One Vain Cookie

The Flexitarian Diet

2008-10-05T12:17:00.005-04:00

So The Reluctant Vegetarian posted this week about The Flexitarian Diet. Given that I've been on this new eating system for just over four months now, I found it interesting.

The premise is that you become "mostly" vegetarian. Me? I'm "mostly" vegan - or as I regularly refer to it, "veganesque". I eat fish once or twice a week (though I think this volume is actually falling as I better and better learn the art of vegetarian cooking). I also don't go pure vegan in that I don't avoid products that have egg/dairy/etc. as minor ingredients in 'em.

Why not go full-force? First off, I'm just not super strict with myself, as I'm a pretty relaxed sort who's just trying to be better, not trying to be perfect. Secondly, I do a fair amount of client entertaining, which involves a lot of taking people for lunch and dinner. It's already next to impossible to find decent non-meaty meals in restaurants to begin with - particularly when you eliminate the cheese, creamy dressings, etc. I am simply not able to fully cut my need to eat out a few times a week given the job construct. I am okay with this. Overall, cutting out that stuff has been good for my health and has also reduced my footprint. It doesn't need to be exactly per some magical script. It's good and I'm happy about that.

So I'm not physically flexible, but indeed dietarily so! Har.

(In other news, I noted in that article that vegetarians are allegedly 15% lower on average in weight than non-veggies. How is it that I have yet to become 15% lighter care of my meatless/cheeseless agenda? Ridiculous!)

So how flexitarian are you?

An Issue of Integrity

2008-10-05T11:49:00.004-04:00

For the love of pete. I am seriously frustrated by the idea that we are all so very free to say whatever our wee hearts desire, but when someone does and it's offensive to another, the big public apology comes out.

First off: I enjoy Heather Mallick. I think she's a smart cookie and her writing generally appeals to me greatly. I may not always fully agree with her, but I really dig her style. She's opinionated, she's strong, and she doesn't mince words. These are among the most admirable characteristics that I can imagine a person having.

So did you see this? It's in response to Mallick's September 5 column, posted on CBC's site.

Well, the CBC has now issued this apology for allowing it to be posted, despite originally standing behind Mallick and supporting its editorial policy, which accepts that its writers will hold varying positions and diversity in opinion.

Blagh. This kind of thing just frustrates the living daylights out of me. How on earth do we, as a culture, think it's okay to check our values at the door when we are publicly challenged? How do we not politicize basic freedoms upon which we claim our foundation lays? What the living hell are we teaching ourselves and our growing generations of thinkers and leaders about integrity and standing up for what we believe when we lose the former due to an incapacity to undertake the latter?

Again: blagh.

Foodie-Following

2008-10-04T18:47:00.004-04:00

I am really excited. Leslie is back to blogging. Finally, my favourite source of foodie inspiration has returned. As such, I spent the last hour stalking her blogroll and their blogroll's, etc., while eating her quinoa salad, which I suspect my non-measuring self slightly over-flavoured as it was really strong tasting. That said, it's the first time I've gotten Dave to eat quinoa, so it remains a success. Hah.

In any case, I am so making this.

Oooh, Etsy

2008-09-28T13:58:00.004-04:00

So I've basically always avoided Etsy. There are too many things from which to choose. It's overwhelming and I give up after twenty minutes of searching.

But today! I found a really unique business card holder - I hate my leather one that I have, my cards always still end up bent/smudged. I have been looking for a metal one forever, but wanted something a little different. This one has polished lizard leather on its front. Weird... but amazing!

I also found this seller.

I'm thinking I could rock this in my office. Thoughts?

The Point... is Flex...

2008-09-27T14:16:00.006-04:00

So after not attending a single yoga or pilates class in all of 2008, I recently had a full physical. My results came back this week and I learned that a normal people have a score of 32 on this flexibility test I did. My score was 19. Yikes! (In good news, pretty much all else was highly positive and my muscular/cardio endurance were scored as excellent, whew.)

So I went to yoga today - I did a 1.5 hour Hatha class.

I was really bad! But it was good. I'm patient about this sort of thing (probably the only area in my life where patience legitimately arises, hah) and get that this will take time to rebuild. The class was small and my instructor was really helpful, spending a lot of time helping each person directly to ensure proper form, etc. It was also followed by half an hour of Yoga Nidra, which is effectively a guided meditation. So calming! So cozy!

I really want to get back into it. It's hard to fit in classes during the week with my work schedule - not even just because of the hours, but because of working outside of the downtown core. If I want to attend even a 7:30PM class, I have to do the following:

Arrive at studio at 7:15.
Arrive at home by 6:45 to drop off car, get stuff ready, and walk over.
Leave work at 5:45 to ensure I get home for 6:45 with traffic constraints.
Be done work at 5:30-ish so I can get out the door by 5:45.

This? Not so do-able. Now when our office moves downtown, I think it will far more feasible as the steps will change as follows.

Arrive at studio at 7:15.
Leave work at 6:45-7 with yoga stuff in hand, walking over.

The official office lease end-date is May of 2009, but the real estate consultants think we'll likely be moving more like March. Location and office selection should be complete in November/December.

God, I can't wait. My phsycial flexibility is dependent upon this work flexibility!

In the meantime, I will do my best to go on one weekend day and Tuesdays, when I'm already downtown for the day at school.

Six more months...

Nerdliness is Next to Godliness

2008-09-19T19:49:00.005-04:00

Eee! I started my PhD this week. Flex time. Faculty of Information. U of T.

I can't explain how much it ruled. We talked about philosophies and methologies and grant applications and research and ahhhh! I can't even believe how lucky I am to get to do this kind of thing. Dreamy.

I have my own little office at the university! It's overlooking Spadina. I swear to you, it is nicer than my work office, which - while more spacious - overlooks a parking lot and the 427.

I have a supervisor, who is super smart and has really great positive energy. She also took me to the adorable Faculty Club to celebrate my beginning this thrilling challenge!

Sigh.

I wish to be a nerd forever. Or at least for the next six to eight years. Hah.

The Reality Sets In

2008-08-24T22:52:00.005-04:00

So, okay, it's been nearly three months sans land animal products. And it's felt relatively easy to date.

But this weekend? There were a lot of Wendy's Baconator commercials on during the last few days of the Olympics. (Um, what? I know.) And, yeah, ew, right? But I've always loved a bacon cheeseburger. Salty. Melty. Delish. And then the reality set in: not only will I never, ever have a burger again, I'll never have a steak. I'll never have a lamb chop with mint sauce. I'll never have a glass of milk with ice cubes in it to accompany my tuna sandwich. I'll never have a cheesy, creamy omelette. I'll never have my beloved nachos.

I miss food. I am feeling all worn out and slightly queasy - I think mostly because I've been pushing too hard again and am maybe not getting enough iron (have had iron issues in the past, will be making an appointment with doctor and nutritionist this week) - and... I would really just like some ham with scalloped potatoes. Hah.

Anyway. I'm really just feeling rather sorry for myself. I googled reluctant vegetarian and found this. The recipes look great, but the person doesn't seem particularly reluctant. Do you know anyone who's made such wholesale change with reluctance? I tried hunting for message boards or anything of the sort tonight, but found only an assortment of hardcore veggie snobs who would hate that I still eat fish, and people whose posts I could barely understand (yeah, that's the snob in me talking).

I don't even know what the point of today's post is. I am just feeling rather sorry for myself and am not much for complaining out loud. No need to respond, this is pure vent!

Laptop Bag Stalking

2008-07-27T18:17:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I may or may not have mentioned my obsession with my new MacBook Air. It's so slim and darling! In any case, I am bored with my current laptop bag and searching for a (few) new fun one(s). So what will house my adorable new friend?

I am thinking perhaps this cutie or its cousin for everyday use?

Or perhaps this little gorgeous glamourama in grey?

Or maybe this little fashion plate in plural fossil?

Help!

PS: Have you seen this? LOVE. Talk about fueling my stalkery.

Vegenaise!

2008-07-27T13:47:00.003-04:00

I am not kidding.

This stuff is golden. I would never, ever have known it wasn't the real deal.

I can have tuna salad again!

Seven Weeks Down

2008-07-26T13:55:00.002-04:00

So it's been that long since I've had meat, eggs, and dairy.

It's weird to me.

Last night I went out with some ladies for gossip on a patio. There were nachos and a platter of delicious appetizers on the table. The only thing I could consume was the calamari. Strangely, it didn't entirely bother me, though I did make up for it later in the evening with plain tortilla chips, salsa, and guacamole.

But this does kind of surprise me. I thought going out would be the toughest part, and it's actually pretty easy.

Any favourite non-land-animal-product foods when you're out and about?

The Starbucks Experience

2008-07-19T10:47:00.004-04:00

So I remain endlessly disgruntled that Starbucks doesn't do a soy version of the Frappucino. I mean, Frappucinos are one of my favourite summer snacks, and what is a trip to Starbucks without them?

No matter, I've been stuck with the iced green tea soy latte.

So what is with the fact that this is never made properly? So I don't get the whipped cream on top and I don't mix it with green tea liquer as pictured (hah), but I have never seen one look remotely like this!

Every second sip I take involves clumps of that green tea stuff. And it's never frothy, instead just being randomly stirred with a metal stick for a few seconds.

I like the general taste when it joins forces in my mouth, but the inability of the baristas to actually make it taste like a consolidated beverage rather than a combination of green tea bits, soy milk, and ice or the inability of Starbucks to put together a method of production that is a little less difficult for said staff? So very unfortunate.

Perhaps I should just switch to iced coffees for good.

Some Updates

2008-07-05T20:25:00.002-04:00

Hey! There apparently is a word for what I'm doing: pescetarian. Who'd have thought?

In any case, things have been fabulous since we got our barbecued. I grilled tuna steaks for Dave's birthday with lemon and fresh herbs. I've been making some delectable salads, and am particularly re-loving my baked homemade french fries (curried is best). I've even started having soymilk on my cereal without a problem.

You know what I don't like, though?

At the cottage last weekend, I was a little forlorn at the lack of steak action, but veggie burgers with steak spice helped me out. However! When Dave was having his amazing Italian sausages, I decided to try out some veggie dogs. Now, I hadn't had veggie dogs in probably ten years, and when I had them, I completely hated them. But my sister swore to me they were great again, and I gave 'em a shot.

Dave called them Not Dogs and said they looked like Tootsie Rolls.

They were sick. Sick. I couldn't even finish a single one and hated them so much that I actually threw them in the garbage.

Nonetheless, when I found soy chicken nugget looking things and soy chicken strips, I still bought 'em. Sigh.

Amy's Organic Veggie Burgers

2008-06-24T21:50:00.002-04:00

These are yummy.

I barbecued mine and Dave had a regular burger. Made some guacamole and topped heavily. Threw a side spinach salad alongside it.

Delish!

Baking is My Favourite

2008-06-22T19:44:00.005-04:00

No real time to post with the family visiting, but lookie what I made today. Golden vanilla cupcakes with coconut pecan frosting, another from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

Pure vegan, baby.

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Chicken

2008-06-17T20:10:00.003-04:00

So tonight, I made my first foray into the world of cooking with tofu. And you know what? It was freaking great!

I am a huge fan of Indian food and have been craving it madly lately. Naturally, my favourite dish is butter chicken, and I was totally forlorn that I could no longer have it. But with Dave requesting mini-pizzas for dinner (ugh, I know), I decided to grab some tofu and coconut milk and give something new a shot. Et voila! My very own recipe. And, no, GroupRecipes won't do apostrophes in recipe names, which is why the contraction was expanded there.

I added spinach for kicks, as I tend to think it tastes good in everything, but you obviously don't have to.

Tonight, I'm going for a new batch of vegan cupcakes - I'd intended to last night, but after my food processor kind of crapped out due to the peanut butter experiment and I didn't make it to Williams-Sonoma today, I'm going to go with a new standard. I will make two dozen so the work people can share in my giddiness.

I should be sainted. Honestly.

Summertime...

2008-06-16T19:29:00.007-04:00

And the eating is fresh!

I don't yet have the KitchenAid pasta-making attachments, but I nonetheless bought a package of Olivieri fettucine tonight and opted for fresh with this recipe for Summer Splendor Pasta.

The only variations I went for were as follows:

Pan fried the zucchini with a little oil instead of boiling it.
Cooked the sauce with a little oil instead of using water.
Skipped the wine (none in the house, booo).
Added a sprinkle of oregano.
Added a teaspoon or so of sugar.

I haven't made zucchini... um, I don't think ever. I always get things with zucchini in them at restaurants, but for some reason it's never occurred to me to make it myself. Silly. In any case, it added serious fresh flavour (appropriate, given the name) and I was super happy. Didn't feel like I had any diet restrictions whatsoever.

Next up, I made bunnyrock's homemade peanut butter. I added about a quarter cup of agave syrup to this, as I'm still getting used to sweet-free nut butters. And I don't know if my blender is just giving me crap or what, but I'm having a tough time getting it to a texture similar to hers in this picture. Why? It's a GE! Don't fail me now, Jack Welch/Jack Donaghy! (Either way, I used pumpkin pie spice - cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves - and it tastes damn delicious.)

I will be giving the raw vegan brownies from 28 Cooks a shot once I figure out if my blender can handle them.

Provençal is So Done

2008-06-15T17:52:00.006-04:00

I made this tonight.

I am so done with olives and capers. I think I made it too much with chicken last summer. Dave found it fine, but I was all meh. Also, halibut is really boring in flavour. I added so many tastes and it still tasted kind of like... nothing with olives and capers. And really fishy fish. Meh again.

It didn't help that Dave's white basmati smelled amazing and I mixed up the burners with my brown wild rice, leaving it mushy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

No matter, I'm making a new batch of cupcakes tonight and they'll make all right with the world.

