Oct. 28th: Epic Halloween Parties!

Halloween is one of the best holidays of the year.  It is a great excuse for everyone to dress up as nerdy and/or goofy as they like, with the only judgment being that we are all awesome.  And are we ever!  

Thanks to my good friends Christie and Linsy, who host an annual Halloween party complete with games, contests, and prizes, we got to pull out extra awesome this year as we had to dress up as fictional characters.  

Last year I dressed up as Ramona Flowers, from Scott Pilgrim (complete with goggles and hammer).  

Inspiration

Result

But because I take issue with repeating costumes from year to year, I decided that I could not go as Ramona again - despite how much I wanted to.  It took me a while to think of an epically awesome costume that would show of just how nerdy (yet awesome) I can be.  And I think I pulled it off.  Enter Homestar Runner!  

Truth be told - I hadn't been to the Homestar Runner website in a long time.  But I did remember how amazing it was when I watched all too often in university.  So I figured it was about time that I play homage to this amazing character.  Apparently others agreed, because enough people commented on it at the improv show I volunteered at prior to the party that made the whole thing seem worth it.  I might not have won any costume prizes, but it sure felt good to be dressed up as one of the coolest/nerdiest things ever.  OH Halloween parties that last until 3am - you are "sooo gooooood!"

Oct. 27th: Flamenco Dancing!

A few years ago I went to Kino Cafe here in Vancouver to celebrate a friend's birthday.  The night that we went they had some live flamenco dancers and a flamenco guitarist.  As I watched these, strong, beautiful women dance with such power and grace, the thought crossed my mind that I wanted to learn how to dance like that.

It was a dream that never came to fruition until a GROUPON came up for 6 beginner classes at only $45 (almost 70% off the original price).  Well - at that point I had no more excuses.  So today I had my first class and it was AWESOME!!!  Seriously, the subtle movement in the arms and fingers, combined with the weightiness of all of leg work makes for an incredible dance experience.

Even better was coming out of the class to find an amazing deal on flamenco shoes that fit my feet as well as I imagined any shoe would - and for a mere $40 (80% off of what some other used flamenco shoes were costing).  Holy hannah did I ever luck out.  Now I just need to find a better rehearsal skirt and I'm all set.  I should also head back to Kino Cafe for some more inspiration.

Oct. 26th: Happy "Free"-Day to me!

Today I celebrated my birthday in the way that everyone should celebrate their birthdays - by being a little spoiled.  Not necessarily through gifts from friends (but there was a little bit of that going on), but more from indulging in the many free things offered by businesses around town.

I started my birthday with a free Grand Slam at Denny's, shared in the company of some good friends - who are surprisingly very good at responding to absolutely last minute invitations.  Then I went to work to enjoy another day of catching up on e-mails and solving some mysterious issues.  While at work I ate a delicious cupcake made by the ridiculously talented Lois Dawson - offered in an individual cupcake container.  Then I enjoyed some left over snacks from our staff retreat quickly followed by what I am pretty sure is the best cake I have ever been given.  When someone combines my two favourite things in life - ice cream and immaturity - it makes for an amazing birthday experience.

Behold . . . My boob ice cream cake made with love by Andrea Loewen!  DELICIOUS!

After lunch the work continued, until it was time for me to leave and collect on some birthday coupons, starting with a free dinner at Vera's Burger Shack.  It was no Anchor Bar, but the burger was really flippin' good.  Also quite large.  I didn't end up eating the whole thing (mostly because I knew I had to leave room for some other treats) so I ended up giving a portion of the burger to a homeless man who was extremely hungry and even more appreciative.  Then after I picked up my tickets to the opening night of a local theatre show, I continued the festivities with a free Booster Juice, and a trip down to Sephora where I picked up my free 3-in-1 shower gel, shampoo, bubble bath gift.  And the evening concluded with the showing of the Arts Club's production of The Penelopiad - which was phenomenal.  I won't go into the details of the show, but considering that I spent a good portion of last year looking into the stats of Women being represented in the Professional Canadian Theatre scene (and the results being a bit disappointing to say the least), it was quite refreshing to see a cast of 11 women, performing in a play that was written by a woman and directed by a woman, so that they could tell a great story about women. 

What an awesome way to spend a birthday!  All of the messages and phone calls from friends and family were pretty great too.  I feel spoiled and loved.  Thank you everyone for making this day great!     

Oct.25th: Winding Down!

After a very busy weekend and staff retreat, today we bid farewell to the Whistler 'cabin' and made our way back to the office.

