Embracing the chaos

I’m a new mom…my daughter is three months old this week and wow has the time gone by fast since her birth. I realized yesterday that while a full year of maternity leave may sound like a long time, it’s going by in a blink. So I plan to enjoy every minute I have with her.

I’ve only been separated for any length of time from my daughter twice, and both times it was to attend Girl Geek Dinners Ottawa (hashtag: #GGDOttawa). As one of the co-founders, I have a lot of fun planning these events, networking and learning from the many smart and savvy women in our city. But wow, is it ever hard to be away from my daughter!

I used to sneer at the term “babywearing” because I thought it referenced your baby as an accessory instead of a person in her own right. I’m still not crazy about the term but I get it. The idea of keeping your baby snuggled close while you carry on with the day-to-day necessities of life (e.g. never-ending loads of laundry to fold) makes sense. It’s comforting for both mom and baby. So I “wear” my baby in a sling as much as possible.

There are times however, when babywearing just isn’t practical. You can move faster and get more done while your baby plays in her bassinet, bouncy chair, crib or playpen. I look around my house sometimes at what looks like the aftermath of a tornado. There is just baby stuff everywhere and the dishes are piling up, not to mention those piles of laundry. All I want to do is tidy up and get my house looking like it did before my daughter arrived.

And it’s yesterday that I realized all of this chaos is the way it should be. Now is the time to enjoy every moment I have with my daughter and not concern myself (too much) with the state of my home. A new routine will work itself out eventually. If my home will looks tornado-aftermath’ish right now, that’s ok.

For now, I’m going to enjoy snuggling my daughter into her sling and doing what we can together without worrying too much about what more I could be doing. For now, I’m going to embrace the chaos.

ps: The movie Away We Go has a funny scene in it where characters Burt and Verona (played by John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph) try to gift a stroller to babywearing mama LN (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal):

LN: [to Roderick] They bought us a stroller.
Burt Farlander: What’s wrong with a stroller?
LN: I LOVE my babies. Why would I want to PUSH them away from me?

Pumpkin soup for your social media soul

I don’t normally write about food…usually I write about social media and marketing…but this is one soup recipe that a) is delicious and b) is very timely to share since Canadian Thanksgiving is just days away. I’ve made this soup several times and always to great appreciation from those I’ve served it to.

It’s a nice way to make something pumpkin’ish without going the traditional pumpkin pie route (although I’m not knocking pumpkin pie in any way).

So here it is. If you decide to make the soup – let me know what you think. I’m pretty sure you’ll love it!

Curried Pumpkin Soup with Masala and Coconut

Ingredients

* 1 small apple
* ¾ cup shaved dried unsweetened coconut (optional)
* 1 tbsp butter
* 1 small onion, sliced
* 1 stalk celery, sliced
* 1 large garlic clove
* 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
* ¾ tsp mild curry powder
* ¾ tsp masala tandoori or garam masala
* ¼ tsp ground cumin
* 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
* 2 ½ to 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock/broth
* 1 cup thick puréed unsweetened pumpkin, canned or homemade
* One 400 ml can unsweetened coconut milk, divided
* ½ cup chopped coriander, divided
* ¼ tsp salt

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.

2. Peel, core and slice apple. Toast coconut by spreading out on a baking sheet; bake in over for 5 to 8 minutes or until golden. Set aside.

3. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and garlic; cook 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in ginger, curry, masala and cumin; cook 1 minute. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute.

4. Slowly stir in 2 ½ cups stock. Add pumpkin purée and apple slices. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Purée soup in a blender or food processor. Whirl in 1 cup coconut milk, 2 tbsp coriander and salt. If soup is very thick, thin with remaining stock. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. (Soup can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

6. Heat and ladle into warmed soup bowls. Drizzle 1 tbsp of coconut milk over each portion of soup; garnish with pinches of cocunt and remaining coriander.

Voilà! Deliciousness.

