Dor Goes West: November 2009

Tuesday, 17 November 2009

Es schneit

SNOW! Tonnes of the stuff. Snow has been the story of the week, and has been involved in most of the notable events as well. The most notable of which was Nick getting arrested in the midst of an epic snowball fight on Saturday night.

This weekend was my 22^nd birthday, and was also the weekend the lifts opened. After a good day’s riding, some hut tub action and the now-traditional Steak Saturday, a bunch of us went out on Saturday night to celebrate the monumental occasion. A couple of drinking games later and we were at the bus stop hurling snowballs at each other (or at the ground in my case – it turns out alcohol doesn’t improve your aim). The bus ride into the village was eventful as usual. It turns out alcohol also makes Joe much more gullible, and when I told him to get off the bus he duly did. I had, of course, told him the wrong stop, and Joe and Damien had to be rescued by Jim once we arrived in the village.

Anyway, to cut what is becoming a long and boring story short, another snowball fight broke out whilst we were waiting for the bus home. Everything that moved seemed to be fair game, which was bad news for cars and anyone not involved in the fight. As part of the mighty team Middle of the Road (vs. ‘just like watching Wednesday’ Team Bus Stop) Nick and me were thrilling men, women and children alike with our snow-lobbing skills. The bus eventually turned up, and unfortunately for Nick he chose the moment two policemen appeared behind him to throw a snowball straight at it. The last we saw of Nick, he was being frog-marched away as we were getting on the bus.

Luckily Nick wasn’t charged, and although he spent the night in the delightful company of Whistler’s police (I can’t say for sure whether the guy from Due South was involved, but I’d say there’s a 70% chance he was) he was let home in the morning.

The past week hasn’t all been law-breaking though, and I’ve almost got a job sorted at Longhorns. Longhorns is an awesome bar at the bottom of the main slope and gondola, and I’ve been called back to talk to the head chef and sous chef on Wednesday. Working there would be awesome, as not only does it have a great atmosphere and a bunch of cool people working there, but they also want to train me up to be a prep cook. I know I am King Masterchef, but I could still learn a couple of things I’m sure.

I haven’t ridden (snowboarded when you’re not in Whistler) since Saturday, and pretty much all my muscles are aching, so I’m doing the sensible thing and getting a full day on the slopes in tomorrow. My board is awesome, and pretty much everyone I’ve met is a better boarder than me, so I should hopefully start improving soon. The terrain is so much more varied on the slopes than anywhere else I’ve been, and the powder has been unbelievable so far. Phil, you will love it! I’m totally going to do a backflip before the end of the season.

I’m now watching Twilight, which needs far more Wesley Snipes and/or Sarah Michelle Gellar. Next entry soon, along with some snow photos to amaze you all.

Today’s Wisdom: Vampires don't sparkle.

Friday, 6 November 2009

Always Sunday in Whistler

It’s been a decade or two since my last blog, and whilst I’d like to say I’ve been far too busy in my new job as a highly paid hot-tub tester, that wouldn’t be entirely true. I’ve not got a job yet, although not for want of trying. Unfortunately, it seems almost every business in town is holding off until the end of November to employ people. There are a couple of job fairs coming up next week though, and I’ve had two interviews in the last few days, so it shouldn’t be too long until someone takes pity on me and gives me a job scraping the grease from the chip pan in McDonald’s.

The past two weeks have been a bit of a blur, for various reasons. Last week started off productively, as Brent and I went into the village to look for jobs and check out snowboard prices. Unfortunately for productivity’s sake, we then met Brent’s friend Tom, and decided to celebrate having woken up before lunchtime with a pint and some chicken wings (ten for $3.50 – bargain!). Celebrating minor victories became the week’s theme. Tom and his Austrian housemate Val stayed with us for a couple of days whilst their house was made habitable, and in the name of celebration much fun was had.

We also discovered the joys of FIFA World Cup 2002 for the Xbox last week. I’ll not bore you with the details, but it’s the most fantastic(ally awful) footy game I’ve ever played. Playing a world cup after a night out has become a bit of a ritual for Nick and I, and winning it with mighty Belgium on Wednesday was such an achievement I had to take a photo.

We also have four new housemates. The two couples have moved in - Jim, Nat, Joe and Vicky - and all seem like excellent fun. They're a bit older than us and have had proper jobs for a while now, but we've already had an awesome night out together, and it looks like we'll get on alright.

Don’t worry though – I’ve not spent the last two weeks doing nothing but drinking and playing Xbox. I can do that at home fairly well, as you know. I must have dropped off about 30 résumés (no CVs over here) to pubs, restaurants and shops so I won’t be unemployed for too much longer. I’ll try and knock out these blogs a bit more often, and I’m sure I’ve missed a bunch of good stories in this one, but for the time being here are a few photos from Halloween. After a great night at Moe Joe’s, we managed to find ourselves a full moon party, and walked home at about 7am (and got straight into the hot tub, haha!). Whilst that’s probably the reason I have man flu now, it was also the best night out I’ve had in ages. Que?

Today’s Wisdom: Never leave a spaceman in charge of the rice.