On Tuesday July 27th, the 2010 Queer Arts Festival in Vancouver kicked off at the Yaletown Roundhouse Community Centre. The first week is held within Vancouver Pride Week 2010, the Queer Arts Festival by Pride in Art extends beyond Pride Week and goes all the way up until August 14th, 2010. Tickets available at Little Sisters, Rhizome Café and Banshee Clothing
The remaining tickets available at the door (Cash Only). Amongst the great performances, I noticed one by Morgan Brayton, whom I absolutely adore. On Thursday 12 August at 7:30pm, One + One: James Howell & Morgan Brayton Solo Show Double Bill at the Exhibition Hall & Performance Centre. These two solo shows of edgy comedy: Morgan Brayton’s Raccoonery! and James Howell’s Take Down Your Panties on Main Street, look like they’ll be a lot of fun.
The other thing I am totally looking forward is the Chosen Family exhibit:
Saturday 14 Aug 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Chosen Family Portraits
Exhibition Hall
ADMISSION FREE
Since 2007, celebrating and documenting the history of our chosen family has been the guiding purpose of the Queer History Project. We believe that our stories and our genealogies are best shared through artistic vision and community participation.
We are pleased to introduce you to our next Queer History Project community-based creation: Chosen Family Portraits with Artist-in-Residence, photographer Sarah Race.
Chosen Family Portraits is a photography project that invites you—our Festival audience and dynamic communities—to model with your chosen family. Pose with your partner(s), your best friends, the folks you celebrate your birthday with, or the folks whose shoulders you cry on. Share your own chosen family history. These portraits will be unveiled at a special Queer History Project celebration in Summer 2011 in partnership with Pride in Art, Xtra! West, Qmunity and the 2011 Vancouver Out Games.
During our eleven-day Festival, Queer History Project will host a mobile portrait studio at various venues. For more information or make an appointment at the chosen family portrait studio, please email
chosenfamily@outonscreen.com. Co-presented with the Vancouver Queer Film Festival
I will admit that out of all The Arts Club’s productions this 2010, the one I had been looking forward with the most anticipation had been Glengarry Glenn Ross. Not only do I know their productions are excellent, but I knew two TV renowned actors were participating in it (Eric McCormack of Will and Grace fame and John Pyper-Ferguson of Brothers and Sisters fame).
The cast, ALL of it, was amazing – Bart Anderson, John Pyper Ferguson, Vincent Gale, Daren Herbert, Eric McCormack, Brian Markinson, Gerard Plunkett, under the director of Michael Shamata.
The premise of Glengarry Glenn Ross is as follows:
Glengarry Glen Ross is a 1992 independent dramatic film, adapted by David Mamet from his acclaimed 1984 Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning play of the same name. The film depicts two days in the lives of four real estate salesmen and how they become desperate when the corporate office sends a representative to “motivate” them by announcing that, in one week, all except the top two salesmen will be fired. The film, like the play, is notorious for its use of profanity.[Wikipedia Entry for GGR
Opening night was last night (July 28th, 2010) and I was there with my good friend Chris Walts, who kindly was my Plus One for the evening, and of course many of the local TV and media personalities (Catherine Barr, Dawn Chubai and Fiona Forbes, amongst others). I also had a chance to chat with Fanny Kiefer (of Studio 4) and saw Jason Priestley briefly (our Vancouver boy apparently likes his theatre too!).
I will admit that I was entirely surprised by the fast pace of this play. Particularly as JT had seen it the previous Saturday and he told me that he felt the first half was extremely slow. Wow, I felt it went by like lightning! The interesting thing is, despite the high billing of McCormack and Pyper-Ferguson, I will admit that EVERYONE in the cast delivered an amazing performance.
It was noticeable that McCormack wanted everyone in the cast to have the same billing, so he went to great lengths to ensure everyone in the cast was highlighted equally. For me, the play really highlighted how much people in North America value their work and put so much of their self-worth into their work. And the play also reminded me how lucky I am to not have a traditional 9-5 job.
Glengarry Glenn Ross has a LOT of foul language (the F word must have been used about 412 times, seriously). But overall, it’s a great production. More than anything, it’s a great tell-tale of all the things that can go wrong when you put extreme emphasis and the bulk of your self-worth into yoru work life. You should watch this play, for sure. You can still get tickets until August 21st (click here).
Disclosure: The tickets to attend the play for me and my guest were sponsored very generously by The Arts Club. While I did not pay to attend the show, I would gladly pay to attend, as it is a great production. This post hasn’t been paid for either. In any review I write or publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times, and producers and publicists are well aware of this. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.
Every so often I throw a Blogthings Quiz just for good measure. Apparently I like to sing “I Touch Myself”.
You’re a total show off who is willing to risk looking like a fool to get a few laughs.
In fact, you’ll go for the cheap laugh if you need to… because it’s better than no reaction!
