Jer's Life

Turning out to be quite an adventure already.  Vancouver is being pounded by a record breaking snow storm for the past 4 days.  I haven’t seen snow like this since Michigan.  It’s hard to complain, considering that now I’m walking IN the storm and not just stick in traffic, while staying warm in my truck.  My shoes have proven themselves to be my best friends.  I can’t believe my feet are dry!!

Day before Christmas I ventured out into the storm in order to get some gear for the trip.  I’m not even going to consider dragging around luggage, so I got myself a nice 65 liter backpack.  Should be just enough to carry my clothes without me getting stinky.  Woo!!  No stink! Also, I finally got a new jacket.  So nice to wear something that is not 2 sizes too big.  It actually LOOKS nice too.  Yeah, i should have gotten one sooner, but I was a little nervous about spending $300+ on a jacket that would only replace the working jacket I already had…    but I spent less than $300, so all is good. It’s not a spectacular color, but the other colors they had were in styles that were very…  “meh”, ya know?  Zero character.  The new jacket works quite nicely with my Newsboy cap.  Before, it was just… wrong.

I wanted to go to work today to get stuff sorted out before I left on my journey.  I planned on also going to the currency exchange, but that didn’t happen…  because the storm hit hard again.  I left work around 2:30 (after raising my desk, cleaning up some code, etc.) and picked up the 130 bus.  I had it drop me off at a covered stop… waited for 30 minutes for the 25 bus.  Time passed and I saw a 130 coming that wasn’t full, so I decided I’d let it take me to the Skytrain, then figure it out from there.  I had to get somewhere, as the snow was piling up every minute.

At the Metrotown Sktrain & bus depot, I ran in the largest backlog of people I’d ever seen.  Why?  The tracks were frozen and people were lining up for the buses like it was Disney World.  I couldn’t even get up the escalators.  I thought about waiting it out at the mall, but I noticed that the crowds were just getting bigger, so if I was to move, it had to be right then.  I had no time to spare, I have a trip to pack for!

I walked from the mall and made it half way home before a 19 bus picked me up and carried me to safety.  People were packed on the bus to the point where I think someone was sitting in the driver’s lap.  OH!  That was me!  He was sweet.  I tell ya.  There was room for 1 person on that bus.  The door could barely close behind me.  Camera battery was dead, or else I’d have evidence.

I’m home now. The only event walking from the bus stop was me just taking note of my surroundings.  I don’t recognise anything.  Is that 2 feet out there?  I could barely get the front gate open.

Also, good news is it looks like I’ll have a place to stay while I’m in Sweden.  Never used couchsurfing.com (go figure) but so far, so good.  I’m all good with meeting new people and it’ll be nice to have a Swede tell me where all the hot spots are.  Here’s their response for my plea for help.

Hey hey Jeremy! Michael here (the elder son). There
shouldn’t be a problem giving you a place to sleep.
Around the sixth of january my dad might be coming
here so then you might have to take the couch if you
don’t mind. ;D However, you’re more than welcome to
sleep on our couch for a few days. (= Wed just like to
know which days and how long 😉 Don’t hesitate to
call.

I told them I’d call tomorrow at 6am (that’s 3pm Swedish time).  Almost got my days mixed up, they were expecting me to arrive tomorrow.

K, that’s enough for now.  Next time I’ll be typing, it may be moments before I meet with the angel.  A little mental preparation is in order.

Dear Heart,

Don’t fail me.  I will do my best to keep my head clear and calm.  No matter what the outcome, this is something that needs to be done.  She deserves it…   I deserve it.  Am I willing to give it all up for her?  Well, let’s just say that I really don’t know when I’ll return to Vancouver.  Whether it’s immediately or weeks after, that will be up to her.

Christmas Eve was saved by my friend Claus. I worked with Claus on my first film 4 years ago, and again a few months ago.  He saw me eating alone in a restaurant and popped in to say hello.  He didn’t know that Cecilia was back in Sweden.  He didn’t know we were still together.   I told him, “I don’t know if we are still together.”

He said that I shouldn’t be alone on Christmas Eve.  He invited me to spend it with him, his wife & newborn son at their place downtown.  While heading down there, I forgot the directions so had to run back to the house, through the record breaking snow.  when I returned to the stop, the bus was just pulling up.  When I had to transfer, the driver let me out early so I could run to catch the next shuttle.  I caught it just as it was pulling away.  All day long, people were waiting 30-60 minutes for buses.  Somehow I made it to Claus’s apartment in 24 minutes.

