On the edge of the Y

I've recently been asked to speak on a panel at the International Payment Summit as a generation Y-er. Is that me? Or am I an X. And does it really matter?

According to Wikepedia, different sources cite different dates of when Generation Y officially begins. Some say late 1970s others pinpoint the exact year to be 1982. This puts me on the cusp (though my friend Alice points out that I'm really X and not Y and I should suck it up).

An American Geography Lesson

I'm seeing a constant stream of Tweets pointing out the fact that the US (and the "news" source Fox as well) doesn't have a firm grasp on geography. Or a even a firm grasp on searching for images on Google.



As a Canadian, I know the wrath that my fellow Canucks rain down on anyone who mistakes us for Americans. We may sound the same but other than that... So let's compare us in terms of our knowledge of geography. Over in the UK, we laugh at Fox's mapping errors but why didn't anyone catch it?

Sunday lunch at the Coach and Horses

Coach and Horses
173-175 Clapham Park Road
London, United Kingdom, SW4 7EX

One of the things I promised myself at the beginning of January is no work on the weekends (Or at least Sundays). So though my work was poking out of my bag, I thought Sunday lunch and a film was in order. As only the Ritzy had tickets left for Black Swan, we decided something close to Brixton would be the best bet. First pub on our tour was the Grey Goose. Not only was it fully booked out, but the place was too loud for any type of conversation.

Next pub down the road. The Coach and Horses. First thing I see is two old men having a smoke outside with their pints of Guinness still inside at a table by the door. Hmmm. Old man pub. This is going to be dodgy. Or so I thought.

Today I was a Zombie

It's not every day that you get to be in a zombie film. So when my friend put the word out that they needed two Zombies for a shoot in January, I was the first person to say yes. I, being me/ a girl/ an actor, asked what I had to wear and what I should do with my hair. In Canary Wharf, I'd imagine suits, in Archway, it'd be something entirely different I'm sure. I may have been over thinking this so I brought an array of outfits that were pretty middle of the road (but not TOO pretty in case they had to put blood on it).

The Restaurant at the End of the Runway

Molsen Bar
Edmonton International Airport
Somewhere behind uS immigration

It was only a couple years ago that I flew out of Edmonton through the US back to London. They separate the US side from the rest of domestic and international travel so you don't get to use any of the shops or restaurants in the main terminal after security. That's because you have to go through US immigration before you fly instead of after.

The last time I flew there was nothing there except, if my memory serves me right, a small kiosk with over priced snacks. Now there's a Hudson News, duty free, an Indigo book kiosk and the Molsen Bar.

The worth of a customer (or why I'll never fly United Airlines again)

How United Airlines turned an OK experience, into a bad experience, into a great experience, into a lost customer.



This post was originally going to be in praise of United Airlines about its great customer service. Unfortunately it is now going to be about how they turned a frequently flyer into someone who won't fly with United Airlines again.

After my flight was moved yesterday, I stayed the 7 hour wait at Edmonton International Airport so my parents didn't have to drive out twice. It's not an exciting place let me tell you but I wrote and read and ate and waited. And then waited some more. 12:40 was my flight and they said the plane was there but we had to wait for some reason. 2 hours passed before they said the flight was cancelled. Rear brake failure. So glad to not fly on a plane with no brakes. Easy to take off but very difficult to land.

I felt so bad for some of the other passengers. I had to miss a day of work, and I really needed to be there on Monday. But others were missing starts of vacations and expensive MBA classes and sadly one couple were going to miss their cruise they'd been saving years to go on. The most gutting part is that they could have taken the Denver plane that left 30 minutes before and connected through to Miami if the UA staff would have informed us of the problem instead of telling us the plane was there and we would be travelling soon.

Birthday celebrations at Yokozuna

Yokozuna
Whitemud Crossing
4121 – 106 Street
Edmonton, AB
www.yokozunarestaurant.ca

I first went to Yokozuna about a year ago when my family took me straight after they picked me up from the airport. My mom is in love with the dragon rolls. It's fitting that we then returned to celebrate my mom's birthday there.



