since i’m on this blog more kick.. why not do a what i’m listening to post.. below are some of the new music i’ve added to my pile.. What about you, what are you listening to ?

This last month has been a whirlwind for me… to be honest, i’ve travelled to more places this year then I have in a very long time… I was able to meet old friends in new cities, friends i’ve never met before in person and meet an incredible team of people that I work with across the country…

For me, this has been a great learning period of my life.. falling in love with cities that I once were scared of, cities I thought I would not enjoy as being a northern BC boy most of my life, cities with 80,000 people were about as large as them come.. not these cities with millions of people.

Another thing is learning to be comfortable with yourself… and that is one thing I still need to get used to.. I went on this date with a guy, which went amazing.. a mutual friend of ours on Facebook introduced us and said you two should know each other.. and you know what, she was right!  She knew something about each of us.. so I set out to the city to meet this man and have dinner.  It was incredible, from the food, to the wine and most of all the conversation.. ugh.. I couldn’t get enough of it, I wanted to talk for hours about my life, his life, about politics, and the north, about the city i was in and more…

Now, to get back to being comfortable with yourself… as we finished dinner, we both decided to go for a walk around this amazing city, and we did, we walked downtown, then went to the harbour that then turned into a park… it was amazing, the skylines, the lights, the ocean, and the night.. as we walked, he took his arm and put it in mine.. at first I enjoyed the feeling of our arms being together but then at the moment, the fear and shock of it all hit and I pulled away.. I think he must have thought i was weird or something… but i told him we don’t do that where I come from..

As the night progressed, I became more comfortable with it, but still having that fear.. It was more prevalent when we said goodbye, on a busy street, i gave him a hug and leaned in for a kiss which i quickly brushed off and kissed his cheek.. innocent i thought in the eyes of strangers but to him, i knew it meant more.. I knew I would see him again so I explained my story and said I’ll work on it..

Flash forward a week later.. we are still talking, more so then we did when we first met.  Planning a possible trip to each other’s respective parts of the province to see how the other one lives.. I laughed and told him to save his money and instead of flying to Northern BC, lets go to Mexico and he agreed as he laughed..

This is probably one of the more personal posts I have ever done on my site, but with the post I wrote earlier last week, I feel the need to write more so lately then I have in awhile and what better to write about then one’s own life…

I know he’ll see it, and I hope he does, so he knows that even just one small gesture can have a huge impact on someone…and I thank him for that..

til next time…

It has been months since I’ve posted anything… but recently I’m noticing a trend… the trend of Facebook complaining..  You see groups set up where people complain, wether it be about snow removal, stores closing and bad service at a restaurant.

This frustrates me.. Being new to Dawson Creek, I had high hopes of settling in, finding my way, meeting new people, and take part in the community.  Instead, I see and read these posts and find it frustrating that people would rather sit at home, complain and do nothing.

In Fort St. John where I was living before, we had do-ers who saw opportunities and made something out of nothing.  I look at people like Russell Eggleston who has always been part of the music scene, but saw that more could be done.  He organized events, brought in musicians and now Fort St. John has an amazing music scene with hopefuls lining up to be part of the weekly Open Mic or musicians like Naomi Shore and Lindsay Pratt (Twin Peaks) who are almost at their goal of a new Van to go on tour, nominated for awards and working on their second album.  These are just a few people that are doing something to make their community a better place.

I was one of those people as well.  I directed a play last year as part of the Spectacular Chair Factory, a local theatre group, I organized charity events for Movember, took part in wonderful events from the Rocky Horror Picture Show fundraiser for the Restorative Justice Program to the Vagina Monologues for the Women’s Resource Center.

I am not in positon yet in Dawson Creek to start making the changes I want to make… I would like to see more culture brought to this city I live in now…  I would like to see a thriving business culture where people can feel comfortable opening up new and exciting local shops where people can shop local… A community spirit that is alive and vibrant.. one that wants to see a cleaner Dawson Creek, a busier Dawson Creek and a Dawson Creek that “works”.

To go back to the complainers, I get it.. things are frustrating when Wal-Mart is the only option to buy things.  I feel Dawson Creek is like the middle child in between Grande Prairie and Fort St. John.  We are forgotten about, we are passed by and we are not always the well liked one.  Well guess what friends, change is coming…

There is a provincial election coming that will see a new MLA.  If Mike Bernier who is running under the BC Liberals flag gets elected in May, then we will see more change as we will see a new Mayor.  If any current councillors decide to run, they will have to resign from their current seat which will then allow for some new faces to appear on the board.

What I said a few paragraphs above, may have sounded like some election promises… but don’t jump to conclusion yet.. I would like to see how the next few months go.  My job at the Encana Events Centre is an exciting one and one that takes a great amount of time to complete.  I would like to take the connections I am making at my job and in the community and start from the street level and go from there.

