Babs or Maya: Which would you choose?

This is not a post about my 30 Before 30, but it falls along the same lines.  I'm also feeling extremely inspired at the moment, for completely understandable reasons, which is why I feel it is necessary to write of these evenings events.

A few weeks ago I went to choir practice and Checo told us that he recently had a big decision he had to make that he agonized over for a while.  Apparently in one day he was contacted by two separate people, each asking to have the choir perform in a ridiculous epic event. Unfortunately both of the events were taking place on the same night.  Checo was left to make a very difficult decision: Does he sign us up to do sing some back-up for the one and only Barbra Streisand OR does he sign up up to open for the legendary Dr. Maya Angelou.  As he was saying this to us, the decision was clear in mind.  I knew as well as he did that we are a Soul Gospel Choir, which is why it made perfect sense that the next words out of his mouth were "I had to go with my girl, Maya!"

Yes, you did Checo!  And I couldn't be more grateful for your decision.  As awesome as it would have been to sing with Barbra, it would not be the life-changing experience that this evening was.  Doing some Oooooos and Ahhhhhhs with Barbra never would have been as inspirational as singing some true Gospel to open for one of the most influential speakers of our time.

If anyone ever gets the chance to hear Dr. Maya Angelou speak, please do not let the opportunity pass you by. Her words tonight spoke to my soul and I feel truly blessed to have had the ability to meet her.  She is completely right.  I am a human being, and nothing human can be alien to me.  And I also have a hard time trusting people who don't laugh.  As she said, "You might be serious, but you're boring as hell."  And I am both willing and eager to be the rainbow in someone else's cloud.

Thank you Checo for making the right decision!  And thank you for being my rainbow.  I will never forget this evening.

30 Before 30!

Okay okay okay!  I've been horrible in posting about these lessons I'm learning every day.  I'm not going to lie I've really enjoyed just relaxing and living my life as opposed to writing about it.  HOWEVER, now that I'm officially in my 30th year there is something I really want to work on.  Turning 30 is a little scary to me!  When I was younger it was that benchmark age that I set life goals around.  And so far I think I've done a good job of meeting a lot of those goals.

I moved out of the house (to the awesome city of Vancouver - which was not planned).
I have a career in theatre which (somehow) sustains my living in Vancouver.
I have my own one-bedroom apartment.
I have a very active social life which gets me out of the house most nights.
I have traveled to a bunch of really awesome places.
I am in a loving committed relationship with an awesome guy.
I continue to fulfill my own artistic goals of singing, acting, and improvising.

Life is pretty darn good!  That being said, there's still a lot more that I want to accomplish.  So, inspired by one of my oldest and dearest friends, Leah Rosenthal and her 27 Before 27 list - I'm going to take on a 30 before 30 List.  I will complete these 30 things by or before 5:30 Eastern Time on October 26th 2013, when I officially complete my 30th year on earth.

Here's the list (in no particular order):

1. Go to a convention and participate in Cos Play!
2. Sign up and do a 5km fun run.  The goal is the St.Paddy's Day run.  Who wants to sign up with me?
3. Go shooting at the gun range.  
4. Drive a manual car. On the road with other cars and everything.
5. Do a mountain activity and an ocean activity on the same day.
6. Go ocean fishing. Luke - I'm going to need you help with this one.
7. Write and produce musical! ... Don't be nervous about this one.  It's already in the works.
8. Design and make my own dress.
9. Go rockclimbing.  In this case indoor rockclimbing counts as I've never even done that.
10. Plant and tend in a community garden.
11. Learn and play 5 songs on ukulele.  ... Finally!
12. Make my own wine and/or beer.
13. Host a fancy dinner party with a 3 course meal.
14. Go snowshoeing.
15. Learn and memorize the recipes for my favourite dishes as a child: (Mom's Mac and cheese, Mom's Caesar dressing, Mom's hash brown casserole, ... and if I have time Mom's Toad in the hole)
16. Make Frozen Lemon Meringue Tort.
17. Make Kringle by myself. Mom's supervision might be allowed. 
18. Get my First Aid Certification.
19. Give blood.
20. Finally go to Castle Fun Park in Abbotsford.
21. Purchase a meal for one of homeless people I see almost every day and get to know their story.
22. Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
23. Bike around the sea wall. ... Bonus points if I can convince Luke to ride tandem with me.
24. Have a well stocked bar. I'm already well on my way after this weekend.
25. Play in a ball pit.  Can you believe that I have never done this? ... Or if I have, I have absolutely no recollection of it.  And that's just sad.
26. Appear in a web series.  I was close on this one, but it never actually aired so it doesn't count.
27. Watch all 3 Godfather movies.  Not necessarily all in one day.
28. Create a one month meal plan and actually stick with it. No eating out of a box!
29. Go ballroom dancing with Luke.
30. GO SKYDIVING!

For obvious reasons I'm looking forward to this next year.  As I complete each activity I'll make sure to report on it so you can track the progress.  I think it's going to be a pretty good year.  I'm looking forward to where I'll be at once I hit the big 3-0!

BONUS: Performance Time!

For those who are curious as to what I've been up to lately ... well - the answer is LOTS.  I'm not going to get into all of it right now, but enjoy this video of my last performance doing an improvised musical set.  That's right.  Not only do I sing solo (which at one point in my life I would have said I'd NEVER do) ... but it's completely improvised.  The scenes, the songs, and the choreography is all made up on the spot in front of an audience.  I hope you enjoy the video as much as I enjoyed performing!

 

July 4th - 31st: Lessons & Optimisms!

Oh what a glorious summer this has been.  My sincerest apologies for not updating more often.  I've just been having too much fun this summer.  I've also done my best to keep track of some of the awesome things I've been learning over the last couple of months.  So - let's get right to it, shall we!  Here's what I've got from July 4th onward:

July 4th: Not knowing what to pack for the Yukon is a good problem to have.  Will it be hot? Will it be cold? ... Who cares??? It's the Yukon. It's going to be AWESOME.

July 5th:  Flights with TVs are good.  Flights with fresh fruit, and warmed homemade cookies are better!  Thank you Air North!  Also - the time vortex of having the sun barely move while you're in the air (staying in the same time zone) is flipping awesome.

Leaving Vancouver

Arriving in Whitehorse

July 6th: Taking a long drive just to hang out by the water to relax is completely worth it!  YAY FOX LAKE!

July 7th: It turns out that I can actually see myself living in the States.  As a Madam at the Red Onion Saloon and Brothel Museum in Skagway Alaska.  (Please take note of the word "Museum".  I would want to take guests through history, NOT other things).

July 8th: A sunset is more epic when it takes place after 11pm.  (Also, "Happy Birthday, Mom!")

July 9th: Apparently my favourite situations are awkward situations.  I don't know if this is really a lesson so much as just self-reflection.

July 10th: When comparing Musicals to Shakespeare, Musicals WILL likely win!  Particularly when they have home field advantage.  If you want to know what I'm talking about you can check out this link.

July 11th: I haven't given The Music Man nearly enough credit.  It's actually a really fun musical, with or without Eric McCormack.

July 12th: I am EXTREMELY privileged. (Also, I will forever base my life upon being able to hear the stories of others, because it is through those stories that I am best able to put my life into perspective and strive to be the best person I can be.  Thank you Maki for your inspiring show!)

July 13th: An improv show depends entirely with how well your respect your fellow improvisers.  And fortunately I regularly improvise a place that commands respect ... of EVERYONE who improvises.  Whether they are local, or from Germany, the US, or Slovenia!

July 14th: I REALLY need to take lessons in Botany.  I'll need them for when I have a massive garden of my own that has plenty of veggies, fruits, and other pretty things.  If only I had my mother's green thumb.

July 15th: An impromptu date night is always appreciated, no matter how tired I am.  

Flamenco at Kino Cafe!

July 16th: My body doesn't it like when I take a break from an extremely hectic lifestyle.   

July 17th: Despite how much I think I might want something, I generally always feel better when I share the wealth (particularly when I should).

July 18th: It seems that a lot of people are looking for some crazy and silly in their lives.  And that's what a pack of wolves and a cannon arm are for!

July 19th: VANCOUVER HAS BOAT LOADS OF TALENT!  And a very difficult job environment for university graduates.  Fortunately we can sing about it though!

July 20th: Apparently my body does like to sleep in every once in a while.  And if I let it sleep in (even when I shouldn't), it will take full advantage.

July 21st: New Westminster might very well be my future hometown.  Awesome park, and I could really use those hills!

July 22nd: Censorship is silly!  Also - I'm PROUD to be an artist/producer in Vancouver.  

