Teen Shakespeare is a camp-like training program for teens aged 13 – 17 to get a great immersion into the world of theatre for 4 weeks during the summer, then perform for another two.
This year the end result will be a performance of Julius Caesar, which runs now until August 13th at the Performance Works Outdoor Stage on Granville Island. The spin, besides being performed by young and emerging actors, is that it is done in a modern retelling fashion.
The show is free, and families are welcome but it should be noted that this is a Shakespearean tragedy. However, do come and expect be blown away by the high quality that this theatre company can produce in a small time with a small cast. You can also check out the overall lineup of Carousel Theatre productions for this season.
A brief summary of Teen Shakespeare: Julius Caesar from the Carousel Theatre website.
“Et tu, Brute?” Shakespeare’s infamous tragedy, in which ambition and power lead to betrayal and murder, comes to the Performance Works Outdoor stage in a modern retelling full of political intrigue. Performed by an ensemble of teen actors from across Metro Vancouver.
If you’re around Coquitlam this Saturday August 13th, you should stop by Lafarge Lake and participate in the 1st Annual Tri-Cities Walk for ALS.
Lafarge Lake. Photo credit: SonSon on Flickr.
While it’s too late to participate in the walk itself, there will be plenty of activities for the whole family: live local bands, a “Kid’s Zone” with a bouncy castle and a dunk tank, performers and a variety of local vendors.
ALS (Lou Gehrig’s) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the person’s motor neurons that carry messages to the muscles resulting in weakness and wasting in arms, legs, mouth, throat and elsewhere. Typically the person is immobilized or deceased within two to five years of the initial diagnosis.
Please do stop by and take part in this fundraiser for a great cause; there will be plenty to do for everyone in the family. Visit their Facebook page for more information or follow them on Twitter @TriCityWalk4ALS
I normally don’t attend events when I feel sick, overwhelmed, tired or have a migraine. However, I had already accepted the invitation to attend the Triple O’s Picnic in the Park-ing Lot event, organized by B.C.’s iconic burger brand, Triple O’s, which will soon be Canada’s first quick service restaurant chain to hit the streets via its innovative new mobile kitchen concept. I really have to admit that I have a minor obsession with food trucks (although I prefer to call them mobile restaurants, to be honest).
What is Triple O’s? Well we serve burgers, fries and hand scooped shakes! But more than that, we serve the sauciest, juiciest, tastiest bestest burgers around, the crispiest, freshest, hottest, bestest fries around and the chilliest, thickest, creamiest, bestest milkshakes around. All situated in a retro cool diner and drive thru that can be found in locations across British Columbia, in Alberta and even Hong Kong. Headquarted in Vancouver, BC, Triple O’s is a division of White Spot Limited and proudly serves more than 3 million guests a year.
I make a point of attending events that are organized by my friends even when I don’t feel terribly well. Thus, I took the Canada Line and joined a small number of Vancouver local foodie bloggers at the picnic (which I have to say was a brilliant idea). The whole concept of a mobile kitchen is not foreign to anyone who has been eating around Vancouver in the past year. There is a total craze about food trucks. Even 2 local street apps for food carts exist.
The launch of Triple’s O’s mobile restaurant, Triple O’s on the Go allowed us to be among the first to taste test new food items not on Triple O’s menu, tour inside the 30-foot truck and meet the brains behind this revolutionary new restaurant concept. Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling well enough to try the menu, but my fellow blogger friends did (I’ll let others speak about the food, but from what I could see, it was good).
I don’t eat poutine so I can’t speak to that one. And I couldn’t eat the burger. But those creamsicles were delicious. In media events it’s hard to test a full menu as the portion sizes are not the same, but I think we all had a good taste of what this new menu would look like. I was really happy to attend as I got to meet the CEO of White Spot, a brand that has been definitely in my radar since I was doing my MBA.
I’ll have to check the new Triple O’s on the go once they publish where their food truck will be roaming the streets of Vancouver. And to reward one lucky reader, I am giving away a swag bag and a 4 pack of burger combo coupons for Triple O’s. To enter my giveaway all you need to do is tell me your favorite type of burger. I don’t know what is it, but I absolutely love burgers with bacon and guacamole, and a bit of chilpotle chile. And of the Triple O’s, my favorite is the Double Double. Nom. Nom. Nom.
For an additional entry, you can post the following on your Twitter stream:
Posted my favorite type of burger on @hummingbird604 ‘s blog to enter to win a @TripleOs swag bag http://is.gd/00DnO8 What’s yours?
I will draw a winner on Tuesday August 16th at 2pm from all randomized entries on Twitter and my blog. Good luck everyone!
Disclosure: I attended the Triple O’s Picnic in the Park-ing Lot and received a swag bag of my own. Triple O’s is also sponsoring this giveaway. I’m neither obligated nor expected to blog about Triple O’s, but I love this Vancouver-born, Canadian restaurant and I’m happy to give them coverage as it brings good memories to me from my MBA years. As always, I retain full editorial control of what’s published on my blog.
I have had my office at The Network Hub Downtown (422 Richards Street, 3rd Floor) since 2008, and I really can’t imagine my life without this amazing launch pad/coworking space. I sit on their Executive Board and I’ve been also part of the decision-making process to expand to our new location, New Westminster (at River Market).
Today August 9th, worldwide, we celebrate International Coworking Day 2011 and I want to add my voice to those who are celebrating. We are part of the Coworking Visa program, in case you didn’t know. And The Network Hub has a number of programmes and initiatives that should be of interest to a number of entrepreneurs. The whole coworking movement is growing and I’m excited to be part of The Network Hub’s growth too.
On Saturday August 6th, I had the chance to see the other show put on by Theater Under the Stars this summer, Anything Goes. It was my first time seeing a show at the Malkin Bowl and I enjoyed the experience. I took a new friend with me and we arrived just in time to grab a glass of wine and get our seats (which were great).
