I feel like when I went to sleep last night, it was a chilly December evening, the darkness creeping in by the afternoon, and here we are in April, with the sunlight stretching longer into the evenings as each day passes. The time flies so fast it's frightening. I wanted to check in and give a micro-update on my whereabouts.
In January I headed to the UK for the first time since I moved home in late 2009. I wasn't super-excited leading up to that trip. I didn't know if I'd get back to London and insist on staying, throwing away the good life and the good people in it that I have cultivated in Vancouver. Instead, I just felt happy to be there - and happy to come home when the time came. I walked over every familiar inch of my city, caught up with friends, saw a show (the fabulous
The Light Princess
at the National Theatre), and had a guided tour of Parliament thanks to my old friend Stephen Doughty, now Stephen Doughty, MP. I met my UK colleagues, and visited our London and Southampton offices. It was a wonderful visit and in some ways put to rest my life there. Home is truly Vancouver now, and there is some peace in knowing that.
Carnaby Street on a Saturday night.
Big Ben as seen from Cromwell Hill. I had a chance to sit on debate in the House of Lords as well as the House of Commons.
A week after I got home from England, it was off to Maui to meet up with my parents. After a few detours in Los Angeles and Honolulu, and a very bumpy ride thanks to the Pineapple Express, I spent a week in one of my favourite places.
In the I'ao Valley on a rainy Monday.
Keawakapu Beach.
I returned home from Maui refreshed and relaxed, but walked into a bit of a shitstorm in my personal life, and within days it felt like my vacation had never happened. So, in March it was off to Los Angeles with my travel buddy Cathy, to get out of my own space again and get some perspective.
In Runyon Canyon.
Waiting to watch a taping of my favourite, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. I was delighted to get a chance during a commercial break to chat with Craig. He was sassy and snarky and Scottish, just as I'd always imagined he would be.
While we spent a lot of time walking and exploring, and spent four days in and out of the Disney park (notice the bandaids on my toes from blisters!), I did find a good chunk of time to spend right here - staring at the water and doing absolutely nothing at all. It was glorious.
Thanks to Yelp I was able to find some of the "cooler" parts of Anaheim, where we were staying, including this great "Park n' Read" in the middle of the Centre Street Promenade in downtown Anaheim.
Cathy and I sipped coffee from the excellent Ink and Bean cafe and read Tom Sawyer aloud.
My focus during the past months has been settling into my job as Corporate Counsel at Peer 1 Hosting. For the first time in a long time I can say I really love my job. I love the people I work with, and I love what we're doing. This past week I have spent working closely with my colleagues from the legal team on planning for the year ahead. On Monday we went to the Top of Vancouver, the revolving restaurant, on top of Harbour Centre. I got to see my home and neighbourhood from a whole new perspective:
Gastown. My village.
On Wednesday night we all went up Grouse Mountain to the Observatory for dinner, and to once again take in some breathtaking views of the city:
Sunset on Grouse Mountain. April 2, 2014.
So, that's how four months passes without you even knowing it. A combination of hard work, travel, and a little heartbreak. I'm now easing my way back into some theatre after an extended hiatus, and am currently in rehearsals for
Looking
, a Norm Foster play which goes up at the Shaw Theatre on May 8th, and a community production of the
Sound of Music
that opens at the end of May. It's been a slightly uncomfortable feeling, being away from performing for so long, but as usual I managed to keep myself busy - which means I'm finding now that I've thrown theatre back into the mix that I'm so busy I can't breathe. This whole "balance" thing is so difficult when you have so much you want to accomplish.