Author Archives: Nels Ellis

Rest, Relaxation, and Dogs: Why You Should Check Out McDonald Beach Park

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Visiting the beach on a chilly day can make for a nice walk. Usually there aren’t as many people out, making you feel as if you have your own private lot of sand. Sure, you won’t be dipping your toes in the water, and you’ll likely be wearing an extra few layers, but a visit to your favourite beach on a cold October day can still be relaxing. Still not sold? Ok, imagine being surrounded by dogs. That’s right; fluffy, short haired, big or tall, so many dogs and you can pet them all! Allow me to tell you about McDonald Beach Park.

I first visited McDonald beach in early September, it was a nice sunny day, warm enough for just a t-shirt and shorts (I miss those days). “Hey, do you want to go to a Dog Beach?” my girlfriend asked me. “Dog Beach?” I responded. She laughed. “It’s exactly what it sounds like, a beach filled with dogs.” I was curious and a little skeptical. Surely, such a place couldn’t possibly exist. We loaded up her two dogs, Max and Maisy, and drove out, eager to see the mythical dog beach.

At first glance McDonald Park looks like any other park; large field, a parking lot, and some public washrooms. I saw a few dogs, but not enough to classify this as a “Dog Beach”. We unload her dogs, leash them up and walk along the path. Eventually we come to an area full of sand, water, and…. dogs! I could hardly believe my eyes, I’d never seen so many, it was like something out of a film.

What more could you ask for? Photo from here

Max and Maizy ran off leash, splashing in water, rolling in the sand, and making new friends; dogs and humans alike. I stood there and took it all in. “Wow” I thought. “I never thought I’d see something so beautiful.” Dogs as far as the eye can see. If heaven does exist, this is what it would look like.

It would be just over a month before I would visit McDonald Park again. Often I’d find myself thinking about it. I’d wonder how many people would be there as the weather got colder and the days began to shorten. When would I go back? Would I ever be able to find time with my busy schedule?

When things are important; you make the time. Especially if it involves dogs.

Fast forward to October 24th. My girlfriend and I have made plans to have a night in and watch a few movies. She drives to my place after work, all is going well until… “Oh shoot.” She says, smacking her head “I forgot to walk my dogs!” No big deal. I love spending time with the little furballs almost as much as I love spending time with her. “That’s fine, let’s head over and walk them.” I tell her. Suddenly she says it. The words I’d been waiting to hear for over a month: “Sure, how about we go to McDonald Park?”

Aw yeah!

Doing my best to contain my excitement I reply with a cool and casual “Sure, sounds good to me.”

The beach was not as packed as the last time we went, but it was just as beautiful. There was only handful of dogs this time and the chill coming from the water made me wish I had worn another pair of socks and brought a warmer jacket, but I still found it to be a peaceful and calm walk. There is something soothing about having almost an entire area to yourself. Looking out at the water and not feeling the urge the dive in but instead just to stare longer, take in a sense of serenity, and breath. It can be so easy to get caught up my creative pursuits, jobs, and schoolwork. Taking just a few minutes to relax on a cold, empty beach with some cute dogs and good company did a whole lot of good for me.

It’s so easy to forget to look after yourself. If my girlfriend hadn’t suggested going for a walk I might of just been inside all day, pounding away at my keyboard, trying to get some homework done. Maybe visiting a beach full of dogs meant I had bit more work to do the next day, but at least I was able to tackle it all with a clearer head. If you push yourself to the point of exhaustion, don’t take breaks, and try to force yourself through fatigue, you aren’t going to be doing your best work.

Take time to look around your neighbourhood; maybe there’s a cute cafe down the street you’ve been meaning to visit, or a nature trail around the corner only you know about. Find something you know will de-stress you, and use it to get away from the things that distress you. If you’re one of those people that are always freaking out about being productive think of it as refuelling yourself, allowing yourself to take an hour to just chill is going to help you bounce back even stronger.

I’ve pushed myself to the point of a mental breakdown over assignments before and all it’s ever done for me is get a 90% instead of an 88%. The stress and work it takes to over that two percent is not worth my sanity. I’m not saying you should slack off and try to coast. I’m only trying to point out that after a certain amount of studying and work you probably can’t score much higher. I’ll take a slightly lower grade while surrounded by furry friends on the sand, thank you very much.