The staff was dressed in nautical style (pale blues and whites, sailor hats) and were friendly and helpful. We figured pretty quickly that the story would happen on a boat, sometime before the 2nd World War (more precisely, 1934); the decor evoked the Depression era with its subdued colors and block-ish design.
After the announcements to turn off cell phones and cameras, the band (I was pleasantly surprised by the presence of a live band) played an introduction song as the actors set up the stage for the first scene. The show started promptly and the public was swept away on a transatlantic trip from New York to London. I absolutely loved the different costumes, especially the women’s. They were right on period–if you’ve seen Chicago, it happens at about the same time. Silky evening gowns and white beachwear, all were equally well done. Reno’s dresses were my favourites.
Photo credit: Tim Matheson, used courtesy of Theatre Under the Stars
The story is pretty much what you’d expect from a musical comedy: love triangles, mistaken identities and mothers marrying off their daughters for access to money. The actors were all competent and enthusiastic; they always had a big smile on their faces as they changed the decor around for each scene. Their enthusiasm was contagious, too, because I left the show smiling and happy.
Despite the fact that this is the story of Billy and Hope, the character of Reno (played by sultry and excellent Irene Karas) really stood out for me. She is the master puppeteer of the story and she enjoys this role tremendously. Seth Little in the role of Lord Evelyn Oakleigh was fun and right on tone for the ridiculously pompous Englishman.
There were some technical difficulties with Irene Karas’ microphone at some point, but they quickly gave her a hand microphone so she could keep on singing. Some of the musical numbers lingered a bit too much for my taste, especially the long dance for “Blow, Gabriel, Blow”. The choreography could easily have been cut in half. I really enjoyed “Friendship”, which was about something else than love or sex, for once. Because trust me, even though this is totally family-friendly, there’s a lot of sex going on that ship for those who can see it!
All things considered, this was an entertaining show with great performers and amazing costumes. During the intermission, even the snack vendors sang songs! The show finished just in time to let the spectators reach English Bay for the fireworks.
GIVEAWAY:
You can also enjoy a show of your choice with 3 friends (or, if you are a parent, with your partner and children) before the end of the run on August 20th. If you’re interested in Bye Bye Birdie, you probably want to check out Jessica’s review as well to give you a little taste of what you’re going to see. To get your 4-ticket pack to either Bye Bye Birdie or Anything Goes, comment on this post telling us which is your all-time favourite musical. To get an extra entry, tweet the following:
I told @hummingbird604 about my favourite musical for tickets to @TUTSVancouver. Tell us yours here http://is.gd/tdOLNm
Raul will draw a winner on Friday, August 12th at 2PM. As usual, the winner will be announced in the comments section of this post and will also receive an email, so make sure you enter a correct email address when you comment and check your inbox on Friday afternoon.
Disclosure: Hummingbird604.com was offered media tickets to both shows and Anabelle attended Anything Goes. We were not paid to write a review nor were we required to do so, but we like to review shows before giveaways when we can and highlight the varied theater productions in Vancouver. Raul always keeps full editorial control over all content on the blog.You can read more of Anabelle’s thoughts on her blog.
Summer festivals are such a great way to experience different parts of a city and a community. This Saturday, August 13th, Burnaby presents the 12th edition of the Blues and Roots Festival. This one-day-only event is happening at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby, BC. Gates open at 1PM for family events (childrens activities run 3:30 – 7:30), food, and especially music. By 8:45, when k.d. lang gets on the Lake Stage, (main stage) the outdoor crowd will be packed with people dancing, lounging or sitting on the grass, and enjoying the last of this sadly short festival.
Yukon Blonde at the Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival 2010. Photo credit: Emme Rogers
Although k.d. lang is a huge attraction, the variety found within blues and roots itself has a lot to offer to the general masses. Current Swell of Victoria count themselves as “new roots” which may sound contradictory, but actually opens up the genre to a young audience. At almost the entire opposite end of the spectrum, Ireland’s Imelda May pumps out well-known rock and blues tunes.
The lineup includes k. d. lang, John Mayall, Imelda May, Luke Doucet and The White Falcon, Matt Andersen, The Secret Sisters, Current Swell, Ben Rogers and the Black Cats.
GIVEAWAY:
I have 2 sets of 2 tickets to give away (package valued at $280) for a pair of lucky readers. All you need to do is let me know which act you would like to see the most. I’ll admit, I’m really looking forward to k.d. lang but I’ve seen other great musicians in the lineup. To ensure that I have enough time to draw the winner and contact them, I’ll draw a winner on Thursday August 11th at 11 am.
An additional entry via Twitter can be earned as follows:
I entered to win @BurnabyBlues tickets from @hummingbird604 http://is.gd/7CqgYt Read about the musicians I want to check out!
That I love Chromeois a commonly known fact by anyone who either reads my blog or follows me on Twitter. I’ve blogged about their songs, Blip.fm’d them on my Twitter account, downloaded both of their albums on iTunes and practically told everyone who listens to me how awesome Chromeo is. Now, let me add “I’ve attended a live concert of Chromeo” to the list of items on my bucket list that I have crossed.
Photo credit: Jessica Brodeur for Hummingbird604.com
This past Tuesday August 2nd, I attended Chromeo’s performance at The Commodore Ballroom. As you may know, Jessica (who also writes the blog Vancouver Music Review) is doing an internship with me and she mentioned she would be coming to the show too, so I decided to make this a “Hummingbird604.com Operation Universe Domination Team” affair. Since we all had media accreditation, we agreed to meet there. Good times. It was also great to meet Char, the other half of the VMR project. And Jessica thankfully took a few photos for me to use on this post.
It was great to hang out with Anabelle, Jessica and Char on many levels. One of them that was pretty much a new experience to me was attending a live concert where the doors open at 8pm, but the main act doesn’t come on stage until 10:45pm. When you go to sleep at 9:30pm so you can wake up at 4:45am the next morning, you rarely are out on a school night after 10pm. I was a bit shocked. Clearly, I need more live concerts under my belt. I also now realize why you need a photographer’s pass and how valuable it would be to have backstage access. Good tips for the future.
