Year End 2010

Looking back on 2010, it’s one of those years I felt like I walked three steps forward only walk backwards two steps.

It’s been a good year on the personal front, I hosted my first photography exhibit at Sovereign House, represented the Oakville Camera Club on the governance advisory board with the future Queen Elizabeth Park Community Cultural Centre and negotiating rental terms for our future meetings in 2012 in the same facility.

I made some headway on the IABC/Toronto Marketing Communications Committee with the partnership file, I opened up a new relationship with the MESH Conference and I know the executive board is excited. Two other partnerships are coming back which is good but like everything the devil is in the details.

With my job search in what amounts to a stagnant economy I learned something valuable, while there is one posted job description you see as an applicant, there’s another, in the head of the hiring manager or committee, and you won’t know about that job description until you are actually in the job interview. It comes down which of the “nice to haves” become must haves in terms of skills and experience.
I think 2011 will be much better on the job front, more interesting leads are coming to the surface which is good (fingers crossed).

Somewhere in the back half of this year I fell in love, been a long time since that last happened and unfortunately it’s unrequited. We known each other for a couple of years now and we have what I call a practical chemistry between us along with shared interests and goals. I have not told her as of yet and I’m not sure if it’s even meant to be, thank lousy timing for that.

For me 2011 is a blank roll of film, I have no idea what images will appear over the course of the year. I don’t make resolutions as a rule. Piece of advice, you want something to stick make the change on your birthday. That being said, I do want to give yoga a shot and get back on the running bandwagon again...

Travel is another part of my plans for the coming year, I’m overdue to revisit New York City and I have a place to stay in Manhattan, all I have to shell out for is travel and food.

Finally I have plans for another photo exhibit this time with my brother Alex and it’s going to be really cool. Stay tuned for developments on that front.
Happy New Year and may 2011 bring prosperity and happiness to you and your family.

Boxing Day Sales and Brooks Brothers

As a rule, I try and avoid shopping malls like kryptonite during the holiday season, especially on Boxing Day. As I get older I can’t stand the crowds anymore, however there is one sale I got up early for, the Semi Annual Brooks Brothers blow out.

The best time is first thing in the morning like around 8 AM when the store opens, my friend and colleague Lindsey rode shotgun with me. She surfed the Brooks Brothers website but never got a chance to shop in person. We shopped to our hearts content, she picked up some sweaters and a pair of cords and I walked away with three sport shirts. I think we left around 9:30 AM and went for coffee.

I’m a second generation Brooks Brother’s customer, my dad used to shop there when on vacation in the US for their dress shirts, especially the oxford cloth button downs. I got a taste when traveling to Chicago on business back in the late 1990s but a .63 cent Canadian dollar held me back. When they opened up here in Toronto, I picked up some OCBDs in blue, white and in the blue university stripe. I wanted a connection to dad’s memory and I am evolving towards a timeless personal style.

So why get up early to shop at Brooks Brothers under the Royal Bank of Canada headquarters? I started shopping there back in the spring and what sold me was the customer service along with classic style. Yes it’s not cheap but Brooks Brothers does not make disposable clothing either. Those OCBDs I mentioned one paragraph ago are going to get about eight to ten years of wear out of them. H&M it’s not. I rather own a few pieces of high quality timeless clothing rather than a closet full of threads that will date quickly and fall apart, don’t get me started on men's shoes.

Year End

Wow, 2010 went by fast. I have been quiet of late for a couple of reasons, namely working on the Capture Oakville 2010 exhibit launch which is hanging until the first week of January 2011. Other things cropped up too and was not in a chatty mood, I had to sort out some personal issues which kept me up at night. It's ok now, I figured things out and I feel great.

The job hunt is what it is, 2011 will be a better year.

I finally picked a smart phone, an iPhone 4 and I could keep my old voice plan and tack on a 1 GB data plan on top of that. I have a learning curve because this is not my old Sony Ericsson.

Stay safe out there and enjoy the Holiday Season.

Edit:(Hug someone you love and have fun, lots of it)

Bill