Ottawa events « coffee with Julie

Posts Tagged ‘Ottawa events’

July 24th, 2011

#SoCapOtt: Ottawa’s first (annual!) Social Capital conference

I spent one of my only free days of the week at an all-day conference, paid for out of my own pocket. Insanity? My Hubby might agree. But I, for one, was certainly not going to miss Ottawa’s first social media conference! Organized by a smart group of folks who I all consider to be my friends due to our connections on Twitter and via blogging, I was also there to support their efforts and help keep the attendance numbers high. Well, I needn’t have worried. The conference, which had an attendance cap of 150, was completely sold out. And by lunchtime, the participants were already talking of “next year.”

No doubt, excellent recaps of this event will be created (check out By the Brooks for a recap/review post, Nolie’s Place for top tips learned at the event, and Keep Your Head Up‘s liveblogging for a detailed experience), so I feel freed-up to simply share some of my own personal best moments of the conference.

IRL peeps

For social media nerds like me, “IRL” means “In Real Life.” And the IRL experience was the most fulfilling part of the day for me. (It’s not always this way … sometimes I like the virtual person much better than the IRL person!) Yesterday, I had a chance to meet some online folks that I’ve been following for ages. This included Joe Boughner, Kathy Buckworth, Glen Gower, and Nick Charney.

But Social Capital also gave me the pleasure of meeting some brand new faces. Here are a few that immediately come to mind:

Sarah Wilson (aka Miss Ability)

I ended up at the same table for lunch with a woman named Sarah. Petite and soft-spoken, she had a quiet confidence that intrigued me. So, we got to talking and I had the opportunity to hear about her newly launched business called Miss Ability.

Sure, people are launching their own businesses every day, but my experience is that so many people don’t launch their businesses well. They print up cards at Staples or in their own home office, start handing them around and wonder why no one is taking an interest.

Sarah, on the other hand, is the kind of new business owner that I really respect. She has been doing all the prep work to ensure her company is well-branded and professional from the start. Here’s her business card:

Sarah had a good “elevator pitch,” that immediately helped me understand her business concept. And if you check out the Miss Ability website, you can see that the business has a clear mission statement:

To give people a platform, whether disabled or not, to communicate. Also, to allow the disabled community the ability to have a lifestyle they feel they deserve. Promoting affordability and reducing time constraints I’m providing options that are affordable and attainable at any income level or class; whether you are upper, middle or lower.

So, yeah, she was really cool. That made my $75 entry to the conference worthwhile already. Then I met:

Jordan from Project Priceless

I was immediately drawn to Jordan because I wanted to check out her shoes. Yes, I love shoes and she was rockin’ some mighty cute ones! But her shoes were just the tip of the ice berg — she has a really unique style about her. And her sparkling smile didn’t hurt one bit either.

Her story was fun. Her fiance Brian and she launched a project called “Priceless” — a “free” wedding experiment.

Can they beg, borrow, and get donations all the way to the alter?

Although this project and the blog that keeps it all tied together have attracted a lot of media attention, I had not yet heard about it. Clever and so creative, Jordan and her project reminded me of something my younger (“baby”) sister would do. I had a wonderful time talking weddings, dresses, and the Slice channel with her and a number of other women at the table. Here is a photo of Jordan and Brian, proudly displaying their wedding tattoos, which were traded for services with Sarah Rogers of Living Colour.

Jordan and Brian have their wedding scheduled for this August 22nd and you can bet that I’ll be following along and wishing them well! So, yeah, more Ottawa-cool. Then I met:

Ward Minnis, producer of the play The Cabinet

I walked into one of the sessions late and grabbed the only seat I could see. During the session, the man on the left of me asked a question, and then after the session, he and a group of us were chatting for a bit. As it turns out, he has just produced his own play called The Cabinet, which is a political comedy set in the fictional Archipelago Islands. The play premiered April 1st, 2011 and ran for 12 shows in Ward’s home town of Nassau. Here is a promotional poster for The Cabinet:

As a fellow writer, I shared a chuckle with him about his twitter bio. It reads:

Writing stories and trying to make a living off of it. Yes, I am crazy.

He was a really likeable guy, and very modest about his accomplishment of pulling off the production of his very own play. I’ve since checked out his About Me page and he’s got a lot going on! From plays, to visual art and graphic design, to academics and opinion essay writing — this is one interesting person. I really hope his next play will be set in Ottawa!