Photo credit: Jessica Brodeur
On to the show. How can I write about Chromeo without sounding gushy? I think the one thing that completely and absolutely struck me was how close to the original recording they sound live on stage. The concert lasted about an hour, and it rocked each and every song they performed. The Commodore was pretty packed (which is amazing for a Tuesday night concert), with an audience that clearly knew how awesome these folks are. “Don’t Turn The Lights On”, “Call Me Up”, and some of their recent material including “Hot Mess” and “When The Night Falls” were all performed to a pretty packed house. It was an experience in and of itself.
I think Chromeo are some of the most underrated performers of this decade, and I hope they get a lot more exposure for creating amazing music.
Disclosure: I received media accreditation to attend the show. I am neither obligated nor required to post a review. However, I really enjoyed it and wanted to share my experience with my readers. All photos on this post were taken by Jessica Brodeur for Hummingbird604.com. As always, I retain full editorial control over what’s published on my site.
This Wednesday (August 3rd) I had the pleasure of bringing my mum out to Theatre Under the Stars for my first experience there, and her first in many years. We arrived a little late due to a massive accident on the Lions Gate, but the staff were extremely friendly and let us in quickly with pretty good seats. The event is assigned seating, which I don’t really understand considering it was only about 1/3 full to capacity, but so it is.
I had read a brief summary of the plot-line, so I kind of knew what was going on at the point when we arrived. The cast made it easy to catch up anyways, each playing their part dramatically. The set was simple, with nostalgic 1960 style decor, colour, and fonts, and a black and white screen in the background showing stills, video clips, or even live footage of the performers and sometimes audience members.
As fun and interesting as the set was, so were the costumes. Every character in this musical was dressed well, but my favourite outfits included Rosie’s wedding dress (actually, I am a sucker for weddings in theatre anyways because they are just so lovely!) and Spanish dress. A crew of Bollywood-style belly dancers, ladies in head-to-toe pink, and Conrad Birdie’s leather jacket also stood out for me as far as dress went.
Aside from the aesthetics, the actual performers were great too. The lead roles were very strong and sounded fantastic. I couldn’t believe how well Erik Gow, playing Conrad Birdie’s character, could dance in such tight pants! The only issues were that at times the dancers on stage seemed crowded and chaotic, but considering that those scenes mostly revolved around screaming fan-girls, it was fitting.
My favourite musical number was “We’ve Got A Lot of Living to Do”. I felt like the dancing was almost flawless, and the chemistry between Amy Jean McElwain and Erik Gow was pretty spectacular. My mum and I were also blown away but also enchanted by the youngsters in “Kids,” and that’s exactly what this company is all about, growing and mentoring from beginner to mature performers.
Of course, seeing a play at an outdoor theatre involves a few distractions. On my particular night, the were some sound glitches, firework cues in the background, a hobby plane flying too close to the Malkin Bowl for comfort, and a skunk that ran through the crowd! Another distraction that I didn’t mind so much was watching the bits of the orchestra that I could see. The drummer was sitting right close to the edge, so I could see him bopping along to the beat for most of the show.
Disclosure: Jessica attended this performance of TUTS on media tickets kindly provided to Hummingbird604.com by Theatre Under The Stars. We are neither obligated not required to write a review, but I think it’s important to highlight the awesome theatre we have in the city. As always, I retain editorial control on anything that is published on my site. You can read more of Jessica’s writing on her Vancouver Music Review blog too.
Local talent abounds in Vancouver and dancing is no exception. The local company Les Petites Taquines have put up a dance show at the intimate Pacific Theatre at 12th Avenue and Hemlock that you should definitely attend. HB604 was invited to the premiere on August 4th and I (Anabelle) went to see the recital.
The show puts in music and movement the four different stages of the growth of a woman: childhood, adolescence, early adulthood and motherhood. It’s not one of those cryptic contemporary dance recitals; I thought the story well told, the transitions well done and the performance enjoyable in general. The choreography was simple yet effective and beautiful. It was easy to identify with each stage (each performed by a different dancer) and the music was perfectly suited to the mood and meaning of each piece.
I’m not a dance expert by any stretch of the imagination so this is very much a neophyte review. I imagine that if even an uninitiated spectator such as me had a good time, then you probably will too!
Francine, Jackie, Andrea and Linsy will be performing for another two nights, until Saturday August 6th. For 10$ in advance and 12$ at the door, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t start your weekend with When I was, Qui Je suis. Broadway is just around the corner too, so it’s a great alternative to a movie before getting drinks at a local pub.
When I Was, Qui Je suis, Les Petites Taquines, Pacific Theater (1440 West 12th Ave, Vancouver), 8pm.
Disclaimer: Raul was invited to see the premiere and Anabelle went on his behalf. The Hummingbird604.com team was not paid for a review nor was it required to write one. Raul maintains editorial control at all times. You can read more of Anabelle’s writing on her own blog.
It’s amazing to think that Steven Tyler is the father of such a beauty as is Liv Tyler. But it’s true. While I find Tyler Sr. not attractive in the least, his music (and that of Aerosmith) is still very much part of my absolute favorites. It Feels So Good is one of those songs that you need to have on repeat on your iPod. For your listening pleasure.
Last week we previewed the double-feature Troika and The Troubles, and I (Anabelle) had the chance to see the premiere last night along with our giveaway winner Lois Patterson.
Set in a tiny creative space just off Main Street, the plays are definitely worth checking out. Written, produced and acted by local talent, Troika and The Troubles made for sometimes funny, sometimes touching and sometimes tragic theater.
Troika
Troika is a series of autobiographical tableaux by second-generation half-Ukrainian, half-something-else Vancouverites. Lauren, Aliya and Natalie use episodes of their own life as Ukrainian-Canadians to explore something that in post-colonial literary criticism we call “cultural hybridity” (1) . A telling example was the use of a typically North American form–the fashion show–to display traditional Ukrainian costumes. But I digress.
