"I don't want you to trust me, I just want you to touch me"

BoyTech...........where do I begin?

Imagine, if you will, two moderately gay...bi...ambiguous men in unreasonably tight silver spandex leggings (the kind you see in American Apparel and say to yourself "huh...who wears those?) home-altered t-shirts, circa 1980, and each equipped with a set of 20 lb dumb bells pumping iron while belting out some bad techno beats. This does not even begin to describe my experience at Celebrities, one of the more popular gay clubs in downtown Vancouver.

What was supposed to be just a fashion show turned out to be a fascinating social experience as I found myself in a place where the norms for social interactions are completely different. This was no longer just about the clothes, or the fact that the trend of the evening was skinny jeans, high tops and v-neck t-shirts, or even about the fact that a handful of these guys had "lost" their shirts as some point and didn't seem too concerned. There was more to it than that.

Within the walls of Celebrities, men expressed themselves and their affections for their partners and fellow friends in a manner that I can only describe as one of liberation - in that how awesome it must have felt to step inside a place that is not only welcoming of, but expects exuberant and in some cases flamboyant expressions of affection for those around them. To step out of the critical and judgemental world, and into one where YOU are the norm. I suppose it's fair to say that for anyone to be able to feel as part of the "norm" would be liberating - regardless of their sexual orientation.

So maybe the reason why BoyTech was so strange and ridiculous...yes, lets use "ridiculous"....to me was that they were much closer to the norm there than I was. On the other hand, maybe "ridiculous" was what they were going for - if so, they nailed it!!!

"if you got it, hit it!" -BoyTech

first impressions

So I've been in Vancouver for about 3 days and I must say, the rhythm here is different. It's slower, calmer, and quieter. Of course, I have yet to venture much out of Kitsilano, but I honestly have very little need to do so. With a perfect view of the mountains, 10 minute walk from Jericho Beach, and the most amazing cinnamon buns served in the little coffee shop just around the corner, what more do I need?

Ian informed me that Vancouver is one of the most active cities in Canada, and I believe it. Even the drifter down near the beach had a hardcore mountain bike....granted, he also had a giant bottle of Crown Royal too - but we don't judge. One could also infer the immense lung capacity of the pot smokers somewhere in this building would be representative of an active lifestyle - if you can light a joint that big - then you can have it. Although, I can see some counter productivity in this scenario.

With the sun shining, the sound of the ocean just minutes away, and some of the most fantastic food created in Ian's swanky Kitsilano studio, I don't think I'll have a hard time staying here for another week and a half.

nerd 2² ever

As I drove through Downtown Edmonton today, I saw some fashion statements that, well....I don't know if you'd call it "fashion" per se, but it was a statement of sorts nonetheless. Although, one current trend that I have noticed growing in popularity is what is referred to as "Geek Chic". You know, the thick rimmed glasses, sweater vests with corduroy pants and loafers - the school girl thing without the raunchy connotations. So, when did nerd become cool? Can I join the AV club again?

Benjamin Nugent, author of American Nerd: The Story of My People, has dedicated an entire book on the history of nerds in our culture - pop and otherwise. He explores where the idea came from, its evolution, and how the phrase "my lips hurt real bad!" has worked its way into daily banter. He also discusses how this new-found love for the "nerd" character has infiltrated the entertainment business with shows like The Big Bang Theory and Beauty and the Geek. When Nugent asked about the reason behind such programming, CW Network's president of entertainment, Dawn Ostroff, simply stated "Nerds are really in right now".

She has a point though, and really where would the jocks be if there hadn't been nerds? How would the macho bank robbers have gotten into the vault if the token nerd hadn't first disabled the security system by hacking the national mainframe? So when you look at that way, nerds are just getting the credit they've always deserved.

Now where's that pocket protector....

My name is Erin, and I'm a blogger.

Blog. A strange word for a not-so-strange concept. Turning thoughts and ideas into sentences in an effort to piece together something for yourself, to reflect on what the heck has just happened to you, and posting it in cyber space in hopes that someone else will read it and perhaps know exactly what you mean.

Social networking has become and increasingly popular phenomenon with the availability of tools such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and even Nexopia – don’t get me started on online-dating, because those of you who know me are well aware of where that discussion starts and ends. You could say that blogs, tweets and status updates are kind of a vanity thing, in that we post these things with the assumption that someone, somewhere will want to know what you did 30 seconds ago.

Am I guilty of this too?? Absolutely.

As social beings, we naturally want others to know what we’re up to and are generally interested in “creeping” other peoples’ pages to find out what they did last weekend, who they’re dating, and what new toy they’ve just invested in. Regardless, it’s hard to think of where we would be without the advent of online social networking. Would university students get more work done? Probably. Would we lose contact with that best friend who just moved away? Quite likely.

And really, what else would we do at 1am when we can’t sleep?