An odd curiosity of infidelity is the frequent scenario in which you hear a reaction like “he cheated on her with her?” You can, of course, mix and match the personal pronouns.
Well, today, I cheated on my hairdresser. And some might say “you cheated on her with him?”
I had been going to a great hair salon on Broadway, just off of Main – Karynne Renn and Andie Maddalozzo’s Bangs Salon – but the $45 for a haircut was proving too costly. By no means are they overcharging; Karynne gives an excellent haircut (and free advice on raising kittens!). But when money is tight, vanity has to be the first thing to go.
So I slinked on down the street to a little place called Uptown Barbers Shop at Main and 8th. You’d probably walk right past this place on most days. Dimly light on the inside, and wedged into a stretch of road that includes a very bizarre jukebox store and the controversial Fox Cinema. It’s certainly not the first place you’d look for a haircut.
Prepared to slum it, as it were, I walked in with my head on a swivel – I didn’t want anyone seeing me being unfaithful.
A friendly Frenchman sat me down in a vintage barbershop chair facing the street and he began to snip away. After a few moments of anxiety – what if Karynne was to walk by? – I was able to enjoy the view of one of the oldest intersections in Mount Pleasant. Some people might be put off by not facing the mirror while receiving hair surgery, but I quite liked the suspense. Plus, I passed the time wondering what it would have been like to live here in 1908.
With very few back and forths, my haircut was done, and a fine haircut it was. A little shorter than what I was used to, but a solid cut for a good price ($16).
At Uptown Barber, if you can look past its dingy interior and interesting collection of neighbours, you’ll get a no-nonsense haircut without breaking the bank.
As for me, I thanked the barber (I neglected to get his name) and performed a modified version of the walk of shame, imagining all the things I would say to Karynne when she inevitably finds out about my infidelity.
If you’re out there, Karynne. I hope you understand. Think of all the money I can spend on my kitten now.
Dan Haves is a photographer and journalist, and his website is located here. Thanks Dan for the guest post!
I am an incredibly lucky guy. Blogging has brought me an incredibly high number of opportunities. And last night I was rewarded with the chance to meet two of the best and funniest Canadian (and First Nations) actors: Lorne Cardinal (better known for his work on the TV show Corner Gas) and Craig Lauzon (also known for his work on Royal Canadian Air Farce).
Thunderstick, currently playing until October 30th at the Firehall Arts Centre, is a fantastic play. I can’t describe it as a comedy or as a drama. It’s complex, it’s delightful, it’s riveting and it makes you laugh so hard one moment and ponder and think the other. It’s Canadian theatre at its best, and I’m so thrilled that the chemistry between Lauzon and Cardinal is so amazing. If you are a journalist or have any interest in understanding the complexities of journalism in an world torn by war, you should see Thunderstick. If you are interested in First Nations issues and the treatment some Aboriginal people had in residential schools, you should see Thunderstick. If you want to see great Canadian theatre, in general, you should see Thunderstick.
Written by Kenneth T. Williams, Thunderstick stars Lorne Cardinal from the hit TV show Corner Gas and Royal Canadian Air Farce regular Craig Lauzon as mismatched cousins who are journalists on the trail of a scandalous political intrigue. This raunchy comedy starts as one cousin throws up on the Prime Minister and gets only more frenzied as the both are launched into jail, heartbreak and a road trip- all while chasing the story of their careers. A Persephone Theatre and Theatre Network Production
While viewer discretion is advised for coarse language, I strongly recommend that you see this play. Wednesday October 27th and today, October 20th, it’s Pay What You Can. You can also buy tickets online.
Disclosure: The tickets to attend Thunderstick for myself and my Plus One were sponsored very generously by Persephone Theatre and Theatre Network. They have made it explicit that I have no obligation nor commitment to write a review at all (although, in this case, I choose to do so). I am not paid to write the review either. In any review I write, 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 was concerned this morning that I wouldn’t have anything purple in my wardrobe to show (symbolically) my support for Spirit Day, an American-led but followed world-wide initiative launched by GLAAD to show support against anti-gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, two-spirited and, in general, anti-queer bullying. While I support all initiatives against all types of bullying, anti-GLBT bullying is right now top of mind because of recent events (several US queer youth taking their own lives because they were bullied). Luckily I found my purple dress shirt, so I’m wearing the outfit to the right to teach today.
