Accidental Sort-of Ski Bum

I didn't set out to be a ski bum. I always did really well in school, was at or near the top of my class. I have two bachelors degrees and my masters in business. I've lived in three Canadian cities and held professional marketing positions in several different industries.

Yet here I am, living in Whistler, doing marketing for a backcountry ski company, part-timing as a ski instructor, and trying to get my own little fledgling marketing business off the ground. And also skiing every chance I can get.

Maybe I don't couch-surf, party every night, and eat Kraft Dinner at least once a day. But I've skied every year since I was four, and after living in BC for the past few years, I can't imagine starting each day without checking the weather, snow report and avalanche advisory.

Everyone says this will be a La Nina winter, with cold temps and lots of fluffy stuff, so I say bring it it on. I am, after all, a sort-of ski bum.

Six Days to Thirty - The Life Unlived

I'm tired. Not because it's late, which it is, at 11:30 p.m. on a Tuesday. But because I'm just worn out.

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As a kid, I never wondered about my life as an adult, because I had it all figured out. I used to play The Game of Life with my sisters. Somehow, miraculously (come on, who am I kidding, I'm a master manipulator when I want to be), I always ended up with six kids (which is two kids too many to fit in the standard sedan that the game supplies you with), living in an old farmhouse and working as a doctor. That was my dream life, and I fully expected it to come true.

Now I'm approaching 30. Okay, I'll actually be thirty in six days. And I'm not married and I don't have any children; I'm not a doctor and I don't live in a farmhouse.

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My dog ran away today, after a 40-minute hike in the woods, just before I was going to put his leash back on and head down the street to our house. I had a huge to-do list that was only a third of the way completed. But instead of finishing my list (which actually included taking my dog in the car to do errands, followed by a visit to the dog park), I ended up searching for him for almost three hours, hiking through the woods, retracing our steps, wearing myself out. Finally, I got a call from a little girl, who said my dog was at the bottom of the street, hanging around a small park, chewing a blue ball he stole from a little boy. Who she was and how she got my number, I'm not sure. I want to phone her tomorrow, hopefully talk to her parents, see if I can give a gift of thanks.

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Living on the other side of the country from where I grew up, from where my family still lives, is difficult. I feel like I've almost found my place, but it's still exhausting. Even though it's been over two years, sometimes it feels like no one knows me and I'm starting from scratch, volunteering, joining groups and clubs, trying to meet people and establish myself.

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After finding the dog, I headed home, made a dinner that I didn't eat until hours later (my boyfriend works nights, so I try to cook meals for him), went to band practice, made a quick grocery trip, bought some wine (because after my afternoon, I needed a drink), came home, finished cleaning the bathtub, and finally ate my dinner.

There's folded towels piled on the chair that I keep meaning to list on Craigslist, dry clothes in the dryer, wet clothes in the washer, and I don't care, because I'm tired. I feel like I never get ahead, and there's always two things unfinished for every one thing I cross off the list. No one ever told me that this was what being grown up really meant.

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Makes me wonder if I could have really handled a real life version of The Game of Life?

When life throws curveballs

Sometimes things happen that cause you to step back, to be quiet, to reflect. You retreat and hibernate for a while, choosing to spend time with your family, with those who you are closest to, until things pass over.

Then it is done, finished, in the past, but the feelings still linger. Feelings of sadness, of being emotionally drained, of being tired of talking. The world keeps going, but you are not quite ready to jump back in at full speed.

And then, before you know it, life is flying by again. You are in the middle of things, back in the chaos, hoping that you will remember a little of the calm, that something good will have come from all of the pain.

Social Media Marketing - a refresher

On Thursday, I attended a seminar in Vancouver, put on by the Canadian Public Relations Society Vancouver (CPRS).

The seminar was titled "Social Media - Beyond the Basics" and featured Gillian Muessig, President and Co-founder, SEOmoz. The session was billed as an opportunity to learn about "the world of social media content development and promotion through SEO, social media, and beyond" and also to go "beyond best practice to advanced stats and tips for implementation of social media".

Not really sure that the seminar followed the description that well, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Gillian speak. She had a well-thought out presentation that flowed well, and had a lot of interesting stats, without information overload. Plus it was nice to have a social media refresher and a chance to talk shop with women (because there didn't seem to be many guys there) who work with social media marketing (SMM) everyday. My only negative about the experience was the lack of question period, because I'm sure Gillian would have had some great answers.