Lauren, Aliya and Natalie explore their cultural background through dance, storytelling, folk tales, biography and reportage. Making sense of a hybrid identity is no easy task, and they achieved not only that, but were also able to share their illuminations with us, the audience. Although I can’t understand what it is to be Ukrainian-Canadian, the performance helped dispel myths about what it is to come from an “ethnic background”. And it was funny, too!
The Troubles
Don’t let the humorous beginning of The Troubles fool you: this is a tragic, sometimes even violent solo play (many characters, one actor) about living in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Often forgotten by newscasters in favor of more “glamorous” wars in the Middle East and Africa, the conflict in Belfast and Northern Ireland still continues to this day.
As with most forgotten truths, The Troubles was sometimes difficult to watch; the play explores the many faces of violence and how it has perpetuated itself in Belfast for generations. The intensity of the characters’ pain, especially the children, touched me deeply. Violence on such a scale seeps into every crack of society: the school yard, the street, the family home, even within the self.
The plays are on until Sunday, August 7th, at the Little Mountain Gallery on East 26th avenue, just off Main. For show times and more information about the plays, visit Resounding Scream Theater.
(1) You can take a girl out of a PhD, but you can’t take the literary scholar out of the girl.
Disclaimer: HB604 was offered a complimentary ticket to attend the premiere of the play, which Anabelle attended. We were not paid to write a review nor were we required to do so. As always, Raul keeps editorial control over all the content published on the blog.
I love Deep Cove, as you can imagine by the extensive coverage I’ve provided this beautiful part of North Vancouver. I did not realize (until this past long weekend, when I took some time off to reflect and do some self-discovery) that there is actually Panorama Park AND Deep Cove Park within the area of Deep Cove.
Adjacent to downtown Deep Cove at the end of Gallant Avenue, both Deep Cove Park and Panorama Park are popular waterfront parks offer excellent views of Deep Cove, and provide a setting for boating and swimming, strolling and picnicking. A changeroom, boat house, playground and picnic shelter make Deep Cove Park popular for groups.
I took a few photos, including the view of my “mobile office” (I took a portable, foldable chair with me, which would have been an amazing idea if I hadn’t had the stupid idea of bringing along my laptop, and a muscle shirt (I was so sun-burnt from the Vancouver Pride Parade 2011 that anything I carried over my shoulders was hurting me). But I hope you enjoy the photos!
One of the best spots to spend some time alone self-reflecting. And the best part, you can access it by transit! You may have read my live-tweeting of how I made a decision on the beach I went to visit (it had to be within 45 minutes of my current location or less).
The Decemberists playing at Live At Squamish 2010. Photo credit: Visions of Domino on Flickr
I find that music festivals are one of the best ways to enjoy some of my favourite artists. Something about laying down a picnic blanket and relaxing with a few friends and snacks seems like the way some music was meant to be enjoyed. Throw in BC’s natural beauty as a backdrop and I’ve got my perfect weekend in mind.
Live At Squamish 2011 is on my weekend plans. This relatively new music festival to hit the west-coast summer festival scene has grown up pretty fast. For it’s second year running, it’s already attracted a massive lineup for the weekend of August 20th and 21st. From classic Canadian indie band Metric, to the dance-until-you-drop mixes of Girltalk, to local hip hop talent Kyprios of Sweatshop Union, over to insane guitarists in the John Butler Trio, and many more. With only two stages, it should be easy to coordinate and run back and forth to catch as many acts as possible.
Presented up at the Logger’s Sports Grounds in Squamish, BC, this is pretty much the ideal place to drop a large crowd of young fans and leave them for two days. The surrounding forest is expansive and pristine: perfect for muting the late night reverberation of bass lines, the camping is world-class, and the boundary lines are guarded by bears to prevent any escapees or people sneaking in. Just kidding about the bears… kind of.
More than just the music… this festival will also have a variety of food and drinks. Water stations will be available to bring your own waterbottle… and more details to know are here.
Other events than live shows, such as a Silent Disco, have also been announced. What is that, you may ask? A DJ will be playing a full dance set, but each attendee will be given a pair of headphones and will only be able to hear the music through them. To the dancers, it’s just another night out on the town (or in Squamish… not exactly the same thing) but to onlookers it just looks ridiculous. For those of you who are equally as curious as I… I’ll see you there!
Just Announced (Aug 2nd): The schedule has been adjusted to fit in two Metric sets: one full performance, and one acoustic. For anyone who admires Emily Haine’s amazing talent, this is great news!
Full Lineup: Metric, Girl Talk, Shad, John Butler Trio, Tommie Sunshine, Stars, Kyprios, Hey Ocean!, Kim Churchill, Sweet Thing, She Stole My beer, Shane Koyczan, Weezer, Black Mountain, The Dudes, The Zolas, Bend Sinister, Brasstronaut, Major Lazer feat. Diplo, Doc Martin, Dubtribe Sound System, Luke Mckeehan, Guilty About Girls
This preview of Live at Squamish 2011 was written by Jessica. Jessica will be providing you with exclusive coverage of Live At Squamish 2011 on Hummingbird604.com.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
I have a pair of passes for Live At Squamish 2011 for a lucky reader to win. To enter my giveaway you can drop a comment on this post telling me which band you’re most keen to check out. I’m sure you all want to see Metric. At least, I do!
To earn a second entry, you can post the following on your Twitter stream:
Told @hummingbird604 which band I want to check out to enter to win tickets to @LIVEAtSquamish http://is.gd/BJ1uHL – what’s your fave?
I will draw a winner from all entries until August 16th at 2pm.
I’m sure you all are keen to check Live At Squamish 2011, as it promises to be a fantastic weekend. I might or might not be able to attend as I’m finishing a book, but Jessica will definitely be there and will be able to provide you with excellent coverage. — Raul
There’s a bit of irony in a car dealership that’s doing its best to be green. As Pete Sargent, project manager at Auto West BMW, told me, “there’s stigma attached to the car industry as user of fossil fuels”.
