The Tax Return (Socialism - Yay or Nay?)

I've never been a huge fan of filing taxes.

Who is, right?

I think I'm slightly cynical towards filing taxes though, just because of my history with it.


Yeah, that's right.

That was my tax return the first year I filed. My second time wasn't much more, but I will say I cleared the $100 on that one. Plus, that was the year I got a federal stimulus check, which of course ended up being spent entirely. (That was the point of those stimulus checks, right? Lol.)

So, this year, I didn't expect much, per usual. I think that might be part of the reason I waited until two days before the day they're due. That and the fact that actually doing taxes are a drag. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you look at it), I've always qualified to file with the 1040EZ, so life is a little easier. Of course, by qualifying for the 1040EZ, I'm also able to E-File online at any licensed 3rd party company for free. So, that's what I did this year.

And boy, am I glad I did.

I'd actually tried to do my taxes two weeks ago... But that was a failure. I was using the online forms from the IRS as I filled out my return while following the instructions in the book they sent me, when for some stupid reason, my computer shut down without warning, and would not turn back on until I unplugged it. Needless to say, it took alot of self-restraint to keep myself from throwing my laptop through the wall right then and there. But, I didn't thankfully. Luckily, I'd gotten far enough through my return to the point where I knew how much my refund was gonna be. More than $500, that's all I'll say. I was happy about that, but then I wasn't. I made about $15,000 in 2009 (Big money, I know), and by my calculations, I get taxed $1.83 for every hour I work. So, $500 kinda feels like I'm being shafted by the government.

So, where am I going with this? Lol. (Sorry for the long lead up.)

I consider myself pro-socialism. (Go ahead, say it.) I think the ideas of government healthcare and higher taxes for a better country are right. But, then on the other hand, I dislike taxes for the sheer fact that they are often misappropriated, and then that so many of them are stupid. (Aka, the "sin taxes.") So, to summarize: Zac likes taxes, but he doesn't like taxes. Following so far? Good.

The thing I'm asking myself right now is, rather than a tax return, wouldn't I rather have access to healthcare (I'm uninsured, mind you), more funds for public transportation and other alternative transportations, and so on? Or would I rather have a lump sum right now, so I can buy the things I want, and just hope that I don't get sick or hit by a bus? It's a strange dilemma.

As we've already established, I made about $15,000 last year. So, I'm not exactly rolling in the benjamins, ya know what I say'z? I don't live in poverty, but I'm not exactly in a constant state of financial security. So, for the time being, I will take that tax return. Why? Because, it's my money, and I'm gonna do with it what I see fit. But (and only but), if I were to get a call from Uncle Sam, and he asked me the following: "Hey Zac, ummm... that tax return we put in your bank account... Umm, we actually need some of it back. See, Ben Franklin Transit is short on funds this year, and we know you don't wanna see your route cut, so we're gonna save it with that money, ok? Oh, and then we'll need the rest of your tax return back so that we can open you an account at Kennewick General Hospital so that you'll be able to go in whenever your sick or hurt and get medical services for really really cheap. So, you able to help us there buddie? You are? GREAT! Thanks so much buddie." I'd say yes in a heart beat. But, because I live in America, I really don't see that happening.

And no, I'm not gonna play my usual argument, but you know I'm thinking it right now. So there.

So, to conclude: I took my tax return this year. And it's alot (for me anyways). Take my first tax return (from the picture above) and multiply it by 100 and it's still more than that. So, that's gonna be getting spent, though not for awhile. However, I'd much rather have health insurance and better infrastructure for public transportation and roads and so forth. And, if I could vote, I'd be going to the polls pro-"real" taxes. Unless it's a Tim Eyman initiative. Lol. (Look him up if you have no clue what I'm talking about.)

Tri-Cities Community Connections

Something that I enjoy doing, especially in the last year or so, is utilizing public transit operated by various agencies in the Eastern WA/OR to journey to new cities, away from the Tri-Cities, and essentially "play tourist." This post is intended as a reference for just some of those options. Unless otherwise stated, I have personally utilized each option I will be discussing. Also, keep in mind that I am striving to make this purely based on facts alone, but some personal opinions and observations may make their way in, to help me better explain the subject matter.

Ben Franklin Transit
Ben Franklin Transit, the local operator for the Tri-Cities area of Washington State, operates a total of 25 routes that allow acess to all three cities, as well as West Richland. One route in particular, Rt. 170, allows access to the nearby communities of Benton City and Prosser. Travel is between the Knight Street Transit Center in Richland and Stacey Street Transit Center in Prosser, which takes 53 mins, with a 7 min layover before returning to Richland.

WESTBOUND
Richland Knight Street Transit Center	Hazel Avenue/Horne Drive (Benton City)*	Prosser Stacey Street Transit Center
5:37AM**	N/A**	6:08AM**
7:15AM	7:40AM	8:08AM
9:15AM	9:40AM	10:08AM
11:15AM	11:40AM	12:08PM
1:15PM	1:40PM	2:08PM
3:15PM	3:40PM	4:08PM
5:15PM	5:40PM	6:08PM
EASTBOUND
Prosser Stacey Street Transit Center	Hazel Avenue/Horne Drive (Benton City)	Richland Knight Street Transit Center
6:15AM	6:40AM	7:08AM
8:15AM	8:40AM	9:08AM
10:15AM	10:40AM	11:08AM
12:15PM	12:40PM	1:08PM
2:15PM	2:40PM	3:08PM
4:15PM	4:40PM	5:08PM
6:12PM**	N/A**	6:58PM**

* = Times listed are arrival at time marker. There is a 6-minute layover before the bus continues on the route.
** = The first and last runs are on an express routing, running from the Richland "Y" [BFT Bus Barn/Dispatch] to Benton City Park-N-Ride to Stacey St T.C., and vice versa.)