July 23rd:  2 heads are better than 1, and several heads are better than 2.  Lots of stuff to look forward to in the upcoming year at work!

July 24th: The burlesque show I did in University MIGHT NOT be my last.  Still thinking this one through.  

July 25th: Seriously STOP judging a book by its cover.  When a guy with a do-rag, and his pants pulled down under his butt is taking up several seats with his sprawling legs, do NOT assume that he's selfish and inconsiderate of others.  It might turn out that HE will be the first one to get up and move when someone else needs to sit down.  LESSON LEARNED!  Thanks do-rag guy.  You have a nice day too!

July 26th: Watching musicals as homework for a project is really hard work! (Did you detect the sarcasm?)

July 27th: It's always worth the bus ride to PoCo! ... Still don't know if it's worth the drive to Acton though.

July 28th: When a group of dietitians plan a bachelorette involving a hike, go on that hike.  Those dietitians might be ridiculously health and fit, but they are also likely very smart and will make sure the hike is suitable to people of all fitness levels.  Also - you might get some spectacular views.

Like this one!

July 29th: A day of playing board games, eating, drinking, and hanging out with good friends is STILL the best way to spend a day off. (Throw some improv in there and it's even better).

July 30th: Taking Mondays off in July was the BEST IDEA EVER!!!  

July 31st: Preparing to go on vacation is still a very stressful task, but it also allows me the time I need to ENJOY my vacation.  For that, I am grateful.

Stay tuned for August!

July 3rd Lesson: Do your Research and Plan Ahead!

Daily Learning: When you want to see a friend's show on the most economical night of the run, figure out the capacity of the venue and reserve tickets ahead of time.


It's not a nice feeling to be turned away at the door on the one and only night that you can see a friend's show.  I was happy for them, but it meant that my one and only chance to see it was up.  Had I just put a bit more time into planning and arriving early, I probably would have been fine.

It actually ended up being a blessing in disguise because it meant I was able to have an evening off which was quite nice.  But I missed a show that was created by a bunch of good friends.  Well lesson learned and I will now do everything I can to not let that happen again.

July 2nd Lesson: Campy Theatre isn't necessarily a bad thing!

Daily Learning: Expect the Campy and you'll have a good time!

I don't know if this is a new lesson for me, but it was certainly a good reminder.  We all know how much I loved SCORE: A Hockey Musical.  If anyone asked me if it was a good movie, I don't know how I'd respond.  But what I can say that if you go into it expecting campy, ridiculous Canadian humour set to music (presuming you can appreciate all of that stuff) then you'll have a good time watching it!

I had never seen the original movie of Xanadu but I knew it was NOT a 'good' movie - but it did have a huge cult following.  So when I was invited to see the musical I was thrilled to check it out.  And disappointed I was not.  I expected the campiness, and I got it in spades!  And it was awesome and epic!  So don't knock the campy the next time you see it.  Embrace it.

July 1: And the learning begins with a bang!

Okay - so I'm finally catching up with all my learning blogs!  Well I can certainly say that when it comes to learning, I have definitely learned that if I give myself a bit of a guilt free break I take full advantage of it.  My apologies to those few of you who actually want to know what's going on and haven't read anything in a while.  But you're about to get some catching up to do!

Lesson for July 1st: I need to remember that my centre of gravity has shifted since I was a young kid.

Remember way back when you were a toddler and used to ride on your Dad's shoulders to feel high up and it used to be so much fun.  Wasn't that so much fun?  Wouldn't you expect it to be just as much fun to ride on someone's shoulders again as an adult?  Well you might be wrong.

As Luke and I were watching the Canada Day fireworks in Victoria, I didn't really have the best view so I tried to stand on this railing to get a little higher up.  Then we thought it might be smart for Luke to put me on his shoulders so I could get an even better view.  Have I mentioned that Luke is 6'5" and that I have a fairly long torso?  As much fun as it was to be up there on someone's shoulders again, it was also ... let's just say wobbly.  Maybe if I had trained as a cheerleader and become used to those kinds of heights it wouldn't have been such a big deal.  But that's not the case.  So after only a matter of seconds and a few photos, I asked Luke to put me down and relieve him of the pain in his neck.

But at least I got some decent photos out of it.  Check it out!

June 30th: Family Time with the not-quite family!

On the last day of my one-year challenge, I had an absolutely amazing day.  In preparation for the long weekend, Luke and I decided to spend our time on the island.  We originally wanted to camp, but with the weather not being on our side we instead decided to change our accommodation plans and stay one night in Nanaimo with his family and then head to Victoria on Canada Day.

Generally when we stay with his family in Nanaimo it is very often just us with his parents, with a few short visits with his little sister as she is in between school and work.  But with his older sister getting married in only a month she also made her way back home with her fiance, which meant that we were actually able to have some good family time together.

And what better way to finish my last awesome blog with family.  Even if it's not mine!  And being able to do so on the island is that much better.  What an awesome, awesome year.  I'm sorry I didn't post every single day, but at least I got every day in.

And I have news: I don't want to stop this now.  This project has been a lot of fun and it's helped to keep me stay positive and keep me writing.  So I will keep it going.  I won't actually hold myself to the every day (because it was very clear to me that it's not actually realistic).  But I will again try to post about the every day, at least a few times a week.  And as much as I'm going to stick with the theme of AWESOME - next year as of July 1st, they are going to also the theme of "You learn something new every day."  I want to know if that's true.  We'll find out.

June 29th: Improv in a skirt!

It's pretty darn awesome showing up to volunteer for an improv show all dressed up, and then being offered to play in the late night show - even though you're wearing a skirt.  Fortunately I had tights on under the skirt, so there wasn't really anything wrong with it. But the fact that I performed improv while wearing a skirt is something that I will boast about for a while, simply because I never would have expected that to happen ever in my life.

It was also amazing to have no expectations to perform, and literally get 10 minutes notice and then head backstage 5 minutes before the show begins.  It was almost exactly what improv should be.  I'm all for the workshops and establishing formats.  It's great to have guidelines and goals, and things to strive for.  But it's also fun to just play, which is exactly what we did late Friday night.

It takes a lot of trust to ask a person to perform 10 minutes before they are needed on stage and I'm so grateful to have that at Second Storey Theatre.  I can't think of anyone else I would rather play with than my improv family.  So much fun!  Thanks gang!

June 28th: Year-End Apprentice Projects

Another season, and another apprenticeship goes by.  That's not the awesome part.  Not for me anyway.  I generally miss the apprentices once they leave.  What is awesome is seeing the final projects that conclude the apprenticeships.  These are the projects that the apprentices pour their heart and soles into, and when they literally build it from the ground up it is that much more exciting.

Kimbojangles presented her year-end project last week and it was awesome!  What was fascinating about her project (which I don't think has ever happened before) was that her project actually included the future apprentices for the 2012-13 season.  It was like she was trying to emphasize the passing of the torch through the show.  And it worked!

Kim - I'm going to miss you.  Fortunately for me, you're not quite gone yet because you still have some hours to do in July.  Luckily for me that means that I get to see you more before you leave us for good.  And fortunately you still live with Andrea, which unfortunately means that you will never really get rid of me.  Too bad for you.  AWESOME for me!

June 27th: Baby Showers!

BABIES!!!!  I love that I'm at that age when friends of mine are getting married and having kids.  You know what that means?  Showers!  I know some people aren't really into the silly games, and the usual fuss that goes into showers, but I love it.  If someone wants to plan some fun for me, I'm more than happy to participate.  I know some folks think that it gets in the way of conversing with the other guests, but I don't know about that.  Yes, it distracts from conversation for the purpose of playing a game, but it also helps break the ice and bring everyone together and breaks up the cliques that might occur otherwise.  But then again - this is coming from a girl who loves to play any game!

My friend Joyce who was married Easter weekend of 2010 is now about to burst with her new baby, and I couldn't wait to attend her shower.  I rarely get to see her, so to have the chance to spend time with her and meet some more of her good friends was one I was not going to turn down.  Especially since she lives only a few blocks away from me.  I've met a lot of Joyce's friends before - but she has LOTS of friends, so this time around there were a lot more to meet.  And considering I arrived to the party late, I think I did a decent job.  I met some great girls, had some delicious food, and played some fun and silly games which bonded all of us as a group.  All in all - the ideal baby shower!

I know everyone has their idea of what a bridal or baby shower should look like, but as far as I'm concerned there is no wrong way to do it.  So long as there are good friends to celebrate a major life change, it should be an awesome time!  Congratulations Joyce and Matt on your soon to be new family!  I can't wait to meet the little one.

June 26th: Sitting in on the Boys' Club!

