Checkpoint

It's the one week mark and I'm still on track.  It's slightly surprising when you consider how late in the day I sometimes post.  To be honest, it's been much more difficult than I thought it would be to sit and write here every day, especially on a day like today when all I want to do is burrow under the covers with an old movie or sit by the fire with a good book.  However, there is laundry to be done, dishes to be washed, and garbage to take out.  It's amazing how six people can make such a huge mess when alcohol is involved.  These are the consequences when you have friends like mine and I really wouldn't have it any other way. 

I've spoken to a few of my friends about my project here and we've all come to the same conclusion.  It's been a week and you can tell I'm still waiting to hit my stride; I'm missing focus and purpose.  While I could try to limit myself to certain topics, I think that kind of defeats the purpose of why I started this in the first place.  This isn't a place for me to develop one particular style of writing or to expound my expertise on a certain topic.  The point of this project is to get me back into the habit of writing every day and to give me an outlet to express my thoughts, no matter how trivial or inane.  Though, I do like to think most of my thoughts and ideas have substance.  I hope you'll stick with me as I try to find my footing and figure out exactly what this blog will become.

On that note, I'm off to run another dishwasher cycle and put through another load of laundry while the Canucks battle it out with Detroit.  Back tomorrow with more random reflections for your reading pleasure...

The Last RSVP

Today is going to be quick since it's Friday and I'm having some friends over to watch the Canucks game and celebrate the weekend =)

Every time someone sends out an invitation to an event, there is always at least one person who is holding out on their RSVP because they are waiting to see what else comes up.  I believe that this is a natural reaction and will admit to being that person from time to time.

However, it seems that EVERYONE IN VANCOUVER does this.  The problem?  How are you supposed to know if you should just cancel your event since you have no idea who is coming?  This never used to bother me until the tables were turned and I became the person who organized events.

Even something as simple as a party invite on Facebook has turned into a battle for responses.  The biggest thorn in my side when it comes to Facebook?  Those that reply maybe and those that live on Facebook but have yet to respond to the invitation.  The maybe's I deal with by including 25% of them in my total expected guests.  History shows that even expecting 25% of maybe's is aiming quite high.

With that in mind - I'm off to prepare for tonight.  But before I go, let me leave you with a simple request.  Give me a break and just reply no already! =p

One

Is it really the loneliest number that you'll ever do?  Harry Nilsson wrote these words ("One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do" for those unfamiliar with the song) in 1967 while sitting listening to the busy signal on the phone one day and I have to wonder, why is it a number that you would "do?"  To me it makes more sense to say that "one is the loneliest number that you've ever SEEN."  But who am I to argue with the words of a song that has been covered by a number of bands, most notably Three Dog Night (famous for their songs "Joy to the World" aka Jeremiah was a bullfrog! and "Try a Little Tenderness")  in 1969.

Now that I'm thinking about how lonely 1 is, the song Mr. Lonely by Bobby Vinton (Released by Epic in 1962) pops into my head.  It's one of those annoying songs that latches onto your brain for days.  Everyone has THAT song - for my sister, it's Remy Shand's 2002 hit "Take a Message."  For fun, we used to call her phone then leave the chorus on her voicemail.  To this day, just mentioning that you have an annoying song stuck in your head causes her to think about Remy Shand and brings a smile to my face.

Any nominees from the readers?  What's the worst song to get stuck in your head?  I don't have one in particular but maybe one of yours will do the trick.

Red Fever & My Stevie Wonder Connection

With the World Junior Hockey Championship over, I'm left with that empty feeling that comes after a stressful, emotional investment.  It’s almost like a mini break up =( Watching Team Canada fall apart in the third period felt a bit like watching the Vancouver Canucks get eliminated by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.  All you can do is play the "what if?" game and wonder.

For a fan like me, it's not the second place finish that hurts.  It's watching these young players deflate with each goal against after playing such a tremendous tournament.  It's coming so close to taking back the gold in the country they lost it to.  I think there is no point in dissecting the players moves after the fact because that's exactly what the players themselves will be doing until they come back next year. 

Something that was a welcome sight was the sea of red in the stands.  Watching the World Juniors gave me flashbacks of the 2010 Winter Olympics here in Vancouver.  It's amazing to see the lengths fans will go to be a part of events like this.  Buffalo looked like it was in Ontario rather than New York with the amount of Canadians at the games over the past week and a half.  These are the fans that grow playoff beards and have lucky socks that don't get changed when their team is streaking. 

