The Brian and John Annual Update

Greetings, friends, families, well-wishers and whoever stumbles on this site! This is our update for 2007- not “Christmas, 2007″ since today is December 30, but since something world-historic might happen tomorrow, we decided to wait until the year was over to post this one. Plus, we’ve been very busy. And sleeping in, a lot.

Anyway, as you can see we’ve decided to transition from a standalone webpage hosted at John’s U of C account to a “blog” site. There are a a few reasons for this: We can both do editing easily this way; formatting and posting pictures is incredibly easy; and we can archive past years right here, so you can observe us getting older in something like real time. As we track them down, we’ll also have pre-blog years’ updates; you can see the 2006 one in the left-hand column right now with more to come.

The photo above was taken at our friends Lilla and Steve’s wedding in Toronto (duh) back in July. No, we have not moved to Toronto, but the shot from the Islands was too delicious not to use here. Other highlights of this year: Brian’s first full year running his own company, John’s second sabbatical (July-December), our trip to Hawaii to start the year off and another short but amazing one to Waterton, John’s first visit to Europe in 16 years, Brian’s sojourn to the Cricket World Cup, and lots and lots of smaller pleasures. First, the usual news from each of us:

John’s News

2006 ended and 2007 began for both of us in one of the finest ways imaginable in Hawaii (more on that below), but then, the real world crashed around me as I struggled to make it through what felt like an interminable winter semester before the start of my sabbatical. The 06-07 academic year was annoying because of the extra work involved: the podcasted course that I talked about last year, and then a surprisingly onerous bit of work on a committee to hire a new librarian that lasted from mid-December to roughly the end of January. Not a good way to start the term. A well-earned break in Toronto over reading week (that’s in late February, our “Spring Break” in Canada) had to be cut short because I presented on a panel about the podcasting “experiment” at a conference on teaching and learning- at Mt. Royal College. In Calgary. So I not only had to cut short a superb stay in Toronto, but I didn’t even get to travel someplace interesting for the conference. This had me dancing on my last nerve, and I was really, REALLY champing at the bit to get to April and look forward to close to nine months without having to step into a classroom.

And so I limped to the end of the semester, and what happened almost immediately were two things that changed my whole set of plans for my sabbatical. See, until April, I was not entirely sure that I’d be ON sabbatical, because I’d applied for something called a Killam Fellowship, which is sort of like a sabbatical except that the recipient is required to remain in Calgary (and presumably on campus) for the duration of it. I was hoping that I’d get this, because it would entail no teaching, 100% of salary (vs 80% on sabbatical), and the option of taking my actual sabbatical in Fall 2008. I was, unfortunately, rejected, and in light of this I decided to take my booby-prize regular sabbatical and to plan a big trip away from Calgary during it. More on that in a bit. The second big thing that happened to change my plans was that I was approached in May about doing a consulting project with a NYC law firm, a jury research project to help the firms’ client understand how jurors come to compensatory and punitive damages decisions. I have signed a confidentiality agreement that doesn’t allow me to say more, but I can say that this ended up being a major time commitment, with meetings in NYC, Miami, and the last one upcoming in SF in February, and a deadline of December 31 to submit my report is one reason why I am in Calgary now and one reason why we didn’t travel anywhere this Christmas, for the first time since 1999. I could not have taken this OPA (”outside paid activity”) project on if I’d been on a Killam… and isn’t it funny how life works sometimes. I was incredibly depressed about not getting that fellowship, but the alternative has been much more, um, rewarding.

So, big thing #1 was my trip to Germany and a few days in Luxembourg, October 1-22. I’ve already blogged a huge amount about my trip, and if you’re not already familiar with my blog, follow that last link or use the one in the “links” in the margin of this site. I hadn’t been to Europe, let alone Germany, since 1981, when I spent a summer in Krefeld, “West Germany” with the Familie Hoelscher as a student with a foreign language study program, and this trip was completely epic. I documented it much more completely than I did in ‘81, with lots more pictures, blogging and a personal journal, and am very angry at my 17-year-old self for not doing the same. I posted a photo thread on my facebook page, but since some folks can’t access it for some reason (I did enable “universal” access but I’m not sure it took), I like the following three as representative of my whole experience:

1. Me standing outside the entrance to the Olympic Stadium in Berlin (click on it):

2. Me standing on the bridge over the Petrusse Valley in Luxembourg, an amazing “slice of modern Europe” city:

3. The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. When I was there in 1981, we could not get within 100 yards; it was surrounded by the wall and deadly security devices, not to mention soldiers. To be able to walk through and around it was one of the most emotionally stirring things I’ve ever done.

