Goupon Day.

I’ve been told by many friends that I’m Groupon crazy. Perhaps they’re right. Looking at my collection of unused Groupons I’d purchased this year so far, it would seem that I’m buying more Groupons at a rate far in excess of the rate I’m redeeming them!

So I did something about it. Recognising that I do have a mild addiction (acknowledging this fact is step one to recovery), I forbade myself to purchase any more Groupons until I’ve used up the ones I have that are expiring soon. And what better way to do that than to devote an entire day going out with friends doing only the things I have Groupons for!

Timela, Tracy, Ieda and I got together for a hearty brunch at Deacon’s Corner and to kickstart our Groupon day, we went to the Vancouver Police Museum where I had five Groupons to redeem. It was sure to be An Arresting Experience™. And it actually was! I didn’t even know about this museum until Groupon featured it earlier this year. I learned a little about forensics, the history of the Vancouver Police, read about the many police dogs who died in the line of duty, the flags and uniforms over the years, unsolved murder mysteries and case files, and had a tour of the old morgue; a wall of stainless steel filing cabinets for bodies, one of which had the name “Obi Wan Kenobi”. Then there was the collection of hand guns seized by the police, and the autopsy table with real specimens of organic matter in glass jars. It was morbidly awesome.

After meeting up with a craigslister for the City of Glass book by Douglas Coupland, we were off to Mr. Pickwicks for some fish and chips and popcorn chicken down at the Marpole location. We had plenty to eat out on the patio table after redeeming my four Groupons.

In the evening, we were off to the H. R. MacMillan Space Centre to learn about astronomy and recognise some of the constellations in the night sky. I have a personal connection to this place. It’s been many years since I was here last, and to relive my childhood memories of coming here on a school field-trip was a trip down memory lane. Inside the Planetarium Star Theatre, Harrold, the projector in the middle of the dome, displayed a 360º celestial view of the night sky as seen above several metropolitan cities around the world including London and what we may see when we look up under different seasons. It was like being on the Holodeck. Hahaha!

Night had fallen upon us when we left the domed theatre to walk out to the Gordon MacMillan Southam Observatory for an actual look at the stars above us now through the high-powered telescope controlled by a computer. Entering coordinates or cropping to the area we wanted to focus on on the 2D map on screen caused the whole roof of the observatory to move with the giant telescope to point toward the area in focus. This really excited the child within me all over again.

While I’d managed to use up a lot of Groupons today, I have many more Groupons to use. I can’t wait to organise another Groupon Day! Thanks Groupon, and thanks Tim for driving us around!