The Blog According To Buzz

I am my own worst critic.

Before publishing anything, I will write draft after draft after draft. Rarely does something get written in one sitting and then put out. I will stir topic ideas around in my brain for days before I act on them, emailing myself tidbits, links, and angles. I have more than 40 drafts of posts sitting in the queues of my blog networks – and there are more than a few of them.

Currently I write for this blog, cyberbuzz.com, and DadCAMP.ca. The editorial schedule is what I make it, as these are my personal blogs. I contribute to Future Shop‘s Tech Blog a few times a month, and I write 5x a week for Babble.com. I developed the website for my Community Association, and keep it updated with local news and events. Until this week, I was also a contributor to the Global Calgary Sunday Morning News.

The obsession is not just before the content is created. After I push a piece, I can’t just let it lie. I analyze the traffic, I will re-edit the copy, I will tweak the layout. I am never really “done.”

My efforts are spread across a diverse genre of websites, not to mention the “real job” I have hosting the top rated midday program on XL 103. I fully subscribe to people picking up  freelance work when that work doubles over what they are already doing.  If you can work once and get paid twice, you come out ahead.  This tv assignment, however, was just taking up too much time.

My parenting blogs are easy to write because they flow from the stories of life with my kids. The tech stories, however, have been harder to create of late. It’s just a little beyond my sphere of expertise. I’m not spending 40 hrs a week playing with gadgets, reading trades, and analyzing announcements and rumors. While I understand the world of social media and technology, trying to come up with effective segments for the tv show was becoming more difficult and taking up too much of my brain.

I would stress about the segment beforehand, and watch it afterwards criticizing myself for missing key points, or stumbling through explanations.  It didn’t make sense. I had a week to create a 4 minute segment, but I couldn’t do it without getting anxious.

So this week I tendered my resignation to Global Calgary to end my Sunday morning stints at the desk with Reid Fiest and Bindu Suri on the Sunday Morning News.

The last one was a thrill, because of renovations on set, I got to suit up and sit behind the big desk where the 6 o’clock news is read and where ‘the magic happens.’

I love being on television, I honestly believe that’s where my career arc will eventually end, but I had to make a choice and this was not the right assignment at the right time.

This is the second time I’ve decided to leave a great tv gig. The first was walking away from Daytime on Rogers Cable. It eventually became Urban Rush for Shaw, and is now known as The Rush. Before it was Fiona Forbes and Mike Eckford, it was Fiona and Buzz.

Those two did just fine without me, celebrating more than 15 years together and growing a “little cable talk show” into a national brand.

I look forward to being in front of a camera near you again soon. In the meantime, I’m still behind a mic and keyboard.

#RightHereYYC | Tourism Calgary | BePartOfTheEnergy.ca

Is this what your Calgary looks like?

A new video from Calgary Economic Development, Tourism Calgary, the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre and the Calgary Hotel Association has been released and highlights Calgary as the best of all worlds, a perfect Utopia that makes you believe it is always sunny and smiley in our city filled with runners and skateboarders.

“As Calgarians, we know our city is young, creative, innovative, cultural and urban and it’s important the rest of the world sees this too,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “This new promotional video showcases our city’s unique energy as well as the incredible local talent who brought this story to life.”

Some have wondered where the older people are. True, Calgary is one of the youngest cities in the country, but we do have a vibrant population of boomers and seniors like everywhere else – are they not welcome to move to our home? Others have called the video generic, it could be used for many cities and there’s not enough in the clip that uniquely screams “This Is Calgary!”

‘Right Here’ included 280 Calgarians, utilized 21 Alberta-based crew and was written by local award-winning writer and composer, Mike Shields. In addition to the video, the agencies involved now have more than three terabytes of b-roll and photos to use in future marketing efforts.

It’s a highlight reel, I get that. It showcases the best of our city in a beautiful, wonderful, inspiring way. It’s gorgeous and nailed the fact that Calgarians love to run (although there are more days in toques and mittens on the pathways than tiny tank tops).

It’s a terrific homage to what Calgary can be if we take the time to celebrate all that we have “right here,” (and they didn’t even touch on the gorgeous mountains in our backyard). Still, I might draw the line Calgary being considered a paradise sailors would want to call home – chances are they’d end up disappointed .

