Our Fourth Wide Screen, I Think.

Televisions are sort of like mobile phones nowadays; in that after a few years, even if one's still working, it is missing out on the newest features. 

Our former television was okay. We got the old LG LED TV right after getting back on one of the final flights through Narita during the COVID pandemic. We were still under quarantine when the Amazon delivery guy knocked at the our door. He was in the elevator, half way to the ground floor, before we could open it! 

I suppose the LG 55SM8600PUA was a good 2019 TV. However the backlit LED never had deep blacks. The 4K refresh rate wasn't robust. It was sort of a standard workhorse.  In retrospect though, we did spend a whole lot of our lives in front of that screen. 

This past winter, I did a whole lot of 'homework' after deciding it was time for a new TV. While in Sri Lanka this winter, I decided on an LG OLED. We couldn't move up in screen size as our apartment is only around 750 sq ft. Our living room television cannot be larger than 55". I noticed the smallest demonstration sets in stores are now 65". 

I pulled the trigger on Saturday via bestbuy.ca as the clearance prices are starting in order to make room for new 2026 models. If the price drops further in the next month, I'm covered by the price guarantee. 

 

As well as the optimum size for our apartment, yesterday, we found that this is the largest screen that we'd be able to squeeze into in our Kona EV.

Three Signs of Autumn!

The cloudy morning turned clear.  One can feel the nip in the air though.  Downtown New Westminster is serviced by two SkyTrain stations less than a kilometer apart.  I walked to the other station this morning for a bit of a walk. 

First, I looked in the Thrift Shop but wasn't impressed by any items.  So I walked to the dollar shop inside the New Westmisnter Station.  I thought to pick up a couple of calendars.  Doing this is a learned part of our expertise in leaving for the winter.  If we don't pick up a couple of cheap paper calendars during the prior October, there'll be none by the time we return home in March or April.  

I found two!  I wondered whether I'd need to select one with puppies or another with kittens.  Thankfully. I found alternatives.

Next, after Jay returned from the gym, we had lunch.  Then we got on the SkyTrain again to visit the New Westminster Station.  We had appointments for our annual flu shots as well as new COVID boosters.  We had less than three minutes of wait time.  Both of us had the two shots in our left arms.  Wonder how they'll feel tomorrow?

Third, the last picture was taken by the door to our apartment building.  It opens right into the Columbia Station.  If you peek at the outside area, you will note that it really is autumn.

Buying calendars, having flu shots, and seeing fallen leaves, all point to the fact another year will be coming to an end shortly.

Singing Praises for a Piece of Luggage!

Travel can be exciting but getting ready is never much fun. 

We have it pretty easy this time as we're only going to be away for around 9 days. Usually when we pack, we have to be very selective.  We go away to some far corner of the globe for four or five months every winter. 

Comparatively, this little upcoming cruise from Barcelona will be a breeze. In fact, we've decided to take a single suitcase and share the space. Yet, we'll each have our own backpacks as carry-ons.

   

Today, we rolled out my trusty old friend. This is a photo of the best suitcase I ever owned because of its durability and security. It seals shut and snaps tightly closed. I have little faith in modern luggage with a mere zipper holding it all together. 

After many years, this piece still has all of its wheels. I remember buying it prior to COVID in Kuala Lumpur.  We never let the pandemic prevent us from going away, so it has been through at least six winters. For the last one alone, it was in and between five different countries. I admit the old gal is starting to look a bit sketchy but I like its secure latches, I hope it keeps on going forward for the foreseeable future.

Eating Burgers Outdoors

It is August! This is the time when our condo buildings have an annual barbeque. The bulletin board poster says that it is the 27th. By chance that is how many years we've lived here. However, it started before we bought our apartment. Numbering on annual events has to account for the years that COVID prevented many types get-togethers. Now it'll be easy to remember the number going forward as we'll match up.

