I had some vacation time that I had to use up and Alex decided that the last week of April was the ideal time to do some big projects around the house.
We painted our deck back in 2018 after we got back from our trip to Europe. Here is the before:
It had this hideous brown indoor / outdoor carpet that was smelly and so badly stained that we couldn’t do anything to revive it. So, off it came and we painted the deck:
It was a lovely blue / gray that complemented the colour of the house quite nicely. Fast forward to 2024….
BEFORE!
AFTER!!!
It is done and we couldn’t be happier with the results.
Today marks 5 years since my mom died. Still think about her every day. I still beat myself up over not visiting her more often than I did. However, I did make the most of my visits to her when I could. The last three years of her life were filled with monthly trips to Edmonton to spend a day with her. I only hope that she enjoyed those visits as much as I did,
The times that I wasn’t able to see her in person, I wrote her long letters. Letters that were filled with mundane day-to-day stuff that Alex and I did but, they were also filled with my memories – special times that we spent together.
I know she kept those letters as they were returned to me by my family after her funeral. I kept digital copies of all those letters. I also recorded her when she was still lucid and have kept those audio files. I still play some of them every now and then. The content of the recordings is not important. Just hearing her voice makes me ahppy. I only wish I had been able to do the same with my dad.
Yesterday, April 20 was my Dad’s Birthday. He would have been 101. My dad was an enigma to me. He was a wonderful provider. He worked two full time jobs to support his family.
Family meant the world to him. He was so proud of each of us – just had a hard time expressing it. My relationship with my dad, while at times was perfunctory, it was also one of the most honest relationships I had with family members. He was blunt and while he didn’t embrace my homosexuality, he accepted it in the only way he knew how. He gave me his support when I needed it most. He co-signed a car loand when I needed transportation, he encouraged me to move to Vancouver in the late 80’s knowing full well, I was drowning living in Alberta.
When he and mom would come and visit me in the Lower Mainland, they would go out of their way to make sure that I had food, clothing and the necessities of having my own home. His generosity with me knew its limits but, he did what he could for me when he knew it was needed.
Opening March 28th “Next Fall” By Geoffrey Nauffts Directed by Wayne Nolan Luke believes in God. Adam believes in everything else. “Next Fall” portrays the ups and downs of this unlikely couple’s five-year relationship with sharp humour and unflinching honesty. And when an accident changes everything, Adam must turn to Luke’s family and friends for support… and answers. “Next Fall” offers a picture of modern romance, asking questions about commitment, love and faith. March 28th to April 12th, 2024 (Th, Fri, Sat @ 7:30 pm)Matinees April 7th and 13th, 2024 (@ 2:00 pm)Tickets: Adults $22, Students/Seniors $20NEW: Preview March 27th, 2024 @ 7:30 pm ($12 all tickets)Tickets on sale HERE! There will be a special “Talk Back” session following our Sunday April 7th performance featuring a Q&A with director and cast! Note: the shuttle service for this performance will return to Parkgate AFTER this additional ~30 minute component of the afternoon! Fundraising Opportunities Attention all individuals or groups looking for fundraising opportunities. DCSS is looking to book fundraising evenings for our 2024/2025 season.How it works: Those wishing to raise funds can book the entire theatre for the initial performance of one of our productions at a very affordable rate and then sell tickets at a rate of their choice. The past fundraising evenings have proven to be quite successful with the monies going to support many good causes.Please contact Ariyanna at ariyanna@telus.net for more information to book your event.Shuttle Bus Service Offered for our two MATINEE performances, April 7th and 13th, 2024! We have launched a shuttle bus service from the Parkgate Mall area to the theatre in Deep Cove which will run in association with our afternoon matinee performances, a time when parking can be particularly challenging in Deep Cove.The shuttle will leave from in front of the North Vancouver District Public Library Parkgate branch, in the north parking lot off of Banff Court.Tickets cost $5 and must be purchased in advance from the link below.Be sure to select the correct performance date.Tickets will NOT be sold on the bus itself.Vehicle is NOT wheelchair accessible.The bus will leave promptly at 1:30.The bus will return you to Parkgate after the performance.There will only be a single shuttle per performance – seating is limited to 21 people.
February 12 is my mom’s birthday. She would have been 98 this year. I think about her every day and how happy she was knowing that I had Alex in my life.
February 20, 2015 – My one and only sister, Anna left us. My world came crashing down on that day. I still think of her often.
I know that I have been posting a little about this project but I am getting very excited about it.
Luke believes in God. Adam believes in everything else. “Next Fall” portrays the ups and downs of this unlikely couple’s five-year relationship with sharp humour and unflinching honesty. And when an accident changes everything, Adam must turn to Luke’s family and friends for support… and answers. “Next Fall” offers a picture of modern romance, asking questions about commitment, love and faith.
March-28th to April 12th, 2024 (Th, Fri, Sat @ 7:30 pm)
Matinees April 7th and 13th, 2024 (@ 2:00 pm)
We have an amazing cast.