It was definitely a day of catch-up and working on neglected items in preparation for the Board Meeting.  These days are usually very stressful (and today was no different) but they are always those days where I feel pretty good about the accomplishments that I make and being able to acknowledge the current state of the company. It also helps that I get home fairly early (for a late night) and can spend the evening getting back to neutral after a very busy few days.

And now I'm ready for Oct. 26th!  Hmmm - I wonder what good might come from that day.

Oct. 24th: Whistler Ruckus!

Every year our staff takes a trip to some amazing cabin to have a staff retreat where we convene to get to know our apprentices more and plan for the year ahead.  These locations are always offered by some major donors of the company and the cabins are absolutely jaw-droppingly beautiful.  The last few years the staff retreat has been on Bowen Island, but this year we made our way up to Whistler and it was so much fun.

In addition to getting to know each others strengths better and determining some of the major projects we each wanted to work on for the year ahead, we had a lot of fun playing games, partaking in great conversation, and causing a ruckus in Whistler Village.  Here's a video of just some of the ruckus I caused in Whistler.

Okay - so this might be a bit pathetic, but it does not include my stealing/'asking permission from the owner who interrupted my borrowing" of a skateboard that I was not allowed to ride in the village.  Nor did it include my interrupting some guys who were planking so that I could join their picture by owling with them.  It also did not include the eventual take over of the playground near one of the entrances to the village.  All I know is that the trip to the village was AWESOME, as was the entire retreat.  It is just too bad that I don't have the video trailer that Frank made on iMovie from all of the footage he gathered this weekend.  It's pretty epic!

Oct. 23rd: All-nighters!

It has been a great few days but what generally comes with a lot of excitement is a back-log of blogs that need to be written.  So - let's recap:

Sunday morning was when everything began - with the continuation of an all-night shoot of a local webseries, Support Your Local Video Store.  And it was SO much fun.  The series is about the shutting down of one of Vancouver's greatest video stores, Videomatica.  In the episode I needed to act like a vulture and I channeled that like nobody's business.  I think I scared a few people at a number of moments throughout the shoot, but it was totally worth it.  I can't wait for the episode to come out in a month.  In the mean time you can check out the series so far, here.

Support Your Local Video Store Episode 1 from Red Wheelbarrow on Vimeo.

 It was also pretty fantastic that when the shoot wrapped at 6am I ended up helping one of the other vultures home, as she didn't know quite where she was going. And because she was actually staying with some friends of mine (small world) I was able to direct the cab driver and her to the exact house. I continued to my place and then woke up three hours later to head to improv class, choir and then off to Whistler for a staff retreat.  To quote the sentiment we shared the last few days in the most sarcastic tone imaginable "Life is hard!"  Just wait until you see the ruckus in Whistler!

Oct. 22nd: Pee in the Pants!

I think Adam Sandler was on to something when he said that "peeing your pants" is cool!  For instance - it is pretty cool that I got to spend some time with my friends' daughter tonight who had every excuse to pee her pants/diaper - and made sure to use that excuse.  I'm sure it was also cool to her to have me clean up after that mess, and I respect her all the more for thinking it's cool.  It is also EXTREMELY cool that she sang to me how much she loved me as I was changing diapers.

It is also cool that I am at the point right now when I am so nervous about a film shoot that is happening later tonight that I feel like I could possibly pee in my pants.  I won't - obviously.  But my bladder still wants me to think that I might.  I don't know why I'm so nervous.  It's going to be a pretty relaxed shoot with some fun people, but I haven't really done any film work since university, so I guess I'm worried that I'm totally going to screw something up and embarrass myself.  Which is really a silly thing to be nervous about, when it is inevitably going to happen.  I guess I should just relax and try to calm these nerves as much as possible.  Maybe a quick nap might help.  Here's hoping!

Oct. 21st: This is what I get paid to do!

Okay - I know that I have mentioned that I love my job a LOT in my blog, but for good reason.  Friday evening epitomized not only why I love working for Pacific Theatre specifically, but the whole reason I chose to study theatre in the first place.

When I finally made the decision to study theatre in University it was because I wanted to be a part of a creative process.  There are so many stories that need to shared, and so many talented artists to tell them, all I ever wanted was to be a witness to the experience of watching a story go from concept to fruition.  With the Pacific Theatre and Horseshoes & Hand Grenades Theatre co-production of Re:Union, I got my wish.  To have attended what I recall was the first (or one of the first) public readings of the play, then watching the cast and crew toil over the show in workshops and rehearsals, it was especially amazing to see the final product on its feet last night!  And despite my already high expectations for the show, it was even more thrilling to watch the show exceed whatever expectations I already had.