Getting Fresh

2008-06-15T11:37:00.005-04:00

So last night I went to Rockstar Hotel - read the whole scoop here.

On the food front, all turned out peachy. The whole gang did a huge sushi platter for dinner, which was just fine for my little tummy. I stuck with vodka cranberries for the evening, though I politely sipped champagne and a green tea martini before forcing my client to chug them for me (she knows the deal and I don't like attention and questions). Hah.

The Fresh lunch yesterday was pretty great. I had grilled cornbread, an energy bowl sans chickpea/vegetable stew, and rocket fuel sans espresso. It was pretty fabulous, though I felt a few sharp pangs afterwards. (Suspect the curried coconut milk may have been full fat, which may have been a little tough to process, but it wasn't bad enough that I wouldn't have it again. Hah!) Amy is awesome and we had a really great chat, followed by a little shopping around Queen West. Fun!

I also picked up the Fresh cookbook while I was out and am currently learning about tofu, tempeh, and some other crazy soy-based hippie foods that I will be living on. (I am only partially kidding.)

The Starbucks situation is happily resolved with the iced soy green tea latte. Better than no fun drink, and good to get the soymilk in (hey, did you know that it's supposed to be one word? learned that in my new cookbook).

So today will involve a little Home Depot, a little gardening my cement yard, and a little grocery shopping for the coming week. Dinner is currently up in the air, but I'm thinking maybe something from my new cookbook would be a fit. Though so would more trout... mmmmm.

Have a good one!

Weekends O' Fun

2008-06-14T11:38:00.004-04:00

So today, I'm meeting my awesome friend Amy for lunch at Fresh. I will surely review what I eat.

The last two days have been kind of nuts. Thursday was a big work event. On my husband's assurance that something mild would be a-okay as she said limit not entirely avoid the booze, I dared to try a vodka and cranberry in a tall glass - and it went down just fine. (I waited two hours after I finished to be certain, then so did the second. Hah.) I am pleased to discover that I may have to swear off nachos, but I officially don't have to avoid patios for the rest of the summer.

In any case, it was a super late night and then I was completely exhausted yesterday. I fell asleep at maybe 10PM and just got up at 11AM.

Thirteen hours! Sad, honestly.

But now I'm revitalized, which is good seeing as I have that Amy lunch, then am going to work on the great outdoors known as my tiny yard al day, and will follow the whole thing up with Rockstar Hotel with clients. We're in possession of VVIP passes, which apparently means we will get gifted with celeb-type bags o' stuff. That's the only reason I agreed, as I have no idea what to where and generally hate things that start at 10:30PM. Hah!

Oh yeah, and I made swordfish and red lentils for dinner last night. Must not forget that swordfish most definitely needs flavours of some sort pre-cooking (forgot to do this in my rush to eat something and it was rather bland) and red lentils needed far more spices than green, but cook much more easily.

Les Challenges

2008-06-11T20:55:00.007-04:00

As I sit here watching Rock of Love (I know!), I am considering today's failings.

First up: I put my oat/quinoa blend on this morning before getting in the shower. Then it burned. Then I tried to salvage what wasn't burned. Then I added flax oil to try to get more good stuff in. Then I wished I'd only put in one teaspoon instead of two. Ew.

The mid-day was fine, then came the evening.

I got stuck in traffic. It took me nearly ninety minutes to do my fifteen minute drive home. That said, I knew I was returning home to yummy sushi. Sadly, it hadn't occurred to me that sushi could have sneaky elements. Sadly, I forgot that spicy salmon rolls have little tempura bits. Boo! Unfair!

But I did buy that cupcake book today! Dave is happy to point out that, though I have yet to master vegan cooking overall, I have taken charge of the cupcake situation like a professional. But they have so many options! Ganache! Fillings! Frostings! Snickerdoodle flavour!

Tomorrow... I'm thinking fresh pasta. Well, grocery store fresh (until I get the KitchenAid Mixer pasta attachments). Like that! But without shrimp. I also need to pick up some tomatoes, cocoa, and... oh, I swear there's something else. Anyway. Yes! Fresh pasta.

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over My Kitchen

2008-06-10T21:20:00.009-04:00

Anyone who knows me is familiar with my cupcake addiction. Any time there's an occasion to celebrate, I call for cupcakes. At my thirtieth birthday, my adorable friends and family bought me the ones from The Cupcake Shoppe. I am a woman obsessed.

Naturally, with my MBA graduation around the corner (June 20th, to be precise), I'd been planning a post-convocation evening of lush food, minor boozy debauchery, and decadent cupcakes labeled "Master JQ". Yet alas, as you know, my body will now have none of this.

I facebook-emailed my awesome friend Melissa, who's not only a guru of baked delights, but also particularly skilled in healthy eating. She directed me to Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and (though I haven't yet made the purchase, I found my beta test online) I currently have a dozen of these little goodies in the oven. (The recipes makes a dozen.)

I used rice milk instead of soy milk and am skipping the frosting, but otherwise stayed true. The batter was thin and delicious. (Yeah, I'm a taste-tester.) They smell flipping crazy amazing. According to the Sparkpeople Recipe Calculator, each wee cake has just over 150 calories and 6.6g of fat. Totally do-able.

I'll let you know how they taste tomorrow.

I Love Trout

2008-06-10T19:56:00.003-04:00

I have never made it myself. Weird, right? I had it reasonably often as a kid, but have never once had it as an adult.

Sea salt, black pepper, fresh lemon, bake.

Not kidding here. I was in love with it. I love it more than salmon. I think it's my new favourite fish. It was all I could do to put the rest back in the fridge when I so could've just eaten it. Lunch!

In other news: After she asked me if I needed any help, I asked the girl behind the seafood counter at Loblaws what types of fish were cold water. She looked sheepishly at me and said, "Ummm, I'm just covering..." Will keep trying to find out.

Lentils: Good Side Dish...

2008-06-09T21:47:00.004-04:00

Not my favourite as a main.

I tried to try Leslie's lentil phyllo thing tonight sans roasted veggies, but unfortunately Loblaw's was out of phyllo pastry. And I couldn't find organic sweet potatoes, so I just went with plain mashed. And the lentils took way too long to cook properly, so the potatoes were done way early. And when they were, I just ended up throwing them into a salad, as I was barely hungry anymore.

Sigh.

They were reasonably tasty, but would've been far better as a side to, say, swordfish. (Is that a cold water fish? How the hell do I find out what fish are cold water? Why isn't Wikipedia helping me?)

UPDATE: I threw the lentils in my next day's lunch spinach salad with some rice, tomatoes, avocado, and lemon. No disappointment remains. Delish!

Cleaning House

2008-06-08T19:49:00.012-04:00

So aww, I haven't updated since November. No matter, really. In short, here's what happened:

We moved into our house. Yay!
We started doing renos. Yay!
The person who was the sole source of major issues is no longer at my company. Yay!
The partners let me relaunch it. New name. Yay!
I started working like a maniac.
I stopped working out diligently.
I stopped eating properly.
I traveled like a freak.
I went out constantly.
I got worn the heck out.
I ended up in the ER.
Oops?

So indeed, here's what's up now: I am re-finding le balance. It's tough for me because I adore work and I love getting to do what I do, but after the week I've just had (and my doctor's demands)? Yeah, I'm doing it.

To get my sorry self through, I must of course write my way out.

Tonight! Salmon bowl!

Salmon
Baby spinach
Brown basmati
Avocado
Grape tomatoes
Lemon

And what to do?

Throw salmon on a pan with lemon squirted all over it into oven at 350 - give it thirty minutes.
Make rice as per bag directions.
Make a really simple salsa of 1/2 avocado, a bunch of chopped up tomatoes, and squirted lemon. (Could've added onion and garlic and spices too, but am re-introducing foods one baby step at a time.)
Throw baby spinach in a bowl. Add a small piece of cooked salmon and a spoonful or two of rice. Douse the top with the mild salsa.

So that was really good, and totally do-able for my finicky boy. Dave just had the salmon with rice and butter and was every bit as happy as I was.

Here's another delish recipe care of my awesome mother-in-law that I enjoyed at breakfast today.

2T steel cut oats
2T quinoa
1/2C water
1/2C rice milk
Cinnamon/nutmeg/whatever sprinkle (1/4t or so)
1/4C currants

And the how?

Mix.
Bring to a boil.
Cook on low-medium for 15 minutes.

Okay, so I'm still basic. But it was good and I don't want to forget!

Next up? Leslie's braised lentils in phyllo. Now I've always thought that phyllo were pure butter, but indeed she posted the PC brand nutritional info and they're free of saturated fats, and only contain 0.5g per sheet of any whatsoever. Digestable! I will skip the roasted veg, add a big side salad, but keep the sweet potatoes. Dave will be going regular on the potato, but is otherwise pretty into this.

Please advise as to what else I should be eating if you have clever ideas. I am basically restricted to anything that doesn't contain animal product. Eggs remain questionable - some say yes and some say no - and, as far as fish goes, it's preferable if it's cold-water only. No dairy, no red meat, pork and chicken should be very limited.

Easy, right?

I Am Ridiculous

2007-11-21T19:02:00.000-05:00

Honestly, I have been so crazy happy for so long now, I'm beginning to feel like I'm in a freaking television show. Everything is going right times about a thousand. It's weird. It's fantastic. I love it.

Reno Stalking

2007-11-17T19:11:00.000-05:00

Alrightie, now that we've bought a three-level house that features one completely renoed floor, and two floors in need of all new cosmetics, I am obsessed with learning about renovations. To begin, I know absolutely nothing. (Fortunately, Dave is the complete opposite of me - both handy and meticulous - or we never would've considered such an endeavour.) I can't stop watching HGTV. I am constantly googling things like "finish hardwood" and "environment window install". It's an obsession.

So here, in a very particular order, is our first year of renovation, which will result in finishing the second level of the house.

(1) Finish second level floors. Beautiful old hardwood needs refreshing in hallway, master, and guest bedroom.

(2) Master bedroom. Replace walls and ceiling. Paint. Gorgeous baseboards. New green-friendly windows and coverings of some sort (blinds? drapes? unsure). Light fixtures should be replaced, but still debating how to light the room. Maybe more little things like closet organizer and stuff, to be determined.

(3) Spa bathroom. Taking the second level third bedroom and knocking down a wall so it joins forces with its neighbour, the 1970s-looking bathroom. Gutting. Whirlpool tub. Glass shower. Vessel sink. That's all I know.

(4) Guest bedroom/office. Same steps as master bedroom, but smaller and less need to be just-freaking-perfect thus less time consuming. Will act as office (with sofabed for guests?) 'til the third level renos can take place.

With any luck, we won't kill each other, and it will be stunning. Hah.

Social Brand Value

2007-11-13T22:02:00.000-05:00

Is it possible that the greatest value held by the brand is owned by the consumer, not in the commitment to quality or great prices or anything of the sort, but that it forces the corporation to act with some socially acceptable level of ethics, given that its behaviour will be felt by customers ' perception via its bottom line? Is it possible that this created value is a value now owned by society, dictated by consumers, and experienced by all of us?

Weird.

Why Life is Good

2007-11-13T12:50:00.000-05:00

Well, you know. It mostly just is.

(1) We bought a house - the deal was completed on my birthday, we move January 7. Never in my life did I think we'd have a gorgeous home downtown. Well, the first floor is gorgeous, and I've got two floors of cosmetic fun to work on. Whee!
(2) I finish my MBA coursework on February 10. Eeee!
(3) My job, which has been known to drive me over the edge on occasion, has settled into awesomeness. I am doing the kind of work I've always dreamed of - strategy! financial analysis! operations! - and I was right: it flipping rules.
(4) I get to hang out with the best boy in the world all the freaking time.

Yay.

Thirty

2007-11-04T15:00:00.000-05:00

I know, I have completely and utterly sucked at keeping the blog updated since relaunching Hitched! It turns out it's a fair amount of work trying to keep that baby updated, and my writing time is limited. With that said, I am going to try for a weekly update again. So I shall return with a disgustingly uber-sincere post.

It's a few days 'til my thirtieth birthday, and I'm pretty excited about the whole thing. The last decade has been interesting and challenging, and I'm certain that the thirties will bring all kinds of new fun. I've always imagined this age series to be likely the best of one's life - old enough to feel a pretty solid sense of stability (no more quarterlife crises, no financial meltdowns, no state of complete confusion as to what one is doing with her life) but young enough to have lots of fun (minor obligations, easy disposable income to invest in silly things, dream vacations to pursue, classes to take just for fun).

I entered my twenties with a pretty solid list of things I wanted to accomplish: complete a graduate degree, achieve a certain level of career success, do some travelling, find a reasonable and sustainable level of health, and purchase an abode in some urban area or another. While I have a semester left 'til I'm done grad school, I can safely say I've completed all the objectives that I set out for myself. They didn't necessarily come as I'd anticipated nor did things really go according to plan while getting here, that matters not a bit. The point is that I set up the goals and achieved them. This feels darn good. This is also one of the reasons I suspect I have little to no regrets in my life thus far - I've been taking on challenges like a mofo and even the hideously poor choices have assisted in getting me where I needed to be.

Now that I'm entering my thirties, I feel like I need a new agenda. But what does that agenda entail? Here's the thing: I'm not sure. Sure, I'd like to achieve more in my work life, I'd like to travel to new places, I'd like to stay fit and active, I'd like to get a house downtown. And maybe someday I'll get an opportunity to do further studies as the dilettante that I am. But those are kind of just extensions of the twenties list. Is there anything unique I need to set out for myself in this round? Is there anything for me to pursue that is entirely novel and challenging? What will it take for me at forty to feel that my thirties have been a success? I am at a bit of a loss here. History has taught me that, being intensely goal-driven, I respond well to such things. But I don't really know what those goals are.

