Barbie but No Shrimps

This weekend we decided to have some of S's coworkers over for a BBQ at our place. We thought it would be fun to have people over to see our place since everyone thinks we live in the sticks and we have a large reserve of beer - a perfect combination. On a side note about the beer, it turns out that the Costco rules of buying in bulk applies to beer here. It's about $15-18 for a six-pack in the package stores, but if you buy a case (or three cases) it ends up being about $11 per six-pack. It's all about the economizing :) . And most of S's coworkers live on the other side of town close to the office, so I can see how it seems like we are in the sticks, but being farther away does have its benefits like the farmer's market in the park next to our building and a really nice apartment.

We went to the farmer's market on Saturday to buy food for our Mexican themed BBQ. We always stop at the Gypsy coffee cart first to get a latte or a flat white. The coffee cart looks exactly like a gypsy cart, or at least what you might image and the owner even dresses a bit like a gypsy. After getting some much needed caffeine, we got a Hungarian doughnut to fortify us and we started shopping. The variety of fruits and vegetables is amazing and everything is relatively cheap. There was a man selling honey that also had baby ducks and chicks in a little enclosure on his table. That was a brilliant business move; kids and parents couldn't stay away. We even considered getting a baby duck and keeping it in our bath tub, but decided that probably wasn't a good idea.

After finishing our shopping we headed over to Bicycle Revolution. They take used bikes, sandblast them, repaint them, and add really nice components to them. D, you would love this place. Not only are the bikes well built, but they are beautifully put together. I ended up getting a bike. It was like rewarding myself for a biking prowess I have yet to develop, but it is so pretty! The wheels are really nice and the tires are super thin. It corners like it's on rails. S is pretty jealous. He keeps thinking up situations in which my bike becomes his, like if I don't ride it everyday then it becomes his bike. The mechanics at the bike shop offered to build him one that's similar to mine. We'll see how long he can hold out.



After the farmers market and bike adventures we went to A and H's for lunch and ended up hanging out all afternoon. On a whim we decided to see The Green Zone. I thought it was pretty good though you could tell it was the same director as all the Bourne movies. It was a real "America sucks and we're jerks" type of movie, which in the case of Iraq may be closer to the truth than we'd like to admit. Other than the depressing political themes , it was a good action movie.

The BBQ ended up being a success. Lots of people came and we made tons of food. We even netted more beer. The menu for the BBQ included:

• Marinated rump steak tacos (no flank or skirt steak here that I could find)
• Yam tacos
• Guacamole
• Pico de gallo
• Frijoles negros and rice

I always seem to make too much food and I certainly did this time. Lots and lots of leftovers. Next weekend it looks like we'll rent a car and go up to the Sunshine Coast. We went to the Gold Coast a few weekends ago and it was really nice. We happened to catch the only sun that weekend and I got quite sunburned. The Gold Coast is only an hour away from us by car and I am looking forward to going again soon. I can't wait to see how the Sunshine Coast compares.

I've attached a photo of our hang session with A and H as well as a really strange billboard I happened across. I can't saw exactly why it caught my eye, but there is something about the cat's hand that is so strange and kind of hilarious.