I feel like I really cannot take much claim on this project at all, as I really had nothing to do with the production itself.  I never stressed over projectors, lights, cameras, live feed, seemingly simple set designs, script changes, and the 400+ cues it took to make the show work.  All I did was sign a few contracts and send some e-mails to make sure we were on track with everything.  But, again - just being a witness to this process was enough for me.  I could not be more proud of everyone who brought this extremely relevant story to life, in the most beautiful and compelling way possible. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I LOVE MY JOB!!!

Alexa Devine and Evan Frayne as Emily and Norman Morrison in Re:Union. (Photo by Ron Reed.)

Oct. 20th: Two times the tragedy!

There are a couple of awesome things to be grateful for today.  First and foremost - friends who are willing to drive you out to Langley to see some theatre.  The other thing is the ability to see a play being done, only months after being in it.

Trinity Western University opened its first show of the season with Romeo & Juliet.  For those who don't remember, in July (when I just started this whole blogging thing) I was just finishing off THE VERONA PROJECT, which was also an adaptation of R&J.  So I'm still at the point where I can remember all of my lines from the show, which made the viewing experience very interesting.  It was a luxury to compare and contrast the shows.  Granted, I technically never really saw the show I was in - as I was busy performing in it.  So when I watched the moment tonight when Romeo and Juliet saw each other for the first time, and was taken aback by how beautifully performed and directed it was, I couldn't help but wonder if ours managed to have that same affect.

What I do know is that the TWU production was very well put together.  The direction was great (as was to be expected by award-winning director Angela Konrad) and the performances were extremely impressive.  It was definitely worth the trip out to Langley for this one.  I'm just so glad that I had a ride!!!

Sarah Ruth and Mark Fleming as Juliet and Romeo

Oct. 19th: The joy of sleeping.

Oh the irony of me writing about the joy of sleeping at 1am.  I guess I should explain why today's awesomism is about sleeping then.  Okay - here we go:

  Today I came home fairly late for a normal day of work, and immediately made myself a quick and easy dinner and then put some laundry in the washer and then when I sat down to watch some TV I just fell right asleep.  It was nice to give in to my body's needs.  I don't think I realized how tired I was until I woke up close to 11 realizing that I was still on my couch.  In a way it was a good thing that I woke up because I still had a lot to do this evening including moving the laundry to the dryer and sewing some stuff for the Christmas Card photoshoot for work.  Fortunately a phone call from Luke gave me the energy I needed to get it done.

And now it's time to go back to sleep!  I can't wait.

Oct. 18th: Just enough scary!

I'm not the type of person who likes to be scared.  I figured that out when I was much younger and could not sleep for a month after watching Ernest Scared Stupid (yes - that's how much of a wimp I am).  I especially hate the feeling of someone chasing me and/or sneaking up on me, so I tend to avoid all haunted houses as they live for that stuff.  So, going out to see my friends' show, inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe in a supposedly haunted house in Vancouver (or so I was told that night) was a bit of a challenge for me.  Fortunately Debts was the perfect amount of scary for me.

Even though I can scare quite easily, I really appreciated that any fear ensuing from the play came from the story and environment, and not from cheap shock value.  For that reason I actually considered it to be more eerie than scary.  Don't get me wrong - the fear was there.  But, I do wish I had not been so paranoid during the entire play so that I could have appreciated the story more, instead of looking around to find all of the locations where someone could jump out at me.  And at least now I feel like I know the Roedde Museum House entrances and exits pretty darn well.

It was kind of nice to get out of my comfort zone for the night to support some friends.  Congratulations Mack and Kaitlin, and Itsazoo for an innovative theatre piece!  It was a lot of fun and I'm sure is going to be a huge success during the Hallowe'en season.

Oct. 17th: My Boss is cooler than your Boss!

Today was one of those days when I really appreciated my job, and this time it had nothing to do with the artistic side of it.  It had everything to do with the awesome people I get to work with.

Working in the Pacific Theatre office has always been hilarious.  The combination of Frank, Andrea, and I is one that I can only call WINNING!  Probably because we all express appreciation for each other in the same hilarious way.  To outsiders who do not understand the dynamic and happen to stumble into the office to witness the banter, it might come across as cruel and unnecessary, but to us it's love.  The best part is when you add Ron Reed into the mix.  As the leader of the theatre, one might expect him to behave in a certain manner - but every once in a while the man will come out with the most hilarious and unexpected things that completely blind-side us staff to the point where none of us can work for a couple of minutes as we recompose ourselves from all of the laughter.

I don't know how many times I can say this - but I absolutely love my job.  Any job that can have you walking home with a HUGE smile on your face, and eager to come back the next day just so you can spend more fun times with your colleagues, is friggin' awesome!  The fact that I get artistic fulfillment on top of that is a bonus.

Oct. 16th: A Day of Rest?!?!