Pipe dreams? Easy. I'd like to be a consultant. I'd like to write a book. I'd like to work for myself. I'd like to see the world. There are a gazillion items to list here, but these are more fodder for my fantasy life than concrete objectives for which to aim. Sure, it would be great if any came to fruition, but I won't feel that I've let myself down if they don't in the next decade.

So perhaps rather than setting new and specific goals, the thirties objective needs to be as follows: keep moving positively along the very clear path I spent my twenties building and enjoy the ride. Accept that the hardcore goal-setting era of my life - while a certain necessity at the time, given my personality - has been successful and is now complete.

If you have a better plan, just let me know. I'm open.

I'm It Again

2007-09-17T22:05:00.000-04:00

Treava tagged me!

If I've tagged you, here is the deal: (1) Link to your tagger and post these rules. (2) Share 7 facts about YOU: some random, some weird... all devastatingly interesting. (3) Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them). (4) Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

My weirdest phobia is people putting ham on their faces. I think it reminds me of bizarro nightmares I used to have of people without facial features. AGH!
I'm a closet introvert. In small groups, I'm highly outgoing, but in large groups I'm terribly unhappy. And I love, love, love being by myself.
I have fantasies about being a spy 'til I think about the scary parts, thus am simply obsessed with spy-related movies and television.
I prefer being an acquaintance to being a close friend with most people.
I am a huge dilettante.
I want to do a doctorate after my MBA, if at all possible, not to become a professor as I'd like to continue working, but simply to challenge the living daylights out of myself.
Given my natural energy level, most people are surprised by the fact that I very rarely drink coffee or other caffeinated beverages.

I'll tag the following folks:

I Am A Crazy Person

2007-09-15T21:20:00.000-04:00

So I will be talking about Darby here.

She is seriously such a smartie. After only two nights of crying, she learned to sleep properly (and in her kennel!). On her third day, she figured out that going outside meant doing her business and hasn't had an accident since. (To be fair, we have puppy pads down so, if she does have to have to go and can't figure out how to tell us, she can go there. No non-puppy-pad mistakes since the day those went down!) And she is learning not to cry to get on the couch. And she is sweet and cuddly and sleeps I'm sure sixteen hours a day.

Also, I must note that buying stuff for this dog is ridiculously fun. All the things are so cute, even the freaking kennel. No, seriously. There are paw cleaning things and leashes for jogging and, oh my god, you know those Ugly Dolls? Well, there are now pet editions. Hers is a blue cat that has an Xed out eye. And even this weird rope toy is cute - she carries it by the bar-looking part in the middle so the ends look like blue and white pompoms. Adorable. Anyway, I swear, every time I leave the house, I think of some new fun thing to get this spoiled creature.

That said, I am not getting her clothes unless she completely freezes in the winter. She's way too tough to be in pink or anything like it, and I'm pretty convinced that, being a dog, she ought to be well equipped to handle all seasons. I'm also terrified of becoming one of those downtown uber-yuppie types who have their animals in chichi carriers and Coach sweaters. Eeks.

But... I did just order this for the mutt:

Ahh! Click on it to see the whole thing. I picked the yellow one with dots. Sock monkeys!

What Would You Name This Wee Mutt?

2007-09-09T23:19:00.000-04:00

Honestly, she is nameless. It's not right.

Dave has taken to calling her Little Lord Fuzzleroy.

Not. Right. She's currently sleeping away.

Eeeeks.

Hitched.ca Has Relaunched!

2007-08-20T00:39:00.001-04:00

Miracle!

Please visit and love it and tell your friends and all that good stuff.

Yoga Also Rules

2007-08-12T20:37:00.001-04:00

Okay, so I am suffering in a crazy way right now with sore legs, ass, abs, and arms, but sweet lord above. I feel amazing.

After the thrill of yesterday's pilates class, I decided to venture all by my lonesome once again to give power yoga a shot. My mother-in-law (an avid yoga-babe since the 70s) warned me that, among all the related classes she's ever taken, power yoga was the one she never tried twice. Did this discourage me? Of course not, it indeed spurred my sick competitive nature forward. Besides, it's yoga. How freaking difficult could it be? I can run my heart out for an hour or more without thinking twice -- surely it would be stretching my body into unusual and challenging formations, but there was no threat of exhaustion. Right?

Sigh.

I arrived to meet the teacher and only one other girl in the class. The other girl was explaining that she'd done a headstand for the first time yesterday. Um. No big deal. Another girl arrived and I was pleased to discover that she too was new to the art. The teacher looked ever-so-slightly concerned, but it was time to start, so off we went to grab blocks and get going.

After something like eleven minutes (okay, exactly like -- I was checking the watch like a crazy person), I was convinced that there was no.flipping.way I was going to make it through.

By some miracle, I pushed. And I pushed. And I pushed more. And I breathed. And I shook like crazy. And I balanced in a seated position on one foot with my in-the-air-ankle on my floor-leg-knee. And I did it. Pose after quick movement to new pose after staying in some other pose for what felt like days, an hour and fifteen minutes was over. Sure I couldn't keep my heels on the ground for downward dog, and sure I lost my balance and knocked over my own block on some single-footed-other-foot-high-in-the-air thingo, but I did it.

Joy.

Not just at being done -- though that miracle, in and of itself, was worth celebrating and feeling exceptionally tough over -- but at how great it felt.

In short: I am a convert. I can't wait to go again.

Pilates Rules

2007-08-11T15:44:00.000-04:00

I love it.

My friend cancelled for ballet today as she was out really late last night, so I went to a second pilates class instead.

Between the two of them, I'm sore, but it feels amazing.

I have a two week pass for a nearby studio now -- they do both pilates and yoga -- and I'm hoping that I continue to love it. If so, I'm thinking that this can take over as the strength part of my workout routine.

Ballet is back to next Saturday for now.

And with all that healthy stuff done, I'm now ready to get going to the beer festival.

My New Mission

2007-08-08T22:05:00.001-04:00

What is it? To try new things.

(1) Going to a pilates class on Friday.
(2) Going to a preliminary ballet class on Saturday.
(3) Yoga is next on the list.
(4) Signed up for a 5K run in September.

Whee!

Why I'm Slacking With Updates

2007-07-22T14:15:00.000-04:00

I'm relaunching Hitched.

I started the site four years ago and am finally going to properly market it and the whole shebang.

Between work, school, picking up my piano and trumpet again, and frantically trying to best design a memorable media kit, I am definitely not the lazybones I once dreamed of being. That said, I have August off from classes, so it's just a few more weeks of insanity. So there.

Oh, and before I go, in some random excitement, here's me playing live for the first time in nearly ten years (with Bellevue).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pmYnfnJ9JA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4fFJebVneg

Anyway, wish me launch luck. See you in August!

A Quick Update

2007-07-16T21:53:00.001-04:00

So I haven't updated in way too long. It's been a crazy couple of weeks.

(1) Jen got hitched! Her wedding was absolutely fabulous -- her family is awesome and her friends were so super nice. I don't think it could've been a better day, there were a gazillion hilarious moments followed by a zillion touching moments. The charming and adorable Mr. and Mrs. Byck most certainly have many silly, happy, sweet years of loveyness ahead. Yay!
(2) We did some super fun work events. They've been a riot -- lots of craziness, but also lots of fun. I really love our team of girls, and am sad that our adorable Miss Bianca will be leaving soon (though still, yes, thrilled for her for going back to grad school, whee!).
(3) I got to visit my sister and see her house for the first time. I saw my Nani and Papa and my mom and it was awesome.
(4) I have developed an unholy fixation on Age of Love. Especially Mary's constant crying.Why does she have to leave?
(5) My piano arrived! I've been playing it pretty much constantly since. I kind of forgot how very amazing music can be. Le dreamy, dreamy sigh.

That's it. I am back on track now.

Nordelicious

2007-07-04T18:23:00.000-04:00

I am crazy excited. Today was my official three year anniversary at work. In addition to a delicious lunch with two of our owners -- risotto, appies, champagne, and dessert were involved -- I was thrilled to learn that I will soon be the proud new owner of my current obsession.

LOVE. I haven't had a proper piano to play in ten years after playing for sixteen straight. No, it's not a piano, but it's the greatest weighted-keyed and -- as my sister described it -- most perfect after-shaky-authentic-piano-sounded keyboard in the whole world.

It should be in my hot little hands in a week or so. I feel like the luckiest girl evah.

Doing Good is... Good

2007-06-27T11:28:00.001-04:00

I am super excited. I got approved today to be a mentor with the Canadian Youth Business Foundation. Some lucky young entrepreneur has no idea what's about to hit them. (Hah.)

I've been wanting to figure out some kind of volunteering to do for ages, but couldn't figure out what was meaningful to me. I mean, there are a million things that matter, how on earth do you pick one? Finally, I decided that it should be something business-related as that's pretty much what I'm good at and I really do care about economic development and communities and that whole story.

So recently, I started volunteering with MBAs Without Borders and now this. Both are a pretty minor time commitment, but it feels really awesome to be doing something that actually might help someone. When your day-to-day life circles around effectively selling people gadgets, it's pretty nice to think about doing something that doesn't.

The Shopping Game

2007-06-25T19:14:00.001-04:00

Inspired by It's a Monkey, I've just won an imaginary $5000 shopping spree at Bergdorf Goodman. This is my theoretical loot. Grand total? $4936.

Chloe Shirtdress: $1260

Michael Kors Sheath Dress: $1695

Michael Kors Jackie dress: $1495

Juicy Couture Terry Shirtdress: $101

Manolo Blahniks: $385

God, that was fun. Now you play and show me what you bought!

Getting Fresh

2007-06-23T14:15:00.000-04:00

I absolutely love Fresh.

Today, my parents are traveling from Edmonton to Portugal for a little vacation and had an overnight in Toronto. We met up with them for lunch before they headed back to the airport. In my ongoing effort in forcing them to try new things, I suggested Fresh. (Actually, Dave originally suggested it, as it's near a guitar store he wanted to show my dad, but I ultimately agreed and suggested it to my mom, so it's still kind of my choice. Hah.)

In any case, if you haven't been there before, you must go. It's the yummiest veggie restaurant in town (and in any town that I've ever tried) and we had yummy smoothies, Thai burgers, sweet potato fries, and miso gravy (heaven). In any case, the thing that cracked me up about this experience was the waiter's introduction of Today's Special.

"For brunch today, we have scrambled tofu, veggie back bacon, and..."

I didn't even hear the rest, as I was too focused on quieting my internal laughter.

Everything I've ever tried at Fresh is clearly veggie. It's no veggie food trying to make itself out to be non-veggie food. It's all "Hey. I'm a big delicious salad. This is my buddy, big delicious bowl of rice and veggies and sauce and tofu. And, hey, I know my brother's name says burger, but that's just for format -- it's pretty clear that he's made of veggie stuff and soy and the like. Good? Good."

Scrambled tofu? Veggie back bacon?

Kills me.

The Rebrand: Core Values

2007-06-22T22:06:00.001-04:00

Things I know about myself and my work:

(1) I love to study and research.
(2) I don't love going to meetings.
(3) I love being by myself.
(4) I don't love performing.
(5) I love thinking and planning.
(6) I don't love sameness.
(7) I love the old freedom.
(8) I don't love financial instability.
(9) I love the idea of making a contribution.
(10) I don't love the idea of being lost in norms.

Yep, that's about right.

I Have Lots of Bad Habits

2007-06-19T22:30:00.000-04:00

I may be vain, but I am also all kinds of imperfect. It's okay, though, because I like to work on it.

(1) Not attributing actions/situations to people. It's a very, very bad and distressing habit and I need to get out of it, stat.

(2) Self-regulation. I used to be really good at this one, but in the last few years I have developed a tendency to VERY MUCH react to external factors. I need to chill the eff out, or at least keep it on the inside and process there before reacting. Ick.

(3) Tuning out. I am kind of impatient by nature and I notice that sometimes, when people start talking for a long time, rather than simply telling them that I'm busy, I instead tune out. I am trying to put my hands on my seat when people come into my office so this tactic isn't made all the easier by just stealthily staring at emails or documents I'm working on. So bad.

(4) And, as always -- I swear I've been working on it for a few months and am getting better at it, but still -- not interrupting people. It's again connected to the impatience.

Age of Love

2007-06-13T22:27:00.000-04:00

I just saw a commercial for a show called Age of Love. This is the tagline.

"It's the cougars versus the kittens. Can you say catfight?"

I am not kidding. This is a kind of Bachelor-esque-looking show starring women in their 40s versus women in their 20s. They want to see who wins the man. They literally called it "the ultimate social experiment".

I am so skeeved, I don't even know where to begin. Not only is this grossly offensive, it totally objectifies women, and it manages to point out the icky superficiality of our culture -- all at once.

Yay television.

The Nestle Case

2007-06-11T11:33:00.000-04:00

So this whole thing with Nestle baby formula and developing countries and tainted water has been going on for over thirty years now.

No matter what Nestle might do, I can't quite get my head around how they can possibly prevent tainted water from getting into the formula.

As much as I'd like to think it's possible, education is not the answer. They're dealing with people living in poverty, which implies a level of desperation. If you have the choice of whether to feed your baby possibly tainted formula or feed your baby nothing, I am pretty sure the choice is pretty clear.

And as much as I think they could theoretically supply pre-mixed formulas, that cost factor would have to be passed along (Nestle isn't a charity) and the people would likely end up either not buying it at all, or buying and diluting it with potentially tainted water.

And as much as I like the idea of them providing clean water, there's a cost to that as well, and Nestle isn't a market leader in the H2O business.

