This was my first day back after a week off work, and after being here for 12 hours, I’m about ready for the weekend.

My friend Tanya had a baby girl, so I drove down to Kamloops for a visit. I stupidly forgot my camera, but I took a shaky phone video that I’ll be able to show her when she’s 20 and the world communicates via digitally-enabled telepathy, when cellular phones are a thing of ancient history.

I bought some scuba equipment while I was in Kamloops from a good friend of mine. She gave me a great deal. I’m planning on taking lessons in the next few months and then heading to the Bahamas with her for a week on a live-aboard dive ship, so that should be a lot of fun.

I then drove to Vancouver to visit some more friends of mine. It was around 38 degrees Celsius (100.5 Fahrenheit) and my air conditioning was broken, so the trip was a little painful, but we made it alive. Once there, I had a fantastic time. The friends I was staying with had a Canada Day party with great food, drink, and Rock Band, so it was a fun night.

I hope to make it out to Vancouver more often this next year. Living on an island with oppressive ferry rates to get to the mainland can really make you feel trapped at times, but it’s worth the cost for the occasional weekend trip.