I have heard that Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest for lots of people.  Clearly I have not grasped this concept.  Because after a very short trip to the island I managed to book myself in for a jam-packed and awesome Sunday.

It all started with my leaving my house around 9:30am to head to Port Coquitlam for my first improv workshop as a resident cast member at Second Storey Theatre (which just so happens to be the Good News that I was not able to share before hand).  The workshop was fantastic and included some great new exercises that I had never tried before.  Then it was time to make the long trip back to Vancouver for choir rehearsal, which was amazing as always.  Immediately following choir rehearsal I then made my way to Kitsilano to audition to be in a web series episode that I am REALLY looking forward to shooting this coming weekend.  And finally I was able to end my busy day of commuting and artsy fun times with an evening of dancing and adventures at Natalie's place.  It was there where I got to try out her Kinect - which was also extremely awesome.  Any technology that can superimpose you into a dance video on your TV is freaking amazing.  Plus - it's a really fun way to work out - so that's a bonus.

Look Mom,  I'm on TV!

All in all, I probably spent a total of 5 - 6 hours on Sunday just commuting to all of the crazy fun activities I had planned, but it was totally worth it.  I finally got home around midnight after being out of the house for a total of 14.5 hours.  While being out of my house for that long isn't uncommon for me, it is fairly uncommon that it would happen on a Sunday.  I now have a greater appreciation for Sunday being a day of rest.  It doesn't mean it's going to happen - but at least I can appreciate it now.

Oct. 15th: Cruel, but worth it!

Saturday was yet another beautiful day during a really short visit to the island.  It's amazing to think that after over a month of not seeing each other in person, we tried to make up for the time we have not spent together in less than 23 hours.  And it actually worked . . . for the most part.   

Investing a 10 hour commute for a visit of only 24 hours seems pretty silly, especially when the length of the visit is just enough time to remind you of how much you missed a person (realizing that it was actually a lot more than originally expected), but I feel like it is one of those situations where I will take what I can get.  Truthfully the only reason why the trips cannot be longer, is generally because of my selfishness and Luke's supportivenesss that causes me to need to be on the main land.  So really it's my own fault!  I clearly try to do pack too much into a very tight schedule, thinking that I should be able to have everything I want (and somehow it has managed to work out for me).  But for this reason, those cruel one-day visits will ALWAYS be worth it to me.  So long as I can find a solid 34 hours off - I know how I will be spending it.  Oh the things we do for love!

Oct. 14th: My kind of high!

Okay - it's been a very busy and awesome weekend.  So instead of concerning myself with making sure a blog went out each day, I decided to enjoy the awesomeness and am only now getting around to blogging about it.  So let's get started.

Friday was fantastic.  It was a good day at work followed by a long overdue trip to Victoria.  And I love Victoria - for many reasons.  In addition to that guy, I also love the quaint European feel to the city.   The architecture, the lampposts, the culture, and the Double-decker buses.  I've been a little spoiled over the last several visits to the island when I was fortunate enough to be picked up from the ferry terminal.  But any excuse to ride double-decker bus is one I will take.

Perhaps I should be beyond the point in my life when double-decker buses should thrill me, but clearly I am not, because as soon as I get on one, I head straight to the top.  Similarly I will always choose the top bunk, if given the choice.  What can I say - I like the view from above.  So here's to enjoying the high of a double-decker bus.

Oct. 13th: Dancing to Sir Elton John

Believe it or not, tonight was my first time ever spent at the ballet.  Yes, somehow I managed to go 27 years without ever seeing ballet performed live before.  I know that there are many people who have gone much longer than that, or perhaps even spend their entire lives having never attended ballet.  But considering how many friends I have who are dancers, and how much I love the performing arts - it was kind of a big deal to me that I was finally able to sit down and enjoy this beautiful and athletic art form.  And what a way to get into it.

The show I attended was Alberta Ballet's Love Lies Bleeding, presented by Ballet BC.  It is a contemporary ballet set to the music by Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin, including the favourite Bennie and the Jets, and Rocket Man.  It was such a fantastic show and a great intro into ballet for me.  I know it was not one of the classics, but it was awesome and made me want to see more - so I think it did it's job.

If you want to see a bit of what I saw tonight, I am including a very short trailer below, but you can watch the full trailer for the show here .  It's spectacular and features some scantily-clad dancers.  Enjoy!

Oct. 12th: That uncomfortable feeling of comfort!

Today really was not anything to write home about - but since I have dedicated myself to this project, I am going to write about it anyway.  It was pretty much just an ordinary day.  Went to work, did some stuff, caught up on a number of things, got ahead on some upcoming projects too.  Finished the "to do" list and then some.  Then I went home to have a nice relaxing night to myself.  Had some dinner, did some laundry.  Like I said - nothing to write home about.

