Laughter really is the best medicine …

I can’t tell you how many times I ‘ve heard that over the course of my life and I’m pretty sure you’ve probably heard it more than a few times, too. Laughing has never been a problem for me, I’m blessed with a pretty good sense of humour and it’s stood me in good stead over the years.

Being able to laugh, especially at myself, has helped me get through the ups and downs that are part and parcel of all of our lives and I’m grateful for that. But it was when my mother passed away that I learned that it’s okay to smile and even chuckle during the most solemn of occasions.

After my mother’s funeral, the Rabbi came to the shiva to lead the evening prayer. When he was done, not

Seriously unglued …

It’s been a shitty month. Literally. Bartlett, my cat has been sick. Woke up one morning and one of his eyes was shut. Took him to the vet. It wasn’t serious — a little ulcer on his eye — something must have irritated it. 10 days of antibiotic ointment cleared it up.

However a complete examination revealed he has some kidney disease. The vet said it wasn’t that bad, changed him to a kidney diet and

Losing it …

As you may have noticed (or maybe not), I am trying desperately to steer clear of writing about U.S. politics. Aside from the fact that it’s stressful and aggravating, there doesn’t seem to be any point to it. It changes nothing.

Hence all my recent trips down memory lane.

Sadly, though, even if I am trying my best to remain silent on the subject, no one else is.

There doesn’t seem to be any escaping “45”, his (insert swear word here) family, his cronies, his partners in crime, his sycophants, his tweets and 

I’m having one of those days …

… when I’ve got a bunch of disparate thoughts running around in my head. They’re all unrelated, but they are on my mind; and you know me, I love to share. So here goes:

A friend of mine recently wanted to change her communications provider. It should have been simple — two phone calls at most. One to the current provider, cancelling her services and one to the other provider, setting them up.

Turns out she was without email or voice mail for several

Who knew my reaction to the election is not unusual …

I read a fascinating article in last Sunday’s New York Times. It’s about how the election is sending America to the couch,  a whopping 52% of Americans, to be precise. Both Republicans and Democrats, by the way.

Before we go any further, though, let me clarify. In my case, there is no therapy involved. I have nothing against therapy, far from it, but for me, a Canadian, to get so carried away over this presidential race that I’d need to talk to a professional about it would be quite

I’m in the dog house …

Bartlett, one of my cats, is pissed off with me.  Majorly so; and he’s giving me the cold shoulder.  I catch him giving me dirty looks sometimes, too.  Trust me, he’s very good at letting me know where I stand.  Which at this moment in time is very low on his top-ten list of favourites.

I didn’t do anything per se, I swear.

Thing is, when I worked full time he was used to not having me around all the time.  But in the six or so years I’ve been freelancing he’s become accustomed to me being home a lot more.

If I was going to be really honest with you, which apparently I am, I’d admit there are some days I don’t go out at all.  There are some days I’m so busy writing I don’t ever get out of my

The perfect spot …

The other day Michelle (The Green Study), a blogger I follow, wrote about her quest to find the perfect place to write; and then asked us, her fellow bloggers, to share how we “create space and time to work.”

When I reviewed my rather long-winded (sorry, Michelle) comment I thought, to myself, “This isn’t a comment, it’s a blog post.” So I decided to keep Michelle’s idea going by sharing what works best for me; and hopefully you’ll be inspired to do the same.  Here goes:

I am one of the lucky ones. A career as an ad agency writer/creative director has

The tighter they are, the better I like it …

No, I am not talking about my jeans.  Or Spanx.  I’m talking about deadlines.  Yeah, I’m one of those sickos who loves deadlines.  I thrive on ’em.  So needless to say this WordPress Daily Prompt is right up my alley:

“Do you thrive under pressure or crumble at the thought of it?  Does your best stuff surface as the deadline approaches or do you need to iterate, day after day to achieve something you’re proud of?  Tell us how you work best.”

It’s a good thing I’m a stress junkie, because advertising is all about deadlines.  They’re a constant and they’re brutal.  And they seem to get worse and worse all the time.  As I think about it, it’d be a stressful business even without the deadlines.

Why?

You try sitting in front  of a blank computer screen every day waiting for an idea to hit you, or words and sentences and images to start forming in your mind.  It’s not easy, trust me.  I’ve been doing this for a

Day 270. At Ease …

Ahhhhh … it feels SO good.  A two-day break from movies.  A two-day break from trying to fit client work, my blog and HotDocs into sixteen or so hours.  It’s amazing how much time it all takes.  How much time it takes up.  How little time it leaves for ME.

I have to admit, I’ve been a bit stressed trying to get it all done.  It’s not like I’m crazy busy.  Writing a blog every day definitely does add pressure, but I love doing it.  My client work load is certainly manageable.  And I’ve only been seeing one, and occasionally two, docs a day.  So what’s the big deal?

Well, by the time the cats are dealt with, my blog’s posted and I’m showered, fed and dressed it’s late morning.  Until it’s time to leave for the theatre, I’m busy taking care of business.  When the films are in the evening, even early evening, it’s not bad.  But when they’re in the daytime, it really interrupts my day.  And ends up putting pressure on me.

When you’re going to regular movies during the year, you just have to get there before they start.  Even if you’ve got seconds to spare.  But with festivals you want to get there at least a half hour prior; and, if you’re particular  about where you sit (aisle seats, close or far away from the screen, etc.) you have to line up early.  An hour or

Day 226. A Mystery

Yesterday I spent some time talking about advertising.  It made me think a lot about the industry.  And the people who are attracted to it.  As I said, it’s very stressful, and not just occasionally.  It’s pretty much the norm.

The hours are long.  There’s no such thing as overtime pay.  Budgets are tight, and getting tighter all the time.  There’s never enough people.  There’s never enough time.  The pressure is always on.   The days of 2-or-3-hour, 4-martini lunches are long, long gone.  Never to return.  If they ever really existed at all.

So what’s the draw?

Why do we want to work in the business, to begin with?  Why do we knowingly walk right into the fire?  Eyes wide open.  What keeps us there?

Are we masochists?  Martyrs?  Gluttons for punishment?  Into pain?  Stress junkies.  Out of our minds?

What’s with us, anyway?  What’s the common thread?  Do we all have a gene no one else has?  Or are we missing one, most