Announcing A New Professional Chapter

I made the decision in January to look for a new job and leave the BIA. I took my time, over 6 months actually, to find a good place and time to go. I wanted to focus more on communications and marketing again, but this time at a company instead of the public service. I was looking for better pay, an inspiring environment, and challenging work - in short, I was being picky. I still worked my ass off applying and interviewing at places but I was making a point to find something perfect.

And I did!

Because of a maternity leave vacancy, and some networking connections I have in Liberty Village, I was given the opportunity to interview at an amazing company that I have admired for years - Forrec. "Forrec is a planning and design firm that specializes in the creation of entertainment and leisure environments worldwide." Our focus is on Theme Parks, Water Parks, Entertainment Centres, Resorts, Retail & Mixed Use, and Museums & Science Centres. There are around 100 employees in Toronto (the office is in Liberty Village, and includes a pool table for employee use) who specialize in architecture, landscape, interiors, graphic design, and general creativity. I started on July 24 and have joined the marketing team for a year. I am completely enthralled thus far, and love it more everyday!

My Dad's Songs, P!nk

Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A post about my Dad each Sunday, named after a song that he loved.

My dad likes all types of music. So tons of songs remind me of him. Including this one:

P!nk - Perfect

He had a lot of P!nk's songs, but I always liked hearing that this one was on his playlist.

NOTE: After publishing this post, I noticed that I started it in the present tense again. However, it appears that I switched it for the past in the short second section of text. Normally I would correct spelling/grammar upon noticing errors after posting - but I am not going to with this one.

Dogs On A Caturday

Jason and I are looking after 3 dogs this weekend. (The littlest one is James', the black one is her brother's, and the larger one is her parents'.) Instead of invading Two's space for three days, we are spending most of the weekend up at James' parents' cottage near Collingwood, which they have graciously lent to us so we can look after the dogs somewhere that has a good yard. It is really quiet and relaxing.

Back To Blogging

As you may have noticed, I took a small break from Always Standing. My last post was July 7, and I decided to take the rest of July off as the summer started to get very busy and I developed a bit of writers block. I made a mental note to start blogging everyday again in August. (Mum says I should have announced this sabbatical.) I hope all my readers tune back in!

My New Summer Drink

I love the Vanilla Chai Frappe at McDonalds. You can only get them at the 'fancy' McDonalds that also have the McCafe. I really wanted it to be the new treat I get on road trips and hot summer days. Usually I get an Ice Capp from Tim Hortons, made with Chocolate Milk. But the Vanilla Chai is so creamy and I love the flavour of chai especially when it has been sweetened.

Well, the internet ruined my dream. I decided to look up the calorie count and compare. Of course, you can't actually accurately compare since the portion amount of their sizes don't match. I chose to look at the 'Small' for both since that is what I always order at Tim Hortons. With the Ice Capp, I need to get a small size because I don't want to have too much caffeine. I usually do not order the small size when getting the Chai at McDonalds, but let's pretend I do.

Here are the facts:

Vanilla Chai Frappe
McDonalds
Size: Small (352ml)
Calories: 400
Protein: 6g
Fat: 17g
Carbs: 56g
Sugar: 55g
Sodium: 135mg

Ice Capp - with Chocolate Milk
Tim Hortons
Size: Small (380ml)
Calories: 160
Protein: 3g
Fat: 0.5g
Carbs: 36g
Sugar: 36g
Sodium: 60mg

I was shocked at the difference! I definitely need to stop drinking the McDonalds Frappe! The portion size is smaller, yet it has more than twice the calories. Getting the Ice Capp made with chocolate milk helps a lot, since it is normally made with cream, which takes the small up to 250 calories and gives it 11g of fat. Because the chocolate milk used at Tim Hortons is 1%, it basically makes the Ice Capp fat-free. The sugar is high in both as is the sodium, I don't even know why they would need that much salt in there, especially McDonalds.

The other main thing looking this up has taught me, is that not only should I be getting an Ice Capp over a Frappe, but I should be getting it made with normal milk instead of chocolate milk. The normal milk used at Tim Hortons is 2%, which brings the fat content of a small Ice Capp up from 0.5g to 1.5g. However, it really cuts down the sugar and therefore the total calories. I think I am going to try make the switch to plain milk, and I am not going to get the chai anymore. (I can find other, healthier, ways to enjoy the flavour of chai.)

My Dad Can Dance

Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A post about my Dad each Sunday, named after a song that he loved.

I thought about the title of this post for a long time. It is hard to move into the past tense sometimes. I just don't feel comfortable saying, "My dad could dance." (A lump forms in my throat and tears come to my eyes just typing that.)

But the truth is, he really could, can, did.

I love when guys (men, boys, males of all ages) dance. I think the key element is confidence. Just get out on the dance floor and do it! Having some rhythm is also helpful. It is amazing when people also know fancy dance steps and how to dance in pairs. But the very basic part is a comfort and enjoyment of dancing, and I find it sad when people don't have that.

Dad had a decent sense of rhythm but what really made it magical is how much he loved doing it. It wasn't even a case of confidence just a case of not caring what he looked like. He loved music and he loved dancing. Every time I hear Footloose, I am going to try to dance at the feverish level he always did - which I know from experience is exhausting but so much fun.

Two's Holiday

Teri is going to pick up Two tomorrow and look after her for the week. Since Jason has been working so hard for the past year, his work gave him this coming week off. I would love to go on a little trip - to Montreal, or Quebec City or Chicago or anywhere. However, we don't really have the money to do that and are still planning on going to NYC in the Fall/Winter. So, instead, this week we are going to The Cottage to spend time at the beach with my family and to Ottawa to visit friends. Teri and Greg agreed to cat sit, while we are away. I hope Two behaves herself.

Let Me Buy You An Owl

I watched her hair turn into leaves.
Don't play with your punctuation Timmy!
It isn't everyday you see your eyebrows.
Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk.
Here, let me buy you an owl.
Why can't it always be Tuesday?
I wish that you'd seen me before I started knitting.
Walk the dog. Walk the dog. Walk the dog.
You shouldn't take the sidewalk at face value.
I can hypnotize my goldfish with a spoon.
Don't make me show you the tea towels!
Take it now. Take it now. Take it now.
Don't park on the coral reef.
Thomas takes everything to the other side.
Please watch the bananas.
Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.