Auto West BWM just unveiled their new vertical axis wind turbine at their Richmond dealership, which I had the chance to see on July 27th. Unfortunately neither sun nor wind was with us, so I couldn’t see the turbine work or the beautiful view from the roof that the staff raved about.
So why does a car dealership go the sustainability route? Well, Joachim Neumann, the president of AutoWest, explains that it’s all about “being part of the community”. The dealership wants to come out as a leader—not only as a business, but also as a community member—on reducing carbon footprint.
The Richmond dealership was built in 2007 with carbon footprint in mind. It started out with geothermal heating, to which they added garden space on the roof with a honey bee colony to pollinate the plants and a grey water recycling system to irrigate them, a recycling building topped with solar cells that handles everything from office paper to food scraps, and finally a wind turbine to reduce the dealership’s reliance on grid electricity.
Cleanfield Alternative Energy conceived the turbine and I also had the chance to talk with their representative, Brian Gusko, about the technology behind it. As you can see, it’s not your typical countryside turbine; Brian explained that the wind in urban environments is too unpredictable to work with the traditional horizontal axis turbines. Instead, they developed a smaller, vertical axis turbine that can catch wind coming from any direction.
At maximum capacity, the turbine can produce up to 3.5kW of energy—at the end of a year, it’s equivalent to 150 kg of carbon emissions not released in the atmosphere. The turbine is made out of carbon fiber and requires little to no maintenance.
I enjoyed my tour of the facility and appreciated the efforts that the dealership is making to make a positive impact on the environment. It’s easy to focus on the fact that they sell cars, but I think that these efforts give a great example to other businesses or institutions that are thinking about increasing their sustainability. Every step is important, even if it is small.
AutoWest plans on renovating its other dealerships to bring them up to par with the BMW facility, thus extending its sustainability program over several installations. They plan on opening new gardening spots on the roof where employees can grow their own herbs and vegetables. That makes for healthy, local lunches!
Disclosure and editor’s note: AutoWest BMW invited Hummingbird604.com to visit the facility and see the turbine, and Anabelle attended on my behalf. Anabelle was not paid for her review, nor was she required to write one (neither was I). As usual I (Raul) retain editorial control on anything published on my site.
While my professional activities (academia and consulting) don’t necessarily demand from me to be connected all the time, I’ve gotten to a point with my online life that I am almost connected 24/7. My good friend Alexandra Samuel has written extensively on how your online friends and online lives are also real life. I loved listening to Alex speak at Northern Voice on this very topic this year (Stop Apologizing for Your Online Life).
But the truth of the matter is that sometimes I am connected even as I eat dinner. With someone who is NOT on Twitter. With someone who would very much appreciate my full, undivided attention. And that’s just on the personal side. What about the professional side? As an academic, I need reflective time to think and ponder about how to further the body of knowledge. And I can’t do that by cross-tasking.
But as I have mentioned in my 6 months self-assessment, one of the biggest reasons why I now have interns for Hummingbird604.com is because I NEED the time to focus on my academic work. Right now, my consulting is going great as I juggle my lives, but academia DOES require more time to think, reflect and analyze data. And I can’t do that if I’m always online. That’s how I came up with the idea of Disconnected 3.
Disconnected 3 is a challenge that asks from you to spend a total of 3 full, non-interrupted hours offline. I considered letting text your significant other be off the program, but I think that academic work requires full concentration on one task and therefore texting would break the flow. I asked my good friend Minna Van (co-founder of The Network Hub) to take the Disconnected 3 Challenge with me. We’ll see how far we get.
It’s definitely possible to keep track of the process: If you want to tweet, you can begin your 3 hour period of disconnection by saying “Going #Disconnected3 back around XX time“. You can even use Twitter to keep you accountable, by tweeting a summary of what you did during your #Disconnected3 time.
I have it relatively easy in terms of the process to disconnect. I need time to read the articles I assign my students, reflect and prepare Power Point slides. As for my consulting, I need time to read documents that I can save on to my PDF reader and then reflect and write analytical summaries. I also need time to meet with my students, interns and colleagues.
I think that once you implement it, you’ll discover it’s easier to disconnect than what you think (my hypothesis is that once *I* implement it my life will be MUCH easier). But I want to challenge myself to slowly grow the time I’m offline and the time I keep cross-tasking.
What do you think of my crazy #Disconnected3 idea, my lovely readers?
One of the main things I know about myself, is that I know myself pretty well. This may sound kind of moronic or even counter-intuitive, but it’s definitely true. I know who I am, I know what I want, and I know what kind of work will take me where I want to go. I’m good at defining my own path.
I’m definitely very happy with my life, even more so right now. My consulting, my research, my teaching, and my social media lives are all working like well-greased little engines. But *just* staying there, cruising along, would be akin to stopping myself. Something I can’t nor will be able to afford.
So today, on British Columbia Day (normally a statutory holiday), I’m going to do a tiny, tiny bit of work and then head out and find a beautiful spot in the lower mainland and just sit down and reflect on where I’m going and the pathway I’ve formulated for myself. August is going to be a great month, and I hope that 2011 will end really great.
I was searching around for the history around why we have a statutory holiday in British Columbia in August (coincidentally, the day after we usually celebrate Vancouver Pride). I found some interesting historical information from the Protocol & Events Branch of the Government of British Columbia).
The British Columbia Day Act, R.S.B.C. 1996 c.34 was first introduced in 1974 as Bill 61 by the Hon. Ernie Hall, the Provincial Secretary under Premier Dave Barrett. The explanatory notes prefacing the bill states: “The purposes of this Bill is to recognize the pioneers of British Columbia by declaring the first Monday of August in each year to be a public holiday known as British Columbia Day.”
From the B.C. Debates, 4th Session, 30th Parliament, May 1, 1974, the Hon. Hall states, “August 1, or the closest working day to it, is a statutory holiday in every other province in Canada. By coincidence, an Act to provide to the Government of British Columbia, which changed us from the Colony of British Columbia, was passed by Parliament in the United Kingdom on August 2, 1858….
