Journal: News & Comment

You know you're a Vancouverite when...

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1. You know the provincial flower (mildew).
2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.
3. You use the statement "sunny break" and know what it means.
4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.
5. You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.
6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.
7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" signal.
8. You consider that if it has no snow, it is not a real mountain.
9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Blenz, and Tim Horton's.
10. Your concept of a city's downtown core does not include freeways.
11. Living downtown and working in the suburbs does not seem like a strange idea.
12. You've seen enough bus drivers re-mount bus poles to overhead trolley wires that you think you could do it yourself.
13. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye salmon.
14. You know how to pronounce Squamish, Osoyoos, Coquitlam, Nanaimo, Chilliwack, and Tsawwassen (although you might argue about the last one).
15. You consider swimming an indoor sport.
16. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Thai food—as well as the languages, even if you don't speak them.
17. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark—while only working eight-hour days.
18. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.
19. You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers."
20. You cannot wait for a day with "showers and sunny breaks."
21. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.
22. You know that Dawson Creek is a town, not a TV show.
23. You can point to at least two ski mountains, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover.
24. You notice "the mountains are out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see them.
25. You're comfortable living within sight of a 10,000-foot glacier-clad volcano that could become active at any time—and you know that its being in another country will be no help if it does.
26. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 5, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.
27. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 10, but keep your socks on.
28. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.
29. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps, tourists, or smart locals who use them for sun protection in the summer.
30. You recognize the background shots in your favourite movies and TV shows.
31. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you can't find the old ones after such a long time.
32. You measure distance in hours.
33. You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in your car in the same day.
34. You use a down comforter in the summer.
35. You carry jumper cables in your car and your spouse knows how to use them.
36. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.
37. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), and Raining Again (Autumn).
38. You actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your friends in British Columbia or those who used to live here.
39. You are aware that "curry" is not a spice, but a combination of spices.
40. You know that Norway is not the only place with fjords.

This is where most people would say, "I usually hate these kinds of lists, but..."—yet I admit that love them. This one is based on What it Means to Be a British Columbian, forwarded to me by my old UBC colleague Julie.

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