Quickie at work!

Hey everybody!

So I'm just hanging out at work not doing much of anything! It's been super slow here lately and we've just been hanging about and doing the occasional HUGE job. Yesterday I busted my fingernail on my ring finger of my left hand which hurt a TON! Everyone I showed it to thought it was super gross... It hurt so much that the pain was in my baby finger too! Man it sucked. Now typing is something of a chore but here I am doing it anyways!

Awaiting a special package in the mail soon, hopefully this week!! I'll tell you what it is in a very picture-filled entry hopefully in the next few days.

Anyways, my job is pretty radical and things are progressing and I survive. Thanks for all the prayers and I hope to see you all soon!

Mark

Another day at the races...

Hello all. I've probably lost most of my following because I'm very not good at this but I've been getting some asking for a new post so post I shall.

For anyone who doesn't know, I totally got a job! I work at a place called Vanguard Animation as a production assistant but hopefully, and Lord willing I will be able to move into the animation department when the animation starts and animators show up. Right now it's in the very beginning stages of a film called Space Chimps which is looking to be really good. Anyways, a huge answer to prayer! Thank you everyone for praying for me and thinking of me and loving me.

So today is Sunday. Slept in too late cause I was dead tired and the time change didn't help but I woke Jason up and we were out the door in like 10 which was pretty impressive! Got to church, the sermon was on John 17:20-26 I think... but the prayer the Jesus prays for his church and his people and the people that will become his people. And just talking about suffering, like the "take this cup from me" thing. So good cause I am becoming quite well known in the circles of suffering.

Anyways, went to Red Robin for lunch with a whole bunch of people and spent most of the time with Amber. Alright, Amber is this girl that I've met like twice and we immediately clicked and have been really tight when we've been together but she's going to the states and then New Zealand and Australia till like August so today was like the last day I get to see her so that was super sad. I'm gonna miss her a lot!

We went to Katie's house cause she has a gamecube and the guys played DoubleDash for a while and I felt crappy so I just sat on a chair by myself and contemplated the concavity of my bellybutton. Then we started Strikers which is awesome and I love soccer so I played that and it was great. Here's a picture... or two.
Okay... the top picture, from left to right: Jason, Kurtis, Eric, Aaron and me. Jason we mostly know, my roommate, confidante and friend... Kurtis is like my BC best friend, we have tons in common and he's just a really amazing guy, we work together and Vanguard... Eric is Kurtis' brother and is really neat, I don't know him as well cause he's super busy but is a really cool guy.... Aaron is ridiculous... okay, I met his family like 8 years ago in Alberta and then randomly met up with him again here which has been crazy! Anyways, we have a lot of stuff in common too but on more of a personality level and he kind of reminds me of Mark Demmons some times... So good guys all around.

The second picture we're playing Mario Strikers which I would suggest to everyone. It's the new soccer game from Nintendo and it's too fun... We just figured out about super shots and performed the first one in that picture... needless to say, it was exhilarating.

Alright, that's it. Time for sleep. I'll do one about work soon. I took some pictures of the office that I'll put up.

Pray for me, Lent is almost over and I'm awaiting some direction in my life and in my heart so if you would think of me in your prayers that'd be RAD.

EA Day!

Alright, let me just start by saying that I required about three pairs of pants on this trip... So it all starts when me and Jay are talking about what games he's going to bring home to keep me entertained with, till finally I was like HEY! can I just come and pick them out myself?!

So I just on the 22, transfer to the 25 and await my long journey East. I get off at the appropriate stop and wander around till I find where the heck to get into this massive complex. So I walk in and my mouth pretty much drops. There's videogames pretty much everywhere and giant screens and people who are WAY cooler than I am and yeah... so I walk up to the sign in thing and type my name in and then type Jason's name in and that sends an email to his station that says I'm here so he comes down but while I wait I sneak over to the videogames and make sure they're the same as I know.

They were... Anyways, Jason comes down and we talk for a bit but then he takes me on the tour... I'll just give you a pictorial demonstration...
We started this lovely tour at the EA store... where you can buy like any videogame or videogame apparel for a reduced price, mostly. Amazing... Jason is HAPPY!

Next we went to the free arcade and played some football and pinball arcade games but I was too pre-occupied to take pictures at the time, maybe next time when I can think straight.

Next was EAt... the amazing cafeteria with the genius name... this place... ridiculous! They have about a 4 month turn aroud on their menu so that you aren't eating the same thing every day... in fact you eat deliciousness everyday... they have it all set up in days like certain days you can get certain things on certain days of the week... genius.