Take my advice: Call a friend, grab a dog, a coffee, and some warm clothes and head down to McDonald Beach. What better way to get rid of some stress than meeting a few new canine companions? Promise yourself you’ll go back to stressing about BCIT afterwards and allow yourself to be free, even just for an hour.

See you there!

The Challenges and Rewards Of Trying Something New

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Walking into the basement of the Keto Caveman Cafe wouldn’t make most people nervous. It’s atmosphere is warm, cozy, and inviting. The food and drinks are tasty and reasonably priced. It’s not that the setting made me nervous, it’s what I was going to do in the setting that had me feeling uneasy.

I was about to perform stand up comedy.

I’d been on stage a few times before, but I am by no means a pro – I’d barely consider myself a rookie. I had performed stand up a grand total of two times before being booked for this amateur night. I was shaking, I felt ill, I was full of doubt. “Oh man.” I thought to myself “Why did I do this?”

Good question. Why did I do this?

Stand up comedy has always been something I loved watching and I’d been interested in trying it since I was eleven years old. I remember browsing YouTube, probably looking for Club Penguin or Runescape videos and I somehow stumbled upon a Dane Cook’s “Kool Aid Man” bit. I was hooked.

Friends have told me Dane Cook’s humour is immature, low brow, or unrefined. Do you think eleven year old me cared? I thought he was the funniest man alive. I was obsessed. I watched and memorized every Dane Cook video online. Growing up I didn’t really have many friends and I had a tough time fitting in, so I found myself retreating inwards. I spent a lot of time online; watching stand up or sketch comedy videos. Eventually I began to think of my own jokes and it hit me: “If this guy can do it why can’t I?”. I’d start to think about what it would be like on stage, how it would feel to walk up with nothing but a microphone and make a room full of people laugh. It was something I’d think about for over decade but never had the courage to try. So what changed? What made me decide to take the plunge?

A comedy hero to some, a stand up hack to others. Image from here

I decided this year I was going to try and be more open to new experiences and less afraid to try new things. I’d also been meaning to get back into acting but hadn’t performed in over year. I needed to do something to shake the rust off. Why not combine the two? I figured doing stand up could be a fun way to get out of comfort zone and gain some more experience performing. So I signed up for stand up classes and started writing.

The classes were twice a week over zoom for three weeks, than we hit the big stage. It seemed pretty daunting. I had made it a habit to write jokes and thoughts almost daily for the last few months… but how much of it was actually good? I guess I’d soon find out.

I won’t give you a detailed week by week and class by class recount, but I will give you a summary: stand up is writing a joke you think is good, finding out it’s not, and going back to writing. That’s it. Lather, rinse, repeat. It was a tough at first but eventually I started to get a semblance of an act together. By the time I hit the stage for the showcase night I felt confident in my material and ready to make my on stage debut. It went well, I got a lot of laughs, had a lot of fun, and a few people come up to me afterwards to tell me how well I did.

It felt like a high. A rush of energy. Finally! After years of thinking about it I finally did it! I knew I had to keep going, I couldn’t let the momentum die. So the week after I made plans with another one of my comic classmates to attend an open mic.

It didn’t go quite as well.

We arrive at the venue and sign up. The host tells us he’s pretty filled up but can give us three minutes instead of five. That’s fine. A few minutes later he comes up to me. “Hey just so you know: you’re going up first.” My mouth says “Sure sounds good!” but my brain is screaming “Oh no, sounds awful.”

“Please welcome your first comic. He seems like a nice guy. Nels Ellis!”

I walk up to the stage, not exactly oozing with confidence, and begin my set. It was shorter version of the set I did for the showcase but the material was exactly the same. The reaction from the crowd, however, was nowhere near the same. What got big laughs at the showcase got polite chuckles at the mic, and what got chuckles a week ago got dead silence.

After getting offstage I took a seat next to my friend (who went on and did fantastic) and felt a little defeated. I had signed up for an amateur night in two days. Would I even be ready?