Your friends can count on you to get a party started, and you’ll party hard until you can’t remember their names.
You’re charismatic, charming, and a total character. With or without a few drinks in you.
You might also sing: “I Touch Myself,” “Oops I Did it Again,” or “My Humps”
Stay away from people who sing: “Candle in the Wind”
I have incredibly fond memories of Q4 Restaurant (formerly Quattro on Fourth). A few years ago, when I defended my doctoral dissertation, Dr. Thomas W. Ross (one of the best scholars in industrial organizations in Canada and my boss for many, many years as I was his research assistant during my MBA and my PhD) took me to Quattro on Fourth for dinner.
As he indicated, he wanted to take me out to a really nice restaurant to celebrate my accomplishments. And I think the general perception of Quattro on Fourth (now Q4 Restaurant) has always been (at least in my circles) as an elegant, classy and tasty Italian restaurant.
So when I got an invite to dine here while my Mom was still in town, I jumped at the opportunity. My Mom’s birthday (as you may have read) was on July 26th, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to celebrate her as she would be back in Mexico. So I decided to accept Q4’s invitation and take her as my guest. It was one of the best decisions I have made, seriously. I already knew that Q4’s food would be great, but I hadn’t had a chance recently to see the innovations in the menu, nor the different approaches that they had been implementing.
I had several opportunities throughout our dinner to chat with Patrick Forsi, who has been the owner ever since Q4 was Quattro (and he now has a new partner in the business). Michelle, our server (who is absolutely amazing, I might add), got us started with a “small” version of their antipasto. I specifically requested it to be small as I wanted to sample more of the food during my visit. You can see the “small” antipasto below (honestly, I thought we weren’t going to finish and this was just a primo).
I was particularly taken with the sample of Arancini di Riso (Dungeness crab and Arborio rice croquetta with a caper and lemon aioli served with a shaved fennel salad), the salmon carpaccio and the Polpette di Nonno (housemade meatballs in a marsala caramelized onion pomodoro served with a pesto and parmigiano crostini).
As I usually do, I kept looking around to see what the other tables were ordering – a family sitting behind my Mom and I ordered a pasta sampler, so I had to request the same (unfortunately, in small version, because if I ordered what the normal order size was, what the family was eating, I would have probably walked out bouncing and unable to move). This combination, the Pasta Pazza e Pezzi ($20.95 per person, for a minimum of two) is a combination of four classic pastas: Fettucine Ghiottone, Garganelli Arrabiatta, Fusilli Tartufate and Linguini Pest.
As I am an Italian food addict, I ordered on behalf of Mom and I. We were offered as indicated above Garganelli Arrabiatta (garganelli with pancetta, mushrooms, fresh tomato and peperoncino), Fettucine Ghiottone, Fusilli Tartufate (fusilli with wild mushrooms, porcini cream and shaved reggiano parmigiano) and Linguini Pesto. All of these favorites of mine, specially the Ghiottone.
When we came to dessert, I was pretty much the only one who was going to eat it. Not because my Mom didn’t like the desserts themselves, but just because she knew that I was going to eat it all. Which I proceeded to do, with much delight.
The truth be told, for the longest time I thought of Q4 as a restaurant to go when it was special occasions. But Patrick told me that they instituted Pasta Tuesdays (with a variety of pastas for only $10) precisely to dispel that notion, and just to tell people that you could just come for dinner on Tuesday and enjoy a good, solid Italian dinner without breaking the bank (which is important!).
Overall, I will definitely come back for dinner many times, and in particular, with people I care for. Thanks to Q4 Ristorante for inviting me along with my Mom, she absolutely loved it!
Disclosure: Our dinner and drinks (my Mom and mine) at Q4 Ristorante were complimentary (and a very kind gesture as my Mom was leaving town and this was a great way to send her off). I wasn’t paid to write this review, nor was I required to do so either. In any review I write or publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.
I’ve been to the J Lounge (formerly Jupiter Lounge) many a time during the last decade. Ever since I moved to Vancouver, and particularly since many of my good friends seem to enjoy living in the West End, we have ended up at J Lounge at some point or another (two of my closest friends used to live near Davie and Bute, where J Lounge is located).
Terry Costa (Mirateca) alerted me to a number of events he’s hosting at J Lounge, and I’m going to attend a few of the ones listed below:
PRIDE WEEK CELEBRATIONS @ J LOUNGE 1216 Bute Street (off Davie) 604. 609.6665
SUNDAY, JULY 25th
3pm – SHOW YOUR COLOURS T-DANCE with DJ Jeffery Michael and DJ Marc Tattoo; no cover.
9pm – THE VANCOUVER SISTERS RAINBOW KICK OFF, an evening of comedy, music and friends. Doors 8pm. Show 9pm $10 – $20 (sliding scale) Proceeds from the event will support the Sister’s community grant program.