I thought of her often while looking out the window of their comfy apartment, 17th floors above downtown Vancouver.  A beautiful spread of wine, cheddar cheeses and pâté brought a comfortable calmness to me.  The small and ornate Christmas tree reminded me of what she always wanted…  what we always needed.

I had a wonderful time and after calming down a bit (I was running!!) I relaxed and enjoyed the conversation, the warm company, their inspirational views on the industry…     and the view.

Where will I be for New Years? I think my message to a Swedish member of couchsurfing.com summarizes it best.  Here’s the copy/paste.

————————————————————————————————-

Hej!

I have an romantic adventure coming up and I may need a place to sleep for a day or two.  I’m scheduled to arrive in Copenhagen on Dec 27th at 13:30.  I have not scheduled a train yet, so I’m not sure when I will arrive in Halmstad.

What’s the occasion?

A surprise visit to my girlfriend.  She’s been staying with me in Vancouver over the past 3 years.  She’s been struggling to get into makeup artistry and I work in the film & video games industries.  She is often waiting for me to come home, while I work and try to get residency for us both here in Vancouver.   I’m from Michigan originally and trying to make a home base in Vancouver.

I think John Lennon said it best “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.“

She’s been waiting 3 years for me, and I’ve been working too much.  Even the little time we get to spend together was rushed or distracted. I’m no longer want to wait for my job to settle down and I want to tell her, I want to show her, in person, that she means more to me than anything.

So there’s my romantic tale.  Who knows how it will end.  If you are interested in helping me out and learning a little bit about Vancouver and the film & game industries…  or just to be a part of a fairy tale…

…we should talk more!

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How will this end?  Indeed.  Am I crazy?  Well, she’s always wanted me to be myself.  She always wanted me to dump the shyness and be free.  I was always afraid to give her my heart, because I wasn’t sure if life would allow use to be together.  If things went wrong with the film & game industry in Vancouver…   if I wasn’t able to fix my unhealthy arm… well…  I may have had to return to the US, and I didn’t want to take her away from her career in Vancouver.

Anyhow, I guess this is it.  I will give her what she’s always deserved…   what we deserve.  Will this tale have a fairy tale ending?  Will I become the person I know I am?  Will she see our future?

Whether or not we are together…  I owe this.

When I quit my career as a “computer guy”, I walked into the future not knowing what to expect.  I didn’t have a “plan”, but I did have a goal.  That goal was pretty realistic, as I promised myself, at 25 years old, that I would be working in animation by the time I was 30.  At 28 years old, life has allowed me to achieve this goal.  I’m 32 now and have since pushed even harder to make my career foundation even more solid.

At what cost?

As time passed, I set myself new goals.  These goals were constantly being pushed back and eventually they became plans and intentions.  My job, my health, my relationship…  all 3 were unbalanced.

2008 was great for my career.  I know that most everyone that has worked with me appreciates everything I do to make their lives easier & fun!   Though there are a few that didn’t agree with my methods, in the end they realized my intentions were always the best…  and I was eventually given the opportunity to prove myself.  Apologies exchanged and new levels of respect were built.

Does this apply to my personal life as well?  Considering that my personal life should not be a “project” and it’s impossible to predict an “end date”, you could agree that it does not apply to my loved ones.

I spend so much time at work promoting alternative planning methods.  Agile techniques that can promote creativity and adaptiveness.  Art will not bend at the wills of a spreadsheet.  Art is the accident in a medium when trying to communicate ideas.  Without freedom, there is no art.  Without freedom, there is no life.

The technology that has helped us realize our freedom is the same technology the burdens us.  It’s too often misused.  I’ve personally misused this technology and eventually realized that it needed to change.  Some things we can ease ourselves out of.  Some things we have to stop immediately, with intentions to encounter “face to face” at a later time.

That time has passed, yet it is not too late.  That “plan” has proven to be pretty useless to me.

Time to be free of my plans.  Time to be free of my career.  I’ve been holding off adventure for far too long.  It’s been waiting in the fridge, and now it’s past it’s due date.

Luckily it hasn’t yet spoiled.

Finally, the full trailer! Written by Neil Gaiman Directed by Henry Selick (Nightmare Before Christmas). Looks wonderful! Go Laika!!