Day 5: Night Out.

There have been some great nights out this year. Most of which include concerts or long nights at the pub.

I know I have fond memories of The Bent Mast Orgy 2-5.

I have to say the best night out this year was when Darryl, Shayne, and I went to the Kevin Smith Q&A in Vancouver. We had great seats at The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts (row 3) to be exact.  I have to say I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.  

That sweaty fat guy sure can tell some great stories while in his house coat.

Oh yeah some guy named Tory got naked on stage during the show too.

After the show we grabbed crepes and I offered two passer bys $25 for a couple tickets to The Trews who were performing at one of the Juno tents on Granville. So Shaynebow came in his pants twice that night. I’d have rather seen the Odds but oh well.

That whole weekend was great too. Lots of great Canadian Juno stuff.

Day 4: Book.

I think one of the best books I read this year was David Cross’s “This is Why I Drink.” It was an entertaining read and the audiobook only made it better. But it is hard for me to decide what book was my favourite as I read so much. Here is some of my notable reads this year.

John Hodgman – “More Information Than You Require.”
William Shatner – “Up Till Now.”
Richard Hammond – “As You Do.”
Anthony Bourdain – “Kitchen Confidential.”
Ted Simon – “Dreaming of Jupiter”
Steve Martin – “Born Standing Up.”
Dan Walsh – “Endless Horizon: A Very Messy Motorcycle Journey Around the World.”

There are many more but I read upwards of thirty books this year so it was hard to choose the best.

Day 3: The Article.

There is one article that stayed with me from the moment I read it this year.

Mankind is destroying the planet. Al Gore and David Suzuki know it and it’s a fact you can’t deny. I’ve known about these floating islands of garbage for a couple years now but I never realized the impact it was having on the world’s wildlife.

Photo Stolen From Chris Jordan's Article.

In October 2009 Chris Jordan put up some very disturbing photographs he had taken of Albatross chicks that had died. Their parents had fed them human garbage that was floating around in the ocean. The chicks would die from starvation, poisoning, and suffocation. It is a terrible thought and urge you to recycle to prevent this from happening even more.

Read and See More.

Day 2: Restaurant Moment

Photo Stolen from Rozie.Today is "best restaurant experience."

It wasn't hard to figure out. Discovering you can get "Side of Pancake" at The Pioneer House in WhippleTree Junction during Breakfast for Champions.

Day 1: Trip

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So I’ve decided to participate in a review of the year project hundreds of other bloggers are doing. The idea was forwarded by Rozie who got it from her sister. I plan on doing all 31 on top of other stuff and I’m already a day behind. If you want to do it as well here is the link. Gwen Bell: Best of 2009.
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On the Road.

It’s hard to pin down what the best trip of 2009 was. I didn’t go abroad like I’ve done in previous years although I did go to the fabled Americas a few times. I went on adventures with Rozie and Shaynebow down rivers, to islands, and little places around the island. I also drove all over British Columbia delivering helicopter support gear for fighting forest fires.

I really loved my trip down to Seattle with Darryl in October to see Porcupine Tree. There are fond memories for sure and it was hard to decide if it was my favourite trip this year and I’d have to say no. Sure we ate amazing food, saw the sites, rocked out to one of our favourite bands live at the Moore but it was over shadowed by bad news I got the day before we left.

So I’ve decided the best trip was heading back down to the Gorge in Washington for my third Sasquatch Music Festival. Stunning scenery, amazing music, and radical people make for a fun few days.

Sure there were some rough patches but I know almost every trip has those moments. This year I fell in love with new music all over again and I know it was the same for everyone else I went with too. It isn’t about the $6 Powerades or the lack of showers it is about the music and the journey there.

From the ocean to the mountains and on to the desert with a well put together road trip playlist playing at full volume while flying down the interstate. That is what made this trip this time around. 

That and someone pooping in the shower.