My good friend Derek K. Miller wrote a fantastic post on how anti-gay bigotry is leading to dead children, and I couldn’t help but get my eyes all teary. Those kids who took their own lives were someone’s children. I don’t even want to imagine the pain that their parents are going through and will continue to go through. I am not a parent yet, but if I ever have children, I hope I will be able to instill in them the self-confidence and reassurance my own parents instilled in me.
As I mentioned in a recent post, I survived not thanks to my childhood friends and certainly not thanks to my teachers, but thanks to my brothers and my parents and their love and support (and strangely enough, right after the bullying stopped, I became the most popular kid in my high school. Go figure).
It may only be a symbol (wearing purple today), but I still encourage you to do so. Because as a commenter on Derek’s blog post said, being queer is being part of a (for the most part) invisible minority. I completely understand the commenter’s point of being gay isn’t easily identifiable (as opposed to being part of a certain minority ethnicity). So, for those who can’t tell YOU they are queer, why not tell THEM that you support them in their silent struggle? Wearing purple today is one of the ways to show that support.
I love Greek food, and coincidentally, every time I’ve gone to a play or a movie in Kitsilano with my good friend Jason Sanders we have ended up eating Greek food (we went this past spring to see The Wedding Singer at the Jericho Arts Centre and then for dinner to Kerkis Taverna, both in Kitsilano. Jason took me for dinner to Piato Estiatorio as I had wanted to try it for a while, and it was very near by Fifth Avenue Cinemas, where we went to see the Waiting For Superman’s premiere.
We ordered a $25 fixed price menu. I started with an Avgolemono (a chicken soup finished with egg, lemon and dill garnish – not my favorite, but good) as a first course. My main course was a ling cod (pan fried, served with steamed greens and roasted seasonal veggies – this one was my favorite dish). The dessert was Greek yogurt Sundae with candied pecans and grape spoon sweets, which was amazing, I have to admit. I could NOT finish it, sadly.
The service was excellent, and for the prix fixe, we really got good value. Both Jason and I really enjoyed (and thanks Jason for taking me out for dinner!). I’ll probably come back to Piato Estiatorio at some point in the next few months. Good Greek food at reasonable prices, not exorbitant.
VLAFF’s focus in 2010 is on Colombian cinema, so it was just fitting that “Los Viajes Del Viento” (“The Wind Journeys”) was the first production screened at the Festival. If one’s intention in watching a movie is to be transported to far-away realities, then “The Wind Journeys”, directed by Ciro Guerra, certainly accomplishes that, as we’re led on a long trip to the northern region of Colombia.
The plot is simple: take a teenager coming of age during a long journey, mix it with doses of undeserved loyalty, add a man’s bitterness, and there’s the essence to the story.
With Colombia’s diverse geography as the backdrop, we watch as young Fermín (skillfully portrayed by Yull Nuñez) follows master accordion player Ignacio Carrillo (Marciano Martínez) on a trip to take a prized accordion back to its original owner. The cinematography certainly does justice to the country’s rich colours, and spectators are shown landscapes that they probably never guessed existed in that country.
There are several light-hearted moments throughout the film, largely made possible by Yull Nuñez brilliant performance as Fermín. You don’t need to understand Spanish – or read the subtitles – to understand his emotions. His face says it all.
There was also some suspense and several quirky elements to keep the senses alert, such as a strange group of party revellers that spoke a strange dialect and seemed intent on wearing their shades – even at night.
Nuñez superb acting, and the great cinematography (by Paulo Perez), were the highlights of a film with a predictable screenplay. Having said that, “The Wind Journeys” was a pleasant introduction to Colombian cinema and I’d still recommend it.
Guacira Naves is an online marketing specialist with over 10 years of experience in the digital space. She can be reached at The Online Strategy House.
It’s funny how some people who read my blog don’t realize that I travel a lot (mostly because I am an academic and have papers to deliver and presentations to give). At the same time, I have done several media trips to showcase beautiful British Columbia (in particular, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Island – read my Salt Spring Island, Sidney by the Sea, Qualicum Beach and Parksville posts for a taster – though I have also written about my travels to Toronto and Calgary). But lucky for me, some of the tourism associations in Western Canada DO know I have written about my travels and showcased our fair province.