So, thank you so much to Social Capital for this event, without which I never would have had the fortune of meeting Sarah, Jordan and Ward! I am really looking forward to this becoming an annual event. (Gee, no pressure, eh?)

Otherwheres and other news on the Internets:

Social Capital is featured in today’s Citizen; Coffee with Julie is included in a Canadian Family magazine’s list of favourite bloggers; and Stella’s camping tips have been used in a “flashback” post on the Kids in the Capital community blog.

6 Comments »

April 3rd, 2011

PLAYtime (for parents AND kids!) + an Ottawa giveaway

If you are a parent, let me ask you this: When was the last time you went to see live theatre? (Do I hear *crickets*??) Yeah, I thought maybe that was the case. Because that is pretty much the case over in this household.

Actually … correct that: I DO manage to catch some wonderful theatre, but I rarely ever manage to do so with my husband. Instead, I take along a girlfriend and hubby stays home with the kids. We have just never really gotten into the swing of a regular babysitter or that “date night” thing that we’re supposed to do as a happily married couple. (Somehow, even with ignoring the marital “experts,” we’re still happily married — hee hee!)

So, when I found out that the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) was considering a new format that would allow for parents to attend a theatre show while their children were cared for, I was very happy indeed! (In fact, I think I might have said that “I’ll promote the hell out of it!” … gawd, I can be so obnoxious and excitable some times!)

That was months and months ago and since then the GCTC has contacted me to let me know that they have indeed gotten this idea of the ground, which they are calling the “Playtime Program.” Here is how they describe the program on their website:

Theatre-going parents with young children face the obstacle of childcare for the few hours they are gone to see a show. The GCTC has partnered with Kids Create to bring you the Playtime Program, an occasion for you to enjoy a matinee while your children participate in a supervised craft time in our studio theatre, located next to our main stage theatre.

At no additional cost, the Playtime Program will provide free supervision and crafts for children aged 6-12 with the purchase of adult group rate tickets ($31.25 taxes included) to our matinee.

I was surprised — but thrilled — to see that the Playtime Program is provided at no extra cost. So, I wondered what kind of care my kids would really receive … and this turned out to be even better news …

Crafts and supervision are provided by Kids Create, a local business run by an Ottawa resident and mom with years of experience in teaching and art.

You see, it just so happens that this “Ottawa resident and mom” who runs Kids Create is a former colleague of mine! She and I used to work together at a graphic design studio here in Ottawa, and I think my children would be lucky to get to spend some time crafting with her!

I am being provided with two tickets to attend the launch of the Playtime Program, so I’ll get a chance to review it and let you know how it all pans out. But more than that, I have two tickets to give away to Coffee with Julie readers! That means that you and your friend/partner/hubby/spouse/lover/you-name-it can attend as well as your child/children.

Here are the details of the event:

Date: Saturday, April 9th
Time: 3:30 to 5:30 pm
Location: the GCTC at 1233 Wellington St. W. (at Holland)
Performance: The Middle Place, which is an award-winning piece of documentary theatre that has been created from interviews at a youth shelter

Now, let me add … if you have never ever been to the theatre before, then why not give it a try? The GCTC has produced a fantastic study guide for this play which is an excellent introduction to both theatre and the concepts that the play will address. And if you are wondering what it is like to go to a show at the GCTC, I can tell you that it is a very welcoming and comfortable place. You can just wear your average street clothes, you can buy a coffee in the lobby, and the crowd will tend to be a mix of all types and ages.

If you’d like to enter to win two tickets, plus admission for your children/child to the craft session, (1) please make sure you’re available to attend on Sat April 9th, and (2) just leave me a comment below. I’ll do the draw on Wednesday evening. Good luck!!!

4 Comments »

June 4th, 2010

What makes a novelist, a novelist?

Here I am with Joanne Harris, author of one of my favourite books Five Quarters of the Orange but most famously known for her novel Chocolat, which was made into the Oscar-nominated film with Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche. I recently had the chance to hear her read from her latest offering blueeyedboy when she came to Ottawa as a guest for Writers Fest. She was part of a series of events that Writers Fest puts on called The Writing Life.