It was a completely amazing three weeks, a vision quest of sorts, and I’ll treasure it always. I know there will be trips for me that are longer and further away- heck, our month in Argentina on my last sabbatical in 2004 was probably more life changing. But feeling this sense of connection and closure with my 17-year-old self was up there, for sure.

So the year started with a whimper (after the joys of Hawaii) and ended, or came close to ending, with a bang.

Aside from work and travel, I should also note that this year was the one in which I took my coffee geekdom to a new level. It was, for me, THE YEAR OF THE HOBBY. I bought a new espresso machine, a spring-lever based Elektra Microcasa a Leva, and became completely obsessed with espresso extraction, sourcing the best beans (now much easier in Calgary since a couple of new and/or improved coffeehouses have opened or upgraded in 2007, with more to come), and perfecting the practice of latte art. I’ve posted videos of my espresso and cappuccino techniques on YouTube (search by my username, “furrycanuck”), and have gone sort-of pro in two ways: First, I’ve started a new research project on the “third-wave” coffee subculture (more on that next annual update, I think), and second, I was featured in Swerve magazine, discussing my foodie and coffee and cultural interests here in Calgary. Great capper to what ended up being one of the very best years of my life.

Brian’s News

Work

2007 saw the first full calendar year that ZINC Research was in operation. After the upfront investment, some partnership matters to resolve and some hiccoughs and set backs, I am pleased to say that we are now well on our way. With a plan to break-even over my first year, and to be profitable in Year 2, I am pleased to say that we are very busy and doing well and I am now able to draw a salary! Woo hoo!

2007 began with my attention focused on our senior’s project. As things did not pan out as planned (and this has been put on hiatus until early next year), I returned to my core business and things went very well for the remainder of the year. I undertook a mix of onsite jobs, focus group moderating and a host of full-service consulting jobs. With the strength of the business, I had the confidence to hire a production/administrative assistant (Pauline has been a life saviour) and I now I have a full on-site team to do jobs across Alberta.

Toward the latter part of the year, working with Dufferin Research, we launched a survey product (2 monthly national online surveys – in Canada and the US) and a Facebook research platform (aptly named Face Forward). Two things that evolved out of this: (1) we now have a monthly press release –we even got coverage in the National Post–and (2) a regular industry newsletter called “The Element.”

In our spirit of giving back and supporting community, we sponsored four events this year – the North American OutGames, The Calgary International Film Festival, TTRA Canada and MRIA’s Net Gain Annual Conferences.

I am thankful for the support and belief my clients have in ZINC, and I look forward to building on this success. While there are a number of days I think that there are easier ways to make a living, I am enjoying shaping a company on my values and bringing my brand of research and customer service to the industry. I feel like I have found a groove here and having fun.

2008 is destined to be great year for ZINC. I look forward to building our onsite practice, doing more with Dufferin Research and expanding our business. Stay tuned for some exciting developments.

Solo Travel

It is no secret that I am a huge cricket fan, and what should have been the highlight of my year was actually the biggest let down. Ever since the early 1980s I dreamed that the Caribbean would host the Cricket World Cup. And in 2007 they did, and it was a fiasco.