*****
MONDAY, JULY 26th
8pm – WOMYN RULE! TOPS & BOTTOMS – all the funniest females in the company will be battling it out in this popular improvisational competition; no cover.
10pm – INTIMATE & INTERACTIVE – founding artistic director David C Jones hosts three of your favorite Bobbers in this one hour cross between a probing talk show and no holds barred house party. Revealing, honest and wickedly funny; no cover.
*****
TUESDAY, JULY 27th
7pm – QUEER SHORTS ON SCREEN hosted by Josh Rimer; Vancouver film and video makers see their work on our massive screen; no cover.
9pm – KARAOKE with Gogan; no cover.
*****
WEDNESDAY, JULY 28th
8pm – DECONSTRUCTING DYNASTY with David C. Jones – discover the joys and the excesses of the 80’s as a Middle Aged Fag reveals the secrets, joys and wonders of the classic camp TV Series.
10pm – LIVE WEDNESDAYS PLUGGED IN presents live music with Matthew Presidente, Tara C Taylor and friends; no cover.
*****
THURSDAY, JULY 29th
6pm – [Open HeArt] presents PICTURE THIS, a multi-media celebration of queer artistry from photography to performance art with upbeat rockin’ dj sets. $5 b4 10pm, $7 after 10pm till late.
*****
FRIDAY, JULY 30th
12noon – OFFICIAL PRIDE WEEKEND LAUNCH
7pm – BROADWAY DIVAS live show with the voices of Lorraine Foster and Patricia Duval. $10
10pm – NIGHT MARKET: 2 Rooms 5 DJs; Special guests: DJ China G (San Francisco) Lady Tragik (Oakland) J-iLL (Toronto) w/ DJ Analog, DJ Riot & Lisa DeLux; Hosted by Brigee K. $10 cover.
*****
SATURDAY, JULY 31st
2pm – Big Roger Events present FRISKY, a T-DANCE with superstar DJ Alyson Calagna (Miami) and adult star Reese Rideout. $25+
9pm – PRIDE IN CONCERT: LIVE WITH PRIDE @ J LOUNGE presents a California invasion of performers in concert including Cassidy Haley (LA), Kim Kuzma (Palm Springs) and Fans of Jimmy Century (San Francisco) $20 tixs available at Little Sister’s Bookstore
*****
SUNDAY, AUGUST 1st
3pm – Martini Presents the 9th Annual TROUBLE PRIDE T-Dance with the Out For Kicks Soccer Club on the TWO fabulous decks of J Lounge at 3pm thru 8 on Pride Sunday! Advance tickets $15 at Little Sisters. Join the soccer gang for this annual favorite for the friendly crowd.
9pm – SMUDGE CAB-A-RETro; the unstoppable Conni Smudge hosts this hilarious cabaret of song, drag and surPrizes $10
*****
MONDAY, AUGUST 2nd
12noon – HOT GAY DJ Grand Finale; 8 DJS, 2 rooms + patio; one winner; do not miss this exciting production 8 hours straight all day long until there is only one DJ standing. $10
8pm – BOY POWER! TOPS & BOTTOMS; it’s raining men the day after the parade! The cleverest hottest boys in the company perform competitive Hangover Improv; no cover.
10pm – MISS STRETCH’S REMEDIAL CABARET; the hilarious Julia Stretch hosts and presents this hour long cabaret of comedy, song and audaciously saucy acts that will leave you laughing and a little shocked; no cover.
I remember when I would see my brothers head out to their high school and my Mom would spray a little bit of fragrance on them as they would leave the house. My brothers weren’t really keen on wearing colognes, but they really took well with one particular scent: O de la R Pour Lui’s top notes include juniper berries, lavender, galbanum, basil, caraway, sage, anise and bergamot. I wouldn’t use Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui for a summery day, as the top notes are extremely overpowering, in particular the lavender, sage and bergamot. Middle notes in this cologne include cyclamen, carnation, patchouli, cinnamon, vetiver, cedar and geranium, very much on the floral side.
Base notes in this scent include a very strong sense of leather, sandalwood, musk and oakmoss. Contrary to what my brothers used to wear Pour Lui for (school), I have found myself most comfortable using Oscar de la Renta (in general, and Pour Lui in particular) at night. It’s a bit like La Nuit De L’Homme by Yves St. Laurent. An excellent scent at night, even if it was launched almost 30 years ago. Wow, time goes by fast!
Wow, it’s pretty much August. It’s that time of the year when I try to cover GLBT in more in-depth, and particularly as Vancouver Pride Week 2010 is approaching. The Vancouver Queer Film Festival is one of those events I try really hard to cover, for all sorts of reasons.
