Day One.

I promised myself that I would blog about every day of my experience this year. So I guess this is the start!

I should introduce myself. My name, or handle as you kids like to call it, is Vick. Or, as one of my former students named me, “The Vick”. Awhile back, I planned to take this year off from work so that I could volunteer at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. I’ve watched the Olympics since I was a little guy. I remember the excitement of seeing the flame en route to Calgary pass by when I was 10. My parents yanked me out of school just to see it. I crammed 17 people in my small residence room in 2002 to watch the Canadians beat the Americans 5-2 in men’s ice hockey. I knew all of the CBC announcers on the 2008 Beijing broadcasting team. So I was ready to go and do whatever VANOC wanted me to.

There was just one problem. I didn’t get chosen.

I was gutted. Seriously gutted. But, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I developed other plans. As of right now, I’m going to NYC on Saturday for the first time ever. I’m off to Europe for two months at the end of October, with stops in 7 or 8 countries (including a return to Strasbourg, France, where I lived for a few months). Then visits to New Zealand and Australia await at the turn of the decade.

The summer, especially when I clued in that I wouldn’t have to do anything planning wise for the fall, has been great. I worked at my friend’s tourism business in Moncton. I dove in Kingston, Tobermory, and all around Georgian Bay (I’m a big scuba diver, but you’ll come to know that if you don’t already). I played ultimate Frisbee for the first time in five years and have been loving it. I became the second fastest speed stacker in Canada in my age group.

Which bring us, dear readers, to today. The first day of my year off, officially, because this is the first day that I would have been required to be in at work. It’s pretty liberating; I feel very relaxed. I clued in sometime in July that this would happen.

And where am I? Working. Well, not really. It’s more work on the side, too much fun.

About a week ago I got a call from a friend of a friend to come and be a part of an interesting opportunity, and because I want to have new experiences, I said yes. Currently I’m sitting in the basement of a church which is serving as the holding area for people like me – movie extras – for the TV mini-series Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town which is shooting just down the road from my parents’ house. This is day five of five that they’ve required me to come in for.
It’s a pretty fun experience actually. I’ve been on tv before and near sets, but never this involved. A lot of the time we just sit around and play euchre – and they pay us for it – so really, no complaints! Plus I have a meaty enough of an “extra” role that you should be able to see me quite well on camera when the series airs, starting in January 2010 (projected). Plus the people that are acting with me are fun. And! There’s an outside possibility of getting some more extra work on another classic Canadian series.

So that’s about it. Introduction, done. Day one, done. And there’s a transgenered actor (actress?) that wants to talk to me, so I’d better go.

Cheers,
Vick.