Thus I was absolutely when Tourism Victoria invited me to a media event this past Thursday (and even more thrilled when I won a door prize!). I love the Fairmont Pacific Rim, and it’s SO close to my office at The Network Hub, I can always walk easily to the Fairmont Pacific Rim to their Skybar for a drink. Moreover, my good friend Shawn Soole (from Clive’s Classic) was mixing the cocktails, so it was absolutely a delight. And I got to see several good friends and make new ones. It was a lot of fun.
It was also a great opportunity to network with other travel writers, and get some tips from them. In particular, I found Julie Ovenell-Carter‘s thoughts incredibly enlightening.
And it was a pleasure to meet Holly Lenk from Tourism Victoria in person! Thanks again for the invite and for the door prize!
Visiting Toronto for the first time without the pressure to be just flown in and flown out was a lot of fun. I did fall in love with Toronto. While I was adjusting to the jet lag, and after I had completed my first day of meetings and talks, I went for a walk around Cabbagetown in the downtown east side of Toronto. I had already been here on the first day I arrived as Meghan and Pamela joined me for dinner at Margaritas.
Speaking of Margaritas, there’s a blog post forthcoming. Dinner and all said, I hadn’t really explored Cabbagetown. Honestly, it’s such a cute area of downtown Toronto. From the Wikipedia entry:
The name Cabbagetown came from stories of new Irish immigrants digging up their front lawns and planting cabbage, as had been done during the years of the Irish Potato Famine. In this era the Cabbagetown name most often applied to the area south of Gerrard Street, with the part to the north still being called Don Vale. It was a working class neighbourhood, but reached its peak of prosperity just before the First World War, which is when many of the brick homes in the area date from.
I found this area to have a lot of character, and frankly I didn’t feel unsafe at all walking around at night.
I’ll have to explore Toronto in more detail next time!
JT knows my Mom used to be an opera singer, and thus has made a point of ensuring that we attend at least one operatic performance per year together. He got us tickets to the world premiere of Lillian Alling, the first-ever Canadian opera I’ve ever witnessed. According to what I read on Wikipedia about Lillian Alling, she was an Estonian woman of Russian heritage who immigrated to the US and Canada and then tried to return to her homeland in Russia. Interestingly enough, that’s not exactly the story told in the operatic version. JT and I went for dinner to Relish Gastropub before the performance.
After dinner, he took me to Queen Elizabeth Park to see Lillian Alling. Read the VO’s summary:
In 1927, young Lillian Alling arrives in New York City from Russia in desperate search of a man called Jozéf. Penniless, she walks across North America and into the wilds of northwestern BC, following Jozéf’s elusive path. During her brave trek, she is embraced by a Norwegian farming community in North Dakota, incarcerated in Oakalla Prison Farm near Vancouver, and loved by Scotty, a lineman along BC’s “telegraph trail”.
Seeking freedom in the future but bound to a dark past, Lillian’s fierce determination and alluring mystery drive her into danger and forever change the lives of everyone she meets. A cathartic scene on the banks of Skeena River reveals a shocking truth and brings Lillian face to face with destiny. Her story will take you deep into the emotional heart of love and courage.
I have been in the past a guest of the Vancouver Opera to two performances as one of their first participants in the Blogger Night programme (Nixon in China, Salome). Other times, JT has taken me out himself (like, for example, Rigoletto and last night’s Lillian Alling). My friend Tris Hussey took me to the opening night of Carmen last year, and we reviewed it for Sexy in VanCity. I have, overall, reviewed a substantial number of the previous 2 seasons’ performances. And I really liked most of them.
Until Lillian Alling.
Let me explain and provide a few disclaimers. First of all, I grew up listening to classical opera. For me, La Traviata speaks more to me than Nixon in China did. Lucky for me, La Traviata is playing in April of 2011 at the Vancouver Opera. Second, I have a really hard time with cognitive dissonance when I see opera sung in English. Third, I love stories where the storytelling is not intricate but more linear and rapidly-developing.