As for me, I don’t think I have what it takes to be a novelist, but I like to lurk around these kinds of events and imagine that it’s possible. And I’m sharing my thoughts on this today at Life As A Human.

Please click here to read them and let me know what you think makes a novelist, a novelist.

This photo was generously taken and shared with me by a local photographer at the event. His name is John W MacDonald and you can check out his work here.

5 Comments »

October 2nd, 2009

Me and Mr. Mozart

My bloggy friend Andrea invited me out on a date to check out some Mozart. A night on the town is always welcome, but I was also really interested in this new orchestra performance format that the NAC has recently adopted.

Produced by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, this format is called “Beyond the Score: Classical Music Exposed.” It’s been extremely well received by Chicago audiences and naturally the NAC is looking to replicate some of this success.

Here’s how it works: In the first half, the context of the music is shared with the audience–its place in history, the artist’s life at that time–and interspersed with sections of the music performed. Then, after intermission, the audience returns and hears the music played in its entirety, without interruption and with the benefit of the knowledge they gained from the first half.

For a newcomer to classical music like myself, this seemed like the perfect way to get initiated. So Andrea and I arrived to the NAC, and we were welcomed by Jennifer Covert (aka the NAC’s cyber-marketing department). Jennifer is also trying out a new format for audiences too: Blogger Night.

What Blogger Night meant was that a number of Ottawa bloggers were given complimentary tickets to that night’s performance. In addition, we bloggers were able to share two complimentary tickets with our readers. For the evening itself, we were treated to a pre-show chat with the NAC Orchestra’s Artistic Planning Manager Daphne Burt. And then after the show, we were invited backstage to have a meet and greet with the show’s one and only actor, Ottawa local Pierre Brault (who was assisted by a narrator, CBC Radio’s Bill Richardson).

So, the show.

The Stage

We’re in great seats; the performance begins. I swear it wasn’t more than ten minutes into the show when I started to wonder if I had Adult ADD, or perhaps worse, I was just too superficial to “get” classical music.

And here’s why. I looked about me, I see others gazing attentively at the stage. They look utterly consumed with the content, the visuals, the music. But me? Here’s what my brain was doing:

Oh, this is interesting seeing Mozart as an actual person, not just a name attached to music. Hmm…did I eat dinner tonight? I’m a bit worried about that deadline, but I’ve still got two days, it should be fine. Stop worrying Julie. Gawd, did that woman bathe in her stinking perfume? Julie — FOCUS! Focus on the performance, darnit. Yes, I can hear that bit about the “rogue D flat.” That guy’s head is really flat on the top, it’s like a sideways flat-head syndrome. Uh, I seriously think I’m going to get a headache from that perfume. I wonder if Andrea is concentrating? Don’t look at her Julie! Look ahead. Huh, is that a man or a woman up there … hard to tell. The conductor is kinda sexy. Is that weird that I think the conductor is sexy? I wonder if the musicians think so? Wow, the women wore such beautiful dresses then. It’s nice to have these visuals. Perhaps it’s the power that makes him seem sexy? If I put my hand up against my face, I can smell my hand more than I can smell the perfume. That kind of works. My legs are getting stiff; these seats would be pretty small if you were a tall man. Julie, FOCUS! Okay, close your eyes, that might help. Oh yes, that helps …

In my original post on this event, I noted that I’m always more attracted to music with words rather than classical music. Now I know why. It’s because the words make my brain concentrate on them. When I listen to the words of the music, I don’t drift off to other thoughts. It’s the same thing for getting myself to sleep. To turn my brain off, I need to focus myself on the words in a book. Otherwise, my brain will ramble on and on.

But it really did make a difference when I closed my eyes. Oh, the music just flooded my senses when I did that! I felt carried away. That must be why people who love classical music really love it.

Backstage after the show

What a sensation, a release really. I want my children to be able to experience this. So I’m going to pick up some Mozart music–and whatever else I can find, for that matter–and play it around the house. Also, for my daughter, who’s seven and often finds it hard to get to sleep, I’m going to get her a portable CD player for her bedroom and let some classical music carry her off.

As for me, I think me and Mr. Mozart have made a connection. It’s not strong yet, but it holds promise.

P.S. If you’re already a classical music fan, you won’t want to miss Yo-Yo Ma and the rest of the interesing (from what I can tell!) line-up for this season at the NAC.