While I was fortunate enough to witness three matches in the Super 8 round of the 2007 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup in Barbados, with a heavy heart I’d like to share my bitter disappointment. Besides the product presented on the field, it simply did not feel like cricket. Specifically cricket in the Caribbean. Over the matches I attended, it felt like someone dropped in on the Caribbean, stole the spirit of the game from its people, told them that they were not worthy of running the show, inflicted 1^st world professional sports’ pricing and concession policies and burdened spectators with the most punitive forms of post 9/11 anti-terrorist security measures. The 2007 ICC World Cup – I will note it as such as it in no way felt Caribbean – was in the minds of the region’s people going to be a celebration of the sport West Indian style. This is where calypso cricket came from. Its heady blend of bravado, bacchanal, friendliness and spontaneous joy was nowhere to be found.

Instead of mulling over the frustrating and negative, I will focus on the positives. I did get to follow most games (which may have also contributed to the slow start for my business year). But the highlight was getting together with my sisters, Grace and Celia, and their families in Barbados to take in the games. We camped out in a 2 bedroom apartment on the west coast and had a great time. We had some excellent meals (especially the Lonestar Café) and times at the beach. I even got told off that I was could not appreciate a local restaurant’s version of coconut cream pie (may I go on record to say that I know this pastry and make a renown version of it). My nephews Ishan and Mitch had the experience of a lifetime – they got to hang out in Antigua for some matches, and met almost all the players from the teams in the 2^nd round (and have the pictures to prove it). I was also an informal correspondent for Radio One on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and was on air 4 times. Barring the poor tournament, everything else was great.

I also managed to be in Toronto again for my birthday. After a good association conference in Blue Mountain, I popped in Toronto for a short visit. I enjoyed a collective birthday dinner with Denis (June 20), Teresa (June 28) and Teresa’s beau Brian (June 19) at Terroni, after which we went to a Guac-off in the beaches.

I headed off to Ottawa at the end of August to visit with Belinda and the Ottawa gang. Highlights included a dinner with Belinda and friends when I made Watermelon Steak for the first time (an amazing dish); a fab dinner at Beckta with Teresa and Brian; being introduced to “All You Can Eat Sushi” with Jim, Bobby and their three girls; dinner with Rick and Maureen at the Urban Pear; dinner with Edgard, his mom and Roger, and coffee with Paul (wow, that was a lot of food). I will report that Echo, Belinda’s parrot, has not taken a liking to me. I returned to Ottawa in November for a conference and stayed with Belinda. We got to enjoy a wonderful dinner at Eighteen with Lauren and Kaveh (where I connected with the chef Matt, who I enjoyed meeting (with his wife) at Beckta, who I am discussing a project with) and All You Can Eat Sushi with Jim, Bobby and their daughters. I will confirm that on this return visit, Echo still does not like me.

The year ended with a short visit to Trinidad. Besides dealing with some ongoing matters related to my dad’s estate and the company, it was good to catch up with my mom and Grace and her family. This time, friend and colleague Steve and his wife Yolanda overnighted with us on the way to Tobago, and I got to introduce them to the delights of Trini street food.

Back to School + Food

This year, I took the leap and went back to school. I signed up for the Wine Fundamentals Level 1 offered by the International Sommeliers Guild at SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, the local polytechnic which also has a renowned culinary program). This was an eight week course . I can confirm that this course covered A LOT of material and the final exam was not easy. I am signed up for Level 2 with the anticipation that I will go on to complete my diploma in 2009.

While I have no intentions of becoming a wine snob, the course has done two things. First, it has educated me a little about wine and how to make better choices and wine pairings. Second, it has begun to train my palate. This has led to some unexpected events – given the ability to pair wine with food, I have become more experimental in my dining and slowly getting over some of my hang ups (including being raised in a Muslim household and poor childhood experiences with fish) and dislikes. I think that the course has also led me to being a better cook. It has taught me to trust my palate and allow me to experiment with new flavours. John can confirm this. As well as our slightly expanded waistlines. I also owe much to John who has indulged me in this passion – he even bought me a vacuum sealing unit (which was used to make Duck Sous Vide at a dinner in December). Further explorations included mastering rapini, perfecting my style of burritos and venturing into the world of molecular gastronomy. At this point of my life, I am loving my explorations in the culinary world, and look forward to pursuing it as part of my business. In the meantime, we will continue to host some dinner parties with multi-course menus in 2008.