This is often time when we have a chance to see some neighbhours that we don't run into in the elevator, lobby, or swimming pool area.  There are fewer folks who've been here as long as us nowadays.

   

I had a hamburger and a smokey sausage.  The last time I had these items many well have been during last year's BBQ.

Saturday: Walking and a Show

 

It wasn't strange that we didn't get up at the crack of dawn. After all, we didn't get to bed until after it was already today. We left the hotel at about 10:00 am. Just to see some of the sights, we walked past New York, New York and entered the MGM Park. One needs to walk all the way to the rear of the property in order to catch the free tram to the Bellagio. All routes in Vegas properties require that one walk through their respective casinos, shops, and restaurants.

 

One good part of walking from the tram to the Bellagio fountain is one passes their Conservatory & Botanical Gardens.

As this was just a morning walk, we crossed the street and started to walk south back to this end of the Strip.  Interestingly,  a rain storm blew into this section of the city!  I heard there had been very little rain in the months of 2025.  So, wouldn't you know we arrive from Vancouver and can expect more rain before we head back on Tuesday!  The wind that accompanied the rain was hot today.  That felt weird.

We had tickets for the RuPaul's Drag Race Live! show in the iconic Flamingo Hotel at 9:30 pm.  We went early by taking an Uber.  We walked around and had a quick dinner in a restaurant in the Link.

We've been watching RuPaul's Drag Race on TV for years.  We really hadn't been up-to-date since COVID-19.  So over the last month, we caught up by binging seasons 14, 15, 16, and 17.  RuPaul now has a global drag empire and for a number of years has had a show in Vegas.  He doesn't attend the shows but is part of the performances through recorded video.  I'm happy we watched the most recent episodes.  The four main performers were those we recently saw in those seasons!

The show ended at about 11:15 pm and we walked back to the Excalibur along the Strip.  There were so many people.  Both sidewalks were crowded.  We didn't get back to our room until after midnight but, after walking over 12.5 km today, we will surely sleep well.

A New Cube / Music's No Longer Round

Because we're so groovy, I bought a lava lamp from Amazon this week.  Unfortunately, in order to have sufficient space in the living room I needed to buy another IKEA Eket cube.  Back during COVID, we put together a bedroom full of furniture.  We didn't need the cube I'd bought for the dresser.  So it's been near the living room TV sitting directly on the carpeted floor.

So, after getting groceries this morning, we stopped at the Coquitlam IKEA as we drove past.  I couldn't find the inside shortcut through the display maze to get to the warehouse/checkout area.  Eventually, we picked up one. At home, I only needed a hammer to pound the pieces together as the dowels were already in place.  The last time, it took me much longer than it should have to put one together!  

Today, it took less than five minutes.  After I got it assembled, I realized that it was a size larger than the original one.  It took a while to figure out which way to make 'em work.  I guess they're fine back-to-back with the empty sides for junk perpendicular to the wall.  It probably looks better now from the couch.

Something weird?  I opened Spotify on my phone and transferred the sound to the TV and home theatre system. Rather than what'd been playing in the car, I typed in Al Green and selected his Greatest Hits album.  What an usual way to listen to music in 2025!  The songs were all by Mr. Green.  One after another, they played in a predictable order.  It felt like an odd (and a little boring) way to listen to music.

Changes in Construction Techniques

In my image taken this morning, brand-new condo towers stand 43 and 53 storeys in New Westminster, BC, Canada.  They are located at 660 and 750 Quayside Drive along the Fraser River waterfront.  COVID affected the construction timelines but now many owners have moved into these buildings.

In front of the megastructures, lies the Westminster Building in my photo.  It was was built for Westminster Trust in 1911 and 1912 and is considered the city's first skyscraper.  This image aligns with the rear of the building on Clarkson Street which rises seven storeys.  However, the front facade on Columbia Street is eight because of the sloping site along Begbie Street.  It was built after the city's 'Great Fire' of 1898.

