a round on me

* today, one of the magazines at the publishing company launched its iPad app and, to celebrate, hosted a candy buffet! there was SO MUCH CANDY. a bunch of us gathered to enjoy it and to make repeated return visits to the enormous bowls full of candy (jelly bellies, M&Ms, pearson's mints, wine gums, sour keys and red licorice!) until we'd filled our cupboards (and stomachs) with enough to last a lifetime. or, at least, until next wednesday. mmmmm, free candy!

* both mom and YB are thinking about adopting cats. in mom's case, and especially now that my visiting aunt (read: a distraction) has left, the house feels empty and she misses the constant company kyle provided. she wants to wait until after my father's radiation treatments are done, though… or, at least until they've settled into a routine with it. for trix, it's the need for a pet (she would go for "cat therapy" chez mes parents, but can no longer do that) and the desire to perhaps discourage wayward mice from taking up residence behind her walls or in her attic. she's heard tiny scratching sounds of late, and i think that's amped up her desire to have a four-legged friend padding around her pad before autumn hits. oh, and she says she'd actually get two so they wouldn't be lonely during the say while she's at work. two cats! :-D

* it continues to be hot in toronto, though we did have a few days of much more moderate, breathable, livable weather, which was very nice. today, though, the heat has returned and, with it, my after-work loitering at the office. i'll likely be here until about 7pm today, and then i'll walk home so that i don't get into my apartment until closer to 8, when the sun is already lower in the sky and isn't baking my north-facing windows so much. on the upside, being at work late means i stay cool for a few more hours; on the downside, it means i get home more much later than normal… so, it'll probably be cereal for dinner tonight.

* unless i stop at whole foods on the way home and pick up something easily portable and heatable there. but whole foods isn't cheap, and i'm not sure i want to carry a container of spillable food for 20 minutes. going uphill. the waffling continues.

* yesterday, i did seven phone interviews in a row. one right after another. it was for a testimonials-based story, and i was chatting with many seniors who'd all gone on the same cruise. initially, i thought the day would be an absolute nightmare (based on what the client wanted me to mine from these folks for the piece), but it turned out really well. everyone was very chatty, even the ones i'd feared would be monosyllabic and uncooperative. now, of course, i have to transcribe all these interviews, which is not an easy or speedy process. i am procrastinating as i type.

* i have found a new writer whose work i enjoy tremendously. well, she's not new to the world or anything, but i've just newly found out about her. her name is sloane crosley, and she writes hugely witty, smart and clever essays that make me want to be a better, wittier, smarter and more clever writer. plus, her first book is called I Was Told There'd Be Cake… so, you know. sold.

* Big Brother starts tonight! and, thus, for the next 14 weeks or so, i will spend sunday, wednesday and thursday nights with julie chen and company. bring on the slop pass! in related TV news, i have started watching The Big C and like it very much.

* facebook has, once again, become a source of frustration for me. more and more, i find my FB friends are using the site almost exclusively for repeated marketing messages, and are confusing "friend" with "fan" or "client." in my opinion, if you have a business or a project or an event, create a page or group for it, let your friends know, let those who are interested join, and then direct all your online marketing to THAT page and its members. not your friend list. a few messages are fine. daily reminders? exhausting and annoying and cause to embrace the "hide" function. i'm pretty sure the CEO of sears isn't regaling his personal contact list with announcements about appliance sales or discounts on towels, and i can almost guarantee the president of ford isn't inundating his college buddies and grandkids with status updates detailing new leasing options for the fusion. working for the business magazine, i've learned a lot about how best to maximize social media as a marketing tool, and having your friends (on FB, twitter or wherever) turn you off completely because you've buried them in self-promotion, advertising or pleas for cash is not the way to go. smart businesses follow the 1-in-10 rule: for every marketing message you put out, you need to engage your followers with 10 non-marketing messages. not the other way around. and i would think that goes doubly when it comes to your friends. /end of rant.