Erin's Journals

Welcome in – and why not a Friday free-for-all today? After a week of travel, adventures and mishaps of my own making, I wanted just to wrap (and clear) a few things up.
 
I posted a picture of a heart-shaped bruise on Facebook on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, I didn’t say it was a bruise (just a reflection of how we all can feel at times) and some thought it was a melanoma. I love how caring you can be and am grateful for the advice and concern. 
 

 
But it was a bruise. My bad. I got it (and one on the other calf, too) because I haven’t quite got these handlebar brakes down yet. If you stop the front tire first, you can get bucked pretty well. And that’s what happened a few times when we were out late last week making some late-summer memories.
 

 
Also, I mentioned Terry O’Reilly yesterday and with apologies for sounding like a fan gurrrl (which I totally am) I would like you to know the date of his first road show: next Thursday Sept. 27. Here’s the info and I will personally refund your money if it’s not some of the best you’ve ever spent to hear a brilliant man just share wisdom and tell stories. 
 

 
And one more from Regina. I didn’t really get a chance to take in the city, but I sure saw one of its jewels – emerald coloured at that – Mosaic Stadium. It’s where our event was held on Wednesday night and the venue overlooks the field where the Saskatchewan Roughriders play. 
 

 
Unfortunately, I had a slip of the lip at the podium that evening: in listing Dragons’ Den star Michele Romanow’s accomplishments, I said, “I could go on, but we’d be here ’til the Riders win the Grey Cup.” I meant UNTIL NOVEMBER, but some in the crowd of 180 took it to mean…forever…?
 
I get folks who are touchy about sports teams (I mean, Toronto’s Stanley Cup memories are in black and white, for heaven’s sake!) but I did mean November, dammit! Haven’t been booed for a while. (Note to self: don’t make sports jokes. People could think you’re not on their side and that’s what a stranger coming to emcee does NOT need!)
 
And so there you go. A few self-inflicted injuries: one on my calf, one due to a foot inadvertently put in my mouth. But mostly an end to an adventurous week. As always, I am grateful but, of course, the number one reason is because you’re here to share it with me.
 
Lots more stories next week – and enjoy these lovely last few days of summer. I hope you made some warm and wonderful memories. Have a great weekend!
 

And hello from the beautiful Hotel Saskatchewan. After a two-hour flight yesterday from Vancouver (following ten minutes in the air on an ocean/puddle jumper from Victoria) I arrived at Regina’s airport. Quite similar to that in Kelowna, I didn’t really have a chance to take in its offerings (but will today as I fly out early this afternoon).
 
My hopes of doing a little sight-seeing were, of course, sidelined by the more practical job that I was hired to come to Regina for to begin with! I checked in at 1 pm, made a coffee, put on my face and then grabbed a quick bite in the hotel restaurant with one of last night’s stars, CBC/podcast host, author and marketing guru Terry O’Reilly. I love this man.
 

 
And I’m certainly not alone; a woman who’s very busy organizing the Sidney Fine Arts Festival (which I’m hosting next month) is such a huge Terry O’Reilly fan that she was quoting him liberally during our first meeting. I brought with me a dog-eared copy of his book that belongs to her, so that she could have it inscribed by this inspiring author (that’s her copy of the book on our lunch table).
 
He happily obliged and passed on to me that he and his wife, along with Paquin Entertainment, are starting up a tour where he talks to business owners, sharing stories and wisdom from a career in advertising and marketing that has seen him cross paths with such stars as Alec Baldwin and Ellen DeGeneres. He’s a fascinating man and no matter how many times I hear him speak, I come away with just another spark for my soul’s pilot light. And getting to spend time just talking with this brilliant man gets me too revved up to sleep!
 
And speaking of inspiration…I wanted to introduce you to a book that I’m only halfway through, but which provided not only a wonderful bit of distraction on a cramped flight from Vancouver, but reminded me of just how a book can touch you.
 

 
Lisa Lisson is President of FedEx Canada (the first female in the company to hold that position and the first Canadian president). We met years ago when she was giving a keynote address at a women’s conference at the Metro Convention Centre and I was emceeing. (How lucky I am to get to cross paths with the most amazing people!) 
 
About a month ago, Lisa’s publicist reached out and asked if she could send me a copy of Resilience: Navigating Life, Loss and the Road to Success. I replied in the affirmative and have made time to read it. I’m so glad I have – and that she reached out!
 
Lisa’s book is that rare combination of life lessons from both a business and a personal standpoint. You read very clearly the direction of vision she had for her career from an early age (she was the kindergarten teacher’s helper) and how she rose from assistant in marketing to president of FedEx in just 18 years. Her advice ranges from specific to general, but all of it is enlightening: she tells of not even opening job or partnership applications from people who sent them via their competitors (like Purolator or UPS). That makes a lot of sense.
 
She also shares wisdom she has passed on to her children, whom she was raising with her handsome, healthy and young husband until a tragedy befell the family. You can Google the story, but you just may want to read it instead. Lisa has laid it out beautifully – going from business lessons and stories to the struggles she faced as her husband was in a hospital bed with machines helping him to breathe. It’s quite a story!
 
