Some of us boys from Homorazzi have been having a lot of fun camping and getting in touch with mother nature this spring and summer season.  I can’t tell you how much fun I’ve had getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city to relax, play games, and great conversations with Donovan and our friends… All of  this, far far away from the craziness of our jobs and routine.  Dare I even say it, we even made one epic trek outside of the comfort of cellular reception to the beautiful Mr. Baker National Park.

I wanted to give props to our traveling companion this season, the Mountain HardWear Habitat 3 Tent.  This is by far the best tent I’ve ever owned; tent technology has come a long way from the canvas, military style, tents that we used in cub scouts. Even some of the more advanced designs that our neighbor tenters are using don’t compare to the quality. 

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The other day I was searching for reviews on new iPhone 4 cases. Thinking I was going to write something contrasting the various options available for your new iPhone.  I quickly realized that a lot hadn’t changed.  There were some new colors and textures but for the most part the materials and ideas were the same.  So, I headed over to where I purchased the skin for my 1st gen iPhone, www.gelaskins.com, to have a closer look at what they are up to for the phone 4.  I wasn’t disappointed.

Gelaskins have come a long way.  They have acquired many new designs, excellent collaborations, better fit, and the price is excellent too.  I will definitely be skinning my iPhone 4 with a gelaskin (I used bodyguardz for the 3G/3GS due to their excellent coverage but am ready for something a little more exciting for the 4).  I also love that they skin, with you selected design, the front, back and wallpaper of your phone. It looks great! Back to the point, one of the designers featured by Gelaskins is a Vancouver / German based design team called eBoy. I instantly fell in love with the cartoon cityscapes and started looking online for more eBoy.

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For the first time in a long time the Province of British Columbia revisits law surrounding common law spouses. In particular, they are having another look at division of property, pensions, and issues when there are children involved.

From the perspective of the GLBT community, where a majority of people still live in Common-Law marriage relationships, this will further strengthen the right of partners who choose to share their lives.

On the flip side. Move in with your partner and after 2 years you’re going to need to contemplate a pre-nuptial agreement.

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During my childhood, I would spend a portion of every summer in California. Besides playing with my cousins, hanging by the beach and watching a lot of MTV, one of my favorite things to do was go to a baseball game. My uncles would take turns taking myself and my cousins to watch the Oakland A’s play.

I was such a fanatic. Literally, I would dress in Athletics attire from head to toe. I looked like a such little freak, dressed in green and yellow. On top of that, I would only want to go on special days when they were giving free shizz out. I could never get enough Oakland paraphernalia to satisfy my needs.

Normally whenever we go San Francisco, it’s always for a short timeframe to attend a family obligation (wedding, graduation, funeral, reunion). With so many cousins and family living in the area, I’m down there at least twice a year, but barely do anything outside the familial unit. I digress. So recently when Brian and myself were in the Bay Area to just hang and not for any obligation, I thought I would take Brian to experience one of my favorite childhood things.

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Isn’t it funny how your whole day can turn around with a simple apple keynote address via RSS.  I wasn’t having the best morning but the afternoon and evening were pleasantly redirected.  I’m continually impressed by Steve Jobs and Apple for continuing to announce their newest iPhone each June. Allowing just enough time for delivery before my birthday (early July).

So what’s the new phone all about?  Turns out the gizmodo leaked photos from a few months ago are proving to be incredibly accurate.  The new iPhone 4 has a completely reworked aesthetic and I love it even without looking under the “hood” at what else is new. I guess that’s one of many reasons I’m all about the iPhone -apple has designed our tech gadgets to be sexy. The segment of goods considered sexy, long dominated with high end luxury automobiles, the occasional piece of furniture, and of course designer clothing now has to make room for a new must have -the iApplePhonePadPodMacProccessory.

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A couple of weekends ago sparked the energy of summer in my soul. I have to admit, as much as I like the other three, summer is my favorite season. Saturday morning I woke up and then went for a great run around the seawall… Sunday was a fun day flying a kite and riding a bike. I live for weekends like this; although I could’ve been a bit better prepared and brought some sunblock.

The newest member of my weekend adventures has been a new Camelbak backpack I’m enjoying. I am so tired of water bottles; let alone having to carry then around, so, when it was time to replace them, I was looking for an alternative. Enter the 2010 Camelbak fairfax 1.5 litre hydration backpack (if you have no idea how these packs work check out the websites below).

I have used camelbak style hydration systems in the past (almost 10 years ago) and liked it but found the pack didn’t really suit the type of physical activity which I normally do. For example, I don’t go on epic hikes where I require a huge pack or tons of water. Instead I’m looking for small, lightweight, and breathable -A pack with adequate storage for my keys, iPhone, and a small tool kit or tire pump. In short, the perfect sports day companion.

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Blessed with a great wardrobe, excititng career, good-looks and a relationship that has lasted longer than a flat of extra gum, Brian is our latest victim in the bright yellow 2009 Mazda MX-5!

After nearly getting hit by a moving truck and swerving through construction, we made it to Stanley Park to see which song Brian was going to attempt.

Video after the jump…

In honor of Mother’s Day, some of the Homorazzi cast has decided to proclaim their love to their respective mothers on the website. We hope you enjoy the read.

I love my Mom, and just recently we’ve developed a relationship of being less Mother/Son and more friends who can share a good laugh and story over a drink or two. While growing up, I never thought that I would come to a place where I actually WANTED to hang out with my parents, but that day came knocking on my door a few years back after I invited them to my 23rd birthday party and they actually showed!

It dawned on my that my Mom is a pretty rad woman who cares a lot about her family and who’s sole goal in life is to make sure her children and grandchildren have everything in the world they could possibly want, even before her own needs. For this, I take my hat off to her, and say I love you with all my heart.

She hasn’t had the easiest life, but I would like to think that the few beers we shared in sun are well remembered and will keep her smiling!

Thanks for everything Momma, I love you!

- Daniel

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I think the city of Vancouver has gone 1 lane too far with the recent addition of a bike lane on the Dunsmuir Viaduct. As a biker, pedestrian, and driver I feel like I am an advocate for all three groups. I am so proud of our fair city for embracing alternate methods of transportation. Helping people to break their love affair with their favorite method of transport, even if just for the work commute.

Bike lanes for the sake of bike lanes are a terrible idea and here’s where my respect for the cities decisions starts to diminish.

I wrote an email to the city of Vancouver at least a year ago complaining that they hadn’t removed the concrete barriers placed on the Viaduct during the construction of the Spectrum towers. I wanted to remind them that the capacity of the viaduct is actually a whole lot greater than was being taken advantage of. More importantly, I would watch people waiting, burning gas, for 5-10 minutes on the Viaduct. Cars literally crawl across the expanse during the morning commute; mostly because there are cars turning off, blocking the straight thru flow of vehicle traffic. The response to my email was simple; the urban planner who wrote me back blamed it on Concord Pacific – a local developer who had arranged for the lane to be closed during the construction. Apparently they had some more time before they were required to return the road to its former flow.

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