It's been four years since I was able to get any Halloween action that doesn't involve a spandex-based costume that you can wear while traveling at 110 kph.

So, predictably, I went with bath loofah.

We had a team party that involved a disturbing number of costumes that were dug out of a dressing room of "The Village People," an equally disturbing number of men wearing fishnet stockings, a caldron of ice cream-based adult beverage and dancing that makes Bristol Palin look like she's got mad skillz.

Afterward the really hot girl dressed as the sexy bee made us congo line through the entire house, including through at least one bathtub.

For the record, the really hot girl dressed as the sexy bee, was significantly less hot once the effects of the ice cream-based adult beverage wore off ...

Now, here's a shoutout to my teammate Charles There-is-an-overabundance-of-Zs-and-Ws-in-my-last-name-combined-with-an-entirely-insufficient-number-of-vowels-making-it-impossible-for-anyone-using-a-Latin-based-alphabet-to-pronounce-without-their-head-imploding, and my other teammate Rod Perman, who went with a team Star Wars effort.

This was a complete surprise.

In the way that instant GI distress is a surprise after eating McDonald's.

After I took this picture, Charles took a look at the camera, and exclaimed "Oh my god. I TOTALLY look like a Jedi." And he was genuinely pleased.

Although, to be honest, I was quite pleased about my own genuine loofah-ness.

I can't really post photos of the other costumes without making you click on an "I'm over 18" button ...

I got a package in the mail from my mom-in-law last Friday, which I was guessing was a birthday gift. And I thought to myself, I can't wait 5 days until it is ACTUALLY my birthday. I decided I was going home to open it right then and there.

When I got home, I announced my intentions, to which Jason promptly replied that I couldn't do that, since it's not my birthday yet. And I answered that, short of there being explicit instructions forbidden that course of action, it was my package, and I could open it whenever I wanted.

So, yeah. Still haven't opened my present yet ...

Well, it's something to look forward to. I have big plans for tomorrow ... I am going to spend it with my absolute favourite person in the world: me. Oh, and also my husband and my good friend Kirsten too ...

Here's my schedule:

• 09h45 Picking up Kirsten for breakfast at The Copper House Restaurant at 10h00.
• 10h00 Breakfast at The Copper House Restaurant with Kirsten.
• 11h30 Putting on all of my Germany clothes, watching the Germany-Spain FIFA semi-final and practicing cursing in German.
• 13h30 Go walk the downtown strip and see how many free things I can get just because it's my birthday.
• 14h15 Going to see Toy Story 3 at the local theater where you get a free ticket on your birthday.
• 16h15 Cashing in my Free Starbucks Drink on your Birthday coupon and chill out with Kate in the air conditioning for a while.
• 17h00 I think I'll go get a pedicure and get little flowers painted on my toes - although haven't decided yet. If it is stupid hot out, like it is supposed to be, maybe I will go jump in the lake
• 19h00 Jason and I are having dinner ... don't know where ...
• 21h00 Going to the other Starbucks in town and seeing if I can convince them to give me a free drink, since it's my birthday.

It's gonna be the best 32nd birthday I ever had ... of course, I do also plan to carry around a bag of Fudgee-Os for the whole day and consume the entire thing in order to console myself regarding the age mentioned in the previous sentence ...

There is nothing I like better than an Event, with a capital E.

Well ... maybe bath time. And Christmas morning. Oh, and SWAG.

Regardless, I love a good Event. I love being in the thick of things, being where the action is ... hanging out with, you know, 400 000 of my closest friends ...

Saturday night Jay and I headed down to Vancouver to take in the last of the "Celebration of Lights" fireworks festival. The festival has a bit of a different feel here in Van than it does in Montreal, where people are spread out along both sides of the river. In Vancouver ... well, let's just say that you will likely get more friendly with the people standing next to you than you ever hoped for. No joke, hundreds of thousands of people gather on the beaches at English Bay. It's one of those crowds that, well, you have to be standing in the middle of it to understand it's magnitude.

Now, given that my better half does not share the same penchant as I do for getting cozy with half a million strangers, we formed a (Deb, are you seated for this ... ) ... plan.

Jay and I decided to drive down to North Vancouver and take the seabus over, in order to avoid every potential nightmare that comes along with a couple hundred thousand people's cars combined with a city whose main access is by means of bridges. Then we walked the dozen or so blocks across donwtown Vancouver, down to the water front. We decided to try watching the show from one of the bridges that looks directly over the inlet, and that was rumoured to have a great view, as well as a smaller crowd to negotiate with.

We left Squamish with three hours to spare, and had front row spots on the Burrard bridge reserved by 9 pm, with an hour to kill before the lights came on.

The only flaw in the plan was that my taxi-cab yellow, 1980s Sony Sport Walkman didn't pick up the radio station that was broadcasting the music for the show. Bummer. Hey Apple ... hows about throwing a little 20th century technology into your gadgets ... ?

Ahhhhh .... the wonders of a well-thought-out and executed plan ... who knew an Event could go this smoothly? (Let me tell you, not me and the two dozen people I tried to herd to dinner and the Montreal fireworks within the span of an hour the week before I got married. Nor the German cousin and company that I tried to get across the border and down to Seattle for a ball game with a 10-minute buffer. Yeah. Note to self - mother-in-law is right. It's never too early to start planning. Or to start executing.)

Rumours checked out ... the view was pretty great.