One of the most important is that Vancouver is a great city where the public support for the GLBT community can be felt more intensely. And moreover, the VQFF usually showcases excellent films. Taking place from August 12th to 22nd, 2010, the Vancouver Queer Film Festival has a great variety of GLBT-themed movies for all audiences. I have covered VQFF before on my blog, and some of the best movies I’ve ever seen have been at the VQFF.
The kind folks of the VQFF have given me some tickets to give away. Stay tuned! Check the VQFF website for more information, including the lineup of films and prices. You can also buy a festival pass (it’s not really expensive, like $125 for all the films, etc.)
Below is the trailer for Violet Tendencies, a film about “fag hags”. It had me laughing out loud! Video NSFW (coarse language, shirtless men).
Last night I attended my first ever performance of the musical Rent. The performance I saw was at the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam. I have to begin by saying that this was not a Broadway level of performance, nor was I expecting it to be. However, it was an incredible community theatre performance that was full of passion, energy and a first class demonstration of the cast and crews love for the story of Rent. Fabulous, simply fabulous.
Before describing the performance though, the theatre, which is inside the Evergreen Cultural Centre, is in its own right quite spectacular. The lobby of the theatre opens onto a grassy slope that runs down to Lafarge Lake; a pretty cool setting for a theatre. Upon entering the Evergreen I was pleasantly surprised to see a youthful crowd. All too often live theatre performance audiences are filled with the blue hair crowd. Not last night. There was loads of excitement in the house. It was a real treat to see such energy in a theatre.
And now to the performance. It was obvious from the opening scene that this cast loves the story of Rent. Their enthusiasm and energy were inspiring. Rent is a modern day adaptation (a rock opera) of Puccini’s opera, La Boheme. I have seen La Boheme performed at the Queen E Theatre and I have to admit that last night’s performance was far more emotionally draining for me than La Boheme ever was.
Perhaps it is because the characters in Rent are living and dying in the shadow of HIV/AIDS instead of the catchall disease of “consumption” that adds to its power. Watching the trials and tribulations of the young bohemians in Rent carried me back to the heady days of my youth. The struggles to pay the rent and have enough money to share a beer or two with my fellow bohemians…ahh…the good old days.
The cast of Rent sang their songs of love and despair and struggle with heartfelt conviction. They were not always in tune or on key but for what they lacked in skill they made up for with their conviction to the program. Of course the other factor that must be considered is that virtually the entire cast and crew is composed of 15 to 22 year old volunteers. These are youth who do this because they love theatre. I applaud them for their conviction.
To see this incredibly youthful group tackle the issues of poverty and homelessness, HIV/AIDS and death, drugs and addiction, artistic merit and seeing your loved ones “selling out”…such powerful issues for such a youthful cast. If you have the opportunity, get yourself down to the Evergreen Cultural Centre and see Theatrix’s performance of Rent. This performance is only on stage until July 25th so you really do need to act if you want to take in this performance. This is a fabulous performance. Fabulous.
To read more of Stacey Robinsmith’s musings on life in the city and suburbs, visit www.StaceyRobinsmith.com
Disclaimer: Stacey’s ticket to Rent was sponsored very generously by Theatrix Youtheatre Society. He is neither obligated nor expected to write this review entry, but he certainly feels that his (and my) readers would benefit from attending this play because it is an excellent performance. In any review I or any of my guest post writers publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions or concerns, you can either contact me (Raul, at hummingbird604[at]gmail[dot]com) or Stacey at editor@theleftcoast.ca
I had met Michael Schratter (the journalist, blogger and teacher who works with 24 Hours Vancouver) a couple of years back from all the social events we both attended, and recently got to know him better as he spoke at Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010. Michael is doing a fantastic project fundraising for the Canadian Mental Health Association and speaking out about his experiences with bipolar (Ride Don’t Hide). He is a wonderful guy and his presentation at MHCYVR’10 touched the nerves of many people, myself included. Just wanted to wish you all the best, Michael!
My mother is without a doubt, my best friend, my confidante, the source of all my strength and the one person who can make me feel stronger and more invincible than Superman. I am very much my mother’s son, and this past month that I had the opportunity to spend a few weeks with her and take a real holiday, I realized how much I missed having her around me. Mom, today and always I want you not only to have a happy birthday but also to remember that I love you above everything and that I am proud of you today and every day. If I were to be born again, I would request to be your son again. Thanks for sharing the travels and experiences we shared this past month. Thanks for always being there for me. And thanks for reminding me that, after blogging, tweeting and all the social media fame and fortune, family and friends are the most important things in the world. I love you, today and every day.