Let me tell you first what I loved about Lillian Alling, then what I didn’t like and finally, I’ll summarize my review by saying you should check it out, love it or hate it. I loved the voices and strong performances of everyone in the cast, an extremely powerful group of talented singers with extraordinary voices. Judith Forst stole my heart as fragile yet strong Irene. Frédérique Vézina delivers an undoubtedly riveting performance. Aaron St. Clair Nicholson, a powerful and great singer who shows us understanding and compassion (though, strangely — I had a bit of cognitive dissonance seeing Roger Honeywell playing Forst’s son). I absolutely enjoyed the connection with Vancouver, Canada and British Columbia. I loved Act II where the story unfolds. I really enjoyed the scenes that show a connection between mother and son (reminded me of my own Mom). I loved Act II’s music, and the collective scenes where there’s dancing and collective singing. And the production itself (combining video, music, etc. in the background with great physical displays and choreography) was marvelous.
I didn’t like the storytelling in Act I. It felt disjointed and I got bored right after Lillian Alling arrived to Brooklyn. It took A REALLY LONG TIME to tell the beginnings of the story of Lillian Alling. The singing felt somewhat weird in my brain … I am so used to listening to songs that rhyme, or to simply listen to arias in English, that I had a lot of cognitive dissonance. While the orchestra was simply outstanding, I doubted the choice of songs. Though, truth be told, in Act II I really enjoyed the music, and the story-telling.
In summary – why should you go and see Lillian Alling? First of all, because this cast and the accompanying opera and production team are absolutely talented. Second, because it’s based on a true story. Third, because it’s a demonstration of pure Canadiana (and as you know, I love to showcase Canadian content). Finally, because it has a beautiful connection to Vancouver and a wonderful story to tell of the love of a mother, wife and daughter.
Because Lillian Alling provides an amazing depiction of the brave immigrant women who have moved to Canada to build a family and give them a chance at a better life.
Lillian Alling continues to play for 3 more nights, on October 19, 21, and 23. Let me know if you go see it and what you thought of it. You can also read the reviews/liveblogs of two of my good friends who are part of this seasons’ Opera Blogger programme: Miranda Lievers and Stacey Robinsmith.
I am an educator (and I have taught from high-school level to graduate level, Masters and PhD), and so I have a direct stake in the fate of the education system. So when I got an invite to see the Vancouver premiere of Waiting for Superman (and I gave away a couple of pairs of tickets for it), I was very excited to go check the movie.
While I teach at a university, I feel rather ill-equipped to make an informed commentary on the state of Canadian and American pre-university educational systems. I don’t have experience teaching high school nor grades below. That said, three of my nieces and two of my nephews live in the US and I think I will do some informal research and talk with them about their perception of both the movie and the US educational system.
My own view of the movie was that it was heartbreaking, if everything said on the movie was true. Of course, as my good friend Meghan said, there are points where it looks totally inflammatory and overstated. One of the things that it made me think about was – this will be a topic that my students will have to analyze in my Public Policy course next term. There is no better way to assess the state of the educational system than look at data.
And as I mentioned, I’m a specialist in environment and public policy who teaches at the university level, I’m not a specialist in educational policy, so I have no direct experience. My nieces (and by extension, my brother and his wife) are, however, directly immersed in the US/California educational system (college, high school and grade school), so I will ask them how they feel about the movie.
All in all, as a movie that will tug at your heart and make you think about the future of your children’s education, I liked Waiting for Superman. It’s showing at Fifth Avenue Cinemas right now.
I had never been able to cover We Day, so when I got an invitation to attend as a media outlet, I was really glad. I had heard of the work of Craig Kielburger (and his brother Marc), so I wanted to see what We Day looked like.
Lucky for me, my good friend Rebecca Bollwitt (Miss604) was also covering the event so she helped me navigate things (also, thanks to Lesley Chang for vouching for me at the media accreditation area and everyone who liaised with me for media access – I have to say, the treatment that these folks gave me as media has been probably some of the best I’ve received – other folks could learn a thing or two on how to treat media).
I knew my friends Minna Van (The Network Hub) and Kerry Sauriol (Crunchy Carpets) were there too, so it was nice to see the Twitter stream of energetic, vibrant folks.
I had to head to UBC to teach so I couldn’t really stay for more than the preliminary remarks (I wish I could have stayed to listen to Al Gore, whom I’ve met personally and listened to).