The image demonstrates a juxtaposition between what was and is considered state-of-the-art in building construction over a period of 113 years.   One can also see a section of the SkyTrain rails between New Westminster Station but before they duck into the tunnel to the east at the Columbia Street Station.  We live just a few blocks to the east.

Not in the Zone

Today, we're sitting in the Pacific time zone. However, our bodies still need convincing that we're home. For the last four months we were living between 9 and 11 hours ahead of the clocks in Vancouver. Getting back in the groove is going to take a little bit of extra time. I swear doing these simple time-gymnastics seem to take a a lot longer as one matures (gets old). 

We were up at 4:30 am today. Damn if we didn't get a whole lot done, though! A long list of things to accomplish when back is being smashed:

Contents of all the luggage has been removed.

Several loads of washing has been dried and put away.

Internet devices and the home network have come back to life.

Mailbox was emptied and important government paperwork completed.

Car insurance was renewed at Westland Insurance for eight months.

Veggies bought at LFM and some groceries at the uptown Walmart.

Cooked food sits in the refrigerator with a stock of other fresh food.

Several medicine prescriptions have been renewed.

The apartment has been cleaned and set up for next stay of eight months.

 

Hell, I even updated my car's infotainment system using our PC and an SD card.  And while I was waiting for the process to complete, I cleaned out my glove box and center storage.  I decided to throw away several masks in there from COVID days.

A Closer Look at the Pier West Towers

 

From the balcony we have two huge new towers that block a bit of our view to the southwest and down the Fraser River. The development has been going on for a very long time. Of course, the land along the river had to be prepared for such large buildings.  The project is well over one year late most probably due to COVID-19 supply chain issues and delays.

 

During these years of ongoing construction, we have felt somewhat cut off from the New Westminster Quay.  However, earlier this week, we noticed cars and pedestrians walking along a formerly closed street next to Pier West.  We decided that a Sunday morning walk was required so we could see the area for ourselves.

The restaurants in the Quay were busy even though the main walkway over the train tracks to the Hyack Square was closed.  We could not walk all the way to Westminster Pier Park along the new boardwalk but we were able to get a better idea of the future.

Next summer is going to be more awesome as we will be able to reconnect with that end of the downtown riverfront.

We All Carry a Little Baggage

Yesterday, Jay said I should wash my backpack. We used our backpacks as carry-on luggage for our Central Europe and Baltics trip. Of course, they should be washed and disinfected after travelling. Think how many spaces they've shared with unknown bags on airplanes, trains, and buses during the month trip! It's a little disturbing to even consider, especially post-COVID. 

 

Anyway, I'm lazy. If you've ever met me you already know that.  I decided it would be easier to order a new backpack from Amazon.   After all, my Swiss Gear bag had somehow become eight years old. Really? How quickly time goes. And how quickly old people say that.

I knew the exact year of the old one because it was also an Amazon purchase.  A quick order search showed it has lived with me since 2016.  Age wasn't the only thing.  Also, I'd noticed a minute bit of plastic debris was coming off around one zipper.  And did I say I was too lazy to wash the old one?  

The delivery guy dropped off the box a few minutes ago.  Okay, they're about the same size although they don't look like they are in the photo.  The new one is on the left and my trusty old Swiss Gear on the right.  Still plenty of room for the travelling HP laptop.  

Enough pockets and zippers too.  Unfortunately they're all in different places!  I'll have to devise all new places for the crap I always carry.  That also sounds like work.  Maybe it would've been easier to just wipe off the old one?

Flu Shots and a Little Retrofuturism

Today started off a little differently than most Saturdays.  We didn't need to do grocery shopping at the big Superstore because we are leaving for winter, in a few short weeks, at the end of the month.  

We did stop at the uptown Walmart.  When walking through the mall, we noticed that The Shoppers Drug Mart had a drop-in clinic for flu shots.  Our province now has an invitation program and appointments are usually slotted and booked online by patients.  This started because of COVID-19 but will encompass all suggested vaccinations.  Getting today's proved easy and took only a few minutes.