It's a really strange, intimidating, and yet exhilarating experience to sit around a table with a bunch of the key players in Vancouver's industry as not only the only female around the table, but also probably the only one still in their 20's.  Surreal would be the appropriate word for it!

There are a lot of people who I consider mentors in my career as a theatre administrator in Vancouver.  Or at the very least people who I would hope to consider mentors if only I could get  to spend even 10 minutes listening to them talk. And now imagine those people around a small board room table, and then imagine me with them.  I was more than just a little out of place.  Even so, it was bizarre to not feel completely out of my league.  

I was not that big fish in the little pond that just found it's way to the ocean.  Not at all.  I would say I was the tiny gold fish, who out grew it's fish bowl and then was dumped into the ocean.  It definitely felt that I skipped the pond part of the process.  Though the ocean seemed vast, I felt that I had some friends there that made me feel like I belonged.  I don't know if I convinced everyone that I belonged, but enough of them were convinced to at least keep me from being eaten alive.  

As weird as it was, it was pretty amazing sitting in on the Boys' Club Meeting.  I hope to sit in on more of the meetings.  Perhaps one day they will consider me one of their own!

June 25th: JESSIES!!!!

Every year for the past six years, I've worked my butt off for one major event in the year.  That event is the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards.  It's the awards show that acknowledges the outstanding work in the Vancouver Theatre Industry.  This year was our 30th Anniversary.  It was also a commemorative event as Vancouver lost a major player with the closure of the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company.

Even so, it was an extremely celebratory evening with some well deserved awards being distributed.  It might be a lot of work year-after-year, but it's work that I'm thrilled to be a part of. Vancouver Theatre is awesome, and it's nice to be a part of that one event every year that reminds all of us just how amazing it is.

Thank you everyone who helped put this event together, and to all of the artists who gave us yet another season of outstanding theatre!

Just some of the lovely ladies on the Jessies Board.

Andrea and I getting ready to sell.  

June 24th: Turn some potatoes into fries!

It's kind of ridiculous how Luke has a lot of good friends in Vancouver and yet we rarely ever see them.  Clearly that needed to be remedied!  So we went out to Yaggers for drinks and some catching up.  


First awesome thing: Yaggers is one of those bars that seems to be underrated, considering how freaking good the food is, and how freaking fun it can be.  I hear it's all good, but I can tell you that the fajitas were absolutely awesome!

Second awesome thing: Hearing that the EXP Restaurant and Bar made its goal of $50K on its Indie GoGo fundraising campaign, and that hopefully things can turn around regarding the actual playing of video games in the bar, which is pretty much the entire point of the restaurant.  (I learned later that they actually made $62K by the time the Indie GoGo campaign closed - UBER AWESOME!)

Third awesome thing: Learning about "Potatoes, Fries!"  Most of us know that when you bump your fists together, it's called 'pounding it'.  Well sometimes after pounding it, your instinct is to explode your hand afterward as indicated by your outstretched fingers.  Well try this: as you pound fists say "Potatoes" and then as your hand explodes with your fingers outstretched shout out "Fries!"  Was your mind just blown?  Because mine was!

Look - it's the simple things that make life awesome.  So you can make fun of "Potatoes, Fries!" all you like, but it doesn't take away from the over all awesomeness of the day!  Improv, Board Games, Delicious Food, Catching up with some friends we hadn't seen in a while, Silly Greetings, and Button-mashing video games add up to one awesome day!

June 23rd: Character work!

I have fallen in love with the late night shows at Second Storey Theatre.  After our usual Sudden Death Improv shows, we've been adding late night long form shows and the formats change depending on who is hosting the show.  On the 23rd, the format was probably my favourite I have seen yet, namely because it revolved around the creation of characters.

In the show we met Clause Vath-Bath - a butler who couldn't hold his alcohol and was embarassed by his name, Bambam Lill - a famous rock/movie star past his prime who had a pompadour hairdo and hated talking about himself, and Shadow Overstreet - the smartest rapper in the world who doubled as a CIA agent and who only spoke in words or two syllables or more. We were able to meet each of these characters in their worlds for 10 minutes each, and then we were able to see them all together.  And, as you might expect, it was AWESOME!

Way to go Shovin' Buddies!  You were great.  I can't wait to see the next one and meet some more crazy and awesome characters.

June 22nd: At long last!

Six years ago, I started my work at Pacific Theatre as an apprentice.  That year a fellow apprentice, Tina Teeninga, was one of several playwright's who had the first reading for a new play at a workshop that fostered the work of emerging playwrights.  Her script was about the Luddites and their protest against the Industrial Revolution.  At the time it was called Luddites!  Six years, and several drafts later - it finally made it's way to the Pacific Theatre stage in a workshopped stage reading of Wolf At The Door.


I couldn't be more proud of her.  I wasn't actually at the original reading 6 years ago (hey - someone had to work the box office), but I was in several readings after the fact.  I can't explain how awesome it is to see a piece of art all the way from it's conception to its realization (or at least pretty darn close to it).  Thank you Tina, for a wonderful piece of art that is still relevant today despite taking place centuries ago!

June 21st: Go Hamilton and Culture!

It seems that the longer I live in Vancouver, the more I come to appreciate being from Hamilton.  Not because the people out here are not awesome (trust me, they are).  I just find myself being exceptionally proud anytime I ever hear anyone bring up Hamilton.  Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Hamilton rarely ever comes up in conversation out here, and when it does it's often brought up as a result of something positive - which makes my heart go out to it.

Last week I went to a meeting about BC Arts Statistics, and the person speaking was Kelly Hill from Hill Strategies.  Hill Strategies is essentially the go-to website for any stats relating to the Arts in Canada.  I used it all the time in University, particularly when doing the Graduate Arts Admin program.  So to be acquainted with it again while out here in a managerial position is pretty darn awesome.  Especially when I saw "Hamilton, ON" on one of the slides.

Somehow in my studies, I hesitated to notice where Hill Strategies originated.  Now that I've been away from Hamilton for 10 years, I suppose I've started to notice a lot more.  I couldn't be more proud that the leading source of arts statistics is from my hometown.  It just gives me one more reason to be proud of being from the Hammer!

June 20th: MUSICAL!!!!

So remember a while ago, when I said there was a new project that I was working on?  But I made you wait before I mentioned anything about it?  Remember how it happened after the Musical Improv workshop?  And then remember how a long time ago I had this crazy idea to write a musical, until I realized that I didn't know the first thing about writing a musical?

Well guess what!  I'M WRITING A MUSICAL!!!  Now I'm sure you're thinking, "But Alison, you don't know the first thing about writing music, let alone a full musical.  How on earth are you going to pull this off?"  EASY!  The fact that I am working alongside two very intelligent and ridiculously talented folks who do know something about writing a musical ... as proven by the fact that one of them actually has written not a musical, but 2 musicals!  Now that's cred!

So this is still very early in the process, but it is happening!  And it's going to be awesome!  And you're hearing it here first.  Because I'm not even posting it to any of my social media pages yet until we have a better grasp of what it is going to be about.  Tonight we came up with a great idea, with a great brainstorming session, but there's still a lot of narrowing down to do.  So once we've narrowed, I will let you know.  But what I can say is that the fact that this Musical is in fact going ahead - is flipping AWESOME!  Thank you Peter and Jenn for helping to make this dream a reality!

June 19th: Done, done, and DONE!

I am a total nerd.  It's official.  I am that ridiculous person that gets excited about board meetings that go well.  Especially when it's a board meeting that encompasses pretty much every major project we could possibly bring to the board.  Strategic Plans, Budgets, and random new (and absolutely huge) ideas we are hoping to explore.

Want to know what the sweetest word in the world is? Approved!  It's the sound of a very productive evening, and peace and comfort in the morning.  And that, my friends, is awesome!

June 18th: Encouragement in all the right places!

Well it's a little appropriate that I haven't posted an awesomism since June 18th, as what happened that evening was the beginning of a very busy new project.  Remember when I talked about how this summer would be really quiet and I'd have lots of time off and I'd be able to catch up on some long neglected projects?  Yeah well - I may have gotten a bit ahead of myself.

But despite of having a new project to work on this summer, what I can say is that it is pretty awesome to hear such encouragement from the people who could easily tell us we're crazy and need to stop.  It's nice to be surrounded by excitement, encouragement, and the occasional moment of "Are we insane?" ... I guess we'll find out.

Sorry for the vaguery but until things are a bit more settled, that's just the way things are going to have to be.

June 17th: Short Long Ferry Rides

So in order to get between Vancouver and Salt Spring there are a couple of options.  You can either go through Swartz Bay (the Victoria ferry terminal) and then head over to the island, OR you can take one of the two daily ferries that go straight to the island with a few stops to the other islands along the way.  Either way, you're looking at about 3 hours of ferry time.  