For travel within the Tri-Cities (including West Richland and Benton City), an Adult fare on BFT costs $1.25, while a Youth fare $0.80. A day pass for either costs $3.50. However, BFT has a add-on fare for travel to/from Prosser. For Adult fares, the add-on is $1.00 to the normal fare, while Youth fares add $0.50. (This also applies to a day pass or monthly pass.) It should be noted that some drivers are more dilligent about enforcing the add-on fare than others.

Prosser Info: prosserchamber.org
Benton City Info: www.ci.benton-city.wa.us

Grapeline
Grapeline is the result of a partnership between WSDOT and Greyhound to provide service between the city of Pasco and the city of Walla Walla, along with stops in the communities of Burbank, Wallula, Touchet, and College Place. Operated by Bellair Charters (who also operate the Airporter Shuttle), service is provided 3 times a day in each direction. Each trip takes approximately 1hr, 55 min, from the airports of Pasco and Walla Walla. However, the majority of users board from Walla Walla Transit Center and 22nd Ave Transit Center (Pasco), which takes 1hr, 35 min.

Stop	Trip #1	Trip #2	Trip #3
Walla Walla Airport	6:15AM	11:45AM	5:15PM
Walla Walla Transit Center	6:25AM	11:55AM	5:25PM
College Place (Frog Hollow Hobby Shop)	6:35AM	12:05PM	5:35PM
Touchet (Chevron Station)*	7:00AM	12:30PM	6:00PM
Wallula (Post Office)	7:20AM	12:50PM	6:20PM
Burbank (Shell Station)	7:33AM	1:03PM	6:33PM
Pasco Intermodal	7:48AM	1:18PM	6:48PM
Pasco 22nd Ave Transit Center	8:00AM	1:30PM	7:00PM
Tri-Cities Airport	8:10AM	1:40PM	7:10PM
TURNAROUND
Tri-Cities Airport	9:35AM	2:35PM	9:35PM
Pasco 22nd Ave Transit Center	9:45AM	2:45PM	9:45PM
Pasco Intermodal	9:55AM	2:55PM	9:55PM
Burbank (Shell Station)	10:10AM	3:10PM	10:10PM
Wallula (Post Office)	10:23AM	3:23PM	10:23PM
Touchet (Chevron Station)*	10:40AM	3:40PM	10:40PM
College Place (Frog Hollow Hobby Shop)	11:05AM	4:05PM	11:05PM
Walla Walla Transit Center	11:15AM	4:15PM	11:15PM
Walla Walla Airport	11:25AM	4:25PM	11:25PM

* = On some trips, the driver may make a 5-10 min layover at the Touchet Chevron Station. This is not always the case however, and it is more common on the Walla Walla to Pasco trip.

The fare structure is based on the simple idea that the farther you ride, the more you will pay. The fares are as follows:

Destinations	WW/CP	Touchet	Wallula	Burbank	Pasco
WW/CP	N/A	$4.00	$5.00	$6.00	$6.50
Touchet	$4.00	N/A	$4.00	$5.00	$6.00
Wallula	$5.00	$4.00	N/A	$4.00	$5.00
Burbank	$6.00	$5.00	$4.00	N/A	$3.00
Pasco	$6.50	$6.00	$5.00	$3.00	N/A

Walla Walla Info: wallawalla.org

People For People
People For People is a non-profit organization operating in Central and South-Central Washington State, who provide a variety of services, including transportation services for the general public and special needs population, employment & training services, and 2-1-1 Information & Referral Services. Among their transportation services, one of the routes they run is a weekday, free-fare bus from Prosser to Yakima, with intermediate stops along the way. It is dependant on the time of day, but the average run takes the bus about 2 hours each way. The last runs of the night run as express routes and take 1hr 10min and 1hr 35min respectively.

Stop	Trip #1	Trip #2	Trip #3	Express
Yakima (Transit Center)	6:15AM	12:00PM	4:10PM	5:20PM
Wapato (International Market)	6:30AM	12:20PM	4:30PM	5:40PM
Toppenish (Yakama Nation Health Ctr.)	6:45AM	12:35PM	N/A	N/A
Toppenish (People For People)	6:50AM	12:40PM	4:50PM	N/A
Toppenish (Safeway @ SE Corner)	N/A	N/A	N/A	5:55PM
Zillah (Sun Mart)	7:00AM	12:50PM	5:00PM	N/A
Granger (Chandler's Conoco)	7:10AM	1:00PM	5:10PM	6:10PM
Sunnyside (WorkSource)	7:30AM	1:20PM	5:30PM	N/A
Grandview (Park & Ride)	N/A	N/A	N/A	6:30PM
Grandview (Post Office)	7:50AM	1:40PM	5:50PM	N/A
Prosser (Stacey St. Transit Center)	8:10AM	2:15PM	6:10PM	N/A
TURNAROUND
Prosser (Stacey St. Transit Center)	N/A	8:10AM	2:15PM	6:20PM
Grandview (Post Office)	N/A	8:25AM	2:30PM	6:30PM
Grandview (Park & Ride)	N/A	N/A	N/A	6:35PM
Sunnyside (WorkSource)	N/A	8:45AM	2:50PM	6:45PM
Granger (Chandler's Conoco)	N/A	9:05AM	3:10PM	7:05PM
Zillah (Sun Mart)	5:15AM	9:15AM	3:20PM	N/A
Toppenish (People For People)	5:30AM	9:25AM	3:30PM	N/A
Toppenish (Safeway @ SE Corner)	N/A	N/A	N/A	7:25PM
Toppenish (Yakama Nation Health Ctr.)	5:35AM	9:30AM	3:35PM	N/A
Wapato (International Market)	5:50AM	9:45AM	3:50PM	7:40PM
Yakima (Transit Center)	6:15AM	10:00AM	4:10PM	7:55PM

As already stated, People For People's transportation services are free-fare, so you don't have to pay a single penny!

