AAJ Convention Afternoon 3 Breathing space

There is a point of critical mass I reach around 2:00 today. I don't want to go to another meeting. I've promised I'll attend one more at 4:00. It is not the best of meetings (i.e. boring and nonsubstantive), and I scoot out early intent on tuning out as quickly as possible. I like getting to know people and doing the cerebral dancing that is required at AAJ convention. But I need to change things up. So off I go, taking a right out of the hotel entrance like I've done everyday, headphones in, tennis shoes on.

The waterfront is one continuous wide paved path that extends directly onto the Stanley Park loop. The harbor is spectacular with cruise ships, barges, mountains in the background. The path borders the seawall. They aren't as worried about safety here in Canada as there is little more than a six inch curb before the sides drop off down to the rocks. I don't like to run right next to the edge, imagining if someone bumped me off I would topple. I haven't told you some of my, umm I guess you would call them daydreams, when I run. I imagine being hit by a bicyclist, or skateboarder. When I run in wooded areas, I've imagined Twilight type of bad vampires coming out to get me. As I look at the water I imagine what it would be like to have a whale right there. It would be a friendly whale hopefully but one never knows. I try to see fish in the water but admit that it is usually seaweed. So, you can imagine that the littlest odd movement will get my attention. As I approach the Lion's Gate Bridge, some brown thing begins to cut in front of me. What the heck. I'm a bit startled but keep going. There is a gap in the seawall to accommodate a set of stairs. As I begin to pass, I see three sets of wet brown eyes looking at me. A mother otter and her twins are cuddled together. How cute! (And how happy I am that they are not some sort of prehistoric amphibious rat creatures intent on eating me)