When I arrived to the Queen Elizabeth Park (thanks to David Miller, who picked me up at the office as he was the winner of the tickets that the kind organizers of The Road to Canterbury sponsored) I was greeted by Simon Ogden, who is one of the strongest theatre forces in this city. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I had some idea that the performance would be good.
As I indicated previously, when I read the press release for The Road to Canterbury, I knew that I was going to see some exploratory, experimental reinvention of Chaucer’s tales. And what a reinvention this was! I don’t think I can make justice to the excellent performances of everyone in the cast without giving away much of the plot, but suffice it to say that you should really see it. Five of Chaucer’s Tales of Canterbury are re-enacted in a modern time, fourth-plane exhibit.
An interactive experience of The Road to Canterbury and a supporting cast who are able to stay in character and interweave their storylines with the tales themselves are only two of several strategies that Sebastien Archibald uses to enrich the participant’s experience. Each one of the tales is retold, in faithful homage to the original, but with a twist and a strong link to current events.
Like Chaucer himself, Archibald uses the absolutely gorgeous backdrop that the Queen Elizabeth Park offers to create compelling stories that offer social commentary and criticism to our status quo. I had an absolutely delightful time, and I would strongly recommend you to attend. Thanks to Itsazoo Productions for the invite to see this performance, and for sponsoring tickets for one of my lucky readers.
Simple, quick and easy to re-tweet and comment on – please tell me – where can I find the best sushi in town? Brownie points if the seafood offered at said restaurant is Ocean Wise-approved.
My Mom’s youngest sister passed away from cancer one year ago yesterday. I wrote this blog post as part of my Blogathon 2009, which raised $ 1,125 for the BC Cancer Foundation. I am republishing this post in loving memory of my Aunt on the anniversary of her passing.
I remember that when I was a little kid, I wanted to be a doctor (MD). I am a doctor now, but not of the type that heals people. However, I did read a lot of medical literature, particularly abnormal growth (e.g. tumors/cancer). I first knew of the devastating effects of cancer when my grandmother became ill with pancreatic cancer. My grandma took every single treatment available to her (chemotherapy, radiation, surgery). She passed away in 1997, and according to my Dad’s family, her agony was tremendously long. At the time, I was in Canada and therefore I was really not informed.
The second time I was faced with the effects of cancer touched me MUCH closer to home. I remember the afternoon when I graduated from my Masters’ degree, my aunt and Mom came to Vancouver and my auntie kept coughing. My Mom told my Aunt that they would go to the doctor as soon as they came back to Mexico and that she should be taking care of herself. That was in November. My auntie passed away in February of the following year. It was lung cancer, and it took her away from us really quickly. To this day, I haven’t recovered from losing the person that I saw like my second mother.
The third time I was confronted with cancer (not myself, but a member of my family) occurred just last year. My auntie (the only surviving sister of my Mom) suffered a really devastating case of colorectal cancer. She did survive for 2 years. You may recall that around this time last year, I had to flow to Mexico as my auntie had passed away and I had to go to the funeral and stay a few weeks to comfort my Mom.
One of my very good friends from the blogging community is currently battling cancer and I am happy to report that his tumors have stopped growing, which is really good news. I had the pleasure of seeing him today during Blogathon and it really cheered me up to see him doing well.
Cancer has been my enemy and the enemy of my loved ones for a long time, and one of these days, we are going to win. I look forward to that day.
I was having a great chat with Air and Derek, Arieanna and Ianiv as we were gathered for the baby shower, and I mentioned to them that I was fascinated by the fact that we were just normal people, normal friends hanging out but that we just met through our involvement in social media and blogging.
I’m not sure if I found it so amazing because I was absolutely knocked-out due to sleep-deprivation (it was after all a few hours after I had finished Blogathon) or simply because I see the simplicity and beauty of it all. I’m very close to Derek and Airdrie, as I am to John and Stacie Biehler, as I am to Ianiv and Arieanna Schweber, as I am to Rebecca and John Bollwitt, and the list goes on (Colleen, Tanya, Gus, Russ, Lorraine, April, Karen, Duane, etc.) I mean, we are good friends, we just *happened* to have met through the internet.