However I spent today feeling pretty darn good, which somehow made me uncomfortable.  It seems often when I feel good, it is inevitably followed by the feeling that something has to be wrong.  But work seems to be on track or in some ways even ahead of schedule, I am excited for all of the social events I have coming up, and I feel great after having just spent some time with my family.  I think the word most people would use to describe this feeling would be serenity.  Though, for some reason this serenity makes me feel kind of uncomfortable.  I guess I am so used to operating in more of a crisis situation, that an extended period of calmness kinda creeps me out and makes me think that I am completely overlooking something.  Maybe I am - but even if that's the case I feel like I'm at a point in my life and career in which I can handle it whenever I figure out what is missing.  So what's the big deal?

While this uncomfortable feeling I'm having might not desirable, it does fulfill the great purpose of making me realize how content I am at the moment.  And that's pretty awesome!  I guess it goes to show that a little discomfort can sometimes be a good thing.

Oct. 11th: Surrounded by Talent!

Yesterday was a very long but fulfilling day.  Starting with an early trip to the airport to wait in the security line for an hour to catch the five hour flight home, to go straight to work, then a bellydancing class, then off to pick up some treats at a friends house, followed by a night at the VIFF to celebrate the work of some friends made for a very busy, tiring, but extremely rewarding 21 hours.

I went to the Film Festival for the purpose of attending We Ate The Children Last, which is based on the short story by Yann Martel, and was put together by a few people I knew.  I have been waiting to see this film for over a year when I first got word that my friends were putting it together.  And I was not disappointed.  Having known some of the talent going into the project, I had an idea of how good it was going to be, but I was absolutely blown away with the quality of the work, the performances, and the stellar script.  It's just a shame I did not bring more friends out to see it who I know would have loved it.

It was amazing to be able to celebrate the work of good friends from across the Country.  Especially since these friends were from different areas of my life.   My high school friend Chris Thornborrow who was the one who notified me of the screening of We Ate The Children Last was the composer for the film, while University friends Geoff Smart and Mike Birkett (who was a surprise) were also involved as Associate Director and actor, respectively, with their high school friend Andrew Cividino (who I heard much about in University) directing the whole project.  But they were not the only ones I knew who were involved in the films last night.  Some friends from work, Jason Goode and Giovanni Mocibob, showed off their talent with Jason's film, The Planting.  And fellow improviser, Daniel Chai, made his way into the mix too as a background performer in Move Out Clean.

It is amazing to think that since high school, I have managed to surround myself with so many talented people whose work I can still celebrate today.  You are all such a huge inspiration, and a good part of why I have a career in the arts.  Thank you for your work, and please continue to let me know whenever you have other projects that I can support from here.

Oct.10th: Thankful for Gramma

Well we might not have had our usual Thanksgiving celebrations this weekend (for many reasons), but this weekend has been nothing short of successful.  I was able to catch up with lots of friends, spend some quality time with my immediate family, hang out with my beautiful niece more than once, take part in two turkey dinners, and still managed to find the time to at least check in with the rest of the family.  I was able to catch up with my cousin over the phone and I even received some Hellos from the kids, which warmed my heart entirely.  But I think the thing I was most grateful for was being able to spend time with my Gramma.

Yesterday I had the privilege to visit her in the morning before my breakfast with Leah. But it was tonight that we were able to share our Thanksgiving replacement meal together.  It was a small affair with just my parents, my Gramma, and me - but it was kind of nice.  We enjoyed some small sized meals, and a far too grandiose dessert that I am grateful we shared.  It was a good thing the waiter offered Gramma a spoon because someone needed to help me with it.  Then we headed back to her house where I grabbed some rice krispie squares while my Dad helped Gramma with some computer stuff.  Fortunately for me the rice krispie squares were in the basement where there was also a box Gramma had previously forbidden me from looking in because it was filled with my Grampa's old love letters.  Of course upon hearing that, my first inclination was to open it the moment I got the chance.  During my last Ontario visit in May I managed to sneak my way into the box where I didn't find love letters but did find old letters regarding Grampa's enlisting in the war, his letters of reference, and an old theatre program.  So this time I managed to bring the box upstairs (along with my rice krispie treats) where we all looked through it together.  It turned out that in addition to the wartime documents, and old cards from when my Mom and her siblings were little, there were some old love letters in the box too. But out of respect to my Gramma (the author) I chose not to read them.  Though - I have to admit that the romance that probably lies within them still makes me very curious.