So that brings us back to the Keto Caveman Cafe. All of this rushing in my head. Sitting in my chair, surrounded by other rookie comics (wearings masks of course!), waiting for my turn to go up. “What am I doing?” I’m thinking to myself. “I can’t do this. I just got lucky my first time!” Finally there’s no more time for thoughts, it’s my turn to go up; no backing down now.

I went up. Did my material. Got laughs at all but two jokes. Left the stage. Painless.

Am I the next Jerry Seinfeld? No. I’m just some guy who’s done stand up three times. I’m also following a dream of doing something I’ve wanted to do since I was ten. I don’t have a lot of experience to pull from but I do know that when you’re doing anything new you’ll get highs and lows, but you’re still doing more than just sitting on your couch thinking “what if”. If there’s something you’ve been meaning to try stop waiting for a reason and just go for it.

“It’s never too late. But do it now”

-Ricky Gervais

The Tin Soldier Test: How I Learned About Compatibility

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Time: 2:00PM

Day: May 4th.

Location: New Westminster Quay

Occasion: A tinder date.

We’ve all been there, right? First date jitters. Going out with someone you’ve only talked to online, or a handful of times in person. It can be daunting. I knew that the best way to combat these nerves was take this girl somewhere I knew well, somewhere I would feel comfortable. I also knew my date liked photography, so what’s a spot I’m comfortable in that is also super photogenic?

The New Westminster Quay!

Filled with cute diners, a scenic of view of the water and people walking their dogs everywhere. It’s the perfect spot for a first date. The plan was to get lunch, walk around a little bit, and take some photos of the scenery. Sounds like a plan, right? Who doesn’t love the Quay? You’ve got good food, good views, and the majesty of the tallest tin soldier in the world!

Hold on a second.

Wait, what?

That’s right! Standing at 9.75 metres and weighing over 4,000 kilograms, this large lad is the biggest boy of them all.

The Big Man himself! In all his glory. Photo from here.

“Nels. What does a tinder date have to do with a tall tin soldier?” Don’t worry – I’m getting to it.

You see, I love the tin soldier. He’s one of my favourite things about living in New Westminster. He’s a symbol of the city, a tourist attraction, and a source of pride for our fair city. So I figure “Hey, this girl like photography, let’s take her to see something worth taking a picture of.” So we meet up at the New West station and begin walking over to the Quay. Things are starting off pretty good. General chit-chat, joking around, and sharing a few laughs here and there.

That’s when I do it. That’s when I drop the bomb on her.

“Are you ready?” I ask.

Immediately the tone shifts a bit. I detect a bit of suspicion, maybe even some tension. Have I messed it all up?

“For what?” She asks, suddenly a little more apprehensive.

Alright. This is it. Time to WOW her.

“For the world’s tallest tin soldier!”

Crickets. Oh man, I blew it.

“Huh, I guess that’s pretty cool.”

Suddenly my spirits are bit higher. Oh yeah, this is going to go great.

After a short walk we arrive. “Get your camera ready” I tell her “You’re going to want to get lots of pictures.” She walks over. Looks up at it.

….And…?

“That is the stupidest thing I have ever seen in my entire life.” She says, laughing. “Oh my God, it’s so ugly.” She snaps a few pictures of it. “Please tell me there’s other things around here.”

Well, that didn’t start out too well.

The rest of the date went fine. We got sushi, walked around some more, and agreed to meet up again. We hung out a few more times but it didn’t really work out.

So why write about this? What is the point I am trying to make? That you can judge the compatibility of two people based on how they react to a big tin soldier? Nels, come on. You don’t really believe that… do you?

Oh, I do. I definitely do.

When I first started dating my current girlfriend there was many times we’d walk around the Quay. We both are familiar with the area and both enjoy the many bars and restaurants around it. One day we are walking by the tin soldier and she remarks

“You know, I’ve always loved him”

“Oh yeah, me too.”

“Cool”

That’s when I knew things would work out just fine. Yes. I am being serious. See, when you first start seeing someone it’s important to find what things you have in common. Often times you are able to figure out how well you’ll get along with someone and how compatible you are based on the things you like. In this case it was the tin soldier. Now obviously I think my girlfriend and I would still be together even if she said she hated the tin soldier, but I think the fact that we both like him is some type of indication. It shows that we are into the same type of art and find the same sorts of things interesting. Yes, it is just a goofy tourist attraction – but I know that I can show my girlfriend dumb things like this in the future and she’ll enjoy it. That other girl? I doubt it.