Maybe this is not a revelation to anyone, but I for one salute the very medium that has enabled me to build new friendships. My circle of friendships hasn’t gotten smaller, it’s gotten bigger. And we do EXACTLY the same things that other people do. We attend parties. We have dinner and drinks out. We go shopping together. Just like the rest of the world. We just may tweet about it. Or post it to Flickr 😉
Very recently, Derek wrote about music that moves us, that experience that we have when we listen to particular songs that just have an impact on our emotions. In my case, there are numerous songs that make me shed tears, and this particular song (Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol) just makes me all teary eyed (as does Over and Over by Wilson Philips, a song I featured a few weeks back). Thanks to Kemp Edmonds whose Blip stream allowed me to find this.
So last week I sparked a big debate around Critical Mass by saying that it had become unruly social order (head over to my research blog to read the posts and commentary). But at the same time, I realized in the past couple of weeks that despite the fact that I don’t cycle that much, I do walk everywhere, and depending on the distance, I will take the bus or Skytrain or Seabus (all of which are more sustainable transportation choices than driving).
A few months back I was contacted by the BC Healthy Living Alliance for a walking tour (I couldn’t make it unfortunately) and I’ve noticed that they’ve been tweeting suggestions to keep healthy. One of them is actually walking. JT made me realize this the other day, when I mentioned that I actually felt that I still had substantial cardio capacity. He said “well, you walk EVERYWHERE”. And it’s true.
Despite the fact that I do a lot of work in a computer and so on, the fact that I have meetings all over downtown Vancouver, and that I head out the door and walk at least 15-30 minutes to get my bus to the office (and back from the office) actually made me realize that there are, indeed, a lot of benefits to walking everywhere.
For my Blogathon, Purdy’s Chocolates (a Vancouver-based chocolate factory, whose plant I had a chance to tour when I did my MBA) were kind enough to give me a basket of chocolates (which I would have totally shared with my fellow Blogathoners but I got to WorkSpace too late, etc. – I still have them and I plan to share/redistribute). I hadn’t opened the box yet as I was waiting to organize my fellow bloggers and distribute the chocolates, but now that I did, I just read the card and my eyes teared up. They really ARE very classy. Here’s the text of the card:
Good luck with your fundraiser and tell Derek to stay strong. We wish him and those battling cancer all the best. Purdy’s Chocolates
I felt really supported through Blogathon, and I will also thank my other corporate supporters, including Molson and the BC Cancer Foundation itself.
For various circumstances (one of them the fact that I wasn’t in Vancouver last year during Vancouver Queer Film Festival and in 2007 my site wasn’t really all that popular) I’ve actually never had media accreditation for the VQFF. This year, I did apply for accreditation, though (and I’m negotiating with the organizers to see if I can give away some tickets as part of a contest on my site). I have attended the VQFF in the past, both times with two of my very best friends.
I’m a big supporter of GLBT rights and I’ve covered queer issues and events on my site quite frequently (recently, Pride In Fashion, the launch of Qmunity, the LOUD Awards, just for starters). The last time I reviewed a VQFF I checked out Super Amigos and The Picture of Dorian Gray (by the way, Peter Gallagher in Dorian Gray was absolutely sublime). Super Amigos was a Mexican-Canadian co-production and a very entertaining film too.
I haven’t explored the guide in detail, but I can tell you right now that I’m really looking forward to checking out some films, like Ciao, and Cure For Love. The latter film seems to follow a similar approach to “Save Me”, a movie I checked out recently about the ex-gay movement (review forthcoming). Also, I’m really looking forward to checking both Strachey’s movies (with openly gay actor Chad Allen, who by the way also stars in Save Me).
