A couple of days ago, I was selected as one of the JLC Reviewers for tonight’s pre-season game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings. The puck drops tonight at 7:00pm at the John Labatt Centre here in London, ON.
In exchange for a pair of tickets to the game (and a bonus surprise of a few concession vouchers!) all that is asked of me is to blog about the experience as others have before me through the JLC Reviewer experience. I can certainly get behind that.
I just got back from picking up my tickets and was lucky enough to bump into the man behind this great initiative, Chris Campbell, so I took the opportunity to thank him personally. Great guy! After I left I did what most do and that was take a peek at where the seats were situated. The pictures below will give you a better idea but….wow! Just, wow!
The hype is building and the puck drop can’t come soon enough! I’ll be snapping a few pics, sending out some live tweets and of course a blog post will follow. A quick thanks (of what will probably be many) to the John Labatt Centre and to Chris for the opportunity.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of meeting one of London’s great photographers, David Redding. You may have already seen several of Dave’s recent portraits through his Real London series of artists and creatives within the community.
David’s recent undertaking is a series of photographs for individuals wishing to utilize the portraits in their various social media personas. I’ll leave the rates up to Mr. Redding to discuss but in my opinion, this recent project of his is well worth his time and yours.
David’s approach is professional and friendly and for someone like me that can barely crack a smile on a good day…David puts you at ease and displays great patience. Very typical of someone who excels in their craft. Technically, the guy really knows what he’s doing and it shows in the quality of his work. Now, if only he knew how to turn a frog into a prince 😉
That’s kinda me…seeking out and finding great places to happen while making many stops along the way. I believe the secret (if there is one to share) is in taking the time to see what’s out there.
Lately I’ve had the luxury of time to dig a little, network a lot and offer my help/services where I can. It has helped me learn more about the people, services and businesses in my community to a larger extent. I understand that not everybody has the time to invest in ‘making stops along the way’ …working life and family life can fill up a person’s plate pretty quickly. However, if there is a piece of advice in here somewhere, it would be to perhaps pick one thing….one thing that you’ve wanted to learn or assist with in your own corner of the world and share your expertise, offer up your skills or just donate some time to a cause.
Where this awesome Tragically Hip tune and I differ can be found in the first line of lyrics, “I’ve got a job”
I’d probably be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t let it be known that I am still keeping an interested eye out for a potential career. Many of you know this about me but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to put the reminder out every so often. Soon I’ll be updating my other blog with a resume to view and a summary of skills and achievements if anyone cares to view. Currently, I reserve that space to let others know the projects and ideas I’m working through in my spare time.
With any luck, I’ll be able to marry the two…perhaps one of my many stops along the way will turn into my next big gig. Until then I’ll keep looking for places to happen.
If we’ve talked. If you’ve followed my tweets. If you are interested in some of the ideas and projects I have been working on and that I’m developing in my spare time…
Well, you can now see for yourself.
I have put together a little list of things that have caught my attention lately. Ideas and projects to either make things in the community a little better or assist businesses/organizations with their public exposure.
If you know me then you know I’m passionate about helping, partnering, collaborating and improving and these fundamentals (I hope) can be seen in the areas that I’m working on.
The list is rough. The formatting…rougher. Hey, I never claimed to be a web guy. On the contrary, I’m an idea guy. So if you have an idea…let’s talk. If you like one of mine…let’s collaborate. And if you have comments or critique…I would also love to hear that too.
I figured it was that time again to put out another stream of consciousness regarding me, the space in time that I’m currently occupying and perhaps touch on some plans going forward.
I last wrote about ‘easing up’ on my personal filter through online writing and getting more involved. Wading in, if you will. I received some wonderful comments and better still, some reflections from others on how they tend to wrestle with full disclosure vs. limited sharing. All that said, I hope to share a bit more than what is typical for me and..that..will…starrrrt….now.
So, I’m not working. A lot of you know this particular detail about me while some of you may not. Call it a blessing in disguise or a kick in the ass, in any event, at this particular space in time..I’ve made it work to my advantage. This development came about just as the summer was kicking into high gear. I have two kids (teenagers) that would be off for the summer and that was a factor in my thinking as to either chase down employment again or take the summer off to spend time with them instead. I eventually chose the latter.
