excuses, excuses

i am very good at making excuses.
i'm GREAT at coming up with justification for why we can, can't, might be able to, or may never get around to doing certain things.
some friends come to me in particular, when they aren't sure if they should do something, and they need someone to just give them that little push over the edge.

this is all to say, i'm justifying not writing every day this week, because it's a hectic, crazy week of all day meetings, constant creating, running errands, and BEST of all, using all the leftover time (including the time i should probably spend sleeping, in and around all of those other things) visiting with one of my favourite people in the world, erin, who has managed to coordinate a work trip and extend it into a visit too.

so. there's that. and one of my goals is to write more consistently, AND to write with more substance. so you can see how you'll all benefit from that one.

my (late) weekend in summary

fun weekend of fun. and some weird pressures i put on myself to make sure everyone else has fun too.... but nevertheless. all fun.

perfect timing for a nail polish delivery (yes. i get nail polish delivered. it's a sick sick problem); saturday market at trout lake; lunch at la taqueria - my choice. of course; great font - could you believe it's a scientology truck? (why do scientologists need a truck??); beer tasting flight from portland craft for dinner; you should have the chicken and waffles. OR the burger. both are amazing; drinks at the acorn with friends for a good night of cocktails; flowers, cookies, baked goods from beaucoup, and a card - friends who i get to work with... so great; my life can be summed up in one photo - liquids and computers. working hard on a sunday. 

hope everyone had a fantastic weekend - happy 'back to school' everyone!

love is gorgeous when everybody else is falling to pieces

"that first night. we tucked ourselves far, far away from the world and all its abattoirs and decline. stella called our bed the drunken boat, and the phrase was just. we floated unintentionally. the dying being elsewhere was a kind of deliciousness, i don't want to deny. we wrapped ourselves in our escape, in the harsh lushness of georgian bay, in the quilt of our seperation. love is gorgeous when everybody else is falling to pieces. that first night, our marriage was as safe as any marriage had ever been. the drift imperceptible."

 - how the children stayed beautiful in a time of many catastrophes, by stephen marche (in  the malahat review, summer 2013)

things i'm in love with

happy friday! this week's been a long (and fairly emotional) one. it's been exhausting, to say the least, and i needed this weekend more than some i've needed before. on that note, just a small list of things i love today. not because i don't love lots of things, but just because i have a list of things to do longer than my body (and i'm tall), and i can't focus on any one thing longer than a television sitcom (22 minutes - not even an hour long!).

just a reminder that i should watch fantastic mr. fox again soon. one of my favourite movies in life.

my new favourite website - the dictionary of obscure sorrows... a beautiful site dedicated to words and the psycological interior which they mirror. in the author's own words, "A compendium of the aches, demons, vibes, joys and urges that roam the wilderness of the psychological interior. The author’s mission is to harpoon, bag and tag wild sorrows, then release them gently back into the subconscious."

and this beautiful video which gives you a sneak peek of the heartbreaking beauty that is the writing on this site. 

i'm sure lots of you have also been reading this, but forty days of dating comes to an end today. it's a fantastic look at relationships, people, and why we do the things we do. it's been not just an interesting story for me, but also provided me with bits of inspiration, and things about relationships and love that i think we can all relate to. and, if you haven't started reading, you come at a good time - the last day means you don't have to wait every day for a new entry, like all us suckers did. ho hum. love is something, isn't it?

david lynch's advice to a fan.... amazing.

see. told you it was short. sorry friends. have a GREAT weekend. 

hunting beer at the rio

it's no question that i love beer. i love all kinds of beer - light ones, heavy ones, cold ones, room temperature ones (that are meant to be that way, of course). flavoured ones, straight ones. i like my hefeweizens and my lagers, and my summer beers, and my reds. but i mostly love craft beers - ones that are brewed in small breweries, experimenting with flavours and fermentation periods, and all the stuff that makes each craft beer unique. i frequently take brewery tours on vacations (nearly every vacation i go on, i seek out the brewery to tour and see it in action).

so when i saw that a documentary on craft beer and cultural exploration was playing at the Rio theatre - a movie theatre i had been dying to get to since i've moved here - i was all cards in.

i had no idea what i was in for. 

the rio theatre is a movie venue in the east end that also functions as a stage for improv shows, and as a music venue - part of the reason i had been itching to get there. originally, i found an ad for improv against humanity, and was stuck like glue. 

so finally, when my schedule aligned with the beer event and documentary, i made the trip. 1 skytrain stop away, for a night of beer and culture. 

we arrived and paid our way in, to be greeted with a quick beer ticket handoff. i knew i was in heaven. the evening - organized by CAMRA - included a free beer with each ticket, in order to facilitate tastings with 33 acres, storm brewing, parallel 49 and r&b brewing. between 2 of us, we grabbed our 2 cups - a lager ale blend from 33 acres, and a vanilla stout from storm brewing - and sat to taste. those serving the beer did them justice - explaining the process and characteristics of each beer they were serving to eager recipients. 

the crowds line up during the 15 minute beer intermission.... for more beer. 

the film itself was a look inside the life and tasting of michael jackson - a legend in craft brewing. often thought of as part of the resurgence of craft brewing, and the grandfather of craft, the film was an incredible look into a short period of a man's life, whose passion was not beer, but in fact social connections, and the people who make the beer themselves. 

while the documentary wasn't of hollywood production by any means, it was an intimate picture of a man who did what he could for something he was passionate about, and people who he was passionate about helping. he loved the art, and the connection that beer provided within communities, and he did those people justice every day by aligning people's needs and wants with the beer community he knew existed, and yet hadn't been unearthed by a broad spectrum of people. 

what started for director JR richards as tasting segments for the rare beer club, turned into intimate moments with a wonderful man, whose passing from parkinsons provided reason for making these moments into a full length documentary. 

in a final cheers, the film wrapped up. never have i been in the audience of such a wound crowd, who spoke to the screen, with respect and affection (and perhaps a few beers in their belt). it was fun, and casual, and everything you would want a beer documentary evening to be about. i may have even cried a bit. 

so glad i went... and hope there are more events like this for the rio theatre and CAMRA. 

and, because, how can i let this entire entry pass by without a decent MJ reference. people.... did you think i would let that one go?