I was and still am a big Chaucer fan (despite the fact that I probably was too young to be reading some of his, uh, more adult tales), and I’m delighted that I’ll be able to see this modern-day re-imagining of The Canturbury Tales (by Grimm Tales author Sebastien Archibald), The Road to Canterbury. I am very curious to see how this theatrical performance morphs reality with a re-invention of the Tales.
The production team taken a very interesting approach, as the production will be taking a tour of Queen Elizabeth Park, and five of Chaucer’s tales. The Road to Canterbury runs August 7-21, 2009. I’m delighted and grateful to Itsazoo Productions and their PR team to be able to give away 2 tickets to opening night [Friday August 7th] of The Road to Canterbury.
To enter, just leave a comment on this post. I’ll draw the winners tomorrow (Thursday August 6th) at 4:00pm.
More information from their press release:
The Road to Canterbury runs through every night until August 21 (no shows Sunday). Performances start at 7 pm, and there will be 2 pm matinees on Saturdays. All performances take place at Queen Elizabeth Park (33rd and Cambie St). Meet at the Bloedel Conservatory. Tickets are $10 (Children under 12), $12 (Under 30, students and seniors), $17 adults. To reserve: 604-221-6604 or http://www.itsazoo.org. Please note, this show is not suitable for children under 10.
UPDATE – Winner drawn randomly – @fuzzydave on Twitter – you’re the winner! Contact me for your tix! (everyone else, I have PLENTY of other contests coming up, so stay tuned! :))
I love theatre, particularly musicals, and I’ve wanted to see a burlesque show for a while. Well, my wish has been granted. I will be heading to opening night of Shine. SHINE: A Burlesque Musical was created by Cass King, John Woods and Sam Dulmage, directed by Jen Cressey. Choreography is by Lauren Allen (aka April O’Peel) and Rebecca Franklin (aka Melody Mangler). Produced by Norm Elmore, in their own words:
With catchy songs, campy jokes and plenty of bump and grind, SHINE: A Burlesque Musical is about an infamous burlesque theatre and the family of talented misfits who try to save it from demolition… or worse, respectability.
This tassel-twirling original musical features the award-winning choreography of Screaming Chicken coupled with the acclaimed songwriting of cabaret duo The Wet Spots. SHINE will appeal to the same adventurous audiences drawn to productions such as Rocky Horror and Avenue Q.
WHAT: Shine: A Burlesque Musical WHERE: The Waterfront Theatre, 1412 Cartwright Street, Granville Island, Vancouver WHEN: August 12-22, Wed-Sat at 8:00 pm TICKETS: $ 25 available from their website. Note that the musical is not suitable for under 18 years of age. WHO: The Wet Spots/Screaming Chicken Theatre Society co-production.
My faithful readers will know that I’m a big promoter of local theatre, and that I am frequently privileged to be able to give away tickets for the plays I am invited to. This time, the organizers of Shine: A Burlesque Musical offered to give a lucky reader two tickets to opening night (August 12th, 2009). To win, simply drop a comment on this post and I will draw the lucky winner on Friday August 7th at 4:00pm and will announce it on Twitter (most possibly at #couchbeers).
I remember that the first reason why I didn’t want to write fiction (novels, short stories) was that I felt I wasn’t competent enough. My brother (second in line, from the top) is an excellent fiction and non-fiction writer. I remember reading his short stories (some of them, auto-biographical) and being always in awe. Then April of 2006 came and I started to write about my life in Vancouver (mostly, to keep my friends worldwide up to date with what I’d been doing).
Three years after I began writing this blog, I find myself still pleasantly that people choose to willingly read the story of my life. That’s perhaps the thing that keeps me going, despite sometimes feeling alienated from my professional writing. You’ll see, a comment that my friend Morten Rand-Hendricksen made on my research blog gave me both a big warm fuzzy feeling of recognition and a jolt to encourage me to do more academic writing (and to publish even more than I do right now)
I don’t think people fully realize how well thought through your opinions are Raul. And I applaud you for putting them out there because they are not popular ones. Over the years I’ve been involved with a multitude of political and non governmental organizations and movements and I can tell you from experience that you are right on the money with your criticisms.