Who knows… maybe in a few months, you will see me talk about directing a play here in Dawson Creek, or organizing a music event or maybe a street festival or maybe even a shop local campaign.  Whatever I do, I look forward to making a difference.  Anything is possible and instead of complaining, I’m going to take that energy and make my community the community I want to live in.

What can you do to make your community better ?  Think about it, talk to friends about it and maybe be a little crazy like me, and do it!

As I finish up wrapping this edition of the Northeast News, I thought I should do a little writeup saying thanks to the communities that read our newspaper and to the staff here.

This is my last edition that I’ll be a part of as I am moving and changing careers.  The past two years have been a great ride here as we have continued to develop a great product that continues each week to showcase the region.

Changing your life is never easy… I have always been one to worry about making these life altering decisions.  This change though will give me an opportunity to discover a new industry, work with a new group of people and continue to thrive in the north.

Northern B.C. has always been my home.  I was born and raised in Fort Nelson and have lived the past 8 years in Fort St. John and now making the move to Dawson Creek.  I have always been a strong supporter of the north as I have found the opportunities, the experiences and the people here to be amazing.

I look forward to seeing old friends still around as I won’t be too far away from them but I am looking forward to living in a new community and discovering what makes Dawson Creek the place it is.

For those that live in Dawson Creek, lets go for coffee!

Spectacular Chair Factory presents The Production Line

Spectacular Chair Factory is a community theatre group and training company devoted to creating opportunities for performance and growth in theatrical pursuits. This is our summer season which consists of four plays. After our whirlwind trip to Mainstage 2012, we decided not to let the momentum die.

Shows include:

Hidden in This Picture by Aaron Sorkin directed by Claire Temple

Hidden in This Picture is a one-act play by Emmy Award-winning playwright Aaron Sorkin. It consists of a single scene with four male characters. The plot concerns Robert and Jeff, two old friends who are taking their theater partnership (Jeff writes the plays, Robert directs them) to the big screen in their first-ever film. They’ve saved filming the final and most important scene of their movie for last; a complicated outdoor sequence involving hundreds of extras portraying disillusioned marines jogging at sunset. All is going seemingly well, until suddenly yet slowly, three cows walk directly into the shot. In response to this, some colorful language is exchanged. After some deep contemplation of whether or not one could feasibly find cows on a marine compound, let alone in Guam at all, Robert has somewhat of a mental breakdown as the sun continues to set “seemingly faster than it’s ever set before”. This causes Robert and Jeff to question their work, their relationship, the artistic health of contemporary filmmaking, and the ethics of shooting cows with firearms. The other two roles involve a hard-nosed manager (Rueben) and a geeky Production Assistant (Craig).

This Property is Condemned by Tennessee Williams directed by Brent Hodson

This Property is Condemned is a one-act play. The entire play takes place on the railroad track. In “This Property is Condemned,” the quiet young Tom is wandering along a railroad track, carrying a kite. He encounters Willie, a colorful, confused and lively young girl. The brief work is made up of their passing conversation.

Legoland by Jacob Richmond directed by Mason Temple

Legoland tells the story of Penny Lamb and her brother, Ezra. The siblings, raised in the bucolic idealism of a Saskatchewan hippie commune, are suddenly forced to reckon with the cruel shallowness and hypocrisy of “Legoland”- the name given to the modern world by their aquarian parents.

Lost in Walmart directed by Chalene Scott.

Lost in Walmart is a series of vingettes exploring relationships and lives of regular people, people who might shop at Walmart.

Festival passes are available as of August 15th from company members or at the door for $20. To get into individual shows, it’s $7 at the door.

Show times are as follows:

Hidden is this Picture:

Saturday, August 18 at the Lido Theatre – Doors open at 7, show at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, August 19 at the Toboggan Hill by the Highschool, show at 1:00 p.m.

Sunday, August 19 at the Lido Theatre – Doors open at 7, show at 7:30 p.m.

This Property is Condemned:

Wednesday, August 22 at the Lido Theatre – Doors open at 7, show at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 25 at Estates Park – Show at 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, August 28 at the Lido Theatre – Doors open at 7, show at 7:30 p.m.

Legoland:

Wednesday, August 22 at the Lido Theatre – Show at 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 23 at the Lido Theatre – Doors open at 7:00pm, Show at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, August 24 at the Lido Theatre – Show at 9:00 p.m.

Lost in Walmart:

Friday, August 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lido Theatre

Tuesday, August 28 at 8:30 p.m. at the Lido Theatre

For more information, visit Spectacular Chair Factory on Facebook at www.facebook.com/spectacularchairfactory or email spectacularchairfactory@gmail.com