to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

I don’t have a good excuse for missing February 10th and 11th. But I do have a good excuse for the 12th, 13th, and 14th – I’ve been sick with a cough and cold the last three days and have barely been making it out of work alive. But I am better today, so I’m ecstatic. We, or I should say “I”, take my health for granted. Just a small cough and cold is enough to make you not want to do anything. It’s a good reminder to stay on top of your health and keep strong because we forget what it’s like to get sick – it really sucks. Productivity plummets and everything else comes crashing down with it. I am also in a habit of getting through coughs and colds without any medication, making the recovery process a lot slower and more painful, but because it does wonders for your immune system, I do it!

Anyway, happy belated Valentine’s Day. I hope there was overwhelming love.

I know I said I’d give an UnMarketing debrief today, but it’s 11:00pm and my brain is fried and I’m struggling to write a cohesive sentence, so I’ll have to pass yet again.

I have a small thing for horses. I’ve actually always kind of wanted a pony. It was always more of an unrealistic desire, but a desire nonetheless. On one hand, I wouldn’t mind living in a quiet home in the countryside with a stable. On the other, I want an all-funky, all-artsy loft in the city with a vintage dutch bike. And on another, I want a half modern, half shabby chic home in the suburbs. I guess I want a lot of things.

Scott Stratten is a compelling speaker and is absolutely comedic. I’m too exhausted for an UnMarketing debrief, so I’ll talk all about it tomorrow! Sweet dreams. :)

Discovered a cool tune today – my favourite kind of day. Over and Over by Hot Chip. If you like the sound, then check out Ready for the Floor as well.

I’m going to see Scott Stratten speak tomorrow evening at Ryerson University; he’s the author of UnMarketing, a book on Social Media that has sparked raving reviews. I’m excited; mostly to learn from an expert but also to be seated in a lecture hall again. I miss school so much, I’d go back in a heart beat.

“You were a big fish in a small pond, but this here is the ocean and you’re drowning.”

If you’ve never seen Big Fish, try to make it a Friday night movie date or something. It’s really a beautiful fantasy drama film. Tim Burton captured my heart with Edward Scissorhands long before he captured my heart a second time with Big Fish. And he quickly became one of my favourite directors; quite the master of whimsical, magical movies that are just oozing with imagination and creativity.

I stopped by Michael’s Arts & Crafts to restock on pink twine and ended up rummaging through a bin of discounted rubber stamps. Like most things on sale these days, they weren’t anything spectacular, but like most things in life, if you work a little harder (in this case, dig a little deeper into those bins), you do end up with a few gems like these that only the patient and persevering customer can find ;)! A regular priced rubber stamp at Michael’s is between $6-$12. These beautiful stamps were only $1.50 each. What a bargain. :) I definitely got a little bit stamp-happy on the two packages I sent out today – one to California and one to Maryland.

Nike’s JUST DO IT.

“I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” -Michael Jordan

MJ said it best. I really can never ever feel good about myself if I haven’t at least TRIED. Trying and taking the shot is mandatory and is really the bare minimum to gaining anything potentially great out of life.