Vancouver Is Waking Up!

Ok, so I may have just slept the entire day away, but my thoughts today are centered on the unusually lively spirits of Vancouver locals.  When I responded to the ‘Team Head Up Grouse In The Middle Of The Night Outing’ call from Emme, I thought we would be struggling to find anyone interested in having fun with us.  That was not the case!  At 3:00am, there were close to 100 people at the base of the mountain waiting in a long line, and despite the fact that the coffee shop was closed, none of them were grumpy!  People were even smiling and cheering loudly for the drunk party mountaineers as they watched them unload from the gondola.  Usually, I can’t even get a smile from Vancouverites when I say hello on the street!  I was amused by the different outfits I saw that would normally be considered too silly to wear in public.

Our experience on the top was even better.  Spontaneous kisses for Emme, stories from unknown great athletes, Canadian flag cape-wearing skaters, and free expert snow tips for our own novice Mario were some of our most pleasant surprises. We even got our snowshoe guide to do ridiculous yoga poses on top of the mountain (Well, our ‘top’ was only half way since Emme kept slipping and giggling, my water bottle kept falling out of my pocket and rolling way back down, and Mario was just trying to breath.)  Everyone we met was more than willing to participate in our shenanigans and held back nothing in the quest for a good time.

I’ve noticed this new Vancouver spirit spilling over to my regular daily interactions at the kids’ school, stores, banks and the lines I’ve been standing in to party at the different Olympic houses.  I’ve made more instant friends this week than in my entire time living here.  Perhaps  it’s the infectious attitudes of our international visitors, or maybe it’s because we all feel united as Canadians fired up to win, but whatever it is, I hope it lasts.  Please keep the love alive Vancouver, and don’t go back to sleep!

Finding My Way Home

Occasionally we all get a little lost. I’ve been lost for the past few months. I’ve been overwhelmed and for some reason I felt the need to reinvent myself, my look, my stories….

I ‘ve felt like I was in a bit of a holding pattern, in which I’d been told we were being watched, in which people told me they had big expectations for me and some started telling me what they thought I should stand for, how they thought I should look.  Generally, I’ve always gone with my gut and listened to my heart, but after a bad break up swept the carpet out from under my feet, I was left feeling totally lost.  Not really sure who I was or who I wanted to be. Horrified at myself for having let myself fall into what clearly was an unhealthy and emotionally abusive relationship.  How could I let myself do that again? Was there something wrong with me?  Was there something I needed to fix about myself? Should I really trust myself and my own instincts? And admittedly, my writing poised a huge factor in our break up, so I started making it less of my personal story and more about the events whirling around me.  And with that I started getting a little fluffy in my writing and occasionally a little tartish in my attire.  In my mind, my writing has become a little flat and artificial and I’ve felt more than a little flat and artificial.

I get asked all the time, how I am going to make money with my writing?  Where is my funding model?  Well, I started writing for fun, to process my thoughts, and to grow as a person.  When I moved it online, it was for inspiration and drive to finish my first novel.  It was not to become a marketing tool or an advertisement, and while no one is paying me to write about this product or that, I do fear that that is what I am becoming.

Feeling especially like this with the Olympics, as Brie and Mario and I decided to let as many people as possible know about the fun and free of the Olympics.  So we’ve been trying to collect as much content as possible and firing it up as quickly as possible.  I’ve gotten tired and the story has really suffered.  Has it been a complete waste?  No.  It has been a good training ground for Mario and an extremely good reminder to Brie and I on what it is that we are doing. So I think we are going to regroup tonight on our 3 am team building trip to Grouse Mountain and remind ourselves of what this is really about.  Having some fun and telling the story of the people we meet that help us to process our own stories in this wacky world.  While yes, we may still mention the odd event at the Olympics, I don’t that our guide will be quite so full.  Now the Olympic language guide on the other hand ….

And a huge thank you to my wonderful family and friends that are not afraid to tell me when they think I’ve lost my path (or, in the case of my family, are concerned that I have started to have dressing like a tramp).

Kisses,

Emme xoxo

One Hell of a Great Party at Saxony House

Apologies about my singing in this vid from last night, but I couldn’t help myself.  I was having such a great time!

Here’s the usual schedule at Saxony House:

• 12 – 6 pm    Saxon Food & the Olympics on the Tele
• 6 pm – 11 pm   Saxon Grub (kitchen closes at 10 pm), Live Folk & Rock Band & Saxon Films
• 11 pm – 2 am Saxon DJ Club Dance Party

Hi! I’m Brie!

My name is Brie Mason and I am just getting to know VanCity.  I am in love with the beauty of the land.  I have two children who have never been happier, given the woods, the water, and mountains.  In the heart of the city though, we have found the locals to be a little stingy with their outward joy.  Emme Rogers was the first truly genuinely smiling face I saw in Vancouver.  To me, her smile was jumping off her face and she was actually glowing.  Now that I know her even better, I am an advocate for everyone to have her sense of humour and joy for life.

I am a mom of two, trying to have the fun I wasn’t allowed to have when I was the child.  When we were young all we wanted to do was go out, be with our friends, have sleepovers, go to the mall and have fun.  What happens when we become adults who can make those decisions for ourselves…?  We become stuffy prudish people who say, “Oh…I can’t possibly do that…I’m grown up now.”  Or how about this one, “A sleepover with the girls? Maybe I’ll come over but then I should really go home and not spend the night.”  One of my girlfriends recently had a poker night for her birthday and my husband and I got into character and dressed up.  A different friend of mine looking at our pictures the next day said, “Oh my!  You dressed up for a poker night?!  You are so silly!” Seriously, can’t a family oriented, loving dedicated mom still have a little fun?

Robson Live!!!!

Absolutely loving the Cultural Olympiad!!!

Did you know that you can take in live music, like Yuca, down at Robson Square?  And skate on an outdoor rink at the same time?  Get out there and enjoy yourself Vancouver!  We deserve it!

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