I had drinks with Linda Solomon from The Vancouver Observer last week, and she told me that she hadn’t realized I had a PhD. She now does and I had a lovely conversation with her about my academic research too. I’m not a credentialist, but it’s been frustrating me to no end lately that people seem to only see the blogger side of me, without taking into account all the other work I do (research, consulting, teaching). I identify myself primarily as an academic, and more so recently.
I have been feeling frustrated that the academic side of me only shines in the Vancouver blogosphere when I write on my research blog or when I participate in the Gastown Dialogues on the Future of the Web or any event where my academic side is being called upon. August is a big month and I have been thinking I should write less on here and more on my research site as well as focus more on my academic research. I don’t know if this may affect me negatively but I’ve been feeling frustrated for a while and what better month to start making changes than August.
While my Mom was trained as a soprano, she always has professed a profound respect for the singing that takes place in the musical production of Les Miserables, the musical based on the Victor Hugo novel. The Arts Club recently invited me as their guest and witness this show first hand at The Stanley Theatre, and I can unabashedly say that it was one of the best Les Miserables I’ve seen (and I’ve had a chance to see this musical in several cities worldwide, including New York and Paris).
It could be argued that the recent success of Susan Boyle (the runner up to the 2009 edition of Britain’s Got Talent) substantially increased the popularity of the song “I Dreamed a Dream” and as a result, of Les Miserables as a production. This might be true, although I’ve had a soft spot for this particular song since graduate school. A few years ago, when we were living in residence during our graduate studies, one of my best friends (DLB) sang a beautiful rendition of the version popularized by Lea Salonga. That was when I fell again in love with Les Miserables.
Les Miserables is a story with themes of love lost (and found), poverty, misery and redemption. Set in 19th century France, I remember when I first read the novel, I thought to myself – this is not a light-hearted novel. just about everybody suffers, some people to the extreme. There is a lot of blood and tears shed. There’s betrayal, lust, jealousy but more than anything, there’s a lot of love (and in the case of Jean Valjean, a lot of self-lessness). In their struggle for redemption, though, I found the characters really offer an interesting in-depth view of how realities of French society were perceived at the time.
In the particular case of this production, I found the lead (Jean Valjean) to be carrying the production throughout. Don’t get me wrong, I loved all the other singer/actors (Cossette, Eponine, Fantine). Their voices were amazing. I was awestruck by the harmonies they found when their voices were joined concurrently. The actor who portrays Valjean (Kieran Martin Murphy) is, however, simply amazing and in my opinion, he shines throughout the production. That said, kudos to the whole cast and the team behind it!
The only sad news is that Les Miserables will run only until Aug 6th so you should run and get your tickets now! Watch a clip (the trailer) of the actual production I witnessed here. Thanks again to The Arts Club for the invite!
So after all donations have come through, my final tally (except, of course, for late donations) is $ 1,125 (which is WAY better than I ever expected – I had said that I wanted to raise $ 2,000 but that was really crazy). The first year I participated I raised $ 150, the second I raised over $ 350 and this time I went all the way up to $ 1,125 which to me, is amazing. Thanks to everyone, from donors to guest bloggers to re-tweeters to my fellow Blogathon-ers.
The question I have been asking myself this week is “will I ever do Blogathon again?” and the answer, so far, is NO. I think I pushed myself too much and every year is getting harder to do. If I had a normal 9-5 kind of job, and if I spent enough down time and I slept really well, doing this once a year wouldn’t hurt me. But my brain has been fried all this week and I pushed myself again on Thursday to get some work done which has resulted again in more headache, pain, stomach ache, etc.