Normally three hours would feel like a long time, but when your'e passing the time playing charades and would-you-rather with friends new and old it actually goes by fairly quickly.  The scenery doesn't hurt either.  After a great weekend a peaceful fun ferry ride home was the cherry on top!  

June 16th: WEDDING DAY!!!

I love weddings!  Always have, always will.  Love and commitment is something worth celebrating, especially when it involves some dear friends who really were meant for one another.
And what a wedding!  Sure it was a bit wet outside, but that just meant that we had to take things inside where we were able to have a much more intimate ceremony.  And of course, as is usually the case with West Coast weather, soon after the rain came the sun.  Which only means one thing: RAINBOW.  As if the day couldn't get anymore beautiful!

And oh the reception.  Delicious food, great conversation, and epic dancing!!!!  Oh and the homemade wine and beer - amazing!  AWESOME DAY!  Congratulations Mike and Lauren!  I wish you a very happy loving marriage!  EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!!

June 15th: Camping on Salt Spring Island

Living on the west coast definitely has it's perks.  Particularly when friends force you off the main land to enjoy some time on one of the many islands in the surrounding area.  And I'm not talking about Vancouver (though it is extremely beautiful as well).  I'm talking about the Gulf Islands that provide the West Coast with a these secluded getaways with some of the best scenery this world has to offer.

I've been honoured to have made my way to a few of the smaller islands on the West Coast, but the only time I had made my way out to Salt Spring Island was on a short one day trip.  It was an amazing time with Luke and his parents, but it was really nice to be given the chance to stay overnight and camp out.

I wish I had some beautiful pictures to show you, but my camera hates life and is hiding from me right now, so I don't have anything to show.  What I can say is that it was among the more beautiful campsites I have been too.  Decent distance between one site to the next, all in a cathedral of trees, with gorgeous trails that led into town.  Not too shabby!  In fact - AWESOME!  If anyone is looking for a place to camp - I might suggest Garden Faire on Salt Spring.

June 14th: Concordia Rez Flashbacks!

I often miss the University days.  The group of friends I had in University were all such amazing people.  I couldn't have asked for a better group of friends during such a pivotal time in my life.  But since those glory days we have all moved to different places around the world and therefore we don't see much of each other.  Fortunately one of these friends had decided to get married, which provided the perfect opportunity for a reunion.

Because this wedding was happening out here on the west coast, I was honoured to play host to some friends.  I cannot express just how awesome it is to come home from work, and open my apartment door and pretty much experience those exact same feelings back in residence when you went to a friends room and found that there were a few of your friends already chatting away just waiting for you to join the conversation.  The only difference was this time we had 6 years of growing up between us.  Maybe 6 years of aging is the more appropriate term, as it's clear that there really hasn't been too much growing up - which I think is a good thing.

It was so nice to go for a walk with these friends to a nearby park, and upon seeing a hill we had the idea that we should roll down it.  So roll we did!  No hesitation.  Just lots of laughs!  Just like good old times.  Oh Concordia - how I miss you!

June 13: Moonrise Kingdom

So I think I have a new favourite movie.  It's called Moonrise Kingdom.  It's a great story, with hilariously awkward characters, beautiful and unfortunate relationships, and it involves amazing kids.  What's not to like?

I don't really know what to say about this movie other than the fact that it is pure awesome and that more people should go and see it.  Wes Anderson is brilliant.  That's all I'll see.  If you haven't seen the trailer for the movie yet, then check it out HERE.  Beautiful.  Just beautiful.  And downright AWESOME.  

June 12th: Patience is a Virtue!

I'm getting this weird sense of Deja Vu!  I feel like I've written about this before, but I can't seem to find a record of it.  But it is an important message so a little bit of repetition is in order.

Alright - so we had a Pinning Party part 2, and it was very weird timing for me.  I had made a plan to make a certain dish, and work on a craft project that would be applied as a gift for an upcoming wedding.  But I hadn't quite prepared enough in advance.  I still had to purchase my craft supplies and I never looked up how long for me to make my food. AND I had to leave work a little later than I had originally wanted.  Recipe for disaster!

But I pulled through.  I bought my craft supplies (not making it a Pinning craft - but still a necessary one), and then I made my way home to start cooking.  I'm already not the best cook in the world so to rush a recipe that I had made slight adjustments to was really stupid of me.  But I did my best.  And I learned a lot, namely: Patience really is a virtue!  In my rush to get things done so that I could get to the party on time, I was not able to follow certain aspects of the recipe (such as allowing time to drain the liquid out of my veggies) which meant that it ended up taking me much longer in the end, and with a less desired result.

It was awesome to learn that if something tells you that you need to take time to do something, that you really should take that time!  I don't know if it's quite sunk in with me yet, but at least I now have the hard evidence (or at least the some what soggy evidence) to prove to me why I sometimes need to slow down and take the time needed to get a job done.  That's pretty awesome, right?

June 11th: Awkward Love Stories

I've talked at length about how much I love Musical Improv.  I cannot get enough of the workshops.  They're soooooo much fun, and you can get some really awesome stories out of them.

Having moved past fundamentals, we decided to apply what we've learned and do a 20 minute improvised musical.  What we really did was 20 minutes of what should have been a 60 minute improvised musical, because the story we were getting into was just that intense.  Which is I guess to be expected when you're dealing with a bunch of teenagers at a LARPing training camp!

For you newbs out there, LARPing is Live Action Role Playing.  Oh yes - it was as awkward and awesome as you would expect, with weird swordplay, and love triangles galore!


I was so excited at the end of the night, not just because of the awesome night of improv but because of a potential project in the works.  What project, you ask?  Oh - keep reading.  I'll get to it eventually.  

June 10th: Tony Awards!

For claiming to be a theatre person, it is pretty shameful that this was my first year ever to watch the Tony Awards.  I don't know why it's taken me so long.  Maybe it's just been an issue of availability and timing, or maybe I just hadn't been informed well enough, or maybe I just didn't care enough.  But it doesn't matter anymore, because I have finally made my way onto this bandwagon and I'm so glad.

Neil Patrick Harris is just flat out awesome!  If you haven't yet realized this then you're silly.  Just watch a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother.  Or if that doesn't do it for you, then watch some Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog.  The man is epic.  Epic and awesome.  And the host of the Tony Awards.  Therefore the show was awesome.

Now, not having been to New York in several years, I obviously did not get to see the shows that were nominated.  But I happened to appreciate some familiar faces in the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar.  And having just watched the movie Once I was quite proud when it was named Best Musical.

Clearly I need to keep up this trend.  Thanks Shay and Lois for making sure I watched the Tony's this year, as well as the Broadway education.  Much appreciated!

June 9th: S&Mprov

Oh yes - it happens!  I suspect that no one would expect to see comedy improv and sadomasochism combined, but having seen the show I can tell you that it's awesome.

Take the desire for pain, remove the sex, and add in the improv and it makes for a pretty amazing show. Shackles, marshmallows, mousetraps and a bucket of water can make for an extremely amazing and entertaining show.  And I think there's something really wrong with me because I cannot wait to try it out.
I want to taste a bit of that pain.

Know what else is awesome about S&Mprov?  It's going to be taking place on the second Saturday of every month.  I can't wait for July!

June 8th: FANTASTICK!

It's not every day that I make my way to Abbotsford to catch a show, but Friday was one of them.  Gallery 7 was opening their show The Fantasticks!  I have always wanted to see this show.  I also happen to know, love, and work with the choreographer.  And I happen to know this guy who lives in Abbotsford now.  So when I was invited to see the show, obviously I went.

Here's what I learned from the show.  Silence truly speaks volumes.  Don't get me wrong - the performances were great, the music was awesome, and the dialogue and lyrics were hilarious.  But I kept being distracted by the character who played the wall and was silent the entire show.  I want to give that guy a high five.  He wasn't exactly a show stealer, because he knew how to share the stage and not pull focus.  But he was just so epically awesome that I needed to make mention of just how great his silence was.

I was thoroughly impressed by the show.  Well done Gallery 7!  What a way to end the season. 

June 7th: Universes Colliding!

I'm sorry okay!  It's hard to keep up with a daily blog when I'm spending too much time enjoying the awesomeness of days rather than writing about them.  I apologize.  But I always catch-up eventually.  So here we go:

On Thursday I went out to go see an acquaintance of mine perform.  A while ago I seemed to be going to a lot of concerts, but recently that hasn't been the case.  So when Adaline came back into town, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to enjoy the music scene, even if only for the night.  What I didn't expect was for universes to collide.

