Category Archive
The following is a list of all entries from the Uncategorized category.
We’re All Busy and Important
The more I get out with Vaughn the more annoyed I am with women and their strollers. I say women because it’s mostly moms who are out with their babies during the day – at the mall, at the zoo, wherever. I think it’s fantastic that we are getting out with our babies and showing them the world. What I don’t think is fantastic is the disregard some women have for other women and their strollers.
In the past 2 weeks, I have been cut off, run down, bumped and glared at. Hey, I know it’s not easy maneuvering around with a stroller, but if everyone would just be a little more courteous I think we could all get along. In fact, I’m going to be helpful here and give you some little tips on happy strollering:
1) If you are going to be on your cell phone or texting, much like driving a vehicle – PULL OVER! I don’t know how many times I’ve been cut off because you are so busy and important with your cell phone.
2) When waiting to get on an elevator, maybe try standing off to the side so the people on the elevator can get off without having to be like a pinball trying to get around you. Nobody gets anywhere when you’re standing at the doors blocking traffic.
3) If you’re in a group, be mindful that others may not want to walk behind you at your pace, they may want to get around you. The courteous thing to do in that situation is go into a single file line until you have your own space again.
4) If you hit someone, a little sorry goes a long way. If you need to pass someone, say “excuse me”. When someone lets you by, say “thanks”. Manners people.
Now, just to be fair, I get a lot of eye rolls because I’m not fast enough, organized enough or in the way. I’m trying to be a good stroller citizen. Maybe people don’t realize they are annoying, maybe I’m oversensitive, I don’t know. What I do know is that we’re all busy, we’re all important and we all have somewhere we’re going. With so many babies in this city right now, it’s only going to get worse if people don’t start paying attention. Not only will I thank you, but those who don’t have babies will thank you also.
Say “Breastmilk”
On June 7, we had a gathering to celebrate the arrival of our little boy. We were so happy that grandparents, friends and family were able to join us for an open house and barbeque. My friend Karen was the hostess with the mostess – and with the help of her husband Terry and stepdaughter Eve decorated the rec centre and got everything ready for the day.
When I first walked into the hall, the first thing I noticed was the cake – custom made for us by Buttercream Bake Shoppe. We have a sock monkey nursery and the cake was a sock monkey face. It was so beautiful I wanted to cry (so I did).
Here’s a picture of Karen holding the guest of honour:
We had grandparents from both sides of the family attending. My mom and dad came up on Friday night and mom babysat for us Saturday while Tim took his mom to a movie and dad took me to Costco to shop for Sunday. We’re really lucky to have such a good little boy who doesn’t mind who is holding him. In fact, I think everyone took a turn on Sunday and he didn’t squawk the whole time. Here’s a picture of my mom and dad with Vaughn:
and one of Jodi and Vaughn with Elsa:
Everyone was great and pitched in to help with the food and drinks – it really was a great day. It was so nice to visit with people I haven’t seen in a long time. In fact, my Girl Guide leader made an appearance. I asked when I get my mommy badge but unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) they don’t give those out to Girl Guides.
Vaughn’s wardrobe consisted of an IKKS aviator suit and a Bebe Bean bamboo hat. His aviator suit was a little big but he looked so adorable in it and he insisted on wearing it – what’s a mom to do? Here’s a few more shots of people holding our baby boy:
Angela Lavender
Karen O'Keefe
Sarah Sikander
Bradford
Ed and Lorraine Bagyinka (Jodi's folks)
Bradford took a lot of these pictures, so thanks to him for that! Instead of saying “cheese” everyone had to say “breastmilk” and then smile for the camera.
To end the day, we had a barbeque and my two uncles (Jim and John) took over the cooking of the burgers.
What a great day all round! Thanks to everyone who came out – it was truly a wonderful celebration. Here’s a picture of me, Tim and Elsa with our spoiled rotten little man:
If I Were A Rich Girl
After 2 useless nights of trying to get through to the Yuk Yuk’s box office and no response from my on-line reservation request, Tim and I decided to head down to the casino and see if we could get in to the Sunday night show that Nikki Payne was putting on. It was Tim’s 40th birthday so we wanted to do something.