Yakima Info: visityakima.com

Other Options
Though these do not technically fall under the term "public transportation," they are worth noting as anything that can get you somewhere without a car is at least a start.

-Airporter Shuttle
Operated by Bellair Charters (also operate Grapeline, see above), this is a direct link service between Yakima and Seattle, the key focus being the service it provides to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Stops along the way include Ellensburg, Cle Elum, and North Bend. More info: Central Washington Airporter

-Amtrak
As most people are aware of, Amtrak is the national operator of passenger rail in the United States. Though service is more prevalent on the eastern half of the country, Amtrak can get you where you need to go. Plus you can't beat the scenery you'll see along the way. More info: Amtrak

-Greyhound
Once again, Greyhound is a system most are familiar with. Though not the only bus company, it is the most well known and has the most destinations available. Tickets are cheap and easy to get, especially if you buy well in advance. There are downsides to travel via Greyhound however, such as the "first come, first serve" policy for seats, but if you're smart about it and flexible with your plans, it can be a fun way to travel. More info: Greyhound

Love is NOT for everyone... (Rammstein/Censorship)

On October 16th, 2009, Rammstein released their 6th studio album, "Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da," (abbreviated as LIFAD) to the fanfare of many, myself included.

On or around November 6th, 2009, LIFAD was added to what many of the citizenry of Germany refer to as "the index."

What is "the index?" The Index is a list of media, art, film, etc, which has been deemed by the government agency known as the "Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien" (Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons) to allegedly be harmful to minors. See, in Germany, freedom of art and expression is not without it's restrictions. Germany is in a special situation compared to other nations where this sort of thing is realistically necessary, what with the Holocaust and WWI/WWII, and the Nazi's and oh so much more. Other countries (mostly) just use laws to govern and restrict such things. Like, for example, you can't sell Playboy at the cafeteria in an American public school. It's a silly example, but it makes the point I think.

So, essentially, the "Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien" (BPjM for short) has decided that LIFAD was soo allegedly harmful to the youth of Germany that it had to be added to "the index." Okay, well why? What made them add it?

Heh.

Rammstein has never been a band to avoid controversy. On their first CD, they released a song called "Rammstein," a song which was a testament to the tragedy of the Ramstein Air Show disaster back in 1988 (if my memory serves me right). On their second CD, they had a song called "Bück Dich" ("Bend Over"), which is a song about sodomy. When they played that song on their live shows, Till and Flake (singer and keyboard player) would engage in simulated sodomy with a phallic toy that Till concealed in his stage outfit. This was also what subsequently got them arrested on June 5th, 1999, at a show in Worchester, MA. On their fourth CD, they released their most controversial song ever (before LIFAD), "Mein Teil" (My Tool). The song was about a man named Armin Meiwes, who gained worldwide attention when news broke of his consumption of another human being.

So, how much worse can it get, right? Oh, we're just getting warmed up here.

On LIFAD, they've had controversy surrounding at least 3 of their songs so far. The first song is "P****." (Yes, yes it is.) The song was released as a single, as well as accompanied by a video, which had clips of the band playing, but also had uncensored adult video (using body doubles on certain angles). Needless to say, the only place to view that music video is on an adult website. The second song is also a single, "Ich Tu Dir Weh" ("I Hurt You"). This song also contains severe adult material within the lyrics, this time dealing with the sort of stuff people use whips and chains for. The third song is called "Weiner Blut" ("Welsh Blood"). This song is about the Fritzl case from Austria, which is controversial enough. More controversy is drawn from the live performance of this song, which features numerous baby dolls hanging from above the stage as the song is played, and ends with an immense display of fireworks as all the babies explode. Then of course, there's the cover and the inside booklet that is also controversial. The cover itself features all the band members sitting around a table with a nude woman on the table surrounded by other food, implying that they may be about to consume her. On the inside booklet, there are pictures depicting various scenes at this table and the band members involvement in the events. One of those pictures is of the guitarist, Richard, spanking the woman's bottom.

According to the BPjM, it was specifically the songs "Ich Tu Dir Weh" and "P****" as well as the CD booklet/cover that led them to rule in favor of adding LIFAD to "the index." So, what does this mean for LIFAD? It's changed alot for the CD in Germany. As of now, the CD cannot be sold to minors AT ALL. It cannot be advertised in any manner where minors could potentially see it. If it is sent by mail, which even then is heavily restricted, the shipment has to be recieved by an adult who can provide proper ID. It cannot be rented out, unless done so in a shop inaccessible to minors. The new version of LIFAD being sold in Germany is without the song "Ich Tu Dir Weh," instead replaced by 4 seconds of silence, as well as without the controversial image. On the back, where "Ich Tu Dir Weh" was originally listed, a line is drawn through it with an disclaimer underneath, reading "Entfernt nach Zensur durch die Behörden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland" (Removed after censorship by the authorities of the Federal Republic of Germany). Also, the BPjM has officially banned Rammstein from even playing "Ich Tu Dir Weh" at any performance within Germany. When LIFAD was released, it was at #1 in the German music chart, but now, due to the obvious reasons, it has completely fallen off the chart.