So I have this friend Andrea.  Andrea has a friend Katie (who I don't know if I can yet call a friend, but she's certainly an acquaintance).  Katie has a friend or co-worker Chantal.  Chantal has a friend from Adrienne.  Adrienne is in a choir called the VOC Sweet Soul Gospel Choir.  .... Yes - the same choir I am in.

What's weirder is that she was the fourth choir member that I had randomly run into that week.  One came by the Pacific Theatre office, another I ran into at a Starbucks where I had scheduled a Jessies meeting, the third ended up being the host of the crazy awesome Loco networking event, and then there was this situation.  It was awesome!

Normally universes colliding wouldn't be an awesome thing, but in this case it certainly was.  Next time I'll have to run into a choir member while hanging out with some improv buddies.  Or run into improv buddies while hanging out with work folk.  Or run into Jessie folk while doing some improv.  Really - any other sort of friend collision would be great.

June 6th: Pajamas by 9!

I've always been a little bit envious of those people who would get home from work and immediately change into more comfortable clothes.  Sometimes even pajamas.  I was never that person.  I don't know why.  On those days when I know I have no plans of leaving the house once I get home, I don't see why I wouldn't get out of the jeans and at least put on something a bit more comfy.  I guess I just felt that there was always a chance that I would need to be properly dressed.

Well today I changed that.  I didn't get into my comfy clothes right away, but after making dinner and sorting through some clothes I decided it was time to change.  Off came the jeans.  On went the coziness.  And it was AWESOME!

I know myself better than to say that I am now going to make this a habit.  But if for some reason it became a habit, I think I'd be okay with it.  So long as people knew that they could still send me those late night invites.  I'd be more than happy to put those jeans back on for a little bit of socialization.  I'd also have no problem with walking out in public in pajamas when heading to a friends place late at night.  Actually, that would be a trend I'd love to start.  Imagine being a bus with a bunch of people all gussied up for a night out at the club, and there you are sitting in your pajamas on your way to go to a friends place late at night to drink some wine and vent. ... AWESOME!  Friends, keep this in mind!

June 5th: Crazy Random Happenstance!

I'm not usually one who likes a change in plans, but tonight it was absolutely welcomed.  Instead of attending an event that would have involved spending time mingling with the theatre crowd in Vancouver, I changed plans to hang out with Andrea at a networking event for local Vancouver businesses.  I had no idea what I would be getting myself into, but I figured it would be fun.  If nothing else I'd at least get to meet some new people and learn a bit more about some local businesses.  Turns out I was in for so much more!!!

Yes - I met lots of awesome new people and found out more about the local businesses.  And now I know that I have to make a field trip to Earnest Ice Cream, and that I really want to somehow get involved with eatART and their awesome creative engineering projects.  I'm a creative helpful person. There has to be something I can do.

The thing that happened that I wasn't expecting is that I ran into some people who I kind of knew, but either never officially met, or hadn't seen in several years.  It is really awesome to go into a networking event and within the first few minutes of arriving having someone bee line it for you because they recognize you and know you need to meet.  Turns out that Louise from Recycling Alternative who was hosting the event is a fellow member of the VOC Sweet Soul Gospel Choir. It's hard to get to know everyone in a choir of more than 100 people.  So finally we were able to exchange names and get to know a bit more about each other.

Then later I saw someone who was in a show I was in 6 years ago.  So after establishing that the whole purpose of these events is to have a 'mark' - you know, someone you intend to meet and talk to at the event, I decided to make him my mark.  Not only was it awesome to catch up and see what we were both up to now, but I found out that he is now doing stand-up comedy (how convenient considering what I was up to last week) and that he happened to have a show that evening at a venue fairly close by.  So obviously that had to be added to the to do list for the evening.

Once the networking event started winding down, Andrea and I made our way down to the comedy show.   And since we were in the area, we invited friend Natalie who was also in the show with Travis.  Amazingly, she was actually available and came out as well.

Such an awesome random evening that spawned from a slight change in plans!  Thank you Andrea for the invite.  Any time you need someone to accompany you to events like this, I hope you extend the invitation my way again.

June 4th: Passing the torch!

I love being on the Jessies board.  It's a great to be a part of the greater professional theatre community, but I've been a bit crazy with how I have been involved.  This past year I think I had about 4 job titles, and some of them were significant and took up a lot of time.  So, it was really nice today when I met with the people who will be taking on the most time consuming job.

I have taken a lot of pride in taking on the position of the JRC Chair, but after 3 years in the position it has been a lot to handle.  So I am thrilled to pass the torch on this one, as I take on a new position.  Don't worry - the new position is not nearly as demanding as the one I've passed on, so even if it seems like I'm maintaining the same level of commitment ... trust me - I'm not!

Hooray, I can't wait for this coming year when I just take on the roles of VP, Sponsorship Committee, and Statues Officer.  Special thanks to Steven and Diane who are going to take on the position.  It's going to be a good year!

June 3rd: Goofy Mornings!

Okay - this is going to be a really mushy, throw-up-in-your-mouth kind of a post, so anyone who doesn't want to hear about stupid little gross lovey-type stories can stop reading now.  Seriously.  Just stop! ... NOW!

Alright, so I really love cuddling.  And fortunately Luke does too!  Often times, when we fall asleep we start off cuddling but at some point we part ways as things get a little too warm and uncomfortable and we need our space.  But in the morning times we get back to that cuddling position as we ease ourselves out of that peaceful sleep.  (Are you throwing up yet?)  And as we start to wake up we start talking to each other.  And in talking with each other, the banter starts, and the laughter ensues.

It is really awesome when you literally start your day laughing.  I don't know what it is about us, but it seems that at some point even in our calm, pleasant, cuddly moments one of us turns something into a joke and the other ends up laughing uncontrollably.  And I love it!  Who wants boring romantic stuff when we can collectively enjoy the simple and ridiculous things in life. Isn't that what love and life are all about?

I'll always love the cuddling.  But if I can add some laughter and goofiness to that cuddling, then it is AWESOME!  Thank you Luke for adding a little goofiness to our love.

June 2nd: Early Morning Saturday

I'm not usually one for waking up early on a Saturday morning, but when it involves a conversation with a good friend, then I'm all for it.

I'm not always very good at staying in touch.  Things are a lot easier with things like Facebook, but otherwise it's easy for me to lose touch with folks.  Fortunately these folks all fit into that category of people who I could potentially go months without speaking to, and the moment we start talking again it's as if no time has passed.  But when a person lives in New Orleans, and I would normally only see them maybe once a year, it's nice to get in some conversation time in every now and again. Even if it means waking up early on a Saturday morning.

Hearing that alarm go off didn't sound nearly as daunting as it usually can.  I was excited to talk.  Still very tired, but excited and thrilled.  Love you Jenn!  Thanks for the catch up session.  Looking forward to the next one!

June 1st: Doug, Doug Pitt!

After a surreal evening of comedy, I had an even more surreal daytime on Friday.

So - our choir was booked for this commercial that will be shot in Australia.  I didn't know much about it.  So I just got into my clothes and headed off for the shoot.  Then I get there only to be handed the lyrics of the song we would be singing in the commercial.  They seemed a little odd but figured, 'Hey, they just have an awesome sense of humour.'  The lyrics were something like:

Doug, Doug Pitt

He's Our Man

Second Most Famous Pitt - Yeah

He's Our Man

Doug Pitt (repeated in several variations)

Every Doug has his Day

So you might be wondering, "Who's this Doug Pitt fellow?"  Well, it's quite simple actually.  He's this guy!

Doug Pitt on left with brother Brad Pitt.  Photo from 417mag.com

Yeah - did you know that Brad Pitt had a younger brother?  He totally does.  And he's a very handsome though ordinary type of guy.  Just an epically awesome, funny, charming, good-looking, and really nice kind of guy who just happened to be the star of the commercial that we had been booked for to sing about him!

Even though our choir was only called to be on set until 1pm, we ended up being there until after 4pm. But that was fine by me.  I'm in summer mode.  I rarely take days off unless absolutely necessary. And I spent the day singing, filming and hanging out with Brad Pitt's younger brother.  ... Not a bad Friday if you ask me.  What an awesome random day!

Again - the commercial will only be airing in Australia but it will probably be online in 3 months or so.  I'll be sure to share it once it becomes available, because based on everything that I know about it and saw - it's going to be awesome!

May 31st: Stand-Up for your Rights!

I did it!  A month ago I accepted the challenge of doing stand-up comedy, and finally I have accomplished it.  And the best part is - THEY LAUGHED!!!!  There were some legitimate laughs.  And there were some pity laughs as well.  But hey, a laugh is a laugh.