Thankfully there were tickets and the reason given for the lack of response was the big influx of calls due to it being opening weekend. Okay, but if you know you’re going to be swamped with calls, shouldn’t you hire a few more people to make sure everyone gets looked after?
Then to top it all off, we get upstairs and when I inquire about a certain table, I was informed that a “rich guy” reserved it. Wouldn’t it have been enough to say it was reserved? Did you have to throw the “rich guy” thing in there? Did we look that destitute? I wonder how said “rich guy” would have reacted had he known that is how he was being referred to. Big whoopee, so the guy has money. How about next time answer your cotton pickin’ phone so I too might be able to reserve a table. Hmph.
Anyway, Gary was able to find us a fairly decent table where we didn’t have to fight with a big crowd or sit with a bunch of strangers so that’s nice. We settled in and were looking forward to the show.
Jay Brown was the MC for the evening. Here’s where I’m conflicted. The Jay Brown that appears as “Boomclack” on the Comedy Couch (a Vancouver message board for comics) didn’t seem to be the same person. The Jay Brown that I saw last night was quite affable (although he was very colourful with his comedy). He did a stellar job of MC’ing the show and keeping the crowd interested. Very different from the individual whose posts I read, oftentimes with distain.
I think what comics need to keep in mind is that when they post on a public forum people will formulate opinions of them based on what they say and how they say it. It’s not just your stage show that gains you fans, it’s also how you conduct yourself off stage – that often gives people more of an insight into your true character, and yes, it will count in their overall opinion of you.
So what is my overall opinion of Jay Brown? Well, I don’t agree with everything he says on Comedy Couch, but then again, not everybody agrees with my opinions either. I did find him to be entertaining, certainly edgy and is someone I would definitely see again.
Dan Guiry had the first guest spot last night. Dan spoke very quietly and slowly and it took the audience a bit to catch up with him. I like Dan best when he has his guitar with him and he’s doing his quirky songs. He was just a little flat for me – I’m used to seeing more oomph in his performances than what I saw last night. I did like his sex on mushrooms bit though.
Manolis Zontanos had the other guest spot. Manolis was on his way home to Toronto after touring out west for a bit. While I wasn’t completely blown away, he was entertaining enough. Somehow though I expect more from an experienced headliner, but that’s also why I don’t always like headliners doing guest spots – I feel like they don’t feel like they have to try as hard and therefore don’t impress me as much as when they do their own headlining set. That’s just my observation.
Can monkeys do jazz feet? Ask Sean Lecomber, he’ll tell you. From the very second he walked on stage, I was laughing. Sean has an easy going manner with an underbite of sarcasm that gets me every time I see him. I sincerely enjoy the way this guy’s mind works and I’m looking forward to seeing him again on Wednesday as he competes for $25,000 in the Yuk Yuk’s Great Canadian Laugh Off. A very funny and enjoyable middle act on his way to being a bona fide headliner very soon (I hope!).
Then the main attraction – the diminutive in size but gigantic in stage presence – Nikki Payne. Nikki was just here not too long ago and we got to see her close up and personal. However, seeing her again in a big full room (with no sound system hiccups) made it that much more entertaining. She’s a dirty little girl, but she certainly gets away with it.
It was interesting to hear a more elaborate story about her special gift (one of her kidneys) to her father. In between fits of air humping and spritzing with the front row, there were some good laughs at her time in the hospital.
Nikki pokes fun at herself but I love how she recognizes her “disability” gives her an advantage in her chosen profession. It’s not always easy to understand her, but then when someone does have a speech impediment I think the audience tends to pay more attention – they don’t want to miss anything.
It was so great to see Nikki again, and I’m looking forward to some of the upcoming shows at Yuk Yuk’s new club in Calgary. I have to find me a way to get me some more money though so I can be some “rich chick” who reserved that seat.
