Vancouver Is Awesome

Love is a Four Letter Word — Holly Truchan and Roger Mahler

2012-02-11T18:03:02Z

Holly can’t stop laughing with Roger around. I get the sense she’s been laughing since they met almost 10 years ago. You can tell by how they interact that they had an immediate connection: Roger will start talking and Holly will finish his sentence and their banter is the perfect blend of humor and affection. When they talk of travel and photography, you can tell they share the same love for life and it’s infectious. They’ve turned this passion into a wedding photography business, Union Photographers, where their differing styles come together. We met at the Prophouse Café, just blocks from their house, where we laughed and we laughed.

How long ago and how did you meet?

H: We met nine years ago…

R: At Luvaffair night club.

H: British nights!

R: Which is not there anymore. Thursday nights?

H: Yeah, Thursday nights.

R: I always worked weekends, so Thursday was the night to go out and get drunk. Pick up chicks.

H: But usually there weren’t that many good looking guys there that night, but that night there were a bunch of good looking guys, and then my girlfriend said “Oh look at that guy!” and I looked up and it was Roger going towards the bar. And then she got off the dance floor to have a cigarette, and I was dancing by myself and I looked up and he was dancing in front of me, and smiled down at me. Just yesterday I was just saying “Did we actually even say anything before we started making out?” I don’t think we did (turning to Roger).

R: No we didn’t.

H: I always say it’s our one night stand that has been going on for 9 years.

R: We weren’t really hammered or anything. We had a few drinks and then we went home and started drinking tea.

What drew you to each other?

R: I think it was her smile.

H: Obviously, it was a big attraction right at the beginning and after that, it is just that Roger makes me laugh. We have a lot of fun together. ..And Roger had big, curly hair and he was super cute.

What’s the last thing he/she did to make you smile?

R: (To Holly) We had a big giggle with that Thirsty thing…

H: (Bursts out laughing!) I think that’s just us being weird and giggling in bed!

R: I was thirsty in bed, yeah, we were just hanging out reading or kissing and drinking water and I said Kissing McThirsty. I said it like a name. And we started laughing for like 10 minutes. Actually (Holly) started laughing. I had to write it down in a notebook so I could remember what was so funny about it; and today I looked at that notebook and thought it’s really fucking stupid actually.

What are some special moments or memories that you still talk about?

R: That first trip to San Diego was pretty cool, eh?

H: I had a meeting in San Diego. And we were only dating for a few months, so I thought should I ask Roger to come with? I asked Roger to come and we had so much fun. We went a little bit early and we stayed the night in a hostel, and then stayed in the fancy hotel that the drug company was putting us up in. We went surfing and wandered around and took a cajillion photos. Totally geeked out that way.

R: It was really cool arriving at the hotel, and we were all in summer outfits, salty hair, and sweaty and dirty. And Holly checked into the convention, and the receptionist was like oh wow you’re the first one that is young and casual…

H: It was at the Hotel Del Cornado. It’s a very famous hotel in San Diego. They filmed “Some Like It Hot” there with Marilyn Monroe. I loved to travel and so it was really important to me for us to travel and have fun, and so this trip was pretty momentous.

H: Another trip we got to go to was to on was to Morrocco. That was Roger’s first time in a developing country. He loved it: the first night he was asking the waiters how to speak Arabic, and you were making friends with everybody. And we were sitting on the beach of Essaouira , on the coast in Morroco, and Roger said “Thank you so much for opening my eyes to what the rest of the world is like.”

H: And our wedding was pretty amazing. We got married in Kauai and (the ceremony) was really small. We were trying to figure out where we were going to get married and we were looking around. We went to this one beach with his family, and his dad looks up and there was this heart-shaped cloud, and he said, this is it Holly, this is where we’re getting married. That’s where we did the ceremony. It had been raining a bit so the beach was clear, but during the ceremony we had a sunset on one side and a rainbow on the other. It was really magical.