Julia Chayko – Arlene Andrew Fraser – Luke Evan Kelly – Brandon Chuck Mayne – Butch Mersiha Mušović – Holly Doug Perri – Adam
I am so proud of this project. I hope you can make it out to see it.
February 12 is a bit of a milestone for me and Alex. It was 21 years ago on February 12 that we met for the first time. I still find it hard to believe that he has put up with my antics and shenanigans for this long. I am very fortunate or he is bat-shit crazy. The jury is still out. But, I am eternally grateful for his love, unwavering support and his never ending patiences while we navigate this life.
2023 turned out to be a pretty good year for Alex and I. We came through it relatively unscathed. There were a few blips on the road.
December 2022
I went to Mexico in early December 2022 for a work function. It was my first work trip with IRIS and I was soooo excited. We were there from December 4 – 8. It was truly a whirlwind trip.
Mexico – Mayacoba Resort
What an incredible resort!
For four wonderful days, we networked, we learned and we enjoyed the company of 300 fellow employees. The weather was stunning. The amenities were amazing. The food – OMG! THE FOOD!
With all that good stuff, there had to be some bad – I got the trifecta of maladies: Day 2, I got Traveler’s Diarrhea – AUGH. On the morning of day 2, I felt that I should refrain from gorging on the breakfast buffet and decided that I would indulge in some fresh fruit – BAD! BAD! BAD!. Within 90 minutes of consuming my breakfast, I was in the bathroom. Details will not be following….
One the morning of day 4, I got a tooth infection. OMG, the pain was beyond descriptors. Fortunately, I was able to keep it at bay with tons of Tylenol. When I got home, I was able to get a prescription for antibiotics and that took care of that, but, still – YIKES!
The icing on this cake of misery was the day after I got home when I tested positive for Covid! For me, it was like a bad head cold which lasted about 6 days. Alex, on the other hand was not as fortunate. He was down for almost 3 weeks. He was lucky in that the symptoms remained in his head and throad and did not progress into his lungs. He did lose his voice for about 4 days (whew! It saved me from being yelled at for 96 glorious hours).
I had the best time in Mexico and hope that I can do more trips with my company.
January
January 2023 saw my return to Stage Managing. I was able to do a great show for Delta Stageworks. Here is my original post.
February
February is also a tough month for me. February is when I lost my dad and my sister. Plus, February is my mom’s birthday month. This is my February posts.
April is another month where it is kind of tough on me. My dad was born in April and my mom died in April. https://alzylstra.com/2023/04/
May
May was a quiet month. I didn’t have any Stage Managing gigs, I didn’t have anything major happening and so it was actually a bit of a relief to just be at home. Speaking of home, May was around the time that my employer decided that our regional office would be closed and everyone in the office would be mandated to work from home full time. Hooray!
I had been working from home for the previous year and a half. 80% of my work week would be at home and 20% would be at the office. The day I was in, I would collect the mail, wait for the courier company to drop off packages and collect voicemails.
Once it was decided that the office would be closed, it set in motion, a whole bunch of new protocols for the mail, courier and phone systems. It took of a bit of logistics but, once everything was done, I was free from going to the office! Hooray! To be truthful, I really don’t miss working in the office. I was the only one there on my day and so it wasn’t like I was able to talk to my co-workers face-to-face. Skype and MS Teams became the “go-to” for all communications.
June
June saw the return of one of my favourite Stage Managing gigs: The Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival. It is three days of music, artisans, food and paddlers – all under the backdrop of False Creek! Here is my original post
July
July was another quiet month for me. The office was offically closed. There were no Stage Managing gigs and I was able to stop and take a breath. Alex was busy with all his gardening and was able to secure a second greenhouse – so he was in his element. We did experience some loss, though. A raccoon managed to get into our pond and DECIMATE it. We lost 14 goldfish – each one was, on average, 6 inches long. It was so sad. Some of those fish were 10 years old!
So, once we were finished mourning the loss of our fish, we went out and purchased new fencing and created a (hopefully) raccoon-proof cover. We were able to restock it with some rescue goldfish and they all appear to be flourishing.
August
August saw my return to Stage Managing at the Steveston Dragon Boat Festival. It was a one day event, but, I had the best time. Here is the original post.
September
September, Alex and I went back to Europe. We had the best time! We were there for almost 2 weeks and did so much sight-seeing and touring. The Netherlands was hit with a heat wave while we were there. Daytime temperatures saw in excess of 30 degrees C. Temperatures like that were unheard of. So, we dealt with the heat and humidity as best we could. Hooray for Air Conditioning in our rental car.
December is turning into another hectic month. Work is getting busy with projects and events. My latest production: The Marvelous Wonderette is in full swing and the first 4 shows were sold out and the audiences LOVED the performances of everyone. Can’t ask for more than that, right?
As a result of my Stage Managing this show, I was able to line up two more shows for 2023! I am gonna be a busy boy with my various productions.
Finally, a quick thank you to everyone who has been part of mine and Alex’s life! We appreciate the heck out of you all and look forward to 2024 !
Fundraising Opportunities
Al Zylstra 