Photo: Sweetretreat.ca

Having already navigated my way through one bridal show (which I doubt will be my last) here are a few words of wisdom that I think every bride-to-be should have before getting swept up in bridal show madness.

1. Bring Your Partner-to-Be
I can’t tell you how many women I overheard saying, “I wish he was here, I can’t decide on these things by myself!” as they walked around with girlfriends and moms. While wedding shows are really just for inspiration, it makes sense to have your partner come along so that you don’t have to attempt to relay a mountain of information about DJs, invitations and eleven-tiered cakes when you get home. (If it helps, tell him/her there will be cake samples to test. Food is an excellent motivator.)

2. Leave Your Credit Card At Home
Did I need to purchase a $200 flat iron at a wedding show? Probably not. But after three hours of wandering around, I was so grateful to the woman who asked me to sit down while she did a demo on my wavy locks, I decided I either had to make a purchase, or marry her. Do yourself (and your bank account) a favour and keep the Visa stashed at home in case you feel the urge to impulse buy.

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Now that I’m in my third week of class at Ryerson AND working as a web intern at St. Joseph Media, I’ve become slightly obsessed with all things web-related. Back in the summer when I was browsing through job listings, I kept running across the phrase “Web 2.0″ and had absolutely no idea what it meant. I Googled it, of course, but the details were still a little fuzzy. 

Enter Kat Tancock, my Creating Website Editorial prof at Ryerson (and web editor of Best Health magazine). On my first night in class, she shared a great video by Michael Wesch that is not only very cool, but does a pretty good job of explaining the awesomeness of the Internet. And because I think it’s so fabulous, I’m going to share it with you. Enjoy!

Well, here we are once again… The end of the year. The time when we sit back and reflect on the past 12 months. And let me tell you, 2008 has been quite the ride…

Professionally, 2008 was full of fantastic opportunities for me. I had the chance to get a real taste of what the magazine industry is like, thanks to a series of amazing internships, and I have to say… I am in love. I’ve loved magazines for as long as I can remember, but actually seeing my name in them and contributing to the whole process is a total rush. I hope that 2009 will bring many more opportunities and challenges as I keep working towards my goal of having a full-time career in writing.

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There are a few things that I will admit to being addicted to, happily and without shame: magazines, good books and big cups of tea are around the top of the list. But it seems that somewhere along the line, learning has crept its way into the ranks. As such, I am heading back to school. Again.

One very cool thing about my line of work is that I feel like I’m always learning new things. Whether I’m researching a story or proofreading someone else’s work, I end up taking in a lot of information… which often comes in handy during Jeopardy, or late-night games of Trivial Pursuit.

But there is something about learning in a formal environment that I just really enjoy. I like lectures. I like taking notes. I like walking away from a class feeling like I can do something that I couldn’t do before. And that’s exactly what I’m hoping to take away from the continuing education class I’ve enrolled in at Ryerson University…

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