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!