Seriously - when was the last time anyone actually wrote a love letter?  I'm sure many of us have written some loving e-mails, but printing out an e-mail does not seem to have the same affect as cursive handwriting on personalized stationary.  I love this communication age that we are in, but there is something about the inherently romantic and simple life of the past that I wish I could be a part of.  But having never actually lived through the 30s or 40s, perhaps that's easy for me to say.

Anyway - all of this to say that I am extremely grateful for my Gramma.  I'm still so impressed with just how sharp she is.  Cracking jokes, and still getting through with a smile on her face, even in difficult times.  I love this woman so much and am sad that I cannot be around to see her more frequently, but I hope she knows that I think of her often.  Gramma - thank you for not being mad at me for snooping around your house; and for letting me indulge in that moment of selfishness.  I trust that you will let me know if I ever cross a line, but so long as that smile is on your face then I'm going to assume that everything's fair game!  I look forward to my next trip home to Ontario.  Love you lots!

Oct. 9th: BFFs and In-Laws!

I was fortunate to start my day yesterday with one of my Best Friends and one who I have had the privilege to have known my entire life. . . . CORRECTION. I have known her HER entire life.

Leah Frankiewicz is the daughter of one of my Mom's best friends, so we would play together a lot when we were really young, and quickly became best friends. But it wasn't until we hit the double-digits that we realized that our whole relationship was based on the fact that we were actually related.  Her Mom's younger sister was married to my Mom's younger brother (which is where their friendship started), and then later her Aunt (who was married to her Mom's late brother) ended up getting married to my Mom's eldest brother.  It was in the preparation of that wedding and becoming relatives that the two of us came to the realization that we were already related!  It might be a confusing relationship - but an AWESOME one. 

Despite the fact that I have not lived in Ontario for almost 10 years.  Leah and I have still remained the best of friends and our friendship is not going anywhere any time soon.  Sorry Leah - looks like you're going to have to put up with me a little while longer!

And since we're talking about awesome relationships, I want to give my brother props for marrying into an amazing family.  I think it is standard that a person marrying into a new family will spend a lot of time with their in-laws.  What is not standard is when the two in-law families regularly spend time together.  When I heard that we were invited to spend thanksgiving dinner with my brother's in-laws I was absolutely thrilled.  I knew that our extended family (cousins, Aunts, Uncles) were busy this weekend so we weren't having our usual Thanksgiving dinner.  So, to still be able to spend the day with an extension of our family was awesome.  Thanks Jamie and Siobhan for inviting us to be a part of your new tradition - and for letting me spend a little more time with my beautiful niece!

Oct. 8th: Surprise Celebrations!

I know that there are some people out there who really do not like surprises, but I absolutely love them.  Whether I'm receiving them, giving them, or am just part of one I always think that they are the best things ever.  So being able to enjoy my afternoon surprising one of my best friends at her bridal shower put together by her awesome Mom and new husband was amazing.

It was a great shower.  No silly games or anything that we knew she wouldn't like.  There was some gift-giving which included what I consider to be the best gift of all: the Bump It.  For those who haven't seen the infomercial, the Bump It is a plastic curved piece that is placed on the top of your head for you to comb your hair over, to make it look you have more volume than you do.  It's like a mini beehive, but  more modern - supposedly.  I am excited for Jenn to rock her new conehead look in Louisianna and be the most stylin' lady around. That gift pretty much summed up the tone of the party.  Nothing serious.  Just a bunch of friends getting together, catching up, and sharing some laughs.  And of course talking about the riotous times that we will be having when we go down to New Orleans for the wedding.  Exactly the kind of party it should have been.

Sadly I had to leave a little earlier than I might have liked, but for the good reason of spending time with my immediate family during a difficult time.  But it was great seeing the whole family together again.  As usual it was hilarious and filled with a lot of love and mockery - just the way I like it.  And we shared some fond memories of a man we loved dearly.  It was nothing special but I hope that we fulfilled his wishes of remembering him with laughter and joy.  Because there was a lot of that this evening - and today in general.

Any day filled with friends, family, and laughter is an awesome day in my book!  And a great way to celebrate my 100th blog post!  I can't wait to find out what the next hundred will be about.





  

Oct. 7th: The Big Reunion

One of the best parts of heading back to Ontario, is getting to see all of the lovely people I left behind when I moved out west.  There are groups of people that I always make a valiant effort to see and for some reason this Thanksgiving I was able to catch up with all of the members of a group that I used to regularly hang out with in high school.  I call them the Hillfield crew (named after the school from whence they came)!

It's a ridiculously long story of how we all met, but once we met we just kept hanging out.  I think it was our mutual nerdy goofiness that kept us together.  But of course as time went on we eventually went to Universities that split us up geographically, and then moved on to careers and lives that made the geographical separation even larger.  We've done a good job of staying in contact so that we can still reunite over the Holidays, but it seemed that this was the first time in a VERY long time when we were all able to make it out.