To be perfectly honest with you I only ever really thought about this in hindsight. Both instances of talking about the tin soldier seemed very insignificant at the time but they both have always stuck out to me whenever I walk by him. It’s one of those lessons I learned without realizing it was a lesson. Maybe I’m talking nonsense, maybe I’m only writing this because I have to write a 1,000 word article for school and was desperate for an idea, or maybe I’m onto something.

I think it’s important to have some type of barometer for when you meet people. It’s good to show them things you look and see how the respond, it could seem trivial at the time but sometimes these small can be indicators of what you do or don’t have in common.

Maybe your “tin soldier” is a type of food, a movie, or a book. It’s something that isn’t a dealbreaker, but it’s something that can also indicate what type of person you are hanging out with.

So the next time you go out with that Jane – the postcard artist from Tinder, Todd – the guy who always compliments you on your choice of water bottle, or Sam – your friend’s brother’s junior hockey teammate’s cousin. Think about what your “tin soldier”. Maybe it won’t be a deciding factor, but it can help get the conversation going.

Just make sure you don’t love a giant tin solider more than your partner. That could make things a little bit awkward.

My Encounter With A Beer Nerd: A Tale Of Suspense of Pretentiousness

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Allow me to take you back to a simpler time. When Corona was a beer served with a lime, when people stood six apart from me because I smelled bad, and when the biggest issue in my life was dealing with beer snobs.

The night? August 23rd, 2019.  The place? My friend’s apartment followed by a trip to a dive bar. What was I drinking? Whatever was there. Was this an issue? Not to me, but I’d like you to meet Sam. Sam had an issue with that.

The night began like any other. A few friends and I were heading downtown for a fun Friday night. Watch whatever boring sport was on TV, talk about nothing, and spend too much money on liquor. A typical night for a typical group of fellas. My buddy Josh decides he wants to invite his new friend Sam.

“He’s a really cool guy. Super smart.” Josh tells me.

Josh is barely able to pop microwave popcorn and spelt his girlfriend’s name wrong on her birthday card last year, so his standard for smart isn’t very high. I figure it could be fun. “What’s one more?” I thought. Man, that sentence always precedes something terrible.

We all meet up at Josh’s apartment before heading out. Josh’s place is your typical “Twenty-Something In Vancouver” apartment. Small, reeks of weed, and has a fridge packed full of cheap beer and leftover pizza. I pause after walking through the door. I always need a moment to process this assault on my senses.

“Nels! Hey!”

I snap out of the momentary hypnotic state Josh’s apartment has put me in. I look over to my right. It’s Devin, Josh’s roommate and one of my oldest friends. Dev was in his natural habitat; sprawled out on the couch watching old sports highlights. For whatever reason Dev has an affinity with sports team from Detroit, despite the fact he has never visited the Motorcity once in his life. Tonight he was watching reruns of the Piston’s 2004 championship run.

“Man that was such a good series. We had such a good team.”

“Dev, you didn’t even follow basketball until 2007.”

“Whatever, man.”

I sit down next to Dev. He hands me a room temperature Bud Light. I settle in and watch Richard Hamilton smoke the Lakers. Moments later I hear a knock at the door. This is where the trouble starts.

“I’ll get it!” I hear Josh yell from his bedroom. He rushes to the door, still pulling his ripped Van Halen shirt on.

The door opens.

“Hey, Sam! Come on in.”

You might be wondering why I’ve told you all this. Why I’ve taken so long to the get the action of the story. It’s because I want you to understand how everything was going fine until this moment. It was just another night hanging out and having fun, until somebody decided to ruin it all.

Anyways.

Sam looks around. His voice says “Nice place” but his face says “Do you ever clean?”. He puts a six pack of something in Josh’s fridge (despite the fact we are heading to a bar in thirty minutes) and sits down in a Lazy Boy next to the couch.

“Oh. Hey. Sam” he says to me and extends his hand (Anyone else remember handshakes?)

“Nels. Nice to meet you.” I shake his hand.

“You guys drinking Bud, eh?” He asks, half a smirk.

