Update your bookmarks!

I have now loaded up allisonmcneely.com for service.  My theme is really sad…that’s a longer term goal.  BUT I do have my blog operational over there.  For my readers, I would really appreciate it if you could update your RSS feed/bookmarks.  Thanks!

Oh My God, I paid for Web Hosting

Having too many of one thing seriously stresses me out.  I think it’s the fear of managing all of whatever item it is, or maybe just the complete lack of necessity for owning multiples of the same item.  But I hate having too many of one thing.  Like jeans.  I LOVE getting a new pair of jeans, but looking at my bottom drawer, I routinely get stressed out by how many pairs I have and how totally unnecessary it is.  Hence why I purge my closet like twice a year – I calm my nerves on having too many pairs of jeans by giving clothes away.

This post comes around from my latest source of anxiety: how many email addresses I have.  You’re probably thinking I am totally nuts, but I hate having too many email addresses.  I don’t like the disorganization in my gmail box of all the different labels signifying which email they were sent to, regarding what, from whom.  Furthermore, I get nervous about being that contactable sometimes.  Bizarre, I know.  I’m a writer on the internet and sometimes I get stressed out by the number of email addresses I can get pointless emails to.  Hilarious.

What I am trying to say, is that I feel nervous because I have taken a giant step forward (for me anyway) in the world of the internet.  I paid for web hosting.  OH MY GOSH!  This is a big deal for me.  I registered allisonmcneely.com two summers ago, and have sat on it ever since.  I had no reason for owning a domain, but I just didn’t want someone else to have it.  Then once I started writing and working in writing, I rationalized that I was still too amateur for my own domain and fancy website.

But, I’ve come to the point where I recognize the advantages of having my own domain and web hosting.  For one, it’s more professional than a free WordPress blog.  Two, I am interested in tracking traffic and RSS subscriptions – but I can’t do any of that (at a useful level anyway) on a free WordPress blog.  Three, I want a pretty blog, DAMNIT.  And I should be allowed that, if only because it’s fun.

I also realized that I can’t say that it’s too expensive.  I used to be cagey about sinking money into a website, but I spend more on coffee in two months than I do for a year of webhosting.  Seriously, me and Starbucks are good friends.  Furthermore, I have earned enough from writing to pay for all of it – domain, hosting, and even Thesis for WordPress.  NO EXCUSES.  You have to spend money to make it.  Or so they say.

So to bring this all back around, I got stressed out about all my email addresses upon registering for BlueHost and then finding out that I could create email addresses.  WHY would I want another email address?  However, I momentarily got really excited by the possibility of having allison@allisonmcneely.com.  But then I got stressed wondering how it would be different from allisonmcneely@gmail.com, which is my address that I use for all my writing business.

Do you SEE how my mind works?  It’s no wonder I am insane.

TalentEgg Video Blog

So today I made my second video blog for TalentEgg.  In this video, I explain why I chose to enroll in a continuing education course at Ryerson.  I look and sound like a total dork.  And my hair looks awful.

Anyway, thanks for watching.

P.S. I used to compete in impromptu speaking, you cannot tell.

Article on TalentEgg’s Globe Campus blog

Now those of you who know me, know my love of The Globe and Mail.  Yes, it’s no New York Times, but it’s the best (by far) of what we’ve got in Canada.  Minus the whole tendency to apologize for Harper.  And Margaret Wente.

Anyway, I digress.  Globecampus.ca has a few blogs related to education and careers, and TalentEgg’s “From Class to Career” is one of them.  And I’m published on it!

You’re probably thinking, “UGH what’s the big deal?  TalentEgg got another one of her articles on the internet…who cares?”

I care, because I love writing and TalentEgg is a kickass company that just keeps giving me one awesome opportunity after another.

Model United Nations events helped me build confidence and valuable skills

While I was a student at McGill University, I was a massive  Model United Nations (MUN) nerd.  Massive.

MUN, put simply, is competitive debating.  At an MUN conference, committees of the United Nations are simulated and delegates representing individual member states debate on issues selected for discussion in each of the committees.

Read more: http://talentegg.ca/incubator/2010/01/model-united-nations-events-helped-me-build-confidence-and-valuable-skills/

Author’s note: Thanks to the SSUNS 2008 secretariat for giving their implied consent to the secretariat photo being used on the TalentEgg website!   Great group of people and a great conference.

How I learned to speak, hate and love French

“So, do you speak French?”

That’s a question I get a lot when I try to explain my second language ability to other people.  As an Ontarian who was failed by our province’s core program, I learned to speak French largely on my own initiative.  My quest to learn the language of la belle province has been marked by awards for most improved to near failing grades, and everything in between.

Read more: http://talentegg.ca/incubator/2010/01/how-i-learned-to-speak-to-hate-and-to-love%E2%80%A6french/

Moving at Warp Speed…sort of

So, I’ve decided to give up on the whole How I Met Your Mother recaps project.  Why?  Because it’s boring to write mindless recaps, and I’d rather just enjoy the show, and I have class on Monday nights…so it’s not even very feasible.

Since I like posting occasional updates about my life, I’ll put in a little filler here.  I have started interning with TalentEgg, which has been a lot of fun.  I’ve only been there two weeks, but I feel like it’s been forever.  In the good way.  I work at the bar still.  To be honest, my patience with “the industry” is starting to wane, but you can’t beat the tips and until a full time paid opportunity emerges, the bar helps to pay the bills.  I am in a continuing education class at Ryerson, Writing for Print Media.  I am seriously excited.  I hope it will allow me to get published and help my portfolio for grad school.  Finally, I am still doing some ghost freelance writing.  That, much like Fight Club, is not something I talk about.

Basically, I do a lot.  My life in Oakville/Toronto has evolved in a sort of unusual way.  I am extremely busy, doing a bunch of things that equal a whole thing.  That’s the way I like it.  But as a result, I simply don’t have the time or energy for stupid writing exercises like recapping a TV show.  I started that when I wasn’t busy, and it was a fun exercise that netted me some ad revenue, but I am trying to my energy into more meaningful work.  For starters, I am trying to get the nerve to pull my head out of my ass, think up so story pitches, and pitch some publications.

Wish me luck.

TalentEgg VBlog – Episode 1

Yesterday at TalentEgg, we made a silly little video that is the first in a series of video blogs.  Each week, the TalentEgg team will be posting a video (or two, or ten!) that discusses something related to Gen Y and recruitment.  Stay tuned – and better yet – join TalentEgg.ca!

You can view our first vblog here.  I tried to paste the YouTube video right into WordPress, but apparently WordPress’ instructions aren’t very good because it didn’t work.  Oops.

How to Evaluate a Job Offer – t.o.night – January 12th 2010

The lovely people over at t.o.night newspaper published another article of mine on January 12th 2010.  This article is an edited version of the original article, found on the TalentEgg Career Incubator.

How to evaluate a job offer: What you need to know before saying yes

Getting a job offer – especially your first job offer – is pretty exciting. However, just because you applied for and received the job doesn’t mean it’s right for you.

It’s important to consider the entire package, including the pay, benefits, perks, company culture, hours and travel distance. Reflect on every aspect of the job to ensure you and the organization you will be working for are both happy.

It is appropriate to ask for a few days to come to a decision on the offer.

Read more: http://talentegg.ca/incubator/2010/01/how-to-evaluate-a-job-offer-what-you-need-to-know-before-saying-yes/