Like all fairly big life decisions, it wasn’t that easy to come by..this ‘not actively seeking out work’ thing that I settled on. I did have a brief foray into sending out resumes for various positions. I attended some interviews, had great conversations with businesses and organizations in London and gained perspective on the whole exercise. What made the difference for me recently was that I went into my last interview at a London business with a plan in mind. It was simple..if I got the job, I was going to Love It and work the shit out of it (they’re a great company and would’ve deserved nothing less from me)…or…if I didn’t get the job, I was going to take the summer off, spend time with my kids, re-evaluate my goals and get involved with my community. It felt pretty good to have that much decided going in.
Now the rock and a hard place part…
(Maybe that’s not the best title for this post but it just came to me and I’ll explain why)
On the one hand I have two kids and I’m not working so the one surplus I have is time. This has enabled me to get out and meet with some great people here in London, share ideas, brainstorm, attend events and ultimately shape all of this into something I want to do and am very passionate about and that is to start a project, turn it into a business and give back to the community I live in.
On the other hand I have two kids and I’m not working so the one deficit I have is a lack of funding. Oh there is ‘some’ but I’m a single parent and also doing this on my own so I’ve learned to budget well over the years. But the funding isn’t so much the issue.. I mean, sure it would be nice to be on a payroll again but what really plunges me into thought is the absence of the personal work, learning, research and connecting with others I’ve been doing with the free time I’ve had versus the potential of rejoining the Monday to Friday crowd.
Either way and for now you should expect to see more of me out there as I’m milking this free time for all it’s worth. I cannot say enough wonderful things about the people I have met and those that have taken the time to listen to me ramble on about this idea and that. The friends I’ve made in this short time span have blown me away. The goofing off at festivals that I’ve done with the kids is time well spent and the ‘patio socials’ whether they’re fuelled by coffee or beer are a pleasant diversion.
So a big thanks to all for your input over the past little while, for the advice that you’ve shared, the time you’ve invested and just being around to listen (or read)
It is very much appreciated.
I was out the other night on a regular walk through my neighbourhood. There isn’t a time or day blocked off on my weekly schedule for this jaunt, I just like to get out and think on things and get a little exercise whenever the mood strikes.
I used to take these walks with a different focus in mind (pardon the soon-to-be-revealed pun) and that was to grab my camera and get out for a photowalk. I’d capture a few scenes, photograph people and urban streetscapes and almost always, I’d snap something that I thought turned out really well and would surely head me in the direction of home for immediate upload to flickr.
And now…not so much.
As mentioned, I do get out for walks but now I rarely take my camera with me. I can’t tell if it’s because I’m slumping or worse…slipping. I don’t feel that the passion for photography and what I perceive is an eye for it has diminished in any way but the mood just isn’t striking as much as it has in the past.
So back to the other night…
As I was heading back home, coffee in hand and deep in thought, I almost missed this slice of life that resulted in a neat little image. I walked by this ‘Guy In Bus Shelter’ and out of some weird compulsion I turned back to take a second glance. He was standing inside the shelter and was obviously writing on the walls (with his finger…no ink). What immediately caught my eye about this scene was that there was a great deal of condensation on the glass walls of the shelter and combined with his dark silhouette and traffic light illumination from the distance…all the ingredients were present to capture a noteworthy image.
And, you guessed it…I didn’t have my camera.
However, I did have my phone on me so I approached the fellow in the shelter, asked him if he wouldn’t mind me taking his picture and he obliged. So he went back to writing and I went back a fair distance and did my best with what tools were at my disposal. The result was interesting (enough that I think it warrants a blog post) and as technically proficient as an iPhone can muster but far from what I would have liked had I been brandishing a real camera at arms length as I have in the past.
Perhaps that’s it though…just utilizing what you have when you are stricken with the need to capture a moment. I wonder how this image might have turned out if I had the abundance of settings a dSLR provides? I’m sure the limitation of photographic options in this case plays a part in the way it’s viewed, but I’m also thinking that along with the list of ingredients that make up this shot…a splash of spontaneity and a cameraphone as a mixing spoon might have been the way to go.
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