Time Management...

I started this blog last fall as a requirement of the CreComm program at Red River College. I wasn’t sure how much I would like blogging, but after doing it for a couple of months, I really got into it. Lately I’ve had so many other projects on the go that require a lot of my time, and unfortunately I haven’t been posting on this blog as often as I’d like to. Ironically, some of my other projects have included maintaining a blog I created for the Red Dress Gala& Fashion Show I organized in support of the Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF). The HSF liked the work I did for my third party event blog so much that they asked me to create and maintain a blog for a shoe auction they’re hosting in April. So although it may seem like I don’t blog anymore, I am posting on two other blogs that take time to manage, and I invite you to check them out. As for the other projects I have been or are currently involved with, here’s a brief list in no particular order:

·         Nov/Dec internship with Brookline Public Relations in Calgary

·         Red Dress Gala held February 13^th at Stereo Nightclub

·         Blogging for the HSF

·         Making and selling homemade dog and cat treats to raise money for the Winnipeg Humane Society – in preparation for a live telethon being held on March 17^th

·         Organizing a battle of the bands event to promote Red River Radio (RRR), as well as to announce the winners of the RRC student election

·         Hosting Winnipeg’s Finest on RRR

·         Working on an integrated marketing campaign for FriendMatch

·         ....the list is endless...

Some of the projects I’m involved with are mandatory, and some are voluntary. I’ve always been the type to volunteer for almost anything and everything, as a way of exploring different things and helping to take the load off of someone else. I’m still learning how to manage my time as I do like having different projects going on at once, but I do need to remember to incorporate some me time. 

As for right now my main focus is on finishing the CreComm program with pride in the work I’ve had the opportunity to create. Classes end the first week of April, followed by another three-week internship I’ll be doing with Kildonan Place Shopping Centre in the communications department. There are still many things I’m looking forward to in the upcoming months that are bound to keep me on a tight schedule, but I promise to make a stronger effort to maintain this blog.

Stay with me...

Hallo...what?

Last night my mom and I took my little cousin Trick-or-Treating. As a kid Halloween was one of the best days of the year. At school we would do our work in the morning as scheduled, but in the afternoon we always had a Halloween party! Everyone in the class would bring an array of snacks, we’d all get dressed up in our cute little costumes, and then we’d watch a Halloween movie. This happened until at least grade 6, if not later. After the school day was done, my friends and I would always hit up a few houses for candy on our way home to drop off our school bags, re-adjust our costumes, grab our heavy duty pillow cases, and head out the door. To be honest, I went trick-or-treating with my mom most of the time, even as I got older. She’s a fun lady that mother of mine. Sometimes my friends would join us too, but my mom always wanted to be part of the fun. She’d always be nice enough to make sure the people handing out candy knew that her son was at home and couldn’t come out because he had a cold, and people would always give us extra candy for him.

I’m an only child.

Nearly all the houses on every street had some sort of Halloween decorations, and there were always a handful of houses that went all out with flashy lights, sound effects, and scary monsters that pop out at you from behind the bushes. My mom would always try her best to get us to the really good parts of the city who hand out full sized chocolate bars, big bags of chips, and cans of pop. I remember going home 2 or 3 times in the middle of our journey, to empty my pillowcases so I can get more goods. I’d say having 5 sacks of candy makes for a successful Halloween night. I remember being able to trick-or-treat until about midnight, sometimes even 1 in the morning, which was perfectly fine because school was always cancelled the following day!

Fast forward to Halloween 2012.

Last night was nothing like I’ve just described. I barely saw any trick-or-treaters out and about, which may have had something to do with only 6 houses per block (if that) with their lights on. We started about 7:30pm and apparently that was a late start. Some of the houses we started off with gave us the last of their stash, as they were nearly out for the evening. Now I don’t think this was because they had a ton of little monsters at their door, but more because they likely bought one small bag of candy and figured that would do the trick. Some simply stopped handing out candy because there was only a trick-or-treater every half an hour or so, if not longer.

As we walked from one house with lights to the next, which was about 18 houses away, I asked my cousin what she did at school for Halloween. You know what they did at her school? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! No dress up. No party. No movies. No Halloween sing-alongs….nothing!

What’s going on? Is Halloween being phased out? Do people no longer believe in Halloween fun? What is it?

I loved Halloween as a kid, and I’m disappointed that this generation is not getting the chance to enjoy it the way I did. I feel like they’re getting ripped off BIG TIME! Some people have serious views about not participating in Halloween festivities, but what about everybody else?

So tell me folks, why do you think kids aren’t as excited about Halloween as they used to be? Why did people stop handing out candy? Why don’t parents take their kids out anymore? What happened to the school parties? Halloween dances? Costumes?

While you ponder, please enjoy this video of the sweetest halloween house, ever!
(Watch for at least 2 minutes to get the full effect)