I have to say that I feel a bit conflicted about such a great big event – pondering if the money used in putting together such a great celebration (and yes, I can tell you it was clear the kids were totally ecstatic about being there) instead of say, using what could be spent there into projects local communities. But the truth be told, on the other hand, I can totally see how being a part of this event could galvanize kids to take action and be agents of change. So, for that, and for a very well organized event, kudos to the organizers of We Day.
I felt the positive energy flowing, and that was pure awesome. Thanks to the organizers for the invite!
Despite how hard I’ve been working (at some points, seven days a week, up to 13 hour days, which makes a work week of over 100 hours), I have made a real effort to maintain my physical fitness. As one of my resolutions for the year 2010 was getting fitter (because I promised myself I would be able to play competitive volleyball again), I do cardiovascular activity 3 days a week.
At the same time, I do weight training 3 days a week too. Monitoring my body’s performance throughout has been a lot of fun (I am a data fiend). The interesting part for me is that my cardio routine is a bit of a struggle up until minute 13th. And then, for some reason, I feel like I can climb the Grouse Grind the same way my friend Sebastian Albrecht did (by the way, what an amazing feat!)
Not sure why that is, but it’s been consistent. After minute 13, all my workouts feel way easier. How about you? Do you have the same response as my body does?
I thought I had written about all of the Glowbal Group restaurants (after all, I have eaten at pretty much all of them), but as it turns out no, I hadn’t done a write up for Sanafir. Even though Glowbal Group partnered with me to give away dinner gift certificates as part of my Happy Father’s Day promotional campaign. So, I was thrilled to be at Sanafir the other night for a few drinks with a small group of great friends of mine Peter and Marilyn Andersen, John Biehler, John and Rebecca Bollwitt, Tanya and Barry Desrosiers, Keira Anne Mellis and Duane Storey (our friends Ianiv and Arieanna had already left as they had to get home to see their little one).
Drinks at Sanafir (and eats) are pretty good. I ordered 2 Nile’s (a pineapple and vodka drink that tasted glorious at $9.00) and a Dahab (at $7, not overpriced). All these cocktails were great. We shared a few appetizers, but the better part of the evening was just spending time with friends. I’ll definitely come back to Sanafir for dinner. I’m sold just by the drinks!
Well, actually The Corner Suite Bistro is not exactly on Robson Street, but it’s close enough. Located at Smithe and Thurlow (and exactly at a corner!), I have grown to love this restaurant/bar. I first got wind of The Corner Suite Bistro from my friend Chris Walts, who is a frequent customer. I then attended a farewell party for the Wilcox PR company at the same location. The trademark drink I have had here (the Journalist, $9.00) is a great concoction that, while a bit on the tart side, might leave you feeling like a truck hit you. The day after, of course. On the night of, you’ll see how these drinks go down so easily. I haven’t tried the food yet.
But as far as cocktails is concerned, this is the place to go. I will definitely come back for dinner at The Corner Suite Bistro the next time I am downtown.
I love when TV stars go back to their roots in theatre. So when I was informed that Kenneth T. Williams play, Thunderstick, was going to be staged by Lorne Cardinal from the Canadian TV show Corner Gas and Royal Canadian Air Farce regular Craig Lauzon, I wanted to be able to see it and also promote it so that my readers can see it too. It’s also one of the first times I’ve been to a combined Persephone Theatre/Theatre Network Production. Thunderstick will play at the Firehall Arts Centre from Oct. 13 – 30 and tickets range in the range from $17 – $29. You can purchase tickets by phone 604-689-0926 or on the Firehall Arts Centre website. BUT I also have a pair of tickets to give away!
From the official press release:
Lorne Cardinal and Craig Lauzon star as mismatched journalist cousins on the trail of scandalous political intrigue. The cousins – one a globetrotting photojournalist, the other an unsuccessful reporter with a penchant for drinking – have been estranged since their youth on the reservation and are now brought together by unforeseen circumstances. The raunchy comedy begins when one cousin throws up on the Prime Minister, and gets only more frenzied as they’re launched into jail, heartbreak and a road trip into the Ontario backwoods – all while chasing the story of their careers.
Opening night is tomorrow night (October 14th), and a lucky reader of mine will walk away with a pair of tickets to Wednesday October 20th’s performance of Thunderstick. Simply drop a comment on this post describing your last road trip (if you’ve ever taken one, or if not, where you would go should you decide to go on a road trip). I will draw a random winner at 2:30pm on Monday October 18th at 2:30pm. Good luck!