“Uh, yeah.” I answer.

“Man I can’t stand that stuff. Only IPAs for me”.

Oh.

No.

He’s one of “those.” One of the worst things a person can be…. a beer nerd. I had heard tales but I didn’t think they actually existed. Someone who actually cares about what other people drink. Someone who actually places some type of value on that.

“Oh. Yeah. Those are fine.” I reply.

“Have you tried this one?” He holds his bottle up “It’s Steamworks. I wasn’t totally sold on it at first but…”

At this point I have totally blocked him out. I adopt a polite smile on my face and nod along, adding in the occasional “mhm” as this doofus babbles on. Dev hasn’t taken his eyes off the Pistons game.

Josh finally gets ready. He’s wearing his finest ripped Van Halen shirt, acid washed jeans, and a beat up Blue Jays hat. Had I known we were dressing fancy for the night I’d have packed my tux.

Molson Canadian. Hated by beer nerds, loved by people on a budget. Photo from here.

We get to the bar. Sit down, order our drinks. I get whatever is on special (Molson Canadian. Five Dollars.) Dev orders a Guiness, Josh get his usual Corona, and Sam asks what IPAs they have.

“Sorry, we’re out of IPAs” the waitress, Sara (I think?), tells us.

“Oh. Hm.” This has upset Sam much more than it should.

“We have some pale ales?” Sara (I think?) suggests.

“Well, it’s not totally the same…” Sam stops himself. I can tell he really wants to lecture us all but holds back. Thank you, Sam.

“That’s fine. Yeah, just a Steamworks Pale Ale.”

“For sure.” Sara (I think?)  says, her demeanor noticeably a little less chipper.

The rest of night goes fine. Josh goes on forever about how work sucks, Dev tells us this is the Red Wings year to win it all (Not even close, Dev.) and Sam whines about the Pale Ale. Night ends, we get our bill, say our goodbyes and head home.

I don’t see Sam next week. Never do again. Guess we weren’t smart enough for him.

Look, I get it. Different people are into different things. If you’re a beer nerd, that’s cool. Just don’t act all high and mighty because your drink costs two dollars more but is “so worth it, because of the hops.” Stop it. Nobody cares.

Vancouver is home to a lot of cool breweries and a lot of unique beers. For the record: I love craft beer, but I get it’s not everyone’s thing. Don’t force other people to listen to you rant and rave about how Bud Light isn’t “real beer” because of X, Y, and Z.

Newsflash: All beer is pretty terrible, it’s all about finding the one you’re going to force yourself to like.

If you’ve read this far, I raise my Molson to you.

Cheers!

Yes, I actually DO miss BCIT.

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“I miss BCIT”

I never thought I’d miss that colourless building… Photo from here

 

It’s something I never thought I would say – but it’s true. I miss waking up at 6:30AM and trudging through the pouring rain to my bus stop, getting soaked while I waited to get on that cramped vehicle to begin my hour and a half commute on a packed bus, full SkyTrain, and yet another packed bus, all while being surrounded by other half asleep commuters, some of whom have never heard words like “deodorant” or “personal space”. I miss getting a morning latte and donut (a habit that made me gain ten pounds), before getting to my class and struggling to stay awake.

What I miss most of all? People.

Yes, the bulk of my interaction with my classmates was sitting in a lecture hall or a classroom in complete silence, listening to our instructor drone on over a PowerPoint lecture, but there felt like there was some sense of community. The feeling of “here we are” experiencing this thing together. Even if the “thing” was incredibly dull.

When I spoke to my classmates – well, I mean. I made a Facebook post, which is basically the same as talking to someone in this “new normal”. I found that a lot of them felt the same way:

“I miss seeing my friends before class and getting coffee”

“I miss going to the pub before classes”

“I miss singing with my classmates”

“I miss going to the pub between classes”

“I miss falling asleep on the bus ride home”

“I miss going to the pub after classes”

It’s the little things that help us stay sane. Now that everything is online it’s harder to meet up with friends to blow off steam. I found that grabbing a coffee with a friend and chatting about things other than BCIT’s workload helped to keep me grounded. Some of my best memories from my first year were sitting in the Habitat pub between classes (I was just getting lunch – I swear.) and chatting with my new classmates, people from all walks of life, some much older than me and some younger. Facebook and other forms of social media used to make up a tiny percentage of how I interacted with people, but now it’s close to 100%. It’s strange to me to think there are people I’ve spoken to online that I likely won’t get to see in person at all this semester, or maybe even this year.