And as much as I like the idea of them investing in infrastructure, that really isn't where they have competitive capacity. (As a classmate of mine mentioned: when cars in a remote area of Venezuela start crashing because the country didn't invest in proper roads, nobody expects Ford to rebuild them.)

Thing is, I just don't see an alternate solution. Yes, the business has continued to exist there, so it's obviously profitable. But is it fair? Is it right? Does it promote long term social objectives? Is the corporation making a commitment to positive global citizenship?

I would venture to say no to all of these things.

So why the eff does Nestle keep selling its wares there?

Well, what about the mothers who are unable to breastfeed? What about babies who won't latch, who need alternate nutrition to thrive? What about the fact that illnesses like AIDS are rampant and can be passed through breastmilk? Where's the alternative? Isn't Nestle filling a legitimate need?

It seems to me that it's not Nestle's obligation to fix the structural problems, per se. The company shouldn't take a loss to provide its product. But it also seems like it's incredibly irresponsible to provide what is effectively half a product to consumers, knowing full well that they're unlikely to have the capacity to safely obtain the other half. And the risk inherent to the second half isn't just a bad taste or an allergic reaction -- it's toxicity and death.

So what can be done? I think the answer is a partnership of some sort, but I'm not sure what.

My Stomach Feels Empty

2007-06-04T21:22:00.000-04:00

I don't know if it's the transitioning back to my proper time zone, but my stomach has felt seriously empty since I got in last night. Nothing will fill it.

As for the rest of me, it's amazing how a small change can point out so many inconsistencies in one's life. Funny, that.

I'll tell you, I sure wish I could've traded returning my sad self home with importing my much-adored husband over there.

A Quick Synopsis Before I Go

2007-06-03T05:11:00.000-04:00

Just so I don't forget:

- Germans love spargel (asparagus). Every restaurant has a spargelkarte (asparagus menu) in addition to the regular menu. It's in season, and they just can't get enough.
- Germans love Lionel Richie. The Hoff is dead to them.

- No German person I met fit that loud-talking stereotype at all. In fact, I found them to be a rather soft-spoken group. I had to lean in to hear the professors speak at all times and had to be super attentive even in bars to ensure that I wasn't missing words.
- Germans love mixing things! The Radler is beer + lemonade (or soda pop or grapefruit juice or whatever, just a beer mixed drink). There are ten zillion schorles, i.e. apfelsaftshortle (apple juice with mineral water), kirschesaftshorle (cherry...), weinschorle (like a spritzer), and a gazillion others.
- Spundekäse is to die for, especially with pretzels. I will make it the next time people come over.
- Germans have a particularly hilarious sense of humour. They love to laugh and do so very frequently.

- If I could eat a ham and cheese croissant every day for the rest of my life, I would.
- The European approach to doing business is that numbers support concepts, as opposed to the Anglo-Saxon approach which suggests that numbers lead concepts. This worked incredibly well with my personal approach to strategy.
- Squirrels here have faux-hawks!
- German dogs seem to be cuter than dogs anywhere else.
- Comprehensive transit systems make the world a better place.

- The claim about Americans being highly individualist in terms of culture measurement seems to me to be false. No doubt a small portion is, but it seems to me overall to be highly inaccurate.
- The Red Cat rules.
- The European approach to valuation of business includes both emotional and financial figures.
- Learning languages is crazy fun.
- The education system here is seriously out of this world in terms of both accessibility and quality.
- If Frankfurt is truly (as reported!) the most dangerous city in Germany, the country is doing something very, very right.

I'm sure there's more but I must head out.

Three of the best weeks ever, no questions asked.

The Adrenaline Stopped

2007-06-02T11:58:00.000-04:00

So at about 2AM last night, all adrenaline resources died within me. I nearly fell asleep at a bar WHILE DANCING.

I was not even remotely wasted, being entirely committed to water during the huge wine party so that I could make the most of my last night.

But yeah. 2AM. Dead to the world.

Anyway, regardless, I had to meet up with family friends for a day of sightseeing.

I think I fell asleep in their car on the way back. I seriously hope they didn't notice.

As I'm too tired to even write out all the hilarious stories from the last few weeks, I will just leave the pictures. Suffice it to say, I go home tomorrow afternoon and am already dying to come back. Not just the silly stuff, but not being in school daily is really going to be hard to switch off again. Ah, but it was amazing while it lasted.

This is a photo I took by the Kurhaus the night I arrived, and it's how my silly, dreamy girl-heart has felt the entire time I've been here.

Berlin: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22411&l=1158d&id=887940095

Frankfurt: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23383&l=2c539&id=887940095

Mainz: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=21783&l=8ad88&id=887940095

Munich: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=24399&l=f0ac8&id=887940095

Oestrich-Winkel: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25886&l=51214&id=887940095

Other: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22797&l=26c35&id=887940095

Wiesbaden: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=21722&l=81880&id=887940095

Boo. Saddy sad.

I Like Munich

2007-05-27T18:27:00.000-04:00

Yep, I am really getting lazy with the titles now.

I haven't updated in days -- so much for this being my trip journal. In any case, I had kind of a wild weekend, so I want to remember.

Friday day: Last day of classes for the week. The afternoon was very slow. At the break, a few of us decided to head to Munich on Saturday morning. Last minute planning is very exciting! We eat pie, we finish class, we all head to our respective places with plans to meet up for drinks that night.

Friday night: The plan is to get drinks in Mainz with a few classmates and one of the doctoral students from the European Business School. I meet a few people at the main station, the three of us going to Munich get our ICE tickets, then we hit the train. We take the wrong one and end up way past Mainz. We call our administrator to call Jan to let him know. We're an hour late, but we make it and, good lord, do we want a beer. We start at a cute patio, head elsewhere to get some food, then hit a discotheque. Total insanity and awesomeness. David loses his glasses in a frenzied dance fit, everyone has a lot of drinks, and I get home at 5AM. We're taking the train at 7 the next morning. Gooood.

Saturday AM: I get to the station and can't find the two people who are supposed to go with me. I have their tickets. I wait. I drink coffee. I eat a ham and cheese croissant. I wait some more. At 9AM, I get an email on my Treo from David saying that he was basically out of control the night before and there is no way in freaking hell he can go to Munich. Okay, cool. But where is Sarah? I wait a while longer but at 10AM give up and head out myself to the Frankfurt main station. Checking my email on that train, there's a note from Sarah. She was AT the Wiesbaden station all morning as well, waiting for me and David. HOW DID WE MISS EACH OTHER? No effing clue. In any case, she's now locked out of her flat as her roommates headed elsewhere for the weekend and is kind of stuck. I email her back and tell her I've already left, but she should follow on the next train. She agrees, and tells David that if he changes his mind, he can meet her at the main station. She gives me her train number and I expect to pick her up at 18:04. I happily arrive in Munich at around 2, go to my hotel, take a long shower in the best bathroom ever, get prettied up, get a city map and a transit map, and head back downtown. There is complete and utter gorgeousness everywhere. I buy some super-glam stockings at this beautiful department store and feel very European. I think I'm in love.

Saturday PM: I arrive back at the main Munich station at 17:30, just in case Sarah's train is early. I wait at her arrival stop, watch everyone come out and soon realize she isn't there. I get a fruit salad, expecting she'll be on the next one. I am now emailing David on the Treo to see if she emailed him to say she'd come back. This is the first time she's travelled entirely alone in her life and I'm pretty concerned that she got lost somehow. The 18:34 train comes. Again, no Sarah. I get a latte and a croissant. The 19:04 train comes. AHA! Sarah comes out and the joy on her face as she sees me is palpable -- the poor kid has had a crazy day. She's thrilled that I waited for her and we head to the S-Bahn to get her settled at the hotel.

While we're waiting for the train, a lady comes over and tells us that some gross man is videotaping us. We look over and she's right. I ask her why and what we should do, and she just says "I just thought you needed to know." We don't confront the crazy man and get the train. The hotel people are great, Sarah gets ready, and we head out for a night of Bavarian food and beer downtown. We are navigating the transit with ease and are starting to feel like professionals. Life is good!

Sunday AM: We head out at around 10AM and go to Marienplatz for breakfast, which is to die for. Hours of walking and photo-taking ensue. We love, love, love this city. The weather is perfect, the people are fabulous, and the sites are one of a kind. We also stalk a few walking and bikind tours to learn for free. We feel scandalous. Sadly, there is no Sunday shopping, so our attempts to bring some Munchen fashion maven home with us are dead in the water, but we look just the same. We see monuments, the opera house, palaces and castles and a garden filled with nudists (I still wish I'd photographed that old man ass, meow). We eat chocolate filled croissants and drink kirschesaftshorle. We run into another European Business School doctoral student that we've met over the last couple of weeks near Karlsplatz in yet another totally bizarro coincidence. Of course, I capture everything on digi-film.

Sunday PM: School is back on Monday, so we head for the 18:56 ICE train. Now masters of transit, we arrive in plenty of time and nap for an hour each before chatting relentlessly for the remaining three hours. We get back to Wiesbaden, help a Finnish girl living in Mainz find a local bar, and head to our respective homes.

I could seriously live like this. Pictures to come!

Back To Class

2007-05-21T14:55:00.001-04:00

So I ate, slept, ate, studied, and slept yesterday. Ohhhhhhh, the excitement!

Today was all classes with a nice lunch in between lectures. Not a ton of excitement, but I got to wear my cute new mini-sundress.

It's ridiculously short, I know. I should've gotten short brown leggings to go with. But I didn't, and I'm wearing it anyway.

Tomorrow we go business formal for our day trip to the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. I'm bringing a change of clothes, as we'll be doing a city tour in the afternoon. More pictures, baby!

I Can't Think Enough to Do a Quippy Title

2007-05-20T07:26:00.000-04:00

I was up 'til 4:30AM, and was out of bed at 5:45. Here's the surroundings of the bar at which we finished the night:

And this is how I looked on the train ride home after my flight this AM.

In the meantime, I did put up my long weekend photos. Because I know you're all just waiting with bated breath.

Berlin!

I'm going to get food and maybe sit in the park.

Saturdays Are For Dates and Stalkers

2007-05-19T13:30:00.000-04:00

I started today much earlier than I had imagined, as I was out insanely late last night with the Team Edenloff. We went to an awesome restaurant called Ali Baba in the west, then hit the train to East Berlin. After walking about for some time, we found the awesome Kaffee Burger, where we enjoyed many beers, heard a questionable live band, took a gazillion photos, found that Nils had enjoyed a friendly arm-wrestle with a cross-dresser, discovered that Berliners enjoy 90s alt-rock cover songs (think "Come as You Are") performed by Elvis impersonators. and danced it up to hilarious Deutsche and possibly Swiss music.

In any case, I was up at 10 and out the door by 11. I went back to East Berlin today, seeing as I spent all yesterday in the West. When I got off the train, a very charming young man started chatting me up -- which thrilled me primarily in that I was able to understand and respond! -- and asked me to join him for a coffee date or disco dancing at night. Which I clearly didn't, but I am pretty sure that's the first date request I've had in many years. Perhaps it was inspired the fact that I was setting time-lapsed pictures in between stations. See that guy in the background giving me a weird look? It was totally justified.

The day went on and I made an ass of myself once by knocking over this huge chair, but was otherwise darn good. A lot of walking and admiring and taking pictures of the Berlin bears and navigating the city and all that good stuff.

I took the 100 back to West Berlin, as it was a double-decker bus and I was certain it would be worth it, but instead just ended up wilting entirely on the top level of a sardine package. Not good. In any case, when I finally got off, I arrived to street breakdancing and my good spirits returned.

But! Suddenly out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that a strange man was kind of following me. I started doing a lot of moving around, changing, directions, etc., but he was 10 feet behind me no matter where I went. Though initially sure I was imagining things, after 45 minutes, I was pretty certain that I was either going to be mugged or taken hostage in some dramatic situation that my family would surely see on television tomorrow.

So! I rushed my vaguely terrified ass to a restaurant. He followed. I walked out. He followed. I went back in. You get the point. In any case, then I sat down beside a table full of middle-aged women, where I was pretty certain I would be safe.

And then he came right over and asked if he could sit with me.

My jackassed response?

"Nein! Nein, bitte!"

I think he was taken aback, as he repeated it. "Nein? Oh. Nein."

Perhaps, after all, he wasn't a murderer, but just another coffee date, going about things entirely the wrong way.

In any case, I remained completely anxious for an hour, while I had a latte and peeked around suspiciously.

Dude was long gone. I made my way safely to bus, cash and ID and bus pass safely in my possession, body parts and guts all accounted for.

I'm a loser.

In any case, I'm back at the hotel now and getting ready for another night out with Nils, Jake, and Heather. Last night was jam-packed with hilarity and I'm certain tonight will be equally fun. And, yes, I'll post a link to the album tomorrow so this doesn't look like I'm writing some kind of lazy man's novel.

Another Day, Another Walker

2007-05-18T13:00:00.000-04:00

So after walking for six hours yesterday, I've already done another seven today. I am amazed at how very much there is to see.

Today I set no alarm, got up when I liked, and hit the streets at 11. I navigated transit, I read a map (!!), and I took a gazillion photos. People here are so much fun. As I'd never been to one in my life, I went to the famous Berlin zoo (Ich mochte gehen zum zoo!) in the middle of the city, and got to see the much-renowned Knut.

Germans. Love. Knut.

Since I've arrived, about 17 German people have told me that, when I go to Berlin, I have to see Knut. They adore him, they love him, they all tell me his life story. He is their baby, he is their little buddy, and he is a proud little adorable symbol of their nation.

So fine. I went to see Knut.

I waited in line for 20 minutes to get mein tageskarte.

I waited in a second line to get in because I didn't realize it was just a second ticket line.

I walked around for about half an hour trying to find Knut's zone, asking people for directions in German then forgetting them because I can barely even make that happen in English.

