Kate Bruce's own personal backlog of blogs written for Mountain FM. This is where you can find the archive of all my blogs written since Day 1 (July 2013). These thoughts and opinions are my own and do not reflect the views of my employer.
Time has been flying away;
it is hard to believe I used to have time to write everyday!
Yes, my blog used to be
part of my job and now that I have branched out into the world of marketing,
finance and banking I really do not have time to write my humble thoughts in a
trivial blog daily. But, I do miss it.
Today at work I was
challenged by weaving my fine radio skills with the art of ad writing for
radio. Normally this is not so much a challenge, but an almost fun creative
writing exercise. Over the past week it has not been, it has been a
learning experience just to get through all the material I need to know before
writing an ad for products that I am still rather naive about. I know have the
first drafts of both spots done and I am about to start the editing process and
mark up all the beautiful white paper I can. So, I thought I would share the
inspiration for the second of the two ads I have just penned because it is a
moment from my childhood I will never forget.
I was 15 when this Oprah
episode aired and I remember thinking to myself, "no way Oprah would ever
drive one of those cars, she is a better actress than everyone gives her credit
for". Today, I called up this moment in television history and twisted it
for my own purposes for a radio ad. I will share it when the time comes for it
to be produced, if it is ever produced. There is still a chance that it will
end up in a paper ball on my floor at home or in a recycling bin in my boss's
office. Regardless, nothing can take away the happiness I feel right now as I
check this item off my to-do list.
Here it is:
I think anyone who enjoys a
laugh can watch that without thinking about Dane Cook's bit on the same
episode. Honestly, my inspiration was about 1/3 Oprah and 2/3 Dane Cook for the
ad so here is that moment as well:
1/3 Oprah, 2/3 Dane Cook
not a bad combination right?
Just in case you are
wondering what my inspiration was for the straight ad I wrote, the one I am
much less proud of well it was $$$. Dolla-dolla bills.
I often start my
blogs off with a comment about how crazy life has been and an explanation about
why I have been too busy too blog. This blog is no different. Since leaving the
radio game and moving back home to the Annapolis Valley things have been different,
busy and very adult. I know that is a weird way to explain it but we have a new
responsibility that is making us feel extremely accountable for my time, a
puppy. I have discussed getting a puppy in previous blogs, when the puppies
were born before we actually took custody of our little guy.
Now our lives are
all about Lou.
Seriously. Lou is
ruling all right now at 5 Lodge. Let me explain…
Lou looking pretty annoyed after his first bath.
Growing up my family
always had a dog, always. Living on a big farm it was never a problem, it was
natural to have a puppy that overtime transitioned into a dog that could be
left alone and find things to do all day.
The last time I
blogged about the puppies we had not determined which one we would pick. I am
happy to announce we have a 9-week-old addition to the family who is relatively
lazy male that is about 99% cocoa chocolate lab in the sun. He is pretty much
black but it has been debated off and on since we brought him home, I think he
is just a very dark brown. To celebrate his 9-week birthday I bathed him for
the first time and he is not very happy about it. He is growing so fast, I wish
we could freeze him in time for a little while.
Life has changed in
the week and a half since we brought Lou home. We have scheduled every last
minute outside of our house so that Lou will not be alone, since he came home
he has only been left home alone for about an hour total. He was not a fan. We
have had to settle in at night a lot earlier, Lou wakes up rather early for us
and sleep levels have been rather low. Being completely honest, Lou sleeps on
the bed. I said it would never happen, but he really does not like to be alone
on his mat or in his crate in the dark.
Lou hates the car. Soon
he will be too big to hold, to carry or to even sit on my lap. If is mother is
a good indicator of his future behavior than it won’t matter how big he gets,
he will still try to be a lap dog.
Lou has definitely
been a learning experience and it is really about time that I develop a
backbone. Between the three of us we have all given in to Lou a lot. He has
been incredibly easy to teach to do his business outside, now we have to teach
him how to be alone. I think it is going to be much tougher. Working at the
restaurant I have been home all day with him and given up my gym time and the
boys have been staying at home with in the evenings while I have been at work.
This brings me to
another big piece of news, proving everything in life really does happen all at
once. I have accepted a 9-5 job in an industry I never thought I would work in,
banking. I will be taking on a marketing role with a bank in the Annapolis
Valley (I will give more details after I actually get rolling with the job on
Monday) starting Monday. As I was offered this unique opportunity to develop my
marketing skills I was also offered another opportunity in the industry I am
actually trained in, radio. I do not want to give out too many specifics
because that role has not been advertised yet, but turning it down was one of
the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.
Before moving to the
Kootenays the exact same thing happened to me, I was offered a Promotions
Director gig at a Calgary station and the Midday Host/Promotions Coordinator
position (that I accepted) for Vista Radio Kootenays. I maintain that I made
the right call there, moving to BC and taking on the roles that I filled at the
station was a big challenge for me; I hope I will learn as much with this new
position I am taking on here in the Annapolis Valley.