It was pretty sweet finally being able to meet all of the lady friends/wives and catch up on what everyone is doing these days.  It's amazing how much has changed in just the last couple of years.  New jobs, new marriages, moves back to Ontario, film festivals, bike trips across the country, illustration programs, saving lives and break-dancing, projects that cannot be talked about. It is crazy to realize how far we have come.  We have all grown up so much since those high school days, and yet in some ways nothing has really changed it all.  As we all approach the big 3-0 we've still managed to keep our immaturity intact - and I think that's awesome!  I love you guys and cannot wait for the next big meet up.

Oct. 6th: The long ride home!

After a productive day at work, and an evening spent cleaning and relaxing, it was great to end the day with a trip to the airport for a long ride back to Ontario to be with family for the Thanksgiving holidays.  As per usual, I took the red eye which left at 11:15pm to arrive in Toronto at 6:45am.  I know a lot of people hate taking the red eye but I actually kind of like it.  I would rather travel over night and forego a little bit of sleep, than give up the better portion of my day travelling.

This time around I might not have slept as much as I usually do.  A bright light, middle seat, and squeaky chihuahua may or may not have been the cause of that.  Fortunately I was able to make the most of it by catching up on some crappy movies.  I was pretty exhausted, but that really didn't matter once I came into Toronto and saw my loving parents waiting for me beyond the baggage claim.

Yes - the late night flight that allows me to start my following day with my parents smiling faces will always be a good thing to me!  It's good to be back.

Oct. 5th: Feeling the Burn!

As I suspected after Tuesdays workout - I spent the majority of today feeling pretty darn sore.  Some of the pain is coming from me doing a lot of things wrong yesterday.  The Capoeira instructor did tell me that I would hurt my back if I didn't arch it properly in the stance from which all other moves derived.  Apparently I never really got the knack of that stance from what my back is telling me.

On the other hand, a good amount of the pain is coming from some of my muscles that had very clearly been neglected and needed some rejuvenation.  My quads are probably the most confused right now.  They have barely been used since March, and then they spent a consecutive two and half hours being engaged in some physical activity?  My butt is also wondering why it was all of the sudden needed to do some work after it has spent so long sitting around doing nothing.  I think there is only one word to sum up how my butt and thigh muscles are feeling right now: USED!

I don't blame them for giving me the harsh feedback.  I deserve it.  I admit that I haven't treated them right for a while, but I sincerely hope to get them back in the game and make them feel loved, appreciated, and useful.  I will do my best to make things right again.  I just hope that they can learn to forgive me.  Either way - it's still nice to know they're there for me when I need them. Welcome back friends!  It's been a while!

Oct. 4th: Testing Boundaries!

I have an announcement! I have found a major flaw to the 'can-do' attitude I have tried to adopt as of late.  There are probably many flaws to it, but the most significant and obvious flaw is that sometimes there are things that I simply cannot do.  At least not yet!

As I do most Septembers, I found myself feeling a little lazy, and behind on some New Years Resolutions and so I decided to get back into fitness again.  This past winter I took some Kung Fu classes with friends at BCIT which was kind of neat, but this fall I wanted to try something new.  I signed up for Bellydancing - which I've been wanting to do for several years now - and then to continue the dance and martial arts theme I decided to try out Capoeira.  Therein laid my error!

Everything started off great with an amazing Bellydancing class that ended up being just slightly more work than I though, but otherwise was exactly what I had hoped for and expected in terms of skill level required.  But then I had made the poor assumption regarding the skill level required for the Capoeira class. I thought I was taking a beginner class - which in my mind meant that it was for anyone who had never done Capoeira before.  What I hesitated to acknowledge was that a 'beginner' Capoeira class required much more than 'beginner' fitness training.  The fact that I was having problems getting the basic stance right was a problem.  My taking Capoeira was comparable to if a runner decided to run a half-marathon after only enough training for a friendly 5km run.  And because I'm crazy - I thought I could do it after spending an hour on my toes while working my core with some bellydancing.  Lesson learned!  I'm just glad that I managed to get through the class without fainting or crying.

I am extremely grateful that I took the class, but I think it might be the last Capoeira class for me for a while - at least until I am at a fitness level remotely capable of getting through the classes.  The question is - what do I work on next so that I am ready to try it again in the future?  The flexibility for the acrobatics?  The strength to hold myself upside down and hit hard when fighting?  Or the endurance to dance while fighting?  Hmmm - perhaps I should try a little bit of all of the above.