Curried Pumpkin Soup with Masala and Coconut

Ingredients

• 1 small apple
• ¾ cup shaved dried unsweetened coconut (optional)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 tsp grated frsh ginger
• ¾ tsp mild curry powder
• ¾ tsp masala tandoori or gram masala
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour (Marice you can probably omit the flour without affecting the recipe)
• 2 ½ to 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock/broth
• 1 cup thick puréed unsweetened pumpkin, canned or homemade
• One 400 ml can unsweetened coconut milk, divided
• ½ cup chopped coriander, divided
• ¼ tsp salt

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
   
2. Peel, core and slice apple. Toast coconut by spreading out on a baking sheet; bake in over for 5 to 8 minutes or until golden. Set aside.
   
3. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and garlic; cook 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in ginger, curry, masala and cumin; cook 1 minute. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute.
   
4. Slowly stir in 2 ½ cups stock. Add pumpkin purée and apple slices. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
5. Purée soup in a blender or food processor. Whirl in 1 cup coconut milk, 2 tbsp coriander and salt. If soup is very thick, thin with remaining stock. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. (Soup can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
   
6. Heat and ladle into warmed soup bowls. Drizzle 1 tbsp of coconut milk over each portion of soup; garnish with pinches of cocunt and remaining coriander.

mentors count

At last night’s Girl Geek Dinner (GGD Ottawa) event with Tara @missrogue Hunt, we discussed the importance of mentors in helping with personal and professional success. It can be difficult to seek out mentors but if you take a look around, you’ll see they’re easy to find.

Mentors serve as a trusted teacher or counselor, but a mentorship doesn’t always have to be a formal relationship and a mentor doesn’t always have to be a person working in the same field as yourself. Yes, of course it helps to have a go-to person who’s been there and done that and can give you advice or guidance as you strive to reach your career goals, etc. But…a mentor can pop up in the most unlikely places.

If you take a moment, who in your life represents that role? Perhaps there is a person or persons – a friend, relative or colleague – who already fit into this role but you didn’t consider them in this light before. Perhaps you are a mentor yourself without even realizing it.

Whatever the case, mentors are extremely important. Mentorships are a nurturing relationship giving us the courage to bring ideas into action, to take risks and to learn from our mistakes. But the rewards of mentorship is reciprocal. Mentors get just as much out of the relationship and the mentoree. Sharing your knowledge and experiences provides you the opportunity to “pay forward” from your own experience with success and failure.

When seeking a mentor, you first need to define your goals (business goals, personal goals, whatever they may be). What kind of guidance are you looking for? If you have a specific person in mind to fulfill this role – what experiences does this mentor have that aligns with your own goals?

Seek your mentors by networking. This can be a professional or personal process. Attend events in your career field, find people who share your passions and nuture those relationships. Research the Web and join online communities like Twitter to seek people with the knowledge and expertise you’re looking for. This also gives you the opportunity to share your own experiences and expertise.

Mentoring is a lifelong process. Although a mentor may only be in your life for a short time, there is always going to be someone you look to for guidance and advice. And in turn, you can become a mentor to someone else. The process is ongoing!

Last night at GGD Ottawa, Tara counted her own personal mentor in helping her to keep moving forward with her dream to own her own business even when her first attempt to own a business didn’t work out so well. I count my mentors as a mix of people in my personal and professional life who have helped me build confidence to pursue my career goal in social media. I’ve also mentored students entering the marketing field and count it as one of the most fulfilling experiences in my life.

Take a look around. Who are your mentors? What have they helped you to achieve? Are you a mentor yourself? I’d love to hear your stories.

it’s been a while

So I realize that blogging is a full time commitment and I’ve let it all run amok when it comes to this blog. It’s been a hectic few months for me on the home front. I moved into a new house in late June and had a baby a little over a month later. It’s been a busy summer to say the least!

I am excited to get back into blogging again – it’s been too long! One of the hard things about being a first-time mom is not realizing how much time a wee little baby takes up in a day. I knew I’d be busy – don’t get me wrong – but I honestly thought I’d have a few hours a day to myself to do things like play on the computer, read a book or whatever. Ha! I’ve only just in the last few days been able to get my daughter to go to sleep without me holding her and it has taken hours of practice to get to this stage.