While I'm not THAT extreme with my superstitions, I do fall under the category of "eccentric fan."  Now do you get the Stevie Wonder connection?  Released by Motown Records in 1972, it's pretty much my theme song when it comes to game day rituals.  I know I shouldn't fall into the trap but I can never help myself.  Each hockey season brings its own unique challenges for the superstitious fan.  One year I had to wear the same outfit to work every game day which didn't work out very well as I was in the retail industry at the time.  Another year had me listening to U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" and Sloan's "Money City Maniacs" before puck drop.  Two years ago wearing a jersey to live games = a loss, while wearing it at home = a win. 

This year it's a pretty simple system: don't wear any Canuck paraphernalia or anything with Canuck colours (green and blue) on game days.  The only sad thing about this is that I have a collection of shirts that aren't seeing the light of day this winter out of fear.  We'll see what happens now that I've leaked this current superstition.  Hopefully it doesn't lead me back to the start of this post with all the frowny faces of downtrodden players.

Thankfully, all that earlier angst washed away rather quickly as I tuned into tonight's Canucks game vs. the Calgary Flames.  There's nothing like a good Calgary thumping to make me feel better.  Well that and a little SW on the coolest street of them all to close out the night...

Snow, Cookies, Jennifer Lopez & the Truth

Thank you to Shawn and my anonymous "friend...me???" for the tips on my post "Empty."  Sadly the office was bustling today which meant all work and no play.  I don't think I'll try taping my face (since no one would see it if I was alone) or switching the A and E keys on the keyboards since they're all fancy Mac keyboards that I'd be too scared to break.  Womanizer, while a worthy suggestion just seems a little much for our humble office...besides, I'm more of a BSB/Nsync fan when it comes to dance moves =)

It was actually the perfect day to head out on a long walk - half a dozen blocks South to the post office, another four or five blocks West to the bank, then back to the office for more sitting in front of my computer trying to make crazy schedules make sense.  There are two things to note before I return to the office.  One, we were supposed to get snow in Vancouver today.  Everyone was so worried that the streets and sidewalks were salted in preparation (see my image of the day on the left).  I'm all for safety and preparedness, but this was a bit ridiculous especially since there wasn't a flake to be seen in Vancouver (can't say the same for some of the other municipalities aka Burnaby and Surrey).


Ginger Molasses +
Peppermint White Mocha
= Bliss



My second observation is that I've noticed a resurgence of Ginger Molasses Cookies (GMCs) at Starbucks!  Easily the best cookie in the Starbucks collection, it's been surprisingly difficult to find in the stores I frequent over the past couple of years.  This of course meant that every time I saw one I just had to buy it.  Clearly this was a ploy developed by Starbucks to train my subconscious to look for and buy GMCs.  Once trained, they re-introduce GMCs in more stores, rendering me helpless as I try to resist their chewy goodness.  Thankfully, the Starbucks across the street from work is still GMC free...for now.



This is what I wanted to
be - headset and all! (The
Wedding Planner, 2001)



I realize that today's blog is pretty lame.  You can go ahead and admit it and I promise I won't be offended.  I thought of a bunch of topics during my walk today but they all seemed to abandon me as soon as I sat down to write.  One thing I do want to address (as if this post wasn't random enough for you) is the myth that we Event Coordinators/Planners lead exciting lives (see the start of The Wedding Planner, staring Jennifer Lopez).  The reality is that most coordinators and planners are so busy planning excitement for their clients that they don't really have much time to bring that fun into their own lives.  We are a group of workaholic, Type A personalities that suffer from shades of obsessive compulsive disorder.  The downside to being a fledgling planner is that I don't have very many connections in the industry yet so quite a few of my nights are spent relaxing at home with friends and family. 

You are reading the blog of a boring, work-junkie, homebody - now might be a good time to jump ship but I hope you won't.  Sometimes, the truth hurts but it always comes out in the end, and it always hurts more when you try to hide it.  So I'll take the lead in making fun of this post in the hope that you'll find my honesty endearing and believe me when I say you made it this far, nothing but good times ahead (hopefully!) =)

The Quicker Picker-Upper

Is it bad that I laughed
when I read "Pick-a-Size"
under the Brawny Guy?