So, despite however fun it was, and how committed I am to the cause I have done this for (the BC Cancer Foundation), I don’t think I’ll do it again next year. I think the idea is great, but unless my sleep patterns change, I can’t see how I can continue to push my boundaries this much. I have mis-treated my body and brain too much and it’s time for a change.
I spent a lovely afternoon at the Vancouver Pride Parade today with Gus and Russ, which was really nice and relaxing. We had brunch at their place and then headed down to the Parade (it was frankly too hot out there) and then to the party on Second Beach. While I had a lovely time, I think I got a bit of a heat stroke.
I had a 4 hour nap which prevented me from returning downtown and spending more time at the Pride celebrations, but while I was on my way home, I started reflecting on how much I push myself and that I need to take better care of myself too.
I think I need a holiday, right about now… good thing tomorrow is a statutory holiday!
Social networking sites have the same promise and effectiveness in creating drama as they do in creating change in the world. -[Raul]
Yes, this is me quoting myself.
I remember a very hot summer day of last year having beers with several good friends from the Vancouver social media community on the rooftop of Redwerks. I had just recently read about the Emily Gould story (a former co-editor of Gawker) and I mentioned to Lorraine and Heather that I didn’t want to be the next EG.
Not that I had anything to worry about, for starters (my blog is way too clean cut and wholesome) but simply because social networking sites and blogs DO have the potential for creating drama. God knows I’ve been (marginally and tangentially) touched by that.
There have been times in my life when I have regretted having launched a blog.
Having joined Twitter.
Having become addicted to social media in such a way that I joined every single social networking site (I’m hummingbird604 on everyone just in case you’re curious).
But Blogathon 2009 reminded me (despite however many times I cursed the moment that I decided to do it again) that there is potential in social media to do good for humanity.
Mental Health Camp 2009 made it possible for me (and for my dear friend Isabella to make a difference in people’s lives. We built on the work of our predecessors (those who have been brave to speak out and try to break down stigma).
I may be physically exhausted and mentally tired. I may be cranky sometimes, and I may swear off of all things social media.
But there’s one thing I’ll never be – inconsistent with my own thoughts and beliefs. I act like I think, I do as I write. I set an example on how social media should be used by using it in that way.
And that’s who I am.
[EDIT – Clearly, I was sleep-deprived and brain-not-functional. The phrase “xoxo Gossip Girl” derives from the popular show Gossip Girl – one of the background characters is a famous blogger who – as you can imagine – destroys peoples’ reputations and lives – hence the title of my post – a reflection on how some people use social media for bad and not for good]
A few months ago I had the opportunity to interview Boston-based indie band The Hush Now. Recently I received a copy of their latest (second) CD, Constellations. For those of you who haven’t had the chance to explore the music of The Hush Now, I would strongly recommend you to do so.
Their second album, Constellations, has a very peculiar flavor to it. While I can easily recognize the happy-go-lucky sounds of Constellations (my favorite song of this album), a tad reminiscent of Slow Wax, although as some others have posed, they also have some similarities to Death Cab by Cutie (who recently came to Vancouver).
I was lucky to find a video of Constellations played live (at the WTSR Concert Series). This is by far my favorite song of the equally named album. For your listening pleasure, here is The Hush Now.
This second video is a fan-entry to The Hush Now’s video contest, with the song Pining (from their first album). Pining is my very favorite song from that album (even more than Vancouver, a song that Noel wrote while on a short stay here). Here is Pining.
In the past couple of days, a lot of chatter has been happening around the Twittersphere in Vancouver on the topic of places (specifically coffee shops) where we can hide from the (record-setting) scorching heat wave that is tormenting Vancouver (and no, I’m not complaining, because I know that our winters suck too, so I’m all about the heat).
Credit: Librarian by Day
Alex Samuel just recently wrote about the characteristics of the best coffee shops to work (and outlined her top 12). Maria Lavis created a great spreadsheet to add to the list. Both Rebecca Bollwitt and I had written about the importance of coffee shops as places to work (although I admit that I am very blessed because I work at my office at The Network Hub most days)
Sometimes we need to work elsewhere for a change. Clearly, this is an important topic for the many of us who make our working lives portable.
