Who are you?

I’m Godfrey von Nostitz-Tait. Throw my middle name “Marcus” into the mix and I have one of the longest, semi aristocratic-sounding names out there, coming in at 27 letters (plus a hyphen). Being double barrelled has always reminded me of my British/German roots – always a good thing. Still, I’m turning 30 next month and my hunt for a shorter signature continues. Submissions are welcome.

What do you do for fun?

Other than spending 99% of my time coming up with a better signature and designing pajamas/bathrobes/hankerchiefs with my coat of arms on them, I enjoy getting into the outdoors with my binoculars and engaging with Vancouver’s amazing maritime community. I keep one larger pair on my apartment’s window sill to spy on birds and boats out on English Bay. I’m a big fan of boats, especially when I can see them up close. I also have a smaller pair of binocs which I bring on ferry rides (just in case there’s a whale), and walks on the sea wall, in case a seal pops up or there is other fauna deserving closer inspection. Since I moved to Vancouver I’ve also embraced outrigger canoeing and tennis – sports you can do year round here, which is amazing. One day last spring, I snowboarded, paddled AND played tennis all on the same weekend. How cool is that!

What is your favourite community and why?

I love my neighbourhood, the West End, for all the obvious reasons: green space, the people, beautiful cherry blossoms and lots of great eateries. But I’d have to say that my favourite micro community in the West End is the Stanley Park tennis courts. I love how inclusive they are, how you can so easily pick up a friendly match and how the herons lord over it all from their nests in the trees.

What is your superpower?

My vocabulary. I know a lot of words, which makes me a pretty wordy dude. I mean, why say things simply when you can “fance” things up real nice?   I think my wordiness is because as a lad I was deprived of TV. And Nintendo. Books were it. I polished off War and Peace at age 12 followed by Bleak House. Astounding, I know. So normal or not, there’s a reason I sometimes speak like a patrician.

How do you use it to build community?

Well, I like to talk and write, using words to communicate feelings, stories, thoughts and ideas whenever I can. The Potentiality has been a fantastic way to flex a little of my verbal muscle in the name of community and word smithing has sure come in handy in my work promoting education as a writer and researcher for the Canadian Council on Learning.

My Three Favourite Things about Godfrey von Nostitz Tait are…

1. His name and style. We call “Godfrey” by the name “GVB” which stands for “Godfrey von Bismarck” – this name reflects GVB’s colourful family lineage, which, allegedly, connects him with some guy named Bismarck. Godfrey is also a very, very classy dresser. Very.

2. Listening skills. Talking to Godfrey makes you feel like a million bucks. Why? Because he is in possession of a spectacular active listening toolkit, which includes, but is not limited to the following: eye contact, follow-up questions, head-nodding, perfect body language, and a warm smile. I encourage you to talk to GVB today!

3. Passion for the Nautical. I’m not sure what your apocalypse and/or zombie plan(s) involves, but mine involves commendeering a ship and, hopefully, having it captained by Godfrey. His salty love of the sea and the nautical knowledge – knauticauledge – he possesses makes him a fantastic conversationalist about the world of the sea. Hopefully, too, he can navigate a ship away from roaving zombies…