Do you still date?

H: We try to especially because we work together all the time.

R: Even if it’s just a movie or a dinner and a movie.

H: We like to go to Tinseltown and then go over to the Keiffer for a drink. We go to concerts too. We do a lot of date nights at home too. We like cooking and we play games. Roger’s my sous-chef. He chops everything, and then I’m like “Get out” because our kitchen’s so small.

R: And then I get to wash all the pots and pans afterwards.

H: Thank you….He’s the latte maker in our relationship. He brings me lattes in bed every morning.

What’s the secret to your relationship?

R: Patience.

(Holly laughs hysterically).

R: Especially for that monthly time you need patience. Not a week ago.

(Holly continues to laugh.)

R: We talk-talking things out.

H: Yeah, talking is key…and making each other laugh. Having a good sense of humour.

H: I was totally joking the other day that Roger plays poker and he goes once or twice a month, and I say that saves our marriage. It’s nice to have that time apart.

I have a time machine—what is the one thing that you would tell yourself about your partner before you met?

H: I guess I would say to trust that it was all going to work out. Because this was my second marriage, I was married once before and I was very leery when we met that it would be okay. It took me a long time to trust (Roger).

What is the one thing he/she does that makes you crazy?

R: Oh, a little therapy here.

H: A little therapy session? (pause) Roger likes to change where things go. You know you have spots where things go in drawers, a wooden spoon or whatever and it’s always in a different spot. (She turns to Roger.) You can say what you want to say.

Roger: Holly goes crazy once a month. I don’t need to say more.

Holly: Yes, well it’s getting worse as I get older.

How do you know when he/she is upset?

(Roger makes a face.)

R: What do you call it the bitch face?

H: Yes, the bitch face. You just get really quiet. It takes a little bit of probing sometimes.

What do you do to cheer him/her up?

H: Roger makes up songs and dances around. It’s pretty funny!

R: My ukulele.

H: (Laughs) We had a really bad fight one time, and he pulled out his ukulele and played me a song.

R: A really bad one. I don’t even know how to play the ukulele.

H: Do I do anything? I cook for you.

R: Guilty cook. (In a girl voice) “Oh look! I made you cookies!”

H: That’s all I do to make you happy? To cheer you up?

R: Oh other things too, but we don’t have to talk about it.

Holly cracks up.

R: I think it’s much more than just a word.

H: This sounds crazy, but with our work, we celebrate love all the time and it’s pretty awesome to be with our
clients and help them celebrate their love for each other and their families
love for them and then watch them grow and have babies.

Words by Lindsay Glauser. Photos by Sam Nosam.

Vancouver Book Club: Charlotte Gill Talks Dirt; New Selection Announced

2012-02-12T00:25:12Z

The Vancouver Book Club’s recent meeting with Charlotte Gill was a cozy event on a rainy Vancouver Saturday (oxymoron?). Charlotte entertained almost 20 of us at the wonderful Project Space, reading from her book Eating Dirt and giving us some insight into why she wrote it and her writing process in general (“I find writing really hard….This book took six years to write, and 20 drafts.”) The former tree planters at the event shared their stories and Charlotte admitted she gets an email a week from people who write “You think you’ve got a story? Well, I’ve got a story for you!”

The event, gracefully hosted by Book Club team member Nikki Reimer, was a wonderful opportunity to talk to Charlotte about the book and her experiences, with a lively discussion ensuing from the attendees’ questions.

Before the festivities wrapped up, VBC team member Liam Ford announced the club’s Spring Selection, Rob Taylor’s delightful book of poetry The Other Side of Ourselves, which is heading into its second printing from Cormorant Books. Rob was on hand for the announcement and to brainstorm with the VBC team on some ideas for our event with him in late April.

Rob Taylor and Charlotte Gill.