“We feel that British Columbia, like every other province could benefit and should have a holiday around August 1. We feel that the holiday should be dedicated to the pioneers who built the colony of British Columbia into the great province it is today…”
I’m very lucky to live in the province of British Columbia. Despite the fact that I’m a total urbanite and I love my urban setting, I also happen to love the outdoors, and the past weekend has been gloriously sunny and warm, so I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.
I’ve been lucky to see sunrises in Parksville, BC.
And sunsets in Steveston, BC.
I’ve enjoyed long walks around the Wharf in Victoria, BC.
And ziplining in Whistler, BC.
I’ve travelled a lot of BC, I’ve discovered this beautiful province and I can’t get enough of it. I love travelling and I absolutely adore the province I live in, so I definitely do celebrate BC. Happy BC Day, British Columbians!
When my Mom visited Vancouver recently, she noticed that my apartment (I live in a shared household but my own private apartment, as you may have read if you’ve followed my blog for long enough) could have used some home improvement. She insisted that we throw all the garbage in common areas of the house, organize my kitchen cabinets, wash and mop floors, wash the bathroom, etc. Basically, we did a whole cleaning out of my apartment. I have read somewhere that “cluttered space, cluttered mind”. Don’t get me wrong: I’m extremely organized. EXTREMELY.
I would not be able to juggle my academic, consulting, social and personal lives if I were not organized. But there is always room for improvement, and my Mom showcased that to me. So we threw a lot of garbage out, I acquired a new couch, and lots of kitchen organizing stuff. And I hired 2 interns for Hummingbird604.com. Having a Content Manager and a Project Manager allows me to free my brain to do what I need to focus on: my consulting and academic lives..
This is a new era in my life.
Doing all these changes to my life at the beginning of August 2011, ensuring that I have a clean(er) start as we move into the 2011-2012 academic year makes me think that this will, by all standards, one of the best if not THE best professional year I’ll have. As Gus put it very nicely the other day, I have, indeed, worked extremely hard to get where I am. And I can now more clearly see the fruits of my work.
I’ve needed to trust now my interns to do stuff and I’ve begun to learn that when you choose the right people and the right fit, you can achieve great things. I have a lot of faith in both of my interns, in that I determined that I had found the right people to work with me. I’ve built a great team and now I look forward to doing the same in my academic and consulting lives too.
I’m proud to live in a city where sexual and racial diversity are so widely celebrated. Despite some recent controversy around whether the Vancouver Pride Parade and Festival is vulgar, I think it’s important to realize that GLBTQ groups have been marginalized for a long, long time, and that Pride represents the celebration of that fight, of the achievements that queers have attained. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) declared that homosexuality was not a disease, and yet we still see anti-gay bigotry, we still bear witnesses to gay bashings and gay youth suicides. This should not be happening in 2011.
Let’s celebrate being lucky to live in a city and a country that embraces sexual diversity. Because as Pierre Elliott Trudeau said, government has no place in the bedrooms of Canadians. Happy Pride 2011, Vancouver.
During her visits to Vancouver, my Mom gets often called “Mama Raul” or “Mama Hummingbird”. I even mockingly created her Twitter account @mommingbird604 (which she’s seen but never actually used). The reality is I often have a hard time explaining our spirit animals to people and how we see each other. I often say that behind the Hummingbird there’s an amazing Lioness. Here is the story of why.
For those of you who believe in astrology, I’m a Virgo, and my Mom is a Leo. According to the horoscopes, technically Leo’s aren’t supposed to get along with Virgo’s. Strangely enough, my Mom is a Leo and my Dad is a Virgo. And they were married for more than 30 years (they’re no longer married but remain in incredibly amicable terms).
My Mom’s demeanor can be demure and sweet, but her inner personality is, really, that of a lioness. My Mom will not hesitate to maul and destroy anyone who attempts to hurt her children. Mom is incredibly polite and diplomatic but she’ll swiftly disarm anyone with her ability to pinpoint the weakness in people’s arguments. And my Mom is intimidating. Strangely enough, many of my friends and loved ones are intimidated by my Mom. I’m not surprised at all. She’s a Leo, after all.
So how did a woman with such inner strength and larger-than-life personality end up having a “hummingbird-like” son, who often shows himself vulnerable, sensitive and maybe even fragile? That’s anybody’s guesses. But I think I draw much of my inner strength from The Lioness. I’m energetic, fast, nimble like a hummingbird but I’m also emotionally very strong, much like a lion.
So that’s why I told my good friend Richard Loat (aka @Mozy19) that my Mom really didn’t identify herself with being called “Mama Hummingbird”, and I introduced him to the Lioness behind the Hummingbird. And it’s true. Just as they say in Spanish that behind every great man there’s a great woman, I’m as successful as I am because I have someone who loves me profoundly and who always has my back: My Mom.
Every time I get a tech gadget for review I feel all giddy. Mostly because I am not a “tech writer” per se, but I’m techie enough that I can assess whether the device will work for me and for a broader general audience (my blog’s audience is very much a mixture, but I do have a lot of tech-related readers still). So I absolutely loved when HP Canada invited me to the opening of their Alberni and Thurlow store in Downtown Vancouver, and even more so when they gave me an HP TouchPad. I have previously had good (and some mediocre) experiences with Hewlett Packard, so I was keen to try this one out.
Full disclosure: I had never considered owning a tablet up until this past year. JT has two (Apple’s iPad and a Blackberry PlayBook). I had played with the Samsung tablet and I was very curious to know how HP would fare with their tablet. I don’t have the kind of cash to shell out on a tablet unless I find A LOT of value in it. Also, bear in mind what I would use a tablet for: I am an academic who travels a lot, and a consultant who works remotely (client sites mostly). I read academic papers and I read my social platforms, etc. I also occasionally check out newspapers (and I’m glad that most of the newspapers that I look at are optimized for tablet reading).