I found Knut's zone and went to the front, only to discover that I'd just walked past Knut's kilometre-long line.

But I'd already paid the elf euro!

So fine. I got in Knut's line. But I wasn't excited about it.

I ended up chatting with some nice German folks in the line, as we waited for nearly an hour. This part was exciting, as I was able to have a polite small-talk conversation with people who spoke no English.

Then the line began to move! Oh, Knut! What excitement do you hold for me?

I get past the gate and... wait, hilarious sidebar. There is a security guard saying that adults go in one zone, but children can go to a special in-the-front zone just for them if they like. Adults keep trying to go in with their kids, but it's a no go. The security guard is clearly saying things like "WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND? DO YOU NOT SEE THE SIGN? CHILDREN ONLY! IF YOU DON'T WANT YOUR KIDS TO GO ALONE, TAKE THEM WITH YOU!" though I'm not sure exactly, as I can't really understand everything. But I get the gist of it. In any case, another security guard shows the kids how to get the best view of Knut -- which is actually really sweet, he's this burly guy holding all of their hands and stuff -- and the guy at the gate is just getting more and more irritated, starting to make what appear to be sarcastic jokes. (I only guess this because the other Germans are laughing to themselves.) NUR DIE KINDER!

Anyway. I get past the gate and out comes Knut and his trainer. They do a five minute walk-about, and Knut is pretty darn cute. I take a few photos. Then suddenly, the entire huge group of people are being escorted out of Knut's zone -- even der kinder!

So yeah. After that, I navigated my way to the ausgang.

That was Knut.

Other than poor Knut -- who, again, was adorable, though kind of boring -- my day was filled with looking at streets and sculptures and shops and a hell of a lot of people-watching. I finished it up with an ice cream sundae in Potsdamer Platz, then headed back to the hotel, where I am now, letting my feet de-swell for a while before I head out to get some food and meet Canadians -- I forgot to mention yesterday that I ran into Jen's friend Nils at the top of the Siegessaule, which was beyond bizarre, but I am now meeting up with him and his friends -- for drinks.

Tours and The Like

2007-05-17T18:18:00.000-04:00

In short: today was awesome. After the door incident, I met with Dr. Marfels, my former now-retired economics professor. We did the city in style -- and by in style, I don't mean fancy-style, I mean historic-style. He was born here, spent childhood and university life here, and didn't leave 'til he was offered a professorship at Dalhousie. He thus knows every historic site in the city. He drove us from area to area -- Berlin is apparently the third most geographically spread city in Europe, with Paris being the first -- and we walked, walked, walked for what ended up being about six hours. These are some of my favourite shots.

Charlottenburg:

Me and the Seigessaule:

Dr. Marfels by the original Berlin wall (the one that protected the city in the 13th century, not the one that separated East and West in the 20th):

It was awesome.

When I got back to the hotel, I was wiped. I facebooked, I emailed, I sent out pictures already on my computer to family and the like. I chatted with my adorable husband on MSN for hours. Then I treated myself to a fancy-schmancy dinner complete with aperitif, starters, entree, and wine at this beautiful restaurant in the hotel. I love eating by myself at nice restaurants. Like Heather Locklear, baby, I'm worth it.

Anyway, then I came back to the room, threw on the hilarious German TV (amazingly, Al from Home Improvement is nowhere to be found tonight, despite being overdubbed in German everywhere every time I turn this thing on), and just hung out. I am having a beer, relaxing, and will sleep late tomorrow before hitting the city again.

Ja, ganau, sehr gut!

Doors in Berlin are Funny

2007-05-17T04:18:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I've already talked about how stupidly pleased I am with myself for interacting with the locals without using English (even though they all very politely want to do so to help me, hah). This morning, I had to try to figure out my hotel room door without English. This is officially my third try.

When I got here last night, I came up to my room and discovered that, while the key turned easily, the handle didn't turn at all. I mean, it was solid-state (note: this isn't the right word, but I just mean that it's like the handle is a plain part of the door, like it doesn't move at all, it's solid-state, baby, stuck to the door, no turnsies). After five minutes of trying to figure it out, I gave up and went downstairs. The lady came up and opened it for me. I tried to indicate that I wanted to try myself, but she didn't understand what I was trying to request and left. Doh.

Last night when I got in after hotel bar drinks, same thing. This time a man from the reception helped me -- he spoke French also, so I tried communicating that way (it's not cheating, I am still only minorly skilled in this area). Unfortunately, my minor skills were again not enough. I tried to signal that I wanted to do it, but he too just opened it and left. Doh x 2.

This morning! I have my newly beloved fruhstuck (imagine that with umlaut Us, it's breakfast, and German breakfast is my new absolute favourite thing to eat) and return to my room after a successful conversation at the reception about buying three days of internet (no English!), I am again stuck with the frozen door handle.

But this time is special! There is a lady cleaning the room down the hall. I am determined! Some way, some how, this lady and I master the task together. She actually speaks no English at all, but somehow she understands my problem and teaches me!

I love this. So. Much.

People are incredibly kind and friendly here. The world rules.

Ich Liebe Deutschland!

2007-05-16T20:52:00.000-04:00

That's right. Here's a quick overview of what's happened thus far.

Day one, Sunday: I arrive. I barely slept on the plane. Red eye. Tired. But the country smells good. Like fresh cut grass, but even better. My hotel room is the tiniest of the tiny, but it oozes charm and sustainability and sweetness.

The owners are incredibly kind, I can hardly believe that I'm here. I learn that I don't have the right power adaptor for my laptop and my stupid thing dies. I meet my exchange classmates, from America, Austria, China, Denmark, and Canada. I eat Che's Delight, which is delicious chicken with a creamy yogurt sauce, fairly Indian. I go to bed at 9:30, only to wake up at 10:30, convinced that it's the war all over again and we're being bombed. Turns out it's just mother's day fireworks that happen to be right outside my hotel, which I discover after frantically throwing on clothes and glasses and running outside. They're pretty and I take pictures, even though I'm mad. This is me before sleeping, all dreamy and happy and tired...

And here I am being mad about the wake-up call:

Day two, Monday: I discover classic German breakfast, which is possibly the most delicious thing of all time. Fresh buns, meats and cheese, a latte, and eggs however you like them. I am in heaven. I find my way to hauptbahnhof, the main train station, and learn about the German love of apfelsaftschorle, which is a yummy mix of apple juice and soda or mineral water. We study the EU political systems all day and I'm in heaven again. This is me being a little German girl in my sweet little room.

Day three, Tuesday: The butter with breakfast is so soft and creamy, it's like I've never tasted butter in my life. After classes, we go to a pub in Mainz and share metres of beer. I enjoy the brauhausschmauss for dinner, which is a classic German dish of ham, roasted potatoes, and eggs all mixed together. Sounds weird but is actually to die for. Spend the evening chatting with my professor's awesome girlfriend, who vows to be my German BFF if I ever move here. Ridiculous fun is had.

Day four, Wednesday: Very tired, but still thrilled by the learning. International business is fun. Figure out how to get to the main Frankfurt airport by myself for my weekend in Berlin. Have lunch without speaking a word of English, aber ich spreche nur ein bisschien Deutche. Am thrilled with myself. Encounter the Frankfurt airport and ignore all English signage, finding my way around entirely using minimal German skills. Feel extra thrilled with myself. Get off the Berlin plane to be encountered by my beloved undergrad professor. We share a beer at my hotel and make plans for tomorrow. He leaves and I chat it up (minorly) with the locals.

All my pictures are here if you are interested:

Wiesbaden!

Mainz!

One Part Excited, Two Parts Exhausted...

2007-05-12T17:54:00.000-04:00

And a teensy bit apprehensive.

I know it's ridiculous, but the tiniest slice of nervousness greeted me when I woke up this morning.

I don't know anyone. I don't speak the language in any meaningful way. I have no idea how to get from one place to another.

I'm gonna go all Mary Tyler Moore, though, and make it after all.

My Mini-Break

2007-05-07T22:07:00.000-04:00

I just booked my flight for a long weekend in Berlin during my trip.

Ich bin ein Berlinerin!

ETA: And the jelly donut thing is a legend!

Addicted to Crazy

2007-04-30T21:40:00.000-04:00

So it occurred to me on the weekend as I was reading a gossipy magazine at the hairdresser (yes, while getting that cut and colour discussed in my last post): Exactly what, pray tell, was Britney Spears in rehab for?

The article was some delightful fluff piece, detailing how poor Brit had exploded to a (*gasp*) size 6, and was hoping to have $130K in plastic surgery getting back to a size 2. Before getting into how she was so damnably desperate to be a 2 again because she wanted K-Fed to see what he was missing, and because she so very much wants charming JT -- whom she's been split from longer than she dated by now, no doubt -- back, the author pointed out that plastic surgery couldn't happen immediately. You see, dear readers, after being in rehab, surgery requiring painkillers isn't allowed for a certain period of time.

Issue.

What was Britney addicted to, y'all?

Yeah, sure, we all saw her wee breakdown slash head-shaving episode. And we saw the lost panties, boozy nights out with girlfriends, and the fact that her kids seem to have all but disappeared. And I have no doubt she was messing around with way too much alcohol and a mixed bag of drugs.

Is that actually addiction? Because it sure looked like a mental breakdown of some sort. In either case, nobody actually did say what Britney was addicted to.

Unless it was Crazy?

Meine Liste

2007-04-30T20:01:00.000-04:00

Alrightie, with less than two weeks to go before I head to Dreamy Deutschland, I have not really prepared anything. What do I still need to do?

* Drop off course paperwork and get required Rotman stuff at school.
* Pick up new contact lenses and solution.
* Make copies of passport photo page and birth certificate for all bags.
* Print travel itinerary copy with contact info for the boy, in case I go MIA.
* Make emergency contact cards for wallet and bags, including consulates (Canadian, British, American), local hospital, hotel, and the boy.
* Pick up some more fun summer stuff to wear.
* Grab a German translation guidebook.
* Find new headphones that don't drive me crazy.
* Hunt down resistance bands for faux strength workouts in room.
* Figure out long weekend plans -- Berlin?

All I've really done is book my flight and hotel, practiced minor levels of language skills on the BBC site, and gone to the pre-exchange departure session at school. And gotten my hair cut and coloured!

Um.

But the semester is over now, and I still have practically two weeks. Right?

Another Semester Down

2007-04-25T23:05:00.000-04:00

Alrightie, I'm officially done two of the three years of my MBA. I bid a fond adieu to IMC and branding and the wonderful professors I got to learn from this semester. It was, I think, the best one to date, and will hopefully lead to even more cool learnings next year.

I'll be celebrating in style with my charming classmates on Saturday. There will be comedy gold, there will be boozing, and there will be karoke. I kid you not!

I've got a few weeks off, then I'm off to study international business in Germany for the rest of May, then I'm back at Rotman for the rest of the summer.

Please figure out how to help me make school last forever.

I Run!

2007-04-23T21:33:00.000-04:00

I get a huge kick out of how my adorable niece talks, and in my recent attempts to learn basic German, I've discovered that, in Wiesbaden, I will be linguistically equivalent to a two year old. It's hard when you're trying to translate in your head and still have limited vocabulary, people.

"I Canadian! I student! I work!"

And today I will add: I run!

Yep, a site I love is doing a virtual running clinic (props to Changa) and I've thrown my little self into the midst of it. Seeing as I will be without anything close to a gym for over three weeks, I thought I'd better come up with a secondary plan of attack, and this shall be it.

I went for the first time tonight and it was all kinds fun. Google Pedometer tells me that I ran just over six and a half kilometres, which thrills me endlessly. I'm going to try to throw this in as cardio twice a week 'til I go away, then by the time I get there, it should be all easy-peasy. I forgot that running outside has this awesome thing about it where you start to feel like you're flying around the twenty minute point -- the whole world just feels like it's disappeared and it's just you and the wind and loud music in your ears. I like that very much.

I also noticed tonight while running back through the park that the tennis courts are officially open for the summer. I will so be harassing Dave about that this weekend. Whee!

The Truth Hurts

2007-04-16T22:41:00.000-04:00

We watched a bunch of the American Legacy truth campaign commercials in one of my classes today.

Put it all together and, damn, those guys were good.

I Have a Huge Mouth

2007-04-12T22:19:00.000-04:00

Not physically. You know what I mean.

Nothing particular happened to make me acknowledge this, it just suddenly occurred to me that I could probably count on one hand the number of times I've kept my mouth shut when I should've.

I Like Brains

2007-04-09T22:07:00.000-04:00

Seriously, is there anything cooler ever to exist than the brain?

I was reading some stuff on neuroeconomics today -- basically, a discipline that takes neuroscience and economics and applies them to psychology -- and I nearly lost my mind with the excitement of it all. Neurons and activation and weird words that I had to read fifteen times and multiple processes and decision-making and behaviour. Ahhh!

The brain is flipping crazy. I love it. I will definitely be taking psych electives in the 2007-08 year.

That is all.

Existing Is Fun

2007-04-08T18:46:00.000-04:00

Institutionalized spirituality has never appealed to me. How is it that one is supposed to be able to find what should -- according to all sources -- be an individual experience within a strongly collectivist one?

Well, if not institutionalized spirituality, then what?

Why not an awe and amazement for the science that came together over gazillions of years that ultimately resulted in humans even existing, that ultimately resulted in each one of us getting to experience this very moment?

I would never refer to this as "spirituality". Instead, I think it's acknowledgement of reality and a gratitude that you could be so lucky as to come together as you did -- even if it's only temporary. It's a reminder that you are lucky enough to have a chance to do good things that could contribute to moving the species forward. It's an awareness of your responsibility as a component of the universe. It's a wonder over how the heck it even came to be and a giddiness that you got to see even the tiniest speck of the big picture.