Today I made my way to the Waves on Kingsway and Paterson to do some work in an air-conditioned atmosphere (I like working at this particular Waves because it is fairly isolated from anything else. I don’t get any temptations to go and visit friends, even though I know that Derek and Air do live near by).
Credit: readerwalker
The layout of this coffee shop is good, there are a couple of booths (even though the music thoroughly sucks and I’m listening to my Blip.fm playlist) but the air conditioning system is great (very breezy and cool). This Waves even has a couple of booths (like the ones you can see at diners and/or Milestones, Earls, White Spots). Lots of outlets, big round tables. This is a good space to work. The only problem…
… Students. Yeah, those students that come here to study for long hours. And disrespectful ones at that. Several of them are hogging booths (when clearly they can be seated at a table) and others have spread their papers through the long tables that have the power outlets in such a way that they are occupying the area reserved for three people). As I made my way to find a seating area with an outlet, I asked a young woman whether *that* seat was occupied.
… [awkward silence and nodding affirmatively]….
… [more silence, as I approach the seat]…
Suddenly, she turns to me and asks “do you want to sit here?”. My response? I thought to myself “Um. YEAH? Of course I want to sit there! I know that you have got your 4 books and 3 notebooks and your purse and your cell phone and sun glasses all spread around so that instead of using ONE seat you use FOUR, but um, I kind of need to be connected to the power outlet and I have as much right to sit here as you do, so….”
I just smiled politely while she [VERY SLOWLY] pulled her materials towards her.
… [Awkward smiles back and forth]…
I sit down and decide to give the Waves another look around. Yeah, instances of flagrant violations of basic coffee shop manners are a dime a dozen. Yes, the problem is that we don’t seem to have a set of rules for working at coffee shops. Here is Raul’s quick-and-dirty, I’ve-been-working-in-the-heat-thus-I’m-kind-of-cranky set of suggestions.
1. Don’t hog the booth if you’re coming alone. Sorry, I know that this is sometimes the best way to work (heck, I was writing a PhD thesis and I needed lots of table real estate) but this is a crowded coffee shop. Please maximize the number of people who can be seated. Brownie points and karma will be your rewards.
2. Don’t block access to power outlets. And while you’re at it, don’t monopolize them all. Please don’t charge your iPod, your cell phone AND your laptop at the same time if the coffee shop is crowded. Trust me, we ALL need to be called, listen to our iPods and power our laptops. Which means, I, too, need to power my electronics. Please try to stick to using only ONE outlet.
3. If you have to have conversations, please don’t YELL. And please don’t talk SUPER LOUDLY to your BFF loudly while I’m trying to do some work. Admittedly, it’s a public space and you have a right to talk. But… YELL? Please, don’t. Just don’t.
What other basic “co-working at a coffee shop” rules should be included here? Have your say in the comments section.
Vancouver Pride Week 2009 is upon us and I almost completely missed the boat. Not because I am not interested, but simply because there are so many events this week (and I’m still recovering from Blogathon) that I really haven’t paid much attention.
Credit:no1nose
Criticisms of the Vancouver Pride Parade 2009 are a dime a dozen, but the truth is that, while everybody is entitled to his/her opinion, this coming Sunday’s Parade begun as (and continues to be) a celebration of the diversity of sexual orientations in our communities.
It’s been a long struggle, one that I’m not sure anybody who has never been subject to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation would be able to fully understand. I certainly believe that the community I’m immersed in is really understanding.
I am not particularly impressed by some of the displays in the parade, admittedly, but that doesn’t mean that I’m any less supportive of them.
I will be attending the Pride Parade on Sunday (I will be available on my phone or by text but not online) and I will also be at Pride in Fashion. The rest of this Pride weekend may end up being a blur. And my brain is still not working well.
