Thursday, August 30, 2012

Hard Hitting Waves Of Change

 This week has been full of...
Moving boxes, a couch, my comfy bed, my truck full of plants,
my record player cabinet, and all the other 5 loads of material possessions 
I have acquired over the years... and somehow managed to fit them all into my tiny studio apartment.

Sneak peek photos :

 
I am starting to slowly but surely settle in...
I say this with caution however,
as I was pretty much fully unpacked on my first night,
but I have felt a certain unease about the place.

On the night of my second eve
I received a noise complaint from a neighbour,
and I right away turned off my music, 
seeing as it was 1 am and totally my fault,
and that it totally fine to ask me to quiet down.

However the next day I got an email from my landlord
telling me that tenants were complaining about my noise,
which seemed a little excessive as it was only one night of late night music makings...

If you know me,
you know that I freeze up when I get confronted with criticism,
and especially in a new situation...
so this has really affected me,
I can't relax
I can't play my music without worrying about it and
I don't even feel like I can have people over in more than 1 person at a time settings.

Also if you know me,
you also know that I am not a noisy person.
Yes I like to play music
and I like to sing in the bathtub...
but I am a great tenant and I don't feel like these new neighbours
have even given me a chance to show them how amazing I am...
And now frankly I don't feel like showing them...

I hope that this all blows over, as otherwise I am really loving the place,
but I want to be able to be me in a space,
and that means also being able to play my new Otis Redding record at a decent volume...
So I don't know how long I will be here.
Which sucks.
Big Time.

On to better news...

-School starts next week and I am excited about 
my 3 classes that I am taking 
this semester! 

-My friend Will from the UK is staying with me for a week,
so I get to play a tour guide in my own city, 
and show him all the behind the scenes perks of Vancouver

-I am going to my cousins wedding this weekend 
in Kamloops, which is a little frightening as I haven't seen
that side of my family in a long time
but I think it will still be a fun adventure

-Fringe festival starts this week! Can't wait to check out some
amazing and wacky shows!

- I bought a bodum and learned how to make coffee at home for the first time!
 
- I got a new haircut which I LOVE!
Its short short and even shorter than I have ever gone before 
(Photos to come!)

-Ive been taking the opportunity that I don't have the Internet at home
to check out some late night cafes near my place.
I am in love with the new 49th Parallel which is on 13th and Main st,
and it even has its own doughnut factory on premise which just makes it more awesome!

 

So as you can see there is a lot of amazing things going on right now
which I am trying to focus on and trying to put this whole 
apartment drama behind me.
Please send me good thoughts,
and let me know if you have ever dealt with a situation like this before.

Thanks!
Love Britt


Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Unread Article

       A little while ago I mentioned that I was embarking on a  new writing adventure, with a friend run paper called "The Filter". Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances in the two producers lives, the paper has been cancelled in only just after its first month of business. This has come as quite a shock to some of its contributors like myself, but c'est la vie life continues and gets better in time.

       As the paper was cancelled quite abruptly there were a couple of articles that got written but were never seen to print, and below I would like to share one with you that I wrote about my good friend Mr. Daniel Chai's Improv/Burlesque night called "Show us your Wits". Enjoy!

Show Us Your Wits

Its the last Tuesday of the month and that means that there is a whole ton of astounding talent being served up at Commercial Drive's Cafe Deux Soliel. The place is comfortably packed as always when I arrive and the nights host, funnyman and burlesque star Daniel Chai, flutters around the room as everyone takes their seats. The crowd is in for a treat tonight, beginning with a with the comedy stylings of local improv team “The Fictionals” and their comedian guest Brian Anderson. For a team that is constantly rotating between showcasing 5 out of their 15 members per show they run as quite the well oiled team. Performing a variety of classic short improv games similar to the show "Whose Line is it Anyways", they keep the show fresh and lively as they slip through sexual indeudos and imaginative storytelling.

The night is not all about comedy however, it is also about showcasing some of the cities hottest burlesque performers and more recently branching out into other beauties with uniquely mesmerizing talents. Tonight burlesque starlet Vanity Feral dazzled us with her flirty gazes and a whole lotta sexy shakes, baring it all for her adoring crowd who ate up every bit of her leopard print apparel and high energy act. Then the lights were turned down low and the music kicked up a stir as the multitalented Barbara Kozicki performed a seductive glow poi number for us. She has been practicing poi spinning for 13 years, which clearly showed through her well timed and tantalizing number that brought the night to an appropriate end. Show Us Your Wits is hosted the last Tuesday of every month for only a mere $5, but make sure you show up early to secure yourself a seat.


Thanks for reading!

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Gathering My Thoughts

         With only a week left till my move, I'm slowly getting all my ducks in gear... purging stuff with a last minute swap, returning borrowed items to friends as well as gathering items from them, packing those last boxes of household items.... and then the other day I went to the post office to change my mailing address and halfway through the process (which would have cost me $45), I decided instead to do it the old fashioned way.... I don't receive much mail other than letters from loved ones, and I actually comprised it to a list of only two senders : 1.) My school Douglas College and 2.) Save the Children foundation to which I donate monthly. I don't even have any bills in my name at this point (and won't either in my new place until I decide to get internet). So it was just a matter of updating my address with both of those companies yesterday and then laying open my address book, and picking out those names to which I write letters to...

