Al Zylstra

fun day at East Side Rerides with one of my most favourite people

I am so sad now. She was such a lovely, gentle bunny.

• 

• 

• 

• 

So, let me start by stating that I have been in a long term monogamous relationship, married to my amazing husband, Alex since 2003 when we got married.

That being said, I need to make a confession: I have been carrying on a torrid love affair with Mouse, Mary Ann, Brian, Anna Madrigal, Shauna, Jake, Ben, DeeDee, the Twins, Wren, Harrison and a host of others for DECADES.

In case you have NO idea who I am talking about, I am referring to the cast of characters from Armistad Maupin’s “Tales of the City”.

It was 1987, and I had been in Vancouver for just over a year. One of my soon-to-be best friends in the whole world, Elaine took me on an adventure to downtown Vancouver to a little hole-in-wall bookstore called “Little Sisters” on the top floor of a converted house on Thurlow Street.

It was one of my first steps out in the world as a gay man. Until that point, I was, shall we say, “semi-Closeted”. I wasn’t really out but, I was taking those first steps out in the world.

We got to Little Sisters and we climbed the rickety stairs to the top floor. I walked in and found Nirvana! Books about people like ME were EVERYWHERE! I was giddy with excitement. So, I started wandering the aisles checking out a variety of books, magazines and the like.

I was fairly poor at this time, so I automatically gravitated over to the “discount” bin. There, sitting regally at the top of the pile was this book:

I had never hear of Armistead Maupin, but, the clerk behind the counter looked at me and smiled. He told me that the book in my hands would change my world. So, I paid the $1.95 for it and stuffed it in a brown paper bag the clerk handed me.

The very next day was my day off and so I made a big mug of tea, settled on the sofa and proceeded to tear through the store of Mary Ann Singleton meeting Anna Madrigal, Michael Tolliver, Mona Ramsay, Brian Hawkins and a host of new found friends. This story captivated me like no other book had before or since.

It was a contemporary story. It was taking place in San Francisco (a city I would eventually get to visit- I was DEVASTATED when I learned that Barbary Lane didn’t exist).

But, I fell in love that day. I fell in love with all of these characters and more. Upon finishing the story, I called Little Sisters to see if they had any other novels by Mr. Maupin. He had written his first novel in 1978 and so, there were not one, two but THREE additional books and they had them in stock! I was elated!

I BEGGED the clerk to hold them for me until I could get down there. The next chance was not until my next day off which was 5 days away. The clerk, whose name, I should remember but don’t, agreed to put them aside for me.

My next day off, I was down there and gathered up my three newest companions and headed for home. This time, rather than devouring the stories in an afternoon, I forced myself to ration the tales. Two chapters a day! That was it! It was HELL but, I was able savour the stories for much longer.

The stories filled me with delight, joy, fear, anger and love. What more can you ask from books?

Then, subsequently, two more chapters which kept me going for a while. I wanted MORE.

It wasn’t until 1993 that PBS embarked on a brave experiment and created the TV Series that made me fall in love all over again. The people from the books were made flesh and I was overjoyed.

The cast were EXACTLY who I pictured in my mind as I read the stories. Olympia Dukakis, Laura Linney and the rest shone as they were meant to.

After the series had finished its run, I RAN back to the books and re-read them voraciously. I needed more.

Then, in 1998, BBC ran the second series: More Tales of the City. They reunited most of the cast from the original series and it made my year

Subsequently in the 2000’s, Armistead wrote three more novels about the crew from Barbary Lane.

When I finished the final story, I thought that I could go on happily knowing that everyone was still alive and well.

Fast forward to this year: Netflix had produced a new chapter in the Tales of the City! The cast were reassembled with new and fascinating characters brought to life.

It was the culmination of everything that helped me become who I am today.

I didn’t binge watch the series. I was sorely tempted but, made myself watch them one episode a week just to make everything last. I was not disappointed. And as much as I want to give you all the details, you will just need to watch it yourself.

There were scenes of great joy, scenes of great anxiety, scenes of abject sadness and scenes of introspection.

I am thrilled to have been allowed to journey with these wonderful characters.

Thank you Armistead Maupin! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You made my own journey a lot more bearable having you along for the ride.

My travels in the air never seem to subside much. I have just gotten back from my trip to Europe with Alex, only to turn around and hop on a plane to Edmonton.

This weekend was even quicker than usual. I arrived Saturday morning at 11 am and am heading home on Sunday at 4:30 pm.

It was still a trip that was packed. I delivered some items to the IRIS location in South Edmonton, drove out to the east end to pick up my niece and then drove to the West End of Edmonton to go and see my mom in her new residence.

It is about five minutes south from her previous nursing home and a world away in regards to amenities and care. This place is definitely designed to make the residents’ lives somewhat easier.

Mom seems to have settled into her new room reasonably well. She is still struggling with the world but, I can rest easier knowing that she is getting quality care.

I was able to visit with her again at lunchtime and we were even able to have a video call with my cousins Nan and Tjalline in the Netherlands. They haven’t seen or spoken with Mom in almost 12 years, so it was very sweet to have mom connect with her Dutch roots and converse in her native tongue.

So, you have 4 more chances to check out this fun, funny and wildly entertaining play. I am so proud to be part of this project . Tickets are available at the door. $20 for a fun night out. The show is at the Bernie Legge Theatre in New Westminster. The show runs until July 27. Hope to see you there.

The show is going well. We have an amazing cast and crew. It is in a great space and I encourage all my followers (yes, all 5 of you) to come and see this show.

The show has 8 more performances at the Bernie Legge theatre in New Westminster. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com or you can purchase them at the door.

I am very proud of this show and want everyone to see why I love live theatre.

So, Alex is FINALLY getting his second cataract surgery today.

And he looks happy. Doesn’t he look happy? Please tell me he looks happy. It could also be that it is 6:00 am…

And after waiting 1 hour and 15 minutes, here is the end result:

So, been a crazy busy couple of weeks with all the things going on. Today marks the beginning of a small slowdown in my schedule.

I have been the Green Room Manager for Granville Island Canada Day celebrations for a number of years now.

It is always great fun. I get to hang out with a very diverse group of street performers, stilt walkers, face painters, musicians and dancers.