I am very sad about
my continued temporary hiatus from the radio world, but I think this is the
best decision for the time being.
Now to wean Lou off
of all the daytime attention he has been receiving. Right now he is pretty
annoyed with me for bathing him so he has cut me off, lets see how long it
lasts!
One last thing, did
I mention how fast he is growing?
Sometimes I write my
blogs to get something off my chest or to practice writing creatively or
objectively if I have been silent for a little while. This blog is simply a
reminder to future Kate about this weird phase of life, when everything seemed
to be inconveniently coming together after a shit storm of craziness. Sorry for
the language there, but I could not think of a better way to describe the last
few months.
This is a reminder
that at a time when everything was swirling and twirling around in life (the
way it does for 25 year olds) there was a 9 week old little puppy around who
wanted nothing more than to cuddle up all day and sleep on your feet to keep
you in one place for a little while. Someday Lou will not want to slow me down,
unfortunately I fear that the day is coming soon that will have me struggling
to keep up with him. I saw hints of this today as I fought to keep him in the
bathtub. This is a reminder of his needy/toddler days when it was a challenge
for Lou to stay awake to play sometimes because his little puppy eyes needed to
nap.
My
drive home from work today was extremely lonely. I have been spending the last
week and a half with a bright, hilarious, female companion as I ripped around
the Annapolis Valley. I have been listening to “Yes Please” the new audio book
by the brilliant Amy Poehler.
I
am a BIG fan of listening to the comedians read their own books as I drive; it
helps pass the incredible amount of time I spend in my car. Whilst listening to
incredible books like Tina Fey’s “Bossypants” and Mindy Kaling’s “Is EveryoneHanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)” I actually started to resent
having passengers during my trips who distracted me from listening to the
special voices living inside my car. “Yes Please” was no different. My sister
and other travel companions would recognize Poehler’s voice instantly and tell
me to continue listening with them or start the book over.
Sometimes
it is nice to have a little something to yourself, even if people all over the
world are enjoying the same thing at the exact same time. There is something so
intimate and private about listening to someone read you a book and tell you
their stories that it makes you feel connected to them in a way that would
probably creep them out (at least a little bit).
To
be honest with you I am not big on listening to books that are anything other
than authors talking about their own lives. I could never listen to Game of
Thrones via audio book, although it would take until I settled into retirement
to finish them. Listening to Tina and Mindy’s books really added that special
touch, something I think I missed by reading Sarah Silverman’s ballsy “The
Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee”.
Listening
to “Yes Please” was a treat. Poehler’s book is honest in a way that the other
books in the female comedian semi-biography genre are not. Her take on life,
her words of advice and her humble roots combine to make a very accessible book
that can be appreciated by readers of all ages. I love the cameo voice-overs
interjecting with advice and bits throughout the book as well. Not only does
Amy offer up words of wisdom from experience her parents also interject with
more advice on living.
I
love the advice on everything from sex to tipping waiters in “Yes Please” but I
can happily tell you that the book is not preachy. Poehler’s counsel is
perfectly balanced with tales from her childhood and her personal and
professional life as an adult. As much as I love Parks and Recreation I am
happy that she feels too close to the show right now to write in depth about
it, she acknowledges the impact of the show on her life but leaves more to be
discussed (hopefully) in her next book.
It
is hard to determine what my favourite part of the book is because the entire
book was a pleasure to listen too. I can narrow it down to three parts:
-Amy reflecting back on her time at SNL. I believe that the set of
Saturday Night Live is equally as magical as Disney World/Land and listening to
Amy talk about her time as part of the cast makes me feel like I am listening
to a child talk about why they like Christmas so much.
-Listening to Amy discuss her appreciation and love for the cast of
Parks and Recreation. It sounds like the incredible characters that have made
us love them on TV are just as easy to love off-screen. The workplace
environment Poehler discusses sounds like the dream, there’s nothing better
than working with talented, fun individuals who mesh well. You can hear the
love in her voice when she talks about her co-workers and that is something to
be cherished. It is nice to know that the cast of Parks and Recreation will
miss working together as much (or more) than the fans will miss watching it
after the final season.
-The advice. Yes, I had to mention it one more time… and tip your server
well. Words of wisdom touch on many topics like finding confidence, sleep
deprivation, hugging inappropriate people and finding ways to be fun/funny
during challenging times. There is a gem for everyone in this book.
Poehler’s
book is a winner; pick it up for any lady on your Christmas list this year. Or
better yet, check out the audio book and have the one and only Amy Poehler read
it to her herself!
Last
thought on “Yes Please”:
I
think Amy Poehler could be the next Oprah. I just deleted a long paragraph
justifying my stance on this statement but I really think you should let your
mind wander on this topic until you agree with me. My question to you is, who
would be her Gail? I would do crazy things to be invited to the “Amy’s Favourite
Things” episode of this hypothetical television show… For now I guess you can settle for checking out the "Yes Please" tour! For showtimes and locations click here.
