Fresh Ice

There's nothing like skating on fresh ice, especially when you're surrounded by friends and other singles.

We went skating on Saturday and had a blast under the Robson Street Square. Where else can you enjoy a winter event for $5 in the heart of Vancouver?

Our meeting time was 12:30, but our group had a staggered arrival. By 1:00 our numbers had swelled to a dozen; we were by far the largest group there. The ratio, once again, was excellent for single men, as the ladies outnumbered us.

We had a range of ages and skating abilities. I was in the middle for both; I can skate but not stop and I'm thirty-six, the magical age when being single starts to raise a few eyebrows.

The night before, a number of our members had been at an E&A event at the Roxie, only three blocks away. I talked to a few of the ladies about their evening and regretted missing the dancing extravaganza at Vancouver's iconic singles bar.

We also talked about upcoming events in February, specifically the Icebreaker/Games Night party on Friday. I've never been to a games night, but I was told it is the best reoccurring, monthly event offered by Events and Adventures. I need to signup before Friday.

On the ice, a few of our members were experiencing ice-skating for the very first time. It was cool to see everyone involved, offering tips and supportive arms. By the time we left the ice, one of our members had advanced from hugging the side rails, to skating with the blue stabilizers, to roaming hands free around the rink. Pretty impressive.

During an ice break, we also got to witness a mini-zamboni, painted with an orca theme, clean and resurface the ice. So Canadian…

Skating on the fresh ice was awesome. The experience got me thinking about an extended metaphor that I would like to share:

Joining the E&A club offers a new way to approach dating. You don't have to return to the tired dating tropes of going for coffee or a having a drink at a bar. E&A lets you experience new thrills, while mingling with potential dating prospects. It's like a new sheet of a ice every time. For every event, the surface is cleaned and reformatted. You can hug the sides or test your skills bobbing and weaving between the other skaters. You can carve your own track around the rink or link-up with other singles. The rink is yours to experiment on. Have fun.

Pretty poetic, don’t you think? To sample the E&A ice, head to their Vancouver website at: http://www.eventsandadventures.com/vancouver

Ten Things I Love About Being Single in Vancouver

It’s fun to be single if you’re in the right circles. Since I joined Events and Adventures, I’ve been having the time of my life, meeting active, fun-loving singles in their element and trying new things every week. Here are my top ten adventures so far.

1. Night Sledding At Cypress: The more the merrier.

We hit the slopes at Cypress with toboggans and tubes for an evening event that’s 100x more fun in a group. We linked our arms and legs to create crazy chains and laughed like kids again. It was a good way to get up close and personal without any of the awkwardness of dating.

2. Gourmet Cooking Classes: You never know who you’ll meet.

We rolled out the fresh pasta at Kitchen Riddles and went home with our bellies full. Great instruction, a gourmet meal, a glass of wine, and some naughty flour handprints made for an imaginative evening in the kitchen.

3. Calvinball is in a league of its own.

Wallyball is a crazy version of volleyball. Just like Calvin and his Tiger, the best times are had when you throw the rules out the door and focus on the fun. It’s so much easier to meet someone new when you both have your hair down.

4. Taste Testing Oil? Yes, Oil. And things you’d never think of doing alone.

The Vancouver Olive Oil Company let us sample their unique diffusions. They paired our spot tests with a priceless education on the origins, health benefits and cooking secrets of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

5. Holiday Themed Parties are always better when you’re single.

We took the 'hideous sweater theme' to the bowling alley over the holidays. My Christmas flair definitely shone brighter than my lane skills. This event was well attended and I was able to meet a number of single women. Must have been the sweater.

6. Double Bounces for the fun and fit.

Jumping on a trampoline on your own gets boring quickly. Add a dozen singles and you have a party. Throw in a handful of rubber balls and that party turns into a dodge-ball laugh factory.

7. Sugar By the Spoonful: Just me and the ladies.

What a magical night out at the theatre. The cast of Marry Poppins transported us back to our childhood. I was one of the few men who attended this event; loved the ratio.

