Thinking about the Yellow Pages today and all the funny headings and I was reminded of my first introduction to the Yellow Pages directory advertising product. I was in Berkeley, California at the time attending Sir John Gielgud’s Classical Theatre School. I had won a scholarship and had decided the Berkeley campus would be more interesting than the campus in London, England. Being a prairie girl and used to sun, it was sort of a no-brainer of a decision to make since it was always raining in London. So off to California it was.

Telegraph Avenue was a cultural shock. This was the 80’s but obviously only for me. In my memory I can still smell the incense. It is something I will never forget. According to a male classmate from Fiji (who incidentally wore a skirt to school) the incense had a strong influence on our classes in the Bay Area. Yes, this sweet tobacco smell was incense he told me.

I recall being introduced to the healing arts when I tripped down a flight of stairs and sprained my ankle before a performance. A group of people laid their hands on my ankle and with closed eyes hummed and healed my foot. I was miraculously cured for the performance – though stiff and limping the next day.

But it was the movement – improvisational classes that caused me the most anxiety. We had to lie on our backs with our eyes closed while our classmates rolled over us. It’s supposed to break down barriers and create trust but I was terribly shy and found the idea embarrassing so I found a way to phone in sick to avoid the class. Yup, so sorry I was on my death bed and couldn’t make it in for the “roll”. I must have had phone messages from everyone “Hope you are ok”. “We missed our Canadian, eh?!”.

I took the day off to live in the real world. I had coffee at a bus stop where I did research watching real people. Then I decided I would go to a health spa, have a suntan, go in the hot tub…you know, that kind of thing. I was going to take a mini holiday on my day off school. So, I looked up “Tanning” places in the Yellow Pages. I phoned for directions and got on the Berkeley bus headed north with my gym bag and towel around me neck. It was a long bus trip. In fact, I was the only one on the bus when the bus driver turned to me and said “This is it”. I was in an industrial area which really smelled. I found myself at a “Tanning Factory” where they beat animal hides and not a “Tanning Spa”  where I thought I was headed. (Yikes!)

I suppose I should have clued in when I phoned for directions. The woman on the phone was so abrupt, “What are you bringing in?” she asked. I answered rather quietly “Well just myself”. You see I always liked to be incognito at aerobic places. If the instructor said “Girl in the pink, higher”. I never returned.

Well, I got back on the bus (same driver) going back the other direction and I was back at school the next day “feeling much better”. But one thing I thought about was if I ever had a reason to advertise in the Yellow Pages I would make sure I was under the correct heading. Ironically, years later I found myself designing advertising for the Yellow Pages and yes, even recommending headings.

Marc Tellier, the CEO of Yellow Pages Group recently said in the Globe and Mail that the fastest growing heading in his Yellow Pages for several years in a row now is “Tatoo Parlours”.  Isn’t that remarkable? I would have no reason to reference that heading but you see everyone has a different use for this product including, Mr Tellier.