Me personally, I've never agreed with censoring music. I think it's pointless and stupid. No matter what, every song will appeal to someone out there. If it's something that people don't want to see or hear, they can figure out how to avoid it. But, obviously the German government doesn't agree with me. Go figure.

Things I've Learned This Year

Today at my work, we kinda got on this topic a little bit. And that got me thinking alot today. Just what exactly have I learned and/or discovered this year? Where to start, eh?

-Determination will decide whether you can fit everything you're packing into two suitcases.

-John will NOT like Slipknot, no matter what I do.

-I seem to have a type of woman I'm attracted to. I don't seem to realize this, but everyone seems to think so.

-I say "dude" and "like" way too much.

-You never will know everything about someone, even if you spend your entire life together.

-It's "SxePhil." Not "SexyPhil." Stupid people.

-Chips are repulsive, yet I can eat an entire bag and still have room for a sandwich.

-Biking is the best cardio workout I'll ever get.

-There is no limit for spending your money if you've got it.

-Living on your own is hard.

-No matter what, Mom always will make a better dinner than I ever will.

-Kraft Mac and Cheese is cheap, but milk is expensive.

-Keep your friends by your side.

-I don't get carded at bars in Canada.

-Read the fine print.

-The Department of Education is &%#@! up.

-Vacations are never long enough.

-I'm too cheap.

-I could so go to a concert every night for an entire year. I just wish I could afford to do something like that.

-Don't pass out at a Slipknot concert.

-Keep the family love alive.

-I miss the snow way too much.

-No matter how many times I explain it, people will think I'm nuts for wearing shorts in the winter.

-People assume too much that because I take the bus, I'm poor. I just call it "limited income."

-It's too easy to get into Canada if you're Canadian. (Lol.)

-CTFxC FTW!

-I like bands I would've never thought I would, like Mindless Self Indulgence or Boy Sets Fire.

-I will never give up on Rammstein. R+

-Beer is good.

-An orange hot chocolate is not.

-I CAN go more than 11 months without having an injury at work.

-It's not that hard to not eat fast food on a daily basis.

-Spending 10 days in Canada makes it weird to say "huh" afterwards versus saying "eh."

-I'm not sure why I'm still using Myspace. But, I know I won't delete my account, because I don't want someone stealing my identity.

-Music is the one thing that I can count on to save me from myself, no matter what.

-It's weird to realize that I'm taller than both my parents.

-McDonald's workplace drama has nothing on Frito-Lay's workplace drama.

-Whitehorse Transit has the worst schedule layout I've ever seen.

-"The Hangover" will be funny, no matter how many times I watch it.

-Why so serious?

-I still can't stand seeing people download music illegally.

-I can remember the first line of the lyrics to "Bring The Pain," but even after listening to the song more than 1000 times, I can never fully remember the 2nd verse.

-Walks in the middle of the night are awesome. Especially with a slurpee detour.

-"The Office" is one of the best shows EVER!

-I'm way too addicted to YouTube.

-Having a laptop is a wonderful thing.

-You can't believe everything unless you've seen it for yourself.

-Do what you want. It's your life.

-Laugh everyday. No matter what.

-Walla Walla is fun. Yakima is not.

-I think alot.

-Greyhound will never be fully on-time, but it's a very dependable service, and very cheap.

-I CAN sleep in an airport.

-"Dawg!"

-One of my cats is a stoner (on catnip). The other thinks she's a dog.

-It was AFI that did all those songs that I really liked, back in the good ol' days of 88.1 The Alternative.

-Sushi is not for me.

-Health and Dental Insurance is hard to get for cheap.

-WebMD isn't that smart.

-The Geico Caveman isn't funny anymore.

-Montel Williams didn't die.

-Travelling from Whitehorse, Yukon, to Kennewick, WA, all in one day, makes for a VERY long day.

-Everyone seems to think of me as very mellow. I'm not.

-Sweeping the white line is a last resort of boredom at work.

-I can never look at a beet again without thinking of Dwight Schrute.

-It's funnier to put bulletins on Myspace when I'm sleep deprived.

-Brett Farve can play a game without hinting at another retirement.

-I overthink things when I'm excited about something.

-I hate sitting in the back of the bus now.

-Getting people to flip me off as I ride my bike is way too much fun. And way too dangerous.

-If you put in your status that you've met a prostitute, make sure you spell "met" correctly. Otherwise, people might question just what exactly is going on.

-I like getting sandwiches on Saturdays. I just wish the other drivers didn't see it as bribery.

-I will not be able to die happily without ever seeing a New Zealand All Blacks rugby match.

-"Boxxy" from YouTube fame is quite the annoying individual. And yet, I still watch that video from time to time.

-Getting a passport should not take that much effort.

-Netflix is a great way to waste away a whole day.

-Every time I watch a high school graduation, I get this sense of feeling really old for some reason. Even though I'm not that old.

-When you say you're going to watch a TNA show, people might not always realize that you mean the wrestling show.

-Calling Tuesday Saturday really confuses people.

-Chasing snakes at work is fun.