Working in academia, the standards for delivery of services and payment are quite different. One time, I was meeting with Jonathon Narvey and Joe Solomon and we were talking about my research and several of my forthcoming publications (one book chapter for the International Encyclopaedia of Civil Society on environmental non-governmental organizations, amongst others). They looked incredibly shocked and surprised that I wasn’t getting paid to get a book chapter published in an encyclopaedia. Some of my research has been sort-of unpaid (in the sense that I wasn’t getting any additional salary from the granting agency).
I explained to Jonathon and Joe that in academia, theoretically, you work at a university and you are paid a monthly (bi-weekly) salary for the combined work you do: teaching (both at the undergraduate and graduate levels), research, engagement in university affairs, service to the community (both outside the university and within your academic fields), mentoring of graduate students (and in some cases, undergraduate students too), extension (i.e. teaching continuing education short courses). All of this, yes, for the same salary. I have done all of this at a research centre, and part of this at the university.
I have been invited (asked to/offered/suggested) to write as a freelancer, and I have undertaken work as a contractor/consultant, both independently and as part of a research centre/think tank. Even though you could think that I perceive the life of an academic as MUCH tougher than the life of a consultant, from my own experience (and current levels of stress) I can tell you that they’re both at about the same level.
The interesting thing (and this was something that was discussed over Twitter a few weeks back) is that there’s no guideline as to what a writer/freelancer/copywriter should be paid. There are numerous angles to this discussion but the one that I am approaching is the payment of writing services. I have written thousands of words (maybe millions by now) and I believe I’m a pretty good writer. I can write in academic style and in prose that is more accessible to the general public. I enjoy sharing my academic thoughts and findings on the blog I set up on my research site (and yes, nobody pays me for those).
This blog itself is a labour of love, my repository, the place where I practice my own thinking (I am reminded of the byline that David Eaves uses on his blog – “if writing is a muscle, this is my gym). I don’t get paid for the content I write here (although it definitely has allowed me to create a writing portfolio that has proven valuable). I did write sponsored posts for Blogathon 2009, but that wasn’t payment for the writing, it was a donation (and no monies went to me).
So, I was just looking over the site Writers.ca which provides some guidelines on how much should writers be paid. What do you freelancers/copywriters think? And more on the topic of getting paid what you’re worth, how can we avoid devaluing our work?
I asked Monique to send me some information about the event, which as you may recall, I promoted last year too.
Now in it’s second year – and second city (we’re going to Seattle) – the EE Roadshow is a travelling conference designed to bring ExpressionEngine users and developers together in real life. The conference offers an overview to newcomers and provides in-depth development tips for advanced developers.
Learn tips, techniques and development expertise from others who have been using ExpressionEngine for years, plus meet people in the EE community.
As North America’s only EE conference, it has become a highly anticipated event. Last year it sold out so register now and get the early bird discount.
WHAT: Expression Engine Road Show
WHEN : Friday, October 02, 2009, 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
WHERE : Pravda Studios, Seattle, WA (USA)
You should really try to get your Early Bird Registration (price is $199) and ends August 7.
Also if you or your company is interested in sponsoring the 2009 ExpressionEngine Roadshow, please get in touch with the organizers using the contact form or the phone number provided there:
EE Roadshow is organized by Kevin Shoesmith of Factory Interactive, Travis Smith of Hop Studios, Degan Beley, and Monique Trottier of Boxcar Marketing.
My brain is 100% fried and I really can’t put two coherent thoughts together but I just wanted to say thanks to every single one of my guest post writers. You all made my 24 hour marathon better. It was great to feel supported in the way of having a guest writer on my site, providing a different view and writing style for my readers’ pleasure. Also thanks everyone who donated to my cause, to everyone who visited us at WorkSpace, to the fabulous sponsors of lunch and dinner, everyone who brought us refreshments and snacks (I have some stuff to give away to my fellow Blogathoners as well). Thanks to Rebecca Bollwitt for again giving so generously and organizing the local gathering. You can still donate by clicking here. Thanks everyone. I’ll be offline for a substantial while but feel free to browse the archives.