8. Exotic Dining with friendly new faces.

My first event with Events and Adventures - a night of shared plates and friendly conversation at the Banana Leaf. We had a great time. Since then I've been hooked.

9. Practice Swings and casual dating. Talk about multi-tasking.

It’s never a wasted evening when you have a chance to do what you love anyway. The sexy singles I met who shared my love for the game - that was icing on the cake.

10. Latin Laughter. Because you’re more attractive when you’re having fun.

The perfect combo pack: a wonderfully cooked Latin meal and two hours of comedy. We competed for prizes, interacted with the comics and laughed until it hurt.

Every week I write about being Single In Vancouver, BC. Check out it, you might relate.

Second Period Scoring Summary

They say never bring up past relationships on a first date and I would probably agree. No one wants to hear about how great, or crazy, your ex was. But I think sharing dating horror stories is never a bad idea. It breaks the ice and puts the other person at ease - 'No matter how bad this date goes, it won' compare to this crazy time when ______________.'

Personally, I think it creates an instant bond, like the trust hormone oxytocin (another blog…). We've all been on terrible dates, so laughing at them creates a common experience. Now, that's not to say you should use it as your opening line. But if the conversation moves that way, why not bring up a funny anecdote about how the cab driver flirted with your date for ten minutes and ended up giving her his phone number.

When asked about my weird dating experiences, my mind instantly goes to '2nd Period Girl.' Here is a quick version of the tale. I hope it brings a laugh and trust me, it was even more awkward at the time…

So I think it was five years ago and I was using an online dating site to meet Vancouver singles. I had been talking to one girl about music and films and we finally arranged to meet for a drink. The day before the date, she called and cancelled. Ok, no problem - reschedule. So after a few more days of talking we booked another time. That day comes, I get ready for the date, hop on a bus (cause we planned to go for a few drinks) and then I get a text… She cancels again. Starting to get a little annoyed.

 A week later she suggests we try once more. I mull it over and decide why not. But, it is a game night - playoffs - and we're playing Chicago. I suggest a sports bar on Commercial and mention the game. She's cool with it. I tell her I'll need to wear my jersey. No problem, she laughs and says she is a diehard fan as well.

The day comes and I head to the bar in my full regalia, minus the face paint. I arrive early and order a beer. She calls and says she is running late. No surprise at this point and I'm just happy to be watching the game in a packed bar.

When she finally arrives, I give her a big smile and a quick hug. But, it is quickly obvious that all her photos from her profile are from a different time period. Like decades ago, when she was significantly thinner and younger looking. 

Now, please don't paint me as shallow, but I was a little disappointed. Probably more thrown by the fact that she had completely misrepresented herself. But, as I mentioned, the game was on, we were in the playoffs and the bar was hopping. I decided to make the most of it.

She sat down and ordered a drink and we engaged in some awkward but fairly natural first-date small talk. I don't really remember what we talked about it, but I remember her being very nervous. I tried to ease the tension and make references to our previous conversations online.

The waitress came by and I ordered some food. My date claimed she wasn't hungry, which was weird cause we had planned to eat. No worries…

The awkwardness continues, the game moves on and the first period finishes. I tell her I need to use the washroom. On my way back, I decide to go outside for a smoke before returning to the table. I have since given up this unhealthy habit, but at the time I needed one and I felt like it wouldn't hurt if I were away from the table for another few minutes.

Apparently, I was wrong.

When I got back, she was obviously annoyed. It had been less than ten minutes, but this girl was pissed. I tried to make more small talk, but her answers to my questions were short, with no follow-up. I gave my attention back to the game.

After a fairly long period of play, the whistle was finally blown and I turned back to her. She was staring at me with death eyes. "You know what," she says, "I'm just gonna go." "Are you sure?" I stuttered. "Yeah," was her answer.

She stood up and put on her coat with me staring in disbelief. "Here's twenty for the drinks," she said, as she proceeded to pull a bill from her purse and literally, from her standing position, throw it on the table.

Like a deer in the headlights, I just stared at her blankly. I think I uttered an 'ok'. And then she stamped out of the bar.