I am grateful to women like Lisa who share their stories with others. For people who think that those occupying corner offices in high towers have no challenges or painful decisions to make, who have not made sacrifices in their own lives to help make a mark on the world, books like this might provide a glimpse into the real stories of inspiration behind the trailblazers. 
 
Do yourself a favour and download or pick up a copy of Resilience.
 
As Lisa wrote in an email:

I have been reading your journals and thanks in advance for sharing resilience. When I talk with people about being resilient, I tell them that it can be learned (which I found out). It’s not one of these “have to be born with it” traits and that gives them great hope.
 
With love and gratitude,
 
Lisa

Believe me, the feeling is mutual. Have an inspiring day and I’ll be back with you to wrap up the week tomorrow.
 

Well hello! It’s funny how this “reWirement” thing has been working out: months after I’d decided to call it a wrap on my radio career, a publisher comes to me out of the blue with an idea that I should write a book.
 
What they call the ARCs (Advanced Reader’s Copy) are now in the hands of people who are writing blurbs or the foreword; it’s an unproofed edition of the book that is the last step before actual final printing and distribution. I still can’t believe this is all happening and I’ll share more with you as the publication date approaches in five months and one week. Just let me tell you that this has been a journey I couldn’t have imagined taking, but one that has been incredible nonetheless. 
 
Oh, and for the record, I didn’t quit radio to write a book. Someone has mistakenly suggested that and I’m sorry to tell her that no one (save Bob Woodward or a few very famous authors) gets rich through writing. We were already planning our new life when this dropped into our laps. So there’s that.
 
Another unexpected perk has been business travel, which I am on today, probably as you are reading this! I fly from Victoria to Vancouver and then connect to Regina, where tonight I’ll be reuniting with author, broadcaster and marketing guru Terry O’Reilly and Dragons’ Den‘s Michele Romanow for another Canadian Real Estate Association evening. (The photo below is from a CREA event last fall.)
 

 
I’m excited about this for a few reasons: first, a reason to put on lashes and get on a plane (I will be fully clothed, too, for that matter) and to see Terry and Michele and the CREA family again during this emcee opportunity. But I’ve never been to Regina! I haven’t even set foot in Saskatchewan, for that matter, and I guess it’s about time.
 
I have a friend who’s contemplating a next step in a career that has been fruitful, but also, of late, especially difficult. Like so many businesses, hers has seen severe cutbacks, meaning that she has taken on the work of many, while still maintaining high standards and successful outcomes to her projects. It’s taking a huge toll on her and, as she ponders her future, I just keep hoping to prove an example that there are so many different adventures that can await you, if you take that leap and seek out a happier life. 
 
We’re getting to that age, many of us, where we stock up on as many condolence cards as we do birthday cards. It’s a fact of life that no one is guaranteed any tomorrows. Anyone who laments “don’t get old!” hasn’t stopped to think about the people who would have given anything to have a chance to do just that.
 
A favourite aunt (who’s turning 87 today, as a matter of fact) often says those words to me and when she does, all I think about is Lauren. I don’t mention her; my aunt’s memory is not what it used to be. But I feel the same about people who complain about getting older or having another birthday. Why is it human nature to do that? 
 
But I digress. My message to my friend is just to imagine how many doors will swing open and how many opportunities will present themselves when she just gets a chance to breathe, to look around and to see the possibilities she didn’t even notice were there. 
 
That’s what has happened with Rob and with me. I’m not sure where this ride is going to take us next, but I’m flying high – quite literally – with optimism for whatever is around the corner!
 
Talk to you here tomorrow. I’d better remember to set my watch ahead!
 

Oh, the irony: I’m in a time zone where shows like the Emmy Awards begin at 5 o’clock in the afternoon and are done by 8, and I have no alarm set for 3:30 am to get up and talk about them! Ah well. Hope you enjoyed last night’s show, if you even remembered to watch. With so many non-network offerings out there, it’s not surprising that TV awards shows are seeing their ratings slide. It’s likely a direct correlation with viewership of regular network shows.
 

 
I am happy to say that reading about its multiple nominations made me seek out The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime and it’s one of the best shows I’ve watched in ages. Set in the late 1950s, a housewife finds herself distraught, drunk and hilariously doing stand-up in a club that her husband used to frequent.
 
Her life as a comedian, kept secret from her super uptight parents (Dad is played by the always great Tony Shalhoub) and as a separated mom of two, is a tightrope walked by actress Rachel Brosnahan with courage and spirit. Note: there are plenty of F-words in the show (Lenny Bruce even shows up a few times) and if that induces pearl clutching, this show may not be for you. But oy, what a great find! I was only sorry that Season 2 has yet to be released! Love Mrs. Maisel! (And I’m happy to see that Emmy voters do, too.)
 