Stay tuned for some interactive promotions and opportunities to be an active participant in our April event. Meanwhile, pick up a copy of Rob’s book at Project Space and check Rob’s website for some of his poetry.

Random Act Of Awesomeness – Bacon banana bread

2012-02-09T21:14:21Z

Wow! Our friends Erin Ireland and Save-On Meats have teamed up to do something super awesome:

They’ve put bacon into banana bread! For you to eat!

They’re also making this amazing combination available as an old-school candygram (bacon-bananagram?) that you can send to somebody you love on Valentines Day, with one dollar from every loaf sold going towards A Loving Spoonful.

HERE is a link to more info on ordering etc.

Stay tuned for more Random Acts!

UNPLUGGED Flickr Pickr: Deep Cove

2012-02-11T04:41:26Z

LOCATION: Deep Cove
(Click for map)

I spend a fair amount of time every week marveling and the awesomeness of Deep Cove so this image smacked me right in the face today. This magical, almost secret part of our city is always amazing, never the same two days in a row and I quite simply can’t get over the fact that people actually get to live here! Every time I manage to take a moment by the water here I find myself sharing the frame of mind of the subject in this image…awe, calm and just plain peace.

On top of all that, there’s a shop in the little village by the marina which is home to the most ridiculous doughnuts on earth! Go there. Now.

Thanks again, Nathaniel.

There was a lot of amazing photography in the pool this week folks, please keep posting and spreading the word about the Unplugged Flickr Pickr.

It’s that point in your consciousness where you can feel at one with nature, escaping the trappings of the day-to-day to an almost dream-like place where nothing else seems to exist besides you and your natural surroundings. It is our opinion here at VIA that Vancouver holds a unique place in the civilized world in that reaching this state often requires no more effort than simply pulling off to the side of the road, pocketing your keys and taking a few steps into the forest

DAILY FLICKR PICKR DAY 697

2012-02-11T07:32:23Z

Every day we share a single photo from our Flickr Pool shot by one of our faithful and talented readers (that’s you!)

This city is pretty darn awesome, ain’t it? I’m a born and raised Vancouverite, and I can truly say, I never, EVER get tired of this city. I’ve seen it grow into the truly multicultural, diverse, inclusive, naturally beautiful, well planned out metropolis that it is today. I mean hell, I’m old enough to remember when the Scotia Tower was the tallest building in the city. ;)
This city never ceases to amazing me, impress me, surprise me, and most of all, welcome me.
I love looking through the wonderful and awesome photos that you all take of this city (and it’s surrounding areas) and submit to the Daily Flickr Pickr pool. I especially liked seeing this one submitted by HereInVancouver today. It’s a fantastic night time photo of the ducks in in the water down by Sunset Beach, if my bearings are correct. Wonderfully captured, and proof that you can take a photo any time of the day (or night), any time of year here in Vancouver and capture an awesome photo.

Enjoy Ducks at Night by HereInVancouver

John

Sean Devlin in GIANTS IV: Less is More

2012-02-11T00:19:18Z

Sean Devlin is a comedian, activist and a master of getting more out of less. He takes simple ideas and distills them into their purest, most powerful forms. Lucky for all of us, his ideas are usually hilarious, resulting in refreshingly lean comedy. That’s what he did during last spring’s election when, as one of the creative forces behind shitharperdid.ca, he made waves with simple, yet poignant jabs at our commander and chief. With over four million web hits in only 72 hours, Devlin proved that the combination of simple and hilarious goes a long way.

As a stand up comedian, Devlin practices the same philosophy. With just his soft-spoken voice, unassuming demeanour and pregnant pauses, he soon has audiences in crippling fits of laughter. Sean Devlin says more with a monotone whisper than most do with a thousand megaphones. Seeing him live, you’ll see why he belongs in the great tradition of minimalist comedians like Tig Notaro.

