Fun and Nonsense from an Eau Claire Ingenue
OMG. There are no words for how excited I am about the beer for Day 12. I saved it until as close to Christmas as possible, but popped it open last night to record – mostly because I was working at Moveology this morning and knew things would be crazy today. I was so delighted that I had Kevin to share the “opening the wrapping” moment with, even if I had to explain my delight to him.
So here’s Beer 12, sitting in my recording spot… and let’s go through the cut.
When I started this blog, one of my core goals was to share fun things that I did in Calgary. Which I did fairly well for a time – at least until I did too many shows and a Masters degree. (I don’t think I wrote a single post in 2019.) Then, for a time, I did very few fun things in Calgary, unless you count my living room as Calgary, for reasons that we are all very aware of. And now I feel like I just haven’t really gotten back into the vibe of sharing fun things that aren’t plays. And Blogmas is about getting into routines, so why not take an opportunity to talk about a fun thing I’ve been doing in Calgary!? Talespin Trivia YYC!
Sort of? I guess?
Talespin Trivia YYC is Alan, creator and host of trivia events here in Calgary. He’s also a friend and theatre colleague, but that is neither here nor there. Because his trivia is great. He writes fun questions that are clever, informative, and occasionally a little convoluted. Sometimes it is a long walk around from the initial setup to what the question actually is, which is all a part of the magic because it keeps you on your toes.
We first started attending Alan’s trivia on Mondays at Citizen Brewing, a tucked away brewery in the northeast of Calgary. Megan and Hans had been looking for something to do while we enjoy delicious beverages and Alan’s trivia was the thing we decided to try. We were hooked! It’s just nice to know things, you know? Plus the dream team (Megan, Hans, Kevin, Claire and I – plus Kevin’s girlfriend Jess sometimes or a rotating series of friends) is wildly competitive so we like a thing that we do well at. Yes, we’ve won a couple of times over the past year and a half.
Anyway, we’ve now followed Alan to a few of his other event venues – including tomorrow night at Dickens Pub for Christmas Movie trivia! (Will we be good at this? Hard maybe – we have breadth of knowledge as a team, not depth.) I’ll try to drop a few pictures, at least on the Stories if nothing else.
Right! Too much enthusiasm!
Pub trivia. Get together a group of your friends (usually 6 is the max, some places take up to 8), arrive at a pub/brewery/cidery at a pre-determined time, enjoy some delicious drinks, and prepare to answer trivia questions. There will be a sheet of paper or cue cards to write your answers on. There is usually a buy-in (maybe $5-10) to compensate the host for their time and hard work. There is usually a prize of some sort for first place and maybe even second or third. (Usually the prize involves a gift card to the venue. For obvious reasons.)
Most of the pub trivia I’ve been to involves 6 rounds. Sometimes the rounds are themed, sometimes they aren’t. Talespin Trivia always has themed rounds because it helps Alan come up with question ideas – after all, constraints cause creativity. Especially with the events at Citizen, because they are General Knowledge trivia, versus the Dickens events which tend to have an overarching theme. There may be Name That Tune style rounds or identify things/people/toys in pictures type rounds.
And the most important thing to know? Don’t shout out the answers! (Unless the host tells you that you can.)
Obviously, it’s that trivia is fun and you should follow Talespin Trivia on instagram to find out when Alan’s next event is because he is our favourite.
How is it Day 9 already!? (Of the Beer Exchange, I mean, I know it’s Day 18 of Blogmas.) I know people always say that as you get older, time passes more quickly, but this year it really seems that way. Whether I’m at work or at play, the one thing that seems consistent is that I look up and suddenly hours have passed.
I am getting so much done in those hours, though! (Except for making my home not be in disarray. I haven’t found time for that yet. But I do have my Christmas tree up, so what more do you want from me?) For instance, yesterday we did our traditional Christmas baking with the girls and we somehow whipped through the four recipes in just over two hours. We are becoming efficiency machines!
Of note (and maybe why we were so fast), we didn’t have our usual little helper yesterday. Rylee was feeling a little boogie, so she stayed home to have a “couch day” with her daddy. And the little helper we did have was pretty chill – introducing Wren!
Wren had very little input on what we baked yesterday.
