Home Again <3
A few weekends ago I spent some time in Montreal, reinforcing the misconception that I haven’t actually left Montreal, and still live there. I am half working on it, half really happy with how often I get to be home.
Camp didn’t end up happening that week, so we left Toronto on Thursday so Ayisha could get to a fitting. I went with her and caught up with a friend who was working in production before we headed home for a family supper.
Once the meal was done, Ayisha and I headed to Complexe Multi Beloeil, so that we could attend one of Lee’s Jiu-Jitsu classes. Luckily I have been doing a whole lot of guard pass drills back in Toronto, so we breezed through that part of class and learnt some cool moves as well as alternatives to existing techniques.
On Friday morning I was expecting to drive Ayisha to a dress fitting and watch her try on a bunch of beautiful gowns, probably taking pictures and offering advice. While she was changing into the first gown, the designer asked me what I was going to be wearing to the event, and when I told him I was probably going to wear my bridesmaid’s dress, he insisted that I go try on some gowns and let him know what I like.
We spent over an hour trying on the most gorgeous gowns, which made our decision at the end near impossible. I was amazed by how nice he was, in addition to how elegant his creations were. We left there trying to figure out what events we could get invited to so we would be able to wear more of his dresses.
We stopped for some refreshments at Orange Julep, then went to Grant Brothers Boxing for a bit of pad work. This was the first time he gave us homework once he was done having us do pads, but it was fun homework; the boxing kind.
Once we were done with our workout, we rushed home for my dad’s birthday supper, which was probably mostly an excuse to get everyone to hang out together (his birthday was weeks before). It was nice, no matter the reason, and we went back to my brother’s after the meal for a night cap.
On Saturday I was filming Citadelle, a French proof of concept project that they hope to turn into a webseries next summer. It is with Thibaud, who did Un Jour En Societe as well as Ca Arrivera Jamais Icitte, so I was in familiar territory.
Ayisha came with me and worked from the car while I caught up with old castmates, then choreographed my fight scene and rehearsed it with my scene partner. It was something I had never done before, so I focused on simplicity and safety more than wow. My scene partner probably got really annoyed every time I shot an idea down, but his ax was still pointy, even if it wasn’t real, and most of my training so far has emphasized safety over everything, so we were not going to ‘improvise once they start filming’.
I had forgotten how accurate Thibaud is and was surprised when we actually wrapped at the time his schedule had suggested, given how behind I thought we had gotten.
We drove home to work on some pre-production and have supper before heading downtown for the Nearly Secret Premiere for the 200th episode of Nearly Funny.
I have been so inspired and in awe of Nir, ever since I started taking classes with him years ago at Suzanna’s. One of the first things I have on my list of things to do once I become an ACTRA apprentice is to be in one of his Nearly Funny videos. So needless to say, I was super excited to be at the event, and super proud of him and everyone else involved.
I got to catch up with a lot of Montreal friends, and see a whole bunch more in the 200th episode, which was really funny. I was so happy I got to be a part of it.
On Sunday we convinced my dad to come to his first ever Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class with us. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with how well he kept up at the beginning, when we have to do somersaults and cartwheels and handstands. And I was maybe able to teach him some techniques from curriculum, but he was the one correcting me for the new moves that Lee showed us at the beginning of class.
Someone chose my dad as their rolling partner before I could, so it wasn’t until the second round that we got to go together, at which point he had already learnt a few new tricks. All in all, my dad did amazing, and I can’t wait to go back and train with him again!
The last stop on my Montreal tour was Jessica’s wedding. Having been my cousin’s best friend since elementary school has made her a part of our family, so it was really touching to be able to see her walk down the aisle and find her happily ever after. It was more than worth driving home in the middle of the night when you have to be at work for 9. Without a doubt.
“Home is where our story begins…”