Jay and I have always gotten our annual, fall flu shots.  I was a teacher at BCIT and Jay worked with vulnerable street youth.  Responsible members of the public should always help the whole population by having a jab. After retirement, we've continued with this practice.  The pharmacist was good and after taking off our little, round plasters, there wasn't even a speck of blood in the pads.

On a different note, the sun peeked out for a short while in the morning, although too late to spot the solar eclipse.  The next one won't occur for another ten years, the TV mentioned.

Lastly, in the afternoon, I had an MS Teams chat with a friend.  We had a conversation that turned to the topic of retrofuturism.  Are you familiar with that term?  It's the decades-old vision of what today would look like.  It is a genre of art from both respected and pulp publications.  Illustrations from old Popular Science magazines might be an example.  They have common themes and a very specific look.  Even the colours were limited by the cheap printing processes of the day.

I happen to really 'dig' these types of images.  It probably has to do with my age.  I can easily use AI to attempt to reproduce the style.  Above is today's AI image called 'Vancouver's Retro-Future'.

Our Plans for Next Week

When we were in Buenos Aires earlier this year, I noticed an interesting little cruise itinerary on Expedia. I was able to contact our agent here in town via the Internet and she booked us on a 5-night Holland America Line (HAL) cruise. 

During the spring and fall, ships transition to different locations due to the season. Right at the moment, all sorts of vessels are heading here for this summer's Alaskan cruise season. The itinerary allows the ms Noordam to waste a little time before starting its regular cruise season.   We sail from downtown next Tuesday and return on Sunday.

There are two main reasons we thought to pick up this inexpensive trip. First, Jay and I need only ten more nights at sea to achieve the HAL 4-Star Mariner rankings. We want that status to kick in before taking a future, long-duration cruise because laundry and ironing become free services at that loyalty program level.  There are other perks such as priority boarding as well. Secondly, it's been forever since we travelled locally.  COVID closed the border south for several years and the ferries over to the BC capital have become very costly. As you can see below we spend one day in three different nearby cities. 

 

Plus, there's the added benefit of having someone overfeed and clean up after us for a few days!

An Injection and an Installation

I went in for a six-month COVID booster vaccination at 11:30 am. I had a newer bivalent Moderna shot because they were offered to those over 60. I chose a reservation at a close Shopper's Drug Mart. I took the SkyTrain to the New Westminster station and after the short visit took the train back to our building. 

While I was away, Jay welcomed the installation guys who replaced our dishwasher. We have successfully left behind the 'turn-a-knob' era.  I bet this 'push-the-panel' device will not last nearly as long as the old one did.

 

Towards the Eastern Side of the Panama Canal

Day 5 - This morning we had to do our own COVID Antigen tests in the stateroom. Then, they were collected by the staff to ensure we were virus free.  We are.

We did note a room or two down at the end of our corridor where the folks had to pack bags. They must have been moving to a special, isolation stateroom until they test negative. Most one-week cruises no longer have any testing or restrictions. However, Holland America is still testing cruises of 15 days and longer. I assume they must follow the rules of the various ports at which the ship visits too.

 

After breakfast, we attended a brand-new presentation on the history of the Panama Canal as prep for tomorrow's transit from east to west.  This is the main stage where we attend shows in the evenings.  Last night we saw a 'mime/magician' in an odd but amazing act.  We will forgo the performance of the dance troop tonight as we've already seen Humanity a number of times on previous voyages.  

In addition, we had an initial 2:00 pm meeting for passengers taking the Overland Cusco & Machu Picchu Adventure.  This begins on December 1st but there were extra instructions and information provided today.  A total of 133 guests will be with us from the ship.