-Charter Cable should not still be in business.

-Always put your socks on.

-It's really cool to get to know your family that you've never actually met through Facebook.

-Being lazy when I want to be is a pretty big luxury now.

-Getting certified to drive a forklift isn't that hard.

-I miss my Renegade.

-My pay raise cannot come soon enough.

-It feels dirty to apply for a job online.

-I'm not very good about telling those who need to know how I really feel for them.

-Having a beer with your father is something to cherish for a long time.

"...Ladies and gentlemen, we have now reached our cruising altitude of..."

December 2nd.

The big day had finally arrived.

Time for me to finally go back to my hometown of Whitehorse, Yukon.

Was I nervous? You bet... But also freakin' excited.

Ever since moving down to Washington State, I'd previously been back here to the Yukon twice, both times being in the summer. So, it's been 10 years since I experienced a true winter that you can only find "North of the 60." But, it's pretty amazing just how fast you can remember the true brutalness of the Yukon winter as soon as you step out into it. But, this is why I decided to come up here in the winter, versus the summer. (Well, that and the fact that my boss wouldn't give me time off in the summer anyways.) I love the cold!

When I finished my last post, it was about a quarter after 7, and I was in a state of delirium due to the fact that I'd already been awake for 37 hours straight. Not a very good decision on my part, though I didn't exactly have much say in it due to the outside conditions of my current enviorment. So... I needed to come up with something to do. I decided that since I'd been up for soo long already, I would put off sleep for a few more hours until the International Terminal would really quiet down. So, I thought to myself, this would be a great opportunity to enjoy the great laws of Canada for legal consumption of alcohol. Gotta make my parents proud, eh? Just kidding btw. But, you know what was really weird about that whole experience? I wasn't carded! My first drink at a bar, and I wasn't carded. That was kind of a letdown, but I got over it pretty quick. So, if anyone at the Koho Restaurant and Bar at Vancouver International Airport ever reads this, thank you for that awesome experience. But next time, you should probably card me. Just saying.

After that whole fun experience, I made my way back down to the International Terminal to set up my camp for the night. I wasn't sure exactly how I could guarentee that I would not sleep in for my morning flight, so I had to go to one of my favourite websites for some help. www.sleepinginairports.com Check em' out sometime! In all honesty, I don't think I would have ever seriously considered spending two nights at the airport without coming across this site. The fact that YVR is in the top 10 of the best airports in the world to sleep at sure didn't hurt either. But, to keep on rolling here... I decided my best chances would be to do what I'd seen others do on the site: Post a sign at your "camp" requesting someone please wake you at the time you write down. It's bound to work, because you're always going to find people who do the same thing as you and look out for each other in this "community" or at least someone who's sympathetic to your so-called plight. So, with blank paper and some chewing gum, I put up signs on both sides of my baggage cart I'd been lugging around so that I would have my alarm, as I call it, to wake up the next morning.

It ended up being that I never needed to put the signs up.

Somewhere between 9PM and 10PM, I feel asleep, FINALLY, after only being awake for 40 hrs. It was around 12:30AM when I popped up all of a sudden, like I'd been hit by someone in my sleep. In a frantic state, I looked all around me, because in all that excitement of suddenly waking up, I'd totally forgotten where I was. Directly across from me, there was this older woman, about mid-50's, just glaring at me while she watched "The Wizard of Oz" on her mid-90's looking laptop. Lemme tell you what, that glare was uncomforting. Trying to avoid eye contact with her, I kept looking around until it finally started to click in my head as to just exactly what city, and for that matter, what country that I was in. Wanting to get away from that woman, I packed up my "camp" pretty quickly. (All that packing up took was unplugging my laptop cord and closing up my backpack.) I went down to the Domestic Terminal and had some hot chocolate from good ol' Tim Hortons. After hanging out in the Domestic Terminal for a couple hours (as well as making a couple new friends (who I doubt will ever remember me, if you kinda get what I mean...), I went back to the International Terminal to make camp again. This time, the woman was gone, but not wanting to take my chances of her coming back, I made camp in a different section. I plugged my laptop in again, turned on some music, and just laid down. I never intended to fall asleep again, but it happened. Thankfully, I woke up exactly at 4:28AM. (The time I'd wrote on my signs from earlier was 4:30AM. Pretty cool, eh?) After having a Clif Bar for breakfast, I once again made my way down to the Domestic Terminal for check-in at the Air Canada booths. Air Canada and WestJet both have a new set-up that wasn't there last time I was at YVR. They now do it so you check in yourself at a touch-screen computer terminal, and then an agent verifies your tickets and baggage, and then points you in the direction to take your checked bags. (Yeah, you have to do it yourself. Lazy, right?) At the very least, it's simple and straightfoward. But, smartly, they still have some of the standard check-in counters. The one aisle is for premium customers, and the other I'd assume is for ticket sales (for walk ups) as well as folk who are "old-foggies" and can't figure out the technology. Then of course, the next step was to go through security. Per my usual style, I'm not gonna go into any huge detail of that part. But, as it always has been for me in Canada, it was simple, and the workers were friendly to me.

