I've Never Been Called Athletic

It's true. My hand-eye coordination has always been good, but never in my life has someone complimented me for my physical prowess. 

Example:  Like most children, I took swimming lessons when I was young.  After three summers of lessons that all resulted unsuccessful attempts at passing onto the next level, the instructor told my mother, "Well, if she ends up in the water she won't drown... I think that's the best we can hope for."

That is all you really need from childhood swimming lessons... but it's also the least successful you can be. I mean, hearing her assessment of my swimming ability is the equivalent of, "There is a liquid that covers 2/3 of our planet. She has enough skill that she most likely won't die if dropped in it, but she'll never be good at navigating it in the way the rest of is are." Brutal honesty at its best.

I tell you this not to bemoan my childhood swimming traumas, but because this week I encountered my other childhood nemesis: skiing.  I took my first skiing lesson in over 15 years today. I can still pizza & French fry like a pro, but have now added parallel turns to my repertoire.  They're still rough,  but by the end of the day the instructor agreed that if I were randomly dropped on a hill with skis on my feet and poles in my hand that I could navigate down relatively... okay.   (i.e.,  I won't die, but it's not something I'm going to excel at.) I don't disagree. This sport requires a simple thing I lack - the proper alignment of one's hips, knees, and feet. As someone who was born duckfooted, this will never be something that is easy for me. So tomorrow I will sip hot chocolate and enjoy the beautiful view from the top of Whistler mountain, content in the knowledge that if absolutely necessary I could hobble my way down and likely not kill myself.

Though that's still the last resort.

Shout out to my friend Susan for the use of her ski gear. She had this novice looking like a pro!

Men in Tights

This weekend I attended a performance for Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (don't let the fancy name fool you, they're from NYC). The 'Trocks' as they're known, are an all-male ballet company who put a comedic spin on classical ballets. ... Honestly, it's tough to describe, so check-out the video below.

Now promise me you'll go see them if they're ever in your town. Well worth the ticket, I laughed my butt off.

X Marks the Spot - Part 1

Vancouver has many claims-to-fame, but for many of us it's the home to a favorite TV show. The city's nickname of "Hollywood North" is not misplaced - if you've watched television within the last 30 years, you've undoubtedly seen the streets of Vancouver painted as 'Any City, North America.' (Doubt it? Turn on the CW and watch the credits. Nearly everything on their network is filmed here. It's a little ridiculous.) Of the many shows filmed in Vancouver, one of my favorites is the 1990's hit "The X-Files."

As I ventured north this fall, I vowed to visit some of their filming locations. This blog entry highlights my first attempt at following the footsteps of Mulder & Scully.

Never Seen the Show? No Problem. I've summed-up every episode in seven photos...

Mulder: "Scully, I've been contacted by a random person with a strange story. This story has a plausible, scientific answer, but I think we should check-it out and assume it's aliens / big foot / Mexican Goat Sucker / a random monster."

Scully: "...erm..."

Mulder: "Scully, I think you should get down here. This thing is even weirder than I originally thought!!!"

Scully: "Can you please direct me to the other FBI agent? You know the one, he believes you're being attacked by aliens / big foot / Mexican Goat Sucker / a random monster?" ...eye roll...

Mulder: "See? I told you it was weird!"

Scully: "Mulder, just because we haven't seen it before doesn't mean its explanation is beyond the realm of science.... wait, WTF?!"

Scully: "Wait, let me use my doctor skills to analyze the evidence it left behind! Science will give us the answer."

Mulder & Scully: "We don't agree on what you are but you're hurting people, so we're going to shoot you!"

Mulder: "Have you determined a scientific explanation?"

Scully: "I've sent samples for testing, but nothing yet. You still think it's something unexplanable?"

Mulder: "Of course."

Scully: "Now what?"

Mulder: "Let's gaze at each other for a few seconds... just long enough to torture fans into believing we might actually end up as a couple when this show is over."

AND, SCENE.

X Marks the Spot - Part 1

When mapping my location tour, I lumped addresses into two categories: Driving vs. Walking. These stops represent most of my 'driving' locations. I was unable to visit one location since another show was shooting there that day. (I know, right?!) I added a 'walking' location to even things out. 

The X-Files shot in Vancouver & greater British Columbia for five seasons, so they've covered nearly every inch of the place. I narrowed the stops down to locations from my favorite episodes AND places that haven't been completely changed since the 1990's.

