First Two Days in Canada

I just uploaded the last batch of pics and posting stuff and was going to watch some TV before heading to bed (ya, it's after 2AM now....still got the ol' jetlag) but I gotta tell you: TV here sucks. Even with so many channels, late-night TV is pretty brutal. (My older comments on TV here; nothing's changed.) So, I'm back at it.

As you'll notice these pics are better from the ones with my phone-cam (oh, how I miss it already!) but they are sometimes a little over-flashed or wavey. No matter, at least I can take a pic outside of perfect natural lighting and at a distance of over 2 feet and have it look good.

May I introduce you to my family? Here they are...but I'm sure my wife and sister-in-law (think that's 처제/cheo-jay in Korean) will probably kill me for posting any that don't portray them in a 100% flattering light (as if I could be trusted to know what that is...).


Winston, Kate and Spencer...watching TV.


Spencer makes short work of the Go-Stop cards with his robot-airplane.


Spencer goes crash-crash.


Spencer looks thoughtfully at the next target of his robot-airplane.


Winston reads his book to me...well, you know, kinda.


Winston takes a walk...not on the wild side, just a walk.


Winston is attacking the camera!


Spencer sacks out as Winston cranes his neck to see the TV around his goofy, picture-taking Dad.

The next day (Sunday) we went out for lunch. (I slept right through breakfast; and probably will do so for a few days.)


Jessie goes all shy on me at White Spot...


...but I got her!

Men, take note...she's Ewha University educated and single!


Spencer shows his mug for the camera. Check out the Pirate Pack lunch!


Winston first uses it as a steering wheel, then remembers it's a pancake...mmmmm.

At the next table was a Korean family...what are the odds? Quite good, in fact, there are tons of Koreans in Vancouver (over 50,000 in a city of about 1-1.5 million; compared to 200,000 foreigners in all of Korea's population of 45 million). Coquitlam is especially liked by the kimchi-eaters and we run into them all over. It's nice to know the boys (and I) can keep up our Korean studies and have a few non-family victims to try it out on.


Spencer takes to cutting up a pancake with a spoon...What? No scissors at the table?

Later we went out to a hotel near the airport where my parents and Uncle Bob and Aunt Kristina were hanging out. Ma and Pa had just come back from a cruise and where at a conference and Bob and his family lives nearby.


Is it me? Or does this light sconce look like a modern art rendition of a toilet-paper roll??

Check out these pizzas from Costco. These things are gigantic...and 3 for just 30 USD! In Korea you get these little things 1 for about 20USD. This is one part of Canada/the West that kicks butt...of course you need to keep from blimping out.


Spencer and Grandma take at 2 MASSIVE pizzas (like 60cm/24" diameter)...the likes of which you'll never see in Korea.

My Uncle Bob recently lost a ton of weight...literally? No. Maybe close, though. Now he's lookin' lean but still enjoys a cold one.


Bob and his beer....lookin' thin and trim!


Uncle Bob, Kokanee's diet spokesmodel for 2004.


Bob and Kristina lounging in the hotel.


Grandma and the boys 'play cards'.


Spencer flicking cards.


Winston responds to a question from the peanut gallery.

Well, that's about it. My Mom has a few more pics from her camera I can get up on here. Mom, send them!

Oh ya, this was also the first time (since they were on that cruise the last few days) that they got the news that I'm basically back for good. They liked it as, well, you know, it makes a heckuva lot of sense to have the family together. Anyhoo, we figured this would be the only chance to have Christmas together (if I was leaving in 3 weeks) so they brought over the boy's presents (and a wedding anniversary thing for us, too). We opened a few and will save the rest for later. I figure I'll be in Canada at least until Christmas, although (with any luck) I could be back on a plane heading somewhere for an interview in the interim.