Events & Entertainment

It started off with a Polar Bear Swim and it time there will be a host of other events from Lumber Jack Shows to Open Mike Nights.  This page is dedicated to things in life that make being alive interesting.  And of course, doing so in a thrifty fashion


Events & Entertainment Summary:
1) Suck Cost...Success.
2) Whitecaps vs. Toronto FC
3) Running with An Olympian
4) Variety Arts Tour...4 down!
5) Polar Bear Swim


Suck Cost...Success.


"In economics and business decision-making, sunk costs are retrospective (past) costs that have already been incurred and cannot be recovered...In traditional microeconomic theory, only prospective (future) costs are relevant to an investment decision.  Traditional economics proposes that an economic actor not let sunk costs influence one's decisions, because doing so would not only be rationally assessing a decision based on its own merits.  The decision maker may make rational decision according to their own incentives; these incentives may dictate different decisions that would be dictated by efficiency or profitability..." (Wikipedia, Sunk Costs)

Lately, after having purchased tickets to an amazing show called Cavalia, my 'date' fell ill and we were unable to attend.  It was a birthday gift from my Sister and we both were looking forward to it but when it didn't turn out I had just over 24 hours to find a suitor for the tickets.  The race was on.  Facebook announcements and personal messages, emails throughout the office, and yet it all came back to Craigslist.  Within 3 hours of my post, which was very detailed with links to the show in question and even an outlining of where the seats were at within the tent, I had over 10 calls.  By 4 hours the tickets were sold at cost less about 30%. 

Now, as per the definition of a Sunk Cost.  This is a fine example...are we out that 30%, are we up the other 70%, or should we just look at it as having $150 dollars we did not currently have?  I really have little more to add to just that.  I would have stood out in front of that tent on a Friday evening either looking for a buyer or another date, ha; and I wasn't really looking forward to that.  Best course really would have been to just go, having exhausted all avenues to find a replacement date, and enjoy the show.   However, I found a buyer. 

So not so much did I find a good buy, but I choose to look at this as finding a good buyer.  I find this thrifty.

 



Whitecaps vs. Toronto FC

For the first time in a long history Vancouver's soccer team, the Whitecaps, will now actually compete in Major League Soccer.  Recently they had there first ever regular season game in this league.   Even knowing that it would be super difficult to find a way to get a deal on tickets for the game I was still considering going...thriftiness aside, I have played soccer for over 15 years and I was going to love being a part of this.  I was seeking out where I wanted to sit and looked around a little to see if there were any other alternative avenues to purchase tickets.  Then, absolutely out of the blue, I won 2 tickets!  

Whitecaps 4 Toronto FC 2 at Empire Stadium

Bell, my employer, is the main sponsor for the Whitecaps.   One day, with little to do, I responded to a request for proposal about re-branding a client care program we have.  No, I didn't win, but to the few who actually responded Bell gave us all free tickets to the game!  So good.  I gave my friend Sean a call I grew up with and he was stoked to be a part of Vancouver history too. 

Sean and I

The game was amazing.  The Whitecaps dominated from kickoff.  And the crowd was loud and lively with no seats in the outdoor Empire Stadium left unaccounted for.  Banners were being passed around the stadium the size of half a basketball court, the hecklers where in full force on the FC goal keeper, and every time we would score people would throw loads of water proof jackets put on each seat down and onto the field.    This latter behavior was annoying and childish but it did add to all the enthusiasm and magic of the event in some strange way.  Toronto when home only scoring 2 against Vancouver Whitecaps 4.  Great start to the year, good luck Whitecaps!  And thanks Bell...can't get much thriftier than winning something.



Running with an Olympian

Today was so wicked!  
All said, Bell has been pretty good to me.  I could talk about getting 3.5 weeks vacation in my first year, or about all the bonuses the give out for sales, attendance, and other metrics, not to mention a free phone plan...but, no, something happened today that trumps all of this.
Today, myself and my colleagues, had the opportunity to run with our Canadian Olympic hero Simon Whitfield.  What a character.  Bell brought him in as a motivational speaker to pump up our Corporate Challenge Sun Run Team...of which I just signed up to!  He shared stories about his journey and joked around about accidentally dropping and denting the precious medals he won.  By the manner in which he addressed us you could just feel the natural energy within him.  You could tell he has a silly side to him just by the joy in his eyes, a sensation I get when watching the Dahli Lama speak - I always think he is going to laugh or say something funny.  But too, by the lean nature of his figure, and the clear and concise manner in which he addressed our unique questions, you could tell how much focus and discipline he has.  