It’s fitting that Sean Devlin plays a subdued future teller in the latest instalment of “The Quest for the Holy Tail” (link), produced by Weekend Leisure and GIANTS Comedy. Cast opposite Cam Macleod and Colin Cowan, Devlin’s trademark less-is-more humour is in full form. These three comedians will be performing in GIANTS IV: EPIC SEX ED, a comedy show for the ages at The Cultch on Saturday, February 18th. In addition to Sean Devlin, Cam Macleod and Colin Cowan, this one-night-only show also features Dave Shumka, Ivan Decker, and DuoTone, as well brand new video from Weekend Leisure and more!

GIANTS IV: EPIC SEX ED – February 18th at 10:00pm

Location: The Vancity Culture Lab – 1895 Venables Street

Tickets: Only $10. Advance tickets available online at The Cultch.

Follow GIANTS on Twitter @giantscomedy

Like GIANTS on Facebook

Find out more! www.giantscomedy.com

Van City Kitty: Meet Chaucer and Swift!

2012-02-02T08:25:32Z

A new kitty once a week! Click here to find out how your cat can appear on Van City Kitty.

Van City Kitty friend Dr. B. (who incidentally is writing a book about Douglas Coupland‘s work; how cool is that?!) is an English professor. Ergo, her two cats are named Chaucer and Swift. I’ll let her tell you their tails:

Name: Chaucer
Info: This is Chaucer. He is a grey tabby. He lives in New West, though he was born in Ottawa and spent four years in Fredericton. He rode in a car from Fredericton to New Westminster, and didn’t complain once until he hit the Port Mann Bridge which, hey.

He likes sleeping, washing all of his toys, and getting stoned — and then washing all of his toys and sleeping. His favourite place to sleep is on pricier electronics. He has regular morning jaunts on the balcony and loves to sleep on a well-packed box.

He has pretty much the biggest heart ever and takes life extremely, extremely seriously.

Name: Swift
Info: This is Swift! Also a grey tabby. He is equally as well-travelled as his older brother, Chaucer, and also now calls New West home.

His hobbies include sleeping in boxes, sleeping on bookshelves, and jumping on to super high things — to sleep. He spends many hours willing his thumbs to grow so he no longer needs humans. He likes spooning with his big brother and murdering feathered objects.

He’s a goofball and a trouble maker, but we’re pretty sure he loves us.

If you’re interested in adopting a pet, check out our Happy Tails feature or our monthly Van City Kitty Take Us Home editions (most recently here or here.)

If you adopted your pet from the SPCA and would like to share your awesome story on Happy Tails, send an email to Rory.Blanchard@novusnow.ca.

Chaucer + iPad 4 ever

Swift

Chaucer chills

Swift snoozes

The Playground: Valentine’s Day Roundup

2012-02-10T21:57:20Z

Welcome to The Playground, a place for Vancouver families. I’m always on the lookout for fun stuff to do, so if there’s something happening that you think I should know about, don’t hesitate to contact me.

There is lots to do in the Lower Mainland this weekend to make your Valentine’s Day extra sweet.

But no Valentine’s Day is complete without cards for your child’s classmates. Courtesy of the very talented Robin Mitchell Cranfield, you can find Free Printable Valentines featuring the beloved Windy and Auggie, on her blog. A great addition to the paper-bag Valentine mailbox come Tuesday.

Here’s a roundup of some Valentine’s Day activities you won’t want to miss this year:

Make Some Arrows at Collage Collage
February 11th
12:00pm-2:00pm
Collage Collage, Vancouver
Tap into your inner cupid and join the fun folks at Collage Collage for an afternoon of arrow making. No registration required.

Valentine’s Day Tea at London Heritage Farm
February 11th & 12th
12:00pm – 5:00pm
London Heritage Farm, Richmond
Enjoy tea and homemade goodies inside a heritage tea room at the restored and furnished 1890′s. $8.50 per person.