Mi madre es sin duda alguna, mi mejor amiga, mi confidente, la fuente de toda mi fortaleza y la única persona que me puede hacer sentir mas fuerte e invencible que Superman. Soy totalmente el hijo de mi madre, y este mes pasado que tuve la oportunidad de pasar algunas semanas con ella y tomar reales vacaciones, me di cuenta cuanto extrañaba tenerla cerca. Mamá, hoy y siempre quiero que no solamente tengas un feliz cumpleaños sino que tambien te acuerdes que te amo profundamente por sobre todas las cosas y que estoy orgulloso de ti hoy y siempre. Si yo volviera a nacer, pediría ser tu hijo de nuevo. Gracias por compartir conmigo los viajes y experiencias que pasamos este mes pasado. Gracias por siempre estar ahi para mi. Y gracias por recordarme que despues de mi blog, my Twitter y toda la fama y fortuna que los medios de redes sociales me han traido, mi familia y mis amigos son las cosas mas importantes que tengo en este mundo. Te quiero mucho Mamá, hoy y siempre.
The folks of Carousel Theatre have been involved in social media for a while and one of the things I’ve enjoyed the most is how they share other people’s stuff and engage with the community at large (I often use this as an example of how the theatre companies in Vancouver actually do sometimes a better job of using Twitter and other social networking platforms to build community than businesses).
Anyways, Carousel Theatre recently contacted me to tell me about their upcoming production, The Taming of the Shrew (a Shakespeare classic).
From July 30 to August 14 we are presenting The Taming of the Shrew. Carousel Theatre’s Teen Shakespeare Program takes 16 talented teenagers through a four-week intensive rehearsal process, culminating in a fully staged production presented free to the public. Every summer families come down to the beautiful Performance Works outdoor stage to enjoy some sunshine and live theatre free of charge. This year’s show The Taming of the Shrew is set in the Moulin Rouge and features a can-can number!
I love how Carousel Theatre emphasizes making theatre accessible for all audiences, it’s such an important part of culture. Don’t get me started on the BC arts budget cuts! Anyways, I hope many of you will be able to check this production. I definitely will try!
While I went to Calgary last week primarily as a family trip with my Mom, and to visit my brother, his wife and my 2.5 year old nephew, I took some time to visit with my good friends Tanya and Barry Desrosiers. I also wanted them to meet my Mom. I know, I’m that kind of guy (who loves that his friends meet his Mom.
As I told Tanya, my friendship with her is exactly the same whether she lives in Calgary or Vancouver.
I was absolutely astonished at the size of their house. I would be able to fit six of my own apartments in there. Wow. Real estate in Calgary is amazingly less expensive than in Vancouver, from what I can see. And more important (to me, at least) is for me to see a day in the life of Barry and Tanya.
Knowing that they are so happy, that they have such a fulfilling life, that they’ve embraced their new home town and created a life for themselves. I’m proud of both of them, and in particular I think Tanya has grown a lot and made excellent decisions in the past year. Congratulations to Barry and Tanya, your home will have a frequent visitor soon!
This summer has been nothing short of top-notch. Finally, after 3 years of not coming to Vancouver to see me, my Mom accepted an invitation I made her and spent a full month with me. While I adore my Dad, my Mom and I are, and will always be best friends. During Mom’s stay here, we went to Whistler, Calgary, Parksville and Qualicum Beach, met with some of my friends from the online world, ate at great restaurants, enjoyed Vancouver’s natural beautiful surroundings. And we managed to work on a book that we are co-authoring. All in a month. My Mom keeps me grounded and always has been a role model and example of hard work and tenacity. So, it was great to have her here for a full, glorious four weeks. Thanks for coming to visit me, Mom!
Academic and professorial as I like to portray myself, I do still enjoy fashion and modeling. I don’t have by and large the body that a professional model would have, but I am in decent enough shape (my Mom was super sweet when she said “sweetie, when was the last time you wore something in size Small? I’m SO happy that you look in such great shape!. Geez, thanks Mom! (*eye-roll). But honestly, I do feel much better now and the attire I’m showing on this post is what I wore today to a lunch with my friends Liv and Allie. Both of them are fashion geeks and I wanted to wear something that would make me look professional, yet summery.
My Mom was unsure of my wearing a necklace, but I think this one is sober and fashionable. I am trying out again Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui, a cologne that was en vogue a decade ago, but I think it’s a nice smell. For the feet, I went with open-toe sandals that would allow my sparkling glittery nail polish show (yes, I did paint my feet nails – heck, what’s a pedicure without nail polish). The shorts and v-neck t-shirt are by Banana Republic (dressy, and comfy).
My Mom left this morning (she went back to Mexico) which means that I am literally back to work and hitting the ground running. The first thing I wanted to do was check back on my client work, on my research and teaching, and the various things I have to deal with as July draws to an end.
A couple of days ago, my good friend and co-organizer of Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 posted her second recap of MHCYVR10 (you can read tweets associated with the hashtag #mhcyvr10 here). Isabella is on her way to a much deserved holiday and thus, I am posting this recap from my own personal viewpoint, as Isabella did. Neither of us has vetted each other’s posts. We love and care for each other too much to do such a thing. So what you will be reading from here until the end of the post is 100% my viewpoint and nobody else’s.