Growing up with academics in the family always made me ponder what the best procedures were so that I could be as productive as my parents or my brothers. We were raised on a multidisciplinary, multi-activity household, where we did arts, science, volunteer work and sports. But for some reason I often struggled with sitting down for hours to write.
It was easy for me to run regressions, create mathematical models or design programs, but during my graduate coursework (especially the PhD), I had a hard time spending long hours writing and in particular, getting started on papers. So I asked two professors at UBC what their technique was to jump-start their day. The question I asked was – what do you do first thing in the morning that allows you to concentrate on academic work rather than on administrative trivia.
One of them indicated that the first thing she did was read an academic paper (book chapter, journal article, etc.) to get her thinking juices started. The other one suggested that she sat down to write. Just wrote for an hour or two, or even three. She got her coffee and sat down to write, and around 11 am she would check email, etc.
Now that I’m spending 60% of my time on campus, my routine is a combination of both of these. I arrive to my UBC office, coffee in hand, and I read at least one journal article. I then write my thoughts on the article (like an annotated bibliography) and, if said article is included in the paper I am writing, I bring those thoughts into the paper. I don’t let anyone interrupt my workflow until after lunch (my office hours are 2:30pm to 3:30pm).
If I am preparing lecture slides, I still read an article or two, and then move on to writing the slide deck. I usually prepare my lecture one day in advance, and on the day-of, I simply go through my slide deck and rehearse once more.
If your primary activity is writing (and/or research, or any activity that requires long, intense periods of concentration), what is your morning routine? How do you jump start your days?
After Social Media Camp Victoria 2010, a number of us (attendees, volunteers and in my case, speakers) went to a Scottish pub in the heart of downtown Victoria (Bard and Banker Scottish Pub) to have some food and hang out. While it’s a decently-sized pub, the service wasn’t all that impressive at the beginning, to be quite honest.
But by the end of the night, I really had enjoyed my visit there, mostly because I sat in the area that was originally reserved for us, and just hung out with Jordan Keats, Jodie Gastel and Chris Parsons. Despite my “hummingbird” behavior, I’m not really all that social when I am in crowds. I get “over-people’d”.
As soon as I arrived, I asked one of the waitresses which area we were supposed to sit in. After a few minutes of back-and-forth, we were led to the back room and the patio (both very pretty and spacious locations). I ordered a beer ($5.00) and a really strange dish (Indian curry chicken stew topped with parsnip whipped potatoes, for $15.00).
At first, I was worried I was going to still be hungry after dinner, but the curry chicken was surprisingly VERY good, and very filling. My overall bill came to about $23 (we got a 15% discount because of SMC).
The waitresses were really nice and I can’t complain at all about the service after we were seated because they were really friendly and prompt. Our food was of good quality and the beer was also good. Overall, I probably will come back to Bard and Banker on a night when they’re not too crowded. The food wasn’t horribly expensive and was very tasty. And the company and conversations were the best part.
I was raised in a musical household. My Mom was a soprano coloratura, and my Dad played the guitar (classical) since childhood, as well as the piano. We all (my four brothers and I) studied piano when we were children and my brothers play concert-level classical piano (I don’t; though I still play a bit, I moved on to dance and theatre). As I grew up, my parents made every effort to bring us to concerts, not only to play but to simply enjoy them.
So when Mark Robins from GayVancouver.net invited me and a bunch of other Twitterers to an interpretation of Gilbert and Sullivan by Maestro Bramewell Tovey, a concert put on by The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at The Orpheum this past Saturday, I was absolutely delighted. I was joined by several friends of mine: Caroline McGillivray, Rebecca Bollwitt, Marc Smith, Gus Fosarolli, Josh Rimer, Donovan from Homorazzi, Ryan Bazeley, Cynnamon Schreinert and Jay Catterson (from VQFF).
Photo by Mark Robins (GayVancouver.net)
The performance itself was fantastic and I really would encourage my readers to attend. We got some pretty snazzy photos from The Orpheum (as we were invited to go backstage to meet Maestro Tovey). It was a lot of fun.