All this to say…I intend to get back into blogging here regularly again – amidst feedings, diaper changes and cuddles – so stay tuned!

This transit strike is really…lame

I haven’t written in awhile and I must apologize. January has been busy! I started a new job this month and have been focusing most of my attention on learning the ropes. And with the transit strike now on day 44, I’m just too tired by the time I get home to get online in the evenings to write.

But I digress…

Like many of you I’m a bit put out by this transit strike. The way this whole negotiation process, or lack thereof, has been handled between the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU)  Local 279 and the City of Ottawa. And I’m one of the fortunate ones! I at least have a way to get to and from work, to get my groceries, etc.

What I don’t understand is how the City can say not enough of a safety issue has been caused for Labour Minister Rona Ambrose to declare transit an essential service in Ottawa. I guess they need actual safety issues to occur in order to change their minds? (Interestingly enough, most bus drivers want transit declared an essential service. huh.)

What I do know is that it is unfair of the City to promote and persuade citizens to use the transit system in lieu of driving a car and then let this strike go on for 44 days. Now I know, it’s not just the City at fault. There are two parties at play here. So both sides need to think about the citizens in Ottawa who absolutely rely on the transit system for their livelihood. To get to work. To buy groceries. To drop their children off at daycare or school. To get to doctor’s appointments. And so on.

You can’t offer something, make people rely on it and then take it away. It’s just not a sound business practice.

You can voice your opinion by signing the petition started by Ecology Ottawa to declare transit an essential service in Ottawa. Visit http://www.ecologyottawa.ca/take-action/sign-on/

And for a laugh, because we all need one, check out this sign outside the window of Wilde’s on Bank Street. Priceless.

Help Social Media Breakfast select a logo!

Over on the Social Media Breakfast (SMB) site, Simon Chen of SMB Ottawa has posted a request for readers and SMB attendees from across the globe to help them select a logo.

The selected logo will be used by SMB cities across the US, Canada and Singapore.

There are four logos to choose from so go vote for your favourite!

Psst…my pick is number 3 but don’t let that info sway you.

Opportunity knocks…with Seth Godin

Seth Godin – a marketing guru, best-selling author and entrepreneur – is inviting the right candidates to participate in a six-month “apprenticeship/not-internship/graduate school/charm school track-changing opportunity.”

The idea is to offer people looking for change the opportunity to shift their careers / career direction without having to invest heavy dollars into going back to school. He’s willing to do this for free.

Yes – free. But there is a catch. Seth has some requirements he needs candidates to fulfill:

• You need to be willing to relocate (his office is outside NY at zip code 10706)
• You must speak perfect English
• You can’t smoke
• You have to be nice and smart with good references
• Your business background doesn’t matter – it’s what you’ve done and how you’ve done it that does
• You must apply by December 14, 2008 and be available to start the program January 19, 2009

In this program that Seth calls an alternative to an MBA, he promises to deliver an experience where the selected candidates will do real work (both for Seth and on their own projects) and gain useful knowledge and experience.

And Seth is clear in that he intends to get as much out of it as the selected candidates. As he says,

This is a guided quest, one that delivers value to you (from the learning and the doing) and to me (from the teaching and from the work you’ll produce.)

I think this is a really neat idea and a great way for someone like Seth to give back to his community. If you are interested and think you’re the right candidate for Seth’s non-MBA program, you can access the full application and program details here.

Good luck!

ps: Seth is holding a conference call on Thursday, December 4th so you can ask lots of questions and get a better understanding of the initiative. Conference call details are available on his Squidoo lens (aka page) at http://www.squidoo.com/Alternative-MBA.

It’s all about the journey…

Joe Boughner wrote an insightful post on his blog about finding your dream job and identifying whether you’re on the path towards it. Or not.

He writes,

What is your dream job? And if the answer isn’t “the one I’m doing now,” why not?

Joe brings up a really good question. If you’d asked me ten years ago what I’d be doing now, I never would have guessed I would be writing for the web, using social media tools or even writing for my own blog. Back then when I was starting my career, some of these technologies didn’t even exist yet (gasp.)