Next was the IRC or Information Resource Centre which is pretty much a huge library of games, dvd's, magazines, movies and books and systems that employees can borrow for "resource" but in Jason's case for "his roommate" so yeah... looked around for a while and drooled a bunch, the lady gave me the crazy eyes for most of the time I was in there probably cause she's seen more of the inside of my mouth than most people... (we didn't make out)

Next we walked around the building and looked at a bunch of the offices and the full gym which was retarded! I took a picture but it's really sunny and you can't really see anything so I'll save you the eye squinting... Anyways, it became clear that I'd wasted enough of Jason's time so we headed toward the door but I really wanted to look at the friggin' soccer field!

And then I saw that there was also a basketball court and a beach volleyball court. Who ARE these people?!

now the Couch...

I didn't say anything about the couch in the last one which I was supposed to... so the couch story. I said it in the last one because Jason didn't come with me because of the couch cause we hired a guy to move it for us so he needed to be there for it. Anyways, he didn't even show up so we did it when we got back. Jason rented a van and then came home after work and I took the seats out and we carried then in. We drove to the place and muscled this beauty down into the van. On the way back I was like hey, we should get grocies in this thing. So we got groceries and brought them home. Brought in the groceries and then carried this couch in, brought out the seats and fought them back into the van. Sweet couch...

C&C Weekend and the Couch

Alright. So last Friday I was checking my email and totally missing home like a a crazy person and I got an email from my mom talking about a church to check out eventually cause she knows people that go there that we apparently knew in Edmonton (apparently because I would have been anywhere from nothing to a year old). Anyways, so being so very excited about it I checked out the website and randomly emailed the youth pastor just to say hey and let him know who I am and that I'd be coming on Sunday.
He emailed me back and informed me of a C&C retreat thing that I could go on but it was a shame cause it's today and that's pretty short notice... but I said I don't care, I wanna go! So I did some errands before and then packed up as much crap in my backpack as possible and off I went. I took a bunch of buses cause that's what the stupid trip-planning thing said to do. I get off my bus prematurely and have to walk a bunch and I had to get money cause obviously I forgot the one thing I actually needed. stupid...

Anyways, I walk up and see the church and then the 22 goes by... the friggin' bus that goes RIGHT BY my house... stupid trip-planning, I could have gotten on the bus that goes right by my house and not had to transfer... whatev, know for next time.

Anyways, I walk into the parking lot and just walk right up and say hey I'm Mark and just try and meet everyone that's there. I met a guy named Kurtis who I'm pretty sure is like built by God for me to hang out with... he's amazing, but I'll get back to that. I met Eric and Claire, Kurtis' brother and sister and Noelle who is awesome! Anyways, we all get in vans and cars and head off. I went with Noelle and a couple from the church named Ben and Almira. Ben was HILARIOUS!! man that guy was funny, and they all thought I was really funny too, which was weird cause pretty much anything I said they thought was great granted I wasn't complaining.

We drive for like 45 minutes and get to this like complex where there's dorms upstairs and downstairs on one side and then like an eating room downstairs and a meeting room upstairs. So we got set up and had a session.

Anyways, I'll just give you the highlights cause this thing'll be like 1000 pages cause it was awesome. Friday was just hang out time and just playing games, we played PIT which was alright, a card game. Anyways, I was like aren't we gonna play nightgames or something?! And Josh (youth leader) was like no, that's youth group... and I was like ouch... fine... Anyways, so I had the priness bride with me and was trying to convince people to watch it. I asked Noelle and she was like alright but then was like later... This girl named Jessie (she's from NB and was pretty cool) said she would so we got it all set up and Noelle was like start without me so we started and then Noelle came back and was like I can't, I'm going to bed... sheesh.

Didn't sleep well, too cold. All I had was my bear blanket and my tiger blanket and it was SO cold... I didn't get to sleep till like 3 and then at 6:30 I was like screw this so I just got up and read my bible till people got up. We had breakfast and then another session and then there was free time so I kicked a soccer ball around hoping people would come play... no dice. They planned football in like an hour so I went to have a nap which was sweet, I love naps. I got up and played a sweet game of football and pretty much murdered the other team. We had another session and had like alone time so I went down to the beach with a girl named Stephanie (she reminds me of Jenn Clark whom I love so she kinda found a quick place in my heart) and we found seperate places and just wen tover this thing... it was good.

We cleaned up the beach too which was good. Had another session and learned a whole bunch more. Went to Earle's! Which was really fun! We played the alphabet game with movies mostly. Slept WAY better cause there's a friggin' heater in my room so we cranked that. It was much better. Oh and Jessie and I watched Secret of Nimh before we went to bed.

The next day, breakfast again, and then we had like a communion service which was really awesome and then we headed home. It was pretty much awesome and the people are the best so I'm pretty pumped about it!