Alfred Hitchcock has the ability to scare the hell out of me, to this day. So when I learned that The Arts Club was putting together a live performance based on Hitchock’s 1935 film The 39 Steps, I thought to myself I should definitely check it out. I’m looking forward to seeing four gifted actors (Martin Happer, Diana Coatsworth, Shawn Macdonald, David Marr) play over 150 zany characters in what The Arts Club call a “Monty Python-flavoured Hitchcock spoof that just might give you vertigo!”.
A seductive mystery woman, an accusation of murder, a missing finger, and a mad dash to foil foreign spies!
And a lucky reader of mine may be able to check this play out as well, as The Arts Club has kindly given me a pair of tickets to give away for opening night, Wednesday October 27th.The 39 Steps runs from Oct 21 to Nov 21, at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage. To enter my contest, simply drop a comment on this post letting me (and my other readers) know about the last live theatrical performance you’ve enjoyed. I will draw a random winner on Monday October 25th at 5:30pm (right after my Monday class is over). I’ll give the winner 24 hours to contact me and if I don’t get a response, I will re-draw until I get a winner.
Given that I am an educator and that I teach at a Canadian university, I thought it would be rather relevant to showcase the movie “Waiting for Superman”, by Davis Guggenheim. From the website’s synopsis, I found out that the movie follows the stories of five kids embedded in the US education system.
I have in total 4 tickets (2 pairs) to give away for the Vancouver premiere of Waiting for Superman on October 13th at 7pm at 5th Avenue Cinemas. I will be drawing winners tomorrow (Tuesday October 12th at 5:00pm). I will follow the same procedure as always, but since the premiere is on Wednesday, I will redraw again within a few hours if I don’t hear from the winner.
Good luck, and I look forward to meet the winner(s) of my contest on Wednesday!
Unless you really don’t know me or my blog, you’ll probably know that one of the biggest areas of research in my academic life is water (specifically, wastewater governance, cultural perceptions of drinking water, conflict in transboundary water bodies and adaptation of water policy to climatic change). So when I found out that Blog Action Day this year was focused on water, I told myself I could NOT not participate. This is too important an issue not to. I have written about water both on my research blog and on my personal blog. I’ve discussed concepts like the water footprint, water stress, the culture of flushing and the commodification of water.
I research wastewater governance (a topic most academic folks eschew), mostly because I realize that every day 2 million tonnes of human waste end up in water courses. I realize that my caffeine intake procedure needs to be changed, because coffee consumes up to 140 litres of water per cup (virtual water).
On October 15th, consider (a) donating to charity:water or any other water charity of your choice and (b) writing about water on your personal or professional blog. Fridays are usually my research day, but with October 15th being Blog Action Day, I will be blogging about my water research on my professional blog, and possibly publish one or two posts here.
Hope you will join in the action. Because environment is MUCH more than just climate change.
In Canada, we celebrate Thanksgiving one month earlier than our cousins in the United States of America (and from my perception of how popular this holiday is in Canada, it’s relevant but not even close to how Americans celebrate their Thanksgiving. Here, the celebration happens on the second Monday in October. This statutory holiday is intended to give thanks at the close of the harvest season.
I have spent most Canadian Thanksgiving with friends, and this year will not be the exception. For someone who comes from a Latin American family, thanksgiving (the celebrations, both the American and Canadian) don’t have much meaning, except for the fact that I have dozens of reasons to be thankful for.
I’m thankful for being alive, and for having the ability to live my life to the fullest.
I’m thankful for being successful and able to work in the field that I want doing what I love.
I’m thankful for being surrounded with numerous people who care deeply about me.
I’m thankful for the position I have reached with my social media platforms, as these help me achieve many goals and help me help lots of people.
I’m thankful for my friends, all of them. Those that I found through social media and those who remain offline, but stay in my heart.
I’m thankful for my family, my brothers, my parents, my nieces and nephews, both those from blood and those I have adopted as nieces and nephews (children of my close friends).
I’m thankful for my health, my intellectual capacity and my ability to persevere through the goals I had set for 2010.
I’m thankful that I live in a country where people accept you for who you are.
Despite relentless teasing by my friends from Invoke Media (who often ponder if I actually do use HootSuite), I actually am not only a frequent promoter of their Twitter client (HootSuite) but a frequent user too. At Social Media Camp Victoria 2010, Scott Stratten (UnMarketing) suggested that if you are strapped for time, you should schedule at least 30 minutes a day for social media activities. Sadly, I can’t really do that. So I decided this past weekend to use a few hours to write all the blog posts for the upcoming week, and schedule tweets that would promote my giveaways and posts. I think this actually works better. Admittedly, I can’t really spend much time every day because I do spend over 60% of my time now on academic activities, so 4 solid hours of social media helps me.