There's a sense that, without some form of spirituality, we are threatened with the possibility of being taken over by a collective megalomania. It's said that without some sense that there's something else out there, we become our own gods. (Alternatively, of course, celebrities or athletes or kings or designer labels can take on the role.) And, to be fair, this does seem possible. I have ranted time and again about the ickiness of North American culture and how we seem to be a little... lost. But institutionalized spirituality is still around and "better' than ever-- see politics and war for evidence -- so perhaps these aren't the connecting points at all.

Why do people feel so uncomfortable with the idea that children might not be raised with this traditional "spirituality" component? How can the feeling that you're just a tiny piece of the gazillion amazing things that happen every second spur megalomania? How can the concept that you're incredibly fortunate to even get to exist go horribly wrong? How can having the awe we all so admire in children for the whole time you're around be so troubling?

The World is a One-Stop Shop

2007-04-02T20:10:00.000-04:00

I swear, I'm losing my mind with consumerism lately.

No, not in my usual rage about how ridiculous and grossly North American it is. In my inability to stop.

It's funny, I don't have much in the way of stuff. I own maybe five purses, probably eight pairs of shoes. A normal closet of clothes, I even had a coworker ask me once where I kept all my stuff, as she saw my closets and thought they appeared rather empty.

But here's my trick: I'm a trader.

I buy a new pretty thing? I get rid of an old once-pretty thing.

Sometimes more than one oldie gets recycled in honour of the new thing. If the oldie isn't that oldie at all and in pretty-delicious condition, I will find myself sending it to my mom or my sister, and they enjoy the new-to-them. If it's slightly raggedy, I get it prepped for a trip to the Sally Ann. It's not completely wasteful -- I never throw anything away -- so I shouldn't feel bad. Right?

In the last couple of months, I've been over-indulging in a bad way. Well, not bad bad, but scandalous bad. I've found new beloved stores and new beloved cuts that fit just right and new fun patterns and colour schemes and, holy hell, I just can't get enough.

I want a black pair of pointy heels like the brown ones I just got, and I want their beige-and-brown open-toed sisters. I want cropped brown version of my new favourite perfectly-fitting black pants. I want more denim and I want it hemmed just right. I want this darling short sleeved black blouse. I want a black jacket to wear when I'm not in the mood for my new-best-ever white and beige striped one. I want lip gloss. I want purses. I want glasses. I want, want, want, want, want.

It's a good thing I never tried any real drugs.

The First Idea

2007-03-31T16:43:00.000-04:00

Why should you never go with your first idea?

Because there isn't a doubt in the world that someone else has already had it. No matter how clever, interesting, and unique you feel that is, it's almost certainly not. Hell, somebody has probably had your second idea too.

We had a guest speaker come in from The Brand Factory this week, and he gave us some great tools for developing and/or re-developing brands. I was compelled by many of the things he said, but this most of all. It's a truly simple concept, but as soon as he said it, I was really struck with both how obvious it was and how dead on it was.

Recently, a promotion we'd been working on with a client and a few of their other agencies for months was cancelled. However, during the midst of our brilliant planning and scheming, we discovered that their competitor was about to launch a promo of their own a few months earlier -- with effectively the exact same name. Naturally, the agency that had done the initial planning came up with a quick change-over to get it all fresh and new again, but we were all kind of taken aback. Was there insider information being leaked? Had one of us accidentally spoken about the promotion at some busy restaurant and been overheard?

You know what? I doubt it. Because it was the first idea.

Last week, Jen emailed me at work with another related note -- while on Facebook, she had discovered that our client -- in another country -- had done a very similar promotion. Different name this time, but exceedingly similar concept.

Yep. Another first idea.

I was working on a promotional concept with a classmate last month, and we were all prepared for our presentation. I woke up ultra-early on the morning we were to do it, as it had occurred to me -- every idea we'd put together was an idea that had been done before. It was chock full of first ideas, but whatever had woken me up in my sleep was a second or third or fourth one. I rushed to my computer, revamped the presentation, et voila. Now that was an idea. I later presented it to a client -- she now has us scoping it, as it doesn't appear anything of the sort has been done before.

So yeah. I probably have about ten million actual examples of this happening over the years, but I won't bore you with any more -- as a professor of mine likes to call them -- war stories. I'll just tell you this: First ideas should from here on in be the first things to go.

An Outsider by Instinct

2007-03-28T16:37:00.000-04:00

I'm just at my hotel in Florida getting ready for the evening and watching Oprah. Sidney Poitier just said that he's always been an outsider by instinct, which really struck me as interesting.

A girl on Hitched recently mentioned that she's always felt like an outsider and that always made her sad. I responded that I too have always felt outsiderly, but have always enjoyed that fact. Not a single part of me has ever wanted to be on the inside.

I wonder what causes this difference in people.

(Side note: How effing cool is Sidney Poitier? He's so lovely and eloquent and just captivating. Sigh.)

The Sunshine State

2007-03-27T18:35:00.000-04:00

So the last time I was in Florida was about two and a half years ago when I had to book a flight at 7AM to deliver a video for a project we were doing with Usher through work. I got my ass to Miami by some miracle and spent the rest of the day enjoying food, drinks, the beach, and a show.

This time, I'm here for a conference. And there's no more Horatio Cain-isms, baby, because this is Orlando. Or Land O' Meh. (Sorry, that was bad, I know.)

In the day that I've been here, I've waited an hour for a cab at the airport, dealt with the craziest cab driver I've ever had, and found myself with no room at 1AM because the hotel overbooked. That's all well and good, but the place itself was even stranger in the day. It's beautiful out, sunny and breezy and nice, and the patios were closed! (I know. Wrong.) And there was hardly anyone on the street.

I only found one thing to take a picture of that wasn't me. And it wasn't pretty or particularly interesting, just a fake upside down building (this is a googled picture of it, not mine).

I don't know if I'm on the wrong side of town or what.

Travels Through Space, Not Time

2007-03-23T18:43:00.000-04:00

The good news is in: This May, I'm off to study at the European Business School! After a stressful application process and the most nerve-wracking interview of all time, I got an A for Acceptance Package today.

Wiesbaden (that's last May), Germany is my destination.

I am pumped.

Facebook IS Addictive

2007-03-21T19:54:00.000-04:00

Paige was not messing around in her recent "Facebook is Addictive" post.

My client sent me a join invite on Saturday.

I joined that night then got panicked about having to talk to way too many people I didn't want to talk to and didn't bother creating a profile.

Then Tuesday after work, I found that a friend from Dalhousie had magically found me.

Intrigued, I joined. I went through an hour of feeling like an utter luddite, trying to figure out networks and groups and preferences. And I've been on a mad friend-collecting mission since that point. I found high school classmates I haven't seen in about a dozen years. I found girls from undergrad residence. I found team mates. I found coworkers. I found people to whose photos I just wanted to give dirty looks. It has been good.

I am outraged that I ever spent my time on MySpace. Quelle sham! Dave claims that it's better because it allows the hosting of music, but other than that, I'm just not seeing the appeal. The design is horrific, it's next to impossible to find anyone, and it just feels too... connected. I don't want to pick my eight favourite people anymore.

I am also lamed out by my participation in LinkedIn. Sure, it plays in the professional plane, but yeesh. Would it hurt you to include profile pictures? As much as I'm loathe to admit it, I have a hell of a time with names. (Evidence: I already keep forgetting the name of my beloved negotiations professor from two months ago.) Throw me a bone, already.

There's no doubt about it -- other than user-generated content, social networks are definitely the biggest story in the marketing world these days. I've been imagining the possibilities of the theoretical with all these silly proposals and papers, but now... there I am in the best I've seen and there's so much more. Sure, it's tougher to get in, but it's also easier to set the wildfire. This is the real viral deal.

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

2007-03-18T12:25:00.000-04:00

Well, maybe not completely, but like half.

Anyway, happy St. Patrick's day, people.

(You) Are-Free (To Be Violated)

2007-03-14T21:51:00.000-04:00

So last night marked Virgin's second anniversary in Canada and we enjoyed quite a night at their celebratory party. The party featured much freedom-theming, as WNP (wireless number portability) became available today.

Sir Richard Branson introduced the evening, after doing over thirty interviews since six that morning. The man is a PR machine, I've never seen anything like it. (Holy charisma.) He was surrounded by a multitude of cage dancers and prison-costumed event people, with (You) Are-Free pretty much everywhere. The event was actually fabulously put together, the food and drinks flowed all night, and Jen and I had a far better time than we'd anticipated.

One sexy caged English beast.

Gin and tonic spilled all over me in this shot, which means things were definitely fun.

Jen takes this job very seriously.

The pole dancers stole the show.

We insisted on doing a photo shoot with Ron Jeremy. Yes, that Ron Jeremy.

Body-painting -- Virgin certainly doesn't skimp on sauciness!

Oh, the fun times we'll have...

Jen and I go back for seconds.

Things go horribly wrong.

I swear to you, I did not initiate this! Note Jen's arm in the right fram, strategically escaping only moments after Mr. Jeremy said "I also sign cleavage!" (She clearly got that this wasn't a quirky comment from a vaguely creepy old guy.) Within three seconds, the man had pulled out a Sharpie and grabbed a boob. What proceeded was a lot of shrieky whispering: "Please be careful! Don't expose me! There's nipple in there... ummm!"

Oh, the horror. Strangers took photos.

Of course, I was redeemed a little later, when a few of the people who'd been in the crowd notified me that, after witnessing said event, they asked for signings as well. Yes, we'd inadvertently started a little trend.

Good lord. Sometimes I wonder what the hell I do for a living.

Hopped Up on Lattes and Sunshine

2007-03-11T16:02:00.000-04:00

Patio weather is upon us! Okay, so maybe not "upon us", but it's as close as it can get.

It is fabulously sunny and warm out today. I spent the afternoon walking around my beloved, beloved Queen St. W. Not only did I buy the most adorable spring jacket of all time (SO.cute), I saw people on patios! Yes, it is four degrees celcius outside. But with the sun it feels warmer! Right? Meh, it's Canada. We're on patios the minute winter shows the slightest sign of subsiding. (Last year, Jen and I hit the Hemingway's patio by end of March. I'm thinking we may get away with the very same this year.)

In any case, while walking about town today, I was reminiscing. I've been living here for almost three years now, and I think today it finally just worked. I was all dreamy, loving the city, remembering how exciting it was when I first moved here.

The first month I lived in Toronto, I was staying with my much-adored cousins while I hunted out a place for Dave and I to live (he was finishing up a contract in Halifax). I used to get up in the morning, get ready for the day, sit on some College St. patio, sipping coffee and reading a local weekly. I was in love with everything about the whole shebang -- the constant flow of people around me, the chatter and giddiness of spring and people and friends and beer and just everything. I couldn't believe my luck, that I was going to finally get to live here and work here and be a part of the city. After my coffee, I would walk around town -- first just down College, and increasingly adventuresome with each new day. I walked everywhere, strangers gave me directions, and I would marvel at the buildings and the CN Tower and the lunches and the people and the flowers at convenience stores and the adorable little shops and neat artwork and, good lord, the whole thing just had me in a state of constant rapture.

Walking today on Queen, doing a little shopping and going to my neighbourhood butcher, all these little random memories came back. And it occurred to me that all that stuff I had romantical fantasies about when I first moved here? That actually came together. That's my life now. It's all very coming-of-age (hah) -- I'm no longer on the outside dreamily looking in. But it sure is nice having the perspective to see home with those eyes.

And, yeah, you'll find me continuing to remember this fantastic fact on a patio by the end of the month.

Auntie x 2 (Pictures!)

2007-03-04T20:49:00.000-05:00

For your viewing pleasure: here is Charlotte Lea.

And a second!

Um, I was convinced when we met her that she didn't look that much like Alex. The photos prove me very wrong.

Auntie x 2

2007-03-04T07:21:00.000-05:00

I am Auntie J all over again!

Dave's sister and her husband had their second little girl early this morning after much, much, much waiting. I have been dying with anticipation of her arrival (certainly not more than her mother, hah, but dying nonetheless) and was beyond thrilled to get up at 6:30 this morning to take the phone call from Dave's mum.

Charlotte was introduced to the world after a relatively decent labour, weighed in at 7 pounds/7 ounces, apparently looks just like her big sister (I have a very hard time getting my head around how she might not look identical to Alex), and will be meeting her sure-to-be-favourite aunt and uncle this afternoon.

Just for your reference, this is Alex (possibly the most perfect baby ever) when she was born. A comparison shot of her sister will come later today!

Nieces rule.

You Wanna Change the World?

2007-02-28T22:29:00.000-05:00

It's not that easy.

It is driving me mental how people keep crapping all over ideas like Gap's (Red) thing. And now... this!

Listen, I get it. We are gross over-consumers. We can't stop buying. And companies are dying to sell [it] to us to the point that they'll even start tying charity to our purchases to make us feel better about them. Damn them!

Okay. So we should throw the baby out with the bath water?

The dealio, yo: as much as everyone likes the idea of donating -- it's just so noble and good and makes you feel all fuzzy about the state of the nation -- I would love to get some stats on how many people actually do it and how much of our collective GDP goes into charities. I'm thinking that number isn't nearly as high as it would be without companies tying some level of some profit to the goodness of our hearts.

I know. I too find our consumer culture vaguely sickening, and I too would love if we all were just inherently driven to give without thinking twice. And these companies may very well be doing it just to sell more product. They may very well be doing it for PR and attention. Their intentions may very well be total shite and the charity may very well be serving as an effective advertising vehicle on behalf of their brand. I totally get all of this.

But do we really care?

Non-profits benefit from corporate contributions every day, whether they're attached to products or publicity or whatever. Companies have money -- yeah, they may very well be doing it for tax benefits -- and there's lots to be given.