A girl can dream…
Delivery Makes A Difference
I received a phone call last night about 4:30 from James Moore asking me if I had fun last Monday for the opening night of Comedy Monday Night at Broken City and why there wasn’t a blog. The reason why there wasn’t a blog is because I was up and down, walking around outside and didn’t pay full attention to the show. For me, the seating was so uncomfortable and I was so tired that I didn’t feel I would do James’ good work justice. I’m very happy to know, however, that Comedy Monday Night was able to raise over $3000 for Inn From The Cold, an organization who helps homeless families try and get back on their feet. Sorry James, I guess I can’t always be “on”.
When James spoke with me, he told me that there was a potentially big surprise guest coming down and I should make every effort to get there. He wouldn’t tell me who, but did promise that he would tell me after if they didn’t come who it was. Thankfully, that individual did show up and oh my goodness, James was right, it was huge.
What an amazing lineup of comics last night – 2 first timers mixed in with a bunch of seasoned professionals sprinkled with a few rising stars and you have one incredible show. I don’t expect it will be like this every week, but James and the Comedy Monday Night crew sure set the bar very high last night!
I didn’t take pictures of everybody – not everybody likes having their picture taken. And not everybody likes to have something said about them so I may pass over a few people. But what I liked most about the show – there were only 10 people, it started one time, everyone kept to their allotted time and the show was done by 10:00. That is a show I can go out to on a regular basis and I for one appreciated getting to bed at a decent time last night.
Donovan Deschner took the bullet spot last night. It’s a tough one – most of the audience was either comics or new to Comedy Monday Night. It took Donovan a few minutes to “grow into” his spot, but once he did he was fine. He doesn’t make it down to CMN very often (in fact, I think I’ve only seen him there once before) but I think he fits in very nicely. Maybe a little more energy would have gotten the crowd with him a little sooner but who knows? I don’t know why I always capture Donovan making an “I just smelled poo” face but they are great expressions…
First timer Dana Wallace (did I spell that right?) got up next – she had a pretty decent first effort. Better than some I’ve seen lately.
What a treat to see Trent McClellan – he was prepping for his big trip to Cranbrook. Even though we just saw him on Saturday night at The Laugh Shop he made us laugh just as hard. I particularly enjoy his Air Canada bit. He handled the interruption by his agent, George Shapiro, rather nicely as well. I think what makes Trent so special is his ability to relate to an audience – with him, delivery does make a difference.
Graham Davidson took to the stage next. Graham is originally from Calgary currently residing in Niagra Falls (I believe). Graham’s style of comedy is pretty low key but I did find him quite likeable. Not too much about this guy on-line which leads me to believe he is also quite humble.
Next up was the surprise guest, a “special gift” to us from James Moore. It was none other than Nikki Payne. I’ve seen Nikki a few times, but was never as close as I was last night. Unfortunately her set got off to a bit of a rocky start due to technical difficulties, but Nikki was a pro and kept on going. Once the microphone got fixed, she proceeded to have the entire audience laughing so hard our cheeks hurt. Most of her set was devoted to her special gift that she gave her father a year ago – one of her kidneys. It was well told, very funny and in some parts even a little bit poignant. Wow, what a treat to just have drop in on us all. If you weren’t there, you missed a good one!
So who follows that act? Miss Amanda Perrin, that’s who! I always enjoy the awkwardness that is Amanda, but last night, unfortunately, she let the fact that she had to follow Nikki get to her. I felt for Amanda, because it’s kind of like going up in karaoke right after someone completely tears up the stage and you’ve only done karaoke a handful of times. However, what Amanda needs to realize is that she also has a very special gift for making people laugh and will one day have someone losing their mind because she or he has to follow Amanda Freaking Perrin.
Lyle Bateman did a respectable 7 minutes and finished off with his spider love (is there such a thing) song done to the tune of Spiderman. The audience really seemed to enjoy it – I still can’t believe this guy drives 3 hours to do a 7 minute set. Blows my mind.
After Lyle came another first timer (and a well dressed one at that!), Renee Frenet (again, spelling…?) Renee had an interesting concept but I honestly felt that for the first time she may have gone a little long and ended up rambling a little towards the end. For a first try though, kudos to the lady in the shiny green dress!