Some of my key learnings (both from the presentation & from conversations):

• SMM needs to be a long-term strategy, and shouldn't be the end-all of your marketing plan
• Twitter isn't near as popular as one may think, despite my own trend toward writing emails in 140 characters or less, as conditioned by frequent Tweeting
• Most marketing professionals still don't "get", or even use, Twitter
• Mobile marketing looks like a big trend, maybe here to stay
• Social networking is up 100% for people over 65, while Facebook still targets ads to under 65 . Might be a business opportunity?
  
• Customer engagement is critical
• Use SMM to "listen" to what customers are saying
• Let people know you're listening, and remember to say "thank you"
• Strive to increase "stickiness" - make people want to stay with your business

Photo credit: svilen001

Long days, short sleeps.

I have been tired lately. Absolutely exhausted, yawn in your face while you're talking to me, tired. Not sure if it's the time of year, what with dark mornings and evenings, too much rain, or just a flexible schedule that leads to me staying up all hours of the night and sleeping well past when the man comes home from work in the mornings.

This article from BCLocalNews.com talks about SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). According to the article, it affects nearly 50% of adults. Maybe I should move to Mexico?

Okay, probably not going to happen. So I'll try out some of their tips (maybe if I put them in writing, I'll actually make an effort?):
1. Get as much sun as possible - probably not going to happen, given all the rain :(
2. Stick to a sleep schedule - will try to be in bed by 11, awake by 8
3. Eat proteins, avoid sugars - was planning on a sugar detox, so this is good
4. Relax - good time to resume yoga
5. Support immune system - already taking vitamins!

How about you? Do you notice the effects of SAD? Or maybe you feel energized this time of year?
Photo credit: cahdequech

It's that time of year again...

The leaves on the trees are changing colours and there's snow on the top of the mountains. And that can only mean one thing - it's ski movie season! Yay!

As always, remember to buy tickets in advance, because they often sell out. And get there early to get your seat (and sometimes score some free schwag!).

First up this week is "The Way I See It" by Matchstick Productions. This is playing at MY Millenium Place with four showings - two on Friday night (Sept. 24) at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. and two more on Saturday night (Sept. 25) again 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $16.50 - come say "Hi" because I'm helping out with this one!

Then on Oct. 2 at MY Millennium Place is "Now You Know" by Sandbox. There are two showings at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., and tickets cost $10. Afterwards, head to Garf's for free entrance and a good time. You can also RSVP to their event from Facebook.

TGR's "Light the Wick" is up next on Oct. 8, also at MY Millennium Place. Shows start at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. and tickets are $15. I won't be at this one, though, because my friend John Wells will be hosting the showing in Bellingham, WA on Nov. 18. Be sure to check out John's work, rocking his Fat-ypus skis.

For a change of location, head over to Longhorn's on Oct. 14 for a showing of "Revolver" by Poor Boyzon. I couldn't find any info re: cost and showtimes, but I'm sure the website will be updated soon.

And finally, on Oct. 22, head back to MY Millennium Place for another TGR movie - Jeremy Jones' "Deeper". Tickets are $10 and shows are at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

So there you have it, a busy fall schedule of ski movies. Let me know if I've missed any!!
Photo credit: Me!

Friends again?

When I left my last job, one of my colleagues and close friends was away on holiday. So I didn't get a chance to talk to her in person, to let her know my plans. Right after I left, I went to the East Coast for a few weeks, to spend time with family and also to pause, reflect and think about my next step.

While there, I received a Facebook reply from my friend, in response to my invitation to spend time together when I got back to Whistler. Her message was not what I had expected, and she was obviously upset and angry at me. I burst into tears and didn't know what to do.

I finally responded, in a low-key kind of way, and figured the friendship was over. Although we continued to see each other occasionally (such as Monday-night Bachelor viewings!) it just wasn't the same.

Then last week, she messaged me (again on Facebook - why oh why does everyone use Facebook so much?) and I invited her over for dinner. After a yummy bbq salmon meal and a glass of wine, I asked, "Are we friends again?", and she said yes. We chatted a little about what had gone wrong, but not in too much depth.

So I guess we're friends again, although I still feel the sting of what was said and how I felt. But apologies have been made, and it's either move ahead or move on. I think I'll choose to move ahead, with the same friend, and maybe a slightly different friendship.

Photo credit: Mattox