The Excalibur in Vegas.