But…it is an interesting question – knowing whether you are on the right career path. For me it’s a gut feel thing. Of course other life experiences can have an impact on the path you choose or end up on. I think if there are elements of your job that you love, that give you a sense of accomplishment and pride, you’re on the right track.

It’s when you can’t get satisfaction anymore that you need to start reassessing things. Goals are good for that. I think if you plan to head in one direction…and are willing to adapt these goals when necessary, then ending up in a different place than you thought you would can be a great thing.

Growing up, I thought I was going to be a teacher. I realized part-way through university that it wasn’t the career path for me. I did enjoy writing and communicating, so I changed directions and started a career in communications and marketing. A much better fit.

Am I in my dream job? Well truthfully, my dream job is to be a rock star. I have almost zero musicality. It just isn’t going to happen. Instead, I am quite content to evolve my social media marketing skills and keeping my career involved with the web and interactive marketing. It’s what I enjoy doing everyday.

Setting careers goals is a must but remember, like everything else in life, it’s a journey. Sometimes you end up in a place different from what you planned or anticipated. And that can be a good thing.

Justifying my Rock Band purchase

IGN Entertainment and IPSOS MediaCT recently released findings on a study about video gamers.

Turns out, if you are into video games, you’re more social, have a good family life and have, on average, higher incomes than people who don’t.

This means my recent purchase of a PS3 and Rock Band is completely justified.

Also of interest:

• The average age of a gamer is above 30 years of age
• Gamers are typically early adopters of new technologies and are seen as pop-culture influencers more so than non-gamers
• Gamers are more likely than non-gamers to pay a premium to be the first to try new technologies on the market
• Gamers consume media differently than non-gamers – spending more time (per week) on the Internet, watching tv and listening to music

IGN Quote:

“This study confirms both the active engagement and diversity of the videogaming audience – something our core advertisers have known for a long time,” said Charlie Barrett, SVP of Sales for IGN. “For mainstream marketers, this data serves as a great piece of evidence that videogamers represent a valuable audience of smart, influential and active decision makers.”

So all you marketers out there – don’t count the gamers out!

kimchi and a word about this blog

a delicious Korean sidedish

As I was working to set up this blog, my neighbours stopped by and gave me some kimchi/kimchee/gimchi (choose your spelling).

Ever had kimchi? It’s a delicious Korean side dish, often served with rice. It’s a bit spicy and a great accompaniment to non-Korean dishes too (I eat it in sandwiches and in soup).

So now I am writing this post in between yummy bites of kimchi. It makes the writing part take longer but it’s worth it.

The topics covered in this blog of mine are going to be a bit miscellaneous. However, the main focus will be to share my experiences as a communications professional. And I think a good place to start is to talk about my experiences with social media.

I stumbled into the social media industry just over two years ago when I began working for Ramius Corporation. btw – Ramius is the company behind Sixent, a social networking platform I encourage you to check out…not just because I work for Ramius, but because it’s not Facebook.

Sixent is the answer to the friend-or-not-to-friend question presented to you each time someone “friends” you on Facebook. With Sixent you can create any number of profiles (professional, personal, family, etc) and then share them as you like with your diverse contact network. The benefit is that Sixent gives you the ability to show different sides of yourself to different people. Which makes sense if you think about.

I mean, let’s be realistic. There are certain parts of your life you don’t need everyone with access to Google to know about. The profiles you create in Sixent are tied to pages, groups and content (like files, blog posts, photos and videos) that you can selectively share. So really, what Sixent does is give you the ability to share the right information with the right people. You can check out my Sixent profile at http://melgallant.sixent.com.

Now with Sixent explained, a word or two more about this blog and why I created it.

The reason for this blog is simply this: I’m a social media junkie. I enjoy the conversational elements of it and the opportunities to learn and explore with people around the globe. That said, while I will use this blog to share info, news and experiences related to PR and communications, I will also blog randomly about whatever. Consider yourself forewarned.

And that’s it really. Thanks for reading this far.