We made a few usual suspects – the gingerbread cookies I shared a few years ago, classic chocolate cookies with Rolos in them, and our Toblerone shortbread. Plus we busted out something new – Mars Bar Squares. They were truly delicious. And Canadian.
Plus, I took this opportunity to enjoy Beer 9 from the exchange! So follow me through the cut to find out what the beer was and maybe even get a recipe as well…
What a good day yesterday was! It was jam-packed, but it had so much good theatre, friends, drinks, and food. And you read it here first – Sarah Nearing is not just a fantastic vocal instructor, she is going to take the playwriting world by storm sooner than you might expect. But I am non-sequitering. And Sarah’s play is Sarah’s story to share when she’s ready to share. So instead, I’m going to hop back to Friday and talk about Ricardo’s Sippin’ Santa pop-up bar – redux!
Some of you may remember two years ago when my MEd friends and I did the Sippin’ Santa pop up at Ricardo’s Hideaway. (What you may or may not know is that I’ve still never actually been to Ricardo’s for their regular menu. It’s fine. I’ll get it together one day.) That year, it was a specifically scheduled, fairly planned out, event. This year? Totally spontaneous plans!
I had a bit of an odd day at work on Friday and Megan and Hans were recovering from getting some seasonal vaccines. We needed seasonal fun to distract ourselves! So we swung by Market Collective to pick up a few gifts, then headed over to Ricardo’s because festive drinks.
Now, let me make it clear that we were very lucky when we arrived at Ricardo’s. It is a very small space and, at least on Friday, they were not keeping a list. Which, I get it. They don’t really have a lobby that people can hang in while waiting. But we happened to be weighing our options right as a group at the bar paid – and glory was ours!
Okay, this is fun. While much of the glassware is the same, the drinks are actually different this year. (With the exception of the signature Sippin’ Santa. Which… I get it.) This is genius, at it lets the mixologists who design the menu get creative but also keeps the people coming back.
You know. If they realize it’s different. Which I didn’t until now. But that’s a me problem, not a them problem.
This year instead of going for a hot booze option (even though I love hot booze), I selected the Yule Tide almost exclusively for the adorable mermaid Santa mug. However, I do like tequila and cranberry, and I drank this delicious boy maybe a little bit too fast.
Speaking of adorable, Megan and Hans shared the North Pole Bowl. It maybe took us a little bit too long to figure out that the figurines are Santa and a reindeer having a little soak. We thought crocodile, pig, wolf… It’s fine. We’re fine. I snagged a sip and it was yummy – very much as if a gingerbread cookie and black tea were a cold beverage.
Sippin’ Santa continues to be festive and vibe-y, with sparkles everywhere. There is a ton to look at, definitely a good conversation starter if you’re worried about running out of things to talk about. It’s cute. And not too loud!
(We also went to National on 17th, which was both loud and not festive. Give it a skip for now.)
So, I need to know. There are lots of pop-ups in town – which would you go for? Classic cocktails? Tiki drinks? Beer? There’s something for everyone!
Just about a year and two months ago, I wrote a glowing Fitness Friday post about Moveology. At that point, Moveology was still fairly new. The studio had only been fully open for about four months and we had no way of knowing how special it would become.
Look at me, high fiving a friend while doing literally my least favourite position ever. (Chair pose. It gives me the tiniest of panic attacks for reasons I cannot comprehend. But it is also so good for my hamstrings and glutes.)
I’ve been in the boutique fitness class space for basically a decade now, working in a studio for most of it. And Moveology, as a studio, as a culture, as a community, truly embodies the fact that movement is for everyone. There is something about looking around the studio and seeing how every participant is taking a different expression of the exercise. Every instructor offers so many options and it is so easy to do what serves you on that day, in that moment.
You don’t want to jump? Maybe you don’t want to lay flat on your back during core work? Or you hate using a booty band? Who cares! I can guarantee, whatever you end up doing won’t be easier, it will just be more right for you. Like, it’s still an amazing workout, but it’s approachable and accessible. You’ll notice I am trying really hard not to say the word “modifications”, and that’s deliberate. There’s a bit of fitness culture that suggests we modify when we “can’t” do the “full move” and that’s not what Moveology is about. It’s about giving you options and letting you take them.
Okay, I definitely set that one up. But I think this is so cool and representative.
Lots of people like working out right after work, right? That 5:30pm class is the sweet spot.