To see some Capoeira in action - here's a little video put together by Capoeira Ache Brasil - where the instructor of the class teaches regularly.  They make it look way easier than it actually is.

Oct 3rd: A True Knight!!

Tonight's blog is dedicated to an amazing man: my Grampa.  His dedication to his wife, family, and country is indescribable.  I cannot thank him enough for allowing me to have the life and values I have today.  Truly - I would not be here if it weren't for him (and a few other essential parties I suppose).

Here are a few of my favourite things about Grampa:

• His love for solitaire
• His chair/spot on the couch
• The smile on his face whenever the family got together
• The way he wore his Christmas Cracker crown
• The times we shared playing games on his Commodore 64
• His graduation process before any of us kids could swim in the deep end of the pool (swimming two widths of the pool under water still gives me an extreme sense of pride)
• His refusal to let his hindered mobility stop him from doing things
• His love for driving and the level of frustration he had when he realized that his driving days were over
• His willingness to go to war to fight for our freedom
• His stories about his time in the war
• The joy we experienced after seeing a friend of mine perform her solo show honouring WWII veterans at his alma mater 
• His encouragement of our dreams (no matter how crazy)
• His love for adventure, even if it weren't his
• His infectious laugh
• His appreciation for a fart joke - no matter what his age
• The kiss he shared with my Gramma on their 50th Wedding Anniversary
• The overwhelming love he had for his family

Grampa - you were truly an amazing man and I am so grateful to have had you as one of the major influences in my life.  I may be fierce with the fierce as a Chisholm, but it was you who made me a Knight.  May I honour the name and family pride as greatly as you did.  I love you so much Grampa and will miss you deeply!  Rest peacefully, George Knight!

Oct. 2nd: Singing for the Cure!

Today started out fantastically.  It was an early start, but very rewarding.  For those who might be unaware, across the nation today was the Run For The Cure in support of Breast Cancer Research.  Every year our choir has had the privilege to sing before the run, and this year was no different.  This was the first year that I was available to sing in this performance, and it was extremely rewarding.  I shed a number of tears out of the pure joy of seeing so many people come together for a cause - one that I supported a few years ago with the Weekend to End Breast Cancer.  To be able to sing as I love to do and thereby be the inspiration and motivation for these already inspirational and motivated runners, was a privilege I was grateful to have.

I am also grateful that today was the day that I was able to feel all of those emotions that come from the simple act of singing.  After hearing some upsetting news today, and having to reflect on the good that came from today, I have come to realize that singing for me is so much more than just having a good time by doing something I love to do.  In a sense it is my own cure for the sadness that I can occasionally experience in my life.  When I sing songs with lyrics of "I still have my joy", "Oh how happy you have made me", and "Everything is Going to be alright", it's difficult to not feel those things.  I have not ever been able to leave a choir performance or rehearsal without a smile on my face and the feeling of knowing who I am and what I live for.  Life will forever be full of unfortunate news, and hard times. I will never be able to stop that.  But I can sway back and forth, clap my hands, and sing to remind me that there is still so much good in my life.  

Below is a video from last year's Run For The Cure event.  Imagine the same thing but with the sun shining and add a familiar face staring back at me and you will have an idea of how my morning started.  That will be my focus for today!

  

Oct. 1st: Checking out the classics!

I watched my third play of the week last night at Studio 58, where they had the opening night of their first show of the season - THE CRUCIBLE.

I do not know how this happened, but I had never even read The Crucible in high school, despite the fact that it is such a classic piece of literature.  I also never even watched the movie featuring Winona Ryder and Daniel Day Lewis.  I knew the jist of the story (ie. the false claims of witchcraft in Salem) but I did not know all of the details of the happenings in the story.  And I have to say - it was kind of infuriating.  I do not know why I was surprised.  It's a play about infuriating events, in an infuriating place, during an infuriating time.  That being said, I am still so grateful that I saw the show.  Being able to experience one of the greatest pieces of theatre ever written was nothing short of awesome.  The fact that the show happened to feature one of my favourite actors in Vancouver also didn't hurt.  Kudos to the Studio 58 students who were able to hold their own while sharing the stage with the Anthony F. Ingram!  That's an impressive feat and you deserve the utmost respect for it.  Thank you to you all!

Sept. 30th: So - it's not just me?!?!

I debated what to dedicate yesterday's awesomism to but I think I finally decided.  Generally - it's coming to the realization that all of those insecurities I have about myself, and all those things that I think could classify me as crazy - are actually shared by good friends.  Specifically - it goes out to my fellow guilt-ridden friend, Linsy, for making me feel like those things that I think make us crazy actually just make us awesome!  Love ya Linsy!