This is the blog post to accompany Episode 1 of the New In Town podcast: Location, location, location: where to live in Edmonton On this episode I interview Janelle Smaill, my own personal realtor and friend, about the different neighbourhoods in Edmonton and how to choose the right one for you. Along the way, in [...]
When I moved to Guanajuato, Mexico from Ottawa at the age of 26, I loved it. At first, everything about moving to a new city was so cool, so interesting, exotic and rich and new and omg, ah-mazing (gimme a break, I was 26). Soon I found a place to live and a job, and the weather [...]
Meeting neighbours is harder than it should be I have a friend who moved into my community last summer from Turkey. She can't get over how tough it is to meet the neighbours. Apparently in Turkey when someone new moves on to your street, you bring over some food. This is such a given that [...]
Loneliness suuuuuuuucks. I should know, I've had more than my share of lonely stretches. Moving to a new city is one way to get lonely quick I'll never forget this one time after I finished university and moved back to my home city of Edmonton after 7 years away. I was living in a shabby [...]
You know what? You're a bundle of value, just waiting to be unleashed on the world. You have something to offer. Probably a lot, actually. Most people you meet might not realize this. Most people probably don't appreciate it. That's perfectly understandable and normal. I mean, do you go around looking for the hidden assets [...]
Do you want some really strong contacts? Close friends, trusted colleagues, people who know you and trust you enough to give you jobs and contracts and responsibilities and whatever other kind of help and support you need? This post isn't about them. But it is about how you get them. Bottom line: you don't start [...]
Bad news: not everybody trusts you. Maybe you've noticed that some people, when you try to be friendly, act like you're really out of line. Their eyes say, "Who the h#!! are you and why are you all up in my grill?" and "What do you want from me, you creep? Go away before I call [...]
These days, I might act like I've got this socializing thing all figured out, but there was a time when I was the lowest of the low on the social ladder. I mean, I was a loser with a capital L. At thirteen, I was so unpopular that my whole class conspired to play a [...]
Ah, the holidays. A time to come together with loved ones and not-so-loved ones. Many of us dread the annual encounter with that one (or more) relative whose views clash with ours. Today, I'm going to share with you a guiding principle that can help get us through these tough conversations. The key to the [...]
The nightmare scenario I have a recurring nightmare in which someone I know kills themselves and I'm forever haunted by the idea that somehow, some way, I should have done something to prevent it. Although no one can control the choices and behaviour of another person, I think this is a pretty common fear, and [...]