   The list put me at 16 names to which I picked out 16 unique postcards from my stash that I have collected from various places over the years... some were gifts where others I used to hang on my walls... I love these postcards and I love these people.... so I am sending them out with my new address in hopes that some mail love will come my way to my new apartment :)

    If you want to receive a postcard with my new address for some penpal love, just comment below... I am an excellent penpaller, just let me show you ;)

    Love Britt

p.s. Just wanted to say that in writing these postcards I managed to memorize my new mailing address (including the postal code!). What a great way to remember it! 

Monday, August 13, 2012

A Mothers Love


I have been reading this book from the library lately, which has caused me to think about the traditions that I want to bring into my family life someday.
This book has caused me to think about all the wonderful things that my mom has done for me and my family over the course of our lives, and makes me grateful for the way that she made every day more special with the little things she did for us. So I just wanted to share a few of them here with you...

- When my sister and I first got our periods, my mom allowed us to take the day off of school, took us out for a celebratory meal and bought us a new outfit to celebrate our change into adulthood. What a special way to come into our bodies, as it can be such an awkward stage of life. She was also always there (and still does this) for us with any questions that we ever have about our bodies (its awesome having a retired nurse as a mom).

- Every year when we were teenagers, my mom started a tradition where my mom would at the beginning and end of summer vacation, no matter where we were, we would go and have a meal together and then walk to a local body of water. There we would collect three stones and at the starting of the summer we would make three goals for the summer ahead, and throw our stones in the water. Then likewise at the end of the summer we would say our three favorite parts of the summer, sharing them out loud with each other. It was a great way of connecting with my family and learning to make good goals, which is something do a lot of in my life now.

-Every Christmas eve we would go to midnight mass together, which is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season, and then every Christmas morning, we would wake up to the same album - Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" (which I have now bought on vinyl for my new player) - and open our presents. We always get a new pair of homemade PJ's for Christmas to open on Christmas eve,  which used to be new pajama pants but now my mom has moved onto a new fad of making us long flannel pj's. Nate has adorably nicknamed my flannels, my "Easter egg", my "Christmas bauble", and my "spring onion" due to their colour combinations. She has sparked my interest in sewing from a young age and now knitting, which is a large part of my life, and I am so grateful to have such a talented mother.

-Even into high school, mom would put little love notes into our paper bag lunches which was always a nice little surprise during our long days at school. And on one long camping trip in particular, I was worried about going, and missing home, so my mom took a little necklace that I had with a knitted pouch on it, and stuffed it full of notes for me to open every time I got home sick. It was something I will never forget and I am glad that I still have, with all the notes still in it :)

-She has always been a big part of my life from being my tawny owl in brownies, to taking us annoying spice girls camping, she has always been there for me, and still does so everyday of my life. Poor mom has to deal with the me still calling her almost every day with life questions, and suggestions.

 Thank you mom for being so inspiring, and generous, I hope to be able to be half the mom that you have been for me and Jess.
    Love Britt xoxoxo etc...

Weathering the Storm to Come


With the storm of September busyness waiting in the wings, I've been trying to relax and enjoy the rest of my summer before my schedule hits. September brings : my distant cousins out of town wedding, fringe festival volunteering, moving!!!, starting back at school, having my friend from the UK come to visit and stay at my place... just whole bunch of awesome with no time to breathe... but it will be worth it :)

Two things have helped with this...

1.) Last weekend Nate and I, went on a unexpected trip down to Portland with my lovely mother and sister. We were supposed to go camping in the suburbs but since the campsites were all booked up due to BC day, we decided to skip town and hit the gorgeous city of culture and trees...












Long car rides with ocean trivia cards,
free beers at hair salons,
new geeky classes,
brunching at mothers, 
knitting, knitting stores, and more knitting,
wandering Powell's with bellies full of voodoo donuts,
drinking in hotel rooms whilst watching shitty reality TV,
hitting the local poetry slam and getting surprised by a streaker,
and most importantly, 
getting to be with my loved ones whilst exploring a glorious city <3

2.) Since I am in the midst of moving, and my world has been turned upside down with cardboard boxes, I feel as though I am half living between my old place in my physical body, and my new place in my mind. So its interesting that I am feeling this urge to create and my mind is just running wild with ideas.... but my whole craft area is all packed up into said boxes and I have to wait until I've moved, and for that matter also gotten my craft table built for me. 
Instead of putting my hands to fabric and paper, I have been turning to cooking to explore my creative side. 
          The other night I made for myself : Corn on the cob with homemade garlicky walnut pesto, Parmesan kale chip and couscous with cubes of smoked tofu, tomatoes, spiced green olives and red onions... It blew my mind. I also washed it down with homemade mint lemonade with blueberries and strawberries... Delightful!

        I went out for dinner last night with my best friend Chelsea, to a new vegetarian restaurant in town called The Acorn, which further inspired my healthy food kick, with great uses of ginger, kale, tempeh, and polenta, I can't wait to try more of their menu.

        I hope you are all enjoy the rest of your long summer days, and eating many tasty treats on your weekday adventures <3 
    
 love Britt