Nine of us fit ourselves around the table and the ordering began. First came the tea, which was unlike any I have had before. They serve a unique blend including puffed rice which cuts out the bitterness of the green tea and adds a nutty flavour which made me drink more than I usually do.

Waiting at the airport

I'm a seasoned traveller. But sometimes I even get it wrong like I did this very morning. My flight was moved to 6:55 am. Ugh. I am definitely not a morning person. So when I checked the website, I think my brain deliberately deceived me and instead of reading that the check in closed an hour before the flight, I read check in was open an hour before (though it was confusing on the site - my flight was marked as Air Canada and was actually a combination of UA and Air Canada but I only looked at Air Canada instructions to check in "at least" an hour before.

Airport eating: Jasper Bar & Grill

Jasper Bar & Grill
Edmonton International Airport
Edmonton, AB

With a lot of time to kill and hungry bellies to be filled, my family and I headed to the Jasper Bar and Grill in Edmonton International Airport. Had the roads been better we would have headed back home for a few hours but no one should have to drive a round trip in zero visibility once, let alone twice.

This place has changed a lot since the renovations and not for the better. It used to be a large L-shaped restaurant and you see into the departures area. The menu was also more extensive and had plenty of options for all types of diets. Now, the restaurant is split into two, one half in the security area and the other half in the check in area and the menus look like a poor Photoshop job by a new graduate.

Are we wasting our power as consumers?

I've always believed in the power of the consumer and that, for the most part, it is the only power we have. Democracy isn't very democratic these days especially when you making your voting decisions based on how to keep the most hated candidate out of office or the one you think will do the least damage.

So to me, spending power is more like democracy than the one where you vote once every few years. It's a choice we make every day and if we all collectively make these choices together, there can be change.

An example that really resonated with me was the consumer protest against GMOs in foods in 1999. McCain Foods was one of the companies targeted due to their use of genetically modified potatoes. Because a large enough percentage of their customers stopped buying their fries, McCain’s made a decision to refuse to use GMO in their products. Harrison McCain said, "We think genetically modified material is very good science but at the moment, very bad public relations." He added, "We’ve got too many people worried about eating the product and we're in the business of giving our customers what they want, not what we think they should have."

Now, ten years on, where has our power gone? It’s not just what we buy now but what we say and to a large part, who says it. And this comes down to the growing popularity of social networks.

Sushi from Furusato to go

Furusato Japanese Restaurant
10012 82 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
www.furusatojapaneserestaurant.com

Yesterday when I firmly planted myself at Luzzara, I longingly looked at Furusato across the street. I first experienced Furusato last September when I came for the Edmonton International Film Festival. At that time, I had just started eating fish and seafood again after 10 years of vegan living (being unable to open jars at the age of 30 due to psoriasis affected joints wasn't cool in my books, so fish got added to my diet and helped immensely). It was great. Maybe not (in my foggy memory) Vancouver sushi house amazing but for the middle of the prairies it was superb. And according to the Edmontonians in Luzzara with me, it is the best in Edmonton.

Luzzara - the best little coffee shop in the west

Luzzara Coffee Bar
10011 82 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
T6E 1Z2
www.luzzara.ca

My trips home to Edmonton now have to include a trip to Luzzara on Whyte Ave. My sister's office is around the corner so she started going there a year or so ago.  Her daily trips here made her fast friends of the owner, Sarah Jackson. Of course my sister brought me along with her one day, so now Luzzara is a favourite for me as well. What I love is that Luzzara is housed in the front part of a scooter shop with a environmentally friendly hair dressers above. Sarah started her business when she reached a crossroads - instead of going back to school as she originally intended, she started her own business to encorporate her love of coffee and chatting with people.

Rethinking my blog

So it's a new year and like most people, I've been thinking about what I want to do. Then I looked at my poor neglected blog and thought - hey. This thing needs a little more love and attention then I've been giving it. I work on strategy and content in my day job - so why am I not doing the same thing here?

This is going to change! Yes - that's right. There are going to be posts. And pictures. And stuff. Lots and lots of stuff.  The main problem I have is that my blog is as eclectic as I am. There are random posts about the random things I do and I don't want it to be too confusing. I had three blogs at one point but now I've merged them into this one blog.