Now to something I can’t yet bring myself to watch, but that was must-see for us during its first season: The Handmaid’s Tale. Set during a dystopian time when fertile women are kept strictly as chattel and expected to produce children for the couples who basically “own” them, I felt a heaviness while the policies of the government south of our own border were settling in.
 
And since that first season, it’s only gotten worse: children and parents being separated, women continuing to risk losing rights and control over their own bodies and a self-professed serial sex offender at the helm of the country, making decisions about appointing other possible offenders to the highest posts in the land. I really don’t know if I can settle in and take on another season of this show, given how things continue to devolve around us. How much is life supposed to imitate art, and vice versa? 
 
And so an entire season just sits there, awaiting a time when I’m in a good enough or bad enough mood to watch it. I don’t know if that makes sense, but it’s where I am. 
 

 
There’s a documentary that came out last month that I’m steeling myself to watch as well: Active Measures outlines Russian efforts to manipulate world events. Of course, we’re talking about Putin and Trump here, and the fact that it goes back decades makes this doc even scarier.
 

 
But for a lighter look at where we are now – if that’s possible – this Friday marks the release of the TIFF hit, Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9 in many cities. You’ve undoubtedly seen or heard Moore on the talk show circuit leading up to this week’s release, discussing why this November could possibly mark the last election in the United States. Sounds like hyperbole, I know, but wait until you see the way he connects the dots. Not all superheroes wear capes (or look hot in tights, for that matter).
 
We’re hoping to see it with friends next Monday, but I can’t determine for sure if ‘everywhere’ includes Vancouver Island. In the meantime, check out The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, if only for the episode featuring the wonderful Jane Lynch. 
 
Tomorrow, I’m off to Regina (where the forecast is for rain and 9C). I’ll fill you in…thanks for coming by and have a great day!
 

Welcome to a brand new week! Not often this year have I felt a twinge of envy about the weather in the place I used to call home, but hearing about temperatures in the upper 20s made me a little wistful. While we were treated to two days of on and off rain (mostly on), I still couldn’t complain: Alberta had snow last week and it’s still summer! And, of course, one needs only turn on the news to see how a few days of intermittent rain is nothing like what’s happening in other parts of the world. I love a tweet from former CBS news anchor Dan Rather yesterday:
 

 
Just a perfect bit of perspective. 
 
And now, to something completely silly.
 
A strange bump has arisen on the inside of my wrist, between the base of my thumb and my watch band. At first, because of a tiny red dot at its center, I figured some spider had munched on me in the night. It didn’t hurt and isn’t itchy, so I figured, no harm.
 

 
Our of curiosity, I Googled “spider bites” and my first diagnosis was wiped out. Nope, not a bite; I’m pretty sure it’s something that has an awful name but is pretty benign: a ganglion. Pronounced “gangly-un” it’s just a cyst that should disappear with time. But I’m embarrassed to tell you how I think I got it: gaming.
 
Yes, playing an online game. It’s no secret that I’ve got a competitive streak half a mile wide; I come from a family of four sisters who were raised to meet and surpass each other’s accomplishments (whether overtly or implied). It served me well in my career and a shared drive to be number one in the highly competitive radio business. But now, I have channeled that into a silly word game. It’s called Wordscapes.
 

 
You are given a certain number of letters and you connect them to fill in blanks. There are no time limits and you earn coins that are only good for buying hints, should you need them.
 

 
Wordscapes is similar to the immensely popular Words With Friends. Just before the Labour Day Weekend, I saw on my iPhone screen there was a tournament for players. So I got in. I played game after game and was leading at various times during the weekend (despite being offline while volunteering at the fair for big chunks of three days).
 
Still, on Monday evening, I was surprised to see player Kate come seemingly from nowhere and beat the pants off me. Rob suspected a bot; although he was being supportive, I was doubtful. Still, it appeared highly unlikely that anyone could rack up the points she was accruing in such a short time.
 
So, this past Friday, I saw a tournament posting again and thought, why not? I started playing. Rob played along, calling out words as he sat next to me and spotted them. 
 
As the weekend progressed, I bounced between first and second place among the 50 players. Last night, we were pleased to have held on to earn another 2000 useless coins. Here’s a screenshot of the close-to-final tally. Yes, the game name I used was Lauren. I had been using one of our silly nicknames for her and then thought I might as well use her name instead. No idea why I didn’t just put in my own name! I guess I wanted her to be playing with me. Who knows? Anyway, here are the standings with 38 minutes to go.
 

 
So what’s this got to do with my wrist? Partway through the weekend, I noticed some pain in my left thumb and knew right away it was because I’d been holding my iPhone for hours. It didn’t stop me from continuing to compete; I wanted to see if something popped up near the end of the game to sweep through to first place. It didn’t.
 
But I’ve a souvenir of that win that I didn’t count on. At least I think that’s what it is. One thing I do know for sure: I probably won’t be taking part in another one. It was fun, but there’s a lot more to life than a word game, no matter how it got the juices flowing and my brain clicking again or what a lovely diversion it was from the rain!
 
Have yourself a gentle Monday and thanks so much for coming by. We’ll see you here tomorrow.