Episode: "Pilot" Season 1 / Episode 1

Story Location: Hotel in Bellefleur, Oregon

Real Location: Hotel in White Rock, British Columbia

This show ran for 10 seasons and my favorite episode is literally the first. The pilot is creepy, atmospheric, and introduces Scully's trademark skepticism to Mulder's unending belief in the paranormal. A number of scenes from that episode were filmed at the Cedar Lane Motel in seaside White Rock, B.C. Sadly, the motel has declined in recent years and wasn't a good place for a tourist to stop and linger. Actually, I drove past twice and didn't even pull in - city-living instincts told me not to, unless I wanted to end up as an FBI case myself. The photo below was taken by a fellow fan a few years ago.

So while I didn't get to have the moment I wanted here, during my location search I did learn that some of the episode was shot in Queen Elizabeth Park, which I pass every time I go to the community fitness center (which is 3-4 times a week, thank you very much). So now whenever I sweat it out on the elliptical, I can help Mulder & Scully solve the mystery of "What WAS in Ray Soames' nose?"

Queen Elizabeth Park

Episode: "Eve" Season 1 / Episode 10

Story Location: Seacrest Motel, Pt. Reyes National Seashore, California

Real Location: Seacrest Motel in White Rock, British Columbia

Eve is the story of US Government cloning go awry. Turns out the desire to build a stronger, faster, smarter human being can result in sociopaths... oops. It also taught my 13 year old self the word 'exsanguinate' and that if you mix digitalis into regular Coke, you can poison someone very easily. See? TV is educational.

Seacrest Motel in "California"

Seacrest Motel in White Rock

Frustratingly, I couldn't find the screen cap from the episode with them running into the hotel, which is what I took the photo for. Oh, well! Just trust me that it looks just like it did in the episode. 

Episode: "Home" Season 4 / Episode 3

Story Location: Peacock house, Home, Pennsylvania

Real Location: Surrey, British Columbia

The episode 'Home' was deemed so disturbing and inappropriate that it was banned from television for a number of years after its original airing. It was eventually allowed back, but only for airing after 10:00 p.m. By today's comparison, it's quite tame.

The story is set in small town Pennsylvania with a case that focuses on the Peacock family who are isolationists that practice inbreeding. See? No town is perfect. 

Peacock Home circa 1996

The real farmhouse circa 2015

To get the same angle as the TV cameras I would've had to trespass on private property. You can see that the 'left side' of the house today matches the house used in the show - specifically the left ground-floor window. It looks liked they added onto the house since the filming. Luckily I didn't run into the Peacock's 1950's Chevy as I drove away... they keep things in the trunk, ya know...

Episode: "Tooms" Season 1 / Episode 20

Story Location: 66 Exeter Street, Baltimore, Maryland

Real Location: Vancouver, British Columbia

This is episode 2 of 2 for the creepy & deadly Eugene Victor Tooms. Tooms has the ability to contort his body to fit in the tiny, innocuous openings that you think no one can fit through and therefore you never worry about. (ie, the heating vent in your bathroom or the small window in your hallway)

See? Scary.

Tooms always returns home after each kill, except during his incarceration his home was torn down and a mall was built. (What? It's an American show. We build malls everywhere.) And what mall did the show use? City Square Mall in Vancouver... which is two blocks from where I live... which is where I did most of my volunteer gift wrapping this December... which now boasts a Starbucks where I am typing this entry right now!!! I. AM. FREAKING. OUT.

The climax of the episode takes place underneath an escalator, where Mulder physically struggles with Tooms and finally kills him by flipping the 'on' switch to escalator.

Bad Guy Go Squish

I Go Grocery Shopping

The final scene takes place outside the shopping center. Naturally, the characters have moved from Maryland to D.C., but in reality they have moved forty feet.

This Dynamic Duo Ponders Their Future

I Wonder if I Can Get Home Before the Rain Starts

So far, the last location discovery was my favorite. An episode I love filmed so close to my home! I have more on the list, though, so stay tuned for more nerdy goodness.

Until then...

Marking A Milestone

I believe milestones are important to mark, even if they're not for ourselves. Remember this girl? The green one pictured below?

She and I left Chicago in September to many comments of, "You're driving a car with nearly 150,000 miles across country?!" Well, I did. She hit that milestone in the Great Plains and today, she hit another.

Crossing the Cambie Bridge while taking home a few of my improv friends, my Emilie hit 152,000 miles. Yep. The car everyone thought would crap out on me in middle-of-no-where USA is chugging just fine in my favorite city.

