Halloween Eve

Sunrise on Demers Drive on October 30, 2011

Procrastination is the mother of invention, at least that's what I'll keep telling myself as I avoid putting together a conference session I'm delivering on Thursday in Edmonton.  I tend to ruminate on these kind of things till the last possible moment, waiting for inspiration for strike.  This is the title of the subject of my presentation:

SOCIAL MEDIA AND POST-SECONDARIES – BE NOT AFRAID:  Traditional media usage is declining at an unparalleled rate as social media channels explode in terms of total participation and “hours tuned”. However, organizations of all kinds, including most post-secondary institutions, still focus the bulk of their time and financial resources on that ever-shrinking traditional piece of the media pie (some say traditional media has fallen to below 15%). Why do you need to hop on the social media fan bus? Because, as former Alberta Energy Minister Murray Smith sagely said: “if you want to go duck hunting, you need to go where the ducks are.” This session will illustrate the power and potential of building your social media presence, and provide a compelling argument why choosing not to do is no longer an option.

Sounds exciting, yes?

So as my brain simmers in the background, seeking a path to go down on this social media adventure, I'll write a Wood Buffalo Update.

I hopped on the scale this morning, as I've been doing quite regularly since August 27th when I started my Ideal Protein journey, thanks to the inspiration provided by Warren, Cindy and others.  What I saw surprised me, as I have dipped underneath the low water mark that I thought had been achieved 8 days ago.  Don't get me wrong, there's no complaint in my observation.  I'm in Phase 3 of the program, less than a week away from the finish line, eating a gargantuan breakfast on a daily basis, but not putting the weight back on.  Life is good.

What do I mean when I say "gargantuan" breakfast?  How does two eggs, three strips of bacon, half a grapefruit, and two toasts with butter sound?  Yummy!

Breakfast like a king. Lunch like a prince. Supper as a pauper.  That's the long-term plan for me, with the exception of one day a week when it is "mandatory" to have whatever I like!  That delightful direction comes into play next Sunday.

My progression from plump to trim

While the east coast of the USA gets hammered by an early season snowstorm, we in the north have been spared from the dreaded white stuff.  The good weather is helping out all our friends who are trying to get as much road work in as possible before the finality of winter.  Our new 5-lane bridge opened up earlier this week, the largest in Alberta in terms of deck size.  Unfortunately, we won't feel the blessings of this new structure as concurrent with its opening came the closing of the two original bridges.  One will get resurfaced and the other will get a significant makeover.  It'll be a number of years before all 9 lanes of the three bridges are fully functional.

With Councillor Scott on the new bridge moments before it opened

We welcomed the new Premier to Fort McMurray on Thursday.  It was nice to meet her in person and spend time with many of her ministers.  It turns out that Alison Redford is a contemporary of Therese Koturbush, originally from Kamsack, my hometown - they are old friends from law school.

While I go from function to function in these heady days of autumn, Heather remains busy with the many prongs of her practise: yoga lessons, reiki, baby massage, therapeutic massage, yoga teacher training, craniosacral therapy (the newest offering) and probably more that I've forgotten.  Today she is teaching teachers.

Dylan is enjoying his first weeks as Vice President of Dr. Clark School's student council.  They had their first dance of the year which he described as being "crazy".  I'm not exactly sure what that means, but as long as the phone doesn't ring with a panicked principal on the other end, I won't worry about it.

Ben has enjoyed the first months of being in Cub Scouts.  Trying to fit things in has been challenge, but Leader Andrew Thorne has been enormously helpful in picking Ben up on those days that prove impossible to manage for Heather and I.  He is prodigiously working on his Artist badge and several others as he approaches his investiture this Thursday.  The Cub Scout promise, motto and law rolls out of his brain, across his tongue and out his mouth without hesitation.  We are proud of his efforts.

Tomorrow is Halloween.  Dylan will haunt the neighborhood with his 3D zombie outfit while Ben will scare the kiddies with his scream face.

We hope you have a spooky spectacular day tomorrow!