Category: Totally Random

When I had my headshots (above) done almost 4 years ago by the amazing Donna Santos, I thought they were a frill, and it was hard to justify the cost.  Now I know that having professional photos is a must for entrepreneurs.  I use them everywhere – on my website, at speaking events, in social media… and I gotta say, when my professional pics are published next to amateur ones, you can really tell the difference.  Professional headshots have really helped me stand out.

It’s time for me to get new pics, so Donna and I have teamed up to create a headshot day with packages that include hair, makeup, and photos.  This is a serious deal, and I’d love to share it with you.  If you can be in Toronto on February 28, you should join us.  Sign up for your spot here – there are only two spots left!

(see Donna’s business portraits on her website here.  There are some impressive people in her portfolio!)

Here’s a fun idea I saw on Twitter this weekend – fill balloons with water & food colouring, then leave outside to freeze overnight. Remove the balloon and you have giant ice marbles!  It’s seriously chilly in Toronto right now – a perfect time to try this out.

I love these images of people diving under waves from Mark Tipple’s Underwater Project.  They kind of remind me of these photos by Barbara Cole.

There’s a neat video on the photographer’s website showing how he shoots the images.

[via Twisted Sifter]

I read a few parenting websites, magazines, and the occasional book about parenting.  One trend I’ve noticed recently – there’s a real emphasis on Dads.  Particularly stay-at-home Dads, or Dads-as-primary (or at least equal) caregiver.  Two examples I’ve seen in the last few days: style blogs are blowing up with the launch of Kindling Quarterly,  a new magazine about “exploring fatherhood”.  And this “I’m Daddy and I Know It” video of a Utah Dad looking after his 5 kids (including triplets!) has gone viral on YouTube.

The magazine and the video seem unrelated (an uber-hip Brooklyn publication and a suburban Dad in a minivan) but they definitely have one thing in common – they’re unapologetic.  They seem to say “Hey, we’re Dads, we’re proud, and we’re here to stay.”  As Kindling Quarterly says, “men who are active caregivers are not a novelty.”

I LOVE this.  I see more and more Dads on the playgrounds and at playgroups here in Leslieville, and in our house, parenting is a completely equal task.  This is groundbreaking stuff for our generation, and modern Dads need our support and encouragement.

[image of Bill Cosby as Dr. Cliff Huxtable – one of the most awesome Dads ever (fictional, but still awesome)]

Lovely.

By J. Gutierrez, featured on Twisted Sifter.

I’m on the front cover of the Life and Entertainment section of the Toronto Star today, in an article about breast reconstruction.  The piece is about the “show and tell lounge” sponsored by Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada, which happens on Wednesday as part of Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day.  I’ll be in the show and tell lounge, showing off my fake boobs.

Yep, they’re fake (but aren’t they rockin’?!?!).  I had a preventative double mastectomy 3 years ago, because I have “the breast cancer gene” (BRCA 1), which makes it difficult for my body to fight breast and ovarian cancer.  My mom had the gene, and she died of ovarian cancer at the age of 52.  Not me, no thank you.  Hence the preventative surgery.

You can read more about my situation on my “Diary of a Mutant” blog here.  And read more about Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada and the BRA Day here.  And of course, check out the article in the Star here.

My regular readers may have noticed that I’ve been a massive blog slacker lately.  I’m not ignoring you… really… I’m just finding it hard to squeeze everything in to my busy days, and the blog has been suffering.  I’m sorry.  I’ll be back soon, I promise!

In the meantime, I figured I’d tell you what I’ve been up to…

My Web Design Biz:
– designed and launched this
– designed and launched this
– two more website launching any day now
– three websites I just started on

Camp Tech:
– two successful workshops in September
– Email Marketing workshop tomorrow night
– two WordPress workshops in October, including our first ever Intermediate level workshop

Conferences, Events and Things:
– I attended FITC Screens last week and had my mind blown
– I attended WordCamp on the weekend and met some really lovely people
– I’m going on my first official business trip next week to teach a seminar
– I’m speaking on this panel October 18
– I’m attending this conference October 19
– I’m attending this conference October 20
– I’m speaking at this conference November 1
– I’m attending this conference November 3-4
– I’m attending this event December 1

AND, I’m SOOOOO EXCITED that I purchased my ticket for An Event Apart San Diego in May 2013.  I’m going to meet my web design idols in person!

Wow, I’m exhausted just looking at that list.  Onwards and upwards…

[Everyday I’m Hustlin’ Tattly Temporary Tattoo by Arianna Orland. Somebody buy it for me, please]

This made me smile.

[via TwistedSifter – read more about the artist and his work here]