Alright I'm back.

I made it. I finally escaped. I was kidnapped by Yugoslavian seperatists and was held captive for a few weeks now. Completely unable to update my blog to keep all you wonderful people informed. But now I have escaped! I built a bomb out of innertube lining, orange peach juice and a side-view mirror. After setting off the bomb I was able to overcome the seperatists with the help of a wild grizzlybear which I befriended in my time there. Together we built a makeshift airplane out of extra fuzzy pipe cleaners and a jet engine. The bear would fit so I had to leave him there to fend for himself.

Anyways, enough about that. I have a bnuch of update entries to catch up on. So I'll get on it. I have a bunch of pictures and I have a bunch of pictures yet to take but I'll keep you informed!

Jetlag.

So,

I figured that it would be like a few days and I'd be fine but I'm pretty sure I'm still completely jet lagged... cause I'm sucking at sleeping. I went to bed yesterday at like 10:30 which was wicked and I was really happy about getting to sleep that early... but I definitely am awake and woke up at like 5:00... eee. So that kinda blows. But hopefully if I start going to bed at a regular time rather than whatever time I feel like it, I should feel better.... my mom's probably like... yeah!

Hope to see you all soon!

Record Breaker!

...For most productive day in Vancouver ever. And man do I have pictures. Granted they aren't amazing cause I'm relying on lil' ol' a920 but they're not bad. So here goes!

Went to the bus stop with Jay!








We got the 22 and then the 25 and he got off and I kept going to Broadway, got a 99 and went to Staples. Picked out some file folders cause I was not going to make them so I just bought them. And some sticky CD/DVD cases to use (genius). Got the bus back home and sat around and worked on them for a while.


Finally!















They came together really well and I was pretty happy with them. It was weird having to make a bunch of them but I had a bunch of crap and didn't have to worry about supplies. So then I had a shower and put some clothes and said farewell to everyone on MSN and off I went. Back to Broadway to go to Mainframe.




As you can see, you can't see much of anything. You can kinda make out one of the Reboot symbols in the middle. There were two guys coming at me (those two blobs) and I figured the worst so I was kinda moving when I took the picture.

And then on my way out as I was crossing the street a chubby guy was walking and I recognized his t-shirt. So I called Jason and he checked for me... just as I thought: Backbone Entertainment is directly across the street from Mainframe. Crazy...

Got on the bus and walked like a hundred miles up Main street to get to Terminal Ave... which then I had to walk about half a mile down... till I got to!!



Radical Entertainment!

which by the way was just as it's name implies... completely radical. Man it was cool

There was a huge atrium as soon as you get in, games on the wall, tv's everywhere!

This is the atrium, you walk out of the elevator and turn left and it's a huge opening and you're up on like a lofty thing... there's games and arcade games and this weird like lodge thing to hang out in and that's like a kitchen counter and a bar thing... kind of a crappy picture.





This is there sweet sign that tells you were to go... left.








And here's the videogames built into the wall all over the place. It was a good experience and everyone had sweet accents... Anyways, I walked all the way back to Main and got on the SkyTrain to go to the Stadium!
So yeah, found my way to Beatty street but of course I was on the wrong end. Let's just say this day involved a LOT of walking. On the way there I found!!



Charles Murphy would kick me in the face right now if he knew I was hanging out at VanArts! It's like this deadly serious animation studio that spits out really good animators...

Anyways, VanArts is directly across the street from...


Rockstar Games! Hurrah!! And let's just say they one the BIG PRIZE for best receptionist! ....








A BOX!!!





So yeah, that kinda sucked. It was just a crazy looking room with jaguar print carpet and cool mirrors so I was wowed for a bit... but there were no real people which was less than impressive. Anyways, it's done now! All we can do is pray and start calling them daily!

And I almost took my exit here... I wish I could... such a good price!

Thanks for staying with me!

A Tale of Bedspreads

Once upon a time, I needed a blanket for my bed. So I and my company of merry men including Mr Daniel Freeman and Mr Luke Buxton took off for IKEA in Richmond. After something of an adventurous busride we made our way to the giant box store.

After much searching we picked out a few necessities and a blanket I was still in need of a cover so we searched high and low for the section that would supply us with the perfect cover... to no avail. All the covers were girlie, lame-ish or Mr Luke would not approve. So we finally picked out a very plain one and headed for the homestead.




Anyways, long story shorter I design a friggin' giant robot and we made a giant stencil out of it and painted it... I have some pictures...





The sad part of this tale is that all the cardboard and crap got stuck to the back side of it and now I'm sleeping with probably about a box worth of cardboard till I wash it... stupid sticky paint. I got most of it off but it's effin' sticky I tell you!