first health and beauty section published!

If you picked up the current issue of the Gauntlet you’ll notice I’ve got a bunch of new writers! They’re the lovely columnists who will be writing once a month on subjects of health, beauty, relationships, etc. It was absolute fun working with them and putting together this week’s section. We really got to be very creative with our content and I got to mess around with new layout designs as well, which I think turned out quite nicely! The web version doesn’t do it justice right now, so check out the PDF for the best web rendition.

As you can see, the theme of this month’s section was do-it-yourself. Each month will have a different general theme and each of the writers will offer a specific take on that theme. The next health and beauty section will be published the Dec 9 issue!

 

h&m hits and misses with lanvin

Lanvin’s line for H&M was released in North America today. I haven’t been to the mall yet but I’ve formed a love/hate relationship with the line by just looking at the website. Some pieces are adorable and some are just hideous. I mean, it’s not like I can buy any of it anyways, but it’s fun to yearn for/despise just the same.

For example, this is very cute.

 

But this….

 

 

…this material reminds me of Bianca’s prom dress from 10 Things I Hate About You — which is terrible. Also pink and red makes my eyes hurt.

 

first and third person

Huzzah! Another feature article. I kind of went out on a limb with this one but I think it worked out. And the layout is quite lovely! The best layout I’ve done so far, I think. It’s just so pretty.

I just noticed I’m missing an “and” in one sentence. Hm. Oops. And the paragraphs on the second page probably don’t need to be indented. Other than that I think it turned out quite well.

So far most of my features this year have been written in first person which I think reflects my love of blogging. Articles are more  interesting to read when they have a personal touch to it. In fact, I kind of modeled this feature after a blog post — it’s pretty informal and personal. I also directed people to share their thoughts in the comment section of the website, like a blog post.

I get that removing yourself from an article makes it sound more professional and appears more objective, but if you have the opportunity to write in a more engaging way then why not? I think you can still remain objective and write in first person too. I’m not saying news articles should be written this way, but sometimes it just works. Jeremy Klaszus’ FFWD cover article on Ric McIver is a great example. He briefly incorporates his own interactions with McIver near the beginning of the article, establishing a personal and informal tone that speaks directly to the reader. He does not refer to himself very much after that, sticking to quotes, history and facts. The informal tone is still there, but you don’t doubt the integrity of his reporting. It’s great.

Anyways, that’s how I like to approach writing whenever I can. Not only is it more interesting to read, I feel more connected to my writing which makes me want to invest more in it. It only makes sense — there’s  an incredible distance between first and third person. I recognize the importance of both, but prefer the first.

the lowdown on k-town

Here’s my feature about Kensington and why it closes so early…or something. I really did not know what I was doing when I wrote this. It was meant to be an expansion on this blog post. Anyways, if I were to change anything I would have talked to more landowners…the one real estate guy I called was a basically not nice and, as you can see, didn’t want his name published. I should have called someone else, but maybe they would’ve been the same way. They want to control information that gets out regarding Kensington and traffic etc because it affects potential buyers and yada yada…I don’t know. Whatever.

Anyways, I’m having a hard time writing features that don’t sound like huge press releases. I mean…not that it is always a bad thing. That’s sort of what my section is, I guess…it features things. It doesn’t always have to be a hard hitting story, but I’d like to see more of that anyways.

You know, come to think of it, I’ve only been writing stories for just over a year now. I’m still far from an expert and I’m always learning, so sometimes I need to just chill and not freak out if my articles don’t turn out as well as I’d like them to. I’m too negative about things lately and it’s really not worth it.

Soooo…look at the boot! Cool layout! Glorious!

Kensington’s Night Out

Kensington is one of my favorite places in the city, so last year when my family was looking around for a new place to live I was thrilled we were considering Sunnyside. So many unique small businesses, great coffee shops and restaurants right by the river, a short walk to downtown, SAIT is just up the hill and the University of Calgary is a 7 minute C-train ride away. Having lived in five wards in the past 10 years, I can safely say that Sunnyside, in Ward 7, is my favorite residence so far.

Last summer I worked at a small food business in Kensington that unfortunately had to leave that location because the lease increased. I worked the closing shift – which was 3-7pm.

It’s unfortunate that many local businesses in Kensington can’t even stay open past 5 or 6pm without losing money or at least without their staff being bored to tears. I understand everyone took a hit during the recession, especially small businesses – but we’ve all got to bounce back somehow.

That’s what I want to talk about right now – shopping, especially in Kensington. It’s a great place, but sometimes I feel the streets aren’t as populated as they should be. There are advertisements on the C-train to “Get Back to Style” in Kensington, but how can you get back to style when nothing is open in the evenings? I’ve bought clothes from American Apparel solely because they are the only store open past six pm. In fact, they’re open until 9, which is amazing.