After I got through the security gate, I made my way to the gate where my plane would be loading, which was C31. It worked out okay that Gate C31 is pretty much the closest gate to the security gate I went through, so that was kinda nice. But, since I knew I had nearly 3 hours to kill now, I decided to walk around a little bit. A little further down, they have this really cool wishing fountain that features some pretty neat First Nations art as the centrepiece. I took a picture of that, so it should be in one of the albums on Facebook, somewhere. (As of 12/7/09, I don't believe I've uploaded it. It should be up by the 15th though for sure.) And then, of course they had a newsstand, a Starbucks, some little cafe place (that was charging $1.69 for a cafeteria-size milk carton. Ugh.), and so on. Sadly, beyond those three places, everything else was closed, considering it was 5 in the morning and the main morning rush doesn't really hit until a couple hours later. But, luckily, YVR's free wi-fi does extend into the gates area, so I had at least something to occupy my time. Did some Facebook-ing, a little reading of the news, and so forth. It dragged on a little, considering I'd spent so many hours at the airport already that I'd pretty much gotten more than a healthy dose of it all. But, I made it. Boarding was supposed to start at 7:10AM, but because this lady on the incoming flight from the plane we were going on required someone to drive her around to her next connection, we had to wait, because the gate agent was the only one around to do it when she got to the gate. I think it was around 7:27AM or so when we finally started boarding. At this point, I was rather impressed, because this gate agent was on top of everything. You could tell he was a veteran of this job the way he was able to rush everyone through the ticket check. He was able to get all 32 of us on the plane, checked and loaded up, all with about 3 or 4 minutes to spare. Good job sir!

After that... it was time to leave.

Time to say goodbye to this huge expansive building that I'd called home since Monday night. It was a little strange, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't happy. Beyond the fact that I was FINALLY leaving for Whitehorse, I was starting to get a little sick of YVR, so it was kinda nice to leave. Of course, when I fly back down, I know I'll be able to navigate that place like I worked there. Depending on the baggage crew's speed, I could potentially be out of that airport 15 minutes after I land back at YVR. (Maybe I should try that... That'd be quite interesting.)

So, now, at this moment, I'm just relaxing, enjoying the fact that I'm inside a heated house versus being outside in the -20C cold of the Yukon winter. I fly out on December 9th, and I'm scheduled to arrive back in Pasco just after midnight. Oh, what a long day that will be. I can't wait!

"And the streets were covered in beer, beer, and more beer..."

My (original) task: Have a fun, eventful, chock-happy (whtvr that means) day in Vancouver while playing tourist. (And sidenote... Can I claim to be playing tourist if I knew more than the guy at the info booth and it's in my country of citizenship?)

My (updated) task: Survive getting sick from not sleeping AT ALL between Monday night and Tuesday morning, keep myself from getting depressed, and try to knock out as much of "playing tourist" as possible before finally succumbing to the need to sleep.

Right off the bat - It SUCKED!

Last night, (techlly this morning) I finised writing the blog recapping all of Monday and the strange, but fun, adventure I had getting here. Whoo boo... It got better.

Now, the problem with being a visitor in a city you've never actually really been to is that it's a little harder to navigate because you don't know the secrets of the city. No matter how much you research and how much you plan and how much time you spend on Goggle Earth and StreetView, you're bound to get lost eventually. You just can't help it. Now, if you're travelling with someone else, then that's good, because as they say, "two brains are better than one." Or is it none? Anyways... But if you're travelling like me, alone, a little lonely, and so far away from anyone that could even remotely help you, it's hard. Really hard.

Originally, my plan was to sleep here at the group of benches I'm sitting at right now and (hopefully) be awake by 6 so that I could make the most of a full day of fun. But, there were not one, but two problems: Insomnia and Adrenaline. It's kinda like a party drink (I can't really think of another analogy). Mix em' together, and they are brutal, and they will ravage you.

So, from 12AM to 5AM, it wasn't too eventful, but holy crap, did it just drag on and on. I'd spend a little time on my laptop, a little exploring the airport, and so on. Around 3 or so, I had breakfast. Well, techlly dinner. A Boston Creme donut and a Hot Chocolate from... *drum roll* Tim Hortons! And it was delish'! But, I regretted it about twenty minutes later, because now I had just added sugar to my two-part problem. Oops.

It was around 5AM or so when the boredom really just crashed down on me. I got fed up with sitting around, so I grabbed my backpack (my suitcases were put in luggage storage Monday night) and walked to the SkyTrain station. Before I really knew it, I was at Broadway-City Hall Station, and so I hopped off and decided to catch the 99 B-Line to the University of British Columbia. But, as the bus kept rolling down the road, I got more and more annoyed that the sun was still not rising. Like, I knew sunrise wasn't till 7:30AM or so, but at least give me a little dusk or something. It's like you don't know the sun is gonna rise, and then bam!, it's 7:30AM and bam!, there's the sun. So, I just stayed on the bus and rode it all the way back to where I originally got on it at Broadway-City Hall station. (Btw, I never did end up going to UBC. I'm kinda sad sitting here thinking about it now, but since I've already pulled my bags out of storage, I can't really leave the airport now. Well, I could, but you know what I mean.) When I arrived back here at the airport, I went to the Air Canada counter trying to find out about the possibility of changing my ticket to Whitehorse for today instead of tomorrow (Wednesday morning). It was possible... Sadly, this possibility was also very, very expensive. $158 to be exact. And considering the tickets were $182/176, not really a worthwhile expense. I think I was rather depressed this morning. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't leave this town that was boring me into little pieces. And I still was struggling with this bloody TransLink technology. Remember how I said last night I was really impressed with how high-tech it was or something like that. Yeah... sratch that. It's freakin' annoying yo.

So, as I started walking around the airport some more, I had to start thinking. No matter what I do, I'm here in Vancouver for another day, which was completely my choice to begin with. So, do I make it a fun day or a sucky day? Guess what I picked.

