He had a front row seat to cool
My Dad, Tom, was a television cameraman for more than three decades. He covered 8 different Olympic Games. He was gone every spring, covering the play by play action of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. He was a part of the broadcast team for countless CFL Grey Cups. He traveled the country and the world doing Indy races, Commonwealth Games, Brier matches, pro golf and more. He was behind the camera when the Pope & Queen came for visits, at G7 Summits & other major news events. He was the play by play camera for pretty much every Oilers game you saw […]
When you haul your butt up a mountain
Whether you’re hiking, climbing or skiing, when you use your legs and feet to get up a mountain, you discover: Perspective. It’s obvious that as you climb higher, your point of view changes. How a mountain or valley appears from up high is different than it appears when you are down low. But the mountains give you more than just a different view. Mountain tops give you a different way of looking at life. How you look at yourself, nature and our place within it changes with gains in elevation. When you are surrounded by the results of geologic forces […]
My favourite books of the last year (or two)
It’s been awhile since my last favourite book list. Admittedly, there was a long stretch when I was hard pressed to find a good book, let alone recommend one. And then the drought ended and good books started to flow again. Some of the selections below were published this year, while others are a year or two old. Regardless of their birthdate, in my opinion, all are worth the effort. As you Christmas shop or plan your holiday break read, keep these gems in mind: Descent Tim Johnston Once I got into this book, I could not put it down. […]
Ten lessons after ten years in business
Ten years in business comes with a lot of hard work and a little good luck. For those that don’t know me, in 2005 I started a communications and marketing consulting company called Freestone Communications. We are small but forceful, providing communications counsel, support and service to a variety of organizations of all sizes and shapes. After ten years of this awesome ride, I figured it was the perfect time to share what I have discovered thus far. 1. Money is not the motivator. Many people start their own business, buy a business or dream of owning their own business […]
Significance
On October 2, 2012, Edmonton will step up once again with the opening of Valour Place. Valour Place is like Ronald McDonald House, but for injured soldiers as it provides “hope away from home” for Canadian Forces and RCMP members, veterans and their families when they are in Edmonton for medical treatment and rehabilitation. Valour Place is significant on so many levels. It’s the first home of its kind in Canada and it’s right here in Edmonton. It’s an initiative led by the community, for Canada’s military community. A team of hard working and connected Edmontonians took an idea conceived […]
It’s the little differences
It was 45 degrees outside, humid as hell. I had just gone for a run in the gym on the ex-pat compound I was staying at in the Middle East. As I walked back to my friends Colleen and Mike’s home, I was thinking about how I would describe what it was like here when I got back to Canada. And then I heard Vincent Vega’s voice in my head (John Travolta’s character in Pulp Fiction). “It’s the little differences.” In this classic scene from the 1994 cult movie favourite, Vincent tells Samuel L. Jackson’s character about the little differences between […]
My crystal ball
Let me start by saying I don’t believe the polls. We’re hours away from an Alberta provincial election and throughout the entire campaign, the release of polling data has been a daily sport. From the beginning, all of the polls have been pointing to a majority or minority win by the upstart and unproven Wildrose Party. With all due respect to my market research friends who do good, solid work, I struggle to wrap my brain around the poll results. I don’t think this struggle comes out of denial or a desire to see a different result, but simply because […]
The Old Boys Club: A Memo to Members
Dearest Club Members: Recently there has been discussion in the media about the Old Boys Club. I write this memorandum to reaffirm the rules surrounding your membership so the Club can continue to be a thriving, secretive force dedicated to upholding tradition. For all communications with non-members, you are asked to dispute the Club’s existence. When asked about, or when you hear reference to, the Old Boys Club, casually state, “The Old Boys Club no longer exists. The times have changed”. The presence of women of various ages and younger men in business, government and community circles provides us with […]