So what's the problem?

We just hate the idea of it. It's icky and makes us feel like maybe we should've just gone straight to the source. And now we're going to boycott them because they're scamming consumers and it just feels ethically grey and they're promoting this ugly consumerism and it's just not right and... well, where does that money go then? Do you call GlobalFund (or whatever fund your heart most adores) directly and make a donation then and there? And, even if you do, do you think that's the norm?

What happens to all these foundations and charities when companies stop giving? Why are we not okay with the market contributing to our social goals? After all, we are the ones who keep it alive and flourishing through all of our individual consumption -- ah, multiplier effects! How can we turn our noses up at our collective profit creation becoming part of where we want the world to be?

Ultimately, until there are no more people suffering from disease, illiteracy, poverty, or any other tragedies that encompass the human condition, I just don't feel ethically right standing on that moral high ground.

It's That Easy!

2007-02-28T20:22:00.000-05:00

Seth Godin had an interesting comment today on his blog.

A million times over.

Life Isn't an Algebraic Equation

2007-02-26T13:52:00.000-05:00

It's a statistical one.

So everybody is talking about this "phenomenon" called The Secret. Basically, the concept is that if you think positively, good things will come to you. I have big long ragey rant about what the logistical extension to this says about people who get cancer, live through sexual abuse, or live in poverty, but I am not going to go through that whole thing now. What I want to address is the response I get from Secret fans when I ask that question.

"Well, I mean, I don't agree with that stuff either -- some things you can't control. I mean, it's life, right?"

Right. So what you're saying is that life doesn't come down to the linear equation.

y = mx + b

The Secret implies that life satisfaction (y) is a result of some variation of b (where you cross the x axis, presumably some standard level of satisfaction) added to some m (slope term) multiplied by x, which is presumably your level of positivity. As you increase your positivity from x to x+1, that level faces its multiplier (m) and increases your life satisfaction (y).

But where on earth is the term that addresses the chance inherent to our existence?

y = B0 + B1x1 + B2x2 + ... + Bixi + e

(Pretend those Bs are beta symbols and the numbers and is are subscripted.)

Here we can continue to believe that y is life satisfaction, and B0 is our b from the linear equation above. Our y isn't purely a result of the x that was positivity, but instead a result of a gazillion x terms, their multipliers, and -- most important of all -- the error term.

The x terms take into account actual abilities. As much as I think positively about it, I will never be an Olympic athlete. And you know what? I don't believe for a split second that I ever could have been one, had I even started training at three years old. My body isn't built for such things. This is simply fact of my existence. Along the same lines, there are people who don't have that built in ear that lets them become incredible musicians, some people don't have the minds for astrophysics, and others aren't genetically created to live to 100. None of these are slights against individuals without these abilities. It's reality. No matter how much someone may say that "YOU CAN BE WHATEVER YOU DREAM!" that simply is not true. (This annoyance is the foundation of what I like to call American Idol syndrome - god forbid people be honest with each other and themselves and just admit that they aren't good at everything.) Nor is it pessimistic -- it's reality.

The error term is what allows for chance. Who can say why someone is brutally murdered by a stranger? Wrong place, wrong time? Who can say why someone else wins the lottery? Right place, right time? That's the error term. That's what the whole thing forgets.

Here's the real thing of it: The Secret is utter rubbish. There is absolutely no scientific evidence that supports their assertion that our thoughts affect frequencies we send out into the world. It's no surprise that it was inspired by a book called The Science of Getting Rich. It reeks of materialism and greed and -- to be frank -- profound laziness. There is no easy answer to getting what you want out of life. It requires effort and planning and risks.

Ultimately, being a good person isn't about getting things back. Life isn't about dollars and perfect mates and dream jobs. It's about finding satisfaction in the the ordinary.

Creative is the Old Creative

2007-02-25T12:27:00.000-05:00

So if media is the new creative, then I guess creative is the old creative. This doesn't presume that creative is useless -- certainly not. As is obvious, if you don't have the product that innovative enough in the first place, you can't play. And if your campaigns don't at least use some level of creativity, you can't capture anyone's imagination in the first place.

So what is the optimal level of creativity?

Certainly, gazillions of dollars go into creative every year. There are ads we love and ads we hate. But the law of diminishing returns is as true here as it is anywhere else in reality -- each additional dollar we spend enhancing our creative output increases, say, the user's experience by X or the user's willingness to add us to their evoked set by Y. But when you take out everything else and make it equal (ceteris paribus) -- treating creativity as the non-fixed variable -- at some point, the marginal returns start decreasing.

Once we go beyond that point of optimal creativity, we have hit the wall of diminishing returns. As our total investment into creative beyond this optimal level increases, the total ROI as a proportion of the total investment decreases. Suddenly increasing creativity in our ads by, say, 1% (if something so qualitative could be measured -- and, certainly, there's a way to valuate anything if you just put your mind to it) would lead to, yes, increases in the return on investment, but not increases as great as they would be at the optimal point of creativity.

Thus, at the optimal level, it makes no sense to further invest in increasingly clever taglines, iconography, or spokesbeavers. At that point, the consumer no longer derives increasing utility benefit from your increasing creativity.

Where do you see that point? How do you value creativity in advertising and marketing?

Media is The New Creative

2007-02-21T20:33:00.000-05:00

I saw an interesting speaker this week who provided me with a few thoughts that I wanted to remember.

(1) Media is the new creative.
There was a time when the big ideas ran the ad world. Now? Yes, good ideas are essential. But they're not all. We need more information. What are we getting from 'em? ROI, baby. And what ultimately defines the ROI? The media we choose to get the message out.

Ten years ago, media was completely different than it was now. Now we have outdoor, print, radio, television, microsites, advergames, restobars, blahdeblahblahblah. There are a gazillion specialty channels instead of a few big networks. Targeting is theoretically easier -- and practically more complex, more involving, and more confusing -- than it's ever been. People are overwhelmed by the volume of messaging and getting it right is becoming less art, more science.

Every medium has its own measurement tools, and we are familiar with trying to evaluate GRPs and increase the eyes we require on our prize(s). But the new stuff? It's under review, but we can't not be there. Hell, the internet was available even in my wee hometown when I was in high school -- but even a few years ago, it was completely different than it is now (hello, crash). Trying to understand clickthroughs and impressions and what they really mean for return is still up in the air -- neither scholars nor professionals have yet come up with a solid solution. And don't get me started on digital signage -- it's so new, I can barely find white papers on its valuation.

So, yes. The incumbent is no longer starring in this show. Media is ultimately what will drive our numbers -- it's just a matter of putting together a formula that defines where those came from.

(2) There is nothing more freeing than a tight brief.
Creatives tend to be really -- how do I say this nicely? -- challenging. They spend so much time crafting their best ideas that they kind of fall a little bit in love with them. And if cliches have taught us nothing else, we know this: when you love something, sometimes you have to let it go. I don't want to deal with sulking or moping or general childish attitude when my client isn't all that into your beloved -- albeit not necessarily sense-making -- concept.

To be fair, this irritation is also what makes great creative people really freaking good at their jobs. The more attached they are to the ideas that actually do get through the door, the better and more solid these ideas tend to be, and the stronger the project ultimately becomes. So how to combine the good with the bad?

A tight brief.

Creative briefs are a bit of a pain. They're time consuming, require at least seventeen approvals, and rarely end up really providing much but some administrative work. That said, a really tight brief provides the creative people with direction so solid that they can't help but fall into the freedom of only being able to create on strategy.

A tight brief doesn't let the terrorists win.

It's Official

2007-02-17T12:49:00.000-05:00

I have a tan.

I think this means I have done what I set out to do here.

Ange and Jason left yesterday. Booooooo.

See how we got so sad, we couldn't even look the camera in the face anymore? Aww.

Since it's about time to go, we'll just complete the holiday photo bonanza by introducing you to Bernie Murphy.

He's likely our last local friend. He was moving slowly, bemoaning our exit to be sure.

We'll be home again tomorrow evening. 'Til then, you can find me at the beach.

Say Hello to Apricot

2007-02-15T21:42:00.000-05:00

After nearly two weeks of trying to befriend this little guy, Dave finally found a pal in Apricot here.

There has been a lot of gecko-chasing (and, yes, the same one -- he lives outside of the condo and never leaves), but once Apricot got on Dave's hand, he liked it there. A lot. It was a good two minutes of holding the little guy up to the walls he so adores before he would leave his newfound buddy.

Needless to say, there is boy here who is beyond thrilled right now.

Obama Is Quitting

2007-02-15T16:37:00.000-05:00

No, not his role in the presidential race.

The smoking.

(He gotcha this time.)

His wife apparently told him that he wasn't allowed to run for president unless he did, and he's now using Nicorette (hello, free publicity!).

I don't know. I liked him once, but nobody likes a quitter. Does this count as flip-flopping?

Hah.

We Are Picture Crazy

2007-02-15T13:41:00.000-05:00

Alright, some more from yesterday, now that Blogger upload seems to be working (stupid Picasa)...

Dave mocks Ange and I with our constant self-portraits:

Me and the boy:

Ange and hers:

The drinks were worth going way over flex this week.

See, it wasn't just Angela and I on a date after all.

[PS: I think I got the photos working! Please let me know if you can't see 'em.]

Happy Valentine's Day!

2007-02-14T21:43:00.000-05:00

From Mango's by the Sea!

Ange and I love you all.

[PS: I think I've gotten the pictures working by uploading directly to Blogger. Let me know if you have future problems!]

A Little B-Dos YouTube

2007-02-13T17:23:00.000-05:00

A video just for fun! (Dave staged a pool-level photo shoot. Yes, he labelled Jason as a "hottie".)

Noodle scandal:

Boozehound:

Pool silliness!

I doubt I've been happier.

Like, ever.

The Best Pickup Line on B-dos

2007-02-12T14:30:00.000-05:00

"Hey ladies."

"Hello there!"

"I've got a pony for the cowgirl to ride..."

Is that not the sluttiest hat you have ever seen? She was totally asking for it!

This was the highlight of our day, without question.

Hosting Guests and Solving Mysteries

2007-02-12T08:22:00.000-05:00

Angela and Jason are here!

They got in on Saturday evening, we hit the yacht club for dinner, then we came back here and had many, many drinks. No pictures? I don't know what we were thinking.

But then Sunday morning came! Ange and I woke up at 7AM, only to find the kitchen looking like this.

Neither of us had done it. We decided it was a mystery that must be solved.

We waited for the boys and the most likely cleaner, Dave, got up. He didn't do it.

Alright, fine, it was Jason. He woke up in the middle of the night and, for whatever reason, decided to do some cleaning.

Beach time! The boys added kayaking and we engaged in an embarrassing photo shoot.

Dave's feet:

The boys:

The girls:

Then: nacho time. I picked up a bunch of hot peppers at the grocery store since I couldn't find jalapenos. As I was preparing the other stuff, Ange cut the peppers. I was tossing them on the chips and then went to eat a tortilla. HOLY HOT FIRE.

My lips turned the colour of a clown's, my right eye turned to half the size (I look purty), and we let the flames begin. Angela also unfortunately encountered the fire and we both frantically ran around the place drinking milk. Dave could not stop laughing, and told us we had to get Jason to eat one.

Jason's reaction: "This little thing?" He pshawed. Pshawed and then had to eat half a litre of ice cream, as we'd finished up the milk. Our hands and legs and everything we touched stayed flamey 'til long after this point.

The rest of the day involved schoolwork, tennis, and lounging. No complaints.

Stepping Down

2007-02-10T09:18:00.000-05:00

Okay, so now this whole thing has just gone out of control crazy style.

The CEO of the Cartoon Network has stepped down!

An excerpt from his letter:

"To: Colleagues
From: Jim Samples

I am sure you are aware of recent events in which a component of an Adult Swim marketing campaign made Turner Broadcasting the unintended focus of controversy in Boston and around the world. I deeply regret the negative publicity and expense caused to our company as a result of this campaign.

As general manager of Cartoon Network, I feel compelled to step down, effective immediately, in recognition of the gravity of the situation that occurred under my watch. It's my hope that my decision allows us to put this chapter behind us and get back to our mission of delivering unrivaled original animated entertainment for consumers of all ages."

Way to take the piss out of unique promotions. This makes me so furious! (Not his letter, as it is of course courteous and gracious.) Is it the network's fault that the city of Boston created panic around something that a quick online search could've clarified in minutes? Are we seriously going to have to think twice, as per the mayor's earlier comments, about doing street campaigns? For the love of all things holy, Samples's resignation only positions this type of marketing as being inherently problematic -- I get that he ended up being the one to take the fall in what resulted in millions of dollars in damages, but were the millions of dollars in damages really necessary? It seems to me that the network should've stood up to these crazy reactionaries (who are, I'm certain, increasing the voracity of their distress about this stuff due to their supreme embarrassment at creating such a scene over nothing) with the fact that the promo was running all over the damn country without any bomb squads.

We're letting the terrorists win!

Bah.

My Ban

2007-02-10T05:33:00.000-05:00

That's a burn + a tan.

After a day out of direct sunlight, it appears less speckled and more sun-kissed. Please note the apparent line, however, between the red bottom (which is still WAY redder in real life) of my back and my swimsuit -- I am pulling it just to show you. The things I do for entertainment, man.

Also, is my husband not the cutest thing in the world?

We had way too much pool bar fun last night and met a Canadian and two Manchester locals. Oh! And in exciting Canadiana news...