This part of the day I'm not going to go into any details of. Rather, I will upload all the pic's that I took over the course of the day. So, if you're reading this on Blogspot, you're gonna have to be my buddie on Facebook to see the pics. And if you are my buddie on Facebook already, send some comments and lemme know what you think or what you wanna know about something. However, I will address the one part of the day which inspired the title for today's blog. "And the streets were covered in beer, beer, and more beer..." Now, I mean that in a very literal sense. See... here's what happened. I'd just checked out General Motors Place (home of the Vancouver Canucks), and as I continued to walk up the street, I kept noticing a more and more distinct smell of something that I just couldn't quite pinpoint. About a block away, it popped in my head, "It's BEER!" And then I looked up the street a bit, and holy crap... There was beer freakin everywhere. Check the pics. They do not lie. At all.

So, all in all, I'd say it was a good day of playing tourist. Granted, I was suffering from the "knocks" all day. (It's my term for one of my symptoms of sleep deprivation. Ask if you wanna. It's not dirty or anything btw.) I didn't get to go everywhere I wanted to. And I kinda regret spending $13 just to go up to the top of Harbour Centre at the Vancouver Lookout, but that was an amazing view, so I guess that was a pro as well. All I really hope for is that I'll be able to get some sleep tonight. At least a little. But then on the other side of that is that I'm afraid of of sleeping in. That's why I'm trying to make friends with my fellow airport sleepers here so that we'll look out for each other, but there's no certainty in any of it. Plus, if I do fall asleep, my body is fully aware that it has major sleep to catch up on. I mean, going off of it just being past 7PM right now and I've been up since 5AM Monday (well, actually, 4:45AM), I've been up 37 hours straight. That no be good at all... Nuh uh.

Day 1 - The Start of The Whole Adventure

My task: Make it from my home in Kennewick, WA, to Pasco, WA, to take the Greyhound to Bellingham, WA (with a transfer in Seattle, WA), and then utilizing local public transportation companies, sucessfully walk across the border into Canada, and end the day at Vancouver International Airport.

Kennewick to Pasco
Pretty uneventful. It was pretty foggy out at 6:30AM. I hadn't been awake in that long, so I didn't know if that was the first day it'd been this foggy, or if it'd been like that for weeks. Not that I'm complaining or anything. But then again, I'm the one who thinks 9:00AM is too early.

Pasco to Seattle
This is really where my test began. I've never actually been on a Greyhound Bus before. Public transportation? That's my bread and butter! I'm the king when it comes to that. But Greyhound is taking it to a whole different level. On Greyhound's website, they state that it's highly recommened to show up early for your departure time. So, being an hour early had it's pros and cons. Pros, I had a better chance of grabbing my seat. (For those who don't know, Greyhound's system is that you can buy a ticket, but thats DOES NOT mean you'll have a seat for sure. First come, first serve...) Cons, I got bored pretty quick. And I mean quick. The Greyhound office at the Pasco Terminal doesn't open till 7:30AM, so watching the agent go in and out of the booth started to annoy me a little. But, what can you do? So, at 7:33, he finally opened. As soon as that booth gate went up, all 7 or 8 of us who were there so far made a mad dash for him. But, luckily, order ensued and I'm glad to say there were no fistfights or anything. As I waited my turn to get my baggage checked, I kept remarking to myself just how amazing it is that nearly every passenger was buying their tickets right beforehand. I mean, you can save like 50% (or maybe more) if you just buy the ticket 21 days in advance. I know people sometimes have the urgent need to get going right then and there, but a little foresight can go a long ways. Just saying. So, baggage checked and ready to go, I stood in line, waiting for the bus to show up from Stanfield, OR. While we were waiting, I chatted a little with the 4 people in front of me. I hate to use the stereotype, but imagine the type of person that sits at the front of the public bus and always has to chat with the driver... well, that was them. But, don't get me wrong. They were very nice, and I did enjoy chatting with them. I guess they sure enjoyed chatting with me, because somehow I got suckered in to helping the one woman (who told me her name multiple times, but I still can't remember it cause it's such a weird spelling, so we'll call her "L") load her carry-on bags up into the bus and up into the overhead bins. She was pretty appreciative for that. (I later found out that she has C.T.S. and diabetes, so I think she deffly needed the help.) Around Sunnyside or so, I grabbed down her bag of Cheetos for her, and I mentioned that I worked for Frito-Lay. She seemed astonished when I told her I had no huge interest in all the chips I want to eat. I tried explaining how 15 months or so of smelling them had kinda turned me to the other side where I don't like chips as much, but she had a pretty hard time believing that one.

Seattle to Bellingham
I didn't like the driver on this Greyhound as much as I liked the driver from the Pasco-Seattle bus. Again, pros and cons. The first driver was polite and thorough in his work, but he was slow at it. The second driver, he was very efficient. But he came off as a bit of an a-hole. This time around, I ended up having a couple different seatmates. The first one was Rita. I remember that she said she was from Olympia and she was headed for Bellingham to see her husband (I think?) before he headed back to Afghanistan. She was nice, but she seemed too much like one of those girls who never really phased themselves out of high school. In Everett, when we cleared some seats out, she moved back. The next one, I don't know who he was, but I think he'd just been released from jail based on how he was acting. (Another Greyhound fact. A lot of the time, the prison system will release prisoners and give them a Greyhound ticket and some pocket change to get home. But, you can spot the ones who've been in the system for quite a few years and don't quite seem to understand how modern society works, so they sit rather quietly just watching the front window the whole time.) Finally, in Mt. Vernon, some other guy sat next to me, but I gave him a glare (not intentionally, I was trying to look out the other window) and so he ended up moving to the other side of the aisle. Can't say I hated that! Lol.