Ahhhh, and then the man I was so excited to see – Simon Rakoff! I saw Simon in Vancouver a few years ago and enjoyed every single minute he was on stage, and this time was not any different. Simon is ever so slightly jaded from being divorced twice and it makes for some very funny material. He also does a lot of material on being Jewish, and a superhero. A few of his bits that really got me laughing were how humans can’t compare to animals when it comes to athletics and how things would be now if Jesus was possibly sarcastic (hence, the title of this blog – Delivery Makes A Difference).
I enjoyed the fact that everyone else was done early enough that Simon could do an extended set and still be done by 10:00. Man that guy is funny – and he’s appearing this weekend at The Laugh Shop if you are looking for some laughs. I don’t know who is with him, but I know that he alone will be worth the price of admission – Simon has been doing comedy for 30 years but his material is edgy, witty and most of all, very relevant.
At one point, I snapped a picture of Simon and he asked me if I was media. When I answered “sort of” he had a bit of fun with that but seemed to be cool with the fact I write a blog and didn’t say not to put his photo in.
I left Comedy Monday Night (Chris Gordon – are you reading this – it’s Comedy Monday Night, not Monday Night Comedy) in great spirits. I know it’s not an ordinary night and there were a lot of out of towners or more seasoned people on the show, but those are good to have every once in a while. I would think it gives the newer people or amateurs something to aspire to, and I’m glad so many of them were there to see the show last night.
Not too sure if I’ll get out to any more shows this week but keep supporting live comedy in Calgary – it’s getting better and better all the time!
Do Unto Others…
Today I was catching up on the news of the day and one story that has caught my attention recently (along with most caring Canadians) is the horrific murder of Tim McLean.
I’ve read on a comedy bulletin board from Toronto that a comic did some jokes about it and was met with hostility. I can’t say I don’t blame the person who took exception, I would myself. Just because you have the right of free speech doesn’t mean you should use it. Caring, compassion and sensitivity should be first and foremost on people’s minds so that this type of event doesn’t happen again. If you are a comic and read this blog, please know that you have every right to make “jokes” about this issue but I doubt anything you ever say will be funny to me and as an audience member, your material may be met with silence out of reverance for a soul who was taken far too early from this earth.
Much has been said about the ad that PETA has run and I still don’t understand how they possibly equate what happened to animals that are killed for food. My goodness, this young man has not even been laid to rest and an organization is using his brutal slaying for their own selfish purposes. Shame on you PETA, everything you stand for and everything you do means nothing to me.
Then, after further reading, I discovered that a “church” based out of Kansas, the Westboro Baptist Church, was planning on protesting at the funeral because God hates Canada. I was very happy to hear that our border was going to be closed to these spiteful people. I’m sitting here at my desk in utter disbelief that this group would not let a family bury their child in peace.
Which now brings me to a thought about religion in general. The reason why I tend to shy away from religion is because people do so many things on a daily basis “in the name of…” I’ll be the first to stand in line and admit that I have faults but it has always bugged me when people say hateful things or stand in judgement of people because of what their religion preaches. As far as I know, most religions are based on kindness and compassion, but my experiences have just left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
I have tried to surround myself with good people – I haven’t always been successful, but hey, everyone deserves a chance don’t they? I’ve screwed up along the way, but I like to think that my intentions are usually for the right reason and I’m making an effort to be a better person. And yet that’s not enough for some people.
I can’t change the world – I know that. What I can do though is make sure that I am happy in this world and that I make others happy. That’s all I can do. People have a right to their beliefs and a right to their opinions, including me. I know that there are always going to be people that are radical in their beliefs, but I feel like the two groups I mentioned above have severely crossed the line, and on more than one occasion. I hope that most people have the sense to see these organizations for what they really are – fear mongers and truth twisters.
I don’t know what the point of this blog is except to say that I am very saddened by this whole event and how certain people have chosen to react to it. All I’m saying is I wish people would think just a little more about their words and their actions – every man, woman and child in this country should be deeply affected by what happened last week in Manitoba. You never know what is going to happen and when your time on Earth is going to end.
No matter what, be good to each other. And if you remember, take a moment to think of Tim and his family tomorrow at 3 PM – it’s the least we can do.
