You can’t go wrong by giving the experience of seeing Seana McKenna in Medea at the Canon Theatre in Toronto from Jan. 7 to Feb. 8. Seana is among the finest actors in Canada today, and Medea is one of the performances of a lifetime. If you enjoy thought-provoking theatre instead of mindless fun entertainment, Seana’s performance will probably wrench your emotions so that you’ll remember it the rest of your life.

     I speak from experience. When I saw the show years ago, even though I knew how the story ends, I was utterly sideswiped and shaken. Powerful!

     If your friends enjoy Canadian culture or the world of theatre, give the gift of seeing a brilliant performer at the peak of her career.

     Have any of you readers of this blog had the experience of seeing McKenna perform?

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     Mike Davis is a smashing photographer who does almost anything to take great photographs, but on Sunday he went too far. He had been asked to photograph the annual Egg Nog Jog at Terra Cotta Conservation Area, and he was set to catch the runners leaving the start line. Either they were faster than he expected, or he was not quick enough to get out of the way, because he was clipped by some passing runners and smashed to the ground.

     He called me that afternoon. “Guess where I am.” “I don’t know, at home?” “No.” There was silence. Then I knew. “In the hospital?” He had a dislocated shoulder, drove to Emergency and was treated by doctors who made sure no bones were broken, then fixed his shoulder. He was told to wear a sling for four weeks.

     One of the race organizers got back to him with “You’re a great photographer Mike, but there are limits to getting the shot!”

     At least he’s not photographing horse races or auto races. Not yet.

Tags: events, magazine publishing | 11 Comments »

     Community groups are holding dinner parties these days, and Mike & I have gone to several of them recently. The Independent Publishers Association of Ontario (IPAO) hosted dinner at No Regrets in downtown Toronto. IPAO is a group for magazine publishers who are independent instead of with large media corporations. IPAO members seem to be passionate about their areas of expertise and niche markets and are happy to share entrepreneurial ideas and industry knowledge.

     The Halton Hills Camera Club met for dinner at one of our current advertisers, The St. George pub in Georgetown. The group filled a third of the space and spouses and partners were introduced to fellow enthusiasts of photography. One member is Alan McCord, whose moody, beautiful photograph is the centre and cover of our December issue.

     The Halton/North Peel Naturalist Club held their annual pot-luck dinner in the Limehouse Memorial Hall on the Escarpment. After dining on a feast of various delicious foods, members watched slide-show presentations of nature photography. Spiders, moths, butterflies, turtles, snakes, frogs, caves, manatees in Florida, a curious grouse and more were the stars of the evening.

     Mike also participated in the annual pub run of the runners’ group organized by the store Feet In Motion. This annual event features visits to several drinking spots in the old part of Georgetown, with jogging as the desired method of transportation. After pubbing until 2:00 a.m., Mike said it was agony getting up the next morning for his 8 a.m run.

     Tonight will be dinner in Oakville with the Halton-Peel Communications Association. Members and partners are invited to gather for networking, dinner and the distribution of door prizes.

     It’s a busy time of year, and anyone can take part simply by joining some interest groups. What are your favourite groups doing this month?

Tags: events | 4 Comments »

     As we were distributing the December issue, one of our regular advertisers told us that they had already had a call from someone asking if the next issue was in yet. How great is that? This proves that people are drawn to our advertisers’ facilities in part because of our magazine. That is the absolute best that advertising can do: attract interest or draw traffic to you. From there it’s up to you to have the goods or services that people want, at prices they’re willing to pay. When readers and viewers talk to our advertisers about the magazine, they know that it has appeal, and they are more likely to continue to support us, meaning that we can continue publishing what people want. So thank you and please continue!

     We’ve had some interesting responses to the December issue. One person emailed that it’s the best issue ever. Some people have shuddered at our caving feature. Many people say they love the centre photo. “Another one for the wall!” someone said. And we just got a new subscriber who noted “A fascinating addition to our education.” We’re tickled by all of this.

     I also had a call from a resident of Lion’s Head who complained that his town is not on the map. He said that as a village of 500 people, it was a very important place that should be included. I love the fact that this viewer wants his village to be part of the magazine. I told him that we will definitely consider adding it to the map in the next issue.

     Have you seen our December issue? Was there anything that you like or dislike about it? What town or village do you think should be added to the map and why?

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