Bellingham to the Border
I departed the Greyhound at Fairhaven Transit Center in Bellingham. Very hurridly, I rushed inside to find a place to break a bill. See, in all the excitement, I had stupidly forgotten to bring a dollar for my bus fare to use the Whatcom Transit Authority buses. Luckily, that was a fast process, and double luckily, the bus I needed had a stop not more than 50 feet from where I'd gotten off the Greyhound. So, that mission accomplised, I waited for the bus to show up. By about 4:00PM or so, I was at Bellingham Station in downtown Bellingham. This was VERY good, because the next bus I needed to take, the 70X to Blaine, was scheduled for departure at 4:20PM. It was on that next bus, the 70X, that I started to notice the people starting at me. And I understood why. I'm sitting at the front of this bus with two full-sized suitcases, plus my bursting-at-the-seams backpack, and I was headed to Blaine, WA, of all places. I guess it was a bit odd. But then again, so is wanting to walk into Canada, so there you go I guess. The bus driver on the 70X was very professional about it all, and was easily able to answer all my questions for me. (I really didn't need to ask any questions, since I'd already spent weeks researching and pouring over schedules and maps to make sure I would NOT get lost, but I just wanted a little reassurance.) So, at the very last stop in Blaine, I departed into completely unfamiliar territory. Of course, I knew where I needed to go, so it wasn't too big a deal. So, I started walking. But, guess what happened after I'd been walking for a little bit? I got pulled over by US Customs Agents! (No joke! A little side info might help. This previous Sunday night, 4 police officers were shot to death at a coffee shop in the Tacoma, WA, area, and they've been mounting a huge manhunt for him. So, of course, the border was on tight lockdown, and pretty much all law-enforcement in the PacNW is a little on-edge right now.) So, of course, they asked me some questions, and of course, I answered them, truthfully and without double-thinking. The one guy got a good laugh at my enthusiasm of walking across the border. I know they told their fellow Border Agents, because the rest of the way to the border, almost all of them gave me a smile or wave or laugh or something. It was kinda cool.

The Border to Vancouver International Airport
Without explaining the process too much, I was able to enter Canada without much hassle or delay. The Canadian Border Crossing has a much newer building than the one that was there the last time I crossed the border. Gotta say, it's pretty nice! And cozy inside. I prolly could have spent the night there, but I think that may be frowned upon. From the border crossing, I had to walk just a little bit to Exit 2, which is officially in Surrey, BC. From Exit 2, I just had to cross the overpass to the other side of the highway and my bus stop was right there at the corner of 8 Ave and King George Highway. Pretty easy! Though a bus that would go all the way to the border crossing would be nice I think. I guess they used to have one, but they stopped doing it for whatever reason. Oh well. I don't think I'm gonna go to Canada this way again, so I'm not too concerned. Now, if I lived here in Vancouver or Western Washington, I might be a little interested in something like that. But, anywhoo. The first bus I took in Canada was the 375 on TransLink (which is the service provider for all of the Greater Vancouver Metro Area). I was rather impressed with the bus. The fare box was pretty high tech. I assume a lot of the bigger metro areas have set-ups like that for higher efficency, but in my use of public transportation, I've never had to use a set up like that, so I thought it was pretty cool. The bus driver? Eh. He was friendly, but I've never seen a driver push a bus as hard as he did. $5 says he used to be a taxi driver. Lmao! The second bus I took was the 351. That bus... Imagine your normal, everyday, public bus. Now imagine a high-class coach bus. Mash the two together and you have that bus. I have never been so comfortable in a bus seat that I did on the 351. I swear, every seat is like YOU are in the driver's seat. (Except you aren't, it's just really comfy. Lol.) The bus driver was really friendly too. He thought it was pretty cool I was headed up to the Yukon, and remarked that he'd love to make it up there someday. Then we started talking about the show "Ice Road Truckers" which was pretty cool to meet as avid a fan of the show as I am. The 351 went all the way to Bridgeport Station, which is on the new SkyTrain Line, the Canada Line, which is my main access to the airport. As we were approaching it (and please don't laugh), I don't know why or where it came from, but I instantly thought to myself, "WOW! That station is freakin' spanky!" (Sometimes I think my mind has it's own personality. Lol!) But, when I got to the train platform, I saw why I had that random thought. It was spanky! Or you could call it rather nice looking and clean, or whatever you wanna go with. I think I'm sticking with spanky. And so, before I knew it, I was here at the airport. Oh, and the cool thing about the SkyTrain? They don't have a driver! It's fully automatic. The whoooolllleeee thing! Pretty cool, eh?

So, right now, I'm avoiding sleeping time. I could try really hard, but it's not working too well. So, my plan (at least for now) is to fight the sleep until 5AM, go about my planned morning routine as I already would have and then knock out as much for playing tourist as I can. And then, and only then, when I need to sleep, I'll come back here to the airport, take a nap for as long as my body (or the people of the airport) will let me, and then just pass the next night away this same way until I leave Wednesday morning northbound to Whitehorse, YT. And then... I'll just figure it out then. I'll be too excited to worry about sleep Wednesday morning, but I think I'm gonna crash really, really hard by that night.