happy anniversary Katie and Vancouver

So it occured to me on my drive home from work;
(ps. i am again drinking a beer at 5:30am having just arrived home and am in 'reflection' mode)

yesterday marked my official 4 year anniversary of moving to vancouver. 4 years! what a wild ride. i dont think i'm even close to the image of the me i left in toronto in 2004... yet somehow i'm still drawn back once in awhile... and still carry friendships with all my favorite people.
I'm reminded of my drive out here... with bronny. That was a great trip. and i'm really glad i drove out. I think the extended travel gave me time to adjust to the move (10 days!)... although i totally cried after i dropped bronny at the airport. That was the first moment i felt alone in this new city. How amazing the time has past though.
It's strange also to think of how my time here has unraveled... and how after being on such a "track" in toronto, my life here feels a bit more like an adventure. Never very reliable or stable (re: comfortable)... but somehow there are times I can't imagine wanting to live anywhere else. The west has it's attractive qualities. but I suppose it's truely the glutton for punishment colony. ( and seriously, the weather SUCKS. almost always. Highest suiside rate in the country. If you love a white or grey sky you've love it here. the sun? maybe twice a week. and the moon? maybe once in a month)

I think i'm reasoning that i'm drawn to Toronto for the comforts I feel there. and the ease in which I can feel like "my old self" again...with my old friends (in their new lives)... and my family (also in a new life). There are positive elements to me that I think really blossom in Toronto. DRIVE being number one. Of all the many amazing people i meet in vancouver, my inspiration from them comes almost always more in their survial abilities. Where as in toronto, people have a success driven attitude. I get a real kick out of the city for it's "center of the universe" attidude. even if it does annoy shit out of me occationally.

It's a real debacle the way I am so torn. There are positive and negative to every equation I've tried.

One other thing I want to mention is how much I miss my family. It is strange because I never really missed them in this way before. I really like my brother's relationship with his girlfriend, and my parents continue to change... Things I never really noticed before become very centered in my mind. I'm excited to be back home with them again soon.

Ok the sun is rising...and it's not too cloudy. the sun will be out at some time tommorrow. lets hope i manage to wake up for it! ;p

Oh! and long drive to seattle tommorrow! It's the last weekend of summer and dusty and I are heading to Seattle... Tiff and Ali are already there squatting @ Ali's cousin's house. I'm not sure where we're gonna stay quite yet but I"m serioulsy not caring. there's a cute bar by the market i want to check out... the Pink door ?? yeah burlesque cabaret! ;)

good morning.
zzz....zzzzzzzzzzzz

Finally, a weekend... 55 hours that I wont be working.

oyi.
i just got home from work. a classic Friderday... it's 6:08am saturday morning. the sun is on it's way but it's obviously overcast so it's bright without feeling quite like it's morning.
i'm drinking a beer and reveling in my week... finally over. god, work weeks are long. It's so bizzare to be back working as a 2nd after most of my year has been spent as an NFA, unemployed bum. Or working as an operator out in toronto. As ghetto as the gig is, it's actually soo awesome. I think dreaming of becomming an operator out west is going to be pretty much reality for awhile... however the Stills world is still calling my name. I can hear it. It's faint in the distance (and my ears feel numb and deaf thanks to three weeks of channel 1 in my left ear and channel 8 (stattttiiccccc!!!) in my right ear) but it's definetly calling nonetheless. I'm getting wind of the cake walk (generally) it may be to score a union membership in 667 (camera union in toronto) as a stills photographer, then transfer out west... so my time in toronto shall definetly be a no-holds-barred attempt at a real career/life/backdoor debacle of tomfoolery towards some kinda job i'm proud of.

not that i'm not proud of being a 2nd assistant. slash loader. slash i worked my ass off to get this far and i'm so new (3 whole years!) it's painful to consider how low on the todem i am... time. ah time. time you are a bitch. you are slow when I need speed and wayy to fast when I want to revel. I suppose my impatience is really what gets the better of me most of the time...
all I can say is -- i'm STOKED to be operating on King Kaboom. Really. I can't wait.

i'm also stoked to be drinking a beer at 6am. mostly cause it will help me fall into my 4 hours of beauty sleep before I get up for a jam packed saturday.... Starting with a massage from Sarah. thank freaking hell. Moving onto my car appointment... North shore fitness world gym/pool/hot tub... then a BBq and Jen Saltmans new place in... wait for it, Surrey. :)

ahh, ok. the time has come. zzzzz.... goodnight. :)

Tonight I went to a Jones bones show in chiliwack... but LAST night;

Dear friends,
i'm writing this note in stickies while i attempt to re=connect to the internet.

Interesting day today. chats about the union... two units...
actually it's been a long week. a long two weeks. and there's three more to go. but the ladies are AWESOME. Carrie and Adriene, you are fabulous. And Laura, i hope you can make it out, or I can make it out... :P We must hang out.

For the record i'm working on Scooby Doo 3: The begining. straight to DVD... no. actually it's hitting TV first, then DVD. it's attemping Highschool Musical fame, slash effort. but the jig is up. i think that's gimick is over, yet somehow, i'm still planning on checking it out. seriously, i haven't seen one or two but this movie is making me remember how rad scooby doo just is. and i'm tempted to check out freddy prince/sarah michelle just to see how they did it.

I'm also insanely jelous at the idea of being 15/16 and getting cast as the lead in scooby doo. maybe it's too beyond this generation, but somehow i think it's just classic enough that it's the TIME OF THEIR LIVES. if these kids go nowhere else, they f'n were the STARS in scooby doo. Velma? Daphne? Fred? Shaggy? oh yeah. come on gang! for SCOOBY! haha. jajaj. gracias kunder. viva drama.

