#32 Goose sunset
Issue #32 Goose sunset
19th October 2022
Greeting from Toronto Pearson Airport!
I am writing this whilst waiting for my plane to Winnipeg and the wonderful improv festival there.
It's been a mixed week for sure.
On the negative side, I had my brand new phone snatched as I walked home from a show. A cyclist took it clean out of my hand. They didn't even jostle me. In other circumstances I would have been impressed.
It's amazing how much of your life is on your phone. Bank cards. Aeroplane tickets. Improv notes. It's a headache. And now I'm dealing with the labyrinthian bureaucracy of insurance claims. This is an actual interaction I just had:
ME: I've lost my phone.
INSURANCE COMPANY: Ok, we'll call you tomorrow.
Me: ...
Also, my talented pal, Katy Schutte has had to drop out of the Winnipeg festival due to illness. So sad not to be on another improv adventure together. Get well soon, Katy.
But I should also mention the good things.
That show that I was walking home from? It was with the amazing Rachel Bouton and Patrick Williams as part of my Duologue sequence at Hoopla. And I can't say enough wonderful things about the experience - they were both a dream to work with. Look them up if you're ever in NYC.
I also got to spend a few days in Toronto with my brilliant proper friends Ashley Comeau and Connor Thompson before flying to Winnipeg. They are another astounding improv power couple, as kind as they are talented and these few days have been a jet-lagged blur of fire pits, s'mores, board games, cheese counters, inspiring chats and actual magic. I leave Toronto with my heart full.
And my pockets empty.
Of mobile phones.
Rule of three - Toronto Edition
[Shop] Cheese Boutique
This is a fancy grocery store in Toronto. It's sprawling and expensive and I ate my first ever butter tart here. Also Canadians don't mess around when it comes to free sample sizing. The banana bread I tried would have been sold as an actual portion in the UK. It was great. There is also a lot of cheese. I recommend the War Bride which is a Gouda made with whiskey and maple syrup.
[Film] Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Saw this on the plane on the way over. It's based on the weirdly-elegiac YouTube shorts of the same name. This feature-length version is beautiful and funny and just so very weird. I can't explain it. "Guess what my skis are made of?" "I don't know." "A man's finger nails."
[Clothing] Patagonia
I've loved Patagonia for a long time. The quality of the clothes is fantastic, they look great and their commitment to environmental conservation is above and beyond. Founder Yvon Chouinard recently gave away the company, donating all profits in perpetuity to climate causes. He literally gave up being a billionaire. I bought a new Patagonia hoodie in Toronto, it is made from recycled plastic bottles and I love it.
Spotlight
I'm at the Winnipeg Improv Festival this week, so if you're in Winnipeg, come and see me, I guess? Tonight, we are going to a Goose Sunset.
Longform thoughts
"It’s a lot to set up. A LOT. But once it’s up and humming along it eradicates a huge amount of ambient anxiety from your life."
Read more in Build a second brain, part of my Organisation for creatives series.
Toby or not Toby
I stayed with Toby in Toronto. He is so supernaturally cute. He looks like he was created in Jim Henson's Creature Workshop. He is also a qualified doctor and the only good cop in town.