While some people may find it too big, it was really comfortable for me to bring my HP TouchPad to the airport and read stuff on the internet while my Mom’s flight arrived.
The first thing I noticed was that if you use the HP TouchPad in landscape mode, you can actually cram a lot of information. Here you can see how the TouchPad renders my personal Facebook page.
The great things about the HP TouchPad:
The search function “Just Type” is quite unique, and loved being able to access things like Google searches, Wikipedia, etc. just by typing what I wanted.
The “card deck” approach makes me feel that the view is uncluttered. You can just flick a “card” away and close the application. I’ve used it quite a lot.
There are elements that are rather intuitive, like the Photos function. Even my Mom could play with the HP TouchBook without feeling stupid.
In many ways the HP TouchPad behaves like the Apple devices (the home function at the bottom, etc.) so it like an iPhone 4.
You can use the HP TouchPad to watch movies as it opens Flash websites
The Facebook app renders beautifully.
The bad things about the HP TouchPad
It’s SLOOOOW to open PDFs. I literally went to sleep before the HP TouchPad was able to open my doctoral dissertation. And let me tell you, my PhD thesis is only 9 megabytes.
Renders some websites with poor quality, although I have to admit I loved how it renders my blog
It was next to impossible to find out how to VPN into the UBC network (something I need to do in order to read academic articles behind paywalls, my HP TouchPad’s IP needs to be recognized by the university’s network).
It feels like it weighs like a brick, compared to an iPad 2 and a PlayBook
The Twitter client is horrid. Spaz is really spastic.
My overall assessment of the HP TouchPad:
Independently of the fact that I got the HP TouchPad for free, I probably would not invest my own money in it at this time. But of all the tablets out there (and I’ve sort of played around with all of them), I find that the one that I would probably tolerate using (note, TOLERATE, not LOVE) would be the HP TouchPad.
Why?
Because the iPad is annoying with its lack of Flash, the Playbook is too small, the Samsung tablet feels small too, and the HP TouchPad is the size that I need to read academic articles without killing my (already weakened) eyes. But I think what I will need to do is download the PDF articles and put them on the HP TouchPad, because otherwise, waiting for the TouchPad to download them will make me feel like I’m watching wall paint dry.
I think HP needs to rethink what the HP TouchPad is supposed to do and seriously improve PDF rendering and make a lot more apps better for webOS. Some of the apps are good, some are simply terrible. But I do want to keep using the HP TouchPad and make the most of it for academic purposes.
I wrote this review of the HP TouchPad as part of a blogger relations program by Hill and Knowlton on behalf of their client HP Canada. I am not paid to write the review. Me and several other bloggers got the HP TouchPad for free, but HP Canada has made it clear that no review is mandatory nor expected. In any review I write, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions or should your company want to send me a product for review, feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.
There are several things I love about the fact that the Greater Vancouver theatre community appreciates my blogging about the arts. By providing the British Columbia arts community with exposure on my blog and encouraging my audience I have also began building great friendships. And one of those great friendships is with Ryan Mooney (Artistic Director of Fighting Chance Productions) and the whole crew.
Through my regular attendance to their performances, I have begun getting to know the Fighting Chance Productions actors, and two of my favorite (Braedon and Lucas) are the leads in bare: a pop opera. Based on the musical of the same name, the Fighting Chance Productions rendition promises to be one of the most amazing performances this theatre troupe has put together. FCP gave me a chance to see a full dress rehearsal before JT took off as he wasn’t going to be able to see this limited engagement.
There are many reasons why I think you should totally see bare: a pop opera, but one of them is that musicals are the bread and butter of Fighting Chance Productions. If there’s something FCP does well is musicals. And this one treats with issues that are extremely sensitive, but does so with extreme delicacy and kindness. From the FCP Tickets Tonight website:
bare tells the touching story of Jason and Peter, two gay high school students at a private Catholic boarding school. Entirely sung through (in the style of Rent or Hair, two FCP hits from previous summers) bare stars a stunning cast of 19 up and coming musical theatre performers from the best schools across the province and continent including graduates from the Canadian College for Performing Arts, Capilano University, American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Circle in the Square, Vancouver Film School and Simon Fraser University.
Directed by CTC and Ovation Award winning Artistic Director Ryan Mooney with musical direction by Ovation nominee Caitlin Hayes this promises to be an exciting summer offering of a relevant and topical story.
Starring Lucas Blaney, Braedon Cox, Lena Dabrusin, Emma Leigh Hillier, Matt Parsons, Jennifer Suratos, Jeremy Leroux, Nancy Von Euw, Stephanie Liatopoulus, Arlie Worthing and featuring Stewart Yu, Cameron Dunster, Hal Rogers, Max Friesen, Katie MacQueen, Imelda Gaborno, Arielle Tuliao, Morgan McTaggert and Katie Purych.
With only 9 performances and limited seating, don’t miss your opportunity to get bare this summer. The prices are ridiculously accessible for good, high caliber theatre:
Adult $30.00 + $4.25 s/c, Senior/Student $25.00 + $3.75 s/c and on Aug 4th and 7th $20.00 + $3.75 s.c
I have a pair of tickets for opening night on August 9th of bare: a pop opera, and a lucky reader of mine will win them. All you have to do is tell me whether you’ve ever been heartbroken. You don’t need to identify the offender, and you don’t need to post your name (your email needs to be the real one, though!). But I can tell you one thing: bare: a pop opera very much depicted MY own story of heartbreak.
You can earn an additional entry by posting the text below on Twitter.
Have you been heartbroken? http://is.gd/OJ9HHC I told @hummingbird604 about heartbreak for a chance to win tix to bare @F_C_Productions
And I’ll draw all random winners on August 7th at 2pm. You should totally check out this musical, it promises to be amazing. You can buy tickets here.
I love Chromeo. Anybody who follows me on Twitter, reads my blog or listens to my iPod will know that I’m a big fan of this Canadian duo. Their music is always energizing and they drop some tunes that very few people can match.