We've been going to the main dining hall every evening at 8 o'clock.  We will again tonight just because of the enjoyment of our tablemates.  We have Stan, an older Southern gentleman as well as the New Hampshire couple and their relatives formerly from Maine but now full-time Floridians.  

Tomorrow, I'm sure the ship will put on a big Thanksgiving dinner.  For the entire day, up to that point, we will be on deck watching the views along the Panama Canal.  We'll have two nights docked in Panama.  We already know our way around Panama City.

Doctors and Such

I had made a doctor's appointment for today. Our family doctor works on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at a medical clinic across the street. It is easy for us to walk down Fourth and cross Columbia Street. However, because it is so close, I left the apartment a little too early. 

To kill a few minutes, I walked onto the New Westminster parkade and crossed the rail tracks on the pedestrian crosswalk. There are stairs and an elevator down to Pier Park. I didn't descend but rather snapped this photo.

 

It's hard to tell in this photo, but New Westminster is still being affected by the Coquitlam wildfire.  The smoke mixes with the low-lying fog and sticks around over the Fraser River here.

My time with the doctor was short.  I just wanted him to know about my morning glucose monitoring now.  On the medical front, in the afternoon, we also got an email from the province saying that our bivalent COVID booster shots and regular seasonal flu shots could now be booked.  We reserved slots for tomorrow afternoon at a nearby pharmacy.

Today's Short Walk

Less than 10 km from our apartment lies Surrey's Green Timbers Urban Forest Park.  It's a great place we discovered a few years ago during the height of the COVID-19 restrictions.  We spent a lot of time during the summer of 2020 locating and visiting local parks in surrounding municipalities.  As this is very close to shopping, we did a quick walk around the lake this morning.  

After, we stopped at our favourite Asian T&T Supermarket branch store.  However, we did notice when coming back on Route 1 last Thursday a new one will open in Coquitlam, not far from our Canadian Superstore. The two chains are owned by the same parent company but compete directly in the market.  We may get a new, closer T&T quite soon!

A Seldom Visited New Westminster Park

This area is Hume Park just in my city of New Westminster.  In fact here, the Brunette River forms our boundary with the city of Coquitlam.  We don't commonly stop here.  Perhaps our last visit was during the summer of the 2020 pandemic when we had little else to do except visit surrounding municipal parks.  

This morning, on our way to our closest Costco on Brighton Ave in Burnaby, we did not take the shortest route.  That would have been around seven and a half kilometers down Cariboo Road.  Instead, we made time for a little visit to the park.  

I have to admit knowing little of the names of local flora.  These pink flowers were common along the outer growth.  Are these called, snapdragons?  Whatever their name, I like them because up-close they look amazingly like a type of orchid.

Summers Are Back!

 

We bought fresh corn when shopping this morning. The bright sun and lovely temperatures helped us to remember what BC summers are like. It seems as though we were cheated out of a couple of them by the COVID situation. 

Our annual strata BBQ occurred this weekend. It is interesting to see all the new people in our buildings whom we had never met. Doug, from our strata council, always works hard to organize these events. I was a little less excited about picnic food because of our 18-night cruise. I didn't have as much desire for smokies and chips. However, it was nice. 

Then, we walked down as the main drag of downtown New Westminster was closed for a 'several-block' party. Food trucks and crafts lined our section of Columbia Street. 

It feels nice to have summers back!

 

110 Sea Cruise Nights

In an effort to document our continuously expanding cruise experiences, I continue to update this information.  

UPDATED PAGE FOUND AT: 

Our Cruise History

Blinded By Science

It's not as if we hadn't been tested for COVID-19 before.  It feels quite the opposite.  In order to travel, we ended up being tested rather often. We had seven PCR tests and one laboratory antigen exam over the last two years.

   

This week, we did our own just for fun. It seems as though if one wants free, home antigen tests in BC, he or she just needs to stop at a pharmacy and ask. Jay and I were given two boxes. In each was the equipment and five, plastic tubes and kits. We tested negative yet again!