I'm stoked about seeing Ed Stills everday. Ed, you rule. one day, i hope to be as wise and in tune to exposure as you. seriously, you rock.

I'm into inventing words these days. today I figured "transportationally challengened" was a good way to describe van. no forward thinking here... we figured everyone would be fine with the bicycle. the good news is noone is very impressed with the hummer. I'd equate it to the fur coat in the late 80s... "i've got money honey, and i'm WEARING it, or it's WEARING you." :0 Why does toronto think it's cool? It's not cool toronto! i'm kinda shamed that my neighbor owns one. i can't even IMAGINE trying to park one of those in this city. "small car only" is the way of life.


ps. Pieter Stathis is leaving our show. I'm dissapionted because it's the first time i've worked with Pieter in IA, but he's leaving to DP an amazing doc on Darwin. i'm totally jealous, he's traveling for 3 months and heading to the galapagos. There's only one other person ever that i've known that tried to get there. Will Litchfield is a globetrotter. I'm high fiving THAT. and Karl wants the waste ends... I wonder what it's for...? Norm? are you looking for film stock?... psssssst; loader. and Jan Kiesesr is awesome! no lie, he's the first DP i've worked with in IA who smiles every now and then. he's also the first to ever shake my hand at the end of the day. Is that sick or what.
i'm talking too much.
xo

ok. it's bed time

weekday rain blues and boos

Well it's been while. I made it to vancouver. I had an amazing birthday party last saturday with great friends, some serious sing-a-long, and the enivetable puking episode before going to bed. gross.

28. i'm officially not 30. ha. Nor am i really bitter about my age although i certainly could use a job. but not just any job. Perhaps one that compliements my education? my experience? my empty bank account? I officialy have less money they i did at 18. 10 years in the making and i'm homeless, jobless and moneyless. I realize hwo pathetic this sounds and really i'm not depressed, just bored.

I have my new camera, i'm stoked. I'm learning and i'm definetly going to have a go at trying to make this a hobby career. In the meantime i'm sitting on the day-call list for 2nd-ing and i'm currently self advertising my bartending skillz. The classic fall back... but i dont think i'm in town long enough to get a job at an actual place. and i'd rather have my days free incase some real work calls... so if you know anyone having a party... i'm their girl. I set up a new email address; ineedabartender@gmail.com vancouver and region. whoot.

It's nice to be back in vancouver and see everyone... although the rain is a bit more then i can stand. really? it's fucking july and it's currently 18 degrees. As i type there is a woman walking by my window wearing a red hooded PARKA! This element of the coast makes me sometimes really think there's no way I can live here.

oh! update: production schedule of King Kaboom was pushed by about a month... so this is going to delay my return to toronto... At this point I'll either be flying back with Dusty on Sept 13, or a week earlier on the 6th to catch both the (21st!) annual pig roast and V-fest with Oasis. cross your fingers i find any opportunity possible for some cashflow. over and out.

shutter bug

yesterday i bought a book on portrait photography and lighting. today begins my adventure into the world of stills photography as a hobby career.

I lost a day of work with production league due to scheduling. d'oh. i dont think i've worked this little since I was 18 and frankly it's kinda depressing and all in all boring. I actually have a difficult time getting up in the morning without a job to do.

Tomorrow night robyn is in town and we're going to see a show. Brooke from Immaculate machine is playing a solo gig in Toronto. whoot. Friday we're going to the Yankees vs. BlueJays game. sweet! Saturday is dancing at Clintons and sunday is Pauls parents house for some urban backyard bbq and pool party. with the kiddies. haha. CANNONBALL!

Should be finally working again tomorrow, friday then monday and tuesday. Flying back to vancouver a week saturday. I found out last night that they've cancelled the lantern fest this year at trout lake. no money. big surprise. Join the club. i found on facebook though a group that plans on showing up anyway with lanterns. something tells me that Vancouver's community might just be able to make this happen without the support of the underlying organizing committee. however, i also wont be shocked if the pigs show up to take down the party rather then the crackhead thieves that night.

My birthday plans are underway for van as well...i'm thinking karaoke. I'm gonna see if I can find one similar to the fun in toronto which is booking a private room rather then going to a bar to hear strangers sing badly. With all the asian influence i can't believe that there isn't one.

i've become the master at making california rolls. i could open up shop. I should call Artino to see if he's still in on the falafal business...haha. falafal and maki. together at last!

reflections

today my family hung out by the pool. it was a great scene. my mother is obsessed with Jane Austin novels and has plowed through three at least this week. and it was all cause of that movie the Jane Austin Book Club. haha.

my dad is reading the Barak Obama novel of choice. dude has been published.

i'm working on my tan. haha. my brother is working on surfing his boogie board.

I saw Kungfu Panda tonight. entertaining for a kids flick
I also saw Hancock. not overly enthusiastic.

I love you dusty.

goodnight. k

7 songs

wow, in my true internet nerdom (and because i faithfully stick to reading certain blogs) i've been "tagged" by Tiff from Girl in The City to post my fav 7 songs at the moment. here they are (wow, it's a rather embarrassing list...)

1) umbrella - rihanna
2) White Rabbit - jefferson Airplane
3) Fearless - Matt Good band
4) U + ur hand - Pink
5) sexy can i - ray j
6)Old School - Hedley
7) C'mon sea legs - Immaculate Machine

whooot.

so now i'm supposed to do some tagging... i'm definetly tagging Kim from A Vehicle for Brown sugar, then i'll go for blog-less friends robyn, ali, janet, Kerri and Jen. lets see it!

The rules: “List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to.”