I had my Mom visiting me for a full month, starting June 23rd. This meant that I had to divide my attention into my own client work (something I had committed to do already), my social media commitments (which I guess in hindsight I could have skipped) and organizing Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 (for short, MHC) AND trying to spend time with my mother, someone I see once a year and one of the people I love the most in this world. So, it was very challenging.
I think in hindsight I committed a mistake in taking a few days for holiday and a writing retreat before MHC happened. I should have just stayed and dealt with (as many people from the online community may have seen) some ridiculous drama that happened around Isabella and my decision’s in the realm of speaker selection. I should have just stayed in Vancouver and deal with it. But on the other hand, how could I have known that all this drama was about to be unleashed? Seriously, people. Grow up and get a grip.
I lost sleep for about five days in a row, had problems eating and had to mask this turmoil in order to make sure that my Mom wouldn’t worry about my wellbeing. You’ll see, in order to organize a conference on mental health and social media, the first thing I needed was to stay mentally sane and not let anything cripple me. In hindsight, having my Mom here was actually a blessing. She is my rock and my best friend and I don’t think I would have survived the amount of stress that organizing MHC represented had my Mom not been here to be my sounding board.
I wouldn’t have been able to organize MHC without the strength and courage of the presenters who shared their stories, who opened themselves and, in sharing their experiences, opened the eyes of many people. These brave folks were in some cases the target of nasty trolls, something that added to my and Isabella’s levels of stress. But as Karen Quinn Fung tweeted, if we are being attacked, then that means that there is still stigma attached to speaking out about mental health, and that our work is valuable.
I still feel responsible and horribly bad about the organizational glitches, and as Isabella highlighted, the fact that we had to rectify the introduction of speakers bit after Steff talked to us (and I will very publicly apologize to Steff for letting her down – I should have been more on the ball in assigning volunteers to introductions of speakers). Isabella and I fixed this quickly, and as she mentioned, Kemp Edmonds, Sue MacDonald and our other volunteers (including and thanks so much to Vanessa Chu, Minna Van, Ganesh Swami, Jay Catalan, our amazing PR and Media Concierge Cathy Browne, and Aidan Scott). My sanity would have been very compromised had our volunteers not stepped up to the task. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!
EDIT - In my haste to get all of this out of my chest, I neglected to mention Cheryl (@cwcheeks), a dear friend, and wonderful woman who gave her all to make Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 a success. She became engaged as a volunteer from the get-go, from the early stages of planning, and gave me and Isabella much needed support and respite. And more than anything, she gave us a lot of her seemingly endless supply of love. Cheryl, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Cathy Browne deserves thanks in and of her own. Cathy was ill that weekend and yet she made it to MHC, even with swollen limbs and her own health compromised. Thank you, Cathy, doesn’t even cut it – I am forever eternally grateful! And thanks for the coverage we got and for coordinating with Trevor Boudreau and Michael Allison from Wilcox PR to further our message. Trevor, you know how much I appreciate you taking this on and bringing Michael along for the ride, and to Erin McConnell and Mat Wilcox for supporting your efforts in helping us.
The night before MHC happened, I was checking our MHC blog. I noticed a negative comment against me, saying that the only reason I organize charitable events is for my own popularity. In normal circumstances (e.g. without stress, and not feeling overwhelmed), I would have acted according to what my good friend Lorraine Murphy has taught me in Troll Management 101: Ignore the trolls. I wasn’t ready to deal with this (I had too much to deal with already, had lost sleep, was under extreme pressure to deliver a flawless conference), so I unapproved the comment. In hindsight, I should have let it slide, but I am human and I have only so much energy to deal with the crap that social media sometimes throws at me. For all the happiness and wonderful friends social media has brought me, it has also given me the exposure that makes people want to throw nasty comments at me. Oh well, the nature of the beast. I am an academic, I have taken worse (and better founded) criticism than “you’re only doing it for the fame”. And survived it.
So, by the time you’ve read this far (950 words in), you probably think “wow, sounds like a rough ride… are you ever going to do it again? Did you have a good time? Did you enjoy the conference? Was it worth it, all the hard work?. And the answer to all of those questions is, without a doubt, a resounding YES. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 was a very successful conference, and I would (and will) do it all over again.
And you know why? Because as my good friend Airdrie (the woman who inspired me and Isabella to launch the first-ever Mental Health Camp) put it – we need to think about the kids. We need to think about ways to break down the stigma so that our kids (and the kids we teach, those of us who are educators) don’t have to face what we faced. What some of our presenters faced.
Michael Schratter, the popular journalist for 24 Hours is embarking on August 1st on a cross-continental bike ride (Ride Don’t Hide) to raise funds for the Canadian Mental Health Association. To de-stigmatize mental health. He spoke out, and he spoke at MHC. Steff and Steven and Terra and Catherine and Michael and Aidan all spoke from the heart about their stories and the challenges they have faced. Michelle Clasius from Covenant House shared her story. Jay Peachy and a number of other presenters from the Gallery Gachet Collective shared art and music for healing. We had wonderful speakers, presenters, performers. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 was amazing. And the general perception of attendees and presenters was that it had been amazing.