Do you pre-schedule blog posts and/or tweets? If so, how much time does it take you?
If you don’t like burlesque, or have a problem with sexually-charged performances by scantily-clad women and men, this performance may not be for you. But risqué as this burlesque musical is, it’s also really fun. You may remember that I gave away tickets to Greece Does Grease last week. I got to see it live with JT after opening night.
While there were some minor problems with microphones and a little bit of asynchronicity in some of the songs’ choreography, Greece Does Grease is an extraordinarily well-performed burlesque show that brings out the magic of Grease (the movie that immortalized Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta) to a representation of the seduction of Persephone by Hades (the ruler of the Underworld) and the subsequent mayhem.
I love musicals, I love burlesque, and while there were a couple of points where my conservative self squirmed a little bit, I have to admit that I had a lot of fun. Below you’ll find a list of the songs as performed in the show as well – I love how the actors and actresses don’t have actual names, but stage names – Persephone is recreated by Miss Fitt, and Hecate is Melody Mangler. Too funny.
I would strongly recommend you check out Greece Does Grease at The Waterfront Theatre until October 16th. Check my blog post for information on where to buy tickets, etc. Thanks to Screaming Chicken Productions for inviting me to see Greece Does Grease and for providing tickets for my giveaways!
We’re Gods Together – Full Cast
Greek Lightning – Zeus, Chorus
Persephone – Nymphs (Chorus)
Wild Lover – Persephone
Back to Rule – Hades
There Are Bad Things You Can Do – Hecate
You Know What I Want – Zeus, Demeter, Chorus
Hopelessly Devoted to Genocide – Demeter
Vile Underworld – Demons (Chorus)
God for All Seasons – Persephone
Winter Nights – Full Cast
There are many reasons why I am grateful to blogging. Last Friday, as we were both having a cocktail at Sanafir with other close friends we met through blogging, Rebecca and I were discussing how we have made so many fantastic friends just from reading each other’s blogs and then meeting in person. Ianiv Schweber is one of those friends I wouldn’t have met if it hadn’t been for our blogs.
Ianiv and Arieanna Schweber (the Blogaholics) have been friends of mine for a few years now, but it’s been really the past couple of years that have solidified our friendship. Ianiv is one of those extremely generous and kind men who is always there when you need him. We have many things in common, our Mexican heritage, our love for Mexican candy and Mexican food, and as his family has grown (he’s now a proud dad to Aiden), our friendship has grown as well. Ianiv, on your birthday, I wish you all the very best. You continue to inspire me to be a better role model. I treasure our friendship, and wish you que te la pases super bien en tu cumpleaños!
Spending a Saturday morning at my UBC office reading academic journal articles, books and book chapters. Soaking again in the waters of full-fledged research. Conceptualizing new ideas and testing my thoughts. Writing conference papers and editing journal articles.
This is my idea of paradise, ladies and gentlemen.
I was born to an academic couple, and raised within an academic family. As my parents say, academia is the family business. And while none of my family members actually see academia as a business (we all know that we never will get rich being professors), we all (those of us who stayed in academia, my two brothers and my Mom and myself) absolutely adore what we do.
A few weeks ago, my good friend Arieanna Schweber asked me how my academic work was going. Arieanna has been a good friend of mine for a while, and she does know of my academic life and how I try (sometimes unsuccessfully) to balance it all with my social media life. When she mentioned this, I realized that I had done very little to promote my academic work.
While I have had a rather unorthodox academic life, and I may not be seen by some traditional, very orthodox academics as “the young, promising, up-and-coming” scholar, I have been able to stay on top of my field, and I continue to do rigorous research in areas that many scholars don’t even touch. Call me self-absorbed, but it’s true. I still contribute to my academic field. And I love doing it.
I now devote at the very least one full day (Friday) to research, and Mondays and Wednesdays are my academic days too (I teach those days). By spending 60% of my time on campus, I force myself to think only about my research (and teaching). I am devoting more than 60% of this long weekend to preparing a paper and submitting a few abstracts.