However, I’m usually the only one in American Apparel that “late” in the evening. I understand that many small businesses will lose money if they stay open later while only a few customers trickle in. I spent my closing shifts last summer more alone than not as well.

Well, what do we do? I’ll tell you what I’d like: Kensington’s Night Out.

It may ring a bell if you’ve heard of Fashion’s Night Out, an event that started two years ago in New York City. The second annual Fashion’s Night Out happened a few days ago on Friday, September 10th where retail stores in NYC – and around the world – stayed open until 11pm, with events featuring designers, models, and musicians etc. The idea was to get people excited about fashion – and most importantly – to buy things.

Is it successful? According to New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, yes.

“The numbers are in, and it’s clear that Fashion’s Night Out was a tremendous success,” Bloomberg said. “Thousands of New Yorkers attended the events in all five boroughs, supporting the city’s retail and fashion industries, and helping a worthwhile cause. It’s sure to be an even bigger event in 2010.”

Positive results are trickling in from this year’s FNO as well.

I’m not recommending a full-blown Fashion’s Night Out ordeal in Calgary. That sounds way too highbrow and expensive for me – maybe someone else can get behind that bandwagon. Something I could get behind is Kensington’s Night Out. Try the same idea with all the stores staying open until 11pm, maybe get some cool local music acts, and just have a party that encourages people to support local businesses.

I know Art Central has a similar small-scale event the first Thursday of every month where their facility stays open until 9pm and I understand it is quite popular. Perhaps more places in Calgary should try this concept out: downtown, Inglewood, Kensington, wherever!

The ultimate result I’d like to see is these businesses being able to stay open later on a regular basis. Maybe slowly over time these stores could extend their hours until customers realized that they could now go shopping in Kensington after work instead of heading to the mall. But it would have to begin with an event to kickstart Kensington, foster community, support local businesses, and most importantly, support people.

Anyways, I’m not a business, marketing or economics major. I just like Kensington. I like Kensington’s people. And I like shopping. That is all.

Image: Victoria Ask

Cross posted at calgarypolitics.com

girl talk

So awhile back I wrote about not wearing pants anymore. Well, I’d just like to say that for the past two months I have only worn jeans twice – because I was camping. Other than that it’s been skirts and dresses. It’s been really awesome, actually! I feel a lot more feminine and it’s fun to explore different styles.

I’ve accumulated a few more tights for colder days too. American Apparel tights are expensive but they have so many patterns… I have one pair I like, but of course they got a run in them. Just one. I put some clear nail polish on it and wore them yesterday. It’s not really super noticeable, but once you notice it’s not quite subtle either. Is that a faux pas or something? They were $30, I don’t want to just trash them. Le sigh.

skin

You know what I’m very okay with? This picture. This is a statue of Aphrodite in the British Museum in London. Has she been spending all her spare time at the gym? Um, no. Is she freakin’ sexy? Um, very.

Another reason I like this picture is because it’s modest. “Yes, I’m a babe, but no, you can’t look – get out of here.”

It’s not even like that pseudo modesty, like Jennifer Aniston in GQ (or any given female celebrity in any given magazine). You know the kind. “Oh…look at me and my strategically placed limbs and props. I’m naked but you can’t see anything, haha! I’m so sexy!”

And then everything is photoshopped anyways, it pretty much doesn’t count as being naked because the image you end up with is hardly your real body anymore. I guess celebrities are secure enough with their body image to take their clothes off, but not secure enough to let people see what they  actually look like without clothes. Hm.

Anyways, I’m gonna finish this ice cream because it’s delicious. Mmm….

who needs pants?

Those jeans do make my gangster ass look good though. I mean ghetto booty. Whatever they call it. Yes, I'm in front of a tank.

I have decided to be more girly. Sort of. I’ve always enjoyed reading fashion magazines and blogs, looking at all the dresses and pretty outfits I am too lazy to coordinate. I usually stick to jeans and a t-shirt because they are simple and comfortable, but lately I feel like a boy when I wear them. Or a baseball player for some reason.

My simple strategy to become more girly is this: no pants! I haven’t worn pants in weeks, just skirts and dresses. Already I feel a lot more feminine and it’s awesome. Plus you can buy so many styles of skirts and dresses, whereas you can only go so far with jeans and t-shirts. I’m just really tired of being bored with what I choose to wear.

I refuse to give up practicality though. I plan to expand my wardrobe of tights and cardigans for cold days. Let’s see how long I can go without pants…so far it’s been almost 3 weeks. Will I make it into the fall/winter? Will I go broke replacing my wardrobe? We’ll see.

Yes, this is something I thought I should share.