I feel like I could've done about 4 posts in the last month and yet I've only managed to produce one. It sucks because recently I have been finding out that there is actually quite a few people reading this thing so I feel like I should be giving them more to read. So forgive me - but in this post I'm going to try to cover a lot of ground.
Let's rewind it back to my birthday in February - last year after my birthday I made a post about bringing people together and inviting people out to things who aren't normally part of "your circle". Go read it - I swear it's there... This year was amazing! Probably the biggest turnout I've ever had for a birthday which is awesome. There is this new brewery that opened up in my neighbourhood around the holidays and I chose it to be the perfect venue for my 32nd. I had about 25 or so people confirmed to come so I wanted to ensure that they would have room for all of us and that we would get our own area. Mike the GM of Duggan's Brewery was awesome and super accommodating, he really made the night better by giving us our own space. I really wanted people to come and mingle - a mixer so to speak. I knew the night would be a mix of my worlds but that's what I really wanted was for people to meet new faces. Anyway as it turns out 40 of my friends came out and it was such a successful night because everyone got off their asses and chatted with people they didn't know. It was such great energy and people really enjoyed themselves, although $5 pints of amazing beer also helps a little too. I don't know how I will top this next year...
For my birthday a good friend of mine Dennis gave me for the blog it's very own website address. So change your bookmarks if you haven't already. www.worldofderekshane.ca
Olympic Gold! Wow what a great two weeks those were in February. It's seems a little dated to be talking about it now but I really was able to catch most of the "medal moments' as they happened live which was very exciting. The time zone difference worked out perfectly as by the time I got home from work, made dinner, walked the dog, hit the gym; the main events would be on TV. You all know how well we did so there's no point repeating all the stuff that was making headlines. I don't think though that I will ever forget the eruption of noise coming from Yonge/ Dundas Square on the final day of the games when we won the Gold in mens hockey. The square is like a 2 min walk from my condo. When I opened up my window it was like "stereo sound" crowd noise. It was nuts! Of course I had to go check it out - it was ultimate definition of the word celebration. The mens hockey team was literally on the outs after a rough game against the US early in the games and they would have to win 4 times in 6 days in order to get the gold. Such a comeback! It pissed me off that after the first week of the games the media began crying fowl on how "under-performing" we were at the events and the whole "Own the Podium" thing was a joke. The Canadian Olympic team achieved so many great things in those two weeks and those athletes really did make Canada "Believe"!
I'm an uncle! On March 3rd my brother David and his wife Jenny welcomed to the world Iris Catherine Brothen. She was 6 weeks early so it caught everybody by surprise but needless to say a whole new chapter has started in my family and everyone is estatic about the new addition. I will get a chance to meet Iris for the first time later this summer when I head out to Newfoundland.
Two weeks from now I will be living in my new condo. Even writing those words and yet it still doesn't feel real. Actually that's not true, today it started to when I did my last visit to plan out colors and things. I am now realizing just how much work I have ahead of me. Things are still going at a slow pace for now but that will all change when I get keys in 5 days and then the real work begins. Nothing is ever simple - but I would rather get all this done before I move in and then that way I don't have the chance to procrastinate. I'm excited of course as this is my first place I've ever owned and I'm so happy I was able to do it on my own. As I look at the walls around me it also dawns on me how much work I have to do here. Luckily all I have to do is get the stuff into boxes and let the movers magically transport it to my new digs. As soon as I start to pack it will feel like things are actually in motion but I'm going to wait till I am able to drop a few things off at the new place so I'll have room to stack boxes and whatnot. I'm taking a week off work which will also help ease the stress of the move and I am also really fortunate to have friends who can help me out with the process.
Joey McIntyre! Ok last topic in this oddly connected post. I had a dream about Joey about 3 weeks ago that was one of the most real dreams I've had in a long time. When I woke up I was so disappointed it hadn't happened for real but nonetheless it got me thinking about him and well let's just say fate has a funny way of playing out. So last week I got a invite to music industry event that was part of Canadian Music Week (CMW). As I was scrolling the email one name instantly got me excited - who's name you ask? Mr. Joey McIntyre! So flash forward to the event (it was just the other night) and my co-worker Amy and I went to the event which was held at The Courthouse. Funnily enough the same venue I saw k.d. lang at 2 years ago. There's a blog post about that too so you should check it out. Anyway so about 6 artists were performing, mostly bands who have been doing well this past year in airplay and record sales. Joey was the 2nd last to take the stage. The audience was full of 20 something to 40 something girls who clearly had the same motivation to be there as I did. They would scream every time they mentioned Joey's name (don't worry I don't think I screamed). He eventually took the stage and he was "amazingly adorably cute" in every way possible. For 38 he looked flawless, probably hotter now than when he was in his teens and certainly his 20's. His experience looks good on him. Sorry I didn't take any photos but he did a video blog from Fran's Restaurant (which is in MY building) that you can catch on youtube. Keep in mind it was the wee hours of the morning but he is charming as hell... The fact that he ended up in my building after the show adds great value to the similarities in my dream and what actually happened.
In my dream I was at a club and in the distance I noticed Joey by himself and I waved him over (yes waved him over) and he came up to me and we kind of hit it off. I won't bore you with the details but he did end up staying over at my place that night and it was amazing. Anyway cut to the events of a few nights ago and it played out very similarly (okay I may be stretching that word but considering he has a wife and child back home I would only ever get so far). After his performance he said to the crowd that he was going to grab a drink and come mingle a bit later on. I looked at Amy and I was like "yeah right.." So about 10 minutes later who happens to walk up behind me? Joey of course! He was talking to the fans and posing for pictures and stuff and this went on for a bit but he never really left the area where we were, he kind of circled around us. So when the next band came on the focus went back to who was performing on stage and before I knew it Joey was standing right next to me with his drink in his hand. He's so close to me that not only were our arms rubbing against each other every time we took a swig of our drinks but I could smell his leather jacket like as if I was wearing it myself. This did not just last a couple minutes people, this went on for about 2 songs where it was just Joey and me watching this band together. I did get a chance to shake his hand earlier and tell him how much I liked his new record. However with him being that close to me it would have been odd not to acknowledge him so I asked him if he liked the band we were watching and stuff. I kept trying to get Amy's attention while this was going on as I couldn't believe it was really happening. I must have had the biggest grin on my face as I was in frickin' heaven! He did eventually walk away although just two feet and stood close to Amy - she also had a moment where she asked him about the performances, etc. What I loved the most about our time together is that despite the hysteria of all the girls around us - when he was standing next to me all of that went away and we were totally uninterrupted. Now I know what you must be thinking as you read this but Joey is like a Beatle to anyone who grew up in the late eighties. His relevance has wavered over the years but he has this charisma that brings you right back to the moment when you were in your room when you were 11 years old watching their videos and singing their songs at the top of your lungs. The night was something I won't forget ever I don't think and no matter how cheesy the story is - we have to appreciate genuine excitement when it happens in our lives and appreciate the moment.