To celebrate, I'm thinking of taking her to a car wash.  ...nevermind, it's raining again.

Shopping Commentary

Running errands is rarely fun, but sometimes it can make you laugh. Today's grocery shopping, for instance...

 Damn hippies.

I wonder if the church gets any profit...

The monkeys don't have nuts - just check their right hands.

 ... no comment necessary.

January's 'Ah-ha!' Moment

My return to Chicago for the holidays was enjoyable for many reasons, but it also helped return some clarity to this trip I'm on.... after I returned to Vancouver. While getting settled in Van this fall I'd bemoaned the loss of my girlfriends - you know, the ones you can call for drinks after a bad day at work or the ones you can text for a last minute trip to the movies on a Friday night. I didn't have those people here and it was challenging for me. I definitely had people, it just wasn't the same.

After my first week back in Vancouver I had a moment of realization - it's not supposed to be the same. I touted my need for change for over six months, but I had never let that thought sink into the part of my brain that controls relationships. I already have girlfriends to meet for drinks - they just happen to be in a different city. What I need are people for this transitional / self-discovery period in my life... and I had already found the exact people for the job.

We also take bad-ass group photos

The people above are a sampling of my improv class. The night the photo was taken we had spent an evening 'out on the town' that ended with a round of sharing deep personal stories. Despite our varied beginnings, the vast majority of us have arrived in the same place and the same question: "What exactly do I want to be doing with my life?" Given our obvious shared love of the arts, we'd all like it to involve a creative outlet in a major way... it's just that journey of determining how. (Except for the woman next to me in the hoodie - she's an amazingly talented actress and will be on your TV sooner rather than later.)

So in the end, I don't just have friends in Vancouver, I have people to truly share this experience with. People who will support me during this time of change, as I am happy to support them. And I am so excited that we get to take this journey together.

The Plants are Growing Plants!

One of the things I haven't gotten used to about living in the rain forest is all the greenery. That sounds strange, I know. It's beautiful, but to someone like myself with moderate to severe environmental allergies it's also a challenge I'm not sure my body will completely overcome.

Here's an illustration of the excessive 'green'...

This is a fern growing out of moss.

This is a fern growing out of moss, that is growing on a tree.

 This is a fern growing out of moss, that is growing on a tree, that is growing on moss-covered dirt.

This is an entire residential neighborhood with trees that are growing moss & ferns.

This is my asthmatic self walking up a hill in that neighborhood.

Any questions?

Holiday Hangover

Similar to many people on the planet, I'm currently in the process of detoxing from the holiday fun, food, & festivities that took place over the last two weeks. I'm also trying to digest the many visits with friends & family in Chicago and how I felt being, as we say, "Back in the old neighborhood."  ...It's a lot to swallow.

During my trip, I got to do all the things. Christmas with the family & New Year's Eve with friends. I had lunch with a former co-worker, margaritas with the girls, caught a show downtown, decorated a gingerbread house with mom, saw a movie with dad, and had an old-school sleepover with the sister. I even got to experience the perils of holiday air travel. See? All the things.

Mom & I decorated...

...every house should have a gumdrop garden.

If you're in Chicago during December, visit the Chicago Botanical Gardens. Their display of Chicago in miniature - all made by plants - is astounding.

Art Institute - complete with wreath-wearing lions

 Chicago Skyline

Chicago Bungalows

(aka, the house your grandparents lived in or 

the house you live in now, after a gut-rehab)

The Broadway production of "Newsies" is now on tour. I saw it while in Chicago and can't say enough about how impressive the dancing & tumbling were. Their performance on the 2012 Tony Awards will give you a preview...

I did other things during my 10-day trip, such as bake, eat, and drive to all these fun activities in the Chicagoland area. I also finished Season 2 of American Horror Story and got through 7 of 8 episodes of Top of the Lake. (Naturally they don't have it on Canadian Netflix, so I have to wait for the resolution. First world problems!)

No matter what I did though, I felt comfortable in my hometown. I originally embarked on this journey because everywhere I went in Chicago felt 'itchy'. It felt small & clusterphobic, and I felt small in it. This time it felt welcoming. Still not sure it's where I'm going to end-up, but it was a surprising and positive reaction I didn't expect.

Now it's back to life in rainy Vancouver! Improv class starts again this week and I'm finalizing plans to head up to Whistler Blackcomb later this month. (Here's hoping I remember how to pizza and french fry!) I'll continue to post as the adventure continues!