And that’s all I need.
That’s all I need to go again next year through the pains of organizing a conference like Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010. Because if MHC helped at least ONE person speak out.
If it helped ONE person change his/her view towards mental illness.
If it helped spread a message of love instead of a message of hate.
If it helped rebuild the confidence of at least ONE person afflicted with mental illness, reassuring him or her that she or he is not alone.
Then we succeeded. And I feel confident to say that we did, indeed succeed.
To all of our sponsors (Cosmic Blend, Developmental Disabilities Association, Lynne UX, FreelanceCamp Vancouver 2010, Wilcox PR, MarketWire, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at The University of British Columbia and I hope I am not forgetting anyone), thanks for helping us make this possible.
To the presenters: YOU RULE. Thank you SO much for being brave and sharing your stories, which we hope will help others in turn. You inspire me to continue doing the work I do.
To my co-organizer: Isabella, you push me always to be better and I could not have asked for a better friend to organize this conference with. I love you.
To my volunteers: THANK YOU – you made me feel that I could accomplish this indeed. I don’t know how I can pay you back but I will find a way.
And to my Mom: thank you for keeping me sane at a moment in my life when I probably would have been shattered to pieces. You are my rock, my inspiration and my role model. When I grow up I aspire to be a bit like you.
UPDATE – Here are links to several of the recaps of Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 I found.
I had wanted my Mom to spend some more time with JT than just a brief “hi, how are you” so I took him and my Mom for dinner to what was the last of the Glowbal Group restaurant chain in my list of “I have to eat here“. While I have been to the original Italian Kitchen (in downtown Vancouver, Alberni and Burrard), I hadn’t been yet to Trattoria Italian Kitchen.
I did not pay attention to be quite honest to what dishes we had, as my Mom had the feature pasta (with jalapeño peppers and prawns, as a matter of fact) and I had a new dish (the PDF version of their previous menu is here – the dish I had hasn’t been posted yet). The service was great, and our food was brought to us promptly and courteously. All of our entrées were priced in the range of $12-$16.
Mom and I ordered mojitos ($8, the special feature for last night) but surprisingly, the server brought my Mom the one she didn’t want (watermelon), identical to the one I did want (she had ordered peach). Other than that minor glitch, our dinner was super smooth and tasty. Dinner for 3 came to less than $65 before taxes and gratuity, which isn’t all that bad quite honestly. I would come back to Trattoria Italian Kitchen, although I will admit that next time I’m sticking to my trusty Kobe Meat Balls and/or Puttanesca.
I have several good friends who knit, but I had not heard of knitting for a good cause in recent months, so when my friend Harriet Fancott approached me about a campaign she is working on to raise awareness around the PURPLE CRYING phase (essentially babies cry a lot in the first couple of months), I had to listen. From what Harriet tells me, this kind of crying can lead to shaken baby syndrome. Harriet and her friends are looking for crafty people to knit purple baby hats over the summer, which they will deliver to the Vancouver/Victoria hospitals to be given to babies born on Canada’s National Children’s Day on November 15th.
I asked Harriet to write a guest post, included below.
Call for Knitters!
Are you a knitter or crocheter who can whip up a hat in an evening? Then get your knit on this summer! You’ll be helping to raise awareness about the Period of PURPLE Crying and shaken baby syndrome.
The PURPLE Crying folks are looking for crafty moms and groups to knit or crochet PURPLE newborn baby caps to be given to babies born in BC during the week of November 15th to coincide with Canada’s National Child Day.
Create from five to 50 wee hats using any newborn baby cap pattern and a soft baby-friendly PURPLE yarn.
If you’re on Facebook, then join the Facebook group and share the information with your friends and encourage them to knit a few caps over the summer months.
PURPLE caps should be mailed by Nov 5, 2010 to:
BC Children’s Hospital:
c/o Claire Yambao
Provincial Program Coordinator, Prevent SBS BC
BC Children’s Hospital
4480 Oak Street, K1-209
Vancouver, BC V6H 3V4
By knitting and sending PURPLE newborn baby caps to be given to babies across the province, you will make a difference by:
• Raising awareness for this life-saving project – Period of PURPLE Crying – Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC.
• Participating in a growing, province-wide grassroots effort to educate new parents about the normalcy of early infant crying and how to cope with the frustration that can accompany it.