On the horizon for 2008:

• Have a great business year (building on the strength of 2007… hey, things are in the works).
• We will revisit and rejuvenate the Transitions study.
• Enjoy more media coverage for our research studies.
• Visit Winnipeg in June and make a presentation at a conference there.
• Successfully complete Level 2 in my Sommelier certification.
• Head down to Trinidad in late March/early April (while Grace and family go to India)
• Get back running and run at least a 5K race (if I write it down I better commit!)

Travels (Together)

As you can see above, we did (as usual) a lot of traveling apart in 2007, but we also took three nice trips together. At the end of 2006 we cashed in some of the happy proceeds from the sale of our condo in April ‘06 and treated ourselves to a fantastic 16-day vacation in Hawaii, seven days on the big island, and nine in Honolulu. Both parts were fantastic. On Hawaii we stayed at a condo on the outskirts of Kailua-Kona. Hawaii (the island) is very different from both Oahu and Maui (which we visited in 2001); it’s peppered with active volcanic activity, for example; it’s HUGE; it doesn’t have the greatest beaches (but there are beaches of course); it has landscapes that go from a sort of Martian desert to incredibly lush terraces… it’s like another world. Amazing place. We both got sick (cold-flu type of thing) while we still managed to swim in some intimidating surf, to visit an actual working coffee plantation, to visit (Brian did this alone as John was bundled up with a fever) the world-class Volcanoes National Park, and to take a tour to the peak of Mauna Kea, which is one of those “things to do before you die” experiences. Here are three pictures from that trip: The first is from our first potty break en route, the second is at our dinner break, and the third is from the summit. All the same day, all on the island of Hawaii. Notice any changes?

Brian was trying to make it with his winter jacket he carried there, but ditched it eventually for the heavy-duty parkas they lent us and that John is modeling here.

So this was a great trip, full of both adventures and relaxation (especially the Honolulu part, since Honolulu is chill central, just a great vibe for a city).

We also took trips (together) to Toronto in July for Steve and Lilla’s wedding; it was a short trip but great to see such a beautiful service with great people in a gorgeous setting (the Algonquin Island Clubhouse in the Toronto Islands- so we took a ferry to a wedding, very romantic!), and then in September we finally made it back to Waterton Lakes National Park for four glorious days. John blogged about this trip and included many pictures here. We’d love to make this an annual pilgrimage; it made us both appreciate that we live in one of the greatest parts of one of the greatest countries on earth.

Planned for 2008: A road trip via the Rockies, Kootenays, Coastals and Cascades to Portland, and a trip overseas, somewhere, on Brian’s frequent flier points.

Best and Worst of the Year

Music: Feist’s The Reminder and lots of other Canadian music stayed at the top of our lists in 2007. Songs on heavy rotation on Brian’s iPod included “Intervention” by the Arcade Fire, “Indestructable Sam” by Buck 65 (that killer banjo riff!) and “Your English” by Tokyo Police Club. “Young Folks” by Peter Bjorn and John and “Burst Generator” by the ever reliable Chemical Brothers got us moving. Brian also loved Stars album “In the Bedroom After the War” and Basia Bulat’s debut album. And a little surprise… he went to see Bon Jovi in concert with his friend Jason, and LOVED IT. John espied a duo called Ghostland Observatory (from Austin, Texas) channel surfing the other day and hasn’t seen anything this inspiring in a long, long time. Completely unique- check them out, and know that what you are listening to is TWO guys; a guitar, a drum kit, and a synth. Nothing else.

We missed all but the first day of folk fest this year since we had to leave on the Friday of it for the wedding in TO, but we were still thrilled to be able to catch the mainstage headliner for that night, Rufus Wainwright. What a showman! And his encore was “Hallelujah.” Beautiful. We also caught two acts at 2007’s “‘New’ Calgary Jazz Festival.” Lots of great cultural stuff happening here now that we’ve surpassed that 1 million population. It does matter.

