Some really big things have been happening for us over the past two months, and while we’ve not been shy talking about it in person, we’ve kept it quiet on an official level up until now. In August we committed to making a big change in our lives, but one that is certain to pay off in spades - we bought a house. It may sound like a big financial strain to take on, but after much research we were surprised to find it really made more sense for us than our current situation.
Until now we’ve been renting a condo in the downtown core. We managed to make it work for ourselves and our business, but it always felt very cramped and precarious. For one, it made for a completely unsightly living space, cluttered with magazines and our tools of the trade. We were often embarrassed to have people over for business meetings because there was simply no way to organize so much stuff into a single-level, albeit large suite. For a while we rented an office on the ground level of our building for meetings and to store archived and current magazines, but when the condo board proposed more than doubling the rent for it, we decided that the expense was just not worth the amount of use we actually got out of it (not to mention the crummy condition of the space).
At times it felt scary knowing that we didn’t have control over the place that we lived and worked in, and I’m discovering that in many ways it held us back. Having to undergo an unexpected move could have meant the end of us. Moving a high-speed internet connection and server farm takes months, especially when the slow-moving, corporate monster telecommunication companies are involved (even with months of advance warning, it was still a total nightmare). Letting down the numerous non-profit groups and paid clients whose websites we host was a big concern that hovered above the daily struggle to provide a reliable service in an unpredictable world. Thankfully, this move will give us peace of mind that we have a greater degree of stability and finally allow us to make long-term plans.
Selecting a realtor was a very difficult decision for us, since we have a number of excellent realtors advertising with us. In the end, we felt it was most fair to choose the one who had been advertising for the longest with us, which was Lorne Doucette. We looked at a handful of houses before we got an excited phone call early in the morning to come and see the one which was ultimately the best suited to us. We went forward with it, and took possession of the house in mid August.
So there is a reason why we’ve been somewhat scarce for the past month and a half - we have been putting much of our time and effort into some minor renovations that needed to be done before moving our furniture and possessions in. I swear we have been to Home Depot so frequently, it puts the Lesbian stereotype to shame! (That, or we’re already campaigning for the “Best Lesbian Couple” award at the next Dirty Birds.)
For computer guys, we’ve taken pretty well to doing this sort of work, in fact I personally find it a nice change of pace from the less tangible computer work that I’m used to. Somehow I’m proud to say that my hands are covered in minor cuts and scrapes; rough and parched from being washed so frequently, and doused in solvents to remove paints and oils. I got a huge blister in the centre of my right palm from screwing (har har). It prompted me to buy a proper electric drill/screw driver to spare the effort (and chafing) of the manual one.
Now we can finally arrange our lives in a way that makes sense for us and GayCalgary, and not have to worry about the approval of a landlord or condo board. It feels like moving out of my parent’s place all over again, or like graduating from school and realizing that the pressure of mid terms and final exams are a thing of the past. It’s the taste of independence and freedom.
Of course, like any change in life, the transition from old to new is the rockiest part. As of writing this column, moving has been a major challenge, especially near the end of the month while we also have a magazine to put together. As our landlord pointed out, moving is supposedly the third most stressful occurrence in life, after divorce and loss of employment. So as a result, this month’s press deadline has been…how should I say…a fair bit more insane than usual; trying to get started on writing articles and realizing that all the materials are at the other location, or for me, even trying to shave and realizing my razor and the shaving cream are not under the same roof. It’s been absolute bedlam, but thankfully a onetime affair leading to better things across the board.
Making this move has also prompted me to take another big step – finally getting a vehicle of my own on the road. In my younger days I stopped just short of my road test, wanting additional practice in a few areas that my ex-girlfriend had told me horror stories about. But that practice never came, and things got put off for so long that I lost touch with the experience I had gained to that point. Finally last month I made the effort to refresh my skills and completed my road test, got insurance for our vehicle that has been sitting in the basement of our condo building for nearly 2 years, and finally got on the road. Since Steve still doesn’t drive, I guess this makes me the chauffer (“show-fur”) for now, but I’m already on his case to follow suit. As healthy as walking everywhere has been for us, there are some tasks that are impractical, even impossible without a vehicle, plus it is a huge time saver. In our case this doesn’t mean we’re any less busy, just that we can get more done in the same amount of time.
So for the next month we’ll be getting settled in and figuring out our new routines, discovering what new affordances the house has for ourselves and our business. One I can already foresee is better accessibility – direct, street level access along 17th Avenue will be a major benefit in giving GayCalgary a solid physical presence in the community. We also have some other plans, which should be forthcoming over the next month.