Not surprisingly, two of my favorite people’s birthdays occur in consecutive days. My Mom’s was yesterday, Erica Hargreave‘s is today. The magic of social media (and the always wonderful Third Tuesday event) were the ones who brought Erica and me together. I would have never met Erica otherwise, I think, because our professional pathways were substantially different.
Erica is an interactive storyteller who has worked in the broadcast/TV world and has spent the past few years bridging new media with traditional media. In addition to her professional qualifications, Erica is one of the best friends anybody can have. Fiercely protective of her friends, always willing to go the extra mile to help, Erica is a fantastic friend of mine and I’m very grateful for having her in my life. Happy birthday Erica, I owe you a beer (and thanks for all your support during Blogathon!). Much love as always.
Yep, today July 26th is Hummingbird604’s Mom’s birthday. My Mom lives in Mexico most of the year but has travel around (Canada and the US) as many of her children (actually 80%) don’t maintain residences in Mexico.
Being a Mom with five boys, I know for a fact that she was with very tough choices. She had to teach her children (along, obviously, with my Dad) about you know, all the complicated issues (girls, romance, gentleman behavior and the value of chivalry). Mom worked really hard (and to this day, still does).
Her passion for teaching was one of the main drivers behind my own (and my brother’s) interest in educating people. I had a chance to talk to her this afternoon (when I was already at Ianiv and Arieanna’s) as she is in Los Angeles visiting my brother. I didn’t want to miss the chance of giving my Mom (as we bloggers tend to do) a happy birthday blog post. For everything Mom did to create the opportunities for me and my brothers to grow, for all the love she continues to give us, and for every single little thing she has done to make our lives happier, I think I owe my Mom a great debt. Thank you universe, God, Powers That Be or whatever. If I was born again, I would ask that my Mom were again my mother. I couldn’t ask for a better Mom.
Unless some miracle happens between now and tomorrow (yes I have some donations coming up from sponsored posts) I won’t probably break the $ 2,000 barrier but I am really delighted that I have been able to raise close to $800 in donations for the BC Cancer Foundation.
Thanks to Rebecca for organizing the event at WorkSpace, thanks to all my fellow Blogathon-ers who kept me going, thanks SO much to all the sponsors and more importantly, thanks to those who have fought and continue to fight against cancer. You rule.
This is Entry # 49 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
Every single post as time progresses becomes less coherent, as you can tell. Personally, I feel that really doesn’t really reflect who I am. I am exhausted, I don’t really have much energy to write, let alone any brain cells. What would I write about then, if my topic is passion?
Well, as you could see from the previous 47 posts, there’s one inner passion that drives me – finding cures to cancer. I worked for a biotechnology company that created drugs to attack very specifically several types of tumors. I have studied the mechanisms through which anti-cancerous drugs work. And more importantly, I continue to be focused in the topic.
I have a vested interest in finding a cure – I have lost two aunties and one of my grandmothers to this lethal disease. I seriously hope that my efforts trying to raise funds for the BC Cancer Foundation can yield us some results!
This is Entry # 48 of 49
If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to the BC Cancer Foundation. You can find my donation page by clicking here. Every bit helps. Thank you in advance!
My brain is 100% fried and I really can’t put two coherent thoughts together but I just wanted to say thanks to every single one of my guest post writers. You all made my 24 hour marathon better. It was great to feel supported in the way of having a guest writer on my site, providing a different view and writing style for my readers’ pleasure. Also thanks everyone who donated to my cause, to everyone who visited us at WorkSpace, to the fabulous sponsors of lunch and dinner, everyone who brought us refreshments and snacks (I have some stuff to give away to my fellow Blogathoners as well). Thanks to 