Food: Obviously, this was the year of the kitchen gourmet, with Brian’s growing prowess and John’s growth on the coffee front, but there were some great restaurant and cafe experiences this year too. Since John discovered the joy of the “doner kebab” in Germany we’ve both been OD’ing on the superb donairs from Sammy’s up the street from us. We just last night had a superb 4-course New Year’s Eve dinner at JaroBlue Tapas and Lounge, which is only a couple minutes’ walk from our house. In Hawaii last year we discovered Japanese world cuisine at Shoduko in Honoulu, and another gem there at “town” (yes, lowercase). Route 40 Soup Company is another gem just southwest of Calgary in Turner Valley.

Last spring, an outstanding–revolutionary, even–coffeehouse opened at the Calgary Farmers’ Market, a place called Phil and Sebastian Coffee Company, and they’ve helped usher in all sorts of changes in other coffee places, and suddenly, Calgary is on the cusp of coffee nirvana. More on that next year, or just check John’s blog.

The Boom and its Discontents: Sadly, with the boom here has come horrible service issues and the inevitable closures of some great places and reduction in hours (due to staff shortages) in others. Most tragic is probably that Tropical Hot, which was the best (and one of only three or four) Trini place in town, appears to have closed. Other places were victims of development or redevelopment; Falafel King, a fave of ours since we moved to Calgary in 2000, had to close its original location on 1st St SW because the block is being redeveloped as something called “fashion central.” Unlikely that this new designer boutique collection will have a falafel place in it. And so it goes: The downsides to prosperity.

Add to the impact on eateries the following: Too few late night gnoshing options, never mind the complete lack of 24-hour places of any description anymore; nobody can afford to staff 24 hours anymore. Contractors don’t even return calls anymore. After a summer that saw real eastern-style heat and humidity last summer, we could not get anybody to install a fairly simple AC unit in Brian’s office. Brian had wait more than THREE years for a colonoscopy. Our snow removal guy moved back to Manitoba and we cannot find a replacement. We’ve been trying for more than two years to get a landscaper to trim our front shrubs for us so John doesn’t kill himself trying to trim 70 feet of 7-foot tall bushes covered with thorns. Business rents are the highest in Canada now and so Brian has to seriously consider this cost in moving ZINC’s World Headquarters. And the list of gripes could go on and on but we’ll leave it at that. It’s bizarre to HOPE for an economic downturn, but here we are.

Movies: It was not a bad year at all, because there were some great films that also did huge box office, which is a sign of something positive, right? Among these are two that we both completely adored: Ratatouille and Superbad. We both saw a lot of smaller-release (some never to be released, but that’s a film fest) titles at the CIFF this year; John’s faves were the sweet comedy Outsourced and the hilarious documentary, Let’s All Hate Toronto, whereas Brian enjoyed Downtown Dawgs, about Calgary’s team that went to the “homeless world cup of soccer” tournament in South Africa, but his favourite film was one out now (in Canada), Clement Virgo’s Poor Boy’s Game.

Smoke Free Living: Calgary went smoke-free in all restaurants and bars (except for casinos and bingo parlours and some places with separate smoking rooms) on January 1, and none of the bar owners’ fears about losing business came to fruition; if that wasn’t great enough, the new and improved Alberta parliament showed, again, that King Ralph is dead as a doornail by passing a new provincial smoking ban that doesn’t allow ANY exemptions (no more private clubs exemptions, for example) at ANY workplace, and will ban public tobacco displays. It’s really too much to dream.

Final Thoughts

We’ve been living in Calgary for more than seven years now. For John, this is the longest he’s lived anywhere since leaving home for college in 1982. We’ve seen the city evolve in ways that we could not have hoped even with our rose-coloured glasses of 2000, from the smoking ban to Outgames to our Liberal MLA; we’ve also seen this city become outrageously, unaccountably expensive, deal with labour shortages that we didn’t know could exist anywhere, and simply grow too fast. These are exciting, challenging times here, and we are thrilled to have front-row seats.

Happy New Year, everybody!

John’s email: jmanzo@ucalgary.ca

Brian’s email: brian@zincresearch.com

We are both on Facebook and you should be, too.

John Manzo and Brian Singh

1443 19th Ave SW

Calgary, AB T2T oJ1

Canada

(403) 269-8446