The Cypress Club in Medicine Hat, Alberta

The Cypress Club is a private members organization located in downtown Medicine Hat, Alberta. Established in 1903, the club became a meeting place for prominent local businessmen and politicians to discuss issues of the day. After over a century the Cypress Club is still in operation, and remains in the downtown building that they had built in 1907.

One interesting story surrounding the club goes back to 1910 when a debate arose in the community about renaming Medicine Hat. Some felt that the name was too peculiar, too 'Indian', and simply wasn't refined enough for the booming town. Club members had grown accustomed to the name however, and in an effort to draw up support for keeping it, wrote to famed author Rudyard Kipling who had visited the city during his cross country journeys in 1892 and 1907.  

Despite his prominence and schedule, Kipling weighed in with a lengthy letter, sharing his firm opinion on the matter:  

To my mind, the name of Medicine Hat echoes the old Cree and Blackfoot tradition of red mystery and romance that once filled the prairies. Also it hints at the magic that underlies the city in the shape of your natural gas. Believe me, the very name is an asset, and as years go on will become more and more of an asset. It has no duplicate in the world; it makes men ask questions; and as I knew more than twenty years ago, draws the feet of the young towards it; it has the qualities of uniqueness, individuality, assertion and power. Above all, it is the lawful, original, sweat-and-dust-won name of the city and to change it would be to risk the luck of the city, to disgust and dishearten old-timers, not in the city alone, but the world over, and to advertise abroad the city’s lack of faith in itself.

His final sentence was particularly biting, stating, "What then should a city be re-christened that has sold its name? - Judasville".

In the end, Medicine Hat kept its name.  

Have a look inside the Cypress Club here.

Cypress Club ca. 1913

6th Ave. in the late sixties.  The Cypress Club is in the middle.

A Farewell to the Stream Media Office

After all that has happened over the last four years during my time with Stream Media, the decision to close the Stream office downtown was one that hit me harder than I expected it to.  Stream itself isn't closing, and I still have a few edits on the books with them this summer, but it's pretty clear now that things won't ever be quite the same as they were.  On May 31, after showcasing the Citadel Building in a photo set just a few weeks ago, I said a final goodbye to a place that had been the hub of a variety of corporate productions I'd been a part of, and mused about what's next for the company and how I'll continue to be a part of it.

As a contract editor, I can't blame Barb for making what was a very practical decision. With both of us working full time hours outside of the building, it no longer made sense for her to pay rent on an office that was almost never used anymore.  In fact, the most regular hours I ever spent in the office were back in 2008 when I worked for Stream full time, and even then, the office wasn't really my workspace.

What makes losing the office so difficult then is the feeling that I've lost something symbolic.  As long as the office was there it was clear that Stream still held some priority and that there'd be more work as a result of it.  I guess there was always a part of me that believed my role would continue to grow there, and that somehow that would fuel more of the kinds of projects we all really wanted to work on.  It's not even clear that there won't still be editing projects coming my way, but Stream may simply be working in a different capacity to facilitate them now.  As we'd discussed just a few weeks ago, things are changing, we're changing, and sometimes growth means trying new avenues. I'm just a bit anxious about the unknown.

When it comes down to it, this is the end of a chapter.  I've always loved the variety of work that I've been able to do as a result of Stream's position in the community, and whether it was flying over the city to collect b-roll or directing a promo video, a lot of the challenges were noteworthy experiences.  I'd hate to think that we've moved on from that completely, because individually, I haven't.

On one hand it's just saying goodbye to an office right now.  On the other, it's a pretty clear step into uncharted territory.  I can't help but be a bit sad about it.  I can't help but feel unresolved about the whole thing.  And then again, I realize that a big part of me is clinging to a reality that has existed since 2008.  It's easy to be nostalgic for that feeling I had when I was fresh out a film school and started working here in June of that year. We've all grown a lot since then though, and I probably play it up for more than it was sometimes because I was so ready for the change back then and I'm feeling more uncertain about what I want next these days.

I'll miss this place and the creative discussions we had here.  I'll miss coming here late at night to drop something off and finding a random note.  I'll miss popping in to chat with Barb on my way home or between projects.  And really, as a nod to how much I've enjoyed the work, I'll just miss this place being at the centre of it.    

Star Wars Comics

I've never been much of a comic book guy, but I've always appreciated the style. Because of that I've accumulated a small and fairly random collection of graphic novels and comics, like these ones from Star Wars from 1983.  These must have belonged to my brother, and I either took them or he gave them to me when I was a kid and they were releasing the special editions of the movies.

While the artwork features some classic Star Wars imagery, like lightsabers and lasers, the stories are kind of bogus if I'm honest.  These two random issues (#83 and #94) don't make a whole lot of sense to me as to where they fit into the whole Star Wars plot line, but the artwork is nice.  I also love the vintage ads for Atari that were in both books.  The accompanying artwork for the games was often more elaborate than what any of them could offer at the time. 

Now to the real question though, how much are these Star Wars comics worth?  Well, they have appreciated from their 65 and 75 cent cover prices, but from what I've seen they're only worth about $5-$10 each in their good condition.  At best (in near perfect / mint condition) they could maybe fetch $30 each.  But hey, when you get them (or take them) from your brother, it's all profit.