The Period of PURPLE Crying – Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC is a part of the most comprehensive shaken baby syndrome prevention initiative in North America. To learn more, visit http://www.PURPLEcrying.info and follow us on Twitter @PurpleCrying
There is a certain type of music that really stays with me. The more I blog about the tunes that I really love, the more I realize that my musical taste is eclectic. But there’s one characteristic that I think most of these favorites share: they allow me to picture my life in ‘Kodak moments’. The particular Kodak moment I picture with this song has nothing to do with shutting my eyes. In this case (and you can call me crazy as I already was complaining that the next term was happening TOO SOON), the scene I picture is me walking from the bus stop at UBC to my office, and starting a productive day of work. Don’t ask me why Shut Your Eyes by Snow Patrol makes me think of that particular view. All I know is I love this song. And off I go to download it from iTunes.
At the end of last year, I wrote a blog entry (for those of you who have just started reading my blog, it’d probably be a good one to read) where I outlined my goal for 2010: to feel like an integrated person again. My definition of integrated person is the same that I grew up – “someone who does art, science, humanitarianism and sports, all equally well/intensely”.
As of July 2010, I feel that I am somewhat integrated again.
I may not be back to the high levels of competitiveness I used to have when I was doing competitive dancing, volleyball, or tennis, but I am back to dancing with certain regularity, playing tennis and volleyball on occasion. I have been swimming consistently in the mornings, and doing cardio (running) 3 times a week, as well as weight training. My diet has been consistently supportive of my weight-loss goals, and I haven’t been doing the fast-food-chain stuff as often as I used to.
It was a rough January to June 2010 as I was trying to combine everything (teaching, research, consulting, social media activities, volunteering/non-profit/conference organizing, exercising and making time for friends). Teaching 4 courses (2 university, 2 college) really put me under a lot of stress, but gave me again the confidence to teach in multiple arenas and subject areas.
My research productivity and output hasn’t been as high and consistent as I would have wanted to, but I’m spending the rest of the summer fixing this. I was fortunate to have my Mom visit me for a full month, which was incredibly recharging for my inner batteries. And in the fall, I’m only teaching one undergraduate course, with potential guest-lecturing in another. That should give me enough time to focus again much more on research and to maintain the current level of effort with my consulting.
I have loathed electronic newsletters for as long as I can remember. I even devised a nifty GMail filter that allows me to move every single newsletter I receive into a folder that I have labeled “E-Newsletters” (yes, my dear friend Alex Samuel, I created that filter even before I attended your fantastic talk at Northern Voice). Before everyone who sends me their e-newsletter feels unloved, I do check that folder on occasion, at least once a week. I do like being informed of what the people I’m connected with are doing. I just can’t click on every e-newsletter I receive. Also, many of them are actually unsolicited and I often ponder what the etiquette is (you may have seen me rant about it on Twitter).
All of the above said, I’m seriously considering creating an e-newsletter (with an Opt-In, rather than an Opt-Out option). Mostly because I do realize that many people are actually out of the loop as to what I do, what I have been up to and what I’m doing in the fall and in the next year. This e-newsletter would NOT be for Hummingbird604.com, but for my own academic, research and consulting activities. I spent a solid 20 minutes crafting a long e-mail response to a dear friend of mine who asked me “so, what have you been up to”. I don’t want to have to do this with every friend.
So, I put out the question on Twitter – I had heard about MailChimp and ConstantContact. As I usually do whenever exploring a new avenue of work, I will test both platforms. My goal is to design an e-newsletter that will be short, sweet and compelling.
I am not looking to get more consulting business out of my e-newsletter, to be quite honest, at least not for now (though if it comes, well, awesome!). I am very lucky that I am working on projects I love, and while definitely open to new consulting gigs, the e-newsletter is NOT planned to do that. It will be aimed mostly at answering the question so, Raul, what have you been up to?
Many people would say “well, isn’t your blog supposed to tell people what you’ve been up to?” and the truth is, it’s no longer a diarist blog. It’s a smörgåsbord blog. I write about environment, my life, restaurants, theatre, dance, music, random stuff, tech, social media and my travels. And because I love giving exposure to local businesses and projects (particularly non-profits), I can’t really say “well, read my blog and filter by the category Personal or Academic so you can know what I’ve been up to”
So, I think I’m going to go with an e-newsletter. Yes, after criticizing them for so long, here I come. So, my dear readers, have at it on the comments section. Which platform is best for you?
The personal blog of a Vancouver-based educator in environmental issues
Partnerships
Spotlight on:
Parksville and Qualicum Beach, BC. (on holidays here with my Mom, July 16th-19th). Stay tuned for my series "Parksville and Qualicum Beach Through the Eyes of a Foreign Visitor"
On Tuesday July 27th, the 2010 Queer Arts Festival in Vancouver kicked off at the Yaletown Roundhouse Community Centre. The first week is held within Vancouver Pride Week 2010, the Queer Arts Festival by Pride in Art extends beyond Pride Week and goes all the way up until August 14th, 2010. Tickets available at Little Sisters, Rhizome Café and Banshee Clothing 