So last year when we were here, we saw Destination Fox Harb'r for the first time. It's a big crazy boat (I mean, any boat with its own website has got to be crazy), and its name sounded familiar. Indeed, with good reason. Fox Harb'r is a golf resort in Nova Scotia, owned by Mr. Ron Joyce, the Tim Horton's gajillionaire guy. In any case, when we arrived last week, we saw that it was here again. And last night, we saw Mr. Joyce (in the flesh!) at the yacht club happy hour -- as it turns out, he has a condo here as well and is regularly relaxing in the B-dos sun. I know, I know. He isn't a traditional celebrity. But he's an incredibly successful Canadian entrepreneur, and it doesn't get more celebrity-sighting than that for me.

And with that story good and told, we're off to play some 7AM tennis. Whee!

A Spotty Story

2007-02-09T07:12:00.000-05:00

My favourite sunscreen for as long as I can remember has been the Coppertone Sport stuff.

With the fair skin of my Irish ancestors, I need real protection when I'm out there, and every time I've used this stuff, it's been an absolute dream. No sweat off, no stickiness, and -- best of all -- no burns.

When I went to Shoppers before this vacation, I went on my hunt for this beloved protector, only to find that they didn't have any of the lotion in stock. Faced with the option of the same brand in gel or spray format, I went with the gel. I mean, everyone knows the spray never goes on right anyway, right?

Mmhmm.

The first day I put the gel on, I was overwhelmed with the intense fragrance of pure alcohol. The stuff started evaporating within seconds as I frantically tried to rub it into my skin. Somewhat startled, I felt a sneaking suspicion about its potency. Nonetheless, I ignored my gut due to my conviction that Coppertone Sport would never let me down. Silly girl.

As of last night, I have about fifteen little red spots. (Will post a picture later today.) No, I don't have the allover sunburn that ruins a vacation -- so that's something. But I now proudly feature red marks on both shoulder, a rectangle at the top of my back, a streak across my right arm, a big oval at the bottom of my back, speckles all over my belly, thin lines across the top of each thigh, and a thumbprint at my ankle.

Coppertone Sport, how could you?

So what's a girl to do? I emailed Ange and begged her to become my Coppertone Sport lotion mule. I am so irritated by my leopard look -- while I don't mind getting only freckles, I was hoping for a little bit of sunniness to my look on this vacation. But the spotted thing? Not as hot as what I'd imagined.

(Yes, I know that if this is all I have to complain about, life is pretty good. I just didn't want anyone else to make the mistake of buying this junk.)

In other news, the vacation has been pretty continually dreamy.

We're playing 3-4 hours of tennis every day, which means I'm surely getting somewhat better, right? I love the running around, I love the hitting (every time the ball comes to me, I do an internal B-E-AGRESSIVE chant), and I love the sweat. We're also doing lots of floaty ocean swimming, and enjoying the local brew as much as one should when there's not much else to have to do. I would be uploading more pictures but, erm, they're kind of all the same. Me on balcony! Me on beach! Me at tennis court! Me on balcony! I'm nothing if not predictable. To calm your evident need for new photos, I bring you feet.

Mine:

Dave's:

Oh yeah! I almost forgot to share the weirdest thing that's happened since our arrival. So we were at the beach yesterday and this older lady was in an inappropriately skimpy swimsuit, but I thought my usual "Hell, if you're okay with it, I am too, lady." Anyway, we were set up near her and she was sunbathing her little heart out. Fine. A while later, this young (teenaged?) girl in a very skimpy bikini came by and said hi to her -- they appeared to know each other, but the connection was unknown. Anyway, they started chatting, then the young girl suggested she take some pictures of the older lady, so she's posing away and all is normal and fine. Then! The young girl asks the older lady to take pictures of her. Next thing I know, I'm witnessing the cheap digi-cam version of a photo shoot for the next flipping Sports Illustrated Teen. Seriously! This kid was posing on the water's edge in the most provocative positions, making far more than come-hither eyes, and the older lady was instructing her. This results similar to this, but with water everywhere.

What the hell was that about? Who was that lady? Who was that kid? What were the photos for? It was totally surreal and bizarre and I still can't figure out what the hell happened. Anyway.

Ange and Jason arrive tomorrow (!!!) and we can't flipping wait. We have plans to make nachos, enjoy numerous and varied mixed drinks, discuss Anna Nicole's death to death, and crash the Wednesday night party at the resort down the beach. There will be plenty of new pictures then, as Ange and I find ourselves altogether irresistible. Hah.

In that joyful spirit, I'm off to enjoy my 8AM coffee, overlooking the marina while catching up on the day's news. Yep, this is the life.

Oh, and PS: Blogger has recently introduced the custom domain option, that allows those quick easy updates they now do (no more loading page!) instead of your standard FTP. So this baby now has its own domain. I've been obsessed with buying domains for as long as I can remember. So rarely are .com domains still available that when I saw this one was, um. Yeah. I got it.

The Commodity Conundrum

2007-02-07T17:19:00.000-05:00

I was thinking today about how products have changed in my lifetime. When I was a kid, it seemed like every new technological innovation was a big effing deal. Our first microwave cost over a thousand 1980s bucks. I was obsessed with my innovative Speak and Spell 'til my dad brought home the dreamy Commodore 64. I would follow the instructions, write little programs, and watch my machine type responses to me. Thrilling!

Today, technology just doesn't really get to be new anymore. Companies frantically rush out press releases about 2MP camera phones so they hit the journalists' hot little hands right away. Miss a beat, and your top competitor has gotten their attention first.

There used to be a time when product differentiation allowed companies to strategically position themselves in the marketplace. But now I wonder: Is everything becoming a commodity?

A computer is a computer. An MP3 player is an MP3 player. A cell phone is a cell phone. Sure, they all have new, exciting features when you buy 'em, but increasing competition makes for an unbelievably quick market.

So what's left to give you the upper hand?

Your brand.

Obviously, this doesn't mean your logo or iconography or the stitching on the back of your 7s. It's your vitality, your integrity, your sense of humour -- your personality.

I recently learned about a company that is currently number one in market share in its field, but not so in brand awareness. While it's wonderful to move into that top position, how do you stay there?

In a world where it's ever-so-time-consuming to learn about all the features, specifications, and technical mumbo-jumbo related to a product, it's the company's job to provide you with the most possible information to help you make your decision. This is not to say that companies shouldn't constantly be striving to create the best, most innovative products -- certainly not! Without those, they'd might as well just take their (old-school) ball and go home, because nobody wants to play. But information tends to be asymmetrical, and the company has more of it. The more they can help you to hear, the more you'll understand the product category, and the easier these decisions become. But what if everything still sounds a bit... the same?

They need to make you understand their brand. They need to help you find some connection -- emotional and real -- to make you think of them first. There are about a gazillion ways to theoretically make this happen and none are easy to pull off well, but creating a brand that has a real feel for its target's functional and hedonic aspirations is a necessity.

The more everything starts to feel the same, the less easy it is to be different.

Obvious, yes. But the point of differentiation is discoverable and key. So you know what age group your target fits into? Great. Dig deeper. Understand where they want to go, who they're trying to impress, whether they're willing to admit it, how unique they perceive themselves to be.

Psychographic data is without any doubt completely key, but interaction will push you over the finish line.

Get in there. Don't ride on assumptions or long-held knowledge about whatever game you're targeting. I'm not talking about focus groups here, I'm talking about real interaction. The kind that forces you to look beyond yourself, what the data is saying, and what you "know" to be true. Get on the web, look around, see the language they use, really listen to what they're saying. Hang out where they hang out, watch them, see who their friends are. Understand what they think is funny, figure out their political leanings, get a handle on who they mock. Get a sense of what is ultimately important to them. Build your brand as one of them.

So nothing is really new anymore. Your products are starting to feel like commodities to the unwashed masses. Is it really so hard to differentiate? Sure. But it's not impossible. It just requires a serious commitment to getting the behaviour of your most beloved consumers. It requires you to live it.

I Am Lazy

2007-02-06T19:02:00.000-05:00

So I'll be honest. Today went as follows: Coffee, chat, coffee, chat, sandwiches, chat, beach, chat, walk to get water, beach, chat, pool, dinner, chat. We tried to add in tennis, but every time we booked a court time, it rained.

In any case, pictures are all I've really got. (Note that this trip is the first time in my life that I've worn a bikini, much less worn a bikini in public. Oh, my bravery just grows with age! Hah.)

9AM: Dave style.

I really love the beach...

And the boats:

No amount of sun will change the whiteness of my skin:

I loooooooove rainbows (and you can just barely see this one).

So that was our day. It both rocked and rolled. And now it's time for a few drinks, and much more chat.

Tennis is the New Darts

2007-02-05T20:18:00.000-05:00

What a way to start the day. Throw on a swimsuit and a Tshirt and hang out drinking coffee and sunning it up. Ah, divinity.

After spending about two hours doing nothing, we hit the tennis court.

I have never played tennis in my life. I've always feared the running back-and-forth part, and the hitting, and the potential balls in the face (special occasions only, ladies). In any case, today I learned.

Every time we go to the cottage, Dave invariably becomes a dart aficionado. Basically, it's the only thing to do there, but he's rather compulsive about it. He'll play for four or five hours straight, getting annoyed with his failings and claiming glorious victory for his perceived successes. It's truly insane, and he is nuts for it.

Well, tennis is the new darts. Only I am turning into Dave.

No kidding, we played for 1.5 hours this morning (in the burning sun), then another three this evening under the court night lights. It was so ridiculously fun. I went from completely terrible to passably mediocre, and I can't stop talking about it. I can't wait to go back tomorrow. I referred to our vacation as tennis camp.

Here's me after the morning's round, red-faced and disgusting, but claiming glorious victory just the same.

Oh yeah, baby. It was that good.

Destination: Heaven

2007-02-04T21:12:00.000-05:00

So after being up 'til 3AM last night (Dave had to madly finish work due to deadline confusion, oops), I was up at 5:15, as giddy as a schoolgirl, ready to hit the airport for our annual Barbados trip.

The getting ready was fast, we were all packed, and we went downstairs to await our cab. After ten minutes, I called -- and it was a good thing. They'd written 6PM instead of AM. Suffice it to say, there's no traffic on a Sunday morning anyway, and we made it there just fine -- despite a rusty cab and the very jerky driving of some poor man who seemed like he'd been awake for far too long in one day.

The lineups were a total mess, the staff seemed ever-so-dejected, and we (amongst many, many others) had to get pulled into a "fast lane", which seemed to take just as long as the regular lane. (I find it utterly baffling how Air Canada still has so many operational issues -- it's basic queue theory. Anyway.) We made it through the gate with time to spare, grabbed some water bottles, a banana and a honey cruller, and hit the skies.

During the flight, I spent my usual half-the-time feeling like my back was freezing -- 'til I discovered the joy of putting a pillow behind you. All iciness issues resolved, I listened to some music, tried to get some sleep, and watched The Prestige. (Speaking of which: GOD, those airline headphones are a nightmare -- I swear until right now I thought we'd watched The Illusionist and only discovered my mistake when I tried to IMDB it. I only heard every third word... though, to be fair, I was relatively focused on the dreaminess level of my boyfriend Christian Bale. Back to the headphones: why do these get thrown out after one use? I could have sworn they used to take them away, and I assumed they replaced the foam and reused, but this time they went right in the trash with food leftovers and the like. Quelle waste. Though I guess that does speak to the quality issue.)

After five or six hours (I invariably lose track of time when I change zones), we arrived. We took a bus from the plane to customs (here is where I saw our beloved and frantically waving accountant, Hot Diane), then spent two hours entering the country and collecting our bags. My favourite part of this experience was when a grumpy staffer asked us and two older couples on either side of us to "please don't slow down the line" -- in all honesty, we had all been discussing the joys of lollygagging to extend the airport experience, and she really got us. Crafty!

And then we were outside in the sun and all the annoyance of a day jam-packed with travel irritation was completely gone. Our driver found us, we jumped in, and enjoyed the scenic drive to Port St. Charles (from Bridgetown to just-by-Speightstown, above). Left-hand-lane driving always makes me the tiniest bit anxious, as I secretly suspect other non-local drivers to forget and attack us in a head-on -- particularly in those freaky round-abouts -- but we made it here safe and sound, Banks Beer and Herr's barbecued chips safely in hand.

We were in hot-weather-gear in about fifteen seconds, and spent the evening (a) lounging on the patio, drinks in hand, (b) enjoying a heavenly burger at the bar, or (b) sleeping on the sofa while trying to watch the SuperBowl.

I won't ever be coming home. Do you think it's too early to declare squatter's rights?

Fake Steve Jobs

2007-02-04T00:21:00.000-05:00

Now this is just funny.

It's no Armisen's "Picania", but it's funny.

Getting the Spins

2007-02-03T15:52:00.000-05:00

So it's been a month since I started spinning now. Can I just say that it is possibly the most fun workout ever?

The first time I went, I was completely wiped afterwards. Red faced, gaspy breathed, euphoric, the whole nine yards. A month later? Red faced, gaspy breathed, euphoric, the whole nine yards. But! I've been able to push the resistance in a major way. I'm tougher, I'm faster, and I can do third position as long as anybody else in the class. The awesome music (today included my family favourite, "Beat It"), the closed eyes (go, go, go, go, go!), the fiery feeling in my lungs and my legs (ahhhh!), and the totally inspiring, friendly instructors (especially the studio's incredible owner) make the hour fly by.

Miracle!

The reason I tried this new addition to the regime out in the first place was (a) to mix up my cardio routine, and (b) a vain hope that this might possibly act as lower body strength training, which I generally loathe. My legs have never been at all strong, no matter how many squats and lunges I did, and it's consistently been a real source of workout frustration for me.

So my endless gratitude goes out to the fine staff at Quad for making lower body strength workouts actually feel fun. I'm even kind of sad that we're going to be away for the next two weeks, as I think I'll miss my hill-climbing-sprinting-good-times. I guess the sun and sand will have to make it up to me somehow.