I cannot express just how nervous I was to do the stand-up.  And then an hour before the show when I met all of the other comedians and heard some of their stuff I became even more nervous.  Their sets were mostly just jokes.  Some jokes based on story, but mostly just jokes based on being funny.  Basically what you would expect of a stand-up comedian. I felt a wee bit out of place. I essentially just kept my mouth closed until it was my turn, and then made my way on stage as I took a deep breath and then started talking.

I am so relieved to have done it, and for it to have gone as well as it did.  Am I ready to do it again? Absolutely not!  Will I ever do it again?  Possibly.  I might even say probably.  But it's going to take some time.  My confidence was definitely shaken prior to doing it, and even though it went fairly well, I'm still trying to tighten up those pieces that came loose during the whole preparation process. But, we'll see what happens.  Maybe I'll do it again.  Maybe I'll leave it to those who seem much more comfortable with it.  Who knows?

What I do know is that that one time of doing while absolutely frightening, was really really AWESOME, and I want to thank Andrea and Luke for being my very needed support group that evening.  I can't thank you enough for being there to cheer me on!  I'm a lucky gal!

May 30th: Partying on a school night!

Growing up we were never allowed to stay out late on weeknight's for the simple reason that it was a "school night."  As soon as I left for University I was thrilled to put those days behind me.  Who cared if it was a Tuesday and I had a class at 8am on Wednesday?  I wasn't going to miss out on the 80's night at Cafe Campus where they had pitchers on for $6.  I had priorities. ... Sometimes.

Generally I'd say that since living in Vancouver I have more or less grown past those weeknight partying days.  I'll still go see shows until 11pm on a weeknight but midnight would generally be my limit.  Not on Wednesday though!

Once you start getting into really good conversation it's really hard to get out of it.  Especially when there is still wine around.  And some times it can go past 1am.  And then you could end up spending much of your commute home, walking in the rain.  But it's okay, because you've still got some wine in your system to warm you up and make you somewhat oblivious to how long it is actually taking you to walk home.

I'm not saying that I'm going to make this weeknight partying a regular thing, but every once in a while it's nice to go back to the University type behaviours.  If nothing else, it at least makes me think that perhaps not too much of time has passed since that time in my life.  Oh denial - you're awesome!

May 29th: Killing Gorillas! .... figuratively of course

You know when you have this project that has been weighing you down and stressing you out for a long time?  You know - those big monkeys on your back type things.  Well when you spend a day finally tackling and completing those projects,  Ron and I like to call that 'killing gorillas'.  And that's exactly what I did on Tuesday.  And it felt soooooooooooo good.  And what better timing.

Our final show of the season closed.  We're just wrapping things up with all of the shows and getting everything ready for next year, and already I've got a decent head start on things.  Contracts are signed.  Money has gone out the door. Subscriptions have been coming in, and going out.  And best of all ... we have a decent cash flow for the next year.  Obviously it's a working document which will constantly be updated.  But boy does it ever feel good to have it done!  Sorry, not good ... AWESOME!

May 28th: Pitch granted!

So ... I have had this idea for a long time.  I really like musicals.  I really like creating and working on new shows.  And I really really like working with awesome people.

I've had this dream for a potential show for a while.  But I know where my talents lie, and more importantly where they do not.  And so, this little project has been on the back burner.  That being said, I came to realize at a workshop a long time ago that I know other people who have the talents I lack who could help bring this idea to life.

So I pitched it to them ... and they seemed interested.  Nothing's absolutely confirmed yet, but the fact that it's even in the realm of possibility again is pretty amazing.  Especially since it has been on my mind ever since working with Rick Maddocks on THE MEAL. .... Fingers crossed everything comes through.  But just having some support, encouragement, and enthusiasm from the people who could make this happen is awesome!

May 27th: Piano Time!

I love a little down time.  That's why after a weekend of house and dog sitting it was really nice to just have a day to myself to catch up and clean up and do some things that I hadn't done.  I caught up with some movies that I've always wanted to see.  Caught up with some reading.  And most importantly - I reacquainted myself with the piano.

I never had piano lessons.  I think I can thank my brothers for that.  But as long as I can remember we always had a piano or keyboard of some sort in our home.  Well with Dad being a musician and everything it was kind of necessary for any of the jam sessions he'd have with friends and family.  But no one in the family played.  We enjoyed having friends come over who did play the piano when we finally got to hear it played well.  Otherwise it would just be us playing around on it.  I did my best to teach myself a couple simple songs when I was back in high school.  But that was a long time ago.  Could I remember them now?

Give me a keyboard and a house to myself, and apparently I can.  It took some time but it was really nice to get back to the keys and teach myself a song that I could sing along to.  It wasn't exactly beautiful, but it was awesome.  And it felt so good to feel like if I ever have a house that I wouldn't have to feel guilty about having a piano in it ... because hopefully I would at least at some point put it to use.

May 26th: Grouse Grind Opening!

Saturday was the day that the Grouse grind opened.  For those who aren't familiar with the Grouse Grind, it's essentially a 3 km hike entirely uphill on Grouse Mountain.  It starts off pretty decent and then it seems the farther up you go the steeper it gets.  They close the grind in the winter time because of all the snow and slush.  In the summer time it becomes a favourite thing to do for Vancouver's athletes, hikers, and heath-conscious folks.  And it opened on Saturday.  So what did I do on Saturday?  Well, I made it to the top of Grouse Mountain!

Did I hike up?  Heck no!  But I got up there, and enjoyed the view of the city on an extremely beautiful and clear Vancouver day.  And of course I sang to congratulate the climbers on their trek.  For the first time in my history of being a part of the VOC Sweet Soul Gospel Choir, we sang on top of the Mountain in the summer time.  And it was just as awesome as all of the times in the winter!  The grizzlies aren't hibernating anymore so you can see them in their 'natural habitat', and there's the birds of prey show, along with the lumberjack show.  It's just generally a fun time.

I wasn't able to stick around for all of those fun activities, but later this summer I will do the grind again and I will check out those activities once I've deserved it.  First, I need to do some prepping for it.  I don't know if my fitness level is quite ready for it yet.

May 25th: Show Tune Numbers!

I was generally a pretty decent math student.  I have never really had an issue with numbers.  We've always gotten along.  We seem to understand each other pretty well and through that comes a lot of respect.  That being said, when I have to spend a full day dealing with numbers I tend to get pretty exhausted by the end of it.  Nothing against 'em.  It's just that my brain can only handle so much. What's awesome is discovering a cure to help them be a little less exhausting.  The cure: SHOW TUNES!!!

As soon as I started on the number work the exhaustion started to kick-in.  So I put on my music, hoping that might help. Eventually a song from Hairspray came on, and my mood immediately lifted.  Dealing with numbers all of a sudden became fun!  So I listened to the rest of album.  Then Rent.  Then 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee.  All the while, dealing with calculations, spreadsheets, and countless digits.

Sure it was still a bit tiring, but I'll blame that on the solitude in the office and trying to multitask while spending a day on numbers.  Otherwise, I'd say numbers and I are on our way to becoming best buds ... so long as we're accompanied by show tunes!

May 24th: Let Snoring Dogs Lie!

I love dogsitting.  I love dogs, so of course I love watching one for a weekend.  What's amazing is how much just a weekend of dogsitting makes me realize how I really shouldn't have a dog right now.  Taking care of a dog takes sacrifices and if I'm noticing those sacrifices in just one weekend of looking after a dog, then I really shouldn't have one full time.

That being said, I'm quite thrilled to be here with an adorable little shih tsu.  She's just so darn cute and fun.  She also belongs to my boss, so I better not screw up.  We will NOT be having any skunking incidents this weekend.  We will be having fun, and long walks, and treats, and cuddly times, and we'll just leave it at that.

She's awfully cute.  Some day I'm sure I'll look at her and want to take her home with me, but I know that this is not the time for that.  Instead I'll just smile pleasantly while I listen to her snore, and then when she needs me I'll be there for her.  At least for the next few days!  Sleep tight Chloe.  We've got a weekend ahead of us!

May 23rd: Hopped up on Marvel!

After spending last night being impressed with the movie Thor, and blown away by Captain America (helloooooooo Chris Evans), it was finally time for the big event: The Avengers.  I never knew too much about The Avengers.  My brothers definitely read comics growing up, but I don't recall The Avengers being one of the regulars in their collection.  And now that I've seen the movie, I wonder if that was a mistake.

