November 9, 2008 | My Vero Pilgrimage

As some of you may already be aware, I have returned from a three month stay in Vancouver, Canada, which is home to not only the Cactus Club Cafe and its spiked frapps (a coffee drink with alcohol, served like a slushie in a martini glass, costing $7 CDN) but also to the Vancouver Film Studios. It was at these studios that the venerable “Battlestar Galactica” was shot since going to series in 2004. The sets are gone, everything’s packed up, and what physically remains of the show’s set decoration, costumes, and props are located in an undisclosed location on the west coast until the auctions in 2009.

So, after flying out on a red-eye Friday, October 31st (Halloween night) and landing around 7:30 A.M. in Orlando, I’ve been busy catching up on things I’ve left unattended for 3 months while simultaneously working on the final items for the auction catalog. It is only just in the past two days that I’ve gone and trekked around Sebastian/Vero Beach for a spell, which I’ll continue to do tomorrow when I hit Best Buy and see how much things have changed. That place is probably the same hell-hole that I left willingly—and in an interesting fashion—back in 2007, but it’ll be interesting to go back in there and see how everyone is doing in the box. Everyone who is still employed there, anyway.

So, on my little pilgrimages over the course of two days, I’ve driven around the city to my old haunts. I haven’t really touched based with any friends locally, because I simply haven’t had the time since I’ve come back, but I’ve been to the mall and to the movie theater (saw “Zack and Miri Make A Porno”, “Madagascar 2″, and “Rocknrolla”). It’s an interesting experience going to the AMC Theatres in Vero, seeing as you only pay 4.50 to 9.50 for a movie ticket and the theater is only filled with 10 or so people… even less.

In Vancouver, the theater I went to—the ScotiaBank Theater—you paid an easy 12.50 CDN for a movie ticket, and $20 for any snacks. Also, the cost for things is just a bit higher, even with the exchange rate. (Although, at the end, there was a 20 cent difference between their dollar and ours, i.e. $.80 USD = $1 CDN.) Normally, I think those prices are just verging on more than ridiculous, however when you work 60+ hours a week, you really don’t care much and just need to take a break from all your worrries.

On the other hand, Vancouver is a bit more my thing, since I can walk to virtually any store from where I stayed. In Florida, lots of freakin’ driving… dirt roads… and little to really do.

So, anyway, back to my pilgrimage: I took my old driving routes from the mall to home, and ate at the same places I ate at when I worked at Best Buy. (Today, Chick-fil-A, tomorrow… crappy Subway.)

All this makes me very glad that I’m in the position to do what I want to do now, instead of going through the same old routines on a daily basis. It’s extremely eerie, particularly as it seems to me that I’ve lived another life for four years as I try to trace my steps.

Perhaps it’s just that I’ve grown into my own as a person that’s changed my perspective so much? I honestly don’t know… even as I type this, my mind wanting to wander off and my body wanting to get some sleep.

It’s also pretty pathetic—and I realize that as I’m writing this—but there’s a sense of needing to remind myself where I came from. Particularly when I’ve worked through a lot of my personal issues over the past year, as I’ve dedicated to trying to build up things from scratch, only to face one more obstacle after the other.

However, I’m pleased that things are starting to pay off now. A website that I started only as a hobby with the collaboration of uncounted others has given me a tremendous job opportunity with the auction thing, and I’m still working with Lawrence on getting White Eye Productions off the ground… not to mention the fact that I’m starting my own LLC, which I’m finalizing this week…

So… that’s where I’m at right now.

And yes, like I always say, I hope to update this blog a little more repeatedly… cuz there’s a lot of stuff I’d like to share with everyone, even those I’ve lost contact with over the years.

So say we all!