Valentine’s Skate
February 11th
12:30pm – 3:00pm
Bill Copeland Sports Centre, Burnaby
Bring your sweetheart to enjoy ice skating, face painting, Valentine crafts and fun games. Regular admission fees apply.

Valentine’s Day At River District Centre
February 11th
1 pm – 5 pm
River District Centre, Vancouver
Learn to make chocolates, create edible flower arrangements, and design hand-made cards from 1:00 – 3:00PM. From 3:00 – 5:00PM you can disappear in the land of pure imagination with a screening of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

In The Closet featuring Molly Millar

2012-02-10T18:13:15Z

Welcome to “In the Closet”, an intimate look into the wardrobes of stylish Vancouverites.

Meet Molly, style editor for local publication Momentum Mag, whose eccentric wardrobe matches her bubbly personality. Composed of bold prints and bright colours, Molly is a ray of sunshine on the otherwise drab and drenched streets of Vancouver. Luckily, the weather was on our side the day of the shoot which had some of Molly’s favourite spots on the 600-block of East 15th Street serve as the backdrop. Read on to learn more about Molly’s vibrant style while adding a little brightness to your day.

Tell us a little about yourself…

When I moved back from London 3 years ago, I promised myself 2 things. 1) That I would live by myself and not share a small flat with 3 other people and 2) that my commute to work would be a breeze. So, I moved to Fraser Street and started riding a bike downtown to work et voila, a new passion was born. Contributing to Momentum Mag, an urban cycling magazine, as style editor has allowed me to combine passions and challenge me as a stylist.

Firstly, because style is a concept that has just been introduced into North American cycling culture and I find I’m an educator as much as a stylist. “Actually yes, you can wear high heels on a bike.” And secondly, style within the context of cycling forces me to consider functionality more often. We all have those pieces in our closet that you can only wear if you’re not planning on sitting down that much or after a bout of the flu but when you get on a bike, your clothes need to move with you.

How would you describe your style?

My style is an extension of my personality. More often than not, it’s not to be taken too seriously and is meant to make people raise an eyebrow. I also love to dress in colour, bold colours, clashing colours. There is way too much black in Vancouver and there are just way too many other colours to choose from!

Best places to shop in Vancouver?

Neighbour, Lark, Adhesif, Dreams, Dutil, Joe Fresh, Value Village / Salvation Army, [and] My Sister’s Closet.

Any thrift store that is offering $5 for a bag of clothes. At the same time, I should never shop at a thrift store that is offering $5 for a bag of clothes.

What item from your wardrobe would you save if your house was on fire?

Absolutely, without a doubt, my lace pantaloons.

What’s the most sentimental piece you own?

A beautiful blue and green printed summer dress my Gran used to wear during her summers at our family cabin. I still go to that cabin, wear the dress and it feels like I’m in the 1920s.

Is there an outfit in your wardrobe that you think is hideous but you just can’t part with?

Yes. It’s a long, multi – coloured skirt I got at Erin Templeton’s. I love the way the skirt feels when I wear it but I haven’t found any way to wear it (or anything to wear it with) where it actually looks good. However, I regard the difficult pieces as styling ‘challenges’ and I won’t get rid of the skirt until I find an awesome way to wear it. And believe me, I will.

BC BuzZ: Darcy Michael – Comedian

2012-02-10T17:52:40Z

BC BuzZ is a magazine-style interview show that celebrates all things British Columbian. Art, artists, entertainment, events, movies, music and more, this series of videos gets up close and personal to showcase the best of arts and entertainment in our great province. It’s served up on Vancouver Is Awesome every week or so and aims to support local communities.

BC BuzZ is staying on the laugh track this week with funny man Darcy Michael! For the many that have seen what Darcy Michael can do on stage, you know what we are talking about, but for the ones that haven’t had a taste, make sure to watch the video, then get your butts down to a local laugh joint and experience one of British Columbia’s best comics!

Up Next for the funny man, is the Vancouver ComedyFest, details here.

darcymichael.com