The movie was so freaking good!  Maybe it's just the actors, and the director, and the special effects, but the movie was just plain awesome.  Everything about it was epic, and the comedy ... oh, the comedy!  I was worried that no one would be able to keep up with the comedy exuded by Robert Downey Jr.  Oh, how wrong I was!  I'm almost glad that it had been several years since any Hulk movie, because it gave enough time for people to forget about them and maybe even convince themselves that the Hulk would be a lesser character in the movie.  Also the fact that he was the only Avenger being played by an actor who did not play the character in a previous movie.  Well thank you Mark Ruffalo for turning things around and doing things right!

It's now technically Friday and I feel like I'm still on this Marvel high.  I really REALLY want to go out and see this movie again as soon as I get the chance.  Is that weird?  .... Who cares?  Who wants to go see The Avengers with me?

May 22nd BONUS: Doing Research!

I had a lot of work to do Tuesday night.  I had a big night planned for Wednesday and I needed to do some research to prepare for it.  I actually started the research several years ago, but it was time to finally catch up, so catch up I did.  I sat back and studied hard until the wee hours of the morning.  It was actually pretty fun.  A lot more fun than expected.  Even the fun parts I was expecting ended up being waaaaaay more fun than I thought, to the point where I had to send a very late night text message to Luke to let him know just how awesome the research was.

Wouldn't you just love to know what I was researching for? .... wait for it ...

May 22nd: Big Burly Giddy Men!

I don't know how it happened, but somehow another year with the Jessies has passed and another Nominations Party took place.  I still can't believe that we're already at this stage in the game.  The nominees have been announced and I couldn't be happier for them.  And one nominee in particular!

Pacific Theatre received a total of 9 nominations for shows that occurred in our season.  But it was the nomination for Aleks Paunovic that absolutely thrilled me.  Aleks played the title role in Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, which I raved about a few months ago.  Aleks is a film and tv actor generally speaking who gave up a significant role in one of the new Canadian TV series in order to do the part.  It was his first significant stage gig, and yet (and derservedly so) it was enough to get him a nomination.  AWESOME!

What's more awesome is just how excited Aleks was to get the nomination.  First - let's put things into perspective.  Aleks is a very tall (6'5"), very strong, very athletic man. I mean, just check out his IMDB page.  Now imagine him being boyishly giddy!  Awesome, right?  Oh so very awesome!  Not only is he a brilliant performer, but he's seriously one of the nicest people anyone will ever meet.  I couldn't be happier for him.  

Congratulations to Aleks and all of the nominees!  Can't wait to see you at the big event on June 25th!

May 21st: A Kind of Day Off

Having just recently spent a good amount of time out of the office I had originally intended to spend the entire holiday Monday in the office.  Come Monday morning, I changed my mind.  I decided it was waaaaaaay more fun to sleep in an at least enjoy a morning off.  Sleeping in is way more fun on a Holiday.  Especially when you know that no one else is going to be in the office.

So I still went into work on a Monday.  At least it wasn't the full day, and at least Luke was there to have lunch with me.  And to top things off the evening was spent with my boss hosting a dinner for me, and playing some Catan which was long overdue.

Not a bad holiday if I do say so myself.  AWESOME!

May 20th: Mindblowing Exercises!

Every Sunday for improv we start the workshop with warmups.  These are the exercises that get us in the right mind frame for improv.  These are usually high energy games, games to get our mind going, games to get us to connect to one another, and then games to get us to focus.  This Sunday was VERY different.

So those same guys that had the awesome show on Friday night also have a very different style to how they do their warm-ups.  I'm used to warm-ups like word-at-a-time story, or even word association, but apparently those warm-ups aren't quite good enough in Germany or Slovenia.

Try this: Pair up with someone.  Designate one of you as A and the other as B. Person A will be telling a one word at a time story, with B repeating the words ... but one word behind.  It ends up looking like this:

A - Fishing
A - is
B - Fishing
A - so
B - is
A - much
B - so
A - fun.
B - much (... and so on and so forth)

Seriously - try it.  WAY harder than you think.  But really good at paying attention and listening.
You think that was hard?  Now try this.  As a group, form a circle.  Start things off easy with a basic word association.  Someone start with ANY word, and tell it to the person on your right.  That person will then associate off the last word.  Pretty simple.  For instance it could look like this (in let's say a group of four people designated A, B, C, and D positioned counter clockwise.)

A - Shark
then B - Tooth
then C - Ache
then D - Pain
then A - Killers
etc.

NOW, let's try what we did on Sunday.  Instead of going one at a time in circle, the entire group is word associating at the exact same time.  Meaning that you are listening for a word at the exact same time that you are giving a word.  Confused?  I don't blame you.  So were we.  The key thing is that the entire group starts with the same word, and then you go from there.  Let's go back to that circle with A, B, C and D and see if I can explain how it happens.

All together: A - Shark, B - Shark, C - Shark, D - Shark
then All Together: A - Ocean, B - Tooth, C - Fin, D - Sea
then All Together: A - Saw, B - Blue, C - Ache, D - Land
then All Together: A - Earth, B - Cut, C - Yellow, D - Pain

Did you get that?  Yeah - MINDBLOWING!  And Awesome!  Yes, it's difficult.  But once you get into a rhythm and shut your mind off to the negativity of thinking you can't do it, then it actually start happening.  It's amazing what your brain can do when you actually give it the chance.

May 19th: A Night of Drag!

It's always pretty awesome when Luke comes to take part in things that I'm really passionate about, like theatre shows.  It's also really awesome when I'm able to take part in the things that he's really passionate about.  Like a night full of drag ... racing!

As I've mentioned before, Luke really loves cars.  I think they're neat and cute sometimes, particularly when they're jellybean shaped. Rarely do I think too much about what's beneath that casing.  And everything underneath that casing is all the stuff the Luke loves most about cars.  I learned a bunch about it at the Autoshow, but it was at the Street Legal Drag Race that I began to understand the reasoning for all of it.

Did you know there's a lot involved in getting a vehicle from a stationary position to up to over 140 mph in a quarter mile?  Yup - LOTS!  Weight of the vehicle, traction of the tires, aerodynamics, some proper shifting, maybe a turbo charger here or there, a whole lot of guts, and sometimes stretching the limits of what is "street legal".  Not being a car person at all, I have to say that I was really fascinated to see these cars in action.  There was a Mazda RX7 that did not exactly fit into the "street legal" category, but it was amazing to see it do the quarter mile in less than 9 seconds.  There was also a 70 year old man on his motorcycle (I totally forget the make and model) doing runs in 9.3 seconds.  If that's not awesome then I don't know what is.  But really what's more awesome then seeing a friend of yours go down the track on his bike in only 10.35 seconds!  Maybe going back to the tracks to watch him crush that record?  Hmmm ... perhaps we'll have to try that out.

On top of the racing it was really cool to see some pretty awesome cars.  Nissan GTR, an old vintage Ford (which did the quarter mile in just over 13 seconds as I recall), some epically painted old trucks, and classy Edsel (not racing, which I suppose is understandable since the thing is a beast) and lots and lots of muscle cars!

Who knew that vehicles and the stuff could be so awesome!  I'm really looking forward to our next trip to the track.  I think I'm ready for my drag racing 102 lesson!

May 18th: Improv Scientists

After a great show on Friday night, I stuck around to catch the late-night long-form show done by Graham Myers, and two Germans and a Slovenians.  BEST DECISION EVER!  Not only was the show hilarious, but these improvisers were among the most inspirational and talented folks I've had the pleasure to watch perform.

Ben was one of the German performers who had his own idea of how to start the show.  They were going to do a classic harold, of getting a single suggestion and then just riffing off of it.  But there was no ask-for.  Instead Ben decided that he was just going to start having a conversation with the audience and then from that conversation they would be inspired to start the show and then things would just go from there.  It was amazing just how brilliant the show was.  What was even more amazing was realizing just how brilliant the improvisers were.  And not just on stage!

After the show we went for the usual drinks at the local pub, where we got to learn more about our new friends.  In turns out that the ridiculously hilarious and brilliant Ben also happens to be a scientist.  Specifically he's a geneticist - researching the impact of the environment on the genes of plant life.  ... Fascinating ... and not intimidating in the least!

It is AWESOME to get to meet these extraordinary people who just completely blow your mind.  Just knowing that people like Ben exist makes me smile.  It's folks like him that remind me that the world is a pretty darn awesome place filled with some pretty darn awesome people!

May 17th: Paying It Forward

So despite the long while since I've posted, I want to make it known that I absolutely did stick to my commitment of paying my good deed forward.  I didn't do anything particularly special, but I definitely helped out my fellow man.  And it was almost like people knew that I had made a commitment to pay the good deeds forward because it seemed like they opened the doors of opportunity for me, and all I had to do was walk through.