Simon Whitfield, Canadian Triathlon Olympian (with his hardware)

After this, we hit the road.  Did a nice 30min jog where each of us had a moment or two to run along side Simon and pick his brain about different things.  For me, I was eager to hear about where he was at with his 2012 plans, myself being somebody who is always interested in the future.  He shared how he was in thick if training with every race, every training session, every meal this year all being meticulously planned out in preparation for the big day.  He also opened up and shared with me that he’s going to be launching a Triathlon training website.  I am excited to see when this comes out and have a look.  To join a Triathlon training group it typically costs between $300-450/month which is crazy!  Access to his site and programs will be much less he said, and with an Olympian behind the scenes I’m sure it’ll be a success.
You’ll never meet a more down to earth person.  It is obvious that he is nearing the climax of his career as all he talks about is his children and giving back to the community by working with up and coming Triathletes.  Come London 2012, “GO SIMON WHITFIELD!”  This being his fourth consecutive time representing Canada at the Summer Games, he has already achieved both Gold and Silver medal standings.  Will he be able to do it again?  If you ask him, he’d probably say that the medal is not the motivator...but give him a chance to follow up and he’ll probably say that the process he has in place leads to Gold!  Simon is a winner and well after representing Canada he’ll be providing leadership to people all over the world who need the support and encouragement to get into the great sport of Triathlon.  Plus, in his latest book, though it documents his trials and tribulations on his path to success as an Athelete, he makes it very clear that these principles can be applied to every walk of life, be it Government, Business, or even Family.  
So, though I may be working in Customer Care, on the front lines of a large Corporate entity, I do have access to absolutely priceless perks.  Not too bad.  How much would you pay to take a run with an Olympian?  I had to schedule my way into being available for Simon coming and what a pay-off.  A very thrifty way to become really motivated for the next few weeks leading into my first Triathlon of the year.


Variety Arts Tour...4 down!

Does that sound really class-act, the ‘Variety Arts Tour’; I tried to take a more computer science approach to naming it by keeping it simple and just describing exactly what it is I am doing. Perhaps, in continuation of the spirit of technology, I’ll make it an acronym...“Hey Derek, just seeing what your up to tonight, want to drop in on my VAT...yeah, totally doing a VAT-attack on Main Street tonight!  You should come me man~”.

Poetry slammer.

Whats this jazz all about? Vancouver has a wicked art scene, well scene’s, and I’m totally geared to check out some new shows.  I grew up in Quesnel OK, the best arts performance I saw was the other High Schools Christmas and Spring Break productions of Grease and Hamlet. (Sidenote, there is a totally hip young crowd of performing artists doing musicals in Quesnle now plus a great Kersley lineup, but I digress).  We found our thrills at Pit Parties where we would go and out-ego the next guy by either climbing our vehicles higher up the side of the pit...or in many situations just beat on the other person.  Best way to avoid these situations was to stay fit and be involved in sports, but there were very few other opportunities back then in the arts to blow of steam and express oneself.  My favorite medium, Theatre, maybe exists in me simply because that’s what I grew up loving.  There is something so raw and natural about it though, and I love that!

Theater 'Athletes'

So in the month of January, plus one show at the very end of December, but I am adding it anyway (hey, I know this is supposed to be a blog about 2011, but its my blog - so I’m including it!), I went to 4 separate shows.  The first was an Afro Funk Band down on Granville St., the second a Comedy Show in Gastown, the third an Sketch Improv Competition on Granville Island, and the final show I went to just last night over on Commercial Drive was a Poetry Slam.

Guilt and Co Lounge & Stage.