September 2009 in Summary
Last month’s cover manifested some interesting reactions from people. While most agreed Peter was yummy, we quickly discovered that there are a couple readers out there with phobias, that couldn’t stomach the fact that we used a real snake! At first I found this a bit hard to understand, wondering why they couldn’t just think of Buffy as a plastic prop if it bothered them so much. But I suppose that a gory Halloween cover with fake blood might have set me off in the same way as seeing real blood.
Despite much contention, Pride was a resounding success this past month. For the dance at Belgo, the ticket sales estimate given to us that night was 650. Considering there was almost zero overhead cost, it meant that Pride Calgary Planning Committee was able to bank around $13,000 – money they were counting on to put on the parade and street festival the next day. Belgo received many compliments from attendees, both for the beauty of the multi-tiered venue, as well as the friendly and accepting staff.
Compared to the parades from the past two years which, from my perspective behind the video camera, went by in less than 10 minutes, this Parade was just about twice as long. An article on Xtra.ca revealed that many local businesses chose not to enter floats this year because of the prohibitive costs in the current recession; however some circumvented this by submitting walking entries instead. According to organizers, there was a total of 40 unique entries this year. And finally, NO RAIN!
Money Pennies bounced back from an unfortunate mishap the weekend prior, just in time to fulfill their commitment managing the beer gardens at the street festival. Unlike previous years where Olympic Plaza tended to clear out by 3pm, both the beer garden and the dancing stage remained bustling until 6pm, when organizers had to tear down the set up. The crowd estimate given by the police was over 4000.
Of course, Pride is also a busy time for local businesses – something that many count on to survive. As a result there had been much concern from the business community about the change of date to September. We spoke to many of our advertisers who stood to benefit from the Pride celebrations, and the consensus seemed to be that their sales were on par with, if not better than, previous Prides held in June. Many of those businesses who chose to stand back and observe Pride from the sidelines this year now know what they can expect from the new Pride Calgary Planning Committee, and can anticipate greater benefits by getting involved for next year.
On the other hand, we saw Pride-releated events from a number of businesses that have not typically participated in the past. On parade day, Beatniq hosted a SHARP Foundation fundraiser, while the Soda (venue for the monthly Fake Mustache drag king shows) put on a circuit party for Pride attendees, featuring gay and lesbian DJs from Calgary and Edmonton. Speaking of which, a special bus was organized to transport people from Edmonton to attend Calgary’s Pride, including staff members from a number of Edmonton’s gay bars and clubs. Goliaths held their first dance party, and although their license doesn’t allow them to sell liquor at the event (easily fixed by popping over to the Texas Lounge), it permitted some other unique things that a standard bar or club cannot do: a men-only environment where full nudity is permitted. Goliaths plans to make these events a monthly occurrence from now on.
The Rocky Horror Pride Show at the Plaza Theatre in Kensington had an astounding turnout – we showed up to find two line ups going quite a long way down the block. Needless to say, the theatre was sold out and many had to be turned away.
The 4th Annual Great Chili Cook-Off happened on the 20th, after the AIDS Walk for Life earlier in the day. This year 12 contestants put forth their best, spiciest, and most unique chili recipes to be judged by the SHARP Foundation, and to be shared with attendees for a nominal fee (benefitting SHARP). Because the Walk for Life occurred the same day in Edmonton, Steve knew he would have to miss the Cook-Off (one of his favorite annual events), so he subjected me to the task of gathering samples of all the chilies for him to try once he got home. As the event was shutting down, I paid my dues to take away a helping of the left over chili in Tupperware containers. So Steve got to try all of the chilies, and we had tasty dinners to last us for several days. Once again this year, the event raised about $1500 for the SHARP Foundation on behalf of Beswick House.
Coming Up in October
With Pride shifting to September, October seems to be the new “dead month” that August once was…though perhaps not as dead as August used to be. Check our events listing starting on page 17 for more information, or browse our extensive online community events calendar at www.gaycalgary.com/events
Of particular note is the Backlot’s 13th Anniversary, which they are celebrating on October 21st. See their ad in this edition for more details.
Also, we have been informed that this month’s ARGRA dance has been cancelled to allow the new team of planners time to organize and implement changes for the November dance. Regardless, there are going to be some tough decisions to make on that date of October 24th, as it seems to be the day that EVERYONE decided to hold their dance events. For my fellow “show-furs”, the bi-monthly BEEF Bearbash Bar Night is happening at Boots in Edmonton. This is at the same time as the Womonspace AGM and Dance also in Edmonton, the GALA/LA Dance in Lethbridge, and a special Apollo dance in Calgary. Even a car won’t help us with this conundrum…better to have invested in a cloning machine!

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