SEE ALL THAT’S BEEN SEEN IN CALGARY

There’s always been a piece of me, in the back of my mind, that would like to run for office. I am now closer than ever to making that a reality.

Last year I joined my local Community Association giving me a window on civic politics. Now, as the next round of elections loom in October, I find myself looking farther on the horizon to see if there are opportunities.

As my sons grow to school age, the business of School Boards is now one of the most important things in my life. From busing fees, to school locations, to zoning, and curriculum, I have an opinion on issues that 5 years ago meant nothing to me.

The more I sit and watch the issues facing the Trustees at Calgary’s Board of Education, the more I find myself shaking my head at the board’s inability to make common sense decisions and plan for the future.

I have written a few editorials [here and here] expressing my frustration and over the past few weeks I have been doing research at what it would take to actually run for office and try to affect the change I seek from inside the system instead of yelling at a brick wall from outside.

I went to an information seminar this week held by the Alberta School Board Association for prospective trustees. They ran down the expectations, the responsibilities, and the work load. Many people think of School Trustees as glorified members of a PTA, but they handle budgets worth tens of millions of dollars, and are responsible for shaping the future for our children.

As the meeting went on, I realized now is not my time.

While I am passionate about a few issues directly affecting the schools (or lack of schools) in my ward, I’m not well versed enough on the school system as a whole. The workload, while described as part time, is better suited for someone who wants to work part time instead of someone already with a full-time job who would increase their workload to more than time and a half.

I met some great people who are just as frustrated with the system as I am. I will support these people in the October elections, and I will start a few rungs lower on the ladder. I will join the system at the School Council level. I will champion the issues I’m passionate about at the micro level, while paying attention to how things work in the system.

So, despite the anticipation of some, I will not be running in October 2013.

October 2017? Maybe.

This has been a great learning experience that has made me more aware of this level of politics. While 70% of taxpayers don’t currently have children in the jurisdiction Calgary School Board, this is an important level of civic politics that needs good people making decisions that will affect our future. We need well rounded, happy, healthy, and engaged kids. That starts with engaged voters. Take some time to learn about the system, and place your X proudly this October.

Ask anyone from the prairies if they’ve tried purple gas, and they’ll look at you sideways. Purple gas is something for farm vehicles. It’s gas that is dyed and has reduced taxes. It’s not something you necessarily “try.”

Calgary’s Big Rock Brewery, however, is leaning on the prairie name for the brand of it’s new prairie inspired brew. Purple Gas is a wheat ale flavored with Saskatoon berries, and agave. It’s not quite purple, but it’s got enough nostalgia and curiosity in the combination to pique some interest and raise some eyebrows.

I can be a fan of fruity beers. I absolutely love the huckleberry brews that come out of Montana. My favorite local beer is Wild Rose Brewery‘s Wraspberry Ale. Howe Sound‘s 4 Way Fruit Ale is a patio pleaser. Big Rock Brewery’s Purple Gas didn’t measure up to my other fruity faves.

Big Rock Brewery is a naturaly brewery. They don’t add corn syrup or other artificial sweetners to their beers, so when a tart Saskatoon berry is used, the sweetener had to be found naturally. The brewmaster chose agave – yes, the tequila plant. In my mouth, the beer ended up tasting more like a margarita than a beer. The agave overpowered the flavour and it just didn’t have that fantastic summer fruit flavor I crave. It was good, but not awesome.

Maybe it’s because I’m new to the prairies and the nostalgic flavours just don’t strike a strong enough chord with my memories. Still, it is a great idea, and a brew worth sampling.

Purple Gas is a test beer for the summer, if it’s a success it will get a full roll out. I picked up my sample of 3 cans as part of the Swinger Pack, which this week is only available at the Big Rock Brewery HQ in SE Calgary. You can use the site’s Beer Goggles tool to find out when Purple Gas will be rolled out across the city with more availability.

The other Big Rock test beer for the summer is Paradox Dark. Check out that review at Craft Beer Journal.