For now, I really just want to introduce this whole thing.  I’ll be going to more artistic performances from of all the above mediums at which point I will share things I find interesting about each.  One main point is that all of these events were under $10 cover charge/ticket price.  Each were in very thriving artistic communities in Vancouver.  Each were situated in very nice venues with great people there enjoying it all. And each had amazingly talented individuals, mainly amateurs, even some first-timers, but nonetheless equipped with skills and passion to keep me engaged.

Afro-funk Band.  Pretty much jam with many instruments.

Most actually offered workshops too where you could try out the medium for myself at a small fee.  I am not serious about getting involved on the stage with any of this, but doing a afternoon of sketch comedy might be fun!  Like playing Picturnary or Cranium with a bunch of strangers:) And the DJ’s always seem to know about other things going on around town that are related to that medium, so that's cool too.  The Poetry Slam DJ, for example, let us all know about a Slam out at UBC and for me this was great because many of the “slammer’s” were a littler younger than I and it’d be nice to see some artists spitting verses who are facing more similar challenges in life.  Cool, so, good times on a budget.  Surely I’ll come to know where lots of venues are and meet all sorts of up and coming artists and people in the different scenes.  Certainly from this I will appreciate the big shows, that I will seldom go to, more as I will have a good feeling for the grass roots of it all. 




Polar Bear Swim

Event:        Polar Bear Swim
Cost:         $1 (2 cans of donated soup that were bought in value packs)
Value:        Super fun, loads of great people, & an absolutely exhilarating shock to the body!

Do you know what a Polar Bear Swim is?  I knew but never really payed attention to it, however I was looking for a way to start the year with a splash.  What a great way to start the year, what a great way to start this Blog.

Apparently the Polar Bear Swim in Vancouver has been going on in English Bay since 1920 and is one of the largest in attendance in the world, so the Vancouver Parks website claims.  Well, this was my experience of my first ever Polar Bear Swim, so I was glad that there were over 1000 other lunies out there diving into the chilly water with me!

100m race to the red buoy and back.

I rolled in on my bicycle and was cruising around to see where I could get a good picture to do justice to the amount of people that showed up to watch and join in.  Well I forgot about the thought of the shock that soon would affect my heart from near freezing ocean water when I realized my camera died due to dead batteries and had near panic attack.  Luckily there was a convenience store near as I wouldn’t want to do this if I couldn’t at least get proof!

1st...annual?

There were so many people were signing up.  I selected an area near the back to rest my things as I didn’t want my stuff to be trampled on my a herd of freezing swimmers heading for their towels.  Just when I fully stripped down and put my goggles around my neck the first horn blew.  This was the signal for the first group of swimmers to hit the water in the annual 100m race out to a buoy in the bay.  I had a moment before the rest of us would go, who were just swimming near shore and not swimming so much, so I took this chance to take pictures of the people dashing into the icy cold water.  

Snow Capped Peaks in the upper-right!

Then the second horn, and like the beginning of a triathlon race, people of all ages dashed into the Pacific Ocean in English Bay.  It was hilarious as some were out of the water faster then they were in and it appeared that to many, simply getting in and out, was the absolute goal.  For me, I slowly waded out snapping pictures of all the havoc.  In one shot you can see, tucked between two high rises looking over the Ocean, the snowy peaks of Cypress Mountain...a chilling reminder of that we are in fact swimming during the winter season.  Momentarily I popped out of the water to witness a hoard of swimmers taking to the waters dressed at the Chilean Miners (who amazingly all survived a mining disaster in 2010).  Many were dressed up in costumes for some strange, but customary, fashion.  Hey, nobody said jumping into the Ocean on Jan.1 was a good idea, so I I wasn’t surprised that I didn’t hear anybody heckling that the costumes were irrational.  


The Chilean Miners singing ‘Oh Canada’ inspired me to take a deeper plunge back into the Bay, so I asked this friendly looking elder Asian man to snap a shot of me when I was coming back into the beach.  Best part of my day!  Fully diving in ranked almost as high I should say as sitting in the hot tub at the Rec Center 5 minutes down the road afterwards.  So, that was my first adventure in 2011.  Thanks for reading!  Have you ever done a Polar Bear Swim?  And if your planning on being in Vancouver next year, come and join me, as I think it would make a great tradition.