And right now, Emma (Moveology owner/founder, incredible human being) has a different class style scheduled every day of the week. You could literally come to that time slot every week day and have a fully well rounded workout routine without even having to think about it. Check it out:
Monday – HIIT with Chloe (yes, I’ve finally done HIIT…)
Tuesday – Power with Nicole
Wednesday – Barre with Crystal
Thursday – Pilates with Emma
Friday – Move.Strength.Sweat with Emma
Maybe 5:30 doesn’t work for you. That’s okay. There are lots of options and lots of instructors that you can check out here. Plus there’s a great 3 classes for $30 deal going on!
I don’t know, y’all. It’s hard for me to explain how special Moveology is. I just know it’s keeping me sane during the holiday season.
I do my best to post my upcoming classes on my instagram story each week. So check it out and come move with me.
Hello and welcome to Day 14 of Blogmas, Day 7 of the Beer Exchange and another festive outing on A Flimsy Plan! Remember last year when I enjoyed a Wave Pool at my friend’s Hanukkah party? Well, Beer 7 was yet another beer that paired super well with latkes.
All in all, it was an amazing, lowkey, party with amazing blini/smoked salmon based appetizers courtesy of Jenny, good conversation… and an adorable new baby!
Look at how cute and grownup my friends Becky and Greg look with their little boy. Can you believe that they hosted a full-on Hanukkah party at their home… and made the latkes? And provided the most delicious sugar cookies in the shapes of stars, dreidels, and menorahs?
We kept the evening mostly lowkey, for obvious reasons, but I did take the beat to drink Beer 7. And to find out more about it, follow me through the cut…
Everyone. My life has been so chaotic recently, I am so delighted for every bit of consistency I can scrape up. And writing on this blog every day? (For literally 4 days?) Having the beers for the beer exchange? It’s little, but it makes me feel so good.
And you know what else makes me feel good? Recording Mystery, Outsiders and Abs!
My and Kevin’s teen drama brains have been filled with Riverona and we had no energy for good Shadowhunters goofs. (That said, you should definitely donate to our Riverona IndieGoGo campaign to bring this Romeo and Juliet teen drama parody to the stage. Fans of MOA know Kevin and I are clever and can write a better show than Riverdale…) Anyway, we have brains back and we are ready to record our podcast, and you know what that means?
It means Beer 2!
Sort of. Follow me through the cut to figure out what I mean by that…
On Theatre Thursdays, I discuss topics related to theatre. I also write about local productions that I think #yyc should see. Today I’m talking about one of the many holiday productions currently running – Sleuth
My friends! Do you know what snuck up on me so quickly this year? December! And by “December”, I mean “Blogmas”.
My November was incredibly ambitious. I truly thought I would write every day during the month for Nanowrimo, chronicle what we were doing at Riverona rehearsals, actually produce/director/act in Riverona, and have a social life?! Oh Erin, you sweet summer child.
Blogmas seems easy in comparison.
And it’s especially easy when I have a fantastic theatre production to kick the season off with… Vertigo Theatre’s production of Sleuth.
On Theatre Thursdays, I discuss topics related to theatre. I also write about local productions that I think #yyc should see. Today I’m talking about a new play that I haven’t been able to stop talking about – The Extractionist.
Calgary has been filled with new theatre this month! I don’t know if it’s because they were inspired by High Performance Rodeo or if it was just a coincidence, but our professional companies have been filled with world premieres this February. And as an artist who pretty much exclusively creates new works these days, I am hyped to see it. That said, it has led to a few little complications for my blog. Either the shows have had short runs (The F Word) or the buzz made its way to me late (Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer), but either way I didn’t have the opportunity to cover them before they closed. But you know what I did love and is still open? Vertigo Theatre’s The Extractionist, written by my very own Michaela Jeffery!
Ahhhhh! OMG, my friends, it feels so good to be doing a “What I Read” in a month post. I love hearing about the books that other people are reading – big into BookTube these days – and I love the opportunity to do the same for you all. Just a quick housekeeping note: for these posts, I plan to stick to the quick one or two lines about my thoughts on each book thing. I will do longer reviews for any newer release books (or ARCs because… yes! I get ARCs now!). Your time is precious, I’ll keep it short, sweet and organized. And so, that said, let’s get right into What I Read in January 2023.