At this point, I took a moment to look around the room. It seems everyone was watching. I lifted my pint and stared into my beer. So embarrassing…

After a few moments the waitress came over and asked if I needed another drink. I said maybe one more. She then leaned down and said in a soft voice: "Are you ok?" "Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, even more embarrassed.

I finished the second period, paid my bill and quietly left.

Outside, I texted a friend who lived a few blocks away and told him I was coming over to watch the third; there's no way it could be more devastating than the second period.

Leave your own awkward dating tale in the comments below.

The Most Fun You Could Ever Have On A Trampoline

Take traditional dodgeball, add a trampoline floor, season with coeds and you get a killer time.

After attending a few laid back events on my first two weeks of joining the Events and Adventures social club, I decided to try something a bit more active: Extreme Air Park. Sounds like a show that would air on the Spike network, but it's actually this super cool trampoline gym out in Richmond - Think IKEA ballpit, but for adults.

Located behind Silvercity, the venue boasts 42,000 sq. feet of interconnected trampolines.It's basically two full gymnasiums divided into a handful of activity areas where you can bounce, flip, shoot and play. There is a huge patchwork tramp area, two dodgeball courts, a half pipe bounce run, a basketball center (dunking is optional for the vertically gifted) and a freestyle foam pit jump area, for practicing all those snowboard moves you always wished you could pull off on the slopes.

But of course, before any of that got underway, there was a long waiver to sign.

I met with the group in the lobby area where we filled out the necessary paperwork. I recognized one girl from the golf night, but the rest of the members were new to me. The host was Sharon. She was really excited about the event, which was cool.

The guy/girl ratio was even: four guys and four girls. There was another social group signing in, along with a kids birthday party.

We were given special socks to put on; apparently regular socks are not extreme enough. They had lockers for valuables, shoes and coats. Tip for those who choose this event in the future: Bring your own combination or pad lock. I took a gamble and left mine open, but it did have my wallet in it. Sometimes you just gotta trust people…

After changing and getting organized, we met up at one of the dodgeball courts. I watched for a few minutes, then took my first couple of bounces and waded in. If you remember my earlier post about the Lions hike, I sustained a pretty serious ankle injury in September, so I was a tentative about going full out. I had actually been a little worried all day about my ankle holding up, but it turns out it was fine.

We had the court to ourselves at first, which was nice for the group to get to know each other. After working out the rules - start with the balls in the middle, call go, race to center court, grab and retreat - we began playing.

The balls we used were those red rubber balls from gym class. These were perfect because they didn't hurt when you got hit, no matter who was throwing and they also provided a decent amount of velocity.

One of our members enjoyed the bouncing more than the throwing. Her infectious laugh had us all busting a gut at how much joy a simple trampoline pad can provide.

Our next stop was the foam pit. Again, I was tentative to dive in. I didn't know if my ankle could handle it. So I stood back and observed for a few minutes. Some of the kids there were doing some crazy aerials, with forward flips and lengthy swan dives. Even our host Sharon pulled off a flip.

I slowly started to build my courage and then the lights went out… Disco Tramp!

Perfect. With the house lights out and disco dots spinning across the floor, I saw my opportunity. Two bounces and I launched myself into the foam pit in a less than graceful forward plunge.

Lights back on. An even less graceful crawl out and I found I had lost my (ARIEL) sock to the foam demons. An over zealous Air Park employee informed me that I should not have been wearing my own socks beneath the aerial supersocks. Lesson learned. Fortunately, a group on the edge of the foam pit located another abandoned aerial foot cover. Problem solved.

Moving away nonchalantly, I checked out a few of the other areas, such as the basketball courts. This provided a little reminder of why I rode the bench in my senior year.

We finished our session back at the dodgeball court; Patches O'Houlihan would have been proud of our improved skills.

After retrieving our gear (yes, my wallet was still there), we agreed to meet up at the Big River Brew Pub for a post-game drink. The Canuck game was in the second period and my salmon sandwich was delicious; a nice pairing. This was also a good opportunity to talk with theother members without the fear of a red ball hitting you square in the face. We shared some laughs and some stories about home security and called it a night.

No love found, but by far the most fun I've had on a Thursday night in a long time.