SEE MORE THINGS I ATE

Shaganappi Golf Course | SW Calgary | March 30, 2013

Spring in Calgary is a bit of a fickle beast. March brings the heaviest snows of the year, and it’s rare to see anything popping from the ground until well into April.

In Vancouver, cherry blossoms popped during the 2010 Olympics, in February. April would often bring a visit to La Conner for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

In Calgary, however, spring is celebrated whenever the temperature gets above zero and stays for a day or so. The snow never really disappears until nearly summer, so despite there still being snow on the course, the opening day of the Shaganappi Point Golf Course driving range was worth celebrating.

I took Zacharie for his first swings of a big boy club, and he loved it. Spring is here.

SEE ALL THAT’S BEEN SEEN IN CALGARY

Nose Hill Park [map]
300 kilometres of trails within the park
All ages, all-terrain stroller friendly

Nose Hill Park is a massive 11 square kilometres in central Northwest Calgary. The hill most likely gets its name from the fact that, from certain locations and with a little imagination, it looks like a nose.

Hiking in Nose Hill Park in Calgary is a popular choice for thousands of Calgarians – with dogs. Most of the park is reserved as a huge off leash area, which is something you should take into consideration if you want to spend some time wandering one of the largest municipal parks in North America.

While most of the North and central parts of Nose Hill Park are reserved as off-leash, the owners will let their dogs run anywhere they please. Our Sunday afternoon geocaching run over the southern ridge still had us waving off charging pooches. And then comes the poop. With dogs running free in a park as big as Nose Hill, don’t expect the owners to run after them, baggy in hand. If you do not stick to the paths, you’ll be stepping in something you don’t want to be stepping in. Again, even on the southern slopes, we were still dodging dog doo everywhere.

Inconsiderate dog owners aside, Nose Hill Park is a fabulous place for a family adventure within the city. There are dozens of geocaches to discover, the views are some of the best Calgary has to offer, and the trails go on forever.

If you want to run a dog, parking in the NW part of Nose Hill is best as that gets you right to an off leash area, and the parking lot is at the highest elevation of the park (no hill to walk up). To access the more family friendly areas in the south, park off 14th St. There is a bit of a hike to get to the top of the park, but it’s not as steep and strenuous as the hill you need to climb if you park on John Laurie Blvd.

In addition to hiking, geocaching, and dog running, Nose Hill Park is also a great place to go trail running and mountain biking. The winds can whip on this very exposed piece of land, so even if it’s a nice day, be prepared for a breeze, but it’s a great area to pump a sweat and get a workout.

You will meet dozens of other people using the area when you head out and, if you’re lucky, you may just run into some Nose Hill Gentlemen.

SEE MORE KID FRIENDLY HIKES IN CALGARY AND NEAR CALGARY

The Words Don’t Fit The Picture | Vancouver, BC | February 2013

I lived in Vancouver for more than 30 years, I’ve now lived away from the city for more than 3. That span of time is just enough to make the familiar nostalgic, and give me enough distance to, once again, appreciate the uniqueness of the city.

On a recent visit home, I spent a few hours wandering downtown staring at places, structures, and views that I once took for granted. The simple smell of the air was something to savour.

I remember when the Vancouver Public Library’s downtown location opened in 1995. It was a unique structure that stood out from the surroundings. Now that Yaletown has matured, the library is just another thread in the fabric of the city.

The sign on the southwest corner, The Words Don’t Fit In The Picture, is an art installation from Ron Terada. It is a large freestanding, three-dimensional sign with 1280 LED light nodes. The lights change with a computer programmed sequence.

“THE WORDS DON’T FIT THE PICTURE is a text-based work made in response to the context, building and public sur¬rounds of the Vancouver Public Library,” says Terada.

“The sign takes its cues from an era of signage when signs were once seen as celebratory, grand and iconic – in effect, as landmarks in their own right as a kind of symbolic architecture (think: Caesars Palace, The Flamingo, The Stardust – to the landmark of all landmarks, Hollywood). In tracing this lineage, the work also acknowledges a local history when Vancouver was once seen as one of the neon-light capitals of North America. Taken within the context of a public library, the work touches upon – in a very poetic way – the use of words and language as boundless and imaginative, as a catalyst for a multiplicity of meanings.”