Now that all of my classes are being done at home on my laptop, it feels as though the line between class time and home time has been blurred. When classes were in person, you could leave campus and feel like the day was done. Sure, there was still homework to be done and tests to study for, but being home felt like a break from academic life. I used to love getting to my house after a long day at school, having a hot shower, changing out of my cold, rain-soaked clothes, into some comfy sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt and relaxing for a few hours, letting myself unwind and decompress. I can still do that, I can wear whatever I want for an online class, but that’s what I mean when I say that line has been blurred. It no longer feels like there is a distinction between when I am at home and when I am in class.

My kitchen was once a space solely meant for eating, preparing meals, and seeing friends and family. My kitchen table has slowly been covered with papers, notebooks, different chargers for my electronics, and various pens and hi-lighters. My room used to just be for sleeping, reading, listening to music, general relaxation. Now my room has become a space where I attend lectures, make notes, and study. The only place in my house that BCIT hasn’t touched in my bathroom; some things are just too sacred, but maybe it’s just a matter of time?

All of this has made me realize how important it is to look after my mental health. It’s tough to feel “normal” in this so-called “new normal”. It’s crucial to check in with yourself and seriously evaluate how you are doing. Acknowledge that these are stressful times even if you aren’t fully aware of it. Stress can sneak up on you and hit you hard. It’s beneficial to take a few hours out of the day just to focus on yourself. Read a book you like, watch a comedy you’ve been meaning to watch, take a walk outside for an hour, anything that lets you take your mind off of school and reduces your stress. Some people tell me they don’t have time to relax because it would impede being productive. Ok, well, how productive can you really be when you’re barely able to function because of stressed out you are? I feel as if we live in a world that glorifies this behaviour. Don’t believe me? Take a look at Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Nobody ever posts about getting 8 hours of sleep. It’s all about how little sleep you got, how long you spend on projects, and how stressed out you are. School shouldn’t be a competition of pain, especially not now.

Maybe you’ll take something away from this article, maybe you won’t, or maybe nobody will even read this. If you are reading this, if you have come this far, I just ask you do me one favour; please take an hour out of your day to check in with yourself. Examine how you are really doing and rather than just shrug it off, look for ways to can reduce your stress. Call up a friend and talk about something other than school, journal it out, read that book you’ve been meaning to get to, anything but cram for your midterms (Shoot, I should really start studying for those).

Make time for yourself and trust that you’ll be able to get through this. We all will.

I’ll see you on campus when we do.

Culture Connection: The Culture Of Canadian Comedy – With Ivan Decker!

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On this episode of Culture Connection Nels chats with Ivan Decker about Canadian stand up. Ivan talks about being a Canadian comic in America, the difference between American and Canadian audiences, what makes Vancouver unique for stand up, and so much more!

https://soundcloud.com/evolution1079bcit/culture-connection-the-culture-of-canadian-comedy-featuring-ivan-decker

New Music Now – Chaotic Neutral

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Hey! Nels here. Your host this week for New Music Now; the podcast that takes a look at everything that makes the Vancouver music scene cool, unique, or just plain weird. On this episode I spoke to Jupiter and Izzy of Chaotic Neutral. We talked about their process, what it was like to do their first ever live show, and what they plan on doing in the future. Tune in to hear our chat.

https://soundcloud.com/evolution1079bcit/new-music-now-feat-chaotic-neutral

Stay Groovy!

-Nels

New Music Now Podcast – Parker Graye

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Hey! Nels here, this week I’m your host for New Music Now; where you and I explore everything that makes the Vancouver music scene cool, unique, or just plain weird! On this episode I got a chance to talk to the talented Parker Graye, a singer-songwriter in Vancouver. She told me about her journey, her creative process, her struggles, and shared some advice on being creative! Tune in to hear our chat!

https://soundcloud.com/evolution1079bcit/new-music-now-featuring-parker-graye

 

Stay groovy!

-Nels