And I am super excited to be able to give away a pair of tickets to the August 2nd show where Chromeo will be performing at The Commodore Ballroom. All you need to do to enter my giveaway is include the name of a song of Chromeo and write a fun tweet or comment that includes @chromeo and @hummingbird604 (see example below).
I am a Hot Mess but I’m Not Contagious. I want to win tickets to @chromeo from @hummingbird604
Ok, fine. I’m not THAT creative. But you *get* what I mean, right? I’ll draw all entries from comments on this post and tweets until August 1st at 1 pm. Check your emails frequently after 1pm because I’ll be notifying the winner by email.
And if you don’t win my tickets, you can always buy tickets from Ticketmaster. They’re selling out fast! A Chromeo bio from their press kit:
Imagine, if you will, a yacht. It’s forged of gold and strong African teak, bobbing gently at anchor somewhere between the French Riviera and Detroit. A statue of the late Roger Troutman is affixed to the stern like a guardian angel. The ladies of Klymaxx wander the decks serving strawberries and cream on silver platters. Sylvester himself is the skipper, and Hall & Oates are down below, keeping the engines in shipshape. This is the S.S. Chromeo, and the two men who create the smoothest of music under the same moniker are at rest aboard, preparing for another global voyage of lovers’ funk ambassadorship.
Here we have Dave 1, the suave professor, the voice and intellect, enjoying a rosé as he ponders French literature. And with him we have the one and only P-Thugg, the brawn and the body, sipping on the ghetto cocktail known as Thug Passion and proudly going through his mental rolodex of jeep beats and funky flourishes.
The men of Chromeo are about to release Business Casual, which is their third full-length album and a testament to the growth and further sophistication the band has undergone over the many years they’ve been collaborating. After their sophomore release, Fancy Footwork, pushed them into the stratosphere of party-rocking, club-banging, and heart-thrilling electrofunk, we might consider Business Casual their postgraduate work. Where does a group go after mastering their craft? Do they rest on their laurels? Do they retreat into self-parody? Neighbor, please. Chromeo, in 2010, have pushed forward into yet newer levels of song craft and body moving music that is respectfully indebted to its noble inspirations while still being fully contemporary. Are there lush string arrangements on “Don’t Walk Away”? Do we have Moroder-esque analog synth layers draped all over “Don’t Turn The Lights On”? Is there a fully authentic French ballad (don’t forget, Dave and P are of the Québécois persuasion and will never abandon those roots) in “J’ai Claqué la porte”? Well yes, actually, to all of the above.
But what’s this we have here? The flip side of Chromeo, the emotional gangster tracks, are still here on Business Casual, represented by titles such as “Hot Mess,” “I’m Not Contagious,” and “You Make It Rough.” And, newly added to the roster, we have the straight-up pop, vanilla in the best sense (creamy and smooth), of “The Right Type,” a get-up-and-go tune in the greatest 80s tradition, and the album closer, “Grow Up,” which almost sounds like golden era Billy Joel backed up by Cameo. How real is that?
Lyrically, Dave continues to mine the rich vein of affairs of the heart. Is there really any other topic that Chromeo needs to cover? Arrogant ladies, dancefloor seduction, boudoir skills, love gone wrong, and knights in shining armor… Chromeo does all this and more with their trademark Franco-insouciance-that-borders-on-coolness and their always sexy worldliness (pause).
In these uncertain times of financial upheaval and musical mediocrity, Chromeo’s Business Casual is a testament to the fact that inspirational funk shall always prevail. Vive le Chromeo!
I was raised as a classical piano player, even though I sort-of abandoned piano as I moved to contemporary dance and theatre. But I still love classical music, and I totally adore jazz. So I’m always thrilled to promote events such as MusicFest 2011 in Vancouver. Next Friday, MusicFest Vancouver‘s 11th season kicks off for their 10 days of celebration, with the jazz portion kicking off two days later on Sunday. This event features local, Canadian, and even international artists particularly in the classical, world, and jazz veins. Performances and events are being held at 8 locations across the city.
Featured in the jazz portion is Lorraine Desmarais, a Montreal trio making a West Coast visit. Performing at the beautiful Norman Rothstein Theatre on Tuesday, August 9th this is part of the Jazz at the Rothstein Series presented by Marsh/Mercer. Lorraine’s voice is paired with drum and bass: a simple jazz trio. The trio is also playing the Jazz in the Cellar series, an intimate experience of Jazz in a restaurant setting, the day before on August 8th. You can read more about them on the MusicFest website.
You can check bit of a performance of Lorraine Desmarais here.
Another featured jazz performer is Regina Carter and the Reverse Thread Project. Regina’s voice and violin will presented by the BMO Main Stage Series at the art-deco Vogue theatre on August 8th. Her inspiration is diverse, ranging from R&B to African folk to create an original style. The worldly beats are fun and enjoyable and her band includes familiar and strange instruments including a traditional African Kora – a percussion instrument. Read more about Regina Carter from the MusicFest website.
For a complete list of concerts, series, and events you can check the MusicFest website. I’m lucky enough to be able to give 2 lucky readers an opportunity to check out these concerts. I have a pair of tickets for Lorraine Desmarais and one pair for Regina Carter (I’ll draw them and assign randomly from all entries).
All you need to do is check out the list of concerts and events on the MusicFest 2011 Vancouver website and come back to this post and let me know which concert or event you would like to check out. I’ll draw a random winner on August 7th at 2pm. I will make sure to have tickets at Will Call for my contest winner (remember, I notify my winners and wait 24 hours and then if I don’t get a winner I’ll re-draw). You can also earn an additional Twitter entry by posting the text below.
Told @hummingbird604 my favorite @mfestvan event to enter & win concert tickets http://is.gd/9g7pXT Have you entered his contest?
* Tickets for the Regina Carter and the Reverse Thread Project are for Monday August 8th.
* Tickets for Lorraine Desmarais are for Tuesday August 9th.