So I've always wondered who actually uses paper towels to wash dishes or rub out stubborn spots like they do in the commercials.  It always seemed a little ridiculous to scrub dishes with a flimsy piece of paper towel when there's a perfectly good sponge in your kitchen.  This was before I had to clean out our dreaded coffee maker in the office today.  With all the little steamer pieces and internal cracks and crevices filled with mushy grounds, I decided to put the towels to the test.  While they are impressively durable, my one sheet was not up to the task.  I'd say it got about 2/3 of the job done though with is pretty impressive and way longer than I thought it would last for.  It'll never replace sponges and rags in my kitchen, but it's nice to know those silly commercials aren't a total lie.

Empty

Though the title of today's blog may seem like we'll be exploring something deep and meaningful, I can assure you that the opposite is true.  It's more about working alone vs. with others in the office.  I've had to work a few quiet days in the office over the past month but never with both floors completely empty.  As our downstairs tenants are all off until tomorrow (I'm assuming) and my office mates were working from home today, I was all alone.

Any time I have an empty space all to myself, I think of thinks I could do (think Risky Business & Home Alone - blasting music & dancing, running around yelling, etc.).  None of these ideas actually happen (except for the music & dancing when I'm home alone) but it's fun to imagine for a few minutes at least.  At work, the worst I can pull of is playing music softly in the background (which gets shut off the moment the phone rings) and maybe kicking my shoes off under the desk.

There's a bit of guilt involved since I am being paid to be productive, but there's also the fact that I usually have a pile of stuff waiting for me once I sit down for the day.  On a day like today, after the office has been closed for the past week, there's the 50+ emails to sort through, filing, phone calls, and other fun stuff (i.e. changing all the burnt out light bulbs) to get through.  And while it seems like simple tedious stuff, the reality is they are each time consuming and will be continued when I return tomorrow morning.

However, I did find that I got through much more than I thought I would today without the distractions that office companions create.  Whether it is loud phone calls or intercom requests, I find it extremely easy to pause and gauge where everyone else is in their work day.  Plus, when both my office companions are at work (Jen is our Communications Manager and Amy is our Managing Director), I find there's a bit of nervous energy.  I am still on probation after all so it's easy to imagine all of my moves are being monitored and scrutinized.  It might be my imagination but it's almost like everyone's waiting for me to screw up, which thankfully hasn't happened yet.  Yes, everyone is being helpful and supporting, but they traditionally haven't had the best of luck with assistants in the past so I don't really blame them for thinking this is going too well to be true.

That aside, the only downside to being alone at work is the fact I CAN'T leave.  This normally wouldn't be a problem except I didn't bring lunch today, assuming I would be able to take a sunny afternoon stroll down the street for a sandwich at Terra Breads (W5th & Manitoba - so yummy!).  This plan was obviously foiled when I got the email that Jen is still sick and working from home.  Thankfully, the family was not too far away having dim sum at Sun Sui Wah (Main & 23rd St - everyone that works here knows my family because we're here so much!) and agreed to drop off a bag of goodies on their way home.

I'm almost hoping that no one shows up for work tomorrow as I'm sure to get through absolutely everything on my list is I was alone but this is wishful thinking.  On the off chance that it does happen, I'd like to ask my dear readers (all 3 of you) to suggest what daring activities you would do (on your designated lunch break) in an empty office.  I'll let you know tomorrow if I actually used any of your suggestions!  Until then...

The Resolution

It's tradition to commit to a resolution at the start of the new year then watch it fall apart during the month of January.  I can't think of a single person I know that has actually managed to stick to their resolution for the entire year.  Personally, I haven't made a new year resolution since I was in high school because I knew then as I do now that the things I resolve to stay away from are those I have no will power against.

Will this year be any different?  Perhaps, but it doesn't mean I've made any resolutions to date.  Maybe the trick is to pick something ridiculously simple to do, thereby guaranteeing your success.  But then again, where's the fun in that?  I always find there's nothing quite like the stress and panic of deadlines and pressure to succeed.  Coincidentally, that's why I chose to go into the event business.

With the constant hustle and bustle I've found a world in which my vampiric sleep tendencies and inexplicable need to please others is an asset.  It's a constantly evolving industry and I hope to be an integral part of it some day soon.  Now that I think of it...my resolution this year should have something to do with establishing my place among the giants.

I resolve to WORK (not volunteer) a minimum of 8 events (those that consist of 100+ guests/attendees) this calendar year.  I figure anything less is underachieving while aiming for 1/month (12 all together for those that don't want to do the math) could be wishful thinking.  Thankfully, because I'm a contractor, any large event I plan for myself will count towards this total since I'd be paying myself =)  Sneaky bugger, I know, but let's face it...I could use all the help I can get!  Let the job hunt continue...