First - not special and not really paying it forward I got up and offered my seat on the bus to someone who needed it more than I.  Not so much a good deed as common consideration, but still worth noting.

Then, while on the bus I noticed someone needing help figuring out where to go.  It seemed that they had gotten on the right bus, but going in the wrong direction.  I quickly chimed in to let them know that they should be getting of and let them know where they could catch the right bus.  It wasn't exactly the best news or the kindest thing I could do, but it was still received with much appreciation.

And finally on my way back to work I walked across one of those pedestrian controlled crosswalks on a very busy and found a car waiting patiently for space to open up in the traffic.  I had already intended on pushing the button to help them out, but I guess the noticed my willingness to help out and asked politely if I would push the button once I got across the street to which I replied with my friendly eager smile "Absolutely!"

It's funny thinking of this stuff as 'paying it forward'.  As I said before it's really just common consideration for others.  Taking the time to slip into someone else's shoes and realizing that there are tiny things you can do to help them out on their way.  So simple, so awesome, yet so rarely done!  So I'm going to enjoy the awesome of dedicating a day to making sure I did this.  Yay humanity!

May 16th: Good Samaritans!

Yes - leave it to me to spend a full 15 hours out of the house on my first day back in Vancouver.  The day was filled with a busy day at work, a committee meeting, and then an opening night.  It was great to get right back into the rhythm of things, but being back in Vancouver I'm back on transit as opposed to driving around whenever I want.

The issue with late night transit is that it runs less frequently, and because so few are using it, it doesn't need to make quite as many stops which means it often arrives early.  As I was on my way up the Granville hill thinking I should still have more than enough time to catch my bus, I see it go by in front of me.  So then I start running.  I rarely run for buses, but knowing that it would be 30 minutes for the next one to come by, I kick it into high gear while still obeying all traffic laws.

Really - I shouldn't have made it.  But as I was running up, one of the gentlemen who just got off the bus noticed me, so made it his responsibility to run back to the bus to notify the driver that I was only seconds away.  I kept running, but I made sure to make eye contact with this kind gentleman and thank him for his kindness, and of course I thanked the bus driver as well as I stepped onto the bus.

I know it's such a small thing, but it really meant a lot to me.  The man didn't have to do anything, but in that brief second he saw me, knew what he would want done if he were running, and then went ahead and did it.  It really doesn't take a lot of effort to make someone's day.  I want to buy that guy a coffee, but obviously I didn't have the time to take down contact information.  So I am claiming at this very moment that on May 17th, I will pay the good deed forward!  I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

May 15th: Caring so much!

I really hope that crying publicly in an airport is socially acceptable, because if it isn't than I owe a number of people an apology.  After spending some last moments of my Ontario visit with my Mom, brother, sister-in-law, niece, and brand-new nephew I spent the remainder of the day moping about having to leave.  I think I was ready to leave Ancaster and head back to work, but saying good-bye to the family was something else all together.  It's very clear to me at this point, that it will never get easier.

So what's so awesome about feeling so sad?  Well, to answer that I have to reference something which might disappoint a few of my readers - SOUTH PARK.  I wish I could say that this reference is shameful, except that I am well aware of just how brilliant Trey Parker and Matt Stone can be, and this example is no different.  In the episode when Wendy breaks up with Stan, he goes into this intense emotional state which he can't get out of.  In this same episode Butters gets into a relationship that dramatically ends, leaving Butters crushed as well.  The now uberly depressed goth Stan sees Butters crying on the side of the street about his failed relationship and tries to make things better by recruiting him to be one of the bitter goth kids, which Butters declines.  He declines because even though he's upset about the break-up he's actually really happy that he was fortunate enough to care about something so much that the loss of it could make him so upset.  ... And thus turns Stans life around too.

Love in all its forms is both great and challenging.  As I've said a million times, it doesn't matter how far away I am from my family, the distance will never change just how much I love them.  What it will do is continuously create this pain anytime I have to say good-bye to them.  Is it worth it?  Absolutely!  So much so that this pain has just affirmed my need to see them again in August.  I look forward to the wonderful times to come, as well as the imminent tears upon the farewell!

May 14th: Pseudo Vacation in my own backyard!

Even though I was in Ontario for 10 days, I would hardly call it a vacation.  Since my first weekend away was spent working on spreadsheets for our strategic plan, followed by a week of attending conference sessions and dealing with work and Jessie emails.  Trust me, I'm not complaining.  I enjoyed every moment, but the fact is that it was all work.  That was until Monday.

Monday was probably the first quiet day I had.  I slept in after a busy Mother's Day.  I checked some emails and handled some smaller things, but otherwise it was a nice quiet day of enjoying the beautiful Ontario weather, the scent of lilac in the backyard and a fun trip to the grocery store and garden nursery with Mom.

I almost forgot how nice it is to have a backyard, and what it's like to sit back and enjoy it.  Taking the time to do nothing but sit back, read, and enjoy the view and the wildlife.  Being in the city, I never see the birds that I used to see and wake up to when I grew up.  The number of times I saw Woodpeckers, Goldfinches, Chickadees, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Orioles - I could have drafted a baseball team.  And then of course there are the squirrels, the adorable chipmunks, and the occasional bunny (real ones - not those domesticated bunnies on the loose in Richmond).  The only thing that could have made the relaxing day better would be a deer sighting.  But I was happy to settle with one last visit with Leah!

This is what a visit home should be like.  Remembering the simple life and the importance of the people around you.  I don't know how long I could take the quiet for, but it was great to have it at least for a little while.

May 13th: A Mother's Day with Moms!

I've been thinking and doing the math and as far as I can tell I have not spent a Mother's Day with my own mother for at least 6 years!  That's ridiculous!  I have called her and maybe even sent some flowers, but I haven't actually been able to be with her to let her know how much I love her in person.  Fortunately this year I was able to spend the day with her - and what a day.

It started off with a Mother's Day brunch at the yacht club, compliments of Papa John (thanks Dad)! It was a three course breakfast that was absolutely delicious.  Just Mom, Mike, and myself.  As per usual, Michael and I acted like children at breakfast, because it just wouldn't be a family brunch without some immaturity. And as usual, Mom shook her head in embarrassment and dare I say pride in knowing we can might be older, but we're still as much fun as always.  I think it was the perfect reminder to our Mom as to the kind of family she raised.

After brunch I immediately went to my next meal to hang out with high school friends.  It wasn't a long lunch but it was necessary.  I miss these ladies so much!!!  Then it was back home to spend time with the rest of the family - by which I mean, Gramma, my Aunt, cousins and their families.

There a lot of mothers in my life who really inspire me, and I think I spent the day with the majority of them.  These women are all amazing and have raised spectacular families.  I think the fact that we are all still so close goes to show how much these mothers have instilled family values on everyone. I can only hope that whenever the day comes that I become a mother that I can remember all of the things that these women have taught me.  These women deserve more than just one day a year, but I'm glad that I could be at least be there with them on the one day that was meant for them!

To Moms everywhere - THANK YOU!  You're awesome!

May 12th: Jack William!

Last day of the conference!  I've had a blast and I wish I could spend more time with everyone, except that while the conference was going on the last few days I've been a little distracted with wanting to get home as soon as possible.  I had someone I needed to meet, and as much as I love a good hoe down - I love my family a whole lot more and upon hearing I had a new nephew to meet I left as soon as the AGM concluded.

I probably pushed my luck with some of the speed limits, but I got home with good timing to make my way over to big brother Jamie's house to meet his new son, Jack William.  I'm not going to lie - I was a little perturbed when I found out his name was Jack.  I'm glad he's a Jack, quite frankly, but it was one of those names that I had on my short list especially with it being a family name.  But I think this little guy suits it really well (and I still have others on the list).

It was really surreal seeing new baby Jack and big sister Isla together then looking up at Jamie and his beautiful wife in their gorgeous home and realizing that my big brother is now living the life that our parents went through when they first had us. Being in Vancouver I feel really far removed from what is going on with my family.  I know what's happening at home and with my brothers, but it's not until I see it first hand that it hits me just how much we've grown up.  Jamie has a family!  That's AWESOME!  And I'm missing out on it.  Not so awesome.  But I think the life I've created for myself in Vancouver is kind of awesome.  Is it worth missing out on my niece and nephews upbringing?  ... I honestly don't know.  But I'm willing to bet that if I asked my brother if I should give up the life I currently have to be a bit closer to them, he'd discourage me from doing so.

I might not be around all the time, but it certainly does not mean that I love these kids or my family any less.  What it means is that when I am home to spend time with them, I treasure every last moment with them!  Welcome to the family Jack!  I hope you're ready for a whole lot of love, because it's coming your way whether you like it or not.